#the gloves are official merch

[johnnyshrine]

★ 011 // “Snowman”

[lamardeuse]

You wanted merch? Apparently you can get your own classy metal first aid kit branded with the 9-1-1 logo and with S7 promo material inside:

regularly $75 USD now $49 at Preppi

[rjalker]

I feel like a whole lot of people only learned the words "public domain" yesterday because there is a shit ton of misinformation and fearmongering being spread about Mickey Mouse now that he's public domain. And the only people being helped by this are Disney executives.

Yes, you can call him Mickey Mouse. The name Mickey Mouse is now Public Domain. He's literally named in the title card for Steamboat Willie and the other animations and promotional posters that are Public Domain.

Yes, you can give him gloves. There are multiple Public Domain versions of him wearing gloves.

Yes, you can draw him in color. First of all, there are Public Domain versions of him drawn in color. Second of all, the entire point of the Public Domain is that you are free to transform and update the subject. That means you can give Mickey Mouse any outfit or combinations of outfits you want as long as the ones you use aren't already copyrighted by Disney.

And more but my laptop is overheating. Feel free to add on more corrections to misinformation being spread.

Edit to add:

Yes, you can have him talk! Just because The versions in Steamboat Willie, The Galloping Gaucho and Plane Crazy don't talk doesn't mean that Disney is the only one allowed to make him talk. That's not how the public domain works. It just means you have to create your own voice for him.

Edit again to add:

Yes, you can sell art of him. Yes, you can put him on a shirt and sell it. Yes, you can sell paintings of him. As long as you are not using a design still protected by Disney's copyright, and are not deceiving people into thinking it's official Disney merch, you can sell it! That's the whole point of the Public Domain!

And no, people, for Pete's sake. It is not and never has been illegal to draw modern Mickey Mouse. That's fair use. You can draw anything you want. Copyright stops you from selling things. You have always been allowed to draw any Mickey Mouse you want. Disney will not appear out of thin air and arrest you and your family because you have "pie slices on the pupil". That is literally not how any of this works, especially not how the Public Domain works!

[ashxketchum]

Now it feels like we’re celebrating the 25th Anniversary 😍

This new art for an upcoming collaboration with Karatez is just simply stunning. The theme is (very obviously) “idol” and I personally love the futuristic pop concept they’ve added to the outfits. Although exact date and merch details haven’t been shared yet, they shared a few layouts of the key art.

The outfits are also great this time around because of their little references to the partner Digimon’s Perfect evolutions. Listing them down one by one as always.

Taichi: The blue markings on his jacket plus robotic arm markings on his right sleeve are a nice shoutout to MetalGreymon.

Yamato: We see WereGarurumon’s pattern on his jacket and a few belts wrapped around his hands that captures the punk-grunge vibe of WereGarurumon well. It may be Yamato’s affinity to music, but he looks extremely in his element in this art, it’s not often we see him so raring to go in official merch art (he’s more of a soft smiles guy usually).

Sora: Her gloves and the red bandana on her arm coupled with the feather in her hair are clear shoutouts to Garudamon. It’s kinda funny to me that being the girl who’s crest is a heart symbol, she’s making a victory sign while Mimi and Hikari are both making different types of finger hearts 😆

Koushiro: Honestly they were really subtle with the reference for him and even twitter couldn’t exactly answer my doubts so I’m gonna have to see Koushiro stans step up and answer whether the reference in his outfit limited to the markings on his jacket resembling AtlurKabuterimon’s chest?

Mimi: I think she’s the one with the most easy to catch references, her skirt resembles Lilymon’s and her hair tie looks like Lilymon’s flower canon. I love that she’s making the big finger heart because it’s just so very Mimi. If Yamato suits the passionate side of being an idol, Mimi is definitely meant for the cutesy visual vibe that can make fans go crazy over just a wink and a smile.

Jou: He’s wearing three belt like bracelets around one wrist like Zudomon which makes his a minimal reference though not as subtle as Koushiro’s. I do feel that they could’ve done a bit more with his look, maybe add a horn to the side of his headset? I also can’t wait to see the full art for each kid individually cuz I do think him and Yamato are wearing similar bellbottom pants!

Takeru: The feather on his headset and the yellow suspended straps are a decent reference to HolyAngemon. Considering that they wanted to keep the outfits limited to one colour per kid, I think this is the best way they could slip in the reference, though I wouldn’t have minded a few rings.

Hikari: The feather on the headset, the corset-ish belt around her waist and her gloves are very nice references to Angewomon. Keeping Hikari’s innocence as a kid intact while referencing a Digimon that is undoubtedly considered one of the most sexiest mons in the franchise would have been really tough and I salute the illustrators for coming up with this design! I also like the OG Korean finger heart she’s making, such a cute look on her.

The cherry on top are each of the Digimon partners holding supportive cheering goods for their kids. Piyomon’s love for Sora goes hard with her big name banner. Meanwhile, Agumon and Palmon kept it simple with haoris, Tailmon and Patamon too decided to go the simple route with light sticks. Gabumon, Gomamon and Tentomon seem normal from afar with their hand fans but when you get a closer look on all the hearts around Koushiro’s name on Tentomon’s fan, you know the three spent time making those themselves.

All in all, a pretty amazing illustration to be able to get merch of!

But wait that’s not all, andGallery has also teased a future cafe collaboration with Digimon Adventure on their twitter, more info will be announced on 19th Feb but they did share a preview of what to expect.

[celtrist]

EDIT: Just to add for a quick thing, if you're UNSURE about Al wearing gloves being canon, feel free to just disregard the option. I've seen him officially described as wearing gloves, but this could be old info, especially when you consider the official summer merch. It IS still described he has them, so I can only assume it's part of his regular attire and he just had them made to look identical to his actual hands. Plus, it would make sense for his character as someone who wants to be FULLY dressed (full suit fancy thing does normally include gloves) and touch-averse (not to say it's required because of this, just a thought) Again, I could totally be wrong about this info. Feel free to do your own looksie if you're unsure. This is just a funsies thing, not a serious poll :3

[mickeymouseispublicdomain]

Download from the Internet Archive here.

Download from Itch.io here.

You are encouraged to print or otherwise share these with as many people as possible!

[ID: A single-page pamphlet titled, "Mickey Mouse is now in the Public Domain!", with "public domain" underlined and bolded for emphasis. The body of the flyer reads:

"The copy-rights for the animations “Steamboat Willie”, “The Gallopin Gaucho”, “Plane Crazy”, and several promotional posters for them have expired!

But what does this mean for you?

Let’s start with the shorter list:

What you cannot do:

Trick people into thinking the art you are selling of Mickey Mouse is official Disney merch, or sanctioned by Disney

Sell art of Mickey that includes *specific designs* still protected by Disney’s copyright

What you can do:

Share, edit, remix, remaster, and sell the original animations that are now in the Public Domain.

Sell digital, traditional, and written art that you have made of Mickey, Minnie, and Pete, with no permission required!

Add new colors and patterns to Mickey, Minnie, and Pete’s classic outfits, or design them brand new outfits altogether!

Create new stories with Mickey, Minnie, and Pete, as animations, movies, books, or comics, and sell them!

Some common misconceptions…

Some people think that you have to stick to the original designs to the letter, IE: keeping them black and white, not having gloves on Mickey, and not letting them talk – but this is just a misunderstanding of what the Public Domain is! You can design and use them in any way you want, as long as you aren’t using a *specific design* still protected by Disney’s copy-rights. They can have color outfits, gloves, and talk! They belong to all of us now! Have fun!"

Framing the flyer at the top right, middle left, and bottom right are three pictures of Mickey Mouse with red shorts, a tan face, brown shoes, and gold buttons, with a pink tongue when his mouth is open. In the first, at the title, he has his arms thrown into the air with joy. In the second, at the "what you can do" section, he is looking excitedly at something in front of him. In the last, at the "common misconceptions" section, he's wearing a black hat with a red stripe, posed with a smile as he looks at something in front of him. Each is posed to be facing the text, as though they are reacting to it with excitement. End ID.]

[sainte-melasse]

Dress : Handmade ♡ Based on a LeFlacon dress Hat : ahgdfhjgd actually an official One Piece merch that I modified Gloves : Vintage Shoes : MollyPolly on Taobao Parasol : Angelic Pretty

I made a new dress based on my favorite LeFlacon dress (which is sadly starting to get really worn) and I'm so happy with the result. The peacock blue ribbon wasn't the initial color I had planned but it's actually so cute ♡ And unlike the og dress, it's in full cotton ♡♡♡

[ketchupandaxe]

it's me again could I get tips for scourge from warriors cats too?

*Kin Tips For Scourge From Warrior Cats!

-Make paper claws. Alternatively, if you wanna be fancy, you could make or buy claw rings or paint your nails to look like claws.

-Make or buy the collar Scourge wears. Alternatively, you could wear a choker instead.

-Read/re-read the Warrior Cats series. Especially the books when Scourge shows up.

-Collect Warrior Cats merch! It can be from the official site or maybe Etsy.

-Collect real and/or fake bones. If you plan on collecting real bones, make sure you sanitize them.

-Pretend to hunt your plushies (if you have any that is). -Make or buy paw gloves/socks. These can be found mostly on Amazon.

*I hope these help you!

[feldsparred-mo-reblogs]

Hate having to make this post.

So, fangamer released a new set of OW merch. One of the new products is a notebook titled "The Hatchling's Training Log", which features illustrations of hearthians every few pages or so. People have been begging for ages for more representation of different characters in merchandising! On the outside, I literally have nothing to complain about. It is beautiful.

But please for the love of god someone tell me how this ended up being an official product that costs as much as it does.

Feldspar's suit's oxygen lines are completely wrong, the straps and fabric over their gloves is missing, their scarf has the wrong shape, and their helmet is missing vital detail.

Chert is disproportionately round, their gull bod sized conga-style drum is pictured under their arm, and their percussion stick was turned into a drumstick. Their bandana's star pattern is also missing.

GOSSAN'S MISSING EAR IS NOT MISSING IN THE ILLUSTRATION (Tuff has the same issue). Instead, their harness straps have gone on vacation. Their eye scar is also very badly represented.

There are multiple "cheap" filler illustrations, and there is a clear lack of stylistic direction and confidence displayed in the designs.

I need to remind you that this is a product that is licensed and sold as official merchandise. It looks like the artist in question is responsible for the wonderful Riebeck plush that is literally worth more than it costs, and I would never put the blame on them, so please do not come for them either.

But we absolutely deserve better.

This is about a company cutting corners and exploiting the fandom's readiness to spend money on merchandise, maximising their profits by giving someone the job who either lacked time, skill or resources, instead of hiring one of the many amazing artists out there producing quality content.

also just. something I found very funny. Their promotional images feature a sort of "in character" log book entry-

....and it mentions birds.

Maybe they mean the fireflies lol.

[halfetirosie]

🌲 Important info from the [Greenwood Miracle] PV! 🌲 (Reaction post)

1) *Squints at the Text-For-Ants*

*Pulls out my copy of the Klein Alphabet*

(≖_≖) .....?

Okay, I know I'm no Klein-Alphabet-Expert, but am I the only one that can't make sense of this sign???

Dafuq does it say???? My best guess is "Zadtr"?????

2) Awwwww!!! (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

Idk if that's a Topper-plushie, a Topper-hat, or even a Topper-pencil case, but I NEED IT!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

3) *Squints with newfound determination, now with the added challenge of wolfboy-penmanship*

... "Idpit Garu"???

....Was Karu trying to write "idiot Garu" and failed????? (If that's correct and I'm not just being shit at reading Klein script, then that's hilarious!!!🤣🤣🤣)

And of course, the drawing and the little Garu plushie are cute as hell!!! I absolutely adore it when G/Karu's art gets cameos in the background! It adds so much charm and character!

(Side note: If they sold this plushie as official merch---and other plushie themed around past events---I think they would sell really well!!! They should totally do that!!!)

4) Finally, a little animation of Topper actively hiding snacks in Quincy's hair!!! 🤣❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

---Also, because I have a reputation to uphold and I must always comment on it---YES, I am quite happy to see Quincy with long hair. 😇😈

(Honestly, I wish the Devs had made it even longer; but hey, this is a step in the right direction!!!)

5) All ya'll are out here losing your minds over the glove thing---which is perfectly valid, don't get me wrong---BUT THAT TIGHT TURTLENECK + VEST COMBO THO!!!!!

AND THE ADDED UNNECESSARY GARTER ON HIS THIGH!!!!!

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

*Casually wipes away drool*

6) IS THAT A HOODIE I SEE?!!!

HELL YEAH!!!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

I know this is a sorta odd thing to get excited about, but I'm pretty sure they haven't given Eiden a stylish hood since the Rainy Season event, and it looks great on him!!!

7) THAT WINK IS TOO OVERPOWERED, WHAT THE HELL?!!! ♡♡♡♡♡

IT MAKES ME WANT TO PINCH HIS LIL' CHEEKS SO BADLY!!!!!

8) (⸝⸝o̴̶̷᷄ o o̴̶̷̥᷅⸝⸝)

Eiden is getting so many outfit WINS!!! We love to see it!!!

(I'm assuming that that is a wolf-ear hat and not just a beanie at a weird angle, which means Eiden either was given the hat OR he playfully stole it, which is absolutely adorable!!!! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡)

[mako-neexu]

keypoints about Fes (Aug 3-4, 2024) in relation to Dantes/Edguda (aka notes for me after reading a hundred or so Fes tweets)

Fes Day 1

The reveal that Salieri was among the Fes costume line up was hilarious so many people were saying "Okay Jalter!! Du Haine these traitors!!" and also "Come back and enjoy the fes with us Jalter! Bill all your expenses to that stargazing yukata ojisan over there!"

This was truly Avenger class summer (marie alter was also included)

Light reading was absolutely phenomenal - the lines delivered by sakamoto maaya and nobunaga shimazaki in Expo Live were amazing in Id chapter portion!!!!!!

[link of me crying about it] [second link] [third link] [fourth about his tears]

Official ID chapter MAD was insane it 1000% showed that the song was truly the feelings of the Avenger class from the bottom of their heart especially with dantes at the last few lines / the "noise" part too was freaking Salieri's i knew it!!!!!!

Paradis Chateau d'If was said to be insanely sweetly flavor that was strong. The grape is seems to be more jam than jelly. The bottom part was said to be peach syrup itself (but also mixed with some grape). The silver pearls sprinkles are called silver dragees that make it really fancy! It was also really thick that even when the ice melts, it won't thin out or get diluted at all.

Merch of Dantes is always sold out within the hour of both days

Oyo has a new wet monte cristo art

Chaldea (sweet papa) Kitchen Voice - "Owner...? Manager...? No! No, I am neither! I am but the patron. I am the ruler of shadows with an oriental-taste who have contributed in creating this tavern with ample (financial) resources. So enjoy yourself to the fullest! I am sure there is something here that will suit your tastes... No, there certainly is. Ahh, and one more thing, be careful of the heat. Even if you are not hungry, don't be afraid to rest and cool off."

Eye mirror quetionnaire top 3 - tenochtitlan, tonelico, and Monte Cristo

Side note: binaural Live2D Goredolf was cute!! Voiced goff!!!

Royst on day 1 flag with a new work

Tsuzumuda sensei with their message flag released!! thank you for the weapon design!

Fes Day 2

9th Anniversary live with Punchline Cosplay Ojisan!

He has the omamoris, maneki neko design!!! his notebook and feather pen prop!!!!! the cross designs on the glasses, the corset!!!! the gloves!!! the 14 stones!!!!! his cape also has the sea bream pattern!!!!!! the ponytail for Monte Cristo having also purple ends of his wig!!!... his stylists and makeup artists are so cool!!! the bestt aaa

Nobu complimenting Toyonaga Oberon!!!! i love it!!!!!!!!

He also complains being picked by his team mates for who looks like they're a good teacher he's embarassed wwww

"Who is the Servant who is most likely to have the most fun at FGO Fes?" Answer: Castoria Ishtar Mash

When revealing the answer he confidently explains that edmond is having the most fun considering his chaldea kitchen voice!!

After revealing the true answer, he RIGHTFULLY!!! complains to the audience that he's the type to go all out for Master!!!! It was amazing!!!

はしゃいでるマスターを見て一番はしゃいでるのはアイツ😭

I'll make a more detailed post about this... no let's turn it into a fic

Introduction of favorability gauge from space ere-chan brought out tweets of "monte cristo's favorability is MAX from the start so let's keep stacking~" from a lot of jp users www

Usagi Routo new illustrations are about PapaFesmon about guda's future and trying and failing to deny guda's offer of food as well as nobu's day 1 performance and day2 cosplay.. the best.

Flames of Applause Ce [cries and dies]

[talaofthevalley]

if it hasn't been asked already. revolver for the ask game? your postings are fun to read

smacks my desk MY BOY, THANK YOU FOR GIVING HIM TO ME. also thank you that's so sweet of you to say

Why I like them/why I don’t Where do I even start-

He's one of the most honourable characters in the whole franchise. He's ridiculously composed, that the few times he's rattled you know it's significant. He's carrying the sins of his father like they're his own, even though he was eight when the incident happened. But it's like he understands he's the only one who can carry that burden and deliver closure to the ones affected because he wasn't one of the perpetrators, but was still involved and wrapped up in it all.

But he's also a dork who strikes poses during duels. His deck consists of gun and bullet dragons. He's so extra and camp in the best way and is never not taken as a very serious threat. He's one of the strongest duelists in the show. He doesn't consider himself a victim of anything. He was willing to die at the end of S1. He regularly finds the villain of the arc/his enemies first and almost murks them. He's connected to flower and ocean imagery. He gave one of the most beautiful description about loved ones who has passed away I've ever heard. He cares So Much but isn't the best at showing it, yet can help in just the way others need. He hates himself so damn much. But does not let that get in the way of what he believes needs to be done. But he's not completely close-minded either.

Ryoken's just such an amasing character. I love him so much.

What I like about their appearance Everything Since I did the same for Aoi I'll do both his real world and LV designs.

Ryoken: Gorg. Beautiful beautiful boy. I love the soft tones used for his eyes and the blue in his hair. The feathery side bangs are so pretty. And I'm so weak for white hair. I'm not above to admitting I'm not fond of his outfit, but that's just because it's very far from my taste in clothes. I don't think it's as bad as people claim it is though. Love his pink shirt, and that his colour scheme overall in the real world is very soft-toned and almost pastel in contrast to the bolder colours used in his avatar. And of course the eyes, and the eyelashes. My god he is so pretty.

Revolver S1: I like this design! I do think it's usurped by his second avatar, but they share a majority of the same elements and design points, so I'll cover those in the next part. I think his mask is pretty cool ngl, and it's Very yummy to chew on for analysis. The red hair with lighter shades running up the sides looks great as well.

Revolver S2-3: I do think this is just, an absolutely banging design. The way it's separated into parts through use of colours and lines. Love the long gloves, and the coat is so cool, it really adds to his presence. The second avatar did a good I think by adding these cut-ins at the hips to give it more definition and volume.

The new hair colour is really good too, adds another change besides the mask showing more of his face to show his growth from the last time we saw him. Like a visual sign he's mellowed out after the breakdown he had in the S1 finale. Especially love the grey-violet eye colour they gave him, it's really nice. And that visor.... I know it's a crime they hide half of his beautiful face, but it's also so exciting to catch glimpses of his fringe under it. And it does look cool, I can't lie.

And of course I have to point out the bullet earrings. Top tier design. Just immaculate. It's so distinct and memorable. It even got made into official merch. Just iconic.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? His name only gets a letter hacked off in the dub, thankfully, but I cannot take Varis seriously. It's a bit silly, but also in my first language it's spelled and sounds very close to a word for something less than pleasant =_=

OTP Datastormshipping my beloved, datastorm my everything. I can say so much about them but it would make this post even longer.

NOTP Datastorm is such an otp to me that I don't romantically ship either Ryoken or Yusaku with any other character. I don't think anything comes close to NOTP status for me with Ryoken though.

OT3 But I can accept Ai into the mix, since I see him and Yusaku as very queerplatonic.

Favourite card they use Am I basic if I say Borreload Dragon. I love that giant gun boy so much. The colour scheme is very nice, especially with the contrasting teal wings.

But also. Mirror Force is so iconic. It is SO FUNNY they had Revolver use Mirror Force and built it up so much. And for Link monsters it technically is! They can't be put in defense position! How effective it is makes it even funnier. You know he was having a blast blindsiding people with all these old trap cards.

Favourite moment they were in I can't pick one oh god-

Okay but, seriously I can't pick just one. He has so many good moments over the course of the show. All the duels against Yusaku. The first irl conversation he has with Yusaku. First time using Storm Access. Crashing the Ignis reunion party and curbstomping Windy into putty. The due against Lightning. The AFTERMATH of the duel against Lightning. Both duels against Takeru. The final scene between Ryoken and Yusaku. Yeah no I can't pick one. And a lot of his best moments are built from past scenes and the development he's had across the show.

Least favourite moment None, my perfect boy has done nothing wrong in his whole life- /j

[pony-central]

Character Analysis - SMG3

Hello again, fellow SMG4 fans. Today, we're gonna be taking a look at the guy who conquered The Internet Graveyard - SMG3.

Now, looking at the picture here, you can see that SMG3 is a good character. Which is true. He's improved a lot since The YouTube Arc. Take it as Character Development of some kind.

SMG3 is a Meme Guardian who came to the Mushroom Kingdom in a USB Flashdrive that was originally meant to go to the Internet Graveyard, as shown in SMG4's Origins. It was back then that SMG3 and SMG4 had a rivalry, which dissolved after they became friends.

SMG3 appears as the same height as SMG4, but takes on a different look. Just like the Meme Man, SMG3 had two redesigns to no longer look like a Mario recolour. SMG3 has red eyes, facial hair and black hair. He is shown wearing an indigo hat with a cut on the brim, long sleeved shirt and dark purple overalls, which were originally black overalls. He also wears black studded boots and white gloves with black cuffs. The gloves have the Roman numeral of the number 3.

One of his concepts had him with spikes as the base for his gloves, and another one had him with black gloves.

SMG3's story started as early as 2011, where he was shown to have a disliking of SMG4, and began ripping off the latter's videos to get back at him for being a better Meme Guardian. Nine years later, SMG3 was punished for his actions by being sent to the Internet Graveyard as a proper punishment. He was easily able to rule over IG.

Throughout most of the current seasons, he was sometimes the voice of reason, as seen in Mar10 Day, where he tried to reason with SMG4 for causing a ruckus at the party. That shows us that he was just trying to calm Four down, only for this to not work.

Throughout all of It's Gotta Be Perfect, as the keyboard was corrupting SMG4 like crazy, SMG3 was shown to have some moments where he did genuinely care for SMG4's safety. That's the sign of a true friend. Once SMG4 does release himself from the keyboards grasp, Three is the first to smile at him, with happy tears in his eyes, knowing that his friend had saved himself.

In the past we've seen how SMG3 acts whenever SMG4 calls him a Tsundere, or if he states that SMG3 is sometimes insecure. There have been times where Three refers to him as "Baka", which could indicate that Three thinks of SMG4 and himself as being "more than just friends". Heh heh. This results in SMG3 having a small blush whenever calling SMG4 "Baka".

War of the Fat Italians 2023 had some classic funny moments, including Mission 10. This is where we need to talk about Snowtrapped. Ha ha.

In case you know already, Snowtrapped is a blooper of SMG4 that came out in 2016. It was famous for the moment that happened at 6:50, which was the question in WOTFI 2023's 10th mission. And let's just say that fans did not see both igloo references coming at all. I was jut laughing throughout the mission, which was a success.

Now let's talk about SMG3's Sussy Notebook, which was never seen again after WOTFI 2023.

SMG3 notebook is a purple notebook with yellow bands on the edges, warning people to "Keep Out", as it has secrets about SMG4 and SMG3. It was first shown in The Watermelon Man, as SMG3 was shown writing in it. It has since became a recurring item up until the latest WOTFI. Nobody knows what secrets it has until it became official Merch.

His relationship with SMG4

SMG4 and SMG3, AKA SMG34/SMG43 (depends on what you guys use), is a popular ship on the Internet that's either used in a platonic way or a romantic way. Sometimes the fans go too far with it an create angst, sometimes it becomes evident over the course of the show. We will talk about more SMG34/SMG43 moments in another analysis soon.

The analysis of the SMG34/SMG43 ship is next on out Character Analysis. Also, suggest ideas in the notes for anyone you want an analysis of from different shows after the SMG34/SMG43 analysis is done.

[stranger-rants]

Another part of the birthday gift series 💜

March 29, 1990.

Billy turns 23.

It’s a Thursday, but Billy doesn’t get his birthday gift on Thursday, March 29, 1990 because by that time it would be too late.

No, Steve surprises Billy two weeks before with his present. Billy’s eyes light up like a child’s when Steve presents him with tickets to see Mötley Crüe in Fort Wayne, Indiana on March 21st. He hasn’t seen Billy that excited for something in a long time if ever.

They get a hotel room closer to the venue. Billy spends a lot of time choosing an outfit for the show, not just for himself but for Steve, too. Steve can’t be seen at a metal concert in a polo. It just isn’t right, so Billy let’s him borrow his leather jacket, skin tight jeans, and a band t-shirt so he can be “presentable” enough when they go.

The concert is high energy and chaotic and fun and Steve loves it about just as much as Billy does because he gets to see a side of Billy he hasn’t really seen before. Billy is carefree, grinning from ear to ear. Singing along to every verse. Joking around with the strangers next to him. It makes him fall in love with Billy all over again.

“Fuck, I love this song!” Billy shouts when they begin to play Looks That Kill. Steve is fairly certain Billy loves every song since he keeps saying it over and over, but the pure joy and excitement radiating off of Billy is infectious. It doesn’t matter that it isn’t typically Steve’s type of music because he’s decided he loves every song that makes Billy this happy.

After the concert, Billy’s gone to take a piss and Steve’s hanging around the venue waiting for him. A familiar looking guy bumps into him by accident with an “Oh, shit. Sorry, dude!” as his drink soaks Steve’s, well, Billy’s band t-shirt. The guy offers to make it up to him. Grabs him a new shirt and some official merch that he signs.

The guy is long gone when Billy returns. Billy notices the new shirt, and Steve explains the whole incident leaving out the part that the guy he ran into was one of the band members. He doesn’t need to know he just missed one of his heroes. Billy shrugs as they head out to the parking lot. “Least we got a free official tour shirt out of it, those things are fucking expensive.”

“We? Who says I’m giving this shirt up,” Steve teases.

“Well, it was my shirt that got ruined,” Billy teases right back, “so give it here, bitch!”

“No, no. I’m keeping this!”

They chase each other around the parking lot for a bit, laughing until they’re out of breath. Billy finds more creative ways to get the shirt off of him when they get back to their hotel room.

On March 29, 1990, Billy opens the glove compartment of his fixed up Camaro to find a Shout At The Devil cassette tape that’s been autographed by Nikki Sixx.

[moocha-muses]

Prompt: nostalgia

Sure, Anon! Here's a poem about nostalgia.

Everyone- -this is the number one sign that you're a 90s kid- -dreamed of that moment. You're in your living room, Keds on the sofa, a half-eaten bowl of Cheerios in your hands -so you can drop them on the floor in shock, milk flying everywhere- and the portal opens up, and it's sparkling and magical, and out pop the Meringue Gang, ready to whisk you away on a magical adventure. "Don't worry! You'll be home before dinner!" So, look. When the Pomegranate Protector herself showed up? With the Blueberry Battlemage by her side? And the Cherry Champion and the Apple Pie Archer right behind? I didn't hesitate. I mean, I checked my glasses, I made sure I hadn't accidentally poured myself a bowlful of milk and peyote buttons, but- I didn't- I didn't think about my kids, or my husband, or my dog, or my job. (Seriously, like anyone would think about their job?) I knew what was waiting on the other side: Pie trees, and soda pop rivers, and three rainbows a day guaranteed. I held on tight to their little gloves hands and I jumped. Thirty-seven wasn't too old to be the chosen one. They'd missed me the first time around, sure, but they were busy heroes and it happened and now, with the reboot and all the new merch- I'd bought three different t-shirts. the classic glow-in-the dark reprint, and the new one with the scratch-and-sniff sleeves- My daughter and I had matching backpacks. I was wearing the officially branded pajama bottoms when they'd portalled in right in the front of the TV- of course they'd found me. Of course they needed me. Someone has to make all those damn shirts.

[porunareff]

what's your favorite piece of merch?

Oh friend I have so many!!

The Metallica magnet;

The Stone Ocean puppets;

The StarPlat gloves;

The stretchy rubber Santana;

That cursed Reg Magician's headwear;

and many others I'm probably forgetting. Also if we're including non-official merch, I obviously have to mention the legendary sex pistols pocket p*****s!! 😤😤