#colors: mark bernardo

[marcogiovenale]

oggi, 16 aprile, a roma, biblioteca nazionale: presentazione dei 'quaderni di fisica e metafisica'

cliccare per ingrandire Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale (Roma). La Fondazione Francesco Federico Cerruti per l’Arte, in collaborazione con il Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, presenta il ciclo di conferenze dedicato ai primi tre numeri dei «Quaderni di Fisica e Metafisica», rivista di approfondimento – edita da Allemandi Editore – su tematiche legate alla raccolta della Collezione…

[marvelman901]

Adventures of the X-Men vol 1 8 (1996)

My Brother's Keeper

Written by Ralph Macchio

Penciled by Andy Kahn

Inked by Ralph Cabrera

Colors by Paul Becton

Lettered by Michael Higgins

Edited by Mark Bernardo

Cover by Andy Kahn

Gambit went back to Louisiana...

[josh0555]

This is the Summer Station ID of GMA in 2010. The Summer Station ID was themed “All-Stars and the Sun”

The Summer Station ID Theme Song is Reach for the Stars by Owl City from the video game Sonic Colors. 

The Summer Station ID features Ritz Azul, Alice Dixson, Arcee Muñoz, Tuesday Vargas, Eula Caballero, Marian Rivera, Bea Alonzo, Xian Lim, AiAi delas Alas, Cherry Pie Picache, Long Mejia, Marco Alcaraz, Raymond Bagatsing, Bayani Agbayani, JC de Vera, Martin Escudero, Gerald Anderson, Daniel Padilla, Alwyn Uytingco, DM Sevilla, Shawn Yao, Vice Ganda, Kim Chiu, Kristine Hermosa, KC Concepcion, Meg Imperial, Liza Soberano, Lovely Abella, Marc Logan, Vicky Morales, Ryan Agoncillo, Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, Martin Nievera, Gloria Diaz, Will Smith, Dominic Roco, Felix Roco, Arnell Ignacio, Emman Abelda, Joshua Dionisio, RJ Padilla, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, Heart Evangelista, Erich Gonzales, Dimples Romana, Gardo Versoza, Paolo Ballesteros, Oyo Boy Sotto, McCoy de Leon, Jhong Hilario, Claudine Barretto, Gelli de Belen, Judy Ann Santos, Jodi Sta. Maria, Melai Cantiveros, Iza Calzado, Imee Hart, Iwa Moto, Sugar Mercado, Sheena Halili, Empress Schuck, Aiko Melendez, Andi Eigenmann, Paula Peralejo, Rica Peralejo, Rose Van Ginkel, Maine Mendoza, Catherine Bernardo, Sef Cadayona, Edgar Allan Guzman, Rainier Castillo, Renz Fernandez, Kokoy de Santos, Edu Manzano, Jericho Rosales, Tonipet Gaba, Diether Ocampo, Aga Muhlach, Michael Roy Jornales, Christian Vasquez, Gabby Concepcion, Wendell Ramos, Bearwin Meily, Rudy Fernandez, Junell Hernando, Piolo Pascual, Janno Gibbs, Derek Ramsay, Rafael Rosell, Onemig Bondoc, Mark Herras, Joseph Bitangcol, Paolo Contis, Eric Fructuoso, Patrick Garcia, Zanjoe Marudo, Elmo Magalona, Cedrick Juan, Albie Casiño, AJ Perez, Joem Bascon, Randy Santiago, Wowie de Guzman, Vhong Navarro, Teddy Corpuz, Billy Crawford, Jiro Manio, Addy Raj, Sid Lucero, Arra San Agustin, Rufa Mae Quinto, James Reid, Ken Alfonso, Tommy Esguerra, Rico Barrero, Tom Rodriguez, Hayden Kho, Lucho Ayala, Phytos Ramirez, Gil Cuerva, Mikael Daez, Nadine Lustre, Janella Salvador, Kim Domingo, Carla Abellana, Bianca Umali, Kylie Padilla, Bela Padilla, Mariel Rodriguez, Krystal Reyes, Toni Gonzaga, Camille Prats, Jennylyn Mercado, Luis Manzano, Matteo Guidicelli, DingDong Dantes, Enchong Dee, Enrique Gil, Carlo Aquino, John Lloyd Cruz, Benjamin Alves, Rocco Nacino, Dennis Trillo, Aljur Abrenica, Paulo Avelino, EJ Falcon, Yves Flores, Ken Chan, Paolo Serrano, Ivan Dorschner, Enrico Cuenca, Derrick Monasterio, Ramon Bautista, Diego Loyzaga, Ion Perez, John Vic de Guzman, Arjo Atayde, Victor Silayan, Neil Perez, Jayson Gainza, Dino Imperial, JM de Guzman, Jeric Gonzales, Jerome Ponce, Julia Montes, Angel Locsin, Ellen Adarna, Shaina Magdayao, Sanya Lopez, Heaven Peralejo, Jessie Mendiola, Ivana Alawi, Coleen Garcia, Dianne Medina, Kylie Versoza, RR Enriquez, Iya Villania, Cindy Miranda, Angelika dela Cruz, Andrea del Rosario, Sunshine Cruz, Princess Ryan, Drew Arellano, Joross Gamboa including twin brothers Rodjun and Rayver Cruz, DJ Willie Revillame and Regine Velasquez with her husband Ogie Alcasid.

The Summer Station ID also contains child actors Angelica Panganiban, Alex Gonzaga, Cristine Reyes, Nash Aguas, Valeen Montenegro, David Licauco, Andrea Torres, Vince Gamad, Lianne Valentin, Barbie Forteza, Sharlene San Pedro, Glaiza de Castro, Joshua Colet, Louise Abuel, Martin del Rosario, Jane Oineza, Tony Labrusca, Miguel Tanfelix, Ysabel Ortega, Bea Binene, Migo Adecer, Vin Abrenica, Sophie Albert, Mark Neumann, Shaira Mae Diaz, Akihiro Blanco and Chanel Morales, featuring the SexBomb girls, Shalani Soledad, Niña Jose and Maxine Medina, US singer Michael Jackson, British boy band One Direction and the supergroup Bravo All-Stars.

The Summer Station ID also includes faceless cameos of Carmina Villaroel, Eugene Domingo, Nora Aunor, Noli de Castro, Kara David, The Tulfo Brothers, Cherie Mercado, Bernadette Sembrano, Mariz Umali, Kim Atienza, Jiggy Manicad, Ted Failon, Arnold Clavio, Mico Halili, Robin Padilla, Bong Revilla, Jess Lapid Jr., Dan Alvaro, Keempee de Leon, RK Bagatsing, Isko Moreno, Archie Alemania, Polo Ravales, Neil Ryan Sese, Gian Magdangal, Cris Villanueva, Janus del Prado, Brad Turvey, Carlo Gonzales, Raymart Santiago, Ronnie Ricketts, JP de Guzman, Marco Sison, Albert Martinez, Mel Martinez, Marvin Agustin, Ian Veneracion, John Arcilla and Jolo Revilla.

The Summer Station ID re-uses the clips of the 2007 Summer Station ID of ABS-CBN which is “Piliin Mo Ang Pilipinas” and the Just Lose It music video from Art Attack which featured the host Steve Burns but he retired in 2008. But the Summer Station includes the Rebisco Extreme commercial where Drew Arellano goes insane bicycling in Mexico, the Fit N’Right commercial where Joross Gamboa goes skateboarding, the Carefree pantyliners commercial in 2009 where Kim Chiu, Kristine Hermosa, KC Concepcion, Meg Imperial, Liza Soberano and Lovely Abella go longboarding but it will be re-used in the 2011 Safeguard Active commercial but it will feature Luis Manzano, Matteo Guidicelli, DingDong Dantes, Enchong Dee, Rocco Nacino, Dennis Trillo, John Lloyd Cruz and Benjamin Alves go longboarding in the future 2012 Summer Station ID of TV5 which is “Iba Ka-Summer Ang Kapatid” where the TV5 crew members go extreme and have fun in the sun.

This is also the first Summer Station ID of GMA to feature the crew of ABS-CBN, GMA and TV5.

[kyraisdead]

Chapter 2 - Impious

The Chancel was alive with the low murmur of conversation as Alessandro stepped through the heavy doors, his boots muffled by the thick carpet that ran down the center of the room. His brothers were already gathered, sitting uncomfortably at the table while Antonio paced about the head of it. It wasn’t the heavy, thoughtful pacing that was so common for the non-leading men in the church. No, he walked like he was struggling not to skip, his hands anxiously fidgeting, tucked in a ducktail behind his back while he awaited the arrival of their parents. He was third in birth order, but seemed to be the most eager out of all of them to take power, although not the most well-prepared. That title went to Bernardo, the eldest. He was kind—good to Alessandro, and all of the family. Perhaps he was too good to their father, earning him the reputation of suck-up to the rest of the Ministry. He was encouraged to ignore it, to maintain his loyalty, which he had no qualms about. Any that he had were sent to Alessandro by a method of frustrated glance and completely kept from the younger brothers. That was the curse of being the second eldest; never given enough responsibility to complain, but given the responsibility of hearing the eldest complain about his own.

The room itself was unpleasant—a lengthy, dramatized rectangle with stone pillars towards the windowed front. In the darkness of the humid, early morning, the spacious room with its mono-color walls and thick, moist air became almost claustrophobic.

He was on the verge of asking if Antonio had meant to schedule for later when the door finally opened. The door creaked slowly as it was pushed with shaking hands, the mark of the old man—their father.

At age fifty, he was looking more decrepit than ever. Age had been unkind to him, just as he had been unkind to them. It was God’s merciful way of giving Karma to those who disgraced Him with their actions, benefiting others in the process—all except the ones whom he had to lean on. Luckily, that responsibility was currently reserved for their mother, walking close behind, who was perhaps ten years younger when measured in grey hair, or hair at all for that matter. In Alessandro’s eyes, the woman was no less power-hungry than Giuseppe, and had she not been restricted by her womanhood, she might have been worse. It was hard to feel sorry for her, even knowing of his father’s dependency and unkindness. He’d seen firsthand how she spoke to the nuns that inhabited the abbey, and it chilled him to the bone even in his twenties. He preferred absence over abuse. He figured the young women did too, and unlike him, were denied the occasional option of walking away.

She aimed to take her seat, pausing only to help her husband into his own. At some point, Alessandro had been told, Giuseppe had been a healthy, lively man. It was hard to believe. In the lifetimes of all but his first son, he’d been ill, with swollen legs and a constant pain which he complained about often. It had become one of his favorite pastimes to do so.

Lucia, their mother, gestured with her hand to signal for Antonio to come closer. Despite his aged bitterness, Giuseppe’s cracked lips pulled into a smile at the sight of his third son.

“Antonio.” His voice was soft, dry-throated, and slow. It was a strange dynamic the pair had; to see an upper member of the clergy addressing a lesser with such fondness and respect was odd, disturbing. “To what do we owe this gathering?” Gathering. The word was spoken with warmth. He’d always hated the meeting, constant and dreary, associated with Catholicism. The shiny new title was little more than a pseudonym. These gatherings were not and never had been celebrations of familial warmth for those other than the full-blooded.

“I have news,” Antonio responded with smooth excitement. Pale teeth flashed in a left-skewed smile before fading into one that was more confident and close-mouthed. He paused then, hands resting upon narrow hips as his eyes floated about the room. He had an air of drama about him that he seemed to have possessed from the moment he was born, a presence that demanded attention. It was all a man in a position of power needed; not brains, not brawn, but an ability to keep people’s attention. It had earned him plenty of favor over the years, especially from the female portion of the congregation. That granted him ego, but the appreciation from their parents granted him power, which he was aggravatingly uninterested in.

Antonio took a slow step forward, eyes glinting with the promise of something grand, something that would change the course of their lives—or at least, that’s how he made it seem. He allowed the silence to stretch for just a beat too long, enjoying the power he felt in that moment. The rest of the family watched him with varying degrees of impatience and curiosity, but Alessandro couldn't help the bitter edge that crept into his mind. Theatrics. It was all Antonio ever offered—grand declarations without substance. Yet his family hung on every word, desperate for any sign of their son’s supposed greatness. But now, his usual confidence seemed more like a thin veil, barely masking the uncertainty gnawing at him.

“I’ve been thinking,” he began, his voice taking on a thoughtful, almost hesitant quality. He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “About... the future.” The slight quiver in his voice was uncharacteristic, but he quickly masked it with a deliberate shift of his posture, trying to regain his usual flair. He let his gaze wander over the table, landing on each of his brothers for only a second before looking away again, his fingers absently drumming against the edge of the wood.

Their mother looked up from her own quiet contemplation, her brow furrowed slightly in curiosity. The slightest edge of excitement began to creep into the room, but Antonio wasn’t quite ready to reveal the nature of his thoughts. He wasn’t sure how to say it without sounding less than certain.

“I... well, I’ve been considering a union,” he continued, the words leaving his mouth with an odd carefulness. The tension in the air thickened, but he ignored it, his gaze dropping to his hands, which now twisted the fabric of his cassock in a way he couldn’t control. Antonio paced again, the soft rasp of his boots against the stone floor the only sound in the room besides the low murmurs of conversation. The excitement that had been so evident in his earlier words had begun to falter, and now his movements were tight, almost measured. Alessandro noted the way his youngest brother’s fingers twitched at his sides, as though they were itching for something to grasp, but nothing could distract him for long. He had returned to the conversation, though it wasn’t with the same eager light he’d started with.

Alessandro’s gaze shifted to their father, whose sagging form seemed even smaller than usual as he settled into his chair. The room had taken on a dim, oppressive air, thick with a sense of waiting. But then Antonio stopped pacing and faced them, his shoulders straighter now as if pulling himself together.

“I’ll be making an engagement,” he said, voice suddenly quieter but no less deliberate. He held his posture with a careful poise, like someone trying to convince himself of the conviction behind his words. “I intend to propose to a Sister.” He spoke the words slowly, as though giving them weight, when any name that began with the title of Sister was decidedly weightless.

Alessandro’s attention sharpened. One of the sisters. The way Antonio spoke made it seem like something grand, like a marriage to someone of high station, but there was a dissonance in his words, a sense that didn't quite fit. Sister? Alessandro had never heard mention of any sister who could command attention, much less that of his younger brother. The silence stretched in the room. Was it meant to be impressive? To whom, Alessandro wondered. Who exactly was Antonio trying to convince?

Their father’s brow furrowed briefly, as though testing the weight of Antonio’s announcement. “One of the sisters,” he echoed, his voice cracking in the way it always did when he was caught off guard but unwilling to show it.

“Father,” Antonio added, glancing quickly at their mother for a second before continuing, “I believe it’s a step I must take.” His hands flexed at his sides, the tension palpable despite the calm in his voice. His mouth remained tight, his jaw set. The way his eyes avoided their father’s too-long gaze spoke more than the words ever could.

Alessandro glanced at his brothers. Antonio was still standing, but the air around him had shifted. There was something awkward in the way his shoulders were stiff, in the way he spoke as if it were all already decided—when, in truth, it seemed almost tentative. As though he was trying to convince himself as much as anyone else.

Giuseppe’s hands trembled slightly as he rested them on the armrests of his chair, his gaze distant and clouded. For a moment, it seemed like he might say more—perhaps challenge Antonio or demand a more convincing argument—but instead, his lips pulled into a thin, uncertain smile. He cleared his throat, the sound harsh against the quiet room.

“Well,” he said, his voice dry as dust. “If you believe this is a step you must take, then... I won’t stand in your way.” He looked to Antonio, his eyes catching his son’s for just a moment before drifting away again. The words were reluctant, barely a blessing, but the weight of his position—of his role—kept him from outright refusal.

Alessandro could feel the awkwardness in the air, the way Giuseppe's words barely scraped the surface of acceptance. It was clear this wasn’t an announcement he had been prepared for, and even less one he was eager to support. But Antonio was his son, after all, and Giuseppe’s pride couldn’t entirely suppress the appearance of approval, even if it was begrudging.

Lucia, sitting beside him, leaned back in her chair, a small, tight smile stretching over her lips as she glanced at Antonio, though she said nothing. The room fell into a thick silence again, the kind that was uncomfortable but familiar—a silence Alessandro had come to dread over the years. The kind that would stretch on and on, filled with unspoken things.

The room, for all its silence, was heavy with the weight of something unsaid. And yet, no one dared to ask the question that lingered in the air: who was the woman?

[poshsmaroulis]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: NEW Bernardo Sandals 12 Medium Leather Double Braid BRONZE & PEWTER Chic Luxury.

[mysterymirrors]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Steve Madden Sanndee Taupe Nubuck Leather Flat Gladiator Sandals - 7M.

[luxetings]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: {Bernardo} Studded Patent Leather Thong Sandals.

[mobius-prime]

126. Knuckles the Echidna #25

Childhood's End

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Manny Galan Colors: Mark Bernardo

It's finally time for a reunion a long time in the making - the reunion, of course, between Knuckles and Locke! Due to this being the 25th issue, it's not part of a larger arc, it's standalone. Knuckles is helping Julie-Su clean up the mess left behind by the fight against the Legion in the base where they were both held captive a couple issues ago, when upon picking up Benedict's robotic skull, he spots a reflection on its side that stuns him. He drops the skull as Julie-Su calls after him, racing after the figure he saw reflected and ending up on the streets of the city.

There's a lot of things Knuckles could do here. I'm sure many people expected him to be angry, yell at his father for leaving him and keeping secrets, act on any feelings of betrayal he may have. But in the end, this is a teenager who, according to the intro page, hasn't seen his father in six whole years, ever since he jumped into the wall of fire in front of him, and so he begins to cry and embraces Locke, saying how happy he is to see him. They just stand there hugging for a moment, and then Knuckles begins to boil over with questions, wanting to know everything. Locke leads him away so they can talk more privately, and they head out jut as Julie-Su emerges onto the street as well, looking for him.

Ooh boy, I sense a conflict coming up. Locke and Knuckles get into a shuttle and Locke pilots them to Haven, which Knuckles asks for more information on, seeing as he didn't spend very long there before and thus didn't get many answers about it. And so Locke begins a flashback-laden history lesson, pretty much par for the course for anything Kenders gets his hands on. Haven was originally built by the fire ants to be a base for the current Guardian, Steppenwolf (remember him? Son of Edmund), to carry out his duties. Eventually Steppenwolf had a son, Moonwatcher, and trained him to be a Guardian as well. However, soon enough, Steppenwolf realized that there might be more danger to the Floating Island than just that from within.

Man, why are the Overlanders always so evil in these earlier issues? It's like the entire species is constantly plotting to take over everything and kill Mobians just because they can. Then again, the ones up there are led by a Kintobor, so I guess the Kintobors have always just been a crappy family. Steppenwolf senses their insincerity, and proceeds to mind-torture them with extreme pain until they agree to never set foot on the island again. Geez, man, I get they were traitorous, but did you really have to go that far? Turns out it was the fire ants with their telepathic powers that were able to warn him of the Overlanders' intentions. Steppenwolf had a chat with his fire ant mentor Christopheles, and together they agreed that there would always be more people trying to invade the island, so they should take extra security measures to ensure it would be properly protected.

As Locke tells this story, they land in Haven, and Knuckles begins to ask about it again, prompting Locke to reveal that it wasn't always kept a secret from the current Guardian. He continues his story - originally, Steppenwolf decided that there should be more than one Guardian always at the ready to protect the island, so he brought Moonwatcher to Haven, and they began to trade off duties. One would explore the surface of whatever landmass they were flying over, while the other would remain on the island and look after everyone on it.

I like how Harlan looks like a totally normal Knuckles clone while Rembrandt looks like this crazy hippie who decided to only dress himself in articles of clothing he found at grandpa's garage sale. The family line continued up to Rembrandt's son, Aaron, which is probably the most normal name for any echidna we've seen so far. Aaron was on the surface of the planet one day when he encountered a squad of Overlanders roaming around with, to his shock, some Dark Legionnaires, who, upon seeing him and recognizing him as a Guardian, tried to capture him. Aaron tried to run away but ran straight into Menniker himself (who was still alive because of the slower passing of time in the Twilight Zone, if you'll recall Kragok mentioning before), next to a giant missile. Apparently the Dark Legion was conspiring with the Overlanders to just straight up explode the Floating Island, and, panicking, one of the Overlanders fired the missile prematurely, to Menniker's fury. Aaron jumped up and managed to land on it, and was doing a fine job of disarming it midair until Menniker landed on it as well to stop him.

Both Aaron and Menniker were vaporized in the explosion, and Rembrandt and the rest of the Guardians were distraught at the loss. However, the family line didn't end there, as Aaron's younger brother Jordan offered himself up to become the next Guardian in his late brother's place.

Thus began the tradition of a father training his son in isolation on the island, then disappearing to Haven when the time was right to allow their offspring to take over their duties alone, this time never leaving the island's surface. Knuckles is somewhat relieved to hear that his father never abandoned him all those years ago, though he perhaps may have been slightly less relieved if he'd known that he was spying on him all that time, including all his private conversations with friends and Julie-Su, but I digress. When Locke mentions something about Knuckles' training being more important than any other Guardian before, Knuckles presses him on the issue, insisting he's ready to hear the answer when Locke hesitates. Locke explains how one night after being married to Lara-Le for a while, he had a nightmare of a strange series of events, which included a giant robot looking kind of like Robotnik destroying a city while his future son faced it down. He awoke in a cold sweat, but had this dream again and again, which prompted him to go to Athair of all people for advice, who told him it was a dream of the future that he must prepare for.

Yes, that's right. Locke altered his own genetic material so that he could shoot mutant super-sperm into his wife to create a superpowered baby, without telling her any of what he was doing, of course. But then he wasn't even satisfied with that! As soon as his wife laid Knuckles' egg, he took it and stuck it in the Chaos Chamber where he blasted it with radiation from the emerald in front of the rest of the Brotherhood. This is the true backstory of Knuckles' birth, and his apparent destiny. I've heard it summarized before as "had a bad dream, better microwave the baby," which, yeah, that's basically exactly what happened. Locke could have, with his foreknowledge of things to come, simply worked on training his son adequately for the future he saw, ensuring as well that he had the full backing of the rest of the Brotherhood for his entire life. But no, instead he did… well, this. (Ironically, the vision as seen in his nightmare depicted above never even slightly came to pass over the course of the comic, due to things like changing storylines and new head writers. Perhaps Locke's actions averted that future, or perhaps he really did just have a bad dream and microwave the baby as a result - there's no way to know for sure.)

And did it work? Did Locke's son, in fact, come out of the egg as a superpowered savior of echidnakind?

Oh, did you think those were just part of his gloves installed there to help him punch better? Nah, out of all the echidnas, only Knuckles has actual echidna knuckles. Somehow, this one tiny detail was enough to convince Locke that his genetic alterations worked and that Knuckles would be the ultra-powerful savior of the echidna people, even though it could also have been, I dunno, a genetic defect caused by all the mutant sperm and radiation that went into making this child. Of course, Knuckles is intimidated by all this - I don't think anyone has ever had a positive reaction to hearing they're a genetically-engineered destined hero - but Locke retorts that he had similar misgivings when he was still a Guardian trainee, and that his decision to microwave his baby was also really hard for him, calling it a decision between "sacrificing the world or siring a son to save it." I'm still not buying it, Locke, but Knuckles seems placated for now, and Locke suggests that, for the time being, they just spend some long-overdue time together as father and son. Knuckles happily agrees, exchanging "I love you"s with his father for the first time in who knows how many years.

So my opinion on all this? Well, I've already given some of it above, but honestly, I think that Locke far overreacted to his whole nightmare situation. He's been awful to Lara-Le both through their entire marriage and after as a result, constantly lying to her, keeping secrets, and interfering with her attempts to be a part of her son's life. He put his son through a lot of emotionally traumatizing experiences, allowing him to believe his own father had incinerated himself just to try to teach him self-reliance, and then spying on his every private moment from afar. The thing is, every bad guy sees themselves as the hero. And while I don't necessarily categorize Locke as an out-and-out villain, I do believe that, in almost every decision he ever made, he was in the wrong. You can even see it in the way the other members of the Brotherhood treat him, where even though most of them went through the same training regimen with being left behind by their fathers and all, nearly everyone in Haven, especially his own father, thinks Locke is too distant from his son and should reveal himself to him. Locke waited this long - Knuckles is almost sixteen, as we'll see in more detail next KtE arc - and almost every one of his plans went awry somewhere along the line, causing a lot of strife, bad feelings, and chaos for Knuckles throughout the course of the comic. Locke had the best of intentions, and the worst of executions.

Here's the thing. Kenders has said before that he based Locke on his own father, with whom he'd had a difficult relationship when he was younger. I see nothing wrong with basing a character on someone that one knows in real life, but one must also take into account the ramifications of such a thing, seeing as you wouldn't want to portray someone you care about as a bad guy. As it is, I feel that Locke would make a much better villain than… well, than whatever he currently is. If some plot points, character attitudes, etc. were changed, Locke could end up as this mastermind behind a plot that Knuckles would have to uncover, only to heartbreakingly discover his own father behind everything he'd been through. If Knuckles then rejected his father's path to instead carve his own, Locke would become angry, and there would be a lot of strife, a lot of fighting that could come of such a thing. But he wouldn't be a pure villain, either - he'd have a redemption arc, where he'd begin to understand just how badly he'd messed everything up. Then there would be more conflict concerning whether his self-awareness came too late to repair any kind of relationship with his son, let alone achieve forgiveness, or indeed forgive himself. Kenders is trying so hard to portray his own father-insert in a sympathetic light that there's this weird disconnect between how his selfish actions are portrayed by the writing in the comic, and how they come across to anyone looking critically at the plot. I understand his intention in writing everything this way, I really do, but ultimately, he was unwilling to put good storytelling first, and now we've ended up with this muddled mess.

That said, I know I've talked about this before, but I'm far less… I don't know, hateful of Kenders' work than many people in the Archie Sonic fandom. I think he's put together a truly fascinating world here, with many varied characters and a lot of potential for conflict to arise out of any situation naturally - true character-driven conflict, where the mores and values of different people clash dramatically causing strife, which I've always seen as the most interesting kind of conflict. The problem with his work, in the end, usually comes down to execution, and to, well, his own limitations as a writer of dialogue in particular. Seriously, not to insult him too harshly, but his dialogue is so often stilted and awkward that I really think he'd be better off as creative director of any project he worked on, coming up with characters and plots and worldbuilding and the like, while leaving the actual writing to someone else. In addition, quite frankly, he needs an editor that's willing to tell him "no" sometimes, but I've also heard that he's quite hard to work with, always wanting his own ideas to go exactly the way he wants them. And while as a writer myself I understand to a point being protective about one's own ideas, if you're working on a comic like this, dude, you have to be willing to work with others.

But anyway, I've rambled on far too long about this. One textbox aside next to the panels of Locke's nightmare promise us an epic upcoming "Knuckles Twenty Years Later" story in a future Sonic Super Special. As anyone who's read the comics already knows, that whole shebang is kind of infamous for being… well, boring, uninspired, and ultimately unimportant to the plot of the rest of the comic. It's one of the few parts of Kenders' work that I'm wholly uninterested in, not really even a little bit, but I'm still going to cover it once we come to it (which isn't for quite a long while, actually), as there's a lot of criticism to be had there, and what's a comic review without a healthy dose of criticism, eh?

[90smovies]

[marcogiovenale]

16 aprile, roma, biblioteca nazionale: presentazione dei 'quaderni di fisica e metafisica'

cliccare per ingrandire Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale (Roma). La Fondazione Francesco Federico Cerruti per l’Arte, in collaborazione con il Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, presenta il ciclo di conferenze dedicato ai primi tre numeri dei «Quaderni di Fisica e Metafisica», rivista di approfondimento – edita da Allemandi Editore – su tematiche legate alla raccolta della Collezione…

[marvelman901]

The Adventures of the X-Men vol 1 9 (1996)

Vanished

Written by Ralph Macchio

Penciled by Derec Aucoin

Inked by Ralph Cabrera

Colors by Paul Becton

Lettered by Michael Higgins

Edited by Mark Bernardo

Cover by Derec Aucoin and Ralph Cabrera

[inkandpen22]

Until This Night (3/?)

Pairing: Riff x Latina!Reader

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: swearing, arguing, immigrant prejudice 

Part Summary: Anita tells Maria and Y/N of a dance happening at the school. Y/N sees this as a nice change in her usual routine. When Y/N arrives at work to find a shop full of Jets, things appear abnormal. 

A/N: the dance is not the dance in the gym from the movie but it’ll be similar. This series will excede two days :)

Masterlist

Y/N

I finish pinning my hair back and then study myself in the vanity mirror. I look like my mamá. I remove the pins and toss my hair to one side, much better. Once ready for my shift, I emerge from my bedroom and into the kitchen.  

“Scrambled or sunny-side-up?” Anita asks from the stove. 

I ignore her as I go right to the fridge and pour myself some orange juice. 

“Oh, so now you’re not talking to me, eh?” She sasses, putting her hand on her hip. 

“Y/N…” Maria whines from her seat at the table. 

“No, no, it’s okay. If she wants to pout, let her,” Anita reasons.

Treat me like a child and I’ll act like one. I sit down at the table and start spreading butter onto some toast. 

Anita slides me a plate of scrambled eggs anyway. 

“So, Maria...” She speaks as though I’m not here. “There’s a dance tonight.”

The knife holding my butter falls from my hand. 

“I have a dress for you,” Anita tells her. 

Maria perks up. “Can I see it?!”

Anita disappears into her sewing room and returns with a white dress in hand. 

Maria picks up the skirt and analyzes it. “White?!”

Anita smiles. “You’ll look adorable!” 

“I don’t want to look adorable I want to look sophisticated,” Maria explains. 

Anita looks at me. “Would you like to see yours?”

“Maybe…” I grumble. 

She snickers and returns to her sewing room. 

I eagerly wait to see what she’s created. My first night in New York has to be special. This is what I’ve been waiting for, an event to mark my new life here.

When Anita reappears, my eyes land on the red satin fabric in her hands. 

I gasp and fly up from my chair, meeting her halfway. “Oh, Anita! I love it!”

“Good, I’m glad,” she laughs and hands it over to me. 

Maria huffs. “Why does she get red and I have to look like a baby?” 

“Because she’s older!” Anita reasons as she picks up some of the skirt.

“By a year!” Maria argues. 

Anita and I admire the dress together. It’s beautiful. More than anything I could’ve imagined for myself.

She snickers. “Your brother won’t be too happy with the color, but his sense of color is as developed as his sense of fashion.” 

Maria jumps up and down. “Our first dance in America!” 

I release the dress to Anita and twirl. “I plan to dance all night!” 

“There’s one detail…” Anita insinuates.

I sigh as my eyes roll. “Siempre hay.” (There always is)

She snaps her fingers at me and points warningly. “Nada de eso.” (None of that)

She can’t get mad at me for feeling like Bernardo is always the fun police. I can hardly walk the short distance from home to work without him freaking out.

“The dance isn’t Puerto Ricans only,” Anita explains, glancing between me and Maria. “There will be gringos. Some will want to dance with you because our girls make theirs look like cattle. You ignore them. If they bother you, you tell me or one of the other Sharks.” She instructs sternly. “Understood?” 

“Sï,” Maria nods repeatedly.

Anita turns to me. “Y/N?” 

“By gringos you mean Jets?”  I clarify, a bit concerned.

A gym full of Jets, their girls, and add to the mix Sharks. The two groups hate each other. Why should I be there and give them more of a reason to fight?

“Unfortunately…” Anita nods and takes my hands in Hera comfortingly. “But some won’t be, not all of the gringos in this neighborhood are thugs.” 

“Do you still want to go?” Maria frowns.

After a moments thought, I come to my senses. “Of course, I won’t let them spoil my fun.” I laugh.

Anita grins. “Besides, you have me, your brother, and all of our friends thereto keep you safe.” 

Safe… what a fickle state.

I express a weak but convincing smile and check the clock. “I should be getting to work.” 

“Adios, ten cuidado,” Anita pecks my cheek. “If any of them bother you-” 

“I’ll tell you,” I assure her.

She cups my face gently. “Bien.” 

______________________________

RIFF

I toss Tony another can. “I need you to go to the dance tonight.” 

He laughs, setting the object on the dusty old shelf. “I said no, Riff. My parole officer-” 

“Your parole officer or the fascist leader upstairs you call “boss”?” I question, partially joking. 

He sighs and pauses his task to lean against the cellar wall. “My parole officer said I can’t go out. And why do you need me anyway? Don’t you have all the guys upstairs?” He grins. 

I squeeze his shoulder. “The more the merrier! Plus, you haven’t been hanging out with us much since you got back...” I frown, pretending to be seriously offended. 

“Oh come on, Riff,” he chuckles. “Valentina needs me here. Besides, I can’t exactly be causing any trouble and heaven knows trouble follows you lot.” He pushes off the wall and continues his idiotic task of stocking the store’s storage.

“An hour, come for an hour!” I compromise. 

He grins. “Riff, I said I can’t!” 

Valentina

As soon as I opened the store, the Jets filed in one by one or in spurts from their individual corners of the neighborhood. When Riff arrived, he immediately went down to the cellar in search of Tony, despite my frequent scoldings to leave him alone. The boys must be up to no good for them to be gathered like this in the store so early. When they do this it’s usually because they need a hideout or talk ‘business’.  

My late husband sympathized with them, having grown up in the area and having had a similar background. When Doc was alive, I tried to see it his way. I have known these boys their whole lives. They believe since I married a gringo, that makes me a gringa, but it doesn’t. Despite their better treatment of me, I’m still a Puertorriqueña.  

Ice chuckles from his spot by the window. “Let’s place bets. Who thinks Riff will actually convince Tony to come?” 

“Tony has been such a stick in the mud since he got back,” Tiger grumbles from the foosball machine. 

“Do you know what’s going on with Riff lately?” Baby John nervously asks Ice. 

The boy peers at his with a furrowed brow as he lights up a cigarette. “What do you mean?” 

“Ye... Yesterday at the playground,” Baby John stammers. 

I pause my task of checking the prescriptions to listen in. 

“Riff explained,” Snowboy interjects from a table. “He said it was because they went against orders.” 

“Hey! We didn’t go against no orders!” A-Rab defends. 

Action turns in his face to look at the boy. “What did you guys do then?” 

“We made a little art project out of Bernardo’s sister,” Diesel chuckles.  

“Y/N?” Ice clarifies, slowly approaching Diesel. 

A-Rab and Diesel both nod, still snickering. In a swift motion, Ice swats Diesel on the back of the head as his cigarette hangs from his lip. 

“Hey-” 

“Are you two stupid dumb or are you stupid?!” The second-in-command shouts. 

“Both!” I finally voice from behind the counter, earning the attention of all of them. “You all are idiots!” 

Right on cue, the bell above the door dings and Y/N enters. The shop falls silent. She is unaware of their starring as she unties the floral scarf from her hair with her head down When she lifts her gaze, she freezes. I wait for one of them to make some snarky or unsolicited comment, none of which come. Slowly, Y/N rolls up her scarf and stuffs it in her purse before hanging it on the hook. Never once does she remove her sight from them. 

“Hola Valentina...” She mumbles as she cautiously walks through the store to join me behind the counter. 

I sigh. “Hola, Mija.” 

This is should be interesting. 

YN

The boys break their starring streaks as I move toward the back of the store. Their eyes find the tabletops or random spots on the floor. An irregular silence plagues the space, usually, I can’t get them to quiet down. 

On my way to set up behind the counter, I stop at the jukebox. The boys hate it when I’m in charge of the music. They want to listen to rock and roll all the time. Tiger once said my taste in music resembles his mother's. To get a rise out of them, I select The Penguins. The Jets hate them. I play “Hey Senorita,” simply to add fuel to the fire. 

As the music starts to echo from the speakers, I stroll behind the counter and scan the store. The boys remain in their seats, heads down, or at least they keep their eyes away from me. 

Where are the misogynistic remarks or the unwarranted flirting? 

Snowboy rises from his chair, but keeps his focus on the floor. He grabs a Coca-Cola from the fridge and slides it across the counter to me. “I would like to buy this... please,” he mumbles. 

Did he just say ‘please’?” I don’t think he can even spell the word. What is going on with them? 

“Sure...” I hesitantly ring up the bottle and eye him curiously. “Are you feelin’ okay, Snowboy?” I snicker. “You sorta sound like Baby John.” 

“I’m fine...” He grumbles before snatching up the drink and heading back to his chair. 

Valentina moves behind me to take a few boxes of soap to the shelves on the back wall. I begin to set up the cash register for the day and add in Snowboy’s coins. Other than the faint sound of music, Valentina’s restocking, and my money counting, the shop is silent. 

Did someone get arrested or something? No, that can’t be it because they would be begging Valentina for bail and everyone would seem far more panicked. 

Then, a lightbulb flickers on above my head. I know what will get them going, a little Spanish. More importantly, a little “La Borinqueña” that my brother and his Sharks sing just to irk the Jets. 

“¡Despierta Borinqueño,” I start to sing to myself quietly as I count the money on the counter. “Que han dado la señal. Despierta de ese sueño. Que es hora de luchar.” (Wake up Borinqueño. Who have given the signal. Wake up from that dream. That it is time to fight!)

“Y/N...” Valentina scolds warningly. 

Despite her wise advise, I continue. “Ven, nos será simpático. El ruido de cañón. Nosotros queremos la libertad. Nuestros machetes nos la dará-” (Come, it will be nice to us. Cannon noise. We want freedom. Our machetes will give it to us)

A-Rab slams his hands down on the table. “That’s it!” 

Ice grips his shoulder and forces him down into his chair. “Sit down!”

I giggle. “Hey, there you all are.” The boys avoid my gaze, glaring off in various directions. They struggle to restrain themselves. “What happened to the big bad Jets? Cats got your tongues?” I tease. 

Valentina snaps her fingers at me. “Mija, don’t cause problems!”

The bell above the door dings, causing everyone in the shop to snap our heads toward it. In walks Graziella and Velma. The two people I hate more than the Jets, their girls.  

I groan. “Looks like a problem just walked in.” To avoid dramatics, I keep my head down and focus on counting the $5s. 

Tiger whistles down the stairs to the cellar. 

“Comin’!” Riff hollers. 

My lips part and my eyes flicker up to the cellar door. I didn’t even know he was down there. 

“Hi boys!” Graziella giggles as she strolls in. 

Her eyes meet mine and she glares daggers into my face. She approaches the counter with Velma close behind until she breaks off to stand by Ice. Graziella pops her gum and fidgets with her hair like a ditz. Her cherry red lipstick makes her look cheap. 

I huff return to my focus to my task. She isn’t worth it. She isn’t worth it. I have to keep telling myself she isn’t worth it. I mark down the amount of $5s on the notepad. 

“Oh wow, the monkey knows how to count,” she mocks with a snicker. 

I slam my pen down on the counter and glare up at her. “Look, you-” 

Before I have the chance to fire back, Riff appears from the cellar, causing Graziella and me to break our starring contest. His eyes lock with mine as he walks over to the counter. He takes a seat on the stool in front of me and snakes his arm around Graziella’s waist, guiding her to sit in his lap. 

She cups his face and presses a kiss to his lips, urging me to look down at my notes. Nervously, I turn and start loading the money into the register. 

“Hi ya,” Graziella greets. 

“How ya doin’?” Riff chuckles. 

“Hey Chica!” Graziella snaps her fingers. 

I roll my eyes before I peer over my shoulder reluctantly. 

She munches on her gum. “One soda, por favor.” She giggles. 

“You have hands and there’s the fridge.” I point over to the machine by the jukebox. 

She scoffs and glances at Riff for a second for back up before glarring at me. “Excuse me?”

I face her and speak slowly. “Tienes... dos manos...perra. Consiguelo tu mismo.” (You have... two hands... bitch. Get it yourself.)

Her Jaw drops with a huff. After a second, she presses her palms to the counter and rises off Riff’s lap, challenging me. “So now you’re shit-talking me in a language I don’t know?!” 

I smirk, unthreatened. “Aw Sweetie, I’m sure there’s a lot of things you don’t know.”

Abruptly, she growls and lunges across the counter, clawing at me. 

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Riff flies up from the stool and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her back. 

The Jets jump in their spots, some hurry out of their seats to get out of the way of Graziella’s failing. 

“Go back to where you came from!” She shouts, struggling in his arms. 

I pout mockingly. “Sadly, there are just some decisions that can’t be reversed, like me coming here or your parents when they decided to have you!” I laugh. 

She huffs and reaches for me. “You Puerto Rican Trash!” 

“For fuck’s sake, Grazi! Cool it!” Riff grunts. 

“I rather be glowing, tan, trash than pasty white trash!” I fire back as I rest against the back counter. 

Graziella claws at Riff’s arms, eager to get to me. 

“Jesus Christ!” He finally snaps toward the ceiling, causing Graziella to stop and a silence falls in the shop. He releases her and points toward the fridge. “Grazi, just go get your damn soda!”

Her chest rises and falls, but she remains silent. On her way to the firdge, she continues to glare at me.

I nod, waving her along. “Ve a buscarlo, rubia!” (Go get it, blondie!) 

“Y/N!” Riff places his hands on his hips and peers at me disapprovingly. “Seriously?!” He huffs, somewhat out of breath. 

“I don’t have to take orders from you.” I shrug, unapologetic. “Maybe watch your girlfriend and I wouldn’t have to be so unpleasant.”

“Well maybe if-” He marches up to the counter and slams his hands down. 

I jump back and the grin falls from my lips. He stares into my eyes and I don’t know what to make of them. Usually I have an idea of what he’s thinking, but I’m utter lost. 

Upon seeing my reaction, his features relax and his eyes soften. His breathing is uneven and fills the otherwise quiet the shop. “You know what, never mind.” He pushes off the counter and heads toward the door. “Let’s go Jets!” 

One by one, each of the Jets file out of the store after their leader, including the girls. Once it’s all clear, my hand flies up to my chest as I catch my breath. 

Valentina hurries over. “¿Estás bien, mija? ¡Te lo dije, es una mala noticia! ¡No puedes jugar con ellos!” (Are you okay, mija? I told you, he's bad news! You can't be messing with them!) 

 My heart races so fast that I can practically hear it in my ears as Valentina rubs up and down my spine. 

“Don’t. Tell. Bernardo,” I state clearly to her. 

She frowns, but reluctantly agrees with a soft nod. 

I’ve seen Riff angry only a handful of times since meeting him, but it’s never been at me. Riff has said a great many things to me all ranging in intention, but never once has he raised his voice. I don’t know what to think of it. I shouldn’t care. He obviously hates me and I hate him, that’s well established. People who hate each other yell at each other. Yet, why does it hurt? Why do I feel the urge to go after him? Why do I feel... sad?

____________________

Masterlist

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[the-gershomite]

Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #7 July 1999 (11-20 of 23)

written by Joe Kelly

pencil art by Bart Sears and Andy Smith

ink by Mark Pennington

colors by Joe Rosas and Mark Bernardo

[maldito-arbol]

strengthhhhh

THAT RUCKIGN CROWN HRRRRR

Toad lords toad lords toad lordssss

It’s the crownnnnnn sashhh

Sasharcyyyy :(((( whyyy mallll, why can’t they just be happy

STRENGTH GRRRR

Tbh I find the castle interesting in general, it’s pretty cool.

FROOG FROOG FROOG

Oooooo secret doorway yumm, but also oh god it’s the basement isn’t it oh fuck.

OOOO STUFF LORE YUM, ALSO WARHAMMER MY BELOVEDDDD.

GRRR WHAT THE FUCK MALLL, WHAT WAS THAT WHAT WHAT

PERCY BRADDOCK OMGGGG THE DUDES!! I LOVE THEM

“He puts his hands up. “You have the final say,” he reminds her. “If you’d rather have them here, I won’t stop you. But remember that our enemies are numerous, and having eyes in different places is helpful.”

“Having eyes in different places is extremely helpful.””

Fuck I hate it here /lh

Anne :( :( :(

SASHARCY PLEASE JUST TALK IM BEGGING ON MY KNEES

Tbh I kinda like Aldo hshsshjs He is interesting

BERNARDOOOOOO

WOOO NEW OUTFITS

Braddock <3 <3 I love them!

Oh godddddd the claws were no a good ideaaa

LEGGGSSSSS YEAHH SHE HAS LEGSS WOO

WOOP WOOP Marcy’s new outfit!!

Sasharcy being soft eating this knowing things are probably gonna go to shit soon

Noooo orange ey door

Oh god sasharcy,,,,,,

MARCY OH FUCK

I feel emarresed for not realizing it’s probably the core and not strength till now,, I knew it didn’t feel like strength though

NO SASHA NO MARCYY

NOO THE COLLAR FUCK FUCK

““When you said you couldn’t bear to watch me die? When you made me promise to n- never let go?” It strikes Sasha like a knife to the heart. “…when did that change?”

And she bursts into hysterics, Marcy Wu, her precious girlfriend falls apart here in her arms, sobbing like she’s never been broken before this , a betrayal that painfully marks the ending of the era in which Marcy could depend on Sasha to feel safe. Now, it’s all shattered. “

FUCK ME HOLY FUCK /pos HOLY FUCK

Sasha and the plantersss :(((((((

Ooooooo languages

Marcyy and Sasha and Anne grrr :(((((((

Nooo not the fucking crown oh god Sasha Sasha Sasha fuck

BARREL BARREL?? MAL MAL MAL HOLY FUCK

THE CROWN THE FUCKING CROWN GRBRGRGHEHSJSMEKSJEJ GRRRRRRRR

THAT ENDING GRRR MAL WHAT THE FUCK WHY THIS CLIFFHANGER MAL IM GONNA DIE GRRRRRR

Gooooooddddd chapter but holy fuck Holy fuck holy fuck /pos

Oh, Strength

Fear the crown >:3

Can you tell I love the Toad Lords cause I Love the Toad Lords

Psshhhh whatre u talking about nothings wrong

Sasharcy was happy in IBYBF I had to change that

Leave Strength Alone 2k22

I LOVE the castle! This place is wild and hell yeah I’m gonna make that clear

Froog makes her debut >:3

Another secret doorway because we can never have enough of those!

Hehehehe I’m also Obsessed w the Warhammer can you tell

That was Something :)

PERCY AND BRADDOCK FOREVER

you like my eyeball jokes? We have fun here :)

Poor Anne. She out here listening to Heart’s horrible horrible story meanwhile all this shit going down.

Sasharcy talk about ur feelings challenge.

I like Aldo too I love Aldo I’m obsessed with Aldo I LOVE THIS MAN!!!!

BERNARDO MAKES HIS CAMEO!!

Yes finally! I get to update their designs!!

Braddock screentime because she deserves it.

Hahahahaha the Claws were a GREAT idea in canon but when I take from canon i can’t just let it be fine and dandy, I gotta ruin everything <3

Yes!! We’ve officially Passed True Colors era, which is marked by the arrival of Polly Plantar’s L E G G S

Super proud of Marcy for finally having a cape that isn’t torn! Although I did like the torn cape, maybe I’ll find a way to rip it in future chaps >:3

I had to give sasharcy SOME soft moments cause god knows I can’t live without them.

Orange :) Eye :)) Door :)))

Rip sasharcy there it goes

There Marcy goes too haha

EVERYONE WHO WAS HATING ON STRENGTH BETTER BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES NOW (no it’s ok I did that on purpose to cause all of you emotional damage)

Here comes the Collar again 👏👏 my favorite Angst Device!

YEAH I HAD JUST REREAD PMIT CHAP 2 AND I WAS LIKE “HOW BOUT I MAKE MYSELF CRY” so then I Did :’)))

So sad to see Sasha and the Plantars separate :(

Oh yes the languages. Do I have a plan for that? You bet I do!! Have fun translating that shit, Marce <3

Sashannarcy separates for real this time, SO tragic

Go Get That Crown Sashy >:)

BARREL MY BELOVED MAKES HIS DEBUT can you tell I’m obsessed with this man cause I’m obsessed with this man

Haha oh, that Crown

BECAUSE I LOVE CLIFFHANGERS!! NOW WHOS READY TO GET A NEW CHAPTER THAT DOESNT ADDRESS THE CLIFFHANGER WHATSOEVER CAUSE I AM!!!! ;)

As always, thank u for the ask hehehehe I enjoyed ur reactions <3

[poshsmaroulis]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: NEW Bernardo Sandals 12 Medium Leather Double Braid BRONZE & PEWTER Chic Luxury.