#Mythcre

[therantingsage]

Snow Leopard x Giant Squid, suggested by an irl coworker!! Really cool and inventive and took a while but I'm really happy with how it turned out!!!!!!!

[occasionalmythcrelore]

Hybrid Variations

There are many different ways a hybrid can look, even when it’s the same two creatures. The examples shown here are just a few of the possibilities when a bird and a snake form a hybrid. Any of the traits of either parent could pass down, from the coils, to the feathers, to the beak and legs. As long as the child has at least one trait from each parent, it can be considered a hybrid and has the potential to pass down any trait from either parent to its own offspring.

For example, the bottom right snake-bird could have a child with wings, despite not possessing wings itself.

[thedreamerstale]

This character belongs to @therantingsage. This is the constellation creature Scorpio, and her planet Nyla, as well as her friend Draco, the constellation creature in the background, flying by the Miu (not sure if that’s the right spelling) sun with his planet Mythcre in the Imipomagin space.

[thedreamerstale]

@therantingsage @therantingsage @therantingsage

[artsofthegreatsage]

Paint the Mosaic Slug and Bonedang the Artificial Angel(probably)

[lonescreativecorner]

I’m going to start posting a series of snippets from a collection of stories here.  The stories are about students who are mythical creatures (called Mythcre) going to a high school that has a mix of Mythcre and human students.  Note that I do not necessarily follow the widely accepted mythology for all of the creatures, and some of the creatures were entirely fabricated by myself and @fetronic.

Some of the ideas and characters in these works were created by @fetronic

Arnul Becomes a Vampire

Rating: T for minor language and violence

Arnul lazily flicked through the contents of his backpack while he walked home.  He didn’t have much homework to do that evening, which meant he’d have at least an hour to practice on the piano before his father came home.  Plus, if he finished his math work particularly quickly, then there was a chance he could even sneak in some reading before it was time for dinner.

It was difficult sometimes for Arnul to get in everything he wanted to do in one day.  There never seemed to be enough time between school, eating, and sleeping to be able to work on his skills as much as he would have liked to.  There was always something that he was trying to work on, paintings, mastering a new song, or just lying down to listen to the new album he bought.  As he was slowly realizing, however, his problems were very unique.  Most of the other students at school didn’t mind taking time to eat or sleep.  They didn’t find such tasks an inconvenience the same way he did.

A hand grabbed Arnul’s shoulder and shoved him forward.

Binders and books tumbled from Arnul’s hands as his arms wind-milled to catch himself from falling on his face.  Frantic, he dropped to his knees and tried to grab as many of his things as he could before it was too late.

“Well, look who we have here.”  Audrey taunted.  “A little baby nerd on his way home to study?”

Arnul took what books he’d already picked up and ran, leaving the others behind.  There wasn’t any time to pick up the others, they would slow him down too much and allow for Audrey to catch up to him.  Worse still, if Audrey was here, then Arnul knew Roy couldn’t be far behind.

As if on que, Roy charged out of a bush on the edge of the path and slammed his fist into Arnul’s chest.

Arnul’s body buckled.  Once again his books lay scattered around him as he struggled to draw in his next breath.

Roy delivered a swift kick to Arnul’s side.  “Where do you think you’re going, runt?”

With a groan, Arnul curled towards where Roy’s boot collided with his ribs.  Right away, he could feel the skin hardening into what would surely become a prominent bruise he’d have to later explain away to his parents.

Without giving him time to recover, Roy hoisted Arnul to his feet. “C’mon runt, don’t look so sad. We’ve got a little surprise for you.”

“Yeah,” Audrey said as she took her place at Roy’s side, “And it’s a good surprise too.  I think you’re gonna like it.”

Audrey took hold of Arnul’s arm and, together with Roy, dragged him towards a heavily shaded cluster of trees stood.  The area itself was too far off the path for anyone to notice anything strange happening, so Arnul knew that whatever was going to happen there, he was completely on his own.

Giving him another hard shove, Audrey and Roy forced Arnul through a wall of bushes and into a small clearing between the trees.  Standing at the center of the clearing were two more of Roy’s friends, each of them holding tight to the arms of a terrified young girl.

Immediately, Arnul recognized the girl as Jennifer.  She was in his history class and always sat in the back corner of the room.  Like Arnul, she was shy, and the two of them bonded over their mutual dislike for Roy and his friends.

“Hey look who it is,” Roy’s friend Ben said, “it’s the vegetarian vampire.”

Arnul shrank back slightly at the remark.  “I’m not a vampire,” he mumbled automatically.

Audrey laughed.  “Oh that’s right.  You just go around telling everyone how daddy’s a vampire because you wanna be one of those Mythcre pigs.”

“I-“Arnul started before shutting his mouth and turning to face the ground.

“You what?” Roy asked, “You don’t want to be a vampire?  Is that what you were gonna say?  ‘Cause I don’t think that statement is entirely accurate. What do you think Val?”

Valerie snickered.  “I think he’s lying.”

“You think he’s lying?”  Roy said, “What do you think, Ben.”

“Yeah Roy, he’s definitely lying.”

Audrey’s grip on Arnul’s arm tightened.  “It sounds like we all agree then.  And that means that it’s time to catch the liar in the act.”

“Exactly,” Roy said, “now if our friends here would be so kind as to bring this little sixie nice and close to the runt, we can catch this liar in his act.”

Together, Valarie and Ben dragged Jennifer right up close to where Audrey and Roy held onto Arnul.

Roy took hold of the back of Arnul’s neck.  “Okay now runt,” he pressed Arnul’s face against Jennifer’s neck. “go ahead and bite her.”

At once, Arnul was acutely aware of his surroundings.  The smell of Jennifer’s perfume, the smooth texture of her skin, and her pulse throbbing in time with her heart all seemed to suddenly appear in a higher quality.  He’d experienced this sensation a few times before, and he feared it.  According to his father, the feeling was triggered by Arnul’s inherited vampire blood trying to force its way through Arnul’s very much human body.  However, Arnul had no desire to become a vampire, and more importantly, had no desire to bite his friend.

“What are you waiting for?”  Ben said, “No one’s gonna care if you bite some stupid sixie.”

Arnul tried to pull back from Jennifer’s neck, but Roy held tight to him.

“What’s the matter?”  Roy asked, “Afraid to admit you just want to become a dirty, worthless Mythcre?”

Arnul glared at Roy from the corner of his eye, “Mythcre aren’t worthless.”

“Looks like I’ve struck a nerve.”  Roy pressed down harder on the back of Arnul’s neck, “Let me tell you something, vampire reject.  Mythcre are nothing but a bunch of low-life scum.  Each and every one of them is useless, inferior, and a threat to humanity. And you know what I think?  I think the world would be better without all the Mythcre getting in the way of humanity’s greatness.  And in the case of Mythcre sympathizers like you, they’re just as bad as actual Mythcre.  So I’m gonna keep drilling what’s right into your tiny brain until you learn your place. Got it?”

Arnul couldn’t quiet explain what happened to him in the moment, but it felt like something broke.  Like some wire had been pulled too taunt and snapped from the tension. From this break, icy hot pain rushed through his body, sending a chill down his spine that was too brief to register. In a burst of strength, he threw Roy’s hand off his neck and bit down on the tough skin of Roy’s forearm.

“Holy crap!”  Roy said as he tried to pull his arm free.

Pain flared across Arnul’s jaw as his teeth reconfigured themselves.  In a matter of seconds, his former teeth were transformed into a new, sharper set.  As the highlight of their transformation, his teeth sported a pair of razor sharp fangs where his incisors had once been.

Without prompting, Arnul’s fangs shot out and buried themselves deep in Roy’s skin.  Moments later, hot blood filled Arnul’s mouth, the flavor new and strange, but not unwelcome to his new anatomy.  At the back of his mind, something urged him to keep going.  To take every last drop of the precious, life giving liquid from Roy’s body.  However, Arnul’s conscious mind took over and he pulled back, releasing Roy.

With blood dripping from the end of his chin, Arnul watched, in what appeared to be slowed motion, Roy clutch his arm and shriek, “What the hell did you do to me, you freak?”

For a moment, time stood still for Arnul.  A gentle breeze came past and stopped midway through brushing back blades of grass.  The rays of sun peeking through the trees stood still in the air, leaving behind slanted streaks.  Up above, the wings of a bird slowed to a stop in a down stroke, its feathers leaving a chorus like rushing water in their wake.  Then, everything came back to him.  The breeze, the sun, the bird, and panic.

Arnul bolted.

As he moved, he could feel his skin burning.  The sun was an iron, pressed against every inch of his exposed flesh.  As his skin grayed, the pain grew worse and worse until Arnul was sure he’d collapse before he even rounded the corner to his home.

Then, somehow, he was home before he realized where he was. The tall oak doors closed tightly behind him, his back resting against their carved surface.

Slowly, he slid to the cool surface of the marble floor.

His hands shook and he couldn’t tell if it was from the cold, or fear, or both.  The flesh on each hand appeared mangled like burned wood.  Such wounds would take time to recover, but each would take far less time than recovery from what was his new reality.

Ever so carefully, Arnul brought his hand up to his face.  Delicately, as if afraid he might break them, he pressed the pad of his thumb against one of his fangs.  Sure enough, the point was as fine and sharp as a needle’s, its surface still sticky with Roy’s blood.

Arnul let his hand fall naturally, causing his thumb to trace a neat red line down the dull gray skin of his chin.  He couldn’t deny what was staring him head on.  He was a vampire.

Body shaking, he pulled his arms up around his thin chest and cried a single sob encompassing everything he felt within him.  For a moment, the sob echoed down the halls and through unoccupied rooms.  In the next instant, all was silent, leaving him alone again on the floor of his own empty house.

[therantingsage]

Another Critterphon! Lumia is the younger sister of Anthea, who I've posted before. When Anthea and Arrogull are out doing important research stuff, Lumia comes over to petsit.

The nature of Critterphons means that there's not much familial resemblance usually. Aside from stuff like patterning and color scheme. Anthea and Lumia are lucky they resemble each other even this much, considering they both ended up with feather-wings and antenna things. And similar eyes.

Anyway, Lumia has trouble balancing when she's not flying. She's not hiding any extra arms under those four wings she's got, so all her legs are on her back half but she's not built to walk upright. So she's usually flying when she's got the space. She's probably got some kind of mobility device for when she doesn't but I have no idea how to design those so I'll figure that out later.

[therantingsage]

New refs for Pisces and Silence!! Cuz I've had them on the brain since working on the Wolf and Tiger revamp (which I actually got around to posting the prologue of today. I swore I'd posted it but apparently not)

[therantingsage]

Character-thing I've had in my brain for literal years (like most of my other characters tbh but she's actually a bit newer than most of them)

Spring Bloom! My funny living sleeping bag. Wanders The Sage's Castle looking for sleepy people to gobble up. Sage herself is the most common user (as Sage commissioned Spring Bloom in the first place)

There are four main kinds of pets in Mythcre. Slimes, various bugs, Living Stones, and Plushes. Plushes can move around and talk, but they're programmed with simple behaviors and mannerisms. Usually that boils down to like...one or two personality traits total. Spring's internals and the purpose of them are far more complicated than Plushes usually are. The Sage paid a hefty price for this and doesn't regret it for even a second.

[therantingsage]

Once upon a time, in a forest with not much life to speak of, a strange little creature was born. It drew strange little pictures in the soil, of all the things it could think of. Slowly, creatures began to come to the forest, to see its pictures and remark at its shape.

They spoke to it, but it never replied. Whether by choice or by nervousness, or youth, no one knew. But creatures still stayed by it, if only in fascination.

The first time it granted a wish, it was by accident. One of the creatures that spoke to it said, absently, how they wished they had wings like it did. The little one smiled, and clapped at the idea. In an instant, the other had wings.....but they were false, fashioned of leaves from the nearby trees.

It was a startling moment, but it was the first of many. More and more creatures began to arrive, wishing things of the little Wish-Maker. And each time, it did its best, but fell short. A wish for wealth producing only enough to buy lunch. A wish for perfect art only compelling the Wish-Maker to draw something. A wish for happiness simply putting a smile on their face.

And still, each wish granted was met with overwhelming praise and adoration, encouragement, further attention. It seemed like the power of the Wish-Maker was not confined to a finite amount of wishes. Merely one wish a day per creature.

Time passed, wishes granted, the Wish-Maker growing. Its powers growing, wishes becoming more and accurate as it got older. It travelled, leaving the forest it was born in for the first time in its life.

Many of the creatures it had grown to know followed it, but just as many stayed. The Wish-Maker didn't mind. It loved granting wishes, especially now that it was good at it, but it wouldn't begrudge those who had had their fill.

Where it landed, it granted. Creatures flocked to its side. Wishes flowed forth from it like water, and the Wish-Maker was content.

At the peak of its power, however...something began to shift. Less and less creatures flocked to its side to have their wishes granted. One day it woke, and no one had any wishes for it.

Creatures still accompanied them, sure, but they had no wishes for it. And it would've asked why.......but the the Wish-Maker could not speak. It never could, not as a youth, and not now in adulthood.

It travelled again, to places new, and old, and slowly creatures began to leave it, settling in new and old places. Until one day, it arrived at a new place with no one to tell the creatures what powers it had. It was spoken to, but no reply could be uttered, and the creatures went on their way.

The Wish-Maker flew, flew home to the forest that had birthed it, and wept. 'Do they not love me anymore?' It wondered of itself. 'Did I do something wrong? Do they think I've run out of wishes? Why do they not want my wishes? I've gotten so good at them now!'

It curled in on itself and slept. It dreamed of its youth, when it was clumsy with its powers, but at least the creatures cared for it.

It woke, and travelled the forest, seeing the creatures whose wishes it used to grant. They all greeted it with joy, but not a single one asked for a wish.

The Wish-Maker wanted to cry. What was it meant to do? It flew to the highest tree it could find and thought to itself.

The thing that made it happy was granting wishes, wasn't it? Perhaps....it could grant its own wishes?

What did it wish for, it wondered? Well....mainly it just wished creatures still asked it to grant their wishes. The Wish-Maker wished it, but nothing happened.

So, it wished for something more tangible; it wished for a pile of fruit. As soon as the wish was thought, it was so, and fruit rained around it, most of it falling through the canopy. It caught one and took a bite. Delicious.

It wished creatures would let it grant their wishes again. The Wish-Maker wished it, but nothing happened.

It wished that its wings never tired. It took to the sky and soared past each cloud, never slowing. It wished to travel into the stars without danger, and it was so. It saw wonders no other creature could dream of.

But still, the emptiness in its chest remained. To the Wish-Maker, making others happy through its wishes was the point of being able to grant them. What use were these powers, with no one to share them with.

The stars themselves heard the anguish in its heart, and spoke. "What Is It You Wish For, Wish Maker?"

It wanted creatures to ask things of it.

"No." Said the stars. "That Isn't What You Truly Want. You Do Not Want Their Lives To Be Lacking, Do You?"

It supposed not. But what else was there-

And that's when it realized. The one thing that could fix the ailment of its duty.

It wished it could speak.

As soon as it wished it, it was so, and the Wish-Maker cried out in joy. It thanked the stars profusely, its words coming out strange and strained, but a miracle it was nonetheless, and it fell back down to the planet's surface.

Now, when it came upon the forest of its home, it asked the creatures there if they had anything to ask of it. Any wishes it could grant them, for doing so brought it joy.

And the creatures it had known since it was a child said this in reply: "Oh Wish-Maker, we could never ask any more of you than we already have, for you have been a gift to us for as long as you've lived. But if our desires truly bring you joy, then we can only ask this: we wish for you to share in our happiness for the rest of your days."

As soon as they wished it, it was so.

[therantingsage]

Wolf and Tiger, a Mythcre story as close to the heart of the world as you can get.

[therantingsage]

It was like everything at once, for the Wizard. He had yearned to go where no creature had gone before; to touch the stars, commune with the great beasts that dwelled there. Become a Storyteller in his own right, like their own Guardian Constellation.

But what he had set out to do was impossible for a reason. No one had done it, it was meant to be a physical impossibility for a reason. The laws of his world always had exceptions, but this one? No, no this was the one rule no one could break. It had never been done for someone unattuned, nevermind someone proficient in the opposite magic system.

It shouldn’t have worked. And when it did, the very fabric of the universe shook in defiance of it.

He didn’t even fall asleep, no, they wouldn’t wait for that natural call, they dragged him there, into a dream that was meant to be impossible.

It was like he stood on the brink of the end of the world. The sky flickered rapidly between unnatural brightness and total darkness, storm clouds tearing between them at frightening speed to strike the earth with lightning. The air was a torrent of movement, his claws only barely keeping him grounded. And then the ground too split open, jagged stones bursting forth as if to strike him, none reaching their mark but all too close for comfort.

From those cracks came water, surging to engulf him and receding just as quickly, over and over again, until it gathered somewhere else. But in its place, magma pooled up from the ground, surrounding him and singing his fur and feathers.

The ground beneath him, miraculously not ablaze, suddenly struck him with pain. His gaze shot down, and he saw that he was rapidly being engulfed by thorny vines. They grew faster than he could stop them, and every movement drew blood by the sharp thorns surrounding him on all sides.

Then the cycle rapidly began to repeat, all at once. He couldn’t see, then he was blinded by the brightness, he was drowning, then he was burning alive, his body was punctured by thorns and stones, then he was ripped from the earth by the wind and beseeched on all sides by violent lightning.

It was all to much to bear, too much happening at once, but this had been his goal, hadn’t it? An attunement dream of all eight Elements. Thought to be impossible, but here he was, in the midst of an incomprehensible trial by the Elements themselves.

He wouldn’t give up. Not when he was here, at the end.

He spread his limbs, wincing with pain, and cried out the sound of his soul, so clear in this space of dreams that it rang truer than true.

The sound of his cry pierced through the cacophonous noise. And suddenly, the chaos ceased.

All the noise drifted, swirled, fainter and fainter until, soon, all was silent. His eyes, which had forcefully closed long before, crept open. And he saw them.

The Elements themselves. In this space of attunement, they take on the form of the dream’s recipient.

All attunement dreams before this has only ever been one Element. But the Wizard was now witnessing the impossible: all eight of them, surrounding him on all sides. Bursting with energy barely contained by his own shape.

It was only silent for a few moments before they began to speak.

It was Light first, their shape barely discernible, their outline so bright a gleam.

“You Blasphemous Creature! How Dare You Meddle In This, The One True Law!” They bellowed, voice booming, underlaid with a low hum.

Then came Darkness, just as indistinguishable a silhouette, no distinction between limb, torso, head or tail. “A Cunning Plan, Brought To Completion, And For What? To Nearly Be Torn Asunder? With Nothing To Tether You To Reality?” Voice loud, too, but intoned almost like a whisper.

Lightning growled next, crackling the space around them. Their shape shifted and changed one moment to the next, falling back to the Wizard’s own, but only often enough for it to be noticeable if one was staring. “We Do Not Mingle With One Another! You Have No Place To Bend Our Wills To Bring Us Here, In One Dream!” They crackled, bristling, shaking the air like thunder.

Fire burned hot in agreement, their form livid and untethered like flame. “Mortals Like You Have No Right To Choose Our Battlefields! We Would Be In Our Right To Destroy You For Such Insurgence!” A voice like bubbling magma.

Wind was almost invisible, only noted by the movement of the space they occupied. But their voice whistled and screamed all the same. “Quite Miraculous A Crime You’ve Committed, Magic One. To Bring That Other Kind Here, Is An Act Of Boldness That Simply Cannot Be Ignored.”

“There Is No Simple Answer To This.” Continued Nature, body a bustling plant growth that shifted to a new plant each moment, shape consistent despite it. Voice overlaid with calls of insects, each reaffirming their words. “This Dream Is Paradoxical. No Living Creature Is Built To Contain Us All. Not While Maintaining Their Own Will.”

Water let out a sigh, like a wave breaching the shore. “And Yet That Is The Very Thing He Hopes To Accomplish. To Attain Attunement, However The Method, Is Something That We Are Lawbound To Reward. Thus, The Question Remains: Do Any Here Deem Him Worthy?” Their body dripped and dissolved, swaying too and fro like the tide as they looked between their fellow Elements.

Earth stamped their foot, shaking all present. Body a shifting mass of stone, features more clear than the others, but still changing moment to moment. “These Are Unreasonable Circumstances To Abide By! We Are Not Lawbound By This One! Wizards Cannot Be Mages! A Mage Can Only Have One Element! These Are Not Difficult Rules To Follow! What Has He Done To Deserve Any Of Us, Nevermind All Of Us?!”

“I am here, am I not?” Spoke the Wizard, the Elements blazing furiously around him. “I have withstood your test. I have outlasted you, and I have stood my ground. I have done the impossible. Surely there must be something that can be done for me. What if another discovers the secret I have? Surely none of you want this difficult discussion to come up again with no solution?”

Light bloomed brighter with fury. “You Proud Thing. You Think you Deserve Special Treatment Because You Shut Your Eyes And Sang? We Are Not Indebted To The Likes Of You. I Pick My Vessels Sparingly, And You Are Not The Type I Would Choose Without Good Reason.”

Lightning scoffed. “You And Your Hypocrisy, Light. Such Privilege That You Can Afford To Be Picky, And Yet You Call Him Proud?”

“It Has Been An Age Since We Have All Gathered, Could We Please Not Spend This Chance Bickering?” Interjected Darkness. The space around them went fuzzy as shadows thickened.

Water nodded in agreement. “Yes, Indeed. I’m Sure All Of Us Have Things To Say. Perhaps We Can Come Up With A Compromise While We Do So.”

“No Compromise Can Be Made With A Wizard. Our Natures Are Too Polar. No Offense Intended By My Phrasing, Nature.” Interjected Wind.

“None Taken.” Replied Nature, blooming like a hedge. “I Agree With You, Besides. We Elements Work Through Pacts And Channeling. Wizards Forge Magic From Themselves. There Simply Isn’t Room For Us There, Within Him.”

“Actually,” the Wizard interjected, “there is! I did a great deal of research before this. All my paper notes are in the waking world, so I cannot prove it, but there is room. For one Element.”

Fire and Earth both made noises of anger, crackling embers and crumbling stones. “And Yet You Are Here, Seeking To Bind With All Of Us?!” Hissed Fire.

“Fool Mortal! What Reason Have We To Believe Your Word Over Logic?!” Bellowed Earth.

“Eternity. Eternity possesses all Magic. Thus what you say is impossible, isn’t so.” He replied, firm in his resolve.

Silence from the Elements. And then, a crushing pressure in the air.

“How Dare You Think Yourself An Equal To The Endless.” Hissed Light, blindingly bright.

“The Endless Ones Are The Seldom Exception, Mortal.” Growled Darkness. “You Would Be Wise To Know Your Place In This World.”

“Is it not the nature of my kind to carve that place for myself? Is that not why us mortals seek you Elements out in the first place?” Countered the Wizard.

“We Are Sought For More Than Purpose, Proud Mortal.” Fire replied, blaze burning higher. “Some Seek Power. Many Seek Me For My Power.”

“Intimidation, More Like.” Earth corrected. “You Are A Warm Light. I Am Substance, Force. I Am Sought For Power, And Shelter Too.”

Fire crackled again, bitter. “Oh Please. You Have But One Little Mountain. Your Little Creatures Leave, And Their Children Lack Any Power At All.”

Earth just scoffed. “And What Do You Have? Volcanos? Temporary Places That Get Claimed By Empty Dragons And Die?”

“I Wish You Both Would Not Be So Dramatic.” Said Nature, prickling with thorns. “None Of Your Personal Quarrels Have Much To Do With The Situation At Hand.”

“Agreed.” Said Darkness. “The Fact Remains, We May Be Sought By Mortals, That Is True Of Both Their And Our Natures, But That Does Not Mean We Grant Our Powers To Every Creature That Asks Nicely.”

“Unless They Are Born With Us, Of Course. Plenty Of My And Darkness’s Vessels Have That Luxury.” Remarked Light.

“And You Have The Audacity To Complain About That.” Said Lightning, sounding annoyed.

Light just huffed. “Give It A Rest, Lightning. There Is Plenty Of Time In The Endless Eternity For This Quarrel. The Issue At Hand Is Still The Entitlement Of This Wizard. And How There Is Absolutely No Way We Are Giving Him What He’s After.”

The Wizard, of course, wasn’t going to leave without what he wanted. “I’ll share how I got here with everyone, then. Then you’ll have to have this argument a thousand times over. I’m sure you all don’t  want that.”

“You Are Not In Much Position To Make Threats.” Commented Water, swirling like a whirlpool. “We Made These Rules Ourselves, Though. There’s Nothing To Say We Cannot Give Him Another Trial. Or Many More.”

Darkness tilted their head at that. “Are You Suggesting We Test Him Indefinitely Until We Are Satisfied? Can An Attunement Dream Last That Long?”

“They Aren’t Meant To, Not Typically.” Replied Nature. “But This Situation Is Far From Typical.”

The Wizard squinted in genuine confusion. “What do you mean? I survived your test. I have already proven myself worthy. Anyone who survived all that would be.”

Wind shook their head in turn. “It Is Not About Surviving. It Is About Being Face-To-Face With The Pure Concentration Of An Element, Suffocating In It, And Coming Out Stronger Against The Odds. Like Finding Peace In Freefall.”

“Like Being Lost In The Dark, Finding Your Way By The Solace Of Your Own Shadow.” Added Darkness.

“You Did Not Overcome Anything.” Confirmed Fire. “It Simply Happened To You, And It’s Not Anymore. Barely Singed By My Lava Before Wind Lifted You Away.”

The Wizard was angered by this. “You think I didn’t face anything? That that wasn’t a trial? Any creature could easily be killed by all that!”

Wind whistled in laughter. “Ah, Mortals. That Was Not Our Pure Forms, Not Anywhere Close. You Would Know. Pure Concentration Of Me Is To Have No Ground To Stand On. Earth Was Very Much There.”

“Yes, And You All Were Bursting Through My Crust Like Impatient Things.” They replied, gemstone-eyes twinkling. “Fair Enough, Though, Both Of Us Can Suffocate In Our Own Ways, When Pure.”

Wind whistled again. “Hm Hm. Yes. Air Pressure And Physical Crushing Can Overlap In Sensation. Such Is The Nature Of Opposite Things. One Of The Laws Of Reality.”

Lightning crackled loudly, gaining the others’ attention. “Cease The Philosophy! We Cannot Test Him!”

Nature swayed, wilting in slight confusion. “Whyever Not? What Other Option Do We Have?”

More crackling. “Because, Simply Put, Us Speaking Of Attunement, In His Presence, Is Allowing Him To Mentally Prepare. That Ruins The Entire Point Of The Dreams. Are Mortals Not Meant To Be Thrown Into The Storm With No Context? It Feels More Tangible To Them That Way.”

The rest were quiet, until Fire, light dimming, replied, “That…Is A Fair Point. With Prior Knowledge, He Would Have No Fear. And Fear Is Necessary, Or Else The Triumph Is Meaningless.”

“That’s a matter of perspective.” Argued the Wizard with a frown. “And I knew how Attunement Dreams worked before this anyway. I read up on it when I was doing research.”

“Bah!” Scoffed Earth. “Doesn’t Matter Much, In The End, Does It? What Difference Does It Make? After One, He’d Have A Decent Idea How The Rest Might Work. You Both Overthink.”

Fire and Lightning both grumble. “This Whole Situation Is Ridiculous And I Stand By That.” Replied Lightning.

Light gleamed brighter, gathering the others attention. “I Say We Put This To A Vote. Yay Or Nay, Do We Test This Mortal Individually? I Say Nay. Making One Exception To The Base Laws Is A Road Toward Making Many. Far Too Easy To Cascade Into A Problem.”

“I Second That Nay!” Shouted Lightning. “He Is Entitled And Proud In Excess. Our Powers Combined Would Be Wasted On A Creature Like Him, Whether He Passed Our Trials Or Not!”

“I Doubt We Could Decide A Thing Like That So Soon. I Say Yay.” Replied Wind. “This Is Not Something That Has Ever Happened. He Is Not Wrong: Were This To Happen Again, It Would Be Best That We Know How To Proceed.”

“….I Am Surprising Myself With This, But Yay. We Have Never In The Endless Eternities Ever Been Given A Chance To Work Together In This Manner. Does This Chance Not Excite You All? We Never Speak Like This, Nevermind Cooperate!” Water cried, the top of their form frothing with sea foam as their voice grew excited.

“I Would Like To Agree With You, But I Say Nay.��� Said Darkness with a sigh. “This Is…Volatile. The Mere Fact That This Wizard Has Arrived Here Shows Signs Of Recklessness And Lawlessness, And Not In Any Of The Good Ways. Giving Him Our Powers Would Be Unsafe.”

“In What Ways Have We Ever Abided By The Sensibilities Of Mortals?” Nature chirped curiously. “I Agree With Water, Yay. We Could Learn Much From This. In The Same Way We Would Be Tethered To Him, He Would Be Our Vessel. Ours. It Would Be A Curious And New Thing.”

Fire and Earth stared at each other, not speaking.

Lightning huffed at them. “We Are Even In Number, You Both. Pick A Side Together or Condemn Us To A Tie.”

They continue to not speak for a moment.

The Wizard tries his luck, appealing to what he’s observed of their personalities. “I could make you powerful. I could allow you access to the world in a new and tangible way, like Nature said.”

It’s the wrong thing to say. Earth rumbles like a quake. “We Do Not Need Someone Like You For That.”

“When Our Powers Are Used By Any Vessel Of Ours, We Exist. I Am In Every Breath Of Dragon Fire.” Said Fire, shedding embers with each movement. “We Are Tangible In Each And Every Speck Of Us. I Say Nay. You Think Yourself Too Special.”

“Seconded.” Grumbled Earth in their anger. “We Have Our Vessels, And We Have Our Sites. You Need Us. We Do Not Need You.”

The finality in the statement is potent in the air. The Wizard’s wings shake as his body trembles. 

Light barks out a laugh. “Bah! What Folly, Proud Mortal! Awake And Be Cursed With The Memory Of This Failure!”

“There’s No Need For That Degree Of Harshness, True Or Not.” Said Darkness. “It’s Not As Though We Can Ever Leave Him.”

“Yes, I Know. But It Pleases Me To See A Proud Beast Laid Low And Pitiful.” They replied. “With All Your Research, Surely You Know. We Will Be Here, Every Time You Rest.” Their luminance grew suffocating. “I Will Not Let You Rest. Not For Even A Moment. A Fitting Punishment For Such Lawbreaking.”

The Wizard growled. “You stay by choice, or are you really incapable of untethering?”

“Mortals Cannot Go Back On Their Choices.” Says Nature with a nod. “To Attain The Initial Attunement Dream, Whether You Pass It Or Not, Is A Point Of No Return. The Dream Will Repeat Until One Passes And Gains Access To Our Power.”

“Not You, Though.” Crackled Lightning, smug. “For You, This Will Be A Curse And Nothing More! Entitled Thing!”

The Wizard’s trembling body suddenly lurched forward at Lightning with a snarl. “That’s not an answer!”

Lightning went still with shock, and the Wizard flew right through them, coming out the other side trembling still, but now for a different reason entirely. Bolts of them traced the Wizard’s form, visibly painful.

All the Elements went dead silent, watching. And then, for the first time, one of them stood. 

“What Do You Think You’re Doing, Proud Mortal?” Said Lightning with a startling quietness. They reach out with a flickering claw and make to grasp at the Wizard’s tail. 

The Wizard launches himself at Lightning again, and again, only passes through, crying out in pain. Electricity arcs across his frame with heightened intensity.

“Curious.” Remarks Fire coldly, standing as well. “Surely You Know This Is A Fight Cannot Win.” They also approach the thoroughly electrocuted mortal.

It’s clear that he’s already having trouble standing, but the Wizard swipes a claw towards Fire’s face, and being just as intangible as Lighting, the attack passes through. They crumble to the ground, clutching the burned limb.

One by one the rest of the Elements stand and approach as well, and their large circle becomes a much smaller one. They watch the pitiful display with impassive eyes.

“Do You Really Not Understand What We Are?” Nature inquires with a tilt of their head. Thorns and flowers alike bloom across them. “This Space Of Dreams Is Our Turf. Our Home. We Exist Here With No Limitations.”

The Wizard slashes at them with their other claw, bleeding on thorns and dislodging a few petals worth of Nature’s form. They grow back before the claw even escapes them. “I don’t- I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t c- don’t care!” The Wizard wheezes out, tail lashing despite burns and cuts and static.

“You Should.” Says Darkness, gentler than the others. “You Only Cause Yourself Unneeded Suffering Fighting Us Like This.”

“You don’t, you, you don’t-” His breathing is clearly labored. “You don’t get to, to stare at me w-with my own face! My own face and, and say I can’t have you!” He summons as much of his strength as he can muster and tries to attack Darkness too.

It’s predictable and Darkness doesn’t even try to dodge. The blow passes through.

The Wizard’s vision goes dark.

He cries out in distress. He flails wildly, trying to harm the Elements, to only failure. Anyone he hits just harms him.

Something thorny wraps around his ankles, dragging him flat to the ground. Ice shackles him there. The breath is stolen from his lungs, and a suffocating weight presses him down.

In the end, the voice that condemns him is Light’s. “I Understand Completely Now. We Were Generous Before, Merely Calling You Proud.” Even blinded, their light shines through. “What You Are Is Greedy. The Immense Power Required To Bring Us Here, And Yet It Wasn’t Enough For You. You Demand Us. Demand What You Do Not Deserve.”

He doesn’t have the strength to speak, but even if he did, his beak was trapped in ice.

“And Yet, The Opportunity You Present Us Cannot Be Ignored. A Vessel, Containing Us All. A Permanent Link Between Us Eight.” The light gets brighter, just enough for his vision to faintly return.

Light is closer than advisable, enough to nearly blind him anew. “But I Fail To See Why You Deserve To Be Present For It. There Is No Room In You For You.”

Fear grips his chest. He can’t scream.

“All In Favor?” Says Light.

And they all said “Yay.”

-----

The wreck of the Wizard’s home was visible for miles. The location became cursed once the possession was complete. The Artifacts and incantation he’d used suffered the same fate. No one else could follow in his footsteps now.

In the end, he’d accomplished something monumental. He became one of the most elusive figures in Mythcrean history, as no one else had even known what he’d done or how. His body, even if very little of him remained in it, became one of if not the most powerful creatures to ever live.

No one would remember his name, but he would live forever.

[therantingsage]

In Mythcre, Angels are actually undead creatures, technically! When creatures die, their bodies become intangible, and their Core Spirits float out into open air from within. After, the body disintegrates, and the soul is free to wander their 'afterlife'.

However, on rare occasions, the Core Spirit becomes conscious before the body fully disappears, and they can re-enter it. This creates an Angel. Angels appear identical to what they looked like before repossession, aside from two traits: firstly, wings disconnected from the body, and second, the Aura Crystal part of their Core Spirit taking the form of a necklace they cannot remove.

For creatures that already had wings, they simply disconnect and retain their appearance. But wingless creatures will gain them, and the appearance of these new wings will correspond to their 'Aura'. Feathered wings for Positive Aura, webbed wings for Negative Aura, and fin-like wings for Neutral Aura.

Aelita, depicted here, already had feathered wings prior to death. But she's also Positive Aura, too, so it wasn't like the wings would've looked any different if she hadn't.

[therantingsage]

Happy birthday to my beloved husband <3 <3 here's our blorbos <3

[therantingsage]

Stripped Screws thingsssss. Featuring a mom who went missing and an out of context scene from way later in the plot that's been stuck in my brain

[therantingsage]

Lapu and Lupus, aids to Draco and Scorpio respectively. Lapu is also the muse of soul-searching, and Lapu a patron of the arts. Just like Draco and Scorpio, they are incomprehensively massive.

They get along great :3