I thought out a bit about Phoenix reproduction. They work similar to ants, where the 'workers' (i.e. those who aren't queen & king in this case) choose both king and queen.
All Phoenixes are born genderless, and only have their gender assigned when they become king/queen, which can happen at any stage of their lives.
They're also immortal; the only way they can 'die' is by giving up on their physical vessel through sacrificial rituals like the Illumination.
Basically, all Phoenixes (besides kings/queens) are either non-binary or genderless, it's up to interpretation I guess.
^ All of this is because Phoenix reproduction is asexual, and can only produce kin through a specific ritual.
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Review: Jade Torch: The Killing Thought, by Anne Marie Wells, otherwise known as @dragonanne!
First of all, let me just praise Miss Wells' artstyle. It's beautiful, and captures the reader's attention, instantly giving them a greater scope of the characters and their world.
As for the story, Jade Torch presents itself as a medieval fantasy world, and as a huge dragon nerd and admirer of the High Middle Ages, I can tell you that The Killing Thought does not disappoint in it's setting! You have dragons and their riders protecting their large kingdom, a neighboring monarchy with a tainted history, a bloodthirsty nation in the north, and unknown islands far away from the continent, all of which take place while the author plants the seeds for a deeper, magic-filled history that feels organic and richer than the Lonely Mountain of Erebor (Tolkien fans, I apologize for any misspells/offense.)
The plot is superbly written, with the unsavory medieval politics and conniving aristocrats presented within the world in such a way that it instantly feels like cracking open a door to look into the distant past of Western Europe. The characters have various personalities that don't overlap with each other, with the possible exception of two (and given that both these characters took on paternal roles to young future rulers, it's a given that they'd have similar approaches to life. Not to worry, they still retain their unique individuality!) They are also all written competently: the men are allowed to be manly defenders/protectors/rulers, and the women are allowed to kick butt without dragging down their male counterparts, something that greatly pleased me.
The heroes are heroes and the villains are villains, an old style of writing I have dearly missed in modern media. Furthermore, there is only one - ONE - character death on the heroes' side, and while it did break my heart, I instantly realized it was a necessary decision and felt that it was not out of place. And while said character's murderer was not killed, another, equally despicable villain was permanently dispatched, something that literally had me cheering in my seat as I read, so enraptured was I by the story unfolding in my hands. I tell you, that is an uncommon occurrence in my reading experience!
And the ending presents a perfect opening for a second installment, with it's ominous atmosphere and the fragile peace left in the plot's wake gripping the reader's attention with a degree of fear for the heroes. I must say, I simply itch to see what happens next, and the path that awaits the protagonists!
I would be remiss, however, if I did not voice one, albeit small, complaint. The naming conventions in the story, while enjoyable, were a bit odd when it came to a select few others. For example, you have the crown princess, whose name is Lunerata Bridth, and yet her father's given name is Kent. There is only one other "ordinary" name such as Kent in the novel, and while it did not take away my love of the story, it did strike me as odd quite a few times. Regardless, I still reveled in reading the book, and happily give it eleven out of ten stars.
Now enough of my rambling! I gave a simple, relatively spoiler free review of this novel. Now, I task all who read through this post: go out and buy a copy of Jade Torch: The Killing Thought. It's a fun read, and will captivate your mind and imagination for a long time!
Fly high, my fellow readers and dragon riders!
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Here is the next instalment in the Species Sheet Project, the phoenixes! I ended up modelling this version of the classical mythical creature after hoopoes. Be careful though - thy are highly explosive.
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Okay but Actual Phoenix!Phoenix Wright is an idea that needs to used more.
And it's so fun because the different takes on it are so cool. Some people use him having bird and human form. Some people leave him human simply having the powers of said creature. And some people just keep him as a bird. The possibilities are endless.
And that's why he can't die, man just rise from the ashes. Pun not intended.
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Regarding phoenixes, there's something I've never quite understood about their life cycle. Do they rebirth every single year? Or is it more like a couple years or so between burnings?
I have no idea, canon doesn't really say. It's entirely up to your interpretation and what purpose you want it to serve.
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There are three kinds of LGBT headcanons:
Actual queer coding / metaphors ("Nimona is trans because her creator made her as a way to express his feelings as a trans person")
Vibes ("Link is genderless because I said so")
It's funny ("Phoenix Wright is asexual because he's the Ace Attorney")
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