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lunaralight ~4000 words later, IT IS DONE! Sorry this got so long, I just got super inspired!
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YINGHUO
fairy lightning.
You hear the noise of busy machinery from the cave around the corner, the music of whirring gears and spinning baubles, the song of a sword being forged in a dragon’s fire. You hear the clicks and the chirps of intricate mechanisms at work--or is it magic? One can hardly tell--as you step into the lab. To the unenthusiastic ear, it sounds awfully dry. But to the dragon within, the sound of science is a symphony unmatched even by the songs of the fae.
There’s a ruffle of feathers, a flick of a tail, and--there, on the floor, a jar of Copper Muck has been swept onto the ground by an overenthusiastic wingtip. A brightly colored wyvern hops down to where you stand, wings fluttering excitedly like a bird’s as she walks over.
“Welcome!” she says, practically bouncing to greet you. “Oh, I love getting visitors~ What brings you here today? Are you tired? Thirsty? I’ll fix you something to drink. Aomiao! Put some tea on for our new visitor!” she calls, glancing behind her before looking at you again. “Come inside and have a seat. Then once you’re all rested from your travels, I’ll give you a tour of the lab. I insist!”
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So she lives, light of faeries, all of her inventions made in the shine of her brilliance. And so she forges through the world, the mechanic with no hands, the one they said could never do it but here she is, a bright star flickering high above the world below that doubts.
(bio template by
SnowObsidian!)
EXTENDED LORE.
Symbolism: I’d name her Yinghuo after how fanciful her colors are—the word means “fairy light” in Chinese, since her colors just transport me to another realm (and also since I’m Chinese-American and love naming dragons in my language
even though I’m not fluent please forgive any mistakes). Yet even though she is named after a magical object, she is a genius scientist. Why? Arthur C. Clarke (and the Marvel universe) said it best: “Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.” Science is the guiding light toward all sorts of magical feats, and I think that understanding would be the core of Yinghuo’s character. Her colors are also very whimsical, which I would find to be emblematic of the childlike wonder that draws people to magic from an early age—as well as what draws people to science when they are young. Every inch of her body is positively aglow with enthusiasm for her art.
Abilities: Though like other Banescales she has no forearms, she is still able to invent. I can’t decide whether I want her to have telekinesis or whether she would rely on familiars or other dragons to do all the work that requires hands—but I do think it would be interesting to have a Banescale who faced the limitations of her species, got told she couldn’t invent because she didn’t have hands, and overcame this difficulty by working with others. As a genius inventor and spellcaster, Yinghuo is known for her deep understanding of alchemy and mechanics. She is fond of metalworking and when she has to forge rather than transmute, she often has the new inventions forged with her own flame. Moreover, she doesn’t just invent machines—she also loves to invent spells as well, a departure from the usual engineering projects of most Lightning dragons (though designing new spells is a branch of engineering nonetheless). She has pieces of Arcane knowledge from some of those dragons of the clan, and of non-Arcane dragons she possesses a great deal of esoteric magical knowledge that she exploits to the fullest in her work. Many have assumed she has weak magic, but Yinghuo proves that wrong and
then some.
Though the sciences are thought of as separate from the arts and humanities, Yinghuo is also a highly adept artist. She loves to create what she calls “moving portraits,” which are made up of globules of alchemical materials enchanted to move—it’s almost like if medieval paintings were crossed with GIFs. She also loves creating “portrait machines,” or dragons made up of mechanical parts dedicated to her clanmates. When she makes her art, however, she’s never 100% true-to-life, as she finds that boring and reductive. She always depicts her subjects in a metaphorical way, saying that she wants to show her subjects “as they actually are” rather than merely as what they look like. Usually, this means depicting her clanmates in very bright hues. She jokes that she does this because she thinks everyone else’s colors are “boring” compared to hers and she wants to liven them up a bit, but the truth is so much deeper: she sees her clanmates as delightful and full of knowledge and life, and the vibrance of her portraits depicts their inner light.
Place in the Clan: My clan is split into two parts: The Tiandi Xueyuan (Heaven and Earth Institute), and the dragons that serve to protect it: The Order of the Winter Spear. The TDXY is an association of Imperial scholars that seek to share their learning (philosophical, historical, scientific, etc.) with the rest of the world, and the Order is employed to protect them from possible Emperors. The Order of the Winter Spear is Gaoler-run (hence its Ice-themed name) and is a group of warriors of multiple different breeds. Yinghuo would have been a student of science and magic in the TDXY before “graduating” and becoming an offensive spell and weapons designer for the Order. Some of her spells are VERY ham-fisted in their appearance and application, because she loves the childlike thrill she gets from making things go boom. However, many of her favorite ones are those aimed at helping the user evade (such as invisibility armor or transformation spells) and at dispatching one’s enemies in clever ways. Get yourself a dragon who can do both.
Personality and Traits: Though Banescale dragons are often thought of as big, slow-moving brutes due to their intimidating appearance and their scary name, Yinghuo couldn’t be further from that profile. She is as clever as a fae and just as agile, with a sharp wit and a sharp tongue that could debate any of the older members of the Tiandi Xueyuan into a corner. She
is still a young adult, however, and is somewhat of a child emotionally—but she considers her more childlike tendencies to be her greatest strength. She has seen how dragons grow old and jaded in the world of the warring flights, losing their love of learning as well as their passion for life. And she is very proud that she managed to maintain her optimistic attitude despite some of the unsavory things she’s seen.
Hoard: All dragons love hoards, and this one is no exception. Instead of gold, however, she likes to hoard bits and pieces of machinery, as well as basic alchemical ingredients such as Muck and Slime. Whenever she makes those ingredients, it either goes into her “to use” pile or her hoard…and once it goes into her hoard, it never comes out. One quirk of hers is that she will complain that she has no more, say, Gold Muck or something when she has piles and piles of the goop waiting to be used in her hoard—but that hoard is something that she simply refuses to touch no matter what. Many dragons are amused by this; others, who have sought to borrow from her vast stores only to hear that she has “run out,” are irritated.
Familiars: I’ve wondered what dragon would suit a Crystalspine Gem Guardian best, and I think she would be it! It would be a great match given Yinghuo’s dedication to the scientific and magical arts, traits that are shared by the scientists of Arcane as well as the engineers of Lightning (which is her element). Just like the rest of her, her familiar is emblematic of the tie between magic and science—plus it’s a nice dark purple that balances out her brightness.
The familiar, Aomiao (“mysterious”) would have been a gift to Yinghuo from her first and closest mentor, Alfor. He would have given them to her upon her graduating from his program. She had begged him from one for the very start, but many people say it’s dangerous to give an Arcane familiar so full of power and knowledge to a dragon who wasn’t ready for it—and an Arcane dragon like Alfor knows that like no other. Now that it’s the guardian’s turn to guard her as well as the gem, she sees exactly what he was saying—and she is eternally grateful and proud to be worthy of such an intelligent little beast who always seems to know what to do when she’s stuck. Aomiao is nonbinary, as most Gem Guardians are, and every day they seem to give her a new surprise. They are a familiar in the truest sense of the word, aiding her when she casts magic and invents.
Her first familiar would have been not so much a familiar but rather a caretaker. She was raised by an electric nymph after her parents passed away when she was still in the egg. She was the only one that the nymph managed to save, and so the nymph spent the next few decades raising her as best she could. As a result of this, she developed very nymph-like habits; it was not until her brilliance attracted the attention of the Tiandi Xueyuan that she really learned how to act like a dragon. Though her nymphlike habits caused her quite a great deal of embarrassment, she has no grudge toward the creature who raised her. After all, the nymph was just doing her best.
Headcanons on Appearance (after gene change): First thing I notice is that Chevron and Arrow genes have this luminosity to them that other genes lack, so I’d headcanon that those genes can make a dragon particularly shiny. I’d even go so far as to say that the arrow patterns can glow in the dark for
even more eyeburning potential.
Second thing that really sticks out about her is: the feathers. Those feathers are very expressive, even more so than meets the eye. They fluff out when she wants to show dominance and appear to wilt/shrink when she is shy. The back feathers can also stand up like a peacock’s tail; Banescales of both genders often show their feathers like that in courtship displays. (She certainly did this a lot while flirting with her mate!)
Last thing is: her spines. I headcanon a Banescale’s spines can lie flat against their back during rest, or stand up when there is a conflict. She has a nervous twitch where her spines go up and down and up and down…and did I forget to mention those tips look bioluminescent? They’re bioluminescent. I love glowy things.
Relations with Others:
ALFOR
Yinghuo’s beloved mentor, her first teacher at the Tiandi Xueyuan and her forever favorite. He was the one who encouraged her to keep going when she wanted to quit, and who gave her much of the Arcane knowledge that she proudly carries with her today. Though sometimes his more reserved and moderate personality got on her nerves, he provided one valuable lesson to her--and it was always to respect science and magic for the power that it had. As a young scientist she was careless, reckless, inadvertently putting herself in danger due to her immaturity and foolishness--and he was there to save her on every occasion. She owes her life to him, a debt which she only recently began to acknowledge. And more than that, she owes to him the lessons of patience and careful thought that she learned just by being around him.
’
HEIJIAN (“black arrow”)
He’s still a hatchling right now, but this is the dragon I have on hold to be her potential mate! His name is a bit of a misnomer, I’ll admit, since the only part of him that’s black is the Oilslick Wraith, but I was thinking……maybe Banescale hatchlings are born dark-colored and the darker you are initially, the brighter you’re going to be. And maybe Heijian was raised by Imperials who had no idea that Banescales lightened as they aged, so they named their kid “black arrow” due to the arrow patterns on his wings only for him to turn into a magenta eyeburner. So many possibilities >:333333333
Heijian would have been a warrior serving in the Order of the Winter Spear. I imagine he would have lost his right wing in battle, and Yinghuo would have designed his prosthetic. It would be painted and enchanted to look and glow exactly like his previous wing, and it would have the same aesthetic/mechanics as some of the Steampunk apparel that I’ve seen--but with a touch of magic, a bit of fairylike charm to it. They fell in love while she was teaching him how to use it; she was smitten with his tales of derring-do and his ability to tell a story, and he loved her vibrance and her intelligence. Plus, they had colors that matched so well--and I headcanon that the reason why there are so many dragons with similar color schemes pairing up is because it’s said to be a sign of a long, loving relationship to pair with a mate who is physically your match.
Personality-wise, he both suits her and complements her. They are both curious and playful, with an endless fascination for the world around them. Heijian, however, is more quiet and introverted to balance out Yinghuo’s shining ebullience--he acts the opposite of how one would expect someone of his color scheme to act. Just like Alfor, her mentor, he is the voice of reason and practicality that holds her back from doing foolish things; in return, she’s helped him come out of his shell and stop being so nervous around others. She fell for him first and knew he had feelings for her as well, and she teased him about it to no end until he finally admitted that he returned her affections. The two of them wish to raise strong, intelligent children in service of the Tiandi Xueyuan and the Order of the Winter Spear.
LEIJI (“thunderbolt”)
This Pearlcatcher is every bit as excitable about invention as she is—and is a dedicated lab partner. She came to him at a dark time when he was mourning the loss of his mate, a former Tiandi Xueyuan scholar who was exalted and killed in battle. (It was an honor to serve her patron god, yes, but that made the loss hurt no less). She became like a daughter to the older dragon, bringing back the spark that he was missing ever since his beloved mate passed away; her childlike spirit revitalized his love for science and invention and got him motivated to start working in the lab again!
Though Leiji initially thought her to be impetuous and immature, he was surprised to see how much he could learn from her: her Arcane knowledge, as well as her passion for the arts. He is a terrible artist, but Yinghuo is teaching it to him one step at a time. To her, it’s not the quality of his pieces but rather his great and newfound love of artistry that really counts.
TIANHOU (“heaven’s empress”)
Let me tell you something. This dragon is a……well, it starts with a “b” and rhymes with “witch.” The Tiandi Xueyuan was originally a Light flight clan, until Tianhou made the executive decision to move them to Arcane—all so she could learn the Arcanist’s eldritch knowledge and use it for her own twisted ends.
Tianhou is envious of Yinghuo. The girl is centuries younger than her, and yet she knows so much more. She’s had her eye on this Banescale ever since she set foot in the institute, and is trying to rope her into becoming her top scientific advisor and weaponsmaster of the Order. Though Yinghuo is tempted by the fact that Tianhou has offered her more resources for experiments than ever before, she’s nervous about this prospect because it would mean she has less time to spend with her friends. She has no idea just what a terrible dragon Tianhou is, however, and so she is leaning dangerously close to accepting.
Fun facts
- She initially wanted to be a huntress, but her bright coloration stopped her from achieving that dream for obvious reasons. Then she created a spell that could temporarily change a dragon’s colors, so now she can hunt to her heart’s content.
- If she weren’t a scientist, she could be a darn good performer! She was interested in the performing arts ever since she was a child, but eventually stopped because she wanted to focus all of her attention into being the best scientist she could be.
- Surprisingly, she’s more naturally talented at art than at science. As a genius, this could have spelled the end of her scientific career. There were many times throughout her life that she wanted to quit science and just become an artist because art was pretty much handed to her and science was not. (I write this headcanon from personal experience: as someone who is very smart myself, I struggle to maintain interest in anything that I can’t instantly grasp!) But she pushed herself to become a scientist because 1) art doesn’t really make people a living and 2) science is the only other thing besides art that she is interested in.
- I’m not sure whether mental conditions would be diagnosed in the world of Flight Rising, but regardless of whether she’s diagnosed, she’d definitely have autism with Asperger’s and ADHD (both of which I have, and let me tell you I LOVE making characters who are nerds with autism because that’s what I am myself). Portraiture, mechanics and alchemy would be some of her special interests/hyperfixations.
- I’m really leaning away from telekinesis as an explanation for her inventor status and toward the notion that she managed to be an inventor despite having no hands because she either dictated or used telepathy to communicate her inventions and concepts to assistants. Or maybe she started off needing to rely on others, then invented a spell that could allow her to manipulate objects? Either way, she can flex on her haters like “listen up all of you, I have no hands and two disabilities, and I’m still a better inventor than you’ll EVER be!”
- As a hatchling, she often griped about how there was no apparel made for Banescales. As an adult, she found a mate who wanted to make some of his own. He’s been trying to get her into fashion design so they can design new outfits together. It’s been tough--speaking from experience as an autistic person, getting me to pick up new interests is like trying to bathe a cat--but he is slowly winning her over. Fashion design, after all,
is an art.
- One of her nymph habits is that she likes to make a high-pitched whining sound whenever she hears something that puts her under a lot of stress.
- Her biggest pet peeve? Not being taken seriously because of her color scheme. In my version of the Flight Rising world there are stereotypes surrounding different color schemes and patterns, and a magenta/magenta/cyan eyeburner like Yinghuo is often seen to be frivolous, airheaded, weak and immature. Yes, she is immature, and she’ll admit to that, but she is
not any of the first three things and she’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. One reason why she loves the Tiandi Xueyuan is because they didn’t stereotype her based on color, and took her intellect seriously no matter what she looked like.
AESTHETIC.
OH BOY where do I even begin? For this little lady, it was love at first scry. I love the uniqueness of her Magenta Poison and Toxin already, but I’m also a sucker for the Chevron/Arrow combo and the bold, striking lines of Plumage feathers. I have a taste for big, bold, iridescent colors, which is what inspired me to give these particular genes.
also I’m dyin it looks like Starbrite and I had the same idea LOL WHOOPS now I feel so unoriginal (sadface)
I’ve even picked out a potential mate—
this this guy has been on hold for me since yesterday and it’s going to cost me a pretty penny for a dragon I’m not even sure I’m going to get, but I’m so in love with Magenta/Magenta Chevron/Arrow that it was 100% worth it! If I have time, I will open a lore hatchery soon that specializes in Imperials, Gaolers and Banescales, and they’ll be one of the pairs in the hatchery. I headcanon their offspring would have adventurous and free-thinking personalities, always daring to dream and explore. They would inherit their mother’s genius, as well as her idealism, but not necessarily her feistiness--some of them might be on the quieter side, like their father.
Since I’m planning on changing the male’s tertiary gene to Plumage, the results would be very bold and striking just like the original parents. And since the two dragons’ terts are so far apart on the color wheel, the results are sure to be diverse and unique--I’d be hard-pressed to hatch a nest where any two of them look exactly the same! Eyeburners for sure, but definitely not the gross kind……move over, Lisa Franks! Here are a few scrys of what the babies would look like:
I’ve actually won a dragon from a writing giveaway before—Heitian, one of my nearest and dearest dragons. I believe in paying it forward, so once I found him a mate I did a lore contest giveaway for his first clutch. If I obtain this dragon, I’m going to do a similar giveaway involving at least one dragon from her and her mate’s first clutch. With fully-gened Banescales in high demand, I’m sure they’ll be just as popular and loved as this lady herself seems to be!
ART.
Here she is, all gened up and jealously guarding her hoard of Muck! I’ll color this if I have the time. Thank you for the opportunity to have this derg!
