Sky-Based Modern Mythical Creatures
The last category in our organization scheme is that of sky-dwelling creatures, beings that spend most of or all of their lives in air. This category includes, Rot Fairies, Electricity Phoenixes, Cloud Cats, and, most fearsome of all, Smog Dragons. Once again, we believe there to be more sky-dwelling mythical creatures out there to find, so report any sightings swiftly.
Rot Fairies
Rot Fairies are the most common type of sky-based modern mythical creature. They are cousins to the woodland fairies of the old stories, and alike in many ways, such as their small size, ability to fly, and inscrutable nature. The three different types we know of are Computer-corroding Fairies, Dumpster Fairies, and Battery Acid-drinking Fairies. Each are similar and different in many ways, but one trait they all share is to ability to cause decay and rot in the enviroments around them. This ability appears to be linked to maintaining the natural environment by breaking down dead things, much like fungi and scavenging animals do, but it is often wholly unhelpful in an urban environment, where there are many things capable of decaying that humans would rather not see decay.
Computer-corroding Fairies
Computer-corroding Fairies are the smallest of the Rot Fairies at around a centimeter tall, and difficult to spot, even in direct sunlight, though they shun it. These fairies have dark skin, usually black, dark green, dark blue, or dark red. Their wings are small and shaped like fly's wings, and have to beat rapidly like a hummingbird's in order to bear the fairy aloft. They usually make their nests in electronics and specifically computers, abd can often be heard flying and buzzing around inside the computer. This sound is often assumed to be a cooling fan within the computer, so a nest of Computer-corroding Fairies can go undetected for quite some time. If the nest and the fairies remain in the computer for long enough, the electronics will begin to degrade and corrode, until eventually the computer casing starts coming apart. When this happens, and light begins to pour into the computer where the nest is, the fairies will relocate to another computer with dark insides. If the computer corrodes completely in a dark space that is not disturbed, then the fairies will build a bigger nest out of it's remains and live there until they are disturbed by light.
The only known way to dislodge a nest of Computer-corroding fairies from a computer is to shine bright lights within it, and ensure there are no other unilluminated nearby computers (that you care about) that they can hop to. Besides their tendency to destroy computers and electronics, Computer-corroding Fairies are harmless to humans and will flee when encountered.
Dumpster Fairies
Dumpster Fairies are the biggest of the Rot Fairies at about seven to eight inches tall on average, with wings like dragonflies, the most commonly encountered, and the natural and bitter enemies of Trash Goblins. They are thin and angular in appearance, with skin of almost any muted color except black, and wear shoddily-made clothing of garbage, usually paper or plastic. They make their nests in dumpsters, as the name implies, an hoard a variety of treasures in them. The nests, if allowed to grow, will eventually reach sizes of two to three feet across, and completely fill the dumpster. Dumpster Fairies steal many items and decorate their nests with these ill-gotten treasures, but unlike Trash Goblins, Dumpster Fairies are very particular about what they steal, and seem to place great importance on these objects. Trash Goblins often raid their nests and take their treasures and don't treat them with any reverence, so there is a legendary animosity between the two kinds of mythical urban beings. Trash Goblins and Dumpster Fairies alike are very well known to go out of their way to harass one another when nearby, and many times groups of each side will attack the homes of the other will rotten eggs and fruit, as well as pebbles, and the two sides steal from one another near constantly. It is not well-documented because neither Trash Goblins or Dumpster Fairies are inclined to give straight answers to our researchers, but we believe there has been several wars between the two sides. Also, Dumpster Fairies seem to have the ability to choose what around them will decay, and will usually keep their dumpster nest from decaying.
Below is a list of item that have been found decorating a Dumpster Fairy nest:
- An ornately carved piece of white hard plastic that might have once been a child's toy
- A miniature glass box containing colorful beetle carapaces
- A paper torn out of a child's coloring book, which features a tiger that has been colored blue and black
- A tiny cloak stitched from black shoelaces
- A plastic ring that was likely a child's toy, and was set at the top of the dumpster in order to align with the sun when it rose
- A encyclopedia of different tree, plant, flower species, which was heavy enough that it likely would have taken at least a dozen fairies to move
- Many silk and plastic flowers, these were the most commonly found
- A scrap of red fabric cut into a heart shape, with a plastic toy knife stuck through it
- Tiny dumbells made of pebbles and popsicle sticks, which seem to have been used and repaired several times.
- An LED laser pointer, which had no doubt been used to torment Trash Goblins
- A necklace with a plastic sunburst charm that was made into a centerpiece in the nest in question
- A painted toothpick potentially being used as cane
- A human skull
Battery Acid-drinking Fairies
Battery Acid-drinking Fairies are the least common of the Rot Fairies, as there do not appear to be many in existence. They stand about four to five inches tall, have pale green skin, large and extremely coloful butterfly wings, and often are possessed of something like a beer belly. Unlike the other types of Rot Fairies, they do not build nests, but roam freely within a particular city of their liking. They use their colorful wings to attract and hypotize small insects to eat, and don't have any trouble finding prey in most places. Besides all that, their main goal in life seems to be to drink every liquid they come across in an effort to get themselves as intoxicated as possible. They seem to particularly prize battery acid, hence their name, and will go to extreme lengths to get it, such as breaking into a car's engine compartment and battery, or stealing from auto shops. When intoxicated, a Battery Acid-drinking Fairy will become lethargic and fall asleep for some time, and if the fairy is asleep in one place for too long, it's surroundings will begin to decay and break down. If this happens inside an car's engine compartment or near anything of value, this can become a serious nuisance quickly.
Curiously, Battery Acid-drinking Fairies seem to be able to drink any kind of liquid without any negative consequences besides intoxication. As far as we can tell, the more dangerous a liquid is, the better it tastes and the more intoxicated the fairy gets. Attempts to poison a fairy will only result in more intoxication, and even worse, if you give a Battery Acid-drinking Fairy poison, it will likely become fond of you and follow you around even after you stop giving it poison. Some individuals are known to pretend to be rats in someone's house in order to coerce them into buying rat poison, which they will then drink.
Electricity Phoenix
In ancient times, phoenixes would rise from fire and be reborn. This was because phoenixes were born out of humanity's concept of power, and as fire and power were synonymous then, the phoenix was born from fire. In modern times, our power is electricity, so now phoenixes are born from electricity. They are rarely seen, if at all, and usually in the midst of thunderstorms, as they dance among the lightning bolts. No one has ever gotten close enough to get a good look at one, so there are multiple theories on what they look like. One theory states the phoenix's whole body is formed of lightning and must always keep moving, or it will disperse. Another theory states that they have physical bodies wreathed in lightning, like great white-plumed birds. Still another theory postulates each phoenix to be a swarm of supernatural lightning bugs that takes the shape of a phoenix. Which of these theories is correct is unknown, and much further information is needed.
Cloud Cats
Cloud Cats are a little-seen phenomenon. They are exclusively seen on airplanes, while looking out the window. They appear like different species of felines, large and small, and entirely made of clouds. The hues of the clouds change with weather and the time of day, are they are white at day and dark at night. During sunset and sunrise they may appear orange, red, yellow, and pink. Very rarely a Cloud Cat will have a rainbow inside it.
Cloud Cats are seen by children most frequently, but adults see them occasionally. They are not harmful, and don't usually do anything other than run in the sky alongside planes. It is interesting to note that Cloud Cats are extremely fast when they want to be, and often keep up with planes and jets moving very quickly. Not much else is known of Cloud Cats, as they will disappear as soon as anyone gets too close. It is theorized that they were originally born from a bored child's mind and coupled together and spread out from there.
Smog Dragons
Many of the modern mythical creatures we detail in this website can be dangerous and frightening in various ways, but none of them can top the existential threat of a Smog Dragon.
Smog Dragons come into being when all the negative feelings in a city begin to coalesce into a physical form. They start small and ineffectual, but if left to grow they will become behemoth in size, covering a whole city and even beyond. They bring forth an oppressive smog that hangs over the city, and influence the feelings of everything living in the city, creating a general air of despondence and apathy, which further sustains the Smog Dragon, having been born of that. Some Smog Dragons are even powerful enough to warp the minds of individuals that always stay in the city and bring them under the dragon's control, to live ineffectual and apathetic lives.
Seeing the Smog Dragon's true form proves to be difficult, as it is always hidden in the smog and flying above the city without tiring. If you listen closely, you can hear it's wingbeats, and it's slow, apathetic breaths. Below is the only photo that has been taken of a Smog Dragon and not proven to be faked:
If you can't quite make it out, Smog Dragons appear to serpentine in shape, with no legs, and with massive wings that almost cover the whole city on their own. This picture, despite being the best pictorial evidence of a Smog Dragon to date, is unfortunately vague, and tells us nothing of what the Smog dragon's head looks like.
As of writing this, there is only one way to defeat a Smog Dragon, and that is to somehow get the whole city to overwhelm the Smog Dragon's powerful apathy with joy and hope.
We once we managed to interview a survivor of a Smog Dragon. They had this to say: 😨
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