Line #44 Webcomic/WhatBirdsKnow


1	[[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/what_birds_know11.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:268:"Birds alone have seen it all..."]]
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4	''[[http://fribergthorelli.com/wbk/ What Birds Know]]'' is a fantasy webcomic written by Emelie Friberg and Mattias Thorelli, launched in November 2005 and initially updating weekly (in multiple pages), though later the schedule became less regular. The comic ended in August 2017. It follows three teenage girls from the town of Ev-la Nin who become caught in a mysterious and surrealistic adventure in the forest.
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6	Vandi is the serious and reliable one, forced at an early age to take responsibility for her twin brothers due to her mother's near-death from childbirth. Dores is the artist and dreamer, disillusioned by the greater popularity of her brother, Ian. Elia is the kind, carefree girl, who has a crush on Ian.
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8	On a school outing to gather mushrooms in the forest, the three friends encounter a mysterious tower at the edge of a mountain. Passing through it, they encounter a world subtly altered from what they know. Bizarre trees and rocks dot the landscape. There's a town in the distance that looks like a mirror of their own, yet crumbling and overgrown. Their own behavior seems to be affected by this world: Vandi becomes obsessed with safety and has bizarre hallucinations, Dores becomes extremely standoffish and rude, and Elia goes into fits of hysterical laughter. Strangest of all, the girls begin to lay... eggs.
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10	Overwhelmed by the strangeness, they flee back through the tower, to find that all the changes are undone, except that the egg Elia carried back has turned to gold. Greed overcomes them and they turn back to lay as many eggs as possible before returning to town. As the townsfolk begin to wonder what has happened to them, their interpersonal conflicts grow. But then the adventure takes a turn more serious than anyone could have imagined.
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12	In addition to the surreal elements, ''What Birds Know'' features strong themes of growing up: the loss of innocence and disillusionment with childhood dreams. In particular, once the core conflict develops, a major portion of the story is told via {{flashback}}s.
13	----
14	!!This webcomic contains examples of the following tropes:
15	* AbusiveParents: Dores' 'mother' makes it clear that Dores is [[TheUnfavorite her unfavorite]], blaming her for [[spoiler: her grandfather's injury and eventual death]] and arguing against sending anyone to search for them.
16	* AnimalEyeSpy: [[spoiler: The Oracles have been watching the events in the real world through the eyes of birds]].
17	* AnimalMotifs: Birds, unsurprisingly, have powerful ties to the alternate world. They frequently appear in reaction shots whenever something significant happens in it, flapping and panicking (and, occasionally, dying). And of course, eggs are linked to birds as well. [[spoiler: It turns out that a pet bird's life was sacrificed in order to create it, and the Oracles have been using birds to watch the real world and try to direct the heroines.]]
18	* AristocratsAreEvil: The original Nin was a prosperous, happy town...[[spoiler:then an insane king came to the throne and stripped it of all its riches, handing them out to his rich friends and slaughtering any peasants who dared to protest.]]
19	%%* BerserkButton: All of the girls have certain issues that you'd best steer clear of.
20	* BittersweetEnding: Ultimately, [[spoiler:Elia and Dores are brought back to life, and are able to leave Ev-la Nin behind... thanks to Vandi's heroic sacrifice]].
21	* BlackMagic: Massive magical undertakings require a life to be sacrificed. [[spoiler:When said life isn't happy about being sacrificed, you get malevolent mirror dimensions.]]
22	* TheBlank: All of the various figures/hallucinations Vandi encounters.
23	%%* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Elia, Dores, and Vandi.
24	* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler: Both surviving girls choose to leave Ev-la Nin after the events of the comic; Elia moves away in hopes of finding a better life and reconciling with her mother, while Dores (with help from Ian) runs off to make her way elsewhere after calling out her AbusiveParents]].
25	* TheCasanova: Ian is quite charming and known to be a ladies' man. He eventually realizes this is more damaging than it appears after a chat with Elia's mother and starts trying to be an actual upstanding member of society instead.
26	* DarkAndTroubledPast: For all the girls, life is not as happy and carefree as it may seem on the outside; Vandi was crushed under the weight of caring for her younger brothers while her mother was in a catatonic state, Elia found out the hard way her mother is a prostitute, and Dores suffers constant emotional abuse from her parents that only grew worse when her beloved grandfather died in an accident. Their ability (or inability) to deal with these pasts causes the other world to affect them in different ways, [[spoiler: fatally in the case of Elia and Dores.]]
27	* DarkWorld: The other side of the tower. While it doesn't seem so dark at first, the creepiness only gets worse and worse as the story goes on.
28	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Vandi]] teeters on the edge of this after [[spoiler:Elia and Dores' deaths]].
29	* DevilInPlainSight: Ian, to a certain extent. Doted on by his family despite clear JerkAss traits...although there's a bit of a [[IncrediblyLamePun chicken-and-egg]] situation here - is he a charming creep because he was spoiled, or is being a charming creep the reason he was spoiled in the first place?
30	* TheDogWasTheMastermind: Pay attention to the details in important scenes and you'll realise [[spoiler:the birds were, effectively, benevolent spies]].
31	%%* DumbBlonde: Elia, by contrast with her friends.
32	%%* TheDitz[=/=]CloudCuckooLander: Elia. [[spoiler: Though she's more perceptive than she appears...]]
33	* EldritchLocation: The alternate world. Not only is it unsettling, it's actively hostile.
34	* [[EvilDetectingDog Evil-Detecting Birds]]: Thanks to [[spoiler:their connection to the avian monster that used to be Ermes]], the birds in this world know when Bad Things are going to happen. In the past, three captured songbirds were the first to realise that something was terribly wrong with [[spoiler:the mirror-world gold]].
35	* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:The two remaining oracles]] exist in a state of gruesome and helpless immortality. [[spoiler: Because they lack the necessary emotional baggage that the MirrorWorld preys on (in the case of Elia, Dores, and their own sister), the slime creatures leave them in a state of semi-mummification- they retain their faculties and can see through to the real world, but are pinned to the wall in the old castle and unable to move or interact beyond AnimalEyeSpy]].
36	%%* {{Flashback}}: Used extensively to tell the girls' backstories.
37	* FromNobodyToNightmare: One of the more extreme examples. [[spoiler:The BigBad was just an ordinary pet bird until his owners used his soul for a botched parallel-universe spell. He became a gigantic invincible dragon-like creature, something on the level of an evil deity. He manages to escape his pocket universe prison--twice--by shapeshifting himself into a bunch of golden eggs and letting greedy humans carry them/him out to the real world.]]
38	* GeniusLoci: According to the Oracles, [[spoiler:the mirror dimension ''is'' Ermes, the pet bird they sacrificed to make it...which is why it's so ''angry.'']]
39	%%* GenkiGirl: Elia transforms into this on the other side of the tower.
40	%%* GossipyHens: The village women don't think much of Dores' mom.
41	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Vandi]] is called on to make one.
42	** [[spoiler: Ian attempts one to try and save some of the townsfolk when Ermes in his full demonic form attacks the village. Vandi's sacrifice kicks in and kills Ermes just before he lands the finishing blow on Ian]].
43	* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The evil king, Razitan, [[spoiler:is destroyed by the magic he was specifically warned about. The gold he was prepared to murder for turns into his - and Nin's - destruction when it comes alive and creates a monster]].
44	* TheHyena: Elia, in the AlternateUniverse the girls find themselves in.
45	* IJustWantToBeLoved: Elia and Dores' issues basically boil down to this. Dores wants appreciation and recognition from her negligent and judgemental family, while Elia fantasises of creating a large, perfect family with the least appropriate man she could find (the womanising Ian). [[spoiler: This desire gets her killed, as she seeks adoration from the same beings that ''eat her alive''. Symbolism, anyone?]]
46	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
47	** Dores, who has become more of a JerkAss[=/=]JerkWithAHeartOfJerk beyond the tower. Before that incident, we have seen her in staunch support of her friends (protecting them from bullies) and caring for her grandfather. We also know that she cares enough to be able to paint a tender family portrait of Vandi's clan.
48	** Ian seems to be heading in this direction thanks to CharacterDevelopment.
49	* KidsAreCruel: The trio met when five-year-old Elia was being picked on for her fatherless status by a group of boys. Dores wades in to defend her, whereupon the boys start bullying ''her'' for her weight. Dores simply punches them, and, predictably, the teacher who has apparently been ignoring the boys' bullying of the girls drags both Eila and Dores off to the school principal...where Vandi is, having just moved into the area.
50	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Elia and Dores. Until they get better. The events of page 970 suggest that Vandi has exchanged her life for theirs.]]
51	* TheKlutz: [[spoiler: The third and "youngest" of the Oracle sisters was just a little clumsy in real life, but in the MirrorWorld her clumsiness got elevated and she could barely go anywhere without tripping over her own feet]].
52	* MaintainTheLie: Elia's mom tells everyone that her husband is away on important business. In reality, he left her, and she keeps up their standard of living by being a prostitute. She thinks Elia doesn't know. [[spoiler:She's wrong.]]
53	* MindScrew: Everything since they went to the other side of the tower. Made even worse by the fact that we don't know if it's real or just a MushroomSamba. [[spoiler:Although Elia and Dores are definitely dead... until page 963, that is.]]
54	%%* ModestyBedsheet: Used without parody, interestingly enough.
55	* MovingTheGoalposts: The many compromises and sacrifices the oracles make to placate their vicious and greedy king [[spoiler:up to and including murdering their pet for a spell]] were always futile: they knew that he would always demand more. The problem was that he could easily have had them executed if they refused.
56	%%* MushroomSamba: Maybe.
57	* MysticalPregnancy: The egg-laying is a twisted form of this, and Elia clearly thinks of the resulting goo-creatures as her "babies.". Many of the comic's main themes centre around the same anxiety over the "uncomfortable" aspects of being female that the Mystical Pregnancy is a result of: pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, menstruation, puberty, and sex all cause serious problems for the women who experience them.
58	* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: The 2015 redesign of the comic's website includes the brief disclaimer: "No birds were harmed during the production of this comic."
59	* NoSympathy:
60	** Vandi's dad, while being one of the better parents, is seen guilt-tripping/berating/arguing with his young daughter (there's no speech, so we can't tell) when she wants to go outside and play, clearly browbeating her into doing chores and looking after her brothers instead. Seriously, her playground becomes totally disused and her entire childhood passes her by as she spends all her time as a parental substitute/ TheCaretaker -- he couldn't let her have ''one'' afternoon off?
61	** Dores' parents exhibit this towards her as a matter of course -- her grandpa is injured in an accident while returning a hammer dropped by ''Ian'', and yet the whole incident is ''her'' fault in her parents' eyes. Ian is treated like a hero while a distressed Dores gets ignored by her father and brother, and is treated as TheUnfavorite by her mother.
62	** Ian takes after his folks and shows absolutely no empathy after [[spoiler:learning that Elia and Dores are dead]].
63	* OhCrap: [[http://fribergthorelli.com/wbk/index.php/page-566/ Page 556]]: Dores' expression after [[spoiler: landing in/breaking her eggs and getting covered in egg creatures]].
64	* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Vandi. She has a peculiar "spacing out" episode ''before'' the tower is opened, but after that she's the only one whose less desirable traits aren't amplified on the other side, allowing her to see the mirror world for the dangerous place it is.
65	* PaintingTheMedium: Dores' backwards speech bubbles.
66	%%* ParentalAbandonment: A theme for both Elia and Vandi, though from different causes.
67	* ParentsAsPeople: Elia's mother is sympathetic, but clearly has issues. Dores' parents are jerks in their own right in addition to being pretty rubbish as parents to her. Vandi's dad is sweet and eccentric, but seems to have little grasp on the seriousness of situations... and he's probably a big part of why Vandi was denied a real childhood.
68	* PromotionToParent: Vandi. She was left was all the housework and child-raising during her mother's coma, and we never see her father even ''trying'' to lessen the burden on her.
69	* SugarAndIcePersonality: All three of our main trio show some shades of this, but rather than their nicer sides being brought out through CharacterDevelopment (like usual), their colder sides are.
70	* TitleDrop: 939 pages in, the mystery of the title is solved, and the real significance of the ever-present birds in the comic is revealed. [[spoiler:How can the eerie priestesses talk at length about Vandi and her friends' most painful and intimate secrets? "We know what birds know...The little one on your windowsill that you never noticed? It noticed you."]]
71	* ToxicFriendInfluence: While Ian is hardly a saint, it seems clear his two friends are pushing him to lower his standards even further than they already are.
72	* TeamMom: Vandi. Dores even points out (rather maliciously) that everyone who realizes this can take advantage of it.
73	%%* {{Tsundere}}: Dores. Her "Tsun" side comes out more on the other side of the tower.
74	* TheHecateSisters: The girls fit the archetype to a T. Vandi is reliable mother, Elia is the cheerful maiden and Dores is the cynical crone.
75	* TheUnfavorite: Dores - she's a really talented artist but her brother Ian is beloved by all, and she feels ignored in his shadow. Also, her parents are {{Jerkass}}es; see NoSympathy.
76	* UselessBystanderParent: Dores' dad. While uncaring, he clearly thought that blaming [[spoiler: his father-in-law's death]] on Dores was an overreaction on his wife's part. Mentioning this to her is a token gesture, however, as his wife maintains that she's bad luck, and he doesn't defend her. He simply stands back and lets his wife continue to emotionally torture their daughter.
77	* ViciousCycle:
78	** The Mirror World apparently operates like this. The second time it is opened, events similar to the first tragedy begin to play out. The Oracles indicate that this will happen again and again until somebody can put an end to it.
79	** The Oracles' existence is one on a smaller scale. Their lives are a cycle of being abused for not being able to give the king what he wants, coming up with a solution that will ''get'' him what he wants, being lauded / left alone for a while, then promptly being dragged over the coals again when the kings decides he wants something else (usually because he has squandered whatever they worked so hard to get for him the last time).
80	* TheWeirdSisters: The three Oracles, in contrast to [[TheHecateSisters the protagonists]]. They're also literally sisters, and triplets.
81	* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler: Elia's eggs hatch, and the creatures inside eat her alive.]] When the same later happens to [[spoiler:Dores]], it's almost predictable by comparison.

Context Webcomic / WhatBirdsKnow