Mel's Aves form is partially inspired by starlings for color, lyrebirds for vocal mimicry and plumage (yes, I know only males get cool plumage, take me to court), and phoenix aesthetic for gold that looks like fire and for the symbolism. Her coloring is mostly black with a gold exoskeleton, with plumage that will slightly change colors depending on Imprinting. (In all of the red-phoenix pictures, you can swap the red for gold and it has the same vibe.) Her body will be smaller than her wingspan: about 6ft. or so for the core body, and the wingspan being much, much larger, like an albatross (because it's hilarious).
Her half-shift sports similar vibes, with arms partially covered in feathers and longer claws. Her coloring remains the same (black and gold, with deeper plumage colors). But the gold exoskeleton remains, looking like her tattoos have spread to her spine and along the undercarriage of feathers. Her ears are longer (not quite elven-long but not too dissimilar) with slight feather-tufts. Her eyes are brighter, too, in that hazel color that mimics the undercarriage.
Jay (Jayce's player) drew a representation of her aves form! Mostly sticking to starling colors of gold, and transitioning to more greens, purples, and blues because of Imprinting with Jayce and Viktor. More Imprinting from other characters will change her, so this is very much a "base setting" of what a bird might look like. I fully intend for her to become more and more monstrous as time goes on, as she gathers more Imprints, as people change her by their actions and how they shift her outlook.
Mel arrived in March/April 2025 and she is going to be partially-to-mostly resistant of changes and will be practicing only sporadically at first. (This is subject to change - as are all changes, depending on threads and use of Shift.)
April 2025
• Skin on her hands and fingers start to darken to pitch. • Gold exoskeleton begins to appear along her spine. • Black feathers start to grow on either side of exoskeleton line on spine and at base of neck. • Skin changes on her arms, mostly subtle.
May 2025
• Reference - cw: nudity (in an anatomy way, not sexual) • Cracks in the skin of her arms begin to form to make way for scales and, eventually, plumage. • Cracked skin will be bloody and there will be gold in the flesh when first breaking open. • Longer nails that will need frequent clipping. • Beginning changes to her feet - darkening skin, cracks in feet. • Teeth start to get sharper.
June 2025
• Bird tail + plumes. (end of May - early June) • Feet and legs take on scalier traits; skin darkened to pitch, then breaking out in scales up to knee area. • Scalier hands, like claws. • Teeth growing sharp and pointed. • Development of syrinx enabling vocal mimicry (once discovered), singing while breathing, more lyrical tone in natural voice. • Appetite changes: hungrier, preferring meat at times, more frequent meals. • Feathers much more obvious on her arms. Brief molting season (end of June) for stronger, more vibrant feathers in July. • Bird legs up to about the (human version of) knee area: gold/yellow scales and skin towards the feet, darker in color towards the knee. (Late June)
July 2025
• Ear changes (pointed ears + tufts). • Eyes have a gold ring around irises. • Dark feathers covering most of body (ref), namely on back, parts of chest, tops of thighs. • New feathers on arms come in, will be a blue-green hue in places (especially in the light). • Gold tattoos still visible and will glow when using magic; will be easy to spot around feathers. • Restlessness. • Change in sleeping habits, where/how she can sleep with arm-feathers and tail feathers. • Development of syrinx enabling vocal mimicry (once discovered), singing while breathing, more lyrical tone in natural voice.
August 2025
• Feather tufts in her hair; hair gets a bit softer, feathery in texture. • Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep sometimes; other times can sleep longer, but still not overly comfortably unless on her stomach or sitting upright. • Overuse of magic causes feather growth, which will likely then molt/shed due to stress. • First molting happens at end of month and into September.
September 2025
• Singing/humming with practice can evoke more emotions if targeted; learning to control when this happens and when it doesn't. • Scales and feathers beginning to appear on her face in dark colors. Will turn green-blue hues (like Starlings) by end of month. • Singing and humming increases. Initial discovery of being able to use singing/humming to bring calm to others.
October 2025
• First assisted kill, indulging aves soul. • First full set of kills - Terra/Golems in the underground. • SECOND SOUL OBTAINED - CARNIVORA
November 2025
• Molting part 2 as new soul comes in • Half and Full Shift difficulties: bouncing between more bird-like traits and more wolf-like traits. Lots of body horror. • Warring instincts between aloofness and pack-mentality. • Restless with frustration and wanderlust, continued warring instincts.
December 2025
• Back wings come in. • New feathers and fur. • Facial feathers return. • Ears start to become more wolf-pointed rather than elf-pointed. • Vocal mimicry discovered?
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notes.
Her half-shift sports similar vibes, with arms partially covered in feathers and longer claws. Her coloring remains the same (black and gold, with deeper plumage colors). But the gold exoskeleton remains, looking like her tattoos have spread to her spine and along the undercarriage of feathers. Her ears are longer (not quite elven-long but not too dissimilar) with slight feather-tufts. Her eyes are brighter, too, in that hazel color that mimics the undercarriage.
Jay (Jayce's player) drew a representation of her aves form!
Mostly sticking to starling colors of gold, and transitioning to more greens, purples, and blues because of Imprinting with Jayce and Viktor. More Imprinting from other characters will change her, so this is very much a "base setting" of what a bird might look like. I fully intend for her to become more and more monstrous as time goes on, as she gathers more Imprints, as people change her by their actions and how they shift her outlook.
timeline of corruption.
April 2025
• Skin on her hands and fingers start to darken to pitch.
• Gold exoskeleton begins to appear along her spine.
• Black feathers start to grow on either side of exoskeleton line on spine and at base of neck.
• Skin changes on her arms, mostly subtle.
May 2025
• Reference - cw: nudity (in an anatomy way, not sexual)
• Cracks in the skin of her arms begin to form to make way for scales and, eventually, plumage.
• Cracked skin will be bloody and there will be gold in the flesh when first breaking open.
• Longer nails that will need frequent clipping.
• Beginning changes to her feet - darkening skin, cracks in feet.
• Teeth start to get sharper.
June 2025
• Bird tail + plumes. (end of May - early June)
• Feet and legs take on scalier traits; skin darkened to pitch, then breaking out in scales up to knee area.
• Scalier hands, like claws.
• Teeth growing sharp and pointed.
• Development of syrinx enabling vocal mimicry (once discovered), singing while breathing, more lyrical tone in natural voice.
• Appetite changes: hungrier, preferring meat at times, more frequent meals.
• Feathers much more obvious on her arms. Brief molting season (end of June) for stronger, more vibrant feathers in July.
• Bird legs up to about the (human version of) knee area: gold/yellow scales and skin towards the feet, darker in color towards the knee. (Late June)
July 2025
• Ear changes (pointed ears + tufts).
• Eyes have a gold ring around irises.
• Dark feathers covering most of body (ref), namely on back, parts of chest, tops of thighs.
• New feathers on arms come in, will be a blue-green hue in places (especially in the light).
• Gold tattoos still visible and will glow when using magic; will be easy to spot around feathers.
• Restlessness.
• Change in sleeping habits, where/how she can sleep with arm-feathers and tail feathers.
• Development of syrinx enabling vocal mimicry (once discovered), singing while breathing, more lyrical tone in natural voice.
August 2025
• Feather tufts in her hair; hair gets a bit softer, feathery in texture.
• Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep sometimes; other times can sleep longer, but still not overly comfortably unless on her stomach or sitting upright.
• Overuse of magic causes feather growth, which will likely then molt/shed due to stress.
• First molting happens at end of month and into September.
September 2025
• Singing/humming with practice can evoke more emotions if targeted; learning to control when this happens and when it doesn't.
• Scales and feathers beginning to appear on her face in dark colors. Will turn green-blue hues (like Starlings) by end of month.
• Singing and humming increases. Initial discovery of being able to use singing/humming to bring calm to others.
October 2025
• First assisted kill, indulging aves soul.
• First full set of kills - Terra/Golems in the underground.
• SECOND SOUL OBTAINED - CARNIVORA
November 2025
• Molting part 2 as new soul comes in
• Half and Full Shift difficulties: bouncing between more bird-like traits and more wolf-like traits. Lots of body horror.
• Warring instincts between aloofness and pack-mentality.
• Restless with frustration and wanderlust, continued warring instincts.
December 2025
• Back wings come in.
• New feathers and fur.
• Facial feathers return.
• Ears start to become more wolf-pointed rather than elf-pointed.
• Vocal mimicry discovered?