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Madeleines are cakes too, you know 😋

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So their dress is their hair, right? Right?

Me scribbling random lines in the hopes it looks like hair: Pretty dragon that would kill me :)

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It has come to my attention that nobody knows about my raisin crow OC:

Its original name was Blueberry Taffy, but I've since shortened it :> Taffy becomes Madeleine's companion and aid, allowing him to send quick letters and information to the Vanilla Kingdom (and sometimes other places). That is, when its feeling cooperative 😅

Its supposed to become relevant sometime in the future of my wingfic (which I'm still, admittedly, reconstructing); in all honesty, I didn't even realize this crow was an OC until I gave it a name (since it seemed like a Madeleine thing to do)

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The snow was bright with the reflected sun, illuminating the evergreens and dead brush along the trail. Dark Choco and Madeleine found themselves following the footsteps of whoever happened to be ahead of them– likely by a few days since snow swept over a lot of the tracks. It was cold and crisp and…

“-you wouldn’t believe who walked in on us—at the wrong time, too!” Madeleine raved, waving his arms about as he prattled on about some story from his schooling days.

…loud.

“Oh, really?” Dark Choco replied hollowly. He hoped his lack of audible interest was enough to get him to shut up, or at least stop screaming to the frosted hilltops like the whole nation was his audience.

“Yes! It was the fencing coach– looking very unhappy, might I add. I tried to defend myself, but the evidence was against me… I don’t think he believed a word I said,” Madeleine said with a laugh. 

Madeleine, as it turned out, was incapable of taking a hint.

Dark Choco had been peppering hints of his disinterest the entire time, actually. He started from the moment he and Madeleine began journeying together a full… three hours ago. It was becoming abundantly clear that Dark Choco’s normal walks full of self-reflecting and solitude were long gone, because he could have stitched Madeleine's mouth shut and he’d still find a way to flap his jaws.

Dark Choco felt his eyes twitch. He bit his lip to stop himself from saying something rude.

“I’m glad I ran into you when I did,” Madeleine spoke, his laughs turning almost bitter, “I thought some quiet by myself would be refreshing, but now I just feel lonely. I miss my family.”

Great, now Dark Choco felt guilty about it. Maybe if the paladin kept talking about childhood memories and slaying monsters he could get away with caring less– but suddenly it was becoming personal, and at the mention of family Dark Choco’s chest felt tight.

“...I miss my family as well,” Dark Choco mumbled. The words slipped out so easily he couldn’t stop them.

“Oh? Why not pay them a visit– you live around here, do you not?” Madeleine, maybe consciously– Dark Choco couldn’t tell at this point– leaned in closer, his footsteps syncing as best they could through the thick snow. 

“It’s… complicated.” Dark Choco left it at that. He didn’t need to be spilling his secrets with some stranger he would part ways with so soon. Instead, to switch the focus away from him, he flipped the conversation on Madeleine, “What about you?” He seemed to enjoy talking about himself.

“I’d been holed up in the Republic for so long that I might have lost my sense of identity. I wanted to change that– see the world, maybe find some new friends and stories to tell,” Madeleine said, nodding surely to himself, “so I started traveling east.”

Ah, so he was from the Republic. That explained his overall flair and loudness, and his lack of preparedness for the winter. His outfit was hardly built for the cold, but he didn’t complain about it, Dark Choco noted. “I heard it doesn’t snow too much over there.”

Madeleine shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. It gets colder, but the water never freezes over. It’s good for all of the fishing, but the holidays aren’t nearly as festive.”

“Have you ever gone ice fishing?”

“I’ve never gone fishing at all,” Madeleine snorted, “I was always too busy keeping up with my studies. Being a ‘star student’ is more than just an act.”

Dark Choco hummed to himself; his first impression may have been flawed. “You should try it some time.”

“Of course! If I’m staying for a while, I should learn how you all live over here,” Madeleine replied.

Dark Choco looked down at Madeleine’s armored boots, watching the weight of them drag over the snow like shovels. He wasn’t showing it, but Dark Choco was sure he was getting cold feet. 

“You should start with some snow boots,” he suggested.

Madeleine’s face lit up as if he were chosen by the sun. “Ah! That’s a thing? I’ve been putting heat packs in my boots to keep warm.” His voice was more dramatic than when he was telling stories.

Dark Choco almost laughed. “That can’t be sustainable.”

“Trust me, it isn’t.”

…and for some reason, Dark Choco found himself smiling without even realizing it.

Here's an extra drawing I had for them 🎉🎉🎉

Part 1 if you need it hehe

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"...and what brings you here?" asked the paladin, his chest still heaving. His breaths were visible in the crisp morning air, puffing out in thick clouds and dissipating into nothing. His sword was jerkily pulled out from the mountain beast he'd just slain, and was almost immediately dressed with an off-colored cloth to wipe it clean.

Dark Choco watched him with a minor look of disdain and next to no interest in answering back. He kneeled down to pull his pack out of the snow where he'd abandoned it earlier, and dusted it off with a few firm pats. He replied, "That's none of your business."

The paladin furrowed his brows, and not a moment passed before he spoke loudly again, "Well, I'm sure it must be a noble cause, whatever it is."

Dark Choco paused, recalculating. "...Noble?" What the hell would give him that idea? Last Dark Choco recalled, he was anything but that. His past was long and convoluted, and he'd prefer to keep it out of the way as he travelled. Digging up old memories wasn't exactly a fun experience.

"Yes, you're a knight, are you not?" The paladin asked, scanning Dark Choco up and down.

"Not anymore," Dark Choco huffed, easing his backpack onto his shoulders. The weight of it distracted him from his lack of sword. He had no intention of getting a new one.

"Ah," the paladin's speech faltered, "you compose yourself like a knight, is all. May I have the courtesy of knowing your name?" With his sword back in its sheath, he bumbled his way over with far too much energy, kicking up snow in his way. From the looks of it, his boots weren't built for the cold. They were plated in white armor, far too extravagant for anything from the Cacao Kingdom.

"No," Dark Choco said, shaking his head, "I'd rather not say."

"Then I won't make you. You may call me Madeleine." Madeleine held out a hand, a big grin on his freckled face. He had dimples.

Dark Choco reluctantly shook it, surprised by how firm his grip was. The paladin was strong; that should be enough to get him through the routes, even with the upcoming cold front. If he could handle the monsters, it should be alright.

He let go of the hand in favor of digging his compass out of his pocket, reorienting himself northwest. "Well, it was interesting meeting you... Madeleine..."

"Wait," Madeleine blurted, looking down over Dark Choco's shoulder, "I believe we're going to the same town."

Dark Choco sidestepped and faced him, already having an idea where this was going. "No, I don't have enough provisions for two." Hell, he hardly had enough for himself. The recent snow storm came faster than he anticipated, and he'd fallen short while waiting for it to pass. He couldn't take a traveling partner if he wanted to.

"That shouldn't be a problem, I have enough for myself," Madeleine said, "I packed for a long journey."

Dark Choco hummed to himself. If that was the case, it might be worthwhile to look into. He could be useful. "Do you have extra firestarters?"

"I do."

"Soap?" Dark choco tried. He'd run out a while back, and he desperately needed more.

"Of course!" It was no wonder with how nice his hair looked; it was definitely well maintained.

"Good. I would like some. In exchange..." Dark Choco pocketed his compass, "I can guide you. I know this area."

Madeleine nodded, the fresh snow crunching under his boots as he walked ahead. "Then its settled. I look forward to being in your care."

Dark Choco fell in step beside him, sighing heavily. These next few days were going to be long ones.

Part 2

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Had to do it, these two make me laugh too hard.

I was casually drawing a back profile, and after I went to look at Lemon Zest's model as a reference for his clothes, I had to curse out his cape for existing. So, compromise, I made it blow in the wind. Kohlrabi was an afterthought (thought he'd maybe enjoy the view lmaoo)

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I think, as a whole, we sometimes forget that there's no standard for wings on characters 😅 (unless they're actual birds, of course) ft. Madeleine

There's no "anatomically correct" way to put wings on a creature that never had them. Backwings, hipwings, wings on the head are all equally impossible: there's no right way to do them. In the same realm, there's no wrong way to do them. It's fiction.

But gods, do I want to see everyone's impractical winged ocs and headcanons. I want to see massive wings and tiny ones, and the clothes those characters wear to accommodate them. I want to see winged magicians cast spells to change the acceleration of gravity so they can fly or hover. That, and I need some more wingfic to read (I'm desperate here 😭). Make it all wholesome or gorey, or give your characters other bird-like traits. Hell, make them chirp and preen their feathers.

I want to see it all, including the roundabout ways you make it work in their world. I live for this stuff.

Might make a follow up post explaining Madeleine's wings in my fanfic 😏

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Tbh, I'm a big headcanon fan. Especially when it involves Golden Cheese secretly smuggling her army of cheesebirds everywhere (sometimes for warmth).

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Taking a while on the next Different Stokes chapter (part?), so here's Dark Choco Cookie's Wet Tingles for the wait.

I'm NOT about to watermark this bad boy, distribute him however you want lol. I don't mind.

And, of course, the OG:

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Part 2: High Five

Enter Dark Choco!

...and Cherry Blossom, who might be a little too confrontational.

This part was a bit delayed because the project- along with almost every frame- got corrupted in Krita 😭. Next part will still be from Dark Choco's perspective (gotta build suspense, of course!)

Never mentioned this, but my main goal in drawing these is just to get used to drawing backgrounds, so I'm definitely getting that in 😅

Part 1 can be found here

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Darkwolf comic time >:] Part 1!

*I update at my own pace

Woo! I'm finally starting this project! This one might be on the backburner for a bit, because my main focus is my Madeleine Cookie wingfic (Madeleine Grows A Pair, which can be found on AO3)

I'm really excited for where this story is going. I'll probably flipflop between the POV's of Werewolf and Dark Choco depending on where the comic is.