#Before Urban Legends?

[glorified-red]

If this isn't the most Tim Drake thing I've ever said, I don't know what is

[introspectivememories]

sorry but do you ever think about the fact that the bernard we have today is a direct amalgamation of everything that happened in his past and i know that sound like such an obvious statement to say but it actually kills me to know that you can draw a direct line from who he is today all the way back to that sixteen year old boy who watched his best friend bleed out. like it is the defining moment in his life. it fundamentally shaped who he is and the person he's become. he is the bernard we know and love not despite the grieves shooting but because of it. because the gangs all got together and shot up his school. because tim walked out of that room with nothing but a baseball bat. because his darla got shot. because he watched her gasp and cry as she died. because he watched the blood coagulate around the wound. because he sat there and held her hand as her life drained out of her. because he walked into school that day with a joke he knew would make her laugh and her nose would scrunch up and she'd snort a little and tim would roll his eyes at him and call him ridiculous and instead he walked out with a bloody white shirt, blood under his fingernails, and two friends less. because, even now, almost half a decade out from the shooting, he thinks that if he closes his eyes, he will always be that stupid, scared little sixteen year old, holding the cooling body of dead best friend.

[bisonaari]

Last year I was wondering why Jere dyed his hair from blonde to black, because being naturally blonde is so unique!

Then I went to Finland and now I get it lol

[kekkuda]

another piece from last week, lil warmup drawing of mothman

[steakout-05]

i drew my babygirl Jon Arbuckle :)

his ass!!! it haunts me!!!! i tried to draw him taller but he just kinda ended up looking really stocky and i don't know how that happened,,, man's like 6 foot canonically. i think i was too focused on his ass and making his legs look cute lol

speaking of ass, i don't know why Jim Davis decided to give Jon such a dumptruck but i'm so glad he did. ever since the very beginning of Garfield in the 'Jon' strip, he's had a fat ass and i absolutely love that. it's just a cemented part of his character now and always has been XD

i drew 1978-1980 Garf from memory!! one of my absolute favourite things about classic Garfield is just how arch-shaped he is. he's just a fat little cat guy and i love him :) i always make sure i draw the arch shape when i draw Garfield sitting cause that's one of my favourite parts about drawing him

also here is Gnorm :) for those unaware, back in the very early 1970s, before Garfield was created in any form, Jim Davis made a little comic strip about bugs called 'Gnorm Gnat'. it was mainly about the little bug dudes getting into silly relatable little antics with snappy punchlines. it's got a few characters like Gnorm, a fruit fly named Freddy, a slug named Cecil, a smart worm called Dr. Rosenwurm and Drac Webb to name a few. for something so early, it actually has quite a few familiar aspects of what would later become Garfield. the same writing style, a similar art style to early Garfield/Jon, occasional references to Peanuts (a comic Davis grew up with), the German doctor character who later appeared in the 'Jon' strip, heck there's even a goofy bug named Lyman! additionally, the name "John Arbuckle" shows up in a strip where Dr. Rosenwurm reads a piece of poetry written by him (which was recycled into an actual early Garfield strip where Jon Arbuckle reads the same poem). in fact, it's so mildly familiar that the entirety of the September 9th, 1978 Garfield strip was recycled twice, first in Jon and then in Garfield!

unfortunately, Gnorm Gnat only ended up getting published in the local newspaper, Pendleton Times, following several rejections from various syndicates for the fact that bugs just aren't as relatable or funny to a lot of people as Jim Davis thought they were. of course, i think Gnorm Gnat is something very special to the history of Garfield and i quite like it for its significance. i think it's a cute little bug comic and i hope it gets rebooted someday :)

[moroseoracle]

UNEXPLAINED APPALACHIAN PHENOMENA #1: THE REPTILE ROOM

This phenomenon refers to a series of comments and complaints, which initially were primarily sourced from Google reviews, about an alleged exhibit hall present in Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in early 2019. By all apparent evidence, this exhibit hall has never existed.

The entrance to the exhibit hall in question, referred to in witness reports as "Ripley's Reptile Room," is said to manifest in multiple locations, primarily around the midpoint and end of the aquarium's signature underwater tunnel.

This entrance has been described as a nondescript industrial push door, above which hangs a poorly-maintained electric sign, displaying the aforementioned name. In all reports, the location of the entrance and the exhibition within defy architectural logic, often jutting off in ways that would compromise the integrity of the structure above them.

Though many specifics differ between eyewitness accounts, several constants remain: The exhibit features a promotional plaque beside its entrance, using bizarre, difficult to parse turns of phrase regarding the creatures exhibited within, such as promising "titillating marine reptile viewing pleasure," and requiring attendees to have "over +21 mollusks consumed".

The contents of the exhibit itself, as described by the handful of families who experienced the anomaly, are likely the source of the complaints. The Reptile Room is described as being apparently unfinished, with exposed floor panels, wiring dangling down from the ceiling, and a lack of decoration. A consistent element between accounts is that the room is brightly lit and oddly quiet in a way that differs from the rest of the aquarium.

Upon entering the Reptile Room, the majority of witnesses leave shortly, due to its underwhelming contents and unpleasant atmosphere. The several exhibits present (a number ranging from thirty to forty depending on the referenced account) all definitely contain some kind of creature--Fortunately, the inch-thick laminated glass is far too dirty and dilapidated to make out any specifics, but the sound of shuffling movement and the dark silhouette made apparent by solar lamps within confirm the presence of some kind of animal, be it reptile or otherwise. There are no identifying name plates by the exhibits, nor signage of any kind.

The lighting, as previously mentioned, is described as harshly fluorescent, to a headache inducing degree. The one other constant detail between accounts is that the floors were apparently slick with a nauseating cleaning chemical that made walking tricky. In the distance, several halls (but not enough) away, there was the sound of a wet vac, and the heavy, frantic footfalls of work shoes, with their non-slip soles rubbed smooth from overuse.

Aquarium officials have noted that "Ripley's Reptile Room" was indeed a planned exhibit hall, but was ultimately cancelled in 2017 when an outbreak of an "unknown toxic agent" resulted in the death of the majority of display animals, with the remainder being donated to nearby AZA accredited zoos and aquariums, such as Zoo Knoxville and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.

[alligaytorswamp]

finally refs for the rest of the band

also here's kitty

[hood-ex]

"You're not his family. You're not anyone's family, Grayson."

Talia said that to Dick when Bruce was standing right there?? Dick's literal fucking dad?? And Bruce didn't even try to defend Dick??

You know what, no. We're just gonna ignore everything about this story *cough* except for the part where Dick said Damian means the world to him because that's obvious enough. *cough*

[writing-good-vibes]

well... of course i have to ask. Where is Michael at the end of Strawberry Drizzle? And is it dead in a ditch? lol

😈 i'm sooooo glad you asked !! i don't think i've posted about this before, but you know i often ponder about how corey and michael end up. what could possibly tear them apart? there are so many possibilities -- none of which are definitive -- but here's what I think brought corey back to reader in the end.

michael is dead -- perhaps not in a ditch lol, but in a cheap motel room, or a seedy house they're squatting -- and corey's definitely the one who killed him.

they're fighting, worse than ever before and exactly like it always is. michael's hands are around his neck, in a vice grip that isn't getting looser. but the thought of dying isn't so appealing anymore, and corey has a knife in his jacket, or he knocks michael off his feet, or he gets a good enough grip on that heavy glass ash tray next to the bed. he doesn't stop -- stabbing, hitting, bludgeoning -- and there's blood all over his hands and in his mouth and he can taste michael and he tastes just like any other man.

he doesn't kill michael to be with you, not exactly. he kills michael because if he didn't, michael would kill him. that's the way it was always going to be. that desire for control that drives corey finally turns on michael, turns on his master and gives corey a thrill he'll never get again in his life. corey will prod and poke at the bruises on his neck for weeks, to keep them purple and tender for longer. his last gift from michael.

he's reached his peak and with nothing left, he finds his way home to you, all his hope is pinned on you waiting for him. even when he comes back to you, michael isn't really gone though. no, michael lives in a dark corner of corey's head, along with momma. the only way corey's ever getting away from them for good is when he dies too. but at least he has you.

i really debated over which ending would work for strawberry drizzle, but i love the idea of corey coming back to you all battered and bruised and you just not knowing -- maybe never knowing -- what's happened to him, but happy he's with you at last.

i mean, what can you really piece together about his life? when you first meet him he's with another man (who looks like one mean motherfucker, as @/toastysalt once described him to me lol) and corey's life seems to revolve around him to some degree, and he's always covered in bruises, he's been strangled and his knuckles are split, he's skittish about staying in one place for too long and while you never find an ID amongst his modest belongings, you find a knife instead.

in a way, it's kind of similar to clean again (unintentionally and in a non-plagiaristic way lol) you don't know what's happened to him -- a bad relationship? a runaway who's been drifting ever since? career criminality to survive? -- but what matters is that he chose you over all of it.

[noxious-amillion]

Some of my habits that I’ve noticed my coworkers still do even after I’ve been on vacation for a month:

- hiding between the washing machine and one of the stock racks bc the security camera can’t see you there

- *points at weird looking food or a long ass order* what is that thingggg

- making two topping sundaes with one topping on each half bc it makes stuff fit better

- clapping when you’re behind someone bc it lets them know you’re there + gets your hands out of the way

- SALUTING

- referring to the circular part of behind the counter as “the fishbowl”

- backseat cashiering

- tossing a regular sized cup in the mixer because it pushes the toppings to the bottom of the cup and saves you having to mix it twice

- threatening to start stealing if no customers come in (genuinely a trainee who i have never met in my life did this around me the other day and I was like. Do you even know who i am)

[mangoisms]

you know what i’m thinking about. in the unmasked run in robin 93 where jack figures out tim is robin and does so by breaking tim’s privacy and going through his room and it’s often used as backup that jack was abusive most specifically in fanon spaces where bruce can then be posed as tim’s true father/better than jack and like dgmw it was bad and shitty and he shouldn’t have done it.

but it’s also funny that right before this, in that same issue—#124—it starts off with this terrible sequence of bruce treating tim like shit because he’s lost confidence in himself after accidentally killing (but not permenantly; now it seems that way) johnny warren; bruce’s defense here is tim doesn’t know this factually which i mean is fair, but he calls it an excuse and basically doesn’t address the core of tim’s feelings At All. like. look.

Bruce: This is dangerous business, Robin. No such thing as calling “time out” or “no fair.” Not unless you want those to be your final words, before the cops fish your body out of the Gotham River. Tim: Give me a break, Bruce. You’re Batman. How can I possibly hope to beat you in one-on-one combat? Bruce: I limited myself to using only the fighting styles indigenous to the Indian sub-continent: Kallar Payattu; Verumkai; some Gatka— Tim: So what? You’re Batman! Bruce: Still, you should have held out longer than three minutes. Last winter, you nearly lasted seven.  Tim: Last winter I was still—I mean back then I hadn’t— Bruce: If you have something to tell me, then spit it out. Otherwise I have better ways to waste my time.  Tim: Back then I still hadn’t killed anyone. Bruce: Oh, so it’s that again? How long are you planning to use that crutch? Tim: I— Bruce: For three months, you’ve used that incident to justify slacking off. You show up late for training sessions, or miss them entirely.  Tim: I— Bruce: You're moody, petulant and no longer self-motivated. Anytime Alfred or I aren't actually watching, you stop working. I've about decided you're not fit to continue being Robin. Tim: And that's the real crux of our problem, isn't it? You've lost trust in me. You haven't let me go out on real missions, or patrol on my own, since the Johnny Warren case. Bruce: Cart before the horse, Tim. You lost trust in yourself then, so I stopped giving you the weight you could no longer seem to carry. Tim: Is that true? Alfred, have you seen it, too? Was it me all along? Alfred: When you first came to us, Master Tim, you were so blithe and confident--ready to take on the world. How did my father describe the type? "Ready to charge into hell with no more than a bucket." Don't mind admitting that you seemed a godsend--the one young man who could exorcise the ghost of Jason from these chambers. Bruce: Careful, Alfred. Stick to business. This isn't an encounter session, and no one needs to dredge up ancient history. Alfred: Point taken, sir. My apologies. In any case, Master Tim, you no longer seem to be the same young man who so dazzled us then. Now all of the light has drained out of you, and this noble cause you once desired so much to participate in has instead become a dreadful burden. Bruce: I'll put you back out there the moment you show me that's where you want to be. But if you're going to keep using Warren to continue acting this way, not even knowing if you actually caused his death--well, that excuse is good once more, and once more only. I’ll accept it as the reason you quit. Take a day or two to decide.

like? bruce isnt looking too good here either. at all. anyway. there’s too much i want to say with this but this is already long so. Here

[introspectivememories]

god i know i said i was tired of making eveerything sad but just imagine timber those first few months of reconnecting and they're both drunk on tim's boat, laying on the deck staring up at the stars and bear turns over to look at tim, his eyes are sad and wet, and he reaches out to touch tim's face as if to make sure tim is really there and not an illusion and tim whispers, "bear?" and bernard smiles a little brokenly and goes, "so how long do i have you for this time?"

[savageboar]

i still think as interesting as security breach's story is, it should've been a more standalone story instead of trying to be a sequel to pizza simulator. because pizza sim would've been the best sendoff for the main fnaf storyline with that fucking ending monologue. but steel wool really wanted those fan theorist points and money. and then ruin comes out and it very much doesn't continue on the fact it's supposed to be a pizza sim sequel, it's practically it's own standalone free game. it's weird.

[baddingtonbitch]

just realised that cindy's terrible singing and driving in scary movie 2 is definitely referencing natasha gregson wagner's iconic terrible singing and driving in the opening of urban legend so here they are side by side

[mundanemiseries]

....what in the void's name was that.

Somewhere, he could vaguely hear the systems of the orbiter slowly restart themselves over the ringing in his ears. Ship Cephalon gently asking the man if he was alright.

❝  yeah....yeah I'm fine Aria. Just...the fuck was that? Kinda bullshit turbulence....  ❞

❝  I am....unsure. Raziel. Readings point towards some sort of...void anomaly.  ❞

❝  alright...alright. There a reading on where the hell we are, at least?  ❞

" Earth. However things seem...incorrect. None of the surrounding flora are ones I recognize, sir. "

❝  the fuck do you mean by that? Let me take a- oh.  ❞

Wherever the orbiter had landed...well it was at least clearly a forest of some sort...one of Earth if the cephalon was correct. And definitely not a forest of Earth's that was...anywhere near recognizable to him.

Through the damaged glass of the landing craft, he spotted something run by, a creature of some sort. Definitely not one he'd ever seen.

Yeah...something was definitely up.

Patting at his pockets, the man made a quick double check of what was on his person. Knife, pistol, restoratives, spare ammo. He was good.

❝ Ari. Cloak the ship. Let me know over comms if you notice anyone else in view distance. I'm gonna see what's going on out there. ❞

" On it, Raziel. Be safe out there. "

[emdotcom]

Remember! If you share, it shows you care, & more answers will be there.