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Username:
Shadow Striker
Name:
Emaline and Dionaea
Gender:
Emaline - Female
Dionaea - Nonbinary
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The Prompt:
"It's not fair! Why does she get to be loved throughout kingdom, but I'm stuck shunned to the sidelines?" Emaline snarled at Mordecai, flecks of her spittle landing on his face.
The gentle ruler raised his eyebrow in surprise. Up until last month, Emaline wandered the countryside alone, outcast for the sentient tail she dubbed her only companion whom she affectionately named Dionaea. Exhibiting powerful magic that controlled life, particularly foliage and aspects of healing, King Mordecai and his queen, Aonani, invited the loner into the castle to join the prestigious Mages' Circle, which consists of only the most accomplished users of the magical craft. She had appeared content in her life at the castle up until this morning. What had sparked the sudden change in attitude was unknown to the king, but he hoped to soon find out. "Emaline, my dear. What happened? Has everything not been alright in your new home?"
She scowled, baring her teeth at Mordecai. "What happened? What happened? I'm treated as if I were some sort of freak, some dangerous criminal. Everyone stares and skirts around me in the corridors. The other mages refuse to work with me, acting like I have two heads!" Emaline caught a small smile flicker across the king's visage and shot him a deadly glare. "You know what I mean, Mordecai." She spat. "She is loved. Anywhere she goes, the people fawn over her. The mages practically fight for the chance to work by her side. And why? Her magic deals with death." Drawing in a breath, Emaline continued. "Her tail is so sadistic and cruel. Dionaea and I work with bringing life, healing and making change. But she's the one who gets the affections of everyone despite everything."
Mordecai's eyes widened with understanding. "I presume the she you are referring to is Miss Belladonna and Atropa?" Dionaea twitched with agitation at the mention of the name and Emaline glowered at the monarch, the corners of her mouth curling with a small snarl. The king took notice and frowned. Mordecai turned slightly to address the tail. "Dionaea, you have been silent through this. What do you have to say?"
Hearing their name, Dionaea let out a low, throaty growl of displeasure, but sat more upright to address the royal viscet. "Emaline has done a fine job of addressing the issue." They stated curtly. "We are treated unfairly and it has greatly affected the quality of work able to be done." They paused and took a moment to think before continuing, "On top of that, all the negative energy is affecting Emaline's cherished plant specimens, which are starting to wilt and wither." Catching the confused look on the king's face, they added, "Plants can be very sensitive to the surrounding emotions, you know."
Mordecai rubbed his jaw in thought while listening intently to every word the pair said. "And why do you suppose this is happening?" He asked gently, not wanting to further upset the volatile viscet. While Dionaea appeared level headed and calm, he knew Emaline was practically opposite, anger and resentment running deep in her veins.
As expected, she snapped sharply. "Because of her!" The king sat quietly and hoped for an explanation, but moments ticked by with no more being said.
He sighed, realizing more was not going to be offered. "Emaline, and you too Dionaea. I want you to listen carefully to the words I have to say. Can you do that?" The duo nodded slightly, but the irritation was clear in Emaline's eyes. He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "I think it would do you well, particularly you Emaline, to reflect on your own behavior before pointing the blame towards Miss Belladonna."
Emaline opened her mouth to protest, but Mordecai quickly hushed her. "No, listen and listen well. You're hostile and aggressive towards everyone you meet. You snap at people who come near you and have no patience for others." He stared at her firmly as he kept speaking, "You have been given many assistants and apprentices, all of whom quit due to your bitterness. I refuse to listen to your complaints on how you are treated by others when you treat them in such similar fashion. Now, unless you had something else to say, I am done with this matter." Mordecai turned away, unable to bear the hurt spreading across Emaline's face. He hated to be so short with her, but this behavior was unacceptable. He sighed quietly to himself and walked towards his office, where surely an issue less difficult to deal with waited for him.
Emaline huffed and retreated to her quarters hastily. My fault. Hah. She scoffed. What a help our great king is.
__________
As she lay in bed that following night, Dionaea whispered quietly to her. "Perhaps he is right, Emaline." They spoke calmly but firmly towards the distraught viscet they were attached to.
"Quiet!" She snarled at her companion, pressing the tail to the wall to muffle Dionaea's words, though she knew it wouldn't help. Being connected, the two could communicate through thoughts as well. Dionaea only spoke aloud if something was particularly important to them, wanting to be sure Emaline heard their thoughts. Feeling slightly guilty however, she turned back over to allow her friend to speak freely.
"Emaline, you know what I am saying is true. We both are at fault here. Neither of us have given anyone really a fair chance, treating them as if we still wandered in the wild. Perhaps you can sense it too, but I feel their presence is different. We can trust these people. We need to. We have no choice." Dionaea nodded to themselves to justify her point.
Emaline scowled at Dionaea and curled up tightly on the bed. After a couple minutes of silence, she relaxed slightly and sighed. "Perhaps, Dio, perhaps you are right. Have we really been that unfair? Have we gone and exiled ourselves to this loneliness?" She unfurled completely, her ears pinned back, not needing an answer. "We hav- no, you've been logical and collected. I have. I have done this to both of us. I'm sorry Dio. I am so very sorry." She apologized genuinely, guilty to have gone off on them.
That night, Emaline slept restlessly, Dionaea keeping a watchful eye on their companion. Unable to sleep, Emaline gave up, crawling from her bed to sit at her desk. Taking a journal from her drawer, she started writing. Jotting down any cause for mistrust and aggression she could think of, she quickly filled a few pages. Through her writing, she determined the main cause was the abandonment of her mother and eventually the viscet who served as a parent of sorts as well. Spending the majority of her life alone and never forming any sort of permanent bond with anyone also appeared to play a large role in her behavior it seemed, never learning how to fully trust others.
Although difficult, Emaline realized she couldn't continue on in this life of isolation she was living. It became evident to her that anyone who ever tried to get close, she quickly pushed away, no matter how kind they were to her and Dionaea. Sniffling softly, she brushed a few tears off the page, leaving black smudges of ink on the paper and the side of her paw. Turning to a fresh page she wrote a list of things to work on, trying to fix what she had broken:
She stared at the seventh bullet point, unsure of what else to say. Eventually, she put away the quill she was using, ripped the page out of the leather bound book, and tacked the sheet of paper above her desk as a daily reminder. Smiling softly to herself, she returned to bed, feeling much better with having made her new resolution. She knew things would not heal overnight, but it was at least a start. Dionaea laid closely next to her, humming contently with the fact their companion had come to terms with their shared past.
[1,395]
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A Brief History - Extras 1 & 2
During the beginning of the war against dark magic, Emaline's mother, Kai, served as a spy for the king and queen. While caring for the egg that contained Emaline, Brigor, whom is the Demon of Death, learned of the betrayal of Kai. Furious, he sought to destroy the egg, but Kai pleaded desperately with him because the small life contained within was the most important thing to Kai, who had been alone and isolated most of her life.
Brigor, not being one for mercy, offered a deal, he would spare the viscling in exchange for Kai's own life. Selflessly, Kai agreed, leaving the egg in the care of a wanderer. Unbeknownst to Kai, however, Brigor laid a curse upon the egg. Upon hatching, the severity of the curse became apparent, the child hatching with a tail unlike any other seen in the kingdom. Covered in foliage and with a mouth, much like that of carnivorous plants, the tail was a living breathing entity of it's own. What Brigor didn't realize was that the curse would also give the child magical abilities beyond known possibility.
Upon hatching, the wanderer was shocked to see the sentient tail, to say the least. Henamed the viscling Emaline, after his mother. Once it was apparent that the tail could speak and think, the wanderer dubbed it Dionaea, after the scientific name of his favorite plant.The wanderer raised the duo for many years, feeding and teaching them under the feelings of obligation, unsure of how to care for the child's magical needs or how to help them control their abilities. Eventually though, the wanderer grew tired and ditched the cursed soul as soon as Emaline could fend for herself. As the child continued to grow, so did her dislike and mistrust of those she shared her world with for fear of abandonment.
Emaline was perfectly content to walk the forests alone with Dionaea for the rest of her life. Most days were spent taking care of injured animals and plants they encountered in the woods they lived in. However, Emaline quickly learned how to have basic control of her magical abilities and spent hours coaxing the plants to grow and learning how to heal wounds with what simply seemed to be her own willpower. Her skill increased quickly, and soon she learned how to control the plants and other forms of life.
Word quickly spread of the forest's new and rejuvenated life. Upon reaching the ears of the Mages' Circle in the castle, they determined it had to be the work of a very powerful mage, one who could not be left unaccounted for in this era of turmoil and battle. Sending a search party, they located Emaline and brought her back to the castle where they fed and clothed her. They offered her a seat in the Circle under the pretense that it was a choice. She took it, thinking to herself that if she became unhappy, she could simply leave, unaware that there would be consequences for changing her mind. Once settled into her quarters though, she learnt she would be heavily guarded until proving her loyalty the King and his people.
[528/600]
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A Love for Nature - Extras 3 & 4
"Grow little one." Emaline whispered softly, gently running a claw across the leaves of a flowering plant in front of her. "You have so much potential. You will help so many people. You just need to grow."
The leaves of the plant quivered slightly, whether actually responding to her or simply moving from Emaline's breath she couldn't be certain. Nonetheless, the movement caused a smile to spread onto Emaline's face. Sure, she could use her magic to coax the plant into growing quicker, to accelerate how fast the plant would mature, but there was no fun, no satisfaction in that. It almost felt like cheating. She much preferred to hand rear the plants grown in the castle's greenhouse, taking pride in every blossom, every new sprout, every budding leaf her precious plants grew. She was positive that the plants appreciated it as well, thinking that being forced to grow under the confines of magic would be most uncomfortable.
Sprinkling the plant with a few drops of water, she placed the flower back in line with the others. In a few days, the flower would be at full maturity, where it would be harvested and made into a powder used in potent healing potions by the court's alchemists. Until then, however, Emaline would continue to raise and take care of it, treating it as if it were her own child.
[229/300]
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Art by Yugi
Coding by recherché.
Click for full size image
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃[/center]Username:
Shadow Striker
Name:
Emaline and Dionaea
Gender:
Emaline - Female
Dionaea - Nonbinary
══════════════════════════════════════════════
The Prompt:
"It's not fair! Why does she get to be loved throughout kingdom, but I'm stuck shunned to the sidelines?" Emaline snarled at Mordecai, flecks of her spittle landing on his face.
The gentle ruler raised his eyebrow in surprise. Up until last month, Emaline wandered the countryside alone, outcast for the sentient tail she dubbed her only companion whom she affectionately named Dionaea. Exhibiting powerful magic that controlled life, particularly foliage and aspects of healing, King Mordecai and his queen, Aonani, invited the loner into the castle to join the prestigious Mages' Circle, which consists of only the most accomplished users of the magical craft. She had appeared content in her life at the castle up until this morning. What had sparked the sudden change in attitude was unknown to the king, but he hoped to soon find out. "Emaline, my dear. What happened? Has everything not been alright in your new home?"
She scowled, baring her teeth at Mordecai. "What happened? What happened? I'm treated as if I were some sort of freak, some dangerous criminal. Everyone stares and skirts around me in the corridors. The other mages refuse to work with me, acting like I have two heads!" Emaline caught a small smile flicker across the king's visage and shot him a deadly glare. "You know what I mean, Mordecai." She spat. "She is loved. Anywhere she goes, the people fawn over her. The mages practically fight for the chance to work by her side. And why? Her magic deals with death." Drawing in a breath, Emaline continued. "Her tail is so sadistic and cruel. Dionaea and I work with bringing life, healing and making change. But she's the one who gets the affections of everyone despite everything."
Mordecai's eyes widened with understanding. "I presume the she you are referring to is Miss Belladonna and Atropa?" Dionaea twitched with agitation at the mention of the name and Emaline glowered at the monarch, the corners of her mouth curling with a small snarl. The king took notice and frowned. Mordecai turned slightly to address the tail. "Dionaea, you have been silent through this. What do you have to say?"
Hearing their name, Dionaea let out a low, throaty growl of displeasure, but sat more upright to address the royal viscet. "Emaline has done a fine job of addressing the issue." They stated curtly. "We are treated unfairly and it has greatly affected the quality of work able to be done." They paused and took a moment to think before continuing, "On top of that, all the negative energy is affecting Emaline's cherished plant specimens, which are starting to wilt and wither." Catching the confused look on the king's face, they added, "Plants can be very sensitive to the surrounding emotions, you know."
Mordecai rubbed his jaw in thought while listening intently to every word the pair said. "And why do you suppose this is happening?" He asked gently, not wanting to further upset the volatile viscet. While Dionaea appeared level headed and calm, he knew Emaline was practically opposite, anger and resentment running deep in her veins.
As expected, she snapped sharply. "Because of her!" The king sat quietly and hoped for an explanation, but moments ticked by with no more being said.
He sighed, realizing more was not going to be offered. "Emaline, and you too Dionaea. I want you to listen carefully to the words I have to say. Can you do that?" The duo nodded slightly, but the irritation was clear in Emaline's eyes. He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "I think it would do you well, particularly you Emaline, to reflect on your own behavior before pointing the blame towards Miss Belladonna."
Emaline opened her mouth to protest, but Mordecai quickly hushed her. "No, listen and listen well. You're hostile and aggressive towards everyone you meet. You snap at people who come near you and have no patience for others." He stared at her firmly as he kept speaking, "You have been given many assistants and apprentices, all of whom quit due to your bitterness. I refuse to listen to your complaints on how you are treated by others when you treat them in such similar fashion. Now, unless you had something else to say, I am done with this matter." Mordecai turned away, unable to bear the hurt spreading across Emaline's face. He hated to be so short with her, but this behavior was unacceptable. He sighed quietly to himself and walked towards his office, where surely an issue less difficult to deal with waited for him.
Emaline huffed and retreated to her quarters hastily. My fault. Hah. She scoffed. What a help our great king is.
__________
As she lay in bed that following night, Dionaea whispered quietly to her. "Perhaps he is right, Emaline." They spoke calmly but firmly towards the distraught viscet they were attached to.
"Quiet!" She snarled at her companion, pressing the tail to the wall to muffle Dionaea's words, though she knew it wouldn't help. Being connected, the two could communicate through thoughts as well. Dionaea only spoke aloud if something was particularly important to them, wanting to be sure Emaline heard their thoughts. Feeling slightly guilty however, she turned back over to allow her friend to speak freely.
"Emaline, you know what I am saying is true. We both are at fault here. Neither of us have given anyone really a fair chance, treating them as if we still wandered in the wild. Perhaps you can sense it too, but I feel their presence is different. We can trust these people. We need to. We have no choice." Dionaea nodded to themselves to justify her point.
Emaline scowled at Dionaea and curled up tightly on the bed. After a couple minutes of silence, she relaxed slightly and sighed. "Perhaps, Dio, perhaps you are right. Have we really been that unfair? Have we gone and exiled ourselves to this loneliness?" She unfurled completely, her ears pinned back, not needing an answer. "We hav- no, you've been logical and collected. I have. I have done this to both of us. I'm sorry Dio. I am so very sorry." She apologized genuinely, guilty to have gone off on them.
That night, Emaline slept restlessly, Dionaea keeping a watchful eye on their companion. Unable to sleep, Emaline gave up, crawling from her bed to sit at her desk. Taking a journal from her drawer, she started writing. Jotting down any cause for mistrust and aggression she could think of, she quickly filled a few pages. Through her writing, she determined the main cause was the abandonment of her mother and eventually the viscet who served as a parent of sorts as well. Spending the majority of her life alone and never forming any sort of permanent bond with anyone also appeared to play a large role in her behavior it seemed, never learning how to fully trust others.
Although difficult, Emaline realized she couldn't continue on in this life of isolation she was living. It became evident to her that anyone who ever tried to get close, she quickly pushed away, no matter how kind they were to her and Dionaea. Sniffling softly, she brushed a few tears off the page, leaving black smudges of ink on the paper and the side of her paw. Turning to a fresh page she wrote a list of things to work on, trying to fix what she had broken:
- ○ Let others into my work space
○ Apologize to Mordecai, fellow mages, and others I may have wronged
○ Make an effort to learn the other mages' crafts.
○ Work on being more patient while teaching others
○ Take time each night to see what I need to keep working on
○ Apologize as soon as I realize I have hurt or been unfair towards another
○
She stared at the seventh bullet point, unsure of what else to say. Eventually, she put away the quill she was using, ripped the page out of the leather bound book, and tacked the sheet of paper above her desk as a daily reminder. Smiling softly to herself, she returned to bed, feeling much better with having made her new resolution. She knew things would not heal overnight, but it was at least a start. Dionaea laid closely next to her, humming contently with the fact their companion had come to terms with their shared past.
[1,395]
══════════════════════════════════════════════
A Brief History - Extras 1 & 2
During the beginning of the war against dark magic, Emaline's mother, Kai, served as a spy for the king and queen. While caring for the egg that contained Emaline, Brigor, whom is the Demon of Death, learned of the betrayal of Kai. Furious, he sought to destroy the egg, but Kai pleaded desperately with him because the small life contained within was the most important thing to Kai, who had been alone and isolated most of her life.
Brigor, not being one for mercy, offered a deal, he would spare the viscling in exchange for Kai's own life. Selflessly, Kai agreed, leaving the egg in the care of a wanderer. Unbeknownst to Kai, however, Brigor laid a curse upon the egg. Upon hatching, the severity of the curse became apparent, the child hatching with a tail unlike any other seen in the kingdom. Covered in foliage and with a mouth, much like that of carnivorous plants, the tail was a living breathing entity of it's own. What Brigor didn't realize was that the curse would also give the child magical abilities beyond known possibility.
Upon hatching, the wanderer was shocked to see the sentient tail, to say the least. Henamed the viscling Emaline, after his mother. Once it was apparent that the tail could speak and think, the wanderer dubbed it Dionaea, after the scientific name of his favorite plant.The wanderer raised the duo for many years, feeding and teaching them under the feelings of obligation, unsure of how to care for the child's magical needs or how to help them control their abilities. Eventually though, the wanderer grew tired and ditched the cursed soul as soon as Emaline could fend for herself. As the child continued to grow, so did her dislike and mistrust of those she shared her world with for fear of abandonment.
Emaline was perfectly content to walk the forests alone with Dionaea for the rest of her life. Most days were spent taking care of injured animals and plants they encountered in the woods they lived in. However, Emaline quickly learned how to have basic control of her magical abilities and spent hours coaxing the plants to grow and learning how to heal wounds with what simply seemed to be her own willpower. Her skill increased quickly, and soon she learned how to control the plants and other forms of life.
Word quickly spread of the forest's new and rejuvenated life. Upon reaching the ears of the Mages' Circle in the castle, they determined it had to be the work of a very powerful mage, one who could not be left unaccounted for in this era of turmoil and battle. Sending a search party, they located Emaline and brought her back to the castle where they fed and clothed her. They offered her a seat in the Circle under the pretense that it was a choice. She took it, thinking to herself that if she became unhappy, she could simply leave, unaware that there would be consequences for changing her mind. Once settled into her quarters though, she learnt she would be heavily guarded until proving her loyalty the King and his people.
[528/600]
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A Love for Nature - Extras 3 & 4
"Grow little one." Emaline whispered softly, gently running a claw across the leaves of a flowering plant in front of her. "You have so much potential. You will help so many people. You just need to grow."
The leaves of the plant quivered slightly, whether actually responding to her or simply moving from Emaline's breath she couldn't be certain. Nonetheless, the movement caused a smile to spread onto Emaline's face. Sure, she could use her magic to coax the plant into growing quicker, to accelerate how fast the plant would mature, but there was no fun, no satisfaction in that. It almost felt like cheating. She much preferred to hand rear the plants grown in the castle's greenhouse, taking pride in every blossom, every new sprout, every budding leaf her precious plants grew. She was positive that the plants appreciated it as well, thinking that being forced to grow under the confines of magic would be most uncomfortable.
Sprinkling the plant with a few drops of water, she placed the flower back in line with the others. In a few days, the flower would be at full maturity, where it would be harvested and made into a powder used in potent healing potions by the court's alchemists. Until then, however, Emaline would continue to raise and take care of it, treating it as if it were her own child.
[229/300]
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Art by Yugi
Coding by recherché.
Click for full size image
