#Icefir (Me)

[mummer]

i dont really consume zombie media because of my dainty taste so im curious if anyone knows of any where the zombies are specifically a metaphor for war/soldiers/armies/et cetera ? i feel like theyre more about general “social ills” but again idk much abt the genre. please hit me up

[allstarsstorymode867]

The curses that crush you, the prayers that forgive you both shined inside my heart In a collapsing world, a gradually dissolving voice will bloom the flowers of life -Nigredo, Magia Record Anime Episode 13

[icefir-windbreaker]

Drawtober Days 11 and 12: Nightmare and Scream

[warriorofthought]

Dragon racing

Summary: You and prince Bucky decided to do a dragon race.

Word count: 2.641

Warnings: no one

Prince Bucky x Princess Reader 

The people of your kingdom were mad with joy that the strange but beloved Prince Bucky was coming to your kingdom. 

The day the prince descended from the sky on his dragon Belrath, shaking the earth and flattering your mother with compliments, you felt annoyed.

Seeking comfort and peace, for the first time in the hours since his arrival, you went to the Mountain of Snowflakes.

What you didn't know was that the object of your wrath was just a few feet away in the shadows.

"I see you have taken a liking to my favorite resting spot."

The prince's familiar voice spoke to you as he leaned against the wall, his bluish eyes twinkling mischievously.

"It's nice here. Quite and an amazing sight" you answer.

"I don't often get visitors to my little hideaway. I like that you found it." The Prince spoke warmly, the corners of his lips curling in a smile.

"You are a Skylar, the symbol on your jacket is your family wappen, correct?"

"yes" you nod.

"And who may I have the pleasure of speaking with?" he took a few steps closer, his eyes scanning them up and down.

"Y/n" you answer simply.

Bucky paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing at the recognition.

"Ah yes, you are the daughter of Queen Rajendra?"

You nod confirming.

"I've heard quite a bit about you."

His smile returned.

"What are you doing with yourself up here? It's nice to see you are out of your mother's shadow."

"what have you heard?" You ask slightly curious.

A slight twinkle appeared at the corner of his eyes as he looked down at you.

“I heard you’re quite feisty.”

"Yeah, it can be true" you answer.

“A trait we both seem to share.” Bucky spoke softly into the shadow.

His eyes trailed over you lightly, but you saw him smirk.

“You do have a bit of a reputation.”

"Have I ? Which one?" You ask and walk over to a dragon who was watching you both.

The massive beast shifted its weight, its eyes narrowed in curiosity as it regarded you.

Bucky's eyes remained on the pair of you for a few moments, before he spoke again.

"The one that you're a bit of a wild thing. That, and you're a troublemaker." he teased.

"But it's nice to talk to someone who isn't afraid to be bold." he added with a sly smile.

You chuckle " I don't make so much trouble" you say sarcastic.

"I don't believe that for a second."

He leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.

"So, why the sudden interest in a place like this? Are you looking for a bit of trouble to stir?" He couldn't help but smirk.

"Maybe. Do you want to race with me, a dragon race?" You ask with a mischief gaze at him.

Bucky’s smile only grew wider as he considered the offer.

“Well now that’s an offer I can’t refuse, though you do know my dragon is faster, don’t you?”

"oh, don't underestimate my dragon, I think he can keep up with your dragon, maybe even a little bit more." You say with a smirk.

“Very well, let’s see if this little dragon can keep up with my Belrath.”

Bucky’s face broke out into a devilish grin.

“I won’t be too easy on you.” he added with that same mischievous tone.

"don't be. That wouldn't be funny"

Bucky shrugged and turned abruptly, beginning to walk out of the massive cavern.

"Belrath is waiting outside."

He turned his shoulder to see if you were following.

You follow him and as you walk outside you call your big ice dragon.

For a moment, Bucky stares over at you and your massive dragon. If he was impressed by the sight then he didn't show it, however, a slight smirk was still evident on his lips.

"I have to say, I've never raced against an icy dragon before."

He mounted Belrath and waited for you to do the same.

You chuckle " it would be funny" you say and smirk then you sit up on icefire.

"Well, I suppose we should get started then, unless you want to back out?"

He smirked widely, watching you mount Icefire. Belrath rumbled a low grumble- as if to say they wanted the race to begin as well.

"I never back out" you answer and give icefire a signal to go in the sky

As soon as Icefire took off, Belrath took to its own speed. The massive beast surged up into the clouds with tremendous speed and force.

The Prince was quiet as his eyes remained fixed on the massive white dragon that flew alongside them.

The ground became a blur below.

Then you make a very rare and risky turn around Belrath and Bucky can hear your giggle.

Belrath gave a loud hiss as it felt the icy wind brush past it.

Bucky was quiet for a moment, his face twisting in an almost mischievous grin as he heard the laughter.

He looked forward, he could see the snowy mountains looming closer and closer.

You give icefire a signal to be as wild as he wants and you tighten your grip on the seat.

Belrath roared a deep, throaty rumble as its talons reached out in front of the other dragon in a wild manner.

The prince grunted as he struggled to keep control of his dragon.

In a moment of pure instinct, the Prince gave his dragon a deep command: 'burn.'

Belrath's head swerved sharply towards Icefire, as a small, orange flame shot at the Icy dragon.

Before you can comment anything to icefire he handles himself and dives into the sea before overtaking Belrath.

As the Icy Dragon dove into the water, Belrath roared in defiance as it chased the dragon down.

The prince's face twisted in concentration as he fought to keep control of his massive dragon.

He could hear your laughter above, as if you were enjoying yourself.

Then you both land at the same time on the massive mountain road.

Bucky sighed with relief as Belrath touched the ground. He jumped abruptly as he dismounted, the dragon still breathing like a raging fire.

He walked over to you. As he approached, all of the humor in his eyes faded into a serious expression.

"That was a foolish gamble, but I like that."

He paused for a moment.

"You've got fire in you, the same as me." He said with almost a chuckle.

You chuckle slightly and get down from your dragon. You softly pet icefire before icefire relax.

Belrath let out another low murmur as Bucky turned his attention back to the large, white dragon beside him.

He looked at you curiously, his face shifting in a thoughtful manner.

"That dragon of yours is quite impressive, where did you find your beast?"

"Deep In the mountains "

Bucky's eyes stayed on the massive, white dragon. He seemed oddly interested in the creature.

"Hmm...That's quite interesting. Most of the dragons we find in the mountains look much different than yours."

"He is different, he spit blue fire" you answer proudly.

Bucky couldn't help but smirk, as he stepped closer to the beast.

"Blue fire? Now that's an interesting sight indeed."

He ran a hand against the creature's face.

"How old is he?" Bucky  asked curiously.

" i think he is maybe 100 or a little bit older"

"And how is it that you tame such a beast?"

Bucky  stepped back from the creature, his eyes still studying it as he spoke.

"Taming dragons from the mountains can be extremely difficult."

You shrug your shoulders " icefire has seen me playing with the wolfs and then he followed me"

"He chose you." Bucky spoke softly as he looked down at the dragon.

"That's impressive, I don't know how many could say their dragons followed them on their own accord."

You nod.

"That's good to hear." Bucky stepped back from the dragon and looked over at you.

"Your dragon seems very different to anything I've seen. I suppose he's as unpredictable as you." Bucky paused.

"Or are you more of a force of the wild like Icefire?"

"maybe both" you answer with a slight smirk.

Bucky let out an amused chuckle.

"From this encounter alone, I would say you're the more unpredictable of the two."

He gave you a sly smile.

You chuckle slightly.

"You're a bit like me, aren't you?"

He couldn't help but smirk, as he looked over at you.

"A bit of a wild thing. You don't always listen, and you aren't the kind to be a follower."

He paused again.

"I have to admit, that's quite attractive."

You shrug your shoulders " you can ask mother if I'm difficult or not. " you utter, referring to your mother, Queen Rajendra.

A light chuckle left Bucky, as he looked away for a moment.

"I have heard quite a bit about you from your Mother, as well."

His face twisted up in a sly grin, as he turned back to you.

"She says nothing about you is ever easy."

You scoff "i don't cause much trouble"

"Then you must have an interesting definition of trouble."

Bucky's eyes trailed over you slowly.

"The stories that I have heard about you are the exact opposite of what I'm hearing now."

"what have you heard?" You ask slightly curious.

Bucky's eyes stayed on your face, as he paused for a moment before answering.

"That you're difficult, hard to handle, feisty." He paused for a moment, his face turning teasing as he spoke.

"And that you've given your mother numerous headaches."

He smirked, as he awaited your response.

"she is sometimes just too emotional" you utter and roll your eyes.

Bucky chuckled at that.

"I don't believe that for a second."

His face twitched into a playful smile, as he continued.

"I think you must make her incredibly frustrated, in which case I would say you can be a pain in the arse."

He smirked again, a playful, almost seductive glint in his eyes as he spoke.

"What makes you the most annoyed is that you enjoy it."

You try to suppress your smile. " not my fault that they don't understand fun"

Bucky took a step closer, his face turning into a smirk.

"Fun? I'm sure your mother would argue that what you do is nothing more than pure mischief."

"Which, I would completely agree with."

He paused, then let out another amused chuckle.

"And yes, I do believe you rather enjoy it."

"Has my mother told you that you should stay away from me because I'm too much trouble?" You ask curious.

"I believe she did, yes."

He took another stride forward, his eyes still looking down at you with a sly grin.

"She warned me about you, and I believe she may have been onto something."

"about what warned she you, for example, that I would steal your sword if I liked it or rather that I rarely follow rules." You ask and tile your head slightly.

"She warned me about how much of a wild thing you are. How you don't often listen and don't care much for rules."

Bucky paused for a moment, before continuing.

"And she did tell me you loved to steal things." He chuckled slightly, his lips turning into a smirk.

"And you didn't steal my blade, did you?"

"Oh, don't worry, Prince. Your sword is still on your hips" you say with a hint of mischief in your eyes that you couldn't suppress.

Bucky's smile widened. The prince took another step closer, his eyes staying intently on your face.

"Well, you're quite an interesting character. What else have you stolen from me?"

He raised an eyebrow in amusement, as he looked you over slowly. His eyes shifting up and down, before settling on your face again.

"Who said I have stolen something?"

"Your face is a dead giveaway, my lovely dragon rider."

Bucky chuckled as he said that, still looking over at you with a twinkle in his eyes.

"What did you steal?" He repeated with a teasing grin.

"your necklace, dear prince" you say amused and hold it up.

Bucky let out a low grumble, as he stared at you and the necklace in your hand.

"Are you going to give it back, or are you just going to tease me?" He asked with a sly grin.

His eyes stayed fixed on you for a deep moment, as he glanced up at the necklace.

"Don't make me use force, my sweet sweet dragon rider..." Bucky said playfully.

"sure you can have it back" you answer and you hold out the necklace to him.

Bucky took the necklace from your hands, the prince couldn't help but notice the small grin on your face as you gave it back.

He examined it for a minute, before giving you a playful, suggestive smile.

"Would it surprise you to hear that I didn't even notice it was missing?" He asked with a smirk, as he glanced at you.

You grin slightly “Oh I know you didn't notice it, that's why I did it.”

Bucky chuckles softly and steps closer to you, then his hand wraps around the necklace in your hand and before he can react you pull him against you. You hear him slightly gasp, then your eyes meet and for you both stop the time. 

Your hands intertwined softly, the necklace still between them. “You know I have missed you, Princess. You should definitely decide to come with me to my kingdom, my heart always longs for your teasing.”  Bucky says, his voice has a lovely undertone.

“You missed just my teasing? Nothing more, Prince Bucky?” You slightly pout.

He grabs you on your hips and pulls you closer, now you both stand so close that nothing fits between you both, you can feel how his chest moves as he breathes your scent in.

“Oh, i have miss you so much, my love. Not just your teasing, your whole being have i missed and your wild side.” he whispers with a gentle undertone in your ear. 

This sends a shiver down your spine.

“I have missed you too.”

Bucky reaches his hand to your face and slowly caress your cheek. 

Bucky's face softens a bit, as he sees you lean slightly against his hands and he smiles at you, his eyes shining with a deep affection.

He then leans towards you and kisses your forehead in a gesture of tenderness and adoration.

You can feel his strong and warm body against yours and it fills you with a feeling of safety and comfort.

Bucky hugs you again, this time his grip is tighter and warmer and he presses you against his chest more tightly.

You feel his heart beating rapidly against yours and he is breathing slowly, as if both of you are just enjoying the moment of being together without any further words.

Then you take his necklace and put it back around his neck. “There, it is back at his place.” you whisper softly and pet his chest.

“Come, my princess, it's slowly getting dark, we should go back to your castle” Bucky smiles gently at you as he sees how your hair slowly begins to move through the slightly windy evening air.

“Alright, we both should probably go back, you are right.” You nod.

The Prince pulls you closer to himself and places his hands on your shoulders, gently stroking your hair with affection as you both walk back to the castle.

You can feel his warmth and strength around you, making it feel like he is protecting you from the world.

He leans his head on top of yours and whispers to you:

"I am yours, and you are mine…”

“Always and forever “ you end his sentences.

[vivacissimx]

I know you have analysed them a lot but what is your fav part of rhaelya? And what's a fic idea you would like to write about them?

oh Rhaegar & Lyanna are the reason I joined fandom for the first time, so you know my love for them is special 😅 as for my favorite part: I have probably talked about this before but I'm very touched by the concept of 'human connection in a hurricane.' It's about how chaos causes panic & panic can overwhelm us but it's true purpose is clarity. In the mire of asoiaf political intrigues and betrothals, Rhaelya represents that clarity. In general, I find Rhaelya to be more similar than not (for all the icefire chatting). What do you do when you love your father but he's the reason you can't go home? If the people who love you can't help you or save you, does that turn you cruel or empathetic towards the world? When do/don't we trust?

There is also the obvious which is that Rhaegar & Lyanna fall in together because the other is what they admire. It may seem like a random & sudden pairing but really there's a mirroring from the beginning. Rhaegar sings a song to an audience which doesn't understand—Lyanna cries for a reason her family doesn't get either. Their coming together is about hiding the Knight of the Laughing Tree's identity and in that moment they see each other. Lyanna jousts for Howland—Rhaegar does it for Lyanna. Ostensibly the latter are chivalrous acts (defending the weak/honoring the maiden) but because they're not performed within the usual paradigm as expected these actions are a) reviled and b) reveal what truly motivates the two: Compassion. Justice.

I am also partial to the complication of returns/how leaving a place that is no longer safe is a love story/the moments that beg you to run headlong into them and you, human as can be, make that choice. All of these are part of Rhaelya's story. It's true that Lyanna left her family who she loved. People will say ah she was young, she was stupid, she was blinded by Rhaegar's charisma; but again, this is a moment about clarity. About certainty. Justice is about what happens in the future. Lyanna ran to the future & left behind only those whose love mattered less than their ability to possess her.

Rhaegar I have recently longposted about so it's clear how I formulate him. On the Lyanna part I've definitely said this but basically once the war kicked off there was no way for him to transport Lyanna anywhere without further endangering her and/or him family with Elia—you need to understand that Rhaegar loved his children to understand him at all. That he loved his mother, his father, had seen them broken down & turn apathetic or even cruel towards the world. You need to understand that Lyanna represented a shining light of hope against this backdrop for him. I am also one of the people who believe that Rhaegar & Lyanna's sexual relationship only started after Brandon/Rickard were executed so clearly this is a complex but also painfully simple story about the human heart for me. I love people at their most human. Affirming people's dignity during suffering or crisis is an ethical duty I feel I have towards others. And GRRM did exactly that for Rhaegar and Lyanna, so how can I not love them? I'd ship Rhaelya if I was born in a small Bavarian village in 1753, etc etc.

As for the fic I'd love to write, there are two:

1—

Rhaegar riding through the Riverlands on his way to the Ghost of High Heart. He's with Myles Mooton, Arthur Dayne, Richard Lonmouth, Oswell Whent. They stop at the Inn at the Crossroads. Everyone's laughing and drinking, Myles is flirting with the one pretty barmaid while Rhaegar is ContemplatingTM—Bess is her name. Bess boasts about all the ladies and lordlings who stopped at their inn recently & gives a description of what sounds like Brandon and Lyanna Stark. They enjoy riding out on their lil horses. But, Bess says, the Northern lord didn't like the look of our little lordling so they didn't stay long & haven't been bacj. The girl was kind though! She gave a few coins for the boy after slipping away from her wroth brother. Suddenly, Rhaegar's tuned in and the little lordling is trotted out...

A toddler with black hair and blue eyes. Soon after, the plans change.

2—

Their first meeting including Rhaegar nerding out a bit over meeting a crannogman after Howland uses lite magic to try and help them escape. Benjen & Howland trying to take responsibility for being the KOTLT and failing. Lyanna not just a winter maiden but a stubborn Northern bitch hardened by winter (it's the iron underneath baby!!). Sussing each other out during a long silent stare down. Maybe somebody even cracks a Joke? That kind of thing.

OK long answer 💀 sorry but I can't help myself!

[rhaegars-cervix]

i understand why most people dislike/don’t gaf about the icefire prophecy in hotd but that could never be me. i’m having a ball up here

[bonefall]

Bones, can you help me translate these names in clanmew?

Jayfire

Spikemane

Icefire

Poppyflare

Blizzardfang

Hmm... well, I can't do the direct translations for you (mostly because then I'd have to translate everyone's, and then it would defeat the point of encouraging people to take a swing at it on their own!) BUT I can go through a couple of the words here I know are missing

Poppyflare

Here is a preview from the moth post which is going to come later this month!

Flare/Confident/Perpendicular = Akeye An emotion and a shape, describes things that 'stick up,' like the wings of Plumes and Butters. Not like "raised hackles," more like fluffing one's fur out or puffing your chest.

Since they wouldn't have flares as in flashing fire signals, "flare" in Clanmew is a shape and an emotion. It's holding things up, standing out, having confidence. Like "to flair."

They actually have a few species of poppy in the area, but I'm gonna chance that this OC is the bright red poppy that produces painkillers as seen in the books. The word for Papaver somniferum is Liafi.

Poppyflare = Liafiakeye = Sleeping Poppy Confidence!

Spikemane

There's a few types of spikes, and a few types of manes.

So in spike types, the simplest word here would be Bach, 'bristle,' the 'spiky' texture of hair. On the same note of texture, Chych is 'coarse,' like the flared mane of a boar. There's also Kik, spike or spine, the things seen on hedgehogs.

There could also be a new word here, prickle, Beki, tiny stabs that come from stinging nettle or the uncomfortable bristles on some caterpillars.

And next, onto the manes.

They have a bunch of different 'shapes' that manes come in, with each of the big cats of the Great Clans displaying a different characteristic one that didn't translate into English.

There's the classic Raofa, the Lion Mane, which is a mane that encircles the entire neck. ThunderClan sees a lot of cats with these, but it's also the defining trait of a 'family' of moths, and sometimes seen on red stags.

Then there's the Gaofa, the Tiger Mane, which I like to translate as "cravat." This is a mane that ONLY grows off the neck. This is also seen in red stags. (i like this a lot because there could be a phoenix wright stag with a raofa and a miles edgeworth mane with a gaofa)

The last of the mythical mane types is the Saofa, the Leopard Mane, which is the type of mane I draw on Graystripe and his family! IT could be translated as 'ridge' or 'mullet.' It's a mane that runs down the back but nowhere else, the opposite of the Gaofa.

But if Spikemane doesn't have a 'mane' as much as he has several fancy tufts, the word for that is Wraofa, the Boar Mane, better known as its translation 'ruff.' It's what Doestar had, a very fluffy neck that didn't really fit any of the distinct mane types.

And if all that fails, the base word at play here was tuft, Aofa, which is just a fancy clump of fur!

Blizzardfang

First off, there's three words for teeth! Take your pick! There's Groq for the back teeth, Koss for the front, and Ki for canine fangs.

I will also be adding some for the cool factor; Agloss, saber. For any teeth that extend outside of the mouth, like snaggle teeth or those of muntjacs. There's also the tusks of boars, Goqeb.

And for blizzard, a ferocious snowstorm, the new word for this is; Os'hauoo

[godzilla-reads]

Happy End of July, my friends! What have y’all been reading this month? I read 15 books this month, bringing my yearly total to 100 BOOKS!! Can you believe it?!

Anyway, here’s the list of books I read this month, with my Top 3 Starred.

• Riders of Fire and Ice by Brett Salter

• The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

• Jack in the Green by Charles de Lint

• One Foot in the Green by Brett Manning

• Icefire by Chris d’Lacey

• Tell Me a Dragon by Jackie Morris

• Something About a Bear by Jackie Morris

• Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martínez ⭐️

• Queen of the Sky by Jackie Morris

• The Super Secret Monster Experiment by Tian En

• 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle and Lian Cho

• The Horned God: Weird Tales of the Great God Pan edited by Michael Wheatley ⭐️

• M is for Monster by Talia Dutton ⭐️

• The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter

• The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter

Did you enjoy your books this month?

[thebnha-auhoard]

Day 4: You in there?

Her Quirk searched this… War torn city. Her hands weaving the air as the rubble accumulated around her Field. Orbit brings truth to her name. The blind Vigilante steps with purpose. If Borealis found her own son. She could too.

The Roar of anger and cackle from All for one is haunting and familiar. But… different. Her hands reach up.That nose. The chubby cheeks. Oh those horns and the scar under the chin from her baby accidentally scratching himself.

"Izuku." She whispers. "My Baby. My little boy. What have you become"

Static.

And a Scream tears the air.She steals herself in the resounding boom of air.

"IZUKU MIDORIYA. THAT IS YOUR NAME. ARE YOU STILL IN THERE?" She speaks in a louder voice than she has had in years "MY BABY. COME HOME. I FOUND YOU."

Another scream and She tugs his jacket to her."Come home. Come home my Dragonlet." She pulls hard at the thrashing boy.

"Fight the Mad King. I know you can, my son. Tell me you're in there still. Fight for your Hoard, fight please."

The Screams continue and she runs to catch him from the air. Claws scraping her arms as he thrashes. "I am here! I am here! GET OUT" She winces at his desperate screams "you can do it. You are here. I know you can my sunshine."

His body falls limp in her arms. Her heart almost stops in fear.She hears gasps from around the crater. And a whisper "his eyes. They are green again" Inko pulls him into her arms. Her poor boy shaking in sobs

"Mama. Is that really you? No. Your Dead. He said I killed you" relief flooding her body. He is alive. He is here!

She runs her hand along his cheek, her thumb catching on that tiny scar.

"Oh my baby. Yes yes. I would know my baby even as blind as a bat." She soothes "you are my little Dragonlet. Oh how I am so happy you are found."

"Even if I am… a villain"

"Yes. Even then"

"Can… you meet my Hoard? They are broken. But good. Still good. They named me!"

"Oh? Did they name you?"

A tiny Pause "Midori."

Inko laughs wetly "Oh My! So close to the family name!"

"Izuku. Izuku Midoriya" it was slow. Like he was tasting sweet candy. "Like the other dragon? Like Explosions Hoard?"

Inko laughs again "yes Izuku. Exactly like him""Guess I have a sister now too"Inkos mind stalls

"What?""I gave him a girl I rescued. Eri. I couldn't… he felt right. He was so kind with Shoto and Explosion and the IceFires… he was the only one in my mind."

@whumptober-archive

[mummer]

should i have a newsletter i feel like i could do it but im not sure i want to be the kind of person who’s like, read my newsletter. i guess that’s why i have a tumblr blog.

[katz-afterhours]

Finished scene from my RP with @icefir-windbreaker

*Note that I added a pink and gold color scheme to fit Amity’s choker form plus Primis’ unique magical girl outfit*

I might draw more in the upcoming months if work/learning to drive doesn’t start screwing me over 😓

[dwampyverse-content]

Welcome To My Blog!

Hello everyone! I’m Dwampyverse-Content, but you can call me whatever my blog title is or DVC, and I go by she/they pronouns. My main blog on here is IcefireStudios000, and you can find me on AO3 under the similar name Icefire_Studios. (both linked in my blog description)

This is my blog devoted to the Dwampyverse. Generally all things PnF, MML, and HnG. (though it’s mostly MML, can you guess my favorite) I write fanfiction and occasionally draw fanart, something I’m just getting into more recently at the time of writing this. However I mostly just look at other peoples stuff on here so far lol.

If you’re curious, feel free to ask me about any of my AUs. I love rambling and I would be happy to share :) Here’s a link to that Masterpost.

FYI: If you want to see all my fanfiction and fanart in one place you can go to #Icefire Studios Fanfiction and #Icefire Studios Art to check it all out regards of fandom.

[icefir-windbreaker]

Drawtober Day 7: Treats

[ragnars-tooth]

Good luck to everyone around me I'm about to reread icefire instead of doing anything productive

[transxfiles]

omg you’re an Ice Fire hater? it might be one of my top three books in the series…it was short but the lore started to pop off in that one so I reread it all the time…honestly I’d say my least fave in terms of story might be Fire World and my least fave in terms of writing might be Fire Star…

i thought ice fire was just super boring... i also didn't like david's love interest in that one? i don't even remember her name but i remember being like 8 years old and thinking she was boring and hoping she'd be written out of the series akfaksdhfs i had a crush on zanna as a kid though so i was definitely biased.

also idk i was just bored by the plot i felt like it really stagnated?? i felt like the plot didn't really pick up again after ice fire until like the fire eternal (which hit SO HARD augh). in my head ice fire is just a book that does not feel like it fits in cohesively with the rest of the series. when i think of the books my mind just jumps directly from the fire within to fire star, ice fire is a side quest at best. i've reread every book in the series at least once, EXCEPT ice fire which i've never felt compelled to pick up again. it's solidly meh.

fire world was (and still is!!) my favorite i LOVE that book it's still one of my favorite books ever i just adore the world and the weirdness of it <3

i never had any strong feelings about fire star, except iirc i liked that we were getting more lucy character development?? i really wish we got more lucy in general. i know we hear from her more in later books but i think there was so much character potential there that d'lacey didn't dig into enough.

if i had to rank all the books from my favorite to least favorite it'd probably be:

fire world

the fire eternal

dark fire / the fire ascending (tied)

the fire within

fire star

icefire

i really loved the weirdness of the later books in the series, i know a lot of ppl were kinda turned off from the books bc of the polar bears and the fain stuff but i loved that so much, it was super fun for me.

[iseriads-nonesense]

The Icebreaker (Or: How I Accidentally Started a Revolution)

The Great Hall of Arkanheim Academy was packed. Every graduating student, every professor, and even a few junior years who had snuck in despite the very clear No Unauthorized Entry wards (which, honestly, were far too easy to bypass).

Tonight was the Final Spellcasting Rite, the grand test where each wizard, after sixteen years of grueling academia, would craft a spell that embodied their very soul. It was supposed to be a moment of great revelation, a defining moment in magical history.

Except everyone already knew what was going to happen.

It was always Fireball.

Oh sure, every student insisted they had made something unique. They would tweak the incantation, add an extra hand motion, change the temperature slightly—maybe even make it a cool shade of blue fire—but in the end?

Fireball.

The faculty didn’t mind. In fact, they were counting on it.

It wasn’t that wizards were incapable of creativity. It wasn’t even that they lacked ambition. The problem was efficiency.

Everyone knew you could modify spells. The formulas were flexible enough that, in theory, a skilled enough mage could completely rewrite a spell into something new. The issue was that doing so was a massive pain.

A spell like Fireball was finely tuned. Changing it required painstaking adjustments, testing, recalibrating the arcane weave so it didn’t misfire. It was like taking apart a clock, replacing every gear with something slightly different, and then hoping it still told time.

Most students, when faced with the choice of creating something entirely new or just tweaking a classic, chose the latter. Why go through the agony of reconstructing magic when you could just rename Fireball and be done with it?

That was why I was making waves before I even stepped up to cast.

Everyone knew I was doing something different.

I had told them.

And that terrified them.

The Whispered Reckoning

I had spent the last few days leading up to the test openly discussing my plan. It had started as an idle conversation with my best friend, Darian, but quickly spread like wildfire (or, in my case, icefire).

"You’re actually going to do it? Change Fireball into something else?" Darian had asked, wide-eyed.

"Why not?" I had shrugged.

"Because it’s a massive pain in the ass?"

"That’s a wizard’s excuse," I had countered. "I’m a sorcerer."

That had shaken him.

It wasn’t that anyone disliked me—I had spent sixteen years pretending to be just another wizard, after all. But when I reminded people that I wasn’t just studying magic, that I actually was magic, it unsettled them.

Wizards were craftsmen. I was a forge.

News spread fast. By the time the night of the test arrived, the entire graduating class was waiting for me to either succeed spectacularly or explode violently.

The March of Fireballs

The test began.

Lorik the Bright went first. He stood tall, chest puffed out like a rooster who had just learned what an ego was, and proclaimed:

"Infernal Sunstrike!"

A perfectly round Fireball shot forward, exploded against the stone target, and reduced it to rubble.

The faculty nodded. One down.

Seraphina Moonwhisper was next. With a graceful flourish, she whispered her incantation:

"Aetherial Pyre!"

Fireball.

The professors barely reacted. Two down.

And so it continued. One by one, every student cast some version of Fireball. Some made it bigger, some made it hotter, some made it spin like a flaming pinwheel of doom, but in the end, all roads led to incineration.

By the time it was my turn, the faculty had settled into their usual Fireball-Induced Apathy™.

My Moment to Shine (Or Freeze, Technically)

I stepped forward.

The room buzzed with anticipation. The other students sat forward in their seats. A few bets had been placed—mostly on whether or not I would survive the attempt.

I took a breath.

I felt the power in me—the mix of wizardly discipline and sorcerous instinct—meld together.

This was it.

I raised my hands, felt the arcane weave shift in response, and spoke the words.

"Glacialis Orbis!"

A shimmering blue sphere shot from my hands, trailing mist as it soared through the air.

Instead of an explosion of fire, there was a sharp, crystalline crack.

And then—

Frost.

Ice rippled outward from the impact, spiraling across the target in delicate, fractal patterns. Within seconds, a massive crystalline flower of ice stood where the target once had, its petals glistening under the hall’s torches.

The Aftermath (or How to Break a Faculty in Three Seconds)

Silence.

The professors sat frozen (metaphorically, thankfully).

Professor Yelwin, the head of Evocation, was the first to react. He sputtered, making a noise somewhere between a dying cat and a man having his entire worldview shattered.

"You—" He pointed a shaking finger at me. "You can’t just—just—change Fireball!"

I blinked at him. "Why not?"

"Because—" He flailed, gesturing wildly at the massive ice sculpture I had just created. "Because—it’s—it’s Fireball!"

"It was Fireball," I corrected. "Now it’s Cryoball. A modified version that uses liquid nitrogen instead of pure heat, dispersing on impact to instantly freeze the target instead of incinerating it."

Professor Valdrin, who had taught me runic theory, made a strange wheezing noise.

Professor Eldrin, who had spent an entire semester teaching us how to alter spells but then immediately discouraged us from actually doing it, looked like he had just witnessed the arcane equivalent of heresy.

The students, however, were losing their minds.

"That was insane!"

"Wait, can we all do that?"

"Hold up—does that mean Fireball isn’t the only answer?!"

The faculty huddled together, whispering furiously. I caught snippets like "Dangerous precedent!", "Rewriting the curriculum?", and "WHAT IF THEY START THINKING?!"

The headmaster turned back to me, visibly pale. "Listen," he said, forcing a smile. "You—er—pass. Congratulations. Now—" his voice dropped to a whisper, "—please, for the love of all that is arcane, do not tell next year’s students how you did that."*

I met his gaze, barely containing my grin.

"Oh, of course, Headmaster."

A pause.

A long pause.

"You’re going to tell them, aren’t you?"

"Absolutely."

A chair exploded behind him.

Professor Yelwin screamed.

And that’s how I accidentally started a revolution.

At the culmination of their magical career, each wizard is told to look deep into their heart and develop a personal spell, a spell only they know that truly reflects who they are on the inside, all their virtues and vices incarnate as magic.

It's always Fireball. The wizard schools live in fear of their apprentices figuring it out.