For many years, it has been common knowledge that constructs, not being truly alive, cannot breed. However, this belief has recently been called into question by the newly-discovered pygmy gemdragons and crystalwings obtained by crafting. Despite being made from various combinations of rewin scales, gems, and assorted objects, every single crafted pygmy gemdragon and crystalwing is capable of producing viable offspring, just like their living counterparts. Given this, it seems odd that ikonokis, despite having far more personality and possessing the ability to fold their own eggs, must rely on a helpful magi to enchant life into said eggs.
Since ikonokis are capable of folding ikonoki eggs, then the flaw must be either somewhere in the animating enchantment or in the paper provided for the eggs. Since adjusting enchantment spells, especially those that produce a semblance of life, is best left to those who specialize in crafting magic, I chose instead to present an assortment of paper - both enchanted and that which might be enchanted - to six pairs of ikonokis from my collection (two kaminiku, two akamura, and two mixed) that had all successfully folded eggs in the past. The experiments were performed over the course of several days so as not to overwhelm either the ikonokis or myself.
I first gave the pairs sheets of ordinary paper, of the sort usually provided to ikonokis, so that they would be guaranteed some reward from the experiments, and also so I would have some basis for comparison. All six pairs successfully folded an egg. These eggs were no more difficult than usual for me to bring to life.
I then gave the pairs sheets of paper that had been written on by atramentums. Though there is nothing intrinsically magical about either the ink or paper used by atramentums, some ikonokis are reluctant to use paper that has been written on, even though the ink vanishes when the ikonokis eggs are brought to life. Knowing which pairs balked at using paper that had been written on would be helpful in future experiments. The two pairs that had been particular about paper in the past were reluctant to use the atramentum-inscribed paper, but did eventually fold eggs. The eggs were no easier or harder to enchant than the first batch.
Next, I gave the pairs paper that had been written on by tsuchinokos. All six pairs eagerly accepted the paper, even those that had been put off by the atramentum paper. The eggs were slightly easier to enchant than either of the previous two batches, though that could be due to familiarity, since I had performed the spell a dozen times already over a handful of days. As an odd though interesting side effect, all hatchlings retained the distinctive floral scent associated with tsuchinokos for a few days.
The next experiment involved paper that had been affected by hearththrob eshmeri. Though the paper had been hard to come by, all six pairs seemed to appreciate the extra trouble. The two picky pairs practically ripped the paper out of my hand and started folding. The resulting eggs were, alas, inert as always, but did seem considerably easier to enchant, and the hatchlings seemed livelier.
I then gave them paper that had been enchanted with almost the entire sora kamitori creation spell - everything except the very last step that breathes life into the paper. The kaminiku and mixed pairs immediately began folding kamitori, while the akamura pairs looked at me as though they thought I was playing a trick on them (but showed no signs of distress, or else I would have stopped the experiment). I did finally convey that I wanted ikonoki eggs, though only the two kaminiku pairs cooperated. The resulting eggs were almost impossible to bring to life, perhaps because of the conflicting kamitori and ikonoki enchantments, and the hatchlings, while normal in all other respects, had sora kamitori patterning that persisted into adulthood.
Given the results of the eshmeri experiment, I decided to make one more attempt with the sora kamitori paper. This time, I performed the sora kamitori creation spell up until the last step, then dispelled it. Unlike the previous experiment, there was no confusion about what I wanted. All six pairs produced eggs that were easier for me to enchant, similar to the eshmeri paper eggs, and the resulting hatchlings were normal except for a light floral pattern that faded as their adult coloration developed.
In conclusion, I found that providing ikonokis with enchanted paper, even paper that merely carries magical residue from past enchantments, does yield potentially useful results. I would strongly suggest that anyone with both eshmeri and ikonokis try their own experiments with different (positive) emotions. I do believe that it also might be possible to modify the ikonoki enchantment spell, but, as mentioned earlier, I'll leave that experiment for true experts in crafting magic. I, for my part, plan to continue on experimenting with further types of enchanted paper. For example, a kind soul has suggested using paper once carried by a pugeon for future experiments. Creating ikonokis that could potentially hide themselves both at will and indefinitely might be unwise, but the experiment could be an interesting one.
