#The corvid siblings.....what the freak

[c4tb1t]

also fun fact abt my brother is that he turns into a bird when he is under extreme sudden stress or gets startled. He sounds like a crow he's very odd . What's his problem.

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

immortal apollo kids headcanons!

this is specifically for the rrverse versions of Apollo's immortal kids! but feel free to think about it in the mythology context too! :3

Hymenaeus

still has a room in Apollo's palace

still sleeps in it

but he also has a room in Eros's because he's an Erote

this makes for some awkward situations when Apollo and/or Eros have to go to the other's place to grab him for something or other

they basically share custody of him

divorced dads behavior

when he was little he tried to get people to marry his dad because he reeeally wanted to plan his dad's wedding

technically, he succeeded, because he was the one who made Apollo/Cyrene's marriage official XD

his hair is fluffy like a sheep's fluff. also somewhere between strawberry-blonde and a very light amber. and reaches to just under his chin. don't forget the floppiness tho >:3

has his dad's bright blue eyes

LOVES his dad's swans. and corvids. he loves birds.

probably because he also has wings

wings are brilliantly white with a soft pink and gold flush

never looks older than 16

many of the other Erotes find Apollo hot. Hymen is distinctly horrified to know this.

Himeros: Your dad's a DILF

Hymen: a what?

Anteros: don't you dare-

Himeros: A Dad I'd Like to FUCK-

Hymen: *much screaming*

Ialemus

also still has a room in Apollo's palace

as a matter of fact, he still lives in said room

his room is also in apollo's basement (he wanted it there)

he is the emo kid. but he's also not necessarily antisocial

he just likes his solitude. and honestly, mood

imagine dragons is a favorite band. and hozier. he likes "slower" songs as well as sad ones

has Apollo's long hair, but in a very dark brown

has vivid green eyes. like radioactive ones.

likes ponytails

cows are his favorite animal

they are calm creatures he can ramble too so he likes them

knows a lot about things. comes with listening rather than talking ;)

WILL infodump

Apollonides

these girls are the PARTY KIDS

they are the ones throwing parties in their dad's house at 2 am

they also still live in Apollo's palace

frequent clubs and discos; can be seen at concert venues and are in many of the big city concerts (ie, Las Vegas, Madrid, Vienna, ect.)

Borysthenis is the 'oldest' (Hypatē - the lowerest & first string on the lyre); has curly brown hair and dark green eyes

Apollonis is the 'middle' (Mesē - the middle string); has Apollo's blonde hair, but straight, and dark eyes (crow-like, even... >;3)

and Cephisso is the 'youngest' (Nētē - the highest string); has poofy black hair and silvery-blue eyes

Hypatē has a comfy sort of style, such as sweaters and sandals

Mesē likes to wear aesthetically dark clothes with silver accents

Nētē wears blouses and loose jackets

one time they highjacked the sun chariot and got away with it by pulling the puppy eyes

they have demigod children in CHB

Asclepius

the baby

died at 15- still treated like he's 10

snuck onto the Argo mission at 13

Idmon and Orpheus played pass the babysitter with Jason

He kicked Heracles in the shins once for "trying to steal my dad's stuff!!"

Atalanta and Asclepius were buddies

The Boreads played games with him to keep him occupied

went on the Calydonian Boar Hunt to make sure Atalanta didn't 1) hurt herself; or 2) kill someone

he grew up in the beginning stages of CHB

in 'camp' with him were: Jason (the oldest), Atalanta (raised by bears), and Hippolytus (it was his boarding school).

Theseus dropped by sometimes and Asclepius was able to smuggle his way into his belongs so he could visit Athens. just because :)

Jason and Atalanta freaked out and they and Hippolytus went on a 'quest' to find him

Phoebe the hunter is his favorite sister

he befriends snakes quickly

he died at 15

his death pushed Phoebe into distancing herself from her other siblings

when he was resurrected, he wasn't allowed to see Apollo

his only visitors in his prison medical school is his wife and children. he hasn't seen or heard from his father or any sibling in centuries.

has his mother's shiny black hair but his father's curls as well as his bright blue eyes

Aristaeus

the REAL baby

has anxiety

severe imposter syndrome

pov: all your siblings are great and wonderful and accomplished people. and you made cheese and honey :)

mom and dad were very proud of u ofc but you feel like you didn't even do much

especially when your cool older brother went on the Argo mission even though he knew he would die (RIP Idmon)

gets easily defensive over agriculture (specifically the innovations and how they have taken over the Good Ol' Days's way aka his way)

(he got that from his dad <3)

he also got his dad's blonde hair, but in a honey tone. his skin tone is also darker and closer in shade to Cyrene's

makes really good charcuterie boards

hangs out in the Midwest

visits his mom in Cyrene, Libya (he is a good son ty)

(ironically) mice are his favorite from his dad's sacred animals

he hates locusts though

don't u love it that apollo's number is 7 and he has 7 immortal kids...

[majachee]

What are your favorite songs that describe your OCs?

OKAY THIS TOOK A WHILE TO ANSWER CUZ I HAD TO... REALLY THINK ON IT.

And like... I'm gonna do specific OCs and the overall story (that I'm consistently rewriting and all the lore I posted so far is outdated so I gotta DELETE-) rq so uh

:^)

First things first! I really do genuinely associate Helvegen and Voluspa by Wardruna with the first three major arcs of the story, essentially the Ragnarök/Norse mythos focused arc and the two introductory arcs leading up to it.

Helvegen translates to Path to Hel, one of the major afterlifes in Norse mythos. While many people interpret it as akin to Hell due to similar naming conventions, but it's much more akin to Asphodel from Greco-Roman mythology! It resembles every day life for mortals and it's where you go if you don't die in battle and go to Fólkvangr or Valhalla. Hel is also where Baldr's soul goes after he is accidentally slain by his twin Hoðr, and where the messenger Hermoðr goes to plead with Hela for Baldr's return.

The song, to me, is about loyalty and accepting one's death, with one of the lyrics being "I will follow you over the Bridge of Gjöll with my song." and another being "You will be free from the binds that bind you/you are free from the binds that bound you."

Other lyrics that stick out to me are; "Day's end or beginning/Only the Raven knows when I'll fall" - it's just MMMMMM. The song also ends with an old poem about death (which was also quoted in GoW:R and when that happened I SCREAMED) and just... AUYUGH.

The third arc of the story is focused on the prophecy of Ragnarök and how Odin and Loki are abusing others to warp the prophecy to their own individual advantages after Fimbulwinter swept through the lands early. Leading up to the eventual reveal in arc 4 regarding the concept of Fate as they know it. Remember when I said the Fates were kind of distant/uninvolved? That's not the case anymore :)) wink wink.

As for the song Voluspa? It's based on the best known poem from the Poetic Edda of the same name (Völuspá) that goes over the creation of the world, its end, and rebirth. So, really, I'm taking someone singing a poem about Norse mythology and applying it to my Norse mythos OCs. But like... the way it's performed gets me emotional, okay? Listen to Wardruna, please. They're a huge comfort band.

OKAY TIME FOR INDIVIDUAL OCS!!!! YIPPEEEEEE!!!!

New Year's Eve by Mal Blum is a Tyr song. I don't know how to explain it but the degrading relationship and emotions described in the song just... goes so well with Tyr's own feelings before his confrontation with Odin and before he and Fenrir disappeared from Asgard and Midgard. Before his disappearance, Tyr often defended his younger brothers from Odin and the other older gods (who were much more jaded than the younger youth), and once he was gone Asgard become a much for unhealthy place as its walls (metaphorical and literal) grew higher and thicker, more suffocating for the gods living there. Especially when Odin, the supposedly all knowing Allfather, began freaking out at, ya know, Fimbulwinter defying Fate. Yk, Fate, prophecy, something that the gods believe is concrete and unwavering. Uh oh.

Hoðr has Fish Inside a Bird Cage for his early life pre-Tyr-Be-Gone as he has a LOT of faith in his older siblings, until Stuff Happens :^))))

Kvitravn by Wardruna fits his main story arc, where he's begging and bartering for some kind of renewed faith in his family and the natural order of the world. Hoðr is a good guy, I swear I won't hurt him... much. (Lying)

Ravens are very important in Norse mythos, with Odin himself having two ravens (Huginn and Muninn) and being associated with the animals. Also I like corvids and I like Hoðr.

Shut Eye by Stealing Sheep and Little Dark Age by MGMT are Dionysus songs. I feel like it's just self explanatory. Also my life changed when I saw a classical Latin cover of Little Dark Age and Smells Like Teen Spirit.

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid has early story Macaque vibes. :^) pre-healing arc... hehe. My man would listen to edgy rock music like that, cmon.

Man on the Moon by Zella Day has Hypnos vibes. I love Zella Day...

Uhhhhhhhhh

The Garden by The Crane Wives is a song I associate with Ares for some reason, i dunno. Ask the animatic in my head lmao

.... I'm still developing the 4th arc characters and my brain works more in "these songs can make a hella good animatic for this story chapter/scene" than... uh... "wow. Just like my oc fr."

😔

THANK YOU FOR ASKING I LOVE OCS AND I LOVE MUSIC LISTEN TO WARDRUNA

[shift-shaping]

Top 5 birds

this is an extremely difficult question i hope you know this

First, let's define what a bird is. This probably seems like a pretty easy question, but ask any paleontologist and you'll get like four different answers. From the same person.

Because phylogenetically, it's extremely difficult to say, definitely, what makes a bird a bird. For a drunk, slightly-outdated explanation of why paleontologists don't know what birds are, check out the following video:

It's not my video to be clear, I just really like it for all the confusion it illustrates. One of my favorite ways to piss off my colleagues is to call Triceratops a bird, which nobody likes to hear because it's stupid as fuck, but if feathers make something a bird then, well...

ANYWAY. For the sake of this ask, I'm going to use Avialae as my cutoff for Bird because it sounds pretty and (probably) includes Archaeopteryx but not Dromaeosaurus. Unfortunately this does not include Microraptor, which is very sad because Microraptor is a good little friend. This does, however, probably include the Scansoriopterygids, the real-life wyverns that I wrote a post about here.

Above left: Archaeopteryx, from Nat Geo Kids. Above right: Dromaeosaurus, from Gabriel N.U.

So here are my birds below the cut:

5. Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)

First off, nice genus name, though I think she's a gemini. This is a gorgeous bird of prey from Subsaharan Africa that looks kind of like a vulture in flight but a bitch on the ground. They kick snakes to death because of course they do. They are the only member of their family, Sagittariidae, which is within Accipitriformes and therefore places them closer to hawks and eagles rather than falcons.

4. Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)

SKUNK BIRD SKUNK BIRD THESE GUYS ARE FART MONSTERS. They are the only living members of their entire order! Their babies still have claws on their wings! Hoatzin are herbivorous birds from the Amazon that like leaves and fruit and have a weird digestive system convergent on mammalian ruminants. Food ferments in their strange gut which gives them a bad stink and a bad taste. Despite being fairly large, poor fliers, they smell and taste so bad that people don't eat them. In addition, their preferred habitat (swampy marshlands rather than true rainforest) is disappearing slower than the rainforest proper, so these stinky idiots are IUCN Least Concern.

3. Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)

If you live in the United States and see a fairly large black bird circling above you and trying its damnedest not to flap its wings, it's probably a turkey vulture. They are lazy and have few natural predators. These guys sometimes get a bad rap because their cousins, the black vultures, are not terribly well-behaved and will sometimes attack newborn cattle. Turkey vultures do not kill. They are too lazy. I love them because they refuse to expend effort, even on flying, and that's an entire mood. They're also pretty chill. I met one named Lurch at ZooMontana who was a bro that had been raised as a pet and thought he was a human. Other vultures perplexed him.

2. Confuciusornis

Above is a stunning specimen of Confuciusornis sanctus currently residing at the Natural History Museum of Vienna. It's actually a really common creature in the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Northern China. It's small, about the size of a pigeon, and those double tail feathers are not present in every specimen --possibly indicating sexual dimorphism. There's debate over how good these little dudes were at flying, but the most recent evidence I could find suggests they could perform powered flight in short bursts.

There is a persistent myth that paleontologists cannot know what color an extinct animal was. We actually can discern color for particularly well-preserved specimens, though this is an emerging concept with lots of ongoing research. The presence of fossilized melanosomes (organelles visible under a microscope that carry color information for soft tissue) possibly indicates they were a rusty brown color, but other researchers think they may have been closer to gold and white.

Above left from DK Find Out

1. Black-billed magpie (Pica hudsonia)

I love these horrible bastards!!!!!! They're so trashy and loud!!!! They are easily one of my favorite animals ever, full stop. They are notorious for eating songbird eggs and chicks, but they actually don't do that terribly often. They prefer ~your garbage~ or, truthfully, nuts and seeds and lots and lots of bugs. Like crows and ravens, magpies (which are also Corvids) follow wolves and other predators to scavenge from their kills. Also like crows and ravens, magpies are highly intelligent. They were the first non-mammal to pass the mirror test, indicating that magpies can very likely recognize themselves in a mirror. Magpies hold funerals (or post-mortems...) for their dead and can be taught human speech.

They are stunningly beautiful animals, but Western culture refuses to understand them and chooses prejudice and ignorance over curiosity and compassion. Let me be clear: if you hate magpies (or really any animal; they're just doing their thing) I do not like you. That sounds harsh, but it is unfathomable to me that a person would actually hate an animal for living its life. They are not gentle, they are not sweet (usually, tw animal death in video: a baby magpie is rescued after its possible siblings were found shot), but they are vibrantly beautiful survivalists that have found a way to thrive among creatures that villainize them. You don't have to love or even like them, but every animal deserves respect. Magpies just deserve a little more. ;)

I can do Eir's favorite birds in another post with more detail, but Tumblr is trying to keep me from spreading the good news by enforcing an image limit so for now, a list of Eir's favorite birbs:

5. Red-tailed hawk. They're fairly large survivalists that live fucking everywhere in the US. She would definitely relate to their hardiness and determination. Also, they're the ones that make the hawk noise (at 0:31).

4. Little blue penguin. I maintain that if Thedas is in the Southern Hemisphere, it should have penguins. Eirwen is not always one to freak out over cute things, but her cold hard heart would absolutely melt for a little blue penguin.

3. These fucking things. Just because they're hilarious.

2. Pigeons. In some life or another, she is a crazy pigeon lady. There's a fun AU! She would love having so many small, chubby, cooing friends to feed and care for. I could see her devoting her retirement to a flock of stupid round bird children because that's just who she is.

1. Carrion crow. Because of course.

[peppersonironi]

Duke Thomas/The Signal Fic Recs

This is for @capttain-emo who saw me reblog this wonderful rec list by @stories-from-the-batcave , and asked if I knew any more. (I highly recommend those, btw, I love all the fics on that list! Yes, that includes the one I wrote in there) Duke Thomas is my favorite Batfam member, so I have a bunch! Unfortunately, there isn’t as much Duke content out there as I’d hope - people just don’t seem to like him as much for some reason? It’s sad. So, there are gonna be a couple here written by me. Rest assured, I have way more Duke content on the way - including a WIP coming out this week! (Ao3 linked out at the top of my blog)

I love recommending Fics, so hit me up in my inbox if there’s a trope or character or relationship (platonic or not) that you’d really love to read! I also write fan fiction, and my requests are always open!

1. Siblings: The Truth of the Matter by Me!

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & his siblings

Duke had a strange family. Two of his siblings had been raised from birth to be assassins. One was born in a circus. One had been a crime lord for a time. Yet another was the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company by the age of seventeen. All of them dressed up in spandex every night to punch bad guys.

So when he was woken up by icy water being splashed in his face, tied to a chair in nothing but his boxers, he wasn't surprised. Now, that's not to say he wasn't worried. Duke was definitely worried. Especially since it was these two.

AKA Duke gets tied up and questioned by his siblings, all while drugged with Truth Serum!

2. Bliss by Me!

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Damian

Duke walks in on a sleeping assassin child in need of comfort, and takes a chance. Brotherly bonding ensues!

3. An ever growing family of birds and bats by alicecrow6

Rating: General Audiences/Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Damian

a series of Batkids Age Reversal fics where Damian comes first, then Harper, then Duke and so on.

4. look at me, all the things I can do by Aelig  

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Cass, Duke & Bruce

"Duke took a bite of his toast, gaze still on Bruce. His foster father was sipping at his coffee, eyebrows frowning. To an outsider, you would think he was reading the morning news on his tablet, like always; Duke knew better. Bruce's look was a little away from the screen, his lips downward.

It was almost funny, to watch Bruce internally panic."

OR: It's the morning, and Duke is going back to school for the first time since his injury.

5. The Batchair(s) Issue by NightFlier

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen w/ background ships Relationships: Duke & Cass, Duke & Steph, Steph/Cass Trio & Batfam

Duke Thomas feels like an outsider, and not just because he's part of the new Outsiders team roster. He's the newest member of the legendary Batclan and hasn't yet formed the close bonds that the others share. Not to mention, he's the only active Meta on the team. As if it wasn't hard enough to relate with people with such colorful, unique backgrounds.

But it's okay! Duke has a plan and it'll probably work for a while before crashing & burning. BatShenanigans ahead.

6. All That Glitters is Gold (Unfortunately) by IndefiniteIceCube

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Tim, Duke & Steph

The world is gold and Duke can't breathe.

He can't breathe.

He was sitting in AP World History just a minute ago.

Was it a minute ago? It seemed like a minute ago but it could have been hours because all he can focus on is that he can’t breathe. His lungs won’t fill and- and he’s trying he swears but he just. can’t. breathe.

And the gold—

-----

Duke's powers emerge.

It doesn't go well.

7. Be the Light that Helps Others See by Ace_Corvid @ace-corvid

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam

Duke didn't really know what to expect from movie nights with the Bats.

He could only assume they approached this with the same determined intensity as they approached everything else. They were all so extra it was like their gauge for normal was completely broke. He wasn't really prepared for this.

And yet here he was. Surrounded.

(Alternatively; Batkid's have a movie night.)

8. I've Made a Million Mistakes by Sohotthateveryonedied

“Y’all need Jethuth.”

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam

“Don’t worry,” Dick says, throwing his arm around Duke’s shoulders. “Everyone in this room has had their teeth knocked out at one point or another. It’s a rite of passage around here.”

“I don’t know how to tell you thith, but that doethn’t happen to normal people. We acthually prefer to keep our teeth, believe it or not.”

“Wait until you get your first major battle scar. Trust me, they’re cool.”

“Y’all need Jethuth.”

9. Children (All of Them) by TheFalconWarrior

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam

In which Tim is not stupid but Jason might just be, Damian is furious, Dick kind of feels like he should be doing…something, Steph is ecstatic, and Duke wonders how long he can survive.

10. In the Dark of the Night by Aelig

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Jason, Batfam

"Duke was woken up by someone sliding into his bed. Someone big judging by how the mattress shifted.

Because Duke was a well-trained vigilante, his first reflex was obviously to kick whoever was being creepy right now and push them out of his bed.

It was only when the someone landed on the floor with a yelp that Duke realized that he was at Wayne Manor, which was incredibly secure – normally. He could recognize the voice, too."

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: none

OR: The Batfam and their way to deal with nightmares.

11. Welcome to the Family by angstyelephant

In which Duke Thomas goes back to the beginning.

12. Family-- by incorrectbatfam

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & batfam

“Your assignment over the weekend is to write a poem about your family.”

13. I'm Still Climbing(Even When the Rest Have Fallen) by anidear

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Dick, Duke & Damian

After his first exposure to the Fear Toxin, Dick checks in on Duke.

14. The cat and the newcomer by Fleur_de_Violette

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Alfred the Cat

Duke always found people talking to their pets about their problems silly. And yet here he was.

15. Duke-napped by NightOwl1600

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Duke & batfam

The others don’t really bother Duke with his business. They all care about him, he knows, but outside of the vigilante business, they don’t really care to ask aside from the typical “How was school?” or “Can you buy me some chilidogs after you’re done with whatever you’re doing?” So he’s a bit concerned if they’ll even notice when he’s been kidnapped as Duke Thomas, Bruce Wayne’s newest ward. But he’s not about to panic; as the others seem to be so determined that traumatizing new experiences are part of Bat-initiation.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family freaks out because “Did anyone go over the do’s and don’ts of getting kidnapped with Duke?!”

16. Nightmare/Hallucination by FearfulKitten @fearfulkittenwrites

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Jason

Duke found himself staring at the ceiling again. His heart was no longer racing, but he wouldn’t exactly say that he was calm either. This is the moment after the end of a race you lost, when all of the adrenaline is starting to wear off and the hopelessness sets in. That’s it. You’re out of the competition, buddy.

Except that this isn’t a race, and Duke hasn’t just lost his spot for the finals. He had simply lost sleep.

17. Jason Todd, Big Brother Part 8792 by Gemini_00

Rating: General Audiences Category: Other Relationships: Duke & Jason, Duke & Damian

Robin and the Signal sneak along the Outlaws mission in order to steal a bazooka and hang out with Kori. Jason has to deal with two little brothers and feeding a team of outlaws. He's putting this on Bruce's credit

18. "What's wrong? What's happening?" By FearfulKitten @fearfulkittenwrites

Rating: General Audiences Category: Other Relationships: Duke & Tim

Duke runs into trouble during his daytime patrol, and ends up needing some back up. The resident over-productive insomniac bat picks up the call.

(A little bit of and Duke interaction for a nice tumblr Anon :) I hope you like it!)

19. Nightmares by FearfulKitten @fearfulkittenwrites

Rating: Teen Category: Other Relationships: Duke & Dick

Filling the nightmare square on my bingo card with the help of an anon on tumblr who asked for a fic where Duke has a nightmare and asks for the help of one of the older batboys!

"Duke checked the time again. Two minutes had passed.

Time was ticking too slowly. He was tired, but sitting alone in the dark was definitely not a good idea right now.

He’d have to ask for help."

20. Brothers in Arms by TheFalconWarrior

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam

...possibly against each other. Batkid prank wars are the worst.

Duke is learning. Tim is evil. So is Damian. Dick is embarrassing. Jason is dramatic. Steph is brave. Babs is all-knowing. Cass wants in. Alfred is a little amused, and Bruce is so. Tired.

21. First rule of Robin, right? By ALzzza

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Damian,Duke & Dick

"Nothing’s going to hurt you—you got that, nothing.”

Duke doesn’t have anything better to do but it’s not like that matters. Hell, he’d drop everything and run—always in time to catch this little bird.

Or, Damian’s Been Having Nightmares, Duke To The Rescue—Dick Always With The Reassurance

22. Duke's Diary by fiery_day

 Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam,Duke & Dick

This is a couple of journal entries by Duke as he learns to become Signal. He relates his thoughts on the batfamily and aspects of the vigilante life he now leads.

23. Significance of a Gala by nxttime

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Batfam,Duke & Jason, Duke & Tim

This year’s Wayne Gala would be Duke’s first, and he had no clue how to feel about it.

 25. The cloud that looks after each other by Batmango

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Duke & Goliath

Duke wakes up the Bat cave after a fight with the Joker.

For MashpotatoeQueen5 as a thanks for using so many of my prompt in the excellent January Jot-Downs.

Prompt: a hurt comfort after an injury/illness? Or just cuddles. I love me some cuddles.

26. The One You’ll Know By by Redrikki

Rating: Teen Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Bruce & Alfred

After losing his memory, Bruce asked Alfred not to tell him about his vigilante life, but he's beginning to think his butler left a few other things out. Like, say, his kids.

27. Duke Thomas Hates Bullies by Gemini_00

Rating: Unrated Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Steph, Duke & Tim, Duke & Bruce, Duke & Damian

Everyone loves that Duke Thomas isn't like all those other crazy Waynes. Everyone loves that the Signal isn't trying to get himself killed. Duke may not see Bruce as his dad, but he is definitely part of the bat family. and nobody is going to bully his family. Or, Duke Thomas Kicks Ass.

28. batman is dancing to fortnight and this might as well happen because vigilante life is already so *Goddamn* weird (Duke Thomas: A Memoir) by MashpotatoeQueen5

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Duke & Batfam

You may not have time to unpack all that, but Duke Thomas does.

(He doesn't get it either.)

(He loves his new crazy family nonetheless.)

29. In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Be Kind by RedHoodie1723

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Bruce, Duke & Batfam

Day Six of Batfam Week 2020: Take Your Child To Work Day

It was Duke's first time visiting Wayne Enterprises, and he couldn't help but be intrigued by the Martha Wayne Foundation.

30. You’re My Brother by blackpercy

Rating: General Audiences Category: Gen Relationships: Duke & Dick

Duke's missing his parents a lot and Dick comes in to help his little brother.

And that’s it for the list! I hope you enjoy these thirty works! Once again, send me an ask if you have requests for fics, recs, or if you have general questions!

[wingedkiare]

It’s funny. Up until this month, I don’t think people understood what it was like to be me.

I live like this most of the time, especially during the winter.  I stay home, I try not to interact with too many people.  Because I have a suppressed immune system.  Any cold or bug can turn into something more serious (we have four thermometers in the house because of me) - and I already have a full house.  Two kids who go to schools.  It’s so easy for them to bring something back- and for that to turn into something more serious.

Everyone else is trying to live the way I do.  With the same fears.

Well, most everyone.  In my neighborhood, it’s become rare to see anyone out for a walk. Everyone who is walking has a mask.

Stores are less crowded, since everyone goes so little now.  (So my husband says, he’s our designated runner)

The parks are nearly empty - and in the papers, they report about the police having to break up games and groups that pop up.

People look at the cities who haven’t closed beaches or trails with disdain, because every stircrazy person putting themselves first will go there, increasing the risk of the spread of COVID-19.

I know a woman who had a virtual wedding.  Her family and his family - they’d already been in quarantine for two weeks, enough for everyone to be relatively sure nobody was sick.  One of her siblings was the officiant,

We sang happy birthday to my sister in law over a video call.  My mother in law, ever mindful of the quarantine can’t see her own granddaughter.  Because nobody wants to put anyone at risk.  We all want to make it out of this safely.

And that’s the thing.  You have to take it seriously.  You have to be cautious.  You have to sacrifice some of the little things in order to come through this safe.  It’s the only way.  For you and for your loved ones.

I saw a twitter thread yesterday about a woman who begged her father (over 65 with health issues) not to go to a funeral 10 days ago.  She freaked out and begged, and he was so worried about her reaction - he didn’t go.

57  people went. 24 tested positive for CORVID-19, several are hospitalized and two people died.  All because they were so desperate to try for some normalcy.

There’s an Influencer with the account love taza who LEFT NEW YORK with her family to drive via RV to go to her parents’ house in Utah.  Her post where she shared the picture of them assured people she’d done her research and this was the safest way to go. She was doing it for her family.

Most of the commenters pointed out how selfish she was.  No matter how much food they packed (which couldn’t be that much with 7 people in the RV), they’d still have to stop for food, gas and restroom breaks - or to dump the toilet in the RV.  It’d be unavoidable to make contact.  And though she claimed they’d stayed inside the entire time in NY, she’d written about taking the baby for walks around the neighborhood.  So they weren’t totally isolated.

Stay home.  Stay inside.  Video chat with people.  If you do have to go to the store, try to buy two weeks worth of groceries at a time, at least.  Not only are you helping yourself, but you’re reducing the number of people that grocery store employees come into contact with (so you’re helping them)

[thel3tterm]

Our Author is Dead

This is my current novel project. I’ve been working on it for ~5 years, and its been through many painful drafts and revisions.

Current status: about halfway through the final draft. ~23 chapters and counting.

Read it here!  What is it about?

When Rouge’s boyfriend, Michael, goes missing under mysterious circumstances, he leaves behind boxes of incomprehensible research, and a realization that he hadn’t been the meek eccentric they always believed.

Rouge wanders from town to town, trying to piece together what happened and hopefully bring him home.

Along the way, they have to deal with biological monstrosities, an enigmatic being who eats words, a vigilante in a rabbit mask, overpowered teens on the run from a nightmarish organization, and worst of all- a war over who gets to be the protagonist of the story they apparently live in.

The World:

Our Author is Dead takes place in a country known as Doma.

Doma is very similar to our contemporary society. There’s junk food, convenience stores, comic books, air conditioning, interstates… but no electricity. The east is bordered by an ocean, and its western desert ends in an incomprehensible, uncrossable ‘wall’ of abnormality.

Lets Talk Biomancy: All technology is based upon living organic tissue- a field known as Biomancy. The field is completely normalized in their world. It gets them from place to place, lets them communicate long distances, runs the factories, does pretty much everything electricity does for us. In many cases its unnoticeable, running through the walls or inside of gadgets one might not even suspect are alive. The most noteworthy examples though, are full fledged lab created ‘animals’ of sorts. They might be pets, household assistance, or most commonly, vehicles. Zap Heads: Some people actually do study electricity, and believe in the merits of it as an alternative means of engineering. …Of course, we all know that its just a fringe science and that there’s no way to actually use electricity for anything substantial. People who study it call themselves Electricians. Everyone else calls them Zap Heads.

Novus: A subgroup of people in this country are known as Novus. A Novus, for one reason or another, is born with a slight or major split from their own body. Most people are only able to have an influence within themselves. They are only able to think inside their heads and move what’s attached to them. A Novus is able to have an influence outside of themself, which can manifest in a myriad of ways. Some might bend reality around them to their will, some might be able to reach into another person’s head and change things around. -Novus are looked at negatively by most of the country, and are often disparagingly called ‘Wiz’, based on the thought that they’re like witches. -Medical researchers believe that it is some kind of a birth defect, but are unable to determine if the root is environmental or genetic. -They’ve been noted to have a much higher average body temperature, and a weaker immune system. Flexing their 'abnormalities’ seems to require an extreme amount of energy, so they need to eat a lot more than average and struggle to keep a healthy weight. -Religious people believe that it is caused by a moral failure, and that Novus need to have more self discipline to 'correct’ themselves. -Upon discovery, Novus are immediately documented and given a facial tattoo and serial number. -Most Novus wind up being seized and taken to a 'rehabilitation’ center before they reach the age of eighteen. Few will ever actually leave the rehab centers. Only a small number remain free to adulthood. The Bones: One of the oldest and most prestigious families in Doma is known as the Bones. Despite appearing frequently in history textbooks, newspaper and magazine articles, interviews, important dinners, parties, and the like, very little is ACTUALLY known about the Bones. Here are some definite knowns: -They invented Biomancy several hundred years ago. -They are the only family who actually knows how to make a Biom from scratch, and they hold this secret very close. (Factories merely assemble the Bioms, but an outside party is not able to make a working one unless it comes from them.) -All of their children are women. No Bones has ever been a man. -They seem to have an extreme influence over all the goings-on in the country. Politics, Novus control, science, media, you name it, they’re there. Melissa Bones is currently in charge of their family operations, and her daughter Pamela is the up and coming heir. Characters: Rouge: -27 years old -Novus -Non-binary (they/them) -Very thin, brown hair (unless they dye it) usually in a sideshave or shaggily uneven, long face, tan skin, chipped front tooth, average height -Almost always wearing a patched up and shabby blue coat. -Anxious, self loathing, self-described as 'completely ordinary and boring’, sarcastic, artistic, tenacious -Was diagnosed a Novus at age 17 in a freak accident. They had never caused anything to happen before, and have done nothing unusual since. -Was rescued from a rehab center under equally bizarre circumstances by a childhood friend, and is a rare 'adult’ Novus. -Has a taste for the finer things in life, and likes to critique food and visual design -Loves outlandish fashion, but has no money for it -Is looking for someone dear to them who mysteriously went missing Valence: -Is that even her real name? -19 years old -Extremely powerful Novus. Perhaps the most powerful there ever was. -Can bend reality around her, create bursts of light and heat, move objects at a distance, alter the shape and material of things -Stocky and muscular, on the shorter side, round face, tan skin, black hair typically kept short -Prefers masculine clothing -Prone to anger, determined, stubborn, courageous, strong moral compass, black and white mentality, fiercely independent -Both of her parents are well known 'Zap Heads’. Her siblings are well known activists and researchers. While smart, she was more drawn to music, and felt trapped under the expectations placed on her by her family. -Was friends with several vigilantes and rogue freedom fighters who knew her family -Was taken at age 18 after snapping someone’s leg in half, and brought to a secret facility run by the Bones -Broke herself out and has been on the run since -Was in a shitty garage band. Plays bass. Loves comic books and underground music. Tariku: -14 years old -Novus with the ability to 'see’ into people’s inner selves and mess with their heads, plus a few other things I won’t mention here yet. -Dark skin, thick hair, short because he’s still young but will grow to be tall, on the thinner side -Prefers to dress crisply, usually opting for collared shirts -Wears a blindfold most of the time to prevent accidentally spying on people. (Also because he was taught that his ability is a sin, and he can’t turn it off…) -Thoughtful, cautious, strategic, quiet, prone to guilt, shows little emotion but feels things intensely, rarely shares what he’s thinking about, extremely curious but is often too afraid to explore or take risks -Never swears or uses contractions while speaking -Grew up in a facility with several other Novus with similar abilities who were being trained for a specific, mysterious, goal -Knew Pamela Bones -Decided to escape with Valence after an incident he is keeping a secret, for now -Is curious about 'normal’ things people his age do, but is so far underwhelmed by the reality of the outside world Corvid: -??? -This thing seems to show up randomly in Rouge’s room at night. Is it even real?  -It talks in garbled voices patched together  -Wears a raven mask. Who knows what it is or what it wants. Is it even human? Michael:  -A childhood friend of Rouges, then boyfriend -Tall, gangly, dark curly hair, freckles -A bit of a know-it-all, passionate about everything, pleasant and friendly, keeps things to himself, doesn’t like to share uncomfortable details of his life -Difficult family life, a lot left unsaid -Might be involved in really dark and shady things -Got kidnapped and who knows where he is now Proto: -Lives in the woods -Always wears a rabbit mask, even while they’re sleeping, like a weirdo -Supposedly a friend of Michael’s, but Rouge had never heard of them -A friend of Valence’s as well, and worked with her family -Vigilante, destructive Pamela Bones: -20 -Pale skin, freckles, bright red hair kept long, perfectly aligned teeth, green eyes, a bit on the shorter side, fit, curvy figure -She’s everywhere, it seems. An international icon -Sounds bubbly and friendly enough, but there’s something wrong with her voice, and her eyes, and her smile. It seems a bit uncanny, a bit... off somehow Read it here! ________________________ Tag list: @leonajasmin-writeblr @zburatorii

[canon-notcanon-warriorcats]

wolf novel??????????????/?????????/ elaborate please i'm actally begging u

-cracks knuckles-

SO

The main character is a she-wolfdog named Bluebell, her mother is a wolf and her father was a wolfdog so she’s only very slightly dog but that’s still important to the pack and she’s ostracized for it, as well as her older brother who had the same father, also they both were single pup litters so that’s like DOUBLY BAD AND CURSED to the pack

and like none of this besides the single pup thing would be all that bad except for that the pack’s king, who does not allow anyone to say his birth name so his name is King (the leader of the packs are called kings and queens cause i say so) is a big ol’ dictator, authoritarian, and tyrant

he came in power because the last king, who just so happened to be bluebell’s grandfather was getting old and King, who was a wolf that had just joined the pack challenged him to leadership, which is when the current monarch and someone who challenges for the leadership fight, usually ending with one of them giving up before anyone dies and respectfully giving the thrown away/keeping their position

however this time King just straight up murdered Bluebell’s grandfather, like literally ripped his throat out, this all happens like two years before Bluebell is born and before the story starts

so anyway, for one, breeding without King’s permission is illegal and unless very specifically allowed, wolves can only be mates with other wolves in the pack, if a (male) wolf breeds with a she-wolf and has pups without King’s permission, the punishment is that any wolf who wanted to breed with the other wolf, or anyone who didn’t approve of the two getting together got to gang up and bea the shit out of them, so sometimes a wolf can get off without a trace, or just a bit beat up, or can be ran out of the pack and territory

this happens to the she-wolves too, but AFTER she has her pups and they’re fully weaned, one of King’s only rules is that he will not physically hurt an expecting or nursing mother or pups (except for very certain reasons that we’ll get into later)

So anyway, this wolfdog weirdo named Jack comes into the pack and is like “i wanna join” and King is like “absolutely not” and runs him off, but Bluebell’s mother starts secretly seeing him and has their son, Rye and it’s obvious (to the wolves, humans wouldn’t really be able to tell the difference) that this pup is the son of the wolfdog and King is PISSED, but again he doesn’t kill the pup or the mother cause it’s a pup and mother so instead they’re just ostracized, are forced to be the last wolves to eat any kill, and the only reason why Rye gets to live after he’s no longer a pup is because he’s actually a pretty good hunter so since eh’s useful he can stay

so anyway, the mother (i don’t have a name for her yet im thinking daisy) finds Jack again and starts seeing him again and oops another child, and that’s bluebell and everyone is pissed and freaked out AGAIN and two weeks later King’s frontline wolves go out, hunt Jack down and kill him and bring his dead carcass back to punish Daisy and Bluebell

the only time meeting your father is by his carcass being laid in front of you when you’re about 2 weeks old will fuck you up

SO ANYWAY THE MAIN PLOT OF THE STORY

Bluebell, being smaller than the average wolf unlike her brother who is actually quite large, no one gives her the chance to prove she’s “useful” to the pack, her mother was forced to retire and can no longer leave the dens and Bluebell has been locked down as being babysitter in the nursery and can never leave the dens either (except no one cares as much so she gets to sneak away sometimes)

also one of the only wolves that is kind to her and is her friend besides the couple of older wolves like her grandmother and her mother (her brother is kinda there for her but he’s kind of a dick from the way he’s been treated his whole life) is Sunny, who oh no is the youngest son from King’s newest (third) litter

so THAT pisses King off and bans them from interacting, but they still do behind his back cause no one else cares

so another big thing is that ravens and crows and wolves work together to hunt and some become partners and good friends, but for this particular pack only a handful of wolves ever get life time corvid partners but GUESS WHO COMES ACROSS A BLIND BABY CROW NAMED CAW-CAW THAT BECOMES HER PARTNER: Bluebell does and that PISSES KING OFF EVEN MORE, AND EVERYONE ELSE but they all are just like “it’s a blind crow, what good could he do, they’re both useless they deserve each other”

so then the plot begins of: “bluebell wants to just in general leave and explore, but also wants to learn about where her dad came from and why cause wolfdogs never usually try to interact with full wolves in the wild, they’re usually kept by humans somewhere” and her and sunny and caw-caw and a spicy vixen who they find cause she knows where the humans are cause foxes know way more about humans then most of the animals since they travel farther and cross paths with humans more often

the vixen’s name is Vixen because foxes never tell others their names, only their mothers, siblings, and very very close friends and/or mates can know

so this group goes off to find out where Jack came from and then things happen after that but that would be spoilers >;3c

[powlokisdiary]

The 'ugly bunch' - Does an animals appearance affect it's popularity? *DISCLAIMER * I'm having to remain very open minded and understanding of varying opinions in regards to this post as I genuinely can't think of an animal as being ugly! For starters many if my favourite animals are considered awful lookjng or are unheard of by most. For instance I love Xeno, but my brother thinks she's awful 🤣 And one of my favourite fish is the sarcastic fringehead.... yes it's a real thing btw! 😂 A lighthearted survey undertaken by ZSL of about 1,000, 78% of them had heard of the gruffalo but only 3% had heard of a creature known as the solenodon. Ultimately the survey showed that we had a rather capricious attitude towards certain species. This view has affected numerous things around the world - Vulture conservation for example, a species that is incredibly important for a healthy ecosystem and without them WE would suffer drastically, is often cast aside in favour of something we consider more appealing looking like a panda or tiger (all if which need preserving btw). Another recent study taken by US scientists at the John Hopkins university suggested that people may not be as put iff by ugly animals as you may think. The blobfish was voted as the worlds ugliest animal in a humerous campaign by the ugly animal preservation society, and it later spawned t shirts, artwork and a stand up comedy show. The research shows that people are more willing to help the ugly animals if they were simy marketed in a different way. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all and the US scientists research showed that by altering how we receive something does affect our views on it. So! I decided to do a little survey if my own for this post.... First of all I asked people the basic question: "Does an animals overall appearence affect it's popularity?" (and why they think this). The majority of people answered with yes it does, but the rwasons why were a tad more diverse than I expected. Quite a few said that the cuter fluffy animals would attract more popularity because they look more approachable, friendlier and predictable. One persons response was rather good as I think it explains why we are more erratic with certain species in particular - media. Using their example of a spider; "we generally can't understand, communicate/talk to them. They have multiple eyes and legs so on that note we can't relate further, making us uneasy with it's movements and by it's differences in general (we as humans naturally fear/dislike/feel uneasy by things that are different to us)... so we took note of this and used it in media production, films etc. Our media has further hyped the fear due to no fault of the spiders!" Now tge points they presented I personally agree with! My nan is terrified of snakes and snake like creatures such as moray eels etc and she blames that on a film she saw when she was younger about a cobra. Before this she had never had any negative experiences but the depiction in the film made her scared of them to a point where she struggled to look at photos even. But on a trip to the zoo last year she came face to face (on her own accord) with a gaboon viper. The first time she had been within that close a proximity to a big, venomous snake. After a while of looking at it whilst I spammed this thing with my camera she began to marvel at it's patterns and eventually she said she "wasn't sure why she's been so afraid, it isn't fast and erratic and it's not homing in on me. Instead it's very calm and beautiful to look at. It's nothing like the one in the film was so I don't feel like it's going to get me, sure I still wouldn't go and hold one but I feel a bit silly thinking they were like that". Now I'm sure everyone has their own individual reasons for preferring an animal over another, it's human nature to formulate our own opinions in things for our own reasons. But when the audience was offered a different style of question the answers were very different. One person I purposely posed my original question too (purposely because their ability to think outside the box and offer different perspectives on things) helped me formulate my next question for people. I will elaborate their answer: "I find it strange how people can make an assumption about an animal based on mere appearance alone. Most animals that we as a society shun or fear/have a mass of the population with a phobia of are usually quite soft natured and harmless. Yet most animals that are awed at are rather savage and confrontational in nature." They then asked me to describe 2 animals natures they suggested.... "For example you described the species that is generally feared as one that's naturally not confrontational, very placid when handled, shy, reluctant to attack and makes every effort to avoid people in the wild. But the creature i have witnessed many people in awe at, calling it cute and stating they want one are naturally quite aggressive, will readily bite you, is known as a problem because it raids nests etc. Describing the actual nature of an animal without telling people what it is and you tend to find the feared ones are pucked over the cute fluffly ones. It's very confusing how judgemental humans can be when we judge using appearance. Appearance shouldn't matter if it makes you overlook the genuine qualities of something". By presenting the animals in a different way to people the votes genuinely did flip with the shunned ones being picked more because they sounded nicer. At HQ we have something called the "undesirable 5" - 5 of our animals are considered as being too ugly or too scary compared to the others. Some may surprise you and some are plain obvious! #1) Xeno - She has generally caused the most 'urgh' ir fear stricken reactions out of all our critters. Yet she is the most harmless creature we have and the least likely to attack. They are very shy animals that would much prefer to run and hide than be near you. The mothers are also incredible parents that carry their young on their backs until they can fend for themselves. And Xeno's species are amongst the few arachnids to exhibit social behaviour. Mothers actively communicate with their young and the iffspring reciprocate with her and the siblings. Awwww! #2) Toni - Toni is relatively new here but has still gained a few uneasy responses. Bug hairy spiders generally freak people out it seems. But he's actually really placid, nice to work with and he's not unpredictable with mivements and never shown any aggression. My partner doesn't like spiders and he says he's quite nice! #3) Aida - Shocking! Lol. Aida falls into the 'snakes make people feel uneasy' part. I find the more 'python looking snakes' (sounds daft I know, but people generally think that boa's are pythons because their heads are a similar shape... from that perspective I can see where they are coming from). Aida is a dream to be around, she's so chill and I haven't got a bad thing to say about her, or pythons in general as I find that all I have encountered have been 'friendly to be around'. #4) Steve - you guessed it! But Sir.Steve response is split down the middle. He's a cute kind of scary. Hognoses are stated among snake keepers as being the friendliest snakes, but people are put off still because at the end of the day it is a snake. But they are still adorable because of their faces... the cute nose n all that 😂 #5) Chester - Rooks in general strike up much unappeal with the general public. They are seen as a nuisance by many and people will happily just shoot them without a second thought (Chester will tell you personally about that!). But a surprising response as to why people feel uneased by them is because of their faces! Some say it's the vulture-esque skin around the beaks, but a prominent remark us that they have a rather spooky, skeletal look about them. That twinned with corvid folklore/mythology and the asdociation corvids have to death in general seems to strike up superstitions making them unwelcome. I could go on about how amazing Chester is but I will save that for another time. So there's our unappealing 5! It has continued to intrigue me as to how people can judge based on appearance. It continues to drive us towards forming certain opinions and making decisions about animals and nature in general. Either way we are all entitled to our opinions! But keep in mind that looks can be deceiving, or things look a certain way due to their lifestyles/the ecological niches they fill and it shouldn't make them ugly. Everything is beautiful in it's own way (or at least it is to us at HQ!) www.facebook.com/TheLokiDiary