So I’ve wanted to draw Celebration for a long time but couldn’t think of an AU where she’d take a body before she was sacrificed. In canon she and Victory were very good friends and while not twin-souls, were connected in their beings in a different fashion. Ultimately Mythal convinced Elgar’nan to sacrifice her while she was still a spirit to make Victory take a body. So the only way she would have not been sacrificed was if she’d taken a body herself and Victory followed suit. But I couldn’t see her connecting with any of the Evanuris. Sylaise’ grand parties and festivals and traditions always seemed stale and staged and never drew Celebration toward the leader. But I think she would have felt that Des’Din was more honest in his celebrations, more free with the expression of his purpose in a way that didn’t seem fake. Eventually I’m not sure if she’d become disillusioned with the state of things, but I think she’d make a great follower of Des’Din.
Holiday headcanon for Des in the Reverse Evanuris AU
Holiday headcanon
Des’dins favorite holiday is his own; Melava’din.
The morning is spent in remembrance of those in your personal life that have moved on to Uthenera; ensuring their resting place is properly cared for, that there are foods and drinks and often even decorations near known sleep sites. In the afternoon, people are meant to pay tributes to Des’din himself, as thanks for his work in assisting those who needed it into the next phases of their life.
At sundown, he leads the people in a large, loud, procession of music and dance and extravagance that is meant to be exuberant enough that even those taking part in Uthenera can hear them. Stories are told of those who have moved on, in dance or song or simple oratory. There are grand performances of the deeds of fallen heroes of the empire, and of Des’dins grand achievements, and the festivities last until the sun rises again in the morning.
Does Des wear heels? Also for him as Des'din you know how FD has to be tallest so he shifts - Des likes being tall too but he just wears the MOST RIDICULOUS heels? Sorry for weird formatting, asking on the phone is not easy. Fat fingers, smol keys
Des wears heels for the sake of his silhouette more than the sake of being tall. He’s more concerned with being the most attractive person in the room than with being the person with the most power (and there’s not much difference in his eyes either way, especially in the reverse evanuris au). He’s always been shorter than Selene so he’ll usually wear heels if he’s around her to at least make them equal height, but most of the time he’s wearing them because he wants people to stare at his ass in all honesty.
Definitely though, there have been events where Des shows up in ridiculous ten inch heels that are way too elaborate and definitely he’s using magic to help him walk because there’s no way that skinny point is supporting his weight, but he looks incredible and its hard not to stare. I imagine he and Sylaise compete in these sorts of strange areas a lot.
Does Des'din's dragon form compliment Selene's? Is he too a noodly dragon?
Yep!
Des is also a giant noodle dragon, with deep purple scales with a magenta tinge and golden flecks. His wings and horns are much larger than Selenes’, nearly twice so. Where she tends to keep herself tucked in and move quickly through a battlefields terrain, he’ll flap out his full wings to make himself seem larger and rarely ever lands. His horns curl up and out rather than back onto his skull, which helps him cast a more terrifying silhouette. He tends to be the ‘distraction’, covering large areas at a time and overwhelming his opponents.
A hop skip and a jump further along the timeline than the previous pieces.
Dirthamen (mentioned) and Kel are @feynites
Ana is @lycheemilkart
When she first finds the baby, she is at a loss.
It is very much unheard of to find babes abandoned in the wood. Especially ones as young, and quiet, and remarkable as this.
She does not behave quite like the children she has met before; she does not pull at clothing or jewelry, or even the strands of hair peeking out from beneath Selenes hood. There is no screaming or crying, only fear and curiosity and loss pouring out of a body far too small to hold it.
It is harder to see the strings, since the events of the festival so long ago. Selene can not read people as easily as she once could, but even so...Even so, this child is alone and scared and clearly reeling from a trauma she is too small to have experienced.
It only makes sense then, to tear off her hood and wrap the baby before she can freeze with the setting sun. A simple matter to warm her hands and arms as she holds her, rocking the small body back and forth with a soft song until she is calm and close enough to sleep that she can be carried back without drawing too much attention.
A hope, perhaps, that was always in vain.
Ana's eyes go wide, when she re-enters her halls, a swaddled baby asleep in her arms. Selene does not fight it when Ana immediately dismisses the other attendants and ushers her into the room, only whispers at her not to wake the baby with her worry.
“Is this what your retreat was for?” Ana whispers once they are alone in Selenes chambers. “Why wouldn't you tell me?”
“I didn't intend it,” Selene explains. “I went on my retreat because it was necessary. I found the baby on my journey back.”
“You 'found' the baby?”
“Yes.”
Ana gives her the look she always gives her when she thinks she is lying.
“It's the truth.” Selene reiterates.
“So Dirthamen's not the father then?” Ana asks skeptically.
“I suppose its possible, biologically. I don't think he'd procreate with someone who would abandon their child in the woods though. And he never asked for permissions, so if he had, there would certainly be compli-”
“That is not what I meant, and you know it.”
Selene lets out a breath.
“We are not.....” She shifts her arms before remembering the baby lying in them and immediately abandons the gesture she had been about to make. “We're not a 'we'.”
“That's a lie.”
“Could we focus, perhaps, on the baby instead of my inactive romantic life?”
“Mm...”Ana relents, eyes drifting back down to the sleeping infant. “Do you know whose she is?”
“Mine,” Selene answers plainly.
Bright green eyes look up at her incredulously from their freckled home. “You're sure?”
Selene nods. Even if she did not birth the child...she has become attached. Too attached to give her to another, who might simply leave her again in the woods.
No, with her is surely the safest place she can offer.
Selene sends Ana off to fetch Des'din, who will likely be upset if any other member of their family learns of the newest addition before he does.
In the meantime, Selene sends for food and drink from the kitchens. Soft, easy to swallow foods and an assortment of milks and juices.
...Perhaps she should look into proper childcare procedures soon.
Selene is trying to dress the baby in one of her old cowls and losing a debate about putting food into small mouths rather than a tiny scrunched up fist, when Des'din slams open the doors to her bedchamber.
“IT'S TRUE!” He squeals as soon as he spots them. Before Selene can register her other half's presence, he has snatched up the baby, and is swinging her in a wide circle over his head. “Oh, you are just the sweetest, cutest, most precious thing, aren't you?! Yes you are, yes you are!”
“She is not a pet,” Selene sighs, “Please be careful.”
“Of course I'll be careful with my daughter,” He scoffs, moving smoothly into a rather impressive one armed carry while he waves dismissively with the other. He grins back down at the baby “Look, she's got my eyes!”
“No, she doesn't.”
“Well, she's got the same gleam. Family resemblance and all that.”
Selene raises an eyebrow at Des, but otherwise lets his comment slide as she holds out her arms. “Please give me back my daughter.”
“You've had her all day, she deserves to spend time with her father.”
“You're not her father,” Selene frowns.
Des lets out a hurt gasp, one hand moving to cover the babies ears. “Excuse me? We are each others other halves, Selene! If you are her mother, then of course I'm her father! Who else could it be?”
“She...well, she doesn't have one yet-”
“Good, I volunteer for the position. Any other takers? No? Lovely,” He carefully raises the baby, who looks rather lost and swept up in the sudden commotion, up to his eye level and rubs his nose gently against hers. “Hello Da'Des, I'm your father. Can you say 'Papae'? 'Papae'?”
“Her name is not Da'Des, and you are not her father,” Selene gripes as she pulls the baby back into her own arms. It is strangely reassuring to have her back, as something inside her settles down that she hadn't even realized had become anxious.
Perhaps she should have taken longer on her retreat after all.
Des'din pouts, arms crossing over his chest like a petulant child. “She's Dirthamens then? Because he's still technically mine, so if you two went and had a baby-”
“She is not Dirthamen's, why does everyone keep asking-” Selene takes a deep breath before her temper can get out and potentially scare a baby that right now needs more than anything, someone to keep her safe. “Dirthamen and I did not procreate. We had a single night together, and occasionally he agrees to accompany me to social events. That's all.”
“And also you're in love with him.”
Selene lets out a long groan “I'm not-he's not-...look, it's complicated and it's just...he's safer-happier, really, without having to deal with the problems a relationship with me would entail.”
“You can't lie to me about your bonds you know?” Des tsks with a disappointed look in his eye. “And you can't just will this away by going to hide in the woods or a cave or whatever section of the dreaming you've been hiding in these last few months. I may not know the details of whatever happened between you two, but you fucked up.”
“Language,” Selene insists, turning the baby away from Des. “And I didn't-”
“You did,” Des asserts. “Whatever else may have happened, you two formed a bond and the instant you realized it, you got scared and abandoned him. Where do you think the first place he went to look for you was? With me. So yeah, you fudged the heck up, Selene.”
Selene opens her mouth to argue, but stops before she speaks. There are two dark eyes looking up at her expectantly while she sucks on her knuckles, currently gripped around the edge of a golden coin.
“I think you're missing a piece of your outfit, Des,” She says instead, carefully plying the object away from tiny fingers.
He blinks down at the shining coin, patting himself down until he finds the empty space.
“Oh good, she's clever and sneaky,” He hums, hooking it back onto the appropriate chain. “You two will get along wonderfully.”
