#harborside

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Harborside, 1939-45.

Photo: Lisette Model via the J. Paul Getty Museum

[wickedsrest-rp]

NAME: Teddy’s Boathouse 

LOCATION: Harborside

Filled to the brim with kitsch and knickknacks from all over the globe, this tiny home away from home is actually a cozy haven of respite. Teddy’s house can be seen skulking along the shoreline, but more often than not it’s parked at their personal dock at their father’s house on World’s End Isle. Inside, there is a small kitchenette, an even smaller nook for reading and entertainment, and the grand bed that takes up pretty much the whole back-half of the live-in portion of the boat.

There are a whole bunch of rituals and enchantments on the boat that keep it safe, and more comfortable. Everything from reducing the feeling of rocking, to making sure it cannot capsize. Teddy has to re-do the glyphs and runes every once in a while, as well as recharge them at different rates. They have a very chaotically organized way of remembering.

The door handle is shaped like an octopus’ tentacle, along with a host of other aquatic themed appliances and decorations. If it has a fish on it, and it’s useful, Teddy has probably bought it for the boat. 

Because Teddy has such a hard time getting rest from sleeping, their bed is the most enchanted part of the whole ship. It is supernaturally comfy, and someone without sleeping issues might find themselves dozing the second they touch the soft cushions. 

Deceptively large and roomy for its size, the boat is full of secrets and lots of magic junk. Think the main bedroom room from Howl’s Moving Castle.

In addition to the tons of silly little items and magical junk, there is also an impressive amount of Folklore Tourism merch, including some things that would be considered ‘special edition’ or ‘collectables’ but are really just prototypes and personal crafts. 

[nostalgicabe]

Legal Harborside

[cannabisbusinessexecutive]

Pipeline Taps Into Experience of Andrew DeAngelo, Christopher Peak

Despite a long history in the cannabis industry during which there were periods of time when everyone and their uncle was a cannabis consultant, with the inevitable bad results, professional consultancy thrives today and will continue to grow as more states legalize cannabis, markets are created, and people open new cannabis businesses and expand existing ones. Meeting the myriad needs of these…

[macmatt78]

A clear glass morning on the water 💦 🥶 #norway #winter2022 #natgeoyourshot #reflective #hasselbladx1dii #harborside #travelgram (at Heningsvær) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpnTNBENuNu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[marvelousmawn]

this one goes out to all the other harborside hotel roomies on day saturday of katsucon

[my-screenshot-dump]

[hotelbooking]

Wyndham Garden Kenosha Harborside Welcome to Wyndham Garden Kenosha Harborside, a 3.5-star hotel nestled in the charming city of Kenosha, Wisconsin. With its prime location on the shores of Lake Michigan, this hotel offers breathtaking views and a tranquil atmosphere that will make your stay truly memorable. Step into our inviting lobby and be greeted by our friendly staff, ready to assist you throughout your stay. With a total of 109 well-appointed rooms, you can choose from a range of comfortable accommodations to suit your needs. Each room is thoughtfully designed with modern amenities and stylish decor, ensuring a restful and enjoyable stay. At At Wyndham Garden Kenosha Harborside, guests can expect a plethora of entertainment facilities to make their stay truly memorable. Whether you're looking to relax or have some fun, this hotel has got you covered. Indulge in retail therapy at the on-site shops, where you can find a variety of items to suit your needs. From souvenirs to...

[farfallasims]

The Captain's Nest, built by FarfallaSims ♡

Tucked away on the beach of Brindleton Bay is The Captain's Nest, a charming cottage with spectacular views of the busy harborside. Enjoy your morning coffees out on the deck or host quaint barbecues with your family and friends. This tiny home offers the coastal charm of the town along with cozy vibes, making it perfect for a single sim to retreat to and call home.

This property offers One Bedroom & One Bathroom along with an attic space that could be converted into a second bedroom.

Watch the TikTok HERE.

All Information & Link Under Cut

Gallery ID | FarfallaSims

$57,119.00

Residential Lot

1 Bedroom & 1 Bathroom

Lot Size 20x20 in Brindleton Bay

Used BB.MoveObjects On & TOOL

Packs in the Build | Horse Ranch, Cottage Living, Snowy Escape, Island Living, & Cats & Dogs

CC Used AWingedLlama | Flag (1) Alf-Si | Trees (1) Eniosta | Flooring (1) Harrie | Coastal (1)(2) Klean (1) Octave (1) House of Harlix | Baysic (1) Orjanic (1) Lijoue | Mailbox (1) Max20 | Cozy Back Yard (1) Garden at Home (1) MrOlkan | Cool Pools (1) Pierisim | Woodland Ranch (1) Wallpaper (1) PlasticBox | Rocks (1) Ravasheen | Lighting (1)  RubyRed | Hydrangeas (1) Simkoos | Light Switch (1)

Other Notes

GShade Preset | Pearl by PixelGlam

Lighting Mod | Sunblind by Softerhaze

Enable BB.MoveObjects Before Placing

Please do NOT reupload my build furnished or unfurnished.

Floorplan shown on Patreon.

Kindly, please let me know if there are any missing mods or issues with the build!

Link to Build | The Captain's Nest

Massive thank you to the CC Creators! @harrie-cc @alf-si @maxsus @pierisim @mrolkanyt & others!

[travelmanposts]

36-levels, Shangri-La, Sydney, Australia: Shangri-La Sydney is a 5 Star Hotel in Sydney offers 565 luxurious rooms and suites spread over 36 levels, offering panoramic views of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House, with the largest windows of any harborside hotel.. Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is a subsidiary of Kerry Properties, the company has over 100 luxury hotels and resorts with over 40,000 rooms in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and Oceania. Wikipedia

[divaatrait]

Harborside Lofts | A Residential Rental Build

Lot Size: 30x30 Lot Type: Residential (this way you can customize the units a bit easier) Gallery ID: Grimwhimm

If you've grown tired of the apartments available in game, then this build is for you. I modeled this build after a debug apartment shell and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I've furnished the communal areas for the building (gym, laundry facility, offices, basketball court, and garden) but left the residential areas empty and ready for customization so you can alter it how you like. It is more pack heavy than CC heavy, but I tried to keep the decor very minimal as a whole. For pack specific information, please check on the gallery.

CC Used:

The only CC that I'd consider absolutely necessary for this build to function as intended would be Ravasheen's Uplifting Elevators. Some other CC that's not needed but I would consider nice to have would be:

Everyday Clutter Becomes Functional by Cepzid for the upper level of the gym. You could always replace the exercise mats with yoga mats or different exercise equipment so it's not essential.

Functional Soccer Goal by Cepzid to have the soccer goal that I placed off the lot using TOOL. Again, not necessary but I think it adds a little more to the neighborhood.

I hope you enjoy this build! I'm not the best at building by any means but I figured as I work on the worlds I'm using for my legacy gameplay, I would share what I create. I've play-tested everything (thank you to my sim Cassie for running around everywhere) so this lot is ready for download as we speak! Tag me if you use it, I'd love to see how people decorate!

[wickedsrest-rp]

NAME: The Creamatorium

LOCATION: Harborside

Local businessman and ice cream enthusiast Nathan Milton couldn’t resist the punny name when he acquired a property across the street from an actual crematorium. Oddly enough, the family that owns the actual crematorium doesn’t find the name all that amusing and deliveries often get mixed up between the two locations. Despite this, the Creamatorium is a staple for tourists and residents alike. With creative flavors like Miner’s Road as a play on Rocky Road and Bessie’s Revenge as a strawberry cheese cave ice cream, there really is something for everyone at this ice cream parlor. 

On top of the themed names for all the ice cream flavors, sprinkles are referred to as ashes exclusively in this shop. They come in rainbow and chocolate varieties. 

The freezer is shaped like an incinerator which gives the inside seating area a bit of a creepy vibe, but still beats the outdoor seating and staring into the actual crematorium across the street. 

Instead of the typical spherical ice cream scoops, the Creamatorium has scoops shaped like skulls. If you want to use a regular shaped ice cream scoop for your sweet treat, you have to answer the riddle of the day. 

Unlike a lot of the other locations near the beach, the shop doesn’t play popular music. The music actually couldn’t even be considered modern. It’s all instrumental music that sounds like it was recorded centuries ago. Nathan credits this to a lucky thrift store find. 

There are a variety of seasonal flavors that rotate throughout the year. Often, the flavors are based on new cryptid tales around the town like Summer Berry a la Sauce or Very Allgood Death Pit by Chocolate. 

[blackjackkent]

Fault Lines - Chapter 3 - "Asperities"

Pairing: Jaheira & Nine-Fingers Keene Characters: Jaheira, Nine-Fingers Keene, Rion, Jord, Original Minor Characters Rating: G Warnings: None Descriptors: Cross-Generational Friendship, Slow Build, Tragedy, Backstory, Time Skips Fic Word Count (Thus Far): 11.7k Chapter Word Count: 3.5k Chapter Setting: Baldur’s Gate, about 17 years before BG3. Summary: Nine-Fingers Keene has known Jaheira a long time. This is how it fell apart. (Chap 3/?) Chapter Summary: Eighteen-year-old Astele is beginning to carve out a path for herself towards the future she envisions for her city - but it entails leaving some things behind.

read on ao3 | send me fic requests!

-----

"Fuck." Astele rubs distractedly at the trickle of blood coming from her nose. She'd thought it stopped at some point on the way up from the Undercity, but no such luck. It’s still flowing in a warm stream, mixing with other blood on her lips and in her mouth and along the wide cut on her jaw. "Gods damn it."

A few people give her curious glances as she emerges onto the Lower City street in the fading evening light. Not too many, though - an eighteen-year-old in a patched coat who's clearly been in a fight isn't really an uncommon sight in this part of town. Besides, the look on her face is probably enough to scare off a worg, let alone the local loiterers hanging around outside the pubs.

Rilsa grins, clambering up the ladder behind Astele. “Hell of a show ya put on,” she says. The dark-eyed Calishite girl looks much more cheerful than Astele feels, probably because all of her blood is still inside her body where it belongs. “Usually when a new kid pokes their nose ‘round the Undercity, they keep their head down. But not Stella Keene, no saer. She up and tussles and damn near gets her nose broke.”

“I wasn’t the one that picked the fight,” Astele mutters.

Rilsa laughs. “Naw, just finished it, proper-like. Marver’ll be walkin’ funny for a week.” She cocks her head. “Come up Norchapel way with me? Got a spare bunk, and I bet the boss'd like to meet ya.”

Astele hesitates, then shakes her head. “Nah. Gonna go home, I think,” she says, deliberately casual. “To the Home, I mean,” she corrects herself hastily, when Rilsa shoots her a skeptical look. “Elerrathin's.”

Rilsa smirks. “Still runnin’ back t’ Mum?” she says.

“Piss off,” Astele snaps irritably. “The food's good.” Unlike most of the street kids Astele knows, Rilsa doesn’t really have any malice behind her teasing, but it rankles all the same.

“And mine en't?” Rilsa raises her eyebrows with a haughty sniff. “Piss off yourself.”

Astele shrugs. “I’ll find you later. Your boss wants to talk, you can find me harborside tomorrow morning. Ship coming in, so Kop should have some work for me. Meanwhile, keep your head down.”

“Always do.” Rilsa snorts. “Tell ‘Mum’ I say hi.”

Astele doesn’t dignify this with an answer, just stalks down the nearest alleyway into the shadows.

Read More on AO3

[beardedmrbean]

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Denmark’s King Frederik laid a foundation stone Thursday to launch the reconstruction of Copenhagen’s iconic Old Stock Exchange, the 400-year-old harborside landmark that was partly destroyed by a fire in April.

Frederik squeezed in a square sandstone, etched with his monogram and weighing about 60 kilograms (130 pounds), into a red brick wall on a corner of the Old Stock Exchange. That marked the official start of the reconstruction.

In the early morning of April 16, the blaze tore through Boersen, as it is known in Danish, collapsing its green copper roof and iconic dragon-tail spire. Two days later, a large section of the building’s outer wall collapsed inwards. The site took months to clean up as some 1,000 tons of debris had to be removed.

Considered a leading example of the Dutch Renaissance style in Denmark, it opened in 1624 as a trading place, nine years after construction had begun. Denmark’s Chamber of Commerce, the building’s owner, has said it wants it to be as it once was. The plan is to use the same materials as when the building was erected.

Initial plans had been to mark the building’s anniversary after a thorough renovation with festivities but those plans were changed following the fire. Now only about 45% of the Old Stock Exchange still stands. An old firewall stopped the blaze from spreading.

“Today we are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Stock Exchange! And we mark that with the laying of the foundation stone by King Frederik, which is the start of a new chapter: the rebuilding of Boersen,” Brian Mikkelsen, head of the Chamber of Commerce, wrote on X.

It is expected to take several years with no end date for now and no details about the costs. The owner has said it will foot the bill.

As the blaze raged, ordinary people ventured in to help authorities rescue artworks, and around 90% of the cultural objects were rescued from the fire.

They have been stored in a modern warehouse northwest of Copenhagen, along with sculpted stones, bricks and wall parts. The aim is to reuse as many of the latter as possible, the Chamber of Commerce has said.

Some 800,000 handmade bricks have been ordered in Germany and the plan is to use between 800 and 1,000 trees from a Swedish Baltic Sea island.

“We must do everything to ensure that that tragedy does not repeat,” Culture Minister Christina Egelund said in a statement, as the Danish government announced that it would look into whether current regulations are sufficient to protect historic buildings.

Danish authorities have yet to reveal the cause of the fire, but it’s believed to have started on the building’s roof, which had been wrapped in scaffolding because of ongoing renovation work to be completed for its anniversary in 2024.

The blaze was reminiscent of the April 2019 fire at the 800-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

[deathsplaything]

Birds, Why Does it Have to be Birds? || Alistair & Jade

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Near The Beak PARTIES: @highoctanegem & @deathsplaything SUMMARY: Jade and Alistair are going about their days when the demonic birds decide to strike... something interesting happens. CONTENT WARNING: None

It was always super fun when Jade had to deliver anything in Harborside. And by super fun, she meant that she got to feel the breeze on her skin and appreciate the view. And by ‘appreciate’ the view she meant getting front-seat tickets to the anomaly offshore being a drama queen. The giant beak. (And sure, technically front seats would involve being on a boat somewhere but, she preferred the dry kinda seats for the spectacle) (In this case, at least).  

Once the greasy goods were delivered to the couple down the street, Jade sat on her bike, waiting for a new order to come through. A fine rain fell on her, which was like, totally romantic in aesthetics. She probably looked super hot like that, right? And how come nobody was around to capture the moment? Well, she was around, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and picked up her iPhone. She knew Regan would appreciate a rain soaked selfie. The wetter the better and all that. 

Except, she barely took one selfie, cause from the camera she noticed something wacky was going down in the ocean. (And character development dictated she was supposed to have her priorities straight, not gay). She slid the phone back into her jacket and climbed off her bike to get a better look at… huh. Birds? Well, they looked like it. Flocking in massive quantities around the beak like a spooky spiral. She knew they weren’t really birds, cause she’d been tipped already. They were demons. 

This wasn’t her jurisdiction, to be fair. But like, she did promise Eve to keep an eye out for the ‘geological anomalies’ around town. And demons and undead were probably like… distant cousins in a way. More than shifters or fae, probably. Anyway, if someone sat down and did the math, they’d realize lots of common denominators between the two species, which made her somewhat of an authority in the matter. (Emphasis on the somewhat).

Looking over to her side, Jade registered another set of footsteps approaching the scene. Oops. She probably shouldn’t be encouraging anyone to stay around, but people were nosy by nature. (Or was that just her?). She flashed a confident smile at the person, pointing at the beak. “The anomaly, huh? I bet they’re probably testing some fancy tricks for the public. They should totally milk it and build a theme park, I say”. 

—

Walking Brutus in the rain was awful, Alistair thought. But Brutus waited for no one, and they weren’t about to make Tommy walk with them in this horrible weather. So that’s how Alistair found themselves walking a new route with Brutus leading the way, ears pinned back from the wind but tail wagging all the same. 

Now the anomaly wasn’t something that Alistair really knew what it was. They hadn’t bothered with the going ons of the town for some time, more focused on Tommy and his schooling and therapy than anything else. Tommy was all that mattered, as far as they were concerned. Still, there was no denying that something odd was going on, something that was bound to get worse if it wasn’t dealt with, and soon. 

They hadn’t registered there was someone nearby until she started talking. They recognized the voice, that slayer from the cemetery. Well, they were in a new body, right? They could play it off, pretend they didn’t know anything— “Oh yeah, it’s totally an attraction and not a flock of birds sent here by gods only know what in order to kill us all,” Alistair spoke in a grumbly voice. 

Their gaze looked past Jade, over her shoulder instead of meeting her eyes. They didn't smile in return, not having known she was doing so in the first place. It was in that moment that the demonic birds started to fly a bit closer. Too close for comfort for Brutus, who’s tail stopped wagging and began to growl in warning towards the creatures that dared to get too close to him and his human. 

“Brutus, you’re not winning against the birds,” Alistair admonished. “Stand down.” But Brutus didn’t stand down, instead he kept his tail down and ears pinned back as the birds flew more erratically. 

—

There was a weird familiar vibe about this whole encounter that Jade couldn’t exactly pin down. Like, a forgotten filler episode you didn’t think would become relevant until you saw it in the recap at the start of the episode. Cause… she didn’t know this person in front of her, but their dog? She definitely remembered the dog. And she did cause he was beautiful and adorable and on a mission… just like he was the last time she saw them. That’s right! Where was that? Wasn't it when they defeated Kevin the spawn? But… the doggo had been accompanied by somebody else. The spellcaster with the rockstar vibes. Oh, what if he had two parents? That was always a possibility. 

The stranger’s cadence was also definitely a little bit familiar. But again, it also tracked. Assuming everybody in charge of the dog lived under the same roof, they were bound to rub off on each other. (Like, for example, how she was totally picking up an Irish lilt, right?). And ugh, Jade really needed to try the whole secrecy thing, definitely, but when the person clearly seemed to be in the know about it, what was the point in gaslighting anybody? (Well, the fun of it all) (But her duty kinda outweighed that this time). She sighed, conceding with a headshake. “Alrighty, fine. I mean, I had to try at least…” That was what Eve would’ve wanted. But the jig was up before it began, so now the real mission was ensuring this person had no plans of getting closer.   

“But, yup. It’s pretty bad. I hear it’s just how it goes around here though, nothing to really worry about. If we get picked up for another season, they’ll just vanish eventually. This is just…” Jade's eyes danced from the stranger back to the beak. “Raising the stakes,” she shrugged, thinking she was so freaking clever and funny for continuously sneaking the word stakes whenever she could. And oh! Brutus (which was apparently the doggy’s name) was definitely not a happy camper with the demons’ performance and was sure to let it be known. “I think maybe it’s best for you guys, especially my buddy over there, if you walk toward that park down the street? It has a cute little gazebo too, he can smell the flowers and all, way better than…” the flying demons flew past the shoreline, which definitely ruined a few people’s leisure strolls, but more importantly, they were flying towards them. Uh oh. 

Jade, knowing she had a calling to protect humankind, and also had a request from Eve to find whatever info she could on what was going on with these wannabe gremlins, wasted no time before opening the delivery box strapped to the back of her motorcycle, pulling out her trusted crossbow from it. She loaded the bolts into the quiver, eyes trained on the sky. This was never how she envisioned playing ‘Duck Hunt’, but she was totally rolling with the punches. Unfortunately, to her left… the human and their furry buddy were still there. “Come on guys, safety first!”

—

Jade talked a lot, this was a fact that Alistair had resigned themselves to upon their first interaction. The more she kept talking, the more they found themselves spacing out further. Then, they heard the sound of wings getting closer. Alistair didn’t need to be told twice to get a move on from Jade after they heard it, with Brutus barking and whining before listening to Jade and tugging his owner along. 

It was a quick realization that they were unarmed, and unable to do much of anything without something dead around. It was terrifying enough to be unarmed, it was made even worse by the fact that Alistair couldn’t see what was going on. “Shit,” they grumbled before dropping Brutus’s harness so the dog could get to safety, which of course, he didn’t. Brutus stayed fixed to his owner’s side, barking and snarling at the encroaching bird demons. 

“Tell me how to help!” They shouted as the flapping of wings and sounds of cawing grew louder. “I can’t do much until one’s dead.” He then said, frowning. “You know me. We’ve met before,” they said, more in a ramble than a true explanation. “Different body, but that’s a long story we don’t have time for right now. Shoot one down, and I’ll do what I can.” 

—

So, full disclosure, since she was big on admitting her wrongs these days, Jade totally miscalculated just how big the demons were in the distance. Like duh, she knew they had to be a total nuisance for everybody still out there trying to catch some beach breeze. But she’d thought they would be like, seagull levels of annoying. Nope! the more they approached, the more she realized they weren’t just a nuisance, they were also! Huge. Bigger than her at least. (Which normally wasn’t a good measuring standard, but when it came to demonic birds? It was the best to compare it to one small person). 

Well, crap. The birds circled them for a beat, all ominous and stuff, probably trying to decide who looked yummier or something, and that was when Jade noticed neither the human nor the dog had dipped to safety. Ugh. But whatever grievances she wanted to air out were immediately forgotten when the other asked how to help. Cause wasn’t leaving, finding a place to stay safe way more helpful than whatever they could do out here? Unarmed? She didn’t say anything about that, though cause then came the biggest revelation so far: Jade actually knew this person. “Wait… hold up, you?” Alistair? Was that the name? It was definitely the name. Cause she remembered thinking how fitting it was for a necromancer to be called that. Stop it, enough tangents. Alistair was a necromancer! They could actually do something about the demonic birds. So this whole thing got pushed down from the big finale boss category to the level two villain. Whew.

“Amazing!” Jade beamed at their plan. They were on the same wavelength, thinking the same thing. (Just… in like a more convoluted way, probably) (She didn’t think Alistair had an epic OST playing in the back of their head) (They should, though). But right, plans. She could take ‘em out and Alistair could like, turn them against their own. It was a pretty ideal team-up. (Like imagine being stuck in this sidequest with a baker or something? How would that be useful? That only worked on The Hunger Games) (Sorry, tangents). She raised her crossbow, trying to aim at one of the flying demons. It was pretty hard cause of the whole… moving thing, but Jade kept the sight set on a particular one. This was nothing she hadn’t faced before. She just had to avoid getting pounced! And or kidnapped. This was like, easy mode.

A flock swooped down on them, all sharp talons and sharp teeth, but Jade braced herself. Being in such proximity to danger kinda made her go into hyper-focused mode (something, something, hunter training), which was so convenient for everybody involved. The first bolt, she put through the skull of her target, a cocky grin spreading across her face when the demon’s flight halted abruptly, flopping onto the pavement two beats later. It began seeping black goo from its head, the same type of goo from a season ago. Jade wasn’t sure if the bird was dead, dead… cause…demons, but she was positive it wasn’t alive anymore. Or it wouldn’t be flying so soon again, at least. “Can you do your… green strings thingy on it?” Jade asked, noticing another demon diving, aiming for the pup. Nope, not allowed. Her movements were sharp as she fired another bolt at the offending creature. It sank past the feathers in its chest, the force of the impact deviating it from the dog. It screeched, flying erratically around, then above them, before sinking down to try and swipe the crossbow from her hands.     

—

Admittedly, and not at all surprisingly, Alistair did not have a soundtrack playing in their head as the demonic birds descended upon them. No, instead it was internal screaming as the large birds got closer to Brutus through their sight. “Brutus, get out of here!” The necromancer shouted, a strong need to protect their companion surging through them. Brutus, ever the surivivor, decided (for once) to listen to Alistair and run off, leaving Alistair without any aid to their sight. That was alright, they could do this. They listened to the sounds around, them, the loud flap of wings, the sound of a crossbow firing, the thud on pavement. 

As soon as she asked for assistance, Alistair knew it was time to act. They quickly began to pull from the magic around them, and the ‘green strings’ as Jade so eloquently put it, began to form around the beast, green tendrils of smoke commanding it to rise from the ground and act. Form the sound of it, Jade was the one in trouble, so that’s where they aimed their attack. The dead demonic bird would take flight and lunge at the other demonic bird, talons ripping and tearing into the beast as it cried out in pain before turning into a black ooze that Alistair couldn’t see. 

A third demonic bird came flying toward Alistair to interrupt the magic, only for them to send the bird they were controlling flying back toward the sound of wings, repeating the process. “How many are there?” They asked, voice insistent and harsh as they concentrated on their spell. They could hear Brutus barking in the distance away from them, running around to dodge demon birds and just generally freak out (Alistair vaguely wished it could be them). 

As soon as Alistair relinquished control of the dead demonic bird they were controlling, it too, turned to the same black ooze, and Alistair frowned when they couldn’t grab on to anything in order to cast their spell. “What’s happening?” They asked frantically, brows knitting together in worry.

__

Jade didn’t mind that she was tussling with a demonic beast that was almost her size, she didn’t even care about the sharp talons slicing her jacket while she tried maintaining the grip on her crossbow. Nope, the most important thing, was that Alistair’s doggo finally decided to obey and ran off from imminent attack. She hoped the audience was cheering for that, cause she was, in spirit. But like, those talons did hurt, to be fair. These demons did not care for manicures, that was for sure. Jade twisted her body away from the continuous attacks, keeping her weapon tucked away from the bird’s grasp. “Stop it!” She swatted her hand, using her arm to cover her head as best as possible. She actually had lots of experience on this, having four siblings who loved to take toys away from her so she’d focus on training. And… she didn't have to worry about the bird for much longer, cause from her peripheral vision she clocked the green smoke Alistair was famous for, taking hold of the demon Jade had already shot. She sensed it fly in her direction, crashing against the demon trying to take her crossbow. And welp, she jumped away from that mess, watching the two monsters have a go at it. Yikes.

There was black ooze everywhere on the pavement after Alistair’s puppet came out victorious. And if this was the same kinda black goo that trapped her and a few others in that building not too long ago, then Jade definitely didn’t want that anywhere near her. There was no time to make all the witty jokes she wanted to make about the situation, cause she was locked in on this sidequest. She reloaded the bolts in the quiver, getting ready for another charge of demons. At Alistair’s question of numbers, she realized that Brutus being at a safe distance also meant… their Bluetooth vision had disconnected. Shoot. But hey, they were still being a total badass with the spell? It was super cool. “Three more flying directly our way…” she called with trained measure, lifting her weapon to aim. She looked over to the beak, just to make sure more of them weren’t preparing to take off too and sneak attack them. But she didn’t see any demon birds. She just saw the structure in all its majesty, except for a small (from where she stood, but… perspective) impact near the bottom. Parts of the material crumbled down to the ocean and… wait, was that already happening when they got here? She really should’ve been paying more attention. “I think that’s it for now!” she tore her eyes away from the erosion, just in time to see Alistair order their puppet demon to attack one of the incoming threats. 

They weren’t counting on Alistair’s spell to fail when the bird dissolved into goo, just like the one who had tried to steal her crossbow. So that meant… they could only have control for like, a short amount of time, right? They had an expiration date. As long as Jade took out one more that should be enough for Alistair to do their thing. Sadly, this surprise finding had completely derailed her attention span by the time the demons swooped on them. One surged directly toward her, tackling her to the ground. Ouch. The crossbow flew from her hand and bounced away from her grasp, but Jade actually had no time to worry about that small problem when a set of sharp teeth was coming for her. She used her free hands to push back against the monster’s beak. “Noooo…Not the face!” The bird shrieked at her, which sounded a lot like ‘bitch’, but she managed to finagle her body in a way that allowed her to pluck a dagger from her belt. She wasted no time, plunging the blade into the demon’s neck. (Neck?) (Neck). Black goo oozed from the opening, and Jade shrunk just before it dripped onto her face. Nope, bad idea. It went into her hair. Her hair. (How dare?) She screeched (and Regan would’ve been proud of the volume she reached), suddenly remembering she was strong strong, flipping and slamming the demon onto the ground. The dagger sliced its throat, but she was mindful not to avenge herself too hard. And risk melting the thing into full goo. She scrambled to her feet and dashed to her crossbow, trusting Alistair to do what needed to be done with their new minion.       

—

There were moments in which Alistair doubted their abilities without their eyesight. There were moments where flying blind really did raise their blood pressure to new levels as their anxiety sky-rocketed. Anything could happen, and they wouldn’t see it coming. No, They didn’t have time to think about this, to doubt their very existence. Focus. There are three more. As soon as Jade started shouting about her face, Alistair’s brows pinched together with worry, only for the sound of something stabbing the beast made itself known. Then she was screaming, which, okay. Sure. 

“Screaming about your face doesn’t help me!” They found themselves shouting back in frustration, but quickly took hold of the dead demonic bird thing and began puppeting it toward the other two, having it fly as fast as it could toward the other sounds of wings until it pierced into it, instantly turning it to goo. “One more!” Alistair shouted as their own corpse puppet turned to goo, splashing to the earth far below it. 

Brutus let out a low, warning bark as one of the birds came towards him, beginning to circle the dog and cry out, talons heading right for him. “Jade, don’t let them touch my dog!” Alistair cried out, uncharacteristic fear in their voice. When it came to their dog, that was their weakness. As the demonic bird swooped down, Brutus let out a loud bark and began snarling, bearing his teeth to the demon who showed no care for the dog’s warning signs. As the bird went to make contact, Brutus opened his mouth and bit down on the bird’s wing, causing it to cry out. 

_

It was a little rude of Alistair to say they didn’t care about her face (paraphrasing), but Jade knew they were both in a pickle so she wasn’t gonna take it too personally (this time). Cause, bigger fish to fry and all that. Or demons to fry, more like. These demons were dripping black goo everywhere they died, including the delivery box on her bike. That part did make her a little mad and worried, cause Roxie had been Onyx’s before it was hers and she’d promised him to take good care of it. (Just like she’d promised him she would become the best slayer in the family) (So she wanted to at least keep one of those promises intact). She just couldn’t lose Roxie cause of some ugly demons with terrible vibes. 

The good news was, Alistair could still do the thing without their doggy aiding them. They were still pulling their weight on this assignment. Which meant, there was only one last demon standing (flying) to ace this. Except this one had the nerve, the gall, the gumption to go after Brutus. Like a real villain. Jade heard Alistair’s warning and her heart leaped to her throat, fearing for the poor baby. The demon flew low, showing off sharp talons that it would totally use to hurt the cutest dog in town. Not on her watch! “I got it!” She said, even if she definitely didn’t get it yet. But she would, cause she had her crossbow back, and a fire in her belly ignited by that ugly monster coming for someone’s baby.

She couldn’t stop picturing her own babies being bullied by those demons, obviously. So her first instinct was to tackle the monster and quickly push it off Brutus. Go at it with her bare fists. That would be what any doting parent would do for their fur child. But she took a steadying breath, tuned out her heartbeat despite concern beating in her chest, knowing that she could be a lot more effective from the distance. She lined up her crossbow, aiming for the head, tracking down the movement as he swooped on Brutus. She felt the wind around them, estimated how it would skew the bolt, minimized every factor that might change the bolt’s trajectory. There was a life on the line. And Brutus, the good boy he was, had some fight in him too. Jade took advantage of him chomping on the bird’s wing, When she zeroed in on the demon’s head, everything moved at half-speed. She squeezed the trigger and trusted her weapon to deliver. The bolt flew across the air,  the way she wanted it to. It hit with precision. Headshot. The bolt oozed black goo in its exit and the demon shook before plummeting to the ground. 

Jade ran toward Brutus, kneeling to check for any signs he’d been hurt. “Thank you, you were so badass” she cooed, scratching the top of his head. “He’s all good!” She shouted at Alistair, and…as much as she was tempted to, she refrained from picking Brutus up. “We’re good. Well, I’m a little scratched actually, but scars are attractive, right?” And ouch, her jacket was actually torn, and she felt the sting on her skin to know those talons had gotten through her. The bird’s body twitched next to them, almost like it still wanted a rematch, but the goo pouring from its head said not today. (Not ever, actually, cause a second later it was a puddle). She stood, encouraging Brutus to get away from the goo and go meet Alistair. Just then, she exhaled in relief, brushing the strands of hair that came loose from her ponytail. 

In the distance, that beak was lowkey still acting up, leaking some of that solidified goo onto the water. But like, no demons were spawning from it anymore so… they had nothing to worry about, right? Huh. So, usually, when Jade felt there was nothing to worry about, there was definitely something to worry about. But what was it? Was the beak already leaking when they got there? She didn’t think so, but she had no way of— wait! The selfie. Jade reached for her phone, zooming on the photo she’d snapped right before the demons decided to make a big mess. And yup, sure enough, the beak was right behind her, erect and thick and positively beaky. More importantly, definitely not leaking anything sus. (So many jokes, so little time) (she was on the clock, she couldn’t). Jade moved closer to Alistair and Brutus, head tilted so her brain cells could rub together and connect the dots. If the demons were coming from the beak, and now a small part of the beak was disintegrating after they squashed said demons… Hypothetically, wouldn’t hurting more demons make the beak leak even more goo? “Oh,” two plus two, right? She was gonna have to get Alistair up to speed with her suspicions, but she thought she was cooking something here. She turned to the pair, hoping Brutus Vision was back on, so she could show Alistair her phone. “Okay, we should definitely tell someone about this”

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

The Migrant Mother • The Canary • From The Sky • Harborside • All Hands • The Fireside • Soliloquy • Reverie • Little Snakes • Mountainside • Gardenias • Hillside • Rivet

Submitter's Note: This album, from a Canadian band, is about various points in US history. This includes a lot of the violence that implies. Gardenias, in particular, is about a suicide.

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