#(like with Butcherbird)
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
Traumatizing Sky in fun and silly new ways :D
Ok I know shrikes probably donât exist in hyrule but NEVERTHELESS
if there is a shockingly violent predatory songbird on our planet I canât NOT draw Sky meeting it
Also here is the lineart which I like better idk why
#I drew the shrike from memory so it probably looks a bit weird sorry#linked universe#doodles#lu#linkeduniverse#linked universe fanart#Lu sky#ok actually fun fact time#A) did you know shrikes are also known as butcherbirds? They often impale their prey to save for later#B) I am an avid bird lover! (I.e. birdwatching! Bird photography! and just general excitement when presented with bird!)#you probably already know this if you know me on my other blog#C) my dad my brother and I once spent like 4 hours in a field in the middle of winter looking for a shrike⌠we never found it XD#My art
740 notes
¡
View notes
Photo
lil outfit ref for my true(?)sona. added a gull option because i am a Gull Girlie
#anthro bird#avian#anthro gull#fursona#character design#the shirt is for a fictional band i'm just establishing as like a fictional standin for whatever music i like. it's called butcherbird.
143 notes
¡
View notes
Text
a few NZ adult sff books!
for @thereadingchallengechallenge following an ask from a week or two ago
most of these authors also have other books that I love! I have mentioned specifically their books that are set here (or Aotearoa-inspired fantasy)
From A Shadow Grave by Andi Buchanan (alternate history fantasy based on a real life murder/wellington ghost story)
The Dawnhounds by Sasha Stronach (queer alchemical-biopunk dystopian fantasy)
No Manâs Land by AJ Fitzwater (queer historical fantasy about land girls in WWII)
The Stone WÄtÄ by Octavia Cade (climate fiction novella about an underground network protecting science data in the future)
The Wind City by Rem Wigmore (urban fantasy set in Wellington)
How To Get A Girlfriend When Youâre A Terrifying Monster by Marie Cardno (cute sapphic monster romance novella)
Kurangaituku by Whiti Hereaka (nonlinear myth retelling, this is definitely more in the direction of literary fiction tbh)
Butcherbird by Cassie Hart (supernatural horror/suspense, not quite sff enough for my tastes but might be of interest?)
Wake by Elizabeth Knox (similarly more horror/thriller than sff-y; she also has a fantasy called The Absolute Book that I havenât read yet)
I already mentioned Na Viro by Gina Cole, but since I think itâs adult Iâll mention it again here! itâs a Pasifikafuturist sci-fi/fantasy
#I swear there's more in my head but my brain is mush atm#(i mean obviously there's more but like. what I have read)#but there's a couple anyway!#obv always check CWs if you need but as a note butcherbird has a somewhat graphic SA scene#book recommendations#nz books#aotearoa books#it's been a long time since I read wake also
204 notes
¡
View notes
Text
How Shrike got his name...
#in case anyone didnt know#shrikes (or butcherbirds) are a north american song bird#and they prey on small mammals and creatures#impaling the prey on thorns to either eat later or (in the case of males) to attract a mate#much like my bastard boy who impales his enemies on thorns that he summons/creates with his magic#mortal kombat 1#mortal kombat oc#my artwork#shrike#cw: gore
20 notes
¡
View notes
Text
I have a new spaceship story oc!!!! actually I think I might have two or three but only one of them has a name (Butcherbird). more spaceships!! and I now know the exact process of turning a human into a spaceship. :}
#you start with replacing the legs and work up to the arms#sentient spaceship story#butcherbird is like an older brother to Merx
6 notes
¡
View notes
Text
I just realized that if Iâve got a little head world full of reimagined Spider-man villainâs anyway, I could just take my favorite wild reinterpretation of the Vulture and make him his own character.
So meet Butcherbird.
#his coloration is actually based on a species of shrike that is not technically a butcherbird but it also butcherâs its prey so it counts#the feather ruff didnât work if he wasnât a vulture so heâs just slinging around a big jacket#his mouth also once again changed!#Iâm fully embracing that heâs a weird conglomeration of animal genes so his jaw hinges like a goblin shark#the keratin in his nose grows and stretches to strengthen the top of the âbeakâ which mostly hides this#but I drew all the bones!#itâs awful!#my art#the butcherbird#shrike Maddicks#Spiderman villain redesigns#specter spider au
10 notes
¡
View notes
Text
judas Australian magpie btw
#not actually a corvid like most magpies they are in the same family as butcherbirds#i feel like thats makes sense symbolically
0 notes
Text
something that worries me a lot when i get exiled to Australia for being trans is honestly how I'm going to acquire (and afford) HRT in the cities as an art student because everything seems expensive
also one of those 'bin chickens' i've heard so much about (i think it's some kind of ibis)
They just kinda wander around the parks and i think they're cool too
#i also saw a shrike!#or a butcherbird? not sure if they're the same kind of bird#sydney is cool so far#leaning towards living in melbourne because cost of living is lower#saw a bunch of pride flags and it made me pretty happy!#also there are so many asian people it just feels like i'm at home in singapore
1 note
¡
View note
Note
Wasn't there like... A bird that killed mice by crucifying them on a branch?
they typically kill the mouse BEFORE they spike it, but yes!
the entire family of shrikes is a motley collection of songbirds that have evolved sideways into carnivory- they'll kill and eat just about anything smaller than they are, which includes rodents like mice, smaller birds, and even reptiles like snakes and lizards!
which they then promptly impale on the closest sharp thing.
this war-crimey habit has earned them the name butcherbird across most of their range. the shrikes do this partly for storage (a shrike that is very good at shriking can have an entire thornbush full of tiny corpses!), but also because, well.
they've got the raptor beak down, but they haven't quite managed to figure out the talons yet.
sticking their prey in place keeps it still so that they can pull off chunks small enough to swallow!
basically the same way humans use those fancy ham stands.
these things.
and now you know! here's a picture of one being silly to wash the taste of small animal death out of your mouth.
2K notes
¡
View notes
Note
in honor of his birthday i would like to ask if you, as a master of a pangy fic writing, have any pangy jason fics to recommend
âď¸ youâve given me a quest! i do indeed have pangy jason fic recs, and here are some of them:
pre-death:
Not All Kidnappings are Bad by @cdelphiki
a âbruce finds jason earlyâ au, featuring 9 y/o jasonâs understandable trust issues, bruceâs terminal awkwardness, and slow-burn family. the identity reveal here is also one of my favorite moments.
weâre released pushing daisies by shoutowo
jason starts acting strange out of the blue, and bruce is fraying at the seams trying to figure out why. i love how the pov is so deftly navigated here; the reader knows almost exactly whatâs going on, even if bruce never does, and we still get a little catharsis.
these words you canât say by glaciya
a short, excellent, gut-punch of a fic in which jason is figuring out his place in the family, and dick takes out some of his bruce issues on jason (but does his best to fix it later).
A MOMENT THAT'S HELD IN YOUR ARMS. by orpheusaki
possibly my fav early days jason pang fic of all time; jason and bruce are stumbling toward learning to communicate, and bruce runs headfirst into one of jasonâs (understandable) misconceptions.
Safe Space by Cerusee
the summary puts it perfectly: âTurns out, Bruce and Jason arenât quite on the same page about whoâs parenting whom.â feat. some exploration of jasonâs past + trauma around being a caretaker to a parent figure.
post-resurrection:
the only way out (is as a carcass) by @silk-scarlet-ribbons
red hood gets mentally rewound to his robin days, and has A Time. this fic also delves a bit into jason grappling with the major changes his body went through since he was robin, which is a particularly compelling pang to me.
all my love and terror balanced there by @burins
in which jason and bruce have a conversation, and i cry. (this line has lived in my head since i read it: "I lost you too," Jason says. "You always forget that. And I never got you back.")
Tap Out by @coyote-nebula
jason gets poisoned as a civilian, which kicks off a character study of jason & bruce + trying not to hurt each other. one of my favorite jason povs!
The Cold Like Coming Home by cabezas_de_vaca
jason rescues bruce wayne from a kidnapping across the globe from gotham. this one made me experience the full spectrum of jason & bruce emotions, pangs and all.
butcherbird, fly away home by e_va
unrelated to the previous fic, but: jason rescues bruce wayne from a kidnapping across the globe from gotham. here, bruce doesnât know jasonâs alive yet, jason doesnât tell bruce the truth about what happened to him (at first), and they both Go Through It before eventually going home.
It Doesnât Look Bitter on You by ManURonaldo
a story about jasonâs food insecurity, with some really excellent pangs in both the past & present timelines. (also comes with a side of tim pangs, as a treat.)
#hbd jason thanks for the angst (and the catharsis)#also there are a few authors tumblr wouldnât let me tag? sorry about that!#it was so fun to put this list together because now i want to reread all of these#jason todd#fic rec
446 notes
¡
View notes
Note
hi! do you have any recs for your favourite portrayals of Talia in fics? I just reread Choices and now I'm in the mood for some more well-written Talia
Few things make my heart go as soft as rereads, anon, thanks so much. đ I went through my bookmarks, and here are a few I love (some of these are locked to archive members only):
Drink Your Tea by Lysical. One of my all-time favorites.
people die (love does not) by JHSC. This is a comfort read that I come back to again and again.
Let the Night be Dark for All of Me by GavotteAndGigue. The premise of this fic is super unique and interesting.
make a wish (or two) by someplacewarm. I don't like to pick favorites, but if I was going to for Talia portrayals, this might be it.
Reviews Are In by Here_we_go. Part of the Bargain Bin series, this short installment might be the only one with Talia. You'll probably need to read previous parts to understand this one, but it's well worth it bc the series is fantastic, and I adore Talia as she's written here.
Nests and Cages by LanternWisp, Lysical. This is a series (the whole of which is amazing) - different installments feature varying degrees of Talia. I especially like Temporality (it hurts sooo good).
The Incredibly Reluctant Re-Establishment of Family (A Live Blog with Jason Todd) by southby. Another series, the entirety of which is wonderful and hilarious, but I think this is the only installment with Talia on-page for any length of time.
butcherbird, fly away home by e_va. Talia's on-page presence is pretty limited here, but her influence on the story is huge. Another of my all-time favorite fics.
I wish I had more recommendations on this topic. Unfortunately, it seems like the majority of fics cast Talia as a backdrop villain to the Bruce & Jay dynamic (she manipulated Jason, turned him against Tim, etc.), which is so disappointing.
Image credit: Red Hood: Lost Days
97 notes
¡
View notes
Note
Talk about the dick Grayson aus pls!! I am so curious :0
GRIPS YOU. Okay I have like a million AUs already but I have. One that's on my brain half the time
The au is based heavily around Batman: Arkham Knight, and it's essentially an au where Dick gets the Arkhamverse Jason Todd treatment and becomes the Arkham Knight!
It's a fun au idea, essentially I was thinking like,, "What would push Dick into going full villain mode?" And I looked at Arkham Knight and went ooooh,, that's a fun idea! I'm putting venomous spiders in his terrarium basically.
Overall the AU is pretty self explanatory: Dick gets captured by the Joker, is tortured and brainwashed for over a year to 2 years straight, and comes out murderous as hell. Overall not too different from the game. There ARE important differences though, like exactly how I imagine Dick gets captured.
Some inspirations for the au are: Joker: Last Laugh, Grayson: Futures End, as well as Devin Graysons run with the whole Blockbuster stuff, and the Ric Grayson arc.
Inane rambling under the cut
Okay, SO!! Why and how Dick gets captured is a bit complex. The au takes place not long after Dick gets his memories back from the whole Ric arc- which is actually kinda important here??
Joker was very much inspired by the short time he had Dick Grayson brainwashed and under his control. It was very fun and very fascinating to him to see him fight the rest of the batfamily, and incredibly disappointing when Dick broke out of his control. From this, he got an idea- an incredibly horrible idea. Why not just torture poor Dickie into doing what he wants? Why not twist and turn this little Butcherbird against the family he loves so dearly?
Because there is nothing more devastating to Dick Grayson than to hurt the people he loves. To turn against the morals Batman drilled into him- and, well, Joker already pushed him into breaking that code once before, he can certainly do it again.
And that's where Joker gets the idea to capture Dick, to torture and brainwash him. Joker isn't an idiot, he knows how resilient Dick is. Dick is practically a diamond, he formed under pressure. But even diamonds have their limits, and Joker fully intends to find it.
Joker keeps an eye on the birds and bats of Gotham, even when they've flown the nest, so he pulls some inspiration from Blockbuster, and uses his own past experiences to push Dick just enough to come after him. Joker knows full well that targeting those he loves pushes Dick over the edge, pushes him to kill- after all, supposedly killing Tim and even mentioning Jason made Dick beat him to death. And everyone knows about Dicks rampage through Blockbusters ranks, and how he was an accomplice to the crime lords murder. So, well- why not target those that Dick Grayson cares about- but specifically the most defenseless people he loves?
After regaining his memory, in the AU, Dick goes back to teaching classes of children Gymnastics and Acrobatics. And Joker finds this out, pulls some strings, slaughters the children and stitches them all together like Frankenstein. Maybe he even pins the blame on Dick.
And it's pretty clearly targeted- and Dick doesn't know why, but he doesn't care. These were children- just little kids he knew. It's a horrific reminder of what happened with Blockbuster, except almost worse. And Dick is fucking furious; it's the Joker, he made it obvious, and Dick wasn't there and he could've stopped it. It's horrific, beyond it, and all he can think is- if Joker stayed dead, this wouldn't have happened.
This was his fault; and he needs to rectify it. And Arkham won't keep Joker for long, it never does.
And Joker gets exactly what he wanted; Nightwing coming after him, wanting him dead, not thinking straight with all the trauma and horrific reminders.
And Dick hunts him down; it's reckless, he goes it alone, and this is fully on purpose. Dick intends to kill the Joker, but he doesn't intend on coming back out alive. It's a suicide mission, one that he doesn't tell anyone about because he knows they'll stop him.
And, stripped of any trackers, comms, anything that could be used to find him, he tracks Joker down to Arkham Asylum. He never gets to kill the Joker, but he doesn't come back out, anyways. Not until nearly 2 years later.
For the first 6 months, the Batfamily as well as the Titans and even the Justice League try to look for Nightwing, but to no avail. They have no idea where he went, where he disappeared at- there's no trail to look for or follow. And, of course, the last place they'd look is Arkham Asylum, if it's even on the list of places to look in the first place.
The entire time, Dick is being tortured- he comes very close to escaping a few times, but it's hard to escape with your ankle broken and being injured and tortured and starved constantly.
And then- the batfamily gets The Video, and upon genuinely thinking Dick is dead... they stop looking.
And, after months, Dick completely loses hope. He's resilient, yes, but not unbreakable, and eventually he breaks enough to do anything for less pain, for some kind of reprieve from this hell- even killing. And it only breaks him down further, and before he knows it, it's nearly been two years, and he feels more about the rewards he gets than the blood on his hands.
And then- Dick escapes, during some chaos that happens in an Arkham breakout (or was it an attack? Dick has no idea). He escapes on his own (or rather, the Joker let's him run, but Dick doesn't know that), and in his angry, hurt, deeply traumatized state, doesn't go to the batfamily or his friends or anyone.
Instead, Slade finds him during one of his contracts in Gotham. Dick is hardly even a shell of his former self; he's stick thin, broken and bloody, covered in filth and a threadbare Arkham inmate uniform, head constantly bowed and almost too weak to stand. Despite all that, though, there's still a defiant glint in Dicks eye, saying "I dare you" even though he's no more threatening than a kitten at the moment.
And Slade is fascinated by this development, especially after some poking and prodding. The brainwashing runs deep, and it's present in just about every action Dick takes, every little decision he makes. He's never seen a torture victim in such an awful state, and he's never seen such thorough brainwashing. Slade is fascinated, and finds himself pitying the state Dick is in. Nightwing, the seemingly unbreakable man with an unbreakable resolve, and he's bowed at his feet, speaking in broken whispers about how he wants to kill the Batman and tear Gotham asunder.
So who can blame him if he picks up Dick Grayson and ships him off to Venezuela after he gets done with his contract? No one needs to know about his vested interest in this broken man, to see what he'll do once he's back in shape. And besides, seeing Dick Grayson like that was the worst kind of uncanny valley Slades ever experienced. Who's bright idea was it to turn Nightwing into a violent, borderline sociopathic killing machine while keeping him too broken to actually do anything? Oh, right. Stupid clown. Well, at least it's interesting to Slade.
And Dick pours every ounce of his being into physical therapy and then training. He plans and strategizes and plans some more.
I'll leave this here for now since this post is getting fucking LONG- and honestly you can guess the rest of what happens in the au. There are a few differences in the au, like Dick having electrified swords on his back, Dick revealing himself earlier, the Titans being involved when the Militia invades, Dick actually almost succeeding because he plans REALLY well and only failing because he's unable to pull the trigger, that sort of thing.
I'm also still considering what happens after the invasion, when Dick runs, so that's a WIP.
And before anyone tries saying "oh Dick would never do that, that's ooc and this au sucks"- a) it's an au and b) brainwashing is hard as SHIT to break, especially when the person you're working with is actively encouraging it. And I know characters like the Supers could've found Dick, but let's pretend they couldn't for the sake of Plot Reasons. After all, it'd be a boring au if it ended immediately when they got involved lol.
#felix (host)#dick grayson#dc#dc comics#batfamily#batfam#bruce wayne#jason todd#batman#batman and robin#tim drake#damian wayne#the titans#teen titans#the justice league#technically?? they're mentioned#the joker#slade wilson#Deathstroke#arkham knight#batman arkham knight#i did my best to make everything make sense i.e. character motivations#i also did my best to not make Dick look stupid#i want things to make SENSE#there's probably a few things i could do better but whatever#arkham knight dick grayson au
37 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Please vote for whichever animal is cuter, not whichever one you like more!
#Tumblr tournament#tournament#bracket#poll#poll blog#cute animals#baby animals#cute#animals#zoology#biology#grey butcherbird#snow leopard
22 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Jason in Wonderland - Part 3
Who Are You?
Part 1, Part 2, AO3
âNot all who wander are lost.â Gotham smiled. It was cruel. It was uncaring. It was welcoming.
âAĚľĚĚÍrĚśĚĚłÍe ̸ÍÍÍÿ̢̜̼Ěo̸u No̸ĚĚŻĚ˝tĚ´Í HáťĚ¸Ě
Ě
m̸̿ẝ̸̊Í?̡Ě
 M̴̢ÍĚÍÍĚĚĚÍÍÂĽĚśĚÍÍÍĚłĚĚżÍĚÍ SĂ°ĚśÍÍĚĚÍÍĚ
ĚĚĚù̸(Mine, mine, MINE)(My-Twice-Born)(My Red Knight)(My Beloved Bloody Butcherbird).â
âYour Son?â Jason tasted the name, the title, on the tip of his tongue.
Gotham smiled. Gleaming white teeth, straight and perfect, sparkled. âDangerousâ, Jason's instincts murmured.
âMy Dear Robin,â she called.
Jason blanched.
âI am Not Robin.â
Gotham smirked.
âI am Not Robin,â Jason protested vehemently. Gotham gave an arched brow.
âMy Son, My Robin, My Knight. Blood Red Shrike, Redbreast Bright. My Son, My Robin, My Knight.â
Gotham sang.
âOâ Robin. Wast Robin not borne from mine own very flesh? Didst thee not nurse on mine own blood and tears, teethed on mine own bones. Sleepeth and swaddled under mine own night skies blanket? Hath I not raised Robin on mine own streets?
Oâ Robin. Didst Robinâs first steps not tread in milk-teeth sneakers upon mine own broken back? First words not chirped to mine own visage, in mine own ears With a chickâs cheeping?
Oâ Robin.
With downy feathers of red, green, and gold didst Robinâs first flight not beginneth            with a leap into mine own arms?
And after thee wast Lost to me on distant shores Forsaken Son, didst thee not Returneth to me? Thou art Walk Against Death as my Red Knight When you crawled out from Deathâs Hold and Birthed yourself from my soil bed Wast thee not then Born Again? Oâ My Darling Robin
Oâ Son of Gotham Son of Catherine, Son of Sheila, Son of Willis, Son of Bruce, Scion of Alfred, Scion of Wayne. Jason Peter Todd, Gotham runs in thy veins. Itâs in thy blood. Iâm in the marrow of thy bones. Tis in thy DNA
If You, who left and returned to my bosom, If You, with me in your lungs, vanquishes those that prey on the humblest, are not My Robin then⌠Who Are You?
If ye, Who didst turn a Circus Childâs erstwhile boots and infant wings Into a Gotham Legacy, art not Robin mine thenâŚ
áşĚ¸Ě°hĚľĚÍĚĚo̡̪ÍĚ AášĚ´Ě˝t̡ĚĚÍĚž TĚ´ĚŠÍ̿ḍ̴Ěo̡ĚĚźĚÚ̸ĚĚ?â
Jasonâs mind blanked. Suddenly Red Hood, a name Jason had ripped off that blight on Gotham. That he wore second-hand. That he executed, ruled, and governed with, suddenly seemed ill-fitting, (too small) and unsuited (wretched) relative to everything else he had been. Bright, Wonderful, Magic. (Iâm Robin and being Robin gives me Magic)
âI, I, I hardly knowâ Jason replied. âBut I know I'm much changed from then, since when I was Robin.â
âWhat do you mean by that? Explain yourself ášĚľĚłÍobĚľÍÍḯ̾ĚÍĚn.â
Jason shook his head. âI can't explain Myself beyond that I'm hardly Robin anymore. I don't even know how I, myself, came back from Death, you see.â
âI don't see,â said Gotham.
To Gotham, Robin was Robin was Robin was Robin was Robin.
âI'm afraid I can't put it more clearly.â Jason answered politely, âI don't understand Myself. Only that being so different is maddening.â
âIt is not,â said Gotham. A Spirit born from the minds of thousands across generations; Gotham was Gotham was Gotham, no matter the skin or time the City wears.
âSurely, being like one kind of person then being like a totally different kind, whilst still being treated like they're the same. Is that not strange?â
âNo.â
Jason scowled, frustrated at his failure to get his point across, and at Gothamâs refusal to see his way.
âRobin died!â Jason ground out, âRobin died with broken wings, a busted skull, choking on smoke, and with fire eating away at my flesh.â Jason gasped for air, âRobin died! And when I came back, I wasnât Robin, I WAS MAD!!!â
Doubling over, Jason keened. His throat choked. His skin itched. His chest burned. Frustrated, desperate fingers clutched and dug for absent relief. His head SCREAMED!
Then he felt a gentle kiss upon his brow. A Motherâs Benediction. Jason gasped. Frantically, he rubbed away the welling tears of relief at the sudden calm.
âWhat was that?!â Jason demanded in quiet, seething, wide-eyed disbelief.
âYou seemed to have developed a hypersensitive autoimmune response. Recollections of your demise seemed to have triggered an anaphylactic shock on an ectobiological scale. Your hybrid ectobiology are causing seizures that are, despite overt superficial similarities, of a state atypical of a Ghostâs Death Day because of- â
âSpeak plain english!â cried the Butcherbird to his Lady Gotham. âI donât know the meaning of half those long words, and, whatâs more, I donât believe you do either!â Jason breathed heavily in the silence. Gothamâs eyes are hooded, as garnet hair flutters and writhes upon her bare shoulders.
âYou had an allergic reaction. At the very core of you.â Then with a wave of her black gloved hand, the scene blurs.
...
Jason stands on a rooftop with a gargoyle for company and two others:
Gothamâs Dark Knight and Robin Boy Wonder.
The Dark Knight is an amorphous spiked shadow-blob from the neck down and a facsimile of a horned shadowy head with a pair of white beaming eyes from the neck up.
Boy Wonder meanwhile is a five foot nothing dark haired kid dressed in a colourful top, a bright yellow cape, and green booty shorts with matching pixie boots. His indistinct youthful features behind the domino mask place him anywhere between the ages of 8 and twice that.
âHoly macaroni, youâre in rough shape!â
âHmmâ
Jason blue-screens.
âDid we break his brain?â
âHnnâ
âShould we-â
âWho are you?â Jason interrupted. Jason already knew. But he just wanted them to say it.
Whispers rasped from the rustling wind.
  âI am Vengeance . I am The Night .â
  The Dark Knightâs shroud flared to impossible, intimidating heights.
 â Iâm Batman.âÂ
Jason felt his skin break out into goosebumps as he stared up into the night sky dominated by Gothamâs Dark Knight.
âAND I'M ROBIN!â
Like a bright firework bang, Robin shone high in the sky.
Fwip, fwip, fwip, fwip.
An iconic dazzling quadruple flip splashed against the sky. Robin gracefully danced with gravity to finish with a beautiful descent. The moves were Dick Grayson.
But that was a rough Gotham brogue - kenned from the mouths of street alley rats.
59 notes
¡
View notes
Text
On that note, let's talk about shrike Quackity.
The first thing that ever got me thinking about Quackity as a shrike was the fic "how to spot a butcherbird" by nononameme-Library (sparrowsong07).
Sparrow had apparently written about Shrike Q before but I can't remember if I ever read that fic or not. As far as I can tell: This was the original creator of Shrike Quackity. Everyone say thank you to Sparrow because they were brilliant for thinking of it.
Shrike Quackity is an interesting concept to me because it adds another layer to his character and just fits. Both because of his Butcher Army arc and the idea of his turn to villainy being an almost self fulfilling prophecy in a way.
Quackity was a kind person who liked making people laugh, but imagine under all that, the jokes, the laughter, was the instincts of a predatory songbird. A songbird that wanted to hunt. To impale prey to make up for dull talons. A bird that wants to nest in brambles and thorns to defend itself, with the guts and attitude to rival a raptor, a bird of prey. That turns his arc from a steady decline, to the slow wear and tear of trying to repress violent instincts just begging to be released.
He is the leader of the Butcher Army. A shrike's namesake, specifically the Loggerhead and Northern shrikes, being Butcher Bird. A bird that uses its environment, its tools, to make up for its own weakness. A clever, cunning type of bird.
"Nature's Serial Killer," I remember reading once. Which makes sense. A shrike is the type of bird to display its brutality for multiple reasons. To mark territory, to attract mates, and to store its prey. Impaling smaller birds, insects, rodents on these sharpened points in nature. Northern Shrikes court their partners via mock chases, hunting their potential partner down until the other decides they've had enough. Loggerheads share food and hunt for their partners, again, attracting through their open displays of kills. Showing that they are a strong, successful hunter.
Shrikes are bloody and brutal little songbirds with a lot of attitude and generally unafraid to try and take on threats that are much bigger than them. They're the kind of bird that gives me that same "I've drank five redbulls, snorted a line of crack, and I'm ready to fight god or die trying" energy that Quackity does.
It works especially well because usually I slot him into a more "villainous" role in my stories. Villain, demon, etc. Generally a creature or title that implies more malicious intent.
This is the same guy who canonically ate the heart of a past lover and tortured a man just because he could.
Also I find the idea of him chasing Wilbur around and calling it romantic funny. Sooo, there's that.
It's not my fault shrikes are the yanderes of the bird world /j
20 notes
¡
View notes
Text
@dasnercaret already made a winged/bird au for isat but i'm giving my two cents because i am neurodivergent and birds are my Heart and Soul
-
Siffrin: Loggerhead Shrike
This was actually my immediate thought for Siffrin. A few things, mainly- besides being small and fast, the Loggerhead Shrike is also known as the "butcherbird", because they use their beak and thorns to impale their prey and store it for later. I always kinda thought that Siffrin's dagger looked like a bird beak? That, and when food gets low in the winter, they become anxious???? They're anxiety birds that can kill you.
Note: Loop is the same, but where the white patch on the primary feathers are I imagine them shaped like stars!!
Isabeau: Red-Tailed Hawk
They're big red bulky birds. It's literally the only thing I could think of.
Mirabelle: White Dove
I thought a lot about Mirabelle's for a while, and this was the one thing that felt right? Besides her very pure heart and use of healing craft, she's very peace-oriented and has a very spiritual journey that i think fits the dove motif. Plus, she's considered the "chosen one", so the idea of pure white wings fits her in some way.
Bonnie: Seagull
My initial idea had Bonnie as a little green budgie, because of their rather boisterous personality and allusions to their home being tropical, but then somebody listed them as a seagull,,, and it just felt right??? So yeah
Odile: Red-crowned crane
The crane imagery for Odile is limitless. I almost made her a crow or some kind of corvid, but the kind of regal and sage-like composure she has doesn't really fit the chaotic nature of crows. So a crane it is.
The King: Harpy Eagle
I'm only going to say this: Harpy eagles have a 530 psi grip strength. I'm sure you can piece together the rest. Sorry Bonnie.
Head Housemaiden: Trumpeter Swan
Giant woman, giant bird. Very regal and pretty. Seems fitting. Also white hair.
-
If you have any other ideas (OR CAN FIND ME THE OTHER PERSON WHO DREW WING AU FOR ISAT I WANNA TAG THEM-) lemmie know, i'm interested in what ppl think about this
#isat#in stars and time#just chatting#i love birds#neurodivergent for birds#editing with the tags for the og wingfic isat creator thx dasner#wormwood rambles
52 notes
¡
View notes