#horned sea snake

[yelmor-boots]

@the-goose-ferret dared me

[rossthren]

Snakes!

[memento-morri-writes]

More dnd writing because it's all I have but I here's a snippet from a vignette I did of Rook's past (from Zara's POV), because Rook and his mentors never fails to make me sick (/pos).

[transcript under the cut]

Taking a coin out of her pocket, she rolled it across her knuckles, back and forth. It gave her hands something to do, and prevented the urge to bite her nails, something she hadn’t done in years. Ten minutes passed, then twenty. Zara began to pace as Rook’s breathing grew shakier and the color drained from his skin. Where the hells is Jay? she wondered. The room was so quiet that she could hear every tick of the small clock on her bedside table, and each one echoed in her head. How many ticks does he have left? She didn’t want to think about it.  She’d had crew members die before, of course. You don’t go as many years as a captain as she had and never lose a soul. But all the others who had died had died quickly, in combat. She’d mourned for all of them, even shed tears in private, but there was something different about watching the life drain out of a person right in front of your eyes.

[randomshenaniganery]

I'm putting this here just so I can digi it later

This is a sea snake merman thing with fili tatts

[call-me-the-candyman]

Amongst the seas of flames dwells Iblis, Prince of Air and Monsters; a creature of animalistic rage. Under its arms lies the stars missing from the sky from two millennia ago...

[lotus-duckies]

anyone remember back in the day when we assigned silly interests to asexuals to replace sexual attraction like 'cake asexual' and 'space asexual' and 'dragon asexual'

honestly there was a lot of hype around dragons on tumblr and i just didn't get it like yeah big lizards with wings it's okay it's fine

and then i got into chinese and filipino religion and folklore and suddenly dragons were super cool

[hyperfixat]

How they show affection, demon brothers!

roughly ~700 words :3 side characters ver

Mammon bites.

Seeing how quickly Mammon took to you, he started showing affection around day three of knowing you, after forming your pact. At first you thought he was sniffing your hair, and maybe you needed new conditioner, but then you felt the graze of teeth on the lobe of your ear and a gentle bite.

You don’t react, save for a mild blush, and Mammon’s makes an oddly bird-like chiro, before pulling away from you.

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

“You bit me,” you acusse. It’s not like you’re mad, but knowing why might be nice.

“Stupid human, you’re imagining things,” and if you didn’t believe him from the tone of his voice the aggressive sunburnt red that eclipses his whole face shows he doesn’t mean it.

Satan headbutts.

It took a while for Satan to be affectionate with you, maybe shortly after the Lucifer slash London incident was when he first rammed his (thankfully horn-less) head into your arm. You thought he just bumped into you, maybe he stumbled and to spare him embarrassment, you didn’t mention it.

But then it happened again, this time he made eye contact with you before shoving his scalp into your chest. You melted.

Satan’s so sweet to you, for real for real.

Lucifer purrs.

Now don’t ask him or accuse him of purring because he will deny it, vehemently.

((The Avatar of Pride does not purr, don’t be ridiculous, MC. (Lying through his teeth.))

You only had the opportunity to hear it once in your first year at RAD, the night before you left, he had let you hold his head in your lap and bask in the warmth of your stomach and thighs in between the other activities you did that night.

Lucifer’s eyes has lidded and he gaze up at you with near heart shaped pupils, eyes nearly completely red, and a low rumble began in his chest.

At first you had thought he was growling and you did something wrong, but when you had stiffened up for a brief instance, Lucifer had snuggled his face deeper into your skin.

Asmodeus rattles.

You can’t see where it’s coming from, but it sounds like a baby rattle or the rattle of a snake.

“MC!” [aggressive rattling]

It was really confusing the first couple times and you had to eventually ask if there was a bug somewhere. Asmo, naturally, got offended, but as soon as you told him it was okay and you were just curious, he tells you it means he’s happy.

Cutie Patootie!!

Belphegor licks.

Belphie doesn’t give short little kitten licks, he gives long, drawn out licks across whatever he can access easiest (usually your neck or chest). His tongue is rough and tends to feel a bit scratchy against your skin and sometimes catches on your clothes.

The first time it happened was shortly after the attic incident, and you had thought you were alone in your bed and nearly had a heart attack when a lazy, oddly thick tongue went over your exposed forearm.

You, as one does when startled, screamed.

Belphie leans upward with a grumble, eyes alert though. “What’re you screamin’ about, MC?”

Beelzebub bites and buzzes.

He tries to keep it to just licks, he knows his teeth are sharp :( and he’d hate to hurt you by accident. But after you get your pact and harming you becomes much more unbearable, he will play-bite much more often.

AND he buzzes (like a fly, teehee) when he is especially content.

Leviathan purrs(?).

It’s probably some deep sea monster echolocation thing, but the closest you can describe it as is a purr.

Now getting him to purr is harder than getting Lucifer to purr, he gets up in his own head a lot, so usually when he’s sleepy he purrs (maybe it’s a trill?) into your side.

Bonus for Memphis, TN. (Mephisto)

Since we have not seen his demon form (thx solmare), I have to use what I know of my babygirl to guess what he is like.

I think he probably taps MC with his cane, like a poke or something idk it’s cute give me more mephisto content pls.

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Followup to the Adam and Eve question: what would be the funniest snake for it to have been? The most untrustworthy possible serpent?

Horned sea snake.

First, because...imagine a sea snake just hangin' out in a tree, there's something weird going on there. He's like comically wet and floppin around everywhere.

"Hey. Hey pal"

"You wanna eat some fruit"

"What's the worst that could happen???"

[telomeke]

THE SIGN – CULTURAL REFERENCES, MYTHOLOGY AND META

‌

This post comes on the heels of the one by @respectthepetty about mythology and meta of The Sign, linked here. 😍👍 If you've not read it yet, I recommend you do before watching any more of this series, because it will help things make more sense (especially if you're not familiar with some of the cultural references thrumming in the background).

Anyway, I'd previously done some research on the legend(s) of the Garuda and the Naga in Southeast Asia, and so I'm writing this post to share what I've found because it does have relevance to at least some of what we're seeing onscreen in The Sign, and elaborates on @respectthepetty's post.

‌

The Garuda and the Naga are mythical beings with origins in Indian mythology that have been transposed into cultures across Southeast Asia.

In Hinduism, Garuda is a single deity, depicted in either full-bird form or part-bird and part-human, and is the king of birds and also a divine sun-bird (with physical attributes similar to an eagle's). His elder brother, Aruna, is the chariot driver for Surya the sun-god, while Garuda himself is the mount of Vishnu.

In Buddhist mythology, the garudas (sometimes also spelt garulas) are a society and race of gigantic predatory birds, sometimes also depicted as part-human in form. The garudas are intelligent, social and blessed with might and magical powers.

Thailand may be predominantly Buddhist, but it has also been strongly influenced by ancient Indian culture and Hinduism, and thus both the concept of a single deity Garuda and the race of garudas co-exist in Thai mythological beliefs.

The nagas on the other hand, are snake-like or dragon-like creatures, whose realm is the water world. (The word naga is derived from Sanskrit and is also etymologically related to the English word snake.)

In mythology nagas and garudas are perpetual enemies, although neither side is actually identified with good or evil – they are simply two groups eternally at war with each other (so occidental-leaning minds should dispel any preconception that the water serpents are necessarily the bad guys in The Sign, even though the narrative seems to be tilting in that direction).

When borrowed into popular culture (as has been done for The Sign) you may sometimes see influences of Chinese dragon and phoenix mythology (as Chinese cultural influence is also present in Thailand, and the dragon/phoenix motif of Sinitic culture nicely parallels the naga/garuda conflict pairing). And because of Garuda's association with the sun in Hinduism, and a parallel with the fiery phoenix of Western mythology, you may sometimes see garudas portrayed as aligned with the sun and/or flame as well.

There are some hints of these in The Sign. The naga that Phaya encounters while struggling underwater during the open sea training challenge in Ep.1 is very Thai in appearance (especially with the curved, forward-pointing crest, making it look much like the nagas that adorn Thai temple architecture). But the array of pronged, backward-pointing horns and trailing antennae appear to be a design nod at Chinese or Japanese dragons (East Asian dragons are also strongly identified with the watery realm, by the way). And in the graphics of the series (e.g., in the poster at the start of this post), the sky (the realm of Garuda) is suffused with sunlight and speckled with what look like drifting sparks, referencing sun and flame.

Because of the wings tattooed on his back and his time in the air force, Phaya is most likely the reincarnation of a garuda in human form (and this is why he struggled with the water challenge, as he was completely out of his element).

This is also possibly why we see him smoking early on in the series (because of the alignment of Garuda with the element of fire), and significantly he does this while Naga Tharn (irked by Yai's teasing at the dining table) seeks refuge in the washroom (which is ห้องน้ำ/hong naam in Thai, literally water room):

‌Billy also describes Phaya's character in the promo video for the series (linked here) as being "like fire, always hot and burning... quite hot-headed." 👍

Elsewhere in the same promo video (linked here), Tharn's good friend Chalothon is explicitly identified as the reincarnation of an important naga, which immediately signals that he and Phaya will be at odds in the series:

‌

The water deity that saves Phaya during the open sea challenge – Wansarat, whom he drew in his sketchbook – is not just Freen Sarocha in a fancy scuba suit. 😂

If you look at her arm and hand when she reaches out to save Phaya (before she turns into Tharn) the green scales meld into the skin of her human wrist – they're part of her natural covering, and she's really a nakhee/nagin/nagini, a female naga, appearing in human form to save Phaya.

The narrative has made it strongly obvious that Phaya is a reincarnated garuda, while Tharn is the reincarnation of Wansarat, from the lineage of the nagas. And the teaser-trailer (linked here) tells us that Phaya and Tharn/Wansarat are lovers bound to each other through time:

‌

However, the special promo video (released 24 November 2023) also tells us (in Heng's interview linked here) that Chalothon and Wansarat were lovers in past lives, even while it is Phaya and Wansarat (reincarnated as Tharn) who are paired by fate in The Sign.

And as the nagas and garudas are bitter enemies, the love story between Phaya and Tharn/Wansarat that transcends time and reincarnation cycles is also one that must have been (and will continue to be) forbidden by their respective naga and garuda tribes (especially since Tharn/Wansarat also used to be naga Chalothon's lover), and will undoubtedly be a source of conflict in the series. This is way beyond the Montagues and Capulets! 😍

‌

So with this as the base, I took a look at the characters' names, and those belonging to Phaya, Chalothon, Tharn and Wansarat especially also reflect their garuda/naga origins. 🤩

Phaya's name (พญา) means lord, king or leader. While it can be applied to the nagas (พญานาค/phaya naak refers to the King of the Nagas) it is also used for Garuda (the Thai national symbol) – พญาครุฑ/phaya khroot, or Lord Garuda (and is what his name references in The Sign).

(above) Billy Patchanon as Phaya

‌

Chalothon's name (ชโ��ทร) is rare, but it is derived from Pali/Sanskrit and means river, sea or body of water, reflecting the watery homeland of his naga persona.

(above) Heng Asavarid as Chalothon

‌

Tharn's name (ธาร) also has a connection to his water-dwelling naga roots. Tharn/ธาร is short for ลำธาร/lam thaan and means stream, brook or creek (and he is thus a naga nong to Chalothon's phi).

(above) Babe Tanatat as Tharn/Wansa

However, Tharn is his chue len. His formal name is Wansa, and is the same Wansa in Wansarat (which the narrative lets us know at Ep.1 [3‌/4] 9.35).

(above) Freen Sarocha as Wansarat

Now Wansarat is spelt วรรณษารัตน์ in the subtitles (at Ep.1 [3‌/4] 9.02), and I can't find any translation of it that makes sense in the context of The Sign's world-building.

But Wansarat's name is spelt differently elsewhere on the Internet (on Thai drama websites, and movie databases, etc. like thaimovie.org), and I assume they've all based it on official releases from Idol Factory because the spelling is consistent across these other sources – it's วรรษารัตน์ there.

And Wansa/Wansarat spelt this way also reflects the nagas' dominion over water, because วรรษา/wansa (an archaic word, referenced in an older dictionary but not newer ones) means rain or rainy season (from the Sanskrit varsha) – in Thailand the nagas are also associated with rain control, and prayers are offered to them for timely and abundant rainfall when it is needed. (The -rat part of Wansarat is a feminine ending meaning jewel or gemstone, and may echo with meaning for speakers of Indian and Sri Lankan languages, since it's derived from the Pali/Sanskrit ratna).

‌

Just out of interest (because nobody asked 😂) some of these naga/garuda elements were also present in the early episodes of KinnPorsche – the den of the Theerapanyakuls (nagas, wealthy beings of the underworld) was full of watery elements (e.g., the waterfall, the various pools, and Tankhun's carp – which in Chinese belief are the original, natal form of dragons). The -nak in Kinn's formal first name Anakin (which is not a traditional Thai name) is also a nod at the word naga. Porsche had the tattoo of a fiery phoenix on his back, and was out of his element whenever water was concerned (e.g., his failed pool challenge, the mermaid costume punishment, his misadventure with the sprinkler when he tried to smoke in the store room – water vanquishing the flame). Kinn was unable to make fire when they were trapped in the forest, despite claiming to be friends with the flame, while Porsche could immediately do it.

But I didn't see the KinnPorsche narrative taking the naga/garuda themes much further than these random nods in the earlier episodes. Maybe it did (like Kinn and Porsche could be seen acclimatizing to each other's realms more), but I just couldn't be bothered to look at the show more closely since it didn't really stand up to deeper scrutiny, and after the first few episodes I just went along for the exhilaration of the ride instead. 👍

‌

Anyway, I'm totally bedazzled by the level of world-building going on in The Sign and look forward to more from the series. If the first episode is anything to go by, I think Executive Producer Saint Suppapong may be on to something! 😍

[lightryi]

Dragons of Pyrrhia (headcanon designs)

• Skywings:

-The shape of thorns on the spine is similar to the feathers of birds

-Narrow pupil, giving dragons very good vision, allowing to see a clear picture at long distances

-Arrow point, able to drive through the opponent with a sharp push

-The shape of the wings is similar to that of a bird

-Are the best flying dragons

-High ears, good hearing but inferior to sand and night dragons

-Very sharp claws, thorns, horns

-Pent face; the upper jaw may have various shapes, reminiscent of beaks of different birds

-Height reaches 4 meters

*The design was based on common European dragons and birds

• Mudwings:

-Rounded horns of various forms (like the horns of sheep, buffalo, bulls and goats). Necessary for defense

-The keeper of the horned nest is bigger than the other dragons from one clutch

-Large lower fangs, needed for eating and defense

-A large, rectangular muzzle with raised nostrils facing upwards so that the earthy could breathe, being almost entirely in water or mud and only looking at the top of its head

-Very mobile ears, necessary to discharge dirt/water that has entered

-Solid scale, which in some way pulls the face, because of which the grounders look almost emotionless and dark (this feature appears with age, so dragons look too cheerful and emotional against their background)

-On the sides of the neck and tail are thorns, same as on the back, extra protection for weak spots of the dragon

-Massive tail with a cluster of large thorns at the end, some kind of a pin necessary for protection. The tail itself is very mobile

-Although they are predatory animals, their pupils have square

-In general, the earthlings are slow moving, fly worse than other dragons due to their massive and heavy

-Some of the largest dragons, second only to ice, due to their short limbs and neck (reaching up to 5 meters)

*The design was based on ankylosaurus, crocodiles and artiodactyls

• Seawings:

-Long, massive tail with fins that may differ in different individuals

-Behind the ears is a fin with luminous appendages

-Round/oval eye

-Round, flat face (in the perspective where I drew this not very noticeable), giving a more rounded shape to the whole body

-There is a sexual dimorphism (external differences of the sexes). The distribution of the proboscis on the mordocus is different: in males they are near the nostrils, in females on the chin. With age the proboscis becomes longer

-2 row of teeth

-No earshell

-Horns often turn in

-Luminous glands and patterns are not only necessary for underwater communication, but also for attracting marine life in the dark

-They have, like earthen, rather short limbs. Only in the case of marine this feature is caused by frequent presence in water, where they use the tail more often than the paws for movement

-Also, the flying is not very good. But unlike the earthly, they have another reason, namely the anatomy of the wings, which is more adapted to swimming (plays the role of certain fins) than for flying

-Not too big, can reach a maximum of 2.5 meters

*The design was based on sharks, deep sea fish and partly dolphins

• Rainwings:

-Snake face (or more precisely, face of a cobra)

-Clawfoot

-The hind legs have a specific structure: 3 long fingers and one opposite finger located on the other end of the paw (structure like bird's feet)

-Double nostrils

-Huge ruffs, which in the stressful environment is fully opened and gives the dragon magnitude

-Eye structure closer to the snake

-Movable thorns on the neck (play the same role as the ruffs)

-Long horns with multiple ends, which resemble tree branches

-The horns themselves are brown in color, with few scales on them to completely change their color. Horns are usually hidden among the same branches, which have grown in the forest

-Long flexible neck, able to writhe like a snake

-The eye also has a collar resemblance, is some protection of the eye from branches and other foreign objects

-Claw on the thumb of wings is very long, the end slightly bent. It is necessary to grab with the help of wings branches

-Height reaches 3 meters

*The design was based on snakes, chameleons, dilophosaurus (Jurassic Park ver.), geckos, flying foxes and partly tropical birds

• Nightwings:

-Nose of a bat giving dragons good sense

-Huge ears, thanks to which they have a sensitive ear, the best among all dragons

-In addition to silver teardrop scale may have a star on his forehead, which shows the ability to see the future

-There are night with black teardrop and stars indicating that the dragon was born during the moon, but the egg was hidden from their light, because of which the night ability is not and only the black scales indicates its lost ability

-The lower part of the body, from the neck to the beginning of the tail, is present with a small fur that was previously necessary for warming itself and eggs (due to the low temperatures at night, during which the night wakes). But due to the relocation first to the volcanic island, then to the rainforest, the wool became practically useless

-There is a glare in the pupils, it does not affect the vision

-Good night vision, besides their eyes can shine in the dark (like cats)

-Structure of the hind feet specific: 4 long fingers (much longer than rainwing) and one opposite finger. This is necessary for strong coupling between branches and other surfaces

-Claws on the hind legs are also much sharper than on the front (for the same reason as the leg structure itself)

-Small web on the wings between the thumb and the rest. Need to use thumb to grab objects (similarly rainwings)

-Not too big, reach a maximum of 2-3 meters, but there are exceptions

*The design was based on the work of chiroptera, especially bats

• Sandwings:

-The upper fangs are very close to the nostrils, creating the illusion that they seem to grow from the nose

-Long ears, necessary for heat transfer and to prevent overheating. (the crest, presumably, also plays a similar role) Also add a dragon's pretty good hearing

-More than half of the body is covered with hard scales. Such armor is more necessary for dragonets, whose poison is much weaker than the adult dragons. For protection they curl into a ball, pointing up the tail with a spike. Because of their hard from the genus scales it is difficult to pierce them. By old age, these scales become much softer than in childhood

-End of the tail, namely a thorn, similar in structure to the tail of a scorpion

-Crest has the property of "flattening", so many individuals have some streaks

-Growth reaches 3.5-5 meters

*Design based on girdle-tail lizards and scorpions

• Icewings:

-Narrow-eyed

-The body is covered with sharp scales, from which protrude thorns

-Ear shell, like in the seawings, missing

-Large antlers, resembling deer antlers

-Very long limbs that make their gait remotely resemble a deer

-Have a pointed nose

-There are clumps of scales above the eyes, similar to eyebrows

-There are some small, soft thorns at the beginning of the neck

-The largest dragons in Pyrrhia, capable of reaching almost 6 meters

*Design was created partly based on the appearance of reindeer

[4sh--tr4y]

The Outsiders Mythical Creature Headcanons. because i positively cannot keep this to myself any longer

[The Curtis Bros:]

-Centaurs (because I couldn't just NOT take that opprotunity)

-Their house is HUGE by human standards, but small by centaur standards

-(Edit: all the curtis brothers were gonna be 10 feet or taller but I reaslised how FUCKING MASSIVE 10 feet+ is)

Darry:

-his bottom half is a Clydesdale horse

-Darry is 7'5

-Still works in contruction, but tends to haul around heavy equipment more often than not

-Stomps on the ground really loud with his front hooves to get people's attention

-..Chest hair. Lots.

-Ties his tail up in a bun so it doesn't get in his way while hes working

-Socs tend not to mess with him cause he could buck them into next tuesday

Sodapop:

-his bottom half is a thuroughbred

-Sodapop is 7 feet tall

-Tends to work outside when at the DX because hes big and he likes it better outside

-a bit easier for socs to mess with, as long as you're in front of him

-prances and marches around all fruity (I know what you are, Sodapop.)

-his tail is his baby, he would die before messing it up

Ponyboy:

-Bottom half is a paint horse

-Ponyboy is 6'3

-On the track team but Darry always tells him to "go easy" on the non-centaur kids (he only listens because he'd actually leave half the other kids in the dust)

-Trains for track like a madman, if he doesn't have something to do he's doing laps around the backyard (probably while reading, fuckin showoff)

-Socs find him easiest to pick on, but its still hard because you've gotta get him down before you can do shit

[The Greasers:]

Johnny:

-Merman/sea creature

-is able to breifly get out of the water but he doesn't really do it much because, well, he cant walk

-His scales kind of look like denim

-The scar on his cheek is actually from a fishing hook that accidentally got stuck there

-The others built a little river that connects to a pond next to the curtis house/barn so he could hang out with them, they probably mske him a stupid little fish tank inside the house that they can just carry him to

-sharp teeths :3

Dally:

-Vampire (but like, he can go in the sun and wear silver because vampire rules are lame)

-Red eyes in the dark, white in the sun

-Throws late night parties with any other nocturnal creatures he knows

-Usually drinks animal blood or eats raw meat in replacement of human blood (but if he gets his hands on human blood he wouldn't necesarily be upset..)

-knows ecolocation

Two-Bit:

-Gorgon/Medusa-like fucker

-Why? it's just a feeling, really. And Two-Bit seems like the type of guy to like snakes

-THE SNAKES ON HIS HEAD ARE RED CORNSNAKES AND YES HE'S NAMED ALL OF THEM.

-Blindfolded most of the time so he doesn't turn the others to stone, he can only imagine what the others look like, when Ponyboy wrote his essay (don't ask how johnny ran away and stabbed a kid without being able to walk, maybe it was a 'write a fictional story' essay instead of 'write about an expirience) he actually liked it a lot because it gave him an idea of what the others looked like

-Probably has a walking stick if he isn't helped around by other greasers

Steve:

-Half-minotaur/bull-human type hybrid

-Covered in piercings. It might just be a bull thing but he has earings, nose piercings, septum piercings, piercings on his chest and horns. Bro goes CRAZY

-The only person allowed to ride on Sodapop's back (for convinence, they say.)

-His mom was a human and his dad was a minotaur

-Stamps his feet in place when hes bored or irritated (like a child)

[draconesmundi]

Dracones Mundi infographics to explain some of the dragon design features in my project :3

Image IDs in alt text or below the cut:

A labelled diagram depicting a dragon’s head. Labels are: ear slit. Wattle on horn that looks like an ‘ear’. Dorsal finlets made of thick skin. Overlapping osteoderms like Vancleavea (accompanied by Vancleavea fossil photo). Overall appearance inspired by pseuedosuchians, including extant crocodiles (accompanied by skeletal mount of Prestosuchus and a photo of a baby Nile crocodile). Smoother scales on belly for sliding though mud into bodies of water. ‘Beard’ or jaw wattle of thick skin. Rear venom fang, full of cytotoxic venom. The dragon can ‘spit’ like a spitting cobra, and the cytotoxins are similar to those found in puff adder venom. Lots of different snakes inspire dragon venom (accompanied by diagram of snake skull).

A dragon family tree accompanied by a paragraph of text. Text reads: There is a lot of morphological diversity in Dracones Mundi – dragons all evolved from a type of pseudosuchian, and had a basic ‘four legs and a long tail' body plan. Many families have atrophied their hind limbs, many have small legs and more serpentine shape. Dragon wings are not limbs, but patagium spread between osteoderm spokes, so there is a diversity in wing size and function (display, thermoregulation, camouflage) beyond gliding (only the flying serpent family really use them for gliding…). Flight is achieved by magic.

The dragons on the family tree are: turtle dragons, such as the cucafera. Firedrakes, azhdar and long are in one family. ‘Beast dragons’ such as the tatzelwyrm. ‘Feathered serpents’ such as coameh. Wyverns and cockatrices. Flying serpents or ‘amphitheres’. Wyrms and serpents. Sea serpents and lake monsters.

[justalittleficsideblog]

I loved the fics of mammon and Satan protecting mc from creepy demons!! could you do one with Lucifer?? That would be amazing thank you!

Hello my dear anon! I hope this meets your expectations! Thank you so much for support of my other works <3

Lucifer - An impromptu ballroom dance leads to something else

wk - 1.5k

warnings: None!

Classical music rang through your ears as you side stepped into the banquet with Lucifer. His arm politely grasped onto yours, being ever the proper gentleman as you floated over towards Diavolo and what you assumed to be the human world equivalent of nobility.

Exceptionally dressed and demon forms on display, the nobles were quite an intimidating looking bunch.

And you and Lucifer were headed, straight. Towards. Them.

“Ah… lucifer..”

“Easy. This entire thing is more of a showoff from Diavolo. You being here and showing face is important for RAD,” he chides. Despite his remark, he looked unsettled himself. Without his brothers around he felt a unnerved at the mass of demons that seemed to be eyeing you like some sort of prize mare.

He would have to be careful, it’s not that he thought he wouldn’t be able to protect you, oh no. However, he knew tonight would demand much of his attention, and without Mammon or Beelzebub here to act as a chaperone… it made him nervous. He could only hope Barbatos would attempt to divert his attention away from his young lord and keep an eye on you.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit of fluttering build up from his stomach to his chest as you squeezed in a bit closer to him as the crowd became denser. Like he was your source of strength.

“Ah!,” the future king himself exclaimed as they neared. “Welcome, Lucifer! MC!”

After making introductions with the nobles, you decided to try some of the desert options that were out. Barbatos’ cooking was exceptional, and you would hate to miss the chance to compliment his efforts for such a grand event.

Slipping away from Lucifer, who nodded at you when you skipped over towards the table, you surveyed the options in front of you.

Finally deciding on what looked like a fancy, gothic éclair, you reached towards it with a plate in your hand. A clawed hand brushed yours, causing you to jolt back in surprise.

“My apologies!” you flushed, hoping your manners were up to par with what was expected here.

A deep, raspy chuckle came from the demon, “There is no need for that. It seems we have similar taste in fine baked goods, hmm?” His voice was melancholic, deep, and enticing with the way he slurred his vowels.

“I dare say I agree,” you joked back, snatching the éclair and placing it onto your plate. “I never see people eat here enough at things like this.” You gestured towards the vast sea of people.

The demon hummed in agreement, “Barbatos’ cooking is not something to be taken lightly. His baked goods are the stuff of legends.” His movements were snake-like, quick and reflexive.

Suddenly, a light, cheery violin piece began playing. Couples and demons took to the floor, glasses of demonous abandoned to the waiters and on tabletops as they took to dancing.

“Do you care for a dance?” the tall demon raised an eyebrow in your direction, his void-black features reflecting off of his jeweled horns that draped down the sides of his face.

“As fun as it looks,” you sighed. “I cannot say that I’m particularly gifted in that department.”

“Come,” he beckoned, an arm outstretched. “A pretty thing such as yourself should not be a wallflower.”

You looked around for Lucifer, feeling nervous and almost vulnerable without his presence. Deciding it would be rude to decline, you nodded your head and grasped his massive fingers on your own as you took to the floor.

The music has changed its course, faster now than before. You felt the demon encircle a hand around your waist, pulling you in closer. You shivered when you felt one of his claws lazily dragging across your back, digging into your spine.

“I must say,” he started, spinning you around and catching you, his face suddenly very near your own. “You smell even sweeter up close.”

He twirled you, the rush of it making you dizzy for a moment, pushing your hand onto his chest to stabilize yourself.

The rush of warm breath on your neck made you shiver. You jolted back, this wasn’t Lucifer. He may have the same suave movements and rippling power that emanates off of him, but this was not your Lucifer.

“I think that concludes the song,” you chuckled nervously, eyes scanning the crowd for Lucifer. They landed on Barbatos instead, your eyes widening.

Come on Barbatos, help me out here!

He merely bowed his head slightly before blending into the crowd.

“Now, where are you running off so quick?” His clawed hands grip your wrist tightly, his body towering over yours as he cupped your chin in his hands. You noticed his cape was slightly obscuring your view. The sudden feeling of claustrophobia overtook you, your breaths coming ragged as he leaned in closer, his lips grazing your neck, moving up, up, up..

“Mind if I cut in?”

You froze solid, eyes darting up towards one of the most powerful demons in the devildom. You scrambled back, realizing the position that this demon had put you in.

Shit! Did Lucifer really think that…!

“I do mind, actually.” The demon stood taller, obviously irked that someone had intervened with his plaything. “We actually were just—”

“My sincerest apologies, Lord. But I can assure you that you will not be continuing with them tonight,” Lucifer’s voice was calm, cool even. But his stance was scary, his wings flared and eyes burning with untapped aggression as he locked into the other demons.

You felt a shiver run down your spine, goosebumps running across your back as he placed his gloved hand between your shoulder blades. You had never seen him this ruthless, even with his brothers.

Before the demon could make a scene with Lucifer, he tugged you deeper into the dance floor. One hand resting politely on the side of your hip and the other clasping your hand he led you in a gentle waltz alongside the other couples.

“I do apologize,” he sighed, eyes downcast. “I had hoped that me being here would divert some attention away from you but—”

“Lucifer, how did you even know where I was?” you were puzzled, you had searched the crowd for him recklessly, but you had only seen…..ah.

“Barbatos.”

He nodded. “He quickly alerted me to the situation.” He gently led you in a twirl, “I am truly sorry, I should’ve kept a better eye on you.”

“I’m alright, Lucifer. I just wanted to be away from the crowd a bit and well… I guess the desert table is not safe from creeps, either.”

His gaze hardened, a frown appearing on his face as he gently trailed a thumb along your jaw and down your neck, where he must’ve seen the demon… uh… making his moves. You shivered.

As the dance went on, you now had your back placed against his chest, arms crossed as he delicately held your form. You noticed his wings were curved in towards you a bit, the feathers tickling your sides.

“Relax, Lucifer. No one here is going to eat me.” You brushed a wing away from you.

“I just might.”

The hall suddenly spun, now upside down in your vision. You gazed up, realizing Lucifer had lifted your leg up as well, hugging it close to his side.

“Lucifer..” you whispered, hands clasped around his neck.

“When I saw his hands on your body, on your face, I was ready to tear him limb from limb. If Diavolo hadn’t made me snap out of it in time…,” he trailed off as he stared down at you through his thick lashes, bringing you back up again.

His hands cupped the sides of your face, and they met your own as you cradled his hands against your flushed cheeks.

“Pride may be my sin, MC. But you might truly be my demise,” he leaned dangerously close to you. He winced, almost like he was in pain at your proximity.

“Let’s go to the balcony,” you needed the rush of cool air to settle your nerves. He led you to the terrace, his wings gently surrounding you as the wind caught your hair. Ever the protector, he was.

Your elbows landed on the railing, breathing in the night air deeply as you felt Lucifer’s gaze on you. Feelings be damned, you grabbed his gloved hand and slowly removed his attire. Bringing his knuckles to your mouth you gently kissed the back of his hand, your own thumb gently rubbing against his calloused one.

“Juts be thankful there were no females asking you to dance, Lucifer,” you brushed your shoulder past him. “Things would’ve gotten really ugly.”

Grinning, you walked back into the party, leaving behind quite the flustered Lucifer leaning against the railing, his wings sagging a bit as he felt his face scorch.

[starwrighter]

I am not a baby!!! (Yes you are)

(Ao3) (Masterpost) (Previous) (Next)

(Chapter 15 lets goooooooo!!)

Sneaking past the serpent was a piece of cake! Even with all those eyes, Dami’s still blind as a bat. He didn’t mean to toot his own horn, but he’s gotta say he’s the sneakiest swimmer on this planet! Not even squidding, he thought it would take longer, now, he’d have time to krill after finding this signal.

…He needed to step up his pun game.

This was an ocean planet for ancient's sake! There were so many opportunities, and he needed to take all of them. If Alterra came to rescue them, Danny needed to be surfing up wordplay until ears started bleeding! Do some real punitive damage. 

Sneaking out the kelp forests, Danny stuck close to the surface, praying any other leviathan wouldn’t think to look up. As the distance to the signal ticked lower and lower, Danny's hopes sank like an anchor. 

Sat on a rocky ledge, was Life Pod 17, blood red grass surrounding it. The hull had been torn into leaving a gaping hole where the right wall used to be. Sand lined the bottom of the pod, the only remaining light from an abandoned PDA.

“Ozzy’s log. It’s the day of the crash. I don’t know what the heck is happening. I’m scared and I’m not going outside. There are shadows in the water under the hatch but I can’t tell if they’re rocks, or aliens, and there’s weird looking caves nearby.” Ozzy sounded terrified, Danny didn’t blame him.

“The Aurora was carrying everything needed to build the phasegate: mobile vehicle bays, bioreactors, propulsion cannons… It had a cinema. There-there was a zero-G gym. My cafe. I don’t understand how we’re here now. I don’t know what no one’s coming for me,” It started mournful, longing even, before sinking into despair and disbelief.

Danny could guess what happened after this log was recorded, and it wasn’t pretty. Eaten by whatever was lurking underneath the pod, a brutal way to go if you asked him. Once again, a body had been scavenged until nothing was left but a couple specks of blood on the PDA screen. Only this time, he had a name to write down in his own log. Just a first name, but it’d be enough to tie a name to a face when rescue arrived. 

A chunk of a sea moth almost completely buried in the sand was strewn a few feet from the pod. Shards of glass stuck out of the seabed, Danny salvaging what he could, doing his best not to cut himself. Whatever snake thing killed Ozzy already had a taste for human blood, and Danny didn’t want to risk giving it a taste of halfa blood. 

The cave system’s entrance is visible from where he was. Danny could only guess that’s where the sea snakes came from. There wasn’t any sign of them now. Maybe Ozzy just got unlucky? The crash was loud, If he was a snake-like thing, he would’ve left home to see what the hell happened too. He wouldn’t have eaten anybody, but still, he would’ve wanted to know what the hell was going on.

A dim glow of pinkish purple was seen as he creeped closer to the caves. 

“The conditions in this cave support a microcosm of unique, possibly predatory lifeforms.” That didn’t sound good for him.

“Detecting an artificial structure somewhere in the region,” That, however, sounded very good.

What’s down there? Was it just part of the Aurora? A smaller chunk of ship sinking into a cave without blocking off the entrance was unlikely but plausible. The PDA didn’t usually alert him when wrecks were nearby, what’s so different about this one? 

Whatever’s down there could help him. If it was the same as all the other wrecks, his PDA wouldn’t have notified him. The problem was, he didn’t know how deep these caves were. Was it even possible for him to reach whatever was down there? 

Surfacing for air just above the cave entrance, Danny gripped the handles of his seaglide. Sucking in a sharp breath, He dove, delving down into the bioluminescent caves. Gigantic plants like crossbreeds between mushrooms and jellyfish were everywhere throughout the caves. A hole in the middle of each where gigantic, fanged snakes shot out of snapping their teeth in an attempt to catch prey. Outcrops of shale were strewn out throughout the cave, but Danny couldn’t tear his eyes away from the bright light shining just a few feet away. 

A floodlight…

On top of a rusted foundation was a floodlight, its brightness wavering, ready to give out after years of wear and tear. Crates were scattered throughout the area, his hair standing on its ends as he searched every side of the crate in front of him. Alterra’s logo was nowhere to be seen. Not even the smallest scrawl of product placement for the gigantic corporation. Instead, only the rust over scrawl of a label he could barely make out.

Torgal corp…

A name vaguely familiar to him. The disappearance of the CEO and his son had been all over the news for a long time. Danny had just turned three when the news of their mysterious disappearance broke out, but with his interest in space exploration, they were the first things you’d learn about. Hundreds of news articles and conspiracy theories on what happened to them flooded the internet from the moment it happened and continued to pop up every now and again to this very day.

A lone PDA lay glowing atop a supply crate, its blue light more entrancing than anything in his life would ever be. Danny pursed his lips, oxygen meter ticking down with his indecisiveness. Hesitantly, he snatches the tablet, a loud, blaring noise emitting from his own…

A signal had downloaded itself to his PDA 

{Purposed Desagi habitat (250m)}

What the hell!? Nothing about this solar system had ever popped up when he researched the Desagi! There was no reason anything related to Torgal Corp should be on this planet! Yet here it was, an environmental log made by Paul Torgal and a signal to their possible shelter.

Was this a Bermuda Triangle kind of situation? He didn’t like the idea of the Desagi crashing for the same reasons as they did. It painted an ugly picture in terms of rescue. Something fishy was going on, and Danny was going to find out what.

“Thirty seconds,” The robotic voice like a curse as he booked it out of the caves. Water seemed unending as his vision began to blur, his chest painfully tight as he desperately swam towards the surface.

Breaking the surface just as his view began to go dark, he gasped, taking in the longest gasp of air he’d ever taken. His mind was swirling an unending whirlpool of dread and confusion. 

Now, he had more to do than he’d ever before. No schoolwork would ever be as stressful as the responsibilities he’s got now. He had to attempt to stop a quantum detonation, find out what happened to both their ship and the Desagi, find any survivors of both ships, get off this planet, and reunite with family.

If all this landed on his shoulders and his shoulders alone they’d all be screwed.

Loud screeching calls echoed throughout the grassy plateaus, breaking him out of his downward spiral. The eerie noise sent shivers down his spine, it was a panicked sound, desperate. He could almost feel the emotion from here as cries grew louder, roars replying to said cries.

A cloud of sand uplifted into the sea, and a faint noise of thrashing and the wheeze of a pissed-off crashfish reached his ears. Danny couldn’t help but creep closer, hoping he could sneak back into his base before whatever was causing this ruckus tried to kill him.

Like he expected, Dami was making the loud roaring noises. What he didn’t expect was another gigantic leviathan to be seemingly screaming at him?

Were they going to fight? Should he start placing bets?

His base was dangerously close to where the new Leviathan was thrashing around like an electric eel on LSD. Its scales were like armor plating, teal gray with fins like javelins. It had a set of electric blue eyes on the front of its face. Like Dami, he had hands, four fingers with toxic blue on the pads of each finger. His claws were curved, more useful for grasping things and climbing than they were for fighting. 

An aura of electricity surrounded the leviathan, a peeper floating belly up upon making contact with it.

Yeah, Danny didn’t feel like getting electrocuted anytime soon. He couldn’t bite or attack the guy without getting into shock range. 

Maybe he could convince Dami to chase this guy off?

@ashoutinthedarkness @avelnfear @meira-3919 @thought-u-said-dragon-queen @hugsandchaos @blep-23 @zeldomnyo @bytheoldwillowtree @justwannabecat @shepherdsheart @starlightcat04 @stargazing-bookwyrm @pupstim @dragongoblet @noxcheshire

[centurydraws]

NightWing headcanons!!!

so I know NightWings are one of the most developed tribes in canon, but I feel like they could use something more. We barely know anything about any tribe's day to day life, common jobs, ancient practices, or religions. So, I'm going to make a few posts about my headcanons and ideas about every tribe. Feel free to use these in stories or for designs, credit is appreciated but not required.

DESIGNS

NightWings have goat eyes

They also have oryx / ram horns

Their horns have to grow in, similar to teeth (this is a headcanon I have for every tribe, not just exclusive to NightWings)

It's possible for them to have star patterns like under their wings in other spots, star freckles and birthmarks are the most common

NightWings will scar their scales instead of getting tattoos, due to their usually very dark colors

CULTURE

When albino dragonets were hatched, they were seen as bad luck in some regions and would be killed. This has changed recently, though

NightWings used to sacrifice wolves and cattle for good luck on the new year, but this ceased soon after the NightWings moved to the volcano island, because of the lack of wolves and grazing ground for cattle.

Snakes are a sacred symbol for NightWings, and dragons can commonly be seen with snake scars and/or snake jewelry.

The reason snakes are sacred is because of an influx of SandWing refugees during an ancient, bloody but short-lived civil war.

NightWings used to have a profession called a nameteller, a future seeing NightWing who was trained to look into the future of specific dragons, and would give name suggestions for eggs and newly hatched dragonets. This job is resurfacing, though slowly.

NightWings used to believe that blind dragons would have stronger mind reading and future sight. They were half right, but after a trend of blinding dragonets to give them stronger abilities turned out to be useless, this belief faded away.

NightWings are naturally more anxious during the day, which is hypothesized to have been a factor in the poor health of the NightWings when they lived on the volcano island.

NightWings are kind of the Germany of the wof universe (wofverse??), they like efficiency and have really disturbing dragonet's tales.

One of said dragonet's tales is one where a fledgeling wandered too close to the ocean alone when the adults said not to, and got eaten alive by the sea.

TOWNS, CITIES AND TRADE

NightWings typically name areas after their founders, or after the dragon who discovered there. Major NightWing exports are goat's milk and cheese, wool, and wine. Think anything desired by nobles to eat, and the NightWings probably manufacture it. There are a few important places, such as:

KINDNESS: Named for its founder, this large city is located in a valley on the border with the Sand Kingdom, and was one of the places SandWing refugees fled to during the Serpent's Fang war (the ancient sandwing civil war mentioned before). In the modern era, it is still occupied by many SandWings, and Night/Sand hybrids are a common sight. It is known for its many vineyards right outside the city gates, and is said to produce some of the best wine in Pyrrhia.

AVOIDED: This isolated village sits in the harsh, jagged cliffs facing the southwestern ocean. The village isn't on top of the land, but beneath it, with its entrance in a hidden cave. Its inhabitants have lived there for generations, fishing and gathering mushrooms. They did not go with the rest of the tribe to the volcano island, and instead opted to hide away and preserve their culture. The best nametellers come from here.

BATTLECRY: A bustling city which manufactures weapons, armor, and has the best NightWing military academies. It has multiple walls, one thick inner and two outer, which are equipped with advanced technology to ward off attackers. It is a valuable target in war, but no other tribe has managed to get past it, since it is in the middle of the kingdom, protecting the capitol.

DIVINE: Rumored to be where the moons first blessed the NightWings with their powers, this is the religious center of the NightWing kingdom. They manufacture texts and are responsible for spreading information across the continent. When the NightWings moved to the volcano island, Divine's bards became assassins, skilled at spreading lies.