The Daemon Meme

[toastysocks]

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.

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.

Comments

Kazuhira Miller | Metal Gear | OTA

[neverloseagain]

[female shiba inu named Aiko, very emotive and tends to reflect the more obnoxious parts of Kaz's personality, as well as any aggression]

Bruce Banner | MCU

[likea_nerve]

[ Marie was Bruce's only companion when he went on the run, and like Bruce, she is adjusting to being around others for long periods of time again. She's quiet and observant, but incredibly loyal to both Bruce and her new-found friends. When Bruce transforms into the Hulk, Marie also transforms - into a lioness about the size of a car. ]

Sam Winchester | SPN

[hellunbounded]

[ Sam Winchester was born without a dæmon. In their world, this was completely unheard of, and it instantly set his father on edge, wondering what could be wrong with his son. Growing up, he told all his friends and teachers that is dæmon was a very shy spider that didn't like to leave his pocket to avoid drawing attention to himself, but his lack of a dæmon always made him feel like a freak.

They learned much later that Sam did have a dæmon - it had just been born inside of him rather than outside like everybody else. When Castiel rescued Sam from the Cage, he unknowingly left his soul behind - his dæmon, which Lucifer and Michael had separated from him. After being reunited with his soul, Sam had to learn how to live with it outside his body rather than inside of it.

Ignis is a dark crimson dragon. She is about the size of a tiger, has four legs and a pair of wings. Even though having a dragon dæmon is incredibly rare, that is not the most notable thing about her: she is a creature that has been ripped apart and put back together again, and it shows. Her scales and skin carry innumerable and grotesque scars, and although she may have been beautiful once, she is difficult to look at now. Despite the fact that's she's battered and worn, she's incredibly affectionate and often seeks out physical contact from Sam and other dæmons of Sam's loved ones. ]

Matt | Until Dawn

[iwasrightthere]

[ Matt got a lot of crap growing up with a dæmon without a gender, and he got even more crap when they settled into the form of a doe shortly after his freshman year. But Damaris surprised everyone when one day, they appeared as a stag who's antlers were still growing in. Damaris can't control when or how they change form, but usually they stay in that form for at least a few weeks. Both forms are white tailed deer.

Where Matt is talkative and open, Damaris is quiet and observant, especially towards their friends' dæmons and whatever may be unsettling them. Damaris is also quicker to fight back and defend Matt than Matt himself is, no matter if their form is a doe or a stag. ]

Re: Matt | Until Dawn

[dustless]

//not overly familiar with the canon, but--mind playing something with an agender human and genderfluid daemon?

Big Boss || MGS: PW || ota

[eats_snakes]

[Big Boss is a Basilisk deamon. A huge Snake, since it fits his persona of a snake. Untamed, wild and unpredictable at the best of times. But very proud. He looks like this.]

Kieron Dawn | Original Character

[roughedge]

[Kieron's daemon is a hedgehog, which he isn't too keen on. But he has accepted that it reflects his personality.]

Frisk | Undertale | OTA

[dustless]

Frisk's daemon, Forte, is often something small and armored--a pangolin, porcupine, armadillo, etc. Forte constantly switches pronouns while Frisk is always a steady 'they', and tends to talk while they're quiet, which often discomfits others.

[deuteragonize]

((How would you feel playing against a HOPE-filled extremist with a rat daemon?))

[dustless]

//I am pretty unfamiliar with the canon (read the original DR1 translation yeaaars ago and that's it) but I'd enjoy hearing your ideas even so!

Thomas Raith | Dresden Files | OTA

[cosmetological]

[he's got a king snake named Margaery]

Sanderson Hawkins | DCU | OTA

[granularity]

[ he's rocking a sandfish (read small, sandy colored skink) named Itziara ]

Jessica Cruz | DC Comics | OTA

[non_sin_timore]

[ her hedgehog is named Ajax ]

Clark Kent | DCU/DCEU | OTA

[stands_for_hope]

[a fruitbat named Neoma]

Harry Osborn › Spider-Man

[goblinjr]

( Harry's daemon is a rose-breasted grosbeak named Adora. She tends to fluctuate as much as Harry does in terms of mood, but she's also expressive when Harry is trying to suppress emotion, usually giving away what he's feeling if someone knows to look. She serves as a window to his inner self, especially the things he's afraid to show-- his creativity, silliness, and heart. )

sam wilson | mcu | ota

[wingedman]

[Sam's daemon is a kestrel named Addie. Like him, she's friendly, warm, and open - and often a complete smartass. (It's just how they roll.) When he's flying, she's tucked into a special attachment of the harness - unfortunately, the wings go too fast to allow her to fly alongside him when they're on missions, though there are times when he takes it out and keeps the speed slow enough that they can fly together.]

[da_champion]

[ Hawke, thank the Maker, does not have a hawk daemon. He does have Ada.]

[nohallaback]

[Oh no what a cute little murderpup Ada is. Gambooling shenanigans with a silver fox, y/n? XD))

[da_champion]

[Sure! Go for it.]

Komaeda Nagito | Super Dangan Ronpa 2 | OTA

[deuteragonize]

((Komaeda's daemon, Motoko, is a Siamese-patterned fancy rat with curly rex fur. She doesn't seem to talk much in company, but her bright eyes reveal a fast-working, perceptive mind, and it's not easy to keep track of her movements...))

Johnny Jhonny | Paranatural

[juh_hawny]

[Being a kid, Johnny's daemon hasn't settled yet, though she's staring to stay in one form longer and longer. Tends to be smaller energetic animals like ferrets and rats, but will take bigger shapes when Johnny is in the a more rompy mood- but never a dog.]

[ofthewaste]

[In fact none of the kids in his class have daemons that have settled. Except for one. Edmund is always shadowed by an elegant great egret by the name of Bianca. It's a little disconcerting because it was only just before the summer that he was trailed by one form of weasel or another. Sometimes even an insect. But now she's silent and still, ever observant but rarely voicing those observations save for the rare occasions that she will stretch to her full height and speak softly to Edmund.

Like she's doing now. Which garner's a warning look from Edmund in your direction Johnny. How can an animal that small make so much noise. Can't you see some people are trying to read?]

[juh_hawny]

[And that was Edmund's mistake- acknowledging Johnny was like setting off a beacon that he must answer. He swaggers over, leaving his friends (two boys and one person of undefined gender, with a daemon to match) to watch.

There's no real way to ever tell with him if an incoming interaction will be friendly or antagonistic- in fact he often switched mid conversation. But with how Cassie runs back and forth over his shoulders, making loud 'nootnoots' of a ferret wardance... well he's clearly elevated in some way or another.]

Hey, 'Mundo, sup!

[have a heavy swat to the shoulder Edmund- juuust soft enough to not be a punch]

Whatcha readin'?

[ofthewaste]

[The reaction to that almost punch is minimal. A slight narrowing of his eyes and a breath just a touch heavier than the one before it. Once upon a time it would've been a dramatic exasperated sigh and an eye roll but his brother had cured him of such reactions a long time ago.]

Something beyond your skill level, I assure you.

[Not polite, certainly, but he was well aware of Johnny's mercurial nature and, honestly, was more comfortable with the bullying than the disorienting friendliness. If Johnny looks closely at the book though he will discover it's a volume on political infrastructure of medieval England? Yup, this is what Edmund reads for fun.]

[juh_hawny]

'Cuse you, I take my education Very Seriously.

[which is why he plucks the book right outta his hands, probably losing his place. He flips through the pages.]

Huh, what you doing, running one'a those dice games or somethin'?

[Why else would a nerd be reading up on this kinda thing. To be fair Johnny doesn't sound especially put off by this]

not tagging in school, really.

[ofthewaste]

[Edmund tries to hide how perturbed he is at having that book stolen. Not only was he reading that but it wasn't his book. It was a library book but still his responsibility. Even if he had been able to hide it, though, Bianca puffed up, flapping in irritation and shifting her weight on those long delicate legs.]

Eh-! [But he's not going to scramble after it or act that undignified. Instead he forced himself to relax back into his seat, twirling his pencil in a carefully controlled way to relieve that little bit of anxiety.]

Yes, something like that. Fantasy buff and all of that. [There, curiosity abated. He held his hand out for the book to be returned... but that pencil was twirling a little faster in his fingers.]

At least I'M on break

[juh_hawny]

[Johnny makes no move to return it. In fact, Cassie moves down his arm, shifting into a gerbil so she can nibble at the binding. If one wasn't causing damage, the other usually was.]

Huh, that's cool.

[and he does sound legit interested, even as he's denying Edmund the book. He smirks at the twirling pencil]

You ain' gonna cast a magic bolt at me with that, right?

[From his friend group the smaller of the boys hisses wizard!!, his currently-a-cat daemon arching up]

Cremisius "Krem" Aclassi | DA: Inquisition | OTA

[kremdelacreme]

_{[Krem's daemon very closely resembles a Gamordan Stormrider's dragonling, though it is much smaller than normal dragonlings and tends to behave in a rather catlike manner; it sleeps a lot, jumps at what appears to be nothing at all, and can be incredibly affectionate when it feels like it. It doesn't seem to have an outward gender, though the patterning and presence of wings would suggest a female.]}

not brave enough to throw Dorian at you but have a werewolf?

[search_and_destroy]

[A dragonling was definitely an impressive daemon. Impressive enough to startle the hell out of the young woman and the dark stallion she was riding bareback through the brush, pointedly avoiding the trails. He huffed and pawed at the leafy ground, clearly agitated. The woman's hand disappeared into her cloak, dark eyes cautious as she called out.]

Stay back!

Sorry for the delay! Between work and life in general posting hasn't been easy.

[kremdelacreme]

_{[The dragonling, which had been perched in a tree, arched its back and let out a hiss laced with sparks. It kept an eye on woman and horse, while Krem looked around the trunk of the tree with knife drawn. His jaw set as he looked both her and her daemon over. She didn't look heavily armored, or armed, but it was easy to hide a weapon in layers of clothes.]} State your purpose.