#basilisk eclipse

[bones-of-a-rabbit]

big fimshy. tiny keess

[kinok0s-writings]

A late Valentine's Day gift for @bones-of-a-rabbit, I hope you and anyone else who reads enjoy!

The Sea-star and the Eclipse

The waves pushed against the wooden vessel sailing through them with a playful vigor, emerald waters choosing to be pacified this morning with their lulled sway, the breeze lax as it barely pushed against cared for sails, -one could blow against them and it would have the same effect. The wind carried the calls of ocean borne creatures, the morning gossip of nereid nymphs and the lull of a siren's call if one truly focused, the sun began its slow climb into the sky while letting those under its rays feel the warmth sought after as the seasons changed over seas. The sea itself held an enchanting shine this day, her usually murky waters held an appealing blue undertone to compliment the emerald shine she chose to wear today, a shade able to rival the richest of dyes, the skies holding a few clouds golden with the residue shades of sunrise and a calming tone blossoming from a fading magenta. A jovial tune joined the drifting gossip in the breeze as it rumbled out of your chest, attention occupied elsewhere while you searched through the horizon using your trusted spyglass; a beautifully crafted object made of cared for wood, combined with selectively chosen sea glass, and branded with a family crest that now only belongs to the lone sailor. It took the instinctive steadying of your body and a learned patience with the waves, but eventually after some moments had floated past like jellyfish caught in a riptide you could make out your targeted location in the near distance, a smile of anticipation emerging from the sight. Putting the tool away in the side of your belt you left the forecastle deck to change tack quickly lest you dared to miss the few and far in between gusts of crisp ocean air able to actually help move you to your destination. The captain’s ship wasn’t as small and nimble as most merchant boats come by, yet it wasn’t as large and regal as the militia or even pirate ships, your home upon the water was a perfect compromise of all the other vessels tied up nicely into one design. It was the most desirable for a sailor who wanted to hold more wares in the hold than other merchants, yet still keep it small enough that it was manageable with your lone person, all while holding onto some of the mobility others could only dream of. Of course that didn’t mean living on your lonesome upon this ship was anywhere close to being able to be described as easy work, often you would have to stay up and spend several sleepless nights battling with Poseidon, but it was what you preferred. Even though you could, you never would be able to settle down for an easy life, where was the fun in going through day by day if not with a challenge, albeit a challenge of routine? Admittedly, it was this very mindset that led you to more of the questionable adventures, like swimming in the ocean’s harsh waters for artifacts she tried to hide from your curious reach, or sometimes taking the paths no right minded captain would take without a death wish. If it wasn’t blatantly obvious by the occasional scar that decorated your skin, death was a mistress you often danced with for simply the thrill of the tale, and you've yet to stumble in your waltz together. While steering the rudder you held a concentrated gaze in your illuminated eyes, the sunlight reflecting the water's shine within your focused hues, giving a passionate effect to the emotions you refused to hide from the world, as you directed your ship towards the craggy cliffs, confident in your ability to traverse the waves.

Despite the misleading friendly name the cliffs had, no sailor wanted to sail through the anxiously narrow gap between them unless desperate, for it was rumored few if any passed through the cliffs alive, often by a trip only to be finished by a crew member having to man the decks alone without captain. Anyone who has listened to the drunken sailors at inns knew of the creature that populated the sharp rocks, living in underwater caves by the pass, killing off most of those who did manage to make it through unless they gave an offering to appease it. The matter at hand simply came down to whether those listening would believe the tales or not, and the fact they were brave, -or stupid, enough to physically sail through despite the warnings. You personally had come across creatures of myths while living on these waters before and lived to tell the tale, so rumors of a rampaging monster within the waters of the cliffs carried in the distant wind, you couldn't refuse the opportunity to find fact from fiction. It was your first passing through when you met him, and it was a memory you'll always look back on with a laugh, even if you couldn’t share the situation with any drinking buddies.

You could feel the adrenaline flooding into your fingertips as you grew closer to the craggy cliffs, knuckles going white with how tightly you held the wooden wheel, it was time to test if rumors were really just mere rumors, and hopefully make it out alive to tell the tale. The dark clouds over head were overlooked by your anticipating eyes, and you seemed to disregard the fact that the scent of geosmin had become stronger than a mere handful of moments ago.

As if mirroring the memory, the captain pushed themselves into motion, watching the currents keen eye as you shifted to try and pull your boat away from the jagged rocks that upturned like claws trying to carve into the wooden walls, an attempt to reopen healed scars. They were black and the water made them look oily, even in the beautiful light of such a nice day often forcing the you to run from the locked rudder wheel, -done by wedging it with an angled stick, to the ropes of the masts. It looked like such a tiring workout, but by simply observing your movements one could see the practice etched into every step, be it from how steady you pulled the ropes into place to how swift each footfall was, holding swift purpose in every action. You kept running through your routing to steer yourself into the near needle like opening leading to the cave that only those willing to face the rumored sea monster, a place nearly having gone undiscovered if not for by mere chance.

You grit your teeth while trying to make sense of anything through the pouring rain, raindrops falling so harshly it might as well have been hail striking your body to create such a similar stinging impact, you've nearly lost your footing several times already. Nearly stumbling you heard wood creak and were reminded of the fact you were far from happy with how close your dear ship has gotten to being pierced with those gnarly claws. It wasn't supposed to be such a cutthroat tango with the mistress, but to stumble like this when you had such a reputation to uphold was fiercely irritating, with only you to blame. The signs of the changing weather had all been there, you were just too caught up in the possibilities, making the storm feel as if had been sudden. Nearly out of anguish you sputtered liters off your lips and shook your head like a wet dog trying to get rid of the never-ending mask of rain and seawater, but it was during the shaking did your eye catch something. Was…was that a tail? It was a striking color, shaped like no fishtail you've ever seen, and it looked to have headed port, -directly into the cliffs, which was only odder due to the fact proceeding starboard was the way to leave, wait, no that wasn't as perplexing as you originally thought. Taking a hand to wipe a new layer of water off of your face, drops sticking to your eyelashes like dewdrops on spider webs, you directed the focus you could spare after the creature and where it vanished, searching with a newfound urgency, only to be rewarded with the sight of a small opening leading into what looked to be a cave large enough to shelter you for the night. It was risky, and whatever you saw could ambush you and your ship, but it wasn't as if you had many options, every other possibility washed away with every falling raindrop slapping your skin, the wind biting into your matted clothing and hair; you were going to be lucky if you didn't end up getting sick after this. Steeling your disposition you quickly changed tack to steer into the suffocating tight space, feeling as if you were drowning as the rain continued its cascading torrent while being shoved with a bullying force by the stressed waves. Despite it all though, with the new objective in mind, it was you who intertwined their fingers with a confident grip, taking the lead of the dance with lady death, refusing to go down without a fight.

The sailor slowly steered the ship portside, that jovial tune leaving your lips again with the near careless smile keeping the corners of your mouth upturned, a wordless noise encouraging itself the more it progressed, the few avians using the crevices in the rocks as nests seemed to even join in. It felt as if you've cut through the tight gap a hundred times, feeling none of the first time stress as the rocking waves passively pushed the vessel into the mouth of the somewhat hidden cave, the gold wrung out of they sky by now with the happy cobalt blue having taken over. Soon the bright sunlight was muted into dimmer tones, -which by all means was still fairly bright, by the stone ceiling engulfing your ship like a greedy frogfish, and the captain could hear another join the tune, a voice much more gifted when it came to songs in your opinion. Your smile could only brighten as you carefully lowered the anchor and raised the sails to tie them off, listening as another body moved through the echoing water, every sound reverberating throughout the rocky walls. Once you were sure all was set so your home didn't try to get close and personal to the dark minerals surrounding you, you leaned over the railing to look at the just as if not more than happy ocean borne waiting for you to notice he was present. Said companion once realizing you were indeed focusing on him,- a realization you could visibly watch as the smile filled with nothing but friendly pointed teeth broadened, opened his arms with expectancy, wanting you to jump into his arms so he could carry you down as you've done several times beforehand. The admittedly very appealing option could only make you laugh softly in appreciation even as you shake your head in refusal, disappearing to gather a rope ladder with delight when your large friend is in such a good mood. The thought was tugging at the back of your mind that it was nearly hilarious how today of all days would be so much of quite literally smooth sailing as it has been, even taking the time to excitedly recall your plan while you disappeared into your quarters to gather a large basket set aside in preparation of the hours to come. Taking but a momentary pause to make sure something specific was tucked safely within it, an object with enough weight you had to use genuine effort to move it, -a stark difference to its typically smaller near weightless counterparts, and enough meaning that could have easily doubled the energy spent carrying it alone. You made sure to keep a quick pace, not wanting to let your long tailed companion be forced to wait more than necessary, and the pleased trill that greeted your descending figure was enough reassurance to tide over your clouded mind for the day in comforting waves, as if the threat of fog had been blown away all at once. Steadily you scaled down the ladder until your feet were firm against the flooring, keeping you waist deep in the cool ocean water, occasional fits of warmer temperatures flowing in until shoved away lazily, the basket now being held above your head and pointedly away from the other. The aquatic creature moved to happily follow the land borne, curiously trying to reach for the basket and see what was packed only to be swatted away playfully, followed by a tutting click of your tongue, laughter upon your lips.

"Ah ah ah! Patience, you'll see what's in there soon Eclipse, but first, I have to ask, have you ever heard of valentine's day?"

A thoughtful expression passed across his features as he thought about the question, but it was obvious his mind was filled with sluggish minnows this morning, until eventually a defeated huff escaped him before he went with plan b, mischief in his scales. You knew it was coming, but still you couldn't hold in your amused chuckles as large webbed hands wrapped themselves around your being, easily lifting you up out of the water to be set tenderly on the rocky shore, -an area out of reach of the sea that was more of a mini island than shore, soon a large frilled head pressing into your side with a pair of dilated pupils; you still don't know how he learned to do such powerful puppy dog eyes. You shook your head as you gave one of his hands a pat, silently asking to be let go as you lowered the basket down beside your lap before you gently pet the sides of his head, pretending to look stern even if you both knew you were a sucker for the basilisk's ways. His continued to poke and tug on you like a curious child, tilting his head in your hold every now and then as he humored you, trying to keep your attention on him so you would give in when he obviously had no answer, that or he just wanted you to tell him so he can see the inside of the basked sooner. You were usually a lot more stubborn with these situations, but you decided that the suspense was truly killing him, -especially as the dramatic guppy made it very clear that was in fact what was happening, and chose to show him mercy, although it was sooner than you figured he could have lasted, only early noon. You could hear his tail splashing the water in despite his mocking show of withering away, all it took was a couple pats calling for attention before he revived himself, eager to hear what you were about to say.

"Well, Valentine's day is a day where we celebrate our loved ones. Couples, friends, and oftentimes family members will trade each other gifts to show their love and spend time together, a day of letting each other know they care. Many even use it as the day to confess romantic feelings. I can't say I know how it all started, but I can say I know its a lovely day to have a celebration, and I couldn't think of any better way other than to spend it with my favorite mate."

You couldn't help but watch fondly as he visibly registered the words, watching you speak like a child happy to learn, hanging onto every syllable with the same merit of climbing a cliff, and it was endearing to know just how important you seemed to be to him in order to stir this reaction from him. The fondness turned into giddy amusement as you watched his bewitching eyes widen when he realized the telling of your plan, specifically the fact you were going to give him a gift; you figured you’d give it after you both ate the arrangement of dishes you cooked the night prior, that way you both would be full enough to laze about comfortably The cry of a passing bird cut through without much disregard, evicting a chorus of responses, the comforting smell of the sea floating aimlessly in the cave not being overwritten by the aromas of the food in the basket, even coercing some curious feather bodies to see if there was slivers they could steal. It was relaxing, and staying with your favorite buddy you couldn’t feel any more at peace, because as much as you wouldn’t admit how you oftentimes felt on the ship one your own, -you were alone not lonely, there was something so charming to have such an intelligent being want to spend time with you as much as you did, curious of each other’s worlds. The lull of the waves bumping into the rocks around the two of you held a specific pattern, a reassuring sound telling of the power they had, even as you could distinct the noise of the strong tail hitting them, splashing with a happy sashay that reminded you of a dog off on mainland, and you distinctly had the urge to pet him just as much. Instantly you did what you could to sear these waking moments into your memory, it all was so vibrant even in the shade of the rocky shelter holding it all in its cupped palms, you couldn’t imagine forgetting how every breath shared between the two of you was filled with such content, it may as well come out of a myth. But, in a sense, that’s what he was supposed to be, wasn’t it? Chuckling you nodded in excited reply to his metal observation before turning away to begin setting the day’s activities out around you, pulling out the several containers of dishes, -most of the contents was food to appease your basilisk friend’s appetite, until you got to a collection of books. Once the leather bound bundle of stories were stacked behind you you grabbed the final thing inside, only you may have made a slight show of quickly hiding it out of sight nestled in your lap once you realized how he was intently watching everything pulled out, and the confused ‘mrr’ that sounded out as his head nudged your legs with gentle hands attempting to discover what you had hid made it worth it. You both were obviously encouraging each other with playful prodding, -something that could only make you appreciate the friendship you have somehow more than you already do, before you finally gave him a shove laughing, hiding the object under your jacket as you somehow had ended up onto your back in the small battle.

“No, that's your valentine’s gift! Now listen here you overgrown noodle, I figured we can eat the food I slaved over in the kitchen to make, then I'll give it to you, alright? Now come on, the sooner we get started, the more daylight we have to finish off that one book and start a new one."

After you situated yourself back into an upright position you wasted no time in uncovering the plates of food, the warmth they gave off instantly getting sucked away into the breeze, curious birds very noticeably edging themselves over in a horrid attempt to be sneaky with the presence of such a dangerous predator. The smile on your face began to slip though as you realized Eclipse seemed to go still, you couldn't even hear the splashing of his tail, so you looked up with slight concern, wondering what was swimming around in his head. What you saw didn't exactly reassure you either, there was a shadowy glint in his eyes, one you knew almost too well, and you tilted your head to try and get his optics to focus back onto you. His eyes were one of the many characteristics you loved about him, the optics that had undoubtedly taken the lives of so many before you, but you could never bring yourself to fear those enchanting colors, the way the specks of violet bled into the near golden orange like spilled paint. They just drew you in like the light bouncing within carved gemstones, and you were alright with that. What you weren't alright with was how his thoughts looked to have bit into his tail like a parasite, the vice grip in their jaws must have been uncomfortable as he began slowly sinking into the water, an action that stirred you into getting up to approach him slowly, hands outreached for his own. Shadows of dark whispers had begun swirling in your own mind nipping at your thoughts and despite how the day had been going you couldn't help but wonder if his sudden change in demeanor was due to something you've done, did you offend him? Were you too forward in assuming he would want to spend the entire day with you? Did you use the wrong words to describe your intentions again?

"Hey big guy, penny for your-"

Your words were cut off as his gaze locked into your own, nearly knocking you breathless as it felt as if he only just then remembered you were there, and then suddenly swam away like you had hollered at him. It felt like one of those shadows gave up for nibbles and instead took a bite of you to swam off with him, your hands still left in the air as you were frozen, watching his figure disappear into the fingers of outreached minerals, only able to register, yes, he did in fact just leave you to your own devices, as the only remnants of his presence were the disturbances in the water he so swiftly glided through. You had half a mind to chase after him be it by swimming or by rowing in the yawl, but even at your best you were a beached flounder compared to the ribbon eel in his natural element, your hands lowering in defeat as it dawned you all you could do now was to hope he returned. You were sure he had his reason for leaving you, surely he would be back, but even if you came up with enough reasons to overflood the seven seas it didn't make it hurt any less, you could only angrily shoo the birds stealing scraps of the food to vent out your confused anger. Not at him, but to you. You went ahead and planned ahead that the two of you would stay together well after the moon hung over your heads so even the stars hear your tales and wordless songs that could hold more meaning words would have ever given them, you planned this without him. You should have asked, you shouldn't have just jumped ship assuming he would be fine with it, sure the day was perfect for you, but was it for him? You should have run it by him beforehand to make sure he could tell you in the off chance that he was uncomfortable with the fact, instead you just sprung this upon him blinded with the image of smiles unable to leave your faces. Your thoughts turned against you, murmurs of berating words leaving your lips as you audibly cursed your stupidity until you decided that pacing around putting the sailors at the bars at mainland to shame would do you no good, especially if Eclipse decided to return. Your efforts of sailing here and preparing for this day have already been spent with the intent to stay over night and by Poseidon's trident, you were going to enjoy your planned stay with or without your anticipated guest. The overwhelming swarm of shadows couldn't keep up with you long enough to begin infiltrating your school of thoughts, you wouldn't let them as you busied yourself with the distraction of tasks that had to be done, probably looking like a curious reef fish exploring new spouts of coral. A blanket was cast across the rock floor, -out of reach of any rising tides, with a small tent made out of other blankets and a few pillows to cover you and the food; you had begun to grow tired with shooing away those thieving birds, you hadn't rung them a dinner bell and so help their bloodline if you barely miss getting poo'd on again they were going to be tomorrow's dinner. When you had done all that you could find needing to be done you decided that it wouldn't hurt for you to revisit one of your favorite list of fables with the dishes you never got to eat, even if you never touched the ones set to the side for a certain basilisk as they were drizzled with doubt, would he return to eat his serving?

The sunlight once seeping into the cave in powerful beams had crawled more into the waters than against the walls, the sun itself having slipped lower into the horizon as your fingers combed through the cared for pages and traced the leather cover, hues focused on each words that painted a lovely story in your mind's eyes, -a story needn't be grand and outlandish to be considered good in your opinion, when a bit of light was reflected into your gaze. Pausing you set the book to the side, your attention now on the object partially covered by the jacket you had shed in the spur of your work as your hands moved closer to retrieve the object, the black glossy surface triggering your very instinctive 'oo, shiny' reaction to the light making it sparkle, -the realization elicited a small amused smile on your lips. The surface was cool to the touch, but it wasn't biting, and despite it being larger than others, it felt comfortable to hold in your palms with a good weight. You turned it around in your hold absentmindedly, a finger tracing the the flaws caused by age forced into the strange surface that shone like metal, before moving onto the runes etched into it, markings that you knew you couldn't even attempt to comprehend. It was a language that, like the artifact itself, was from an era lost to legend. Your placated mind began to stir with mixed emotions, your hope had begun dwindling as the shadows made from escaping sunlight grew larger, and you even wondered if he would like such a gift, let alone know why you thought it had such importance. A small spiteful part of you was tempted to simply toss it into the waves and let him find it on his own, -their slow pace had lost the calming appeal to now seem just downright antagonistic, but you instead tucked it back under your jacket in favor of the plate holding biscuits before returning to bury yourself back into familiar arms of the old superstitious myths you believe wholeheartedly. You let time flow past while you read, the sun feeling to move like a drifting jellyfish with reckless abandon, the tides had slowly begun to rise while reaching for the moon, - not quite high tide yet, as the waves gained more momentum in their lazy dance. You had since lit a lantern to brighten the pages of your second book, the first having been finished long enough for a chunk of this one to have been read, when the sounds of water stirring forcefully met your ears, causing you to immediately perk up. With scales vibrant enough that even in the darkening waters you could see every perfect imperfection, a crown of frills and horns making his head look like a sun, and a tail long enough it could wrap around the width of your ship twice, you watched as the creature you were far from certain would even return cut through the water effortlessly in order to approach the shore you were nestled on top of. As he rose from the water you sprung to your feet, ready to get answers and apologize in the chance you truly had done something wrong, giving him no chance to swim off again before at least hearing you out with every step you took.

"Eclipse! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry if I had upset you, why'd you swim off like that? I was scared you weren't coming back."

You didn't really expect much, so when he quite animatedly hid something behind his back with two of his arms sporting a bright grin of someone who had a secret to share, it probably was one of the least scenarios you could have seen coming once he returned. Seeing your confusion a low chuckle rumbled from his chest as his other set of hands began to make gestures, specific motions slow enough that you could pick up, and once you did the emotion you could recognize most among your internal near-overfilling pot was pride. Had he been practicing? After a few moments of processing you suddenly felt bashful for how quickly you had assumed the negative side of things, running a hand through your hair with a sigh before making eye contact with those gems you treasured more than any rock you could find in the sea.

'Needed gift for mate.'

"But you didn't, I wasn't expecting, actually, you know what? I can't wait. Here's an idea, knowing how excited we both are to see, why don't we exchange our gifts now and eat later, don't move alright?"

You chuckled at the reluctant yet happy nod you received, knowing he probably wanted to go first but the anticipation of his own was more than enough to sweeten the deal for him to go along with your small demand. You pointedly decided to ignore how despite the chill becoming noticeable in the breeze without the light of the sun to warm its touch you could feel how your cheeks grew warm or the fact that with just the simple action you couldn't keep the smile off your face. You kept the jacket draped over his gift to keep it hidden until the last moment, and while you turned to approach them again, you hesitated as the air left your lungs. He was watching your every move intently, the gleam in his eyes made his powerful gaze have a lovestruck appearance, it was such an unbashful raw emotion put on display for your eyes and your eyes only to see it made your heart flutter in an unmistakable way. Filling your lungs with air again you gave him a genuine smile and pushed yourself forward, unable to hide the fact that the mere presence of the ocean borne could dispel any worry clouding your being, a ray of sunlight that scared off the unwanted shadows and the glow of the moon that gave comfort to the lost sailors. As you got close enough he extended a hand after noticing how it took both of yours to hold whatever was under the jacket, and once in his palm you pulled the clothing off like a magician. hilariously enough his palm had dwarfed the object to look like the usual versions of it, but after a curious coo you weren't sure he realized escaped him you immediately began to give him some context, missing the vague flash of recognition in his eyes.

"Remember that one tale, the sailor and the moon? Well you know how the moon gave him that device to guide him to the love of his life, right? As I was sailing one day I was swept into uncharted waters that took me to a lagoon, and things started to feel familiar like I had seen them before, or at least heard of it. Well I fished around in this waterlogged head of mine and by the time I could see the pieces of sunken timber I realized I knew where I was not in the sense I had been there before, but instead because I had read about it. I did some swimming, -don't give me that look I made sure it was safe first, and came across the compass seemingly from myth."

While you spoke it was if the world silenced itself so nothing would interrupt you as you changed your focus from his face to the artifact in question, excitedly opening it and pointing out everything you've discovered about it after countless hours spent examining it since you pulled it from the wreckage, from the strange runes to the small things that was just as described in the tale. Of course you were fully aware of the possibility it was just random compass, after all it wasn't uncommon for replicas to be made from the old sea tale, -a tribute of admiration and oftentimes luck, but the sheer amount of coincidences in simply finding it alone was enough to make even the most pessimistic old sea dog to believe. As you talked, there was that heartwarming expression again, the one that made you feel like you were the brightest star in his night sky, the basilisk eagerly nodding along with your words in matching fascination, all as you were once again teaching him a new world with your mere fingertips. He looked on in what you dared to recognize as loving, your eventually realized your own expression must have been just as admiring as his own because when he realized you were finished talking after waiting for you to add something only to catch your gaze it looked like he was nearly overwhelmed with emotions. You could feel your breath catch in your throat as he leaned over with lidded eyes to press your foreheads together in what felt like a tender gesture of affection, and your heart tripped over itself as you could only press against him in similar fashion, only giving a slight nuzzle before taking a step back. In the excitement you nearly forgot this was a trade, -you weren't the only one, and it seemed that with a quick assessment between the two of you, it was only you that truly had the bashful awareness, his own adorable blush visible but he was so unwavering it looked like he knew exactly what he was doing, and you attempted to play it off by leaning over his shoulder in a half attempt of peeking at his clutched hands. Quickly he moved the other way and pulled it even further out of sight, the light of the lantern growing brighter than the natural source of light besides his ethereal hues, and even though you had spent most of the day in a fret on your own, it was moments like these that made up for it. You couldn't hold in your laughter as he mocked you earlier in the day, clicking his tongue in a 'tsking' manner before shifting the mysterious object into one palm and getting closer to you, the waves voicing their disturbance while forcefully folded into themselves as he leaned to grab a wrist with two hands, -guiding them into a bowl with his own moving to cup yours, and another covering your eyes. His hands were warm as they nearly engulfed your own, a strange softness to them as he gently held onto you even after something smooth and round was set into your awaiting palms just as the anticipation had begun poking too harshly into your patience reserves. You could hear his smooth breathing as your fingers grasped onto the object, every shift both felt and heard, and just as you were about to voice an impatient question he lifted the hand restricting your sight, killing the words on your tongue to replace them with a gasp of awe. In your palms was perhaps the biggest pearl you had ever seen, it was the size of a large orange with the weight to match, with colors you've never imagined to see on such a gem. The usual milky surface was instead composed of the abyss the deep dark parts of the twilight waters were made of, but while the last bits of the sunlight were sucked into the orb you could see the iridescent shine of violet and yellow tones, as is the sunset itself had dusted its colors into the flawless sphere. Your eyes began to sting with your very own saltwater at the beautiful gift as you moved, -the pearl clutched to your bosom with both palms cupped around it like it was but a delicate egg, looking at your observer with a smile so bright your cheeks hurt before kissing his cheek.

The blush that accompanied the dopey smile made up of friendly sharp teeth assured you the taste of seawater on your lips was worth the while as you admired your basilisk valentine. Carefully balancing your new prized possession in one palm you used the other to grab one of his hands to take him to your tent, big enough to be Eclipse proof, only to let go as you situated yourself in your resting area close to the dark waters. He followed immediately after, arms hugging your legs with his head resting upon your lap, the lantern's flame proudly being the both of your only light source as it illuminated both of your enchanted expressions, you had fallen under one another's spell and even though it wasn't easy neither would dare to complain. The moon had taken over by now, the stars speckled into the night sky were reflected so brightly you could see them shimmered in the restless waves, even as the near completely blackened emerald color was engulfing any chance to seeing whatever may lurk within. With Eclipse at your side, -or on top of you in the specifics, you couldn't really have a fear of the sea and her dangerous spawn, not when you were able to look at possibly one of her most life threatening children with such love and be have it be returned. The rest of that night you spent in each others presence lying by or on top of each other sharing food, reading stories, even coming up with new songs for the breeze to hear, until eventually you had fallen asleep to dream of the memories you've made today; shortly he joined you in sleep's embrace after watching your peaceful figure longingly with nothing but admiration. Land and ocean borne slept together that night, both unaware of the opened compass whose arrow spun until pointing at both of them, knowing their destination has been completed; connecting them with a love that the tides and the moon couldn't rival, a love to be as eternal as the sea.

[asmodeus-682]

Basilisk Lunar AU infodump

In this AU Lunar is a basilisk, similar to Vee from The Owl House for reference. However after being used as an experiment prior to Eclipse finding him, Lunar hates using his shape-shifting unless it's very necessary (for example: escaping a bad situation)

The October takeover arc wasn't as long as in canon in the Basilisk au, since Lunar and Moon didn't share a body. Moon having been knocked unconscious and locked in a cupboard when Lunar took his place. After Moon escaped this however he and Monty both tried to help Lunar escape Eclipse and help the Basilisk understand he was being used. After

He still meets Solar in this AU, and Solar still moves in with the main cast

The arc in which Lunar is killed by Eclipse in canon is a bit different too, the bomb doesn't kill him but gravely injures and comatoses him. So monty places Lunar in the space station so his body can regrow the missing components without Lunar being taken by anyone who may have ill intentions. Unfortunately Lunar looses the ability to shapeshift. But he still gains/absorbs star power (the ones Lunae in canon has)

From there the lore is practically the same thing, aside from Lunar killing Eclipse in front of Earth, since Lunar in the Basilisk au actually listened to Castor and Pollux about being careful with his magic. Along with that Lunar knows how painful being electrocuted is and even if he hates Eclipse Lunar still won't have him experience that

[ghostofashina]

i try not to be obsessed but then... remember those living beings growing godwyn's features because of deathblight? crabs with golden hair, basilisks with his death/eclipse eyes.

well, something similar happens to fire knights because of messmer's flames. they grow red hair, burns and develop longer limbs.

and since the abyssal serpent feeds on his kindling, it also grows his features in the exact same way as we see with the crabs, for example.

at this point, it's like... they're the same. whatever is in one, is also in the other. in a very accursed way.

[theaceofarrows]

It's been over a year, and I'm still upset that we didn't get to see Hunter bonding with Camila, Vee, and Amity. I mean, we clearly saw that all of them had a bond, but we didn't get to see it one on one.

We didn't get to see Amity and Hunter discuss what happened at Eclipse Lake or Hunter to tell Amity that she was right about they're being people who would expect him.

We didn't get to see Hunter and say anything about what Belos did to either of them or even get to see if Hunter knew about the Basilisks. Vee tried to stop Belos from hurting him in thanks to them, so whatever happened between them was lost to us.

And not getting to see Camila and Hunter bonding! She's such a good mother and parental figure in general, she literally says, "I never thought I'd be a mother of six." And Hunter had never had a good parental figure in his life, not a consistent one, Darius had been looking out for him since ASIAS, but it wasn't consistent because he was planning the rebellion.

I just REALLY wish we would have gotten to see this. But no, Disney had to mess it up.

[mythaura-blog]

Development Update - May 2024

Hi folks, Miyazaki here with our development updates for the month of May. Our backend development continues to plug along incredibly well: Koa and Sark introduced several new key functionalities, including the implementation of our New Game+ system (and all the mechanics that entails), leveling algorithms, and skill trees that will allow you to choose the moves that your beasts bring with them into battle.

We've also got the results of the Winter 2024 Ko-fi rewards, the June astrology overview, the announcement of our second ever Custom Color Contest, and more. Read on to find out more!

(I also realize I didn't actually post our April development update here...please find it in this post if you'd like to read!)

New Special: Banding

Bold stripes and flecks mark the hide of Beasts sporting our newest Special, Banding. We'd love to see what creations you come up with in our Beast Creator, and look forward to sharing something Banding-related in a near-future update...

Tongue Color Update & Unicorn Expressions

Some of you may have noticed a change to the Basilisks in the Beast Creator—their tongues now have blue tongues with a gradient, like some real-life skinks and snakes.

There are certain colors on the color wheel that will impact the mouth and tongue color of all Beasts. This was driven by us creating lots (and lots...and lots and lots) of different Beasts as we test various backend elements and realizing that some colors didn't look quite right with normal mouth coloration.

This is demonstrated below on the young Unicorn, whose base color is Patina. We're excited to be able to show you all the finished Unicorn expressions—huge shoutout to Luci, Kymara, and Koa for knocking all of these out. Expressions are a huge undertaking for the team, but we really feel like the end result when playing the game will absolutely make all the work worth it. (:

Spring 2024 Rewards Reveal

Our Spring 2024 rewards have been completed and are ready for their public debut! Thank you to the Ko-fi Sponsors who voted on the different Glamour and Companion concepts, we appreciate your support and feedback.

Spring 2024 Glamour: Chinoiserie

Spring 2024 Companion: Gossamer Campanula

Spring 2024 Solid Gold Glamour: Young Unicorn

Mythauran Astrology: June

The month of June is referred to as Darksun's Dominion in Dragon culture, representing the month with the most sunlight in the far north of the continent—one that still finds the sun eclipsed by the moon most days. This month is also associated with the constellation of the Prodigy and the fluorite stone.

Mythauran astrologers say those born under the sign of the Prodigy are born with a powerful blend of ambition and charisma, visionaries who leave an indelible mark on the cosmic canvas with their grand aspirations and magnetic presence.

At their best, Prodigies are dynamic, confident, and insightful. At their worst, they can be overly bombastic, condescending, and pompous.

Custom Color Contest

In honor of the new color change that we made to a Beast's tongue/mouth, we're opening another Custom Color Contest. We want to offer the opportunity for you to make a permanent impact on Mythaura's color wheel!

This contest is free to enter, and only has the following parameters:

Only one entry allowed

Fill out Google Form by Friday, August 23, 2024 at 11:59pm PST

The dev team will reach out to the winner on September 1 to begin the color design process. Winner will have until September 23, 2024 to complete their color design. Please feel free to use our PSD file, if you'd like!

Winner will also receive 3x copies of the Empemeral Ink that matches their color's base hue (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, or Violet).

We're so excited to see what you come up with!

ythaura V0.28

Added ability to equip gear as apparel, so it can be used cosmetically only if desired without consuming a gear slot.

Added playthrough functionality, which tracks player progress and NG+ status.

Created initial beast creation process using NG+ status.

Created skill tree infrastructure and ability for beasts to learn skills.

Experience & leveling algorithm added to eventually power beast level ups.

Various cleanups and system upgrades.

Thank You!

Thanks for sticking through to the end of the post, we always look forward to sharing our month's work with all of you--thank you for taking the time to read. We'll see you around the Discord!

[octahedral-chaos]

Angeltober days 14 and 19: Blind and Basilisk

So I decided to draw Sacrys for this one! Also since the 14th was the ring-of-fire eclipse, I decided to also add an eclipse halo as well!

Angeltober prompt list belongs to @ultrainfinitepit

Image ID under cut:

[Image ID: A digital drawing of the Oceanid of The Fountain of Lucine from Genshin Impact. She is mainly mercury grey, with black gradients on her ear tufts and wing tips. She also have a visible beak, black eye and fluffy neck. A pure white serpent with a feathery tail is wrapped around her neck, a gold crown adoring its head, as well as golden bandages covering its eyes. There is an total solar eclipse in the background, which creates a halo around Sacrys' head. /End ID]

[bones-of-a-rabbit]

Tfw u successfully annoy the scientists enough that they go to get ur favorite human to do their job for them

(Thank u for this one Lish it was just what I needed last night 🥺)

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

An AU where Lunar is a baby basilisk (like Vee from The Owl House) and when Sun and Moon saved him from Eclipse. Lunar kept trying to eat the Newton Star as it's made of magic and basilisks eat magic

I’ve never watched that show but eating magic sounds very much like a thing Lunar would do regardless of basilisk-ness.

[asmodeus-682]

Basilisk Lunar

Basilisk Lunar (B!Lunar for short) is a 7ft tall basilisk that Eclipse found and manipulated, B!Lunar trusted Eclipse at first due to the fact Eclipse saved him from a mad scientist. Unfortunately the basilisk started seeing the red flags and betrayed Eclipse. Helping Sun and Moon defeat the evil A.I and being accepted as their new brother.

Image/character description

B!Lunar has an almost slug-like appearance, his body feeling like raw dough with a slimy feel to the skin. His face is like a mix of a goat (the eyes) and a pug (literally the rest of his face). He has a mostly blue colour pallete and slightly sharp claws.

B!Lunar is a very sweet boi and acts very protective when defending his family

[amphiptere-art]

More sun and moon show dragons. This time with blood moon and earth. We got on the left all of the moons. The coatl is lunar, the wyvern is moon, and the wyrm is kill code with hydra basilisk blood moon on the bottom. We got another drawing of blood moon. eclipse testing his ventriloquist magic. And then a sprawling of earth. I think her design is mostly down. Not giving her whiskers and giving her moose antlers definitely works better.

Close ups

[cmdr-h-of-the-woods]

CMDR H of the Woods’ logbook, June 3309

3rd June 3309 CPD-60 604

Do you know what’s even more exhilarating than canyon running?

Canyon running in my exploration ship full of exobiological data worth dozens of millions. I obviously didn’t go as fast as I would with the Eagle, but I found some nice canyons to play in for a bit.

4th June 3309 SUMMANUS A3

Watched a total eclipse that happened to be occurring just as I approached body A3.

Overheated and passed out, but must have managed to get myself back to the safety of my ship before getting toasted to a crisp.

Landed on A2, climbed a mountain to go look at A3, then raced 1.30km back to the ship before the star rose, because I didn’t feel like trying my luck again and didn’t want to risk overheating again so soon. Will have to take it easy for the next couple of days, getting almost cooked in my suit was rather unpleasant.

[There is also a timelapse video of the eclipse on my YT channel here]

7th June 3309 HECATE

Ran some quick delivery missions and visited the Daunting Hammer, a megaship located in a system also featuring a ringed ammonia world. This might be the first time one of these.

9th June 3309 GAT 1373 A1A

This system has a white dwarf that is visible from the moon I landed on to pick up some plant samples. I can’t quite see the jet cones from here, which is probably a good thing. I am not sure just how much radiation my suit can handle but I doubt it was designed to withstand that kind of thing.

10th June 3309 NGOBE

Found a ship crash site. Seemed recent, there was still smoke coming from what seems to have once been a Viper. The worst part in this was finding the pilot’s body, someone called Conrad Lynn. No idea where to even start looking to identify and notify his next of kin.

21st June 3309 PLEIADES SECTOR OI-T C3-7

The Pleiades nebula has been calling my name for a while and it’s now getting bigger and bigger in the sky. I made a halt in 48 Epsilon Arietis, where I landed on a moon (4B) with a lovely view of a gas giant and the blue supergiant. The past 10 days or so have been mostly uneventful and I found myself more tired than usual, so I’ve spent a good part of my time just resting in my ship and preparing for the next jump.

This system I am in has Thargoid-related signals. I hesitated for a while before getting any closer, but curiosity got the upper hand. I found something like... big barnacles, surrounded by a green cloud. And it made... sounds. I am unsure what it is, but it is unlike any other organic life form I’ve seen before.

Also. There’s a listening post in this system. So my short-term objective is to visit the other two systems it references, triangulate them, and get to the bottom of this.

23rd June 3309 DELPHI

Been exploring around this system, where I found one other listening post related to the one I visited the other day. And a port called The Oracle, as a reference to some ancient Earth myth. Found a lot of crashed Thargoid ships here with apparently active (and toxic) sensors. I’ve seen these before, but it was only just one. These wrecks had so many! It’s also interesting seeing a Thargoid ship like this from up close. Those things are large.

Speaking of seeing them up close... I met a Basilisk. A living one. It didn’t even attack me, but scanned me and I managed to get close enough to scan it too. Then it seemed to shift its attention to the debris field around us. I can’t quite tell if it was analysing it or picking up parts. And then, just like that, it left. I wonder if that human ship got blown up by Thargoids? Maybe this one was just a scavenger? Who knows.

25th June 3309 One of the many Pleiades Sector systems I’ve been visiting

Still hunting for whatever location those listening posts were referring to. Triangulating the data is difficult and time-consuming, I’m finding myself jumping and hoping for the best, knowing that I must be roughly in the right area. But I will get there.

HIP 17000 This system didn’t have the signal I was looking for, but do you know what I found? A black hole. Lined up with the nebula, it made for a pretty unique spectacle.

26th June 3309 HIP 16613

Finally found it. Approached the coordinates I had gathered from the listening posts. I almost turned around and left when I saw a shipwreck shrouded in a green cloud, but I didn’t go through all of this jumping around for nothing. Found out from the log uplink what happened to this young, overly confident pilot who thought it would be a good idea to try and shoot down a Thargoid vessel. It didn’t end well for him.

It didn’t end well for me, either.

First, I almost boosted into the planet upon approach, because my hand twitched when I wanted to switch fire groups and scan the wreck.

And then... a Thargoid showed up. I wanted to get closer and scan it, but I must have got too close. Suddenly, my shields were down. Less than 5 seconds later, before I even had time to try to boost away, my poor Elmwing’s hull cracked and the automated safety protocols were triggered. I woke up aboard a fleet carrier I had docked at earlier today. Good thing I had at least sold my biological samples!

[Once I had respawned, I flew back to the site and waited for the Thargoid to come back and just waved at it. We had a much friendlier, or at least, less hostile, interaction.]

There wasn’t much left for me to do there, and the escape pod I had picked up was lost with my ship... I can only hope it survived the explosion. Made my way to Taygeta. Picked up the signal of another black box. Dropped in and found myself face to face (sort of) with another Thargoid. A Cyclops, this time. Everything was going well, and then it felt like it was looking at me wrong, and those little drones around it started to gnaw on my hull. I hadn’t even turned my shields on! Thankfully, I was able to turn around, boost, pop a heat sink, boost away again, engage my FSD and escape with 62% hull. Phew!

There is another listening post here, with new coordinates.  Along with some high gravity bodies that I want to try to land on, just for the experience...

29th June 3309 HIP 17892

Travelled 20LY so I could be sure to sell my exploration data before attempting a high-G landing. Not that I had much to sell, after the incident with the Thargoid, but just to be safe. That's all I wanted to do here for now. Turns out, this system has two listening posts, unrelated to the one in Taygeta. So that's now 3 stories for me to follow, 3 mysteries to investigate... And who knows what else I'm going to find!

[ghostofashina]

Once again thinking about the Prince of Death's flames and why I don't think those attacks after becoming hostile to Fia aren't from Godwyn exactly.

Those skulls casted above Fia are very similar rancorcall, a spell recovered by Garris necromancy (which tells this magic can be older than the Prince of Death). And yes, even though it has obvious connections to death, it's diferent from the power inherited by the Prince of Death, which is Deatblight (usually followed by his flames, but necessarily, as we see in the Eclipse Shotel or Mausoleum Knights and Basilisks).

If we recall Rogier's sidequest, he tells the player "not to disturb the corpse", once we find Godwyn's divided body and the bloodstain, we see Rogier getting impaled by the Deathblight's thorns. Not rancorcall. Also, the corpse under Stormveil Castle isn't even Godwyn's original corpse.

Fortissax, fighting death inside Godwyn, was suffering from Deathblight to the point he himself casts Deathblight. Not once he casts anything related to rancorcall.

So, it really feels weird to me that the original corpse of Godwyn would use a simple necromancy spell when it could have protected Fia with Deathblight itself.

[demonica-31]

Hey guys, I need a little bit of help. I’m doing a Halloween themed game on ClanGen, but I’m having trouble figuring out how to name my characters. The only names I’ve been able to come up with are

Pumpkin

Were/Wolf

Chocolate/Cocoa

Bony/e

Skeleton

Skull

Witch

Zombie

Dead

Franken

Undead

Gourd

Spider

Corpse

Mummy

Eerie

Creepy

Crypt

Fear

Web

Troll

Hob/Goblin

Blood/y

Corn

Sugar

Sweet

Sour

Spirit

Ghost

Ghoul

Wraith

Fright

Stitch

Rat

Needle

Beetle

Glow

Lantern

Grave

Tomb

Freaky

Sliver

Grim

Phantom

Tarantula

Eldritch

Maggot

Vampire

Bat

Midnight

Fairy

Sprite

Vulture

Mushroom

Worm

Wither(ing)

Wilt(ed)/(ing)

Demon

Slime(y)

Dead

Cinnamon

Caramel

Coconut

Wisp

Rot(ten/ting)

Coffin

Howl/ing

Scream(ing)

Gore

Casket

Fungus

Taffy

Buried

Banshee

Beast

Bean

Monster

Nougat

Peanut

Sprinkle

Syrup

Ooze

Gooey

Cream/y

Knife

Cleaver

Slash

Doll(y)

Frosting

Icing

Glaze

Cookie

Cake

Poison

Cider

Shark

Metal

Mold/y

Nightmare

Hiss/ing

Severe/d

Cadaver

Devil

Ro/bot

Carcass

Lollipop

Licorice

Gummy

Jelly/bean

Marshmallow

S’more

Frog

Pie

Walker

Brownie

Fudge

Sharp

Razor

Buried

Chip

Bitter

Cyborg

Cyber

Digital

Pixel

Pixie

Blade

Toadstool

Snake

Cobra

Glitch

Spine

Chill(ed/ing)

Coffee

Espresso

Tick

Leech

Sting

Serpent

Cauldron

Iron

Potion

Pudding

Vanilla

Flour

Piranha

Boar

Pig

Leather

Orca

Anaconda (don’t want none)

Gorilla

Alligator

Crocodile

Turkey

Citrus

Lemon

Lime

Unicorn

Dagger

Clown

Jester

Void

Leprechaun

Orc

Torn

Shattered

Tea

Butter

Butterfly

Diamond

Gem

Alien

Mocha

Banana

Mermaid

Siren

Angel

Soda

Popcorn

Voodoo

Rattle(d/ing)

Dragon

Scale(d)/Scaly

Blueberry

Raspberry

Mango

Strawberry

Grinning

Dancing

Latte

Spice/y

Cozy

Tar

Acid

Melt(ed/ing)

Autumn

Cheesecake

Twilight

Grape

Shard

Crisp(y)

Still

Rabid

Bitter

Twisted

Bullet

Charcoal

Feral

Griffin

Nymph

Melon

Crimson

Plum

Salt(y)

Ring

Somber

Hyena

Decay(ed/ing)

Whiskey

Margarita

Cocktail (that's a whole entire name right there!)

Beer

Pirate

Glitter

Moon

Powder

Heathen

Garlic

Firework

Trick

Treat

Widow

Eclipse

Butterscotch

Gargoyle

Honeydew (another full name!)

Pomegranate

Malt

Milk

Tangerine

Kiwi

Apricot

Blackberry

Cranberry

Fig

Papaya

Pineapple

Raisin

Eclair

Drowned/ing

Viper

Wicked

Glass

Gem

Jewel

Thrash(ed/ing)

Venom

Almond

Cashew

Pistachio

Walnut

Fruit(y)

Bomb

Cherry

Chamomile

Volt

Jolt

Punk

Goth

Emo

Grunge

Hex

Vex

Snap

Macabre

Crazy

Insane

Muffin

Chain/Saw

Hammer

Hook

Machete

Axe

Slice

Loon

Lunar

Phoenix

Nail

Balloon

Fizz/y

Foam/y

Froth/y

Spook/y

Flesh

Haunt(ed/ing)

Poltergeist

Apparition

Soul

Scare/crow (Another full name!)

Cold

Elf

Ogre (someBODY-)

Frenzy

Mirage

Spunk

Darkling

Minotaur

Basilisk

Chanterelle (it's type of mushroom)

Clementine

Nectarine

Orange

Wizard

Broom

Mystery

Yeti

Cryptid

Wendigo

Behemoth

Kelpie

Goat

Amarok (it's a type of wolf)

Pegasus

Truffle

Saffron

Croissant

Strudel

Pepper/mint

Paint/ed

Imp

Bug/gy

Wax

Peach

Ribbon

Gumball

Squash

Tin

Bonbon

Sheep

Harpy

Avocado

Flamingo

Pinata

Confetti

Dino/saur

Toast

Button

Rainbow

Cosmic

But here’s the thing. I’m running out of ideas! Can you guys help me come up with more names?

[rattlyglitch]

Dimension Hoppers AU pt 1

Lunar was hiding in front of the daycare under a table. He could hear Sun and Moon walking around and calling his name. That morning Lunar and their brothers had decided to play a game of hide n seek. Sun had been hiding with Lunar but had quickly been found by Moon who was now helping him search for Lunar. He held his breath when seeing a pair of shoes similar to Sun’s approaching him. Lunar was quick to notice though that the shoes did not belong to Sun. Suddenly a hand grabbed Lunar’s arm harshly and drug him out from under the table.

Lunar yelped in pain when he was pulled out and when they suddenly noticed who the hand belonged to Lunar screamed. Sun and Moon were quick to come rushing over but stopped a few feet away when seeing Eclipse. “Hello, Sun. Hello, Moon. I didn’t expect to see you here. Thought by now you would still be trying to figure out some things but I am pleased to see you still.” Moon’s hand noticeably twitched. It was as if he wanted to reach for something but couldn’t. “Why don’t we go over to the ball pit near the balcony? We can talk more there as I prefer not to stand in front of the daycare entrance all day.” Moon nodded. “That is fine but first, step away from-” Eclipse placed his hand on Lunar’s shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze making a whimper come from the smaller bot.

“I think I wish to stay by my brother. I wouldn’t want you to try anything now, would I? I know that even with the star you and Sun are likely to do something idiotic to save your brother.” Moon’s hands curled into fists but he turned around and led Sun to the ball pit area. Eclipse made sure that they didn’t try to stop and if they did all that was needed was a harsh squeeze of Lunar’s shoulder. Once they arrived there Eclipse smiled at Sun and Moon. “Now I have enjoyed the short time of reuniting I have had with you but now it’s time for you to go.” Moon’s face turned to one of shock and Sun’s was one of fear.

”What do you mean by that Eclipse?” Moon asked. Eclipse smirked. “Well, I’m going to give you two choices. Either I’m going to kill you or you and Sun are going to jump into the ball pit. It is truly your decision.” Sun looked at Eclipse. “What about Lunar? You think we’re going to just leave him here with you?” Eclipse nodded. “Either that or you die. I’ll give you twenty seconds to think about what you will choose.” Lunar looked at Sun and Moon. “I-I’m scared. I don’t want you to die.” Moon looked at Lunar. “Listen me and Sun aren’t going to die. We just- just try not to think about what could happen ok Lunar?”

Lunar nodded. Eclipse looked up at Sun and Moon. “You’re time is ticking.” Sun glared. “WAIT A MOMENT WE’RE DECIDING.” Eclipse smiled and hummed to himself. Moon swore he heard Eclipse say. “Your time is almost up depending on how fast the reader can read.” Moon looked at Sun. “Ok, Eclipse we’ve made out-” “NO. Sun Moon. I-I love you but I can’t let you leave or die. Goodbye, brothers.” Moon panicked. “Wait Lunar what do you-” The next thing that happened was Lunar pushed Eclipse into the ball pit and when Lunar awoke Eclipse was only a few feet away from him, the star was next to Lunar, and beside Eclipse was a mermaid looking creature. “Who are you?” Lunar asked.

(Basilisk Lunar was made by @asmodeus-682 )