#Biological doesn't automatically mean you're close or know them

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

(FYI David you had an Uncle Sam once)

[ao3-top-batfam-ships-bracket]

My problem with Bat/ Bat ships isn't that they exist, it's how many people like them.

Wait! Hear me out. I swear I have a reason.

I'm good at ignoring ships that squick me, so I do. I also want to make it very clear I am not I am not hating on individuums who ship Bat/ Bat.

But to me, how much people ship them is kind of indicative of how little we value adopted children in our society. People say they aren't "really related" so it's fine.

Because you just don't see that level of engagement with ships involving biologically related family.

And it's that attitude shining through more than the shipping itself I dislike.

"Fiction isn't reality" no, it isn't, write the darkest thing you want. Explore fucked up concepts. That doesn't make you a bad person. It's completely normal.

However oftentimes Fiction is often still a reflection of reality. From reading, we can learn about our society (or other societies, if we venture beyond our own culture.) It says something, whether the author meant for it to mean something or not.

We understand where you're coming from and agree that adopted children/siblings are real family and shouldn't be valued less. We also agree that fiction mirrors reality which mirrors fiction, although that process is much more complex than many people claim.

However, 1) not every family is your typical nuclear family. Everybody defines their family and their relationships with its members in their own way. Some people call all adults that are close to them uncles and aunts, regardless of any actual biological connection. Someone could have been raised by their biological parents, but don't claim them as parents because of personal reasons and even view other adults who filled the parental roles better as their actual parents. Someone could have a biological sibling that is much older than them, grow up without them in their life and due to that think of them as more of a cool friend than a sibling. (All examples are taken from our own personal experiences.)

It's especially apparent in cases of found family, which batfamily certainly is. Tim and Jason haven't met until Jason was 18 and Tim was 16. Both were adopted by the same man, but they didn't know each other. Does that automatically makes them brothers? Even though without the adoption papers they would be total strangers? If Jason's death invalidated the adoption papers does it mean he and Bruce stopped thinking of each other as parent and child? Bruce and Dick have an age difference between 10 to 20 years and viewed each other more as brothers, partners and mentor/mentee at first. Bruce and Tim for a long time also thought of each other as mentor/mentee, especially since Tim still had a living father. That was also the case of Dick and Damian. Tim had a crush on Cass in the comics at the beginning of their friendship. Jason and Dick were technically brothers before Jason's death, but they weren't close at all and only met a few times. Barbara is a mother/sister figure to Cass even when she was dating Cass' adopted brother Dick. We don't think Jason and Cass even met once in post-crisis comics, despite technically being siblings. (Sorry we're only mentioning that one era, we aren't as knowledgeable about new52 and rebirth.)

The recent push to make the batfamily a nuclear family in our opinion does a huge disservice to the characters and their interesting and complicated relationships that can't fit neatly into boxes labeled "sibling" or "parent".

2) some people think of batfamily as a family AND still ship them at the same time. Yes, some claim they aren't "really related", but there's another side that absolutely views them as related and wants to explore what happens when two brothers or a father and son fall in love.

3) there's actually a pretty big engagement with ships involving biologically related family. Wincest (ship between biological brothers Sam and Dean from Supernatural) is the 15th most popular ship on AO3 of all time. We still remember how prominent the fandom discourse about shipping the Weasley twins from Harry Potter was. In almost every fandom, there're at least a few incest ships. Are they more popular than adopted sibling incest ships? We don't know, but if anyone wants to measure it in some way, we'd love to find out.

Edit: 4) as people have rightfully pointed out in the comments and reblogs, a lot of fics are AUs where one or both characters weren't even adopted and met in different circumstances. You can see that in a lot of fandoms, people will imagine close friends or even strangers as biological family and vice versa: write biological or adopted family as just friends or even strangers.

We're looking forward to hearing what other people think about this topic!

[aikoiya]

LoZ - Wolf Link & the Búralupán Race

Okay, new theory. I know that werewolves aren't technically part of the LoZ universe, but what if Twilight Link was descended from the Búraló-mná (wolf women; a type of wolf fae or spirit, which, the leader of is Twilight's mother, but he is unaware) of Ordona & turning into a wolf in game turns him into the first "werewolf" in Hyrule history?

Hell, maybe he had a Sheikah ancestor, thus making him capable of Twilight Magic &, judging by the Yiga, this could allow one access to shapeshifting. Which, when mixed with him having the Soul of the Hero (which I headcanon is actually the soul of the Fierce Deity, who I also hc created the Sheikah & thus would naturally have access to Twilight Magic himself, which is a mix of Light & Shadow Magic, & one of his sacred animals is the wolf), the Triforce of Courage reacted to the Twilight in Link's defense & used what was already present in his own biology to become something totally new.

I also subscribe to the theory that the Twili are actually a branch of Sheikah who called themselves "the Interlopers," turned against Hyrule, & when they were banished to the Twilight Realm, managed to adapt to it due to their Twilight Magic, specifically being more focused on the Shadow half here. The reason being that Twilight is very closely related to Shadow, being a mix of light & shadow, which allowed them to bridge the gap.

Unless those 2 Yiga (Fake Zelda Yiga & All-Seeing Cucco Yiga) were just masters of disguise. Or if it's specifically a case where the transformation is just an illusion, which could be possible. Though, considering the fact that the Sheikah are literally references to ninja, you could go full Henge no Jutsu from Naruto in which Shadow/Twilight Magic substitutes Chakra & allows them to actively transform their bodies physically.

I'm speculating all these things because I tend to come from a perspective of wanting there to be a biological basis for things. I mean, there has to be a reason he didn't just turn into a spirit like damn near everyone else. And it can't just be because he has the Soul of the Hero. In my mind, the Soul can't just do shit just because.

Yes, the Triforce of Courage, but it couldn't have just been the Triforce. If it was, then he'd be able to maintain his Hylian form in the Twilight like Zelda is able to before she gives the Triforce of Wisdom to Midna. (And it isn't just Zelda either. Ganon walks through that shit just fine & doesn't need to take on animal form.) Because isn't the whole point of the Triforce that no 1 side is greater than the others?

Like, yes, power, but just being powerful doesn't automatically mean you're gonna win, obviously. However, I can get behind the idea of the Triforce being the catalyst, but there must be something more going on beyond that.

Because why would Link's part of the Triforce react differently to the Twilight from the other 2 pieces unless there was something going on?

Anyway, once Midna takes the Twilight Crystal with her (which, I assume is what happened, otherwise it's likely out there somewhere in BotW & TotK if it really is a fusion of all 3 timelines like we're told or that the Wild Series is just an inevitable event no matter the timeline), Twilight Link begins transforming into what we in the real world call a werewolf with Wolf Link's coloration on full moon nights. The reason being that I see the moon as being a very direct & natural source of Twilight Magic (due to its phases), specifically Lunar Magic, & the full moon being when it's most intense.

Or, perhaps just the moon being out at night at all would be enough? That could also work.

Just BTW, in this instance, I consider being a werewolf to be having something called an active werewolf gene. But, here, they're called Búralupáns.

Having a Lupán gene means that when transformed under the full moon, they have thick, bushy, healthy-looking fur (so long as they eat a certain amount of red meat per day), a short lupine muzzle, being tulip-eared with them situated at the top of their head, a long, bushy tail, strong musculature, taller than when human (including Hylian, Sheikah, or Gerudo, though there have yet to be any Gerudo). This form is referred to as their Lupos(ian) form. They are forced to fully transform under the full moon & transforming is uncomfortable at first, but not painful & the transforming becomes less so with experience. And the danger sense or "vibe check" that most animals seem to have.

Basically, it's Wednesday werewolves.

And, much like the Wednesday werewolves, Búralupáns can also take on lupine features at any time, but not fully transform unless it's the full moon. Things like elongated & noticeable canines, longer canid claws (meaning that they aren't actually sharp like a cat's & their danger comes in the strength put behind them), also lucidum tapetum. Not to mention the improved senses that they generally have at all times, though not nearly to the same extent as when transformed. Lupáns with cuspated ears (Hylian, Sheikah, Gerudo) also have almost full range of motion.

Búralupáns can also eventually learn to turn into actual wolves whenever. Not a lot of Lupáns are able to achieve it though & it's considered a point of pride if they do. It involves embracing both Twilight & Wild magic; embracing one's instincts while still retaining one's mind.

Also, Alfa Lupáns grow bigger than other Lupáns in all forms, but only once they become the Alfa. Thus becoming giant wolves. (Yes, this is a Stephenie Meyer's Twilight reference. It's one of the only things I still actively like about it.) My thoughts are that this is the most difficult form to acquire & is the strongest. It's basically like how in the animal kingdom, some species of animals grow bigger than others when they become alphas. Similar to how the Zora seem to.

And even when in their human form, Búralupáns always have slightly pronounced canines, enhanced physicality (including strength & speed), enhanced senses (hearing & smell specifically), & wolf-like instincts, tendencies, & mannerisms. As well as being taller, more hirsute, men having incredible sideburns, & having more potential for muscle definition on average than regular humans. These things becoming even more pronounced when transformed & the more wolf-like they appear, the stronger these qualities become. Not to mention having naturally higher physicality.

Of course, you can also have a dormant Lupán gene, which means you don't transform on your own at all, ever. And if you reproduce there is a chance that those cubs may also have a dormant gene. However, with the right catalyst (whether it's a spell or something else), your Lupán gene can be activated.

One other thing, people descended from Lupáns, whether their gene is active or not, are completely incapable of becoming vegetarians, let alone vegans, because wolves are carnivores, this plus being a subrace of human, makes them obligate omnivores, meaning they can live without plant matter. Not comfortably or healthily, but they can. However, they absolutely require meat in order to survive. Not just be healthy! Survive!

Moving on, I feel like a fic like this could be cool. Whether exploring Twilight Link's life after the game as he navigates this new feature of his or Wild Link being a descendant of Twilight Link & the complications of that as he goes through BotW & TotK.

It'd create a totally new subrace in Hyrule.

Only those directly descended from the Hero of Twilight have his Mark of the Wolf on their foreheads. You know, the pattern that Wolf Link has?

Anyway, I'd make their inspired cultures Gaelic, Celtic, Welsh, & slightly Nordic!

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