#corvids around the world

[sillygoofyqueer]

I WOULD LOVE MORE DEMON REACTIONS!! I love it both when you add lore and when you just describe sy’s relationships and peoples’ reactions to him. It is so awesome!!!! For demons I imagine that everyone is just like, look at the little funky crow man(when they aren’t terrified of his reputation at least). I imagine some upstart demon noble or something goes to try and make an alliance with/conquer the corvids or smth and then they either get absolutely bodied by the crows who don’t want to share their king or the meet sy and are just in shock because this guy?? This is the feared corvid king?? At least until sy mentions something from his knowledge of PIDW and they get absolutely freaked out because how does he know that?? What do you mean my daughter will be married off soon?? Maybe there is going to be rumors about him being a seer or something. ESPECIALLY if what sy mentions is in relation to a bloodbath that bingge from PIDW caused since crows are associated with death(at least in our world). I wonder how intimidated they would be since not only does sy have a terrifying reputation. But he is a heavenly demon. And like you mention, Tianlang-jun ran a whole empire. ALSO!! I love the reactions so much! Tianlang-jun just shipping sy with zzl when they brawl whilst sy is just in full bird brain and doesn’t want to share his shinys. Imagine all the rumors that would fly around(probably encouraged by tlj) When Binghe sees this he’d throw an absolute FIT!

There is a lot to unpack here, all of it absolutely delightful, but I'm going to be a little freak and start on what's been tugging at my mind as I read this. (I'll probably have to write a part two because I can feel my autistic little brain whirring at at least ninety miles an hour, I'm so sorry) DID YOU KNOW THAT IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, CROWS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH APOLLO, GOD OF (amongst other things) PROPHECY. I am a teeny weeny bit of a Greek mythology nut, so this immediately jumped me the moment I read about demons viewing SY as a seer of sorts (in the instance that the system was either far more relaxed or non-existent). So, so, basically, in Greek mythology, Apollo learned that one of his lovers (Coronis, I believe) was being unfaithful through ravens/crows and this led to him turning them from white to black! Due to them being featured in this myth, he is heavily associated with them and, in general, they are associated with prophecy and divination. SO, if we want to fuck around in our little sandbox (under the impression that Airplane is stealing from other mythologies aside from just Chinese mythology), we can decide that there is at least three wife plots in PIDW that surround crows and their ideas of prophecy!!! When Shen Yuan starts blabbering about these different future events, and then they HAPPEN, the other demons are like GASP. FUCK. The crow knowss.....ANDANDANDAND, RIGHT, THE IDEA OF CROW DEMONS BEING ABLE TO DIVINE VIOLENT/DEADLY DISASTERS BECAUSE OF THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH DEATH JUST MAKES PEOPLE MORE SCARED OF SHEN YUAN'S PREDICTIONS. HFGROGERGWOHRGHGS SOSHOHRORRRY SORRY SORRY, THIS HAS BECOME A RAMBLE THAT'S ONLY A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT YOUR ASK TOUCHES UPON BUT A P O L L O . HE HAS A TUMULTUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH CROWS/RAVENS BECAUSE HE SCORCHED THEM BLACK AND THEY CHATTED ABOUT HIS LOVER'S UNFAITHFULNESS, SO IF WE HAVE A DEITY THAT IS LIKE APOLLO IN PIDW, WE COULD ALMOST EVEN IMPLY THAT WHEN THE DIVINE CROW BEINGS FELL TO SIN, THIS IS WHAT CAUSED IT! THEY FELL TO GOSSIP AND WERE DIVINELY PUNISHED BY THIS DEITY, AND AND, OUT OF SPITE AFTER THEY BECAME ENTRENCHED IN SIN, THE HEAVENLY CROW DEMONS BEGAN DIVINING TO THE WEAK MORTALS WITHOUT THE DEITY TELLING THEM TO BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO GET BACK AT THE DEITY AHAHAHAHAHA. (obviously this isn't a definite thing, it's just an alternative way for the heavenly crows to become heavenly demons. It's just me chattering to myself) I'll make a separate post on the MAIN demons' reactions to SY but, in general, most demons are either actively petrified of him because of his image as a deity, or they're relatively disillusioned because they've seen him in person and he's been a SWEETHEART, hitting them with the wife beam. That doesn't mean that they aren't still kind of terrified of the powerful, prophetic crow heavenly demon deity, but in a "scared but horny way", and that's only when SY displays this power! Most of the time he's an undeniably strange but incredibly kind hearted guy that just seems to want to help everyone!! Even if he hates doing things!!! Tianlang-Jun is always under the full determination of "ONE of my relatives is going to marry this crow demon, or I'm going to do it myself." The first time Zhuzhi-Lang and Luo Binghe hear that they both immediately just stare at TLJ like "don't you dare, you whore" (ZZL a lot more respectful than LBH, of course), but TLJ is booored. Someone better fuck marry that freak or he'll do it himself.

(When I write part two for the important demon reactions to SY, I'll link it here, so keep an eye out!!!)

[callooopie]

The night, she calls me.. // Vampire!HOTD men

Come with me to the other side. Make the girl in black your bride — The Night // Aurelio Voltaire

It took all my willpower to not make this like a What We Do in the Shadows bit. No one asked for this either.. so that’s why I’m writing it. Is this gonna be a series of headcannons? No… no. No no… no no nono. I’ve started tooooo many writing projects I cannot… or can I 😏 (I actually can’t I have too many requests I need to lock in on)

Did you know what land you were walking on? Did you see the figure watching you from the top floor window? Was that a shadow you saw out the corner of your eye?

Davos Blackwood // Bloody Lord of Raventree Hall

A manor buried in the dark forests of Blackwood Vale, an urban legend surrounded the woods and the semi-ghost town beside it. Locals would talk of a figure that walked the empty streets at night, and the older residents would sometimes speak of an old estate once owned by a wealthy family that could be found in the heart of the forest. But no one has seen this place, or perhaps no one has ever returned alive to tell the tale.

The ever playful lord of Raventree Hall likes toying with his victims before they meet their bloody demise. If a fool ever gets lost on his land, Davos will follow them around in the form of a raven, acting as if he was leading them to the help they desperately called out for. Some would fall for it; the ‘guiding’ corvid that had brought them to this dusty manor. Little did they know, they wouldn’t be leaving that place.

He’s the type to make Raventree Hall look appealing and safe to the unwitting person, sometimes even playing the part of a humble boy who lives in his family’s old home. He’d learn all about a person as he feeds them food, bloody meat cooked to perfection for any human. Eat up, Davos would say, it’s a good cut of meat.. he’d hate for it to go to waste. Oh? The red wine tastes metallic? Strange.. perhaps a bottle gone bad?

He’d keep his lover human, not out of admiration of their humanity—but as more of a ‘pet’. The only reason Davos would turn a human into a vampire would be for his own entertainment purposes. It’s more fun when you can handle him and not pass out every time he does something. Plus, he wants the security of knowing you won’t be leaving him anytime soon. Forever stuck by his side, living forever in a world of night and pleasure by his doing and his doing alone.

Before you become his lovely lady, perhaps you’re one of those lost souls who stumble upon the estate. Either by poor luck or poorer fortunes, you catch the attention of Davos. He scares you from the shadows, setting candles alight with just a gust of wind, slamming doors and sending phantasms to spook you with howls and haunting steps, sending ravens and crows to caw and peck at you. It’s only when you get to the main atrium of the manor does he strike. A sinister smile on his pale face as he lunges at you from out of nowhere, teeth sinking into the skin of your neck as hands travel up and down your torso.

A master of shadows and tricks, Davos isn’t one to meet his adversaries head on. He doesn’t think they deserve his attention. He can deal with vampire hunters and celebrity ghost hunters with a wave of his hand from his bed chambers at the very top of the manor. He can make it as if ghouls are chasing around those idiots, birds seemingly attacking them on sight, if he’s feeling funny he might summon a demon or two. Why does he have the title of bloody lord? Well, he’s just a messy eater, and the corpses he leaves behind are unrecognizable from what they once were.

Jacaerys Velaryon // Draconic Prince of the Night

The picturesque village that the castle of Dragonstone sits next to has gained a plethora of tourists. However, no one has ever been allowed inside. From a mixture of local superstition, and simply because the wooden gates and doors will not open. Nothing can break, or even burn, the wood. Cursed or blessed, many have stayed away from that castle said to have been forged by dragon fire.. if local legends are to be believed.

Local legends also speak of how beautiful women are kidnapped from their homes and beds, never to be seen ever again. As a tourist, you believe you’re safe.. and you don’t really believe in those tales.. at least you don’t believe them until you awaken in a bed that’s not the hostel’s.

Jacaerys is a vampire who is easily bored. He wants someone who’ll keep up with him. A pretty princess to take care of and to simply sit like a doll, but also one who has a bit of wit and brain to them. Someone to go hunting with, or to fly around in the dead of night together. Someone to chase, someone to have intellectual conversation with.

A little more serious than a certain bloodthirsty lord, Jacaerys will turn his lover almost immediately. What’s the use in keeping you human and mortal? There is no use! Now you’re just like him, and you two can bond and be merry together in that lonesome stone castle. All the others he had spirited away were awfully dull, perhaps you will be different?

Like a dragon, he hoards his treasures. He’ll keep you close, too close almost. Jacaerys will hand feed you blood, lifting someone’s arm up to your mouth and praising you for dining on the thick liquid and flesh. He’ll hover near you, you two are royalty after all. It’s good for a prince like him to check up on his princess. He’ll dress you in gold and red fabrics, or maybe nothing at all! Jacaerys does like it when you’re only clad in gold and gems, sit yourself down on his mountains of treasure and make your nest; he’ll show he’s a good dragon who takes care of his mate.

A scholar of dragon magic, the only thing that can destroy his castle is what made it in the first place. Dragon fire. And dragons died out long long ago sweet thing (or never existed at all…). He’s perhaps the only one that remains! Believe whatever you will, Jacaerys will happily prove to you that dragons are real. And you believe it as you watch him transform into one to deal with trespassers who had somehow broken into the castle. Sure there’s ways in if your crafty enough, but what people don’t say is that there’s no way out once you’re in. The charred piles of bones that litter the treasure room are a testament to that.

Cregan Stark // Vampiric King in the North

Perhaps the only one out of the trio to be semi-normal. An urban legend surrounds the snowy mountains of a large wolf that leads lost wanderers to an empty yet warm and alive stone keep. It’s said if you stay for one night and leave the next day, you’ll find your way back to civilization. However, overstay your welcome and you won’t be heard from ever again…

Your car had broke down, and you hadn’t expected such a large snowstorm to sweep through. You’re on the brink of hypothermia, however you spot something in the distance. The howl of a wolf reaching your ears as the wild beast walks toward you. It almost seems to gesture toward you with its head, beckoning for you to follow. You’ve heard this legend, and so when you find yourself in the safety and warmth of a stone fortress you do your best to remain courteous and respectful. The plan was to leave in the morning, however when you try to open the large wooden door to leave—it slams shut on you before locking tightly.

Cregan likes your humanity, wishing only to learn from you. He would not covet you like a prize, nor would he treat you like a pet. To turn you without your consent? Unfathomable. If you wish to be turned, he would gladly do so at your request. Although he would tell you what you’ll miss, what you will be letting go of in exchange for this eternal life of coldness and blood. Perhaps it’ll all be worth it in the face of his love and companionship?

Teach him everything about you, and he’ll teach you all he knows. Cregan’s an old soul who’s lived more lifetimes than he can remember. He’s powerful, ancient; that uppity prince and cocky lord answer to him! He’s their overlord, they are his mere sons subordinates. All that aside, Cregan has vast collections of knowledge from throughout the ages. Although do remember, he scratches your back, and you will scratch his. Or he’ll show you what happens to those who’ve forgotten such an important lesson.

Unlike his underlings, Cregan can control his appetite for blood. He’s learned, and so he keeps a stockpile of it. Some of it ages like wine in a cellar, other bottles he keeps near and close. A special cabinet is reserved for special blood of course. What? You’ve never tried the blood of a priest? It’s heavenly.

Unlike the other two, Cregan lives more on red meats. Which he can get from almost anything. Although due to the coldness of the region, not many animals venture out. For a special occasion, you’ll find your plate full of fresh organs and fatty raw meat. A glass of thick red liquid right next to your plate. Cheers and eat your fill, it’s fresher than fresh. And who knows when an unsuspecting person will come up these mountains again?

[serpentface]

are the talking crows still around? what are They doing while all this drama is going on around them in the world

Mostly doing their own crow things and not commonly having direct and mutual interactions with other sophonts. They're similar to yotici in the capacity that they have Very different modes of living than most other sophonts, and they generally are not recognized as 'People' in the same sense as humans, elowey, qilik, caelin, and delkhin. However, (given their strategic and intelligent capacity for word mimicry) talking crows tend to be comprehended as unique magical animals or spirits, or are not recognized as a distinct type of entity but rather feed into broader corvid folklore (as they are very difficult to visually distinguish from many common crows).

They make a few appearances in Whitecalf as small flocks of crows trailing the pilgrimage, picking at its food supplies and occasionally scavenging on its dead. This is a family unit of talking crows that has suffered heavily in the drought, with very few of their chicks surviving infancy and even some of the healthiest adults dying of thirst and starvation. They have recognized this mass movement of big two legged people as a source of potential sustenance, and are very persistent and skilled in keeping themselves fed.

In-text they may come off as an ambiguous, possibly magical element (or partially hallucinatory) from the character POVs, due to them going from a mundane presence indistinguishable from common crows to them uttering dire threats in clear and fluent Wardi. This is very unsettling and hard to reconcile for most who witness this, but is actually just a learned method of taking advantage of beliefs in corvids as ill omens to frighten off or distract targets while another crow snatches bits of food or a nice wineskin.

[voiceofthelionhearted]

something that i find very interesting is that, while playing as the long quiet, your footsteps are light. you sound as though you are a normal-sized person wearing regular tennis shoes or something. yes, we can see how his hands look, and we get a decent look at him in the mirror, but for all we know, he could just be. a normal-sized guy who has some weird features. even when compared to the smaller princesses (like the base princesses, the damsel, the witch, etc.) as you walk alongside them, you look to be only slightly taller than them. you are, from your perspective, a normal-sized guy.

this is up until the princess and the dragon. you finally get a really good look at how the character you play as looks. he's big. he practically fills the room with the bulk of his body, numerous wings wrapped around his face and body and stretched out behind him, and tail feathers (are they really feathers?) splayed out behind him -- in the long quiet's own words, "the world trailing behind it". his hands look like a corvid's feet, yes, but his feet notably don't. they look like dragon feet. he hunkers down to fit in the cabin, bending at the knee and slouching so that his head doesn't brush against the ceiling.

(i am well-aware that i might be embellishing things here but. well. this is one of my favorite chapters so i'm gonna go ham in my descriptions)

according to the gentle princess, you're "scary" and "hard to look at". according to the harsh princess, you "look the way you always do". additionally, the gentle princess comments on the fact that you always stomp around, which upon hearing it from your own body, is definitely indicative of your large size. this is the long quiet's default appearance.

and i have to wonder. can the narrator affect how you perceive yourself?

i'm still unsure of the mirror bit, if it's intentional misdirection or if he really, truly does not see the mirror, but i lean very heavily towards the latter.

i do believe though that he would think that it would be damaging for you to know what you truly look like, and we see that in the long quiet's alarm at seeing how he actually looks, yes, but we don't get to see any repercussions from that because it's the final chapter. memory either returns or you're able to look at yourself in the mirror anyway, so it's not look seeing how you look was shown to be particularly damaging to the narrator's plans. especially since the long quiet ultimately just kind of shrugs it off and everything goes back to normal once you're back in your body. the perception of a body that properly fits in the cabin and walks with light steps is back.

honestly though, it's more likely that he just doesn't think that how you look is very important. it doesn't help you when it comes to his plans, so he just doesn't mention it. not to completely contradict my previous theory -- i'm just spitballing here. it's not as though the narrator is truly malicious towards you from the start, after all.

i do stand by my guess that he can affect your perception of yourself, bc why does everything go back to normal regarding your perception of yourself after what you've seen of yourself? you would think that having a true understanding of yourself from her eyes would affect how you would perceive your body, but well. idk. that confuses me

[great-and-small]

Ive stayed in north FL my whole life and only just recently got moved around from Miami region to Tampa region and I saw 10+ Ospreys, 35+ Alligators, I was lucky to see spoonbills thrice, so many Ibis and white herons, a few blue herons, and just the same little blue herons. A blue jay. Corvids. Turkey vultures. What else! What else! How wonderful and amazing, what a world! Protect the wetlands! Let them be!

We’re so lucky 🥹

[meangreennunseen]

Imagine if Leman and Lion have a bad habit of just... picking their kids up the scruff of their shirts. Sanguinius probably has this too, but I raise you him having his child, just in his feathers and all you see is a little head poking out.

Animalistic primarchs my beloved, they freak out their wives so goddamn much-

I actually do have similiar headcanons, just because Primarchs aren't entirely human, just made to have human bodies, that most of their psyche takes animalistic features from the animal gene Emps gave them. Or they will figure some weird, not fully sensical way to humans, how to do things.

I see Leman Russ as someone who would run on all fours in order to gain speed, so that man would carry his kids by biting at scruffs of their shirt, while he is running from point A) to point B) on all fours. Funny wolf man he is after all.

Lion also stands up to his name. That man, however serious he is still would act battles with his child, where they are allowed to win against him, just to build confidence and train combat abilities. I headcanon that Primarchs who grew up with fight or flight response on dangerous worlds, will unconciously train their childrens' survival and combat insticts since young age.

Magnus, while not than animalistic, will carry his kid in his hair. Those manes are sturdy and kid would feel comfy and protected enough while holding for their dear life while dad is running errands (and often forgetting he has child on his head)

Corvus, while not that animalistic, tho I headcanon he is acting like Corvid very often, would carry his kid on his shoulder. I headcanon Nix was born prematurely, thus pretty small, so Corvus' shoulder was quite comfortable respite for her. Did she slip off? Multiple times, tho Corvus' reflexes always let him catch her.

I just love ideas of Primarchs figuring some weird way to go around Parenthood. Makes my day.

[koolades-world]

i saw the cat and corvid mc ones and i wanna see dog-like mc so bad, like one whos very loyal, loves cuddling with loved ones, if they had a tail and one of the gang came home itd be faster than a helicopter i think, if they see anyone with food theyd just come up to them with their puppy dog eyes, they just lounge around in random spots nearby the characters or even lays their head/body on them. sometimes theyll be playing with something and be possessive over it and a "Whats that in your mouth" situation comes in and they run away taking random stuff they found lying around the HoL, maybe theyre also rly playful and love playfighting and stuff like tug of war

thats just a few things that come off the top of my head lol how the mc is like is up to you, sorry if theres too much or doesnt make sense! xoxo

haha hi!!! yes of course!

this is such a fun idea. i may or may not have based this reader off my goofy goober of a dog. she's so sweet but sometimes i wonder if theres even a single thought in that head of hers haha

enjoy <3

Dog-like Mc

Lucifer

getting lock out of his bedroom always proceeds as such: being sad that you're locked out, sitting sadly in front of the door and scratching at it, lucifer feeling bad and eventually letting you in so you can sit on his bed and ruin the freshly made sheets lol

rinse and repeat the cycle nightly

the puppy dog eyes work very well on him

since he handles his brothers so often, he's good at getting you to listen when you're off in lala land or something along those lines

Mammon

he himself is kinda dog like, so the two of you get along pretty well

both of you would follow the other to the worlds end <33

you probably steal his sunglasses from time to time and he has to hunt you down to get them back, just because when he said “drop it” you accepted that as a challenge lol

the only difference in the two of you, however, is that you’re much more open with how you feel and will not hesitate to admit that you love him even if it flustered him haha

Levi

he's a little wary of having you in his room

he has lots of valuables that he treasures and while he's a little afraid you'll steal and or mess something up, he genuinely cares about you and is willing to get past that

however he did need a day away from you after you drooled on his Ruri pillow haha

after he got to know you better, he really appreciated always having an outgoing buddy to go out in public with someone that wasn't one of his brothers

Satan

sitting with him while he reads!! randomly laying your head in his lap <3

you always check out what's in his mug while he reads despite the fact that it never changes (it's always tea) but maybe one day it'll be something delicious, like chips haha

he's wary of taking you into a cat cafe, but surprisingly, all the cats love you!

now he's questioning if he's really a cat, or if he's a dog person lol

Asmo

you let him do any kind of skincare and treatments he wants on you

and he thinks it's great! until he sees you at the end of the day and it kinda looks like you swam in a mud puddle

he's not going to be the one to subject you to a bath so he always shoos you off and tells you to go clean up before you can get something else done (my dog hates water lol)

if he's ever missing one of his rather tasty smelling skincare products or a brush, or something like that, he just opens a bag of chips and summons you + beel (see below lol)

Beel

please the amount of food you're getting from him

those puppy dog eyes work so well and he can't help but give in every single time

both of you come running every time someone opens a chip bag even if it's on the other side of the house haha. if the others have issues finding you, that's how they do it quick and easy

every meal of yours is eaten together, of course

Belphie

the realest cat and dog dynamic ever!

please there's no way you're not jumping on his bed just for fun while he's sleeping in it. he's convinced it's to annoy him but it's just you being incredible oblivious and wanting to have fun

you guys are best friends. i don't make the rules haha

when you do want to nap with him, however, it's the best nap you've ever had and is probably a very cute pic

[proton-wobbler]

Great Backyard Bird Off - Cosmopolitan Birds (poll 4)

Bird Info & Submission Reasons

Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Continents: Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania

"They're a fun pop of colour against all the corvids and seagulls, and I've also near run over them on my bicycle because they are so very stupid."

This long-tailed game bird is native to Asia and has been introduced in many other parts of the world. Male has fleshy, red facial wattles, iridescent blue neck, and richly colored red and golden underparts with dark spots; his namesake white neck ring is indistinct on some birds. Female is buffy-brown, heavily marked with black, and usually shows some white markings around the eye. Found in farmland, scrub, and along the edge of forest, and often gives a loud, abrupt rasping call that draws attention to its presence. (eBird)

Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Continents: Europe, Africa, Asia

"Their name in Italian writes like "beard-Johnny""

"Aside from just generally being a cool bird, barn owls are one of the animals that consume most rodents (in regard to body weight) and are really important pest control because of this. We once had a juvenile barn owl peer in through our window and watch us for a few minutes."

Medium-sized owl with a heart-shaped facial disc and deep dark eyes; Varies across a wide range, but always note white-and-black speckling on the upperparts, beautiful gray-and-tawny wings, and large round head. Color of the facial disc and underparts varies from pure white to rusty orange. Hunts in open areas by night, foraging with a slow and buoyant flight. Roosts in old buildings, tree hollows, caves, and nest boxes by day. Gives a bone-chilling, rising shriek, as well as shorter rasping calls. (eBird)

Image Sources: Pheasant (Oscar Thomas); Owl (Jon Lowes)

Continents which are italicized represent the non-native range of the species. Whether introduced on purpose on or accident, these species may have become invasive in this range. Despite their potential impact on native wildlife, please do not leave disparaging comments on these polls. Their purpose is to celebrate people's love of these species.

[estrellami-1]

More Time (Please)

“Make him pay.”

Steve’s eyes widen in horror. “No,” he murmurs. “Please-”

He doesn’t know what he’s hoping for. That Eddie will say something else, maybe; that happens sometimes, right? People say things more than once. Surely this isn’t it, surely this isn’t the last time they’ll speak to each other—

Eddie’s eyes are widening, and Steve knows he feels the telltale burn of a soulmark, shearing the connection.

“Steve,” Robin calls, jogging back to tug on his arm. “We’ve gotta go, c’mon, it’s time.”

Numb, he lets himself be pulled away.

She glances at him, then back at Eddie a few times. “What was that about?”

He swallows the sob that wants to come out. “Our soulmarks.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh, Steve,” she murmurs.

He glances down at it. Still red. He knows it’s probably going to be the bats. He wishes any number of things, but is reminded of the story his grandma used to tell him. “There’s nothing we can do to change it,” he whispers along with the voice in his head, the same cadence as his grandma.

“Maybe,” she tries. “Maybe- you could go back now, just… yell something at him?”

“Don’t you think the soulmark would know?” He asks sadly. “You can’t cheat the system, Robs, not with this. Those are the last words I’ll ever hear him say.”

“I can’t lose you, Steve,” she whispers, and suddenly his eyes are filled with tears, and he attacks her in a hug, pulling her in until she squeaks.

“I love you, Robin,” he whispers.

“I love you. So much.”

“So much,” he agrees.

Up ahead, Nancy’s waiting on them. “Guys,” she calls. “We have to go. I know you’re scared, I am too, but we don’t have long.”

Steve takes a deep breath. “You’re right,” he agrees, and marches on, holding Robin’s hand tightly in his.

Neither of them try to let go until they have to.

Steve gets slammed against the wall by some vines, and they wind around him until he feels like he understands what asthma feels like, and then beyond that, cracking his ribs and bruising his throat, more, more, more, until suddenly they stop, release him, and he falls onto the wooden floor, scraping his hands and knees and earning a couple of splinters.

He hacks out a cough, stumbles back onto his feet, and follows Nancy and Robin into the belly of the beast.

They find Vecna right where they think they will and attack, and Steve thinks he’s screaming but the rushing of blood in his ears is louder than anything else, and he can’t hear himself, can’t check if he is, just keeps going, does what he can to help weaken Vecna, to help destroy him.

It’s over suddenly, Vecna dead, body riddled with bullets, and Steve glances down at his soulmark, hoping against all hope that it’s still red.

His heart drops through the floor when he sees grey instead.

He tears out of the house, sprints the entire way back, yelling for Eddie, but when he gets there he sees he really is too late.

Dustin’s sitting by his side, bottom lip quivering, tears streaming down his face, and Steve collapses next to him, flutters his hands around Eddie.

Ignoring the blood and gore, he looks almost peaceful, and Steve suddenly knows this is how he would look fifty years from then, dying from old age instead, in a world where their soulmarks gave them more time.

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[sillygoofyqueer]

I don’t know if you or any of your anons have said something like this before but what if Corvid King/Crow Deity thing Shen Yuan gets B-points whenever he’s prayed to, given offerings, etc?

First of all, it has been a W H I L E since I've seen a crowyuan ask in my inbox, you should have seen the WHIPLASH I got when reading this - I thought I'd gone back to Summer last year!!! And this isn't a bad thing, my brain immediately started ticking, thank you for sending this bad boy! I always love asks, especially ones like these. Now, *cracks knuckles then dies because I hate the sound* let's get back into my crowyuan mindset, ehhehehehehe!!! Honestly, this is such a good idea! Because it's like, Shen Yuan is getting these random offerings and prayers (and obviously he both accepts the offerings and helps out, he's going to be a good deity!!), and then he gets B-points for it?! I think this would almost throw him off, because the system's been pretty silent in the AU so far (from what I can remember), and then he's suddenly getting an influx in all these B-points, reminding him that he wasn't born in this world! You can have angst from that - y'know, imposter syndrome and all that - and/or you can also have Crowyuan going out of his way to gain more followers, for more B-points! This is great comedic potential because before he was just casually helping out whoever needed assistance while being a social devil who broke through literally all of the demons' different social rules because he didn't know them, and now he's actually going out of his way to help people? He's actively seeking out people to help out and gain as followers? That shit's hilarious. Imagine for a moment, that you're an NPC in a random village, a village that is kind of removed from the cultivation world as a whole, that has heard whispers of some sort of 'corvid deity' that helps out those in need. Now, you may believe it, you may think it's bullshit, but you know that it won't affect you because your village doesn't get involved with any of that!! You go about your normal day, right, helping out in the local village, and then out of nowhere, this demon with golden crow wings and golden eyes and feathers (or like feather scale type shit (think those feathered dragons as a reference of sorts)) dancing down his neck and cheeks and {insert other cool features here} is like "hi, friendly neighbourhood corvid deity, here! Y'all need any help around the village? Any beasts terrorising you, or curses befalling you, or....broken fences that need mending???" I think I'd devote myself right away, my bad for even doubting you Mr. Crow King sir!!!

[letaot-ze-magniv]

General guide to birds in Israel pt 2- cooler birds

This will be a long post. Link to part 1

White spectated bulbul/bul-bul me-mush-kaf

Usually referred to as just bulbul, this bisexual king is the roundest and my most favourite bird. IMPORTANT! BULBUL MEANS DICK! DO NOT TALK ABOUT YOUR LOVE FOR BULBULIM IN PUBLIC!

These birds are slightly larger then the house sparrow and are easily distinguished by their yellow butt. Their calls are reminiscent of frogs. They mate for life and are all bisexual and they cuddle each other. They are a menace to farmers because they are fond of fruit and tend to nibble just a little at a time. You can find them in all parts of Israel as long as there are nice trees nearby.

Eurasian blackbird/shakh-rur

These timid birds like to hide in bushes and trees. Their calls are beautiful and I love them. They are smaller then a pigeon. The males are black and the females are brown. They feed on seeds, fruits and bugs, and use their beaks to search the ground for worms. You can find them in Jerusalem and the north, they like cool weather and don’t fuck with sand.

Great tit/yar-ge-zi ma-tzui

Life isn’t easy for these tiny psychopaths, which might be the reason they developed such a temper. Their Hebrew name translates to “angry one”, and for a reason. They are very aggressive towards other birds. They also feed on the brains of bats. You can distinguish between males and females by the thickness of the black stripe on their belly- males have a thicker one than females. They are most common to the north of Jerusalem, but you can find them in some parts of the desert.

Palestine sunbird/tzu-fit bo-he-ket

No, that’s not a hummingbird, it’s the sunbird! Despite their remarkable likeness they aren’t even a little related. Sunbirds feed on nectar and are pollinators! The males have black feathers that shine in the sunlight (which is how they got their name) and the females are a muddy grey, but they’re just as lovely. You can find them in all parts of Israel, especially near lush flowery areas!

White wagtail/nakh-li-e-li la-van

First migrant bird everyone!!! (Some blackbirds migrate here but some nest during summer so shhhh) This lovely round bird starts it’s visits around October and leaves when it gets hellishly warm again. Due to global warming the wagtails visits are shortening, so appreciate them while you can. Like their name suggests, the wagtails wag their tails. A lot. You can find them near water sources during the cold-ish months of the year!

Eurasian jay- or-va-ni shkhor ki-pa

Eurasian jays can be found in other parts of the world, but I’m pretty sure the one we have in Israel is a different sub-species because the ones in Europe lack the beautiful black top that they’re named after.

The jay is a type of corvid, and in addition to being extremely social and intelligent, these birds can mimic other animals. Due to urbanisation, the jays learned to mimic car alarms, the ringing of phones and the cries of human babies. Jays are extremely fond of acorns, and burry them in the ground in preparation for harsher months. A single jay can remember between 4000 to 5000 hiding spots!

Syrian woodpecker/ na-kar su-ri

This picture is of a male woodpecker. The females have a completely black head. Woodpeckers can locate bugs that have burrowed inside trees and use their beak and long tongues to eat them, thereby helping the trees get rid of pests! Woodpeckers also love acorns, and compete with jays over them. To prevent concussions, the woodpecker’s tongue wraps around their brain, keeping it in place while they peck. You can find them in non-desert areas of Israel!

Lesser whitethroat/siv-khi to-kha-nim

Another migrant birds! These floofballs come here twice a year, once in spring and once in autum, although some whitethroats nest in the north all year long. During their migration you can find them everywhere in Israel, even in very urban areas! They get their Hebrew name, which roughly translates to miller’s shrubbery-liker, because their white chests look how a miller’s apron would look after a long hard day!

Super winged lapwing/sik-sak

The siksaks are water birds with ridiculously long legs that they use to stab their prey. They kind of look like they are wearing a tux! Their original Hebrew name was “sharoni mezuyan”, which translates to “one that lives in the Sharon and is armed with a weapon” but also “fucking sharoni”. You can find them anywhere in Israel as long as there is a near enough water source.

White breasted kingfisher/shal-dag la-van kha-ze

One of my favorite birds. The kingfisher is a magnificent bird of prey with brilliant blue feathers that always make my day. They are most common in the north and west of Israel, but they nest in smaller numbers in the south. They kingfisher’s diet consists of not only fish, but of crabs, frogs, slugs, bugs, and even the occasional rodent. Their varied diet helps them thrive even in drier areas.

[unrivalling]

Crowley's mask is a raven skull and I can't stop thinking about it

Okay, I know the “Crowley is Malleus’s father” theory is controversial and a lot of us are tired of hearing about it (and I don’t fully buy it myself).

But...there's one detail I can't stop thinking about. And it has to do with Crowley's mask not just being a corvid mask, but a corvid skull mask.

Hear me out.

Book 7 spoilers ahead.

Skull Wrapping

So...I love paleontology. No degree, just a fan. And one trend in paleoart that has fallen out of fashion and been criticized is something called “skull wrapping”, where recreations don’t take soft tissue into account.

Here's an example of modern animals drawn the way some paleoartists draw dinosaurs.

(Here's a reddit thread with people talking about it. Art by C.M. Koseman.)

All this to say, skull wrapping and the presence of soft tissue in art is something I'm always looking for.

Crowley's Mask

I didn't think much about it with Crowley's mask originally, because he WAS only character who wore a mask like this, but now we have something to compare it to.

There’s some kind of trend or historic in Briar Valley (possibly only among the military, since Maleanor is not masked) to wear animal masks representing their clans.

But when we saw the other Briar Valley masks, I found myself wondering why they look so different from Crowley's.

Then I realized it’s because the Briar Valley bird fae masks have implied soft tissue, but Crowley’s doesn’t.

In the above example, you can see it particularly around the nares, which are completely exposed, but also distinct soft tissue around the eyes and cheeks, whereas Crowley’s is completely exposed.

(Crow from Wikipedia and corvid skull from Wikipedia commons)

So, from this we can possibly infer that Crowley is from Briar Valley and is from a clan of bird fae (specifically crows or ravens, though to my knowledge the distinction does not exist in JPN and the word for both is karasu / カラス / 烏), but also there's a clear direct association with death.

Raverne

Now...the only other character we know that this may be true for is Revan/Raverne, Malleus’s father, who went missing on a diplomatic mission during the human incursion and is presumed dead.

I’m admittedly not a huge fan of “these characters have some superficial similarities and therefore must be related”. There is probably more than one bird fae in the world. But that Crowley is implied to be a bird fae and also "dead" (metaphorically or otherwise) is just really. interesting.

Theories

I don’t think he’s going to be Malleus’s father. Personally I’m betting on uncle, OR my personal fave theory that I've seen here on tumblr (can’t remember from who 🙏) is that Raverne is dead and Crowley is the phantom who possessed him during overblot, becoming a new being that is neither the phantom nor Raverne.

In Conclusion

Even if there is no Raverne connection, I do think it's cool that Dire Crowley is set apart from other fae* we've seen by being associated with death at the school where everyone arrives by stepping out of coffins for their symbolic rebirths RIP (*Disclaimer that hehe may not even be fae, but unless there's another fantasy species we haven't seen yet, I feel like this is a fair enough conclusion on its own.)

[waynewayne-goaway]

'sup, gotham?

name's slapstick. pronouns? yeah, i'm great at those.

in case the bio didn't warn ya, i'm a walkin' taser. eat my dust.

not associated wi' gotham's worst joke.

check out my youtube . some people find me annoyin' at first, but then they still find me annoyin' later.

if you're new to gotham, batman's a vampire. trust.

OOC: MORE INFO + REFS UNDER CUT

i never asked for it to be this way. ( i never asked to be made )

Corus Wayne believes in people.

They have to, really.

Need to, have to...

They were young, then. Stupid, idiotic.

Naive.

If the Joker said he wanted to change, didn't he deserve someone to listen?

( Corus Wayne is very, very, good at running from their problems. )

( So they ran, ran away into the depths of their own mind. )

( Nothing but a shield behind. )

-

Slapstick hates the Joker. They'd adored him once, in the way an animal fears its master.

Trained into silence, comic relief. A meat shield that giggled for every hit it took, proud of its wounds for all to see.

It's a pity that all Corus-Corvid wants is for them to fade away and be silent. Nice and kind and all those things that got them hurt in the first place.

They refuse.

-

@songsofbat, @corus-wayne-official are the associated blogs, but please don't call Slapstick Corus or Corvid!.

Their profile picture is Actually an old selfie they took with their world's Batman- Slapstick doesn't have the constraints of Corus's inability to affect cameras. However, their mind reading has decreased in turn.

Slapstick chooses to speed around their opponents in flashes of electricity, 'blinking' away. Like Corvid, they're very good at ignoring pain- far better, even. They're numb- which isn't exactly a good thing at times.

INTRO IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE POLISHED UP

SLAPSTICK IS 🛡 ANON

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

would a corviknight be a good pet?

I corviknight would indeed make a great pet… for a very specific kind of owner. This incredible pokémon wouldn’t be the easiest for many people to care for, but they are well known to get along with humans and they are highly intelligent, just like real-world corvids!

One of the biggest things holding corviknights back on the score end of things is their size. While they are certainly light for their size, despite their armored appearance, this species is much larger than one would imagine a house pet to be. At over seven feet tall, corviknights need a lot of space to thrive. If you live in a small apartment, no matter how pet-friendly it is, it likely won’t provide a corviknight a lot of space to move around. Additionally, it would be very difficult to transport a corviknight anywhere unless they wanted to fly there themselves. The vet? The groomer? Good luck!

Thankfully, it appears that corviknights are pretty easy to train, in no small part due to their high intelligence. In the Galar region, this species can be seen working alongside humans to run an airborne taxi service (Shield), indicating a friendliness towards our species and a willingness to be trained. They don’t seem to be aggressive towards humans in any way, despite their apex predator status (in most regions, that is) (Sword, Scarlet).

Due to the combination of their intimidating black armor and formidable moves, corviknights are powerful foes in combat (Sword). In their native Galar region, no other pokémon dares to mess with corviknights, and with good reason. Moves like Steel Wing and Brave Bird make them quite dangerous, especially considering their size and weight. These powerful moves do affect the species’ score, coming into sharp conflict with the positive points gained from their friendly, easy to train nature. It’s important to consider, however, that the safety of your corviknight may be at risk depending on where you live. In regions where tinkatons live, like the Paldea region, corviknights are far less dominant, often falling victim to attacks from these natural predators. This has made it unsafe to replicate the Galar region’s taxi service there, and would make it dangerous to let your corviknight play in any areas where these pokémon may be waiting for them (Scarlet). If you are planning to adopt a corviknight, I insist that you do research into if tinkatons live in your area, or if any of your neighbors own one, for your pet’s safety.

All this being said, it should be clear why corviknights should only be taken in by specific trainers. This species may have been successfully domesticated, and they are known to be quite friendly and safe around humans despite their size and menacing appearance, but they require a lot of space to live, and must be kept away from predators that they have little to no defenses against. So long as you are able to provide them with the care that the Galarian airborne taxi service does, you should be able to manage, but I must point out that many people won’t be able to do so.