My goals are beyond my understanding.

From a reverse image search, I found the website Show Your Stripes, run by the University of Reading in the UK, which is likely where the above graph originated. It provides temperature data for various regions of the world from approximately 1900-2025. For example, here are graphs for Canada, India, and Papua New Guinea:

Tim: *observing Dick being a little too close to Wally for a platonic friendship, and Bruce being very indifferent about this*

Tim: (in his mind) Oh yeah he’s definitely gay. At least bisexual. Guess Bruce doesnt care.

—

(A couple years into the future, the whole batfam in one of their many living rooms)

Tim: Hey, Bruce?

Bruce: What’s up, chum?

Tim: I just wanted to tell you that I will not go to patrol this saturday.

Jason: *putting his book down*

Dick: *leaning forward and focusing in on the conversation*

Damian: *Pausing his hand that was petting Ace*

Steph: *stops her scrolling and stares*

Cass: *already knows*

Bruce: *lowkey sweating*

Bruce: Why?

Tim: *not even looking up from his laptop*

Tim: Hmm? Oh, I’m going out with my boyfriend.

Jason: Hold up. Boyfriend?

Tim: *raising an eyebrow*

Tim: Yes?

Dick: Wait wait wait. You didn’t even— you never told us!

Tim: That I was bisexual?

Steph: Tim, I think we would all remember you coming out.

Damian: I do not recall you having told us such significant news.

Tim: I mean, I guess I never really.

Bruce: *clasping his hands together*

Bruce: Did you.. think we wouldn’t accept you? Why tell us now?

Tim: Wait, what? I knew you guys wouldn’t care.

Dick: Wha— what do you mean?

Tim: I mean, Dick’s out. No?

Everyone:

Jason: ..Dick, do you have something to tell us?

Dick: I— what?

See, we were talking about how movies are pretend and how in real life, animals don’t talk. I mentioned that there are some birds who talk a little bit, but not like the animals in movies, and she just looked at me like “???”

So I informed her that some kinds of parrots can copy sounds that people make, and can learn how to say words. I thought this would give her a giggle, as fun new facts often do, but she was just deeply perplexed and a little worried about this.

“Birds can talk?” “Do they ask questions?” “What do they say?” Why do they talk?” “Do chickens talk?” “What about Blue Jays?” “Why do some birds talk?” “How do they talk?” “Birds TALK???”

We showed her a video of a parrot doing the “Hello, pretty bird, give a kiss” thing, and she was dead silent the whole time, hugging her comfort pillow with her knees to her chest. We asked if she wanted us to turn it off, and she shook her head. But we also asked if she wanted to see another one, and she shook her head even harder.

I don’t know why it has distressed her so greatly to learn that some birds can mimic human speech; but then again, I don’t know why it doesn’t distress the rest of us more to know that some birds can mimic human speech.

But more importantly they love the sound of human laughter. No one knows why. But it is totally, 100% possible, and it happens to this day, to walk along the paths in the Black Forest and suddenly hear a strange kind of giggling sound, or maybe even a very clear, definitely human sounding “hello?” “Hiiiii!” Or “let’s go!”.

However, it takes a lot of practice for them to copy sounds as perfectly as they do, so you’re equally likely to hear something that definitely sounds human-like, but the words make no sense and the sound is unlike any language you know.

Ravens at the Tower of London do this all the time. Theyre pretty sociable with humans though, so they do it quite openly. I have seen videos of people, mostly Americans, look absolutely spooked out of their skins when a big ol’ raven (mind ye, these are birds that are 2 feet tall with a 5 foot wingspan) comes waltzing up on the deck and starts talking to them.

And ravens, especially the ones there that have been bred and raised by humans for centuries, don’t just imitate - they have one of the same language processing genes we do, and they understand the way a toddler might that things, places, and individuals have names, and can string together basic sentences much like an african grey.

I know because I used to work with one, Darlene, who knew, quite well, what she wanted and how to ask for it. If you were preparing her breakfast, she would hop on up and investigate. She used to be an illegal pet, and had been taught “manners”. That is to say, if she went for something and you told her, sternly, “mind your manners missy!” She would stop, look at you, perhaps for up to a minute, and then point with her beak to what she wanted. If that did not work, she would ask, in plain English, “grape?” Or “Darl have grape?” And lord help you if you gave her anything less than what she asked for. She would throw it at you, and try to bite you, sometimes while saying “No!” In the same tone as I imagine she was reprimanded in her home.

Bruce adores it. He never takes it off. Ever.

When Dick is 25, he’s helping Clark bring Bruce to the medbay in the Watchtower after a mission gone wrong. Bruce is mostly fine, but they’re going to get him hooked up to an IV for fluids until he wakes up, and at the very least, he has to stay overnight for observation.

They’re taking off the left gauntlet of the batsuit, and Dick pauses. Because Bruce is still wearing the little friendship bracelet Dick made for him over 15 years ago. The thread is fraying and the colors are a little faded, but it’s undeniably the same friendship bracelet.

Snowball in Hell, acrylics, 30cmx20cm