#And then with their new comics they make for this competition (after work I guess) we get vague snippets about them but barely anything

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Outdrawn

f/f contemporary romance

two cartoonist who’ve been rivals since uni, and now have competing webcomics online, have to work together on the relaunch of a cult classic at the comic press they both work at

they both struggle with art-related physical and mental health issues, and complicated families

[therummesoccupied]

IDW SONIC #68 - THOUGHTS

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

This issue was really good! From what I could gather, @spiritsonic was trying some new stuff with her art here, and her hard work really shows! She's always great, but I'm real excited to see what she gives us in the future.

After all the debate, I still do consider the circumstances surrounding this update somewhat unfortunate, but whether it was brought on by (perhaps unnecessarily) harsh criticisms from the community or not, it does look really good, and Evan seems happy with it on her various social media feeds, so I'm happy, too.

Aside from the fantastic art, this issue also had a lot of stuff I've really been wanting from IDW Sonic!

The story features a single Chaos Emerald hunt instead of just nabbing a bunch of 'em at once.

I always prefer this to stuff like Starline just bringing them all to Eggman or the Roboticized Masters collecting them off-page. Placing them one by one over time really helps drive home to me how significant these gems are to this world, and makes them feel like part of the overarching narrative instead of a simple macguffin that can just appear whenever it's convenient for the plot.

I guess what I'm saying is I like the setup phase of Chekhov's Gun just as much as the payoff.

As of this issue, we now know the location of three Emeralds - Rouge grabbed the white one in the 2022 Annual, Tails ended up with the purple one in Winter Jam, and now we've got the yellow one here.

We got some nice exploration of Sonic and Tails' dynamic in this one. It's nothing new, Sonic and Tails are naturally seen together quite a lot in this comic, but they're often in communication with other characters working toward a greater goal, or trying to solve some kind of crisis. They're after the Emerald here, but there's no great catastrophe and it's just them... spending time together. They get competitive, they banter, they pick up where the other falters - it's a really great reflection of the strong relationship Sonic points out between Silver and Blaze in Issue 64.

They get lots of little moments in this story, but I especially appreciate this one:

It's a small thing, but I think this is the first time in the comic's 5+ year run that Sonic has referred to Tails as his "little brother." When you think about it, these two really have spent most of their lives together, and this is a nice reminder of that.

What I really appreciate most in this issue, though, is the

🫒Environments.🫒

I've always felt that IDW Sonic's world was a little... homogenous, without a lot of the beautiful, fantastical scenery we see in the games.

Even when we DID get cool set pieces, they were usually direct references to the games - not a lot of spectacular, new settings made to fit the games' world.

But this one had a cool ravine with weird hexagonal pillars and old bridges for Sonic and Tails to race through!

That looked like it could be a game level! Then they get into the cave and we get this cool, glowing, underground green world with a giant salamander stalking around - this is also a really neat way of hinting at how the Emeralds affect the environment around them!

I know it's gonna be a while before we return back to the main series - the Fang the Hunter mini-series does seem fun, though - but I'm really, really excited to see where it takes us next!

[moonisagremlin]

okay, so i'm re-reading ALL of the TF2 comics for my little zine project, and i have discovered interesting things and silly things.

starting with the WAR! update comic:

-The Bitch connects her microphone to different speakers to talk to both RED and BLU team.

-Meet the Spy is canon in the comics.

-The Bitch can read people pretty well i guess.

-The BLU soldier and the RED demo are besties. They met at a projectile weapons expo. They knew eachother for six months before the WAR! comic.

-The Bitch doesn't have any friends (whomp whomp).

-The Bitch: "In my experience, Miss Pauling, nothing kills a friendship faster... than a healthy competition."

-Saxton Hale is... just. like. that.

-Wait, did the first design of Bidwell have a moustache?

-Saxton FUCKS. (With The Bitch. What the fuck.) ((he also tries flirting with Miss Pauling.))

-monke lore:

poopy joe was an american monkeynaut that sadly passed away in a tragic explosion that occurred moments later after the launch. mann.co was involved in this accident but they keep denying it for legal reasons (during the comic they're going to be under senate investigation soon, and it seems that they were in BIG TROUBLE, so Helen asking for weapons was actually a great way for them to dispose of those weapons involved in the accident).

-(RED) Demoman lives in a mansion in New Mexico with his mum.

-He only has one morning off a week.

-He has three jobs

-His mum is quite mad at him because his dad (rip) had 26 jobs (and somehow managed to be with his family)

-He makes 5 million dollars a year (with the current inflation that would be around- 48,980,957.43$ ????? WHAT??????)

-Demo is halfway to retirement, around his 30's

-He was raised in a home with a bad economic situation :c

-His dad killed the (obviously not real) Queen of England

-The mum misses demo's father :(

-The Eyelander is a haunted, pattern-welded damascus steel and harmonically balanced sword slowly-forged for generations in the bowels of captured english kings

-Not only did Miss Pauling gave him The Eyelander, also multiple cases with weapons that we see in-game (the scottish resistance, for example)

-Miss Pauling calls him Mister DeGroot, which is kinda weird considering they're coworkers and know eachother, but i guess that during this time they weren't really close because demo only knew her as "that wee lass that works with the angry lady who's always screamin' at us while we fight".

-BLU soldier lives in a really secured appartment with lots of locks in his door. He also has two little doors in which he can take his arms outside to necksnap people.

-He lives miserably. He doesn't let ANYONE enter his house. Only the tomato soup wholesaler or the delivery man from the rib place.

-He has BOXES filled with cans of food, so he's house really looks like a fucking bunker.

-They both fought the police together???? Friendship goals honestly.

-Neither Demo and Soldier wanted to fight eachother, they did it to defend themselves from the other one. Demo was made sure that Soldier betrayed him first, and Soldier was manipulated into believing that his best friend said he was a civilian thanks to a poorly-made robotic voice of Tavish. This all led to both of them fighting eachother for their own safety.

[tnbc-thoughtsandheadcanons]

The Battle for Pumpkin King #1

In this post, I’ll be talking about the first Issue of The Battle for Pumpkin King! I’ll be tagging all my spoilers with #Pumpkin King Spoilers, for anyone who wants to avoid them! Below are my thoughts about this first issue and where this comic series may go.

The series starts off with establishing Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie’s close friendship with each other, as children. They routinely compete with each other, but all in good-nature, as they’re both good sports about who wins/loses. It’s mentioned that they also learn science, learn about the world around them, and make discoveries together(seen with Doctor Finkelstein and a young Sally in his lab, experimenting with chemicals.)

In this issue, the current but soon-to-be-retired Pumpkin King makes an announcement to Halloween Town about his ending reign. He reveals his plan on working closely with his successor and aiding in their selection - which will be a set of competitions between two members of the community, as he guides them closely competing for the throne. The citizens immediately nominate Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie, who accept the challenge and shake hands with one another, where the issue then ends.

First off - let me talk about the new character, the pumpkin-headed, well-dressed man previously seen in the upcoming covers of the series:

We do not know his name yet, but it’s implied he’s been the Pumpkin King for a long time, as you can tell by his design, where his pumpkin is rotting and even has mold growing on it. I also like the little touch of the round cut on top of his head - like people traditionally do to clean and carve jack-o-lanterns. I wonder what’s the story behind that..!

There’s an interesting panel where he talks about maintaining control of his successor, Halloween town, and Halloween itself, with a sinister-looking pose. Will this hint to him being the villain/antagonist of the comic series? Judging by the next cover where he’s shaking hands with Oogie Boogie, it’s likely he’s either going to side with Oogie, or purposefully shove some conflict between him and Jack to offset their friendship. The series *is* about their falling off, after all!

Also, the previous Pumpkin King being a literal pumpkin-headed man makes me wonder if Jack Skellington’s Pumpkin King “outfit” is a dedication/commemoration to the previous ruler, or the linings of The Pumpkin King? Did this character set the title first, or have there been others *before* him? Either way, I’m excited to see/learn more of his character, and hopefully his name!

In here, we also see both Sally and Dr. Finkelstein in the open out in the Town Square, watching and joining in on the fun. It’s likely that the Doctor hasn’t become protective over her yet, and she’s freely allowed in the town in her childhood! I hope to see more of Sally in this comic and even the Doctor himself.

Also, here’s a meme to celebrate the comic’s release:

--

I will make a minor comment that the writing seems a little flat thus far, but I give leniency since this is Disney, and aimed for children. The entire Town idolizes both Jack and Oogie - but we don’t exactly know *why*, if they had a good upbringing or they earned a good reputation in the town? Also, a lot of the side characters seem to be the same age in here, maybe a little smaller in size, besides Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who look to be infants with a slight age difference between them. I’m not going to scrutinize too harshly to the consistency of ages with the movie - since they’re undead, it makes *sense* if the Citizens age more slowly or differently than humans do. And it isn’t established how long ago this comic takes place in regards to the movie yet, so I won’t jump to any major conclusion.

I also have the question on why Sally is in here as a child - I hope to learn more about her and Doctor Finkelstein, if he made Sally to age or reconstructs her when she gets older. I guess, *technically*, the “backstory” of Sally from Long Live the Pumpkin Queen (the novel sequel) could be applicable to this comic...!

I'm loving the art so far! Here’s waiting for the next issue’s release!

[my-name-is-jefferooni]

Overanalyzing Sonic Comics Again Because I Can.

You know what? No. I was gonna build up to this but I’m fuccin clueless on how so I’ll just jump right on into it!

This hedgehog. This goddamn blue motherfucking pinball of a hedgehog. He is absolutely SHATTERED by this one instance.

Sonic the Hedgehog in the IDW comics has been through… A LOT, lately. He’s shown signs of trauma and regret from the Metal Virus, he literally pulled a Shadow and lost his memory for like 8 panels, and ya boi LITERALLY DIED. IT’S VERY SAFE TO ASSUME THAT ANYTHING GOING WRONG ON HIS END WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC FOR HIM.

To me, in this case, it completely makes sense why Sonic is so utterly crushed in the Winter Jam, because not only does it force him to think outside the box and try some new techniques, but it also does to him what no one has dared to do in a while since his death, and that is: Disagree with him.

You’re probably giving this a pretty big scowl right now and you’re probably about to move on and not continue reading because yes I know that claim is very very outlandish and weird but I AM ABOUT TO EXPLAIN SO PLEASE STAY FOR A BIT I PROMISE IT’LL MAKE SOME SORT OF SENSE-

The Winter Jam is a fake reality tv show crafted by Orbot and Cubot, all for the purpose of getting Dr. Eggman to get off his lazy ass and do something. It kind of works in the end, but that’s not what I’m here to discuss. They painstakingly put together a bunch of tests specifically made to challenge the players, and to hopefully get some kind of juicy secrets out of them as well. Because that’s just how reality tv shows work I guess. And Sonic is one of those contestants.

The very first challenge, Sonic fails. The second challenge, Sonic fails. The third, fourth, fifth? Oh, he probably failed every single one of them! (Poor Tails lmao) But what the second challenge does is show Sonic that speed isn’t everything. It shows that not everything about him is perfect and that he doesn’t always have the right ideas. Same with the first challenge too! It brings to light that Sonic’s ideals can oftentimes be very wrong and too on-brand for him, because all he knows at this point is “Go fast” and “Freedom.” (See one of my previous analysis on our favorite blue boi) That would probably be mostly because of his recent trauma, but I’ll save all that for another time. So essentially, what this reality tv show is doing, is showing the odder sides of Sonic, showing how he can sometimes be wrong and that he isn’t as heroic and great as some make him out to be. (*cough cough* issue 67 *cough cough*)

The final challenge, though… That’s when things start taking a turn for the worst for Sonic.

He already started questioning his methods when the second challenge ended in a failure. He went fast, and that almost always works, so why didn’t he win? It was a race, was it not? Did he miss the memo? Did he do something wrong? What was wrong with him, why didn’t he win, he went fast so WHY DIDN’T HE WIN????

And if we’re assuming that he kept racking up failure after failure for the rest of the competition, then those thoughts suddenly become a lot worse. They start getting muddied, dirtied by insecurity, full of lies and deceit and worries that he’d spent so long trying to bury in his mind. He starts slowing down, trying his best to not fail because if he keeps failing then what kind of hero even is he!?!?

And then the final challenge happens.

And Sonic fails once again.

He thought it had worked this time, he thought that finally, after so long, he could claim just one little victory. Just a small, funny statue made of ice. One that symbolized the best of the best, something that showed that he cared. A true gift for a true friend. An ice statue of him and his beloved baby brother, Tails.

It works…! At least for a few seconds. Because after those few seconds are up?

(YES I KNOW I SHOWED THIS IMAGE ALREADY BUT IT’S ALL THE WAY AT THE START AND IT PERFECTLY ENCAPSULATES THE FEELING IM GOING FOR SO HUSHHHHHHH)

It all comes crumbling down.

And so too does Sonic’s entire body.

He falls to the ground with his statue, his eyes glued to the ice-cold dots of the foxy figure. Sonic stares at it, feeling something burn within his eyes. No, no, that could not have just happened! His hard work could not have been for nothing! He wasn’t too fast again, was he? Why did it fall, why did it crumble, why was everything falling apart like the statue???

…

Everything was falling apart.

——

idk what else to say man just do what you can with that info. Spread it like the plague or something idfk.

[your-divine-ribs]

The Devil Next Door Part 4

Words: 2.9k

Introducing a new character, Tom… Van has serious competition ❤️‍🔥

Devil Next Door Masterlist Main Masterlist

"Earth to Y/N... are you receiving me?"

The male voice sounding right next to your ear startles you and you jump, letting out a small yelp as you whirl around to find your colleague and fellow nurse, Tom, standing there.

"God, you about gave me a heart attack sneaking up on me like that!" You exclaim, pressing a hand to your chest, feeling your cheeks instantly warm as Tom's lips pull up into a grin.

"Well... I guess you're in the right place for it!" He quips, his whole face lighting up as he nudges you gently with an elbow. Then he adds with a chuckle "Please don't drop dead on me though... at least not until the end of the shift. I couldn't cope without ya!"

Tom's not been working at the hospital for long but in that short space of time he's made quite an impression on most of the staff. He's friendly, hard-working and is always cheerful, a literal ray of sunshine. Even at the end of a nightmare shift when everyone else is practically on their knees he'll appear with that beaming smile on his face, providing some much needed assistance or some light relief. You can't help but warm to him. There's nothing not to like.

A passing doctor calls Tom's name and you take the chance to steal a good look at him whilst his attention's diverted. As he chats with your colleague he absentmindedly raises his arms over his head to stretch out his weary limbs, the hem of his hospital scrubs raising up an inch, showing a glimpse of his tanned, toned abdomen. You suck in a quiet breath.

That's another thing about Tom. He's very easy on the eye.

What is it with you these days? It used to be rare that a good-looking male in the vicinity would elicit more than a raised eyebrow from you. Now you're practically salivating over the sight of an inch of bare skin at your workplace and constantly fantasising about getting mercilessly railed by your next-door neighbour.

Tom turns around and you quickly avert your eyes back to the menu of the hot drink vending machine that you were originally perusing.

"It feels like the never-ending day today," you complain, raising a hand to stifle a yawn. "I swear time's going backwards. I'm so tired. I wish I could just kick one of the patients out of the beds and take a nap myself!"

"Better make that a double espresso then." He nods towards the machine as you slot a pound coin in. "You... errr had a late night then? Been out partying or something exciting?"

"No... nothing like that," you sigh. "It was still a late night though. It's my bloody neighbours' fault, the ones I was telling you about. It was band practice again." You roll your eyes. "It was bad enough when it was just Van and Bondy but now their mates have come to stay. Now there's drums and bass too... the whole lot."

Tom winces sympathetically. "Sounds noisy. Don't tell me you've got death metal blaring through the walls at 2am!"

You giggle at the comical image your mind conjures up of Van and Bondy head-banging furiously. "No, thank god... I hate to say it as Van absolutely does my head in, but the music's actually pretty good. Well... at least it would be if it wasn't keeping me awake after a shift."

A thought occurs to you and you dig in your pocket for the flier Van had pressed into your hand this morning as you'd scowled at him on your driveway. You weren't sure whether you were imagining it but the last few days he'd been going out of his way even more than usual to see you. Not satisfied with winding you up each day after a shift you also found him loitering outside every morning now too, usually under the pretence of putting the bin out or retrieving his post. He was always there, cocky smirk on his face as he greeted you with a hint of a smug kind of flirtatiousness which you tried hard to ignore. You were sure his cocky brand of charm worked on the poor unsuspecting girls that no doubt fawned over him on stage at his gigs, but there was no way that you were falling for it.

"What's this then?" Tom asks as he unfolds the flier, scanning it with a look of puzzlement.

"That's their band..."

Tom shakes his head, grinning. "Catfish and the Bottlemen? What kind of a name is that?"

"Sounds a bit shit really," you scoff, reliving the moment you'd told Van the exact same thing this morning and the satisfaction you'd felt at managing to provoke a reaction in him before he'd even sparked up his first cigarette of the day.

"I actually quite like it," Tom says. "It's different... original. It's the sort of name that gets you noticed."

"Like that prick Van needs any help there!" You reply, scorn clear in your voice. Tom looks a little taken aback and you wonder whether you should rein it in a little. The last thing you want is him thinking you're a complete bitch. You just can't help it with Van. No one else has ever got under your skin quite like him. Even when he's not around you're still thinking about him and it frustrates the hell out of you.

"This Van guy really winds you up doesn't he?"

"Ughh he's the worst!" You grumble. "He's loud, rude and he fancies himself something rotten. He's made my life a misery since he moved in. Honestly if you ever met him you'd know exactly what I meant."

Tom nods slowly, looking down at the flier again before he looks back up, warm brown eyes fixed on you with a hopeful glint.

"Maybe I should meet him," he says. "Maybe we could... errr... go to this gig. You know... me and you... together."

His eyes widen eagerly on the last word, his face scrunching a little with an endearing awkwardness.

Shit... is he asking you out... on a date?

"Errr... well I... errr..." you falter and Tom immediately steps back, shifting from foot to foot.

"You're probably already busy!" He blurts, obviously embarrassed which in turn makes your already pink cheeks glow even more. "I mean, it's Friday night isn't it? I'm sure you already have plans!"

"No!" You hurriedly say, reaching out an arm to rest on his forearm, snatching it back when you worry that you're being too familiar. "I don't have any plans. I'd love to go! I've not been to a gig for so long. I love live music."

Tom's positively beaming now and it makes you feel warm and fluttery inside. "Great... I'll pick you up. Shall we say 7 o'clock? We can get a drink in first then."

Then before you know what's happening you're exchanging numbers with the promise of sending Tom your address, a flurry of excitement in your gut at the prospect of spending some quality time with a warm-natured, handsome guy.

Perhaps this will cure you of this ridiculous obsession you seem to be developing with Van...

❤️‍🔥 Van's POV ❤️‍🔥

"So did she actually say she was coming then?"

This has got to be the third time I've asked Bondy whether Y/N's definitely coming to the gig. My first two attempts have been interrupted by Bob fussing about whether we're packing his drum kit into the back of the van safely and securely.

"For someone who's "definitely not interested in that mardy bitch from next-door" you're awfully keen to know about her plans for this evening!" Bondy smirks, raising both hands up to demonstrate in a quote gesture the exact words I'd spoken to him a few days previously.

Bob's mouth drops open in shock and displeasure. "That's a bit harsh!"

I huff at him before slinging my guitar case into the back of the van. "Yeah, well... you've not met her yet!"

"Don't listen to him Bob," Bondy chips in. "She's a perfectly nice girl. I'm not 100% sure whether she's coming tonight but you're around for a few days so you'll probably get to meet her."

"So what's your problem with her anyway Van?" Benji wants to know. "You just pissed off 'cause you fancy her and she's not interested, huh?"

"No, that's not it!" I say quickly and defensively, so much so that it elicits raised eyebrows and knowing looks from my band mates who know me all too well.

"Come off it mate, it's any excuse to catch sight of her." Bondy laughs at me and then turns to the others. "Caught him out there mowing the bloody lawn yesterday didn't I, just because Y/N was hanging her washing out!"

Benji's face says it all. I've known him practically my whole life and in all that time he's never known me to venture into the garden for anything else other than to have a smoke in my adult years. I relent then, not being able to control the smile that surfaces, laughing along good-naturedly as they tease me, phrases like "don't think you stand much chance there by the sound of things" and "reckon you've lost your touch" being bandied around.

Little do they know. They didn't hear Y/N moaning my name whilst she was getting herself off. They haven't seen the way her cheeks flush and her breath hitches a little when I brush past her just that little bit too close, that spark of heat in her eyes which she tries hard to hide as contempt. She wants me. I know she does. And one of these days I'm going to give her exactly what she wants.

The venue's heaving and I feel that familiar rush as my racing heart pumps the adrenaline directly into my veins. My dad always told me I was born to perform and I reckon he's right. I come alive on stage, it's my happy place. Seeing those elated faces all turned my way and hearing the very songs I wrote in my bedroom as an awkward teen sung back at me with so much passion blows my mind every single time.

You're simpatico, and of all the lifts home and all the mixed feelings

You're cuts above, and you don't own worries or a chest full of heartache

I stride down the stage, scanning the crowd as I go. We're on fire tonight. The lads are all keeping it tight and I'm belting out the lyrics like my life depends on it. The crowd are bouncing as one, a sea of raised arms and adoring faces. If only Y/N was here to see it...

Hold up... that's her… she’s at the back, trying to push her way through the throng but the crowd are that wild she's getting pushed around, they're practically swallowing her up. It's taking me all my restraint not to stop the gig and direct the crowd to part so she can take her rightful place at the barrier. I want her right where I can see her, in my line of sight so I can fix her with a smouldering gaze whilst I rock my hips against my guitar. I know it drives the girls crazy and it's time for me to turn things up a notch, leave her in no way uncertain of my intentions towards her.

I flick my sweat-soaked hair back off my face just as she looks up at the stage and our eyes lock. It's only for a moment but the rest of the room might as well melt away. Her jaw goes slack as the flashing stage lights illuminate her gorgeous face. She looks awe-struck and I'm soaking it up. Just as I expected... she fucking wants me. I can see the hunger in her eyes from all the way up here.

That's all the encouragement I need. I'm going to take my chance and make a move after the show. Drag her off to a quiet, dark corner of the venue and pin her up against the wall, drag my lips slowly over her neck whilst she's squirming against me. I want to hear those moans in my ear, feel her delicate fingers clutching at me whilst I make her feel good... better than any other guy's ever made her feel.

I wonder what she's like as a lover... with all that fire and passion inside of her I bet she's a little wildcat... in fact I bet she's absolute filth. We'd be a perfect match, I just know it.

Fuck... I need to control myself before I get carried away. The last few bars of the song play out and the room's plunged into darkness momentarily whilst we all catch our breath.

Y/N's turned up late to the gig and we've only got a few songs left, but that doesn't matter. It's Business next and that's perfect. I can look her right in the eye when I tell her I wanna make her my problem.

I wanna love you, but I've no time for your friends who can fucking do one...

WHAT THE HELL... WHO THE FUCK IS THAT?

Y/N's not looking at the stage now, she's looking behind her, leaning in close to a guy who's pressed right up against her, gazing at her adoringly like a little puppy dog.

I falter, carelessly forgetting the next line as I try to compute what I'm seeing below me. It's only for a second and the fans don't even notice they're so immersed in it. My eyes flick to Bondy who shoots me a look and that's enough to get me back on track.

Pull yourself together Van! Think about the music... that's what's important here!

I'm still giving it my all but my focus is gone. My mind's a jumbled mass of seething jealousy and shock. I try closing my eyes when I sing to clear away the image of Y/N and the mystery guy, but every time they flick open they're there right in front of me. Y/N's still ogling me for the most part but her attention keeps getting drawn away by HIM as he whispers in her ear or wraps a protective arm around her waist as the crowd surge forward. I suppose I should be thankful that she's got a friend down there to protect her from the chaos as he pulls her out of the way just in time as yet another frantic mosh-pit opens up but I'm not. The bitter taste of jealousy floods my mouth as I spit out my next line.

Cause all I wanna know is just how far you wanna go...

By the time the gig's drawing to a close and I'm picking out the opening melody to Tyrants my shock has faded but I'm still seeing red. I'm determined to play like I've never played before and show Y/N what I'm really made of. Show her that I'm not just some pub singer who caught a lucky break but I'm where I rightfully belong, up on the stage, bathed by the lights.

I twist and I writhe, throwing myself around the stage, contorting my body into ridiculous angles. I'm strumming with such vigour it's a wonder the guitar strings haven't snapped. My limbs are aching and I'm absolutely soaked with sweat, I'm having to blink it from my eyes and my hair's plastered to my face. The lyrics are ripping up my throat like razor blades as they spew forth. I'm putting on the performance of my life and it's not going unnoticed. The fans are going wild and Y/N looks euphoric. She's singing her heart out and dancing like nobody's watching, her eyes sparkling with so much life. Her companion's been pushed aside by the crowd and he's at least two rows back and she's not even noticed. She can't take her eyes off me. ME...

"Thank you very much for having us! We are Catfish and the Bottlemen!"

I shout my closing farewell into the mic, and then it's back to the climatic finish. The whole band let loose, Benji's rousing rhythm, Bob's pounding beats and Bondy's exhilarating riffs all blending together in a cacophony of the most perfect sounding chaos. I'm still going off on one, flailing about like I'm being electrocuted. I'm so caught up in the moment that I don't even realise that I've been strumming so hard that I've sustained a two inch long gash on my index finger that's now dripping with blood. My fingers have been working so hard that they're practically numb, the sensation only beginning to return when I notice the reason why I'm struggling so hard to hang my guitar off the mic stand.

If there's one thing that sends me squeamish it's the sight of blood. I curse under my breath at the sight of so much of it, a shock of nausea wracking me which I swallow down quickly as I steal a quick glance at Y/N before ducking off the stage. She's looking right back at me with awe in her eyes and my potential rival's satisfyingly nowhere to be seen. As stupid as it sounds I feel like I'm limping off the battlefield, wounded but victorious.

Bring it on...

[tmntxthings]

Pt. 6 Rise!Leo falling in love

author’s note: another filler, more scenes with raph and mikey, next episode we shall get back to the plot

warnings: fluff, brother moments, longer chapter

previous - next

—————————————————————————

“Spill, what were the two of you whispering about last night??”

Leonardo had banged on the lab door until Donnie opened up. Leo had some pleasant dreams last night, flash backs of holding you in his arms or when he was watching you flush as he had you against the glass door. He woke up wondering when he would get to see you again and how many shades of pretty pinks/reds he could make you blush.

“Like I said, they were really interested in the voice command for the light system.” Donnie droned not sparing his twin brother a glance as he kept his focus on the project in front of him.

Leo leaned onto Donnie’s work table. “See, I know that’s not true ‘cause last night Y/n told me the two of you talked about how annoying I am,” he wouldn’t leave without answers, hopefully ones he wanted to hear. Donnie smirked at that, “Oh they said that? Well sure, I did mention how much of a pest you can be, take for instance right now.”

“Y’know Don, one would think you wouldn’t have anything to hide from your twin brother,” Leo started reaching for something shiny that Donnie had just put down on the table.

Immediately his hand was swatted away by the purple turtle, accompanied with a “Don’t touch that!” After a few more minutes of Donnie trying to work and Leo pestering him, Dee finally had enough. “We talked about the lights, how aggravating you are, April’s master plan to make you jealous which worked, and just aimless things to keep whispering like our favorite pizza, or games.” As Donnie had been talking he had gotten up, grabbed his blue brother by the arm, and walked him back to the lab’s entrance.

“Now if you’re quite done, I’ve got better things to do!” Donnie harrumphed, pushing Leo out of the doorway and the door immediately closed, locks were heard clicking in place. “Now was that so hard!” Leo called out and turned with a smug smile.

It seemed like he had nothing to worry about and he had totally guessed right at April’s ‘master’ plan. Sure it had worked a little he admitted. But what intrigued Leo even more than that was you agreeing to the plan in the first place.

‘cracked the lid on your new friend Don Don, he fessed up some interesting info’ -Leo 💙

Leo sent you a text, he wondered what you had been up to today. He was making his way to his room and getting comfortable on his bed with a Jupiter Jim comic in hand when he heard some commotion in the living room. He groaned, he had just gotten settled in! He decided to ignore it unless his brothers started yelling for him.

To his surprise they didn’t, so he figured it was nothing as he went back to reading, waiting for your reply.

。・゜・( pov change: y/n )・゜・。

Leo had been good on his word because that morning you had gotten a text from April.

‘Hey after classes if you’re not busy wanna go to the boys place? It’s April btw’ -unknown

‘Hey! And I’d love to, are they cool with it?’ -you

‘Yeah totally, Mikey asked me to come over something about a competition, then he asked me to ask you!’ -April 💛

‘Sounds like a plan, my last class is at 2, where should we meet?’ -you

‘Can you come to the journalism building? Around 4:30?’ -April 💛

‘Yeah! Cya then’ -you

After class, you went to get something to eat, you had plenty of time to do so. You wondered if you should change your outfit, you didn’t really care what you wore to class, so not much thought had went into looking cute. But now since you would be going to see the turtles, you definitely wanted to at least have your hair looking presentable.

By the time 4:30 rolled around you were sprinting to the journalism side of campus. Huffing and puffing as you landed on a bench outside of the building. You had changed into something relatively cute, but it didn’t exactly scream ‘I’m trying to impress someone’

“Nice fit! Ready to head out?” April strolled out of her building and you rose to your feet, “Ready! This’ll be the first time I haven’t been portaled in,” you smiled and April beamed, “well get ready for the ole’ fashioned route,”

About fifteen minutes later you were looking down a manhole, in a dark alleyway. “It’s pitch black down there!” You commented as you tried to see anything past the first five ladder posts. “Yeah but don’t worry your eyes will adjust, you go first so I can put the cover back on.” April said trying to assure you.

Fifteen ladder posts later and you were still climbing downward. April was just above you as you asked, “how far down is this thing?!” April laughed, “pretty freaking far,” and you lost count by the time your foot hit solid ground. April took the lead then and not too long after that you were in the lair’s living room!

Leo was nowhere in sight but he hadn’t been the one who invited you, so you continued to follow April and Mikey. “I’m so happy you could come, you haven’t seen the ramp room yet right?!” Mikey was bouncing up and down with excitement, “Ramp room?” You turned to April in question and she just smiled.

A big opening came before the three of you and you gasped. “So where should we sit for the show? Up here or down in the pit?” April asked as Mikey went and grabbed a skateboard covered in stickers. You noticed Raph was already down where the ramps met at the lower level. You waved, “We got an audience today!” Raph called out with a crooked smile. “Yeah to totally watch me out skill your shell,” Mikey called out.

He got on his skateboard, moving towards the ramps. “Sit wherever you like! Just make sure you cheer for me!!” Mikey said over his shoulder and then he was going down one of the ramps at high speeds.

You had never skateboarded before. But it looked fun, if not a little dangerous when Raph or Mikey would take a tumble. But they always got up laughing a little embarrassed when you and April would ask if they were okay. After the ‘competition’ (Mikey won) you made your way down into the pit.

You hadn’t noticed the rooms just beneath where you sat, one opening had gym equipment and then other on the opposite side had weapons and what looked like dojo training stuff, “You guys have an amazing place down here!” You complimented.

“Thanks, it wasn’t always like this but we made it work” Raph said as he watched his little brother do another kick flip. “I don’t know how you guys can even stand on those things without falling,” you more mumbled that to yourself but Raph heard you.

“It’s actually easier than you think, want me to show you?” Raph skating his way towards you. “I have to forewarn you, I’m a bit of a klutz” you said as he got off his dark red board. “Here I’ll help you get your balance,” He held out a hand to you, and when you slipped your own into his, the size difference was incredible. You stepped onto the board gingerly afraid it would just go flying from underneath you.

When your other foot left the ground to do the same, the said board did go flying right out from under you. A yelp left your lips as your body flailed backwards. Raph saved you from an embarrassing fall and you rose back to your feet, “I don’t know I think that was a sign..” you said totally embarrassed you couldn’t even get two feet on the board. “Maybe it’s because my board is too big for you,” Raph thought as he let go of you.

“Here try mine,” Mikey had come over board in hand. It was definitely smaller. You gave it a try, but Raph still held your hand, just in case. Despite your thoughts of never being able to do this, there you were on top of a skateboard! “Now use your dominant foot to push yourself forward!” Raph said happy you hadn’t gone careening over yet.

You pushed and went a couple feet forward. “Looka that, you’re a natural!” Raph smiled, and you laughed because he had to be joking. Sure you could go forward but how do you turn?! Mikey and Raph taught you more basic tips and a couple hours later you were at the top of one of the ramps. “I don’t know guys,” you said looking down feeling fearful. “You don’t have to Y/n,” he said as he placed a helmet on your head, clicking the strap in place underneath your chin, “but I think you got this” you didn’t know why he had so much confidence in you.

As for Mikey he had been steady cheering you on, “Y/n! Y/n! Y/n!” You took a deep breath, what the heck it wasn’t as if you hadn’t just seen them fall. It would be embarrassing but at least you could say you had tried. You leaned forward, and down you went, wind whistling by, you didn’t do anything fancy, just straight forward. It seemed like that strategy worked because you didn’t lose your balance as the board started going up towards the other ramp, though you didn’t have enough momentum to reach the top.

But you hadn’t fallen! And once you went back down again going back towards the ramp you came from, it was like a pendulum. “You did it!” Mikey had you in his arms the second you got off the board. “I knew you could do it!” You felt you were lifted higher into the air as Raph grabbed Mikey and spun the both of you around in his arms.

“I can’t believe it!!” You laughed happily, “I told you, you’re a natural! All you needed was a little practice,” Raph set Mikey down and Mikey then let you go, both beaming prideful smiles down at you.

[cactuseri]

saw this and wanted to make my own post real quick bc i’ve gotten some questions abt my art before & now that i feel a bit more secure in my style i thought i’d give a few tips to anyone who wanted that :)

first i have to address how the submission is phrased: i'm sorry & i know no one wants to hear this but “keep practicing” is not a platitude that is always going to be the best advice 😭 the real question is:

how do you make practice fun?

1. challenge yourself in a way you find enjoyable/fulfilling :)

i liked doing things like art prompts from inktobers, and to draw comics of the stories i wrote, but mostly the answer for me was “set random number goal, meet random number goal, inject the validation from completed goal directly into my bloodstream, repeat.”

i worked on things kind of systematically, which just made my brain happy; i spent one summer when i was 14 doing nothing but drawing 10 full bodies a day, all with references of course. did the same throughout the fall with hands, then eyes, then expressions, then clothes, etc etc. it always had to be 10 diff angles and positions.

i did a repeat of this 10-drawings-of-10-angles rule throughout quarantine in 2020. failed all my online classes cuz i was drawing 6-10 hours every day and ignoring my homework but still passed the year in the end 💀 i got the idea from yumeii-art; it's been over 7 years since, so idk if i remember right, but she had given a similar rule of thumb as a response to someone's question about drawing without a reference, i think.

is this the Best path? probably not, idk. and it definitely lead to awkward phases where i was much better at drawing bodies than faces, for example — but it worked for me. i liked breaking things down like that, it felt more manageable.

the other number goal was. in 9th grade i saw this post:

and i was like. y’know what? yeah. i keep feeling bad abt my art, how about i put that feeling on pause until after i’ve filled 14 sketch book. i hope this user knows i owe all my achievements to the phrase “fill 14 sketch book” powering me through years of depression and art block.

so i did fill 14 sketch book!

i met that goal between ages 14 and 19. obv this doesnt include the doodles on my homework, on other random surfaces, or the ~150 digital artworks i’d done in that time, so maybe it was more like 16 sketch book? but that doesnt matter, i had 14 labeled & organized sketchbooks that were full, and i did feel better about my art by then. this was my anime training montage. this was 90% of my improvement. this was the best art advice i’d ever gotten.

so i guess what made art the most fun to me was numbers? which sounds lame but i guess since i’m competitive & love competing against myself the most, it just worked for me.

comparisons, with 2016 on the left and 2020 on the right:

(the new sketches are still rough and lack some detail ofc but i have terrible ADHD and always found it hard to sit down and keep working on a sketch once it was “done enough” — for some reason i dont rlly have the same impatience with digital art & have less of a problem completing pieces on my ipad now) (the point is. 14 sketch book level complete. 1000% worth it)

then my 2021-2024 improvement, when i had bought my own ipad and again spent most days drawing instead of doing my schoolwork (i.. did end up failing that first year of uni):

2. try out different mediums aimlessly!

what i mean is just go ham with some charcoal or whatever you have on hand, without the determination to Make It Good. i can’t say if this helped my actual art get better but what it did do was keep the joy of it alive & i had fun which lead to more practice & therefore improvement. color pencils weirdly were my favorite. hell, my school had us do a project with linoleum printing (is that how u spell it idk) and it gave me months’ worth of art inspo.

i also recently got a gift card for a stationery store and got some nice markers and those also gave me a ton of motivation. markers r good

3. if u do digital art, find ur fave brush; it will be ur familiar ur trusted companion ur lover in a past life

for lineart i mostly use the IGB office pack, favorite ballpoint. you’ll have to buy & download it online tho i think it was like $7? but yea it was worth it. (i did a lot of work with the gesinski ink brush in past years but i think it’s a bit too “sharp” now)

but also go crazy try them all it’s fun!

4. in my opinion it’s fine to do redraws of ur fave artist’s work now and then — as long as u keep it to urself and dont take credit for it

i’ve had ppl ask to use my art as a ref and my answer is always Not Sure Why You’d Want To Bc It’s Not All That, But Yes Of Course. as u can see most of my 2021 work was redrawing panels of the “gangsta.” manga; it didn’t even end up influencing my style much, my style was already based on all the manga shit i drew at 13, but it was the only thing i was motivated enough to draw at the time, and it was valuable practice.

art teachers still stress that the best reference is to draw from life & yeah thats true maybe but idc sometimes ur just not feeling that! so mix it up, whatever works. obviously respect it if an artist says not to reference their work and don’t only reference ur art from one artist but generally i think it’s harmless.

especially when there’s a specific thing an artist does very well that’s hard to find other examples of; personally i was fighting for my life trying to find how to best translate references of dynamic movement into art of dynamic movement. and i think the bnha mangaka does this wonderfully so i often referenced thise action panels as practice. and i think it helped loosen up my art style. (and… i was extremely ridiculously mentally ill about hawks so that…. contributed…. my fave ask to date is still the person who clocked hawks as my old fave character based purely on how i draw eyes 😭😭)

tracing is a diff conversation and my advice there is it is not actually helpful and it's. idk it feels very Against Artist Code. sometimes, and i havent done it in a couple years, but if a piece REALLY isnt working i've done the thing where u trace the general movement of a pose then go from there but i've never posted completed works where i used that method bc it felt wrong. but yeah that's a separate thing that i don't wanna go too deep into

5. another fun thing that motivated me to practice was doing speedpaints!

if you draw on procreate, it's probably set up automatically already. i don't have the storage to record everything, but when i do have it on, the knowledge that i'll have a speedpaint of the finished piece pushes me to put the last necessary touches on it. (if you'd like to see some of my speedpaints i have a few on my instagram)

some more technical advice:

1. flip your canvas flip your canvas flip your goddamn canvas i KNOW it hurts i KNOW it’s like ripping off a bandaid that’s superglued to ur skin i know but YOU HAVE TO FLIP YOUR CANVAS

(when i didn’t have an ipad i’d do this by taking a picture of the drawing on my phone and flipping the image in the photo app)

IT IS THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD AND IM NOT ASHAMED TO ADMIT I’VE RAGE QUIT SOME PIECES OVER SEEING THE CANVAS FLIPPED BUT LOOK AT THIS ART BEFORE AND AFTER I’D FLIPPED IT AND FIXED HOW WONKY IT WAS: desaturated so tht the colors dont distract so much

like it's the BEST and honestly often the ONLY way you're going to catch things that were off/out of proportion/etc. flipping your canvas gives your brain a "new eye" and it's invaluable.

2. until you have color theory figured out…. i honestly depend on adding layers and setting them to color dodge, divide, multiply, overlay, etc…. i am cheating, perhaps, but it works

3. this is how i draw front-facing noses because it's what a czech woman in an extremely bad mood taught me in a cramped overheated stuffy classroom in germany when i was 12

it was our only meeting but she changed my life. i do not know how common this method is but it's possibly the only thing i can concretely give you a tutorial for. after a few times you won't need to do step 1 anymore

anddd i think that's all the advice i have that wouldn't be a repeat of every other art advice thing you've seen. i do know it boils down to "keep practicing" but again you won't get around that, and i just hope that concretely showing what's motivated me might help motivate someone else.

as an ending note, please take this sentence that motivated me just as much as the 14 sketch book rule: (via graveweaver, author of the webtoon "i'm the grim reaper")

[our-destiny]

Solomon scenarios for his birthday <3

A lot of these are from @creativepromptsforwriting so credit to them, this is very ooc and probably not written well.

. ☪︎* ☁︎. . * ✰ .· ☁︎ . *  ✯. ☪︎* ☁︎. . * ✰ .· ☁︎ .

• Playing Just Dance together, during couple dances he plays as the girl and you end up having to dip him, which doesn't end well.

• Cooking together, which ends in you two rolling on the ground throwing flour at each other, using wooden spoons as swords, having a food fight and getting batter all over each other.

• Cleaning up afterwards, doing the dishes and having a water fight, throwing soap on each other, whipping each other with the towels, making an even bigger mess to the point Raphael has to come and clean up after you two while you're in the shower.

• Going shopping together, Solomon picking up the most hideous things he could find and going "this would look good on you." Getting him to try on a dress as pay back (he felt beautiful in it and almost bought it).

• Running around House of Lamentation while Lucifer is out, chasing each other like little kids, sliding down banisters. Putting on songs like Macerena and YMCA and dancing in the hallways.

• Watching horror movies and comically screaming when there's a jumpscare, even if you don't get scared.

• Doing each others makeup, Sol purposely messing yours up making you look terrible, him constantly moving when you're doing his not letting you work in peace.

• Going golfing and being really competitive, at one point you were thinking of hitting him over the head with the club, alternatively playing Wii sports and almost hitting each other with the remote.

• Going ice skating, but you're both terrible and end up clinging onto each other for dear life. When one of you falls, you both go down, Solomon purposely tripping you and pushing you around.

• Going to a zoo together, Solomon pointing at one of the gorillas and saying "that looks like you." When a bird squaks at you, squaking back, the two of you going back and forth squaking at each other, getting weird looks from other people.

• Going to restaurants and fake proposing to each other just so you can get free food. Solomon telling the waiter that it's your birthday, so you can get free cake and to embarass you.

• Painting each other, Sol making it his life mission to make you look terrible, giving you a butt chin and a unibrow, wonky eyes and a huge forehead.

• Doing this ^ but making Mii's instead, and playing Wii sports with them.

• Doing the yoga challenge, constantly falling and yelling at each other to do it right.

• Going swimming, splashing each other, trying to drown each other.

• Going stand up paddle boarding together, constantly falling in the water, deliberately pushing the other in.

• Going to a waterpark together, playing hide and seek in it.

• Giving each other fashion shows, doing your best catwalk and hyping each other up.

• Playing board games, being competitive, almost flipping the table at one point, accusing each other of cheating.

• Movie marathons, complete with a pillow fort, popcorn, and staying up until 6am. Having a night dedicated to scary movies, one to childhood / Disney movies, one to action movies, etc.

• Going to an escape room and coming up with the weirdest solutions. "Maybe we have to make out with the skeleton!" "What if I just throw you at the door, will that open it?", etc.

• Taking dance classes together, making up a whole back story about your characters, how they met, the relationship with each other (the dance instructor is fed up with you two).

• Visiting an old cemetery and making up stories for the different graves, what their hobbies were, what dark secrets they took to the grave.

• Visiting a museum about something you know nothing about and acting like a tour guide to the other person, making up an explanation for all the artifacts, guessing what they are and how they were used.

• Trying to learn a new skill together, a pointless one like riding a unicycle, juggling, etc.

• Watching Drag Race together, yelling at the TV, pretending you were judges, singing along during the lip sync for your life.

• Having a girls night, with face masks, painting each others nails, drinks, and telling each other all the gossip. When you don't have anything to talk about you make up drama, fake people and relationships.

[arctimon]

The "Echo" Chamber - Another Marvel/BH6 Character Discussion

So for those of you who may not be in the know, Echo is dropping on Disney+ today. Now, a lot of people have varying amounts of Marvel Fatigue and may not be interested in this series, but I will actually be super interested in how they handle the protagonist herself.

Because you see, I'm a big fan of Maya Lopez.

Not necessarily the MCU one...

But the comic one.

So here's a little backstory into the superhero known as Echo.

One of her defining characteristics (whether it's a good thing or not) is that she is one of the few deaf characters in Marvel comics. What she lacks in hearing she more than makes up for in her fighting abilities, as she has the same ability as Taskmaster: to replicate any movement or action perfectly while only seeing it once. With that, she's one of the best fighters in the entire Marvel universe.

Her father worked for Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, and after being in his employ for a long time, Fisk kills him. William makes him promise to take care of her daughter, which he does. After shooting him, Maya finds him, but not before leaving the trademark handprint of his blood on her face.

Fisk would take Maya in, sender her off to a gifted school, and trained her with her skills. He would later convince her that Matt Murdock (Daredevil) was the one who killed her father. After several issues in the 1999 run of Daredevil, secrets would be revealed, and Maya would blind Fisk by shooting out both of his eyes.

And you though my version of Kate was crazy.

After going on a personal quest to find herself, Maya would later get recruited into the New Avengers on the recommendation of Matt. She used the guise of Ronon (a former alias of Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye). Over the years, she played a central part in the New Avengers run and the events World War Hulk and Secret Invasion, being one of the first to discover that Jessica Drew was a Skrull.

Later, she moved to LA and went undercover before having to blow said cover to save Moon Knight. They teamed up together to take down the Kingpin of LA, but not before she was killed by Count Nefaria.

Of course, we know that being dead means literally nothing in the Marvel universe, and she shows up alive and well taking down another attempt of a villain taking over NYC.

For a while, Maya was out of action, not appearing in comics for almost five years.

And then?

Well.

And then entered the Phoenix.

"Enter The Phoenix" was a story arc in the 2018 Avengers run that saw heroes and villains alike in a "competition" to see who would wield the power of the Phoenix. I put that in quotes because it wasn't really much of a battle; the Avengers figured out there were other things going on.

But it didn't really matter in the end because guess who ended up with the power of the Phoenix?

Well it wouldn't be much of a Echo write-up if she didn't get it, now would it?

Alas, she wouldn't have the powers for long. After a less-than-well received mini-series (Echo: Phoenix Song), she helped the Avengers with the Multiversal Masters of Evil and the Council of Red. She used up the power to help heal the verses destroyed by the God Quarry.

And...that's kind of where we're at with her.

(Also, I know there were about twenty words and phrases that may not make any sense whatsoever, so you might want to take up the opportunity to read her comic before proceeding.)

Now I know what you're saying. "Jason, how on Earth are you going to make this about Big Hero 6? We already know you didn't think of her when you wrote that blog post about other potential team members you were thinking about."

...True.

But Riri, Nadia, America, Alison, and Cindy were not the only people that were considered.

They were just the only ones who got logos.

A Cheyenne deaf teenage girl with super memory powers and an ability to kick your butt sixty ways to San Fransokyo? Not to mention a (varying level of) permanent handprint on her face? You bet your patootie that she was on that list.

The problem, as many of the previous people were, was a way to integrate them into the mythos. Her main adversaries (Daredevil and Kingpin) are nowhere to be seen. Fisk is a NY guy too; unless he finds his way to SF for some reason, he wouldn't fit that well.

You'd have to find some other way to get her in. Who do we know that is a superb fighter that can also swordplay.

They also would probably be equally ruthless and not afraid of having to do what it take to achieve their goal.

...Oh.

Oh dear.

How about the daughter of a kingpin?

(Marvel's Echo airs all five episodes tonight on Disney+.)

[borrelia]

Since round 2 of @sonic-oc-showdown is so close right now, thought I'd do this questionnaire for dog! after going through some other competitors' summaries vs propaganda, i definitely get a much better idea of the character from this supplemental stuff!

Original post by @/redd956 here! Banner by @/bunnymajo :) ty!

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Hmm poorly! ^_^; But the logic became: Dog picked his name* because he was amused by the idea of having a name that can be general slang. he's always waiting for the day when someone says "what's up, dawg?" (he lives in a 90s sonic comic okay?) and he can.. well.. he hasn't really realized his response would not be different whether that was just a normal greeting or his name. and I'm not sure it's going to happen either, but it amuses him anyway. he's easily amused :) *all three of them in their core friend group have picked their names. dog + bebe for transgender reasons and fleet just for general Identity reasons.

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

16 (or 16-ish; i actually have to check his ref every time so the specific number isn't that important since I can never remember it)

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

i feel like this kid could DEMOLISH some chinese takeout. he's going for noodles, he's going for dumplings, he's going for spice.

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

skating! dog + her friends all meet + bond over skating :) dog prefers to board and honestly takes it real casual. she can do some tricks and will go out there and focus for a while, but usually she just slowly rolls around on her board and chats with her friends. she also collects trading cards and plays videos games.

🎯 -What do they do best?

dog isn't really the competitive type--she's just here to have fun and be herself. as such, she doesn't really care to think about whether or not shes 'good' at things... he's just chilling! i think his friends might say his strengths are in handling stress, being a good listener, and first aid. and then theyd tack on that some of the casual little gum wrapper crafts she makes are wicked cool

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

loves: chilling, being with friends, hanging out, having a good time

hates: when anything starts to be not that. majorly avoids anything that is too much Not the above things.

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

not really a memory, but i think he treasures his childhood friendship with bebe :) he loves to see how she's grown into a more confident and happy person. any time he makes a new friend is a good memory. any time his friends make a new friend is also a good memory. reaching out and welcoming in that nervous yellow hedgehog lingering at the edge of the park for the first time and seeing him warm up to the group was a good memory :)

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

dog good vibes forever <3

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

Pretty much! I've gone back and forth on what kind of gloves to give her, and the hoodie is just a normal skull instead of sans, but otherwise is still check my work on her original ref

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

Fleet Needs Friends dot MyMind

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

Dog being part of canon-divergence au in the fleetway comics puts her in variety comedy/adventure i guess :) in my mind, the stories the group get up to are "working together to defeat a minor villain in the area even though they don't have powers" and "getting possessed by/having wishes granted by/retrieving one of ebony's magical macguffins." the non-story fanficky stuff is mostly Chilling, Hanging Out, Shooting the Shit, and Being Unbothered. (as well as like. semi-grounded melodrama. you know the fun of taking character moments So Seriously?)

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

gender: ? sexuality: ??

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

none that I've bothered to make, but i could see her having an adult older brother

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

dog's parents aren't really in the picture! he lives with his nan. they have a semi-strained relationship--they love each other and have their bonding moments, but she can get pretty riled up about some of the things dog does (knuckle tats, dirty room), even if there are others she just doesn't seem to care about (skipping school, extended stays at friends' houses, nosering). dog usually defaults to "ignore and avoid" if things are anything less than peachy.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

he's just so easy to draw and i got that design down PAT. im really happy with dog + bebe + merger fleet all sharing color across their designs :) the friends. (i need to get bebe some green +gold accents tho it seems...)

also the knuckle tats detail and this

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

usually when i'm having a fleet Moment dog comes along for the ride, maybe gets slingshotted forward into his own moment. so not that often, but in batches

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

dog live forever <3

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

none that she would tell you 👍

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

dog everyones friend forever <3

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

Just over a year! the ref is dated august 6th 2022 and i did the original sketches the day before.

[myhahnestopinion]

THE 2022 AARONS - Best Film

75 films released in 2022 are eligible for this year’s ceremony. That ties a low with the pandemic year of 2020, but my goal was to focus on quality over quantity. Well, at least that’s what I told myself until I opted to watch Disenchanted over Decision to Leave. I did watch a lot of good films last year though. Here are the Aarons for Best Film:

#10. Scream

Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett were the first people brave enough to take a stab at Scream since the passing of director Wes Craven. They slayed at becoming its stewards. The fifth film’s satire has bigger prey in mind than just the slasher subgenre, cutting through a whole culture obsessed with reliving an idealized past. It’s a scary, and pertinent, reminder of how easily infantilized fan-bases can be weaponized against human beings, told with a sly style that would have made Craven proud. While the film features plenty of familiar faces and Ghostfaces, it’s the new blood of current and soon-to-be horror icons like Dylan Minnette and Jenny Ortega that really made the horror-comedy a scream.

#9. The Black Phone

Based on the short story by Joe Hill, The Black Phone recalls the best works of his father Stephen King. The 70s-set serial killer thriller grabs ahold of viewers with its supernatural hook - a phone that converses with the dead - but it’s the clever characters that will keep them captivated. Sinister director Scott Derickson slowly dials up the dread as young Finny Blake tries to escape the clutches of his kidnapper, with the looming specter of past victims making the cost of failure clear. The frightening film’s secret weapon is its resourcefulness, deftly deploying Ethan Hawke’s maniacal villain and eerie 8mm imagery as it lays the groundwork for an off-the-hook finale.

#8. The Batman

Since its debut, every comic book filmmaker has been riddled by the same dilemma: how to eclipse The Dark Knight. If director Matt Reeves, who sharpened his skill for thoughtful blockbusters on Planet of the Apes, didn’t solve the question, he at least gave a very good guess. Reeve’s reinvention pushed the envelope of superhero cinema by drawing inspiration from David Fincher, distinguishing itself in the competitive genre through grounded stakes and great spectacle. Abetted by Paul Dano’s riveting Riddler and Robert Pattison’s arresting, arrestedly-developed version of the vigilante, the twists and turns of the mystery noir keep viewers tightly-wound even after its dam breaks open. 

#7. TÁR

TÁR’s composition is unusual: it begins with a full set of production credits, shown in reverse of traditional order. The switch-up is the opening salvo of a film fully intent on upsetting power dynamics. The three-hour character piece plays with audiences’ sympathies as it chronicles the collapse of famous (fictional) symphony composer Lydia Tár. The nuanced tale of narcissism takes some cues from modern day ‘cancel culture,” but the tenor is a tragedy as classical as they come. To alleviate trepidation, it’s important to note that TÁR isn’t as stuffy as it may sound: the coda of this unusual composition is a rollicking punchline as appropriate as it is unpredictable.

#6. Pearl

Pearl is a gem. Filmed in secret alongside its predecessor (more on that shortly) and released a few months later, the prequel extrapolates X into a compelling study of its eponymous character. The wickedness of the Oz-inspired technicolor terror contrasts itself through its singular focus. Tracing the lead-up to Pearl’s first string of murders in 1918 as her fairy tale dreams turn into a deranged fervor, the film keeps the body count going but the spotlight fixed on the incontestable star power of Mia Goth. Goth’s devotion to the demented ending guarantees that, while X is extricating, Pearl will always linger in the back of one’s mind. 

#5. X

‘Elevated horror,’ the designation given to the recent trend of arthouse films, has routinely struggled to find the right balance between lofty thematic ambitions and expected genre titillation. X marks the spot. The trick was in fixating both on being unabashed about one’s nature. The thrust of Ti West’s throwback grindhouse flick, which documents a group of sexually-liberated filmmakers’ fateful encounter with an envious elderly couple, is a morality play about accepting mortality. The sexed-up slasher doesn’t skimp on penetrating flesh though, with gnarly gore effects designed by Wētā Workshop. It could have been objectifying and objectionable material, but West directs it all with a curious compassion; as a result, X multiplied wins for his films this year. 

#4. The Banshees of Inisherin 

Banshees is a lament of ghosting gone wrong. Martin McDonagh’s drama escalates an unconscientious uncoupling - truthful but tactless - between two life-long best friends to its most absurd and absurdly funny degree. Backdropped by the Irish Civil War, the boiling tension between the curiously incongruous but synchronously stubborn pairing of Brendan Gleeson’s ambitious Colm and Colin Farrell’s simplistic Pádraic highlights how quickly spite can erode one’s better angels. It’s a downbeat design yet Inisherin’s spirit lies in its impeccably witty dialogue. They may not be able to put their finger on whether it’s gaiety or grief, but audiences will be howling in response to Banshees for one reason or the other.

#3. Speak No Evil

Much has been said recently about horror’s use as a vehicle to process past trauma; Speak No Evil returns the conversation to the genre’s custom of cautionary tales. Danger lies ahead, not behind, of the film’s family when they accept an invitation to an idyllic weekend stay with a foreign couple. Evil preys on the unprepared; the insidious nature of its terror isn’t clear until its trap is already sprung. For the unassertive, the Danish film is uniquely devastating. The less said to prospective viewers, the better, though rest assured that Speak No Evil deserves every good word.

#2. The Fabelmans 

Steven Spielberg has spent a lifetime doing his dream work and capturing his audiences’ imagination along the way. Loosely based on his own childhood, The Fablemans brings that wide-ranging filmography into focus. The assortment of anecdotes is one of the director’s funniest films and undoubtedly his most vulnerable. While this semi-autobiographical story could have been a simple victory lap for the septuagenarian, Spielberg’s sentimentality has always been far wiser than critics claim. The sure to be sacred text to future generations of filmmakers is certainly a testament to the magic of movies. Yet, even as Spielberg reframes his past, the learned moral imparted by The Fabelmans is really about what cinema is unable to control. 

AND THE BEST FILM OF 2022 IS...

#1. Everything Everywhere All At Once

Movie multiverses may be inescapable at the moment, but no project encapsulates the concept’s infinite possibilities more than Everything Everywhere All at Once. The revolutionary martial-arts flick runs like The Matrix trading its estrogen for ecstasy as it awakens an under-audit laundromat owner to the larger worlds around her. The film’s directors, collectively credited as Daniels, learned the tools of the trade on the offbeat Swiss Army Man and apply that same sense of humor here: one that’s lewd, ludicrous, and incredibly life affirming.  Able to transform a universe of humans with hot dogs for fingers from joke to tearjerker and back again, the film is continually unexpected but everything one’s ever wanted all at once.

NEXT UP: THE 2022 AARONS FOR WORST FILM!

[turtlethon]

Turtlethon Extra Slices: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) (part 1 of 3)

US Release Date: March 30, 1990 UK Release Date: November 23, 1990

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a live-action motion picture, produced by the Hong Kong-based Golden Harvest and distributed in the US by New Line Cinema. Directed by Steve Barron, it adapts elements of early issues of the Mirage Turtles comics, as well as selected aspects of the 1987 Murakami Wolf Swenson animated show of the same name.

Hugely successful upon its release, for almost a decade the first Turtles film was the highest-grossing independent film of all time, unsurpassed until the debut of The Blair Witch Project at the turn of the millennium. I would hazard a guess that it remains the single most popular, acclaimed and beloved piece of TMNT-related media ever made. As such – and given that its running time of 90 minutes is significantly greater than any one episode of the 1987 cartoon – a single standard-length Turtlethon entry wouldn’t be sufficient to examine the movie, its history and its impact. With that in mind, this is the first of a three-part retrospective, easily the longest I’ve committed to as part of this project, and I suspect that record will remain into the future; down the road will be entries covering the film’s sequels, 1991’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and 1993’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, but neither are nearly as historically significant or worthy of lengthy analysis as this first cinematic outing.

1 - BACKGROUND: KEEPING UP WITH THE BAT

The first half-decade of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a period of rapid growth. Following the publication of the first issue of the rough and gritty comic by Mirage Studios, demand from readers for more material grew rapidly. Turtles became a big enough deal in the comics space that the series – itself initially envisioned as a parody that drew upon elements of contemporary titles such as Daredevil and The New Mutants – soon became a target for being sent-up itself, as well as a source of inspiration for rival publishers intent on mimicking its success with their own martial arts animal titles.

Mark Freedman of Surge Licensing saw the potential in Turtles as a multi-media property, and was able to convince the initially wary Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird into letting him try and secure deals to adapt the characters into toys and animation. After rejections from major players in the toy business including Mattel and LJN, he was able to win over a small Hong Kong based firm called Playmates, which up to that point mostly marketed dolls to girls and was then looking to enter the lucrative action figure sector. Financing from the company allowed for the creation of an initial five-episode miniseries which aired in the US in December 1987, with the first wave of the action figures arriving the following year.

Despite initial hesitations, particularly from retailers, throughout 1988 the Turtles continued to outperform expectations both in the action figure space and in terms of TV ratings. By 1989 – with the show now airing in syndication on weekdays – the characters were officially becoming a big deal. Freedman was keen to keep up this momentum, but saw a threat looming on the horizon in the shape of the upcoming Batman movie being released by Warner that summer. With “Bat-mania” on the way, a sure-fire merchandising juggernaut that could potentially overshadow the Turtles, it was clear to him that the green teens needed to be a presence in cinemas to remain competitive.

Initial proposals for making TMNT work as a Hollywood production left much to be desired. One pitch involved taking a group of popular actor-comedians of the day and simply painting them green. Mercifully this idea, which on paper reads like a potential bomb big enough to have taken out the entire franchise, was never explored. Ultimately, cooler heads prevailed, and Golden Harvest – a production company known for their library of martial arts films – was brought in to maintain a vision in line with the original Mirage comics.

Selected as director was Steve Barron, whose work I can pretty much guarantee everyone reading will have encountered in one form or another, possibly without realising it. Barron’s history with comic book superhero movies extends as far back as 1978’s Superman – the bedrock for the entire genre in its modern form – where he served as an uncredited cameraman under Richard Donner. It was with the rise of MTV and the music video where he truly made his name, directing some of the most iconic clips in the history of the industry. Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, a-Ha's “Take on Me” and the groundbreaking Dire Straits video “Money for Nothing” are among the best known of his works in this field. He would take the skills he developed in the music video space into the cinema with Electric Dreams, an underrated 1984 comedy – which as it progresses, almost borders on horror territory – about a man whose home computer develops sentience following an accident, ultimately growing jealous of his connection with the film’s love interest and threatening to ruin the life of its owner.

Barron had worked on the TV series The Storyteller, and through this had a direct connection to Jim Henson Productions; it was via this relationship that the company’s famed Creature Workshop was brought in to handle the visual effects required to bring the Turtles and their teacher, Splinter, to life. Following a relatively brief ten-week period of pre-production, filming began in Wilmington, North Carolina around the same time Batman was arriving in cinemas. This decision was brought about by a desire to keep costs down – the budget for TMNT would be only $13 million, about a third of what Tim Burton was working with in bringing the Dark Knight to film. The facility had recently been taken over by the state following its collapse while under the ownership of Dino De Laurentis, and post-takeover it was presented as an affordable venue to interested producers.

An arduous eight-week filming schedule followed, in which the actors performing as the Turtles were forced to endure severe heat while inside the costumes, while also ironing out the bugs involved in the new and untested technology that would bring the characters to life. Despite these challenges, the team were able to successfully complete filming on time. From all accounts, it was the period after filming ended when the production faced its greatest challenges; clashes with Golden Harvest led to Barron’s involvement petering out at this point, editor Sally Menke also being ousted by the production company. The finished product was such a radical departure from the tame cartoon incarnation of TMNT that concerns were raised from within other corners of the empire: at a test screening, executives from Playmates were reportedly aghast at the darker, violent depiction of the Turtles they were seeing, telling Freedman afterwards that he’d just killed the golden goose (or words to that effect).

In contrast to this opposition, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were supportive throughout. Both were displeased by the creative direction the zany MWS cartoon had taken, and so Barron’s commitment to faithfully adapt elements of the original Mirage comics meant that a wider audience would now get to see the characters depicted in a way closer to what they had originally intended. The film would arrive in North American cinemas in March 1990 – three months after the conclusion of the cartoon’s third season – and its success or failure would determine the future direction of TMNT as a multi-media property.

2 - THIS IS WHAT WE DO

April O’Neil (Judith Hoag) reports for Channel 3 Eyewitness News on a worsening crime wave currently afflicting New York City. Robberies ranging in scope from petty to incredibly audacious are now commonplace, invariably happening so quickly that the victims seem to lose their belongings in the blink of an eye. No-one knows who’s responsible for the thefts, but groups of teenage boys are frequently seen congregating when they take place. Leaving the station offices after completing her broadcast, April has the misfortune to encounter a group of these youths carrying out a heist. She’s jumped by the boys who attempt to take her belongings, but a flying sai blade soon knocks out the nearby streetlight, shrouding the area in darkness. When the police arrive moments later, they find the hoodlums tied-up, having been dealt a humiliating defeat.

From beneath a nearby manhole cover, a near-imperceptible figure watches as a still-grounded April reaches over to discover the sai left lying on the ground. Now with no way of reclaiming the weapon, the frustrated observer lowers the cover and retreats underground.

As the opening credits roll, we’re introduced to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, all but one of whom are thrilled by their successful defeat of the thieves. In order of appearance, and with their on-screen performers listed followed by their voice actors, they are leader Leonardo (David Forman / Brian Tochi), party dude Michaelangelo (Michelan Sisti / Robbie Rist), thoughtful Donatello (Leif Tilden / Corey Feldman), and rounding out the team, the brooding Raphael (Josh Pais, doing double-duty as both the in-suit performer and voice of his character).

The team return to their sewer home, where they report their defeat of the crooks to their sensei, the mutant rat Splinter (voiced and operated by Kevin Clash). Raphael voices his frustrations at having lost his sai, at one point becoming so upset that he almost gets into a scuffle with Donatello, but is encouraged by his master to let it go. Splinter reminds his pupils that as ninjas they must be able to remain invisible to the outside world, retreating into the shadows if they’re spotted, and that one day he won’t be around to guide them. He suggests the group join him in a meditation exercise, but they’re too energetic and restless to be held down for long, and within a few seconds Michaelangelo and Donatello are performing a dance routine to a record of “Tequila” by The Champs, as Leonardo eagerly grooves along. Raphael is in no mood to participate in any of this; donning a trenchcoat and hat, he announces he’s leaving to go see a movie.

Later, Donatello joins Michaelangelo as he waits beneath a grate for the impending arrival of his pizza. Donnie tries to bring up the uncomfortable topic of Splinter not being a presence in their lives one day, but Mikey is entirely focused on the task at hand. He slides a $10 bill up through the grate in exchange for the pizza from an understandably confused and flustered delivery man, explaining that as he was two minutes late he won’t be getting the agreed-upon tip: “Wise man say, forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza”.

As the other Turtles settle down to their meal, Raphael is seen exiting the movie Critters, unimpressed by its fantastical premise. He witnesses two thugs attempt a purse theft and trips them up, silently pointing to his remaining sai. This intimidates the duo enough for them to flee into a nearby park.

Rather than being in the clear, this places the thieves in the sights of hockey mask-wearing vigilante Casey Jones (Elias Koteas). The pair are about to receive a beatdown from Casey using his collection of sports bats until Raphael steps in, unimpressed by his antics. With the hoods having now fled, a frustrated Casey takes his anger out on the reluctant Raph, a fight that ends with the Turtle being knocked into a nearby trash can after being struck with a cricket bat. Furious, Raphael chases Casey back through the streets, but soon loses him.

Returning home, Raphael is ordered by Splinter to sit down so they can talk. In perhaps the first significant deviation for moviegoers more familiar with the 1987 cartoon, it’s revealed that here Hamato Yoshi was Splinter’s owner prior to his mutation. Raphael’s sensei passes on words of wisdom that he learned from Yoshi, reminding him that though he chooses to bottle up his rage and deal with his problems alone, he can always rely on both Splinter and his brothers. It’s a surprisingly somber and reflective scene that sets the tone for much of what is to come, making it clear that the film will have a greater emotional range than kids would have been used to from the animated TMNT.

The movie continues to diverge from its TV counterpart as instead of Burne Thompson we’re introduced to April’s boss Charles Pennington (Jay Patterson) and his troubled teenage son Danny (Michael Tunney). Charles is aghast after learning of his reporter’s encounter with the thieves, unaware that even as they speak Danny is stealing money from April’s wallet. The station boss urges her to stay out of trouble in her investigations and not provoke further ire from the police in relation to their inability to handle the current crime wave. Defying these orders, April later grills Chief Sterns (Raymond Serra) on live TV, watched in the Lair by the admiring Turtles. Another viewer has taken an interest in April’s reports, viewing her questioning of Sterns from an undisclosed location. Enraged, the masked figure hurls a dagger at one of a network of screens.

Following her report April is summoned into the office of a now fuming Chief Sterns. He rants about being expected to allocate resources into carrying out investigations on the basis that “a few immigrants are reminded of something that supposedly happened years ago in Japan”. Unbeknownst to April, while she’s being grilled Danny is being taken in by a group of officers for his own activities. Raphael is also nearby, continuing to keep an eye on her.

April finds herself alone in the subway and is confronted by a group of masked ninjas, who attempt to intimidate her into silence. After one of them slaps her, she defends herself by producing the sai she collected following her prior encounter with the thieves outside the station offices, but is swiftly disarmed. She attempts to fight back only to be left sprawled out on the ground. Raphael uses this opportunity to reclaim his weapon, subduing the group of ninjas and escaping with the reporter in his arms onto the subway’s tracks. He returns to the Lair with April, unaware that one of the ninjas is tracking him.

Raphael’s decision to take a human into the Lair leads to friction with Leonardo, followed by a scream-off when April comes around, as Donnie and Mikey respond in kind. Through a flashback, Splinter explains his backstory to April and the audience, recalling how he first learned the ways of the ninja from within his cage by copying the moves of his master, Hamato Yoshi. Later, upon arriving in New York, Splinter found himself in the sewers, where he encountered a group of four baby turtles doused in a glowing radioactive ooze that had seeped out of a damaged cannister. In the days that followed, both Splinter and the Turtles began to grow rapidly from exposure to the ooze, gaining the ability to speak; he would go on to teach them the ways of the ninja, as they were taught to him by Yoshi. 

Continued in part 2!

[night-gay]

Into the Anthill pt 38 - Flashbacks Only (The Skrull Years)

So Hank got replaced by a skrull and missed about 3 years of Marvel’s publication history. Happens to the best of us I guess. In that timeframe the skrull named Criti Noll impersonated Hank for about 90 comic issues from House of M to Civil War to the start of Secret Invasion. So, the only comics I can genuinely count as Hank’s appearances here are the flashback and retcon stories he appeared in.

It’s a good thing he was a founding Avenger or there wouldn’t have been shit to cover here.

🐜🐜🐜

Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl

In this flashback story set before Hank ever became Goliath, Mole Man and The Collector came into competition over how many giant monsters they controlled. Mole Man released several of his into NYC to wreak havoc to prove that his monsters were better. Thing and Hulk were joined by Giant-Man and Beast to fight them.

Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes II vol 1 #1-8

With the recent addition of Vision to the Avengers’ roster, the founding members got together for a meeting. Goliath, now serving as chairman, had an uphill battle with the National Security Council ahead of him now that Captain America was off the team. S.H.I.E.L.D. took Vision into custody to interrogate him soon after, partly to vet his intentions and partly to make sure he had nothing to do with their recent Super Adaptoid intel. Apparently A.I.M. had planned to mass produce them but lost control and had their island base overrun by them. Hank led the team to the island to handle the Adaptoid threat and destroyed dozens of them on his own as Goliath while the rest of the team shut down the production line. The original Super Adaptoid escaped without a trace and Hank began to suffer nightmares about the battle. He awoke in a cold sweat and headed to his lab, where he brushed everything off of one of his tables in a rage. The gaseous reaction from the chemicals he’d knocked over caused the temporary psychosis that led him to becoming Yellowjacket.

This retconned version of the Yellojacket story asserts that everyone knew he was Hank the whole time but played along because he didn’t seem to know it himself. They worried that trying to snap him out of this by force could break him entirely, so they allowed the farce to play out to its logical conclusion. Jan, asserting that she was the only one who knew what was best for him, arranged their wedding as fast as she could and even had a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stationed as the minister. Amid rising concerns about his mental health Hank stepped down as Avengers chairman after the wedding.

Avengers Classic vol 1 #1-3

At the second monthly meeting of the original Avengers Jan diffused a brewing fight between Hulk and Thor by calling both of them pretty. Iron Man tried to start the meeting by clarifying that he was their leader, but Hulk, Thor, and Ant-Man each argued that they were more qualified for the role. Thor suggested arm wrestling for it, but Wasp had a better idea: make her the official chairman on the charter because “it won’t count since she’s a girl,” leaving their masculinity intact. Some time later after Hulk quit the team, Iron Man and Giant-Man had a practice battle against each other to see if the Iron Man mk 3 armor could keep up with Hank’s newly increased size and strength. On the ride home Hank confided that he didn’t think he was strong enough for this line of work and admitted that he’d already figured out Iron Man’s secret identity.

Minor/Cameo appearances from this period:

Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone & the Monster Hunters

Avengers Classic vol 1 #6, 10-12

Criti Noll’s appearances from this period:

House of M vol 1 #1-2

Secrets of the House of M vol 1 #1

Iron Man: House of M vol 1 #1-3

New Thunderbolts vol 1 #13-14

Marvel Holiday Special 2005

Beyond! Vol 1 #1-6

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man vol 1 #2, 4, 24

The Thing vol 1 #8

Civil War vol 1 #1-4, 6-7

Wolverine vol 3 #42

She-Hulk vol 2 #7, 15

New Avengers vol 1 #21-24

Amazing Spider-Man vol 1 #533-534

Thunderbolts vol 2 #103-105, 107-108, 116

Civil War: Choosing Sides vol 1 #1

Civil War: Frontline vol 1 #6, 9-11

Fantastic Four vol 3 #539, 543, 547-549, 556-557, 559

Civil War: The Return vol 1 #1

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America vol 1 #1, 5

Wonder Man vol 3 #5

Mighty Avengers vol 1 #3-6, 8

Irredeemable Ant-Man vol 1 #1, 3-5, 12

X-Men vol 2 #200

Eternals vol 2 #5-6

Avengers: The Initiative vol 1 #1-9, 12-13

New Warriors vol 3 #4

World War Hulk: Aftersmash - Damage Control vol 1 #1-2

Avengers: The Initiative Annual vol 1 #1

Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel vol 1 # 1-2, 4-5

[godheadjones]

part two of riverdale info dump (part one)

the core four are over for dinner and fake thornhill then penelope sends them on some missions where archie fights a bear, bee and vee drink poison and are slowly dying and jughead fights chic (imposter brother) for role of game master. betty must shoot her father to survive and she does. after surviving the night they escape the forest and are all traumatized even more. lovely. they talk in pops and with the clashing of milkshakes, we see a flash to spring of next year. around a campfire stand archie betty and veronica in their underwear covered in blood, throwing a bloody crown beanie in a fire. jughead is dead. how? thats yet to be revealed. a few months pass, summer ends and archies dad dies due to the passing of his actor. its a very heartfelt episode and its very well done but stuff goes to shit again. but good things are going for jughead! hes at a preppy school for his writing, attending with a bret weston wallis and donna sweett, who are besties and writers. also mentionable bettys real brother comes to town and guess what, hes also jugheads brother, while bugheads parents are dating. its basically incest but no one talks about it. jugheads class has a competition for ghostwriter and surprise! he gets it and a yale scholarship! thats so good for him, his loved ones congratulate. expect for the fact that it gets him killed. killed dead. bee vee and arch are all so sad, so sad that betty and archie get together! uh oh, it ignites old flames and jugheads not actually dead hes faking his death to prove the legend of stonewall prep. jughead besting death 2/? gifset. barchie cheat on their current partners and bughead and varchie break up around graduation time, which archie is too dumb to be able to do (he didnt have enough time to study with all his running away). 7, yes 7, years later, they meet up again. veronica is married to some guy named chad gekko. betty works for the fbi. archie just got back from fighting in ww1, a 4 year war. jughead published a book but at the cost of becoming and drunk. either way its a very lowkey interaction. jughead gets a job at pops and works with the new tabitha tate and they talk about the mothmen a lot. hm. what could that be? flames are kindled, couples get back and break up and its all a mess but before the season 5a finale we have betty and archie: fucking. archie and veronica: something is there. gay kevin and fangs: having tonis baby. jughead and tabitha: pining and a little kissing and handcuffs. chic and real half brother (charles) are actually gay criminals for each other so they try and kill betty after making her wed them. we get a hiram centric episode and the fans go wild. its only an episode tho, cause cheryl is starting a church to worship her dead brother. the mothmen are actually blossoms who incest incest and um. yeah. anyway pops blows up and they drive hiram out of town as his actor sadly leaves riverdale. hiram is not hiram forever. then archies house blows up and interrupts more barchie sex. now we’re in rivervale? and who is this jughead serling fellow showing us around town? most stuff is similar except the town sacrifices archie to the gods of the forest and no beta he die like jesus on the cross. more horrors haunt the town like the hot british devil, la llrona, and a history lesson on cheryls gay ancestors who is all one ancestor: abigal blossom. now archies alive again. yippee! jughead sees a dead jughead questions rivervale as she knows it and looks up on parallel universes. when archie is revealed as a killer (evil era) betty kills him and her and jughead make out with a bomb under the bed to try and destroy vale. twist tho. remember jughead serling. hes backkkk. he stops the make out ses and tells jughead vale to lock himself in a fuck bunker and write forever or else dale and vale die. by jughead have fun! dying is so fun tho you become a comic character with endless burgers at pops in heaven!

oh my god I need to make a part three of this. for just season 6b. that should be so fun

[gaykarstaagforever]

He goddamn is not.

You know that! You drew this!

Or did two men with a slightly different haircut really blow minds in 1965? Plus this certainly is the same universe where no one recognizes the biggest celebrity in the world as soon as he puts on glasses.

Superman 181 has another feature besides this boring "Superman is Allergic to the Pacific Ocean Now" story.

It is better that that. In that, it is still bad, but actual things happen.

Just be warned that it centers on two of the very worst features of every Silver Age Superman comic: some woman altering time and space merely to try and date Superman (it isn't Lois this time, for once). And stupid Superman clone robot shit.

Morna Vine, the niece of one of the Daily Planet's major shareholders, nepo's her way into a job in the newsroom. Lois, Jimmy Olsen and Clark are immediately afraid of the new competition. Which is weird, because you will note this is the same newsroom where Lois, Jimmy Olsen, and Clark stand around all day as Lois and Jimmy make fun of Clark for CLEARLY not being cool like Superman, until Perry yells at them to get out there and do a report on the latest space-monster trying to eat the city.

But I guess in this story they are all locked in perpetual mortal kombat over who gets the best scoops. Which, immediately, is Morna Vine. And man, do the others get real catty about it. This might be the bitchiest Superman story ever.

See? Even the narration is doing it.

After Lois herself gets scooped by Morna on some story about a guy storing an antigravity ray in a lead vault, she agrees with Jimmy that Morna must have Superman powers that make her slightly better than them at reporting.

High stakes, here.

...How is a new ray even a "scoop" for the Planet at this point? Superman invents and forgets a new one every second issue.

Let Morna have this partucular ray gun, Lois. You can report on the next six of them.

Lois tries to trick Morna into admitting she has superpowers. It involves blackface and kryptonite. Because of course it fucking does.

It goes without saying that this plan fails.

But because both Lois and Jimmy refuse to believe a normal woman could dare top them at noticing stuff happening, Clark is also soon convinced she must be magic. And being Superman, he can actually prove it.

By abandoning Morna on an iceberg in the Arctic.

...Also Clark Kent can fly helicopters now? When the hell did that become part of his secret identity?

At any rate, Clark's plan "works," in that Morna doesn't freeze to death, and also scoops him on the story he dumped her in the ice to go report on (some guy built an artificial sun that makes it possible for white people to develop a Caribbean resort at the North Pole. It absolutely does not matter). Morna could clearly have only beat Clark to it via "telescopic vision," that power only Superman has, where he can just see anything, anywhere.

Only Superman, and his godforsaken robot clones, of course.

That he stores in a closet in Clark Kent's apartment now.

"Kent? This is your landlord. A question, if I may. Are the four full-sized talking dolls of Superman in your bedroom, that refer to you as 'Master,' a work thing, or...?"

No, his landlord doesn't find them. That's just me, writing a better Superman story than this mess.

After interrogating his clone robots during working hours and getting nothing but maybe fun out of it, Clark doesn't have time to abandon Morna in any other dangerous locations. Instead he and her are sent to cover a story about stolen Nazi paintings the local museum has in a vault (?!).

This is the second exciting news story the Planet has run in so-many-weeks about something locked in a vault. Is it always like this? How is Clark never scooping everyone in this lunatic town?

Clark guesses, correctly, shockingly, that Morna will somehow break into the museum after hours to use her Superman powers to scoop him again. So he himself breaks in and hides, to spy on her.

When she attempts to do her thing, the vault latch explodes, because Nazis.

Which I guess no one bothered to consider when they were bringing it into the museum.

Superman rescues Morna and takes her to the hospital for treatment of her injuries. And here, FINALLY, he and Lois and Jimmy just ask the woman why she has superpowers.

A thing they could have easily done way before she was nearly killed by exploding Nazi paintings. But then I wouldn't have had to read all of this. And what was I going to do instead? Vacuum? Drink? Make love?

Not a chance, 1965 DC. We burn together, you and I.

The solution to this stunningly woven tale of mystery and intrigue is that this one time, Morna was scubadiving near where one of Superman's robots got smashed by ocean robots (yes). She stole its head before Superman himself could get there and retrieve it.

If any young children were indeed reading this in 1965, I'm sure this panel made bedtime extra fun for the whole family the next couple of weeks.

Her dad, another random super-scientist who lives in this delightful world, took a break from building the next new shrink-ray to salvage all the parts from the head that Superman put in there to replicate his powers. Then he somehow engineered them into jewelry for Morna to wear, so that she could use those powers herself.

Which she only did so she could become the best reporter in Metropolis. ...So she could get close to Superman. ...So he could fall in love with her.

Because Superman has to be in love with whatever girl reporter is the best at the Daily Planet? They don't explain this otherwise.

Having finally sorted...whatever this was, out, Superman scolds Morna for being selfish, takes her gadget jewelry, and leaves her sobbing in a hospital.

Then he goes off to play around with his robots of himself some more.

Honestly the only mystery here is how someone like Lex Luthor didn't get his hands on this tech before Kal-El applied the most rudimentary security protocols.

This is indeed the end. Morna isn't shown getting arrested or sentenced to therapy. This is a woman who has the means and drive to run a long-con based on a romantic obsession, and it led her to arm herself with literal weapons that nearly blew up a museum with herself inside it.

But she's sad now, and lost all her jewelry, so that solves her womanly problems in 1965, I guess!

...Then again, maybe Superman is kind of into it. He does spend a whole page fantasizing about her in sideboob-revealing spandex.