#cryptid tracks

[drkmatt3rstudio]

Commission | Atlas Games Cryptid Hunt Pt 3

At the beginning of the year I was contacted by a publishing company and contracted to make all the art for an upcoming puzzle book they were making. I spent 5 months working on this, and I have so many pieces it’ll be broken up into multiple parts! This was the first half of Batch B.

Can I just say, I had no clue what the Rhinelander Hodag was before doing this commission??? It's one of those cryptids that was proven a hoax by the man who claimed it existed, and it is the funkiest lil creature I've ever seen.

The kickstarter has officially ended, and I found the link to the publishers listing, Cryptid Hunt releases for both digital and physical sale in July!

If you like my work and would like to support me, check out my links to my social media

instagram | facebook | shop website | buy me a ko-fi

[squidinu]

wolfman in search & rescue

[puppetmaster13u]

You know what would be hilarious.

Trans Batman accidentally convincing Gotham that the batclan are like clownfish.

This is helped along when Red Hood comes onto the scene and is later also revealed to be a batclan member.

[greenheartart]

Day 14 - Fierce

Some people dress up to look stylish. Stretch dresses up to inflict psychic damage.

[sapphicseasapphire]

Living in a world as populated as it is by mortals, it is rare to come across a being who is not so. Rarer still is it to come across one who is both mortal and immortal- those who toe the line between Life and Death.

Reapers are abundant but undetected, doing their work for the spirits while hidden in a mortal body. They are bound to no Gods, serving only the lost souls of the land and answering only to the inevitability of Life and Death.

Hylian legends depict Death as a woman clothed in flowing white fabric, serene and tranquil, everlasting and inescapable. Some fear her, some hate her. Most bunch her up with the Goddesses.

She is not a Goddess.

She is… a promise.

And just as they’ve cast Death’s image onto a Goddess that doesn’t exist, they attribute Life’s gifts to Hylia, singing her praise. Hylia, the little sister of the Golden Three, tasked with protecting this world, is not Life.

Life has existed here for far longer than Hylia has. Some say that she was created with the breath of Farore, others speculate that she came before.

People think that Death exists in Life’s shadow, that they are entirely separate from one another. One brings joy, the other brings pain. This is, wholly and entirely, untrue.

For Life and Death wear matching white cloth, and they stand so closely together that they are indistinguishable from each other. One cannot exist without the other. They are… the same, in nature. They are patient. They take nothing more than what they are given; they give nothing more than what they take. It is balanced, in that way.

Everyone must face them, one way or another. Even Gods cannot deny the push and pull of Life and Death.

Although, there are occasions in which they can be swayed. In the case of a young boy who’d met his end during his quest, so beloved by the spirits, Death chose to wait. She did not claim his soul, not yet. She heeded the pleas of the spirits and allowed him to continue on- to finish what he had started. But this was not without a cost.

The boy- only twelve years old- was named Link, and he was not unique. Those who are favored by the spirits and succumb to illness or injury are often granted these second chances. They may never remember that they had died, but they are forever changed.

These people are known as Reapers. They recruited by Death to guide lost spirits to the afterlife. They have heartbeats, they breathe, they require sustenance. Reapers are mortal, normal people.

Until it becomes time to do the reaping, that is.

In order for a Reaper to find and guide spirits, they must use spirit magic. Spirit magic is as potent and variable as any other type of magic, except its power source is distinct: it is fueled by the power of an untethered soul. It comes naturally to Reapers, except in order to use it, they must free their soul.

Reapers have the ability to separate their souls from their bodies, becoming nothing more than a spirit. Once freed, they are immediately pulled to the nearest lost soul and it is their duty to aid them in their journey to the next life. The pull of a Poe is just as potent as the pull of a portal: demanding and unavoidable. Reapers feel it physically.

When their soul is outside of their body, a Reaper will appear comatose to the waking world. Unresponsive and unmoving, almost like they’re asleep. Their hearts still beat, their lungs still breathe. They still live but there’s nothing there. If their body is moved during this time, the Reaper will have a difficult time returning to it. Their survival will depend on whether or not they can find their body.

Link is one of many Reapers that serve under Death, and he is not unhappy. He sees the Threads of Fate that bind all things- the red ones of the living, the black ones of the dead, and the white ones of the immortal- and he takes pride in helping wayward Poes follow these threads home. He… has experience guiding souls, after all.

Link doesn’t remember when exactly he died, but he knows it had to have happened during his quest to rid the Demon King from Princess Zelda’s body. With her spirit by his side, he felt unstoppable. And his new job isn’t much different. He doesn’t feel sadness when he guides a Poe to their next adventure. No, he feels… at peace.

Death is extremely welcoming to him, for she knows that in time, he will return to her. Just as all things do. Link- our Spirit- admires Death. He serves under her but he is not opposed to it. He’s wholly dedicated to his job. He takes pride in it. It doesn’t interfere with his waking life too much and even as he cast on another adventure, it’s not too much to manage. Death treats him well, and he’d never denounce her.

When he’s reaping, he’s making a difference. He’s helping people. Is that not what a hero should strive for?

He’s… home.

Some notes!

• This kind of turned into a post about Reapers specifically and less about Spirit, but ehhh lore is lore

• Spirit and Wind are BEST BUDS. I’ve been referring to them as “the twins” in my head this whole time

• Spirit’s pupils glow when he is looking at the Threads of Fate. He can’t see them all the time, just when he really focuses on them, or else he’d be blinded by all the string everywhere!

• More on that- he doesn’t only see the threads that bind people to each other. He also sees the threads that bind people to objects. Everything has a memory, everything has a story.

• Something about Spirit’s presence is so inherently peaceful. He speaks quietly and clearly, he moves like a whisp, he smiles so gently. He can 100% be a little goblin in his own right, but he can be incredibly comforting when he wants to be.

• He cannot swim. Wind is APPALLED.

• He knows that Time is a God right away. His string is white. He doesn’t tell anyone, though, because it’s not his place. Everyone has their secrets, everyone should have the right to reveal themselves at their own pace.

• He and Wild sure do have a relationship. Yep. Just. The Reaper- the one who is tasked with guiding lost souls. And the literal spirit, actual ghost. Uh huh. They. Um. Yeah, they definitely have a dynamic. (This dynamic is the reason that I was convinced to add Spirit to my Cryptid Chain)

• A spirit is any soul without a body. A Poe specifically refers to a spirit that is lost. Hopeless. One who needs help. Wild is not a Poe. (Kind of)

• Spirit is like Time in the sense that he has not fully ascended, and won’t until his mortal lifespan is over. When he dies, he will continue to be a Reaper, but much more powerful as he will not be bound to a body. But that’s far, far off. He’s twelve, I won’t be cruel to him

• hehehehe

• He’s so incredibly good at playing the pan flute.

• Also this kid’s hilarious without even trying. (Spirit Tracks is the funniest Zelda game of all time)

• NERD. HE LOVES HIS TRAINS. HE IS IN PHYSICAL PAIN THAT NONE OF THE OTHER LINKS EVEN KNOW WHAT A TRAIN IS!!! SEND HELP!!! TELL HIM ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE TRAINS!!! HE MISSES HIS TRAIN!!!

• He has the unique ability to talk to Poes and Spirits directly, so he’s gonna be the best bet when it comes to translating for Wild. If Wild will let him come close, that is.

• “Don’t disturb me guys, I have some reaping to do,” he says, and then takes a nap. The others can’t tell.

• Or, mid battle, the decides they could really use a blast of spirit magic to aid them. So he just. Separates his soul from his body, as one does. Falls limply to the ground as the monsters they were fighting just suddenly all die. What just happened???

• Do monsters have souls? Do they become Poes? Thoughts that keep Spirit up at night.

[hawkzeyes]

I’m convinced there is a Reddit forum dedicated to The Question in DC universe. Just a a group of individuals who discuss weird encounters with a person who has no face but “I was horrified at first but actually they were incredibly clever and kind of funny. I tried to get their name to thank them but they just cryptically said ‘That’s the question isn’t it’ and disappeared in a giant smoke bomb of a question mark?? I’m so confused. I swear I wasn’t on any kind of drugs.” and “I saw one emerge from an alley and I was about to shit my pants but then they tripped and mumbled about how the government did that on purpose???” Or “I saw two of them tonight. I thought I was hallucinating it but then they started bickering one was put out the other was just wearing casual wear. Maybe they have a specific uniform? How many do you think there are??”

[spotaus]

I think my brain should ruminate on the important characters but for some odd reason I'm staring at an unimportant side character and nodding in interest to myself. 😌

[magicalgirlmascot]

Bomonga is a hunter who lives in a cabin coming down to town every season like an omen of change and also unwillingly doubles as the local cryptid all the kids want to take blurry pictures of much to his fucking chagrin. can a man just enlarge himself to the size of a trex and chill with his head in the pine treetops ffs

Bomonga: it's so annoying. Every other week I get some damn teenager or another trying to track me back to my place. They've never succeeded but it's the principle of the thing.

Norik: maybe this would be less of an issue if you came out of the woods more than twice a year

Bomonga: no

[phannie-by-night]

Also it was so funny to talk to people about my plane story at Frankfurt and for those who'd watched the Antwerp Q&A to be like "OMG that was you?!" Head in Hands

[risingsunresistance]

used the equilibrium deck to have an easier time drawing him. look at him yayyyyyy

[indycarnocontext]

[bigfootbeat]

Bigfoot and the Science of Tracking

The mythical Bigfoot is said to live in North American forests, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Bigfoot is a big, hairy, ape-like creature that has captivated the attention of many people and spurred a field of study devoted to tracing and establishing its existence. Traditional tracking techniques, contemporary technology, and a healthy dose of skepticism and discussion among scientists are all used in the science of Bigfoot tracking. Conventional tracking techniques are essential to the Bigfoot hunt. Physical evidence, such as footprints, hair samples, and scat, is frequently sought after by enthusiasts and scholars. The most often claimed piece of evidence is a cast of enormous, human-like footprints that were discovered in isolated locations. To determine the legitimacy of these impressions, factors such as stride length, depth, and skin ridges are examined. Unfortunately, there has been continuous dispute due to the absence of reliable and regular tracks. The field is frequently complicated by hoaxes and incorrect identifications of animal tracks, making it challenging to discern between real and fake data.

When it comes to Bigfoot studies, audio cues are just as important as physical proof. Researchers claim to have heard loud vocalizations that they identify as Bigfoot, such as screams, howls, and hammering sounds on wood. Using top-notch audio equipment, these noises are captured, and any patterns that diverge from those of recognized fauna are examined. Although audio analysis can be quite interesting, the wide range of noises made by different animals and surrounding elements can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. Bigfoot tracking research now has new instruments thanks to modern technology. Drones, infrared imaging, and trail cameras are frequently utilized to keep an eye on isolated locations where sightings have been reported. Specifically, trail cameras are positioned in key spots to take pictures or recordings of wildlife, including possible Bigfoot encounters. High-resolution camera drones are capable of covering enormous areas and capturing aerial pictures of dense woods. Large animals may be present in the shadows when heat signatures are detected, which is made possible by infrared imaging. Even with these advances, it is still difficult to find conclusive photographic or video evidence of Bigfoot, which frequently leads to grainy or inconsistent recordings. Another potential option in the hunt for Bigfoot is DNA analysis. Samples of hair and scat taken from alleged Bigfoot sightings are sent to labs for genetic analysis. To find any abnormalities, scientists compare the DNA from these samples to that of known animals. The scientific community is dubious of studies that claim to have discovered unidentified primate DNA, frequently attributing findings to contamination or testing errors. Replication of findings and thorough, peer-reviewed study are required to support any claims of new species discovery. Because there is so little hard proof and so many hoaxes, the scientific community is skeptical of Bigfoot. Numerous experts contend that the existence of a Bigfoot-sized monster would necessitate a viable breeding population; nevertheless, no physical remains, skeletal remains, or conclusive evidence have been discovered. Furthermore, the great majority of the evidence is derived from eyewitness accounts and anecdotal tales, both of which are known to be untrustworthy. Cognitive biases can cause individuals to mistake natural events for sightings of Bigfoot, such as pareidolia, which is the tendency to discern patterns or recognizable shapes in seemingly random inputs.

Despite these difficulties, there is still a devoted following for the Bigfoot hunt. Motivated by the prospect of making a remarkable discovery, enthusiasts, amateur researchers, and cryptozoologists never give up. Bigfoot's appeal stems from the excitement and mystery of venturing into the uncharted territory, in addition to the prospect of discovering a new species. Many people place equal value on the adventure and the community that surrounds the search as they do on the eventual outcome of establishing Bigfoot's existence. To sum up, the science of Bigfoot tracking integrates cutting-edge technology, conventional tracking techniques, and a methodical approach to evidence interpretation. The pursuit of conclusive evidence persists in captivating the interest of a fervent community of scholars and enthusiasts, despite obstacles and skepticism. The search for Bigfoot underscores humanity's ongoing interest with the natural world's secrets, regardless of whether the creature is ever shown to exist.

[cillianthecryptid]

Cryptid spotted 👆

[cryptidclaw]

also why does hawkfrost tell ashfur specifically to keep dove and Ivy safe

ok I think this is something i said in an older post? from back when I planned to have Ash live longer? I dont actually remember which post i said this on T-T

this actually isnt a thing anymore. because im changing it so Ash and Hawk die around the same time and vibe in the dark forest together. They can haunt those two together <3

[greycatbird]

They say He stalks the tunnel on taloned feet with toes of three and if you peer long enough into the darkness you just might meet Him.....

[flhoarder]

You know Jean is getting adopted by Lena and Morell when they drop the news