Duskfall

Duskfall

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Duskfall is a part of Mab’s circus troupe, as a clown. She never speaks, and instead only speaks in a plethora of comedic sound effects, such as nose honks, party blowers, disappointed trombone slides, balloons popping, kazoo song, and basically any onomatopoeia in the book. If it’s funny, she can make the sound. Other than that, she is totally nonverbal.

But that doesn’t stop her from being the life of the party at the circus. Duskfall’s presence creates a moment of brevity in between the breathtaking bonanza of the rest of the show. Duskfall lives for the laughter, and that’s all she’s ever wanted, really — to make other dragons laugh. Mab’s circus puts just enough spotlight on her for her to achieve that dream.

Duskfall likes a very classic clown sort of humor — squeezing into tiny vehicles, squirting flowers, juggling, an endless array of handkerchiefs, et cetera. She adds her own whimsical twists to these familiar tricks, of course, but at the end of the day, they’re not too different than what any other clown does. But if they elicit laughters, why change? The tricks may be old, but the laughs are timeless.

Mab is more like an older sister to Duskfall than an employer. Mab has taken care of Duskfall for most of her life, and Duskfall rarely leaves her side. And since Duskfall is nonverbal, Mab feels totally comfortable giving Duskfall access to all her deep secrets. Additionally, Mab is the one who discerns the most meaning from Duskfall’s silly noises. Mab’s unique morals have rubbed off on her protege, and Duskfall now finds herself sorting the world into two categories: things that entertain her, and things that don’t. And by “her”, Duskfall is referring to what entertains Mab, not herself.

Eser, on the other hand, probably serves as Duskfall’s biggest rival. You might think a jester and a clown are similar enough for the two to be friends, but this is not the case. Eser thinks it’s only about short-term laughs; Duskfall believes it’s important to leave a lasting impression and create a spectacle to keep the laughs coming forever. Eser wants to keep his audience limited; Duskfall wants to create as big of an audience for herself as possible. And, of course, above all, Mab is bored by Eser, and in Duskfall’s eyes, not being entertaining is as close as you can get to evil.

While Duskfall seems to be the more light-hearted and publicly accessible between herself and Mab, the truth is that she is just as much of a cryptid as Mab. But you don’t need to understand either of them to sit back and enjoy the show. They work hard to create a spectacle, and at the end of the day, if Duskfall can coax a giggle out of you, she can sleep happily.