#except for the red billed gull which is actually the species for karl and is native to nz | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gnomebby-sideblog · 2 years

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saw a tiktok the other day about adding your own niche interests to fanfic and that spiraled into an idea for a ofmd modern day birdwatching au. i doubt i’ll ever get around to writing it but here is my general premise and character ideas!!

stede bonnet recently fell in love with birds and is trying to get into birdwatching as a hobby, so he signs up for a bird walk with ornithologist edward teach. here, he becomes even more infatuated with birds, and maybe becomes interested in someone else too, so it’s all too easy to sign up for another walk.

and of course, our beloved crew are also regulars of ed’s bird walks. birdwatching-related shenanigans ensue!

characters:

stede: middle-aged recent divorcee and father of two, looking for something new in his life, saw a cool bird once and fell down the birding rabbit hole after researching it, bought a bunch of nice equipment but doesn’t know how to use it, thinks birds are cool and pretty, knows pretty much nothing else, but he wants to learn!! favorite bird: northern cardinal

ed: ornithologist and big name in the birding world, chair of his local audubon society in his free time, can tell you everything about every native bird in the area, expert at calls and identifying, but is losing the magic that got him to love birds, getting bored, starts up bird walks for the community to try to bring the love back. favorite bird: american crow

izzy: co-leads walks with ed but no one likes him nearly as much, has worked with ed for years, currently doing research with ed, they get along well and work fine together but in the same way a bickering old couple does, really trying to push ed to keep with research even as ed is falling out of passion, feels threatened by stede and everyone knows it but him, does a lot of the organizational parts of the walks and does not get credit for it, gets visibly annoyed whenever stede talks and is very happy to correct stede when he identifies a species incorrectly. favorite bird: great horned owl

lucius: local college student studying environmental science, knows a lot and is chill about it but is silently judging you because you mixed up a song sparrow and house sparrow, dutifully records every species he sees and how many on ebird because Science, stede is friendly with him and lucius is only mildly happy about it but lets him stick around him anyway, always makes sure to point out to stede what he sees, when he isn’t using his binoculars or recording a sighting he is holding hands with pete. favorite bird: yellow-rumped warbler

black pete: goes to walks for ed because he’s a big fan, has read all of ed’s books and mentions it a lot, claims to have studied under ed when he was an undergrad and ed was a professor but can’t really prove it, always stays near the front of the group, gets excited about the birds very easily and is very passionate about birding and lucius is the only one who can calm him down, always shows up in full outdoors gear whether necessary or not, lowkey gets annoyed when people misidentify things but is working on it. favorite bird: belted kingfisher

jim: always shows up with oluwande, quiet, stays in the back and makes quick remarks making fun of people under their breath, only really talks to oluwande, will not tell you what they see until after the fact when it has already flown away, crazy good photographer and can always get a clear shot of the birds, carries around a fancy expensive camera with a huge lens that is their pride and joy, has 50k followers on their bird photography instagram, still wears the big wide-brimmed hat it’s just one of those outdoorsy ones with the string that goes around the chin. favorite bird: green heron

oluwande: always shows up with jim, reluctant mom of the group, scolds you for not wearing bug spray but pulls some out of his bag for you to use anyway, always has a field guide in hand for reference, makes sure everyone is with the group and no one is lost, great bird walk conversationalist, softie at heart but knows how to push jim’s buttons (even though they don’t mind), big on bird twitter for his jokes and for always being the first to report on rare bird sightings in the area, also posts jim’s photography #supportiveboyfriend, always wearing signature orange baseball cap, crocs are his birding shoe of choice no matter the location. favorite bird: mourning dove

frenchie: believes the ivory-billed woodpecker is still out there and will tell you about the time he saw one, has been in local birding circles for years, knows his shit but is nonchalant about it, jots everything he sees down in a notebook and refuses to use ebird or anything similar because it “ruins the sanctity of birding” and he doesn’t trust Big Tech, scared of bugs, big on environmentalism. favorite bird: pileated woodpecker

roach: big into hunting, started going to walks to get better at finding birds to shoot but ends up liking birding more, always has a big hunting knife on his waistband and whips it out anytime he hears a twig snap, makes baked goods for the group and brings them for an after-bird-walk snack, knows a lot about hawks and other birds of prey. favorite bird: turkey vulture

wee john: will hold back low hanging tree branches for you so you don’t get whacked in the head, primary bird interest is ducks, not as interested in songbirds and other smaller species but comes along anyway because he loves a nice walk, generally quiet but is quick with witty remarks, calls all birds he sees no matter what species “tiny baby” or “little lad” or some other term of endearment. favorite bird: wood duck

buttons: almost weirdly knowledgeable and overly passionate about shorebirds, can always find a gull even if they’re somewhere where there should not be a gull, when the walk is near the ocean one particular gull he calls “karl” will find him and sit on his head and no one knows how he does it, never carries binoculars but can always still see and identify the birds perfectly, shows up to walks with nothing but himself but is perfectly fine anyway and is probably one of the best birders in the group. favorite bird: red-billed gull

the swede: beginner but very enthusiastic, not good at birding but absolutely loves birding, can’t remember species names for shit but is great at finding birds and pointing them out, no one likes him but everybody loves him, great at mimicking calls and really wants to show you. favorite bird: common grackle

fang: part of ed and izzy’s research team, besties with ivan, loves birds and birdwatching so much and can’t get enough, loves animals in general, points out other wildlife seen on walks like squirrels and such, always brings bird seed and can get birds to eat out of his hand somehow, you want to walk with him he’s great company, will start crying if he sees something cute. favorite bird: black-capped chickadee

ivan: part of ed and izzy’s research team, besties with fang, lowkey hates izzy but is along for the ride, definitely too experienced to be there but is enjoying himself anyway, has the best birding tips, definitely not afraid to go off path to follow a bird he hears. favorite bird: red-winged blackbird

in conclusion i love birds and i love the silly gay pirates and i had way too much fun thinking this up.

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd au #ofmd modern au #ofmd birdwatching au #birdwatching au #this is ridiculous but i love it #i love birds #loosely based off of people i've met during bird walks #or just fun ideas based on the birding community #technically this would take place in the northeast us because that's where i'm from and what birds i know #and i don't feel like researching setting-accurate birds sorry #except for the red billed gull which is actually the species for karl and is native to nz #i had to make karl accurate of course #this is probably only entertaining to a very niche audience but idc #long live the birds

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