#kinda like a falconry glove!

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

Seth showcasing how to properly handle an infant mimic

[kiwisoap]

One thing I don't understand is how do they not just.... keep coming back with gifts at the end of the season? Even after you released them? And also, how do you release them on hunts without them then being like "ok bye" and not coming back?

SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I kept meaning to answer it but kept forgetting 😅

ANYWAY, this is a good opportunity for me to ramble about falconry more so I hope you want a several paragraph explanation lmaO

SO basically the answer to the first part is that the hawk isn't hunting for the falconer, it's hunting for itself - it doesn't actually bring the kill back to the falconer! Its goal is just to catch what it's hunting and then begin eating; it's the falconer's job to then go to the bird and do a "trade off" to get it off the kill (usually by covering the kill with a towel and then offering the bird some meat on the glove). So the bird doesn't have any incentive to bring anything to the falconer, because it already got what it wanted! Which is why they just kinda go off and do their own thing once they're released.

And the answer to the second part is: A combination of trust, training, and weight management. The bird needs to trust that you're a good hunting partner (aka, they need to understand that they're more likely to make a kill when they're with you) and that you don't want to harm them or fight with them over their kill, they needto be trained to follow and to return to the glove/lure when called, and - THE MOST IMPORTANT PART - they need to be at a proper weight when you release them on a hunt.

Weight management is super important because all the trust and training in the world won't get a fat bird to come back to you LMAO. Raptors (like most predators) are pretty lazy, and if they don't have a reason to hunt (like, for example, if they have enough fat stored), then they won't be very interested in working for a meal. Many many falconers have lost birds by flying them at too high of a weight and having the bird just fly off and stop responding to them.

Weight management is honestly the most important part of successful falconry, but its something that doesn't get talked about much to non-falconers because a lot of people hear that the birds are kept "hungry" and assume they're being starved, which is NOT the case - they are kept lean (or "sharp"), aka their body weight/body fat percentage is low enough that they're a little bit hungry and motivated to hunt, but high enough that they have enough energy to chase and subdue prey. The weight of a falconry bird is super closely managed (especially during the hunting season) to ensure that they're not losing or gaining too much weight. Some falconers (typically those that work with smaller birds like kestrels or sharp-shinned hawks) maintain their bird's weight within a super narrow range, like 1-2 grams. For Odyssey, I keep him within a roughly 40g range during the hunting season (790-830g) - right now he's allowed to get fat though since it'll be time for him to molt soon LOL

ANYWAY, hope that answered your question(s) :-) thank you for asking!

[urisk-factor]

Creedock Headcannons:

If Dock decides to lie down, Alastor can and will sit on his stomach.

Dock can be kinda flirty and it always gets Alastor flustered.

If anyone touches Alastor he will instantly murder them (or try to). Dock is exempt. In fact, Alastor really likes cuddles with his big husband.

One time a politician was trying to get the support of the Jury, but it came out that the politician was super homophobic while visiting the Jury's bass (which I like to call the Court). Alastor walked over to Dock and they just started kissing. The politician left quickly and stopped trying to get thr Jury's support. He soon faded away into oblivion and was only remembered by a few people, including the Jury because holy crap what a day.

Ok but Superhero AU where Dock and Alastor are both heroes, and as civilians like to joke about how each other's alter ego have a nice ass. (I have thought a lot about this AU and would be very happy if someone were to ask about it.)

Alastor and Dock would absolutely have adopted a raven. Her name is Melissa "Big Sexy" Ear Infection, Melissa for short.

(The "Big Sexy" part is from Lance (and IRL me was inspired by that cat named Big Sexy from the "Bring Sexy Back" article. Basically the cat, Big Sexy, went missing, but was later found.))

Alastor likes to introduce Dock as his "Big Husband".

Alastor once tried on Dock's mask while he was away and almost threw up. Later asked Dock what he does with that thing to make it so stinky. The answer is drink poison. Lots and lots of poison.

Ok but They're Only Human from Death Note (the Musical) would be pretty good for the Immortal Husbands AU (that I would get around to writing but...).

Their cats (Thierry, Edward, Tumour, and Stem) are all rescues.

Dock's magick could allow him to turn into a raven if he wanted to, but Dock doesn't like his magick so he doesn't. Alastor still carries ond of those falconry gloves or whatever they're called in his coat pocket at all times.

Dock makes a kissy sound or kisses in Alastor's direction and Alastor immediately gets super flustered, complete with childish giggling, a red face, and playing with his hair.

Dock sometimes does Alastor's hair in the morning. Alastor really enjoys when Dock does this.

Dock is constantly having to lift Alastor up so that Alastor can reach the top shelf.

Alastor sometimes comes home in the middle of the night, finds Dock asleep, and just curls up next to him, pulling one of Dock's giant arms over him and snuggling close.

[justicewinged]

headcanon: quinn’s birds

Valor isn’t the only bird Quinn has ever had. Quinn has flown more birds before him and will fly many more birds after he passes. Falconry is so embedded in her life and livelihood thanks to her job and her mother, there just isn’t any room for her to do anything else.

Beware, LONG HEADCANON POST AHEAD. I am a nerd. I am nerding out. doN’T LOOK AT ME. Images are included.

Winter | Gyrfalcon | hand-trained, deceased

Sex: Female Age at Catch: Hatchling Height: 24in. (2ft) Wingspan: 48in. (4ft) Weight: 3.5lbs

Quinn first learned falconry on her mother’s hand-trained bird. Irma swore by Winter in all cases and kept her on hand in the stables, despite the fact Winter was a big female with a mean streak. For a falcon, she was huge, and for Demacia, her white plumage was only ever useful in the snow, but given someone to flush quarry, she thrived. When Irma disappeared, she took Winter with her, and Quinn hasn’t seen Winter since.

A handful of Quinn’s scars are from Winter. She’s still sore on this fact.

Shiv | Broad-winged Hawk | re-released

Sex: Male Age at Catch: 4 y/o Age at Release: 6 y/o Height: 13in. (1′1″) Wingspan: 31in. (2′7″) Weight: 0.5lbs

After Quinn showed an aptitude for falconry, her mother helped her catch a new bird. The broadwings in the area around Uwendale are very familial, so having one as a falconry bird was never too much of a trouble. Shiv was trapped as a juvenile, and Quinn kept him through two molts, but ultimately, he had a personality that did not jive with Quinn very well in the long run. The two parted ways on decent enough terms for falconer and bird, and Quinn could hear his cries in the afternoons around her family home until she moved out.

His bad habit was whacking her in the face with his wings as he came into land. 

Valor | Azurite Eagle | hand-trained

I use Chilean Blue Eagles (aka Black Chested Buzzard-Eagles) to represent a young Valor.

Sex: Male Age at Catch: 1 y/o Height: 38in. (3′2″) * Wingspan: 73in. (6′1″) * Weight: 12lbs

* size current to Valor at 5 y/o. He lives to be 17, and only grows larger.

Quinn projected a lot of the grief of Caleb’s death onto Valor, and he became the new Caleb -- the one she was taking on all her adventures. The pair of them have been through a lot together and he trusts her more than anyone else in the world. He has a tendency to bite strangers, and a bit of a mean streak when it comes to people he doesn’t know. His intuition is unparalleled when it comes to intention. He’s the kinda bird Quinn will talk to and confide in, even though he can’t talk.

As an eagle, he’s prone to bad habits. Valor foots at the glove when he’s upset or antsy, has days when he refuses to come down, and occasionally will shred his equipment. Quinn is constantly making him new things because he trashes so much. He also eats cats on occasion, making him a terror to the populace of Demacia City.

Valor dies in the middle of Dying of the Light arc. Which brings me to the next bird...

Arcane | Great Red Kite*| bred warbird

* invented species based on the real-life Red Kite.

Sex: Female Height: 29in (2′5″) Wingspan: 76in (6′4″) Weight: 3lbs

Arcane was never really Quinn’s bird. They worked well enough together, but they never got along, and Arcane was distinctly Noxian trained. Despite her comparatively diminutive size to Valor, she bit harder and clawed harder than he ever did. Between the two of them, Arcane was in charge often, and Quinn rarely so. They never interacted outside the arena, but Quinn was glad to let her go when she did. In her later life, many of the bird-looking scars are from Arcane’s beak and talons.

Note that Arcane wore a whole helmet for combat, whereas Valor only wore wing guards.

Kapo | Ornate Hawk-Eagle | hand-trained

Sex: Male Age at Catch: Hatchling Height: 23in (1′11″) Wingspan: 51in (4′3″) Weight: 2.6lbs

Illaoi actually found Kapo while she was on a walk, trying to debate how she might allow Quinn to find motion again. She’d been doing everything in her power. Kapo had taken grave injury by a warf rat, and was very sick and hurt. Illaoi took her back to Quinn, who found purpose in nursing the little guy back to health. And in nursing him, he nursed Quinn’s mental health back to a place where she could be her own person again. 

The most important thing about Kapo is that he wasn’t Valor, nor was he anything like Valor. He was shy at first, where Valor would ordinarily thrive. He was meek and needed Quinn to take the lead. But this was by no means a bad thing -- it forced Quinn to think differently, and that helped her grow.

Liberty | Freljordian Eagle Owl* | foster

* based on the real-life bird the Siberian Eagle-owl, a morph of the Eurasian Eagle-owl.

Sex: Female Age at Catch: 12 y/o Height: 27in (2′3″) Wingspan: 70in (5′10″) Weight: 7lbs

Quinn took Liberty in when she moved to the Freljord with Kapo. Due to him being a tropical bird, his already poor, aging health took a sharp decline. She knew he was going to die, but she didn’t wish to keep him out on the open ocean for longer than she had to. Enter: Liberty. She was found a little outside the hovel Quinn took up upon starting her time living in the taiga south of Avarosan lands. Both Liberty and Quinn were older, and Liberty already had in her mind the ideas of all she wanted to do, so training was a bit of an uphill battle. But the two of them clicked somehow, and Liberty became Quinn’s main bird upon Kapo’s inevitable death.

[axecop--moved]

Mercury n Essen. All

screams thank u!!

Mercury

1: What's your OCs favorite color?Blue? I wanna say blue. That’s so generic tho omg.

2: Where does your OC work?UHM. He used to work as an intern at a lab by his hometown, and then he got a gig as a head scientist at one of the most powerful labs in the region, and then he became the head of an evil organization. Long story short.... He’s a scientist.

3: What's your OCs favorite food?What the fuck do they even eat in pokemon??? Berries??? Vegetables?? Slowpoke tails?? Macarons?

4: Does your OC prefer paper or plastic?I dont know?? Pokemon>? ? ??

5: How old is your OC?He’s 19 when the story starts... and i wanna say he’s 30 when he’s the head of the evil organization but like what the fuck Cyrus is 27 and he leads Team Galactic?? Shit boi I don’t even know. The story starts with Mercury at 19 tho.

6: Does your OC have any supernatural powers?Uh. No but for an hour or so of his life he literally had the powers of God.

7: Is your OC in a relationship?He WAS. yea. Good Times. He dated Essen.

8: What are some of your OCs strengths?SUPER FUCKING SMART and EXTREMELY passionate. Will always achieve his goals and is such a hard worker and can persevere through any situation without giving up.

9: What are some of your OCs weaknesses?He values his work and research over evrything else and can be very reckless because of it. He will (and does) literally leave everything in order to achieve what he wants to do.

10: What is your OCs favorite outfit?Mercury has no fuckin care in the world about what he wears.

11: What is your OCs spirit animal????? arceus.

12: Is your OC sexually active?this is a pokemon story.

13: What is your OCs earliest memory?His parents giving him his skitty!

14: Does your OC have a cell phone? If so, what kind?Uh... Xtransceiver I guess?

15: What makes your OC angry?When people belittle him or don’t put any faith or care about what it is he’s doing. He had to go through a lot of shit for his research.

16: When is your OCs favorite time of year?He doesn’t care... This boy is such a shut-in he never goes outside.

17: How long can your OC hold their breath?A Long Time. Probably well over a minute.

18: What kind of underwear does your OC wear?I dont??? Know???

19: Does your OC prefer plaid or polka dots?Plaid???

20: What's your OCs favorite kind of pizza?Veggie

21: Who is your OCs best friend?His delcatty!

22: Has your OC ever killed someone?I wouldn’t be surprised if he did fnhebwiwfeuj

23: Whats your OCs biggest secret?HOOO BOY he secretly used to do awful experimentation on pokemon before he got found out

24: What does your OC smell like?A chemistry classroom. 

25: What time of year does your OC prefer?He doesn’t care he never goes outside.

26: Is your OC a human or an animal? (or something else idk)He’s a human! 

27: What languages does your OC speak?English ig? Since the region he’s in is based heavily off of California.

28: Does your OC like anime?No?

29: Can your OC swim?No

30: What does your OC choose to do about the, er, hair down there?This is a pokemon story, Janice.

31: Does your OC believe in fairies?Fairy pokemon are in fact a thing that exist.

32: Did your OC go to college? What did they major in?I don’t think pokemon has college? He did go to a trainer school but was not interested at all in the “trainer pokemon adventuring” aspect of it.

33: Are your OCs parents dead?No 

34: Is your OC religious?He is religious in himself. He convinces himself that he’s God at a certain point.

35: How flexible is your OC?Very

36: What turns your OC on?Janice!! This is a pokemon story!!

37: What was your OCs first word?I dont know?? mama/??

38: Does your OC have any pets?He has a Delcatty! and like... a pokemon team I haven’t developed yet.

39: Who is your OCs biggest enemy?All those assholes who undermined him and didn’t think his research would amount to anything becausE LOOK WHERE HE IS NOW BITCHES! HE CAN KILL ALL OF YOU.

40: What is the craziest thing your OC has done?OHDUEG. RUN AND LEAD AN EVIL ORGANIZATION SOLEY FOR THE REASON OF SPLICING AND COMBINING GENES TO CREAT THE ULTIMATE SPECIES AND EVEN GOES AS FAR AS TO TRY AND MERGE HIMSELF WITH AN ALL-POWERFUL LIFE-CREATING SPECIES.

41: What is your OCs motto about life?Life’s gonna beat u up so u gotta like study and shit so that you can own it.

42: Does your OC drink coffee or tea?Coffee. A lot of coffee.

43: Who is your OCs biggest hero?Himself :3c

44: What color eyes does your OC have?Green? 

45: Does your OC like reading?Yes, immensely. 

46: Is your OC loyal?Uhhh. I would say yeah but he literally ditched the love of his life so that he could pursue in his research.

47: Does your OC tolerate violence?Yeah. He gets violent himself.

48: What social class is your OC from?Pokemon is a communist society. (i dont fucking know)

49: What country was your OC born in?The region I made up for him.

50: Does your OC cry easily?Noyes?? He doesn’t have good control over his emotions and he’s emotionally unstable. Half of it is him not even being able to cry and half of it is probably nonstop waterworks.

51: What is your OCs favorite genre of music?Opening up his windows and hearing the very nice, soothing sound of Kricketunes’ nonstop DELE-DELE-DELE-DELE-WOOoOoOOooOOOOP

52: How does your OC feel about insects?He likes bug type pokemon ig.

53: What is your OCs sexual orientation?Bisexual and crying.

54: Does your OC smoke?No

55: What gender is your OC?Male

56: What kind of clothes does your OC wear?Worn out clothes. He throws on whatever. 

57: Would you call your OC adventurous?Nope.

58: Is your OC introverted or extroverted?Introverted.

59: What is the first thing that someone would notice about your OC?His hair is so fucking long and he’s so... He looks so not taken care of...

60: Does your OC enjoy nature?He wouldn’t know if he does.___________________________

Essen1: What's your OCs favorite color?Earthy green.

2: Where does your OC work?He’s a member of the Elite 4, and this region that basically means that he looks over the defense and justice of the region and he also oversees and determines the fundings of all the scientific facilities.

3: What's your OCs favorite food?I dont know,,, what people eat in pokemon,,, like are they all vegetarian??? I know they eat slowpoke tails but like????

4: Does your OC prefer paper or plastic??????

5: How old is your OC?Bruh I don’t know. He’s in his 20s for a good part of the story.

6: Does your OC have any supernatural powers?Nah man

7: Is your OC in a relationship?He was extremely committed to Mercury until shit hit the fan.

8: What are some of your OCs strengths?Really cool guy honestly. Super skilled trainer that can bring out the most potential from his pokemon and he comes off as just really trusting and he has super good judgement... He kinda needs to be a strong guy since he kind of takes part of overseeing a huge part of the region.

9: What are some of your OCs weaknesses?You know what?????? He loved Mercury so fucking much I can’t even express this enough it’s super lame and honestly that made him blind to a lot of things.

10: What is your OCs favorite outfit?UHM. It’s actually a rule in the Elite 4 that you need to wear an outfit that establishes and matches your theme. So Essen wears a pilot hat w/ goggles, a leather bomber jacket, aviator pants, and boots. So basically he dresses like a pilot. But he also has this falconry glove on his right arm.

11: What is your OCs spirit animal?bird

12: Is your OC sexually active?JANICE!!!

13: What is your OCs earliest memory?Sitting at his window, watching a flock of pokemon take flight and feeling an overwhelming sense of inspiration.

14: Does your OC have a cell phone? If so, what kind?xtransceiver????

15: What makes your OC angry?

16: When is your OCs favorite time of year?Summer and spring! It’s usually when his pokemon are most active!

17: How long can your OC hold their breath?A while I guess? He flies at high altitudes so he’s used to having to control and regulate his breathing.

18: What kind of underwear does your OC wear?I don’t!! fucking know!!

19: Does your OC prefer plaid or polka dots?Plaid.?? I don’t think I’ve ever picked polka dots for this question.

20: What's your OCs favorite kind of pizza?suhBFWIDWBHJE PINEAPPLE.

21: Who is your OCs best friend?The other members of the Elite 4. 

22: Has your OC ever killed someone?nO

23: Whats your OCs biggest secret?I don’t... think he has one. I don’t know man it’s pokemon.

24: What does your OC smell like?Leather, dust, and like birds.

25: What time of year does your OC prefer?Summer and Spring.

26: Is your OC a human or an animal? (or something else idk)Human

27: What languages does your OC speak?English. idk.

28: Does your OC like anime?No????

29: Can your OC swim?Yes

30: What does your OC choose to do about the, er, hair down there?J A N I C E

31: Does your OC believe in fairies?yEah fairies exist in pokemon. 

32: Did your OC go to college? What did they major in?No college in pokemon idk. Uhm I guess Essen would be the equivalent to a pokemon ornithologist  though!

33: Are your OCs parents dead?NO

34: Is your OC religious?Arceus?

35: How flexible is your OC?Not very.. 

36: What turns your OC on?no!!!!!!!!!!!

37: What was your OCs first word???//

38: Does your OC have any pets?He owns a ranch that kind of doubles as a sanctuary for bird pokemon. So he has many pets.

39: Who is your OCs biggest enemy?jdhinriwruirfihn there was a point in time where the answer of this would’ve been Mercury but guess where my gay ass put them now.

40: What is the craziest thing your OC has done?Essen is so fucking cray. Like he has such a sappy and lame theme. He rides his pokemon while he’s in battle because he wants to show whoever he’s battling that having trust in your pokemon is the #1 priority. Homeboy has almost been killed while battling 10 year olds several times.

41: What is your OCs motto about life?I dont know. Follow your dreams.

42: Does your OC drink coffee or tea?Coffee. Him and Mercury just drink multiple pots of coffee everyday. 

43: Who is your OCs biggest hero?His dad.

44: What color eyes does your OC have?Brown????

45: Does your OC like reading?Indifferent to it. 

46: Is your OC loyal?hahah yeah. Very.

47: Does your OC tolerate violence?No. I mean aside from pokemon battles fhufijweufwf.

48: What social class is your OC from?i dont know

49: What country was your OC born in?The region I made up.

50: Does your OC cry easily?Probably,,, he’s a fluffy boy,,

51: What is your OCs favorite genre of music?i dont know

52: How does your OC feel about insects?he can beat them UP with his bird pokemon.

53: What is your OCs sexual orientation?Gay?

54: Does your OC smoke?No

55: What gender is your OC?Male

56: What kind of clothes does your OC wear?Outside of his pilot get-up he just wears your typical jeans and a T-shirt?? I’m so uncreative sue me.

57: Would you call your OC adventurous?Hell yeah.

58: Is your OC introverted or extroverted?Extroverted.

59: What is the first thing that someone would notice about your OC?He’s so fucking cool and he’s like one of the top celebrities of the region.

60: Does your OC enjoy nature? Yes. Immensely.