Verily I ought to be asleep

Another one!

Can you imagine this place in its time? Hordes of bugs travelling about the Kingdom; stag bells ringing; the station bustling with activity and life.

Lenore is a raven

Well, who else? She is literally inspired by this poem. She's gothic and elegant, she drags death and destruction everywhere, she has black hair sticking out like feathers. Ravens are usually associated with death but also with intelligence and wisdom. And dont forget they're curious and impudent as hell.

Annabel is a swan

She's beauty, she's grace, she will bite you if you get too close. These birds can be a menace, you know. Still, swans traditionally symbolizes romance and delicacy. And most importantly, they mate for life.

Morella is a dove

A symbol of peace and fragility. Aesthetically very similar to a swan, but I can't think of any negative associations with doves. I mean in Christianity they are literally messengers of God. Pigeon post also reminds me of how Morella served as a bridge between rival groups throughout the first season.

Ada is a magpie

Intelligent and curious birds that mostly use their wits to be troublemakers. They are greedy for shiny objects and are usually associated with deception and theft but you know, not with intentionally malicious deception but rather with tricky one.

Basically what I'm trying to say, morellada is "The Dove and the Magpie" fable.

Duke is a peacock

I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. The color palette is perfect. Peacocks are associated with narcissism and show off and who likes to put on a show more than Duke? This guy knows how to present himself, even if sometimes his friends can't be seen behind his bright tail.

Pluto is a shrike

A small and funny bird, isn't it? WRONG. Their name means "butcher" in Latin. These little things impale their victims on sharp objects, usually thorny plants, to eat later. Absolutely unhinged. Pluto seems pretty harmless, especially compared to the rest of the maze trio but I remind you that he was going to shoot Montresor without hesitation (while Duke, for example, hesitated before killing him and Lenore did not consider it a necessary measure at all). Also the shrike's plumage reminds me of Pluto's emo bangs lol.

Eulalie is a swallow

An exceptionally charming bird with many positive associations. Some believe that swallows bring good luck, which is an interesting contrast to Pluto`s misfortune powers. This is probably due to the fact that swallows return home with the arrival of spring.

Berenice is a hummingbird

One of the smallest and fastest birds, looks almost like a fairy. It suits a party girl like Berenice well. The hummingbird has insanely beautiful iridescent plumage, with a metallic mother-of-pearl sheen and a green-red palette (green for her dresses from life, red for her spectre).

Prospero is a falcon

This one was difficult. I wanted to give Prospero a bird of prey, something fast and dangerous, something that would outwardly reflect his spectre (he has the mask of the plague doctor! he's got a beak!!) yet nothing looked good enough. The owls had the right associations, but the wrong aesthetics. Rooks were a curious option, but they weren't threatening enough. So the falcons.

This particular one is a peregrine falcon. Falcons are royal birds symbolizing nobility and bravery. Qualities that Prospero does not attribute to himself, but which others see in him. After all, he's based on a prince character.

Montresor is a rooster

What can I say. He's cocky. Roosters can be extremely aggressive defending their territory. They are pugnacious, loud and prideful. At the same time, in many cultures they symbolize bravery and protection. In addition, the rooster has a metaphorical connection with the sun, and as a result with fire. We all know in what context Monty can be regarded as the sun. This brings us to...

Will is a sparrow

I guess I just wanted to connect him to Shakespeare because 'There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow'. In my defense I really love Hamlet.

Such a small common bird, such a simple creature, they can be found anywhere in huge numbers. I'm not sure they even realize how small and insignificant they are, considering how active and brash they are at the same time. That was the first bird I thought of when it came to Will. There were a couple more alternatives, but the first thought in this case is the most obvious, isn't it?

also some species of sparrows take dust baths– oh wait who said that

Aaaand that's it. Almost. A couple of alternative bonus options are below. There's not a lot of symbolism, but a lot of aesthetics and wordplay.

This Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Interview where he says that maybe Top Gun is his first gay role (pic taken from drrav3nb’s post)

This Interview on Top Gun’s homoeroticism (x)

still your wingman <3 insta post (x)

when val posted an icemav meme on valentine’s day (x)