disclaimer: I'm not proof reading this sorry. Just long ass monologue might lowkey not make sense and i most probably forgot about something but it's fine whatever❤️ I also posses ZERO writing skills don't throw tomatoes at me PLEASE
I've been thinking about Amadeo and what magic abilities would they have as an ophelis for some time now hmm
The one I've already settled on is shape shifting, but I would like to keep this skill limited to switching between only two form - the true form and the disguise. Not quite sure which one is going to be which tho. The feral form (shown above) would probably work better as a disguise for them due to it being more compact (?), making it easier to hide themselves if needed.
But on the other hand the humanoid form would make it easier to blend in with humans. In theory at least - because the horn is a very inconvenient and obvious giveaway. In the end I'm leaning more towards the humanoid form being the true form and feral being the disguise. But I need to think about it a bit more. Maybe something will suddenly enlighten me.
Returning to the topic of magic and horns... I like the idea of it being rumored that ophelis have some powerful abilities but in reality it would be only minor stuff. Something subtle probably... an unusually calming presence, a sudden shift in the atmosphere, something along those lines.
And unfortunately I'm also super into the horn being the core type of cliche. Amadeo overall is lowkey a one big cliche but i don't gaf❤️
When it comes to horns... I would imagine them to be built kind of like claws... or actually more like horse hooves?? The outer layer is hard and durable, protecting the soft tissue underneath. Breaking the very tip wouldn't be harmful, but after a certain point (probably somewhere around the half of the horn's length) it would potentially cause mid to serious, often long-term, damage. Cutting most of it off would be possibly fatal hmm overall losing a part of the horn would cause deterioration of both magical skills and physical health. Basic ass thought blah blah blah
IF the horns were built similar to horse hooves that would also mean that the outer layer could come off due to some specific injuries (the same way a hoof capsule can)....... I do not want to think about this idea further ew ew ew
I don't really expect many people to read this (hopefully omg I hate sharing stuff it's so embarrassing) but if YOU did...... first of all yay❤️ thank you❤️ second of all it would be really cool if you interacted hmmm tell me your thoughts hmmm
edit: also decided to name the species Amadeo is a part of ophelis done time ago... I've been looking online if there's any info about it already existing and I haven't found anything but I still have this bad thought in the back of my head that it's been already used somewhere/ already has a meaning and it means something bad💔 so if anyone has seen it used before in any kind of media feel free to let me know yay
Drawing inspo: The unicorn rests in a garden/The unicorn in captivity 13-14th century