dragon-not-a-lizard

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

This lady was pretty relaxed about the fact that Mushu was part Dragon at the moment and not able to shift back. Talk about someone cool under pressure or something. Mushu didn't really think that was him, but he could be impressed by it from someone else.

"Uhh... I kinda passed out after stuff exploded and woke up here." It was hard to tell time here too cause the people here weren't enthused about him spamming texts on his phone when they'd been trying to treat him. His phone was still in his room somewhere.

"I'm honestly not even that hurt I don't think, but it's kind of freaking them out that I haven't been able to uh... de-dragon so to speak."

@labellerose-acheron

All the Pain *** [Open]

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Resolution 1: Story Arcs

Man I went back through my resolutions and it’s wild. I feel like I’ve accomplished SOME of what I wanted to accomplish. One main resolution that I had was complete story arcs! I’m proud to say I’ve completed 3 so far this year! To list them out: Tad got into that surfing competition and then was scouted and got to leave town and go pro in Australia. Then of course Finn’s storyline that I worked on for months dropped and his parents are now alive and well and in town. That was a huge one and I’m really proud of it. And then of course Tink and the MAFIA. That’s pretty great for me. I have another one I’m starting on and making progress so I feel like I’m doing great with that resolution.

I haven’t given some of my characters their time to shine, but now that certain plot lines have resolved themselves, I’ll be able to focus more on Judy, Shang, Cruella and Mushu and the arcs that I want to tell with them.

Resolution 2: Less Docs

This did not really work in my favor like I wanted, but I think I’ve come around to appreciating docs slightly more than I did for a while. I still prefer dash replies and threads over all else, but I am appreciating the necessity for docs for big plots.

Resolution 3: More Backstory

I really haven’t delved into this resolution so much yet, so maybe that is something I can find myself working on more in this second half of the year so to speak. Now that my roster is a bit smaller too I think that allows for more time to focus on these backstories. Granted I’m already alit with more new character ideas, but seeing as the main ones require more people to really dig into it, I have plenty of time to dive into backstory. 

Resolution 4: Be Honest

I think I have been better about this. I’ve expressed what I’ve needed for plots, or accepted when I’ve felt that I couldn’t tell the story that I wanted to tell and let that particular direction go. It definitely puts you in a better mental space once you have expressed what you feel if there’s been discomfort or anything like it for a plot line or a character. So all in all, I think I am fairly successful on this resolution. 

Resolution 5: Cause an AU

I said it at the beginning of this year and it remains true, I am working towards one but it won’t show itself until next year. But I am quite sure that it will be worth the wait.

Plots I Want/Like

I also want to talk about the stories I like because I talked about Marriage and how I wanted Judy or Shang to eventually get married and stuff, but delightfully I got to do a totally unhinged marriage situation with Tink/Jack which was entirely unexpected for me but such a delight and so in a way I did get to sort of get the resolution of Tink being wanted by someone before she died. Granted, not entirely the way I had in mind, but I really like the chaos of it for her so I think it worked out. I loved it.

Characters and what I look forward to:

Finn: So in my resolutions I talked about Finn and his last few months in uni, and redacted his mystery plotline. Well now that it’s all out in the open I’m looking forward to exploring his connection with his family and his parents and learning more about himself. Maybe I’ll properly get into backstory stuff here. So that’ll be really amazing. 

Judy: I talked a lot about failure and her trying and struggling and I think I’ve sort of accomplished that with her a bit. I’m really looking forward to what comes out with post-MAFIA stuff. I’m also excited to involve her in the struggles with Tae and the family drama, and then I think I’m going to toss her in with Shang’s issues so she should have a busy year.

Mushu: I said I wanted chaos, but I restructured a bit of his arc or at least extended it somewhat so he’s had a pretty good run of it. But now I’m about ready to let him experience some of those darn side effects of making a wish. Because yeah, gasp, he still has his activated. I’m playing with that a little already in this thread with Belle, but I’m ready to slowly but surely build on that.

Shang: I feel like I’ve kind of dropped the ball on Shang a little bit. Part of it is I had some plot stuff planned and things went sideways understandably, sometimes different pieces can’t come together. But that said, I am looking forward to really exploring this triad arc now that I’ve started Shang on the path. I do truly hope to resolve it by the end of this year so that Shang can start thinking of a real future for himself. And…maybe love??? 

Cruella: I did not have Cruella when I made my resolutions and she’s still fairly new. But I am very excited to have her cause a lot of trouble with the play. I want her to cause trouble with the board at some point. I really look forward to he being an overall diva and being a problem.

Story Review/Reflection:

Tink: I really want to sit for a moment and talk about Tink, my girly and how proud of her I am. And how proud I am of the story arc we brought about to lead to her dramatic end. I’ve known what was coming with her for months and kept it close to my chest/with the MAFIA for so long that it feels very freeing to have it out there and done. I also feel quite sad because there is something very freeing too about writing a character like Tink who’s a mess and feels things so intensely that she can’t be bothered with niceties or things that my other muses tend to care a bit more about. I really am gonna miss her a lot.  

Tad: Another quirky unique guy that I loved writing. There was just something so special about my little stoner boy. It feels nice to give him the happy sort of ending he deserved. I’m sure he could have vibed on forever in Swynlake, but I like the idea of him finally really following his dream of surfing. Because truly that’s what he’s loved above everything else. 

Pepper: I think she was a learning experience for me in terms of what kind of plotting and what kind of connections I want to build. But also, she just helped me see how I prefer to write/tell my stories versus how others do. And so I appreciate very much that I could see what I wanted to focus on and where I didn’t think I’d be able to grow and express myself as a writer. I will def miss her and the connections she did have, but I do see that having let her go I feel a lot more free to do as I do and far less stressed. It all goes back to that honesty thing I’ve talked about in my past resolutions page, and now Tina’s also talked about in her letter. I want to represent characters and myself well and tell the stories that truly interest me. And I want to trust that if I want to explore a storyline that I can tell it without judgement. I did really love writing Pepper getting jealous and crazy though. I love writing about a jealous girl losing her marbles a little. IDK why. It’s quite fun.

Finn: I did a lot with him this year so far. The main thing being the story arc of breaking into an aquarium with his friends and breaking out two merpeople that ended up being his own parents. This was huge for him! I’ve learned a lot too about actually properly nudging other people with my own plots. It’s harder for me than to keep track of other people’s plots like the MAFIA and stuff. But it was a growing experience for me, and I know the next time I do one like that I’ll be better about keeping track and checking in with people.

Judy: We got to write about Tae stealing! Yay? Judy’s sad and it’s def an emotional experience for the Moon family, but I’ve been excited to write more on this. She’s definitely experienced a lot with the Magnifico event and the auction and then now Interpride. I think she feels more solidly rooted in Swynlake now though as opposed to previously where a lot of her stuff was adjusting to town.

Mushu: He joined SDG, he joined Magick Grand Prix, he and Pip kissed and Phineas got jealous and mad and SDG had drama. Mushu made a wish with Magnifico and has been able to become a Dragon for real. Mushu used his dragon powers to woo Pip and go to prom with him. He’s gotten into quite a bit of the chaos that I’ve wanted for him, but of course there’s always room for more.

Shang: He found out his father died, he went to his funeral, he discovered he was bi and has had a situationship sort of thing going with Kronk here and there. He’s experienced a few crazy Swynlake events, and recently he officially joined the triad of his father so he could try to take it down.

Cruella: not much to reflect on yet, but I’m sure with time we’ll get somewhere good =] 

Other general things I want to do:

Kudos more people. Or idk maybe find a way to accept that certain stories will capture the interest or the drive to do that more. It’s been something that’s weighed on me especially lately with what can feel like very divided attention on certain stories. Just learn to embrace the nature of the kudos channel and that it doesn’t mean what I’m writing or what stories I’m interested in are boring. 

Engage in a group plot. Like the demon boys I want to bring together. I want to actually commit to a little group of people with a shared story/found family or family direction you know? I was intimidated by that in the past but I do want to try to do that and make more connections. 

Try to stick to 5-6 characters. It feels like it might be the sweet spot idk. Idk if I can commit to that, I might get too many ideas and fail at it. But I do think it allows me to focus more on the characters I have and their stories and not be stretched too thin potentially. It’s much to think about. 

Use tinder more. Or just force my characters on awkward dates or to make more interesting different connections. I like to complicate their lives where I can. Plus I would like for a few of them to experience the relationship thing a bit more. Shang is ready for one I think, and Judy thinks she should have one which is a different thing lol but something interesting to explore.

Have a character run for the board again. IDK I think it’d be time. Cruella would be perfect for that tbh but I don’t think she’s been in town long enough. Maybe I can get another muse to do something with that. IDK. It’d be interesting to explore.

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Did he want help?

Yeah. His thoughts were still trying to come together. And clearly he was so dysfunctional he couldn't shift back from his dragon. Or it was still some sort of defense mechanism. He wasn't sure. But he wasn't managing that and it was another reason the doctors were side eyeing him. But whatever.

It probably wasn't helping that he lied and said he was just learning more and not that he had wished for his dragon abilities. But Mushu wasn't ready to admit to that. Cause then it might mean there was something wrong there. "Oh yeah. That's uh... that's a great idea. Do you know where it is?" He reached up and scratched his head...or his horns... either way.

@labellerose-acheron

All the Pain *** [Open]

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Mushu was okay.

Really. Sure the world sort of exploded the other day and Mushu had barely been able to shift to a dragon to protect himself from some of the damage. And that was all good. Mostly.

Except now his horns hadn't retracted again and he had red scales all along his left side and he was pretty sure he'd lost one of his shoes. And of course there was the bandage they'd managed to put on his cut up arm that wasn't stuck and one on his head but whatever. Mushu couldn't find his left shoe. And maybe this was a stupid thing to be worried about, all things considered, but his gege had bought him those shoes a while back and... well he felt a bit sentimental about them.

"Uhh...you wouldn't happen to have seen a black and white wedge sneaker around here somewhere...would you?" Maybe it was still at Interpride. He had sort of knocked out and ended up in this place at some point.

@labellerose-acheron

All the Pain *** [Open]

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

"Hmm that's a good point," Mushu admitted. He hadn't thought very big at all, considering he could probably fly them somewhere pretty amazing. He trusted that he could do it, even if he hadn't done it before. Mushu had some pretty solid confidence.

Mushu tilted his head thoughtfully. "I could take us somewhere nice in London if you want. Probably could go further too but I think London's a smart move. You could pick wherever you'd like best."

Why not? Mushu liked Pip. Adventuring over to London to some cool restaurant for a first date and flexing his dragon skills felt like a double win. "You up for it?"

@exsqueak-me

That Don't Impress Me Much || Audition-Open!

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

60 likes

longmushu: the big 2-0. Sweeet! Never thought I'd be celebrating so far from home. And to be a bi born in pride month feels like a win. BUT this year's brought some serious gains too, especially my connection to my dragon side. Onwards and upwards. #keepballin #birthdayyy #partyon

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

"Yeah, of course!"

Mushu hadn't entirely expected Pip to go along with the offer, but now that he had of course Mushu would throw in a cool date and pay. His dad sent him enough to get by. Using the money for a date was probably way better than what his dad expected him to use it for anyway.

"Do you want to go right now or would you rather I come pick you up another day?" Mushu didn't exactly want to help other people get a shot at a date with Pip, but he had set up this whole event thing. "Or I can pick you up after your admirers leave."

@exsqueak-me

That Don't Impress Me Much || Audition-Open!

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Was it safe? Well, Mushu had never really tested it.

But like most things, Mushu was sure he could make it work. "I mean I haven't offered it before so I can get someone to test the theory first, but if I take it slow and stay low I think it'll be fine."

Mim might be on board to be a test dummy maybe. "I have horns you can hang onto and take you to like [Name Redacted] or something close to start with."

@exsqueak-me

That Don't Impress Me Much || Audition-Open!

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Maybe a warning could have helped some people. But Mushu had figured the theatrics would be part of the draw honestly. Pip was a drama guy. And maybe a few people screamed and panicked but it didn't last long. It was all for effect and stuff.

Mushu grinned, holding out the flowers to Pip. "Of course. I figured gotta go big or might as well go home for this." And really who else could turn into a Dragon and deliver flowers for a prom date? Exactly.

Mushu really thought he should be given the chance for the date. "I don't usually offer rides either, but if you ever wanted to go fly around I'd do it for you."

@exsqueak-me

That Don't Impress Me Much || Audition-Open!

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Okay, so it felt a bit funny for Mushu to be doing this when he had practically been yelled at to back off a few months ago. But you know what? Pip was looking which meant that Mushu had a shot!

And he wasn't going to be lame about it either. Mushu had seen the poster. Hot? What was hotter than a Dragon? Sexy? Well Mushu was definitely that. And interesting? Yeah, again Mushu was the best option out there. There was no way anyone else at the university was anywhere close.

Double bonus, now that he could be a Dragon and fly he could absolutely make the most showy entrance possible for a really cool guy. His father would probably grumble about this not being the most productive use of powers but who cared? Mushu was winning this prom date.

He had spent a... well a good amount of time on a poster board with the word PROM? on it with glitter that had probably gotten all over his desk in the dorm and a sketch of Pip that he had convinced that guy Finn to do for him next to the word. He'd even gotten the guy to do the headshot thing because he wasn't entirely sure how serious Pip was about that.

He then gathered all of these things and transformed into a Dragon and flew toward the park. He picked up a bunch of flowers too just for an extra nice touch before he found his way to the park. He flew circles over the other losers shooting their shot for Pip and then dove down and landed with a grace he wouldn't have managed a month ago on his back legs and transformed back, holding up his prom sign and his headshot and grinning.

"Alright, everyone else can back off now. Cause you have to go to prom with me."

@exsqueak-me

[outfit]

That Don't Impress Me Much || Audition-Open!

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Mushu put on Lay since he got him energized pretty well and he liked to embrace a Chinese artist. Then he went ahead and found a good space for himself. His lips curled up into a grin as he watched two of the people there missing with each other. He honestly thought it made the whole thing more fun and real.

"Aw no, not that best behavior stuff. I'm already in I swear." Mushu didn't want to be the one to kill the fun on his first day training for the Magick Grand Prix. He wanted to have fun with the rest of them. And maybe show off a little bit if he could. He thought that was reasonable. And okay, maybe he was just a bit competitive.

Mushu did start doing the arm circles, following instructions even while he was fantasizing about the cool training exercises they would be doing.

@cruzzramirez

New Recruit || Crushu

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Mushu was listening to each name and ability and curious about how much it could help everyone in the grand prix. He wasn't especially sure what a garden talent fairy could do in the competition, but he was sure there was something. Otherwise why would they be there?

He was most interested in the telekinesis, but either way he was excited to practice with these people and see how they worked. Mushu was ready for competition. More than ready.

Mushu stretched his arms over his head, showing that he was willing and ready to stretch and get into it. "Oh uh yeah! Not sure if you know Lay, but he's a chinese legend. There's also Big Bang or Bruno Mars is always solid."

@cruzzramirez

New Recruit || Crushu

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

This was good. This was the part Mushu was more ready for. Meeting other students interested in the sport and getting a sense of their skills or how much competition they might be. And maybe bonding. Or not. Sports were fun that way in that everyone wanted to be the best, but it could also bring out some good friendships.

Then again...the introductions part was always a bit lame.

Still, Mushu was nothing if not confident in himself. Cruz introduced herself, and he was making note of the super speed cause that was awesome, and then grinned at the people in front of him and threw up a peace sign. "Hey guys! I'm Mushu. He, him, and I'm a Dragon. I turn into a Dragon." He said it proudly, because the fact that he could do it at all felt like a miracle still. "Looking forward to training with you guys."

@cruzzramirez

New Recruit || Crushu

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Well Mushu was already physically fit to practice basketball and everything, but it couldn't hurt to be in even more shape. He was happy to get some help to get more ready for any competition. "Okay. Well I can handle a good workout. Or several." He was used to that.

The part he didn't really have trained yet was the magic part. "It hasn't been that long since I woke my dragon, so learning to work with those abilities might be the most crucial." He wanted to be stronger and know what the best way was to fly or to use his dragon skills. Or to shift some parts of himself to be effective. Like his teeth or his hands to claws. That would be useful.

"That sounds great," Mushu added after a minute. "Where do we start?"

@cruzzramirez

New Recruit || Crushu

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

Yeah Dragons didn't do rideshares. Mushu didn't think that would be dignified or cool of a Dragon to do at all. And anyway, no human really deserved that kind of treatment. Why should a Dragon lower themselves to being like a horse or a mule to serve the whims of someone else? That was insane.

No matter how much money could be made.

"Yeah? It felt like an awesome entrance," Mushu said, a smile spreading across his face. He wanted to seem majestic and cool and like a respectable Dragon. That was one of his goals. "Yeah you're right. Mountains are way different." He said it as if he knew what that was like. Mushu only ever experienced the flight from a mountain through the help of his brother.

This guy didn't need to know any of that. He could just know this cool version of Mushu. That seemed a lot better. "Well sure. I'm getting some practice in and enjoying the power of flight and stuff. And I'm not sure if I like the market you're thinking of. But maybe there is something interesting there. Personally I just think flying is awesome."

@dodgerxjones

Dodger caught the hint of prude in Mushu's tone and raised his hands in a playful surrender. "Alright, alright. No passengers. I get it. Dragons don't do rideshares." He chuckled to himself, still fascinated by Mushu, but, also ready for it to be revealed to be some kind of elaborate prank at his expense any moment now. "Gotta say, though, you're selling the whole 'majestic dragon' thing pretty well for a guy who still needs to practise. Was one hell of an entrance."

He dropped his hands, stuffing them back into his pockets, still processing exactly what was going on and the sheer concept of transformations and dragon flights. "Flying near town's trickier? Makes sense, don't it? Chimneys and nosy neighbours ain't the same as open mountains." He nodded his head smally like he was some kind of expert on the topic all of a sudden. "So, no joyrides. What's the plan, then? You just out here flexing the wings for fun? Surely, you must have some bigger dragon dreams goin' on in there. I'm telling' ya, kid, there's a market for wild talents like yours."

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

CHENLE 'Lucid' MV Behind the Scenes

[dragon-not-a-lizard]

"Yes sir," Mushu replied with a cheeky grin. He was finding himself getting excited about it all. Mushu loved a good competition. It was something he loved so much about basketball too. The competition, the adrenaline rush. The feeling when he got to get a good shot in or when his team beat the other. Even in esports there was a thrill he couldn't explain. The Magick Grand Prix seemed like the next level of it. "Thanks for the suggestion. I'll definitely get into it as soon as I can."

@lightning-kachow

Dreams Come True | Open