i was thinking about how huge the strange chest pool is, and with the next notn it’s only going to get bigger.. what if notn gave us a new npc, a nocturne obviously, that would give out the older stuff in exchange for like. the notn materials/food kinda like swipp, or a new kind of currency you can find in strange chests. that way the chest pool wouldnt be so big but you could stil fill out your bestiary decently well, or get that one specific apparel piece you need.
ooh what if the nocturne npc took up joxar’s stand during december, and it imitated him?? that way the stand would technically be up all-year-long and joxar would make a fun new friend :)
ALL starsilks layered with a secondary color! This took a while so I’m sure someone beat me to it… BUT it was fun to do nonetheless. First color is what is on top, hopefully they aren’t too hard to read!
Lagoon/paradise might just be my new favorite… But there’s a LOT of good ones in there… Oh man…
EDIT: Didn’t notice two got cut off… ahg I forget tumblr limits number of img uploads…
Athos stared at him blankly at his suggestion. “You want to plan a WHAT at this time?”
The guardian’s incredulity offended Geumjae. Not much, just a little, but still. Was it so absurd to celebrate the end of a difficult time? He just wanted something to bring the clan together after the war, and wanted to talk to Arietna about it, but Athos was easier to reach, albeit significantly grumpier.
He still repeated his idea, for good measure. He wanted to organize a party as a welcome to the new Spirits who had arrived after the war, and to celebrate the end of the war and encourage the unity of the clan. Everyone needed a moment to forget the war and be happy. Morale was at an all-time low, and all the dragons could use a boost. Plus, they had so much food to get rid of. Geumjae thought it was exactly what the clan needed.
Which was why he was mildly miffed when Athos simply shook his head at the coatl, though he did agree to speak to his mate the next time he saw her. With a chirpy huff, Geumjae decided to make initial plans for the party so he could be ready if Arietna wanted to see plans and get started immediately after getting approval.
So he was surprised when he got permission almost immediately after Athos had left to find Arietna. Well, he mused, at least his surplus of energy would come in handy for the pinch party planning. He was going to make this an event worth remembering, for all the right reasons.
Flowers, he decided. Lots and lots of roses, and other flowers, to have something beautiful to look at. A memorial, because that was appropriate and necessary for emotional healing and catharsis. But a short memorial celebrating the lives of the Spirits and the common goal that had been shared among everyone. A promise from the Cardinal Spirits that they would do better to represent all Spirits. What else did he need? He didn’t know, but he figured some fidgeting in the physical realm would help him think a bit clearer. So he went into the hotlands of the physical realm to hunt.
Jolly as a lit fireplace in a bustling family home, and just as warm, there was little that could faze Geumjae. Boisterous and energetic, his arrival sparked joy in the Spirits, as his contagious positive energy attracted more Spirits who would spread positivity and happiness, such as Vulx and Euria. Fires set to keep hatchlings and dragons warm lasted longer and burned brighter. Of course, Geumjae also understood the dangers of his gift. On more than one occasion he had been shooed into the physical realm to work off his excess energy so that he wouldn’t burn the clan grounds down. His favorite part of his gift, however, was that on special occasions, the entire clan would come together in the evening, and he would set a bonfire hot and high enough to be seen across dimensions, so that the entirety of the clan could keep comfortably warm for the nights of festivities.
Many days passed after the end of the civil war before Fye could allow herself to begin to process it. She spent those days in a haze of tending the gardens and playing absently with the hatchlings. The remaining dragons still needed to eat, after all. She couldn’t let herself stop; she needed to take care of the survivors and the new arrivals.
When the war raged, many of the gardens had been scorched by the more vicious and cunning Spirits. However, out of the ashes, the soil grew richer for the nutrients pumped into it from the rapid destruction of the crops. She supposed that she could focus on the positives of that. The soil would allow food to grow at least twice as fast. Just as well, they were getting so many new arrivals after the war.
A bitter thought crossed her mind for the first time since the war had ended. With the amount of blood shed by this war, was it so wise to have so many of them in the same place? She supposed Arietna knew what she was doing, but worried that EunYang would be training them with his stubborn refusal to socialize with them. Training them to fight was all well and good, but the young Spirits needed to be taught how to interact with one another in harmony.
Blueberry interrupted her thoughts before she could think of a solution to take to Arietna. “Fye!! FYE!! HaengUn just had her first nest; they’re SO warm and cute LET’S GO CUDDLE!!”
Fye couldn’t help but smile at the excitable spiral’s joy. Seeing the other Spirits find pockets of happiness in such dark times gave her a sense of contentment and closure. If other Spirits could find ways out of the dark, it didn’t matter that she was stuck, as long as she could help them. “I have work to do in the gardens.”
The purple-blue spiral ignored her and tugged at the coatl’s tail impatiently. At her friend’s loud and pleading urging, Fye gave in. She supposed she could give herself a pocket of happiness and light, too, for a little bit. She had to admit, the Spirit of luck’s warmth would be a welcome sensation in a snuggle pile, and she could only imagine the cuteness of the tiny noodles of babies waiting for her and Blueberry.
Gentle as the softest loam and as humble as her natural coloring, she took to the more domestic tasks of raising a clan immediately, though she did her fair share of training and fighting in the physical world. She preferred to stay close to home, never venturing out beyond where she knew she could watch the Bridge Soldiers and the new Spirits in the physical world. After her arrival, gardens thrived and the food stores that had already sufficed for the clan flourished at her encouragement. She gave her emotional nourishment and knowledge to anyone interested in helping her maintain her garden, and to her joyous surprise, there were many who found helping out in the clan more fulfilling than going out and fighting. Her generosity of heart and parental nature made her a popular figure for anyone seeking affection, and as a result, snuggle piles became a staple in the Spirit world.
The war had taken a toll on everyone, but anyone could see that Athos, EunYang, and EunBi were overreacting. It was unseemly for three out of the eight Cardinal Spirits to be so rattled in the face of adversity. At least, that was what Fier thought as he eliminated another kamaitachi. Beside him, Fauve growled her assent as she watched him carefully.
Even if the war had taken him by surprise with its sheer scale, a fight was a fight, and it was disingenuous to treat what had happened like some tragedy. Claiming that a conflict of that scale would never happen again because of the new standards Spirits would be held to, or because of the changes to training for Bridge Soldiers and new Spirits, or whatever Arietna was trying to do, was dishonest. Fights happened. Fights would happen again. That was not a threat. It was simply the truth. There would be more fights of varying scales, and simply trying to prevent them would only make the fights bigger.
Fauve looked at him curiously as a slash from a podid caught him squarely in the midriff in his distraction. “What happened?”
He shook his head, adjusting his hood and sash to shield himself better. “The other Cardinal Spirits don’t see that there will be more fighting and want to think we will never go to war again. I may not possess Arietna’s wisdom or any Sight but I do know that violence does not disappear simply because we stop encouraging it.”
Upon seeing her confusion he sighed. “Arietna believes she can stop infighting. I respect her wisdom and insight, but she cannot stop fights and wars simply by telling us to stop fighting.” He turned and signaled to the imperial to continue training as he observed her. “I should not be telling you this; it has been too soon since you arrived.”
As he watched the young Spirit brutalize a pack of kamaitachis, he reflected on his opinions. Perhaps some caution would be necessary, especially with more… ferocious spirits, such as the young Fauve. Perhaps he should take her on as his protégé and supervise her. Teach her to hone her craft, but also monitor her should things take a turn for the worse. He supposed he could do that much, no matter what he thought of Arietna’s methods. And perhaps he could persuade the other Cardinal Spirits as well.
Cast out for his dark, muted coloring, Fier wandered the physical world alone, teaching himself how to fight. When he reached the Thorned Clan, he found that he had much more to learn about the art of combat, and how to coexist with others like him. Though he prided himself on his martial prowess and his strength despite the prejudice held against him by some in the physical world, this very pride often landed him in trouble with Athos, and by extension, Arietna. Though he had not been present for the Purge, he heard stories, and those stories led him to believe that the clan needed stronger fighters. Thus, he took on the mantle of fighting in the physical world with the Bridge Soldiers, often returning with food and trinkets for the little ones. It was an ill-kept secret, after all, that he had a soft spot for the younglings and spoiled them often with the treasures he won in the Coliseum. Of course, things changed with the civil war, and Fier was no different.
some of you have never been born of a magical apocalypse only to instigate the return of a living apocalypse and force slumbering gods to awaken to defend the planet and it really shows
This month, all of dragonkind come together to participate in the Flameforger’s Festival. This festival celebrates the fire flight. Our most prized possessions, Glowing Embers, can be found by using any gathering profession in the fire territories this week. Neutral and fire-aligned monsters also have a chance to rarely yield these items as drops in the Coliseum. They may be crafted at Baldwin’s Bubbling Brew using alchemy reagents.
EunBi sighed heavily as she heard another set of wings follow behind her. Saeng had come following her again. Though she knew she had duties to attend to, she just… couldn’t. She had been cooped up for so long and she couldn’t focus at all and EunYang was isolating himself again and-
“Hang on; wait!” Saeng called after the sparkling coatl, her purple decorative plumage and candles fluttering in the thermals. “EunBi, please! Talk to me!” Eventually, EunBi grew too weary of the other coatl’s persistence and stopped to catch her breath. “Where are we? This doesn’t even look like the other world.”
The Cardinal Spirit shook her head. Truth be told, she wasn’t quite sure where she went to be alone. She always found her way there and her way back, but she was always too preoccupied with feeling the wind under her wings and emptying her cluttered mind to pay attention to where she was.
“I don’t know. I always end up here when I go out.” EunBi exhales in exasperation. “Now will you go home and leave me alone?”
“You’re not acting like yourself, EunBi. I know things have been really hard, but eventually time-”
“Cures all wounds. I know. You’ve said it plenty. But here we are; EunYang is still broken, Athos is still angry with the world, I still have all this extra work to do with no time for anything else and Arietna is so swamped we never see her anymore!” The piercing shriek from the silver dragon startled the Spirit of Time.
“No one said that it would be quick or easy, EunBi. You can’t expect things to go smoothly just because you go with the flow of the breeze. Things are hard for all of us and we need the Cardinal Spirits. Fauve just came and she’s already taken more of your duties than you have in the last week.” Saeng’s scolding tone riled EunBi slightly.
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do!” The concern on the purple coatl’s face took her by surprise, and she realized how terribly she had been behaving towards her dearest companion. “I… I’m sorry. I just… need some space. I really need EunYang but he’s been gone and I just can’t… I can’t.”
“Sssh, it’s okay. I know things are hard with EunYang and Athos gone. It’s not fair for EunYang to make you pick up his pieces. But, we all also need you to take care of some things. What if we went back and delegated to your lieutenants officially, so that you have time free to yourself, but we also know when we can find you?” EunBi nodded and rested her head on Saeng’s. “Come on, let’s go home.”
