The Heart Gatherer

“Needless to say, urgings by ravens are ignored at one’s peril.” multi-muse blog for corvids of @kingoftheravens played by cait 18+

[drunkenfixx]

Mawl you to death

[velvettclaws]

@oneiromanc

[kevinwada-deactivated20230323]

Black Widow X Hamilton

2017 commission

[cxrvidisms]

//muse to add (who’s not a raven or even corvid at all woops) Uli -- my selkie bbu. the important thing to know, if you stumble upon this, is that she is a precious selkie bbu. more to come later when i’m not packing.

[cxrvidisms]

@apogexn | keir

The seal flopped its way onto the rocky beach, rising from the froth in a small, rolling, twisting mass that lengthened, thinned out. Two pale arms shot out from brown seal-skin, two unsteady legs, bloody hands and feet scrambling along to rocks until she crawled up and away from the water, away from any immediate danger. The girl gasped and coughed, limbs shaking.

She hadn’t been careful enough. The tide had sucked her in, slammed her against the tall, jutting rocks and kept her rocking within it’s clutches for over and hour until the tide let out enough for her to fight it, but it left her weary, bruised, and bloody. The former two she could’ve managed with, maybe, but the latter was the most dangerous. Uli knew sharks were in the area, more than close enough to sniff out her blood, and contrary to what most humans believed, she knew they were not opposed to coming in dangerously close to land for it.

Her only option was to get out, stop her bleeding, let herself heal. She could trek across land in her human form, but even the thought of that made her tired. As she stumbled up the rocky outcropping, clutching her seal-skin to her, blood leaking down scrapes and gashes all across her body, all she really wanted to do was find somewhere warm to curl up and sleep.

[hirxeth]

Brooklyn (2015) dir. John Crowley

[evnpeters]

I grew up my whole life in Ireland and obviously sound very, very Irish. I feel like it’s just one of those things that just charms the socks off of people.

[flawlessbeautyqueens]

The thing that I love more than anything, probably more than most people in my life, is tea.

[cxrvidisms]

protec and retrieve

@apogexn | Vasilija

Uli rubbed at her face with the back of her hand, shifted the basket on her arm. She still wasn’t used to walking so much. Or carrying so much. But her... her husband had given her a list of tasks to do, one which included purchasing food and supplies. Human money still baffled her, Johan had already railed on her once before for giving too much money -- and how was that her fault? How could he expect a selkie to know which coin meant what? He should’ve beat the man who took the money like it was the right amount.

Now, trading and scavenging? She was wonderful at that. She had managed to find some sea-bird eggs which she had brought home, and he’d been so pleased he let her take a bath. Once, she had told him she could catch him all kinds of fish for no money at all, if she only give her her skin.

He had laughed at her.

Uli bit her lip, inching her way around the humans outside the bakery, struggling to walk in these shoes and these layered skirts. Good against the chill of life right by the sea, but not for walking. How did all these townswomen do it? And how did they manage their hair? Uli’s own long, red-brown locks were unruly, flying into her face at every stray breeze.

She made it up to the counter and muddled through her order, human tongue still difficult for her, her accent heavy, cotton-mouthed, and rolling. Something Irish sounding, but no Irishman would be able to place it, and she tripped over words as if she wasn’t speaking her native language. Which, of course, made her more self-conscious, frustrated, red-faced, and withdrawn.

This had all been a horrible mistake. She should’ve never come to this coast. She should have listened to all the warnings her mother and sisters gave.

[cxrvidisms]

Romy picked at the food in the other’s hand, tail flicking up and down as she kept her balance perched on their fingers.

[ircnwccd]

cxrvidisms:

The raven eyed the woman for another long moment before swooping down to a lower branch in front of her. There, she took another moment to consider the Chieftain again. 

“Spying implies malintent.” Siafi said, settling her feathers. “I am Siafi. You spoke with Keir.”

“I was taught to expect malintent. It’s safer this way.”

Green hues followed the bird’s approach. It was easy given the sheer size of it. The words did not surprised the Chieftain too much, given her meeting with Keir. However she did wonder how many of his birds could speak – all of them, some of them – and whether this one too could take a human form.

“Siafi. If you are not spying on me, what are you doing here?”

[cxrvidisms]

“It is,” she agreed, tipped her head. She was not half as twitchy as the other birds. Disconcertingly still, really. “If I intended harm, it would already be done.”

The raven watched Angrboda, unblinking, taking her time to reply. “Observing. I prefer to craft opinions of creatures like you in person, rather than rely on the word of others.” That was to say, Angrboda was important enough to be visited by one of Council, two now, and while she would certainly accept most opinions Keir gave without too much issue, this was one she wished to look into personally. And if it had anything to do with Veil, well, no one would her that from her beak.

[apogexnarchive]

@cxrvidisms liked the thing !!

The tension resting in her shoulders was clear as day, rippling under skin, the worst seeming to be closest to her neck. With calloused hands, Vig reached out to begin kneading at the muscles, gentle yet forceful enough to work the knots out. “Yer gonna be in the midst of pullin’ someone’s heart out one day and yer whole body’s gonna tense up. ‘M amazed yer able to stand upright.”

[cxrvidisms]

Had it been anyone else, he would’ve been thrown across the room, or sporting a broken hand, if one at all. Siafi did not like people initiating touch, and those who she would allow it from generally knew this and always waited for her to make the first move.

Viggo, though? Oh, but for Viggo, she didn’t even tense. She relaxed into his hands, even if her expression remained pinch. “It’s a talent,” Siafi grit out. “You say all that as if tensing up will stop me from doing my job.” 

[cxrvidisms]

//

[riverwindphotography]

Turquoise Waters: The Yellowstone River, northeastern Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.  An older shot I took during a Words Inspired by Wilderness Class in Yellowstone awhile back! 

by riverwindphotography, ~2009

[hannahkemp-deactivated20240409]

[frozenlights7]

I’m not good with feelings, I guess

[lifeinpoetry]

Each morning I wake up a little crueler. Each morning my heart is

a vulture beating its wings for scraps.

Each morning it’s                                 happy birthday from the bottom of a river.

— Ruth Awad, from “Bassam,” published in BOAAT Press

[fat-birds]

Ball of fluff by ~1ladybug~ on Flickr.