#lovecraft and birds

[hplovecraftmuseum]

Lovecraft and animals, Part 11: Horses - The Shantak Birds, which are somewhat like reverse hippogryphs in aspect are featured in THE DREAM QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH. These creatures - used only by the extremely bold for transportation - have the heads of horses and the bodies of an eagle. Instead of feathers they are covered in scales. Of the more normal animals of Lovecraft's Dreamland used for transportation - at least in the Southern regions - is the zebra. The fact that zebras are both black and white might have had some symbolic significance for HPL. BIRDS - We have the aforementioned Shantak Birds which are really hardly birds, but there is also the Bird of Heaven in HPL's short Dreamland tale, THE WHITE SHIP. This avian creature follows the protagonist - a lighthouse keeper in the real world - on his fantastical dream quest visiting various fabled cities and regions in the land of dream. Unfortunately our hero's gleaming white ship is destroyed in the end along with all its crew. The Bird of Heaven lies dead in the waves and a ship has crashed against the rocks at the base of the keeper's lighthouse. I guess the moral of the story is that too much time dreaming can have dire consequences in the waking world? Whipporwills take on a supernatural significance in the story, THE DUNWICH HORROR. Flocks of the birds wait outside houses of the dying hoping to catch their soul as it leaves the body. Snails - Some aspects of the cone-bodied creatures of Yith, also called by Lovecraft, The Great Race, are snail- like. Beaneath their hard outer shell-like bases the Yithians creep about on a slippery 'foot' not unlike that of a snail. Their retractable arms end in claws like a crabs, but their globular heads are surmounted by flower- like protrusions calling to mind the waving viscous eye stalks of a snail. (Exhibit 420)

[theatsthetic]

The Birds of Ballygáire.

thank you so much for reading. i appreciate it.

Special thanks to @terastrialbean for script editing & @junkohanhero for their wonderful typewriter fonts.

[album-aurum]

I did a thing! About Nyarlathoteps forms. I'm still bad in eng translation, so i hope i did it not that bad

Also last page that i've changed - bunch of nyarlas

[doctorslippery]

[ketrinadrawsalot]

Bonus Penguin: The Albino Penguins were bred by the Elder Things long ago, but their purpose is unknown. They eventually lost their eyesight and pigmentation after moving to the subterranean ruins when Antarctica froze over.

[lordofthesoups]

I dont really post my art here but i spent 10 hours on this and im really proud of it.

[makosxa]

some of my cthulhu mythos doodles from long ago

[fandomsideworks]

horror movies/shows based on books IV

x h.p. lovecraft (underwater)

x annihilation

x rosemary’s baby

x it

x the birds

[hplovecraftmuseum]

One of Lovecraft's minor short stories of the so-called Dreamland series was titled, THE WHITE SHIP. in style it was highly reminiscent of the works of Lord Dunsany. Dunsany along with Poe was unquestionably the most powerful influence on Lovecraft's literary achievements. Though Dunsany's dreamy and archaic style was seen more infrequently as Lovecraft's style matured his protagonists at times would drift into Dunsanian verbage when quoting from ancient and forbidden tomes like the Necronomicon, etc. One of the elements mentioned in THE WHITE SHIP was "the celestial bird" also referenced several times as "the bird of heaven". This large and hovering bird glides above The White Ship leading it on to ever more more glorious and mysterious cities and regions of "the land of Dreams". Unfortunately by the climax of the tale "The White Ship" and the "bird of heaven" come to ruin. The protagonist of the story, a lighthouse keeper in the "real world" wakes to find the blue feathered bird of his dreams dead on the rocks at the base of his lighthouse. Added to this he sees a broken, pure white spar of a wrecked ship washing in the waves and rocks. After this the lighthouse keeper is never able to travel to the bejeweled regions of Dreamland ever again. Lovecraft discribed the bird of his story as having blue plumage not unlike the colour of the sky. Though the exact species of the bird is not identified (if its type even exists in the real world?) we might imagine that the Great Blue Heron might have been an inspiration for its appearance. The photo below was taken by your curator at Lake Elkhorn, Columbia, MD. (Exhibit 526)

[theatsthetic]

The Birds of Ballygáire

A short film. (the comic format can be found here) (Watch it on Youtube)

Written & Illustrated by Aydin T. Sarami (that's me) Voice Acted by Elijah Jagne Script Edited by Tera Virgin @terastrialbean

Tox Typewriter font by Junkohanhero The End Credits Theme is Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out by Bessie Smith

[album-aurum]

nyarla, shantak and cthulhu

[jaquemes]

late stage pandemic was crucial i hated u and me

[justmaghookit]

Why did no one tell me the King in Yellow is basically a dystopian scifi.

[rastronomicals]

10:30 AM EST January 31, 2024:

HP Lovecraft - "High Flying Bird" From the album II (September 1968)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

Their version of the foreboding tune by Billy Edd Wheeler earlier covered by Jefferson Airplane and later covered by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

[wwccol]

The Signal: Gotham’s Daylight Guardian

The Batfamily is trying to unravel Duke's "daytime crime-busting secret" only to discover that it's literally just Duke being Duke—and looking like a terrifying eldritch being—it’s brilliant.

Tim: "Okay, I’ve been running the stats. Crime in Gotham during the day has dropped by, like, 40%. That’s not normal. Something’s going on."

Jason: "I say Duke’s been moonlighting as a Jedi or something. There’s no other explanation."

Duke: "I swear, I’m just... out there, doing my thing. Nothing fancy!"

Dick: "Right. Which is why we’re all suiting up and following you tomorrow. For science."

The next day, the Batfamily gathers on a rooftop near Wayne Tower, decked out in their suits, ready to tail Duke as discreetly as possible.

Jason: "Alright, Narrows, go do your thing. We’ll stay out of sight."

Duke (rolling his eyes): "You guys are making this way weirder than it needs to be. I’m just... patrolling."

Dick: "That’s exactly what makes it suspicious. Go on."

Duke sighs, mutters something about how everyone’s being dramatic, and leaps off the rooftop.

The rest of the Batfamily follows at a safe distance, blending into shadows and keeping tabs via comms. At first, everything seems normal. Duke stops a mugging with a quick intervention and moves on. But as he continues, they start noticing patterns .

Witnessing The Signal in Action

A small group of teenagers loitering in an alley suddenly stiffen as Duke lands silently on a nearby fire escape. He doesn’t even say anything—just crouches there, watching.

Teen 1 (terrified whisper): "Did you see that? Oh my god, it’s looking at us!"

Teen 2: "What is that thing?!"

The group scatters like frightened birds.

On another street, a man about to break into a car looks up and sees Duke silhouetted against the sunlight. The golden glow of Duke’s eyes intensifies, and shadows seem to curl unnaturally around his frame.

Car Thief: "Nope. Nope. Not today. I’m going back to Metropolis."

He drops his crowbar and sprints away.

From a nearby rooftop, the Batfamily watches everything unfold.

Tim: "Okay, I don’t get it. He didn’t even do anything that time."

Barbara (from the comms): "I checked the cameras. He just landed on a fire escape and... stared. Is this his whole strategy?"

Steph: "Wait, is this some kind of Jedi mind trick? Duke, are you secretly psychic?"

Duke (on comms): "No! I’m not psychic. I don’t know why they’re freaking out!"

Jason: "I’ll tell you why—they think you’re a demon, dude. You’ve got the whole Lovecraft vibe going on. Look at you! You’re like a glowing shadow monster on top of a building."

Dick: "He’s not wrong. You’re giving off serious 'guardian of the apocalypse' energy."

Duke: "You guys are exaggerating. I just look... cool. Right?"

The Batfamily decides to test the hypothesis. Jason volunteers to get closer for a better look, pretending to be a random pedestrian.

He casually strolls down the street, glances up at Duke on the rooftop, and immediately freezes. Even Jason—who routinely faces death and chaos—is struck by the sheer wrongness of Duke’s appearance. It’s not that Duke’s doing anything malicious. It’s just... unsettling.

Jason (into comms): "Okay, yeah. It’s definitely the eldritch horror thing. My fight-or-flight reflex just kicked in, and I know it’s him ."

Duke: "I still don’t see it!"

Barbara: "Hold on. I’m recording this. I’ll pull up the feed so you can see what Gotham sees."

Back in the Batcave, Barbara plays the daytime surveillance footage on the main screen. The Batfamily watches in stunned silence as the video shows Duke leaping across rooftops. In the broad daylight, his glowing golden aura seems magnified. His shadow stretches unnaturally, flickering like it has a mind of its own. His eyes gleam with an unearthly intensity, and he moves with a predator-like grace that’s both mesmerizing and terrifying.

Dick: "Wow. You’re like Batman’s scarier, solar-powered cousin."

Steph: "Or the protagonist of a found-footage horror movie."

Tim: "Oh my god. Duke... you look like the final boss of a cosmic horror video game."

Jason: "No wonder Gotham’s criminals are freaked out. You look like you’re about to drag their souls into the void."

Duke (finally seeing it): "...Oh. Oh no."

Duke leans against the console, burying his head in his hands.

Duke: "I thought people were just scared of, like... the idea of a Bat vigilante. Not me personally. "

Tim: "I mean, technically, it’s still the idea of a bat vigilante. You’re just the daytime version. And the daytime version is... apparently an eldritch sentinel."

Bruce (stepping in): "This works to our advantage. Fear is a powerful deterrent."

Duke (sarcastically): "Great. My entire crime-fighting persona is an eldrich nightmare… That’s not weird at all."

Later

The Batfamily decides to lean into Duke’s unique abilities. They even brainstorm ways to amplify the effect subtly (glowing lenses for his mask, playing up the shadow distortion) while ensuring Duke feels supported.

Bruce: "You’ve turned daylight into an ally in a way no one else has. Use it."

Duke: "Yeah, but... can we not make me look like the end boss of Gotham?"

Jason: "Too late, man. It’s perfect."

As they laugh and tease Duke, he starts to accept his role as Gotham’s daytime terror—a protector like no other. Though, deep down, he secretly enjoys how effective it is.

Extra

Scenario 1: The Hallway Horror

It’s late at night, and the Batfamily is scattered throughout Wayne Manor. Jason is heading to the kitchen for a midnight snack when he senses movement out of the corner of his eye. He turns to see Duke standing at the end of the dimly lit hallway, perfectly still.

Duke’s golden eyes are glowing faintly in the dark, his shadow stretching unnaturally along the walls. Jason freezes.

Jason (startled): "Jesus Christ, Duke! What are you doing?!"

Duke: "I was heading to my room."

Jason (still on edge): "Well, don’t stand there like a damn ghost! You scared the crap out of me!"

Duke raises an eyebrow.

Duke: "You’re literally a guy who sneaks up on criminals for a living. How did I scare you? "

Jason grumbles as he stalks off to the kitchen. Later, he tells everyone at breakfast that Duke’s "eldritch hallway act" nearly gave him a heart attack.

Scenario 2: The Living Room Light Show

The family is hanging out in the Wayne Manor living room after a patrol. The lights are dimmed, and everyone’s winding down. Duke is lounging on the couch, half-asleep, when Tim notices something strange.

Tim: "Uh... Duke? You’re glowing."

Everyone turns to look at Duke, who blinks in confusion. Sure enough, his golden aura has started to flicker faintly in the dim room. Shadows from the furniture stretch and bend toward him like they’re being pulled into a vortex.

Dick: "Okay, that’s... unsettling."

Steph (grinning): "Is this your way of telling us you’re secretly a nightlight?"

Duke, now fully awake, tries to suppress the glow. But the more he panics, the brighter his eyes get, until Jason hurls a throw pillow at him.

Jason: "Turn it off! You’re gonna summon Cthulhu in the middle of movie night!"

Bruce walks in, sees the chaos, and just sighs.

Bruce: "No eldritch summoning in the living room. Take it to the cave."

Scenario 3: Shadow in the Batcave

Tim is working late in the Batcave, surrounded by monitors and gadgets. He hears footsteps behind him and assumes it’s Bruce.

Tim (without looking): "Hey, can you hand me the—"

He turns around to see Duke standing there silently, his glowing eyes piercing through the shadows of the cave. Tim yelps and nearly falls out of his chair.

Duke (startled): "Whoa! Tim, it’s just me!"

Tim (catching his breath): "Don’t sneak up on people like that! You’re like a freaking cryptid in here!"

Duke smirks, but when he steps closer, the shadows behind him flicker unnaturally.

Tim: "Nope! Nope! Back up! You’re officially banned from the Batcave after dark."

Scenario 4: Bedside Terror

Damian wakes up in the middle of the night and spots a tall, shadowy figure standing silently by his bed. He grabs his katana instinctively and swings—only to realize it’s Duke, glowing faintly.

Damian: "Thomas! What are you doing?"

Duke (guiltily): "I, uh... thought I saw a shadow move in your room. Turns out it was just me."

Damian groans and flops back onto his bed.

Damian: "Next time, announce your presence before you scare someone into an early grave."

Scenario 5: The Kitchen Incident

Steph and Damian are in the kitchen arguing over the last cookie Alfred made.

Damian: "It’s mine. I called dibs."

Steph: "You can’t call dibs on dessert, Demon Spawn!"

As the argument escalates, the lights flicker, and a low hum fills the air. Both turn to see Duke standing in the doorway, his eyes glowing faintly. The refrigerator light casts long, exaggerated shadows across the floor, making Duke look ten feet tall.

Duke (deadpan): "Why is it always the cookies?"

Steph and Damian scream simultaneously.

Damian (recovering, annoyed): "Tt. That was unnecessary."

Steph: "Duke, I swear, one of these days you’re gonna give me a heart attack."

Scenario 6: Midnight Training Gone Wrong

Dick decides to train late in the Batcave, running through an obstacle course. He doesn’t realize Duke is also there, watching from the shadows. As Dick flips off a beam, he catches sight of Duke perched on a ledge, his glowing eyes tracking him like a predator.

Dick slips mid-flip and lands on the mat with a thud.

Dick: "DUKE! Why are you lurking like that?!"

Duke hops down gracefully.

Duke: "I wasn’t lurking. I was observing."

Dick: "You were lurking. Your shadows were doing the creepy tentacle thing again!"

Duke glances at his shadow, which does seem to be moving independently, and shrugs.

Duke: "I can’t control that all the time. Besides, you’re supposed to have situational awareness."

Dick: "Not for you ! You’re worse than Bruce!"

:D!!! lol posting here but I also posted on AO3