Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire

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From A to Z in the InCryptid Alphabet: W.

W is for WAHEELA.

There are no werewolves in upper Canada. The waheela ate them all. But when you're a cold-resistant therianthrope that can turn into a giant wolf-bear-hybrid-thing capable of throwing cars without expending any real effort, you can pretty much eat whatever the fuck you want. Including each other; waheela don't get along, and have a nasty tendency to turn cannibal when forced to co-exist for extended periods of time. Family groups are generally temporary, and exist only as long as they can fight the urge to eat each other. Female waheela will sometimes form close bonds with their children, and littermates occasionally feel affection toward one another, but that's about it as far as loving waheela families go.

Waheela are equally comfortable in both their forms, as they find both to have advantages. Wolf-bear-hybrid-things can take down moose, which helps to keep them fed, but human fingers are better at skinning and preparing meat. Many waheela, if not the majority, prefer their food cooked, and have even learned to tolerate each other for the sake of trading meals (I give you a haunch of moose, you give me some of that venison stew, everybody wins). There is no such thing as "the average waheela," because we've never been able to spend enough time with them to find out what the average waheela would look like. They are, for the most part, not aggressive toward humans, viewing them as somewhat sad, what with their inability to turn into giant walls of furry muscle. This attitude changes quickly once humans get out the guns.

Istas (last name unknown) is a waheela living in Manhattan, where she is an active, if somewhat nerve-wracking, part of the local Gothic Lolita community. She owns nineteen frilly parasols. Woe betide he who damages one of them.

Seriously.
Tags: discount armageddon, folklore is awesome, incryptid
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  • 59 comments

Deleted comment

It does, and oh, do the waheela get PISSED when you conflate the two.

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tigertoy

5 years ago

seanan_mcguire

5 years ago

tigertoy

5 years ago

seanan_mcguire

5 years ago

tigertoy

5 years ago

seanan_mcguire

5 years ago

Now I want a picture of a giant wolf-bear-hybrid-thing in Goth garb, with a frilly parasol over her shoulder.

(Does that mean that Istas' home is a parasol protectorate? *blinks innocently*)
No.
So now I must wonder: Do humans taste terrible or do we just not offer enough calories to keep the wolf-bear-hybrid-thing moving when you could, instead, be eating a moose?
The latter. Also, waheela don't like eating things that talk, it makes them feel odd.

ohari

5 years ago

seanan_mcguire

5 years ago

aliciaaudrey

5 years ago

seanan_mcguire

5 years ago

Humans are discomforted by excessive discussion of their squishy interiors.
Humans are weird.

vincentursus

5 years ago

...Istas rocks.
Yes, she does.
Istas rocks. So do Gothic Lolitas ;) And an hour of work has been made a lot more fun (and totally unproductive) by looking at Gothic Lolita image search results in Google...
Yay!
"Istas (last name unknown) is a waheela living in Manhattan, where she is an active, if somewhat nerve-wracking, part of the local Gothic Lolita community. She owns nineteen frilly parasols. Woe betide he who damages one of them."

i love that your brain goes to some _wierd_ places (and brings back souvenirs/sends postcards) :)
My brain LIVES in some weird places.
I'm going to add my name to those who think Istas rocks. I hope we get to see more of her.
We do!

tollers

5 years ago

Wahoo, Waheelas!

I had to, sorry.
No worries.
Probably a case of mis-hearing on my part, but I seem to have vague memories of some campfire song with a line something like "sing waheela".

Assuming my memory (and hearing) aren't way off, is there a connection?
Nope.
Istas ....
Ouch. My brain hurts now.
Aw, why?

grey_lady

5 years ago

dewline

5 years ago

A giant bear-wolf hybrid goth loli: THIS is why we heart you so very much.
Yay!
"Mom, can I keep this Inuit I found? It can cook! I'll take care of it and everything!"
Happens more often than you'd think...
Waheela were one of the cryptids I wasn't previously aware of before I read Discount Armageddon, but I loved Istas and her bloodthirsty threats.
She makes me happy.
Something tells me Josh is going to like Istas quite a lot. He's a fan of Gothic Lolita, and has an Aristocratic outfit he's been working on putting together whenever we can toss money toward costume-ish things.

For me, it was mostly the amusement value of a girl who wears frilly things who can rip your arms off and beat you to death with them. But then, that's something of a theme in the book - don't judge a lady by her clothes.
Exactly so.
Did not know about waheela until tonight.

One more new thing to me.
Yay!
Peace through better food.
Pretty much.
I know you're dreading Tuesday but I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT IT TO BE TUESDAY
Hee yay.
I want to meet Istas.

No, wait. I want to observe Istas interacting with other people, preferably from behind a cup of coffee and a newspaper I can pretend to be reading.
I would like to share your newspaper. I will bring my own coffee.

seanan_mcguire

5 years ago

I've confirmed I'll be at work in the city on March 6th and the days thereafter (I have a weird roster), so as soon as I get the text message confirming DA is in I will be able to run straight down to the bookstore.

Hopefully I'm not on the phone at the time. That could get awkward.
Yay!
I love Istas, and I love her attachment to her parasols!

I hope you'll forgive a Canadian nitpick, though. Upper Canada specifically refers to part of southern Ontario, around the Great Lakes, pre-Confederation in the early nineteenth century. (If the Waheela traditionally are in the vicinity of the Inuit, this map gives a sense of traditional cultural areas.) We'd say northern Canada, instead, which I think is what you meant?
What I meant, yes; what Verity, who has never actually been to Canada, and definitely doesn't know the real names for regions, would say? No. She said what she meant, and was geographically, if not culturally, correct. :)

daemonluna

5 years ago