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'' Strange fish call our seas home, but nothing stands next to the Hagfish. They're repugnant, disgusting and fierce beasts that lurk beneath the waves. We thought we were the bad ones for eating them, but they show no brains. '' '' They live in kelp forests, sometimes using jetsam as part of their nesting grounds. They cant comprehend our language, and something about them is off. They look almost like us, they almost feel like us, and they ALMOST act like us. '' '' But its all in a different manner, a twisted one. They get defensive as our ships sail across their territory, they dont like us, and we dont like them. ''

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much like the red star itself, i inevitably circle back to Pern

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Got the pleasure to draw these 2 gorgeous gods

Niv Mizzet vs Nicol Bolas

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I listened to a song and this happened…

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Dragons & Folklore de France

Translation below

The Tarasque dwells in the waters of the Rhone river near the town of Tarascon, where it devours travelers and destroys dikes and dams to flood the Camargue. Saint Martha chained it, and the people of Tarascon killed it.

The ruins of the amphitheaters of Metz were infested by hundreds of snakes. The largest of them, the Graoully, had a venomous breath, a mouth bigger than its body and devoured men. Saint Clement chased it away into the Seille River.

King of serpents, the Basilisk takes many forms throughout history and appears in many tales. One of them takes place at the Gate of Saint-Eloi in Bordeaux, known today for its Big Bell, where a well was occupied by a Basilisk. It petrified with its gaze anyone who went there to fetch water. It was defeated by a man returning from the Egyptian crusade, who petrified the beast with its own gaze using a mirail (mirror).

The Cocatrix is born from a rooster's egg incubated by a toad. The egg has magical properties but must not be broken. People who cross its gaze die immediatly.

Made of wicker and covered in flowers, the Grand Bailla wanders the streets of Reims three days a year and feeds on gold and sweets. It was banished by Archbishop Charles Maurice le Tellier.

The Grand'Goule haunts the marshes of Poitou, the waters of the Clain and the flooded cellars of the abbey of Sainte Croix. It feeds on nuns and casse-museaux (snout-breakers, cakes). Saint Radegonde chased it away with holy water.

In the rivers of the Jura and the Alps there is a group of diverse dragons, the Vouivres. They are generally flying serpents covered in fire and guardians of treasures. Many have for a single eye a gigantic carbuncle with extraordinary powers, desired by those in search of wealth and power.

Hidden in the caves of la Pointe du Roux near La Rochelle, the Rô Beast traps and devours travelers in the coastal marshes. It was impaled by seven heroic pagans from the seas.

Mythical dragon of the Basque Country, Herensuge gave birth to the Sun and the Moon, swallowed all of Creation in ten days then regurgitated it in flames. Now asleep in the mountains, it sucks up flocks and shepherds in his sleep. When it wakes up, it will destroy the world in flames and blood. (illustration)

Durandal is the mythical sword that Charlemagne gave to the knight Roland. Some claim that it was inherited from Hector, the warrior of the Trojan War. At war with the Saracens in the Pyrenées, Roland wanted to break the sword so that it would not fall into the hands of the enemy but Durandal split the mountain. So he threw the sword, which went to stick miles away, in the rock of the town of Rocamadour.

The belief in the Tooth Fairy is widespread in several countries in Europe, and is sometimes amalgamated with La Petite Souris (little mouse). It exchanges baby teeth for money. No one knows what it does with all these teeth.

The Camecruse is a bogeyman that haunts the moors and marshes of Gascony. It is agile, can jump and hide in the night to better devour lost children. No one knows exactly how it feeds.

The caves under the hill of the town of Hastingues are home to Lou Carcolh, a monstrous snail, long, slimy and hairy. Its shell is as big as a house. With the help of its tentacles, it grips people to devour them.

The Questing Beast is hunted by kings and heroes in Arthurian legends. It symbolizes evil, incest, violence and chaos, and takes it name from the loud noises that come out of its stomach, similar to the barking of dozens of dogs.

The fairy Mélusine, cursed princess of Albania, was condemned to change into a snake below the waist every Saturday. She married Raymondin de Lusignan with whom they had 10 prodigious children. But Raymondin broke his promise never to see Mélusine on Saturday : he surprised her in her monstrous form, and she left her family forever.

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you have been seen you will be eaten

knuckers are my favorite dragons

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Golden Dragon by Michael Whelan (1994)

Cover for Anne McCaffrey’s The Girl Who Heard Dragons

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“apologist.” “critical.” y’all are doing too much. when my favorite characters do evil reprehensible shit I simply don’t fucking care cause it’s not real

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WOF tribe wingspan concepts:

Read below cut for close-ups of the individual wings + the thought process / headcannons behind the design choices: 👇

Skywing: Huge wingspan to body ratio, meant for catching air current with ease, and soaring great distances, even days on end without rest. It can also assist in billowing fire, mainly from the sheer power & air that flapping their wings can generate. Inspired by seabirds such as gulls & albatrosses, all equipped for traveling overseas.

Mudwing: Rounded wings to assist in parachuting and carrying more wind under a Mudwing’s muscled & bulky form. Striped patterns underneath wingspan resemble swamp reeds and algae when hunting. Given Mudwings are ambush predators, their wings are inspired by birds such as owls, which despite tending to be larger birds of prey, are very silent predators.

Sandwings: Coiled wingtips which mimic their barbed tails in flight. They have wavy line like patterns underneath, meant to resemble shifting dunelines or freckled sand spots. Sandwings have the largest wingspan next to Skywings, due to their requirement of flying long distances across the desert. Primarily inspired by vultures, and carrion birds meant to soar & circle.

Seawings: Fin-like Wings better equipped for swimming than flying. These wingspans are Manta Ray inspired, with dolphin-like tail ends connecting all the way to the wing tips. Depending on genetics, some seawings are born with more shark-like tail ends.

Nightwing: Sleek & recognizable wing shape, commonly associated with all dragon imagery. Their wingspan is inspired by bats, making them equipped for gripping craggy rock ledges, and blending into the night, since they can easily furl around their body.

Rainwing: Decorative and frilled wings. Inspired by Macaw/frilled lizards. Their wings mimic the same frills on their necks & tailbase, and can come in a variety of colors & patterns underneath. Stripes, spots, & swirls are all common sights. These wings are meant more for gliding, but also serve simultaneously as threat and courtship displays with the right whorls of color.

Icewings: Icewings have ridged wings which mimic icicles and shattered glaciers. Their wings feature sharp, narwhal-like spines at the tips. Similar to their serrated claws, they are perfect for stabbing into ice for balance, or spearing seals & fish. They can also hold dragon/prey firmly in place, and easily scewer an opponent in flight if needed.

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Thank you for this I was wondering so badly what the source image was.

Regarding the fish with the weird tentacle thing that @evolutionsvoid mentioned, this is it.

No, that is not a spout. Yes, that is a weird fleshy thing.

So what is this supposed to be anyway?

It's referred to as the reversus indicus, or Indian upside-down fish. It is actually a remora.

This interpretation of the remora came from stories of remoras being used to hunt turtles and seals. You tie a rope to the remora's tail, it swims off and sticks to a larger animal, and then you reel them in. The name "reversus" comes from the fact that it sticks upside down to other animals (and generally looks weird).

Somewhere along the line this got interpreted as the remora being this big serpenty fish that aggressively seeks out other animals and uses a sort of fleshy tentacley thing to grab them. As you can see in the picture, there's the turtle and seal!

And yes, that means that there were multiple versions of the remora floating (ha) around, the ship-delayer and the seal-catcher. That's just how it worked.

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Tribe Banner concept art:

Folks seemed to enjoy my WOF WIPS, so here’s more concept art for y’all! My favorite thing about WOF is the potential for world building. I thought it’d be cool to see a tribe emblem represented on a banner/flag of sorts:

Read below for some of the thought process / headcannons behind the design choices: 👇

Skywing Banner:

Skywings pride themselves on 3 things; treasure, fire, & their enormous, soaring wingspan which steals the sky.

As such, portrayed on the banner, the fabric (often made with dyed cow or goat leathers) resembles draped dragon wings. Two Skywings embrace a goblet, which is spewing golden fire.

The banner is often held aloft with iron or gold poles, signifying to other tribes their wealth and pride.

Mudwing banner:

These banners are fashioned with leather hides from cow or crocodile skin, held aloft with bamboo, and painted with a Talon-print & Reed crest.

The talonprint symbolizes community and the strength of Mudwing sibling bonds. The reed border unifies all Mudwings regardless of their relationship to home; the swamp. Bigwings are often seen carrying these into battle, signifing their status and making it easier for a sib to locate them in the flurry of a fight.

Sandwing Banner:

Sandwing flags are made with camel skins and dyed cactus leather.

A crest shows a Sandwing coiled around a beaming sun, a reminder that despite the revered 3 moons, Sandwings are born to thrive in sunlight.

The fabric is cut in a way to mimic the swooping dunes of Sandwing territory. And the poles of the flags are equally intricate, with scorpion tails and golden ropes which frame the banner.

These flags make prominent appearances in parades, festivals, and markets, and even miniature version are often displayed in homes or as tapestries/carpets.

Seawing banner:

These banners are often seen displayed in royal quarters or councils, or above land to mark territory.

A nautilus shell crest on front echoes the swirl-pattern associated with royal Seawings: The banner’s borders resemble waves and a dragon swimming beneath their surface.

These are crafted with rich materials, strung with seashells, pearls, silver dollars, and deep oceanic color fabric. There is severe penalty for Seawings found plucking treasure from the banners, as they are a direct symbol of royalty.

Nightwing Banner:

These banners emphasize the Nightwings’ relationship to the moon, their source of power and praise. The material, a contrast of white stitching against purple velvet showcases moonlight and night, black scales against stars, magic and mystery.

They are seen decorated with 3 moons at the top and a centered dragon reaching up into the night sky.

These banners were often used during the war as secret code by spies to deliver to other tribes. Prophecy scrolls often came attached, delivering cryptic messages or secrets in the night. These banners all helped add to the secrecy of the Dragonet Prophecy, and kept tribes on their toes around Nightwings.

Rainwing banner:

Rainwing banners are not used for battle purposes like other tribes, most are mere decoration, location indicators, and have no unified design.

However, It is said back when Rainwings left the rainforest to trade pre-war, this particular banner design was often raised above Rainwing merchant tables, and showcases the coiled tail of a Rainwing with leaves, vines, and other sights from the rainforest adorning a bamboo pole. Bright color combinations accentuated the flag to entice curious customers.

Now, only one tattered version of the original Rainwing banner remains, displayed proudly in Queen Glory’s quarters, a reminder that building the Rainwings’ community is their most important goal.

Icewing Banner:

These banners reflect the same standards Icewings hold themselves to.

Like a visual of the rankings themselves, each banner is cut perfectly from an Icewing’s trained, serrated claws to resemble icicles, and crafted with fine blue stitching.

Flags are often held aloft with perfectly polished narwhal horn or bone, and can be inlaid with sapphires or diamond.

Icewing soldiers are often gifted these during ceremonies, and perform training exercises with the flags to test their stance/attentiveness. The crest showcases the swift sharpness of ice through a flying dragon, and a snowflake toward the bottom reminding Icewings that even minuscule snowflakes, small things, should be perfect in form.

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Meet Socks!

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WOF tribe delicacies / treats concepts:

Hey folks! This one was the recent winner of the WOF poll, so here’s my concept art that headcannons foods each tribe is most recognized for!

We know Dragons can hunt on the go, but a prepped meal shared amongst clawmates is more cherished than picking fur out of your teeth!

Not a ton of lore undercut this time. It was super fun drawing fantasy dishes, as I rarely ever draw food or dishware. It was truly a good challenge in creativity and recounting types of the foods mentioned in the series!

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kill the imposter syndrome in your head because not only is there someone out there doing it worse than you, they’re also using chat gpt to do it

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Skywing Gladiator Helmets Part 2:

Part 1 + Lore behind these helmets, and why Skywings incorporated them in the arena!

Had way too much fun with the first batch of Skywing helmets, so now we have a baker’s dozen of them! Love drawing armor, even tricky ones like these guys are.

Average Skywing head base/measurement for Helmets:

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Skywing Gladiator Helmet concepts: Part 1

Part 2 ⬅️ more designs

To me, the Skywing arena was the most memorable parts of the first book, and I liked the idea of Scarlet having consistent champions outside of prisoners, like Peril, that were used as actual fighters. Similar to the Roman colosseum’s style of fighting.

With how extravagant Scarlet’s punishments, hatching day, etc. are described, (she loves her bloody entertainment & fan fair). There’s no way she’d allow for her champions to go undecorated in the arena. Additionally, Skywings are implied to be the most battle experienced tribe, so they should have armor that reflects this sentiment.

Aside from the lore drop, I absolutely love rendering metal & armor, this was just an excuse for me to do that lol. It’s very interesting trying to fit helmets to dragon anatomy opposed to human anatomy. Gotta accommodate for horns, ears, and the snout. Really cool learning how to work around it!

Skywing average measurements/head base for helmets: