balladofbeasts-a

[balladofbeasts-a]

this was fun

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ try in g out sessionbox. will this mean more activity in the future? who knows

[balladofbeasts-a]

some notes about dash commentary:

it can be fun and wonderful, and it should be, especially if it is small comments that are not actually meant to be taken seriously or responded to

however, it can also become very overwhelming, especially if a specific person is ‘targeted’ by it; remember there is a mun, and while mun does not equal muse, receiving a lot of asks or otherwise can become more than they are able to handle

mun knowledge should not necessarily equal muse knowledge; commenting on someone yelling for all to hear is not the same as commenting on a conversation that probably happened in private and your muse shouldnt actually have any way of knowing about it, unless through a party involved

remember that not all rp is meant to be taken seriously or happens in the same universe, and be aware of turning light shenanigans into serious ic interaction, like angst

there are plenty of ask prompts that promote angst or calling out a muse if the mun Wants to write that, but oftentimes we’re just here to have a good time and silliness

many muns will post either an open or an ooc post welcoming asks/interaction if they want others to become involved in something that happened on their blog

if still in doubt, it’s always a great idea to simply Ask if it’s okay to jump in

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ so i talk about duke’s good traits a lot but i do wanna mention his flaws/rough side too

positive duke traits:

humorous

supportive

patient

kind

compassionate

passionate

loving

believes in second chances

skilled

squad dad

gentleman

space duck knight basically

negative (or could be called negative by some) duke traits:

snark

i’m not talking about his playful sass i’m talking about cUTTING TO THE CORE WITH ONE SENTENCE HIS WORDS CAN DESTROY AS EASILY AS COMFORT please don’t legit anger him or this happens he can’t hold his sharp tongue

overly independent sometimes, like failing to mention injuries if he doesn’t have to

many things still remain a mystery about him even to friends

aka he’s not always as open as he seems to be

duke time. also called ‘where the heck is duke’ time. duke enjoys his fam and friends but his freedom streak results in vanishing at times and I PROMISE HE’S NOT OFF DOING ANYTHING ILLEGAL but he may be traveling across roofs, visiting AU Anaheim, visiting hospitals or children’s homes without publicity, or who knows what else. always has communicator in case someone needs him tho.

accidentally startles ppl occasionally bc he moves around quietly out of habit

pICKS PHIL UP BY HIS COLLAR and will do the same with thugs when annoyed with them, contrary to his usual gentler nature

can b pretty intimidating sometimes honestly

if you have broken his trust/threatened his friends too many times, your second chances have been spent there are no more and you only meet the mob boss side during any interactions with duke, it takes a lot for him to get to this point with anyone, but once his belief that you could become a better person is gone, YOU WON’T GET IT BACK. He knows there are some who’ll never learn, and he will not endanger his friends over someone he has lost faith in. [ex: f.alcone]

he was a thief gang leader and many of these are now often repressed traits developed during that, but they still linger, and surface occasionally

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ tonight’s rambling continues with: Personality/Viewpoint Transitions With Drastic Events

Young Duke–

Coming from a wealthy life style, not having anything desired was rare. Excellent hockey player, excellent gymnast, excellent swordsman. Did have to deal with turning down quite a few girls who wanted to claim him because a) he was nOT ready to settle b) he had not found any of them to be someone he wanted to spend his life with. Other than that, thought he had it made and was going to continue to have a great life for the rest of his life. Rarely got in trouble as even when he did bend rules or social standards, he could usually talk his way out of it. Humorous, little sassy but almost always in good humor not to hurt feelings, helpful and confident, charming, compassionate, etc. Mostly a pacifist and the times he did get in confrontation he was skilled enough to end them quickly without anybody getting seriously hurt.

Eye Loss to Thief–

consistent with young: skills, confidence

changed: After personally enduring great pain and learning of elements of corruption many were not directly affected by on their planet, rule bending became law breaking, bitter at said elements and determined to return some of the pain they inflicted on others like they had him and his family. And what better way than through the loss of their extremely valuable jewels and occasionally other expensive objects, if they could not be dealt with legally then they were going lose things bought with funds they subtly stole or blackmailed or otherwise. Developed a stronger sense of leadership, but it was the rougher, often fear-supported form, as the individuals he slowly began to associate with would not have respected a soft young duck ticked off about lack of full justice due to bribes or lack of evidence. More willing to kick your tail, and humorous sass shifted to more often sharp snark. Faith in others in general decreased dramatically both because of what he endured and others he met that were extremely selfish murderous and ended up quarreling with (like F.alcone). Despite noble intentions, and development of traits that would help him survive and assist in the Resistance, he also learned the true meaning of something he had never really felt: loneliness. He was rarely happy for a number of years, and some of the only joy he eventually found was amusement and admiration for a redheaded officer. He had slowly begun to subtly work a bit with instead of against legal forces, with hints or tips, and may have worked out an agreement to avoid imprisonment in exchange for greater assistance and regain a bit more normal life, but never had the chance to try the idea.

Resistance to Now–

consistent with thief: skills, confidence, thief skills such as unlocking and stealth, calm analysis and handling of situations under pressure, will kick your tail if provoked

changed: Although his eye loss was painful and led to emotional pain even more than physical, witnessing the invasion was f a r worse. Despite some of his interactions with less than pleasant sort, he had never seen so much death, and pain, and destruction– and it hurt. He had never lost the sense of a good heart, even if he had not been able to show care so much, and it wept with thousands. There was instantly a new priority, a far greater threat, and he became more dedicated to stealing for and protecting his species than he ever had stealing jewels and helping less fortunate families. During interactions with good ducks and others equally determined to take back their home, he was reminded of and regained more of his soft and compassionate nature. Due to the combination of warfare and helping his fellow ducks, he developed a balance between his younger kinder affectionate self and the wounded but stronger more dangerous independent mature thief. Returned to mostly bending rules within the Resistance instead of breaking them, which has carried on to laws in general, with an occasional exception if for a really good reason. Still not as trusting of people as he once was, but he gives them time to prove what sort they are instead of mistreating or siding with them instantly. And, both during war and the time spent with his team, he has not felt that horrible emptiness of being lonely again. He was not happy about war, but he returned to being a more humorous and positive energy for others, and continues to be.

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ Star Sword canons and headcanons bc it’s late and clearly the best time to ramble:

duke has no idea how it works past a little bit of it’s legend

he just tries things and thus far it has been able to comply the little he’s used it

it can send waves of some form that stuns/knocks things back, so light magic probably??

it can also open holes briefly to allow dimension hopping

it can destroy other smaller magical objects

duke is very proud of his magic sword

can you blame him??? I’ve never had a magic sword but I’d be proud if I did

it is special and dear to his ‘I’ve watched a lot of knight and magic movies’ heart

don’t touch it without asking it might hurt you

or he will if it doesn’t

no not rly he’s too nice to do that but it seriously might since it has an exalibur-type picks-its-user vibe going on so I’m going to assume that’s a thing since there were no background details given about it at all

why hasn’t duke been awarded an honorary knight title yet he’s defeated a dragon twICE one time wi thout a magic sword is that not enougH

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ additional squad dad things besides being supportive and protective:

duke normally making breakfast

sometimes also other meals bc honestly besides maybe grin or ww I don’t see the rest being chiefs fkjhd

duke checking on the cameras and the others at night bc he’s often one of the last to actually go to his room to ensure everything’s fine we can rest soundly

bc of this duke also having woken up a few of the others from nightmares about the war and/or brought water or otherwise to them afterward

he is fine with hugs anytime for any reason

dUKE HELPING TANYA IN THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT as far a fixing soup or anything else a duck with a cold might need or actually helping with bandaging, wounds, etc

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ MORE NOTES ABOUT TCAD that I’ve never gotten around to typing {plz do not reblog}

Duke actually dresses appropriately for theft unlike the flashy falcon alien

Falcone says ‘you won’t stop me from being the best this time, Duke.’ Stop. He doesn’t say keep or prevent, and he certainly speaks fancy enough to make that kind of clarification if he meant this as just a competitive remark. Duke earlier states that he was in the Brotherhood he ran, and this makes it sound like Duke stopped them from doing certain things, which, in Falcone’s opinion, was preventing them from being truly great thieves. This is further supported by his comment after Duke says ‘I think you’ve done enough double-crossing for one day’ ‘That’s what makes me better than you, I think big’

Falcone also says ‘with you out of the way, I’ll finally be number one’ which is an ironic line because on one hand, Duke isn’t even in the thieving business anymore, on the other, he was so dang good at it Falcone b asically just called him the best despite all his other bragging remarks, just as Phil originally said in the first episode he was the most notorious on Puckworld. Duke is?? legendary basically???

Duke is constantly getting ticked with Falcone especially when you include all his frowning/unamused reactions when he touches him or insults him, and by the end of the episode his voice is deeper and growlyer he’s so dONE with him and then he’s done with everybody like ‘i just got a clocktower dropped on me my attire is shredded my feathers are ruffled i hurt and my tEAM is still wondering if i’ve betrayed them that’s just great’ i cry but it’s ok bc he calms right back to normal once he’s gotten to rest a minute and they apologize

DESPITE HOW AWFUL FALCONE IS DUKE STILL SAVES HIS LIFE and it’s obvious it’s not because he really wants to but he values life and does anyway

basically there’s a lot of canon hints for my belief that Duke never did more than steal/minorly injure people as a criminal, hE’S JUST TOO GOOD, and having standards/mercy and often helping poorer/in debt individuals with what was stole from wealthy corrupt ones would actually have give him more of a notable reputation than just being a bad duck who was great at stealing

also Duke is shown to fence an entire scene left handed then later right handed aND HE BEATS FALCONE BOTH TIMES. Duke can freakin beat him even with non-dominant hand, and also this means he could probably wield two swords at once (like his normal saber aND the star sword) but d isney never took advantage of this man that could have been a great scene later if there was a season two sobs

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ I just want to point out Momma L’Orange had to watch not only her mate but her son make not-socially/legally-acceptable decisions and was ready to beat both of them more than once for it but she’s not violent and very lady like so she just didn’t talk to them for extended periods any time she was unhappy with them

which they both absolutely haTED because as affectionate attention hoarders, neither likes being ignored by anyone they love in the least fkjhds

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ additional notes about Lance and Celestyna I forgot to add last night:

their son grew up to be taller than both of them, not by a lot, but still

they all have Duke’s accent because they’re from the same area of Puckworld that apparently has Brooklyn accents for whatever d.isney canon reason

Celestyna will not fight you under most circumstances, Lance will fight you but did not have training or a lot of experience he just attac, Duke prefers not to fight but will and has had plenty of experience and practice against various opponents

affection is a shared trait which is part of the reason Duke got rLY LONELY during thieving days he was not used to the lack of it and having to seem rougher instead

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ random hc: duck son bought a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am after discovering the original Knight R.ider series bc honestly that show and car has Duke aesthetic written all over it

it also has complex security added to prevent theft or bORROWING without permission

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ some of my fav amazing things about duke:

he’s not bothered by other people having scars or limps or otherwise- he has his own, and he’s been in warfare to have seen such

he’s playful and flirtatious/complimentary, but its in a respectful very classy way, not rude or inappropriate, and can be taken as joking very easily instead of awkward

he’s very in control of his emotions and normally only sasses when he’s irritable, he genuinely loses his temper (which is very powerful btw he is SHAKING) just once in the show, but realizes it and calms himself down in seconds

corny. he’s suave and skilled and brave and handsome and knows it and yet. corny jokes. silly puns. random rhyming. i love him.

supportive squad dad especially to ww and tanya

[balladofbeasts-a]

H e r e have some gifs of these two being the stylish bosses they a re

[balladofbeasts-a]

{ I’m just going to leave a link to this and that should explaiN

[balladofbeasts-a]

[balladofbeasts-a]

@militarymallard look at our ducks bein’ fancy, probably for a nice restaurant or something… or just because they can that’s definitely also a possibility knowing them

[balladofbeasts-a]

     “If a grand plan had to be foiled, at least it was by the hands of an impressively fierce female, instead of that terror of a technological billionaire.”