#people with wings are uncommon but not particularly rare

[beetlbi]

Wing au real???!!? This is incredibly low quality bc it’s the only screenshot I could find and didn’t feel like taking my own lol. Yapping in the tags if you’re curious abt this au :3

[llamagoddessofficial]

ok, i absolutely adore the bad sans fae

but for the life of me, i can’t remember if there are any Aggre fae asks. and if there’s not any, well, that’s just a crime. a crime i’d like to rectify, if that’s alright :3

Sans seems like your average fae. Perhaps friendlier than usual. Particularly good with words, he has a thing for silly pranks, harmless practical jokes like swapping your salt for sugar and turning your hair different colours. He really enjoys poetry and wordplay, and would love to hear you sing - and if you can outsmart him, he'll be absolutely delighted.

... Under the surface, though, he's got quite the mean streak. He's the old kind of trickster; not quite as old as Farmer, but absolutely the kind of fae people genuinely used to fear. The kind that could trick a cow out of her udders, or a cat out of its tail, the kind you'd use salt and rowan and thistles to ward away. He'd never trick you, though! You're his favourite. And those days are behind him, obviously. He'd never lie to you, look at his cute face.

Let's just hope no one messes around with his favourite.

Red is a high-ranking member of the Summer court, because of his incredible skill with metalworking. His magical swords, charmed rings, intricately carved chestplates, beaded necklaces and wing cuffs are highly sought after items in both courts. Raw metal can burn fae, so most avoid it... and yet, despite the cascade of scars decorating his hands and arms, Red just covers up with gloves and keeps working. His soft spot for humans means some of his magical items wind their way the pockets of weary or down-on-their-luck travellers.

He'll flirt by making you beautiful things. Bracelets, earrings, circlets, you might even find he's woven protective charms into them to keep dangerous/pesky fae (like Sans) away. He's good with his words, and it's not just his forge that burns hot and bright... why don't you come pay him a visit sometime? Wear that necklace he made you. Just that.

Skull is a rare case of a fae who wanders, quite happily, back and forth between the two realms. He likes the light of the Summer realm, but the solitude of Winter. Given his size, stature and intimidating face, he often finds himself being hired out to be some random fae's temporary muscle - basically, he's the fae equivalent of a sellsword. Somehow he's managed to work his way up the ranks, and it's not uncommon to see him at the sides of fae nobility during big festivals. He wears armour Red makes just for him (the two often find themselves working at the behest of the same client) and carries around a massive, beautifully engraved battle axe.

Once he sees you, it doesn't matter who tries to hire him. Because from that moment on, in his mind, he's sworn himself to you entirely. Human or fae, he'll follow you around, protecting you regardless of rain or shine. And given that he doesn't mind either Winter or Summer, there's nowhere you can go he won't follow to keep you safe.

[neoarchipelago]

(Winged!reader anon) I'm thinking it's set in a world where physical mutations are more normal but still a bit rare. And even rarer in the military. But then a new recruit comes and 141 is just waiting for a plane or a chopper and suddenly a person drops from the ground lol

Just HCs of 141 dealing with a recruit with wings. Whether they're feather or more bat like wings is up to you, size of them as well 😉

Hopefully this is enough info to go off of

OH NICE.

Ok here it is.

(Winged!reader) x squad 141 (monster hybrid AU)

When you had dropped down from the sky, in front of the line of four, five men in front of you, you had wanted to hide.

It wasn't exactly a secret that people like you existed... But it was definitely uncommon. Your big grey white black wings retracting shyly around you. It was extremely close to falcon wings, which was exactly what you were the closest to. You had also inherited of the exceptional sight of the bird.

"Well! That's interesting!" One of the men said.

"WOAH. THAT'S SO COOL" A Scottish accent added.

You blushed and finally let out a small smile.

It took a few days to get used to the base. The new team was nice. You had learnt their names, Soap, gaz, Konig, ghost and Price. They seemed to be quite alright with your physical appearance.

Konig was always mesmerized. He'd sit close to you, eyes shining in wonder. He'd ask very shyly if he could touch your feathers, happily squealing when you'd agree. He was always really careful with the feathers. He liked to pass his finger tips on the edged, feeling the softness of it. With time, you'd give him each feather that would fall from your wings.

Gaz had been more curious about your sight. He had questionned you for hours, trying to satisfy his curiosity. Sometimes he'd ask you to fly over the base as he'd hide, creating some kind of 'where his waldo' in real life. He'd be amazed each time you'd find him so easily.

Soap just wanted to fly. He'd ask you to try and make him fly. It was hard. He was a bit heavy for you. You usually managed to get him off the floor and enough to fly a few inches from the ground. Eventually he'd be so happy of it you'd feel slightly guilty for not being stronger.

Price would often scold them, telling them to leave you alone. He'd be particularly careful to the way others treated you around the base. It was still rare to see hybrids like you, people were curious, scared or plain disgusted. He'd try to shield you from it as much as possible.

Ghost had also noticed it. The way some recruits would side glance you, or the way they'd whisper under their breath. He had taken upon himself to train you. It wasn't easy, he wasn't used to it, but he adapted very quickly. You had felt particularly close to him, when one night, after a training session, you had both walked out to find a pouring storm outside. Ghost had cursed under his breath, taking a step into the rain, expecting to feel the cold droplets. He was shocked to feel no difference, he had glanced up, a spread out wing shielding him from the rain. He had eyed you, as you were unable to do the same for yourself, he had took off his coat throwing it over your head and walking you back to the baracks.

With time, you had felt at home with the squad. But tile passed and the rest of the base was still weary of you. You felt awful sometimes. The fear in people's eyes... Or the little insults barely audible to no other than you. You sometimes felt horrible, and particularly down.

On a particular bad episode, the boys had grown worried. A little meeting in between soap, gaz, Konig and Ghost took place in one of the common rooms of your quarters.

"do you think they're unhappy? Like a bird in a cage?" Soap had asked.

"i don't think so... She can go out and fly whenever she wants..." Gaz countered.

"maybe snacks..?" Konig asked.

Ghost looked in deep thought, soap trying to get his attention. The man frowned before spilling what's in his mind.

"birds...nest right?" He had let out.

Suddenly little light bulbs had popped over the boys heads. Of course! You missed a nest!

They had hurried up to buy an enormous fluffy bean bag, it barely feet in ghost jeep. Pillows, lots of pillows and blankets to add.

Once they arrived at base they made sure you were out of your room before preparing the 'nest' in a corner. It looked like a little fort, Konig had insisted on adding fairy lights.

When you had walked into your room with price you had blinked a few times, trying to figure out the scenery before you.

"what are you boys doing?" You asked.

"we built a nest for you!" Soap had happily yelled.

"yeah, we made sure it's comfy and cozy" gaz added.

"thought it'd make you feel better..." Ghost mumbled.

You had immediately blushed hiding your face in your hands, wings retracting closer to your body.

Price had burst out laughing, confuse settling on the boys faces.

"what?" Soap asked.

"you built a nest? You guys built a nest? For them?" He had tried to make them understand the situation.

"yes..." Konig had said in a small voice.

"congratulations Y/N... You have now 4 full grown suitors trying to be your mate." He laughed before walking out, the boys gasping as they understood the situation.

After that, they had apologized. You didn't mind, after all you really enjoyed the nest. You often found yourself nest there, reading or listening to music.

When the boys had understood the real situation, they had grown extremely protective of you. Soap had grown jealous of the way you'd shield ghost from the rain or the sun, he'd insist to hide under as well. Eventually you'd end up with three big grown man, shielding themselves under your spread out wings, price scolding them but none moving.

Konig calls you birdie.

Soap calls you feathers.

Gaz teases you calling you 'falcon' 'robin' or 'hawkeye'.

Price calls you his little bird.

Ghost calls you angel, but only when you're both alone.

[blueiscoool]

‘Extremely Rare’ Ancient Stone Seal Discovered in Jerusalem

An "extremely rare and unusual" ancient stone artifact-thought to be around 2,700 years old-has been discovered in Jerusalem.

The artifact in question, a seal made of black stone, was uncovered during an excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David organization near the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount (also known as Al-Aqsa)-a site in Jerusalem's Old City that is considered holy by Jewish people, Muslims and Christians.

The stone seal bears a name inscribed in the paleo-Hebrew script, as well as an image of a winged figure. It is thought to have been used both as an amulet and as a stamp to seal documents, Filip Vukosavović, a senior field archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), told Newsweek.

"The seal is one of the most beautiful ever discovered in excavations in ancient Jerusalem, and is executed at the highest artistic level," Yuval Baruch and Navot Rom, excavation directors on behalf of the IAA, said in a press release.

The seal has a hole drilled through it lengthwise so that it could be strung onto a chain and hung around the neck. In the center, a figure with wings is depicted in profile, wearing a long, striped shirt and striding toward the right. The figure has a mane of long curls covering the nape of the neck, and on its head sits a hat or a crown.

The figure is raising one arm upward with an open palm, perhaps indicating that it is holding some kind of object.

Depictions of winged figures such as these are known in neo-Assyrian art of the 9th-7th centuries B.C. and were considered a kind of protective magical figure, according to Vukosavović. The artifact, thus, demonstrates the influence of the Assyrian Empire-a major civilization of the ancient Near East that had conquered the Israelite Kingdom of Judah, including its capital Jerusalem.

"This is an extremely rare and unusual discovery. This is the first time that a winged 'genie'– a protective magical figure-has been found in Israeli and regional archaeology," Vukosavović said in an IAA press release.

On both sides of the figure, an inscription is engraved in paleo-Hebrew script. In English script, this inscription translates as: "Le Yehoʼezer ben Hoshʼayahu."

"[Yehoʼezer] was a common name," Ronny Reich, a researcher from the University of Haifa said.

The researchers believe that the stone object was originally worn as an amulet around the neck of a man called Hoshʼayahu, who held a senior position in the administration of the Kingdom of Judah. He may have worn the object as a symbol of his authority. "It seems that the object was made by a local craftsman-a Judahite, who produced the amulet at the owner's request. It was prepared at a very high artistic level," Vukosavović said in the press release.

The working hypothesis of the experts is that upon Hoshʼayahu's death, his son, Yehoʼezer, inherited the seal, and then added both of their names on either side of the figure. The names were added in negative, or mirror, script-so that the impression would appear in positive and be legible-according to Reich.

"The combination of figure and script, and particularly a neo-Assyrian figure is uncommon in Judah," Reich said.

By ARISTOS GEORGIOU.

[salt216000]

on the topic of angel wings

I and a few others I write with have quite a few headcanons on how angel wings work and the culture surrounding them, so I figured I'd share because I want to know more people's thoughts too!

------- 'Default' Colours Typically, angels manifest with blue wings, like Gabriel and all the Virtues we see. However an angel's wings can be any colour and any combination, but the further away from blue you get, the rarer the presentation is. So something like purple is probably fairly uncommon, but reds and oranges or particularly monochrome black or white is quite rare, but not much is entirely unheard of. Generally, as angels age, their wings grow more and more vibrant, so the oldest angels tend to be the ones with the most striking colours. This is not always true, but tends to be the case.

------- Emotional Colours Like people, the way an angel's wings shift is unique to the individual. Some change drastically in colour like Gabriel's gold, others barely show anything unless losing control of their emotions. Generally I like to think that Council angels in particular have a very good control of their visible emotions, so their wings do not tend to shift colours often, and if they do, it's usually a practised and deliberate move.

------- Touching Wings It's pretty disrespectful to just touch someone's wings without warning or permission. Angels are often quite proud of the way their wings look, so having someone disturb the feathers or projection is very very intrusive and disrespectful. Preening is an intimate bonding activity between angels who are close, so it's quite the honour to be invited to preen someone's wings, or to have someone accept your request to preen theirs.

------- Fighting As such regarding the last point, it's seen as INCREDIBLY taboo and dirty to go for an angel's wings during a fight. It is only done by those who are desperate and cheap, which probably makes for an interesting contrast with V1 who, while it values its own wings, does not follow the same conventions as Gabriel when fighting him. Part of this is also because the wings are an extension of an angel's power, so heavy damage to them can be pretty heavy threat.

------- Docking of Wings One of the worst punishments the Council can give is using divine weaponry to sever an angel's wings from them. This is basically the worst of the worst version of getting your Light ripped from you. The lesser version is having flight feathers clipped as a reminder, but it's a deliberately painful punishment and is done in a way that is difficult to mask.

------- Dyeing This is a supposedly uncommon practice, initially started as body art, but now used in secret by many angels to dye their wings temporarily to help obscure their emotions. Some still do it for the enjoyment of art, like body painting, though in contrast many view it as a desecration of the body.

@t-rexdescendant @randomixthegreat-blog @frostaxolotl ty for the help with writin these up, it's good to have em in one place DSFGFDS if anyone else has stuff to add or discuss id love to hear it, hcs abt culture surrounding the angels is one of my fav things to think abt

[pumpkinprincess22]

I promised Fair Folk lore in the discord so here is the fair folk lore.

So basically I visited the Alnwick Gardens on holiday and they had this really cool play area world for kids called Lilidorei based around nine clans who worship Christmas. Inspired by this here is some MCD Fair Folk lore.

'Fair Folk' is the umbrella term to encompass all the races native to the realm of Yggdrasil. These races are:

Elves

Of all the Yggdrasilian races Elves are one of the most common to be spotted outside of Yggdrasil due to their ability to blend in with humans. They are very attuned with nature. Elves are some of the least magickally gifted of the Fair Folk and while it is not uncommon for Elves to be born with magicks it is much rarer for them to cultivate it, even being forbidden for some tribes.

Fairies

Fairies are similar to their elven cousins, they are also humanoid and can fit in among humans although don't venture to the mortal realms as much as the Elves. There primary physical difference to Elves is their wings and ability to fly. Fairies are very magickally attuned and they practice their magicks freely.

Pixies

Occasionally found in the mortal realm, mostly offering help to humans (or trying to but coming off as a nuisance anyway). Pixies are more or less balls of concentrated magickal energy in a tiny body. When observed by mortals they appear as the Allay mob in minecraft. They can appear differently but the less abundant magickally energy in the mortal realm forces them into a smaller more solid physical shape.

Gnomes

Gnomes are not often found in the mortal realm but have been known to appear. Gnomes can either be very wise and helpful or mischievous tricksters. Standing at 4 feet tall on average with long white beards regardless of age or gender, when seen in the mortal realm Gnomes are often mistaken for particularly short old men. Gnomes magicks is often as absurd as they are and it is thought that Shaman magicks is derived from a combination of Gnomish practices and Witchcraft.

Goblins

Known to mortals as Imps, Goblins are tricksy shapeshifters. Expelled from Yggdrasil for dealings in dark magicks, in a combined effort by the Elven and Fairy tribes, the Goblin tribe leader took his people with him to the mortal realm where they allied themselves with the Demon Warlock in exchange for protection. Some Goblins since have slipped through the cracks and return to Yggdrasil unnoticed but most remain in the mortal realm disguising themselves as mortals to trick others or to assimilate into their culture.

Trolls

The final race is rarely found outside of Yggdrasil. A troll will turn up in the mortal realm maybe once in a generation. They are gentle but their size and appearance causes them to be feared. They are the stuff of stories and nightmares and monsters under the bed. The kind of beings that might be real but no one really knows.

Fae

So if you've seen my post about accidentally creating a Pantheon of Old Gods you might recall that Fae is the goddess of the Fair Folk. All of the races of Yggdrasil come from her. They are also known as the Children of Fae and she refers to them as such. No one knows if the original tribe members were really her children or if they were just her creations but at the time of MCD there are well established families within the tribes and none are directly the goddesses children.

The Fae Wilds

A realm presided over by Fae which is sort of like the afterlife except not exactly because Fair Folk are immortal beings. When they feel ready to 'retire' one of the Fair Folk may call upon Fae to be transported to the Fae Wilds to live out the rest of eternity.

[oliversrarebooks]

The Rare Bookseller: Auction House Worldbuilding

Since we're heading into the auction proper, I thought I'd write up some information about how the auction house and thralls in general work in this universe. Nothing here is required reading for simply following the story.

The auction house is only just one wing of a mansion in the countryside owned by a fairly ancient vampire. It contains the prison cells, various rooms used for processing thralls (such as the shower room and the office Lily uses), kitchens for cooking human food, and the storage needed by the cleaning and maintenance staff. Upstairs there are some more preparation rooms, the display rooms used to show off the merchandise to prospective buyers before the auction proper. The auction itself is set up on a stage in the mansion's ballroom, with room for a few hundred vampires. The more posh among the auction staff, including Lily and Cecily, stay in richly appointed quarters in the upper floors.

This particular auction is a high-end one aimed at the wealthy and powerful of vampire society. It's staffed by a combination of travelers who go from auction to auction plying their trade and locals.

For a high-end auction, the main considerations when picking thralls to capture include:

Age. The vast majority of thralls sold are between the ages of 16 - 40. Taking children as thralls is considered extremely distasteful. Humans who are too old are seen as a greater health risk. Besides that, many vampires choose to keep particularly choice thralls for decades, and an older thrall means less years of enjoyment.

Isolation. The auction house doesn't want to have to deal with hunters or other meddling humans, and no vampire wants an angry family to come and burn his house down for kidnapping someone important to them. This is why the humans taken for these auctions are socially isolated ones. While the vampires will take people with jobs or acquaintances, they avoid people with close families, spouses and children who might seek out revenge. 

Health. This is extremely important to vampires. The blood of healthy humans tastes better and is more nutritious. Healthy humans are also less likely to experience complications from having their blood taken with frequency. While relatively uncommon, vampires can also catch contagious diseases from humans. For all of these reasons and more, vampires have a strong preference for humans who are physically healthy and well fed, and one of the benefits of buying from an auction house is to have some vetting.

Mental illnesses are largely exempt from this consideration, as all humans will have their minds molded regardless. Addiction to drugs or alcohol also makes a human undesirable. As this story takes place in the 1920s, modern conceptions of what is healthy or normal may not apply.

For this reason, the auction house generally avoids capturing humans in extreme poverty or homelessness, as at the very least many of them suffer from malnutrition. Desperate vampires in the lower rungs of vampire society have fewer qualms about it, though. 

Blood quality. This is more of an art than a science. Blood is graded by an expert before the auction. Some factors that influence the quality of a human's blood include general health, nutrition, favorite foods, and especially the presence of magic in a human's family tree. Any supernatural creatures in the human's distant past will improve their blood substantially. Of course, blood grades are just an expert's judgement, and vampires have differing preferences.

Obedience. The human's overall level of obedience, even before conditioning, will often influence what sort of thrall the human can be conditioned into, which then affects price.

There are other, more nebulous factors. Physical beauty can affect a vampire's choices. Among vampires who like to treat their thralls as companions, personality and interests are important. Some vampires prefer thralls with certain skills to serve the household, such as chores, maintenance, and guard duties.

Which brings us to the different classes of thralls. There are not hard-and-fast lines between these categories, but these are some of the terms vampires use:

Bloodbags: Derogatory term for a human who is unconscious, a vegetable, medically braindead, etc. It's strongly frowned upon to keep these. The quality of blood is considered poor, the human requires assistance with the most basic functions, and in polite vampire society, it's considered the ethical thing to do to mercy kill a human that ends up in such a state. When vampires keep bloodbags, it's behind closed doors.

Erased: Also derisively called cattle. These are humans who have had their personalities and memories entirely erased, and have been rendered mindlessly obedient to vampires. They are capable of understanding and following vampires' orders, although higher intelligence may be significantly suppressed. In general, they are still capable of the basic functions needed to keep themselves alive (hygiene, rudimentary cooking, keeping their own quarters clean, etc.) which makes them a "convenient" choice. This is the preferred sort of thrall for vampires who believe humans have no rights, and those who do not like humans at all and only require them for a meal. 

Pets: Pets are also rendered mindlessly obedient to vampires and routinely have their memories erased, but a little more of their personality is allowed to remain. The conditioning process leaves pets permanently glassy-eyed and docile. This class of thrall is what you would expect from their name -- treated as though they are house pets. Pets are also capable of the basics of taking care of themselves and may do simple household chores, but generally spend most of their days in leisure activities, sleeping in their owners' chambers or doing little crafts and hobbies. Pets are favored by upper class vampires who enjoy dressing them up in fancy clothes and doting on them. 

Servants: Servants are the most lucid among these types of thralls. They're generally allowed to keep the bulk of their mind, including their memories, and are only conditioned enough to make them obedient and loyal. Servants will generally retain whatever capabilities and knowledge they had prior and so are not only capable of taking care of themselves and household chores, but a wide range of tasks. Servants are also capable of running errands and generally mingling in normal human society without raising questions. Some vampires, those particularly sentimental towards humans, treat their servants as companions. This is the preferred sort of thrall for vampires who are sympathetic to human rights (but not to the point of giving up thralls entirely.)

Wild: Some vampires capture humans and keep them completely unconditioned, generally imprisoned or chained. This is generally considered inhumane if not sadistic by polite vampire society.

Some vampires, especially poorer or younger ones, simply feed on humans they find without taking permanent thralls. This is considered risky behavior that leaves the vampire vulnerable to hunters, revenge seekers, and humans who fight back.

Free: It's rare, but some vampires have completely unconditioned humans who give their blood willingly. This is often in the context of a vampire/human romantic relationship, which many vampires consider eccentric at best and deviant at worst.

A respectable auction house like the one in this story deals in Erased, Pets, and Servants. Within each class, there is a lot of additional nuance to how they're trained and treated. The auction house offers additional conditioning to mold newly bought thralls to their owners' specific needs. Lily will be handling this a lot after the auction, and she'll get paid handsomely for it.

Vampires, especially powerful ones, have psychic connections to their thralls. This can be used for simple communication over distance, sharing of emotions, and limited sharing of memories. The vampire is "in charge" of the connection and can ignore or sever communication with the thrall if desired. The thrall has no choice about receiving communication from their master. A similar relationship exists between vampire and sire.

Servants and pets could be restored to more or less their full human minds if they're freed from vampires, although it takes time and patience to do so (and, understandably, they're all changed and traumatized by the experience). It's generally not considered possible to completely undo the conditioning of an Erased, who suffer from permanent memory loss and personality changes even if freed.

Vampire hunters have ways of helping free thralls of vampiric influence, but they're far from foolproof. Hunters will sometimes mercy kill thralls who they think cannot be restored. Death of a vampire's master will also remove some of the vampire's influence from their thralls' minds, but not all.

Tag list - please note if you'd like to be added

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @wanderinggoblin @whumpyourdamnpears @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are @pressedpenn @pigeonwhumps @amusedmuralist

[luddlestons]

... do you think tiefling clothing needs to be custom-made? Considering the amount of variations of anatomy they can have?

We got:

Variations on Horn size and Shape. How would they get anything on over their heads?

Some tieflings get wings, I'm pretty sure. Back cutouts? Just straight-up backless shirt?

Some tieflings have goat legs, like a satyr or depiction of the devil.

Clothing probably gets expensive, I'm just saying!

If we’re talking about your standard medieval-era fantasy d&d world, most clothing was custom made in the analogous earth time periods, either by tailors or by family members who knew how to sew garments. (Usually women but if we’re doing fantasy, fuck gender!) Some basics were ready-made, but the wide array of ready-made garments we see in stores nowadays are more of a post-industrial revolution thing afaik. (I’m not a fashion historian or medievalist by any means, just a fantasy writer/artist who likes to sew, so more info is welcome here!)

In more specific fantasy world dynamic thoughts: I imagine some tailors would specialize more so in tiefling clothing than others, so you’d want to go to one who knew what they were doing, but I don’t know that it would be much different to an average person’s clothing budget unless you’re in an area where tieflings are particularly rare, the tailor is upcharging you for modifications to basic patterns, and you don’t have any time or resources to sew your own garments or modify one you already have.

I imagine that in a fantasy world like d&d in particular, tailoring would have to be more varied based on the sheer number of different common body types! While in our world, a 7ft tall person is uncommon enough that most tailors would never have one as a client, d&d has half-giants, orcs, and firbolgs, all of whom are regularly over 7ft tall. I would say same difference for gnomes and halflings being so short, but probably you could just use the same sort of scaling you would for children’s garments so that wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary.

Tieflings, of course, land in the category of Extra Bits, like dragonborn, fauns, aasimar, and maybe others? I don’t know much about tabaxi, do they have tails? They ought to, right? (And depending on your lore I see people draw firbolgs and halflings with tails too!) And then you have tortles and aarakokra which are just different shapes ENTIRELY. Sartorial trades in fantasy universes would have to be WAAAY more varied, and that’s pretty cool to think about!

Oh but specifically for tieflings: for wings—I’ve seen designs that basically have slits with buttons or other fastenings that go above the wing so you sort of slide them on and then close them. I imagine you’d need a buddy to help you get dressed though, those seem like even more of a nightmare to do up unassisted than zipping up your own dress. Tails could function in basically the same way, just having a fastening above where they sit, but it would have to be very fitted to your individual tail, cuz if someone else’s is thicker or thinner and you’re borrowing their clothes, that looks like a Problem to Me.

Horns are probably the easiest to get around! You’d just need something that either buttons or laces up the front, has a very wide neckline, or that you can pull up from the bottom like a lot of dresses with fastenings up the back!

**forgot: faun-like legs/hooves would probably require either wide leg pants or SKIRTS! This is also what I use for my dragonborn who has legs shaped more like if a horse had claws and scales.

….this got very long. I think about these things OFTEN.

[violetsareblue-selfships]

Star Saver

Birth Name: Floria | Adeptus Name: Star Saver

Honorary Adeptus of Liyue

Vision: Dendro | Weapon: Catalyst (primary) | Shielding Capabilities

Personality

If you're wanting to befriend one of the Adepti, Floria is the easiest one to befriend. She's very sweet and energetic, though she does have her serious moments, particularly when someone is in danger. Don't believe that this means she is easy to fool, however, if you're befriending her with malicious intent, she will be able to tell, whether through body language or word choice. Though, if you're coming to her to meet up with one of the other Adepti, and you're genuine about it, she'll do anything to help you. She'll even introduce you to that Adeptus and put in a good word for you if she decides you're trustworthy.

She is very protective - both as a result of her contract with Rex Lapis and on her own. If she hears someone in danger, she will come to their aid immediately, throwing one of her protective shields around the person(s) under threat. She'll take down the threat if it's not already been dealt with by Alatus (say if you run into her while she's not on patrol) and then will escort the ones she shielded back to safety.

She is incredibly patient so long as she knows you're not malicious. It doesn't matter if it takes months for you to open up to her, she's a stickler for adhering to people's boundaries and she'll wait patiently until you trust her. She'll never rush for you to tell her something or tell you to hurry up if you're struggling to find the words you want to say.

Floria also has a musical side. It's not so uncommon to hear her humming or see her with a flute in hand. She knows all manner of instruments but those are her preferred ones. Rarely does she sing during her patrols, instead preferring a more visual way of guiding scared souls to her, but she will if those she saved are in need of comfort. This is particularly the case for children of all ages.

Of course, no one can be sunshiney all the time and as such, she has her moments where she is more withdrawn. This notably happens on the anniversary of Guizhong's fall and on dates of other such losses. Do not fear, she will not grouch at you if you discover her on one such day (as even then she's still likely to go on a short patrol out of duty alone), but she might seem... tired. Though, she never requires an offering in return for her protection, knowing that you were thinking of her on such occasions would lift her spirits more than you could know.

Appearance

Given that she is a shapeshifter by nature, her appearance varies greatly. Rarely will you ever spot her looking exactly the same two days in a row. Her hair color, length, style, and her eye color vary day-to-day. Some days she'll have features such as wings, scales, or other animal parts such as ears & tails.

But don't fret. There are easy ways to tell that Floria is the one you're talking to. For one, her skin color never changes - it stays that pale shade at all times. Another consistency is the mark on her right bicep in the shape of Alatus' Yaksha mask.

Plus, if you come across her on her patrols, she leaves a trail of flowers and small grasses behind her at all moments. The trail wilts once she's out of the area and the few that don't wither away will never overpower the existing wildlife in the area.

Another thing is her height. She typically stands around 5'5" but her height can also vary. Most notably, she'll change it when she's talking to children (especially scared children) or when people are in danger from something large. She'll get down on the same height level as those children to not intimidate them more. But when people are in danger by a larger threat, she can make herself as tall as the trees. She won't go any taller than that (rarely needs to anyway) and she never stays that tall for long.

Backstory

Her pre-Liyue backstory is TBD - we need more info on Fontaine's lore first.

Floria is another of the Adepti that was around during the time of the Guili Assembly. Her role is not unlike that of the Yaskhas - to protect the people of Liyue - however, her capabilities fall to a more defensive standpoint rather than offensive. In fact, her official contract with Rex Lapis, even to this day, is to defend the people of Liyue from danger, more notably 'to shield them when there's a threat the Yaksha must fight.'

As such, some of her closest friends and allies were the Yaksha (particularly the Five Yaksha - though she knew some of the lesser ones) and she viewed them as her family. It was common to see her on patrol with any one of the Yaksha, though now she's commonly associated with Xiao (or Alatus as he was known then).

Current Era

In the modern day, her role is still very much the same - to keep an eye out for Liyue's citizens. Her patrol tends to run from Qingce Village down to Liyue Harbor and back up as that is where all the people are situated, but occasionally, she'll stray into the wilderness for those adventurers who need help returning home.

Floria's role in the Traveler's journey is being the first of the Adepti that meets the Traveler once they receive the Sigil of Permission from Tartaglia. She aids them in meeting the others to convey the news of Rex Lapis' death and is involved in the battle that follows shortly thereafter.

Other Details/Trivia

She has innate protection against more elements and powers. As such, she's able to withstand any effects that the karmic debt the Yakshas possess might bring.

Her shields relay this protection to those within them.

Her shields can span entire courtyards and be used to protect buildings in this way - but it drains her of her energy much quicker. Some large shields can take days for her to recover her energy. It's much preferred for her to make a bunch of smaller shields than one large one. But then again, if she has to protect a large building or settlement, she has no choice.

I feel like her story quest would have to do with leftover guilt from Guizhong's fall plus the fall of the Yaksha during the Archon War and letting go of that.

She technically can fight with any weapon (she's had thousands of years to train after all) but her most comfortable one is the catalyst.

The only reason she's not a true Adeptus is that she's not from Liyue - she originally hails from Fontaine like my other shapeshifter. But everyone considers her one regardless (even Rex Lapis - as I mentioned, she does hold a contract with him like the other Adepti).

-------------

That's what I've got for now! I'll make a separate post (or story) about how she & Xiao get together but this is about her not the relationship <3 I really do love how she's taken over my mind lately (I literally planned this all in one night I was so excited lol)

Thank you for reading this and please ask questions about her! I wanna develop her even further. I might make a separate post that I'll likely link back here about her relationships with the other characters <3

[talenlee]

Vox Maxima Gallery 5: The Aszyt Uprising

But if an empire happened and the imperial law rolled out, did people just accept it? Like it? No, of course not! No, you can tell that the empire has opponents because of its laws, demanding and refusing to recognise various people and their cultures. For example, the Empire refuses to do trade with the ‘dangerous godless cult’, they assert, of the ‘outsiders’ and ‘barbarians’ that live on the coasts and in deep sea citadels, known as the Aszyt. The emperor even crafted an immense dragon to take wing and defend the skies from the Aszyt’s dreadful sea summons!

But the Aszyt, themselves? They’re proud, wild, and free. They stand at the edges of the empire and day by day, refusing to go away, steadily pick away at its edges. Traders break the law, citizens leave their homes, and every day the Aszyt recruit through convincing words, burning passion and relentless growth.

The Aszyt know that the Empire is run on power, and the Aszyt drink power.

Vox Maxima is a custom magic set created by Talen Lee. It’s composed of 187 cards, with 71 commons, 60 uncommons, 41 rares, and 15 mythic rares. Vox Decima is a custom Magic: The Gathering set, with at least one card spoiled a day, on Cohost, Kind.Social, and the r/custommagic subreddit.

WOTC Employees: This post in full presents unsolicited custom Magic: The Gathering card designs, which I understand current employee practices forbid you from looking at unsolicited. You shouldn’t be here!

The Aszyt are a blue-red-green faction that I wanted to represent the common hunger of those three colours working together. Each of those colours is capable of big, expensive, impressive plays, and that means to my mind the defining thing that holds the Aszyt together is hunger. They are greedy! They are demanding! They want everyone to hear them and they want people to listen to them and they will ignore an empire that tells them to be quiet!

This is where a lot of the character of the Aszyt came from. I made them very nautical, very much a mix of sea monsters, lovecraftian horror, and queer pirate aesthetics. They particularly are prone to their insult ‘thronepig’ which they throw at the people who willingly cede part of their life and will to the emperor. To the Aszyt, independence is the most important thing. This independence comes with a hunger, a rage, that demands to be the centre of attention. Every Aszyt card wants you to tap out for it. They all want more.

This is also where you’re going to see the Laminae – dryads of deepsea kelp forests. They’re like conventional dryads in a lot of ways but they’re tattered and they can seem more ethereal, more quick-growing and replaceable. This is why they’re a type of token you can make – the forest dryads that make you mana are also a way to allow for mana advancement without adding shuffling into the game.

Tide is our fourth Learner. She has learned the story of how the Necrocalypse happened early because all the math about the oceans predicting their rate of damage was in fact, wrong, and once things started to go wrong in the oceans they got worse, very fast. This was actually the origin of the Aszyt – when they saw the problem was exacerbated by the ocean, they fled not away from it, but into it, to become part of the solution to the problem. In the process, they met and engaged with a Great and Ancient thing, something that did not care about the Empire or its solutions, and found their own way.

Brack is a type of character I don’t write much, because I don’t think about it. He’s a trans dude, and while the empire doesn’t hate him because he’s trans, they sure hate him because he’s part of the Aszyt. His willingness to stand up, speak, and shout for his people and their path to the future, through and past the Empire, is what makes the Empire hate him.

Ancient Allegiance originally gave the spell Ravenous. This was hard to word and wound up feeling more cute than good.

Gold-Eyed Deepling is a card I found myself frustrated with because I kept wanting to put more words on it. Eventually I pared it down to this simplest version and had to make sure I was honest with myself about what I wanted. I wanted a common, useful Ravenous creature, and I didn’t need to make it more complicated and make excuses for it.

Shoreside Wayfinder is a reference to Dryad Sophisticate. It’s just meant to be basically ‘unblockable, eventually,’ and it can be, but y’know, it isn’t by default. Otherwise it’s just a big ground pounder.

Salvage Rights // Strange Eddies was a beast to word because I didn’t want to make the card in any way something that could find a place in legacy-style one-on-one Shaw and Tell Decks. this is a real potential problem with any time you subvert costs, and I want to design with that in mind.

The Scrathes are a uniquely made thing – these are the only examples of them in the setting – and I find them delightful as these big, hungry, potentially dangerous walrus-manatee things. The gormless goofy face of the Market Scrathe especially just cracks me up every time I see it.

Javi Dee is another eminence creature, and the thing I kept trying to build them for is that they just don’t work too early on. Javi Dee needs multiple creatures to work, and she rewards everyone for attacking your opponents – so in a three player game, yes, she’ll be giving you cards, but she’ll be giving your opponents cards as well.

I really like Kamesi as a non-complicated Temur commander. She doesn’t do a lot, she isn’t asking you to build a weird deck – she is just a simple value commander for a simple value Temur deck that wants to get on the board and let people do things.

Demersal started her life as just straight up casting Atarka's Command on attack. I’ve done that before, but I like this slightly different version better. She in her most aggressive, serves for 7 the first time and that’s a lot, but also that requires her to be completely uninterrupted doing it.

Bulging Gwullup is pretty cool – it’s seven mana for a 10/10 that draws two carsd. Of course, for seven mana you could be casting Avenger of Zendikar or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, cards that are very powerful and also win the game on the spot, as opposed to being a Divination on a big dumbdumb.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[ferahntics]

Kirby horn headcanons

Aight so seeing people have positive reactions to my wing rant (70+ notes is a ton for my brain, yeowza--) really encouraged me to share more ideas, so let’s get to horns now!! Again, this is 100% my take on things, which can absolutely differ from person to person c: Feel free to go nuts with your own!!

For wings, click here!

Horns are something that grow in during mid-adult years at earliest. So, for Kirby’s species I’d say that might be... hm, maybe 800-ish years? 1000 might be more accurate, but like wisdom teeth, wildly depends on the individual, some get them sooner, some later, and some don’t get them at all. But for the most part, horns are not something that happen before adulthood.

(age of kirby’s species is very finicky so its hard to tell what’s considered adulthood for their kind. In the anime it’s mentioned Kirby woke up 200/300 years too quickly, so.. perhaps that could be considered early/late teens? Hard to say for sure.)

Although for the most part they’re just for aesthetic purposes, unlike wings which are a crucial asset to the species, some horns can also be useful in a battle, depending on the type.

I imagine they do need to be taken care of, otherwise there is a chance it could result in some form of infection, or in them ‘overgrowing’ - similar to real life’s animals with hooves when they’re not taken care of properly, which at the least causes great discomfort, and at worst, could actually be a health hazard.

These horns are durable, but it’s not rare for them to get broken down in battle, in which case, proper care is that much more crucial - because the horns themselves still contain the nerves, so it is a major injury. (Deer horns shed overtime and regrow, but a lot of bovine horns have keratin outside, and bone inside - I imagine Kirby's species is similar in that aspect!)

Common horns would include: Tiny spikes, standard goat - straight or curved, and curly ram ones. These are small enough that they serve no real combative advantage. 

Uncommon horns would include: Ibex, multiple horns, singular, and oryx - these are more suitable for combat, although the longer ones like the oryx could be very clumsy to work with due to the sheer size of those.

Rare horns would include: antlers (usually that of a stag) or just horns that 'split' in some way like a branch, corkscrew-shaped, and although not technically horns, antennae are possible too. The antlers can be vicious in battle, but a huge risk comes with them - like with stags, these antlers CAN get stuck and leave them vulnerable. Antennae are usually not combat-friendly, but in some rare cases they may be able to produce some form of energy depending on the specimen. They are very sensitive, however, and can get overwhelming and lead to sensory overload.

These are unique, which would include horns made out of gems, crystals, or some form of element, taking a non-corporeal form - perhaps not to the extent of mythical like the wings, but still something that needs to have certain requirements met. So for example, say they have some form of fire that crown the head like horns. These, I imagine could even be iridescent, and maybe if we go a step forward, may change color to go along with the other person’s mood or mentality. Horns can also be asymmetrical!!

Now, if we look at Galacta, who's horns change when becoming the Aeon Hero (light or dark), I'm not sure if that would particularly affect wether that's rare or not? Since it is a transformation, which I'd say isn't too uncommon, regardless if its elemental like Kirby's or just visually different, like Galacta's.

Also like with wings, I assume it IS possible for certain characters to not have horns at all. But unlike with wings, it’s not nearly as hindering.

[mimicmew]

Updated list and info of the species in the Monster AU!

Since some people seemed interested.. here we go!

If you’d like to add your OC or make a new character for this au, use these as a basis! Feel free to ask me any questions if you’re curious or unsure. ALSO IT’S VERY LONG

Humans

CANON CHARACTERS: none lol

- Humans are the basic species of this world.

- They can rarely learn magic and become mages, but most cannot.

- Most humans fear and hate monsters, hunting them down and killing them.

- The Pale Kingdom, regarded as the most hateful kingdom, is currently under attack from a dangerous dragon and it’s siren ‘companion.’ They have managed to cool this by sending regular sacrifices to the ocean.

Sirens

CANON CHARACTERS; Mono, Thin Man

- Sirens are very uncommon, as many of them are hunted down by other species when young, as they are very dangerous.

- Sirens live in pods consisting of 3-15 members. These pods usually exist of siblings from the same hatching, and rarely separate pods fuse to make larger groups. This is uncommon as Sirens are often quite territorial.

- Babies are called pups.

- Sirens never cut their hair, unless they lose a battle. A siren with long hair is to be feared, as they are undefeated in combat.

- For design, Sirens have normal skin colours until their waist, where it fuses into scales. These scales are usually cool colours such as blue, green or purple, and fade into a darker or lighter shade down their tails. They have fins on the sides of their faces that open and close as they emote. They have bright spots across their tail, face and hands. The spots are usually warm colours such as red, yellow or orange. These spots are different shapes depending on where the Siren is from. The only canon ones right now are the eye-shaped spots that both Mono and Thin Man have, so go wild with the shapes! They’ll usually wear shirts as a way of mimicking humans.

- Their magic can be very varied, but is always tied to their voices. A siren without a voice is a dead siren.

- Siren’s grow for their entire life! They grow to about 8 ft by 18, and then they grow roughly half a metre a year, so as you could guess, Thin Man is very long.

Centaurs

CANON CHARACTERS; The Hunter, The Toddler

- Centaurs live in large herds, ranging anywhere from 20 to over 100.

- They live in both forests and open plains.

- They are very naturalist and believe in not taking any more then they need.

 - They have a belief that the face (Particularly the eyes) is the most vulnerable place for spirits to enter, so at a certain age, (around 5 years old) they begin to wear masks. This can range anywhere from beautifully hand-carved wooden masks to just… a sack.

- Centaurs have long hair that runs down their back like a mane. It’s not uncommon for centaurs of any age, no matter the gender, to grow out beards or chest hair. 

Gorgons

CANON CHARACTERS; The Lady, The Lady’s unnamed mother

- Gorgons come from a long line of cursed humans, which have split off to its own species. They are very rare and usually exist in powerful families.

- Gorgons are almost only female, and can reproduce with the same sex.

- Gorgons have rock-hard scales that are always muted colours. Their underbellies are a lighter colour. The snakes that make up their ‘hair’ can be any colour.

- Gorgon’s eyes can turn people into stone through their eyes, so most cover their eyes.

Harpies

CANON CHARACTERS; Raincoat Girl

- Harpies are tall, with their human arms replaced by large bird-like wings. Their legs are much like that of a bird of prey’s. The can have feathers on any place of their bodies.

- They often resemble an existing species of bird, from a bright scarlet macaw to a pitch-black crow.

- Some harpies live in large flocks, while others live alone.

- they usually wear long singlets that do not cover their shoulders, as to avoid restricting their wings.

- They often gather odd trinkets and items.

Fauns

CANON CHARACTERS; Runaway Kid

- Fauns are the deer-like cousins of centaurs

- They usually live alone in dense forests, but can sometimes be seen travelling with centaur herds.

- They have horns that can be any shape, and long, floppy ears.

Gargoyles

CURREN CHARACTERS; The Janitor, The Wax Bellman

- Not much to say, usually just enchanted statues. Aren’t always made of stone, and can be made of most materials.

- Can really look like anything.

- Usually made to serve a master.

- Don’t need to eat, sleep or drink. 

Changelings

CANON CHARACTERS; The Pretender

- Changelings are creatures that, after having a hatchling, will sneak into a human’s house, usually kill or dispose of the human’s child and replace it with their own. Because of this, many changelings grow up unaware of the fact that they are changelings until they grow older.

- They have two forms, a regular human one, and a more monstrous one, often resembling some kind of insect or reptile.

Cyclops

CANON CHARACTERS; The Twin Chefs, The Lollipop boy

- uhh just big Cyclops honestly not much in terms of lore or design.

- Usually very tall and large.

Zombies

CANON CHARACTERS; The Viewers, Some of the Guests, The Doctor

- Zombies can be made in many ways. However, the ones in this area are specifically made by the haunting songs of the Siren.

- They are killed by the first song, then slowly revived by the second, usually over a timespan of about 5 months.

- These zombies are mostly unfortunate humans who got too close, or sacrifices. They can be of any species, however.

Werebeasts

CANON CHARACTERS: Six (werewolf)

- Werebeasts are a collection of species. Some of the most well known are the Werewolves, but many more exist, such are wereboars, werebears and werecats.

- They usually resemble humans, but after some time will shift into a monstrous half-humna, half-animal form. Some will change back, while others will remain like that forever.

- They act very similar to their animals. Some are more human, while others are almost entirely beast.

Ghosts

CANON CHARACTERS; The Sheet Kid, The Glitching Remains

- Just funky little ghosts! usually only of people who died tragic deaths :( 

- Usually have stains on their face resembling tears, and can seem like they are fading away, missing parts of their bodies.

Dragons

CURRENT CHARACTERS; The Eye, The ‘Hunger’, The North Wind

- Ancient and powerful beasts, dragons are the most dangerous species to roam this world.

- If you’re going to make a dragon, try to use it for very powerful entities. Double check with me if you’re unsure.

- They can really look like anything, as there are many subspecies, such as wyverns, wyrms, hydras and more. However, they are unfortunately dying out at a rapid rate.

- They cannot die of old age, only of illness or injury.

- They usually have very strong magical abilities.

- While not always evil, most dragons will horde things. These can be jewels, people, plants or anything really.

ALSO:

Here are some species that might exist, but I dont have any proper lore on yet

- Shapeshifters

- Vampires

- elementals (living elements)

- half-borns (people who are half-animal, half-human)

- Fae

- Selkie

And these are just the ‘sentient’ species! Many mythical animals exist too, such as Phoenix or Unicorn, but are only. animals

[feastfic]

Some hypotheticals behind "baby" Legendary Pokemon, including my process behind how I came to points I did and things I'd imagine them to do when they're young. Starting with Kalos!:

Xerneas: It and Yveltal naturally were the easiest to come up with; one would've been a fawn, the other a chick. For Xerneas I really tried getting into the frailness that a fawn has, and the caution around people. It'd still be large, even for a fawn (around the same size as your typical adult deer in the real world) but it's height wouldn't be too much a hindrance in the wild. Xerneas fawns aren't left alone- typically they follow the parent around until they're able to walk steadily, graze easily, and be able to fend for themselves. As babies, they're sensitive to human disturbance; they live in the deepest reaches of forestry- although it isn't unheard of for stray fawns to wander off and end up near a settlement, it's extremely rare to spot even then because of their nature to hide at perceived threats. The spots on their coat can both reflect light and change colors, aiding in their ability to hide from danger.

Yveltal: Based loosely off the hoatzin's chicks, a young Yveltal grows out of the claws on its wings after molting into its first adult plumage. As a chick, its down is well-suited for insulation and blending into rocky outcroppings; Yveltal are known to nest either at high altitudes or dormant volcanoes, both of which tend to be fairly undisturbed places. While young and still fledging, chicks tend to pick up a hot streak of hunting on anything they can get their talons on- while not particularly aggressive per sé, they're absolutely rambunctious and can leave injury through even thick clothing. Speaking of talons, when young, their claws are black- the keratin eventually becomes weathered and worn as they grow, becoming more grey over time.

Zygarde: A solitary Zygarde is the most common depiction of one, and for good reason. Once enough Cells and Cores coalesce, a Zygarde is "born" and is left to fend for itself. While young and still growing, it lives mainly underground, burrowing through soil and making a sizable gallery for itself to dwell upon. As it grows, over time the amount of green on it's body is replaces by more black, and also darkens once it leaves its burrow to live aboveground. The feelers on its sides serve similarly to whiskers- they detect vibrations while burrowing, and are sensitive to changes in wind or air pressure when not underground.

Diancie: "Born" most commonly around colonies of Carbink, Diancie young are soft-bodied and vulnerable. They use the Carbink to their advantage, gaining protection from threats by living among them and being raised by them until its body hardens up. Its crystals are still developing as well, and it isn't uncommon for newborn Diancie to actually have other gems on its body; it sheds them with age to be replaced by the signature pink diamonds. The same is true of the hard white sheet of rock around its shoulders- it begins soft, almost like a sheet of sorts, before growing along with the Diancie and hardening as another layer of protection.

Hoopa: When young, Hoopa has no real way of being confined. Hotheaded and boisterous, it's been known to pick fights with Pokemon much larger than itself, despite whatever power imbalance there may be. The fur on its body ces in different lengths and layers, depending on the living conditions around it. No matter the environment however, a young Hoopa will have a tail packed with fat and other nutrients to support its growth into am adult- similar to how both geckos and gila monsters will store reserves inside its tail as well. The hole in its chest is nearly completely covered by fur when young, and it is still gaining control over its legs and arms- this gives it a disadvantage in fights, due to its unwieldiness and all the learning it still has to do.

Volcanion: Based loosely off turtle hatchlings, and very similar to Zygarde, Volcanion young grow up alone. Born from small clutches, the young remain until the last egg hatches, then they all take their separate ways. Newborn Volcanion have a hefty control over the steam and water they can eject, as it is their primary defense system at this age. Dangerous, it cannot use these resources indefinitely, so it sparingly goes into the attack when defending itself. Babies are primarily non-predatory and even complacent with people, if exposed to them enough and given enough time to healthily grow. When feeling threatened, Volcanion young will make a series of dry barks and defensive postures- this includes aiming its ejective appendages at the threat and blowing a warning steam from its vents. If found and raised well as a newborn- a hard task that isn't impossible because of its voracious appetite at such an age- it's quite easy for one to become tame and a regular visitor to specific places in a town, or to a person's backyard.

[lewis-winters]

Hi! i really enjoy your daemon au and i-ve gone and watched the new his dark materials series because of it. i love your take on daemons and was wondering if you have nymore headcanons for the other boys? what's luz's daemon? liptons? how do you pick their names? are there any daemons who Re the same sex as their humans? you dont have to rwply if you dont want to i just wanted to tell you i enjoy your world very much!!

Oh, hi! I’m glad you’re watching the new His Dark Materials adaptation! It’s pretty good, huh?

I do have headcanons for not just most of the boys but for the world itself. Though I also call it His Dark Materials!AU alongside daemon!AU it’s actually more the latter than the former. The only things I carried over into this AU from the original world of His Dark Materials are the existence of daemons, the fact that daemons are made of Dust particles, and the existence of witches. The magisterium or any kind of theocracy doesn’t exist. The authority and the angels also do not carry over. Instead, our own religions exist, but there’s just as much emphasis on spiritualism and mysticism as there is on moralism, which I believe would be the natural development of religion in this world where your soul/daemon, the spiritual aspect of you, is literally there for everybody else to see.

All of the boys have small or medium sized daemons, the biggest probably belonging to that of Ron and Tab, who have an Ocelot daemon and a sheepdog daemon respectively. The reason for this being that small or medium sized daemons are easily carried and they, alongside bird or other kinds of flying daemons, are preferred by the airborne. You still gotta jump out of a perfectly good airplane largely undetected. Can’t do that with an elephant daemon. 

Ok. This got real long so I’m putting the rest under the cut. tw: mentions of death, trauma, and mutilation.

Some of the younger boys’ daemons haven’t settled. Miller, Hashey, Garcia, and Jackson. Hashey and Garcia’s settle in Hageneu. Miller and Jackson never get the chance.

Shifty’s daemon, Myrtle, is a Capybara. But he doesn’t know that. Every time somebody asked him what his daemon was, he’d shrug, say ‘Don’t rightly know,’ then leave it at that. What can he do? Capybara’s aren’t native to Virginia and he’s never been out of Virginia. Webster was the one to tell him that Myrtle was a Capybara because he’d read about them in a book somewhere that one time. Myrtle was startled by this and said; “I thought I was some kind of dog!” that was one of the few times she ever spoke out-loud during the whole war.

As I’ve said before in this post, Lew’s daemon is a chameleon named Amalthea. For all of the events of episode 9, Lew kept her in his pocket and that scared almost everybody shitless, because it made it seem like he was walking around without a daemon. The replacements assigned to them around that time, like O’Keefe, thought he didn’t have a soul. He never bothered to correct them because that meant letting Amalthea out, and the idea of her being in the open and vulnerable made him especially ill. He’d rather people thought he was soulless than allow himself and Amalthea to get hurt again. Which is so Lewis.

Skip has a hummingbird daemon named Ilaria, which is a name that means happiness and joy. This daemon-human duo wasn’t hard for me to figure out. It just fits.

Malarkey’s daemon is an artic hare with a summer coat named Felis. She’s settled, but after Foy and after losing Skip and Alex and Buck, she changes again. Subtlely, of course, and not wholely. She stays an artic hare, but instead of a summer coat, she permanently has a winter coat.

It’s not uncommon in this world for your daemon to change after severe trauma. I bet as the field of psychology expands, so does the understanding of trauma’s effects on the soul expand. There’s many studies on the changing of once settled daemons in relation to soldiers’ PTSD.

Buck’s daemon, a male bald eagle named Romulus, changes entirely. Still a bird, but instead of an eagle, he turns into a snowy owl. Before the war, he was a chatty daemon. After, he barely speaks and only does so to Buck and, very rarely, to those close to them.

Eugene Sledge’s male daemon, Daecon goes from a blood hound and gets turned into a Luzon bleeding heart-- which, I know is on the nose but it’s just. It’s such a cool bird, ya’ll. I’ve seen one up-close and ever since that day, I have not known any peace. The shift would be painful and would happen very slowly. It was actually horrific and was a trauma in and of itself. That was the last time they ever changed, though.

I also headcanon that the longer you’ve been settled, the harder and more painful the shift.

Merriell Shelton’s daemon settles in Gloucester. Into what, I’m not sure yet, but a part of me thinks she’s settled into some kind of big cat from the rain forests. Either a cloud leopard or a jaguar. Her name’s Charlotte but he calls her Lottie. Don’t ask me why. It just fits.

That being said, I have some Thoughts about people with big cat daemons. They’re usually aloof. Like, they make a very impactful first impression but they’re mostly solitary individuals who are weird af and difficult to get to know. It takes a really special person to tame a human with a big cat daemon. Once you earn their trust, that’s for life. They’re also really self-assured and are very secure in their sense of self. There is almost little to no tension between big cat daemons and their humans, and if there is, it gets explosive.

Ron Speirs has a big cat daemon, a female Ocelot named Aurele. She never talks, not even to Ron. They have this silent gaze/telepathy going on. Ron also takes on a couple of animalistic traits because of it. They could also... stretch their bond really far? Which is scary as fuck. People think he’s the son of a witch who, in her desperation to make him immortal, made him go through the ritual that allows a witch and her daemon to part for long periods of time and great distances. This is not true. Ron and Aurele just have really high pain tolerance.

Eugene Roe, on the other hand, is the son of a witch. His maman, however, did not make him go through the ritual because he’s not her first son. She knows the pain of outliving her sons well. She loves him all the same but understands that he will die well before her. Eugene’s daemon is a male kinkajou named Louis. Which is both a surprise and also not. For much of the war there’s a lot of tension there. Louis craves connection with others, Roe needs isolation to keep their sanity. It kind of turns into this thing where, if you wanted to comfort Roe or be close to him, you’d have to go through his daemon instead.

Babe’s daemon is a squirrel. A very chatty female russian squirrel named Abigail. They talk to each other a lot, and Abby talks to other people a lot too. Sometimes, she even answers in lieu of Babe. They’re both very blunt and very out there, no hiding with Babe and Abby. It used to get them into a lot of trouble with the nuns at school, who believed that daemons are only meant to be seen and not heard. A+ Catholic repression.

George’s daemon was a little tricky to me. I know his daemon is female and that her name is Thalia. I also know that she can fly. My first thought was: Parrot, either a hyacinth macaw or a white cockatoo. But, I also really like the idea of George having a Butterfly daemon. Particularly one that looks like a leaf when her wings are folded up but is brilliantly jewel toned when she opens them. In the end, I opted for George entering the army, having not settled just yet, and he and Thalia are this kind of double-act, where she shifts into whatever form is necessary for the punchline of the joke. She only settles into a parrot (idk still what kind) after their first jump and all the excitement in Carentan. A gradual thing. They don’t even notice until just before the jump in Holland. When they miss someone, Thalia will mimic that person’s voice. First, it was George’s mama and the voice of her daemon, both speaking in rapid fire portugese. Later on, in Austria, Thalia starts imitating all the friends they’ve lost. Sometimes she’ll sound like Skip. Other times, she’ll sound like Bill. It takes a very long time for her to break this habit. To the point wherein she and George don’t even remember what her real voice sounds like.

Lip’s daemon settled really early and is a female Bonobo named Jane. Has been since he was ten and made man of the house. This, like Skip and Ilaria, was very easy for me to figure out.

Dick’s daemon is a Caracara raptor bird. I’m still figuring out the specifics so she doesn’t have a name yet. Sorry.

As mentioned, Tab has a sheepdog daemon named Marisa who enjoys keeping him and everybody else in check. Have you met a sheepdog? They will literally herd you. It doesn’t matter if you are not a lamb or a sheep. They will nip at your heels until you go where they want to go. That’s Marisa. She’ll nip at Tab’s heels, she’ll nip at everybody else’s heels. If you are going somewhere she does not want you to go she will make sure you know her displeasure. 

It is also super funny when she looks Tab in the eye and goes “Down, boy.” It never fails to make Tab go red and make everybody else laugh. 

Harry’s daemon-- and don’t get mad at me-- but Harry’s daemon is a Scottish Terrier named Saoirse. He carries her around strapped to his chest during jumps. It’s fucking cute. Don’t say that to their faces though because they will lose all respect for you. It’s a daemon suited more to a teacher than it is to a soldier, that’s for sure.

Bill’s daemon is a pit-bull named Darla. Scary looking one, too, with a very bawdy sense of humor. She will growl at you and pretend to bite and you will be very scared but she only does it as a joke. She’s honestly really cool. When Bill and Babe are walking around together, Abby likes to perch on top of Darla’s head. It’s adorable. Sometimes, when Abby gets too much, Darla carries her around in her mouth. It’s still cute. But only to them, everybody else finds it vaguely horrifying.

I know there’s this taboo of humans not touching other humans’ daemons but it’s kinda difficult in such close-quarters like theirs. It is also heavily implied in the original text of Philip Pullman, that the no-touching thing is a cultural thing. Like, I think in religions that deal a lot in repression like Catholicism or Protestantism, the touching of another’s daemon is a no-no and is only reserved for the most intimate of relations (i.e. marriage). But I feel like religions such as Judaism, Wiccan, Paganism, or even some branches of Folk-Catholicism encourage touch/celebrate that connection between two humans. Neither of these two beliefs are wrong, of course. It’s just a cultural thing and they carry with them both pros and cons.

I bet Lieb grew up very used to his daemon being touched by his mother and father or older siblings. It’s not taboo to him, though he recognizes that it’s taboo to others. He doesn’t get it though, and is constantly rolling his eyes every time somebody gasps when they accidentally touch someone’s daemon.

A lot of the boys just kinda ignore the touching daemons thing until they get used to it.

I’m not sure what Lieb’s daemon is or what her name is, too. I know she’s a social kind of daemon-- not solitary like a big cat or a reptile (like snakes). I thought maybe a wolf, but a wolf daemon is too... large and there are a lot of connotations attached to it. I think Lieb’s daemon is something medium-sized and unassuming. Not a dog. Not a domestic cat either. A part of me thinks flightless bird, but no. Not that either. Give me time. I’ll figure her out. As of now, I’m thinking either a marsupial or a canidae/fox but not quite. She’s a mammal, that much I know. Just don’t know what kind.

Grant’s daemon is a male domestic cat named Saladin. He’s either an Abyssinian or a Bengal. Either way, he’s really cool. Like super cool. They’re both super duper cool.

And... that’s kinda it. That’s all I have for now. I’m really sorry it got so long, anon. I get really excited when talking about daemons. It’s character study but with animals! Thank you for giving me this opportunity to ramble. This is where I leave you.

[byanyan]

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬.

1. What does your muse smell like?

most of the time, very sweet. it’s one of the few ways they’re actually quite contrary to the typical undercity citizen. while byan doesn’t care about getting themself dirty, they DO like to start the day clean, so it’s pretty regular for them to smell not only like soap, but like strawberries or cherry blossoms. they have a relatively large collection of perfumes & scents that they’ll spray themself with before they head out for the day. that said, it’s not uncommon for them to smell like sweat and blood, or like smoke and solid itch. oftentimes, the smells will mix together and some would argue that that’s what byan smells like.

2. What do your muse’s hands feel like?

surprisingly smooth for the number of cuts, scars, and callouses that mark them. their hands certainly have a roughness to them, something that just comes with growing up on the streets and getting your kicks out of starting fights with guys twice your size. however, byan does moisturize and otherwise take good care of their hands

3. What does your muse usually eat in a day?

whatever they feel like. byan is NOT a creature of routine and every day is different, unless they find themself particularly fond of something. sometimes they’ll go on a kick where they eat the same thing every day, but it’s rare and tends to fizzle out after a week or so. the only real consistencies they have with food day to day is coffee in the morning, some sort of pastry for breakfast or a morning snack, and lots of caffeine throughout the day, be it in the form of coffee, boba tea, or soda.

4. Does your muse have a good singing voice?

yes, but good luck ever hearing it. byan doesn’t sing often and, when they DO, the energy of the room is usually high and the music loud. also, they don’t tend to TRY to sound good, so a lot of the time that one might hear them sing, it’s over the top and kind of silly.

5. Does your muse have any bad habits or nervous ticks?

their whole life is basically one big bad habit. if they see any opening, they’ll steal or pickpocket without even thinking about it. they smoke, they do drugs, they drink. they start up fights for no reason other than their own entertainment. most of their hobbies are simply bad habits. if we’re talking more along the lines of ticks though ― not necessarily NERVOUS ones ― they’ll toy with their hair if it’s not pulled back, they’ll pick at their nails, spin their rings idly, play with their earrings, or flip their butterfly knife around.

6. What does your muse usually look like / wear?

this varies from day to day based on how they’re feeling. byan likes to mix things up and do something a little different every day, although they do have their favourite styles that are seen more commonly. their favourite way to do their hair is to have some of it pulled back in a small ponytail with several cute clips here and there. there’s always something bright pink in their outfit, be it their top, pants, or various accessories. their favourite tops are ones that are lowcut or have their shoulders on display or have little windows cut out of the material, usually paired with a leather jacket that’s either black or pink. pants are most commonly severely ripped jeans or leggings, and they LOVE combat boots ― usually pink, though their favourite pair also have ribbon laces and decorative wings. they’ll usually have all assortments of jewelry on, with many bracelets and rings. nails are almost always painted and there’s usually some kind of makeup on their eyes at the very least.

7. Is your muse affectionate? How much? How so?

in their own way with certain people, yes. it’s easy to misconstrue their affection as teasing or bullying, as it tends to involve more... aggressive actions, ESPECIALLY playful punches. they tease affectionately a lot, but they also mock people insultingly and it can be hard to tell the difference. when it comes to people they really like, platonic or otherwise, they’ll often bring them little (stolen) gifts they saw and thought the person might like, or do things like paint their nails, do their makeup, or play with their hair.

8. What position does your muse sleep in?

on their back. granted, they will roll around a bit, but most of the time asleep, byan is on their back. it’s the most comfortable position to them but, more importantly, it’s the easiest position to spring to action from should something happen while they’re not conscious ― which it has in the past, and those experiences have stuck with them.

9. Could you hear your muse in the hallway from another room

yes. byan is loud and is UNAPOLOGETIC for it. they don’t stop and worry that they might be disturbing others because they don’t care. they exist and they do so as they LIKE to, which is not quietly or subtly. they talk loudly, they laugh loudly, and they don’t walk particularly quietly unless they’re breaking in somewhere.

[pandoramusicbox]

the red forest. 
attached to the endless forest of Auyilkir, the red forest is a region that is magically afflicted to where most plants in the region tends to be of a warm hue, often red. the most common way to see this is in the trees that for most of the year have bright red leaves. during winter they turn brown and then ashy grey or white. the red forest is a large region (roughly the size of Germany) because of its large area the red forest is not fully homogeneous in terrain. some mountains, a lakes region, and a rather swampy portion , in the far east of the region.

people of the neighboring regions are often superstitious of the forest and people of local too the region. it has good resources, though large parts of the territory has ground that is ill suited for large scale farming due to the rocky or mountainous areas. the lakes region is good for farming. the closer the red forest goes to the endless forest the more the trees are mixed in color. large parts of the territory also host magnetic rocks.

the region is considered rual on the best of days. it is known to have its own dialect. it is notoriously easy to get lost within the forest. the forest is also known to be full of monstrous and strange beasts.

species of the region


-humans, are actually relatively rare in the region. but no surprise red hair is common.  
-centaures, they are actually larger in size than the centaures found in scalipia. 
-kerin centaures, they are kind of uncommon in this region in specifically. as they also tend to live more in the east. they share the name of a deer-like creature they look simular too. That are more common in the area. 
-deer women, they are not very common, and are thought to be slight shape shifters. they are so rare that they are debated if they are a kind of regional fairy or nymph or even god. some people don’t belive they exist. missing people are blamed on them.
 -gods, because of its closeness to the endless forest there are a lot of gods that live in the region.
 -deer centaures, small red deer centaures live in the region. some people thing sighting of “deer women” are just miss identifications of the deer centaures. 
-ghouls, actually the majority of the population in the region. they are close relatives to vampires, and have appendages simular to a true blood vampire’s wings of dread. they have a limited diet. 
-butterfly birds, the blue monarch butterfly bird migrates down from the blue forest of Juyilier. to stay the winters and crowned monarch butterfly birds migrate up to summer in the forest. 
-giant volcano moths, bright orange wings and a furry white body.
 -giant snow silk moths, their silk is not as good quality as other silk moths but they are good.
 - jurmondo, large spiders with yellow and black striped legs. they usually grow to the size of a medium sized dog but the larger specimens can grow to the size of a hog, which is one of its favored pray. wild hogs. this is also a name used for a kind of spider-like
 -ShiShi, also called lion dragons, though they tend to live in more northern regions past the dragon spine mountain ridge. but some lion dragons make their homes in the red forest. they have thick manes, horns and females have wings. they are a kind of phodo-dragon.
 -spurdoodels, small phodo-dragons with leaf shaped wings and camoflauge as leaves and sticks.
 -vermilion harpies large harpies with bright red and gold/brown feathers. they have a shock of violet on each side of the head above and near the ear. vermilion harpies are known to be particularly feathery as often only the face is uncovered of feathers. 
-scarlet harpies, smaller in size, they have very fanciful tail feathers. that make it easy to mistake them for the migratory phinixes.
 -phinixe, colorful birds seen as relatives to emotion eaters, they migrate to Auyilkir from the valley region of Juyilier.
 -tailed, theres a notoriously large population of tailed living in the red forest. people are warned not to stay out past night in the forest or they might fall prey to the tailed or their werewolves. an interesting occurrence though is that the tailed of the red forest tend to have a more fox-like features than the more cat-like looks of scalipian tailed. 
 -speckled black, white mink, they have surprisingly good camouflage against the local rocks.
 -emotion eaters, there two kinds that are relatively commonly found in this region the white/red and gold/red emotion eaters. both kinds can breath fire. the white/red can redirect emotions, the gold/red can alter physical size but are still larger than the average emotion eater. 
-Núyo, a kind of demon kin who are common in this region, they generally look human, but they can shape-shift into a monstrous forms. usually they take human forms at daytime and monster forms at night just naturally but they can force their shape change. they can feed on fear.
 -jinjino, a kind of liama but they are known for their tiger like stripes. 
-tigers though a bit more redish in color with a slight mane. and classic black stripes. 
-bears, red panda bears, russet bears and star crested bears.
 -swifts wolfs, they have long legs.

(all photos are stock photos and are used only to help in visualization, if a photo is not a stock photo it was not known to me)