~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Perfectionism leaves you paralyzed, waiting for the perfect conditions so you know it’s safe to act.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ebb was born between expectation and brilliance. Her older brother, Pelagic, was always in his own world creating his little figurines, while her youngest sister was as keen as an arrow, someone whose potential showed so early in life. Ebb was average, really, for most of her life. It wasn’t until many of the dragonets of her shoal were taking their “animus test,” a tradition from the old ages that she thought it was merely a fairytale, really. They all giggled and didn’t take it seriously… until she did in fact make a coconut fly for the first time. When that creeping feeling crept into her talons for the first time. The household changed overnight. Suddenly, she was a center of attention like her youngest sister, suddenly she was known. It was addicting, for a child once merely expected to be great for the sake of it, now suddenly with the true potential to be great? Her parents’ eyes lit up in a way she never had seen for her, and it was… thrilling. They placed her onto a pedestal so high she couldn’t see the ground anymore. Ebb enchanted little things to make them glow beneath the water. She made seashells sing when touched. She enchanted jewelry for her friends so they would find their matches, would create stunning arrays of light that could follow her every move and change the lighting around her to be just right for any moment… Her parents paraded her through gatherings, spewing praises. She learned very quickly that love came with performance. If she enchanted something extraoridinary, she was adored. She enchanted instruments so they would never be out of tune. She enchanted coral to grow into intricate sculptures. She enchanted trinkets simply because someone talked about her brother and sister for just a little too long. Animus magic… leaves scars. Digs deeply into the soul, pries its talons into oneself and demands /more/ like any other greedy thing. Ebb began to feel it; a brittleness to her thoughts, a sharper edge to her temper, and a creeping belief that if she was not the most adored dragon in the room, then she was nothing at all. She became competitive with Flow, always looking to outshine her. She dismissed her older brother’s works, ignoring what she used to believe was wonderful. There was that short time before her Animus potential revealed itself. When she was creative just like her brother, a musician. She played whale-bone flutes of varying tones, she enjoyed the deep resonance of drums and how it would rattle the water… when she became an Animus though… ”Why play,” her mother had once said lightly, “when you could enchant an orchestra?” She hasn’t picked up her flutes since. eroding away overtime in her childhood room… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original base by Roselock22
