iphones-world

[iliothermia]

Anafah

[sundial-bee-scribbles]

@justgoji

[nightly-ruse]

I feel like I should get to not question reality every single day at least for lesbian visibility week. Let me have this plz

[animusrox]

TOP 10

Past Lives

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Poor Things

Oppenheimer

Barbie

BlackBerry

The Holdovers

The Iron Claw

Killers of the Flower Moon

MY LETTERBOXD Grade A 11.    The Killer 12.    Beau Is Afraid 13.    Dream Scenario 14.    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 15.    Godzilla Minus One 16.    American Fiction 17.    They Cloned Tyrone 18.     Evil Dead Rise 19.    Eileen 20.    The Artifice Girl 21.   Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 22.    Talk to Me 23.    Reality 24.    Leave the World Behind 25.    A Thousand and One 26.    Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 27.    Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. 28.    Theater Camp 29.   Carmen 30.    Merry Little Batman 31.    Priscilla 32.    Society of the Snow 33.    Infinity Pool 34.    Enys Men 35.    Sanctuary 36.    Rye Lane 37.    Skinamarink 38.    Monster 39.    Anatomy of a Fall 40.    Landscape with Invisible Hand 41.    Reptile 42.    Sisu 43.    Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game 44.    No One Will Save You 45.    Tetris 46.    May December 47.    The Zone of Interest 48.    V/H/S/85 49.    Dumb Money 50.    El Conde 51.    Arnold 52.    Maestro 53.    Napoleon 54.    20 Days in Mariupol 55.    Influencer 56.    The Creator 57.    Origin 58.    Thanksgiving 59.    Next Goal Wins 60.    The Boy and the Heron 61.    Bottoms 62.    Wonka

[Press Keep Reading For The Full Graded List]

Grade B

63.   God Is a Bullet 64.    No Hard Feelings 65.    Joy Ride 66.    Fair Play 67.     Cocaine Bear 68.    NYAD 69.    Asteroid City 70.    Nowhere 71.    The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster 72.    Divinity 73.    The Equalizer 3 74.    The Last Voyage of the Demeter 75.    Venus 76.    Butcher’s Crossing 77.    Somewhere in Queens 78.    The Persian Version 79.    Boston Strangler 80.    Polite Society 81.    Miguel Wants to Fight 82.    The Color Purple 83.    The Royal Hotel 84.    Saw X 85.    All of Us Strangers 86.    Fallen Leaves 87.    Ferrari 88.    Elemental 89.    Peter Pan & Wendy 90.    Renfield 91.    Cat Person 92.    Scream VI 93.    The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 94.    BS High 95.    Blue Beetle 96.    Huesera: The Bone Woman 97.    When Evil Lurks 98.    Dark Harvest 99.    A Good Person 100.    Final Cut 101.    Knock at the Cabin 102.    Quiz Lady 103.    Leo 104.    Air 105.    The Super Mario Bros. Movie 106.    Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham 107.    John Wick: Chapter 4 108.    Beaten to Death 109.    The Wrath of Becky 110.    Passages 111.    Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 112.    Gran Turismo 113.    65 114.    Sick 115.    Sister Death 116.    The Blackening 117.    Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain 118.    Flamin’ Hot 119.    Nimona 120.    Cobweb 121.    Totally Killer 122.    What’s Love Got to Do with It? 123.     Sharper 124.    Unseen 125.    Dunki 126.    Bird Box Barcelona 127.    The Marvels 128.    Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Grade C

129.   Wildflower 130.    Freelance 131.    M3GAN 132.    Strays 133.    Sympathy for the Devil 134.    Creed III 135.    Chevalier 136.    The Marsh King’s Daughter 137.    A Haunting in Venice 138.    The Little Mermaid 139.    Silent Night 140.    Master Gardener 141.    The Flash 142.    Fast X 143.    The Pope’s Exorcist 144.    Saltburn 145.    Kandahar 146.    Stand 147.    Plane 148.   Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 149.    Fingernails 150.    Quicksand 151.    Fool’s Paradise 152.    Migration 153.    Rustin 154.    The Covenant 155.    Good Burger 2 156.    The Pod Generation 157.    Alice, Darling 158.    Insidious: The Red Door 159.    Missing 160.    Shotgun Wedding 161.    You Hurt My Feelings 162.    The Boogeyman 163.    Showing Up 164.    Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 165.    Champions 166.    Consecration 167.    The Nun II 168.    Biosphere 169.    House Party 170.    The Exorcist: Believer 171.    Big George Foreman 172.    Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 173.    Children of the Corn 174.    The Beanie Bubble 175.    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Grade F

176.    Anyone But You 177.    Marlowe 178.    Paint 179.    Extraction 2 180.    It Lives Inside 181.    Deliver Us 182.    Trolls Band Together 183.    Finestkind 184.    Corner Office 185.    Wish 186.    Prisoner’s Daughter 187.    Pain Hustlers 188.    Foe 189.    The Mother 190.    Old Dads 191.    Ghosted 192.    Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken 193.    Haunted Mansion 194.    Mafia Mamma 195.    Five Nights at Freddy’s 196.    The Machine 197.    Justice League: Warworld 198.    We Have a Ghost 199.    What Comes Around 200.    Legion of Super-Heroes 201.    The Boys in the Boat 202.    Attachment 203.    Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre 204.    About My Father 205.    You People 206.    Meg 2: The Trench 207.    Pathaan 208.    Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire 209.    Assassin 210.    Dalíland 211.    Vacation Friends 2

Bottom 10

212.    Sound of Freedom 213.    Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 214.    When You Finish Saving The World 215.    Heart of Stone 216.    Family Switch 217.    Expend4bles 218.    Sweetwater 219.    Hypnotic 220.    80 for Brady 221.    Spinning Gold

[fir-fireweed]

Hello!! this is the same anon that asked the previous question 😭😭 I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense but, I was asking about more of their personalities!! and maybe some funny things about them too? :D I HOPE IT MAKES SENSE 😭😭😭 THIS IS MY FIRST TIME ASKING THINGS ABOUT THE CHARACTERS AND IT MAKES ME NERVOUS 😭😭

Hello again, Anon! No worries, I’m new to this too so we’re both learning.

Hmm, funny things? 🤔 The world of Viatica isn’t exactly a light hearted one, so this is tricky. For this I’m gonna do a “what if?” scenario, if they were in our universe.

Lion is careful, deliberate and protective of those he cares for. He’s not above breaking the rules if there’s a good moral reason for it, and never for selfish purposes. (Think chaotic good versus lawful good). He’d be that guy who always uses turn signals, would build you the most ultra-luxe treehouse, and thinks Sloppy Joes are disgusting.

Heron is playful and mischievous but also very intuitive and thoughtful. He’d be all about the harmless pranks: turning every clock in your home or office ahead one hour or giving Lion a plate of brownies which are really just frosted sponges (but he’d also have real brownies at hand to smooth things over).

Ferret is a person of action and as subtle as a brick. She may come across as abrasive, but she’s honest, loyal, and has a secret soft side; there is no one better to have in your corner. She’s an excellent singer but not a performer. She would be awesome at drunk karaoke, would buy a dozen Girl Scout cookies from each little dealer who knocks on her door, and despises chess.

Robin is perceptive, good hearted, and cares deeply for their friends. They want to believe the best in people and are more likely to be sad than angry when someone disappoints them. They would love drive-in movies, aquariums, and baking with Heron.

This was fun! Now I want to write some AUs lol.

[16sydd16]

Not the original asker, but I’m new to the cadina fandom and now I’m curious about the ever-prevalent fallen angel AU that the cadina bitches kick around sometimes.

For this ask game!

Hi new person! We're so happy to have you! The Cadina bitches can't help but think about three things: 1) A woman putting her canine teeth in the side of my neck; 2) Cadina height difference, which is only like 5 inches in actuality, but it looks like a foot (which we love); 3) Fallen Angel AU. Okay, that's a little dramatic, but the collective brainrot about Fallen Angel!Regina is so real! For all of the obsessive thinking we do, we don't have a ton of concrete ideas about this. Here's five that have infected my brain!

Fallen Angel Regina dresses like an angel for a college halloween party in an attempt at irony. She hopes the big, judgmental man upstairs appreciates her humor, but she knows he won't. Though she's lost all of the perks of being an angel, she still takes her responsibilities pretty seriously. She spends her Friday and Saturday nights at local college parties, watching out for predators spiking drinks or making moves on girls who are far too drunk to say yes to anything. The first time she meets Cady Heron, she's laying on the frathouse lawn on Halloween night. She'd laid down to look at the stars before realizing she was too drunk to stand back up on her own. Regina lays next to her for a few minutes at Cady's insistence (Cady yanks Regina onto the ground when Regina offers her a hand up) and makes sure she gets home safe.

Cady talks Regina into staying until she falls asleep, but Regina is gone by the time she wakes. Cady spends the next two weeks searching student records, but it's tough, because she doesn't have much to go on besides "hot blonde angel who rescues drunk girls." She tries putting that in the student database, but it doesn't work.

Regina may not still have her angelic powers, but she does have her angelic beauty and a wicked right hook. Many men who have gotten too close to her have learned this the hard way.

The first time Cady sees the angry, raised scars on Regina's otherwise flawless back, she can't help but reach out to touch them. Regina wakes the instant she feels Cady's hands on her, the tender touch still painful to her damaged skin. She yells at Cady, screams, tries to push her away. Cady apologizes, gently strokes her shoulder and her cheek and her hair until Regina can't be mad at Cady. She can only be mad at herself, and the pain she's caused. She collapses into Cady's arms, and Cady holds her while she cries. Cady asks if Regina has those scars because she was hit by a bus or something. Regina hesitates before telling Cady the truth. That she's a fallen angel, and that her wings were savagely ripped from her back for her "crimes." Cady doesn't say anything at first. She just keeps stroking Regina's hair.

Later, much later, Cady jokes about how she always knew Regina was something ethereal. That Regina was too beautiful to be human. Regina asks if Cady always thought she was an angel, if the costume was a dead giveaway. Cady admits that vampire was actually her first guess, because Regina has a real Rosalie Hale kind of vibe. Regina scoffs and rolls her eyes and tries to get up. Cady Refuses to move from her lap. (Regina could push her off, but she doesn't. Won't. She used to think getting kicked out of heaven was the worst fate someone could suffer. Now, she knows being kicked out of Cady Heron's embrace would be the real hell.)

Thanks so much for the ask!!

[sullenhue]

thinking about the boy and the heron and how every little thing in it hit me like a ton of bricks, and how I left the theatre literally shaking from how absolutely heartbreaking it was.

I related to Mahito maybe a little too much, an angry person overwrought with the grief of losing a motherly figure. Unable to accept change and love to our own detriments, but slowly learning to be okay. Letting the weight finally fall off our shoulders, so we can appreciate the life we have now. Finally realizing we need to live in the present, and not let the past paralyze us into fear.

Maybe I'm just talking out my ass, reading too much into a fictional child. But I felt so deeply seen, like I could finally fully relate to a Ghibli protagonist.

Anyways adding him to my list of misunderstood little animated guys: Norman, Ash and Mahito my little fucked up trio

[defira85]

OC Deep Dive Questions

Thank you @adorablebanite for the tag! I think you've tagged nearly everyone in the Gortash fandom so I won't double inflict it on people 🤣

We'll shock absolutely everyone and do Kassara

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

I think I've said before that her greatest fear is being alone - Daddy's plan for her to be the last one left at the end of the world is a fucking nightmare for her. That's his fault by making her a twin though, she's never been alone ever in her life even before Gorty Boy came on the scene

Uncommon fear, hmm... I don't know what constitutes uncommon for Toril and for a Bhaalspawn... there's a vain little piece of her that's terrified that Gortash won't find her attractive one day, that he'll wise up to her being a weirdly unnatural sentient blob of goo made from gore and not, you know, a person and he'll tell her she's disgusting... she got the Bhaalspawn breeding urges wrong and she's terrified of being a bad mother, do either of those count?

Do they have any pet peeves?

She hates cryptic bullshit. Withers is SO lucky Carmela and the rest of the extended party were around to moderate her temper. That's what you get after a decade or more of Sarevok and Sceleritas just mysteriously telling her she'll know what to do in order to resurrect Bhaal without giving her any fucking help in the matter at all. Be frank with her, or shut up

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Soap - old habits die hard but she's always got some sort of rubbing alcohol or hand soap or something to get the worst off her hands. Lube - listen. She's in her late 30s at the time of the game. It's good to have a little help. Moisturiser - again, she's in her late 30s, her skin isn't as bouncy as it was 15 years ago, and that was before she underwent multiple autopsies and flensings at the hands of Kressa.

What do they notice first in a person?

Their pulse

On a scale from 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Oh it's so high. Baby girl was born to relish in pain, her own and other peoples, but now she's older and spent six months on an autopsy table and now she has what the kids call chronic pain and so she's a little slower on the uptake than she used to be. Still a titan though, no matter what Ao says.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

It depends on the situation? If it's an active danger situation, she's fight all the way. If it's an emotional confrontation, you know she's going to burst into angry tears and run away

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

TWINSIES. Sarevok wasn't entirely sure that the ritual that created her in the Throne of Blood was foolproof, so he made a backup, and she got herself a twin brother. She and Heron were inseparable up until they got to the Bhaalist temple in their teens, at which point Sarevok instructed Orin and Sceleritas to immediately separate them and try to drive a wedge between them.

(Spoilers for KTMTB but she does want a big family, desperately. And she gets one, in the end)

What animal represents them best?

I vaguely recall answering this on another meme at some point and saying she was a white tiger, but I also think polar bear. Both big, chunky animals, plenty of fat on them, but you wouldn't question for a moment that they're wildly muscular and incredibly dangerous. Also, not uncommon to see a wild pale white woman covered in blood in the Lower City like a polar bear covered in seal blood running across the tundra

What is a smell they dislike?

Mint. She hates mint

Have they broken any bones?

Defira the Author has a Thing about broken bones (not quite a trigger, but bluh) so I tend to avoid writing them in my fics because they make me. Dizzy and such. But I am fairly certain that Bane broke one of her wing bones in Banehold when she turned up to fight him for Gortash's soul (she's got Ansur's soul, she's a draconic valkyrie at that point)

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Incredibly attractive but wildly unsettling. A smile that's bordering on unhinged at times. A stillness that makes you want to break into a sprint. You can tell you're in the presence of a predator.

Are they a night owl, or morning bird?

That's a good question, I never thought about it before, but I'm going to say Night Owl by necessity

What’s a flavour they hate and a flavour they love?

She hates mint. She loves vanilla and cherry blossom

Do they have any hobbies?

She really enjoys learning, and she'd probably be a career student if she could. She particularly loves the sciences and even some of her more dense volumes on astrophysics made the mathematician in Gortash bewildered

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprise?

She'd be delighted! To some extent. Bhaalspawn are naturally inclined to avoid too much attention but she was always a diva. She loves having people fawn over her

Do they like to wear jewellery?

Her wedding ring almost never comes off post canon, and lbr she was wearing it constantly in the last few years before the game too (before it was technically a wedding ring). She's a glam bitch and she always did love to dress up so you know she's got entire cabinets full of stolen jewellery from her victims, she mixes and matches for her next gala appearance

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Immaculate handwriting, perfect calligraphy. She can replicate and imitate almost any handwriting she comes across though, she's a natural forger and mimic (well, we SAY natural, but it was drilled into her by repetition)

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Pre-game canon: The urge versus a frustrated sense of yearning for a kind of normalcy that she could never have because that's not what she was made for

Game canon: A bubbling, seething, angry frustration because her body and her impulses scare her! They frustrate her!! What the fuck is her body doing!! As well as a yawning sense of horror and dread as the void in her head where her memories should be begins to look less like a void and more like a gaping chasm with something horrific at the bottom

Post-game canon: That lingering sense of dread and doubt that she has herself under control, far and away outweighed by her blissful delight at the happy ending she found

Do they have a favourite fabric?

I don't think she does actually... I think she likes Gortash's jacket, the texture of it and the smell of it... the way worn-in leather feels when it's been worn for years, and the layers and layers of body odour and sweat (my girl likes his musk, what can I say)

What kind of accent do they have?

I don't actually know what her real voice sounds like - there's so many layers to how she presents herself, the lives she's had to live from her first family to the orphanage to the second family to living on the streets to the Bhaalist temple... she's just a natural mimic, switching herself up to match the environment she's in.

She has a naturally very soft, higher pitched voice. Very girlish. It's another one of those things that makes people underestimate her. After waking up on the nautiloid she has a few months where she's quite husky because she's spent six months having her vocal chords either a) not used or b) being carefully flayed by Kressa to see how fast they regenerate with her titan blood so she sounds a bit more vampish after that. Still very soft spoken though

[walmart-miku]

Ok finished The Boy and The Heron. And I have Thoughts.

THE THEMES!!!! THE SYMBOLISM!!!! THE INEVITABLE MARCH OF TIME BUT WE STILL GO ON. THE "IMPERFECT WORLD TAINTED WITH MALICE" "WORLD FULL OF CHAOS AND FIRE" "PURE VS IMPURE" AHHHHHHHHH

ITS ABOUT GRIEF!!! ITS ABOUT HIW MAHITO LEARNS TO NAVIGATE A WORLD WITHOUT HIS MOTHER AND HIM ACCEPTING NATSUKO AS HIS MOTHER AND THE WAY ITS DONE IS SO GRACEFUL. He starts completely impartial to her. Besides the fact that Natsuko looks like his mother, Mahito is polite but cold to her. And then Natsuko gets "taken". And Mahito decides to go save her, not for himself but for his FATHER!!! (On a side note here, I love how good of a father Mahito has. He's really trying his best here, he dropped everything to look for them and was 110% ready to fight God.) And once Mahito finally gets to her its this beautiful scene of him calling out to her for her to come home with him and hee refusing and Mahito going from calling out "NATSUKO" to "MOTHER"!!!! HE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANOTHER MOTHER AND HE MIGHT HAVE FAILED THE FIRST TIME BUT HE WON'T THIS TIME AND AHHHHH!!!!

My brain will not shut up about the one scene where the heron tells Mahito that he can't fix the hole that Mahito made in his beak that's preventing him from transforming. It has to be the one who did the damage that fixes it. It has to be Mahito who fixes it. Do you see where I'm going here. How, as hard as you try, damage has been done and sometimes the damage has to be repaired by the cause.

THE REAL WORLD ATTACHMENT THAT HAYAO MIYAZAKI HAS TO THIS FILM. HE IS THE GREAT GRAND UNCLE. He created this beautiful empire of movies and has left a legacy and the movie ends with the empire/world falling l, with the potential successor turning away from the world and choosing his own path. THE MOVIE IS A LOVE LETTER TO HIS SON AND HOLY SHIT IM NOT GOING TO BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS FACT.

Little guys. A ghibli movie is not a ghibli movie until it has silly little guys. For this one we got the water water. LOOK AT THEM!!!! I WOULD DIE FOR THEM. I cried when they got eaten and then I cried some more when the old pelican died talking to Mahito. Because they didn't ask for this life where they eat the water water. But they have no choice. And their young don't know how to fly anymore.

Kiriko. Holy fucking shit Kiriko. She's managed to fulfill both the grandma and cool lesbian aunt roles in The Boy and The Heron and holy shit. First time I saw her butch form I. Also the little wood carvings to protect. How they're people from Mahitos world. How Mahito has so many people that care about him. (Look at her she's so)

Himi (Mahito's mother) ISNT AFRAID OF FIRE (how she dies) BECAUSE WHY BE AFRAID OF DEATH? WHY FEAR THE UNKNOWN AND THE END? WHY FEAR THE VERY THING THAT YOU CONTROLLED?

Mahito is super duper fucking unhinged (affectionate). The hospital is on fire, he runs against the crowd to get to his mother. The kids at his new school make fun of him. Next scene has no audio but some cheerful music and is of just Mahito fucking throwing hands. And then Mahito is still angry and full of malice afterwards that he just. Takes a rock and bangs it against his head. Mahito meets the grey heron and he decides that he's gonna kill it. He makes his won bow and arrow. He uses the herons own feather for the arrow. He also reflects his name perfectly. "Mahito" meaning "sincere one". He just says whatever the fuck he's thinking. He does not pull punches.

The book. "How Do You Live?" I Will Be Thinking About This Book So Much. (She left him a book, she left him a book about how to live because she knew that she wouldn't be there to watch him learn how to live but she still wanted to teach him how to live even if it was just beyond the grave through a book)

[discountsoysauce]

Okay so the Denholm brothers have been on my brain a lot recently, and with the direction this smp is probably going + what I know from outsiders, it's pretty unlikely that both of them will survive to the end. So here are my ideas of what would happen if one of them sacrificed themselves for the other (both written slightly differently because I just went wherever the thoughts took me)

Acho

- Scott would take in Dipper and reminisce with him about the good times he and Acho had when they were kids. Dipper becomes a permanent addition to the Heron faction and can often be seen milling about the tavern or sleeping next to the waterfall. Scott tells him that he was a good boy and he did his best to look after Acho while they were here.

- He would regret not searching harder, thinking maybe if he had found Acho and talked everything out, things wouldn't have ended up this way, or at least he would have had some more time.

- He would look back through his diary and rip out all the pages where he promised to protect Acho. He gathers them all and puts them back where they go almost immediately after.

- Maybe he'd look up and talk to the stars just like Acho used to do. It feels a bit awkward at first, but eventually, it becomes natural, and he finds himself talking to the stars like they're an old friend.

- He would possibly start to grow resentful of his parents depending on their reactions to Acho's death, and angry at them for pushing Acho away from the family.

- He would feel guilty for driving Acho away. If he had realized how they felt, had done more to show he cared, had tried to understand Acho better, maybe star would have never left. Maybe they could have done it together.

Scott

- Acho would be angry at first. He had told Scott so many times that they didn't need protecting, that they could hold their own. So why? Why was Scott gone and Acho still standing here? He told him he didn't need protecting, and yet there he went, throwing himself into the fray like an idiot. Did he not think they could protect themselves? Did he still think they were weak? What had Acho even done to deserve that kind of devotion? He left. He left Scott alone for a year with no message, no warning, and yet he still did it. Acho just doesn't understand.

- Then comes the guilt and regret. The times he told Scott he didn't need protecting, the times he ignored him, ran the opposite direction, blamed him for their parents' mistakes and left him to shoulder the brunt of their expectations alone. He can't say he regrets leaving, that would be disingenuous, but he often spends nights tossing and turning in his bed, wondering what could have happened if they had just left some kind of message. Maybe it wouldn't have saved him, but at least they would have had a little more time.

- Star would deny being upset about it to anyone they weren't close to. Scott made his choice, Acho never asked him to give up his life. He wouldn't have done the same. Graecie, of course, sees right through this and eventually manages to get through to him enough that he admits everything, and it becomes a nightingale secret.

- Acho has another person to talk to in the stars. He thinks about if the two of them would get along, decides they probably wouldn't. He hopes they stick around for him all the same.

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #11: The Inaction of Hope

Prompt: once bitten, twice shy || Master Post || On AO3

A/N: Spoilers for the end of Endwalker. Another follow up to "The Long Road Home" from last year's FFXIV Write.

--

Dancing Heron watched Alisaie move around the room with a mixture of wry fondness and quiet understanding. It was her second day fully conscious and the first time she had seen Alisaie, and the elezen maid moved around Heron’s hospital room with a jerky deliberation that spoke of her barely contained temper. Alisaie fluffed pillows on the chairs the Scions and their family had been using to keep vigil, folded the blanket on the cot, opened the window to let in a breeze, stomped across the room to rearrange the bottles of potions on the side table by size and color.

She said nothing, and looked at Heron not once.

Heron neither rolled her eyes nor sighed in exasperation at being ignored, as she suspected Alisaie wanted her to do. Alisaie wanted to be angry, wanted an excuse to yell and rage, wanted to vent her fear for her Warrior of Light sisters, and Heron most especially.

Finally, as Alisaie made to cross the room once more to fidget with something else rather than address the marid in the room, Heron managed to catch her baby sister’s eye. She raised an eyebrow, and her arm, and shuffled to the side to make room in the bed.

Abruptly, all the fight went out of Alisaie, slumping so suddenly that she looked like a marionette with its strings cut. She bowed her head, her bangs shadowing her eyes, and the next breath she took was deep and shaky.

But she turned abruptly on her heel, took the three steps to the side of Heron’s bed, and pulled herself up to crawl up and bury herself in Heron’s side, draping one arm very carefully over Heron’s heavily bandaged abdomen. Heron draped her arm around the elezen, tucking her close, and dropped her cheek to rest atop Alisaie’s hair.

Huh. Usually when she did this, her head was nearly at a ninety-degree angle because of their height difference. But her neck didn’t crick quite so far today; maybe Alisaie was finally getting close to that growth spurt of hers. Gods only knew she was nearly overdue for it at closing in rapidly on twenty-two. Or was it twenty-three?

“I’m still upset with you,” Alisaie bit out and drawing Heron’s attention back to the here-and-now.

“That’s fair,” Heron said. “Not asking you not to be.” And, because Alisaie needed to let this out before it festered into something ugly: “What part has you the most upset?”

“That I understand why you did it!”

Both of Heron’s eyebrows shot up, and she gently shook Alisaie. “Hey,” she said, quieting her voice. “I hear that self-loathing, none of that now.”

“We were supposed to help you,” and there are tears in Alisaie’s voice now, and that is what made Heron’s heart break. “And despite all our might and magic, the Endsinger swatted us away like gnats, and if you hadn’t used the transponders, she would have finished the job. All we could do was pray you came back, and those were the worst bells of my life.”

Heron sighs, slow and steady, and hugs Alisaie close. “The worst part about adventuring, and heroics,” she said after a long moment, “are those days when you can’t do anything. I felt like that when we were first before Ifrit, and he tempered all those other captives and left me and the others wondering why not us.

“I felt like that nearly the whole time on the First, when Synnove was the one taking on all the Lightwardens’ aether and I couldn’t do a damn thing to help her. And it’s worse when you understand why you can’t help.” Here Heron stopped to squeeze Alisaie, and her little sister sniffled. “Synnove was the best choice, rather than trying to spread it out amongst us all; she knew her aether better than of any of us knew of our own, could monitor and contain everything easier than if she was outside looking in.”

Heron lifted her cheek from the top of Alisaie’s head, but only look enough so she could prop her chin on it instead. “Those are the moments that stand out most to me, but there’s many others, especially with merc work. It’s a hard lesson, that sometimes you can’t help, or there are things you can’t guard against. All you can do, is be there for someone, or sometimes…just pray they come back.”

Alisaie sniffled again, refusing to let her tears fall, and very gently squeezed Heron back. “Still angry,” she mumbled.

“You’re allowed,” said Heron. “But not at yourself, all right? Sometimes its harder to accept you had no control in a situation, trying to give ourselves agency in hindsight. But there’s no shame in it, and what’s done is done. All we can do is hope that in the future, there will be a choice, and it’ll be better choices.”

Alisaie nodded and sighed heavily, but she was finally letting go of the tension she had been holding.

“Now,” Heron said, “can you explain to me in common what the hells Healingway is ranting about when she goes on about dynamic gastrointestinal regeneration and repair?”

“That’s a bit more Alphinaud or Y’shtola’s field since it relies heavily on conjury,” Alisaie said slowly, “but from what I gather, it’s involves harnessing lingering dynamis to—”

As Alisaie explained about how the healers were force-regrowing Heron’s innards using, to apparently quote Healing, high octane hope (what even was “high octane”), to Heron’s baffled disgust and Alisaie’s growing enthusiasm for every horrified noise Heron made, Heron caught a flash out of the corner of her eye. She tilted her head slightly, and saw a long-tailed bluebird perched on the open window sill.

She winked at it. And the bluebird winked back.

PREVIOUS || NEXT

[chiropteracupola]

i read flight of the heron after seeing u post abt it because i trust my mutuals' taste completely of course and i am so miserable now. mourning that angry pathetic wet little man. i will never be the same

the heron book will do that!!! truly it's alas!

[thatndginger]

Well... it's done! I've finished polishing this little project up, and the last step is to print it off at work after I enjoy my first two-day weekend off in over a month ^.^

The Idiot's Guide to Moressau

In an attempt to stem the flood of idiotic tourists who inevitably get themselves killed, injured, or swindled every year, Portia Beckham has written a short primer for all thinking of visiting Moressau. Her goal is to lay out the most dangerous aspects of the city and what you can do to avoid them. This is not an in-depth guide to the city or any supernaturals by any means.

full transcript under the cut:

CONTENTS

PAGE ONE Sightseeing The truth behind the tourist kitsch - places to avoid at all costs, hidden gems to explore

PAGE FOUR Shapeshifters Debunking stupid werewolf myths, how to pick a shifter from a crowd, how to avoid getting your face ripped off by an angry one

PAGE SIX Vampires How to spot a mosquito, ways to keep your neck safe, popular vampire hunting grounds PAGE EIGHT Witches Best practices for dealing with magic users, apothecaries to stay away from

PAGE NINE Magic and More Magic, and what you should know about it before you visit

SIGHTSEEING IN THE SMUGGLER CITY

The Golden Rule: Use Your Brain It’s hard to resist the allure of magic, I know. But Moressau isn’t the kind of place you want to walk into unprepared. There’s a lot of rot beneath the thin veneer of civility the city’s been splashing around lately. This isn’t meant to be a tourist guide. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that your visit is going to be all sunshine and roses. The sun rarely shines in Moressau, and don’t you know roses have thorns? No. This is a survival guide to help you avoid becoming a statistic.

Avoiding the Tourist Traps I’m going to be honest: ninety percent of the stores in Old Downtown are overpriced and full of cheaply-made tourist trash. ‘But what about Heron’s Compass or The Crooked Spine?’ you may ask. Overpriced. Tourist. Traps. The Crooked Spine touts itself as the oldest bookstore in Moressau, but most of its shelves are filled with the kind of crap tourists spend hundreds of dollars on just to say they bought a piece of Moressau. Most of that crap is made overseas. If you want to hear a sanitized, all-ages-friendly account of witches in Moressau and buy ridiculously named potions that do jack-all, then by all means go to Heron’s Compass. The Maer-Rigan Coven will charge you out the nose, and probably gloat about overcharging you to your face. If that’s the kind of vibe you want, then please stay in Old Downtown and never bother the rest of us.

Shopping That Won’t Bankrupt You If you want to find some shopping that’s reasonably priced and not forced to keep up a bright and happy facade for the city’s ‘image’, then you’re going to want to check out the street markets. All local, usually handmade, and what they lack in visual appeal they more than make up for in atmosphere. The really good ones don’t advertise their existence, you just have to know. Best practice: check the Arts or Lonewood districts on a weekend evening. You’ll find something that makes the entire trip worth it. Guaranteed.

Not in the mood for a stall crawl? There are a ton of unique stores around Moressau worth your time. But like most things, you’ll have to put in a little footwork for them. My personal suggestions are The Salt Well - a secondhand store covering three stories in the Arts - and Thistle & Rue - a local artist co-op that has everything you little heart could desire.

Local Food Worth Your Time Moressau is far from a haute cuisine destination, but since you’re here you’re better off sniffing out some of the local offerings than settling for fast food. Trust me. Check out Jax’s Diner down in the industrial side of town. Open twenty-four-seven and home of the best breakfast plate you’ll ever eat in your life. Or if you want something fishy The Queen’s Catch in the Boardwalk is by far the best place to sample some of the sea’s bounty. Finally, if you’re looking for somewhere with both good booze and good food, you can’t go wrong with Island Goat or the Salt Beard Tavern. Just don’t ask to try the chef’s special at the tavern.

The Historical and Creepy Look. All of Moressau is creepy. At least that’s what I’ve been told. It’s dark and gloomy and you’re just as likely to get mauled by a creep as you are to get scared by a dumpster rat. If you don’t know what you’re doing, stick to the shit all the brochures tout. You’re less likely to die that way. There’s museums and tour guides for all of you nerds, too. That tour of Augustus Laroche’s mansion is actually pretty fun. They have paid actors and everything, but frown on self-guided tours outside of the usual routes. Just FYI.

I’ve heard of some walking tours that have popped up recently that seem safe, if you’re into that kind of thing. Word to the wise, though: avoid anything that mentions the Montrose Syndicate. They aren’t dead, and they don’t like being talked about. Whoever started that tour is going to end up at the bottom of the bay sooner or later.

Seaside Attractions (And Then Some) This is another one the brochures can handle for you. The Boardwalk and lighthouse are safe enough, and there are parts of the preserved old wharf that aren’t too bad either. And yes, they were made with old shipwreck lumber. The founders were thrifty and morbid like that. Stick to the North Docks and Downtown if you want to explore Moressau’s seaside attractions. The Old Docks aren’t the safest place anymore, day or night. If you’re up for a bit of a hike, check out the original lighthouse just north of the city. It was abandoned in favor of the new lighthouse in the early 1900's, but whatever they made it with keeps it standing, even if the rocks around it have eroded away. It’s not as fun since the city took out the bridge connecting the lighthouse to land, but you’re brave (and stupid) you can still make it across the gap. Ask me how I know.

For some modern entertainment - or modern-ish - it’s worth it to check out Saltshock, the amusement park right off the Boardwalk. It’s got some of those old wooden rollercoasters that are actually terrifying. The modern steel coasters have nothing on those rickety old things. The prices aren’t too bad, but definitely don’t bother buying any souvenirs or food there. That’s where they get you.

And since you’ll be in the area, keep an eye on the street art. I know a guy who paints some really cool murals around the Docks and Southside neighborhoods. Some of them disappear pretty quickly, since he never asks permission to decorate someone’s wall. So keep an eye out for anything signed “W S”. And keep an eye out for the rest of our local renegade artists too. You could spend hours searching out all the hidden masterpieces in this city and still miss half of them.

SHAPESHIFTERS

There’s one thing you can count on in the world, and it’s that no one will ever agree on what’s the ‘right’ thing to call a shapeshifter. But to save you some trouble, I’ll tell you the best ones. Only scientists and academics use that stupid ‘metamorph’. Most people settle for ‘were’ or ‘shifter’. If you know what kind of shifter you’re dealing with, calling them a werelion or whatever regional term you know is probably fine. Just don’t call them a beast unless you want them to act like one.

Debunking the ‘Werewolf Myth’ Because ‘shapeshifter’ is such a broad category of supernatural, there are a lot of rumors and hearsay floating around out there. Hollywood certainly doesn’t help. So let’s get some of the worst rumors put to bed once and for all.

First and foremost, weres aren’t controlled by the moon. They won’t uncontrollably transform under a full moon, or grow stronger in moonlight, or whatever else Hollywood has fed you. A transformed shifter isn’t a mindless animal or killing machine. There are some shifters who have trouble controlling their animal sides, but in those cases they’ll act like any other animal. Lassie doesn’t attack everyone in sight, does she? Most shifters are fully in control of their animal sides, and you’ll only have to worry about one attacking you if you’ve pissed them off.

Second, not every bite from a were will kill or turn you. Which is hardly comforting, since you won’t know that until after they’ve bitten you and you’ve spent about half an hour shitting yourself with panic. No one knows how it works, but a were has to want to turn you for the magic to take hold. That said, a big enough shifter doesn’t need to Bite you to kill you. So I’ll tell you again: don’t piss off a shifter.

Spotting a Shifter There’s no one-size-fits-all way to pick out a shifter in a crowd. They look like any other human. Act like any other human. Until you get close enough to notice that they have a cat’s eyes, or pointier-than-normal ears, or freckles that look more like spots. Every shifter has a ‘quirk’ courtesy of their animal form, though it’s not always immediately obvious. I know a werewolf who has fangs in human form, and another who acquired a ‘birthmark’ in the shape of their wolf side’s markings. Each quirk is unique to the shifter in possession of it.

Behavior is another one of those things that’s unique to each were. Some will take on certain behaviors of their animal form while human, while others will only act like an animal when they are an animal. They’re like humans that way. You can’t just shove them all into one box and expect them to act the same.

Finding a Shifter Shapeshifters don’t have a lot of restrictions the way some other supernaturals do. They can go where they please when they please. Except for the fact that most mundanes are still scared of them and prefer shifts stay in specific neighborhoods like Amber Wood and The Point on the north edge of the city. So if you’re trying to find some entertainment on the wilder side, start there.

The hangouts in Amber Wood tend to be the friendliest to non-shifters. Belmont’s Basement is a historic dive that’ll let anyone through the doors as long as they don’t start trouble. Then there’s Ovidia. Be warned, the music and atmosphere are quieter than a usual human club, since Ovidia caters to the sensitive senses of shifters first and foremost.

The Point has been undergoing a bit of a gentrification spell of late. The Montrose Syndicate has been expanding their turf, and with the wolves come the wealthy. Above all, steer clear of Arnaud’s Run. That’s where the top Montrose brass live, and they do not like outsiders. You’re more likely to get your throat torn out than to get a lukewarm welcome in the Run.

But if you want to try your luck, The Hunt on Starfall, or the Silver Bullet lounge are your best bets. Better be on your best behavior, though. Insulting a Montrose soldier is the last thing you’ll ever do.

Were Deterrent? There Deterrent! Silver will mildly irritate a shifter, but it won’t kill them. That whole silver bullet thing works because, it turns out, guns kill things. It doesn’t really matter what the bullet is made out of. Wolfsbane will do the exact same thing to a shifter as it does a human. Don’t you know wolfsbane is incredibly poisonous? Just touching the stuff can kill a mundane, let alone a werewolf. Don’t be the idiot who goes touching deadly flowers because of a myth.

If you want to keep a were from transforming, slapping a collar made of copper and rowan branches will do the trick. It’s how cops ‘subdue’ shifters in Moressau. Why rowan? Who knows. Same reason vampires hate it, probably. It’ll irritate the crap out of a were, like itching powder, but it doesn’t really hurt. Copper disrupts transformation magic, but only when combined with rowan, and only when directly touching a shifter’s skin. That one’s easier to explain. Magic and copper don’t mesh well. Rowan amplifies it against shifters.

VAMPIRES

If your entire reason for coming to Moressau is to meet a vampire then I have two questions for you: What the hell is wrong with you, and why bother coming here at all? Statistically, there is at least one vampire in or near where you live now. Go find them. They’ll probably jump at the chance to drink your blood, if that’s your thing. You don’t need to travel for it. The only reason you should be visiting Moressau when it comes to vampires is their nightlife.

How to Spot a Vampire Let’s get something straight right now. Vampires don’t sparkle. They aren’t incredibly pale. They aren’t indestructible. A freshly-fed vampire isn’t much different from a human, actually. They’re warm to the touch - never hot - and no paler than the average person. The only thing they’re missing is a heartbeat.

That said, there are some tell-tale signs that you’re talking to a vampire. Their fangs don’t do that stupid retraction thing like some movies claim. You’ll see them as soon as a vamp opens their mouth. A vampire’s eyes don’t glow, they aren’t blood red, they’re just eyes. But they’ll shine in the passing light of a car or a camera flash, that’s for sure. Most supernaturals have that little quirk. Lastly, vampires lack both a shadow and a reflection.

A vampire who hasn’t fed in a few days will have a chill to them like any other dead body. But a hungry vampire is faster, stronger, and much easier to piss off. And a really hungry vampire might just turn feral on you. Trust me when I say you never want to meet a feral vampire. They don’t have enough reason left to leave you alive when they’re done.

Where to Find a Vampire Typically, vampires can only come out at night. They tend to burn to a crisp in half an hour if they’re exposed to full sunlight. It’s not a pretty sight. Luckily for the vampires of Moressau, the sun only comes out about 30 days of the year, so they can be out at nearly any time of day.. Most of them keep to the night hours out of habit, being nocturnal creatures. They also tend to hang out in the Midnight Quarter. There are some vampires who’ve lived there since the city was founded, and if you’re looking for night life then the Midnight Quarter is exactly where you want to be. Don’t be surprised by what you might see in a back alley there. The city’s feeding regulations are only really enforced when the police department feels that vampires are getting a little too comfortable. There are ‘authorized’ parlors for safe feeding in multiple parts of the city, but it’s only in the Midnight Quarter that vampires feel safe enough to feed out in the open.

Not all vampire parlors and clubs are dangerous. Just some of them. Club Nomad caters primarily to vampires, but they’ll welcome anyone looking for a night out. The bouncers there are better than most about keeping an eye out for trouble. If you want exclusivity, then L’Sourire en Sang run by the Société de Keres is as old and exclusive as you can get. They’re pretty strict about who they let in - mundane and vampire both - but I’ve heard that almost every human visitor leaves alive. Or occasionally undead.

Last but not least, there’s Cameo. It hasn’t been around very long, but it’s already pissed off all the old and moldy vampires in the city so it has my vote of confidence. I heard it’s run by a new coalition in town called the Strix Assembly, and they’re very concerned about keeping their bloodbags alive and well. Pampered, even. They don’t mind the occasional shifter drifting through, either.

Finding Good Mosquito Repellent Vampires might be some of the deadliest supernaturals out there, but there are some tried and true ways to keep them off your neck.

First, sunlight. We’ve covered this. Keep up.

Second, rowan wood. I don’t know what it is about rowan specifically, but it’ll burn any vampire who touches it. They hate the smell of it too, if you’re in the market for new cologne.

Vampires have an aversion to garlic, but it’s not going to stop a determined one. Pepper spray is useful if you can make a quick getaway. Don’t bother with religious iconography or silver unless you want to be laughed at before you die.

And finally... most vampires are just like everyone else. Common sense and a nice attitude will go a long way. If you wouldn’t go around insulting Joe Schmoe, don’t go around insulting a vampire just because you can, either.

WITCHES

Before you go getting all sad because I’m telling you just how dangerous all the ‘fun‘ parts of Moressau are, just let me finish. Because as scary as shapeshifters and vampires can be, witches are so much worse. You’ll never a know a witch is standing in front of you. Not until you piss them off and they curse you for it. At least a vampire has the courtesy to show their fangs before they fuck you up.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me debunk some more stereotypes about witches. Some of them wear pointy hats, but so do a lot of mundanes. You can’t judge someone by their aesthetic. Even if it’s a stupid one. If they are actively channeling magic, a witch’s eyes will glow. It’s a soft light, like a glowstick. There’s no specific glow color for ‘evil’ witches, but the color is unique to each individual. A witch also tends to smell like the air before a storm when casting. Petrichor, some call it. That’s the smell of magic in general. Depending on how much magic is used, the smell can linger for a while too. But it’s really weird to go around sniffing people, FYI.

Finding a Good Witch Shop Most witch-run businesses in Moressau prefer to call themselves apothecaries or mysticaries. ‘Magic Shop’ sounds like a place full of gag gifts and card tricks. The good apothecaries are usually run by a single person or small coven. Anything with multiple locations or run by the Maer-Rigan Coven is going to charge you out the nose for something even an infanct could mix up. Maer-Rigan runs Heron’s Compass and Satyr’s Step in the Old Downtown, so steer clear of those. It’s better to avoid Hag’s Eye Apothecary and Honey & Sage while you’re at it, too. They aren’t Maer-Rigan run, but they’re way too pricey and their products are weak.

If you want a really good mysticary shop, check out Whitehart Apothecary near the Old Docks. Their prices are fair, and the witches who run it are a riot. They’ll even check you for errant curses, if you ask nicely. Breaking curses will cost you, though. Some other options are Lazy Gull and Black Fin & Feather, both found near the Boardwalk. Black Fin & Feather is perfect for all you goth-y, creepy folk. And Lazy Gull recently opened a coffee bar, so you can get your enchanted drinks on-the-go. Just make sure to tip well, or they might add something unpleasant in there too.

MAGIC AND MORE

There’s one thing I can say about Moressau that is unequivocally positive: it really is the most magical place in America. And I mean that literally. There may be other places with a longer history of magic use, but Moressau was built and rebuilt with the help of magic, and you can feel it. The city is alive with it. Be good to the city, and the city will be good to you. That’s our motto. That’s why most of us still stick around, even with the constant rain and cold. And the danger. We love this city. And it loves us back.

Now that I‘ve gotten a little sappy, let’s get back to business. Most of the newer parts of the city - really anything less than 50 years old - haven’t had time for the city’s magic to sink in. So if you’re scared of the idea that a city is alive, stick to them. They aren’t really alive yet. The oldest parts like the Boardwalk and Old Downtown are where you can feel the magic heartbeat of Moressau. You’ve got to stand still, and tune out the city noise, and then you can feel it. But since this is Moressau, standing in the middle of a busy public area and spacing out is dangerous, so bring a buddy if you want to try this.

Never, ever go below the city streets. It might sound cool to check out the ‘Buried City’, but the magic down there is different. Older. Woven into the ground by smugglers and people who didn’t want to be found. It doesn’t matter how well you’ve prepared, or how good your sense of direction is. Ten minutes down there and you won’t know up from down. There are people who manage to live down there, but don’t ask me how they do it. You probably don’t want to meet them, either.

If you’re a magic user, make sure you’re prepared for the side effects magic tends to experience here. I’ve been told magic has a stronger will in Moressau and takes more effort to channel. It also tends to take on a mind of its own and react in ways you wouldn’t expect. It’s nothing off-the-walls crazy, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind. Or else your protection spell might become a ‘knock everyone three feet back if they dare touch you’ spell. It’s only funny for the first twenty minutes.

Shapeshifter taglist: @sunset-a-story @touloserlautrec

[caddyheron]

please share some of your cady hcs!!

YAY!!!! A lot of these are honestly so angsty but I will throw the fun ones in too lol

• This can be expanded as its own post, but the way Cady’s relationship changes with her mom while she’s a plastic. They’ve always been close, but there’s this disconnect now, Ms Heron just can’t get through to her and all her parenting books (her special interest is parenting and biology. fight me /j) don’t really prepare her for This, because Cady was never a typical teenager and now she’s like this? From the Cady she knew this girl who skips classes, goes to parties every weekend, isn’t Very pleasant to be around, rolls her eyes etc etc.

• Goes through a major burnout post-plastics. Once she’s suspended for three weeks, she sleeps practically 16hrs a day, won’t talk, won’t move, and again, her mom tries to get through to her buts so difficult. It’s this whole other level that she’s trying to understand but Cady has never been this confusing. My hcs are generally a soup of bway & 2024 but the 2024 scene where Cady asks her mom to stay with her while she sleeps and she just cries quietly while her moms there? Yeah that but for three weeks. She can’t. even stay angry at Cady for the burn book incident because she’s just so guilty.

• Starts off bright eyed, excited, taking in absolutely everything; her cheeks are rosy and she’s just filled with so much joy about learning and experiencing. Post Regina being hit by a bus, she just looks so different. She’s pale and her eyes are heavy and she doesn’t look around excitedly in new places, she doesn’t take things in and she’s just. existing. She barely feels like a person.

• Carrying from the above, the Mathletes competition makes her feel like a real person again, the Cady Heron she missed. Because the Mathletes don’t treat her like she’s this terrible person or this fragile and broke person, she’s just Cady who gets 100 on tests and Will Absolutely win this competition.

• Really loves sweet foods. Her first proper Teen Experience before everything went to shit was sitting in Janis’ basement with her and Damian eating all the candy Janis bought for her to try and watching a movie. She has the best time and is on a sugar high for days.

• Hates coffee drinks. Goes to Starbucks and gets a single bottle of water and three cakepops because she just doesn’t Get money for a little while, until Janis is like ?? “you can make them at home and they’re so much cheaper.”

• Generally very healthy. Got a cold in America for the first time and genuinely thought she was Dying.

• Loves trampoline parks so much because of the sensory feedback (projecting projecting). Also loves the feeling of trampoline park socks, collects them, and always forgets she owns them so has to go back and buy More.

I could go on. This is a problem. I think about her So Much

[noordzee]

The next five Dungeons and Dragons and Inktober entries!

Septimus is a skaven monk, which, well, is basically just a Redwall character, huh? I named him that because I wanted some squeaky sounds and also as a pun, because mus means mouse in latin. Brónach is a sad weeping willow dryad. She grew up over an enchanted spring and became a sorcerer, and she has a hard time controlling her powers. Kaius is an angry little goblin barbarian, always spoiling for a fight. Unfortunately I was having a kind of bad Friday the 13th so I gave him spectacularly bad luck as well. Felicita is a bugbear rogue who likes to run various scams, uhh I mean fun games of skill!!! Iggh is a heron aarakocra ranger. His name is a croaky heron call, friends who can't pronounce it call him Iggy.

The day I finished Felicita and Iggh I realized where I got the claws I've been having fun drawing on all these monsters... it's the berenstain bears claws, that's what they've been this whole time, oh my godddd

[acrossthewavesoftime]

What's Heronii-1, please?

That's my silly little attempt at a modern-ish Flight of the Heron adaption, in which Keith Windham is an exasperated school teacher whose recruits, or rather, students, run off when on a hiking trip, they bump into a rather large bull, causing Keith to be left behind, and being picked up, and taken home, by, a handsome Scottish stranger, who just so happens to run a local wildlife organisation.

Have a little scene under the cut in which the injured Keith and the bull, are both found by Ewen and Lachlan...

"Lochiel told me they were talking about an escaped bull around these parts— that’s how Lachlan got the idea to check for bonny Wee Charlie here. He has a habit of breaking fences.”

And with that, he had turned away from Keith and approached his henchman who was holding the bull to give the large animal whose name surely must be some sort of bad joke a kiss on its scraggly orange forehead.

“Wee Charlie might not be quite so ‘wee’ and harmless as you suppose, sir,” Keith, enraged by the display of affection being showered upon one so undeserving as the beastly Charlie, added cuttingly, “as soon as I am back to civilisation, you can be certain the RSPCA will hear of this. And they surely will not take kindly to such a large beast roaming freely and intimidating hikers—”

When his mien had been pleasant before, it had now clouded over, and Mr. Cameron’s warning glare told him not to pursue the argument further. “The RSPCA brought him to Ardroy, in fact. He’s been kept more as a pet for most of his life, and has not a single bad bone in him. I doubt that he meant you, or your boys any harm, Mr.—?”

“Windham,” Keith added through gritted teeth, and observed yet another change in the Achillean young man’s face. “You are not, by any chance, the Mr. Windham whose class I was to welcome at three this afternoon?”, he asked, and knew the answer already.

“We lost our way. And then we met your little friend here,” Keith informed him, an angry gleam in his eyes and his tone sharp enough to turn Wee Charlie into barbecue-sized parts.

“’Tis of no matter,” the young man shook his head, his voice much too gentle for Keith’s liking. “Do you think you can mount behind me?”

Keith’s mind resisted the idea of going anywhere with these two bull-chasing madmen, one of them looking as if he had absconded from the set of yet another romantic drama, but his body was weak, and they seemed to know the whereabouts of his charges, reasons which convinced him to let necessity triumph over his pride and allowed Mr. Camron to lead him over to the quad, which surely was not intended to carry two. “You’ll have to hold on to me if you don’t want to fall down,” the young man said matter-of-factly, and reaching behind himself with one hand, grabbed Keith by the arm and wound it around his midsection, causing Keith’s face to be almost forced to bury itself into the Highlander’s strong back.