#tigracespace

FUN FACTS TIME!!!

Those white dots under her eyes are actually makeup. They're a traditional Jokani symbol of beauty in terms of makeup styles, while her eyeshadow also helps to hide her scars on her eye. ~

Her canon height is 7' 3'', while her human disguise measures 6' 7''. ~

She got a MAJOR OVERHALL with her tattoos... In total she has 5, if you don't count them in pairs: ~ ~ The white shoulder Siren/Progenitor ones (think Mycenaean-Greek art style) on both her biceps, as a way to show that she will always be there to carry her wife's (Elbent's) burdens, as well as to mimic her octopus tentacles to show how much Asya loves them and finds them beautiful..... She got them done right after her wedding to Verglaust and Elbent, by Blue Heron (@hyraxas OC)~ ~ ~ The gold star dreamcatchers on her surgery scars, to highlight her top surgery AND bottom surgery as her way of "crowning" her dream come true. Her bottom surgery scar tattoo can be seen over her womb area, with the stars pointing upwards from the crescent shaping her crotch, since the scars are.... you know.... ON the area. ¬3¬' ~

Kat (the artist who made this) made the brilliant idea of further differing the two subspecies of Dragonkin in Joka Ardhi: the common Opal Dragonkin and the royal tailor-bred Ruby Dragonkin..... And that's best seen by Asya's paws for feet, and her HORNS~ ~ ....... All Dragonkin have the same evolutionary trait shared amongst them with their horns, as their horns are in fact hollow inside, surrounded by years of layers upon layers of keratin to strengthen it for use in their adulthood, but all horns have a thin and spongy core within them known as their "Horn Cores". A Dragonkin's horn core contains a collection of vital liquid components such as: ~ Sulfur (the fuel source within their bodies that powers their fire) ~ Sun Dust (a golden dust that is in fact magic made physical by the crimson sand of Joka Ardhi, turned red by the spilled blood of dragons, baked in the never-ending harsh sun over the eons since the Founder's War and turned into a layer of literal dust above the sand and absorbed by the fauna and people of Jokani society, with too much of it being absorbed by an individual making them become Sun Blessed and developing fire powers nearly as strong as a Ruby Dragonkin) ~ Nutrient Rich Blood ~ A piece of their Dragonkin fire These are stored in the horns as a back-up supply to fuel their flames in tougher times, and help them not only to survive during famines and dry seasons in the desert, akin to a camel storing water in their hump, but it's also used as a way to show off their strength, age, and beauty to help attract a mate. The older and magically stronger the Dragonkin, the longer their horns will be and therefore will have more rings, due to a longer core storing more of their emergency stash of fuel for their fire and strength. ~

...... Appearance wise, Opal Dragonkin are not only born with stronger and more muscular frames, a tail with only a tuft of black fur at the tip, as well as their feet being reptilian claws that can withstand long journeys on sand, they also have actual RINGS or ridges in their horns, mimicking the local fauna such as antelope or cows, and come in a wider variety of shapes than a Ruby Dragonkin would.

In short... Opal Dragonkin have RINGS along their horns that are linear and organized in a pattern along the length of their horns. ~

Ruby Dragonkin, however, were designed into what they are from the moment they begin developing in the womb through genetic alterations (ie, forcing the baby within the pregnant queen to absorb entire liters worth of Sun Dust by having the mother bathe in it for weeks on end... the mother is not affected by this aside from minor bouts of fire magic that wears off) to house MORE MAGIC AND POWER than anyone else in all of Joka Ardhi. Combine that with the ensured survival of Alunnui's bloodline (the first Dragon Lord of Joka Ardhi and the first Ruby Dragonkin) through the royal family.... And you get paws instead of claws for feet and horns that have mutated to become so fire themed that the ridges are instead all over the place, just like veins of magma within a volcano. On top of that... a Ruby Dragonkin's horn core are a lot longer and wider than an Opal's for this obvious genetic mutation enforced onto them intrauterine/during their gestation. This makes their horns a lot more fragile than an Opal's, but given enough time to mature and grow stronger with age and training, and their horns will grow longer and gain more layers of keratin that will shield their horn cores better. ~

........ However, ALL DRAGONKIN HORNS DO NOT GROW BACK IF BROKEN. If left untreated after a small fracture on one or both horns, the horn will leak or bleed their core to the brink of emptiness, while a complete breaking of the horn will make the symptom only occur sooner, as the Dragonkin will then experience what's known as Hollow Sickness. ~

They will become dizzy, nauseous, unable to stand or keep their balance for hours or days, suffer from severe migraines and deeply torturous pain in their horn stumps or the area in their horns that's fractured/cracked, and only when the fracture is patched up using keratin treatment sealing glue or a prosthetic is placed onto the missing horn/s will the sickness subside. If the horns cannot be refilled after a month or two of rest and replenishing their Sun Dust and sulfur levels..... the Dragonkin will enter a deep depression and become unable to eat or move, slowly withering away until they die from exhaustion and starvation. ~

.... Thus, to break a Dragonkin's horns is considered the cruelest way to cause them the most agonizingly slow death. For even with prosthetics and their diet altered to refill their new cores..... A Dragonkin missing their horns feels like they are missing an entire limb used for survival. The depression such a loss causes can never be healed. As such, most Dragonkin would consider the breaking of their horns aimed closest to their heads, which would cause their skulls to fracture due to the horns literally being connected to them via major arteries and bone, to be a more merciful and quicker means of killing them. ~

And to finish this off with a more cute and fun fact...... Asya's ears measure a total of ten inches and are highly sensitive. Stroke them and you'll end up with a very happy purring kitten to deal with~ ;3 ~

......... I just wanted to add real quick here, that while the angle doesn't show it, Asya's tail tip of fur is shaped like an oval..... and it's supposed to be akin to a Dakotaraptor's tail~ You can see what I mean HERE and HERE.