Hatchdays were never a special thing for Carmen. She would have very much liked them to be, but they never were. Her's and her brother's hatchdays were very close together and their parents often had a single day to celebrate them both as a result. Or, well, that's what they said. In practice it was quite obvious that her hatchday never meant anything to her family, and her brother ended up getting most of the attention. She tried not to let it bother her, and often acted like she didn't care that much. But every time it came around, she did feel a pang of jealousy and wondered what it would be like to be the focus of attention for once, to have her own hatchday party as she saw her brother and all the other dragons have. She didn't blame her brother for not considering her, though: he grew up with it and never knew better, and for all he knew, she didn't care for hatchdays anyway. She didn't want to be the one to rain on his parade, after all. It was only through a slip of the tongue one day that he got a hint of this, and the look of guilt on his face when he connected the dots was enough to break her own heart as well. She didn't dare try and bring it up again after that...

But now she was moved out, and she didn't have to deal with her parents anymore. Solis had broken off from them soon after moving, and she did the same, for very similar reasons that he did. Admittedly it felt rather good to have her own space and to be able to spend time on her own for once, without anyone able to intrude without her letting them. But now her hatchday was coming up, and that creeping sense of loneliness and jealousy was starting to rise up again. But now she was on her own, and she knew that the day would be even lonelier than ever, thanks to Solis no longer being there with her. At least before, she could celebrate Solis's hatchday with him, but now she would just be alone, with none of her friends or family any the wiser...At least that's what she thought to herself.

But when she came home that day, she'd found that her home was quite well occupied now. Dragons of varying colors, all with faces she recognized, stood out in front of her, and as soon as they spotted her they all let out a loud, cheerful "Happy hatchday!" She was stunned for a long while, and when she looked down she saw a small green princess cake sitting before her, decorated with chocolate and a marzipan rose. She saw her brother walk up to her and nose over her head, speaking softly into her ear. "Happy hatchday, sis. I'm sorry your first had to come so late, but I hope we can make it a good one, at least." She looked around at the faces of her friends who had helped set this up – Solis's mates, Valcyrie and Valia, Zarukh, Jarren, and finally on Venghze. They all smiled down at her, and as it all dawned on her, she felt her heart swell and couldn't hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffled and went to hug each of them tightly, as tight as her little body would allow her, almost crying into their shoulders. She looked down at the princess cake again and smiled tearfully down at it, already reaching to take her first slice of her first very own hatchday cake. Today was already shaping up to be one of the best days of her life...~


This was honestly a really sweet hatchday gift I got from  valcyrie a few days ago, and honestly I really love it for I feel it represents something very special to me and to how this hatchday went in general. Some of you who have been following me for a long while may have noticed Carmen popping up a lot more on my page than she has before, moreso than Solis has for a while. Don't worry, Solis is still around and I'll soon get art of him again. But...during the entirety of 2020, there has only been two good things that have actually happened. The first was moving in with Valcyrie. The other was, well...discovering myself a bit more. Realizing that the little green dragoness I developed several years ago means more to me than I ever thought she would at the time. That she's not just another character, but another side of me. A more...feminine side. That she represents a side of me I had been so desperately trying to hide and suppress most of my life to not seem weirder than I already was. But now, despite the harshness of the year, despite all the shit that's surrounded us throughout 2020, this flower's finally gotten a chance to bloom, and she won't be going away any time soon. And this hatchday marks the very first where I get to celebrate her – and therefore myself – as she really is. A second half of myself.
Thank you, Val, for the gift here, and thank you to everyone who made my hatchday special. I love you all very very much.

Art is by  drartiel
Carmen belongs to me!