Ah yes, those massive majestic birds of legend. I wonder what they would casually land on, skyscrapers, mountains, and full grown redwoods I suppose?

And quite dashing, if you believe Bartimaeus at all.

Oh, what is this, a book series? Seems quite interesting, but where do Rocs get involved? Either way you have definitely got me sucked in, and I will look into it ♫~

Well, Bartimaeus is a several thousand year old djinni, or air-spirit. He exists in an alternate universe where magicians rule with an iron fist. They derive ALL their power from spirits they capture and enslave, either as mana batteries or as errand boys. They take their lives into their hands every time they do it, though: Even the smallest mistake and the spirit will get loose, and they ALWAYS take their revenge before they depart.

Like all spirits, Barty is a shapeshifter; when trapped in this world he takes on physical form to ward away the pain being on earth brings him. The forms he can take on are virtually limitless, but birds are a favourite of his, particularly big ones. At one point in the series, he does indeed become a Roc in order to bust in and kidnap someone.

It's worth it for the humour alone. Barty is a world-class deadpan snarker and wields sarcasm like a fine scalpel, and he's constantly making asldes in footnotes (since djinni can think in multiple tracks at once). He may be the only character in literature that is his own peanut gallery.

Do yourself a favour and read the series. You won't be disappointed.

From that description I don't think I could be!

Bird pooping becoming more than just an annoyance.

I'd say from that point simply being near the giant bird would make up for it~

impressive avian desing

i aprpeciate those tiny almost invisible datails that make the work look even more realistic and not very often so accurate,especially those micro-scales under thebird's talon crossing joint

Nice! Looks like the logo for an aircraft company.

Roc! (and barrel roll...)

Roc your world

Heh.

I saw a documentary on mythical creatures once that said the legend got started when some Arabian traders found palm fronds in Madagascar that looked like enormous feathers.

They took some back to Baghdad and impressed the Sultan with a made up story about giant birds of prey, while some servants slowly waved the fronds behind them.

They also mentioned the origin of the Gryphon.
Turns out there are these fossil deposits in a mountain pass in Turkey of really well preserved ceratopsians with a long neck frill.
But the long, delicate bones often dissociated from the rest of the skeleton and rifted down to cover the back.

So explorers and travellers routinely found these erosian revealed fossil skeletons in really good condition in the cliffsides.

The main body looked like a lion- cause it was the only thing they knew of to compare it to- But it had a beak like an eagle.

And long, thin bones like wing bones along their backs.

And that started the legend of gryphons.

There was also stuff about the cyclops myth coming form finding mammoth skulls, giants from mammoth bones because they look a lot like human bones, but far larger, etc.

fascinating documentary.

-Badger-

The wing measuring contest is no contest.

Roc? Why, yes, yes this does, and so do you.

This looks awesome! You did good, Gibson.