#wearing the cape

[improbable-implosions]

Need something to do tonight? Try my stream!

We're taking another bold step outside the public domain on Paper Cuts tonight, this time with Marion G. Harmon's Wearing the Cape!

I absolutely loved this book from the first time I read it in high school, it's got an absolutely fascinating take on superheroes and how they'll enmesh with celebrity culture in a world not unlike the one we knew then. The series at large poses some fascinating questions about duty, legacy, and just what it means for these cities to court powerful superteams, and this first book in particular focuses on the difficulty of "coming out" into hero society.

Want to hear more? Need specifics on some of what I pointed out there? Come drop by tonight, 8pm pacific time, and I'll be reading it aloud, live!

(That's April 5th, 8pm pacific, and if you miss it, there'll be a VOD, too!)

And if you want to grab the book to read along, you can find it here:

Last but not least, if you like the sound of a live audiobook, go check out the podcast, available in your favorite podcatcher! I'd suggest looking for titles that sound interesting, I name the first episode of each book after the title!

[jonathanpongratz]

Book Review: Wearing the Cape (Wearing the Cape #1)

  Hello Caped Crusaders! It’s time for another book review! This time I read Wearing the Cape (Wearing the Cape #1) by Marion G. Harmon. This has been on my TBR for ages, so when I saw this was available at my library I just had to give it a try. Let’s see how it went!   Blurb WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO? Hope did, but she grew out of it. Which made her superhuman breakthrough in the Ashland…

[8crimson]

My Superhero team #4

The Question- Vic Sage, reporter, detective, and conspiracy nut.

Powers and tools: Intellect, investigation, journalism, unarmed combat, and acrobatics. Wears a mask made of the material "pseudoderm" which can only be removed with a special "binary gas" that is also used as a smokescreen.

first appearance: Blue Beetle (1967) #1

The Spirit- Denny Colt, private investigator, criminologist, and pretend-dead person.

Powers: Intellect, investigation, athletics, unarmed combat, and longevity.

first appearance: "The Origin of The Spirit"

The Shadow- Kent Allard, spy, aviator, legend.

Powers and tools: Intellect, spycraft, hypnosis, jujutsu, and master of disguise. Girasol Ring used as a focus for his hypnotic abilities. Arms himself with a pair of Clot .45s.

first appearace: Detective Story Hour

Night Thrasher- Dwayne Taylor, vigilante, leader, and skateboard enthusiast.  

Powers and tools: Enegineering, acute computer literacy, acrobatics, and, maritial arts. Wears a light weight bulletproof, fireproof, and knifeproof armored suit geared with cloaking tech. Along with a helemet with multi-vision goggles, breathing apparatus, voice scrambler, and other accoutrements. Gauntlets that could fire pepper spray and sleeping gas. Main weapon of choice is a pair of Escrima sticks. Uses a high tech armored fiberglass skateboard to get around.

first appearance: Mighty Thor #411

Knight Watchman- Reid Randall, seasoned hero, widower, and fashion designer.

Powers and tools: Olympic-level athlete, martial arts, ninjutsu and investigation. Known to use night-sticks.

first appearance: Berzerker #1

Artemis-Jacky Bouchard, P.I., day walker, master barista.

Powers and tools: Investigation, gunplay, supernatural strength, mesmerizing gaze (magnified through drinking blood), and mist transformation. Known to use handguns or advanced tasers called "E-lasers".

first appearance: Wearing the cape

ShadowHawk-Eddie Collins, vigilante, legacy, teenager.

Powers and tools: Unarmed Combat. Wears a helmet known as Nommo which holds the spirits of all the previous ShadowHawks, and grants him a suit. The suit provides enhanced strength, speed, agility, and stamina; along with metamorphic weapon and tool manifestation.

first appearance: New Man #4

[koszmarnybudyn]

Monster John is something that can be so very special.

[ziseviolet]

If the coats with hoods aren’t historically accurate, what coats did Chinese people wear prior to the modern period?

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

By "coats with hoods", I assume you're referring to the doupeng/斗篷 (cloak/cape) commonly seen in modern hanfu and guzhuang (drama costumes), like the one below (x):

Chinese people did wear doupeng prior to the modern period, along with other kinds of coats. However, as I mentioned in my post here, historical Chinese doupeng did not have hoods attached to the cloak/cape. That is why many modern doupeng aren't considered historically accurate - because they have hoods attached. Below are examples of more historically accurate, hoodless doupeng (1/2):

In the image on the above left, the model is wearing a separate, detached hood/hat called fengmao/风帽 (wind hat) which was historically worn to keep warm. Below - examples of fengmao (1/2):

Historically, fengmao was often worn with doupeng when travelling during cold weather (x). Below - women wearing doupeng & fengmao in historical art (top row), and Chinese opera performers wearing doupeng & fengmao as part of their costumes (bottom row) (x):

Oftentimes the doupeng & fengmao are matching, which can give the impression that they are attached - but if you look carefully, you can see that they are separate. Below - Chinese opera costume (x):

Below are historical photos of women wearing doupeng in 1920s Beijing - note how they are hoodless (1/2):

Hooded doupeng, in contrast, are more similar to historical western cloaks, such as the below American/European cloaks from the 18th century (1/2):

The hooded doupeng of modern hanfu are likely based on those seen in guzhuang dramas - another instance of drama costumes not being the most historically accurate (x):

An example of a drama with a historically accurate depiction of doupeng & fengmao is the 1987 TV adaptation of Dream of the Red Chamber. As seen in the below images, the characters wear hoodless doupeng & occasionally matching fengmao as part of their winter wardrobe (1/2/3):

The 1994 TV adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms also depicts historically accurate, hoodless doupeng & matching fengmao worn by men (x):

For more references, please check out my doupeng, fengmao, and winter wear tags.

Hope this helps!

[hiyogdh]

the winds of the north are cold, royal advisor

[zarla-s]

I think we all need more skeles with tails in our life

Resurrecting this ancient ask out of nowhere with a long tail! I also love the goat family having long tails so why not combine the two, haha.

[index] [patreon]

[doctorsiren]

Summertime Rainstorm

[coatl-cuddles]

Idk if I ever posted the full of that one drawpile here yet, but here it isssss

[drenched-in-sunlight]

the golden ring on Messmer’s crest is from the symbol on the eye Marika blessed him with + it’s on the ring he wears as well (remember what I said about in Palmistry, wearing ring on the middle finger implies responsibility, devotion and justice, so it’s something the head of the family would wear).

even though he took out the eye, he still wore the ring in his Base Serpent form. and if you look closely, every plate on his armor is engraved with that golden ring symbol as well.

it’s poetry to me 😭

(render from Zlofsky on twitter)

[casually-eat-my-soul]

Tiny stiles who wants to be a super hero so he begs his mother to make him a cape - “it has to be red mom, all the superheroes have capes and red is my favorite colour.” - but he also says it needs a hood so he can hide his face from the bad guys.

And his mother makes it for him a red cape with a hood! And he wears it every chance he gets, it’s his favourite thing ever. He wears it into his journey into the woods and when he saved a random dog in the woods. He wears it to the grocery store where he bumps into a boy who calls him “little red riding hood” and every time after that, when he see stiles he calls him little red. Even after stiles stops wearing the cape. He complains to the dog in the woods, but for some odd reason it seems amused.

He pretends to hate it but after his mother dies, it becomes a constant that he can rely on. Until he can’t. So he forgets.

Well until the day he is holding Derek who’s been shot by a wolfbane bullet and Derek is delirious and saying random things.- “thanks little red” - he smiles at stiles before he pass out.

[avephelis]

theo your rolls too tough your swag too different they'll kill you...

[glazedcroissant]

unsupervised

[boobilby]

Oooh maybe Zedaph (or wormman) and Evil X hanging out for the requests please?

Your local superhero and his sidekick, the devil!

[lucdoodle]

"For old time's sake? We could- ah..."

[villowstar]

kris! kris! kris!