#harpyposting

[ashes2caches]

giving the transfem harpy a warm bath and cleaning her room full of shed feathers and kissing her on the forehead because she’s been working too hard and needs to relax.

[thehangarqueen]

A Mech Tech's Guide To Brooding Harpies.

Felt this was a necessary entry in this long running series, especially with what's been happening involving Mother Hen, so i may as well elaborate for the new blood mech techs and freshly broken Hounds.

Brooding in birds is when they make a nest and get ready to brood their eggs. They get very aggro towards people, understandably, and will lash out.

Brooding in normal people is a state of general angst and moodiness.

Brooding in Harpies has bits of both.

Y'see, Harpies are programmed for precision, and efficiency. They are creatures of order, and when that order is thrown out of whack, they suffer a catastrophic loss, and/or stressful events pile up, they enter a 'brooding' state.

In an attempt to ground themselves and reestablish stability, a Harpy will find a room it deems 'safe', gather it's belongings, and stay holed up in a 'nest' for weeks at a time, only leaving for food and washroom breaks; even then, sometimes they won't leave for those either, which is when things get really bad.

Normally, there's a protocol for this: never let Harpies get this stressed in the first place. Keep the birds happy, if they mess up a mission give reprimands AND reassurance. If they lose someone, be there for them. And if work is becoming overwhelming, then take them off rotation for a few days, let the gal stretch her wings outside a cockpit or desk and give her a break.

Of course, that being said, brooding is inevitable. Even with all the systems in place, sometimes shit just happens. So, what do you, as a mech tech, Handler, or Hound, do in such a scenario.

Simple.

You be there for them.

They may be snappy and rude, but that’s just a really hasty stress response. Stick around while respecting boundaries, and the Harpy will let you into her space a bit more.

Bring the bird some proper food. During this time, Harpies in brood will hoard snacks as to avoid leaving their nest as much as possible, so bringing the birdie some proper meals can make sure she at least stays properly fed and makes her trust you.

Additionally, reminders to bathe, and offers of assistance if you're well liked, can help further ensure trust.

Now, what happens if a Harpy's brood gets so bad she refuses to leave her nest for food, washroom, and bathing? Well unfortunately, she will need to be relocated. This is only advised in truly dire circumstances, and if it gets to this point it's advised to keep them with a Handler at all times, even moving them into a Handler’s quarters for 24/7 monitoring, or potentially more stresssful, the medbay if things are truly drastic. Relocation actively removes a Harpy's sense of control of their surroundings they've been building, and will add at least two additional weeks of recovery time to the brood process, so keep this as an absolute last resort.

Now, what are things that mech techs, Handlers, and fellow pilots including Hounds can do for a Harpy?

For mech techs, keep their chassis operational and check in on them. Let the Harpy know it’s loved, bring them some hot food, and spend some of your downtime caring for them. Trust me, a Harpy that you helped through brooding is a fast friend.

For Handlers, you job is preventative: minimize stress, don't over rely on punishments, and help your flock mourn losses. If your Harpy does end up brooding, be there for them. You are the Falconer, be an anchor for them to return to.

As for the Hounds and other pilots, just be nice. I know that Harpies can be very uptight and snappy, but that’s because they keep themselves at high standards. Just being kind and supporting them through this phase is a show of trust, and may help speed up recovery, since the Harpy will feel less reliant on a nest to be safe.

When a Harpy does finish brooding, they will still take a few days to readjust. Handlers, do not send out a Harpy that just finished brooding, give it another week just to be safe. Relapsing into brooding is uncommon, but still unfortunately happens.

Note: there are rumors that brooding makes Harpies horny. This is false. Please do not try to fuck the stressed and depressed birb, you will get gutted and I will not save you as you get strung up by your own intestines. If a Harpy in brood does ask for sex, advise caution. This may be risky for both parties, as sex can be very emotional and risk causing emotional backlash for the bird. If you're a partner for a brooding Harpy, use your own judgement and be gentle.

[sepiapol]

Not all bird girls can take flight. Some are too heavy for their wings to carry them. They can however glide or land safely to the ground by flapping their wings. Like if for example I perched on a tree and someone shook it to make me fall off. I mean her.

[harpyisfly]

Unbothered. In someone else’s lane. I hate being by myself.

[reubarb]

going outside and teaching the local harpy population some genuine nonsense to mimic so that every time someone goes outside they have to hear distantly some harpy repeating the most annoying shit you've ever heard

[smaller-birds]

birdgirls typically don't really like the "early bird gets the worm" thing. it's more of a micro agression than anything. yes she sleeps until one pm each day but she stayed up late last night playing rocket league so it's hardly her fault

[just-a-normal-owl]

*Gives you head pats*

*trills and leans into it*

[christina-rb]

harpy enters a shower cabinet, turns on the water, you hear a [foof] and shes fluffed up so much the cabinet is just filled to bursting by feathers