(i feel like i might be overwhelming you with questions so if you feel uncomfortable, dw abt asking me to stop!) ooo! so that's why lydo has all that arcane stuff! does/has the arcane energies harm lydo? did it ever affect his growth from a hatchling to an adult? since it's drawn (if i understood that right!) to lydo, does/can the energies affect other dragons in the lair too? (this is rly neat!! tysm for sharing ( /)v( ))
No no, it's cool! :D I love the questions, it keeps me going! I tend to create a lot more content as I go with an active dialogue going on, so it really helps! I've been a little stagnant the last few months, so I'm enjoying it. If I DO happen to burn out and stop replying, it'll only be so I can save the note in my askbox for later. C:
I'd say other than making him look extra beefed compared to his actual physical weight, the energy has twisted his mind just slightly over the years. There are moments where his morals slip a little and his better judgement becomes questionable. He once left the clan for days on end in order to claim a small Fey for his studies, and he was dead set on breeding with her some day as part of his work, set on studying the effects between them in their potential offspring. This was not something that he would consider romantic, as he raised her from a hatchling and kept her hidden from the rest of his clan for many months. Only when he realized she was not so perfect as he wanted for his work did he let go and send her away to another clan of... equally dark studies.
Also, the energies have affecting him in some ways physically, altering some of his physique and facial features, flattening and broadening his face compared to the slightly longer muzzled breed (for one example). The fact that Tundras already have one of the shortest faces make his even stranger. Even when he's in his original quadrupedal form, his face is someone reminiscent of a human's (Or rather Serthis/Meran/Dunhoof).
As he's aged, one of his first and strongest skills was to alter his own form further, becoming fully bipedal--Which he refers to as being an "Upright Tundra"--and gradually changing over time by the study of Ancient human relics and taking cues from the anatomy of some species of beast clans. Nearly all of his everyday life is spent in this form and he admits only to himself that he considers it his true form, as he is more comfortable with it than being as he was born. Not that he minds it, but it's just not what he prefers anymore.The only time he shifts back to his original form:
Attempting to make a visiting dragon more comfortable with him.
Traveling long distance and needs a different pace.
If he has trouble sleeping.
If a potential mate was too nervous about being intimate with his bipedal(upright) form.
And YES! The energies around him and especially those in his studies and living chambers are a little rather active with energy. A bit like radioactive dust, actually. Any time he goes out traveling or is outside roaming the clan territory, he comes back with a coating of dust on his fur, and it tends to be a great deal of arcane energy left over from eons ago, and charged flecks of pillar that float about a little of everywhere. He has even found "Pillarbits" stuck between his toes on more than one occasion. lol
The dragons that are most notably affected by him, thankfully, are usually those also from Arcane flight. The little troupe of hatchlings that he's raised and that frequently keep him company are all mutated.
Lilla the Spiral: Was his first "acquisition", which he adopted on a whim one day when, uh, his fatherly urges kicked in without warning and he wanted something small and cute to hold, spoil with affection and to protect. (Lydo has many Guardians in his lineage.) Though Lilla is from Shadow, she was affected very strongly by his energies; she is most often wrapped around his shoulders and neck, hidden in his mane like a little snake. She has absorbed so much powerful emotional energy that it stunted her growth within a few short days, as Lydo was not as in control of his energy at the time. She barely speaks, if ever, shares his meals with him and is more akin to a beloved familiar than a fellow dragon. He knows that his love has ruined her for being anything more, and thus he keeps her with him more often than any of the other hatchlings. She loves him unconditionally, trusts him completely, an will often only make her presence known if she senses something strange in his behavior. If she has any ability, it is a powerful form of Empathy to him. (Those are the majority of my headcanons for her, though I may build more on it later.)
Shuesha the Tundra: A talkative and inquisitive hatchling, Lydo was yet again traveling in the lands of his birth when he found the chance to adopt the pretty little girl. His heart melted quickly and he imagined that she might grow to become a wonderful helper in his library. Unfortunately, in one of several accidents that would eventually take place in his study, she decided to try and use his Archivist's Spellscroll like pretty drawing paper. And as Lydo uses the scroll for storing his charms, various magics and specific thoughts and energies, the result was something akin to a time-halting enchantment. He currently has no idea how to undo it properly, as she managed to cross-spell herself, and with what else, he's not entirely sure. She's very sweet and loves to converse, ask him countless helpful and inventive questions, but she can be overwhelming at times, she she is often sent to be tended by the clan's hatchling-tenders. Lydo would often consider her his muse, as she has given him many good ideas while happily chattering away about things.
Oort the Snapper: Oort was a hatchling specifically sought out by Lydo for research. Plus he was pudgy, burpy, jabbered, blabbered and drooled bubbles in a way that was so bizarre and strange to Lydo, he was beside himself with adoration. Oort was also a goofy little boy that tumbled around excitedly in a way that reminded Lydo of himself when he was very small and stupid. He took him home quickly, hiding him in his study and chambers once again. By this point he was worrying some of his clanmates with the growing number of hatchlings he was gathering--being a single, often irresponsible single male with no parenting experience and a sad history with his own hatchlings--and once more, there was an unexpected accident in his study. He'd only left Shuesha and Oort alone for a few minutes to collected a delivery from a messenger, and came back to find the study filled with bubbles that wouldn't pop, scrolls and potions spilled everywhere, Shuesha screaming at the top of her little lungs in a cabinet, and Oort was floating around the room, chewing on scrolls as if they were leaves. Clearly hungry, he had managed to consume most of a youth scroll Lydo was working on as well as many others that were intended to do such things as make various colorful displays for entertainment purposes. As a result, Oort does not speak, nor does it appear he understand most of what anyone tries to tell him. His attention span is "goldfish-123-crackers" at best, and he tends to enjoy just floating around a room blowing spit bubbles and making cute squealing newborn hatchling noises. He enjoys food, anything he perceives as food, and will bite if not fed with caution. Whenever in the company of Lydo in his Study or being walked through halls, a string is often tied to his tail to keep him from escaping to float away into the unknown. Even though it seems Oort is capable of steering himself, he's not capable of socializing in any way to express that he can, and his behavior is a little too erratic to know his motivations for much of anything beyond his basic needs. Lydo has since forgotten most of his original plans for Oort in his studies, since he was originally intended to become a vessel for arcane energy to help him study the long-term effects on another subject other than himself. Oort is just a little too tainted by spells and charms to get any proper kind of results from. As such, he's mostly a playtime companion and goofy little brother to the other permanent hatchlings.