no subject

[aroberuka]

Some Dragonlance daemon headcanons I initially shared for this year’s Snowflake Challenge! I’ve been jotting them down whenever I’ve needed a quick and easy distraction to go with my series reread, so they’re a bit of a mess, but I still stand by them.

 

Dalamar: Ambitious, of course; good at hiding his emotions always, but when he emotes he emotes hard; bit of a drama, bit of a troll; gender: fairytale witch. Also curious, inquisitive; friendly and demonstrative when it suits him. => Isara; I still think a red fox fits to a t (though I do like a snake as an alternative); for extra aesthetic points the red fox can be black.

Goldmoon: Uses her status as a mask. Used to be worshipped, and believed it. Slow to warm up to others but full of love. She’s mostly a straightforward healer type but I think it gets interesting twofold: chieftain’s daughter, aka how she reacts to the pressure of a cutthroat political climate by hardening herself; and the prevalence of questioning in her quest: why did the gods abandon us, why did they punish the innocent, am I doing the right thing? => Kinnah; I like a fallow deer for her (white, for bonus symbolism)

Tanis: Anxiety™. A leader in the purest sense, which is to say that he doesn’t do much except get people where they need to be. Constantly double-guessing everything. Tactful, diplomat. Natural mediator. A deeply private, introspective man. Also: didn’t have a family growing up and gets overprotective of the one he makes, tired of death/values sanctity of life, easily ashamed of his own flaws. Born of two worlds, belonging to neither. Impatient. => Aeffie, yellow-winged bat

Gilthanas: Used to be cheerful and carefree, but everything changed when the fire dragons attacked. Based on what we see, probably a bit flighty, dabbling in everything but not committing to anything (until he falls for Silvara, hard). Not unfriendly, but still caught up in expectations of being his father’s son and full of deeply rooted prejudices. => Sekundah, northern cardinal

Tasslehoff: Kender! Child-like, endlessly curious and adventurous, always looking for novelty. For all this, unexpectedly dependable to his friends, though it might take him a while to get there. Soft-hearted, cannot stand to see someone, anyone, in distress and do nothing about it. A good bean. => Shenni, cozumel raccoon

Raistlin: The strong moral core, the deep running anger, the sheer outrage at how much life sucks for the small, the sick, the forgotten – himself first of all. The refusal to compromise or accept any kind of sympathy. The intelligence, the disdain, and of course the drama (Raistlin made grandstanding declarations and cackled evilly so Dalamar could rip his robes open and show his scars to make a point). => Sothia; I know it’s cliché, but I keep coming back to the many, many comparisons to a spider and it fits so: tarantula

Alhana: Proud, imperious, but with a certain innocence about the ways of the world, not quite a spoiled brat but very used to getting her way and willing to use coercion if needed; the absolute bravery of going for help alone though. Superstitious, or at least looking for signs; the trauma from losing her homeland and father, the deep respect for Sturm, Goldmoon, Tanis; slow to but ultimately willing to change. => Atropel, burmese star tortoise

Tika: The bravery and kindness that leads her to jump into trouble for friends and strangers, more than once. Once she's dragged into the fray she's determined to handle herself, but keeps comparing herself negatively to others. Clenches her teeth and endures in silence until she breaks under the weight. Fierce temper (mandatory for all redheads in 90s fantasy literature), though mostly in sequels. => Karim, pilgrim goose

Silvara: We don’t have that much, but we do have looking for purpose, obedience to duty, kindness, playing behind the scenes. => Aurwen, mouse deer!

Kitiara: It's all about ruthless ambition, and the refusal to be tied down, by anyone; fire, drive, and a truckload of charisma, people are drawn to her even as they know she's bad news; manipulative, smarter than a smart thing. => Mahamut, norwegian forest cat

Elistan: We somehow know very little about Elistan (tbh I mostly remember him as ‘that character Margaret Weis tried to ditch in book 2 but Hickman was like ‘you can’t, we need him’) but: spiritual leader in big time Crisis; questing for the gods, questing for the truth. A willingness to temper faith with reason, to extend help even to the undeserving. => Balla; bloodhound

Bupu: Sloane, maned rat, next.

Crysania: I don’t seem to have notes on Crysania but: the parallels with Raistlin, the ambition and drive tempered with the barest hint of compassion, the hard-earned wisdom, the pride, yeah no I got this one. => Orel, asian giant hornet

Sturm: Honor before reason, though not quite before reason, actually; melancholy, prone to depression; well-disciplined; courage pride and nobility, sure, but also a kid clinging to his inheritance after a pretty messed up series of events, desperate to go home only to find out home isn’t what he idealized. => Bertille, long-haired german shepherd

Riverwind: Deeply private, hides his feelings, that’s all I got?

… okay no hold on I can do better: his devotion to Goldmoon mixed with disappointment, whenever she tries to hide her true self; the determination and drive that led to finding the blue crystal staff, the refusal to accept his lot in life. Starts off deeply mistrusting, but willing to be proven wrong; goes for distrusting elves on principle to calling Tanis his brother. => Resha, serow

Caramon: Fighty fighter who fights. Slow, but not stupid. Learned to be his brother’s caretaker first and his own person second, and takes six books and a whole lot of additional trauma to unlearn it. Everyone’s mother hen (it’s that good old compulsive need to be needed). => Comfort; with much love, domestic cow (salers)

Flint: Big grandpa energy. Creative type. Anxious, doesn’t trust easily, grumps about everything and everyone; definitely a glass half-empty type. Unofficially adopted Tanis, then Caramon and Raistlin, then Sturm, then Tika, then Laurana, can you see a trend yet. Just wanted to live the rest of his life in warmth and comfort, and honestly he’d earned it. Unwavering loyalty: when he cares, he cares enough to resist supernatural fear. Protect him. => Hestria, amami rabbit

Porthios: Cold, serious and stern, a good but harsh leader, arrogant, proud, quick to anger, but smart; his siblings don’t think he has it in his heart to love anyone, which is harsh; took on the reponsibilities of his people at a young age and it aged him. => Belimar, secretary bird

Laurana: Princess turned general turned diplomat; probably the character who changes the most between her first and last appearance, from spoiled little girl to genuinely competent leader, but all along headstrong, defiant, and determined to hold her own even when she’s terrified out of her wits. Kinda bad at fighting. Does some very silly things in the name of ye olde mandatory love triangle, but I refuse to hold it against her. Her death scene has haunted me for 14 years and counting. => Leuterius; definitely a horse; possibly a clydesdale? It’s very far from the elven princess aesthetic, but also: I wanna.