#boston local comics

[catboyriot]

This weekend I'll be vending at 🌻Watertown Arts Market!🌻 I love this little arts and craft fair so much! My rugs will be discounted too bc i want to get them out of my closet lol!

Come by to say hi and see a lot of cool art and eat some good food!

[pompoison]

YESTERDAY WAS A VERY GOOD DAY. LadiesCon was SO COOL. The vibes were honestly immaculate. The Boston indie comic artist community is a chill space full of kind and generous weirdos.

Special shout out to those who came to my table to tell me that they read Little Death Vol 1 and enjoyed it. Thank you SO MUCH. That seriously means the world to hear. I started Little Death to create my first indulgent work of horror fantasy fiction, far away from the self-censoring impulses that plagued me in earlier original projects I tried to do. It makes me feel genuinely uplifted to learn that I’m among kindred spirits in dark fiction.

Pics of my table! Thank you to Comicazi for the generous amount of space!

Pics of my small but cherished LadiesCon haul, which includes: a portrait of Divine, Paradigm Shift Vol 1, I Am Not A Dog, my roommate’s cat, and Frankenrocker Wine. GOOD.

Divine portrait: Alex Kittle

Paradigm Shift Vol 1: Dirk I. Tiede

I Am Not A Dog: Heide Solbrig

Frankenrocker: Roel Torres

I also bought the Frankenrocker poster. It is awesome. The wine I bought outside LadiesCon from the local wine store. It is also awesome.

I’m really embarrassed that I didn’t catch the name of the artist who gave me the glittery sticker, so if anyone knows them please lmk. They were very kind and this sticker is so cool!

[gobbogoo]

Who Is Scout's Ma?

She's a character we know extremely little about, however when you stop to consider the IMPLICATIONS of what little we DO know, things start to get interesting:

1. She lives in the roughest part of Boston ("if you were from where I was from, you'd be dead") but dresses quite elegantly.

2. She had 8 boys, all of whom she raised BY HERSELF, and yet somehow she finds the time to maintain this impeccable appearance.

3. Scout clearly loves and admires her to a point where it's one of the few things he'll drop his "tough guy" act for, and dialogue in the comics like "Ma's gonna kill me if she finds out" implies he also still fears her disapproval, despite being a fully autonomous adult.

4. Spy, despite what he likes to pretend, is clearly head-over-heels for her. He even had her likeness engraved on his fanciest gun! (Note the distinct hairband & hoop earrings) For a man who avoids attachment to the point where he never lets anyone see his face, that's an unusual degree of infatuation.

5. None of Scout's brothers left Boston while he was growing up, despite a few of them presumably being adults by then. Not only this, they were still all getting into fights together, implying they were both continuing to live with or near their mother and brothers, AND had reasons to brawl with others beyond just some adolescent street scuffle.

My Theory:

Scout's Ma is the matriarch of a Boston-based crime family.

It explains her elegant appearance, how she and Spy were able to meet, why their bond clearly goes beyond a one-off fling, why she was able to be in Scout's life so much despite the financial burdens of being a single mother of 8, and why all of said 8 were continuing to get into fights with other locals. They weren't just some street gang, they were enforcers. It also explains why/how Scout got into mercenary work, his many mafia-themed weapons, and why he continues to fear her ire even as an adult.

Plus, take a look at this unused angle of the last photo from Meet The Spy:

You'd THINK a single mother from the rough side of Boston wouldn't appear so in-her-element on a fancy date with The Spy, and yet her appearance and demeanour here just SCREAM "confident and in control."

Scout's Ma is Boston's Godmother, and I desperately wish to see someone draw her as such.

[justagalwhowrites]

Yearling No Outbreak AU - Ch. 1: Rodeo

When Ellie sees you riding at a rodeo, she knows you have to teach her. Chapter 1 of the Yearling No Outbreak AU found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader from Yearling

CW: Fluff, Joel is a really dedicated father and we love that for him and for us, friends to lovers, no use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ Only.

Length: 4.1k

AO3 | Main Masterlist

Sunday, November 2, 2025

“No freakin’ way.” 

Ellie’s eyes were wide and she was smiling bigger than Joel had seen her smile in what seemed like forever as she watched the rodeo. 

It had been his idea to take her to the fair. He thought it would be good for her - get out, have some fun, take her mind off things for a bit. He offered to bring along a friend of hers from school, too, but she just gave him a look. 

“What,” she said. “Going to fly Riley in from Boston?” 

“Was kinda hopin’ someone a bit more local,” he said, awkwardly cupping the back of his neck. “Must have someone you’d like to hang out with…”

“Welp,” she said, flopping back on her bed and holding her comic book over her head. “Then I’m afraid you’re shit outta luck, old man.” 

He wasn’t sure how much fun she’d have just hanging out with him all day but she’d seemed to be having a good enough time. He showed her how to shoot the air rifles at the games and she dragged him through a fun house and they both delighted in all the deep fried snack options. 

It had been Ellie who wanted to go to the rodeo. Joel hadn’t been to one in years, not since he was close to Ellie’s age and he’d gone with his dad at this same fair, but it was something that Ellie wanted to do. And, after the last few years, he was happy to do whatever made her happy. 

He just hadn’t expected her to fall completely in love with the horses and one rider in particular. 

“We got a real special treat for y’all here today,” the announcer had said. “Now, she ain’t competing today - and let me tell you, every man in the building is thankful she ain’t because they’ve all lost to her at one time or another - but we have the one, the only queen of the rodeo scene doing a showcase in a few events today, startin’ with trick riding. Five time world champion -“ 

There was a loud whoop from behind Joel and he missed your name but he watched as you rode out into the arena, standing on the backs of two horses, a foot on each animal, one hand on the reins and the other high in the air waving at the crowd as you guided the horses past the stands. He watched - just as in awe as Ellie - as you jumped the horses and threw your body around on them as though you were a gymnast on a bar and not a 2,000 pound animal. 

He was awed again when, between other events, you stayed on the back of bucking bronco far longer than any of the competitors and again when you demonstrated roping calves. He didn’t think the announcer had been joking when he said the men here were thankful you weren’t competing, he had a feeling you blew them out of the water every time. 

“Hey Joel,” Ellie said when a girl who reminded Joel of Sarah when she was younger was doing her trick riding routine. “She’s out there again! I think she’s a coach…” 

He looked where Ellie was pointing and she was right, you were standing at the edge of the arena, switching between fidgeting with your necklace and yelling as the girl nearly dragged on the ground from the side of the horse. 

“Think you’re right,” Joel said. 

“Think she teaches lessons or something?” Ellie asked, looking up at him with wide eyes. 

“I dunno baby girl…” Joel said, hesitant. 

“Can we find out?” She looked back out at the arena. “Because that looks so fucking cool.” 

“Language,” Joel said and he caught her eye roll out of the corner of his eye. He sighed. “But yeah, we can see if we can track ‘er down after the rodeo, see if she’ll teach you. She may not be anywhere around here, though…” 

But Ellie looked so fascinated, so happy, Joel knew that the location didn’t matter much. He’d figure something out. 

After the rodeo, the two of them made their way around, against the flow of people, finding the entrance to the place where the livestock and competitors were and Joel caught sight of you, talking to the girl who reminded him so much of a young Sarah. A man stopped to talk to you and you gave him some direction before he came toward where Joel and Ellie were standing and watching. 

“‘Scuse me,” Joel said as he went past. He stopped, frowning slightly at Joel. “Sorry to bother you but… well, we were wondering if you knew that woman there, the one who was doing the showcase riding before.” 

“Oh, yeah,” he laughed. “I know her alright. That’s my sister.”

Joel tried to ignore the way his heart beat a little faster knowing that this guy wasn’t your husband. 

“Can I help you with anything?” He continued. “She’s also my boss, I work at her ranch.” 

“Was wondering if she did any teaching…” Joel said. 

“Because I really want to learn how to do that shit,” Ellie cut her off. “So fucking cool.” 

“Ellie!” He gave her a look. “Come on, baby girl, language.” 

“Sorry,” she flinched. 

Joel looked back to the man. 

“Anyway,” he said. “Was hoping she was taking new students…”

“She is,” the man said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a business card, handing it over to Joel. The words Triton Ranch were embossed on the front. “I’m Richie, you can email me there and I can help get you all set up for…” 

“Can you believe this shit?” You stalked up to Richie, arms crossed tightly over your chest. “Been out here for 30 years and there’s still this sexist bullshit…” 

You seemed to notice Joel and Ellie standing there then, looking them up and down before raising your eyebrows to your brother. 

“Some new potential clients,” Richie said. “Interested in riding lessons.” 

You looked between Joel and Ellie again. 

“Which one of you?” You asked. 

“Me,” Ellie said, sounding almost giddy. 

“Good,” you said. “Need more women out here, some of these men… We’re based near Austin, that work for you two?” 

“Perfect,” Joel said, trying to not stare at you because damn were you pretty, especially this close. “That’s where we are, too.” 

“Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.,” you said. “Come with boots with a one inch heel on ‘em, you need something to help you stay in stirrups. I got other safety gear you can use… HEY ASSHOLE!” 

You stormed off mid-sentence, stalking up to a man who didn’t look remotely prepared to deal with you grabbing him roughly by the shoulder and yanking him around to face you before shoving him back. 

“Alright, that’s my cue to go rein her in before she does any real damage,” Richie said, going to follow you. “See you Tuesday, 5:30!” 

“Tuesday, 5:30!” Ellie called back before turning to beam at Joel. “This is going to be awesome.” 

Joel watched as Richie pulled you back from the man you were trying to pick a fight with, your eyes going wide like fawn, a look of almost innocent indignity on your face as your brother stepped in. Joel resisted the urge to smile a little, the idea of something like Bambi picking a fight. You were… something. 

“Think you’re right,” he said. 

***

Tuesday 

“Savvy, that horse is gonna walk all over you if you keep lettin’ her do that,” you said, watching her from near the fence, your thumb looped through your husband’s wedding band that hung from a chain around your neck. You fidgeted with it, sliding it back and forth as you tried not to panic at your daughter being on the back of a dumb broke horse, tried to remind yourself that you’d been on unbroke horses younger than she was now, tried not to hear Mark’s voice in your head, already nervous about Savvy wanting to go into the same line of work as you. “You gotta be firmer than you’re used to…” 

“She’s not responding though,” she said, huffy. 

“Because she’s not well broke yet,” you said. “You’re the one who said you wanted to try your hand at breaking horses, you gotta keep them under control…” 

Nova, the horse Savvy was on, started pawing anxiously at the ground, tossing her head. 

“Savvy,” you said cautiously, stepping closer and gripping the wedding band tightly now. “Ease up, she’s gettin’ restless, dismount if you can…”

She nodded but when she adjusted, the horse bucked and you shot forward as Savvy gave a sharp shriek, ending up on her back. You had to jump to grab the reins out of the air and did your best to pull Nova into a one rein stop from on the ground as Savvy scrambled out of the way. Nova stilled quickly, her nostrils flaring. 

“You OK baby girl?” You called to Savvy, keeping your eyes on Nova, staring her down. 

“I’m OK,” she called back weakly. “But ow.” 

You laughed a little. 

“Told you you were gonna get thrown at some point,” you said before reaching a hand up to pet Nova’s muzzle. “And what’s your excuse, young lady? Hm?” 

She huffed. 

“Can’t go throwin’ people,” you said. “You think you get treats when you behave that way? Hm? Because now I gotta get on you and take you around real quick to make sure you know you can’t get out of shit by doin’ that and neither of us is going to be happy about it.” 

She huffed again. 

“Well, s’long as we’re in agreement,” you said, keeping the reins in your hand as you ran it over her side. You mounted her and she tossed her head. “Savvy, back behind the fence.” 

She sighed. 

“Yes, Mom.” 

You kept a tight hold on Nova, your knees tighter to her ribs than they usually would be. You eased her into a walk, then a trot, gradually up to a gallup as you took her around the pasture before realizing that you had an audience, the large, handsome man from the rodeo a few days earlier with his teenaged daughter standing at the fence with Savvy and Richie as you rode back around. You brought Nova over and pulled her to a stop near them, the man watching you with a small, crooked smile on his face and fuck, he was handsome. Tall, broad, tan. Exactly your type when it came to men. 

“Now I know you didn’t forget,” Richie smirked a little and you wanted to kick him. Just because he knew this guy was your type didn’t mean he had to rub it in. “This is Joel and Ellie, they’re here for her lesson.” 

You nodded, catching your breath a little before introducing yourself. 

“And I didn’t forget,” you said, shooting Richie a glare. “Just had to get wild thing here under control before I put her away for the day. Don’t worry, Ellie, not putting you on her. I’ve got just the horse to get you started on.” 

You dismounted and gave Nova an approving pat before turning to Savvy. 

“Can I trust you to get her settled?” You asked, brows raised. 

“I can do it!” She said, a little defensive. 

“Alright,” you said, and she climbed the fence and took the reins from you. You shed your hat now that you needed to look up at Joel and jerked your head toward the barn. “Follow me.” 

Ellie was on you like glue and you looked down to see that she was in a pair of cowboy boots. 

“Good,” you said, nodding at the shoes. “You’ll be thankful for those when you’re trying to get a grip on a horse. You ever ridden before?” 

“We did a trail ride once,” she said. “But that was a few years ago, right?” 

She looked back over her shoulder toward Joel. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Before… Yeah, it was about three years ago now.” 

You nodded. 

“Take it you like animals?” You said as you made your way through the stables, going for the stall of the horse you’d had Richie get ready for this lesson. “Sure hope so, since you want to learn riding.” 

“Hell yeah,” Ellie said. 

“Ellie,” Joel said, a warning tone in his voice. 

“Sorry,” she said, rolling her eyes. You smiled. “Yes. I do. Even though Joel won’t let me get a dog.” 

“We can talk about it when you’re off school for the summer,” he said and you tried not to frown. If she was calling him Joel, he wasn’t her dad. You hoped this girl hadn’t been through too much, she seemed like a good kid. 

“Well,” you said, coming to a stop at the stall. “You can come hang out with Shimmer here even if he doesn’t let you get a dog.” 

Ellie’s face lit up, looking at the horse with a huge smile on her face. 

“Shimmer is a rescue,” you said, reaching up to scratch behind her ears. “Got her when she was a yearling a few years back from an unlicensed breeding operation. Poor thing was underfed and skittish as hell but she came around. She’s a real sweet, gentle horse and she loves when people can be real sweet and gentle with her. Think you can do that?” 

“Yeah,” Ellie said, smiling at you. “Definitely.” 

“Good,” you smiled back, reaching to a bin mounted between stalls and pulling some feed out. “Hand out, palm flat.” 

She obeyed and you gave her the feed. Her eyes went a little wide. 

“Now keep your palm real flat and hold it out for her,” you said. “You’ll feel her teeth kinda brush your skin a bit but she won’t hurt ya.” 

She obeyed and looked on in awe as Shimmer ate from her hand. 

“Go ahead and give her a pet,” you said when the feed was gone. “Let her smell you first and once she nudges your hand, she’s OK with you touchin’ her.” 

Ellie did as she was told, Shimmer pressing her nose into her hand almost immediately now that she’d associated Ellie with food. You smiled a little as Ellie beamed. 

“Hey Shimmer!” Ellie said affectionately, petting her gently. “Aren’t you just the prettiest thing?” 

Shimmer chuffed happily and Ellie looked back at Joel. 

“She likes me!” 

Joel chuckled. 

“Yeah, think she does.” 

“How about we take her out, get you on her,” you said before turning to Joel. “Just assuming Richie got you all set with the paperwork and whatnot?” 

“He did,” Joel nodded. 

“Good,” you said. “Thank God for him, lord knows I don’t got the mind for the paper pushing side of this operation.” 

You nudged the two of them back and got Shimmer out, giving her an affectionate pat as you led her toward the pasture. 

You worked with Ellie for two hours and she was a natural. She was very in tune with her horse, learning how to apply pressure and how to work with her body weight quickly. Before too long, she was ready to do more than walk her a little and you got your favorite horse, Perseus, out of the stable, only putting a bit and bridle on him before jumping on him bareback so you could keep pace with Ellie on a trip around the pasture at Shimmer’s natural walking pace. 

To your surprise, Joel didn’t go and sit in the car or even scroll on his phone while you worked with Ellie. He just watched, leaning against the post fence with his hands lightly folded in front of him, a small smile on his face as she made progress. You weren’t sure you’d ever seen a parent - or parent figure, you supposed - quite so engaged, especially for a first lesson. 

“Alright,” you said as the time was up and you dismounted your horse, taking the reins from Ellie. “Hop on down, we can take Shimmer back to her stall and you can say goodbye until next time.” 

“I can ride her next time?” She asked, eyes bright. 

“Course you can,” you said. “Shimmer can be your horse for a while.” 

“Hear that, Joel?” Ellie called, more jumping off the horse than anything else. “Shimmer can be my horse!” 

She started running for the fence without paying much mind to where exactly she was running, slipping on a puddle and going down quick into a pile of mud. 

“Shit,” you swore, running over to her, just catching Joel damn near hurdling the fence to do the same out of the corner of your eye. You got to Ellie first, kneeling beside her, and she was laughing, flat on her back and covered in mud. You breathed a sigh of relief. “You alright there, kid?” 

“I’m good,” she laughed, sitting up and looking at her mud covered hands. “Don’t know if he’ll let me in his truck now, though.” 

“Scared me, baby girl,” Joel said, joining you. “You hit your head or anything?” 

“Nah,” she said. “Just got nice and gross…” 

She reached out and smeared some mud on his arm, near his watch. He tried to look irritated but didn’t quite manage it. 

“Alright, kiddo,” he said, standing up again and offering her his hand. “Think there are some towels in the truck…” 

“If you’d rather,” you said quickly. “You can shower before you go. I’m sure Savvy has some sweats you can borrow until you’re back.” 

“Oh yeah, that’s way better,” Ellie said before Joel got a chance to respond, taking Joel’s hand and wiping her hands on her jeans. It didn’t seem to make much difference. “Because this is - sorry, Joel - fucking gross.” 

You laughed. 

“Yeah, welcome to ranch life,” you said. “C’mon, we’ll go up to the main house, get you cleaned up a bit.” 

You cut through the barn and asked Richie to get Shimmer and Perseus settled before getting Savvy from where she was sitting and reading, perched on a stall door next to Nike, your oldest horse that you’d bought off your old boss when you started your ranch 10 years earlier. 

“Savvy, this is Ellie,” you said, introducing the girls. Savvy looked like she was stifling a laugh and waved. “Ellie, this is my daughter Savvy. Savvy, do me a favor, we’re goin’ to the main house to get Ellie cleaned up before she heads home, can you show her where your bathroom is and get her something to wear home?” 

“Sure!” She said, hopping down and walking up to Ellie. “Nice to meet you. Are you learning how to ride?” 

“Yeah!” Ellie said brightly. “It was so f…freaking cool, I was on Shimmer and she was so soft and…” 

“Oh yeah, Shimmer’s the best,” Savvy said knowingly, the two girls walking ahead. You smiled a little, watching them as they talked, fidgeting with Mark’s wedding band again. 

“You really don’t gotta go through this much trouble,” Joel said, staying alongside you as you followed the girls to the large white farmhouse you called home. “I’m sure I’ve got some towels in the truck and I’d hate to get your house all muddy…” 

You scoffed. 

“This is a ranch,” you said. “The house sees mud every day. It’ll live. And it’s no trouble. I’d much rather send you home with a bag of muddy clothes than a muddy kid.” 

Savvy led Ellie upstairs, a little trail of mud behind them that made you smile. You’d clean it up later but, strange as it was, you loved the little signs of the life you led now. The one where you worked with horses that were yours or that you picked who to sell them to, got to work with passionate kids like Ellie and got mud on the floors of the house your husband had fixed up for you when you’d bought it for a steal years earlier. You kicked off your boots at the door. 

“C’mon,” you said, jerking your head toward the kitchen. “Let me get you a drink.” 

Joel just stared at you for a moment before following you, stopping at some of the pictures on wall as you went to the fridge. 

“Sweet tea?” You asked. “I got stronger stuff, too, but not sure how much of a drive home you’ve got…” 

“Tea’s good,” he said. “Thanks.” 

You poured him a tall glass and got one for yourself before joining him at the pictures and handing him the drink. 

“Thank you,” he said again and you just nodded, taking a sip yourself and looking at the pictures that you so rarely noticed individually anymore. Savvy’s school portraits, pictures of her on podiums, you at the world championships… 

“This your wedding day?” He asked, nodding to one of the bigger pictures, one of you in an floor-length white eyelet lace dress, the toe of your best pair of boots peaking out the bottom as you smiled up at your husband, who was standing beside you in his black jeans, a button down shirt and tie. 

“That’s it alright. Me and Mark,” you smiled, toying with the ring around your neck again. “Eleven years ago now. Doesn’t feel like that long but damn has a lot happened.” 

“Eleven years is a long time,” Joel said. “Congratulations.” 

“Thanks, but we only made it nine,” you said, taking a sip of tea and looping the ring onto your thumb. Joel frowned and looked over to you. “He died, just over two years ago.”

“Shit,” he said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t…” 

You shrugged. 

“It’s fine,” you said. “I mean… well it’s not, it is shit, but it is what it is, you know?” 

“I do,” Joel nodded. “My wife, Tess, died, too. September, 2023. Cancer.” 

“Shit,” you said this time. “That’s so hard. I’m sorry.” 

“Like you said, it is what it is,” he replied. 

“We could start a club,” you said. “The ‘it is what it is society for young widows.’ Membership fees are fuckin’ high but hey, at least he company is good.” 

Joel snorted. 

“What, too soon?” You asked, teasing lightly. You weren’t sure why you felt so comfortable talking like this with a virtual stranger but you were. There was just something about him that felt familiar, comfortable. It was something you hadn’t felt in a very long time. 

“Nah,” Joel said. “Just right.” 

“Good,” you said, taking another sip of tea. 

“Tess is part of how we ended up here,” Joel said. “Ellie taking lessons here, I mean.” 

“Yeah?” You asked, brows raised. “Was she a horse girl at heart?” 

“Not really,” Joel laughed. “No, she was from Detroit and not much of a naturalist but… well, her dying hit Ellie real hard. We adopted her about four years ago and her and Tess were real close. We were gettin’ on fine just the two of us for a while but then I had to move back here to help my brother out with his business so she lost the closest thing she had to a mom and then less than two years later left all her friends, too. It’s been a rough time for her. Watching you ride at the rodeo was the happiest I’ve seen that kid in months and lord knows I’d do anything to get her to smile again.” 

You smiled at him. 

“Turns out, all it took was a horse,” you said. 

“And you,” Joel said, watching at you with an almost uncomfortably honest look on his face. You realized then just how close you were standing to him, how fucking good looking he was - noticing him in a way you hadn’t really noticed a man since your husband died. Your heart sped up. 

“OK way less gross now,” Ellie said from behind you, making you jump and you and Joel turned to look at her. “Also, way more pink.” 

You stifled a laugh, Ellie in a pink sweatsuit of Savvy’s. 

“Well ain’t you pretty,” Joel teased her lightly and she glared at him. He smiled. “Alright, now what do you say?” 

“Thank you for the shower and the clothes,” she said. “Seriously. I was gross.” 

“Yeah,” Savvy scrunched her nose. “You really were.” 

You walked the two of them out to Joel’s truck, Ellie already telling him excitedly about everything she learned with you that day. 

“Sounds like I’ll see you back same time next week?” You said to Joel as Ellie got in the passenger seat. 

“Yeah,” Joel smiled. “We’ll definitely be back.” 

“Good,” you smiled back. “Looking forward to it.” 

Joel looked like he thought for a moment before he nodded. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Me, too.” 

A/N: I hope you enjoy what will be a pretty short look into how things go in a no outbreak reality for Joel and Bambi! I went ahead and tagged everyone on the Yearling tag list, I hope that's OK! Thank you for reading and caring about these characters, I really cannot thank you enough for this journey we've been on together. It's been such a blessing to share it with you. Love you!!

Taglist: @ashleymsnodgrass@planet-marz1@kalea-bane @juneswonderlust @ilovepedro @h-annahayy @starstruckmusiciansartghost @beccerjune @mumma-moonchild @netonetoneto @mellymbee @purplelye @n7cje @flugazi @evyiione @randomhoex @aliengirl99 @orcasoul @reds-ramblings @pedropascalsbbg @fupoola @tinypotatothing @knopes-waffles @lilmizmoz @ayamenimthiriel @jenispunk @panda-pascal @sarap-77 @flugazi @your-slutty-gf @daniegraceg @partyofone3413 @cumberpegg @noisynightmarepoetry. @fifia-writes @grumpygrumperton @srmacaroni @txlady37 @bigboiseason123 @ashleyfilm @arizonadreamingg

[nightwingology]

The Members of Haly's Circus - Part 1

Originally posted here: https://nightwingology.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-members-of-halys-circus.html

Some folks have asked me to do a rundown of the various members of Haly's Circus over the years! I love Haly's Circus, I think it gives Dick an almost fairy-tale like backstory. Circuses may not be as common today, but there's a certain nostalgic romance to them, and it creates a warm, happy time in Dick's life before Bruce took him in. I'll be breaking this up into two parts: Pre/Post Crisis and Post-Flashpoint. 

Pre/Post Crisis:

Main Members:

To start out, obviously Mary and John Grayson are two thirds of the Flying Graysons. Their backstory is pretty vague pre-Crisis, but post-Crisis John's family history is filled in to include Romani ancestry. While the comics at the time were pretty culturally insensitive, the idea of Dick having Romani ancestry is not a bad one.

The Titans #16

The third mainstay of Haly's Circus is of course, Mister Haly. His name full was not revealed at first, but he's been called C.C. Haly pretty consistently (the name of the circus is C.C. Haly and Norton Bros. Circus). Over the years, Dick returns to the circus at various points, and his interactions with Mr. Haly are similar to that of an uncle/nephew relationship. Interestingly, Mr. Haly is one of the few people to figure out Dick's identity as Robin, and later Nightwing.

Detective Comics #484

Other Members:

Next is Sando the Strongman. Sando is one of the first members of Haly's Circus that readers encounter outside of the Graysons and Mr. Haly. He is friends with Mary and John, and often played tug-of-war with Dick as a child. When he is falsely imprisoned, Batman and Robin help clear his name.

Batman #129

When Dick was a child he made friends with all sorts in the circus, including the clowns. One of these was Waldo the Clown, who Dick ran into several more times in his life as Robin. Waldo didn't stay with Haly's, but he did continue to work in other circuses.

Batman #337

Another clown that Dick befriended was Harry. Harry and Dick would often hang out after shows and go to the movies together. Along with Harry, Dick was also friendly with Margie, the Tattooed Lady. Tattooed Ladies fell out of popularity once television became a thing, but for a time they were performers who defied gender norms by showing off their bodies (and tattoos) in scant clothing.

Batman #436

Some characters from the circus only appear in one issue. Haly's has had at least two jugglers, one when Dick was a child, called Palmer, and another named Paolo who Dick recognized when he returned to the circus after quitting as Robin.

Star Spangled Comics #114

Nightwing #102

The Flying Graysons were the most popular act in Haly's Circus, but they were not the only acrobats in the troupe. For a time, a solo act by the name of The Prodigy traveled with Haly's. He was older than Dick, and treated him like a little brother. His career ended however when he was beaten by local boys in one of Haly' stops, and he could no longer perform his act.

Batman #709

After the death of the Graysons, Haly's needed to replace its aerialist act. Several performers stepped up over the years, including a new family who used the stage name "The Flying Graysons" in honor of the originals, as well as a young woman named Alyssa, and Cleveland Brand (Deadman's brother). This wasn't the last time Deadman/Boston Brand would be connected to Haly's Circus.

Detective Comics #484

Nightwing #88

Nightwing #103

During Tim Drake's debut story, A Lonely Place of Dying, Dick returned to Haly's for a time. There, he reconnected with old friends like Harry the clown, Jaques, and Soose, who appear to be in charge of the roustabouts and circus workers. Dick also meets Samson the Strongman (not to be confused with Sambo) and Pedro "the dwarf." Samson and Pedro try to frame Harry for the death of another member of the circus, Wilhelm the Lion Tamer. Thankfully, Dick is there to set things right.

The New Titans #60

There are other members of the circus who either are unnamed or have minor appearances. At one point Haly's had a Fortuneteller and Fat Lady, who felt close enough to Dick to call him family. Lorna Hill was in charge of hiring new talent during the period when Dick was no longer Robin, but before he was Nightwing. Mr. Poteet was another member of the circus during Dick's first year as Robin, possibly in charge of the workers. Another member of the circus who Dick seemed to know was Irving, who worked for Haly's after Dick was already Nightwing.

Robin Annual #4

Nightwing #102

Robin: Year One #4

Nightwing #88

The Animals:

Haly's Circus also boasted an impressive collection of animals, some of whom are named. There were at least two elephants, Elinore and Zitka, both female, and friends of Dick as a child. They also both remembered him when he visited later as an adult. Zitka even saved him from a burning tent.

the New Titans #60

Nightwing #88

Haly's also had several lions that Dick knew as cubs, and two of whom Dick had to tangle with as an adult. Their names were Gunther and Kimba.

The New Titans #60

Nightwing #103

Finally, Dick was also friendly with a monkey named Jimmie.

Nightwing #103

End of Part 1.

[thewebcomicsreview]

You know what, good job Kevin and Kell, having this storyline about a local city council election perfectly line up with real-world election day in the United States. Most comics wouldn't have bothered, hell most people wouldn't even know today is election day!

...You did know today is election day, right fellow Americans? Because it is. Some states, like Ohio, are having hugely consequential ballot decisions regarding abortion access, that I don't think I need to sell you on the importance of.

Other places, like my home city of Boston, are choosing city counselors, which seems like a minor inconsequential choice, until you remember how much influence city councils have over what housing does and doesn't get built, and thus rent in your city.

Since I live in one of the most expensive goddamn cities in the world, I did some research into my candidates' position on housing. There's a candidate who supports rent control, one who opposes all housing projects that negatively affect landlords, a YIMBY who supports building more housing in nearly every instance, and a NIMBY anti-vaxxer who wants to let conservatives take over schools. That's a pretty goddamn consequential choice, it turns out!

Your vote matters more in local elections (literally, since there are way fewer votes), local elections affect you in major and under-reported ways, and the people winning local elections now will be running for higher offices later, so getting a guy you like in at city council may may huge national dividends one day. Take some time to look up what's on your ballot, and vote if you can!

Voting: It's more than once every four years!

[emwheezie]

Do you have some fun facts about Enzo to share? Just wanna to know the guy a bit better.

This is Enzo Vincenzo! I've gotten a TON of asks about him, but was waiting to finish some art and work his story/character a bit more before answering! He's a character we thought up in 2014-15ish, but only recently worked in depth on his development. Pre apologies here, I'm longwinded when talking about my characters! (also it is 3:13am and I'm feeling silly)

Enzo is a secondary character in the comic, friend of the main character kind of deal. My cowriter and I love Enzo and are very happy that everyone else seems to like him too! We are making sure to develop all our characters as much as the two main characters so that we can create as rich of a story/universe as possible. (like we have so much content you could pick any random minor character and be like "them. make a spinoff about them" and we could just do that immediately we have so much content my brain is going to explode)

Enzo and Lennon are high school buddies who met sophomore year, shortly before Lennon dropped out. (peep the bottom art of them from their HS years)

Him and Lennon are big into movies. They binge watch them over the weekends or when he's convinced by Lennon to skip classes for the day.

Enzo loves to draw, especially dragons and horror related stuff. He posts his drawings on DeviantArt where he met xXHexiLexi328Xx and fell in love with her. She's also an artist who loves to draw super kawaii anime chibis magical girls and pokemon stuff.

No one thinks Hexi Lexi is a real person. Everyone's like "awh poor Enzo, still single...you'll find someone, buddy." But she's real and from Arkansas. (like that state even exists?)

Enzo loves knives. His favorite one is a switchblade engraved with the name "Colleen." He found Colleen at a Goodwill while he and Lennon were looking for parts to build a "Saw trap." (you know, from the Saw franchise) Enzo thinks he's Billy The Puppet from Saw...I mean, high school Enzo kind of had the same poofy hair and I'm not gonna be the one to tell him he didn't look like that puppet.

Somewhere along the way, early in their friendship, Lennon is convinced Enzo killed his parents. Lennon's never seen Enzo with his parents so I guess that's the only solution, right? It becomes a longstanding rumor/joke... and Lennon's like wow Enzo that's so cool I'm friends with a literal murderer. (Lennon is dumb).

Enzo once wanted to become a priest but then he remembered he was evil.

Enzo is Albanian-Italian and grew up in Cambridge, MA living with his parents and grandparents. His parents are super religious people who work at the restaurant his grandparents own, located in the North End of Boston.

It's a joke that Enzo's like never heard a music once in his life before meeting Lennon who introduced him to guitar. (He's rhythm guitar in Lennon and Tony's band Poison Boy Club)

I feel like I've said a lot of words and stuff. I feel like there's more but it's now 3:40am and my brain is mush. OH later on, Enzo really hones in on his art skills and gets into tattooing, earning himself an internship at a local studio.

Overall, Enzo's a cool, confident dude who's a little scary in a "big guard dog" type of way, but he's a loyal friend and does his own thing and he's with that.

[bingbongsupremacy]

Pen Pal

Pairing: Ellie Williams x reader

Warnings: Slight mentions of homophobia

Summary: You've been Pen Pals with Ellie since you were in 5th grade. Will you finally get to meet her in person?

*Not Proof Read* TLOU Masterlist

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3

*****

November 3, 2028 (10 yrs old)

Dear Y/N,

My name is Ellie. I'm a fifth grader in Miss James' class in Wyoming. I like Savage Starlight and cookies. My best friends' name is Riley.

Do you have a best friend? Do you like Savage Starlight?

Sincerely Ellie Williams

November 10, 2028 (10 yrs old)

Dear Ellie,

Hi! It's nice to meet you! I love Savage Starlight! My brother hates them though. He never takes me to buy them at the book store :(

My bestfriends' name is Julie! Cookies are cool! I like ice cream. I have a dog. Do you have a dog? Do you like frogs? I like the color pink. Do you like pink?

Sincerely Y/N L/N

June 20, 2030 (12 yrs old)

Dear Y/N,

How's your dog? Joel's teaching me how to play the guitar! I learned how to play a song yesterday! I'm so happy.

Riley and I are planning on going to the fair tomorrow. I wish you could come. I bet you'd love Riley! Maybe some day you could meet her.

I finished the new addition of Savage Starlight yesterday and I'm so fucking sad. Did you finish it? I won't spoil. Let me know if you did so we can talk about it!

Sincerely Ellie!

June 28, 2030 (12 years old)

Dear Ellie,

I have bad news. Pepper died.

She died last night. Mom said she got really old and died in her sleep. Pepper was a good dog. I'm going to miss her.

I'm really sad. I wish she was still her.

I haven't finished Savage Starlight yet. I'm waiting until I feel happy. Maybe in a few days.

Sincerely Y/N

August 3, 2032 (14 years old)

Y/N,

Riley's moving away. She came over and told me today. I'm really sad about it. She's been my friend ever since kindergarten.

She's moving to Boston.

I found an a cute ice cream shop yesterday and thought of you. Maybe some day you can see it. We could get ice cream there and then look at the comic book store.

I can't believe Savage Starlight is fucking ending. I've been reading it since fourth grade. I don't want it to end. How do you feel about it ending?

Love, Els

August 9, 2032 (14 years old)

Els,

I'm so sorry about Riley. That sucks. I hope you guys can still talk.

I'd love to go to the ice cream shop and comic book store with you one day. My brother went off to college today. He's studying to be a doctor. Cool right?

I don't want Savage Starlight end either. I wish it could go on forever. Fucking sucks.

I think you're my best friend.

Love, Y/N

September 12, 2032 (16 yrs old)

Y/N,

I won first place in the art show! I'm so fucking happy. Joel took me out for ice cream with Sarah yesterday. We had so much fun.

Do you think we should start using email? Or texting? Joel got me phone yesterday! I'm so excited! Here's my number if you want to text xxx-xxx-xxxx and my email: elwilliams@email.com

I've started working out at a local gym. I love it. I'm going every day. I think I might do something with space when I'm older. I really like space.

Also, I'm gay.

Love, Els

September 18, 2032 (16 yrs old)

Receiver: elwilliams@email.com

Subject: Hi

Els, this is my email! I'll send you a text right after this. I'm so happy for you! First phone yay!! Also congrats on the art show!

The gym is fun! And space is so cool! I'm not sure what I'll do yet when I'm older. I'm still deciding. I'm glad you know what you want to do though.

Also, cool! I'm glad you feel comfortable telling me! I love you, Els. <3

My brother's being a fucking asshole. He refuses to come to my birthday party because his girlfriend's parents want to have dinner the same day.

I wish you could come. Maybe some day.

Love, Y/N

May 2, 2034 (18 yrs old)

Receiver: elwilliams@email.com

Subject: So

I think I might not be straight. I'm not sure. I've only told you. I can't tell my parents. I don't know how they'd react. I know my brother would hate me. He's a fucking dick now. I don't know why he's the way he is.

My parents have started fighting a lot. Money problems I think. I think my dad might have cheated on my mom too.

I'm excited to go to college next year. I'm glad we got into the same school! We'll finally be able to meet. I've been wanting to meet you for years. Maybe I can finally get away from all the shit that's been going on lately.

I don't know why this all happened so fucking fast.

I hope you're well.

Lots of Love, Y/N

May 2, 2034 (18 yrs old)

Receiver: y/ncup@email.com

Subject: So

Hey, so I know how you're feeling. It'll take some time to figure out, but you'll get there. No matter what, I'll love you.

You're family sounds like a bunch of dicks. I'm sorry you have to go through that.

I've been talking with Joel and he said I could do this.

Do you want to come stay with me and my family over the summer? Maybe get a break from your family? We could idk finally fucking meet?

Let me know if you want to come to Wyoming. You could meet my friends. Then we could drive up to school together. It's not too far from my house. Maybe day or two away.

Also, I got a girlfriend. her name is Cat. She gave me this cool ass tattoo. I'll send a pic.

__Pic Attached__

Love, Els

My eyes scan over the email again, making sure I didn't imagine what I just read. Ellie just invited me to Wyoming for the summer! There's no fucking way I'm missing this opportunity.

I'm finally going to get to meet her!

My eyes land on the last line. I got a girlfriend.

Fuck.

[angeltannis]

Every time I see guest lists for Comic Con and similar cons I always think of this convo I had with a friend years ago where they said it feels like there’s a huge disconnect between the folks that organize these cons and the average attendee’s interests… thinking about when I went to Denver Comic Con in 2017 (a year anyone in the cosplay/con scene will recall as being absolutely DOMINATED by a certain hero shooter), and the organizers pushed the Overwatch cosplay photoshoot to a side stage we had no hope of all fitting on and sent their photographer on lunch while hyping up the Lord of The Rings photoshoot that had maybe 20-25 people stretched out across the big main stage. That was the same year they had the VAs of Discord and Pinkie Pie/Fluttershy banished to the tiniest little room for a panel and people had to be turned away because the room filled up near instantly. And then, two months later, the same thing at Boston Comic Con, where they shoved D.Va’s VA to the very back of the guest room with the D-lists, then had to do emergency traffic control to avoid a crowd crush while the main guest they had hyped up, Mario’s VA, was sitting at his booth just watching the chaos go down on the other side of the room.

Since then I’ve been keeping my eye on guest lists for multiple cons, local and otherwise, and it feels like all the big ones are still like that. They’ll hype up some old-time actor who was in one episode of Star Trek or Doctor Who, which, yeah, I’m sure there are folks excited for that…but every con I’ve ever gone to has been disproportionately fans of stuff that’s NOT been hyped or promoted by the organizers at all. When we went to Anime Boston this year my friend had to organize their own photoshoot for freaking Dungeon Meshi, which has to be far and away the most popular new anime of this year.

Sorry for ranting but this post brought to you by looking at the guest list for Fan Expo Boston and seeing the Top Billing is the cast of Saved by the Bell and National Lampoon (???), with a grand total of 7 voice actors for the animation category and 7 for all of gaming

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Kaiser came through the door with a girl on each arm, blondes with measurements like Playboy models.  Kaiser wore armor head to toe, elaborately worked and topped with a crown of blades.  The leader of Empire Eighty Eight.  The twins went by the names Fenja and Menja, and were decked out in Valkyrie-style armor featuring countless little steel wings, along with closed-face helms.  Had to admit, Kaiser liked his heavy hitters.  These two could grow to be three stories tall, and they were a hundred times more durable when they were. Purity entered a few steps behind him with several others following her.  She was dressed in a white costume without any markings or symbols on it, but the fabric glowed softly.  Her white hair and eyes glowed too, but it was more like they were made of heated magnesium than anything else.  I couldn’t look in her direction without getting spots in my eyes, and my mask had tinted lenses designed to reduce glare. The people that had come in with Purity were other members of Empire Eighty Eight.  Krieg, Night, Fog and Hookwolf.   It was interesting to see, because as far as I’d known, while every one of them had been a member of Empire Eighty Eight at some point in time, Purity had gone solo, while Night and Fog had splintered off to form their own duo in Boston not long after.  All reunited, apparently. That wasn’t even Kaiser’s entire team.  Aside from the rare exception like Lung reaching out to Bakuda when she’d been at Cornell, it seemed that most groups recruited new members from within their own city.  Kaiser was different.  He was one of the better known American villains with a white supremacist agenda, and people sharing his ideals were either recruited from other states or they came to him.  Most didn’t stay with him for too long, for whatever reason, but it still made him the Brockton Bay resident with the most raw parahuman muscle at his beck and call.

E88, I think, would absolutely be written differently if Wildbow was writing Worm today, but it is still done very interestingly, regardless.

The gang having more extensive linkages beyond just Brockton Bay, and presumably to the Gelleschaft (is that canon? WoG? Just a common fan thing?) to explain where some of the recruits he gets goes.

I do feel like it's a bit of a missed opportunity to not have E88 be bigger than just Brockton Bay - the degree to which Kaiser is monofocused on the city is a bit weird, but it does also fit with classic superhero tropes, which have a tendency to treat cities as islands unto themselves half the time (Most of the the rest of the time it's worldwide stuff. There doesn't seem to be a lot in between for the average comic book superhero story, from what I can tell. Regional/multicity narratives seem uncommon.

Then again, they seem uncommon in general. If you're going to spend any serious time in a given city for the story... you're gonna keep spending time in that city, I guess.

White Supremacy is a coherent (for a given value of the word) ideology that can serve as a motivating and rallying factor across the board for people well beyond the local area.

Technically the ABB sorta have a similar operating ideology, but in practice, it's mostly just Lung's self-aggrandizement, and recruiting for that, especially on a broader scale beyond just your local city, has got to be hard.

Probably one of the reasons E88 is such a big deal is just that it has what most villain cape gangs don't have - something to pull people in beyond the opportunity to make money as a criminal and have some cape cover and stuff.

I'm sure there's tons of that too, people who just join up for the money and the chance to be a brute, but if you believe in the ideals of E88, you can tell yourself you' re making the city a better place and all that.

Kayden/Purity certainly told herself that, and is telling herself that, now that she's rejoined.

Because she isn't willing to really do what she needed to do to change, to separate out from E88 and her past and so on.

[meruz]

Do you have any other Boston hot spots/tips? -college student who thinks of your drawing about walking through Boston that's actually of Providence during the winter every time I cross the street

LMAOO I'm glad u know the deep lore of that drawing.. providence is basically like a toy version of boston thats why theyre functionally interchangeable.

boston hotspots... idk I'm not really a city tour guide type like i dont eat out very much and also its been 5 years since I've lived there now so idek if I'm up to date. but here's a couple off the dome:

my favorite comic store (possibly of all time?!) is Comicopia in Kenmore Square! idk if they still do but for a while their claim to fame was they had the biggest selection of manga in the state. their owner is a math professor at one of the colleges around there and their staff is consistently lovely. everytime i visit the city i make a point to swing by and i guess now they have a yaoi expert? LMAO which i love

i used to frequent a lot of local comic/games cons in boston and I kinda miss it. MICE, Ladiescon and BostonFIG were all really nice and if you get the chance you should go to them. Also its a big one but I genuinely do think Anime Boston is one of the best anime cons out there.

Yume Ga Arukawa in Lesley University's Porter Square Campus is maybe the best udon I've ever had??

this may or may not be obvious but the central boston public library is SO NICE. as ive lived in more places i only miss the bpl more... they have great events, the space is so beautiful, theres like multiple food options?? its a little overpriced but you rly can just spend all day in there

uhh. idk how hot of a tip this is but the prudential has a pedestrian skybridge connecting it to the copley shopping galleries and its great if you want to walk around that area without having to go outside. i used to work at the pru and i would walk thru the skybridge to get to the library all the time. the copley galleries also have public bathrooms that ppl dont rly use and are kept pretty clean LOL. anyways boston is a very walkable city!! spend time walking around whenever u can it's nice.

[nancydrewwouldnever]

Hi do you have the soroff on interview with Chris were he speaks about Sandra and salma

I love a morning where I can wake up and piss off Megan. No, Megan, this still exists! Try to wipe it out wherever you can, but it will never wholly disappear. So let's all revel in the absolute unfiltered, no-holds barred bro-ness that is 24 y.o. Chris. (And let's see if anyone else thinks he's talking like a totally single dude in this, when he was supposedly still with Jess Biel at this time. I think those two took a lot of breaks.)

IMPROPER BOSTONIAN, August 3-16, 2005 Issue

CHRIS  EVANS

 BY  JONATHAN  SOROFF 

PHOTOGRAPH  BY  BILL  STREICHER

 Newly minted  movie  star  Chris  Evans,  24,  was  born  in  Boston,  lived  in Framingham,  and  moved  to  Sudbury  when  he  was  12.  After graduating from  Lincoln-Sudbury  High  School,  he  signed  with  an  agent  in  New  York  and  almost  immediately  went  to  Los  Angeles,  where he  was  cast  in  the  Fox  sitcom  Opposite  Sex,  a  summer  replacement  series  about  three  guys  admitted  to  a  formerly  all-girls school.  He also appeared  on  David  E.  Kelley’s Boston  Public,  as  a  disturbed  student who  holds  a  class  hostage  at  gunpoint, and  on  CBS’  The  Fugitive,  as  the  rebellious  son  of  a  local  sheriff.  On film, he  appeared  in  Not  Another  Teen  Movie  and  The Perfect  Score,  and  starred  opposite  Kim Basinger and William  H.  Macy in  Cellular, playing  a  man  who  answers  his  cell  phone to  hear  a  woman  desperately  pleading  with him  to  save  her  from  kidnappers.  Recently, he wrapped  production  on  two films:  Fierce  People,  opposite  Diane  Lane and  Donald  Sutherland,  and  The  Orphan King.  His biggest film to date, Fantastic Four,  is  based  on  the  comic  of  the  same name  and  was  released  last  month.  Evans lives in  Los  Angeles.

 Jonathan  Soroff:  You  started  acting  at  17. What happened  to  spending  your  adolescence lost  and  confused  and  aimless?

 Chris  Evans:  It  was  still  lost  and  confused and  aimless,  it  was  just  in  L.A.  It  really  has been  the  school  of  life.  It  was  great.

JS:  You’re  still  too  young  to  say  that.  All  my friends  agreed  that  you  had  the  hottest  body  in People  magazine’s  “Best  Beach  Bodies," which  we  were  looking  at  this  morning. . .

CE:  Really?  I’ m  a  Serena  Williams  man myself.  Jesus  Christ,  my  God!  She’s just unbelievable.

 JS:  My  friend  Joan  wants  to  know  if  you’ll date  her.

 CE:  Is  she  cute?

 JS:  Yeah.

 CE:  How  old  is  she?

 JS:  Fortysomething.

 CE:  All  right!  She  can  teach  me  some things.

 JS:  So  how  do  you  get  the  washboard  abs?

 CE:  [Laughs.]  They  shade  it  in.

JS:  So  it’s  retouched?

CE:  I’  m  sure  it  is.  I’m  giving  away  all  the secrets.

 JS:  One  role  you  auditioned  for  but  didn’t  get and  really,  really  wanted?

 CE:  Ooooooooh.  I  think  it’s  a  movie  called Jarhead  that’s  coming  out  with  Jake  Gyllenhall  that  Sam  Mendes  directed.  I  really wanted  that  part — not  the  one  Jake  has but  the  one  I  tried  out  for,  and  I  will  just harbor  it  for  ever  and  ever...

 JS:  Jake  Gyllenhall  is  also  one  of  People’s “Best  Beach  Bodies,”  so  Sam  Mendes could’ve  had  two  hotties  in  the  same  movie. OK,  name  three  famous  people from Sudbury.

 CE:  Hmmm.  Famous  people  from  the ’Bury... All  I  know  is  Paula  Poundstone. Who  else  is  there?  Believe  me,  there’s  a picture  of  her  up  at  L.S.  [Lincoln-Sudbury High  School],  so  I’d  know  if  there  were  any others.

 JS:  Best  thing  about  Sudbury  ?

 CE:  Oh,  man.  What’s  not  to  love  about Sudbury?  It’s  relatively  cliche,  it’s  your stereotypical,  standard  bedroom  community,  right  out  of  the  movies,  but  that’s what  makes  it  so  amazing.

 JS:  In  Fantastic  Four,  you  play  the  Torch. Does  that  mean  you’re  a  flamer?

 CE:  That  was  a  good  one!  That’s  the  first time  I’ve  heard  that!  That  was  real  smart. You  should  write  that  in  the  interview!

JS: I intend  to!  Which  parts  of  your  suit  did they  have  to  pad  out?

 CE:  Meaning  for  muscles?

 JS: I don’t  know.  You  tell  me,  Chris.

 CE:  They  padded  everything.  We  all  wore muscle  suits.  All  of  us,  except  for  [Jessica] Alba,  ’cause,  y’know...

 JS:  Her  shit  is  tight!  Another  “Best  Beach Bodies”  winner.  I’ll  bet  she  could  kick  your ass.

 CE:  Without  a  doubt.  But  anyway,  with  all the  padding,  the  codpiece  was  the  thing that  stood  out.

 JS:  Did  you  enjoy  wearing  tights?

 CE:  Y’know,  I  think  I’ve  worn  tights  my whole  life  doing  plays.  I  just  got  paid  a  lot more  to  do  it  this  time  around.

 JS:  How  long  did  it  take  to  get  into  costume every  day?

 CE:  It  was  a  bitch,  but  I’ve  heard  of  worse. Maybe  an  hour.  The  muscle  suit  is  a  solo job.  You  do  that  on  your  own,  with  a  big bottle  of  baby  powder  and  some  frustration.  Then  once  that’s  on,  two  or  three wardrobe  people  come  in  and  squeeze  this blue  aqua  suit  on  you  that’s  just  impossible to  get  on.

JS:  Sounds  miserable .  So  by  the  end  of  every day,  had  you  lost  like  10  pounds?

 CE:  We  definitely  did,  but  we  were  working  with  a  trainer,  so  even  if  we  trimmed down  and  weren’t  eating  enough  on  set, we’d  wrap  and  go  right  to  the  gym.

 JS:  Sounds  like  Hell.  On  a  different  subject, namely  Cellular,  what  advice  do  you  have for  someone  who  gets  a  call  on  their  cell  phone from  a  damsel  in  distress?

 CE:  Well,  hopefully  there  are  cameras rolling,  because  otherwise  it  won’t  be  a good  movie.  Other  than  that,  I  don’t  know.

 JS:  If  you  had  to  save  anyone  in  that situation,  who  would  it  be  and  why?

 CE:  Oh,  I  wish  it  would  be  Sandra  Bullock. I  wish  there  was  some  way  I  could  save  her from  something.  Isn’t  that  crazy?  I  remember  being  in  seventh  grade  and  seeing  her in  Speed,  and  just  being  like,  “That’s  it. She’s  the  one.”  She’s  a  f—  ing  goddess.  You should  have  seen  the  poster  of  her  I  had  on my  bedroom  ceiling  growing  up — this  massive,  massive  poster  of  her  in,  like,  a  bra.

 JS:  It  was  on  the  ceiling?  That  sort  of  begs  a certain  question. .

CE:  [Laughs.]  C’mon.  My  mother’s  gonna read  this  interview.

JS:  So  what  was  your  favorite  comic  book  as a  kid?

CE:  Aren’t  comic  books  for  geeks?  Just  kidding!  I  have  to  go  to  conventions,  and they’ll  string  me  up.  The  truth  is,  after  getting  the  part  and  going  out  and  buying every  comic  book  I  could  get  my  hands  on, I  came  to  appreciate  them.  The  stories  and dialogue  are  complex.  You’ve  got  eight-syllable  words, supposedly  for  little  kids.  The art  is  amazing.  So  I  think  they  actually  are educational.  If  my  kids  want  to  read  them, I’ll  say,  “Go  ahead.”

 JS:  If  you  could  have  one  superpower,  what would  it  be  and  why?

 CE:  To  fly.  Hands  down.  No  question.

 JS:  One  superpower  or  extraordinary  ability that  you  actually  do  have?

 CE:  [Laughs.]  See,  again,  this  is  something my  mother  will  read,  so  I  can’t  really  answer  that.

 JS:  I  think  you  just  did.  So  who  was  your superhero  crush  growing  up?

 CE:  Man,  that’s  a  good  question.  What other  superhero  girls  are  there?

 JS:  Wonder  Woman  was  a  big  one.. .

CE:  Nah.  That’s  a  cliche.  C’mon,  I gotta think.  There  must  be  someone  good  out there.

 JS:  I  personally  had  the  hots  for  Aquaman.

 CE:  [Laughs.]  Does  Jessica  Rabbit  count? If  so,  that’s  it.  She  goes  above  Sandra  Bullock,  just  so  Sandy  knows.  In  case  she reads  this,  just  to  take  that  feather  outta her  cap.

 JS:  Best  actor  you  ever  worked  with?

 CE:  Bill  [William  H.]  Macy.  Not  even a question.  The  guy’s  just. .  .he’s  unstoppable,

 JS:  Actor  you’d  most  like  to  do  a  love  scene with ?

 CE:  I’ll  say  Salma  Hayek.  Sandy’s  more  the one  you  settle  down  with,  set  up  shop  with, take  home  to  your  mother.  But  Salma’s  the one  you  yell,  “Action!”  and  just  go  to town.

 JS:  I  read  in  the  Weekly  World  News  that there’s  a  tribe  in  Africa  that  worships  Salma Hayek’s  breasts.

 CE:  [Laughs.]  I  believe  that.

 JS:  Your  show  Opposite  Sex.  Was  that basically  a  bad  remake  of  Bosom  Buddies?

CE:  Whatever  it  was,  it  was  a  bad  original of  something.  The  bottom  line  is  it  was bad.  We’ll  leave  it  at  that.

JS:  Speaking  of  which:  Not  Another  Teen Movie .  Is  that  going  to  come  back  someday to  haunt  you?

 CE:  Oh,  man,  I  don’t  think  I  did  anything too  terrible.  Did  you  hear  that  great  line from  Entourage :  “Before  Tom  Cruise  did Fourth  of  July,  he  did  Top  Gun.  Before  Tom Hanks  was  Forrest  Gump,  he  fucked  a  fish.” So  in  my  case,  I  had  a  banana  in  my  ass. What  are  you  gonna  do?

 JS:  I  never  saw  that  movie. 

CE:  Neither  has  my  Grandma,  and  I’m hoping  to  keep  it  that  way.

 JS:  Diane  Lane .  Most  beautiful  woman you’ve  ever  seen?

CE:  She  is  f—ing  gorgeous.

 JS:  Who  would  win  in  a  Jell-O  wrestling contest:  Diane  Lane  or  Kim  Basinger ?

 CE:  Ooooh,  Diane.  She’s  got  it.

 JS:  You've  got  a  thing  for  older  women,  don’t you?

 CE:  Well,  y’know,  I’m  a  student.  I  wanna learn.

 JS:  Last  question.  When  you  make  the  cover of  Vanity  Fair,  what  do  you  think  you’ll  be  I wearing?

 CE:  I  think  I’m  gonna  go  for  the  body paint  thing,  like  Demi  Moore.

[fox-teeth]

This weekend (9/30 - 10/1/23) I'll be at MICE (Massachusetts Independent Comic Expo) in Boston at table 78A -- next to my local comics meetup pal Grace!

I'll have copies of my new minicomic Basilisk plus lots of other comics, riso prints & merch. MICE is free to attend so come on by and check out some cool comics!

[ectonurites]

what pins do u have on ur jacket if u dont mind me asking. as a pin enjoyer i need to know.

hehe oh of course i don't mind!! i did do a post about this a while back but i don't wanna try to search for it and it's out of date now anyway SO:

first picture: Jay Garrick 'The Flash Fastest Man Alive' (DC), Mordecai and Rigby 'Fist Pump' (Regular Show), μ's logo (Love Live), Death of the Endless (Sandman, but specifically from the At Death's Door manga-style book), Stephanie Brown as Batgirl (DC, this is a fanart pin I got at my local comic shop and truly would LOVE to know the artist of but I have yet to figure it out), 'I've Joined the WTF' (an old Williamstown Theatre Festival pin I got my first year working there), Courage The Cowardly Dog (based on the KC Green 'This is Fine' meme), X-Ray Spex logo, University of Notre Dame logo (gonna be SO real here I have no idea how this pin was obtained/why it's here, this jacket used to be my mom's and that was just on it already when she gave it to me and I never took it off. but like that is Not where she went to school), MFA Boston logo, and a stylized version of The Treachery of Images by René Magritte.

second picture: Wonder Woman 'Never underestimate the power of a woman!' (DC), The Wasp (Marvel), Alfred E. Neuman (Mad Magazine), Cats (from Café Chat l'Heureux), Gorillaz, The Black Parade (MCR), 'May You Live In Interesting Times' (the main exhibition at the 2019 Venice Biennale which I attended), a cool sword made by my friend Jasper @elkk-en , Boys Don't Cry (The Cure), Williamstown Theatre Festival (just the general logo), and 'I'm a Batman Crimefighter' Batman & Robin (DC)

[focsle]

Back to lad Stetson’s journal. I always like getting his rundown of shore leaves. 167 years ago on this very week of April here’s what some whaling fellows were doing:

-Meeting the crew of another whaleship who, having not yet had much experience with the strength of the local liquor, drank enough to “feel extremely clever and act very ludicrously” and “as might have been supposed were somewhat wild; four of them were in the calaboose before night and others in all probability would have got there if they remained ashore much longer”

-Instead of remaining ashore they’re just drunk and silly on the ship, dancing and putting on musical numbers and general “funny performances” to the amusement of Mr. Stetson’s crew who they’re hosting. One fellow tries to take a whole bucket of meat and throw it up into an upper bunk because his shipmates are being too voracious and he doesn’t want to miss out on his food. Spills meat all over the bunk instead. Still says he’ll still have his share anyway. Everyone apparently thinks this, and his delivery of the statement (“with all the grace and comicality of a light individual”), is very funny. Stetson says it ‘brought down the house’.

-Have a more sober gam the next night with the same crew. One of them is a ventriloquist. Everyone loves him, even though he says he hasn’t practiced in a while. “The crew say that he occasionally affords them much amusement at sea by his gift.” He makes an empty cigar box talk.

-One fellow is promoted to carpenter. He “got so extremely jolly over his promotion that before night he was missing, and as we expected he was ascertained to be in the calaboose.”

-The next day everyone rents a horse for a dollar and gallops around. All of them keep falling off in a “display of horsemanship which was amusing to witness and still more amusing to participate in, racing at full speed back and forth over a rugged road, with first a hat streaming off behind, and next the rider going head forward over the horses head or down one side — such fun!” He also admits “it’s a wonder that some of them did not get their necks broke”, though the 3rd mate who’s also playing around with them does lose all his pocket money in one of his ground tumblings.

-Four of them take horses out of town to go sightseeing. Two people get too hot and tired and cut out. Two persevere. They see some ruins. They see a college. They see a nice stream. They return the horses almost without incident. One guy gets in a fight about whether or not a horse was paid for. Guess what. Calaboose.

-Several fellows request their discharge. Several new fellows are shipped. One who only knew how to play Road To Boston on the fiddle and did so every night requested his discharge and the captain said no. He stayed ashore anyway. The captain didn’t bother trying to get him back. Maybe sick of Road to Boston.

-Another whaleship shows up. However, their crew was “ascertained to be very insociable so no gamming was carried on”. And then they’re off again.

[earth-18104]

Earth-18104 - 1950

List of events happening in 1950 on Earth-18104! This is shorter than the last one. There's some births dates randomly out here, not all of them are important.

The (N) represent the births and the numbers the ages of characters. There's some of my OCs here, but not as much as the last lists. Not all events follow the Marvel comics time-line.

List of events of Earth-18104 (Resume)

1950 -

• Amélia Voght (16) was a mutant born with the ability to transubstantiate solid matter into vapor. After her mutation manifested, she left her home and family to escape their hatred for her mutant gifts and became a nurse.

• June 25 - The Fatherland Liberation War / Korean War begins.

• Since he was a child, Adam Brashear (24) showed himself to be very intelligent.

• He was a former quarterback at Cornell University, where he graduated with a doctorate in electrical engineering and theoretical physics.

• October 10 - The mutant Janos Quested, known as Riptide, is born. (N)

1951 -

• (The Juggernaut)

• Cain Marko (20) was drafted and sent to Korea, however, he defected and ended up finding a mystical ruby ​​in the Temple of Cyttorak that transformed him into the Unstoppable Juggernaut.

• Just then, enemy high-explosive bombardment caused a cave-in and Marko was buried under several thousand tons of rock.

• His younger brother, Charles Xavier (14), receives news of his apparent death and mourns the loss of his brother, despite their terrible relationship.

• Logan (66) resurfaced as a mercenary; operated mostly out of Ottawa and Calgary, with few exceptions in South America and Madrid, working for government agencies, mainly the CIA, and became one of the intelligence field's deadliest free agents.

1952 -

• January 16 - The mutant Sean Cassidy is born, heir to the castle and property of Cassidy Keep, in Ireland. (N)

• Adam Brashear (26) fought in the Korean War as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, receiving two Silver Stars. While in the Marine Corps, he met Conner Sims, the friend he would later know as Anti Man.

• After graduating from biology college, Phillip Masters (25) met and befriended Jacob Reiss and Marcia Deaton, who graduated from the same college.

1953 -

• Jacques Duquesne, Swordsman, is born. (N)

• Master of the Mystic Arts, Sara Wolfe, is born. (N)

• Peggy Carter (31) is interviewed about the Strategic Scientific Reserve and the early days of the SHIELD organization.

• A brilliant student, throughout his educational career, Charles Xavier attended Bard College in his early teens, graduating when he was sixteen.

• Max Eisenhardt (20) is reunited with his former childhood love Magda.

• Captain Maria Rambeu is born. (N)

• Peggy Carter is interviewed about her experiences with Captain America during World War II.

• The Korean Armistice Agreement is signed, ending the fighting of the Korean War.

1954 -

• Magda and Max Eisenhardt (21) move to the Ukrainian town of Vinnytsia, and he adopts the name "Magnus". There, the two have a daughter named Anya and they lived happily for a while.

• (Kree infiltration on Earth)

• Mari-Ell was a Kree raised in Hala. She was a champion of the Kree from a young age, becoming the youngest captain of the Elite Guard.

• As part of the Kree's war efforts, Mari-Ell was personally appointed by Empress Pam'a on a mission to assimilate Earth's humans and give birth to a Kree/human hybrid. To this end, she received the Amulet of Pam'a, a cloaking device that would allow Mari-Ell to hide her identity.

• When she arrived on Earth, she was diverted from her target and landed in the waters off Boston, Massachusetts.

• She was rescued from drowning by Joe Danvers, a local boater.

• Mari-Ell fell in love with Joe's kindness and assumed the identity of "Marie" to date him, originally intending to use him only for her disguise.

1955 -

• February 15 - Suzanne Chan, later known as Sway, is born, a member of the first formation of the X-Men. (N)

• Norman Osborn, Green Goblin, is born. (N)

• As a child, Norman did well at school, his teachers noticed how his brilliance surpassed that of other children and he managed to skip a few grades.

• However, his home life was not so good. His father, a failed business inventor who claimed to have been cheated out of his inventions and personal fortune, took out his anger on Norman.

• Norman would not allow himself to be a failure like his father, he realized he could not depend on him for financial security so he began working after school.

• Months after her arrival on Earth, Marie finally decided to reveal her true nature to Joe Danvers and he accepted her, the two remained together and Marie became the mother of two children that Joe had with his late previous wife, Joe Jr. and Stevie .

• The two later got married and she became pregnant with a child, as she liked the peaceful life on Earth.

• The baby was born later, on March 7, named Carol Danvers, adapted from the Kree name Car-Ell, which means "champion." (N)

• (Sister Margaret / House of Cavalcante - OC)

• Francine Cavalcante (148) found the Mercs for Money alongside her husband Antônio Cavalcante (155).

• They build a mansion in New York, near the former Sister Margaret's School for Wayward Girls, which would be been renovated to be a secret base where mercenaries and mutants can accept and profit from private jobs.

• To cement her new life on Earth, Marie turned off a Kree tracking device she carried, isolating her from the Kree.

• Marie decided to raise Carol by the values ​​she had not learned, that is, to use her heart and not her fists.

• However, she also kept her ties to the Kree a secret and did everything she could to keep Carol's eyes on Earth, which wasn't easy due to Carol's devotion to becoming an astronaut.

• SHIELD agent Melinda May, the Calgary, is born. (N)

• The synthezoid Torch died on an unknown mission.

• Afterwards his partner Toro, Thomas Raymond (25), retired from fighting crime, married a girl called Ann and led a normal life in relative obscurity.

• Victor Creed (136) was sent to Vietnam to conduct illegal covert operations for a secret government organization.

• November 1 - The Vietnam's Resistance War begins.

1956 -

• Wilson Fisk, New York's crime lord, is born. (N)

• Charles Xavier (19) won a scholarship to the University of Oxford in England to obtain his PhD in Genetics and Biophysics.

• August 21 - Mutant Vienna Adamsen, member of the first formation of the X-Men, known as Petra, is born. (N)

• Vienna was the first in her family to be born in the United States. Her parents and older brother immigrated from Denmark while her mother was pregnant.

• October 29 - The mutant Armando Muñoz is born. (N)

• The first signs of Armando's mutation appeared right at his birth: he was albino, his arms were longer than normal and his eyes seemed to change with the light. Because of this, his father abandoned him and his mother blamed Armando for his mutation.

• November 15 - Francis Castiglione is born, later called Frank Castle, the vigilante Punisher. (N)

• Lord Shingen Harada, future head of the Yashida Clan and crime lord of Japan, is born. (N)

• At the age of nine, Akihiro (now called Daken) fell under the influence of Romulus. He was told lies that his father despised him and abandoned him, filling Daken with hatred.

1957 -

• (Blue Marvel)

• Adam Brashear (31) became the project leader in a scientific attempt to harness Antimatter through the creation of a Negative Reactor that created a bridge between the Negative Zone and the positive matter universe itself.

• This reactor would enable a nearly unlimited source of clean energy, allowing devices to tap into the energy generated by a stable event horizon balanced between these positive and negative universes.

• Due to the unexpected reactor explosion, Adam and Conner Sims were subjected to mutagenic radiation generated by the then-unstable event horizon.

• As Sims' body transformed into energy, Brashear became a stable antimatter reactor and developed a set of superhuman abilities.

• After that he became the hero Blue Marvel.

• (The birth of the prince of Hell)

• The Hell-Lords had long wanted to sire a child with a human woman to use as a gateway to the physical world to gain more power, so a demon ascended to Earth and pretended to be human to trick young Victoria Wingate, whose family sold her to the Dresden Chapel and branded her as the mother of a half-human, half-demon child.

• Almost a year after the demon's arrival on Earth, Victoria gave birth to the desired child that her father named Daimon Hellstrom. (N)

1958 -

• Dr. Curtis Connors was born in Coral Gables, Florida. (N)

• Soon after his marriage to Marcia Deaton, Jacob Reiss partnered with Phillip Masters (31) to try to market the special clay that Philip brought from his homeland.

• The two started a business in the town of Watershed Lake using clay that Phillip had been using for years, which he had found on the outskirts of Wundagore Mountain.

• (Yondu)

• Yondu Udonta (9) is sold into slavery as a child, before he could learn how to whistle, a well and importat ability for his species, that allows them to control the Yaka arrows. Through the years he was a slave, Yondu had crest cut off of his head.

1959 -

• Logan (74) meets Silverfox. At some point he meets Victor Creed in a bar. Upon seeing the two together, Creed becomes jealous and attacks Logan again.

• (Erik Lehnsherr)

• One night, a mob surrounded Magnus's house (26) and set it on fire, with his daughter and wife inside. Enraged, Magnus's powers manifested uncontrollably; killing the crowd and destroying a part of the city.

• Wanted by authorities for the deaths and destruction in Vinnytsia, Magnus escapes and creates a false identity as "Erik Lehnsherr".

• Flint Marko, later known as the thief Sandman, is born. (N)

• Flint was the son of Floyd Baker and his wife, Mrs. Marko. Floyd left when his son was still a baby, and when he grew up, the boy learned to steal from his mother.

• Princess Malika (29) OC becomes queen of the Kingdom of Okkara. Etana of Okkara takes the oath of loyalty before the throne.

• When Stephen Strange (15) went on holiday with his family, he went swimming in a lake with his sister Donna (13) when she suffered a cramp and sank.

• After a frantic search, Stephen found her already drowned. The experience left him with a sense of personal failure and made him want to become a doctor.

• Colonel Nicholas Fury Sr. (51) approaches Victor Creed (140) and Tereza Márquez (144) and invites them to join his secret project, the Avengers Initiative.