#was it just because i was thinking about the monster designs

[space-mermaid-writing]

Of monsters and men [IronStrange]

Summary: Some kidnappers fucked up big time and now Tony is bonded to this strange demon he continues to summon by accident.

Tags: demon!Stephen Strange, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst, Whump, body horror, protective Stephen Strange, Stephen Strange needs a hug

Author's note: It's finally happening! This is the demon fic I talked about ages ago. Special thanks to @harpywritesfic who listened to my random rambles about this and was one of my main motivations to write this in the first place. It might have even been her idea all along. The same amount of thanks goes to @kvjjjjjj who helped me tweaking everything and shaping the story into what it is now.

Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 2.5k | Next (soon)

Chapter 1: I’m yours to command

Tony had been kidnapped – yet again.

A scratchy bag was blocking his view and his hands were bound above his head.

He had been drugged – must have been because he had blacked out and still felt dizzy, although he regained consciousness a while ago.

Whoever did this, they were experts. They had stripped him of all his tech; even his watch that transformed into a gauntlet. So he was left with no way to contact Jarvis.

At least he was sitting, with his back against a cold stone wall. Even if his left shoulder hurt all the way down to his elbow.

He guessed he was in a big room or some kind of hall. There were some noises and low voices nearby but still too far away to hear any specifics.

Until footsteps approached him and the bag was pulled off his head.

Tony squinted in the sudden light – that came mostly from candles all around the place. Huh – weird interior design choice.

“You know, I’m actually insured against being kidnapped by one million dollars,” Tony said. Because for the love of god, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Especially not when he was nervous. And while he was a pro in being kidnapped – really he should have a punch card at this point – it was always a reason to be at least slightly concerned.

Plus his head still felt weird.

The first thing Tony noticed of his kidnapper was his weird outfit. It was some kind of robe, like a monk but in a dark red. He wore a hoodie over it, as if he had decided at the last second that he needed another layer in case it got cold.

“Be glad we already collected everything we need from you.” The guy sounded annoyed by Tony’s comment; and he had a New York accent. Definitely a local then.

“If you have everything, you might as well let me go.”

“Oh no. We will keep you in case they want a snack. Why you of all people have a suitable bloodline is a mystery to me. I really would have liked someone who was easier to kidnap. So, we have to make it worth it.”

Tony squinted his eyes, irritated. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He didn’t get an answer, since the guy turned away and walked back to a group of people. All of them were wearing those red robes and various versions of jackets and hoodies.

Soon Tony noticed that he was in a kind of catacomb made of stone. It looked old, with high ceilings and no windows. Judging by the dusty smell of the air they were probably underground.

There was barely any interior – besides the candle sticks and some boxes that looked like they were brought here only recently.

The walls were decorated with weird carved-in symbols Tony didn’t recognize.

He raised his head. What he thought was a wall behind him was actually a block of stone, some kind of rough black granite. It was placed suspiciously like some kind of altar in the room.

The group of cultists or zealots or whatever, were currently working on copying something from an ancient looking tome onto the ground.

Shit, that wasn’t good.

These guys didn’t just want ransom or secret business information. They were serious with this, and maybe a bit crazy.

Tony tried to pull on his shackles to no avail. He had to think quickly – which wasn’t so easy with his head still swimming.

The cultists finished whatever they drew and inspected it. Then one of them stepped to the boxes, and took out a transparent bag with red liquid in it.

Tony suddenly had a horrible suspicion. He glanced up at his still aching arm: someone had put a band-aid under the crook of his elbow. Right where blood was usually drawn.

Now his lasting nausea made more sense.

They poured the red liquid onto the outer line of their work. Then they gathered in a circle around it and started chanting while holding their hands.

Tony didn’t really want to stay and find out what exactly they were attempting to accomplish here.

The drawn symbols on the ground lit up. Then suddenly, the blood got absorbed into the stone on the ground, as if it had been sucked up.

Tony didn’t believe in hell. Or in heaven for that matter. But he had met a super soldier, a green angry guy full of radiation, and a literal alien god. At this point everything was possible.

His fear spiked when dark smoke filled the floor – centered at the area where his blood had vanished – and the candles flickered. An eerie aura spread, almost as if the air had become tinted.

Tentacles grew out of the smoke; at first they seemed shadow-like but then they solidified, and Tony noticed immediately the sharp spikes that unsheathed from the suckers.

The cultists moved back a bit, making space.

Whatever was going on, Tony needed to leave. Sooner rather than later.

But when he tried to move, he just hurt his wrists.

Then a figure appeared amidst the smoke and the tentacles. It grew out of the shadows and became taller and taller.

Tony saw horns – and some kind of cape? There were more tentacles around the figure and it was hard to tell where the figure and its cape ended and the tentacles began.

The demon’s – there wasn’t any better term to describe the figure – voice echoed in the vault.

“Wħø đȺɍɇs ŧø sᵾmmøn mɇ?”

“It was us, creature of darkness.” One of the cultists took a step forward and the demon’s head whisked around to him. Tony imagined the eyes of such a creature being terrifying, but the cultist spoke with confidence. “Our bond compels you to heed our commands. We are your masters by blood and magic. Together, we shall harness the powers that lie dormant in the shadows.”

The speech was a bit much in Tony’s opinion – on the other hand he was in no position to voice critique.

The demon didn’t say anything. He looked down to where the summoning circle lay under the dark smoke.

Then he stepped over it.

The cultists’ faces fell and they became pale. That was when Tony knew something has went horribly wrong. He went back to trying to free himself. But he just rubbed his wrists more sore and hissed in pain.

The demon turned his head halfway towards him as if drawn by the noise, and Tony quickly bit his tongue. He didn’t want to draw further attention.

Fortunately, the demon deemed the cultists as the more important matter. “Ɏøᵾ Ⱥɍɇ nø mȺsŧɇɍ øf mɨnɇ. Ŧħɇ ƀønđ ɨs ᵽȺɨđ wɨŧħ ƀłøøđ – Ⱥnđ ɨŧ đøɇsn’ŧ ŧȺsŧɇ łɨkɇ ɏøᵾɍs.” He raised a long, slender arm and pointed at the speaker. “Ƀᵾŧ føɍ ɏøᵾ Ɨ wɨłł đøᵾƀłɇ ȼħɇȼk.”

In the next moment he vanished – just to re-appear right in front of the cultist who had addressed him, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground. He killed him effortlessly, almost like an afterthought.

Panic rose among the other cultists. They realized they had made a mistake and they held no power over the entity they had called. Naturally, they tried to flee.

The tentacles dashed after them – it didn’t look like the demon was willing to let them leave.

Tony averted his eyes and tried to work on his own escape instead. The fearful screams and noises of breaking bones were deafening but he knew his time frame was short, if he wanted to make it out alive.

His shackles were pretty tight and they didn’t give him a lot of room to move. There was nothing around him he could use either, just stone. He tried to grind his shackles against it, but it damaged the stone rather than his bonds. At this rate, he would need hours or days to get any results.

The noise of metal against stone became louder and at first, Tony thought it was because he still felt dizzy and his head was directly next to where he was working to free himself. It took him a second to notice that it had become silent in the room.

He stilled and focused back on his surroundings.

There was nobody left but the demon – and he looked straight at him.

Tony gulped. It was the first time he saw his face.

It was surprisingly human. The skin too pale, maybe even a bit purple-ish. And it seemed to flicker, as if its outlines were blurred – or constantly changing. Like the static noise of a television. His horns were framed by black hair, streaked with white on both sides.

His back was straight with confidence and his long arms hung low, ending in black tainted hands with claw-like fingers.

The ragged robes that once maybe had been blue but now leaned more into purple, and the red cloak around his shoulders had seen better days as well.

Tony squirmed in his place. “For the record, I had nothing to do with bothering you. Not my plan, didn’t approve it.” His eyes flickered to the tentacles all around, that seemed to – surprisingly – calm down, as well as the flickering of the demon’s skin.

The demon approached him. In the dark smoke that still lingered on the floor and with his long robes and cape, it almost looked like he was gliding over the ground. Funnily enough he also seemed to become smaller, shrinking to the size of a regular human being. He still towered over the altar Tony was bound to.

His eyes were blue and utterly inhuman. They looked like a window to another world; Tony could see colors swirling around in them. They were so very deep. Tony felt himself falling, sucked in by the blue and purple. He forgot to breathe.

“It was your blood that summoned me.” The voice of the demon brought Tony back into the moment and he blinked. His legs felt shaky.

The demon’s voice was now different then before- deep, and for some reason he spoke perfect English. Maybe it was the magic involved.

“Sorry about that. It wasn’t voluntary.” It was probably a stupid idea to talk to this creature. Tony’s last words would be something utterly ridiculous.

On the other hand, that was a very fitting way for him to go. He felt – maybe for the first time ever – like he had run out of time and options. Despite all the reckless stuff he was throwing himself into on a daily basis; this was different. He was used to dealing with human villains, maybe robots and the occasional alien from space, but not to whatever this creature was. There was some kind of power emanating from him Tony couldn’t even begin to fathom.

The demon stretched out his claw, sharp and intimidating, and Tony felt his heart race as a wave of dread washed over him. He winced in anticipation of the pain, bracing himself for the harsh reality of whatever cruel fate awaited him.

But the demon inflicted no harm. Instead the demon cut his restraints with a swift move. The shackles fell away, releasing Tony from his captivity.

He sat there, perplexed, as he rubbed his sore wrists, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

And then, to add to his astonishment, the demon lowered himself onto one knee, his head bowed.

“I’m yours to command,” he offered respectfully.

Tony’s initial wonder rapidly shifted back into disbelief mixed with a sense of foreboding.

“No need, thank you. You can leave,” he replied, his voice carrying the certainty that he wanted absolutely no part of what the creature was offering.

Now it was the demon’s turn to be surprised and he looked up. “I’m bound to you by the spell. I have to stay until I have been of service to you.” He eyed the human. “I’m sure there is something you need.” The demon came closer to Tony’s face. His eye color shifted to the clearest blue Tony had ever seen and he was captivated by it.

“Something you wish for. Something you desire.” The demon’s voice dropped an octave. “My mighty powers know only few restrictions.”

Proudly he grinned, revealing a row of terrible razor-sharp canines.

Tony suddenly felt hot. Did someone turn up the thermostat? Maybe this creature was fueled on hellfire or something like that.

Anyway, Tony wasn’t really interested in anything the demon could offer. He had more money than he could ever spend; everybody knew who he was, and if he wanted he could call and speak to the president. There was no power or fame that appealed to him.

But if he had to think of something in order to send this fellow away… “Can you heal that?” He showed his bruised wrists.

The demon paused. This wasn’t what he had expected. But then he nodded and reached out. Tony braced himself because of the claw-like fingers, but – yet again – they were surprisingly gentle when they touched his skin. They curled around the bruise and then – with a golden shimmer – the demon healed him.

Not having expected that, Tony watched in awe. “Wow, that’s incredible.”

The demon puffed up proudly for a moment, before he studied Tony. “That’s not your only injury,” he observed.

His hand wandered up his sleeve and he healed the ache in his arm from where his blood had been drawn, before it settled on his left shoulder. It was his bad one. The one that had been injured so often, Tony was used to the constant ache.

The demon’s hand lit up golden and the pain was gone.

Then the blue eyes looked at his chest, where the light of his arc reactor glowed faintly through the fabric of his shirt.

That was where Tony drew the line. “Don’t touch that,” he ordered sharply.

“But you are injured.”

“I am aware. But it’s good as it is. You can leave now, right? You were of service.”

The demon seemed taken aback by his behavior. As if he had never met a human, that settled for a simple healing spell. Most humans asked for power, wealth or being worshiped. Maybe to destroy their enemies.

“I guess technically I did,” he admitted.

“Totally. I’m a very satisfied customer. Five out of five stars. Big help, thank you. I don’t need your service anymore.”

“Fine.” The demon stepped back and Tony felt like he could breathe again. “It was interesting to meet you, Anthony, son of Howard.”

Before Tony could ask how the fuck he knew his name, the demon disappeared back into the ground – and with him the tentacles and the dark smoke.

Tony leaned back against the stone, exhaling.

Just when he thought life couldn’t get any weirder…

Then he realized he should have asked the demon to bring him home, because he still had no idea where the hell he was.

[dubioushonour]

.

[bionicboxes]

DBD but Monster High. If I had to have this in my brain the rest of you have to deal with it too.

[victarin]

i fucking love people here you guys see this dinnerplate-faced daycare animatronic and go "what if they were detectives" and you make all this amazing astounding art and writing and concepts and designs like yeah . sure . im going to be normal abt this and im not going to think about the incredible levels of creativity involved im not gointg to think about how much i love seeing beginner artists using the dca as a way to learn new skills in art and character design Im not going to think about how much joy is in all those AUs and how much artists and writers put aspects of whatever they enjoy in those stupid ass clowns to make these incredible inspired stories and artworks absolutely Brimming with love for what they created &how much i love seeing people in the community huddling around those AUs and hyping them up and making More Art from those yeah im normal. whatever

[freaky-flawless]

Dead Tired Honey Swamp

Shout out to @deuces-stone-cold-style for the nightgown inspo!

[bunnieswithknives]

So, was that tag mentioning "fairy deer lycanthropy" /j or /srs ?

[emile-hides]

Been absolutely obsessed with @cosmiischillin's aged up Ruby Gloom AU Twilight Town and thought it'd be kinda fun to dig up my old Ruby Gloom OCs/Self Inserts and age them up to fit the Twilight Town Vibe.

The mummy is more recent, not adult recent they were definitely still a kid me self insert, but I only really recently put their design to paper like, last year. You can see that post Here because I really don't want to ramble twice about the same OC.

Luna is my baby baby OC who was basically just a Self Insert, I made them when I was maybe 8? They're a Shape-shifter who's color blind who took the form of Ruby hoping they could be as popular as her and make friends like she does because they're very very shy. Ruby basically adopts them as a sister afterwards.

I had drafted in a notebook as a kid a script for their arrival episode that came right after Blue Luna where even though they're drastically different looking Frank, Len, and Iris canNOT tell the two apart, and even assume Ruby to be the fake. Shenanigans and what not.

Yes baby me made an OC that was The Main Character but a Different Color and I was SO proud of it. I made an edit of Ruby to make her look like Luna as a child in MS Paint, but it as sense gone to the wind. Sad.

[sp00ky-scary]

Ghoulia

drawing mh requests again because life got busy right after i asked for em

i may like g3 but ghoulia is not included in that :] g1 ghoulia is so much better

[buttercup-art]

hey

[clamoridoll]

i don't think her design is awful (though not really worth $75) but i wish they did something different with her hair, like put it up in a bun or something. it doesn't fit the formal victorion vibes, but historical accuracy aside, the black hair with the dark blue dress just engulfs her silhouette, y'know?

[whattraintracks]

When you get to it I really want to know what you end up thinking of “I, Monster.” There’s one scene in particular that is *very* interesting in that episode.

Hey! Thanks for stopping by.

I just watched it this morning! Some of my thoughts are below the cut. What scene were you thinking of?

SUPER interesting backstory for the Rat King

gonna be real, I didn't understand the hype about Bishop at first

BUT NOW I GET IT

he keeps causing so many problems, both intentionally and inadvertently

and he's kind of terrifying

anywho

super fun that Casey joined the bros for training

Mikey always trying to get his vitamin hype

"Easy on the windows, Leo. It’s just an exercise" - all the brothers have unlocked the concerned-teasing dialogue option in their interactions with Leo. very much liked this one from Don

query: why does Mikey keep getting abducted, strapped down, and almost killed by Bishop and his look-alikes? boy, that's gotta be some vivid nightmare fuel

Raph is starting to lean heavily toward Not Loving the new Leo

also, I was so right about Leo's hypervigilance paying off (weeps)

sidenote, this has strong Edgar Allen Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" vibes

Leo's one-on-one fight scene was awesome!!

"if Leo gets in trouble I’m the first one in there" — I'm not crying you're crying — "but right now it looks to me like Leo’s got more than one monster to work out of his system" — I'M NOT CRYING HARDER YOU'RE CRYING HARDER

[thedrotter]

re:kinder goofy (for the most part) doodle dump !!! last two are from. five months ago when i was barely starting to draw these characters but i found them amusing 😊 enjoy snacks

[freaky-flawless]

speaking of Cupid I also don’t like how they did the black gradients, it looks weird that only her legs have them and the pattern looks weird too, I think its cause its too thin

Yeah the gradient could be a lot better...it isn't as gradual and soft as her G1 version and it looks really out of place since it isn't on her arms as well. Its actually a little jarring since she has so little black in her outfit.

And the pattern on her legs is a little strange. Pretty on its own, but its so delicate and intricate it also just looks a bit out of place. Hopefully it doesn't rub off easily.

[skeletalheartattack]

theres another member of zarbons species in the moro arc of dragon ball super! he transforms into a differentmonster form than zarbon

Yuzun! i know him! or well, i kinda know him. i'm not really caught up or invested in anything Dragon Ball related beyond Buu Saga, but i've learned somewhat about him.

i think he's pretty neat! and i'm really happy they expanded Zarbons race just a little bit with Yuzun. though you hate to hear how he went out... there's no peace for my mans race. i hate this solar system. fuuuck.

[moreeels]

breaking my silence I THINK DOORS IS BETTER THAN PRESSURE......!

[itslaneybop]

I’m sure someone has come to the conclusion that Barbatos was originally a feral demon upon creation, right? Diavolo very casually mentions that he lured Barbatos to the castle with tea leaves and Barbatos even notes in a different conversation that he was never a child. That one kid event aside, (which I could very easily find an explanation for if I took the time to do so) it seems too perfect that he would be a quadruped beast-like abomination, respectfully, and I’m going to run with that headcanon.

This is turning into a list I want to reference later 💀

• Barbatos has ALWAYS been articulate and insufferably formal. Maybe he’s made that way.

• Diavolo is the reason he takes a human-esque form, whether to match his own likeness or because he was influenced by some other factor prior to “The Fall”

• Barbatos’s current demon form only alludes to what he used to look like and is definitely the reason why it doesn’t seem to resemble a cohesive design

• He would have looked like a Frankenstein mix between a bat, salamander, owl, snake, and vulture

• ✨ Black sclera ✨ because yes absolutely he would *pants*

• Maybe he doesn’t revert to his previous form because Diavolo has never explicitly said that he was allowed to? (his abject servility lends me to believe he would never use his power without instruction or prompt so this might not be too big of a stretch)

• I already believe that most of the notable figures of native Devildom citizens are beasts or monsters and I think the older they are the less “human” they look. Barbatos is VERY old so that would fit in here nicely.

• Solomon nearly did himself in when summoning Barbatos, if I remember that right, and I desperately want to know what that was all about.

• Whether he started out as quadrupedal or bipedal I couldn’t say, but I think he was flexible enough to stride both ways. Don’t ask me for realism because this is clearly fiction lol but I will say that there is a distinction between his back haunches and the front “arms/hands”

• Someone once mentioned that Barbatos’s VA has a slight lisp (I’m unsure if this observation is true, but I can admit that I hear it and it’s undeniably cute to me) and for that reason alone, I’m envisioning either a snake tongue or sharp fangies to make an audible lisp—or he just has one; no reason at all ♥️

• As far as design goes, I kind of go back and forth between anthropomorphic (I’m using the term loosely and with neutral tone) and just full-on beast.

• For whatever scaly parts he has, I think they’re like a shift of green and blue, possibly yellow, like a June bug shell. Otherwise his body is a mixture of feathers and very fine fur, like a shitzu dog’s coat.

• Big ears! Huge ears that flex and move independently like digits on a hand. This would also explain the black claws on his head because I’m not buying that those are “horns.”

• I’m a big fan of Barbatos being able to speak every language imaginable and that definitely includes every variation of Devildom language. He’s old enough to have invented portions of some!

• Barbatos has said he doesn’t need to sleep (or I am at least fervidly trying to find evidence of it) so I want to believe he catnaps. Catnaps have been described as a light dozing while being alert to surroundings, either to escape danger or pursue prey.

• If he had fangs that worked to inject, he was a venomous monster. If not, I am adamant that he could secrete a toxin of some sort.

• Playing off that last idea, this would make a neat foundation as to why he’s so fascinated and keen on tea. I wonder what kinds of poisonous concoctions he’s made?

There’s a lot to add, but I need to reread the story to get some details right or to pick up anything I hadn’t had a mind to look for first time around. I know for a fact I skipped through most of the story involving the grimoire thing(?) and that’s pretty important regarding Barbatos lol so I’m coming back to this eventually!