I can't name my blog "everyone has their daemons" and then not tell you about mine, can I?
Meet Raziel! (He/they/any)
CIEday: idfk some random day in 2024 i think
Raz settled as a black-billed magpie (pica hudsonia) recently. Although I'll always miss him being able to shift, I know he's settled perfectly for me :)
He's bright, curious, flighty, and sometimes a bit of an annoying little shit (not that he'd ever admit it), but he knows how to get me out of my shell, and it's hard to get lonely with a yapping bird on my shoulder at all times.
Whenever I'm pondering about daemons here, it'll be through him, so you can call us Raziel if you want :)
(Or you can call me Moon!)
If he ever needs to speak, he will do so in this color.
These are hcs I’ve complied while writing/thinking about a Hunger Games daemon AU but haven’t included in my fics so far. I just thought I might share them!
What’s a daemon? (tl;dr – a daemon is a person’s soul in the form of a talking animal)
1. Daemon form stereotypes based on District provenance are very much a thing. They’re influenced by the District’s geography and specialisation, and sometimes also by the daemons of popular victors who have more or less become the face of their District. For instance, the “typical” daemon for someone in D4 would be a seabird or a marine mammal. In D3 it would be a reputedly smart animal such as a corvid, a fox, or a chimp. In D7 it would be a woodland creature. And so on.
2. Statistically speaking, D13 has an overabundance of small-sized daemons, which in post-war Panem leads to a series of studies on how extreme environmental factors (in this case, a lack of space) might influence the form a daemon ends up taking.
3. Since daemons dissolve upon death, people are traditionally buried with or next to an effigy of their late daemons. In the Capitol, you can see huge animal statues sitting on the graves of wealthy people, while lower-class Capitolites usually have a photo or a small painting of their daemon alongside theirs on the gravestone. In the Districts, the late daemon’s portrait is made with the most commonly available materials. It could be engraved on a metal slate, carved out of wood, embroidered on a piece of cloth, etc…
4. In most Districts, it’s normal for unrelated people and daemons to talk to each other freely, whereas in the Capitol a daemon addressing a person directly is considered very impolite.
5. Trends may come and go, but in the Capitol it’s always considered fashionable to match your outfit to your daemon. This can range from colours, patterns, and simple accessories that evoke the daemon’s form, all the way to extensive body modifications. The latter are also quite common in daemons, and so is people dressing them up and dying their fur/feathers/scales extravagant colours. People in the Districts find this very unsettling.
6. It’s not uncommon for younger tributes’ daemons to settle earlier than they otherwise would have due to the stress of the reaping and everything that comes afterwards. When a tribute enters the arena with a still-unsettled daemon, the form they’ll settle as and if they’ll get to settle at all becomes the object of bets and wild speculation among Capitol viewers.
7. Human on daemon is the only type of violence that makes Capitolites uncomfortable. Tributes who are desperate enough to resort to it tend to be immediately taken out by the gamemakers and their actions are censored through editing as much as possible.
8. Many Capitol families are (allegedly) named after the form taken by the daemon of their earliest ancestor.
9. Peacekeepers prefer to recruit people with pack animal daemons, under the assumption that they’ll do better within their strict hierarchy and that they’re naturally more prone to following orders.
10. Capitol engineers have figured out the process to permanently sever the invisible bond between a person and their daemon. This is not common knowledge, however, as the outrage over it would probably lead to uprisings. It’s mostly used as an especially cruel form of punishment and as an added threat to keep “problematic” victors in line.
So I read Bombs, Babies and Bullets by HigherMagic on AO3 (go read go read very good) and it had me thinking abt animal transformation aus and daemon aus and familiar aus, as I do, because i love them to death. And so I adore the idea of Soap having a snake representing him, actually love it.
But I've been thinking yeah. And I probably won't write a fic bcos i've no idea for a plot yet but!!
Ghost. Listen. Ghost and a hornet. Lemme give you a non-comprehensive list of reasons why Ghost and hornet:
- big motherfucker
- ouch, can sting multiple times and will also fucking BITE you because fuck you
- nobody sees a hornet and thinks positive things, mostly induces fear
- so small most people dont realize its there so Ghost&hornet pretend like its not and the rumour that ghost doesnt have one or is severed from his runs rampant
- hornets arent aggressive actually would prefer to avoid humans thank you
- smol families (comparing to, say, bees)
- will bite through fucking tree bark to get at juices (saw and heard a pair of them chewing through a lilac branch in my backyard that was wild, i thought)
- will not tolerate anyone near the nest. unless youre careful and through much exposure prove youre nice. then you can stay.
- tragicomically, if you subscribe to the Tragic Backstory - hornet nests are in the fucking ground. underground. LIKE A GRAVE. haha
- first time soap sees hornet is when hes approaching delirious (las almas safehouse? the bloodloss fucks with his vision) and hes like. bumblebee??? - its big yellow-black and buzzes why not a bumblebee actually
For those wondering about the fox. Grace has a subtle motif with this animal throughout the movie, but especially this shot where they pack this toy fox with his belongings on the Hail Mary. The pose of it looked a little haunting to me, thus prompting this illustration.
__________
(Small/large prints are also available on my etsy ❤️)
Daemon souls remain unswapped and must work to stick to their human counterparts (same soul in different body). Daemon and human are free to touch despite different body because same soul within
Daemon souls remain unswapped and must work to stick to their human counterparts (same soul in different body). Daemon and human Do Not touch because of different body barrier (does this mean daemon experiences tug when away from their human's og body??) (This one's a nightmare scenario)
Daemon souls shapeshift (automatic side effect??) to match their other soul's new body
Daemon swaps bodies with the other daemon to match their human counterparts situation
We're in a period of our lives right now where our daemon isn't talking as much, isn't present as much. She's still there, but further back. So we take a moment today to express that... these moments are okay and normal to have.
People who don't have a daemon aren't expected to be connected with their inner selves all of the time. People who aren't daemons aren't expected to be aware of themselves and project themselves into the world and provide and inner dialogue 100% of the time.
If you are like us right now, in a time when your daemon isn't as present as they used to. You're okay. You're fine.
Perhaps other interesting things are capturing your attention, like a new hobby or series. Perhaps you're more tired than usual. Perhaps a situation at work or school or in your family or in your country is taking all of your mental energy. Perhaps other aspects of your inner self require more attention right now. Perhaps you don't really have an explanation as to why. You're not a bad daemian. You're not a bad daemon. It's okay to feel sad or miss each other. We miss each other. Sometimes we yearn for a world like Lyra's where we could see, hear and hold each other without needing any brain power.
In case you want a few ideas of small things you can do in these times that don't require too much effort, here are a few things you can try:
Say good morning when you wake up, and good night before bed
Try to do projection for just a moment, like taking a picture, but don't strain to maintain it and don't aim for details
Have an image, small figurine or item that reminds you of your daemon and place it somewhere you will see it regularly
Say a little something to your daemon from time to time without expecting a response or a conversation to come out of it
Sending warm thoughts to any other daemians and daemons who are going through a similar time.
nuJust some random scenarios that include the presence of dæmons. Most of them are just sweet and fluffy, so if you’re feeling down, I hope this helps! I personally had my own dæmon in mind when I wrote these, but they’re written so you can fill in your own details.
1. Imagine sitting in a hospital waiting room. You’re about 90% sure that you broke one of your fingers, but you still have to see someone about it. The forms are all filled out, after several painful minutes of trying to write without jostling your (probably) broken finger, which you swear looks like is bent a little. Your dæmon is bored, and keeps switching between leaning against you and rolling around on the floor. At some point, they come over and nudge your hand, ignoring the way you sigh. You yourself are getting fidgety with boredom, so you casually get up, as if to go to the bathroom, and swipe a pen and some paper brochure that talks about flu vaccines from the counter separating the nurses from the patients. Five minutes later, you and your dæmon are playing hangman. Not a bad way to spend the night, really.
2. Imagine a big thunderstorm camping out on your roof one night. You can hear the rain coming down in sheets, whipping against the windows and making the whole place creak. The flashes of light and sudden crashes of thunder startle you when they happen, but you don’t really mind. You can sleep in tomorrow, and it’s warm and dry in your bed. Your dæmon is tucked close to your side, looking up at you. Their eyes reflect the light, shining strangely. You end up just staring at each other for a while, occasionally talking for a few minutes in hushed tones before lapsing again into quiet. Your dæmon makes you laugh at some point, and you try to smother the sound with your hand, something warm spreading through your chest, and you almost wish the night would never end.
3. Imagine driving down the highway, your headlights trying to peer through the grey clouds that are pressing close to the road. It isn’t raining yet, but droplets splatter against the windshield every few minutes, so you doubt it will be long. It’s a bit cold in the car with the AC blowing, but you have a sweatshirt on and your dæmon doesn’t seem to mind. The radio station you put on forty miles ago is a good one, with music you’d forgotten you like listening to, even if it turns fuzzy every ten minutes or so. Your dæmon is comfortably resting in the passenger seat, nodding their head in time to the music. You smile and reach a hand out to run it along the top of their head, trying to place the way you feel. Tranquil, you think.
4. Imagine sitting in a small coffee shop that has some coffee pun for a name. The shop is quiet, which is nice, and they also sell amazing croissants, which is even better. You keep busy, pen flying across the page of your notebook. It’s still early in the day, but the barista has already turned on the big industrial-sized fan that looms in the shop’s corner, the white noise seeming only to increase the peace. Every once in a while, your dæmon nudges you to get your attention before correcting the sentence you’d just written. Later, you’ll have friends to meet and errands to run, but for now you just keep writing, for once prioritizing your time well. You think vaguely that you should buy a day planner and get better at this organization stuff, and pretend you don’t notice your dæmon’s twitch of amusement at the thought.
