#how smart are parrots compared to humans

[vueblogs]

Top 24 Smartest Pet Birds in the World-Parrot to Pigeon

Top 24 Smartest Pet Birds in the World-Parrot to Pigeon

Hello friends, if you are a pet birds lover, then the article for you. In this article I will introduces top 24 smartest pet birds in the world from parrots to pigeons. It then ranks them from least intelligent to most intelligent. I will talks about a wide variety of birds in general but focuses mainly on parrots scientific name and history because they are one of the smartest birds. Parrots…

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

you know those videos of dog learn or “learn” how communicate with buttons?

saw video of viral video parrot use AAC device. like full AAC device.

one hand whatever

other hand, thinking about how there language communication disabled human children & adults not have access AAC who need. because cannot afford. or because people think they not smart enough able enough to use. or because no one bother teach, or no one know how teach.

think about real disabled people use AAC and there will be people go like, “oh so like that parrot?” and give more reason to compare disabled people to animals. which they already do. for long long time.

of course not responsibility of single parrot (actually whole thing not even abt parrot more abt owner but even then they not responsible for all disabled ppl not have access etc)

but just. thinking.

about privilege about availability about different treatment about so many

wonder if owner ever mention it called AAC device & ever bother disability educate.

(cue white animal rights activists twist this & use this to justify their ableism to argue animal more value than disabled people etc)

[foodsies4me]

I love Apollo:Blood Wars! I’m desperate to see those three get their comeuppance! I know absolutely nothing about daemons but your fix does a great job at conveying the seriousness of the relationship. I wouldn’t of thought that Alec would have a parrot but it makes sense! If you don’t mind elaborating, what was your process for deciding everyone’s daemon?

Tbh, I’m a sucker for any story that recognises the lack of stellar siblingship in shadowhunters. Season one Alec is treated awfully and I love him being appreciated. Like, I get they’re teenagers but surely siblings would know the amount of shite he’s dealing with being acting head.

Love all your works and looking forward to updates!

Thank you for the kind words, nonnie!

For some reason, all of my leftover salt for the way Jace and Izzy treat Alec in season 1 came out in this fic, which means it takes some getting used to when I switch over to a fic where they are being good siblings.

Also, I am apologizing for the absolute ramble I'm going to send your way, but in my defense, you asked about the choosing process for the daemons! I'm only going to be mentioning the daemons we already have met to avoid rambling too much.

So, for Alec, I knew I wanted a bird from the get-go, and while I have seen a lot of fanart of Alec holding a raven or a crow I wanted to do something different. Then I just went for personality: I needed it to be an intelligent bird, social and cuddly with those it trusts and loves but picky about handing out that trust and so I ended up choosing a parrot. (I'll admit I was partially influenced by my own parrots, one of which I have heavily based Apollo's quirks on.) Additionally, I thought it was funny to give Alec, who doesn't speak much unless he's at ease, an animal known for talking a lot as a daemon.

For Magnus: Well who else but Chairman Meow could it have been? So, that one didn't take much thought.

Izzy got a black panther because I wanted something graceful, strong, and most of all dangerous. Several characters have daemons that appear harmless - either because of magic or because they're animals we tend to wrongly consider harmless. But, with Izzy, I didn't want that to be the case because Izzy gives me very strong "I'm dangerous. I know I'm dangerous. And I don't hide it" vibes in the series. And so, black panther!

Jace got a lioness (as well as two other forms that haven't been revealed yet!) for similar reasons. I wanted a dangerous animal, prideful if possible and, what with the whole "Jace is one of the best fighters the Clave has seen in years" I needed it to be a King of thee Jungle kind of dangerous so that's how I landed on a lioness for him.

Underhill has a snappy, eastern box turtle: smart, quiet, shy and harmless (at least at first sight). They're often considered solitary creatures, but they can grow really strong bonds with other turtles or their human owners when in captivity, and this ties into my headcanon that Underhill looks like a friendly loner at first (nice and kind but likes to keep to his own) but that he just needs some time to get out of his shell so to speak.

Clary has a dove and a bull (+ one more unrevealed form) the former of which she shares with Valentine. I liked the idea of Valentine using the fact that his daemon is a dove ( a symbol of peace and purity) as a way to further prove his righteousness and moral superiority compared to the rest when he was still starting out with creating the Circle. Clary having that same daemon is also my not-so-subtle way of showing how, despite being very against him in the series, Clary shows a lot of traits that are similar to Valentine. The bull daemon is another - is dangerous, but also fits Clary because of her bullheadedness, I run full speed without thinking of the consequences personality. (Or that's the way I read her at least.)

Jace and Clary's daemons having multiple forms will be dived into further as the story progresses, but it ties back into the whole "all downworlders have something special going on with their daemons" thing.

Kyle (yes I am talking about my OC's and their daemons because I am entirely shameless) has a dumbo rat: friendly, sociable, curious, inquisitive, and very intelligent (which works well with Kyle being the Head of the Investigation Department), cuddly and just all around very affectionate. Basically, they're golden labrador puppies but as rats, which fits Kyle.

Cécile has a Barbados threadsnake (the smallest snake species in the world! They are so cute and smoll!) They're solitary like most snakes and prefer a nocturnal lifestyle. They're non-venomous and prefer to spend most of their time burrowed in soft soil, which again works with Cécile who prefers to be on her own, which is why she spends most of her time working undercover in the mundane world in places where mundanes might unknowingly come into contact with demons.

I'm going to stop my rambling here before I really turn this into a novel, but yeah that is a very rough resume of the thought process I had when choosing the different daemons. :D

[thefloatingstone]

This is very random but I saw the parrot thing you reblogged

Parrots are very smart but they stuck at like a toddler intelligence level. And they're stuck there for like 80 years.

They also hate change, so rehoming is a nightmare. That also means getting more pets is hard, having children, changing jobs, moving, etc. You *have to* devote your life to your feathered friend, and you do that until you die, and then your kids have to do the same thing. Sounds like a generational curse imo

Parrots are terrible pets!!! If you want a colorful bird in your house just get a pigeon and some pet safe dye! Omg!!!

skjdsfsh not the pet safe dyed pigeon!!! 😭

Honestly I have recently felt it's wrong of us to compare smart animals to a human child in terms of intelligence. First of all because we're not measuring the same thing. A child isn't born stupid and grows smart by years. a child is underdeveloped. Whereas a parrot is fully developed. And although it may not have the ability to understand complex human mentality, they are perfect at understanding complex parrot mentality. There are things a parrot is better at understanding and formulating thoughts on than a human is because those are things a parrot has to know to survive more than a human does. And I always feel comparing any animal to a human toddler puts in this idea in our subconscious that the animal is automatically Stupider than we are. And less able to navigate the world, or understand things enough to function in it. Because that is how we as adults measure a child's understanding.

It also puts this subconscious idea into our heads that "oh well if they're as smart as a human toddler that means they're just a dumber version of a human being! So it's OK to keep them as pets because if they're like a human toddler then they're already not that different to us!"

A parrot is a hyper intelligent species of bird. And I think we should measure that intelligence on their own merits. Rather than anthropomorphising them by measuring how intelligent they are compared to us as a baseline.

This has nothing to do with this ask whatsoever XDDD It's just something I've started thinking about more recently. I've been watching a lot of videos on endangered species and animals that have only ever been viewed once and then never again and things of the like. And it's made me rethink a lot of the ways we automatically classify animals in our heads. And I haven't had any opportunity to voice these thoughts.

So this isn;t direct at you, anon. I'm just rambling.

[1greenameba]

Ok goldfishes can recognize pepole , have a decent memory and are all around an extremely badass animal with an intresting genetics , a long story of domestication with humans and a lot of intresting adaptations for the conditions in wich we put them in ( such as making alcool if you put then in warm oxygen poor water , and being able to survive extreme cold by storing the alcool in their tissues )

However this does lead to a broader discussion on animal intelligence and using classification :

Speaking of "mammalian" is rather improper i feel sometimes ,

I hope we agree that sloths , dolphins , free tailed bats and horses have rather little in common behaviorally despite all being placental mammals ...

And this same applies to the ofthen compared and contrasted "reptiles"

Wich if we form cladistically would be close to the most diverse group of vertebrates ever , since it would include birds as well :

If we where to devide things more smartely we get roughly three groups :

Squamates , snakes and lizards , wich btw have evolved placental birth like 5-6 times separately and some can even preferentially lay eggs or give live birth ,

Turtles ,

And archosaurs , crocodiles and birds ,

Now considering the previus mammal example of behavioral diversity ( mammals have 5400 species ) and we apply this same reasoning to squamates ( 11000 species )

Or birds ( 10000 species ) you see how speaking of common "reptilian caracteristics" is kinda improper i'd say ...

It's also somenthing that kinda irks me about the way some pepole talk about animal psychology :

Whenever emotions are talked about in a human or a mammalian context they are held as this deeply subjective intimate and unknowable thing wich is kinda devine ,

Meanwhile reptile and bugs have "instincts" wich are this almost orientalized thing upon wich they have no steaks and wich is not theirs and deeply mechanical ,

From my limited understanding of the subject , the major distinction from our emotions to the emotions of lets say a frog , is the fact that our prefrontal cortex can shut off or change the emotional reaction to specific emotions , meanwhile frogs do act in a really reactive way ...

However your emotion are your instinct , and their instincts are their emotions ...

But now back to the main point :

Fishes are ofthen described also as "primitive" while in reality they had as many generations as we land dwellers had ...

And they dwarf us tetrapods in terms of species numbers : there are 27000 species of ray finned fishes ...

As such , they have many sloths and oatzins with simple behaviors and instincts ,

As well as they have many orangutans and parrots with deeply complex social systems , multiple steps problem solving behaviors , and communication systems that may be extremely hard to understand for us land dwellers as ours may be hard for them ...

All of what i said also applies for bugs : insects , spiders , and even annelids and molluscs have emotions of their hown , what changes are several things

1) their nervous system is a lot more decentralized across their body , so they have a "first pair of legs brain" , wich allows cockroaches to survive decapitation , however imenoptera (ants, wasps, bees) can't survive decapitation , wich hints at their head being more important than the rest

2) they obviusly have different sensory abilities : an earthworm doesn't have eyes or ears , so it can't see or ear like us , their world is one of smell , vibrations and electrical currents ...

3) stuff like clams and barnacles wich completely atrophied their brains likely don't feel in the same way we do , and may be closer to plants or fungi in their cognition ...

TL;DR:

intelligence and capacity for emotional complexity should be evaluated on a case by case basis ,

And we shouldn't assume some clades are inerenthly dumber or more capable of specific things , unless it's a specific thing that is present in the clade itself ...

[georgegraphys]

It’s honestly so annoying that Toto is publicly going after Max. It’s like twisting the knife in George’s back, especially after he had a shaky season last season and it’s not helping his brand either.

You see anon... Let's talk about Toto as a person.

If you take LH out of him, his money is worth nothing. And you can't really see anything special about him. I am very sorry if this sounds harsh. But it is what it is.

Toto has benefitted from LH for years and vice versa. In a way, they've backed each other up for years and Zetsche, the previous CEO just DGAF (what do you expect from a man who laughed at Volkswagen for the emission cheating but years after his own company got exposed to the same scandal? EMBARRASSING).

Imo (warning : very opinionated), Toto is currently trying to find someone that can 'secure' his seat as the team principal. Kimi was an option until he maybe realized the fetus didn't pull a George Russell-esque F2 season (honestly he's a fucking idiot if he expects this). So he needs a back up option. Max Verstappen and Jos Verstappen came on stage! (Thanks to Christian Horner that perverted idiot). If he has Max, he can have someone he holds on to. Why? Well because of course Max and Jos can't be all buddies with the boards in just one night so obviously they have to turn to Toto. And that's when Toto (IN MY OPINION AND SPECULATION) hopes to use that to 'equalize' and secure his position? Maybe that's why he's so eager to bring someone in.

Because let's face it. George might be too backed by the boards for Toto to latch on esp if the 'Kallenius' favorite' allegation is true. Fred? Sadly he has no power yet. That's maybe why he turned to someone who can equalize and secure his position immediately. And he is using the media coverage he has to achieve this. People are thinking he represents Mercedes when they are of different entities. It's crazy but this is also because Mercedes Benz kept it lowkey and didn't want to interfere much unlike Elkann on Ferrari or RB Thai on RBR. Them being silent is good but at the same time, it allows people to think Toto is SOMEONE when he is not and he is never that someone. People think he is the CEO of Mercedes AMG. Nope that is Michael Schiebe. People think he is the head of the Mercedes AMG Motorsport. Nope that is Christoph Sagemüller. Toto is just the CEO and Team Principal of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and could always be fired for it. He is replaceable. That's why he's scrambling to find someone now that LH left.

Toto is a very smart guy. He is very charismatic. That's why he managed to fool people into thinking that he is self-made. He is something when he is not. He plays with the media to his advantage. His advantage is that he has the coverage. The most even compared to other TPs. Everything he says out there is a bluff that's why I saw him as a joke and a parrot.

About stabbing a knife on George's back, oh that's how rich people and the corporate world works. Expect nothing. Even if Toto 'pays' for George's career. Always expect nothing when it's human. They can point a knife at you at any time. It is, once again, understandable as it is a part of human nature. But worry not. That man will get his karma. Soon.

[anescapistswritings]

Humans are Space Dogs

Since my previous post did so well, I thought I’d try something else. 

Another thought I had is this: what if what’s out there is better than us at what we excel at, but also worse than us at what we fail at as well?  Like, they’re smarter, but they’re not physically intimidating at all. If a human grabbed one unarmored, we could tear them apart similar to how a Doberman will destroy a human. 

We run them down, we outrun them, we tear them limb from limb, crush internal structures without tools. We mimic them and lure them away from the safety of camps. So how did we lose? How would humans become space Rottweilers? And why wouldn’t aliens just use the domesticated animals we have?  Well, lets set the stage: Aliens arrive on earth. Not for exploration, but for conquest. Their military is equipped with power armor, plasma rifles, and technology beyond our capabilities *period*. Compared to their intellect, we are the equivalent of Parrots, Ravens or apes. Smart and even trainable, but outmatched. Millions are snatched away to become entertainment, guards, and maybe even Space K-9 units. Biological warfare wiped out our domesticated animals, but spared us for some twisted reason. One day however, a group of humans hide amongst the foliage as a patrol of aliens walk by, pseudopods manipulating the controls of their mech-suits and armored vehicles and we hear them *talk* for the first time. Casual conversation and what seems like laughter.  Upon retreating to one of the few human settlements left, a recording of their language is passed around and we quickly learn how to mimic them.  One day, an alien is near the edges of what used to be New York City, but has become a hive for these amoeba-esque aliens. A human gurgles out of sight something from the recording. The unarmored blobby alien gurgles a response, approaching the infant forest.  The human is upon the being in an instant, a stick in one hand and a fury at seeing a family stolen from her, being forced to live like an animal, and being seen as nothing more than a stray pet to be taken in driving her. Before the second blow comes the alien is dead, blue blood staining the ground and pseudopods forming, reaching towards the hateful hive spires, the sky, and the human in a vain effort to get help, to stop the blows, or maybe just as a death rattle. 

Stories like this are a cautionary tale to the invaders, who always find mangled bodies of their brethren with the telltale marks of human tools stealing away their soft and savory edible flesh.  Or, upon a civilian vessel, deep in treacherous space boarded by pirates:  A human covered head to toe in enforcer grade bio armor and given naught but a plas-knife crawls through the vents of the spaceship, approaching the bridge where the rightful captain lies dead in a pool of blood and the pirates are heading back to their camp with hostages and stolen goods from the freighter in tow.  Falling from the ceiling, the Pirate Captain is dead, with his last sensation being the boot of the human crushing his insectoid skull. The motely crew of pirates shake with fear, as few live to tell tales of fights with the humans.  Next to die is a molluscoid who charges at the bone white figure next, heavy blaster firing at full power at him. Shrugging off the hits due to the armor, the being charges and rips the tentacles from the squid’s face, then rips the beak from the bleeding mess, letting it die on the floor in agony.  A mammalian with large goggles begins running for the doors, and quick as a flash, the human leaps over the navigation consoles and chokeslams the rat-like being and then snaps its neck.  The slaughter continues in a similarly brutal manner until the pirates lies dead at the human’s feet and the knife dangles unused at his side. The story of the human and the pirates drive up demand amongst civilian, criminal, military, and personal vessels for a trained guard human. 

No matter where you go, the story is always the same:  Humans are dangerous and useful. Make sure yours is well trained and has bonded with you. Mistreating it is a bad idea.

[lasquadrasfuckhouse]

Hello!

Maybe some la sqadra headcanons with s/o, who is super fixed on pets? Like, they want to adopt every animal from the shelter, and cry every time they see a abandoned pet on the street. S/o just loves pets so so much that they would do everything to have more

Ofc it's just a proposition, bye bye!❤

AW I LOVE THIS

la squadra with a partner who loves animals 😻

risotto ✂️

he gets it. he has a soft spot for small cute things

he's very fond of how doting u are to every creature but he'll keep you in check, gently pull you away from a passing animal shelter and the like. pets take commitment and u both have very demanding jobs as is

he will help u set out bowls of water for all the strays and little creatures tho

if u bring home a lost pet he'll want you to bring it to the shelter and let the people there find its owner but you count as small cute things he's soft for (because everyone is small compared to risotto). give him puppy eyes for long enough and he'll give you a few days to find the owner yourself but it can't interfere with work and you're completely responsible for it

you'll probably be able to sway him on taking in ONE (1) stray cat if it has the right temperament, quiet and won't interfere and more on the independent side. there are a lot of strays in the neighbourhood as is, he figures having a cat in the house won't be much more of a stretch than you looking after the cats outside

he reasons that for himself too because he loves cats. he'll let it sleep on his chest and he WILL take it for walks on a lil kitty harness do NOT test him, do NOT fuck with this guy while he's walking his cat

he also thinks tarantulas, scorpions, and reptiles are cool (reptiles would love him he's so warm!!!) but maintaining a terrarium is a lot of work

prosciutto 🚬

no. he will answer firmly, no. you both know how busy you are

he tries to reason with you every time you cry over a stray: you can't adopt them all, you know it would be a disservice to the animal to take on that responsibility only to find you can't balance it, i know it's sad but you're only one person with a very difficult job you can't overhaul the shelter system overnight. he'd try to help you toughen up for your own sake, not that u have to love animals any less but he doesn't want u burning out emotionally and he doesn't like seeing u cry either

if u bring home a lost pet, he will also insist you take it to the shelter. if u have a staredown about it (the shelters are so busy already and what if they can't find its person!!!!), it will be a LONG staredown. but if u promise to take full responsibility and find the owners asap he will relent BUT DONT MAKE IT A HABIT. if he has spare time he May help you with finding the owners, mostly to speed things up but it does also make u happy

might also accept one (1) cat with the right temperament but it's YOUR responsibility. if you're prepared to take on the commitment urself, he can coexist with a chill cat pretty easily. he will give it pets if it curls around his legs. if it wants to curl up in his lap, as long as he's not busy, well..... he would allow it

(the cat definitely grows on him)

he supposes he wouldn't mind fishes or a reptile but again, your responsibility

pesci 🎣

he thinks ur so sweet and he has a very hard time saying no to you

as long as ur managing your time and energy right he doesn't think it's so bad!!!! will defend you if the others try to tease you or get on your case

he will help. he might not mesh well with very rambunctious and outgoing animals tho. he may get nervous about caring for them right (is this food good for them? how do i hold them? what if they get sick?) but if u show him how and reassure him and he gets reassurance and affection from the critter too he'll probably cry

he would, of course, love a fish tank. he gets really into arranging and rearranging the setup and caring for ur fishies. he could watch them for hours and also defends them against people who say they're boring (THEY HAVE PERSONALITY)

he would say no to arachnids or other bugs and no to reptiles and amphibians (cause they eat bugs)

formaggio 🧀

HES RIGHT THERE WITH U

cats are his favorite even if he is not cats' favorite. he looks after the strays with you and will comfort you when you cry about them

if you find a lost pet he'll help you hide it (probably make it smaller) while you team up to secretly care for it and find the owners

'formaggio what the hell is that sound coming from ur room' 'oh i just fell asleep with the tv on' '..... and it's still making the same sounds 3 hours later?' 'ITS A LONG MOVIE'

HE WOULD LOVE TO RAISE A CAT WITH U. two cats would be great too but you do both have busy jobs. cool with rodents too, would be cool with a dog or parrot in theory but in practice they take a lot of work and require a lot of social time and y'all are pretty busy being assassins.

illuso ✨

he will gently tease you for being a softie (the keyword here being gently because he loves u) but he's honestly a little endeared

he's trying to befriend the flock of crows around base so they'll be his little minions so u spend time together leaving them snack offerings

for trying to actually get a pet tho? ur on ur own

if you find a lost pet he may offer to hide it in the mirror world while u search for the owner BUT he will require payment. whether that is a kiss or you do his chores for a week. and he doesn't really do well with animals cause he just doesn't know what to do with them but he will do his best to help care for them in the mirror world if u can't be there because it's for u (and contrary to popular belief he's not completely heartless)

no. no strays in the house. i know it's cute and sad but it's all dirty, you don't know where it's been. but then you start tearing up and he's like ah fuck okay FINE tidy it up and bring it to the shelter but im outtie

he does find cats and snakes very graceful tho and may be open to having one as long as it's a good fit personality and needs wise and it's mostly your responsibility

melone 🍈

he finds it adorable. he loves how sweet u are

he loves hearing about his partner's interests so he will talk about cool biological and developmental animal facts and how u can learn a lot about human behaviour by studying the nature around us

doesn't see the harm in helping out any strays or lost creatures u may find and is totally down to help

he will remind u that pets are a lot of responsibility tho!!! if u want one u have to figure out how to balance other responsibilities with it but he's cool with co-parenting

he thinks reptiles and amphibians are really fucking cool. he'd probably be interested in a bird too cause he has the patience and creativity for them but ur also both busy people. he'd LOVE having sweet rat babies b/c they are so smart!!!

ghiaccio ❄️

he LOVES everything cute and soft and fluffy so he understands but also you can't rescue every stray or adopt the whole shelter we are assassins,

you befriend the neighbourhood cats together and build squirrel feeders. sometimes you'll go to the park just to cry about how cute all the dogs are

if you find a lost pet he may try to be like ugh.... do we have time for this....... but he caves VERY fast. will whisper-yell at anyone who tries to give you grief for it because he doesn't want to startle the poor creature. will help you find its owner if it'll get the others off ur back

he would very much want to raise cute animals with u. you have work to think about but if u had a rather independent cat that would work. he'd also love rats and hamsters

starts dreaming of retiring with u one day so u can have a bunny and a yappy little pomeranian he can wear matching sweaters with

sorbet and gelato 🔪🍦

they think ur utterly adorable. ur their sweet beloved third and they dote on you and would love to be involved in/support ur passions

they will help u look after the strays and may point out like someone's cute dog that they're walking just to see ur eyes light up and hear u gush

they Will smuggle lost pets inside the base for you and they Will help you find the owner they don't care about getting in trouble with risotto they're in trouble all the time anyway it's their jobs

would very much like to be pet parents with u and it might honestly be easier to manage between the three of you

they'd do very well with rats, they could handle high energy pets like ferrets, parrots, and dogs, but y'know u do all have work and stuff. they are determined to find the right fit for all of u b/c ur so cute they can't NOT indulge u

maybe one day the three of u can retire on a heap of money and adopt an older cockatoo and harness train it so u can all go on adventures together, that's the dream!!!!

[roxirinart]

@matcha-x-matcha Hi!! I saw you asking for my explanation on why I think Ratio would be a crow if he were an animal, but there’s an annoyingly short character limit for replies, so I’m writing this as a reblog instead lol. But yeah, here we go! This is LONG so forgive me, I hope you don't regret asking hahah XD My Official and Very Serious Research Paper on Why Our Beloved Dr. Ratio Would Be a Crow and Not An Owl, if He Was Suddenly and Inexplicably Turned Into an Animal:

Intelligence

Owls are typically known as ‘wise’ birds, and a group of them is called a ‘parliament’. They are usually solitary animals. I think this is very reminiscent of the Genius Society and how they operate: revered as (wise) Geniuses by wider society, keeping to themselves and rarely interacting with either the public or each other (like how owls fly silently and are nocturnal, meaning they're naturally separated from us diurnal humans). Additionally, in nature, crows and owls do show a significant rivalry with each other, as owls eat crow fledglings (and sometimes adults too), and crows will mob owls in return.

Crows are also very intelligent (considered on at least the same level as parrots, and in some cases more so!), far more intelligent than owls, which are comparatively dumb. Although I don’t think this is necessarily a perfect comparison in this case, since there’s no doubt that the geniuses in the society are called that for a reason, but clearly Ratio is incredibly smart himself (which makes it all the more interesting and mystifying as to why Nous hasn’t recognized him…).

Mythology

In Greek mythology (which is very clearly one of Ratio's defining aesthetic - and to a lesser extent, characteristic - motifs), crows are most closely associated with the god Apollo, who is (amongst other thing), said to represent prophecy, truth, healing, and disease. Pretty fitting, I think! Especially since Veritas (considered Ratio's first name) literally means 'truth'. Additionally, Nous is also closely associated with prophecy - Fu Xuan directly received the power to see into the future from Nous. The 'disease' part of Apollo's associated traits correlates with Ratio likening ignorance to 'a disease that must be cured.'

As a further point in the crow analogy's favour, the most prominent Greek mythological story about crows is of a young woman named 'Corone' (meaning 'crow'), who was saved from being assaulted by Poseidon by Athena, Apollo's sister. Athena is most commonly associated with owls, and her domains include wisdom amongst others. Athena saved Corone by turning her into a crow. Later, Corone speaks of her resentment that the owl had usurped Corone's position as Athena's bird-servant (we could loosely draw a comparison between this and how the Genius Society have Nous's approval, but not Ratio).

Aesthetic

This is a little less solid than my other reasons, but it works!

Crows can have a purplish sheen to their feathers, which... well. Purple hair. Dunno what else to say hahah XD Certainly an influencing factor when I was drawing him. Additionally, crows like shiny things! So his shiny golden laurel checks out in that regard design-wise as well :)

(Plus that's a fun little bonus for any fans of the Ratiorine/Aventio ship, because Aventurine, too, is very shiny :P)

Back to Greek mythology a little bit, Apollo is regarded as the most beautiful god, and I think it says something that Ratio's character intro specifically says he's handsome.

Socialization

Unlike owls, crows are social birds, living in flocks where they will actively take care of the crows that are injured or sick. I feel like this resonates a lot more with Ratio actively sharing his knowledge with others, teaching an impressive 52 courses across his time lecturing at Veritas Prime university, and also his role as a doctor, taking care of those both physically and mentally less capable. Crows will actively teach other crows and relay information to them - a very cool study was conducted where people wearing uniquely recognizable masks would behave aggressively towards a group of crows over a period of time - not long after, all crows in the area were avoiding these people, and it’s theorized that they had actually communicated with other crows that they should stay away from the masked individuals (they have facial recognition, which is really cool).

I chose crows over other corvids moreso from an aesthetic standpoint than anything else, but I think that it’s also a point in crows’ favour that they’re the slightly more social of the two, since despite Ratio NOT being perceived as a social person (I would say), he does actively engage in the community around him (off-screen) to aim for the betterment of society (and has worked on MANY projects that have saved countless lives). Not that ravens (or other corvids) don’t gather in flocks; it’s just that crows are usually found living in and around human society more than other corvid species (I say this as someone who loves animals but is in no way an expert, so corvid experts forgive me if I’m wrong lol).

So…. Yeah! That’s the reasoning! Hope you enjoyed! Or at least didn't pass out from boredom X') I'm passionate about the niche art of choosing fursonas for fictional characters purely for fun apparently.

Dr. Ratio? More like Dr. Rati-CROW, amirite? 😜

[bunjywunjy]

I know this is kind of a dumb question, but how does that tiktok with the cats looking up at their owners who have cat faces and back at the camera proof they can recognize themselves? I’m not disagreeing, I’m just curious

NO DUMB QUESTIONS IN BIOLOGY.

so you have to remember that from their perspective those cats were looking at a screen with a front camera video of themselves and their owner on it, which is pretty comparable to standing in front of a mirror.

now in the field of animal behavior studies there is something called the 'mirror test', which judges the possible intelligence of an animal based on whether or not it can recognize the image of itself in a mirror as truly its own Self, or whether it just thinks it's looking at another member of its species that just happens to live in Flatland. (turkeys and peacocks are in the second group, just watch them try to intimidate their reflections in a shiny car!)

the point of this test is that the number of species that can recognize that they are looking at a reflection of their own bodies is shockingly small, and includes many animals already recognized to be 'smart' like dolphins, chimpanzees, elephants and parrots!

so the whole thing about those cats in that tick tock is that they were able to look at a mirrored image of themselves and their owners and, by freaking out at their owner's appearance with the filter on in the video, showed not only that they understood that THEY WERE LOOKING AT A REFLECTION OF THEIR OWN IMAGE, BUT THAT THEY WERE LOOKING AT A REFLECTION OF THEIR OWNER AS WELL. not a single one of those cats freaked out by trying to investigate the reflected image of their owner on the phone itself, but they all understood that the modified image they were seeing in the video was a direct reflection of their owner standing next to them in the real physical world, so they all turned to check on their human! (and looked really confused when the human was obviously fine and didn't match the cat face filter in the video on the phone)

this is a HUGE fucking deal and blows just about everything we understood about cat intelligence out of the water, and I genuinely hope people are doing studies on this now

[ganymedesclock]

Humanities thing, to this shy anon, is being really frigging brilliant and really frigging dumb and thats also probably aliens thing to. Id like to see more how the smart/dumb dynamics overlap and intersect and contrast rather than us just being Fancy

See that’s it, like... the gradient of smart and dumb behavior in our lives is responding to a complex environment with a set of knowledge and reflexes we’ve developed, some of them instinctual (much has been made of the human reflex towards things that resemble fruit, considering this has influenced like 60% of the candy we make as a species) and some of them personal (when I was working customer service, it was really conspicuous how many times I had to stop myself from either starting or finishing a personal conversation with a Work Script)

And I think that’d be a universal thing of sapience, albeit with different instincts and different personal/cultural bodies of knowledge.

My personal favorite takes on other sophonts is the idea of entities both shockingly unlike us and shockingly like us- think like an eight-foot bug parrot that breathes through spiracles and communicates in vocalizations we can barely hear and can’t biologically reproduce, doing the ‘walk into a room and immediately forget what you came in there for’ dance.

I just love the idea of it seeming really daunting and unsettling how different these creatures are, the worlds they come from, the lives they lead, the roots they developed from so far from ours- but also, in that disquiet-to-maybe-even-horror, a softness that is the revelation of what makes people, people. What is universal about a person, and I don’t think that’s “one head, two arms, two legs, bipedal, organ structures like this, brain structure like that, great ape ancestry or comparable”

[ruthlesslistener]

Absolutely agree with you about parrots. People just don't realize the commitment they're taking on when they buy one and then blame the bird when they can't take care of it. Parrots are abandoned all the time and it makes me so upset.

On a similar note, I was wondering how you feel about parrots in science, specifically Dr. Irene Pepperberg's work on avian intelligence? Her main partner, Alex, was really something else. She estimated he was as smart as a four year old and even understood the concept of zero! There's a lot of videos on YouTube, they're really interesting!

Y E A H it’s something that makes me deeply upset bc 90% of the time people just buy them because they see them as a cute little toy instead of a complex, intelligent wild animal. Like, rehoming your bird because you’re not in the right place to care for it is obv. better than being unable to deal with them and having both parties suffer, but the fact that ‘toos especially bounce through so many homes is mostly because people have no idea how the fuck to deal with them, or account for their needs. In fact, I’m convinced that the only reason why cockatiels are a beloved pet while cockatoos are considered nightmares is because cockatiels are small enough that the biting and the screaming isn’t that hard to deal with, like how small dogs get away with barking and nipping that would have a large dog put down. Same behavior, but the size difference flips it from ‘cute’ to ‘concerning’. I certainly treat Ollie with the same amount of respect I would give a ‘too, because even if her angry squeaks and nibbles don’t hurt me, she deserves the same amount of spatial respect and enrichment as a very large bird (which is also why I have only ever been bitten by her once, on the first day we got her. Which I consider to be both impressive and also completely deserved on my end; she launched out of the box and I had to grab and scoop her into the cage, so she put a hole in me. Very well deserved on my end.)

As for the scientific aspect of it: I absolutely adore it! Avian intelligence is actually a major motivator for me going into animal behavioral studies, as well as one of my special interests. Alex’s study in particular has got to be one of my favorite ones out there, ranking even over Koko the Gorilla’s due to the simple fact that he’s more ‘alien’ to us than gorillas, which really brings to light how fascinating language is and how communication works across species. I also tend to think back on the studies done by Alex when I talk about how animal communication works, because it was def. his ability to understand English that got me interested in figuring out how it works. 

I do kind of disagree with the estimation that he was as smart as a four-year-old though, and that’s mostly because I don’t think that their intelligence can be directly compared to a human’s. They may have had the language and communication skills of a four year old, but the reality is that parrots evolved to fill a far different niche than we did; many of their complex behaviors may be difficult for us to comprehend, and many of our tests may be impossible or difficult for them because we use human-based puzzles and languages to communicate with them, which is not how their brains are wired to work. Sure, there’s enough overlap in behaviors for them to gain a four-year-old’s understanding of our world, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t surpass us in other things that we don’t know about because we don’t face the same challenges as them, such as flying, using beak and claw, etc etc. But that’s the only aspect of it that I disagree with! Other than that, though, I’m deeply invested in studies on avian intelligence and behavior, which is exactly why I’m also super invested in shifting the parrot adoption system about to make sure that only people who are really capable of taking on a bird can be chosen by one as a potential friend for life (because let’s be real here, the best parrot/human matchups are the ones where the bird picks the person, not the other way around)

[gloryofdawn]

I bitched a lot about my degree after graduating. Without getting into specifics, I got screwed out of my minor and an internship that would have put me on the board in advertising, but because I graduated with a Communications major and the only thing in my portfolio were ads I'd made in class, I couldn't get a job in the field. The lovely 'you can't get a job because you have no experience because you can't get a job' catch 22.

Anyways, I was pissed, since I ended up staying in IT, and I'd planned to get a Computer Science degree before my father encouraged me to pursue something I was passionate about, the bastard. So I have an uphill battle to get jobs because I lack the education most places want, and I begin complaining about my useless degree. It's not doing anything for me. I can't get the job I got the degree for. I can't get good jobs in the field I'm already in because I have the wrong degree. Why did I waste my time? I spent four years doing fuck all in classes that were a cakewalk compared to what my CompSci, history, and engineering major friends did. I only ever failed one class, and that was because I serially skipped it to play Magic with my friends.

And then, in 2016, I figured out what my degree did for me.

I watched a lot of people I knew go literally fucking insane during the election year, as I'm sure many of you did. I don't need to explain what happened, we were all there. I'm certainly not going to suggest that every non-humanities major lost their minds, but I learned that a great many people in my life just did not have any critical thinking skills. Fox News filled their trough with slop and they ate it up because the news said it, so it must be true, except for that other news that Donnie says is fake. It was the weirdest goddamn thing, because I know most of them are smart people.

The Humanities teach you how to be a person instead of a parrot. You learn how to understand the world around you and formulate your own opinions, and it doesn't sound like something you need a college education to be able to do, but fuck if it doesn't seem to be a very lacking skill, along with media literacy and comprehension (which the Humanities also teach you).

There are only two reasons to discourage the teaching of Humanities. The first is that they aren't easily exploited for capital -- you can't exactly open up a Philosophy Factory and measure your production in units. The other is because people who don't know how to have their own opinions or parse media for what's true, what's false, and what's propaganda are much easier to control than people who can do those things. It's very possible to acquire these skills outside of college, and many do, but I'll say that while I thought I was a good, thoughtful, and educated person before college, I very much was not. So, maybe my degree wasn't a waste, after all.

Now I just have to get it to make me enough goddamn money to live in this capitalist hellscape.

[getreadytosmash]

Wing verse bitches

@mistyflame1 tagging u as u wish sire

K for anyone who doesn't know/doesn't remember when I screamed about this verse a few years ago, Wing verses/wing au are typically fics where a character suddenly gains wings and deals with their emotions suddenly being open for anyone to see or a verse where everyone has wings. My favourite is the latter one due to the many different wings people can have and a lot of people often place different meanings to different wings (Like, darker wings are seen as more evil or domestic species of birds are more suited for domestic jobs). Anyway!!

Skaar - Cooper's hawk. A desert associated bird that has a dull plumage yet also has some neat wing patterns that I think fit Skaar really well for him coming from a desert planet and having a more muted colouring compared to the others. I imagine his wings are rather scarred and hang oddly at times from where he had spent plenty of time with his wings being bounded up. He can't fly and a lot of the show I imagine would have features of his relationship with flying or lack of it.

Rick - Hyacinth Macaw. Blue bird!! And Macaws are really clever birds and real well known, even if they aren't as well known as the red/yellow/blue ones. Rick definitely takes care of his wings as human but ends up losing his wings when he becomes A-bomb. It really bothers him, but Rick doesn't want to talk about it with anyone else, especially since they all got to keep their wings. Rick still ducks and shifts as if he has wings though.

Jen - Blue Jay. A really pretty bird that matches Jen's HatAoS colour scheme and it also regarded as a very intelligent bird species! They go well with her character and I imagine her wings stay the same surprisingly, kinda like a calling key for how she’s always Jennifer Walters. Jen really takes a pride in her wings and often keeps them really well groomed. She's made blue wings really popular lately and is careful to not accidentally send a door flying off its hinges...she fails regularly.

Red - African Grey Parrot. A really smart bird that's often kept as a pet but sometimes escapes? It has a muted grey tone that I thinks works well for anyone in the army and they're rather large birds too. It works well for Red and I think he has a lot of pride in his wings for that, especially when they seemed to grow even bigger and gain a undertone of red to his wings. Another rad thing is the fact that Red can set his wings on fire when he flies.

Hulk - Bruce started out as a kingfisher and when turning into Hulk, his wings become that of a peacock. Misty, thank you for this because the idea of someome going to fight Hulk and he just slams open big ass peacock feathers is so funny. I imagine he's a little self conscious over his wings at times, especially as no one expects such a bruiser to have wings like that, but Rick and Jen often want him to try and accept the fact that yes he has the prettiest wings there is.

Samuel - Budgie. Absolutely the funniest thing to me tbh because it fits well as they're relatively smart birds, but also fit the fact that Samuel has always seem himself as entirely ordinary before he became the Leader...and the fact that he's spent almost all of the show in one type of cage or another. I imagine he used to be rather embarrassed of how bright his wings were compared to how...plain he seemed. And then as Leader he had been embarrassed over how sparkly he seemed instead of getting sensible crows' wings. After his mutilation, Samuel tends to strap his wings down for better access to the sockets and has an issue where his wings often snap outwards and hits people in the face. Red swears that he's eaten at least five of Samuel's feathers.

[thecorteztwins]

Since I did my ridiculous Cat-Marauders thing, I am curious - what animal would you associate most with each Alt-Marauder? I don't mean what animal they would most like as a pet, more like, what animal would be their Harry Potter Animagus form? Don't feel obliged to answer if you don't have any ideas (or just don't feel like it).

AAAH I love this question SO MUCH!! Thank you so much for sending it!! SHAW The animal that I MOST associate with Shaw is big black bulls, to a lesser degree bears and black draft horses. A quiz said his Patronus was a black stallion, and another quiz said his daemon was a kingsnake. I like the bull option best though, horses are too pretty and timid, even the big hefty draft horses are just too TAME even though they’re hardworkers, and a snake seems too...small and subtle. The bull has the connotation of hard work, because oxen, but it’s also terrifying and aggressive and it’s a big bulky creature. (I would also consider a honey badger as his daemon if they weren’t such a meme) I also think he DEFINITELY has the most in common with a hamster when it comes to actual animal behavior, hamsters are greedy hoarders and aggressive if approached and they’re hermits who are solitary but also really like to fuck, but if I were gonna say what animal I’d make him...big black bull, yeah. CLAUDINE Claudine visually reminds me of a white mink or ermine, and they’re pretty scary in terms of behavior too---they’re cute as hell but they’re predators. Their weasel-like appearance also connotates being clever, sneaky, and hard to get a bead. Also, white in general for lab animals, I thought your take on her as a cat that had medical subject was a great one, that was really clever! PYRO Honestly being an asshole cat fits him so well? Like that nailed him for me! But I also like the idea of small, clever yet dumbass, morally ambiguous critters like foxes and jackals for him? Of course they’re not actually morally ambiguous they’re just animals but speaking from a symbolic/human cultural viewpoint. Actually,  speaking of canines, dingos! They’re Australian, they’re “criminals” and “outlaws” in their own way in the wild because they’re seen as sheep-killers and people hate them, but they’re also good to their own as pack animals.  They’re very chaotic and destructive as pets, much like keeping pet foxes, but they’re also not evil animals at all. Like look at them, they’re good boys, they’re just chaotic assholes. Or maybe a ferret but I don’t think even he’s enough of a chaotic klepto for that! SHINOBI I made his daemon a monkey based around Japanese symbolism, but also the “small morally-grey stupid-yet-smart canine figures” stuff, definitely could see him as a derpy little fox or jackal too. Maybe one of those little dogs who thinks its huge XD MADELYNE My first thought was a parrot or something similar, they’re so super sassy and willful and they fly but are also grounded in literal ways because tame ones will usually have clipped wings. Then, it hit me. Hyena! Hyenas are pack animals, they’re family-oriented, and they’re also matriarchal, they’re a strong woman figure. They’re born with their eyes open unlike most mammals, reading for anything, much like how Maddie was “born” as an adult. They’re tough as nails like she is, because they have to hunt down very dangerous prey and compete with lions in an inhospitable environment. And speaking of lions, everyone always COMPARES them to lions, and UNFAVORABLY so. Everyone also always thinks they’re dogs. They’re unfairly demonized and seen as anything from disgusting cowardly scavengers to LITERALLY being demonic.  So like Maddie, they’re misunderstood, demonized strong-woman figures who are tough as hell but also not bad at all even if everyone THINKS they are and keeps comparing them to the “good” animals. HAVEN Her daemon is a cow, her patronus is a unicorn. I often associate her with little deer, though she’s really not slender/dainty enough to BE one, I dont think whales because huge but vegetarian, and unlike many herbivores that can actually be quite hostile, they’re gentle giants, don’t want to hurt other animals and actually will try to deliberately avoid it, and carry a lot of parasites, though not the kind harmful to them (unlike poor Haven) I’d definitely pick a cow, which is funny because I’d pick a bull for Sebastian, just for totally different reasons. I guess it’s like how I associate them both strongly with the element of earth, just opposite aspects (warm earth mother figure, nurturing, growth, soil, flowers, etc vs cold underground, stones, wealth, steadfast, power, etc.)

[encyclopika]

18 & 20 For the ask game!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH KAT!!! <3 God this is long.

From this writer’s ask game...feel free to send me some asks!!! :D

Gonna link the stories here for reference and for anyone interested in reading!

The Missing Series // Fire and Brimstone

--

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

Yes, ma’am! First I’m going to say that most do not, but the Missing series, particularly all that concerning Asuka and Ai, does in a big way...particularly the completely altered timeline that follows them if she doesn’t go away. You’ve seen the comic, where Ai doesn’t lose her nerve that snowy day and makes it obvious to him she also has stock in a deeper relationship. Yeah, that one. I’m currently working on more short comics from that timeline. Not necessarily a whole story, but snippets from that fluffier timeline. But that also means a few things happen differently - for one, Krow doesn’t join the Ryukyu offices, mostly because, in that timeline, he’s allowed to fulfill his own heroic story faster than he can in Missing. He’s not actually a rescue hero, but he doesn’t have Ai around in the main series to come into that as quickly. 

I also almost went harder on Ochako’s duality in Missing, almost making Uravity a separate entity that was starting to hate Ochako’s bullshit. I honestly hated that and clearly didn’t do that. Instead, the duality is more “in her head” than anything. This idea kinda comes out in Krow and Asuka instead.

Additionally, there was, once upon a time, an alternative “Missing”, in which Deku chooses not to return to Tokyo for the Pyromancer case, and Ochako faces him alone. It gets obnoxiously dark and gritty, to the point where I’ve taken that OnO fuel and split it between Escape Artists and my little-known horror project Downpour I’ve been working on in not-secret. But, yeah, that’s definitely an abandoned plotline...*shudders*.

There are small details here and there that I changed in both Missing and Missing Out that created alts, mostly concerning Deku and how he fights baddies/figures things out, name changes for OCs, The Ring’s and Pyromancer’s whole identities changed, and Irina’s characterization has really gone through the ringer (from being another lovable asshole bird like Krow that simply gets on his nerves, to being a dangerous, but important antagonist). I also had Deku introduce the idea that people’s quirks can kill them in Missing because I intended to explore it more, and I’m not sure if that’s totally abandoned... 

Thanks for asking this one. <3

--

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Yes. 

All of that. I don’t wanna toot my own horn, but I live for hidden messages, references, callbacks, foreshadowing and symbolism. The Missing series (and to a lesser extent, Fire and Brimstone) is simply overflowing with these things...there’s so much that even with all of the people who have read it, there are still gems and Easter Eggs left to be discovered. And, before I get into it and make this post obscenely long, my reasoning for doing this is simple - I want you to read my fics again...I want to have reread value. 

I’m going to put it under a cut in case anyone wants to discover them for themselves and also general spoils. Here are the ones I’m MOST proud of or that make me laugh or, dare I say it, make me feel smart. This is not an exhaustive list, and of course, I’m not pointing out any future Missing series meta for sake of spoilers.

Titling 

Titles, titles, titles, girl you know I love titles. I’m a title SNOB. And I do A LOT of fun things with titles, such as:

1. Using the title of the fic as a buzz word and callback to the theme. 

I get real obnoxious with this in the Missing series. The overarching theme of Missing is, well, missing people, particularly in the vain of heartache, loss, and longing. And I put it everywhere:

From Missed Chance:

Despite keeping steadfast to her goals and to her future, she knew that for a long time, she'd be missing him.

From Missing:

Today, there would be an update. As much as she wished it weren't so, the only time she saw Deku was when it had to do with Pyromancer or for a brief moment before leaving the police station in the mornings. Any other time, she was missing him.

“I miss you.”

...

“I'm always missing you.” 

That's probably how he wanted it - being Asuka, the one still missing Ai, was too painful.

It couldn't ever be the same again, and Ochako was happy for it, feeling like her life was now so full.

And not a thing was missing.

From Missing Out:

“Miss me?”

“Only a little.”

But even when she was being annoying as hell, I craved her, like I knew I'd miss her. 

Still, after all that time in the cold, her lips seemed like a warm reprieve...if I could have ever gotten there...

I miss her.

I'm always missing her.

^This one’s a double whammy, for obvious reasons.

2. Using chapter titles to run with a theme, too.

This only happens in Missing and Missing Out, but, look:

Chapter titles for Missing are the life of a fire and also follow the level of stress in the fic, as well as Ochako’s feelings: Hot Coals, Rekindling, Reignited, On Fire, Blazing, Inferno, Burn Out, Backdraft

Those words are used in their respective chapters too AND we run through them when Ochako is considering confessing or not in the last chapter.

I pull the same kind of crap in Missing Out, except all the chapter titles are things Ai gave to Asuka. If it’s an object, the object is in the chapter, otherwise, it’s stated in the chapter, too.: A Desperate Lie, Lunch, Skills, Home, No Conditions, Second Chances, Worry, Agony. It’s also in reference to this, because kill me, I guess.

Bonus: Since the story is told from within the theatre of Asuka’s memories, the titles for chapters 7 and 8, “Worry” and “Agony”, are spoiled in Chapter 6 here:

I didn't know I'd missed my last shot at telling her...I didn't know that I really would be missing out on a life with her.

Because everything after this is worry and agony.

BONUS BONUS - THE TITLE OF THE FIC APPEARS HERE TOO BECAUSE I’M OBNOXIOUS.

3. Title allusions and character.

Particularly for “Fire and Brimstone”, the title sounds like it’s just about the main boys, Katsuki = Fire, and Kirishima = Brimstone. BUT BUT BUT it’s also referencing biblical shit, which is appropriate, given it’s an Angel/Demon AU. It refers to God’s wrath when people use it loosely, but it is also the torment in hell for the deadly sin lust. *hint hint nudge nudge*

--

Okay that’s enough about titles. How about the fact that 

Krow is a Crow

So many little crow quirks, lore, and bullshit is put into this character, like wow.

1. The entire concept of his quirk is all about crow lore, in that they are often connected with death in a number of cultures. This is why, although he doesn’t like to explain it, his quirk isn’t literally a sense of smell, but a little more mystical than that. It’s a sense. His quirk also references the Carrion Crow, Corvus corone, for which he’s based, which is a scavenger and is heavily associated with carrion and is native to Japan.

2. The green and purple iridescence of his wings are also referred from the Carrion Crow in particular. 

3. What’s not overly obvious is that crows and ravens have positive lore too - in a number of cultures they are guides and messengers, sometimes to people, sometimes to Gods, which Krow fulfills to both Ochako and Ai (with Ai’s quirk, she could be compared to a goddess, for which he acts as the messenger - this was how she figured their partnership would work). Krow kind of puts this and the negative lore together when he explains his quirk for real in Missing Out:

 As a teenager, I ignored them. Death is everywhere and it usually isn't important. Whatever messages they need sending, I'm not the crow they're looking for.

He also actually has a messenger bag in Missing Out.

4. It’s referenced in Missing and outright admitted in Missing Out that he’s inexplicably attracted to shiny things, which is more or less also crow lore, rather than fact, but still. 

5. Krow’s name “Asuka” is a unisex name that refers to scents, but also birds and flight. There are a bunch of different refs that say differently, but I’m sticking with that. “Dakuro” is Engrish for “Dark”, which, if you really wanna meta, is actually his last name, considering his father is British. “Dakuro” is just how the Japanese people around him pronounce it. XD

6. He admits to collecting random shit he finds aesthetic, in reference to hoarding and collecting as crows do. 

7. Asuka and Ai’s “lunch for quirk fodder” exchange, as well as his giving her the necklace and the box of quirk fodder, is in direct reference to this adorable true story.

8. Asuka speaks more than one language and is capable of mimicry during his “feral response” while fighting the Bear Trap Villain. This is in reference to the fact that crows and ravens are capable of mimicking human speech like parrots.

9. Asuka likes to sit in high places and watch people, and squats in tree for the majority of Missing Out and often bitches about walking anywhere, unless it’s to protect Ai. He has the mentality of a bird. He’s also built like a bird, with hollow bones and air sacs to assist his properly sized wings during flight.

10. He’s actually incredibly intelligent, and uses it to finagle out of tough situations and generally be a trickster, as is crow/raven lore, but crows/ravens are considered the smartest group of birds besides parrots. Unfortunately, this gets balanced out by the fact he’s a teenage human boy, which makes him lazy and capable of dumbass moments. 

11. The murder investigations - there’s a number of instances where Krow can’t help but be drawn to death from his death sense in both Missing and Missing Out. He can’t stop himself from investigating the building Pyro is hiding in, the murder warehouse, and when Ai dies. Crows and ravens will gather around fallen comrades in a mix of mourning and also in an effort to try and figure out what happened and if that threat still pertains to them. 

:3 Birb <3

--

Secret Messages and Tells and Foreshadowing and Symbolism

-In Missed Chance, the duality split of Ochako and Uravity is referenced as happening at a particular moment. Throughout Missing, Uravity is treated as apart from Ochako until the end of Missing where they “agree” on letting Deku help. It’s a duality of self representation.

-At the end of Missing, I’m hoping its clear everyone but Iida was in on leaving the two of them alone. Aoyama initiates it by leaving first.

-There are at least two instances where there’s heavy foreshadowing of the end of chapter 7, once with Aoyama:

“Then where in this overcrowded city?”

“I see. Among the clouds, then.*”

And again with Deku:

“That's a relief. Now, I just need to make sure I don't float myself into the stratosphere and you'll be right!”

-There is SO MUCH symbolism related to flying and birds, I can’t really put it all here, but it’s there. Also so much symbolism to fire in Missing, not only with Pyro’s quirk, but Ochako’s feelings..

-Krow reacts to a memory of Ai before we know she exists (since he’s hiding it) while they are interrogating Necromancer: “That’s not bringing them back. That’s nothing like bringing them back.” He also lets it slip a bit that he’d speaking from experience when ragging on Ochako about Deku. Deku also introduces the idea that people’s quirks can kill them in the same chapter, which is in reference to Ai, but also what ends up happening to Ochako, more or less.

-If you replace Ai’s name with the literal meaning of her name in some sentences of Missing and Missing Out, the UwU angst goes up to an 11. Here’s the one that’s particularly the gut punch:

Ai saved me in every way someone could be saved.

[Love] saved me in every way someone could be saved.

-End of chapter 5 of Missing Out, No Conditions, it should be obvious as hell that if Ai wasn’t in love with Asuka before, she certainly is now. Particularly in the gift box scene, he gives her...butterflies...right? 

-Ai is compared to the winter throughout Missing Out. This is more in reference to what she means to Asuka than anything else. Winter, as a season, is the great equalizer and although things die in the winter, it is also necessary to the bloom in spring. This refers to the shift in Asuka’s life because of her - his villain life ends and his hero life begins. 

-In fact, that whole scene in the snow is based off this gif, particularly the alt comic. It’s of two crows sitting in the snow kissing UwU.

-In both Fire and Brimstone and Missing Out, it should be getting pretty obvious I like to have my winged beasties flutter their wings when they’re in love. 

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Referencing Literature & Real Life & Pop Culture/Memes

-Pyromancer’s first crime in Alaska is based off the McCarthy, Alaska massacre where a lone gunman gunned down 6 of the 22 residents and injured more. Guy almost killed the entire town. Pyromancer actually did.

-I’ve referred to “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe a number of times, particularly in Krow’s famous line

“Nevermore, bitch!”

But I also referenced the Telltale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, Frankenstein, The Wizard of Oz, and fanfiction in general. 

-There’s a pop culture reference in Fire and Brimstone from Bioshock where Shinso says:

“Would you kindly go repent at the alter? Ashido is waiting.”

And I love it a lot, because in Bioshock SPOILERS, “would you kindly” is the trigger phrase that’s supposedly controlling the player, Jack, to do things for Atlas and in canon, Shinso’s quirk is brainwashing. Mineta upon hearing it just goes “okay” and promptly does what Shinso tells him. Shinso’s brainwashing is also referred to by Mineta just before that:

“Or get brainwashed into believing fairy tales,” Mineta said flatly from beside the Angel.

-There is indeed a motherfucking JoJo’s reference in Missing. And there��s more memes where that came from.

-Krow’s use of “my guy”, “lit” etc etc. is self explanatory. He is a whole ass meme chicken.

-In fact, I call Krow and the other birds of the Missing series “chickens” because of the meme of the girl pointing to a bunch of geese saying “look at all these chickens!” In fact, Irina calls and will call Krow a “cock” in Missing Out and Escape Artists, and it’s kind of a more sinister play on this. Transplant and Keeper, during their convo in Missing Out refer to the women captive under Keeper part of her “henhouse” and that she’d need a “rooster” to go through with her plans. Krow also refers to his fight with Irina as a “cockfight”.

-I’m not religious, but the lore is fun to allude to. The religious references should be clear in Fire & Brimstone, and a lot of the words I use relate to the topic, even casually in the narration, but also when the characters say “like hell!” Also in F&B, the real Angelic hierarchy shapes much of the worldbuilding, as do the references to real life racism, police brutality, and other shit like that.

In Missed Chance, the sun coming through the window puts a “halo” around Deku.

In Missing Out, Krow refers to demons on a number of occasions, sometimes towards himself, his family (which in comes the irony, since they look like Angels), but towards the end, it’s used to explain Ai’s mental illness. There are also these choice lines that entertain the notion of heaven and hell:

  Below us was hell – mothers with agendas, school, dipshits, murderous villains, oh my! But up there? It was just us...

I was under no illusions about a heaven...hell certainly exists back down on the ground but I've been high enough now to rule the other place out. Unless this cold, quiet nothingness is supposed to be the intuitive opposite to the chaotic, unfair bullshit below.

-There’s a lot of references and characters with mental illnesses - psychosis, sociopathy, anxiety, depression and PTSD are all explored. In fact, Krow’s tendency to laugh at everything and get triggered by certain events (all of Missing Out is the result of him triggering himself in order to make Ochako realize her mistake) is a tell-tale sign he suffers greatly from PTSD, and Ai’s mental breakdowns are indicative of the anxiety I myself suffer from. Honestly, I just wanted some fics that look into it. 

-In the same strain, all of the characters in Missing present different coping mechanisms towards what first-responders actively go through irl. Much of that was taken from my own life as someone with police in the family and being married to a firefighter/EMT.  

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Okay, that’s enough. Hope you enjoyed...I certainly had fun outlining all of it XD