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bakerstreet2017-01-03 08:31 pm
10061983) wrote in bakerstreet2017-01-03 08:31 pm
The Daemon Meme
THE DAEMON MEME
In the universe of the His Dark Materials trilogy (or the movie The Golden Compass), every person has a creature called a daemon that accompanies them all their lives, and is emotionally and metaphysically a part of them. Daemons are often described as sort of external souls (while the part of the personality in a human's body is the spirit).
Basic Daemon Facts:
- They take the shape of animals
- They can talk, no matter what their shape
- Children's daemons can change form at will; around puberty they 'settle' and become one animal permanently
- Neither the person or the daemon chooses the final settled form, but it always reflects their personality (although not necessarily in obvious or simple ways)
- They are almost always the opposite sex as their human
- If a daemon feels pain, so will their person, and vice versa
- Being physically apart from one's daemon causes horrible emotional and physical pain
- Daemons frequently talk to and touch each other, in ways that reflect or complement their persons' interactions, but daemons talking to humans other than their own is considered strange, and touching humans not their own is extremely taboo; it generally occurs only between long-time lovers. Touching someone else's daemon without permission is a terrible violation.
- They can talk, no matter what their shape
- Children's daemons can change form at will; around puberty they 'settle' and become one animal permanently
- Neither the person or the daemon chooses the final settled form, but it always reflects their personality (although not necessarily in obvious or simple ways)
- They are almost always the opposite sex as their human
- If a daemon feels pain, so will their person, and vice versa
- Being physically apart from one's daemon causes horrible emotional and physical pain
- Daemons frequently talk to and touch each other, in ways that reflect or complement their persons' interactions, but daemons talking to humans other than their own is considered strange, and touching humans not their own is extremely taboo; it generally occurs only between long-time lovers. Touching someone else's daemon without permission is a terrible violation.
How it works:
- Just design a daemon for your muse and put as little or as much information as you like about them (shape, name, link to a picture or species wiki if you are so inclined) in a comment, with your muse's name and series in the subject.
- Check out other people's daemons and let your daemons interact too.
- Check out other people's daemons and let your daemons interact too.
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Sitting up with yawn, starring down at his lap through bleary eyes, he suddenly realizes there's something in his lap. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, Hunk quickly realizes he's face to face with a lion. Well, a lioness really. She's more of the size of an adolescent, but hefty in weight all the same, probably due to the fact that she's rather big in bone structure.
As if sensing his awakened state, the creature lifts her blocky head, and meets his brown eyes with bright yellow ones of her own. Hunk is pretty sure he's stopped breathing. No, he knows he's stopped breathing, because his lungs are burning for air, but he's too shocked and afraid to suck one in. Suddenly, her nose is just an inch from his, sniffing at him, and then she licks her big tongue across his face.
The spell is broken and Hunk is screaming, scrambling out from under the wild creature, and rushing out of the door. Yelling the entire way, he ends up at Shiro's door. Because honestly, he can't think of any of the others being able to handle a freaking real life lion!!]
Shiro!!! Shiro wake up!!! SHIRO THERE'S A LION IN MY ROOM!!! SHIRO PLEASE!!! OPEN UP!!
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Or... dozing, half propped up against the corner of where his bunk met the side and head of the wall, one leg drawn up, one hand loose over a book he'd borrowed from Coran and been fighting his way through even with a translator overlay for it. It wasn't a flat out sleep, his boots were even still on but - it was more than he usually got. But even dozing was a good thing when it was free of nightmares.
It was easier to do these days. Now that there was a warm solid body that shored up against his and the slow steady beat of another heart.
The yell, well screaming really, had him awake in an instant though and he was already rolling off the bed, eyes not even full focused yet, Galra hand flaring to life with a hum and sizzle of energy. The warmth next to him was at his side this time and luckily for his disorientation, he'd left his closet light on as he always did because it helped him identify where he was and gave him mind some sort of anchor after its quick dredge out of drifting rest.
Hunk's voice was panicked though and there wasn't any time for anything else. One of his paladins - one of his friends - was in trouble and Shiro had the door to his room open in a second, human hand reaching out to drag the younger team mate into his room with a sharp jerk of his collar, Shiro already putting his body in the way, Galra hand at the ready.
Half awake, reacting on instinct, it didn't occur to him that hauling his friend off balance and trusting his large black lion of a deamon to keep Hunk from falling over entirely by blocking that with her body, might not have been the best idea. Shiro was focused on threats, instead of his secret, and his voice was steady and sharp.]
What's going on? Who's attacking?
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Lion.
ANOTHER LION!!
Hunk yells again, scrambling backwards towards Shiro, pointing down at the predatory cat that's even bigger than the one in his room. As if trying to not get anymore of the attention that's obviously focused on him, Hunk's voice falls to a shaky whisper, as he waves a hand in the other's face.]
Sh-Sh-Shiro.... Shhhhiiiroo.... There's, there is a deadly cat...
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Hunk's hand in front of him slows him down. So does the whisper.
And Shiro blinks.
There's a long pause.
Black, frozen in her spot, also blinks.
And then Shiro's brain finally catches up with what Hunk had been screaming previous and he looks -
he looks chagrined. In fact, he looks somewhere between guilty and embarrassed and apologetic and its not a usual reaction from him. His eyes go from Hunk to Black and she's suddenly nothing more than a disappearing tail into his bathroom.
As if that belated reaction is somehow going to make up for everything.
Shiro clears his throat and his hand deactivates. And, eyebrows down, he looks, very much, as if he's trying to find the right kind of words. It starts off with a tentative, and probably pointless:]
You saw a lion?
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Did you just not see the one that was in here?! It walked right into your bathroom, man! How did you not see it?!?!
lmao! I'm dying here
The fact of the matter is - Shiro isn't a good liar. Or, perhaps he is when it comes to things like 'have you slept' and 'when was the last time you ate' and 'do you promise never to do that again?' but when it comes to his team and giving them information he thinks they should have - he's not very good at not doing just that. And he'd argued that point with Allura in fact. So his response is a slightly weak:]
There was a lion?
[And his face shifts into a cringe the second it comes out.]
1/2 SHIRO YOU ARE GONNA KILL HIM
2/2
poor Hunk! He didn't sign on for this crap
It doesn't help that he hates lying to his team and disagrees with the reasoning for it.
He's got his orders though and at the end of the day he's not the expert on all things Voltron. If Allura says everyone has to discover this on their own - than he has to trust her.
He's pretty sure this wasn't part of that though.
So he turns around to face Hunk, leaving his exposed back to the open bathroom door and puts a hand on his shoulder. He is tempted - so damn tempted - to ask Hunk to repeat that but slower and with more emphasis on the color in the hopes that something will click - but - ]
Come on. Let's go get something warm to drink and you can tell me what was bothering you before you showed up.
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[Not feeling safe about having his leader's back to the bathroom, he tugs Shiro in closer, so they're both at least sideways towards it.]
We both have a lion problem. Although, yours is definitely a bigger one. Physically. Mine is like half the size of the one currently just chilling it up in your bathtub, but still. A lion. Like an Earth lion, Shiro. You've been to a zoo? Seen the lion king? THAT KIND OF LION, MAN!!
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And doesn't help him with the not bursting into helpless laughter. He holds that down though, knowing its not a laughing matter. Especially not with the very real possibility that Allura is going to give him one of those looks if he screws this up and he really doesn't enjoy those looks.
But - dammit, this is his team. His crew. And they're his responsibility. And that both sobers him up - and sets his mind. His voice stays steady and he puts his hand on Hunk's shoulder again except this time its solid, anchoring. And, he hopes, focusing.]
You have a lion problem. A living lion? [Because that was what he'd thought Hunk had been screaming but reaction time what it was, he'd prioritized. His eyes locked with Hunk's, calm and just as sure and steady as his hand.] Ignore my bathroom for a minute. Where is she? Where's your lion, Hunk?
shiro is such a good everything ;w;
My bedroom. I woke up, cause I thought I felt Yellow calling me, and then bam! Lion right in my face! It, it tried to eat my face!!
[A gross exaggeration, but hey, it's Hunk. What else do you expect?]
he tries his darnest, his team needs him!
he probably would have tried to kill her. So it was a good thing his had showed up when he'd been mediating against Black's giant iron paw and she'd given him all kinds of warning including letting him look through her mortal set of eyes before he'd ever opened his own to spot her.
Yellow showing up to snuggle though - he didn't know the lions the way their paladins did but -
that didn't sound exactly out of character.
Which had him suddenly wondering if he should put some kind of private guard in place over Keith until Red showed up because that - that had so much potential to be messy.
At the moment though they were dealing with Hunk and that priority and he reached up with his other hand to gently turn Hunk's face one way and then the other, double checking that there were no abuse marks even if - if it really was Yellow, it was safe to think Hunk might have been misinterpreting things. Just a little.
If it was Yellow. Shiro wasn't entirely going to table the idea of a new threat. Hunk's face looked fine though. A little panicked but otherwise fine. Shiro herded him out into the hallway, looking both ways but there was no lion in sight. His own door shut behind them.]
All right. Take it step by step here, Hunk. You woke up because Yellow was calling you. Is she still calling?
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She greeted him with a warm, amused feeling. A soft tugging feeling was present as well. Yellow wanted him to go somewhere. Do something.]
Yeah, she is. It feels like she wants me to be in a certain place, but I can't figure out where.
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Hunk's very fond of his safety zone. He doesn't tend to like getting pulled or pushed out of it. But when he does - he's amazing. So much clearer headed and sure and aware of what needs to be done.
Shiro hasn't forgotten that Hunk was the key behind both Allura's rescue - and his own.
So he doesn't interfere with this, and he's got a good guess where Yellow wants Hunk to go. Instead he just puts a hand on Hunk's back, a gentle pressure as Shiro starts walking. Back in the general direction of Hunk's room, though he doesn't make a determined line for it so much as just a general direction. His voice is soft, the soothing one he uses when he's trying to help his team concentrate on linking with their lions or each other.]
Good. Let's go with that. Just start walking, you'll feel when you're headed the right way. What emotions is she giving off?
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Uhhh, Shiro? Yellow isn't the lion I'm concerned about here. It's the other flesh and blood one still trapped in my bedroom that's the problem! Also, if we both had lion's in our rooms, the others might too! We should go check on them first!! What if they're being attacked?
[Here comes the panic again. Hunk turns to grab Shiro's arms, eyes wide and fear on his face.]
Shiro, they could be dead already!!
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this would be so much easier if Allura would just let him prepare them ahead of time. While he gets the whole 'each paladin must discover their daemon for themselves' and how the journey is just as important as the discovery, he still feels like he's sending his men out into a situation its his job to make sure they're completely equipped to handle and just letting them flail around - as Hunk is so aptly doing - feels like a failing on his part as their team leader.
While he'd been a little surprised that Yellow was the first to make an appearance and not Blue - he's stating to realize that Blue hanging back might be best because there's no way Lance would ever be able to keep this kind of thing a secret. Yellow showing up is logical because there's really no doubt about her bond with Hunk but if - if the lions are playing it quiet, Shiro supposes he has to go along with that as well. But - ]
Hunk. [It's short and sharp, not hard, just the kind of snap he uses when he needs immediate and undivided attention. A quick side check with Black and no, apparently its just Yellow out and about tonight. The others are still waiting. He puts both hands on the younger paladin's shoulders and squeezes. Not enough to hurt, just enough to add the emphasis to his voice. And he waits for the eye contact.] The others are fine. Black would tell me if they weren't. Its just you and me. I need you to focus now. You waking up to a lion when Yellow was calling you wasn't a fluke. This is a test. Like the crash course Coran set us on back when we were trying to figure out how to form Voltron. But this time you have to pass it. I need you to listen to Yellow. I need you to put everything else out of your mind. I'm fine. The others are fine. I'm right here with you and I won't let you get hurt. But I need you to listen to Yellow and do what she says. This is more important than anything else right now, Hunk. You have to do this. Yellow is counting on you.
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Okay. [A brief pause as he takes in a steadying breath.] All right, I'll do as you say... But if I get mauled you totally owe me a month's worth of snacks from whatever planet we land on next, got it?
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Hunk, I'm not even going to pretend. I owe you a month's worth of snacks on whatever planet we land on next already. But I won't let you get mauled. I promise. Just pay attention to Yellow. I'll handle the rest.
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Here goes nothing then.
[Turning around to face the door to his quarters, Hunk inhales deeply, eyelids closing once again as he pulls on the mental link between Yellow and himself. She's eagerly there, as if she's been waiting for him to call on her so soon. Her presence is a warm, and soothing balm on his frayed nerves, and she as well urges Hunk to trust in Shiro's words, in her protection.
Reaching out, he pushes the button to open the door, and steps past the threshold a bit cautiously. Hunk's eyes dart around from one corner of the darkened room to the next, expecting to see a pair of glowing eyes in one of them. Instead, his gaze falls on the plump shape of the lion, tangled up in his bed sheets.
Or, more accurately, trapped within them.
The creature gives a rather pathetic sounding mewl, large yellow eyes peering over to Hunk pleadingly. It's such a ridiculous scene that Hunk can't help, but laugh a little as he moves towards the bed, hitting the light switch on the way. Warm halogens burst to life and flood the small room with bright light, fully illuminating the trapped lioness. As Hunk stops before her, reaching out to grab the sheet, she tilts her blocky head to lick at his hand. The young man almost yelps in fear, but Yellow pushes back against his jolt of fear, smothering it with love, and acceptance.
Friend. The lion is a friend. An extension of Yellow, an extension of him. She's the physical form, of sorts, of their bond.
Reaching out again, Hunk pulls and tugs on the sheets, the bulky creature doing little to help as she continues to lick at his hands. Once she's freed, she pounces upon him, knocking him over with her unexpected weight, and proceeds to run her tongue all over his face.]
AHhhhahaaa!!! Shiroooo!! Get her off of me!!! She's going to lick my face off!!
happy birthday to Hunk!
He has to move aside a little though, when there's the flat of a wide head against the small of his back that gives him a nudge and he steps over so Black can slip into the room, his hand coming up to rest on her head as she sits down and they both watch Hunk, looking, Shiro thinks, a bit like a little kid, untangle his new soul companion.
The subsequent tackle/pounce though has Shiro quickly shutting the door to the room so the sound doesn't carry too far and when he turns back, he's grinning, relaxed and relieved. It's in his voice too, along with the almost there laughter as he scratches behind one of Black's ears and says unapologeticly:]
Sorry, buddy. I only agreed to save you from mauling. There's no way I'm getting between you and a face scrubbing.
he had such a wonderful day!!
Yellow makes a noise of contentment, large eyes closing as she leans into his hand, her purrs a vibrating force he can feel against the bones in his legs.]
Wow...
[Looking up at Shiro, Hunk spots the other lion from before. Realizing that it's Black he gives a smile, suddenly understanding why Shiro wasn't really... concerned, about her previously. He feels Yellow push herself up to her feet and she bounds over to the other. The two are an interesting contrast. Black is definitely larger in a height sense, but much more sleek and polished looking than the wider, bulkier Yellow.
Who is batting a paw at the other lion's face.]
Hey, Yellow, come on, don't do that, that's rude. [The golden-hued lion clearly has no plans to listen, fully intent on wanting to play with her pridemate. He tried. Hunk turns his attention back to Shiro, gaze questioning.] Soooo... we have real lions ontop of the robot ones now? Where did they even come from?
he deserved it! tumblr was full of awesome pictures
Come on. We'll go to the training room where they've got some space. I'll explain as we go. But yeah. There are apparently real lions that go with our metal ones. They come out when the bond is strong enough and they're ready. At least that's what I was told.
i knoooow i haven't had such a hunk-filled dash like that in AGES
[Hunk pushes himself up off the floor, and follows after Shiro. Yellow ceases her playful attack on Black to pad after him, her steps quiet on the metal floor despite her obvious bulk. The young man has to bite back a soft noise of surprise when she suddenly butts her head against the back of his knees, almost sending him toppling over.]
Hey, you, don't do that.
[At the harsh whisper, Yellow just tilts her blocky head before making a chirp noise and dashing on ahead of the little group. Hunk shakes his head in defeat, before turning his attention fully back to Shiro.]
So, how does our bond with our big, metal lions turn into... well, soft, fuzzy, tackly ones?
it was beautiful
All I know is what Allura and Coran told me and what I can guess at. [He pauses over that, deciding how much to say. If this were Lance or even Keith, it would be different but Hunk is a natural problem solver and that includes the ability to break things down to basics. Shiro needs that - because he's not sure he likes what he's been putting together. First, the basics though.]
According to Allura, it's always been this way. She remembers her father's lion, furry lion I mean. I don't know if its the same lion, fuzzy one, or it comes out differently every time. She didn't remember furry Black well enough from her childhood to say. The lions materialize when the bond is strong enough and the paladin is ready and they stay with them until they die. Or stop being paladins, I don't know and she didn't seem to either. I get the idea that a lot of it's legend stuff and maybe not all of it was expected as it happened the first time around. Each paladin has to reach the right point on his own. Which is why I wasn't allowed to tell anyone when Black showed up. Why you're not supposed to tell anyone about Yellow. Not until the others have theirs as well.
[He's factual as he says it, but a little of his frustration with that rule slides in all the same to his level voice. He lightly hits the panel that opens the door to the training room and Black playfully shoulders Yellow and then dashes into the large room. Shiro follows more sedately. And this time his eyebrows are down and he's frowning again. His eyes look at Hunk and they're dark. The long pause before he says anything is him weighing what comes next. It starts out mild.]
Hunk... did you ever wonder how our lions, the big ones, can be mechanical and yet have the consciousness that they do?
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sorry for the delay i've been sick this last week :(
sorry to hear about the sick, hope you're feeling better - and I"m about to go MIAish for a few days
almost all better now! tyty - i hope it is for something fun~!
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perfect icon choice
it seemed fitting haha!
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http://hunk-voltron.tumblr.com/post/157218181178/alicechrosnyart-just-wanted-to-draw-hunk-the
Omg that is so cute and fits this AU perfectly!!!
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http://headspacedad.tumblr.com/post/157900179902/crossroadart-seabear-yellow-lion-this-one-was
THATS SO CUTE ohmygoooooooood
sometimes tumblr blesses me with the QTE for all the wading through muck I do lol
hhhffhhh so sorry i got sick once again orz - think this is a good place to wrap things up?
sorry to hear about the sick and great place to wrap! thanks for another great thread!