#the emotional damage is beyond any limits known to humankind

[redeliminator]

pacing around the room thinking how "the day that I ruined your life" by boston manor fits zero day in so many different contexts and headcanons, no matter whose point of view.

how they gradually distanced themselves from their families, thinking it would make it easier for everyone. when they decided the date and just continued with their lives as if they hadn't just signed their death warrants. the moment they realized they were seeing their parents or siblings for the last time. how they went through the last week. maybe they tried to make the most of it, maybe not at all, maybe it was a casual week like any other.

how cal went through it knowing he wouldn't make it out alive. how their definition of "our final week" was not the same.

they ruined each other's lives and the lives of their families and so many innocent people. and for what?

[nessie-rp]

DRAGON.

One of the oldest supernatural species, if not the oldest, dragons have been around for eons. But the dragons of today have little in common with the dragons of legend, as the newest residents of Lyonesse, but they may yet bring mayhem in their wake as they did hundreds of years ago.

HISTORY.

As it is told, dragons were once more force of nature than being, wreaking havoc long before humans walked the earth — that is, until dragons emerged in their human form. How such a thing happened is unclear: theorists mostly speculate that these creatures found the magic within themselves to change from beast to human, effectively allowing them to blend in with humankind to remain (mostly) undetected and to understand the creatures infringing on their territory through means beyond intimidation, terror, and destruction. Less commonly accepted is the theory that paints practitioners as the catalyst for this transformation: following the myth of a shaman who lost everything to dragonkind, this theory says the dragon’s mortal form is a tool of revenge. The shaman is said to have cursed dragons to take on this vulnerable form so they could perhaps realize the consequences of their beastly nature.

The Great Wars of 1350 ushered in a century-long near genocide of dragons by witches. It began with the death of a respected dragon sage and only spiralled from there. Dragons were forced from their ancestral territories all across the globe, nests raided and destroyed. This bloody and violent history with witches has made the two groups vicious enemies.

IN LYONESSE.

An ancient and immortal species, dragons were thought to be near extinct by the majority of the supernatural world for centuries until September 2020, when dragons arrived at the White Gate to claim a seat on the Hallowed Council. Their roost in the mountains of Lyonesse is as yet hidden — as hidden as a roost can be when there are only so many places a large group of dragons could hide for so long. The camp in the Duela Mountains — referred to as Duela by its inhabitants as they claim the entire range as their home — was founded in late 2015 by two of the Sages. It's become a safe haven for a once great race of beings who now face a world that may not have space for them anymore, with wildlife to hunt and skies to explore free from settlers below.

FACTS.

All dragons share the following characteristics:

Dragons can live thousands of years and are not considered "mature" until they are over 200 years of age.

All dragons can shift into their dragon form or human form at will, although sick and injured dragons will find it difficult to shift into or maintain the opposite shifted form because of how much energy it can cost them. Dragon size varies between the types of dragons and also from individual to individual. Female dragons tend to be larger. Like turtles, dragons will grow proportionally to the amount of space they have to roam and food they have to eat. It is said dragons only stop growing when they choose to.

Creatures of immense power, each dragon is attuned to a specific natural phenomena. Storms, volcanoes, floods, droughts, wildfires — these disasters and more meet their match in dragonkind, who wields their powers with ease.

Male dragons are more common than any other sex, and, in recent memory, more males have been born than any other sex.

Dragon scales are the second toughest material known to the world. A phoenix's talons are the only way to pierce dragonhide. They occasionally shed scales, depending on their age; younger, still-growing dragons are more likely to lose scales than fully grown dragons. Some aquatic dragons have hide more like shark skin — this is also nigh impossible to pierce without the claw of a phoenix.

They may choose to hibernate in their nests for long stretches of time. Older dragons are more likely to desire such uninterrupted rest periods.

Dragons can mate with any species and any resulting child will be a dragon, but it is notoriously difficult for dragons to produce offspring at all.

ABILITIES.

ELEMENTAL MAGIC. Their connection to nature's most destructive and creative forces gives dragons the ability to manipulate and manifest different elements. Volcanic dragons are able to drown their foes in magma, but are also likely to melt things by touch alone. Storm dragons can call wind and rain, but they also might carry a nasty bit of static shock when interacting with others, regardless of their form. An analogue to this skill would be something like bending from Avatar: the Last Airbender, though less strictly connected to a single element. This ability is completely innate, but requires practice and mastery lest the dragon lose control of themselves without meaning to.

TELEPATHY. Many legends will say that dragons knew no language beyond violence, but this is not true. Their communication is more often telepathic and nonverbal than any other species. This ability is limited to sharing and receiving information; dragons cannot manipulate thoughts or emotions or create false ones. A few dragons eventually learned to speak human languages after the assumed human forms, but in their true forms they prefer to communicate in the most natural way, by reading and sharing thoughts amongst themselves. It is difficult to keep a secret from a dragon. This has led to some conflict in Duela, as they are unused to living in groups so large and having to guard their minds from prying eyes — or experiencing such high... traffic, so to speak. After all, they are a private race. However, their telepathic abilities allow them to form very strong bonds with others of their kind, the likes of which have not been seen since before the dawn of humanity.

HEALING. Enhanced healing enables them to recover from almost any injury they sustain. Additionally, dragons can dull another's pain if they share a strong telepathic bond by transferring the pain — and, in a non-literal sense, the damage that caused it — to themselves. This can accelerate the healing process.

PHYSIQUE. With superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and senses that can easily surpass vampires, werecreatures, and fae, even a dragon in their human form can be dangerous. Some can even outswim the merrow. In their dragon forms, they are even more formidable and nigh impossible to defeat in non-magical combat.

IMMUNITIES. Dragons are immune to the magical abilities of vampires, the glamours of the fae, and the trickery of the yōkai. They cannot be turned into vampires or werecreatures.

WEAKNESSES.

MORTALITY. Though rare, dragons can be killed by disease or fatal injury, including through certain magical attacks.

MAGIC. Prolonged contact with offensive magic (i.e. a weapon or curse) or exposure to dragon flame when in human form will result in wounds that scar rather than healing completely.

Dragons are highly susceptible to magic which uses dragon blood, bones, or scales as an offering or conduit and also to any enchantments which affect the mind and spirit. Binding spells are also very effective on dragons. Any magic cast upon them has a stronger effects on a dragon’s human form than their true form.

PHOENIX TALONS. Phoenix talons are the only weapons known to be able to pierce dragonhide.

MESMERIZATION. Can temporarily be susceptible to the entrancing voices of merrow.

APPEARANCE.

Many inaccurate depictions of dragons exist, but some versions do get pretty close to reality. Dragons come in many forms, sizes, and colors. Terrestrial dragons tend to have larger and thicker scales than aquatic dragons. Some are feathered, others grow long beards, and still others are purely reptilian.

In their human forms, dragons have vertical slit pupils and may have colorations that are not standard among humanknd.

NAMES.

Dragons usually only take one name, but may choose to take their mother's name as a matronymic, use their place of birth as a signifier, or invent one. These are often different from the ones mankind may have bestowed upon them in legend.

ORGANIZATION & SOCIETY.

Elusive and guarded, most dragons prefer solitude and/or the company of their chosen mate(s). Dragons do not take kindly to trespassers; they keep to themselves and expect that to be respected, as they’re not overly aggressive unless provoked. They are known to be protective and territorial, especially of what they perceive as theirs. It's never wise to get between a dragon and what they hold sacred.

THE SAGES.

Dragon sages are the oldest and the mightiest of their kind, perhaps worshipped as gods in kinder times. They command respect from other dragons because of their age and wisdom, though little is known to the outside world about the social habits of dragons. Even less common knowledge is that the sages, each well over a thousand years old, gain strange and capricious magical abilities that supplement their elemental magics, embodying other facets of the natural world — cycles of life, growth, decline, and death, the stream of time and the void of space. These powers are extremely volatile and unpredictable; sages will manifest one or two new abilities after their first millennia, typically in unexpected moments of conflict or struggle, and should exercise extreme caution when using them.

Six sages guide the Duela camp in Lyonesse, each representing one of the draconic elements: land, sea, sky, light, breath (sometimes referred to as spirit), and body. These elements don't necessarily align with their natural magical affinities, instead referring to their role in the village and among their people.

THE DHARRA'MI.

A classification found exclusively in Lyonesse, the Dharra'Mi are the youngest dragons in Duela. The children. The ones who don't know the old ways, and don't recognize their great great grandparents walking among them. One of the reasons why Lyonesse is so appealing to dragonkind is that the old magic of the realm has somehow made it easier for them to build families, reaffirming their decision to migrate here. Some of the Dharra'Mi are as young as five years old, but any dragon less than 200 years of age will get lumped into this group. They're rambunctious and wild, craving the adventures their elders recount in old stories and travelling far beyond the Duela Mountains in what some consider ill-advised expeditions to "prove" themselves.

MATES.

It is common for female dragons to select a mate who they return to over the centuries of their life if they are a strong match, and especially when they have have already had hatchlings together before. Because of their telepathic natures, the bonds they can form in significant relationships are taken seriously and can lead to territorial disputes (and worse) if they are disrespected or broken.

Dragons do not mate for life and may take multiple partners throughout their lifetimes or even at the same time. Because of the difficulties of reproduction, dragons who desire companionship may take a mate regardless of if they can produce offspring together or not, and same-sex unions are perfectly common and accepted.

INTERSPECIES RELATIONS.

By and large, dragons have poor relationships with other species. This changed when they gained their human form, but many dragons consider any improvement of relationships that came after that point to have been motivated because they were somehow less dragon, at least to the eye.

Dragons reserve their strongest disdain for witches and the foolish mortals who campaigned with them to wipe them out so long ago. These species will not be making amends anytime soon.

Dragon blood, bones, and eggs are excessively rare commodities on the market, but are considered highly prized magical items to witches. Like merrow scales, dragon scales are extremely prized among the witch community, but going after such a prize is often considered suicide.

MYTHS.

These things do not apply:

They are bloodthirsty killers without a soul or a mind. That's just rude.

Dragons have/bring good fortune. Coincidence, not causation.

All dragons can fly/breathe fire. Some can, but others have different talents.

They're extinct. I mean... no.

They all enjoy hoarding precious objects. Only on special occasions, folks.

[designmeblogss]

Brain Entrainment Technology Offers Zen-Like State at the Push of a Button

Humankind has worked for millennia to attain advanced mental states that can help achieve everything from spiritual enlightenment to weight loss to stress relief Home improvement ideas. Recent breakthroughs in light and sound technology now offer a shortcut to such advanced meditative states.

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