Harpy Au - Tumblr Posts
Really wanted to draw Hunter's harpy form from @savzo 's harpy au! Hope I did it justice :P
GO READ THIS!!! IT IS SO WELL THOUGHT OUT AND CUTE AND RHSHUSKEBRJE !!!
Harpy AU part 1 (3/7)
Today, I’ll be talking about my Beetlejuice Harpy AU. This one will be split up into two parts, the first part explaining the story itself, and the second part talking all about fun harpy stuff that will realistically never be talked about in the actual story. @possum-quesadilla
Shilo’s character playlist
Beetlejuice’s character playlist
Juno’s character playlist
Inspo: A character ai chat, the KREE series by scribble_mama on tiktok.
Basic plot:
Shilo (an OC), has been hunting down Beetlejuice (who is a harpy) for eight years. She eventually finds him and brings him back to her secluded cabin in the woods to study him. The two of them bond and eventually date. However, Shilo isn’t the only one who was tracking Beetlejuice down. His mother, Juno, has been searching for him for a while, and she won't rest until she gets him back.
Keep in mind that this information is mainly just for the first story. I’m working on the sequel for it, but I haven’t posted any chapters yet. Maybe I’ll make a part three just for talking about those sequel characters…
Character stuff:
Shilo
She/her
She’s 25. She’s always struggled to fit in, both with her peers and with her family. She ended up running away after a falling out with her parents, and she hasn’t returned home since. She is neurodivergent, and struggles a lot with social skills and obsession. Sometimes she gets so focused on one thing, she forgets to take care of herself. However, she’s also very strong, skilled, and independent. She’s very creative. She can also be rather stubborn, which can benefit or hurt her, depending on the situation.
Beetlejuice
He/him
He’s not completely sure how old he is, but he thinks it’s around 600 years.
He’s not great in social situations. After having to live and deal with Juno and her abuse for so long, he hatched (pun intended) a plan to run away. He ended up getting caught, and as a result, he murdered Juno. He was on the run for a while after that, and eventually ended up in the forests of Vermont, where he stayed for a while. Then Shilo caught him. He’s got a lot of family issues, with his mom being abusive and neglectful and his dad being absent. He’s got some anger issues and a lot of trauma around fire.
Juno
She/her
She’s around 620 years old.
Though female harpies are generally stronger and larger in this au, Juno was a runt. This caused her to be shunned by her flock members, as power and respect is given based on strength and size in her flock. She always felt that she deserved more. Juno, before her transformation, was a forest floor harpy and a member of the Canis Minor flock.
One night, she was approached by a demon (I won't name him for now) who promised that he’d grant her power, fame, and respect in exchange for her sleeping with him and keeping him company. She accepted, and the demon granted her phoenix powers. She could create and manipulate fire, she had a significantly longer life span (the average lifespan of a female harpy being around 200-250 years), she had stronger wings and sharp claws, and she could shapeshift. She was given very bright, warm feathers, which stood out and drew attention in her generally green environment.
However, the power she had got to her head. She became abusive towards her demonic partner, who decided to match her energy. Neither of them were good to each other. Eventually, the time came for harpies to battle for the spot of leader (I’ll talk more about that after this). Juno took everyone down and became leader of the flock. Due to her unique powers, she didn’t give up her position until Beetlejuice killed her. Then her newest partner, Nat, took over. He’s currently the flock leader.
Some fun facts about this AU because I need to talk about it:
Shilo is bisexual! It doesn’t get talked about much, unfortunately :( Beetlejuice is pansexual in this one.
Juno and Beetlejuice are the only ones of their kind, with Juno being the only phoenix harpy and Beetlejuice being the only phoenix/demon harpy.
Beetlejuice’s nest is based off of Iguazu Falls. I’d recommend looking it up, it’s a very beautiful place! May write a little story one day where Beetlejuice and Shilo go to his nest.
This AU is 9 months old today!
This is the only AU that currently has fics for it. The fics are Birds of a Feather and Flock Together. FT hasn’t been posted yet. When I was writing BoaF, I knew I wanted a sequel called Flock Together.
If you haven’t already guessed, this is my favorite AU, followed very closely by the necromancy AU, which I’ll be talking about soon.
There are two characters taken from the cartoon in this AU— Nat and Donny, ToonJuice’s dad and brother. In this story, Nat is Beetlejuice’s step dad and Donny is his half brother. He hates both of them. They aren’t parts of the main story.
That’s all for part one. Please feel free to send me any asks, character headcanons, songs that fit the vibe, etc. I love talking about this one so fucking much and I’m fueled by engagement lmao. Part two coming soon. Enjoy the art :)
^^^ early art of Shilo and Beetlejuice made in 2023.
^^^ some recent-ish art of Shilo and Beej.
^^^ art of Harpy Juno!!
^^^ art of Donny, Beetlejuice, and Nat.
YUMMY INFO!!!! THABK YOU I LOVE IT!!!! I LOVE WORLDBUILDING!!!!!!!
Harpy AU part 2 (3/7)
Here is part 2 of the Beetlejuice Harpy AU! Hope you enjoy. This talks a lot about how governments work. I can go more into culture later if anyone is interested in that.
@possum-quesadilla @crawlingcarcass
In a place inspired by Iguazu Falls, there is a large cluster of almost 30 harpy flocks. Despite them all living in the same place, flocks are different in their own way. They have unique languages, genetic traits, and governments. There are four main regions, treetop, forest floor, wetlands, and cliffside.
Flocks are named after constellations and one flock will have between 16 and 28 harpies. Flocks are usually 4-7 families, but that’s not always the case. Some flocks, like Capricornus, are split between two different regions. Other flocks are so similar to each other, it can be hard to differentiate between them.
Treetop
Some traits of treetop harpies include: longer claws/talons, more articulate joints, wings designed for soaring, above average hand-eye coordination and depth perception. Unfortunately, they are more susceptible to heart problems. They typically have weaker leg muscles.
Lives: In tree houses.
General diet: bugs, birds, fruit
Treetop flocks: Apus, Aquila, Ara, Corvus, Draco, Volans.
Forest Floor
Some traits of forest floor harpies include: shorter claws/talons, stronger and longer legs, fluffy feathers at their ankles, and smaller, weaker wings. They’re more prone to vitamin d deficiency.
Lives: in huts made from wood, leaves, and mud.
General diet: birds, bugs, small critters, fruits, nuts, seeds, plants
Forest Floor flocks: Canis Major, Canis Minor, Centaurus, Lepus, Lupus, Orion.
Wetlands
Some traits of wetlands harpies include: long claws/talons, webbed hands and feet, water resistant feathers, wide feet, can hold breath for around 6-10 minutes
Lives: in burrows by the river
General diet: fish, birds, insects
Wetlands flocks: Eridanus, Hydra, Aquarius, Capricornus, Cetus, Cygnus, Delphinus, Dorado, Grus, Pisces
Cliffside
Some traits of cliffside harpies include: very long claws/talons, great hand/foot strength, prehensile tails, large hands and feet, great night vision
Lives: in dens created in cliffsides. Homes are typically connected by a tunnel system.
General diet: birds, small critters, whatever vegetation they can get
Cliffside Flocks: Equuleus, Hercules, Mensa, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor
I’ll focus on Canis Major and Canis Minor for now, as those two are similar and Juno is from Canis Minor. These two flocks are very close. They have a similar language, and the communities are very close knit. They have their differences, though.
Canis Major
There is one leader and one assistant.
Power is given based on which harpies are best at hunting. Every year on the summer solstice, the ten best contenders are released into the forest. They spend a day hunting. The winner is the harpy who brings back the most food. The assistant is the harpy who brings back the second most food.
If more than half of the flock decides that the leader isn’t a good fit, a vote will be held on the autumn equinox. If more than half of the harpies vote out the leader, the assistant will take over as leader until a better harpy is selected by the flock.
Members of the Canis Minor flock are allowed to take over as Assistant. They can be promoted to Leader if members of the Canis Major flock allow it.
Canis Minor
There is only one leader.
Power is given based on which harpy is strongest. Age and relations are determining factors as well. Harpies in this flock are able to sign up to fight. They will fight until the five strongest are selected. Every 4 years on the autumn equinox, an event called The Crimson Week happens. On the first day, the weakest of the five strongest will battle the current Leader. On the next day, the second weakest will battle the current Leader. Third day, third weakest will battle, fourth day, second strongest will battle. The fifth and sixth days are used for the current Leader to rest and recover. Finally, they battle the strongest of the five. Whoever wins is the leader.
If more than half of the flock decides that the leader isn’t a good fit, a vote can be held at any time. If more than half of the flock votes out the leader, the spot will go either to the leader’s mate, the oldest member of the flock, or the second strongest in the flock.
There are 27 other flocks and I don’t want to talk about all of them right now, so I’ll just do a general thing for ‘em. If anyone is interested in this, I can absolutely go into more detail about other parts of this.
Treetop
Power is generally given based off of age, with older harpies having more respect and power. Younger harpies are expected to care for their elders.
Wetlands
Power is generally given based on which harpy can construct the safest and most efficient houses. As these harpies live right next to rivers, it is very important that homes can’t be easily destroyed by water.
Cliffside
Power typically isn’t given to one person. Instead, communities work together to build dens, gather resources, and keep other flocks safe.
That’s what I’ve got for now! If there’s anything you want to be clarified, expanded on, or talked about, just send an ask! I promise I don’t bite :)
Notes for chapter 6 of Birds of a Feather.
Chapter 6- Calm Before the (Fire) Storm
@possum-quesadilla @raineisinkless @katslitterbox @crawlingcarcass
“his wings were stained a garish blend of orange and indigo. He was the world’s most depressing sunset.”
Orange- anxious, indigo- depressed
“(although, if he was being honest, he really just loved the feeling of Shilo's hands in his hair.)”
Poor guy is so horribly touch starved.
“They’d started watching a new movie every night. Tonight’s film was Little Shop of Horrors.”
Added this in because I love this movie!!!! I will go insane if I can’t shout out my other interests in my work.
“HE IS!!! I love shy, clumsy dudes with glasses,” he swooned.”
I think he’d be pretty fond of Adam if they met.
“Beetlejuice hummed in thought. “I guess I like a gal who’s self sufficient. And funny. And shows me the stuff she writes, even if I can’t read it. And lives in a remote cabin. Oh, and I love when a pretty girl tranquilizes me, ties me up, throws me in her car, and kidnaps me. I swear, that’s the hottest shit. Wouldn’t you agree, Shi?” He smirked. Shilo rolled her eyes.”
The story of how they met isn’t the cutest depending on how it’s told.
“Beetlejuice had taken a liking to fake flirting with Shilo. She loved to brush it off and scoff, but deep down… She didn’t hate it.”
…!
“Beetlejuice, what did I say about smelling me? It’s creepy.”
This is a semi regular occurrence.
“Experimentally, she dragged a hand up and down the feathers on his back... Immediately, he leapt up, the feathers on his back and wings blossoming into shades of light pink and yellow.”
Back touching is a very intimate gesture in harpy culture.
“He fought to free himself from the fuzzy fabric, but his feathers fluffed up and sent him further into his frenzy.”
I FUCKING LOVE ALLITERATION. Is this sentence a bit much? Probably. Don’t care though.
“Shilo picking at her hair.”
She’s got some hair pulling problems (just like me !!!)
“I did. When I told you about her, there was a… tiny detail I left out. Real small, don’t even matter that much! Honest!”
…
“If you had asked a seventeen year old Shilo if, in eight years, she saw herself planning out the murder of her best friend’s psychotic mother, she would’ve asked if you were mentally disturbed. But now, here she was, looming over a whiteboard with a marker in hand, writing the title: “how to kill beej’s crazy fire bird mom”.
Safe to say she’s had a bit of character development in those years.
“They swapped ideas between each other, until they eventually created a list that consisted of: “water?”, “stab !!”, “wait until she’s senile (may not happen within Shilo’s lifetime)”, “feed her to a wild animal”, “iron”, “holy water”, “garlic”. As much as Shilo insisted that garlic was for vampires, Beetlejuice was set on adding it as an option.”
Beetlejuice has already used a few of these options, but it never hurts to try again!
“Even though he was asleep, his head still shuffled until it rested in its favorite spot— right over her heart.”
He loves the sound of her heart beating <3
Notes for chapter 7 of Birds of a Feather.
Chapter 7- A Tender Moment
@possum-quesadilla @raineisinkless @crawlingcarcass @katslitterbox
“Shilo picked tonight’s movie. A human monster romance movie. She was always good at finding those.”
I didn’t have a specific movie in mind for this one. If anyone’s got some recommendations, lmk.
“Shilo was cut off by Beetlejuice roughly shoving his lips against hers. He rested one hand over hers and placed the other on her waist. Oh my god we’re kissing and it’s actually happening and I don’t hate it and he doesn’t hate it and jesus christ is that his tongue getting shoved down my throat—“
Woo they kissed! I’ve been planning on writing this scene for a long time. It’s also my first time writing anything with romance, so that’s neat.
“Remember when I said harpies don’t kiss in our culture?”
”Yeah?”
”I lied.”
He had to convince her somehow
“he jumped off the couch and scampered away, pink feathered and blushing and giggling like a schoolgirl. The blush on his feathers matched the pink on Shilo’s face.”
Not pictured is him tripping over a rug running to the stairs. He jumped into bed and screamed for two minutes straight after this.
“She changed into some warm sweatpants and a tank top.”
Also not pictured is the fact that he secretly watched her change. I decided to omit that. I de-perved him a lot in this fic.
“As she walked to the side of their bed, she dragged her fingers along Beetlejuice’s back, watching in amusement as his wings fluttered and he jerked his head up with a high pitched trill, forgetting he was supposed to be sleeping.”
Another action that’s based off my cats!!
Notes for Chapter 8 of Birds of a Feather.
Chapter 8- Conflagration
@possum-quesadilla @raineisinkless @crawlingcarcass @katslitterbox
“Mmhr?”
Cat trilling noises !!
“We’re gonna have to have a conversation about last night eventually,” she said. “Ugh. ‘M not ready to have that talk,” he groaned. “Well then, we’re gonna have to have a conversation about how to defeat your mom.” “I’m not ready to have that talk either.”
Denial only gets you so far, bud.
“She took a deep breath, walked out the front door, and stepped into her hearse.”
Shilo drives a hearse!! I’ve wanted to drive a hearse for years.
“Beetlejuice (11:36): “i lpbw u”
Beetlejuice (11:36): “libe”
Beetlejuice (11:36): “kobe”
Beetlejuice (11:37): “live”
Beetlejuice (11:37): “close enuff”
His fingers are too big for him to properly type on the screen. He’s also not great at spelling.
“Bug? If I walk in there and you’re sticking my pads to your face again, I’m really not gonna be happy,”
This has happened before. Twice overall, but Shilo only walked in on him doing it the second time.
“Thankfully, she was only a bit taller than Shilo.”
Juno is 6’3” currently. Shilo is 5’10”. Juno can get to be over 7 feet tall after a rebirth.
“She had gray hair that coiled and floated around her head in a cloud.”
Her hair is like smoke! When she was a lot younger, it used to be black with orange-red streaks, but it gradually changed into what she has now.
“With the speed of a cheetah and the grace of a rollerskating ferret on crack, she grabbed a trash bag, threw it over Juno, sprinted down the stairs and outside, spun the bundle of bird above her head, and chucked Juno far into the woods, all while silently thanking her parents for forcing her to do track and field from middle to high school.”
My beta readers thought this part was funny. That last bit is based off of my own parents who tried (and failed) to get me to participate in sports back when I was in middle school.
“Did somethin’ happen?” He asked groggily.
Poor guy was sleeping in the basement during all of this.
“There was a sudden spread of warmth around her head. The injured area tingled, then the pain faded away. Now, she only had a dull throbbing pain in her head. Not completely fixed, but some of the pain was definitely relieved.”
Healing powers !!!
Prompt 112
Jaskier is like any other harpy, in his own humble opinion, except perhaps, Jaskier was a much better singer. He had a lovely voice. He was the best singing harpy around, in his opinion. Jaskier finds a tasty meal one day. Fresh flesh, and he partakes in the feast. He's shocked nearly into an early moult when a large lumbering figure of a man prowls toward him, with beautiful white hair, though sadly no feathers.
Jaskier likes admiring the man, and tells the man as such. The man sighs, but Jaskier caught a smirk, Jaskier knows what he saw. "I'm afraid I'm here for your meal." Jaskier huffs and flaps his wings with annoyance. A pity the sexy man was taking his food. The man takes his meal and goes to walk away, but pauses, and rips off a leg of the beast, throwing it to Jaskier. Jaskier catches it in his talons, and sings as he flutters about in the air. What a lovely, kind, perfect, beautiful man! Jaskier decides to follow after him. Perhaps he'll get more food, and more smirks that way! Surely the beautiful man wouldn't possibly mind.
I’ve made it to the Genshin fandom, hi hello, have a Harpy AU Kaveh ❤️🔥❤️🔥