#illustrated cricket books

[yourcoffeeguru]

Cricket Tests & Records England v Australia 1939-1945 +Straight Hit 1952  || SWtradepost - ebay

[bihastuff]

Yeah I love black butler it's my favorite sport manga

[curiouscatalog]

Ancient animals doing animal things.

From: Les antiquités d'Herculanum : avec leurs explications en Franc̦ois. P. Sylvain M. Paris, Chez David, 1780.

DG70.H5 M2 1780

[cricketpress]

A recent book cover we designed for...

Eve's Blessing by J.J. Park

This was a super fun job and we're so happy with how it came out!!!

[tanuki-kimono]

[虫豸図譜 - Chuuchizufu] Edo period illustrated book in four volumes (1 /2 /3 /4) depicting all kinds of tiny creatures, from crickets, beetles, centipedes and moths, to salamanders, frogs, snails and bats.

[bellaxgiornata]

A Favor from the Devil |Chapter One|

Pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!Mom!Reader Word Count: 2.2k [Series Masterlist]

Warnings/tags: 18+; Domestic abuse, depictions/mentions of sexual assault, struggles with past trauma, canon-typical violence, angst with a happy ending, friends to lovers, slow burn, eventual smut (possibly more warnings to come)

Summary: Between working cases at Nelson, Murdock, and Page and combating crime as Daredevil in Hell’s Kitchen at night, Matt had little time for much else. Until a new neighbor moves in across the hall and you attract his attention with your odd behavior. But when your quiet four year old doesn't just befriend the Devil–she unravels his biggest secret–Matt only grows closer and more protective of the both of you. Inevitably he learns the truth of your past, but that's not what surprises him most. It's a favor you ask of the Devil–a favor that initially leaves Matt conflicted.

a/n: This is a story I've had in my head for quite a few months now and have steadily been working on for a bit for myself, but now I've decided to share it. I've spent quite a bit of time outlining and fleshing out the story--more than I usually do. As always, feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

Tag list: @kee-0-kee @dethspllz @a-half-empty-g1rl @senjoritanana

“And that's the end,” you said. 

Closing the book in your lap, you glanced up from the brightly colored illustrations of animals on the back cover to your daughter who sat clutching Barnabas, the stuffed teddy bear that she never went to bed without. Her eyes had grown wide and hopeful as they held your gaze–a look you'd long since become familiar with. It was the same one she always gave you when she was about to stall in an attempt to avoid her inevitable bedtime. And it often worked on you, whether she realized it or not.

“Again?” Evelyn asked softly, a little hand reaching out towards the book. “Please, mama?”

“Cricket,” you replied gently, glad to hear she was stringing more words together tonight despite the excitement of this evening's move. “I've already read it five times now. I think it's time we put it away for tonight and you get to sleep.” 

Evelyn's face fell at your answer and the sight pained you. It didn’t help that you knew just how anxious she'd been the entire weekend with all the big changes you both had going on yet again. She'd spent the past week barely saying more than a single word because of it.

“The book will still be here tomorrow,” you promised her. “We can read it again then.”

“Helps me sleep,” she whispered.

The growing frown curving her lips downwards and the little crease forming between her furrowed brows tugged at your heart. Especially with how she looked so small tucked inside the too-large sleeping bag you'd recently purchased at a thrift store. It looked as if she was being swallowed up by the giant purple thing considering she didn't even take up half the length of it. 

Sighing, you felt your resolve fading the longer she stared up at you with her pleading eyes. With everything that you'd both been through over the past few months, and how you'd already felt guilty for all of the things you'd done wrong and hadn't been able to give her–which included an actual bed to sleep in once you'd gotten this apartment–you knew you wouldn't be able to resist that look. The very least you could do was read the book to her for a sixth time.

Leaning back once more against the bedroom wall behind you, you settled in for another few minutes on the uncomfortable floor. “Alright,” you relented. “I can read it just one more time for you, cricket. But then you've got to promise me something. Can you do that?”

The expression on her face changed, her small nose slightly scrunching up as her head turned to the side. “What?” she asked.

“Promise me that you'll actually go to sleep when I'm done,” you said, reaching a hand out to lightly ruffle her hair. “Because it's late and you've got your first day of preschool in the morning. Remember?”

“Oh,” she whispered, visibly sinking lower into the sleeping bag. 

You frowned. She'd been nervous for that, too.

“Hey,” you said, your hand smoothing her hair before coming to gently rest along her shoulder. “You'll have fun there, I promise. I know it can seem scary going somewhere new, but you've been doing a great job adjusting to all the new things we've been through already. And you'll make friends, Evie. It'll be alright, I promise.”

The doleful look on her face didn't waver despite your attempt to comfort her. You hoped that beginning preschool tomorrow in conjunction with yet another move didn't set her back to nonverbal responses again. Guilt burned inside of you at the thought of how much your previous situation had led her to become so timid and quiet, afraid to use her own voice. It didn't matter that everyone at Hope Haven had tried to reassure you that none of what you'd been through was your fault, that you had done everything you could when you could. That didn't stop you from still feeling wholly responsible.

You should have seen it coming. Should have done something sooner.

But that was in the past now.

“And after work I'll pick you up and bring you back home with me,” you told her, trying to lighten her mood. “We can eat tonight's leftover pizza for dinner. And maybe I can get us some ice cream on the way home. How does that sound, cricket?”

Evelyn's hands began fidgeting with the edge of her sleeping bag, rolling it up between her small fingers. Her eyes remained downcast, avoiding yours. You knew she often fidgeted when she was anxious, a habit that just seemed wrong for a four year old to have acquired.

“Is this home?” she asked. 

The ever present guilt in your stomach burned, your chest tightening at the unexpected and loaded question. You hated that she worried about things that no four year old should be worrying about, too. Another thing that was all your fault.

Expression softening, you nodded. “Yeah, Evie,” you answered, your hand dropping down to wrap around her little one that was still fidgeting with the edge of her sleeping bag. “This is home. We're staying here. Hopefully for a long, long time.”

Glancing up at you from beneath her lashes, you could see the expression on her face had yet again changed. This time she was staring up at you with a look that you absolutely hated seeing on her little face. One full of fear and uncertainty. A particular memory flashed through your mind at the sight of it and the acid in your stomach had a wave of nausea hitting you. Eyes briefly dropping down to the scar across the back of your right hand, you tried to fight back the tremble that had begun in it.

“We're safe?” Evie asked.

Attempting to swallow down the lump that had formed in the back of your throat, you nodded. You gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, though it felt like your heart was shattering in that moment. Because after all, it had also been your fault that it had taken so long to get the pair of you somewhere safe.

“Yes,” you stated, your trembling hand gripping the book in your lap tighter in an attempt to calm the quivering. “We're safe here. Don't ever worry about that, alright? That's for me to worry about. And I will always make sure you're safe. You hear me? Always .”

There was a long pause before she very slowly nodded her head just once. Your left hand patted hers tenderly, sending her what was meant to be a reassuring smile. You hoped it had been, because you'd been doing your best to appear more put together than you actually felt lately. You didn't need Evie to be worrying about anything else.

“So,” you said, trying to change the topic, “I guess we should get back to finishing our bedtime story, huh?”

Evie nodded vigorously, pushing herself more upright in her sleeping bag, her expectant eyes on you. You sent her another smile before clearing your throat and focusing back down on the book in your lap. Opening it once more with your still quivering hand, you tried to push the bad memories from your mind as you began to read in an animated voice. 

It wasn't until four pages later that you'd glanced up at Evie. She had leaned over to see the pictures in the book while you read, all traces of fear gone from her face. Instead, she looked enraptured in the story that you knew she had completely memorized by now with how often you'd read it to her. There was a ghost of a smile on her face as she cuddled Barnabas tightly to her chest. And in that moment your heart felt full of hope.

Running a hand across your forehead, you paced your way around the mostly unfurnished apartment you'd just moved into this evening. The sparseness of the place was truthfully embarrassing. Currently all you had was Evie's sleeping bag, a blanket and lumpy pillow set aside by Evie’s bedroom door which would be your bed for the foreseeable future, and the empty boxes tossed around what would someday hopefully be a living room. For now it was just a large, empty room beside the small, empty kitchen.

As you paced around another overturned, half-broken down cardboard box, your shoulders dropped. You'd managed to pack all of Evelyn's and yours’ belongings in those boxes now lying discarded on the floor. Just six boxes fit your entire life. You certainly hadn't had much when you'd grabbed Evelyn and ran those couple of months ago. Just one garbage bag filled with mostly her clothes and things with a few of yours mixed in. Though even if you'd had time to pack more, there wouldn't have been much else to bring with you because neither of you’d ever had much to begin with. 

And now here you were struggling to afford the very little you had as it was, no matter how desperately you were trying to stretch your measly new salary. It pained you to not be able to provide properly for you and your daughter. You remembered how you’d felt that very last night you'd stayed at Hope Haven, the women's shelter that you’d be forever grateful for taking the pair of you in and helping you start your new life. 

Long after Evelyn had gone to sleep on your last night there, you'd laid awake in bed crying quietly to yourself as you stared at that damn purple sleeping bag mocking you from across the room. You’d felt like a terrible mother–for more than one reason. As tears ran down your cheeks, you’d vowed to save up to buy Evie a bed, doing whatever you needed to until you could. You'd give her that at least, even if it meant skipping meals whenever you could to save the extra cash. But honestly, you found yourself already often having to skip meals just so you could afford to keep Evie fed.

Pausing in your aimless pacing, you came to a stop beside one of the large windows in the living room. Placing a hand against the cool glass, you looked outside at the city. Your eyes inevitably found their way to the massive billboard positioned on the building across the street which hung at precisely your apartment's height. But fortunately for you the eyesore was more directly across from the apartment next door to yours, making it less noticeable and disruptive from your view. Though you had no choice but to feel grateful for the hideous thing because it had been the sole reason you'd gotten such a reduced rent in the first place. Otherwise you'd never have been able to afford a place in a relatively safe area of Hell’s Kitchen.

As you blankly stared outside at the billboard, watching the advertisements change from one to the next, you hoped things would be different here. Better. Because both you and Evie needed that. Your daughter needed a stable place to live, one she felt safe coming home to for once, and you desperately wanted to provide that for her. With every fiber of your being you hoped that this place would finally become the home you'd been struggling to create since the day she was born.

Pushing away from the glass, you rubbed at your tired eyes. It was late and you knew you should probably get some sleep yourself now that Evie had finally fallen asleep a little while ago. But the prospect of sleeping on the cold, hard floor with nothing but a singular blanket and pillow didn't sound that appealing. You certainly weren't rushing to get to sleep yourself. 

Making your way back across the apartment, you reluctantly picked up the blanket and pillow from the ground. Carrying both of them over towards the closed door of Evelyn's bedroom, you set the pillow down. With both hands you tossed the blanket out, splaying it wide across the floor. You realized it was probably ridiculous sleeping in front of her bedroom door like this, especially because there was another bedroom, but it made you feel better. Because laying here, you knew that you were between your daughter and anyone who might come through the front door–namely one person in particular. 

Not that he even knew where you were.

Beginning to lower yourself to the floor, preparing to get some rest, movement caught your attention out of the kitchen window across the room. You stopped instantly, head spinning fully towards the window as you sat half-crouched like a startled animal. Adrenaline and fear spiked through you as your eyes caught a shadow darting across the neighboring rooftop. For a moment you could have sworn the shadow had been shaped like a person, but as you scanned the rooftop now, you didn't see anything at all.

Shaking your head, you blinked hard a couple of times as you finally sunk to the floor. You had to have been seeing things because you were overtired and on edge. That's all it was. There was no reason for someone to be running along a rooftop late at night.

[lynzishell]

Prev // Next

reference post for book

Transcript below the cut:

SFX: Crickets chirping, the intermittent sound of cars driving by on the freeway, music and laughter in the distance.

SFX: Music and laughter drowning out the sounds of the night. Dawn [offscreen]: Atlas!

Dawn: What are you guys doing out here? Atlas: Just fucking around. What’s up?

Dawn: I finally got Aspen to sleep. Phoenix and I are getting ready to head home. Do you want to— Atlas: Oh yeah, yeah, let’s do it.

Lex: Alright, that’s my cue, I think. I better get to sleep anyway. I’ll see you in the morning, boys. Asher: Goodnight. Atlas: Night, Lex. Lex: G’night. And congratulations again, Dawn. Dawn: Thank you. I’ll see you soon.  

Phoenix: Are you ready? Dawn: Almost. We have something for you first.

Phoenix: What’s this? Dawn: Just open it.

[Phoenix unwraps the gift, revealing a children’s book. When he reads the title, Juju Goes to Jupiter, he is overcome with emotion and slowly sits down on the sofa.]

Phoenix: [running his hand over the cover, over his mom’s name printed along the bottom] Is this… Dawn: Yes. Phoenix: [looking up, tears shining in his eyes] How? Dawn: I typed it up after you told us the story. Asher and Iris did all the artwork. And then Atlas put it together and had it made into a book. Phoenix: I don’t know what to say. [slowly turns the pages, traces the lines of the illustrations with his fingertips and looks to Asher] You did this? Asher: [nods] Yeah. Me and Iris worked on it together.

Phoenix: It’s perfect. Thank you so much. Asher: You’re welcome. I was happy to, honestly, you’re like a brother to me, always listening and giving me advice. I’m just glad I could do something for you, y’know. Phoenix: [wiping his eyes] Where’s Iris? Asher: She’s already in bed. Phoenix: Will you thank her for me? Asher: Of course.

Phoenix: This is the most amazing thing anyone’s ever done for me. Atlas: It was all Dawn’s idea, but we were happy to help. I really appreciate everything you’ve done, for us and for my sister, there’s no one else I’d rather have as my brother-in-law. Phoenix: Me too.

[rayroseu]

(pure observation theory and rambles)

This year's Halloween event is full of ribbons that looks like strings and they're all falling apart...

Are Halloween Events just Book 7 foreshadows??? I wonder if someday we'll actually have a Sleeping Beauty Inspired Halloween Event(On Briar Valley)? Malleus stated that they have Halloween there after all...

Also back to the string-like ribbon and the boys acting as puppets... In Pinocchio, the wooden puppet became alive because Gepetto (the old man) had a desperate wish of having a son. Of having a family... If we relate that to Book 7, it matches the motive of Malleus not wanting to lose his family so he has a desperate wish that he made come true...

but in result, it feels like Malleus is just treating us like puppets on a strings with how forceful he is in 'sending everyone to sleep so that they'll become heroes' and add to the fact that he is the only one able to be sentient over this sleeping spell...

So he's like the audience and we're his actors for his own entertainment...

The fact that A FAIRY is the one behidn the spell of making Pinocchio alive too... its really just Book 7 isnt it...

The cards illustration shows that the ribbons/strings are falling apart... I know that its probably a given that everyone will wake up from Malleus' Overblot but I'm really curious as to HOW... ig its still too early to speculate since Overblot Malleus is too overpowered... Maybe this event will give us clues about it?!

There are strings snapping at the trailer after all👀

My favorite observation from Ace's card is that He's surrounded by clocks!! He's referencing Deuce's SSR as well from the Clocktown... But this time he's with Lilia as opposed to Deuce and Silver !!

Ramshackle and Diasomnia parallels... Ace and Deuce as Yuu's 'knights' and Silver and Lilia as Malleus' 'family'!

So maybe there is hope that Ace and Deuce will someway join us with Silver and Sebek in helping Malleus to "wake up from his overblot?" (I don't really want to say 'to fight Malleus Overblot' XD)

I feel like for this event we'll be Jiminy the Cricket, being the voice of conscience for this misdirected boys... Their eyes look clouded after all... Just like how in Book 7 we're the ones urging the others (for now its just Lilia) to wake up from Malleus' spell and to not succumb to darkness...

New hat for Grim perhaps?????✨✨✨✨🎩🎩🎩

Oh also omg,,, The main characters are Ace, Kalim, And Ortho right? They're the main SSR... THESE PEOPLE ARE EASILY PERSUADED!! They'll definitely got scammed by the new villains to join a sketchy entertainment company arent they...

(ACE YOU SAID IN YOUR PLATINUM JACKET THAT YOU'LL NEVER BE THE OYSTER WHO GOT FOOLED BY THE WALRUS... PLEASEEEE KEEP YOUR WORD FOR IT... 😭😭)

I mean I'd be fooled too????😂

Yana Toboso is too talented... HOWWW can you make these beastmen based on these Disney Characters

[tylermileslockett]

Heracles 7: Other Notable Feats

         According to Diodorus and Apollodorus, Heracles has many other notable adventures and achievements during his quests to fulfill his labors. Some of these events (but certainly not all), are as follows:

         The 1st Olympic games: After capturing the Cretan bull, Diodorus tells us that Heracles Founded the first Olympic games in honor of his father Zeus. Heracles chose the laurel wreath crown as the prize and, as is fitting his demigod prowess, won first place in every event!

         The gifts of the gods: Diodorus also lists the boons gifted to Heracles by the gods upon return from his labors: a robe from Athena, war club from Hephaestus, horses from Poseidon, a sword from Hermes, bow and arrows from Apollo, and the Lesser mysteries, instituted by Demeter to purify him of the Centaurs murders.

         The rescue of Prometheus: The titan Prometheus, for stealing fire from Zeus and gifting it to mortals, was punished by being bound to a mountain rock and having the giant Caucasian Eagle come and peck out his regenerating liver every day. Heracles, coming upon this tragic figure, shoots down the eagle with his arrows, rescues the titan, and persuades his father to calm his anger for Prometheus’s transgressions.

         To get a deeper look into his further adventures during these times, I urge the reader to review the section on Heracles in Diodorus’ Library of History and Apollodorus’ The Library. Many more feats are listed such as Killing the Libyan giant Antaeus in a wrestling match, constructing the Pillars of Heracles to mark the end of the known world, fighting the giants of the earth with the help of the gods in modern day Italy, praying for divine intervention in the bothersome sounds of crickets at night, escaping capture and being a sacrificial victim in Egypt by King Busiris, amongst many other episodes.

Like this art? It will be in my illustrated book with over 130 other full page illustrations coming in October to kickstarter.  to get unseen free hi-hes art subscribe to my email newsletter

Follow my backerkit kickstarter notification page.

Thank you for supporting independent artists! 🤘❤️🏛😁

[atla-genderbender]

ATLA Gender Bender: "Princess Zuka"

Zuko -> Zuka

Alternatively, it is possible that female Zuko would still be called "Zuko". The ending -ko is feminine in Japanese. But within Fire Nation royalty, there exist masculine and feminine counterparts to names: Iroh/Ilah, Azulon/Azula. The ending -a is also used for Zuko's mother's name, "Ursa". This suggests that the feminine equivalent of "Zuko" would be "Zuka".

Like her male counterpart, the banished princess would have the most extensive wardrobe. I tried to draw several, but not all of these outfits.

If Zuko had been born a girl, a large theme of her story would be the traumatic loss and restoration of her femininity. I don't think that she would be a tomboy, but would be just as driven as her male counterpart to regain her honor.

I've been picturing Cricket Leigh as the voice of "Princess Zuka". Specifically, her voice as "angry Mai" in the Beach episode.

OUTFIT DESCRIPTIONS:

1: Young Zuka, from "Zuka Alone" flashback

She is supposed to resemble a young Ursa. Rather than being dressed like Azula, her clothes are inspired by ruqun.

2: Zuka at age 13, prior to being burned

Her ponytail is supposed to show off her long, beautiful hair, which is cut off during her banishment.

3: Zuka at age 13, after being burned

"Zuka" is shown with a fully shaved head, to illustrate an alternative scenario where Ozai does not challenge her to an Agni Kai, but immediately deems her actions treasonous and orders her to shave her head. In this alternative scenario, her refusal to cut her topknot is what prompts Ozai to scar her face and banish her anyways. This is supposed to be more in line with the treatment of "dishonorable" women in real life, as there are many world cultures throughout history who punish women by shaving their heads.

Still, I am not sure whether it was appropriate to include this in her wardrobe lineup. The Fire Nation is higher in the gender equality index than the cultures it is based on, as a consequence of firebending being an "equalizer" between the sexes. It is therefore plausible that "Zuka" would have still been challenged to an Agni Kai by Ozai, and that things would have occurred in the same fashion to her male counterpart. In this scenario, she would not have cut off her topknot. I picture her wearing the same hairstyle as regular, male Zuko, where she shaves the sides of her head to symbolize her shame.

4: Book 1 Zuka

Unlike her male counterpart, I think "Zuka" would grow out her hair. Zuko's shaved ponytail is based on a real hairstyle worn by Thai boys. But in-universe, Zuko appears to have fashioned himself after the hairstyle worn by Sun Warriors. A few other men in the Fire Nation also wear this hairstyle, but women are not seen wearing this. If "Zuka" had this hairstyle, I think it would come off as rebellious, instead of loyal to the Fire Nation. It makes more for "Zuka" to fashion herself after female Sun Warriors, who wear their hair in ponytails without shaving the rest of their heads. Her asymmetrical bangs are meant to contrast with Azula's perfectly symmetrical bangs. Underneath her armor, I picture her being very athletic, with lean, defined muscles.

5: Book 1 Zuka, as the "Blue Spirit"

The comics explain the origin of Zuko's Blue Spirit mask, which is based on "The Dark Water Spirit", a male character from the play "Love Amongst the Dragons". While "Princess Zuka" could don the mask of the "Dragon Empress", I think it fits her better to wear the mask of the "Dark Water Spirit" instead. This is because Zuko and Azula would reenact the play as children, with Zuko playing the Dark Water Spirit and Azula playing the Dragon Emperor. If the Azula was a boy and Zuko was a girl, I think "Azulon" would still play the role of the Dragon Emperor, while "Zuka" would still play the role of the Dark Water Spirit. This would foreshadow their eventual rivalry and Agni Kai, and I don't like the implications that come with "Zuka" playing the Dragon Empress. For these reasons, I chose to have "Zuka" don the mask of the "Dark Water Spirit" instead of the "Dragon Empress". This also does a better job of symbolizing the "Blue Spirit"'s role as enemy of the Fire Nation.

Additionally, I think it makes sense for "Zuka" to disguise herself as a male while donning the Blue Spirit mask. Failure to do so would make her disguise a lot less effective, due to the male dominated nature of the Fire Nation army. It would make her and Admiral Zhao both look smarter, as Zhao would still figure out that she is the Blue Spirit. Due to her physical build, she would not be able to pass for a fully grown adult man, but could pass for an adolescent boy. The cross-dressing element of her disguise could also connect the Blue Spirit to her "animus", symbolizing her complicated relationship with her femininity.

6: Book 1 Zuka, after assassination attempt

She would be shown without any color on her lips, due to her beat up state.

7: Book 2 Zuka, after cutting topknot

8: Book 2 Zuka, messy hair

This hairstyle would only be seen briefly during her sick episode

9: Book 2 Zuka, post haircut

After her bout of sickness, "Aunt Ilah" buys "Princess Zuka" new clothes and gets her a hair cut.

10: Book 3 Zuka, emo hair

11: Book 3 Zuka, formal dress

12: Book 3 Zuka, after joining the "good guys"

13: Fire Lord Zuka, coronation outfit

Her hairstyle is inspired by the Kdrama "Queen Seondeok" (2009).

14: Fire Lord Zuka, comics outfit (formal)

Her costume combines elements of Queen Seondeok, Queen Panhtwar, and Empress Wu Zetian.

15: Fire Lord Zuka, comics outfit (casual)

In these drawings, "Zuka" is shown having one of two lip colors: red and pink. The red shade is supposed to be the same color as Azula's lips, while the pink shade is supposed to be the same color as Izumi's lips.

The reason I did this was originally based on a mistake. I thought that Ursa had a lighter shade on her lips than Azula, and was trying to make "Zuka" look like a younger Ursa. However, this was a mistake. Ursa and Azula actually have the same lip color. Ursa's lips only look lighter because of the lighting in the "Zuko Alone" flashbacks.

I decided to keep this decision to have "Zuka" switch between Azula's lip color and a lighter shade of pink. This is supposed to make "Zuka" look a bit like Izumi, Zuko's daughter. It is also supposed to indicate when "Zuka" is wearing makeup and when she is not. I think her lip color should change upon becoming a fugitive, as she wouldn't wear makeup while living in poverty.

Like what I’m doing? Consider leaving me a donation via Ko-Fi.

[1stpoliticalcartoons]

“South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s bid for Donald Trump’s VP slot on the Republican ticket blew up in recent days, unless the Trump team grossly underestimates how much Americans love their dogs and other animals.

Ahead of upcoming release of Noem’s new book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” The Guardian news outlet obtained a copy, and the biggest revelation appears not to be what’s wrong with politics, but what’s wrong with Noem.

Noem, who served in the South Dakota House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives prior to becoming governor, is also a hunter. Guardian writer Martin Pengelly reports that Noem writes in the book about her 14-month-old (still a puppy) wirehair pointer named Cricket.

These dogs require vigorous exercise and can be rowdy and highly exuberant when not exercised sufficiently, particularly when young. They need a confident owner.

Cricket was a female with an “aggressive personality” who needed training to hunt pheasant, wrote Noem. So Noem took Cricket out on pheasant run with other older dogs for training. But, young girls just want to have fun. Cricket was “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.”

After the outing, which Noem considered ruined by Cricket, she stopped to talk with a local family, and Cricket, apparently not secured in Noem’s truck, escaped and headed for the family’s chickens. Chaos and chicken death ensued. Cricket was just having fun, with no idea of what was about to befall her.

“I hated that dog,” Noem recounts in the book, finding young Cricket “untrainable,” “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with” and “less than worthless … as a hunting dog.” Noem appears to place the blame for that on the dog, not herself.

Summary execution from Noem was near.

After her day of frolicking and joy, Cricket was then led by Noem to a gravel pit where she was executed.

By then, perhaps all fired up to dispatch any creature that didn’t fit Noem’s view of acceptable behavior, Noem shot a male goat she viewed as “nasty and mean,” because it wasn’t castrated (again, whose fault was that?), and who chased the kids and smelled “disgusting, musky, rancid.”

The goat also met his unnecessary fate in the gravel pit, in a story that sounds like the South Dakota version of Tony Soprano.

Since the Guardian story and wide pick-up of the animal executions, Noem has not backed down on her position that the story was an illustration of making “tough, challenging decisions.” Defining the dog as a “working dog,” seems to justify for her the act of putting it down. But the more Noem responds to what the majority of people see as indefensible, the bigger the hole she digs for herself in her own gravel pit.

Death for these animals was the only option in her mind? What about rehoming, sending the dog to training with someone else? How about letting the goat have its own enclosed space and keeping the kids away? Could the goat still be neutered? Would a hose down have helped with its smell?

As a potential VP pick, the concern is that her judgment is this poor. We’ve already endured nearly four years of a president and VP with poor judgment – this country can’t endure more.

Noem’s story reminded me of a friend who said when he was an older teen, he took Halloween candy from the younger children. Even as a grown man, he didn’t seem to recognize that what he had done as a teenager was wrong. He still thought taking candy from kids was funny. And like Noem, he didn’t have any awareness that it was a story you don’t tell other people because it reflects very poorly on him.

Mahatma Gandhi, who used nonviolent resistance in the campaign he led to obtain independence for India from British rule, said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Noem doesn’t pass the sniff test.”

[rassicas]

Apparently bugs survived the apocalypse in the Splatoon universe? I got a book in Hotlantis titled the "Illustrated Insect Field Guide" and it has a monarch butterfly on the cover. I mean I guess glowflies already existed but I always assumed they were some heavily adapted sealife like Marie's weird scallop butterfly thing.

Yeah they've always been in game. flies by trash cans in s1 inkopolis tower, butterflies visible in flounder heights as well, bugs cna be seen in camp triggerfish, cicadas and crickets can be heard in some stages etc.

Species list

[theonekierce]

whats crime and cricket? ur fanart looks interesting

ah thank u! 'crime and cricket' is the fandom tag for the Raffles series by E.W. Hornung, since the character name is difficult to use as a tag lmao It's mostly short stories with one novel, all narrated by Bunny who is the old school friend turned partner and accomplice of AJ Raffles, a gentleman thief who uses his fame as an amateur cricket player as a cover for his secret life as a burglar! They were sort of based on Holmes and Watson if they were criminals instead of detectives, but there's a lot more to them than that and they're really compelling stories that i have become completely obsessed with

if you wanna read any, Raffles Redux is my go-to as its full of annotations with extra context and illustrations etc, but the books are all public domain so they're easy enough to find online copies of. I would definitely reccomend reading these in order since theyre pretty serialised - but if you're not sure, the first 'The Ides Of March' and third 'Gentlemen Vs Players' are good intro stories for getting the feel of them

Also, im only about half-way through the first story but i am obligated to boost my own comic book adaptation ive been working on >:)

[justforbooks]

Ed McLachlan

Cartoonist whose work appeared in Punch, Private Eye, the Spectator and the Oldie in a 60-year career

The cartoons of Ed McLachlan, who has died aged 84, were at once as deliciously dark and twisted as Charles Addams, as imaginative as William Heath Robinson, as surreal as John Glashan and as quintessentially British as the Punch cartoonist Pont.

Ed’s immediately recognisable pen line, and cast of buck-toothed, big-nosed protagonists, entertained, shocked and outraged from the pages of Punch, Private Eye, the Oldie and Spectator, among many others. Often set in traditional gag cartoon settings, from date nights and office boardrooms to middle-class front rooms and Stannah stairlifts, his cartoons took the mundane and delivered the hilariously absurd.

Giant creatures were often present, creating destruction in otherwise quaintly British scenes. For Private Eye’s 10th anniversary edition in 1971, Ed drew a monstrous hedgehog rushing across a busy road, pulverising an unfortunate car and its occupants as it goes. In another cartoon, an enormous dinosaur rampages through a city past an ongoing cricket match, while an exasperated commentator complains that “once again we have interruption of play caused by movement behind the bowler’s arm”.

Ed combined his vivid imagination with a relentless work ethic, his work also appearing in magazines as various as the New Statesman, the Big Issue, Reader’s Digest, the New Yorker and Playboy.

Initially he had not considered a career in cartoons, despite contributing a number to his college magazine. However, in 1961, while working at a printing company designing posters, he was persuaded by colleagues (by way of a £5 bet) to submit a scrapbook of cartoons to Punch. To his surprise, the magazine bought one for seven guineas, more for an hour’s work than he was earning in a week at the printing office. Within weeks they had bought several more, thus beginning a regular contribution to the magazine that would last until it ceased production in 2002.

Born in Humberstone, Leicestershire, to Edward McLachlan, a structural engineer, and his wife, Josephine, a secretary, Ed went to Wyggeston grammar school, then studied graphic design at Leicester College of Art (now DeMontfort University), graduating in 1959.

Following his success with Punch, in 1965 he went freelance, resolving to establish a career by “making myself a nuisance banging on agencies’ doors”. The following year, he began drawing a series of political cartoons for the Sunday Mirror, under the title McLachlan’s View. In 1967, he started to contribute cartoons to Private Eye, and in 1970 left the Sunday Mirror for the Evening Standard as its new political cartoonist. Between 1972 and 1974, he produced a series of pocket cartoons titled Insiders for the Daily Mirror.

Apart from a brief return to Leicester College of Art as a part-time lecturer in graphics (1967-70), Ed thereon focused on his cartoon and illustration work, which also encompassed children’s books, TV series and advertising campaigns.

In 1969, he wrote and illustrated his first children’s book, Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings. This was the first of four books about a little boy who owns a magic chalkboard, upon which everything he draws becomes real. The books were made into an animated television series, which first aired in Canada before appearing on British television on ITV in 1976, running for 24 episodes. The series was directed by Ivor Wood, best known for shows such as The Magic Roundabout and The Wombles, and narrated by Bernard Cribbins. It remained popular in Canada, where it was remade in 2002.

Ed also wrote and illustrated the children’s books Claude Makes a Change (1979), Magnus in the Land of Lost Property (1985) and The Dragon Who Could Only Breathe Smoke (1985), and illustrated more than 80 books in the Bangers and Mash educational reading series by Paul Groves, which were made into a children’s ITV series in 1989. Nonfiction books include Bill Beaumont’s Bedside Rugby (1986) and John Walker’s Chess for Tomorrow’s Champions (1994), as well as many of the For Dummies instructional series.

Over the years Ed was also in demand for advertising campaigns for brands such as Dunlop, Renault, Alka Seltzer, Dewar’s Whisky and Walkers. Most recently, his cartoons were used for a series of London Underground posters for Timothy Taylor’s Brewery.

He received many awards, including illustrative cartoonist of the year (1980) and advertising cartoonist of the year (1982) from the Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain, and gag cartoonist of the year twice (1982 and 1997) from the Cartoon Art Trust, which also presented him with a lifetime achievement award in 2011. In 2016, he was given an honorary doctorate from the University of Leicester.

Across the span of his 60-year career, Ed’s style of drawing, a confident ink line and a monochrome wash on artist’s board, remained remarkably consistent. Later in his career, he began to add colour, working skilfully in watercolour on a scale much larger than his cartoons would be reproduced in print. While much of the detail would be lost when the cartoons were shrunk down for reproduction in magazines, when the originals began to be exhibited in a gallery setting – and in the Chris Beetles gallery, of which I am director, from 2001 – his expertise in these mediums could be truly appreciated.

Ed continued to draw cartoons up until his death. In one of his final cartoons, for Private Eye, taste testers at a crisp factory lament their new range of extra crispy snacks, which are so crunchy they have caused one of their colleagues to explode.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley (nee Gerrard), whom he married in 1964, their daughters, Danielle, Joelle and Aimee, and son, Alex, and by four grandchildren.

🔔 Edward Rolland McLachlan, cartoonist, author and illustrator, born 22 April 1940; died 29 September 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[cricketpress]

Here's the poster we did for this year's...

Kentucky Book Fest!

A program of Kentucky Humanities, the Kentucky Book Festival is a celebration of reading, writing, and publishing which takes place each fall. Festival events seek to connect book-lovers and authors, spark engaging conversations, and empower readers by providing access to new books as well as opportunities to learn more about writing in a fun, supportive environment. It’s the biggest bookish celebration in Kentucky! Learn about writing and publishing, discover new books, make memories with family and friends, and celebrate reading!

This is our first year creating promotional materials for this event and it was a pure joy!

Poster Details: 4 color screenprint 12" x 18" Edition of 200 available at event

[uwmspeccoll]

More Fairy Tales

This week I bring you The Girl Who Cried Flowers, and Other Tales, by the prolific American writer Jane Yolen (b.1939), illustrated by David Palladini (1946-2019), and published in New York by Thomas Y. Crowell in 1974. The book contains five original fairy tales with accompanying illustrations that range from one to two pages and are in both black and white and color. Tales such as these among her more than 300 titles has led Newsweek to dub Yolen “The Hans Christian Andersen of America.”

Yolen claims that it was this book, published nine years after her first book, that established her reputation in the field of children’s literature. The title story, The Girl Who Cried Flowers, has seen several iterations, including being separately published in Cricket magazine in 1990, published as an audiotape that Yolen narrated for Weston Woods Studios in their Readings to Remember series, and produced as an animated movie by Auryn Studios, with a script by Yolen, and directed by Bollywood director Umesh Shukla.

Yolen, who had originally worked as an editor, considered herself to be a poet and a journalist/nonfiction writer. Fate took her in a different direction, however, and to her surprise she became a children’s book writer who focused mostly on fantasy and science fiction. Her numerous awards andhonors include a Caldecott Medal, a Caldecott Honor, two Nebula awards, the Jewish Book Award, and six honorary doctorates.

Palladini, an Italian-born American illustrator, was best known for his Aquarian Tarot deck, which was published by Morgan Press in 1970 and reworked as the New Palladini Tarot in 1997 by U.S. Game Systems. Palladini’s style is reminiscent of the Art Nouveau illustrations of Alphonse Mucha and Aubrey Beardsley, a beautiful accompaniment to Jane Yolen’s stories.

View more posts from our Historical Curriculum Collection of children’s books.

View more Women’s History Month posts.

-- Elizabeth V., Special Collections Undergraduate Writing Intern