All posts by Oblivion The Nightwing

I can judge, and will be offering a fullbody for first, and a headshot for second and third

Sorry I didn't see this sooner, yes absolutely go for it!

Quick reminder for everyone!

Yep, you don't have to ask to enter, you can post it once you're ready on the submission thread!

Alright, congratulations to everyone! I'll post the next contest here once I make it

Silversight // NightWing // They/them // Ghost

The Fall.

A height tall enough to usually deter one away. The creaking as the machine is set up around their body. The jump, their rise, and then the panic as it fails, falls, and brings them down with it. Breaking bones. Tears in the scales, in the limbs, in the muscles. And a booming sound as the body hits the chipped rocky ground.

The Awakening.

The sweet relief that they've regained consciousness, and the swift confusion with the strange lack of the pain that most likely should have come. But it never does. Not after one minute, not after 5 of them lying with their eyes tightly shut. And only once they stretch and move to rise, but what should have been solid ground underneath tiny talons is now no more than air. And. That. Is. Not. Good. So once they look down with wide eyes and see not only their star-touched self, but also the broken body of their past mistakes, it's cemented. Well, Silversight, you are officially dead.

The Ghost.

The shock of the thought. But the proof is right there. Along with the screws and bolts of the machine. And as much as they were excited for it once before, they hate it now. It fuels their body enough for them to take their eyes away from the carnage and look at the mountain. The contemplation of the situation. That was a ridiculous way to die. They need something else to fill their mind. Instantly. So looking down, they remember that they float. Their old scars and injuries are repaired by shining stars, similar to those on the wings of their tribe. (They are swiftly reminded of an unfulfilled promise.) An attempt to move is made. Walking is nearly impossible, swimming motions are much more effective, even upward. It's not difficult to master and soon they manage to reach the edge of where they first jumped. And there?

The Newcomer.

She stares at them with twinkling eyes. They dislike her already. With her tired position and her quick assessment of them, she's not one they would usually associate themselves with. They open their mouth to shoo her away but no sound appears. And they realise the horrible sensation of the cold silence around the two of them. She only turns. They both overlook the kingdom. Vague shapes, some more faded than the others wander around, and they realise with a mixture of horror and fascination that they're a part of this now.

The Fading.

The rapid movements of her talons. Some sort of secret ghost tongue. (They still refuse to accept this reality but they might as well entertain it.) She's midway through a gesture before she seemingly remembers that they haven't yet been introduced to the club and an exasperated expression crosses over her face. They only stare at her and she makes what could have been a sigh and motions for them to follow.

The room is small. She's at the base of the stairs, tinkering with herself. She twists and turns, rays of light jumping in and out her form. A small dragonet appears. (He reminds them of someone they miss.) She makes one last attempt to twist her body and the light rays don't escape. (They are rather annoyingly reminded of their science class), and a curious look at the dragonet reveals he can see the ball of light before him. And she very gently points towards a small crevice. A shining piece of gold illuminated by her. The dragonet picks it up. The key. And she moves to twirl around him, the glow gone. Something is different. With her. They don't understand what she means but they can tell this show was for a purpose. She only floats away from them, seemingly her duty fulfilled.

The Understanding.

A flash of inspiration. Their straying mind fixed into place. It all makes sense now. They know what she meant, and what they have to do. And so they head to the busiest place they know. The prime location for simple and gullible minds. (Not somewhere they thought they'd ever have the displeasure of entering again.) The Academy.

The Action.

They are at work for days, months, years. Playing with light here, starting small licks of flame there. The younglings quickly spread the rumours. They all talk about a vengeful spirit haunting the school which won't stop until every last room is burnt down. What is the motive behind all this? It varies between stories but they find it rather entertaining. It's become interesting how invested some are in the ghost, in THEM. Their small minds haven't been at ease in a while, not since they started this fiasco. But it's for a good reason. (Self preservation. And yet, something still feels off. Dragonets.) The bright realisation they had so long ago was the reason behind the fading. Memory. And what better way to be remembered, not just by friends but by everyone? Become a legend.

The Understanding, Reprise.

(Well this is awkward.) It’s been a strange few days. The sarcastic dragoness has gone now. Faded. Maybe that was the final grain of sand that landed on the boulder that is their thought process, because there was no way that what had happened to her correlated to their idea of how the ghost realm works. Memory isn’t connected to the fading. Evidently, scaring young dragonets had done nothing. Even if the other ghosts had tried to tell them, they had never listened. Not until now. To learn more, they had watched another pale ghost who approached their dying friend, almost as a welcome, and then faded together. A promise. And they stop. To remember. What they were missing. No, who they were missing. ‘Wherever you are, I will watch over you-’

And so with a decisive blink, they turn. They haven’t had the courage to approach the house yet. Their childhood house. Guilt washes over them, both for that fact, and for their past mistakes in order to preserve their form. Inside there is a small dragonet, barely half a year old. She stares at a doll with a broken tail, whispering sweet words into its limp ear. (If only they could hear, they can’t remember what her voice sounds like, only that it’s soft.) I will watch over you. Their mouth moves with the silent sounds. It feels right. Even if they are still afraid of the fading, they will stay. For her. For their purpose. Even from here, I will protect you. And even if I’m scared of what's beyond this, I only hope I can guide you in this world.

Joining and offering a fullbody for first and a headshot for second and third!

Ayy congratulations to everyone!!

Lobeira and Fleet || RainWing and IceWing

I'm not going to bother introducing myself, as I'm sure you're aware of what has warranted such a letter.

We’ve always kept to ourselves, you have your half, I have mine. The two big evils, they called us.

Even now, I kept off your territory, didn’t engage with the kingdoms that you had dealt with, and this is how you repay me? With his burgundy blood spilled?

He was mine. Maybe you couldn’t be bothered to learn as much about me as I did about you because I at least know who you want dead, or maybe, you just don’t care. Either way, this isn’t a good look for you considering I did hold a good level of respect for the ‘Rain that flooded Pyrrhia’, but dragons change, I see that. Just know this; I never wished to bring you harm.

---

But if bloodshed is what you desire, then bloodshed is what you shall receive.

---

Lobeira. The name haunts those who hear it. They know what it entails and once they realise what's coming, there's no going back. A threat, and an invisible one for that. And the worst part? The council knows, and they let her run wild every now and then. It’s amazing what some idle threats and some money can do.

But what they don’t realise? That this powerful dragoness was now sitting in her little hideout fuming over the local news. Fleet, the secondary evil, they called this IceWing and now xe was going after her as well? For what? That she didn’t check in with xym before one of her ‘parades’?‘

You couldn’t be bothered to learn about me?’

We’re not all that obsessed with our enemies as you are! She tapped the desk angrily.

Well. What am I supposed to do now? Don’t engage is an option… Bei started to write a quick plan-up but the quill didn’t reach the paper itself. No, too risky. I doubt ae will let this go that easily, it will only lead to even more confrontation. Run?

This time she actually scoffed. “To where, brain? The lost continent from the bedtime stories? Yeah, I’m sure THAT will go SPLENDIDLY.” She sighed sharply. “Talking to myself. This is a new low.”

There were two other options left she supposed. Follow through with the IceWings terms or run to one of her kingdoms. The latter would leave a bad impression. Look at the big bad Lobeira who hides behind a tiny SandWing, wow, impressive. But, the former included confrontation. But don’t they both technically? Bei turned, effectively knocking down the ink in the midst of her- Anger. Anger not panic. She refused to call it that.

The moon was high enough to warrant a double-back from the dragoness. I’ll figure this out tomorrow. After all, your decision making skills deteriorate when you’re half asleep- She shook her head sarcastically before making one last glance at the message.

I really hope you know what you just got yourself into, Fleet.

---

Usually at this time of night the desert plains would be bustling with the SandWing gangs that hung out around here, but Fleet supposed they all decided they wouldn’t be welcome. Not that that wasn’t right, but a little excuse to warm up could’ve been nice.

At least the dragoness of the hour wasn’t here yet. Maybe I will have to drag her out by her scruff after all- Xe cocked xyrs head and smiled slightly. That would be an interesting sight indeed, especially for the rest of Pyrrhia, heh. Then I would finally be the primary evil.

Suddenly the air gave off a chill. Xe pricked xyrs ears and twisted around. Some sand shifted in the corner of xyrs vision. Invisibility. Clever. “I’ll admit I’m a teensy bit hurt that you decided that I am as daft as all of those little villages that you terrorise so often. That little trick won’t work on me.” Fleet tried to make xyrs tone playful.

---

But it sounded like it had an edge instead. At least to Lobeira who had decided at this very moment that this was suddenly a horrible, horrible idea. OH WELL, TOO LATE NOW! Her brain barked. What was she supposed to do now? It made sense that xe knew all of her moves but it was still annoying.

Resisting the heavy urge to sigh, Bei let herself fade into her own pale orange scales behind xym.

“Well? You made me mess up my sleep schedule for what?”

“You know exactly what my deal with you is.”“Do I? Do I really? Because I feel like you just wanted a fi-”

“Of course not.” Fleet shook xyrs head and moved away from her. “There's no other way to make you realise that what you did was wrong. I thought you’d of all dragons would understand.”

“Understand what exactly? Because whoopsie I killed a dragon who was somehow important to you? How was I supposed to know? Look into your head like a NightWing?” She snarled at him, and ae snarled right back.

“I worked too long for you to come and just TAKE my revenge for me. No.” Xe laughed, bunching xyrs shoulders, “No, my efforts cannot be in vain.”

“And this is where I come in??” Lobeira twisted her body away from xym. This is crazy. Why did I even think we could work this out without much discourse?

“Yes.” And Fleet gave her a crooked smile. “Let me demonstrate how.”

---

What Lobeira didn’t notice was Fleets talon reaching up for xyrs poisonous herbs in the midst of their conflict. But now she did very much notice that same talon squeezing its contents and chucking it at her. Xe just watched as xyrs opponent blocked with her wing and instantly staggered back at the tickling sensation. “What is that?? What sort of stupid new plant have you been making in your spare time??”Xe threw back xyrs head in a breathy laugh. “Artificial ones. They’re interesting aren’t they? Science is fun to play around with.”Lobeira bared her teeth and tensed as if to go camo. A shame Black Erite affects RainWing scales specifically- “Well, RainWing? What else can you give me?”

---

“Well, RainWing? What else can you give me?”

Enough to make you deeply regret whatever this show is.

Her prehensile gripped a dagger-like rapier and she lunged.

Into the whirlwind of battle.

---

A swipe of a serrated claw

---

A storm of needle-like talons.

---

A widening of eyes. This was not what I was expecting-

---

“You’re going down, IceWing.”

---

“Not if I kill you first.”

---

“Not what I meant.”

And she points toward the quicksand xe had stepped right onto.

---

Xe realised quickly but panic settled in. A fight for xyrs life began.

---

But struggling against liquified sand was useless. She knew that.

---

Xe didn’t.

---

Bloodshed would be received. But a price must always be paid.

---

She was just glad the price wasn’t hers.

Entering, and offering a fullbody for 1st and 2nd, and a headshot for 3rd!

Congratulations to everyone!

Selkie || SeaWing || Female

REPORT NO. Sm-102

IDENTIFICATION. Selkie-Myth

C O N F I R M E D

Extra notes seperate to report: Okay, now, this isn’t really anything new to me. I’ve done tasks similar to this before, because it’s my job and I am happy to serve my kingdom and queen. But I’m looking at this report now and- With all due respect, I think we should let the innocent parties continue on with their lives. My job is to get intel on any individual who poses a threat to our system and personally I don’t see this batch of happy-go-lucky sailors doing anything to us, apart from the captain, obviously, you wouldn’t have sent me on this if he wasn’t. I have halted any course of action for the time being and await your reply.

---

First things first, I have to commend them on their ship. That thing is a beauty, power and swiftness built into a bunch of planks, and while the sail was quite plain and definitely not my style, I think it would do the job well enough.

This ‘disguise’ is a bit too over the top. I’m pretty sure we could have done with some jewelry and bags (like come on, was the makeup necessary?), however I do have to say that no one has batted an eye yet. As for the crew, we’ll have to see but that's a problem for future Selkie to tackle.

It’s not too long before I’m met with a stocky MudWing.

"Hello, are you Myth?”

“I am indeed. You’re... Brook?”

“Wrong MudWing, I'm Sierra!” She starts walking at such a brisk pace that I have trouble catching up. “While we walk, I’ll explain the general process and rules of how things are going to look for you for the next week or so.” I’m not going to bore whoever reads this with all of that, but one of the rules that stuck out for me was ‘No bothering the captain after the sun touches the water,’ though I could be reading too much into that, who knows.

As I stroll onto the ship, instantly I notice the pirate-themed barrels in the back. Sierra directs me to the deck. And boom, I find my target. He’s not particularly impressive, long legs and a stubby snout. He’s talking to himself in hushed tones, but turns to us when he hears our steps.

“You’re our new dragon?” He asks politely, and I nod alongside Sierra.

“Good. I’m your captain on this ship alright. I’m assuming she’s already told you the regulations, so I’m not going to bother. If you have any questions, the dragon you want to talk to is the grumpy-looking SkyWing on the quarterdeck.”

Despite my better judgement, I whistle. “You’ve never met many SkyWings have you? They all look like that. That one isn't anything special.”

The captain just snorts, waving me and Sierra off, but as we walk off, I catch him eyeing me oddly.

“I think you won him over!” She leans down to me, excitedly. “That’s almost always a good sign.”

“I’m glad to be making friends with the captain himself.” I answer neutrally. Inside, I know I shouldn’t be close to anyone here. They might not know it, but I’m in the zone here. “Anyway, come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone. The ‘grumpy’ SkyWing is Fay.” She hums and waves to the cranberry dragon who inclines his head to me and then waves his wings at the sail. “They’re busy right now, otherwise we’d go talk. I promise they’re not actually that grumpy.” I just stare at her knowingly and she winces. “Sometimes. But don’t worry, everyone else makes up for it.”

(I lost track of time and forgot to remember my narrations, so here’s a list of everyone even if it’s not particularly relevant to this)

The captain?? - SeaWing - Captain

Sierra - MudWing - First mate

Fay - SkyWing - Windmaker and cook

Fatewalker - NightWing - Future-seer and Navigation master

Rocket - SkyWing/RainWing - Quartermaster

Fulmar - IceWing - Carpenter

Brook (sibling to Sierra) - MudWing - Doctor

---

We set sail at sunhigh with the booming wings of Fay carrying us away from home. Instantly I hated being on a boat. My stomach felt sick as I sat in the gaming room alongside Rocket and Fulmar. Brook gave me something for the uncomfortness of it all and explained how to take the medication. All in all, I didn’t understand anything.

“Those, Myth, were medical terms.” Rocket sighed, flicking his marbles at mine. “Don’t worry you get used to them.”

“Let's be honest, you still don’t know what they mean.” Fulmar gave him a side look as he rested their head against the table.

“Oi, neither do you!”

Their bickering got so bad I left for my room.

Speaking of which, it’s quite nice, cozy even. But it is so so cold. I really don’t know what I was expecting, but Fulmar absolutely has it good. I didn’t know what to do, but I kept myself busy by writing down notes for this report. So far I haven’t had any other interactions with the target, not that I’m particularly excited for one. I can tell he’s suspicious of me, and I am at a loss at this point, which I mean- It’s strange to not be in full control of the situation at the start of a task. I think I have to lay low for a bit, get him to trust me, without anyone else suspecting me as well. This is going to be a lot of work, I can tell.

---

So, it’s been a few days, and I am happy to say that my plan was a resounding success! The captain has relaxed a lot around me. Still hasn’t told me his name, and no one else has deigned to share it with me. They keep telling me it’s his business, which I can respect but it’s annoying, because it’s such an important piece of information for this stupid piece of paper but- I’ll assume that unless anything changes, our interrogators will get it out of him provided you all don’t know it.

Fatewalker walked in on me writing this once, I was honestly surprised at my quick reaction of playing it off like a diary. He was curious at my little paper and even teased me about looking into the future to see what I write next.

"No way you can do that."

"Mhm thats what you think" Came the sly reply.

Apart from that, everything else has been running smoothly. I’ve been hanging out with the crew more and more, and I just got the recipe for this cheesecake from Fay to which I am very much looking forward to recreating once I am off this horrifying excuse for travel.

---

Second to last day of boating (or is it sailing?) Yes, I’m counting down the days, you’d be too if you were in my position. Before I start with the actual content of my writing, I know this is going to be a short report compared to my other ones. There’s not too much to really write about on the topic of the captain himself because he’s a very private dragon. And I know I’m not skilled in interrogation, but I did try to push him a bit, and… Yeah no, he shut me down immediately. I didn’t go any further because I spent way too much time getting him to lower his guard around me.

But this isn’t about him right now. I’m starting to have second thoughts. My gut instinct is telling me to abort the mission, and it’s never done that before. After ignoring it for a day or so, tonight happened, and I’m starting to think it may be right. At dinner we were holding a normal conversation when Fate asked me about myself. I think I went into auto-speak, filling in the gaps in my ‘backstory’ as I went, but it started something about each other's pasts. As we talked, I could see the patterns in each of their stories.

"So you take in the ones who have nowhere else to go.” I turned to the captain who flicked his eyes away.

“These 3 wars have wreaked havoc in both of continents. Everyone here wanted an escape. We’re happy together, the sea is it’s own little world.”

I opened my mouth but the SkyWing walked into the room.

“Despite your opinions on this boat, everyone else finds it refreshing. It’s nice, like a breath of fresh air compared to everything else. Even Sierra agrees and she likes everything.”

“Hmm. I’m just an optimist Fay, someone has to keep you in check. But yes,” Sierra turned to me, “Even if I’m not a big fan of change, this is something I will never regret. This is something you just can’t get on land.”

And despite the serious tone, my eyes must have betrayed my emotions at the word and everyone chuckled.

So here I am. I’m sending a note as soon as I get to Pantalla by one of the faster delivery dragons, we’ll see how that goes.

---

Nothing out of the ordinary happened on the last day. I expected something more interesting but no, this was quite normal, or I suppose as normal as a band of sailors can get. We approached the land of the lost continent, and I was practically whooping with joy.

At that moment, the captain brought me in to have a talk. I can’t remember everything he said, so I’ll save the things I do remember.

“There's quite a few things I want to speak with you about, Myth. Before you say anything, I want to apologize for my coldness to you for the entirety of our time together."

I stare at him, silently begging him to go on. I'm hoping this is the breakthrough I need to make this report worthwhile. He explains his general demeanour with the fact he doesn't trust other SeaWings because he ran away, and I know what we do to traitors like him. Specifically, I know what will happen to a traitor like him.

I hoped this would be something more interesting, but it works. We talked for a bit and for a moment I realised that I had no information at all about this task. He seemed so innocent as well, apart from him running away. Lets just say I hope I'm making the right decision here. Anyway, as we walked to the deck, both Fate and Rocket yelped in happiness.

"Pantalla! The lost continent!"

"You're free Myth!"

---

And, that was it. Pantalla. I mean, I knew that it existed but it was still such a foreign concept that a continent as large as Pyrrhia. Fay asked if I wanted a tour and frankly, I enjoyed it. The letter was sent without a problem, and I stressed myself out, awaiting the reply. It didn’t get better as I got it, two days later. Continue as planned. I mean, don't get me wrong, I trust your judgement fully, but yet, I couldn’t shake that something wasn’t quite right.

It's been a ride, that's for sure. I wouldn't really call it 'wild', I've done more adventurous things in my time but this task is different in a way I can't quite figure out. We're supposed to leave tomorrow, and I know they're all excited to go back for a week's break.

Hm.

That's unfortunate. At least for my captain.

---

“Pyrrhia, ahoy!” The shouts are muffled from the shut door. I’m packing my bags in my cabin, and coming to terms with how this will end. I’m not happy with it, but I know the queen is doing what's best. I half pay attention to the crew's cries, wanting to catch the moment all hell breaks loose, and get the captain's response for this. It’s not too long before he roars in anger. “What is the SeaWing army doing here?? I thought we were done with this!”

I make my way up, and not a second passes, he’s up in my face. “I knew something was wrong as soon as you started writing those cursed letters! I wanted peace between myself and her, but she won’t let it go, will she?” A snigger follows. “Myth. Huh. What’s your real name, betrayer of friendship?”

From the corner of my eye I can see the horrified looks of everyone else. Fay just glares at me, and I can’t take it. In the moment, the captain slams his talons against the floor of his beloved ship. “Answer me spy!” The boat rocks to a stop as the docks come parallel to us. He’s backing away now, and spreading his wings. His roars are panicked now. I can hear Sierra sobbing into Fates shoulder who keeps repeating, ‘I should have seen this coming, I should have.” And as the guards land heavily, the crew steps forward. Shielding their captain from a doomed fate, knowing that in doing so, they will be doomed too. Fay is there too, and so is Brook. They glance at me, while I’m frozen in place, watching the scene unfold. It’s like a book but the ending is broken. And I can’t fix it. So I look away and walk to the side of my tribes troops.

There's a saying the captain always recited: A good captain always goes down with her ship.

---

But as we all know, I'm not a good captain.

---

But he is.

You can just write a story (its what I do), it doesn't have to be a fully fleshed-out character with a page

Joining, and offering a fullbody for first, an unshaded fullbody for second and a headshot for third!

Alright everyone, here are the results!

1st - Spicebush by DragonSiren22

2nd - Adonis by QueenPeril

3rd - Solemn by Senseless Existence

Congratulations, all the entries were very nice! @DragonSiren22 you will be expected to make the next contest

And here are the prizes, make sure to go to the prizegivers walls to receive them!

1st

One (1) fullbody and one (1) headshot by Oblivion, one (1) coloured clean line headshot by Sakura, one (1) Joy Ang by Skippy

2nd

One (1) unshaded fullbody by Oblivion, one (1) Joy Ang by Iceshard, one (1) Jada base by Skippy

3rd

One (1) headshot by Oblivion

And again, shoutout to my fellow judges for helping me with this decision!

This contest has now ended!

Judges please come over to my wall to begin!

@CrowWP1

@Saline-Skies

Okay 24 hours to go!