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RadSpyro β Commish: Ddraig and Alexander
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Published: 2016-02-08 20:47:08 +0000 UTC; Views: 723; Favourites: 16; Downloads: 2
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Commission for Ddraigtanto of their OCs, Ddraig and Alexander!Ddraig and Alexander belong to Ddraigtanto .
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Comments: 185
Aah, cute! 
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I'm so glad you like it. Thanks for commissioning me!
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Wow, I didn't realise you'd commissioned this! Daaawwwww...
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Heh, on another note, I know Ddraig's supposed to be the bigger of the two, but it certainly is cuter when Alex is the bigger and she can cuddle up to him...
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Yeah. I think, even if she's not necessarily as large as she used to be, but hey, she's still a fighter.
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Hmm? Not sure what you mean?
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I, I'm not sure. But, I don't think it'd do anything to lessen her flare if she got smaller. I know she didn't actually get smaller, but from the perspective of the picture, it's cute.
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Oh, I get you; she wouldn't let her size stop her from doing anything...she'd soldier on, like Selena would. I suppose it could also be that when sitting down like this, Ddraig looks smaller, or she might sit in a way where she looks smaller, so that she can cuddle up to Alexander and get his attention...
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Indeed. As to sitting down, if she did seem a bit less huge and imposing when she sat down, that would make her look a bit more approachable when she's actually doing her court sessions, public and private.
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Could have a dual purpose, then...she does it because she's noticed it makes her look less imposing at court, and so she likes the idea of being more motherly in general (perhaps she starts sitting like that when Elwynn's born, so she's being instinctively maternal), and then finds that with that sort of pose, she can be snuggled by Alexander better...
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Indeed. It'd be a bit like Angela Merkel and Germany, where being a paternal/maternal ruler is kinda normal... Except, more.
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Sounds good! It'll be a nice little addition to the series...and I think it'll be cute if Ddraig discovers inadvertently that Alexander thinks she's cute when she sits like that and goes all affectionate; I can picture her sitting like that with a sleeping Elwynn in one foreleg, and going over some papers at the same time, and Alexander would surprise her by lying down beside her and being all cuddly, so she'd be a bit startled at first, but would quickly burrow into him and then they'd go over the paper together, and Ddraig could do this in future to attract him to get a hug!
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I sort of worried that it'd sound like Ddraig was using her body to get her way, but that's not what I'm picturing at all; more...it's just body language that the two would know to react to. You know how a teenager who's sulking will go to their room if they want to be alone, but stay out in the main room if they want attention from someone? Or something like that? It'd be that Ddraig would know to act in a certain way if she wanted Alexander to come and give her a cuddle or fuss over her or that sort of thing...this wouldn't make her a weak character, either; it's good to let others help you and avoid carrying an entire burden yourself...or she could just be feeling affectionate and want a cuddle (course, if she and Alexander were in amorous moods, I imagine they would use their bodies suggestively...but that'd be the ONLY time they would).
In any case, it'll be a cute scene...
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Oh, it'd be no worse than female politicians having to make themselves look all pretty and whatever in human politics; body language is an important part of one's image, and image is as big a part of political branding as policies or rhetoric nowadays anyway*. Ddraig's political branding is that of a caring and protectie motherly figure (formerly fatherly figure) for her country, and so being approachable and kindly looking would play into that: She has teeth, of course, but those teeth are kept in their mouth unless she needs to fight for whatever she thinks is best for the country.
...I expect, however, she's not an expert in the idea of political branding, but Alex might be. Before he came on side, her appearance might be a bit more inconsistent, waving between the tough leader and the caring parental sort, but with Alexander's expertise on scene, he'll help her create a stronger, more consistent political image. She may object a little bit, but it'll get results. Hell, as you said, him coming and cuddling or supporting her, while is totally sincere and heartfelt, would be good for his image too: Up to that point, he'd been the hard-nosed, stiff, formal King of the Netherlands, but with Ddraig, he builds a much more caring, warmer image for himself, and that between them, Avalar's in safe hands.
Sorry, I KNOW I'm going at it from the side of politics a lot, but political marketing is one of the big parts of my course this year, and when you talk about all this sort of thing, I just see it from a political branding sort of perspective by force of habit. From a story perspective, it would be cute, yes, but it'd also have political implications too.
*This, of course, brings me back to Germany, and Angela Merkel. As I said, her whole shtick is the 'mother of Germany' sort of brand, to the extent that a huge part of her political marketing for the 2013 elections in Germany played on the idea of Germany being 'in good hands' with her in charge, playing on a 'Merkel Diamond' shape she habitualy makes with her hands osocio.org/wp-content/uploads/β¦ ...Not sure entirely how it plays into Avalarian politics though, aside from the whole Maternal themes of it all.
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I really do enjoy reading about people writing with politics in mind 
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Hmmm, yeah. I gotta be honest, I find it REALLY hard to write a conservative/right wing character sympathetically, and you can thank the bullshittery of the Tories for that one. ...Hell, Alex is pretty much just liberal or libertarian, he isn't really THAT right wing in the grand scheme of things The closest I'd say I'd get to a sympathetic right winger in my work is Li, and I'm about ready to downgrade him from Lawful Good to Lawful Neutral.
Still, it's a challenge, and I take those in my stride. My pony work is another area for that, since Otto is rather non-ideological, or at least in theory. I think, the problem lies with my protagonists, as they always seem to embody the politics I'm okay with, Ddraig being the pinnacle of that: It really does show my biases. :S
I DO try to avoid strawmen though: Li for example is a fascist, pure and simply authoritarian despot; BUT, authoritarian regimes do have their perks which Democratic societies often don't; for that, I cite the graphic novel Judge Dredd: America, which I'm using as part of my dissertation for politics: The judges want to impose order and peace at all costs, including rights and liberties. The titular Dredd is "all up for rights, but not at the cost of order... ...Justice has a price, [and] the price is freedom" The same is pretty much true of Li: He's all up for giving his people rights and liberties, but only to the extent that they don't risk upsetting his authority, or the order he's out to maintain in the Empire. There's also economic benefits, since his regime has been all about driving up productivity and safety standards in the industries of places like Indonesia; the mines, farms and factories have far better working conditions and wages than their equivalents in our world. I rather see it a lot like Eastern Germany, on reflection: Everyone has a job, everyone is well fed and accounted for, but their lives are quite heavily monitored by the state, perhaps not to the extent of the GDR, as the regime isn't really ideological, aside from a strong anti-American sentiment. You won't find a McDonalds or Coca Cola in Indomalaya, for instance. It's not perfect, of course; there's a lot of smuggling, there's been government corruption from underlings, and criminal gangs do have a hold on some of the poorer parts of the major cities, but no country is perfect.
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Heh,Β I still do not like the irrational decisions Alexander took when he wanted to win the imperial crown; butΒ I never thought he was conservative though, just liberal (which is right-wing in my country, since we barely have conservatives). And liberalism makes plenty of sense, doesn't it? So many awful nations have imposed restrictions on their citizens while claiming they had their best interest in mind; a simple mild generalisationΒ fallacy (who doesn't generalise?) and you have a sympathetic liberal.
Still, I appreciate you trying to write out of your comfort zone in this.Β One thing I try to do when writing characters I disagree with (when writing a little fanfic from Jeremy Rankin's viewpoint, for example), is trying to imagine a time and place where their convictions would have made perfect sense (when seen from their viewpoint) and not just out of selfishness but derived from rational thinking. For conservatism, an example would be this: the English people in 1804. Napoleon had crowned himself emperor, betraying the anti-monarchist revolution he had stood for, and was quickly destabilising Europe. More laws, one more radical than the other, quickly followed each other in France and were pressed by the autocratic Bonaparte. People in England saw the bedding of their nation shake, and many would have swung to conservatism, trying to counter what they saw as "change for the sake of change". Take a couple of those (or other people in a situation witnessing a revolution gone awry), who have never quite gotten around to disconnect their mind-pictures of rapid reformation and bloody revolution, and you will have one with a conservative mindset, but genuinely out of concern for their citizens and wariness of rapid change.
Such a thing can be devised for any opinion. It's mostly populists who are next to impossible to write sympathetically
Hmm, I do like what you have done with Li. He's one of your ~300 characters that really sticks in my mind. Comparing Indomalaya to Eastern Germany is an interesting one too.
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Hmmm, interesting. Thanks for the tips.
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Sounds good! And another good thing is that this is something that Ddraig would be already happy to do...get to be all maternal and loving and cradle hatchlings while she rules normally and her mate sits protectively with her? Seems like a pretty good deal to me! I expect up until now, Ddraig just did what came naturally, and then when Alexander came on the scene, he helped her refine it all and fix anything that she wasn't doing so well. I'm not sure he'd have been aware of the notion of dragons in general preferring maternal rulers...well, he might have known of it, but never really witnessed or experienced it, and so be a bit questioning about whether it would hold up in the modern age. Perhaps Marcus...no, wait, the Guardians! Perhaps Terrador and the others come around to see Elwynn (with Ddraig being only to happy to show her adorable hatchling to everyone so they can fuss over him too!), and he could then tell her how the people will be happy to see a return to the days of having a mother Queen rule over them, and explain to her that she should take Elwynn with her to court. Both she and Alexander would be a bit suspect, thinking this unprofessional, but she'd do it, and the draconic members of court wouldn't object at all, and would instead be silently approving...
Heh, it's good! It makes everything more realistic...
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Awesome...and it'll be a great little scene; imagine Ddraig being advised to take her baby to work and fuss over him as she would if it was the weekend! She'd love it!
Plus, as noted, Elwynn's presence actually gives Ddraig a bit more control over the Court...nobody's going to risk doing anything loud or accusing that would rouse a little hatchling and make him cry; they'd be treated to an epic glare from Ddraig and family, and potentially the rest of the court for doing something so culturally wrong!
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Indeed. The mother card is a pretty powerful tool in that sense.
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And a pretty good deal in Ddraig's opinion...you get power and respect, and also love and a bond from hatchlings and a doting mate...win/win!
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Indeed. Plus, as the child ages, it becomes accustomed with the court environment, which itself is a bit of a double-edged sword.
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Indeed! Elwynn probably always did find it quite interesting...we need to show his smart side more! Selena does have a point, but she is being overly pessimistic and bitter, and not seeing his good sides...
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Going back to the other thing, I'm tempted to get a headshot picture of Ddraig smiling blissfully...as she's nuzzled from all sides by her mate and children. It's good to be the Queen!
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Erm, sure, go for it.
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It'd really just be showing how happy she is now...she's got a great big loving family, which is all she ever wanted!
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It could easily be one of her birthdays, or her family perking her up because she's sad about something...or it could be a dream of hers?
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Yeah, birthday woud be nice.
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Heh, that could make for a cute short...say, what if it's the far future? It could be Ddraig's 80th birthday or something ridiculous like that, and so both she and Alexander are a bit grey (there's bound to be a pun in there), and Elwynn's now Emperor, and Ddraig ends up being surprised with a big cake and birthday celebrations, which the whole family have turned up to? She might be feeling sad about being so old now, but they'll help her chase those feelings away because she'll figure "Yeah, I'm old, but on the plus side, I've got this huge family now..."
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Ah, perhaps, yeah. Could be cool to look at such a world.
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Especially because we'd get to see the next generation of characters, too! I can picture Ddraig being rushed by all these adorable little hatchlings who are calling her "Grandma" or "Nana" or something, and she's happy to see them...and we could see how all the other characters are looking; I can picture Elwynn and Jessie looking very regal, and Elwynn still having his old charm, but having an air of wisdom about him, and a few of their kids displaying the familiar old Lucien red scales...and Alexandria with a LOT of hatchlings...well, actually, they'd all be adults now; it'd be THEIR hatchlings who'd be the ones Ddraig would be fussing over, and Selena with...hmm, well, I had a mental image of her with a hatchling who's all shy, and so she'd be smiling, and letting the hatchling hide behind her...
Ah, this'd be cute!Β
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Indeed. It'd be good to see how far they all came.
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I'm thinking it'd be a one-off short...just a brief glimpse into the future! Then the only other short going ahead this far would be showing some of the characters as spirits exploring the afterlife...avoiding all the dark and messy stuff in between.
But enough about that; any ideas for who the di Avalaria descendants would be? As noted, I think there should be at least one Princess Tanni who's not in the direct line of succession...she could be one of Elwynn's younger kids' daughters, perhaps? Oh, and I think Alexandria would have the most kids (five, perhaps?), followed by Elwynn (three?), followed by Selena (two)...
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Sure.
I've not thought that far ahead yet, to be honest.
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I should note whenever I suggest a future afterlife story, it's not cause I want to kill off characters or anything, it's just that...well, I find afterlife settings fascinating, and think it'd be cool to see what the characters get up to in that. Course, we could also achieve that effect with the Danthe's Inferno idea...
All good; neither have I, really...I suppose we should keep it in mind, though, in case any designs or ideas for names spring up...hmm, it does occur to me that Elwynn and Jessie's kids are going to be an interesting colour; he's Green and Blue, and she's Red and Yellow?
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Of course.
Yeah, that's a good point. ...I hadn't even considered colours either... That's going to be quite out there...
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Plus, it would allow for a story where Ddraig could have a fluffy moment with her mother again, and then get shown around (in such a scene, I picture Ddraig pretty much burrowed and small against her mother's side, and Selena with a wing over her as they walk) and introduced to certain famous dragons by her mother...
I only just thought of it now; I was thinking about the red Lucien scales showing up again, and I went "Wait...red and green?"
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