#polka origin form

[rabbitryart]

pink horse(tm)

[chere-indolente]

Trois femmes aux ombrelles

And we're back at the regular 1880's fashion with this set which inludes bustle skirts in 3 lenghts, 2 skirt overlays, 3 flower accessories, a parasol and an umbrella !

More pics and download below

As referenced in the title, this set was inspired by Marie Bracquemont’s painting : Trois femmes aux ombrelles ou Les Trois grâces / Three Ladies with Parasols or Three Graces, 1880.

Thanks to @javitrulovesims for making the perfect pose for this set !

———————————   Skirts  ———————————

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Once again, these skirts have a slight bustle shape which would best fit for the natural form era : roughly 1875 - 1883 ; (well actually, the size of the bustle is dependant on the size of the sim’s butt so do with that what you will). They are more ornate than my Cueillette skirts featuring some gathered layers and trims typical of the period, so they would be better suited for higher class people or more dressed up occasions.

And as always I give you 3 versions with each a different lenght to have more teen options and worker friendly options . The short one end mid calf, the medium one is ankle lenght and the long is full lenght. 

74 swatches : 22 solids, 10 floral, 6 plaid, 25 striped & 11 polka dot patterns

3 lenghts : S, M & L

————————— Skirt Overlays —————————

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These two overlays will allow to respectively change the gathered layers and the trim swatches in order to channel the trim crazy period that were the 1880's.

in the middle finger section

74 swatches for the skirt overlay : 22 solids, 10 florals, 6 plaids, 25 stripes & 11 polka dots patterns

22 solid swatches for the trim overlay

———————— Flower Accessories ————————

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To properly channel Marie Bracquemond's painting I needed a bunch of flower accessories so you will find 3 accessories in this set : a hair flower, a collar flower and a boutonnière. In my opinion these are pretty timeless and can suit a wide array of looks as portrayed in the pictures below.

These are all edits of @the-melancholy-maiden's Hair Flowers Through the Ages Part 2 thanks to her very open TOU.

none of these are compatible with hats

51 swatches : the-melancholy-maiden's original 29 colors and my 22 colors

the collar flower and the boutonnière are in the necklace section

the hair flower is in the hat section, available for both female and male frames

the hair flower is hat slider compatible

————————   Parasol & Umbrella  ————————

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I made both an umbrella and a lacey parasol (using Javi's texture). These are rather timeless too I think, they are definetely suited for late victorian and edwardian eras.

These are both edits of @javitrulovesims's Meiji Komorebi Accessory Parasol, thank you Javi !

NOT compatible with necklaces, earrings, piercings or anything using the same UVmap (such as kijiko's lashes unfortunatly)

in the right index finger section

45 swatches : 2 colors for the frame and handle, 22 for the canopy and 1 fully black swatch

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Download : dropbox — simfileshare

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[mintkookiess]

Hi, can you do a Earth 42!Miles x Earth 42!Spider-Woman!Reader. Reader somehow meets Hobie and they hit it off. Miles sees them one day and gets jealous.

Of course!! Sorry this took days, writer's block is a bitch

Hope you enjoy this one!

I'm Yours, Miles. (42!Miles x Spider-Woman!Reader)

"Oh crap, I gotta go babe," You said, getting off of Miles' bed to change into your Spider-Woman suit. Your boyfriend lazily looked up at you from where he was laying, his fingers fiddling with the pillow. "Sure ma, you comin' back right?" Miles asked, with a subtle frown.

Your watch had beeped, signalling another mission from Spider Society and you had to deal with it as soon as possible. After changing into your suit you turned around, giving Miles a weak smile before leaning down to kiss his forehead. "I'll be back I promise." You muttered before swinging out his window.

You swung through multiple buildings before stopping at a certain rooftop. Your fingers glided through the techy watch given to you by Miguel only to see your universe pop up on the screen. "Seems like an anomaly here..." You muttered to yourself. You were about to check what the mission was about when you hear a portal open behind you.

Your Spider-sense immediately went off, making you take a sharp turn to see who was coming out of the portal. Suddenly, an all-too-familiar popped out, making you smirk. Nonchalant attitude? Guitar lazily slung behind him? The 'not giving a fuck' expression? It was none other than your friend Hobie, or Spider-punk.

The two of you had had missions together for about two weeks now, and despite only having met during the first one, it was an instant click. You two were the closest in the entirety of Spider Society which didn't come as a surprise given your many things in common, like your sense of humor.

He looked at you with his usual half-lidded eyes, nodding in greeting. "Seems we're paired up again huh?" Hobie walked towards you as the portal behind him closed once more, his comical figure hovering over you.

You gave him a light wave, "Hey there, seems like Spot's been all over the place here lately," You said with a light frown forming in your lips. Hobie only chuckled, "Miguel has been bugging me about it all morning, but you better not think I'm here cause of that."

Your eyes only rolled at the man before you, "Yeah yeah whatever, come on." The two of you then left the rooftop, skipping across buildings and other establishments on your way to assess the damage in your world's Alchemax.

Miles had been busy on his end, walking towards Alchemax with Uncle Aaron with the information that there's been some explosive damage on the institution, and they were tasked to obtain a certain material for Kingpin.

He quickly suited up in his Prowler suit before heading out with his uncle, completely oblivious to the fact that you were also there with Hobie hoping to fix the anomaly.

Once you and Hobie approached the familiar building, you noticed that the upper levels had been covered by black spots, making it look like Alchemax designed their place with polka dots. You nodded at Hobie and he returns it as the two of you stealthily swung up to the giant hole through the wall above.

Smoothly landing on your feet, your eyes explored to see that there were even more spots inside than on the outside. "Mad respect for the guy for fucking 'em up." Hobie chuckled, standing beside you.

"Scan room." You instructed into your watch, and the space before you glowed orange that projected from the device. "Scan complete, anomaly detected. Universe of origin: Earth-1610. Locating their coordinates."

Before you, in bright orange holograms, the events of how the Spot infiltrated the Alchemax and accessed the collider replayed before you and Hobie.

While the two of you observed your surroundings, Miles and Uncle Aaron had snuck in. But before he could move even further, he's already heard your voice and... someone else's.

He told Uncle Aaron that he'd check something out before walking toward the source of the voices, his clawed hands clanking against each other with every sway of his arms.

"—would be perfect if she was here." You sighed, pinching your forehead with your fingers. Hobie placed an arm around your shoulder nonchalantly, " I think 'ts all good, you gotta show 'em that you can fix it up yourself, yeah?"

"But I'd seriously want some advice from Jess right now." You groaned, taking in the large damage before you. You placed a hand on your hip, contemplating on your next move.

Only, you weren't able to as you suddenly heard a voice behind the two of you.

"Who is this, mami?" Miles' distorted voice called out, his walk a bit intimidating as he approached the two of you. The two of you turned around while Hobie's arm was still hanging around your shoulder. "Mi—" You suddenly cut yourself off, realizing that he came here as Prowler. "What are you doing here?" You asked in an attempted professional tone.

"Don't use that tone on me," Miles said, letting his mask retract to show his face. Hobie had to take a double take, "Another Miles? babes I can't be trippin' right?"

Miles right eye twitched at Hobie's nickname. "Babes? Who the fuck is this cabrón?" He started to get closer to Hobie, but you were quick to step in front of him. "Miles, Miles stop, he's just a friend." You hurriedly said.

It was never a nice sight when your boyfriend got jealous, and there wasn't even anything to be jealous about in the first place.

"You better back the fuck up bichito," Miles growled, but didn't dare shove you out of the way. His eyes sent daggers towards Hobie, who just stood there with that same idgaf look. "Look man, I ain't with your girl like that." He said, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture.

You grabbed Miles' shoulder, forcing him to turn back around and away from Hobie. "Baby, why are you even here?" You whispered, your thumbs rubbing circles on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Your boyfriend only clicked his tongue in response, looking away to glare at the floor.

A sigh escaped your lips, lightly tapping his shoulders. "We'll talk about this later," You whispered, kissing him on the cheek before walking back to Hobie.

"Y'all good?" He asked you, carrying his guitar over his shoulder. "Sorry about him," You sighed, shaking your head. Miles placed back his mask before walking away, or more like stomping away.

After the anomaly had been fixed, (albeit with a little help from Jess), you head back to Miles' place to fix up the misunderstanding and assure him like you always did when he got like this.

It was a bit cute though.

You flung yourself inside Miles' bedroom, flawlessly landing to see him hunched over his desk, sketching away in his notebook. You sighed, removing your mask as you walked towards him before crouching down to hug him from behind, your chin slowly resting on top of his head.

Your eyes peeked down to see that he was making another drawing of you, but his strokes were a bit harsher than usual. "You okay?" You whispered, placing a kiss in his braided hair. "Mm." Was all he does in response, still drawing in his notebook.

You leaned further down until your lips were against his cheek, "You know he's just a friend baby, nothing more." You murmured, kissing his cheek gently. You felt him tense up in his seat, but he still ignored you.

Or rather tried to. Miles was quite flushed, his eyebrows furrowed together and he didn't want you to see that side of him. You only continued to silently pepper him with kisses until his body starts to relax a bit into your touch.

"You okay now?" You mumbled, planting one last kiss on his ear. Miles shivered at the sensation, dropping his pencil on his desk. He leans his head back against your chest, looking up at you. "Yeah I'm good."

You leaned down, kissing his forehead. "You're the only one I love Miles, get it through that thick head of yours." You laughed softly, poking his forehead with your finger. "Well who the hell calls their friends babes or places a hand over their shoulder huh?" He asked defensively.

He was also definitely pouting at this point. Just a little.

You suddenly burst out laughing, nuzzling your nose against his while he was still looking up. "That's just how Hobie is okay? He calls everyone that I swear,"

Miles raised an eyebrow, definitely not amused by your answer. "I'm gonna have to talk with him for a bit." You smiled, shaking your head in disbelief, knowing that there wasn't really anything you can do to stop him.

"Fine, if that's what gets you to assure yourself of my undying loyalty, then go be my guest."

Miles stood up, turning around from his chair to wrap his arms around your waist as his brown eyes bore into yours intently. "You're mine ma, I'm going to make sure everyone knows that, hmm?" He mumbled, his hand slightly pressing down on your back.

You could only stand there, pressed against him with nowhere to go, so you just nod. "I'm yours Miles, I promise."

Fin.

Tag: @ii01vp

If you want to be part of the tag list, feel free to msg!

More of my Miles content here babes!

[dnpanimationstudioclone]

Niffty Redesign🐛

Made my own take on Niffty for Fun!!!!!!!!💖 I def thought a lot on what to try with her!!!!

Pushed for a more 50’s Housewife aesthetic/hotel maid vibe. She’s wearing a pinafore apron which was very popular during that era and I took the poodle skirt idea and reworked it into the apron, but rather than a poodle it’s a bug 🐛. Also brought back warmer colors like the pilot look had. Pastel yellow was def a pop color!

Also added a name tag as to show she works for the hotel 🏨

Added more splotches and made them bigger on her apron. Polkadots were popular in that time and I think are cute(lot of her concepts had polka dots on her) plus I can see her wanting people to assume she’s a ladybug or Asian Lady Beetle 🐞 (@peeperscreeperz made a take of Niffty being that which is AMAZING and I considered making her that too but I ended up going a different route). I can see her also wanting them to give off flowers…only for most people to see them as blood stains.🌸🩸

Also gave her those iconic cleaning gloves 🧤. Shes the Hotels maid AND cook afterall 🧽 👩‍🍳

Gave her a bandana bow for the housewife and maid look and because I think it’s cute and lowkey gives off antennae. I LOVE the idea of her being a bug demon so I went with that. I was going for a subtle ambiguity of what she’s suppose to be(she’s hiding what she is).

Gave her warmer eye color back! Also made the pupil more leaf shaped 🍃.

Added gradient for her limbs.

Added extra limbs. Great for extra cleaning 🧹 🧼

Her hairs actually antennae…and extra legs 🦵

Gave her three fingers.

Made her eye bigger(bugs often got big eyes! Or for her case eye 👁️)

Added a lil bug instead of a poodle for her apron!🪳

For her color motif, went back to warmer colors and because for mine I’m going with a rainbow motif she’s Yellow💛🌈 the color known for its positives such as joy and friendship…but can also mean negative things such as Deceit, illness and often used as a warning color⚠️ it was also a popular color for Sci-Fi posters(she was based on B-Alien Movies)

Made her skin a kinda warm pastel orange🧡 I missed her having a warm palette but I also get why they changed it due to her roots 🇯🇵. So I went with orange!!!! Her hairs also a more brownish red-orange.

For her bug theme,

I went with something that I figure would connect her both to her ability to take down pests so well and Japanese origins. The Japanese Centipede! Centipedes are great for pest control but apparently to Japan they’re considered symbols of evil and rottenness, plus with how they look they often scare people even those they don’t pose serious threats to humans, which I think fits Niffty’s whole desire to be loved only to accidentally scare people away…shunned & unloved by a world she can’t seem to fit in💔

HUGE Spoiler alert!!!! Hazbin Hotel

With the reveal of Husk being once an Overlord I like to believe the same with Niffty but rather than souls(talked about this with @a-sterling-rose, she was an immensely powerful sinner like Alastor, but alas her form was far too big and scary for people to want to get close to and she was alone…until Alastor offered her a deal he’d provide a more approachable form in return for her eternal service)

A lot of her looks meant to be hiding what she is. Disguising her extra limbs as hair, her body’s color scheme based on a centipedes, poofy dress that could cover extra, even the bug design could be Interpreted as a long centipede. I was also going for a subtle sharp, mini legs for her apron ruffles, giving off her trying to look sweet and soft but could also be interpreted in another way…

I read and learned from a @lovesart23 redesign vid for her that, she was meant to be based on B-Alien Movies. LOVE that and I tried it myself(hardest part was figuring out what bug to make her and what themes to go with) but I ended up going for another Sci-Fi route. Kaiju/Giant Bug monsters. Creatures like Godzilla or those giant bugs creatures like “the Tingler” 1959(which was a centipede monster I read). I figure it’d connect well to both her struggles of fitting in but also her Japanese Roots.

Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them."

— Ishir⁠ō Honda The Director of Godzilla

Plus some certain Kaijus could qualify as Aliens!.

There’s even a Yokai/demon based on the centipede know as the Ōkumade!

CW freaky Pictures of centipedes and Mice

What do u think? I’d love to know💖

I’ve also done Charlie, Vaggie and Angel🍎🦋🕷️

[tribbetherium]

The Early Temperocene: 135 million years post-establishment

Guinea Mimics: The Gwinnies

The Cavioidecricetidae, also known as the gwinnies, are a group of duskmice belonging to the same clade as the hammibals and the pondrats, though of closer relation to the pondrats than the hammibals: having diverged sometime in the Middle to Late Rodentocene. The gwinnies are primarily small herbivores, in essence having taken over the niches occupied by the basal gouties and the broadheads during the Early Rodentocene, and adapted to feed on a wide array of foliage, such as roots, leaves, stems and flowers of the various grasses and cloverferns that grow across the world. They process these plant material with the help of hindgut fermentation, allowing them to extract nutrition from even the hardest-to-digest vegetation: however, a consequence of this is that they are required to ingest their droppings a second time in order to absorb their full nutritive content. Mother gwinnies thus produce these special pellets in greater amounts in the few weeks after weaning, as these processed, nutritious pellets are usually her offsprings' introduction to consuming solid food.

Throughout their long history, the gwinnies have not become as diverse as most other duskmice clades, but have persisted nearly across the globe in various niches of "small herbivorous rodent" in many different biomes. Breeding all year round, and producing relatively well-developed young per litter that are born fully-furred and open their eyes in a week or two, they, like most other duskmice, are rather low in most food chains and fear many predators, and thus defend themselves by digging burrows, hiding in crevices, and generally reproducing in large numbers to ensure the survival of a few.

One of the most abundant species in the Temperocene is the common grey rockcavy (Griseocavicricetus vulgaris) which is found throughout temperate regions, primarily in mountainous areas with plentiful small gaps among cliffs and ledges for it to seek shelter in. A nocturnal species with small eyes, it prefers to emerge under cover of dark, finding food with the aid of its powerful sense of smell and sensitive whiskers, and gorging itself all evening before retreating to its den by morning, with a stash of additional food it carries in its cheek pouches in order to feed on while seeking shelter during the day when predators abound.

In tropical forests, meanwhile, one may find a similar yet quite different relative: the forest polka (Punctocavicricetus pardus). This species, in contrast, is active during the day, and scampers about the forest floors of tropical jungle on its relatively-long legs, foraging for the low-growing shrubs and cloverferns found in the ground level and the understory. Here, there is abundant cover among the plants, tree roots and fallen logs, and its primary camouflage comes in the form of pale blotches on its body that mimic the speckled, dappled light on the forest floor, breaking up its outline and making it more difficult to see when it freezes in place to hide from threats. In addition to leaves and stems, the polka also relishes fallen fruit dropped from the canopy: making it an important seed-disperser that scatters tree seeds far and wide in places that are favorable for them to sprout.

In open deserts and arid semidesert, in the meantime, during the times when Beta alone in the sky casts the landscape in a brilliant red, the red sandscur (Erythrocavicricetus rubrus) emerges from its den to search for food. Like many animals in the desert, it avoids the searing rays of Alpha by emerging at a period of time when its dimmer, cooler twin instead reigns the sky. As the presence of a red secondary sun has favored the evolution of trichromat vision in many lineages, including predators, so too have prey evolved to hide under these conditions, with red-colored fur originating from erythrism: an unusual increase of red pigment in an animal's pelage that with Beta-twilight as a regular phenomenon became an unexpected survival advantage and thus became the normal state of many species. Well-concealed in the crimson light, the red sandscur is hardly conspicuous as it searches out desert succulents both as a source of food and water.

Most gwinnies of the Temperocene are quite conservative in build, having changed little from their early ancestors, but one significant exception dwells on a small chain of islands between the continents of South Ecatoria and Arcuterra: the Bridge Isles rabbibara (Lepocavicricetus albacauda). The largest of the gwinnies, at roughly twelve kilograms, it grew to such large sizes due to the isolation of its habitat from the mainland, and in the absence of competition grew to an enormous size, comparatively speaking. With its only threats being aerial ones from opportunistic predatory ratbats, it simply grew too large to be carried away by them, and while young may be occasionally vulnerable, adults face little threat and are generally unfazed as they graze on the abundant grasses in the Bridge Isles. The rabbibara, while continuing to survive well into the Middle Temperocene, would find its range restricted to the two northmost islands as its populations disappeared in the southernmost ones due to a period of unstable fluctuations in local food availability. Its absence in those areas, however, would favor a far stranger creature to take its place and become the dominant herbivore of the isles: the zeebeedee (Megalornithomys spp.), a grazing pterodent that, in the absence of predators, also grew to enormous proportions and abandoned its flight entirely.

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[candycandy00]

Roses in the Sky - An Original Alien x Reader Story Part 2

In a future where humanity huddles in decaying domed cities controlled by alien invaders, you and your best friend Anna work as make-shift nurses in a tiny clinic run by the young doctor Terrian. The city is ruled by the aliens' violent, half-breed offspring who serve as brutal overseers. You and Anna have always tried to avoid these overseers at all cost, but your life is changed when one of those same terrifying offspring is brought into the clinic, injured and unconscious.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

This is an original Alien (well half alien) x Fem Reader story! I hope everyone who enjoys my fanfiction will give this a shot! Any feedback whatsoever would be loved! I’ve already written this story so it’s not going to delay my fanfics. Just thought I might post chapters of this between fanfics if anyone is interested.

Slow burn, as this is a novel-length story, but there will be smut in later chapters! Also: violence, blood, rape attempts, death of side characters, etc.

You could only imagine Terrian's horror when he burst through the door. There you were on the floor, in your underwear, the naked half-breed practically on top of you, holding your wrists back. But you were quite certain his horror paled in comparison to yours.

Terrian took hardly more than a second to process the scene before he grabbed the nearest supply table and hoisted it into the air, rushing toward the half-breed. The young man instantly let go of you and grabbed the table before Terrian could swing it down. Jerking it free of the doctor's hands, he slung it across the room and stood up.

Terrian paused momentarily in shock, then threw a punch. The half-breed caught his fist and shoved him back, like an older sibling might do to a child. “What are you doing?" he asked Terrian calmly.

"You're asking me?! You're the one attacking my nurse!"

The half-breed looked at Terrian, puzzled. "Attacking? I was trying to help her up. She bumped into a cot."

You looked up then. "But, you were coming toward me and..."

"I suddenly felt weak. I was heading for the cot behind you," the half-breed said. His voice monotone, mechanical.

You felt stupid. You stood up slowly, pulling the jeans still clutched in your right hand up in front of you again. "I-I'm sorry. I misunderstood."

Terrian looked between you and the half-breed, then suddenly bowed his head. "Please forgive us! I misunderstood as well. I was only trying to protect my nurse. If you must punish us, please allow me to accept hers as well!"

"Doctor, you can't-"

"Be quiet!" Terrian yelled, his head still bowed.

The half-breed looked at both of you curiously. "Punish? I only intend to thank you for taking care of my wound."

Terrian glanced up. "Oh, I see," he said nervously, pushing the glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Well then, you're very welcome."

You bowed your head slightly. "You're welcome," you repeated.

The half-breed glanced down and then, as if just realizing he was nude, looked at Terrian and said, "Where are my clothes?"

Terrian laughed uneasily. "I had to tear them off. I was in a hurry to stop the bleeding. I'm sorry."

"No matter. May I have something to wear?"

Terrian ran over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a pair of white and blue polka-dot pajamas. "This is all I have here at the clinic. They're a little embarrassing, but they're clothes nonetheless."

The half-breed pulled them on wordlessly, seemingly giving no thought to how ridiculous he looked. He again looked to the two of them. "Thank you again."

"Wait! Before you go, could you please fill out this form?" Terrian asked, holding out a sheet of paper.

You blanched. You couldn't believe Terrian had the guts to ask something of a half-breed. No one asked them for anything, unless it was to spare their lives. Even that was generally refused.

The half-breed took the paper, looked it over, then his eyes fell upon Terrian again. "Why?"

Terrian was looking nervous. "Of course it's not required. It's just that we like to keep up with our patients, so we can be sure to check on them and keep them healthy. Speaking of which... I recommend you come back to the clinic in three days so I can check the wound, to be sure there is no infection."

You were standing behind the half-breed and immediately began motioning for Terrian to stop right there, to just shut up and let the guy leave. You silently mouthed the words, "No! No way! Stop!" but Terrian either could not read your lips or was purposely ignoring you.

"Alright," the half-breed said, and you stifled a groan. "I'll come back in three days." He laid the paper on a nearby counter and Terrian handed him a pen. He scribbled on the paper, and you watched him with amazement. You had never seen a half-breed do anything so normal as writing on a piece of paper. They seemed so different, so inhuman. Normal things like writing or wearing pajamas or even sleeping were just beneath them.

When he was finished, he handed the paper to Terrian and walked out the door without another word. As soon as the door closed behind him, both you and Terrian let out a heavy sigh of relief. You looked sharply at Terrian. "Why did you tell him to come back?! Anna will have a heart attack!"

"Anna doesn't run this clinic. I do," Terrian said flatly, standing the table he had used in his unsuccessful attack back up.

"She might never come back! What those things did to her family, what they did to her... I wouldn't blame her if she had a mental breakdown at the sight of him coming into this clinic again!"

Terrian stopped and looked at you. You’d never seen his face so serious before. "I'm fully aware of what those like him did to Anna. But I'm also aware that he was not one of the ones who attacked her. I won't ask her to treat him or even be in the room with him, but I won't turn a patient away, no matter who they are. Anna has to accept that."

You thought it over. Maybe it would help Anna to face her fears. You calmly pulled on your clothes, seeing no more need for modesty after all that had happened in the past few minutes, then turned to Terrian. “I'm sorry, Doctor."

Terrian smiled, returning to his normal self. "It's alright. Just get some rest tonight, okay?"

"Thank you for trying to save me."

He blushed a little, pushing his glasses up again. "Oh, that. Don't worry about it. You're my precious nurse! I can't let anyone hurt you."

You gathered up your things and gave him a hug goodbye. "See you tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself!" he called after you as you walked outside. The red sun was beginning to set and the dark night sky was spreading rapidly. The street lamps lit your way as you headed toward your apartment a couple of blocks away. It was not a long walk, but an uncomfortable one even now, after three years of walking back and forth between the clinic and the apartment.

Two teenage boys appeared suddenly in your path, each holding a knife. One of them tore the blue duffel bag from your shoulder. "Whatcha got in here?" he asked.

You sighed. "A nurse uniform. You want it?"

The boy unzipped the bag and emptied the contents onto the pavement. Your skimpy nurse uniform spilled out and both boys bent down to look. "Shit, she wasn't lying," one of them said.

The other shook his head and stood up. "Let's go."

You watched them until they disappeared around a corner then squatted down to pick up your uniform. You folded it sloppily and shoved it into the duffel bag. "As if I'd be stupid enough to carry anything valuable with me," you muttered.

Just before you stood up, you heard the faint sound of crying. You rose slowly to your feet and looked around. A scream rang out, and you quickly zipped the duffel bag and threw it onto your shoulder, hurrying to move on.

Experience told you to ignore screams and cries. Those who got involved in scenes like that usually ended up at the clinic. But as you walked by an alley, you saw a flash of white and blue polka-dots under a street lamp.

You stopped and took a couple of steps back. Straining your vision, you could see those familiar pajamas moving. You heard more screaming, then heard a child's voice screaming, "Mama! Mama!"

Without thinking about what you were doing, you began running down the alley, until the full scene came into view. A woman's body laid dead on the ground, the head nowhere to be seen. A little girl was lying over the body, shaking with sobs. A man was on his knees, his head bleeding and both arms missing, blood squirting from the stumps that remained.

The half-breed stood over them, blood all over Terrian's pajamas. In his left hand, you could now make out the woman's head. The man on his knees screamed out in anger, and within seconds the half-breed had lunged toward him and shoved his hand right through the man's chest.

The child screamed as the man collapsed, dead. The half-breed dropped the head and approached the girl, lifting his hand.

You ran forward and grabbed the half-breed around his waist. You must have somehow put pressure on his wound, as he grunted and fell to his knees. He looked at you, eyes narrowed into a terrifying stare. And then, recognition appeared on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, that mechanical voice from before was the same even now, while he was covered in the blood of his victims.

You let go of him and pulled away. "Please... please don't kill the child!"

"Her father attempted to rob me. I punished him. His wife attempted to attack me, so I punished her. The child attempted to stop the punishment, so now I will punish her."

You were crying. All you could think of was Anna watching the half-breeds slaughter her mother and brother, the only family she had left. "You can't!" you cried, positioning yourself in front of the child. "They obviously didn't know what you are, because you don't have your uniform on!"

The half-breed stood up. "Are you saying it would be alright for him to rob a normal human?"

"No!" you said, holding your position, "I'm saying they didn't deserve this! Even if he robbed someone, his wife and daughter don't deserve to suffer for it!"

He was silent for a moment, watching you. Then said, "You're interfering with a punishment. Move aside."

You didn't move. "I can't, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt the child!"

"You're giving me commands?"

"I'm begging! Please... you... you owe me."

The half-breed raised his eyebrows, the only thing on his face that indicated his surprise. "Owe you?"

Tears were streaming down your face and your hand was behind you, on the little girl's shoulder. You could feel the child shaking.

"We saved your life, the Doctor and I. You'd be dead right now if it not for us. Please, do me this one favor in return."

He was quiet for a long time, as if thinking about your request. You were surprised he didn't kill you the moment the words 'you owe me' escaped your lips. But he finally spoke. "Alright. I'll spare the child. My debt has now been repaid."

You took a deep breath. "Thank you," you said, standing up.

The half-breed turned to walk back down the alley, and you watched him carefully until he disappeared in the darkness. You looked down at the little girl. "I know it's hard right now, but someday things will be better."

The girl looked up at you with tear-filled eyes. "Thank you so much! Thank you for saving me!"

You smiled weakly at her. "This world is bad enough as it is, but if every now and then one person can save another, maybe things aren't so horrible. Remember that when you grow up, okay?"

The little girl struggled to return the smile, then glanced around the alley at the remains of her family.

You took her hand and pulled her up. "Come on, I'll take you to my place tonight. Then I'll introduce you to a good friend of mine tomorrow. I think you two will have a lot in common."

The girl followed after you down the street and to the apartment. She had lost everything within the course of a few minutes, but in this city, in this world, it was a common occurrence. So common that it broke your heart. You felt a little guilty for having saved the half-breed's life. If he were dead now, the little girl's parents would still be alive. But then, it could've just as easily been another half-breed who attacked them. One that owed you nothing.

You gave the girl a bath, changed into pajamas, and went to sleep with the girl cradled in your arms. It was the first time you had shared a bed since your parents had died, and even though the girl cried until she fell asleep, you felt warm at night for the first time in years.

[armythings-love]

I’m gonna cry… I had an entire analysis for this typed out but my wifi is shit so it refused to post😭😭 anyways, this is based off of the @ladybugout-au permanent superhero team. I decided against doing Luka’s Cadmeancio suit because I 1. Didn’t want to draw him in orange and 2. I was already pushing it with making a purple/red Neurofoxin. Only reason I made her purple is because natural coloring obviously doesn’t mean shit to the character designers if Juleka gets to be a purple red tiger. Anyways, here’s my take on their suits!

Hecattack: I wanted to diverge from the furry/bdsm influences Chat’s suit got, so I gave him looser fit pants, a hood and combat boots. His suit was lowkey inspired by Red Hood’s design because, dammit, DC may be super dark, but they know how to design characters well (something MLB could stand to learn from ಠ_ಠ) anyways, along with the hood and paneled top+cargo pants+combat boots, I gave him cat-shaped knee pads, similar to Ivan’s turtle shell knee pads. You will also notice a trend with a lot of my hero suit designs, which is fingerless gloves. Yes, this’ll take away from the cat claw thing Chat had going on, but I’m ok with that. To go with his punk/rock band aesthetic, he got combat boots with the signature cat paw steel toes. His tail is pretty much the same along with the ears. His mask is also different, covering the bottom half of his face. This also takes away from the cat sclera thing the original Chat had, but Luka isn’t a furry so… also, the mask covering his mouth alludes to his calm nature and quiet personality, not feeling the need to play around, especially during a battle,which was where the original Chat erred most often. Luka also has very expressive eyes, so I wanted to push that, like, even if he doesn’t talk much, he’s still a good communicator. Plus, when cats are hunting, they’re quiet! Which the original Chat cannot relate to!

Ladybug: ok, so her suit is still pretty basic, since I wanted to stick with he AU’s canon description of her suit. The main bodice/legs are similar to the season 4 suit after she calls on the lucky charm, but the sleeves are slightly different. I also got rid of the “reverse” polka dots cuz they just look ugly imo. Her gloves are also fingerless, since I feel like that would 1. Lend better to doing yo-yo tricks and 2. They just look better (u_u) anyways, her hair is still the same, as well as her mask. It’s pretty basic but eh…

Neurofoxin: her design is also super simple, but I also wanted to veer away from the gaudy orange normally associated with the fox miraculous. If she can make her tiger suit purple and red, I can make her fox costume reddish purple!! She’s goth, she’s not gonna walk around in *o r a n g e*. And I stand by that. Anyways, like I said her suit is relatively simple, the panels of the suit modeled after Volpina’s actually, because despite how I hate Lila and her stupid sausage link hair, her volpina suit was pretty cute. Instead of giving her a jacket w/coattails or a belt/sash to be her tail, I decided to make it her hair, cuz even in civilian form it’s pretty long. I also decided that instead of a dark grey/black to purple, I’d make the tips the same cream as her “underbelly” panel, as I wanted to incorporate the cream in more than just that singular spot. I also pulled her bang back because even if she’s goth, she still needs to be able to see properly as a superhero. Plus, I like Juleka’s eyes, and I feel like Trixx would like her to show off more. Anyways, besides the morph suit and her hair being a bit longer than normal+a different color, she has a cropped leather jacket,same color as her suit. There’s also paneling on the side/back of her thighs/back that’s a darker red/purple color. Again, to go with her rockstar/alt aesthetic, I gave her combat boots as well, though hers are knee high, plus I forgot to draw the laces, but eh. Fun fact: I headcanon the Couffaine twins as being super tall for their age, but Juleka is taller than her twin for now+her boots are heeled.

Fukiya: for Kagami’s suit, I pulled inspo from someone else’s LBO AU fanart, although I can’t remember who’s it was. Originally, I was gonna go for a suit similar to Kagami’s fencing gear, but decided to go w the suit she has now so it’d be more reminiscent of a bee. I gave her a sleeveless, cropped kimono, the bottom of which has a honeycomb pattern and an ombré going from dark yellow to black. Her obi has two layers, the bottom layer being a bright yellow and the outside layer being black. Her sleeves are similar to Queen Bee’s, but with an added black line. Her legs are completely black with the exception of her knee pads, which are a bright yellow and octogon shaped. I wanted her to look more bee-esque than Queen Bee or Vesperia (her character design is 🤢) so I gave her the yellow torso with black limbs, than made the kimono collar thick to look like a neck ruff or smth. I honestly struggled with her design a bit but it looks ok in the end so I’m happy with it :) also, Kagami is the shortest because I said so!

Heavy Matal: oh, Ivan, you absolute teddy bear of a guy. I adore the Iván of this AU, he’s so sweet, a gentle giant, so I wanted to focus on making him look slightly softer than the rest of the heroes, despite being the turtle holder. I gave him his signature cargoes, although they’re pants instead of shorts when he’s transformed, a sleeveless hoodie, and “turtle”-neck compression-esque undershirt, the sleeves long enough to be, you guessed it, fingerless gloves! The only reason Kagami is the only one with full gloves is because I wanted to giver a more serious/conservative look. Mari’s been ladybug so long she deserves to have cute, fingerless gloves! Anyways, back to Ivan! His hoodie is two toned, like a turtle’s shell, with the front being a light green. It’s patterned to look like a turtle shell underbelly, with a nice big pocket to hold whatever. He wears elbow- and knee-pads, which are shaped like little turtle shells. He wears regular Vans-style tennies, and his mask is similar to Carapace’s, except it cover the majority of the front of his face (think Kid Flash), and is colored/patterned similarly to a box turtle, with red accents along his cheekbones and his little tuft of hair is his usual blond with an ombré to that same red. (Ignore the ear I forgot to color in plz, I don’t feel like editing anymore T-T)

Ok, so that’s it for today’s character designs! I’m working on redesigning pretty much everyone’s civilian and hero costumes. I haven’t mentioned on this blog, but on pretty much every Gabe!Salt fic I’ve read, I will tell you, whoever the hell designed most of the characters in MLB, you deserve to be fired and then arrested. I’m so sorry, but there’s no way ur gonna convince me Fashion Designer™️ Marinette Dupain-Cheng walks out of her house every day, wearing ugly ass ballet flats+”denim” jeggings in that shade of pink. No way. And don’t even get me started on Gabriel’s candy-cane, red pants and duck hair headass, because omg… that man is supposed to be a world renowned Fashion Designer™️, one of the best in Paris. IN. PARIS!! No fucking way. No way. I get, you want ur characters to be simple and easily recognizable, but that doesn’t mean they have to be ugly!! And I get it, Adrien’s supposed to have a model-off-duty look, but wth are those shoes? Plus, why does he never change for his photo shoots? He’s a MODEL! I get it, you can’t even spend money to change the transformation animation to whatever the characters are actually wearing but wtf??? If you were gonna have any kid’s show where we get to see a lot of different clothes/outfits, this would be the show!! Two of the main characters are fashion designers, one of the minor antagonists is the daughter of a fashion magazine owner and your other main character is a model. IN PARIS!! A city known for its fashion and “romance”. And ur telling me you can’t add a few more outfits to the show??? That’s called lazy writing/animation.

Ugh, sorry abt that rant, but the character designs genuinely piss me off. It’s bullshit.

I digress.

I’ll be releasing the main 4 kids’ redesigns probably on the 15th!!

[gnomewithalaptop]

Breakfast at Timothy's

Pairings: Bart Allen/Tim Drake

Summary: Bart stops by Tim's apartment to make him breakfast. Shenanigans (and feelings) ensue.

@/sapphicdick requested timbart! Posted as part of the DC Gotcha for Gaza Twitter event -- requests are still open for another four days, so please click on the link and check it out if you'd like to donate!

--

It is nearing half past nine in the morning when Tim opens his front door to find Bart Allen doing his level best to vibrate through a cardboard box of Splenda packets.

“Hiya, Timmy!” Bart says. As if on cue, several sugar packets vibrate through the bottom of the box and land on top of his shoes. Or maybe there’s just a hole somewhere. Impossible to tell really.

All he knows is it’s way too early for this.

Oblivious to Tim’s mental anguish, Bart cranes his neck to see around him into the apartment beyond. Except it’s Bart, so what that really means is he leans his whole body forward, shoulders oddly stiff in that particular way that means he’s trying his best not to vibrate out of his shoes. “So…” he says expectantly, “you gonna let me in, or what?”

Tim blinks muzzily, one hand still on the door. Then, for lack of anything to say, he bends over and checks the bottom of Bart’s box for any Splenda-packet-sized holes.

Vaguely dubious, Bart pokes him in the calf with the toe of his sneaker. “Uh. Are you okay? Are you having a stroke?”

There are no holes in Bart’s box. Tim goes back to his original hypothesis of Bart just being a morning person and straightens up. Makes sure to keep a firm hand on the door. “It’s just…” He rubs at one eye, yawning. “It’s really early, Bart.”

Infuriatingly, Bart flashes him a smile. “Oh, good,” he says, shifting the box to one side. “I was worried for a second.”

“Cool. Well, uh. Thanks for stopping by.” Tim makes to close the door, only for Bart to catch it with the toe of his sneaker, smile flickering into something more determined. Tim barely has time to react before he’s ducking under his arm at subsonic speeds; the tracest flicker of lightning later, and he’s already in the entryway taking off his shoes.

Somehow, the Splenda box has ended up awkwardly cradled in Tim’s arms.

“That’swhyI’mhereactually,” Bart says from the ground. He’s undoing his laces at normal speed for some reason, that determined, half-set expression Tim glimpsed earlier evaporated into mile-a-minute chatter like it’d never been there in the first place. “We haven’t seen you in ages, and Cassiesaysyou’vebeenweird about team meals ever since Batman got lost in time and came back to life or whatever so IjustfiguredI’dkilltwobirdswithonestone and make you breakfast!”

Tim blinks down at the box in his hands, brain still chugging along at half speed. Down on the floor, Bart, unbothered, has gotten started on his other sneaker. The laces on this one are a different color than the ones on the floor. Purple polka-dots to his right foot’s traffic-cone orange.

After a couple more seconds’ buffer time, something finally connects long enough in Tim’s brain to form a coherent thought. “…You know how to cook?”

Bart pauses for a beat, just long enough to give Tim a withering look through his fringe. “I’m sorry,” he says haughtily, “between the two of us, which one has actual, real-life experience being an adult with a job?” He thinks for a second, lips pursed in mock consideration, before removing his sneaker with a flourish. “Oh, wait! That’s right: me.”

A smear of lightning later, and he’s on his feet, sneakers lined up neatly against the wall. “Where’s your kitchen?”

Tim points, mutely, and before he can lower his arm again, Bart’s already blinking into the kitchen in a smear of yellow-gold lightning.

For a second, Tim just stares down at the Splenda packets, alone in the dim lighting of his entryway. This has to constitute cruel and unusual punishment; humans just weren’t meant to be up this early on a Saturday.

As if on cue, Bart blurs back into the foyer. “Hey, Tim,” he says, his socked feet squeaking against the hardwood floors, “where do you keep your electric stand mixer?”

Tim blinks. “I don’t… have one?” he offers weakly. Then, abruptly, his brain switches on again, and he shoves the sugar packets back into Bart’s arms. “Hey, wait a minute, your year as the Flash definitely doesn’t count—I mean, was it even technically you that experienced it—?”

“Okay, one, it absolutely counts, don’t talk like you know how the speed force works, and two—” Bart sticks his tongue out at him, shifting the box to his hip again, “—you have like a bajillion dollars and still don’t own a stand mixer, so your opinion matters even less to me.”

“You don’t get to act like you know how appliances work. I’m not the one who washed Speedy’s glue arrows and broke the washing machine.”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you to, Monsieur Mixer-less.”

It is at this point that Tim makes the executive decision to give up. He strides into the kitchen. “What do you even need an electric mixer for anyways?” he calls over his shoulder as he grabs a Zesti out of the fridge door. “Aren’t we just doing eggs or something?”

Another blink, and Bart’s dumping out the box of Splenda on the kitchen island. “No, because we’re not boring. We’re making Sugar-Blasted Brunch Casserole, as seen in Episode 211 of the hit Disney series Sick Life of Jack and Brody.”

That… takes a second to register. “Um,” Tim says blankly, and does his best not to stare at the avalanche of Splenda packets spilling onto his tile floor. “…What?”

Bart, meanwhile, continues to charge forward, unabated. “I even made sure to bring fake sugar sowecankeepinlinewithyourBat-diet!” he says, gesticulating wildly with one hand as he goes through every single one of Tim’s cabinets at lightning speed. A blink, and there are half a dozen eggs cracked open and with yolks and whites separated neatly between two glass mixing bowls.

Tim resists the urge to sit down, and just scruffs a hand through his hair, trying to track Bart’s movements through the kitchen as his speed ramps back down to just past human-normal. It’s a bit like trying to track the blades of a jet engine.

It’s… odd. Bart’s always had a bit of a hyperactive streak, but this single-minded intensity is new. Tim’s not sure what to make of it.

[Continue on AO3]

[fitf-ducks]

The Ducks of the FITF Tour.

John Delf the sound engineer of the Louis Tomlinson tour started to put in the sound booth rubber ducks that fans gave him to keep him company, and this collection got big this US & Canada leg. So here is the story (that nobody ask for) of how this family of ducks started and growth.

[Disclaimer: I'm aware this could sound like a dumb post to make but i have fun making it and wanted to share what fans created. Also some of this photos and edits are potato quality so sorry in advanced if you don't see very well the details.]

-The Duck family started with the green duck, who was first spotted at the Cuyahoga Falls show (01.06.23) [duck count: 1].

-After that the green duck was spotted in John's photos in different shows, however at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin show (13.06.23) five new friends join in (pink, black, blue, yellow and red ducks), the green duck wasn't alone anymore [duck count: 6].

-The rainbow ducks were spotted in different shows until the Berkley, California show(29.06.23) where a new family member join in: The capitan duck with an anchor [duck count: 7].

-The seven ducks were spotted in LA, Las Vegas, Phoenix but in Irving, Texas show (06.07.23) three new members join in [duck count:10].

In the upper photo we see: the space polka dot duck, the disco duck and the duck the duck with green hair/hat.

-In the Austin, Texas show (07.07.23) two new members were add it: the FITF duck and the futbol duck [duck count: 12].

-The next show that a new family member was added it was in Hollywood Florida (13.07.23), where 1 more join in: the duck chileno [duck count: 13].

-In the Tampa, Florida show (14.07.23) the duck family got bigger with 6 Louis ducks plus a green turtle [duck count: 19+1 turtle].

In the upper photo we see (Louis in Gilford duck, Louis in Cuyahoga Falls duck,Louis in Columbus duck, Louis with 28 clothing white hoodie duck,Louis in Seattle duck and Louis Troutdale duck) and the green turtle.

If you forgot about those outfits here is a reminder:

-In the Atlanta, Georgia show (15.07.23) two new members join: the second duck chileno and the soccer ball duck [duck count: 21 + 1 turtle].

-In the Nashville show (18.07.21) six members join in [duck count: 27 + 1 turtle].

In the upper photo we see: princess duck, angel duck, green with blue glasses duck (later shows it ends up with black glasses),bracelet-flying helmet duck,big red duck, fitf album cover duck.

-In the Charlotte show (19.07.23) in the day the 28 member was add it, the cowboy duck with a pink floatie, at night two more join in Louis in Nashville duck and Louis in Atlanta duck [duck count: 30+ 1 turtle].

Checking this post and this other post and what John posted of other show, for the position of the ducks,the Nashville and Atlanta duck have a penguin on their butt so they can look more like the original Louis(they also have blue eyes like Louis).

I know the quality is not the best but you can see the form of the outfits (Atlanta outfit on the left and Nashville outfit on the right):

-In the Raleigh show (21.07.23), were add it 14 members to the duck family [duck count: 44+ 1 turtle].

In the upper photo we see: 5 long hair neon rainbow light ducks, john delf duck, baby purple duck, duck with blue shirt, North Caroline duck, middle finger duck, black stripes duck, yellow duck with a sparkly shirt and lastly duck unicorn twins.

-In the Columbia show (23.07.23), 16 ducks join the family [duck count: 60+ 1 turtle].

In the upper photo are: triplets soccer ball ducks, clown duck (fandom representation), duck blue shirt, duck with green shirt, sparkly triplets ducks (golden, red, gray ), DIY duck, pilot duck with floatie, mystery red duck (I can't see how it looks), duck with black hat, superman duck, transparent duck, red rocket duck.

-In the Boston night 1 show (24.07.23) we got 2 more ducks and an octopus stuffed animal ?.[duck count: 62+ 1 turtle+1 octopus]

In the upper photo we see High in California duck, soldier duck and cute octopus.

-In the Boston night 2 show (25.07.23), the photos share for this are really dark and I really can't see a lot, for the form and future show post I figure which were the new ones (maybe I could have miss something), in this show were add it 4 new ducks.[duck count: 66+ 1 turtle+1 octopus]

In the upper photo we see writing duck, gray necklace duck, Boston duck and weed duck.

-In the Philadelphia show (27.07.23), the photo is really dark and even edited the quality is not the best, but in this show the rest of the ducks weren't showcase in the photo we only see the new 7 ducks [duck count: 73+ 1 turtle+1 octopus].

In the upper photo we see red duck with a quiff, Luigui the italian duck, punk purple duck, soccer dress duck, blue duck (this is a new one besides the other blue)white duck and astronaut duck.

-In the Asbury Park, New Jersey show (28.07.23) we only see the 4 new duck that join the family [duck count: 77+ 1 turtle+1 octopus].

In the upper photo we see yellow Louis duck, Tomlinson duck, O.R.F.C and beaded blue duck.

-In NYC (29.07.23) in the day we got a video that share the collection and were add it 2 new ducks (maybe john got them after taking the pic of Ausbury) [duck count: 79 + 1 turtle + 1 octopus] .

My edit is awful and I have to put some photos on top so you can see all of them. Anyway in the image we see duck with glasses and mini yellow duck.

-Same day at night more ducks were add it. This is the last one and the most hard to figure it out because of the picture, I probably miss something but this is what I could notice, in the NYC show (29.07.23) 7 ducks join the family [duck count: 86+ 1 turtle+1 octopus].

In the upper photo we see duck shark, crochet duck, hidden duck, darker unknown duck, sparkly big green duck, yellow duck with something in their back and helmet duck.

Just like this collection got out of control, this post as well, If you have links of the story of fans who give ducks or better photos or name suggestions for the ducks please share it with me.

I have the same post on twitter in english and español if you want to share it over there. I'm hoping fans that gift ducks see it and could tag me in better photos so please reblog and retweet.

In the European leg tour John doesn't show the new ducks in all shows and the photos are really dark with not a lot of close ups but I will try to do another recap.

[dc-polls]

"That Really Happened?!" DC Comics Tournament Entry #4

Sentient Music Note Saves The Day With The Power of... Gay Love?

[ID: A series of comics panels featuring Pied Piper, The Trickster, and a gigantic sentient music note. Pied Piper is gesturing at the music note as he shows it to Trickster. Piper says, "*Swhooh* I know, I know..." Trickster asks, "So what gives?" Piper replies, "That! I've been trying to get rid of it for over a week and it just won't dissipate! I used a vacuum cage, the cone of silence - tried bombarding it with lots of smaller notes...! Well, you saw how that worked out." Trickster says, "Sounds Bad." To which Piper replies, "Does it ever. And worse, it seems to have formed an, er, unnatural affection for me! It tries to follow me everywhere! Which you'll have to admit could be pretty embarrassing. You got any bright ideas on this one?" /END ID]

What Happened?

Short story: Pied Piper accidentally summons a giant music note that becomes obsessed with him, escapes containment, and conveniently arrives to the main plot just in time to beat up Gorilla Grodd and save the day.

Long story: Summoning sentient music notes sounds like Golden Age silliness, but this particular story actually comes from 1989. In this Rogues-focused oneshot, a mysterious amnesiac man approaches Paul Gambi (Central City's go-to supervillain tailor) and tells him that his memory is stirred by seeing the Rogue's costumes in the window (because not only is Gambi cheerfully making costumes for supervillains, but he actively advertises this fact and has somehow not been booked as an accessory to any of their crimes.) Gambi suggests that perhaps the amnesiac man is one of the Rogues in question and begins telling their origin stories in hopes of sparking more memories. In a parallel storyline, we see Trickster (James Jesse) rushing to the apartment of the Pied Piper (Hartley Rathaway) where he finds Piper unsuccessfully attempting to subdue the Giant Music Note named Blatt which has gained sentience and become… attracted… to him. Notably, the issue doesn't even try to explain how this happened. Piper's sonic powers, according to the origin story given in this very issue, are entirely scientific and gadgetry based. How did he give sentience and form to a non-literal concept at all, much less accidentally? Who knows! Who cares! We have a plot to develop! A mysterious “he” is back in town and Trickster is here to pick up Piper to come join the Rogues team-up to get the drop on “him.” (After they stop for breakfast, of course.) The rest of the rogues join the group as their origin stories are introduced via Gambi’s storytelling. Shortly before the group arrives, our mysterious amnesiac finally remembers who he is and demands Gambi make a special costume for him. When the Rogues arrive, they are attacked by… Gorilla Grodd! Or, as Trickster soon discovers when the beast goes down in one punch, a de-powered Grodd who has been turned human and is wearing a gorilla suit. They get the suit off Grodd and tie him up (and yes, he is in fact wearing red and white polka dot boxers and nothing else under the gorilla suit.) The Rogues mock their adversary, despite Gambi’s warnings, and rage finally breaks the mental block keeping Grodd de-powered and allows him to return to his superpowered gorilla form. All seems lost, when Blatt re-appears, having escaped from Piper’s apartment and followed him here. The sentient music note easily defeats the giant gorilla with psychic powers and all is well. The Rogues celebrate and head home, with Trickster suggesting that Piper should marry Blatt in gratitude. When they’re gone, we see... a second Gambi? It is revealed to the reader that “Gambi” has actually been Grodd’s (not evil) fellow gorilla Solovar in disguise as Gambi to recapture Grodd. Just as one final ???? in a long line of ?????

Oddly enough, Blatt has never been mentioned since. I can’t imagine why.

(Source: Secret Origins volume 2 issue 41. It's a great standalone issue and a nice introduction to the Flash Rogues for anyone unfamiliar with them.)

--

Tournament polls will be posted after all entries are up. As always you can find all posts related to the tournament using #dc-polls-trh

[transfemlogan]

YOU'RE ONE BIG SUGAR RUSH!!! 💙🐶

Art trade for @aromanticpatton or @/tiilde.ath on Instagram!

(Please click for better quality!)

Instagram | Twitter

[ID: a digital drawing of Patton Sanders from Sanders Sides. Patton is a vietnamese person with medium brown skin, who uses he/him and she/her pronouns. He is smiling wide and winking while looking off to the side. He has pink eyeshadow around his eyes and red hearts. She has blue rectangle shaped glasses with googly eyes glued to the frames. He has medium length dark brown hair, bleached at the tips, tied up into two pigtails shaped roughly like angel wings, with the rest falling out of the hairties and forming bangs. On her bangs are multiple colourful barrettes. She is wearing a blue shirt and dark brown pants underneath a light pink apron that says "kiss the chef" and blue sneakers. On her apron are 3 different pins; one of the aromantic flag, bisexual flag, and bigender flag. Patton is also wearing a yellow cross. He is standing in front of a pink grill, with his legs spread, a spatula in one hand pointed towards the viewer, and another hand curled up near his face. There is styalised pink smoke coming from the grill. The smoke has light pink hearts in it. In front of the smoke are 2 speech bubbles, one with a kissing face in it and another with a heart. 2 exclamation marks are beside it. Behind Patton is a blue spiderweb-explosion-shape. There's yellow flowers covering half of it and behind Patton's back. Inside the explosion shape are the rest of the sides. They are tiny, chibi-like and have a paper texture. Underneath Patton's feet is a small patch of green grass. The background is a gradient from a pastel orange to a saturated orange. Over it are dark orange polka dots. In the corner reads "I-U-D". /end ID]

Close-ups underneath cut

[ID: 2 images of close-ups of the original drawing. Image 1 is a close-up of Patton's face and Image 2 is a close-up of the chibi sides. /end ID]

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode nationale, no. 23, 6 juin 1903, Paris. Chapeau d'été. Bibliothèque nationale de France

(1.) — Chapeau d'été pour jeune femme ou jeune fille, en crin noir doublé de crin violet rosé. La forme est très nouvelle et coquette, la calotte arrondie et petite comme un chapeau breton, le bord relevé avec grâce sous un double chou de mousseline de soie à pois de chenille où se piquent des ailes noires veloutées. Draperie pareille aux choux qui attachent le relevé. La jolie personne qui porte ce chapeau si original et si coiffant à une allure des plus coquettes, avec son grand col de dentelle sur une blouse de liberty rose roi.

(1.) — Summer hat for young women or girls, in black horsehair lined with pinkish purple horsehair. The shape is very new and flirtatious, the cap rounded and small like a Breton hat, the brim gracefully raised under a double collar of silk muslin with chenille polka dots on which velvety black wings stand out. Drapery similar to the cabbages which attach the statement. The pretty person who wears this very original and stylish hat has a very flirtatious look, with its large lace collar on a royal pink liberty blouse.

[faith-nerd]

And Now It's Time for Silly Songs with Larry: the part where Larry comes out and Sings a Silly Song.

That's right, the VeggieTales Villain Song Showdown is in it's final days, and that means it's time for the Very Veggie Silly Song Showdown!

Playlist is Here. First Round of Polls (barring any major hang-ups) should go up on Sunday.

Match-up list and more details on how the bracket was formed under the cut.

Now, a couple of things: This is every song from a VeggieTales episode that fills the spot traditionally held by Silly Songs with Larry (so yes we do have Love Songs with Mr. Lunt, Obscure Broadway Showtunes, etc.) plus a few that even if they aren't in that specific spot, they're a non-traditional episode equivalent (feature film credits songs, song-compilation-episode premiered songs, and Lost Puppies because it just feels like a silly song).

This number of songs (and the number there would be if I did JUST the official ones) is... not traditional tournament compatible. So, to try to make this as fair as possible, I had to get creative.

First, and the easiest to see on the visual bracket, Semifinals will be Top 3 of the Left and Top 3 of the Right (as opposed to Top 2).

Second, there are 3 Round 1 "Themed" Match-ups. These do get to skip a round, which I'm not a fan of because I feel like it gives them a free pass; however, these also have 3 songs in each, which means to move on it has to beat 2 other songs as opposed to 1, and in my mind that makes it harder, so I'm thinking maybe hopefully it evens out? (If you don't like it... it's VeggieTales Silly Songs, don't take it so seriously).

These themed match-ups also serve as a way to compare similar songs. We've got the three Boyz in the Sink songs (Bellybutton, Mess Down in Egypt, and Bubble Rap), the three Christmas songs (Oh Santa, 8 Polish Foods of Christmas, and Wrapped Myself Up for Christmas), and three Pirates Who Don't Do Anything but-not-their-original-theme-song Songs (Do the Moo Shoo, Credits Song, and Rock Monster).

So that's how I tried to work with there being a non-easily-bracketable number of songs. And as far as how the match-ups were distributed: it looks random, but it's not? It was a lot so I don't want to try to describe it in too much detail, but it is based on grouping them in chronological order, pitting the groups against each other and putting them on opposite sides and in different branches of the bracket. Basically, trying to delay any potential rematches of the ten in the Ultimate Silly Song Countdown until as late in the tournament as possible.

Anyway, now for the actual Match-ups:

Left Side:

A.1: "The Water Buffalo Song" vs "Monkey"

A.2: "Lost Puppies" vs "Astonishing Wigs"

A.3: "Dance of the Cucumber" vs "Sneeze if you Need To"

A.4: "SUV Song" vs "Best Friends Forever"

B.1: "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" vs "Donuts for Benny"

B.2: "The Blues with Larry" vs "Happy Tooth Day"

B.3: "Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps" vs "Where Have All the Staplers Gone?"

B.4: "My Baby Elf" vs "The Perfect Puppy"

C.1: "Endangered Love" vs "The Hopperena"

C.2: "The Gated Community" vs "My Golden Egg"

C.3 (Boyz in the Sink): "Bellybutton Song" vs "A Mess Down in Egypt" vs "Bubble Rap"

Right Side:

A.1: "The Hairbrush Song" vs "The Biscuit of Zazzamarandabo"

A.2: "Larry's High Silk Hat" vs "Supper Hero"

A.3: "I Love My Lips" vs "Sippy Cup"

A.4: "Schoolhouse Polka" vs "Kilts and Stilts"

B.1: "Song of the Cebu" vs "Pants"

B.2: "Pizza Angel" vs "Asteroid Cowboys"

B.3: "His Cheeseburger" vs "Goodnight Junior"

B.4: "Lance the Turtle" vs "Mac and Cheese"

C.1 (Bonus Pirates [Round 1 Pass]): "Do the Moo Shoo" vs "The Credits Song" vs "Rock Monster"

C.2: (Christmas [Round 1 Pass]): "Oh, Santa!" vs "The Eight Polish Foods of Christmas" vs "Wrapped Myself Up for Christmas"

[mrmeowziii]

My Total Drama Cast 7/16

“Hey! Hi! Hello! It’s Tiffany here, but you can call me Tiff! I just wanna say, I am SO excited for this opportunity! I think my time on Total Drama will be like, totally awesome! I’m gonna have so much fun with the others! Those guys aren’t even gonna know what hit ‘em, ha! Just thinking about it all makes me so… EXCITED!!!”

Yeah, so it’s safe to say Tiffany’s pretty excited for her time on Total Drama. She’s all about cutesy things, and her four pet Rottweilers can attest to that. …Wait, was that right? Aww, but she’s got such cute muzzles for them all! Adorable. What else about her… she’s 5’4’’, originally was from the US before her family moved to Canada, her favorite color’s blood red, she volunteers at an animal shelter in her free time, and she LOVES polka dots! She formed her positive attitude after being bullied heavily in school. Those meanies were so mean! They’d picked on her almost every day… So she figured why be sad when you could just ignore them! Life is meant to be a happy time, right? It’s been so long since she’s thought about those guys, she forgot that they stopped coming to class months ago- which was really just too bad! Maybe they all could’ve been great friends…

How far will Tiffany’s excitement carry her into the game? Aren’t Rottweilers just the cutest? Find out on the next season of Total Drama!

[arecomicsevengood]

Jack Cole's Plastic Man

I recently discovered that some volumes of the Plastic Man Archives, those fifty dollar hardcovers issued by DC, can be had for fairly affordable prices these days. I had always heard that Jack Cole was one of the few Golden Age cartoonists whose work held up - Some would advocate for Will Eisner's work on The Spirit, but Cole's work, being more explicitly comedic seemed like it might come closer to E.C. Segar or other strip cartoonists whose work I know to be enjoyable. I'd read a little bit of Plastic Man before - his origin story, as reprinted in Jules Feiffer's The Great Comic Book Heroes, is not that impressive, but is ingrained in my memory due to poring over that book at my grandparents' house as a kid. I also know that I read the Art Spiegelman and Chip Kidd Jack Cole And Plastic Man: Forms Stretched To Their Limits book but that was much later in life and so I don't remember the stories reprinted nearly as much as I recall the Chip Kidd of it all: The scans from newsprint, the ephemera. There are only a few complete stories in that book.

I do wish there was a single volume best-of, in an affordable softcover, rather than a series of eight hardcovers, committed to completism. There are also now four softcovers, put out by PS Artbooks, that reprint four issues of the Plastic Man series at a time - I believe there is some overlap with the archives in the first two of these volumes, but that with the third they get to reprinting material DC didn't get around to. I also believe that PS follows the "scanning from old issues" method preferred by Spiegelman to the "restored and made crisper" approach seen in the DC Archives books. I don't know, of course, if my personal taste in what I think is the strongest material would align with that of the editors of a hypothetical best-of. I'm sure there are great discrepancies between my taste, those of an editor at DC Comics, and Art Spiegelman's when it comes to contemporary work, but I would also like to think that, when evaluating work from the 1940s, our collective tastes would approximate those of the theoretical modern reader. I believe we'd all agree that The Granite Lady, from Volume Five, with its reoccurring gags of men being suicidal due to a beautiful but indifferent woman, or the same volume's Thinking Machine, with its prefiguring of AI played for laughs, constitutes top-shelf material. Volume 3 is a little more consistently high-quality than volume 5, but not by much.

But beyond selecting the stories that hold up as comedy, that are able to maintain a certain velocity, there is the cartooning itself to observe the oddity of. There is a peculiar way these panels move from panel to panel, which is abnormally solid: Often it seems like the figures are made of clay, and they and the camera are being moved around a stop-motion diorama. There's a way of foreshortening the bodies and backgrounds that gives the comics a sense that the spaces have been realized by the artist with perfect precision before he laid his pen to paper. This is most in evidence with Woozy Winks, Plastic Man's sidekick, a big fat guy wearing polka dots and a straw boater hat, but there is always a sense of solidity, of moving the reader through the space of the page by identifiable props. A big part of this is the gag of Plastic Man himself, how he disguises himself as an object then reveals himself later.

Cole shows Plastic Man stretching within the panels themselves, which are set out in a standard three-tier page. He doesn't go for wacky byzantine dynamic layouts that have Plastic Man moving throughout the page. There is something inherently deadpan or understated, which is both a big part of why these comics work and something that people trying to adapt Plastic Man to a more traditional superhero comics framework miss. Plastic Man is now owned by DC Comics, and when he shows up as a character, he is played as zany, while the sense of humor in Cole's comics is situational and occasionally dark. In a non-Golden Age context, it makes sense to play the character for what he can do visually, but playing the cartooning broader leads to different calculations as to how the timing would work.

There are other factors in play as to why later incarnations may not work as well. Over time, the idea of a humorous superhero veers into superhero parody, which then gives way to head-up-its-own-ass self-referentiality. This is a trap even very funny people can fall into. Jack Cole is simply telling stories, that require very little from the reader in terms of background knowledge they need going in, and he elaborates on his basic premise, time and time again, becoming reliably entertaining. I don't think I need many more of these collections beyond the two that I have, but two volumes of classic comics is generally my limit: That's all I have of Carl Barks, Floyd Gottfredson, E.C. Segar, and Cliff Sterrett. Cole easily ranks among those guys, a great entertainer for a broad audience.

[withoutyouimsaskia]

Remember Me, Special Dreams

Part XIII.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9  Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17  Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25

GIF: Originally posted by @kaneshiro-takeshi​​​​​​

Summary: Self-insert. You're having trouble with recurring night terrors and Morpheus pays you a visit. (Title from the lyrics of Placebo’s Special Needs)

Warnings: language, angst, mentions of night terrors.

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: Hello there! Thursday saw the moment arrive that all Sandman fans have been waiting for: Series 2 has been green-lit! What a lovely thing it was to wake up to. This chapter, I’ve just realised, is full-on therapy so prepare yourself for some serious feels. Hope you are doing well, all my love, Saskia <3

Sandman Masterlist

---------------------

The recognition of your sentiments for Morpheus unlocks a stronghold in your mind that you had been striving so meticulously to keep bolted shut.

It ekes into your subconscious, filling the rest of your night with The Keeper of the Dreaming. Not the real him. The edges of his form are blurred like that of a 1980s sci-fi TV show hologram. 

The conjuring does very little. Just stands and watches you go about your business in all your dreamscapes. But he is steadfastly there. A constant, niggling reminder of your blossoming feelings.

When morning comes, you throw yourself out of your bed sheet sandwich, possessed by an unmanageable, chaotic energy.

You pace back and forth in a flurry of polka dotted pyjamas, sighing with enough melodrama that you could likely be heard from two streets away.

"You can't do this," you say loudly.

You stop in front of the floor length mirror. Your inverted image regards you with disdain.

"You need to get your shit together, Y/N. He is your friend."

A thought suddenly occurs to you that helps your argument with your heart.

"In fact, friend relationships are not given the same level of importance in society as romantic ones so caring deeply for him is not only a perfectly good thing, it is also very... umm... progressive," you babble away to the point of incoherence.

You become serious, staring yourself down with narrowed eyes. "But what you can't do with your friends is fantasise about touching their hair. Or anything else for that matter."

A long breath of air is sucked into your lungs.

"You're allowed to care for him in a platonic way. That is it."

You press the heels of your hands into the hollows of your eyes before abruptly looking back to your mirror twin.

"Pla-ton-ic." You sound out each syllable slowly.

“Platonic. Platonic. Platonic.” The words are a chisel and hammer and your brain is the rock. You have to get this sorted before you slip any deeper.

You then walk purposefully out the room to take a shower.

***

You only have to wait one extra night before you get to see Morpheus again.

You materialise in the familiar, cosy surroundings of all your rendezvous.

He is there waiting for you.

The change in him is palpable from just the way he stands. His mouth is set into a grim, hard line. There is hardly any lightness behind his eyes.

Pain rises up again inside you; you have to know what is going on.

“You are well?” He asks formally.

“Y-yes. Thank you,” you stammer, thrown off guard before righting yourself and asking your question in a small voice.

"What happened?"

"It is of little consequence now."

You watch him internalise and suppress, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw. 

"Morpheus," you call out softly. "Talk to me, please."

You motion towards the armchair.

He sits reluctantly, yet with his usual grace and you sit among your menagerie of blankets and pillows.

His voice is hoarse and weary. “There was a matter of insubordination that I needed to address. A certain creation of mine took advantage of my distracted state yesterday and acted outside of their function."

You are awash with guilt. You were one of his duties last night; you wonder if you had inadvertently contributed to the situation.

You press forwards, trying to unpick his crypticism.

"Have they backed down now that you have spoken to them?"

"I did much more than speak to them, Y/N."

His fingers twitch with barely concealed rage.

Energy cracks in the air between you, you feel it prickle at your skin. You are suddenly reminded of the fact that despite appearances, he is so very far removed from what you know as the human experience. He is a live wire of power with the ability to warp and shape reality. And you are simply a spectator in his arena.

You shift in your seat. He takes note.

"Does my demeanour frighten you?"

You shake your head firmly. "No."

"It has cause to."

A chill runs through you. It is not one fashioned by fear, rather the pitch of his voice. It slices through your ear drums and reverberates in the centre of your brain making you feel like you’ve heard each word twice.

His eyes flutter closed.

"I have done things in my past, Y/N. Terrible things driven by vengeance and jealousy and in reaction to my mistakes.”

His self-loathing is as biting as an early morning winter frost. Having been in this frame of mind yourself recently, you try to be as gentle as possible with your next question.

"The thing you had to do. Did you do it because you had no other choice?"

"They were tormenting a dreamer," he replies flatly.

"So you did it as an act of protection?"

Morpheus’ composure cracks. The steel in his eyes as they bore into yours is brutal. The undercurrent in his voice is dangerous. 

"I sent them to the Darkness, Y/N. I removed them from existence. It is not the first time I have resorted to such eventualities, and it will likely not be the last."

He takes a deep breath and some of the fury dies down.

“Yes, I have the option to re-build my creation again but it does not change the fact that I failed in my duties.”

You sit still and silent, feeling some of the power rolling off of him subside.

"I do not understand why are you are not more affected by this revelation, Y/N. I destroyed them without a second thought.”

His voice is low and tinged with shame. “I do not like the person that I am at times.”

Your heart breaks in that moment. You are across the room before you realise, kneeling on the ground before him so you can look up into his agony filled eyes.

You dearly want to hug him. But in lieu, you put your hand on his, causing him to stiffen. He is suddenly unable to look at you.

“I am not affected because I know all too well that doing the necessary thing is not always the same as the thing that feels pleasant. And the fact that you are cognisant of how you feel shows that you are not the monster you seem so determined to convince me that you are."

Morpheus’ eyes hold wobbling un-spilled tears. You feel yours burn with saline of your own that begins to overflow when you speak again.

"I’ll admit, I can’t fully understand the intricacies of your responsibilities but what I do know is that it is impossible to be perfect all the time.”

You swallow through the lump in your throat.

“We all have a past, Morpheus. But please remember that our pasts do not have to define us. To me, you are the person who came to me when I was in need. You spent hours trying to understand my affliction and find a solution. You created a refuge for me so I had somewhere to rest away from my dark thoughts. You listen and you remember and you are there for me. You are a good person, and I think many people including Lucienne and Matthew would agree with me.”

You squeeze his hand.

He nods but you are unsure if he is agreeing with you or trying to move on from the conversation.

"I will return next Saturday." He is back to duty so quickly.

"No, Morpheus. I think you should check in with me less often.”

Quicker than a bolt of lightning to a metal conductor, his focus snaps down to your tear streaked face.

“You said it yourself, you’ve been distracted and I imagine that I am part of the reason. Your feelings are valid and you should give them attention. Take some time to do what you need to do. Come find me in a month. I’ll be okay.”

You smile reassuringly, even though regret is clawing at your heart. The thought of a month without Morpheus is not exactly enticing; you have become so used to him, his soothing disposition and your engaging conversations. Yet it might prove beneficial for both of you. He can focus on his function and you can get over your attraction towards him.

“I’ll call if anything happens, I promise."

--------------------

"Oh feel our bodies grow. And our souls they blend. Yeah love I hope you know, How much my heart depends."

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