Hear me out,

It's a rumour that when a dragon uses animus magic, they lose their sanity and their soul. But I don't believe this to be entirely true.

ALBATROSS

I've had a theory for a while that The Royal SeaWing Massacre isn't actually chalked up to animus magic. 

I mean, obviously it was – but the weapon is only as deadly as its wielder.

Remember that time when Albatross was a small child, back on the beach? When he first found out he was an animus? When he enchanted the conch shell to bite all of Sapphire's claws off?

I have a theory that's what turned him insane. Slowly, slowly, over the years, the exhilaration of hurting his sister overtook him, and he realised his powers could be murderous. Also, he strangled that seagull whilst talking to Fathom.

Also, spending your life working for your annoying bastard of a sister who also happens to be the queen would drive ANYONE murderously insane. 

Plus, right before Albatross murders his sister and begins his killing spree, he claims "for that to happen, you'd probably have to have a soul in the first place". And then Lagoon hisses that she'll never let him be free from her, that he'll never finish atoning for what he did to Sapphire. That he'll never be free.

And that smugness, that infuriating feeling where you know someone thinks they're untouchable is what makes Albatross snap.

So in a way, it's Lagoon's fault. She must have known her brother was deteriorating over time. And she never helped him. She grew hungry for power and it stabbed her in the back – or in the throat.

Honest, though, I think that's why Albatross went insane.

DARKSTALKER:

Must I really explain?

He literally made every worst decision possible. To the point where if he could choose to save an innocent IceWing or save a NightWing who dared speak against him, he'd kill BOTH. 

Qibli also explained the reason Darkstalker turned evil (in book 10) despite "protecting" his soul twice already was due to his decisions, not his magic. And Qibli's the smartest SandWing alive, so that has to stand for something.

ANEMONE:

Anemone told Turtle that she saw Whirlpool's face everywhere, in every dragon and every reflection, after she killed him. Wasn't she only like two when she did? Using user Hurricane-Rising's "The Age Factor/2.8 Rule" take on dragon-to-scavenger age, it says Anemone is equivalent to 5.6 years old (roughly five and a half) when she kills Whirlpool. Using the blogpost from 2015 that I personally see as canon, Anemone is 6 and a half when she kills Whirlpool (both of these calculations are if Anemone is two in dragon years when the murder takes place). To see a dragon you knew die so graphically, and to know that you're the one who CAUSED it, at such a young age, would absolutely fuck you up. It would traumatise you and scar you, and I'm pretty sure the guilt combined with the power rush, Darkstalker manipulating her, and the acceptance + belief that her soul is gone is what drove Anemone to momentarily lose touch with herself. Poor Anemone. I'm so glad she got redeemed in Darkness of Dragons! "Let's go kill that evil son of a slug"!!!

So yeah. I won't even talk about the first Jerboa because what the fuck, Jerboa. I hate that. Also it's been a while since I read The Dangerous Gift (or the epilogue anyway).

But it's just a theory.

Discussion in comments.

Thoughts?