About

"The Beast Below" is a nameless, strange, and lonesome shape-shifting planeswalker. With no clear understanding of his heritage and origin, he never felt right taking on a proper name. He's been called many other things across many other worlds: the wyrding wyrm, flare-dragon, white-heart, among others.

He is notoriously compassionate and forgiving, often to his own detriment but never to his regret. Despite this gentle nature, his monstrous appearance often draws the suspicion and fear of mortal races. Between those who are willing to take advantage of his generosity and those who are not willing to look past his teeth, he bears the scars of many wounds on his hide and his heart.

That all said, he is also famously melodramatic and an insufferable know-it-all.

Despite a similarity in appearance, he feels very little kinship with dragons and other draconic monsters, but does consider them "cousins" of a sort. 

As far as the Beast Below knows, he is ostensibly immortal. Any severe injury puts him in a deep, death-like sleep where he dreams mortal lives. Eventually, he always wakes.

Profile image by Margoartdes

Appearance

Head: the shape of his head is somewhat reminiscent of a gharial crocodile. No matter what his form, the Beast below always has at least nine eyes, but their position, size and shape do often vary. However, they also tend to be a solid, glassy red. 

His antlers are smooth, the color of yellowing bones, and are akin to a fallow deer in shape. Ears are long and sensitive. 

His teeth might be the most notable thing about him: they are numerous, long, and needle-like. Each and every one is capable of independent movement, so they can flare out and contract as well as crisscross without hindering his movement. They are very fragile and will easily break and chip, but they grow back quickly.

Form: his serpentine "core," from his head along his spine and to the tip of his tail, is his true body. However, he is still somewhat of a shapeshifter and can change his size and some of his appearance, almost like molding clay. 

For example, he can suppress some of his more monstrous traits to appear more humanoid. However, he has a hard time "squishing down" too much, and tends to not really ever quite get down to human-size or dampen too much of his appearance.

No matter what shape he is in, he tends to be almost uncomfortably serpentine and gaunt.

Limbs: aren't actually part of his form, but are actually a manifestation of will and can vary in size, position, and utility. They don't actually attach to his body but "float" within an inch or two. 

Regularly using a limb in a certain position will leave an indentation on his core body, which in turn gives it a more solid place to "lock" into. (Rather like the ball-joint of a doll.)

Like his main body, his limbs tend to be gangly, bony, and gaunt.

Hide & Mane: thick and bone-white, his hide has a soft, somewhat velveteen feel. His deep red mane is actually more akin to proto-feathers than fur, and it puffs or flattens with his mood like a bird.

Internals: his blood and intestines are an oily black in color, almost appears to be a starry night's sky, and his soft tissue (gums, tongue, etc.) matches this. Tongue is very, very long and prehensile.

Details: can appear very heavily scarred, and is often injured. Often wears gold rings in ears or chains with bells/baubles strung through antlers.

History

Although his memories are vague, as best as the Beast Below understands, he hatched deep in a labyrinth of caves that held a vast and dark subterranean ocean. For the first part of his life, he was entirely alone -- he lived by his instincts, exploring his home and creating his own private language of shapes and sounds.

After an eternity in gentle darkness, the Beast Below eventually found his way to the surface of his world, and discovered he lived under a vast and barren desert.

It was there, exploring the dunes and ruins, that he was found himself by a fellow interstellar star-runner who taught him of worlds beyond and how to reach them. And for the first time, he was not alone.

Art Notes

Alternate forms and artistic interpretation are great!

Violence, gore and blood

NSFW (male-identified partners only, please)

Kinks not listed (please ask)