#Helena Baring

[reaversanctuary]

the boogie man mix’n’match doodle dump!

[pinkseas]

hello to the Maybe Three People In This Tag if i wrote a sophie-centric fic taking place during the hanged man would you be interested or consider reading it be honest <- already wrote it just deciding whether or not to even make a promo post bc i have NO idea how active/dead the fandom is right now

[helenabaring]

It took a while but I finally finished this piece of Shirley and Helena for this month! ✌️✨

※Please do not crop, edit, use or re-upload/reprint my illustrations anywhere without my permission. Thank you!

[danbowz]

i love keith as much as the next guy but my man you dont just leave your wife on the floor after your son died

[thebramblewood]

Friends who mold clay together stay together.

Previous / Next

Caleb: Your idea of a night on the town is crashing your former campus?

Helena: It’s my happy place, okay? The last time I remember feeling safe I was here.

-

Helena: Huh. Foxbury has gotten more creative. Still assholes, though.

-

Caleb: Are you picking the lock?

Helena: Are you an undercover cop? Relax.

Caleb: I just wouldn’t have guessed casual breaking and entering was your style.

Helena: I’ve already done worse things than the old me could even imagine. Committing a petty crime seems hilariously quaint in comparison.

-

Caleb: Tell me this isn’t about finally getting revenge on some professor who once gave you a poor grade. Clay?

Helena: Ulrike made me take a pottery class with her one summer. I was terrible at it, but for once I didn’t care. It was oddly meditative. My brain was at peace. I could really use that feeling now.

-

Helena: Caleb, look! [hisses dramatically]

Caleb: [laughing] Stop! You’re distracting me.

-

Helena: Will you show me the rest of the story now?

Caleb: Tomorrow. You should really try to get some rest first.

[austenpoppy]

Dick and Bette Kane - part 2

Edited to add new panels

Part 1 :

Dick and Bette didn't really run across one another for years after Titans West disbanded. Dick was leader of the New Titans then carried on his solo hero career, while Bette remained at the periphery of the superhero community without truly accomplishing anything, though she put herself in the spotlight. In Guy Gardner : warrior #29, she's seen by other heroes on television as she apparently thanks adoring fans (you'll understand the importance of this later).

Guy Gardner : warrior #29

"He" put them into podes showing them virtual realities that were supposed to be about what they wanted most, according to Dick's files. Dick freed himself, Wally did too, and Dick freed Gar. Then they, along with the soul of Raven, inspected their environment and deduced that all former Titans had been captured.

It's interesting to note, though, that during all that time Bette was still trying to impress Dick, and was still somewhat in contact with the Titans. In "Hawk and Dove - Annual 1", she tried to call Dick to tell her about a tennis match she'd just won. Kory was the one who answered, and though Bette called Kory by her name she had to repeat her name and even spell it for Kory (and she thought of Kory as a bimbo, so I suppose she was jealous).

Dick was apparently "not there" (was he really not there or did he not want to talk to Bette ?), and Bette said it was a shame because she "knew" he liked to follow her matches/career (she was deluding herself).

The call ended when someone knocked at her door. Bette wanted it to be someone "tall, dark and famous", and she couldn't help but fantasize that Dick was there. Later on, after an adventure with former members of Titans West and people like Dove, Dove complimented Bette on her skills, and Bette said "Now if I could only convince a certain Titan !" (meaning Dick).

Months or years after, Dick and Bette were both at a Christmas party thrown by Guy Gardner after Dick left the Titans, but the next time Dick truly saw Bette was in the JLA/Titans crossover. Vic had become this almost thoughtless technological being, and captured anyone who'd ever been a Titan in a misguided quest to find his family again.

Dick saw Bette in her pode, and immediately said : "Bette ? Man...Somedoby was thorough." And the "thorough" isn't just in italics, it's underlined. The level of derision and distaste hidden in that comment is unreal. There are other people who didn't spend much time among the Titans, like Pantha, Leonid (Red Star), or Terra II. But the one whose importance to the Titans Dick decided to undermine was Bette.

"Even her ?... Wow..."

JLA/Titans #2

Dick stayed behind to help free the others from their virtual realities. He was very sympathetic to the people and friends he helped, except for Bette.

It's very funny and a bit creepy that "Vic"'s file for Bette and what was important to her basically had two items : "she's very good at tennis" and "she's obsessed with Dick", so the pode had her playing a tennis match against a rather fawning Dick (in his short pants, since she'd mostly known him as Robin) at her beck and call. I mean, it's truly weird. It could have just shown Dick being interested in her - but no, he had to be at her feet, too.

Even weirder is that Bette was actually engrossed by the virtual fantasy. Like, it'd been years. She could've, should've outgrown her attraction/obsession with him at that point. But nope, instead she was playing along and asking the virtual Dick to "bend over" more so that she could ogle his butt.

Dick came right in the middle of it, and he wasn't impressed. He just deadpanned "Flamebird. Sorry to interrupt your game...". Was Dick chanelling Alfred there ? This is exactly the kind of sarcastic and snide remarks Alfred could've come up with - not that Dick can't do it on his own. Obviously, the point was that there was no true game to interrupt, and that Dick wasn't sorry at all for preventing Bette from enjoying the fawning virtual Dick.

JLA/Titans #2

After the crisis was aborted, Bette was seen talking with Toni and Helena (with whom he'd already slept with and been manipulated by) about what made Dick so physically attractive. Bette was the one who mentioned his butt. Dick passed them by and was uncomfortable again.

JLA/Titans #2

Weeks later, Gar was framed by Madame Rouge's daughter for crimes she'd committed, and was arrested. Bette, arguably at her most likable, wanted to help him (using her "Titans" card to get to him) and tried to bail him out, though to no avail.

Unbeknownst to Bette and Gar, Dick went to L.A. to investigate himself. He deduced who the next victim would be, and went to their address, only to be faced with someone impersonating Gar. A fight erupted, and Dick quickly deduced that it was indeed an impersonator. In the chaos, Bette, who'd just understand with Gar what exactly was going on, had heard that a fight had started at Dick Dickerson's house, and had decided to come over to help (knowing Dick was there mind you), barged in and kicked the impersonator in the face.

I don't know what's funnier. The fact that after all those years Bette couldn't help but still call Dick "handsome" as soon as she saw him, her goofy entrance with the corny line "Flamebird to the rescue!", or Dick's open displeasure at seeing her ("Oh no. Not her..."). The fact that Dick, who values teamwork and is usually the one telling people to let aside their personal conflicts while working with other people would take the time to openly express his distaste for someone in the middle of a fight is hilarious.

Beast Boy #3

When Bette came to land in front of Dick, he begrudgingly acknowledged her (as you can guess from the use of the ellipsis before her name and the discontent look on his face).

Bette started cheerfully explaining the situation to Dick, but he'd already found out all of it on his own, so he tried to tell her that he knew everything already, but she kept going. So he repeated that he did know what was going, only she kept going.

The escalation of Dick's answers is very funny. His first "I know, Bette..." is normal. Then as she kept going his second "I know, Bette..." put an emphasis on the "know". And as she kept talking, he literally put his hand on her mouth to shut her up while loudly exclaiming "I KNOW, Bette" (the letters being written in a bigger size).

Dick remained fairly polite considering the situation, but everything about his behaviour couldn't have been more obvious if he'd screamed at the top of his lungs "BETTE WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY ?"

Then he told her to stand aside and protect herself while he finished the fight, showing he didn't trust her abilities as a crimefighter (to be fair, no one did). Of course the impersonator used the distraction provided by Bette's arrival and her conversation with Dick to throw them in the pool and escape.

Beast Boy #3

Dick was not happy about that. He immediately told Bette that he hadn't needed her, implying that if she hadn't been there/hadn't been distracting him, he would've caught the impersonator ("I had him, Bette..."). Honestly it's probably true, but also I'm pretty sure Dick wouldn't have made that comment had it been anyone else - he could've also completely ignored Bette to focus on their enemy, and he generally tends to reassure people about their mistakes... Unless he thinks people aren't truly committed to crimefighting/a team, which is probably what he thought of Bette.

I say that because right after, Dick noticed that the police'd just arrived, and told Bette : "Forget it. We've got company. You're the publicity hound. DEAL WITH IT." And when Bette answered the police officer's question, she tried to turn to Dick for confirmation, only Dick'd already vanished.

So he left her to deal with the police on her own by referring to her appetite for public attention, openly calling her "a publicity hound" (calling her out on her attention-seeking behaviour). Then he told her harshly to "deal with it" (implying that since she wanted publicity so badly and sought it out, she was the one who should have to talk to the police), washing his hands off of her, and disappearing without a word after that.

LMAO

"You keep making publicity stunts. You wanted publicity so badly, Bette ? Well then here comes the police. ALL FOR YOU, Bette, and no goodbye."

Beast Boy #3

After that, Bette and Dick met up to free Gar out of prison. Dick bailed him out while Bette was waiting in a car (she was the driver). She drove Dick, Gar and his cousin to a place they could stay at, Dick and Gar had a conversation while Bette and Gar's cousin waited by the car. Then once Dick and Gar were done, Dick told her he wanted to have a word with her. Below is their conversation.

Not included here is Gar's cousin being interested in Bette, and Gar telling him it was a lost cause because she only had the hots for Nightwing.

Beast Boy #3

As you can see, Bette started the conversation by happily mentioning their previous team-ups, as if they were former partners who'd worked together for a long time but hadn't seen each other for a while. And Dick immediately invalidated that by saying there hadn't been that many "old times", putting a distance between him and Bette.

XD YOU TELL HER DICK

Then Dick said what he'd wanted to tell her : that he didn't think she was made to be a super-heroin, and that she should "hang up" her costume. One could be indignant on Bette's behalf, and say Dick had no right to tell her what she should do.

Personally I think he was right, in that moment at least, that he was doing her a favour. He'd done that job since he was a child, he'd done it over a decade, and much longer than many superheroes. Bette hadn't done anything much as a superheroin, and seemed more preoccupied with her status as a superheroin, what it brought, rather than crimefighting itself. It's a shame, as I said when I presented Bette in part. 1, because Bette was a very competent woman, with a unique talent in tennis (for example).

And Dick was more graceful than I would've been in his place considering the way Bette'd treated him, telling her she had heart and was brave (also "spunk" ? Was that Dick's inner Alfred again ?).

Bette stammered that she did try to do the best she could. Dick went on to say that he was flattered that he'd "inspired" her to do this, but that it'd gone too far.

LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

It wasn't a sarcastic comment, but Dick wasn't really flattered she'd started crimefighting because of him. That's obvious because of the inverted commas used to frame the word "inspired" (the shade those inverted commas signal). Those inverted commas signal that Dick was doubting Bette's real reasons for becoming a crimefighter, that he had to wonder whether she'd become a hero simply because she had the hots for him and wanted to be closer to him.

He then said "You're a good kid, Bette [NDLA : how much younger than Dick is she supposed to be here ? Is she Gar's age, that is about three years younger ? Seems to me she should be around the same age as Dick; the use of "kid" is strange]. You've got a bright future ahead of you. But it isn't in spandex. Anyway, I've gotta run. Take care of yourself."

Again, it may not seem that way at first glance, but in my opinion Dick's wording couldn't have been much kinder. Being a crimefighter is exceptionally dangerous, and can put others in danger too. Dick recognized Bette's good qualities, told her that she had a "bright" future, but simply not as a hero. And he told her to take care.

Bette's obstinated refusal to quit after Dick left is fascinating for me (interestingly, this mini-series is what made Bette a more compelling character as far as I'm concerned). Did she refuse to quit out of defiance ? Was it a way to prove to Dick she was capable ? Did she simply didn't want to give up on her dream ? Had her ambitions gone past the one who'd inspired her and that she still had a crush on ?

There's still a part three to do, but it's going to be shorter.

Part 3

[bambiraptorx]

okay, art/lore dump for my fic Body Horror Baby. This kid's backstory is basically that Donnie accidentally scienced himself into being a teen dad. Like most Donne kids actually lol.

She was formed from a piece of Krang tissue removed from Donnie's back after the Technodrome that he kept for experimentation (this one was of particular interest because it retained some of his own genetic material). They slowly transformed over time from a shapeless blob into something resembling a tiny turtle, although Donnie didn't connect the dots until about a year post invasion. He immediately told his family upon figuring it out, although reactions varied.

After about 6 months to a year longer of living in the observation chamber Donnie built, the baby was removed and given the name Beatrice Helena (after two separate Shakespeare characters because Donnie is a theater nerd).

(she's named after this quote in particular lol. It's from Midsummer Night's Dream about the character Helena, and also it happens to be making fun of her for being short.)

Beatrice Helena stays very small for the most part, and (with a few exceptions) grows at a very slow rate. In some ways, this makes them easier to take care of because it's so easy to contain them.

She also has some ability to shapeshift (it's beyond the normal Krang ability because she was a part of the Technodrome and seriously, that thing molded itself into donnie's face in two seconds flat). This makes for some interesting tantrums. In their baby/toddler years, this is mostly limited to growing eyes or occasionally losing her turtle form, but it gets more precise/intentional as she gets older.

And just for funsies, here's some lineless art of her when she's a bit older. That's about all the art I have, I think, but if anyone has questions feel free to ask!

[crimescrimson]

The Good Deeds Of Ada Wong: Saving Lives

| Ada Destroys Carla's Work |

[bobfloydsbabe]

this day started off so good and ended with me getting accosted by the intern wanting to know if i was the one who complained about her. i told her to discuss it with our boss. after she'd stormed off, i had to sit down for a while because i was shaking so violently.

[rateatinginsulation]

Thinking of my ocs as villains 👀👀

[summerbummin]

Seeing Janet in that alternate universe gave me Thoughts

That Janet is giving me absent minded history professor vibes who sometimes forgets she has a kid depending on her (like she’s loving when he’s there, but if he’s not in her line of sight he easily slips to the back of her mind)

Also Jack wasn’t there so I wish her a very happy divorce

[kiras-monkey-bum-face]

behold! the boy!

[helenabaring]

Finally finished the Barings version of the Shikimori meme that’s been sitting in my WIPs for so long lol.

Helena would make me swoon too ngl. 🤣

※Please do not crop, edit, use or re-upload/reprint my illustrations anywhere without my permission. Thank you!

[stalecheesesticks]

God, I fucking hate the otome isekai subreddit. (I know, I know, I'm just asking for pain by looking at it in the first place.) Feeling sympathy for the villainess and seeing her as a flawed human being instead of an irredeemable monster is literally the entire reason the genre exists in the first place

I feel like shoving a copy of Bakarina in everyone's faces because clearly it's not sinking in. It is actually shocking how little sympathy people on this subreddit have for any female character who isn't the female protagonist. Webtoon/Tapas commenters are somehow even worse and fly into a rage the moment a new female character appears, especially if she dares to exist in the same panel as the male lead.

I know that a lot of new otome isekai stories are often guilty of this too by just making the original female protagonist into the irredeemable monster instead. A non-zero number of otome isekai stories are intent on making sure there's a female strawman for you to hate and it's just the worst. Still, this comment sucks and I hate it.

We need more Marias, Helenas, and Alicias. We need fewer Charlottes and Debonaires.

[thebramblewood]

livin' like angels, livin' like devils

[wickedhawtwexler]

orphan black is like "yeah they're clones they're monitored against their will they're being treated like lab rats by scientists who want to play god they have 235098 different factions trying to capture and/or kill them....... but they also have mommy issues"