#snakie comic

[gardensnackie]

Sweetness - Part 2/???

#omori #omori stranger #stranger omori #omori fanart #omori game #art #faraway stranger #digital art #omori basil #omori comic #omori art #basil omori #snakie comic

[dross-the-fish]

Note: I got my tablet working briefly and was able to finish the lines before it crapped out again. Testing out a potential comic format to go with the drabbles. Don't know if it's going to be a regular thing but I thought I'd see how everyone feels about it. Adam’s Naming

The Creature sat in a chair that was uncomfortably small for him, his knees bent so that they nearly folded into his stomach. He watched anxiously as Watson pulled out his grooming kit and a pair of scissors.

“That mess of hair has to go, I’m amazed you don’t have lice,” the Doctor wrinkled his mustache as he methodically laid out his tools and began to separate the strands of black hair, first with his fingers to break apart the larger tangles without pulling then with a wide toothed comb.

The Creature, unaccustomed to being touched so casually, fought the urge to squirm away, “Parasites seem to find my blood unappetizing, I’ve never had to suffer their infestations on my person. A small mercy, I suppose,” he said.

“Be that as it may, I should hope that now that you are among people, you’ll be diligent with your hygiene,” Watson replied, grimacing as he picked up his scissors and snipped away the first oily lock, watching it pool on the ground in a snaky curl.

“I never anticipated that I would be among people. It is a foreign thing to be concerned with my appearance outside of hiding it from sight.”

“Have you really never had a friend?” Watson asked.

“No, never. The closest thing I had was a mere moment, I spoke once with an old blind man and he treated me kindly before his family drove me away,” the Creature fell silent, drawing up the memory of DeLacy’s smile and the gentle reassurance he’d given him.

“Do not despair. To be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate, but the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are full of brotherly love and charity”

It had been a lie, of course, but in the fleeting instance he had believed it, it had been so very beautiful to hear. Despite himself, the Creature had been unable to completely give up on wishing it could be true.

“What the old man gave me was no more than a crumb, but it was every sliver of hope I ever carried in my life and even now, after 100 years, I hold it in my breast and let it nourish me for want of richer food,” he confided quietly.

The scissors paused and Watson rested his hand on the Creature’s head, “Well, we’ll have to do better than that, won’t we? Seems to me a man ought to live off of more than crumbs. Let’s start by giving you a proper name, shall we?” he suggested kindly.

The Creature froze, his vision blurred and he could feel himself begin to tremble. This was not real, it couldn’t be real, no one who looked upon him and knew what he had done could offer him true kindness, much less give him a name. Victor had made him, had labored for months to bring him into existence and couldn’t bring himself to give him that! It was impossible! He refused to believe this doctor, a stranger to him, could give him that so easily. It was mockery, or a trick. It had to be. With a roar he shot out of the chair, sending it toppling, and turned to face Watson, incensed further when the old man didn’t flinch.

“Call me demon! Call me monster, or devil, or abomination! You know well that I have worn them all and each title has been fitting,” he hissed, lowering his head so that he was an inch from Watson’s face and the doctor would have no choice but to truly look at him. At his ravaged cheeks and the chunk of skin missing from the end of his nose. His torn, black lips distorted into a hideous snarl as he attempted to goad the doctor into screaming or attacking. I’ll kill you, he thought, show me you’re just like everyone else and I’ll kill you…

“Stop that this instant!” Watson snapped firmly as he righted the toppled chair, “Such carrying on, really. If you’re a monster or a devil now it’s because you choose to be. I’ll not entertain such utter nonsense. Now, you have a choice, you can sit in this chair, let me cut your hair and we’ll pick out a name for you or you can leave. I don’t care where you go but I have no patience for tantrums. If you want to stay with us you had better get a lid on that temper this very minute!” he tapped the back of the chair expectantly, never once breaking the Frankenstein monster’s gaze.

The Creature deflated, caught off guard and chastened like a child scolded by a stern parent. He sank back into the chair and folded his hands in his lap, the very picture of contrition. Watson softened and resumed his cutting.

“As I recall,” he said as he settled into a rhythm, the quiet snip of the scissors soothing his nerves, “You said to Victor that you ought to have been his Adam. Adam is a fine name; a good, strong, name and I think it suits you. How would like to be called Adam?”

Silence. A shuddering gasp, then in a small trembling voice, “I would like that very much…”

Watson leaned forward and gave Adam’s cheek a pat, not flinching at the exposed muscle under the ridge of his cheekbone but moved to pity by the wetness trickling down it, "Whatever you were, whatever you've done, put it behind you now. This is your new start, your second chance. Don't squander it, Adam."

#Frankenstein #Adam Frankenstein #John Waston #sherlock holmes #My writing #Crossover Au

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Im not sure if you have done this one before but could I request black butler snake x reader headcanons for what he would be like if he started falling for someone? Like progressive headcanons for early on, middle and when feelings are returned? Sorry if that’s too specific. Thank you!

I don't think I have done anything like this, I love it! and there's no such thing as too specific ;)

this got embarrassingly long tho, I adore Snake <3

In the beginning, he is so… so… so shy. It’s bad enough that if his crush walks by him, he immediately is looking for ways to hide. Ducking behind the drapes, darting into a closet, diving under a chair… it’s very awkward. That snaky instinct of his is to hide from danger, to be easily spooked, and unfortunately his having romantic feelings hits that button big time. It’s comical to watch, at least, but it’s also apparent to anyone who’s watching that he’s doing it because he’s anxious.

If he has to speak to the object of his affections, he tries to make it brief. He’s terrified of saying something stupid, or that in translating for the snakes, they’ll have him translate something stupid. Not everyone is understanding of the fact that he often speaks through them. (He does eventually get better at talking on his own, without needing to be talking for his little friends; it’s just a work in progress.) In particular Goethe is shameless, absolutely shameless, about trying to get Snake to flirt with (Name). They all hiss at him about it, though… what’s even the point of speaking to someone you fancy if you’re not trying to aim arrows at their heart?! He’s thoroughly embarrassed, and the snakes don’t seem to realize that their pushing doesn’t help him, it only makes things worse for him. They’re trying…!!

The more he starts to accept that, ‘Alright, this is a thing I’m feeling, I can’t let it take over my whole life, can I?’, he begins to relax a little around (Name). It’s still not easy, of course. This kind of thing will forever be nerve-wracking for him. The high anxiety starts to ebb away, though, leaving nothing but a low buzz that he can more easily deal with. After all... if this person had a problem with him or didn’t want him around or anything like that, wouldn’t they have made it pretty clear by now? He can start to realize that even if he’s nervous, it doesn’t have to control every single interaction he has with (Name). He doesn’t have to be afraid of them. Easier said than done… still, doable.

That he’s a bit calmer definitely comes through when he’s around them. When he’s not terrified of his own feelings, it becomes less difficult to carry on a conversation. He might occasionally take his snakes’ advice about trying to flirt, even though he doesn’t think he’s very good at it. He’s not as nervous anymore, and it probably reads as him being more comfortable with (Name), which is almost certainly something they’re happy about. So things go much more smoothly. No more hiding from them, far fewer awkward silences (non-awkward silences still happen), more smiling. (Name) in all likelihood was worried that his hiding from them meant he didn’t like them, so he’s glad to dispel that by being able to speak to them more.

(Name) may have to be the one to confess first, unless one of the snakes takes matters into their own hands. Snake is incredibly anxious about that in particular, not wanting to take them by surprise or ruin the friendship they’ve got started. Plenty of people would be fine being friends or casual acquaintances with someone like him, but as for a romantic partner? Most people willing to spend time with him platonically would sort of ‘draw the line’ at wanting to be with him in a romantic capacity. It’s just not something that appeals to the majority of people — touching the scaly parts of his skin while embracing, seeing the fangs when he smiles at them during an intimate moment, the forked tongue if one of them decides to deepen a kiss. There’s a lot about him that people just run from. And he doesn’t want (Name) to run from him too. If pressed quite a bit about the subject, he’ll probably break down and confess… it’s stressful all around, though. He doesn’t want to ‘have’ to be the one to confess, because if things go badly, it will have been his fault.

While he’s never going to be exceptionally bold or confident, he settles into his own version of it when his feelings are reciprocated. He no longer avoids them in the slightest; he seeks them out every chance he gets. They become his new hiding place when things get overwhelming or if he’s anxious. Regardless of whether or not they can physically defend him or truly offer any comfort, he derives comfort simply from being around them. Their mere presence tells him that everything is okay. As long as he’s with them, he knows he can handle anything. This is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the first real romantic relationship he’s ever had with anyone. So he might stumble and make some mistakes, as might (Name), but... for once in his life, he can see a future where he’s not just pining for someone he can never have. Suddenly the idea of a ‘happily ever after’ becomes something he thinks is attainable for him. And despite the fact that he’s improving at asserting his boundaries, quietly saying if he doesn’t want to be touched… those boundaries begin to stretch. He goes from panicking and shying away from the idea of touch to melting into it, looking for it, and wondering why he ever wouldn’t want (Name) to touch him. People who know him say it’s like he’s a whole different person, but he’s not, really. He’s just a happier version of himself, living the life he’s always wanted.

#Black Butler #Kuroshitsuji #Snake #headcanons #romantic #slow burn #fluff #drama #UGH MY BOOOOOOY #one hell of a queue

[underclerysclock]

dfjhjghdf thank you for talking about N*c Braun being a mediocre actor, someone finally said it. I used to be a big Tomgreg shipper but lost interest over time because of how much of a nothing character Greg has stayed throughout the series and because Tom carried the whole thing. he has basically no traits outside of his awkwardness and snakiness. plus they've pretty much relegated that man to comic relief quips thus far in S4.

Oh, former Tomgreg, join us, join the Kenstewys.

Nah I jest. I really love this show a lot, and I think there's a lot of masterful work done by so many of the actors. Matthew is an amazing actor, and I can see the appeal of Tomgreg simply because, yeah, as you said, Tom carries the whole thing, and sort of lifts up Greg's shitty character and makes him almost enjoyable.

But it makes the mediocre acting all the more noticeable, because so many of the actors are so phenomenal. There are so many minor characters in the series that have way less screen time that still have way more depth. Rhea, Rava, Marcia, Nate, Willa, Gil, my main man Stewy, etc etc etc. They all feel less nothing than Greg, even though he's everywhere in the show.

I'm glad he's just comic relief now, I'm worried with him having to delete stuff for Tom he's gonna become plot relevant again, I can't stand the idea of them trying to squeeze more relevance out of him. But we'll see.

#flood warning #succession #succession spoilers

[redbootsindoriath]

The other day as I was going through the blog’s backup folders, I found some old drawings that I meant to post throughout the past couple of years and either forgot about or just never got around to (I don’t think there are any here that I’ve posted before, but I apologize if there are).  And I thought “I should probably post these before I go.”  So here they are.  I’m going to put them under a cut because there are quite a few of them.  Most of them are from Children of Húrin.

This one is labeled “glaurung” in my files but he kind of looks more like a dragon version of Jabba the Hutt.  I think it’s because Tolkien mentioned how fat he got while sleeping on the treasure in Nargothrond, so I drew a normal snaky dragon and then tried to imagine how it would look if it gained weight.

=====

Mablung and Beleg coming back from a rainy hunting trip.  If I remember right, it started out as a height comparison drawing and I decided to actually turn it into a full sketch...?

=====

Beleg, Túrin, and Mablung somewhere in Doriath.  I actually remember where I was sitting while I was drawing this...I think it was in February 2020?  I’m pretty sure it was the last drawing I did before leaving for the airport to come to the States and then getting stuck there because the virus stopped all overseas travel for so long.  In other words, this is the last drawing from when my life was still relatively normal.  Just look at how chill all the characters are.  I thought I was only going to be gone for a couple of weeks, maybe a month max.

=====

Those same three characters because I’m predictable.

=====

Remember how some people and dwarves in Middle Earth think that elves are just so creepy and terrifying?  And heck, we know that some of them really were brutal.  Heck, even our golden boy Finrod bit a werewolf during a fight once.  So I was thinking about how Beleg probably resorted to biting during fights now and again if it was the quickest way out, especially since he’s from that first generation of elves that was figuring out how the world worked on their own and they didn’t have anybody around to say “stop ripping the throats out of your enemies with your teeth, that’s really gross and barbaric.”

=====

Speaking of Finrod, here he is.  This was originally part of a Third Age Finrod comic but the idea got scrapped.  I still like this frame though.

=====

Legolas and Gimli talking to Treebeard in Fangorn Forest.  Basically just a little doodle to laugh about how tall Treebeard is even next to characters on horseback.  (Also a squirrel.)

=====

A little set of parallel drawings I did of Beleg and Túrin rescuing each other.  My best friend had written a list of friendship prompts and this one was “Physically blocking them from harm” and I couldn’t decide which character I wanted in which role so I opted for both.

=====

Finrod as a beach boy.  In hindsight it would be even funnier if I had put a tropical pattern on his shorts.

=====

Anyway, thanks for joining me here as I went through my old files in preparation for my hiatus.  Turns out I’m less organized than I thought, but hey, as long as you guys still like the drawings then I don’t mind.

#beleg #gimli #glaurung #legolas #mablung #treebeard #túrin #the man the myth the legends #one shiny #three shinies #everyone deserved better except mîm #my trash #heck yeah bromance #zeroth age stupids #forest pennies #contraband twizzlers #past tarva speaks #/end classification tags #SOME OF THESE ARE SO OLD #MY WORD #LIKE HECKIN TWO AND A HALF YEARS FOR AT LEAST THAT ONE #geez #rest in peace to the days when i used to draw daily just for the fun of it

[lemaistrechat]

Masters of the Universe: Snake and Lizard Men

Reptilian humanoids started appearing in MotU in the first, 1983, season of the Filmation cartoon.

Here’s Lizard Man, a supporting hero who appeared in four episodes.

Here is Fang Man, a bad guy who only appeared in “The Time Corridor”.

Bands of unnamed reptile men then appeared as wizards’ henchmen in two episodes, “House of Shokoti” and “Ordeal in the Darklands”.

So it already looks like we have two races of lizard people on Eternia. In Season 2, Kobra Khan was introduced.

In the very last episode, “The Cold Zone”, writer J. Michael Straczynski revealed that Kobra Khan had left the underground Repton civilization to commit crimes with Skeletor and friends. While their name was generically reptilian, named characters such as King Pythos indicate the entire people’s snakiness.

In 1986, the Snake Men faction was introduced to the toy line and its accompanying mini-comics. Members King Hiss, Sssqueeze and Snake Face were treated as having been banished by the Elders to a timeless dimension while living their evil lives thousands of years ago. Writer Steven Grant alluded to Kobra Khan’s people as descendants.

However, by the time kids would have opened this comic, the entire first season of (literal) sister show She-Ra would have aired, in September-December 1985. There, two other characters identified as Snake Men, Rattlor and Tung Lashor, were seen as members of Hordak’s Etherian Horde.

Both the mini-comic “King of the Snake Men” and newspaper comic arc “Vengeance of the Viper King” addressed these two being magically teleported from Etheria to Eternia to join King Hiss.

Unnamed Snake Men made two further appearances in the 80s: as hunter-gatherers who preceded Eternia’s first humans on the planet in the newspaper comic arc “Terror Takes Time” and as disorganized enemies of the five good wizards (Elders?) who organized under Hordak in the Power Tour stage show.

So much for official Snake Men. But we’re not done:

Almost simultaneously with him joining the Snake Men, Kobra Khan was seen commanding a band of evil lizard men (not to be confused with Lizard Man the hero) in the mini-comic “The Fastest Draw in the Universe”.

Jump forward to the summer of 1987 and fans were introduced to Saurod, a blue-scaled, bronze-armored mercenary employed by Skeletor in the live action film. He also appeared in all sorts of comics (mini-comic with the 3 film-related action figures, monthly comic, newspaper comic).

(pictured: Classics toy from 2015.)

While his armor looks like a fuller version of the partial plate armor we saw in the Repton culture, whether he was even native to Eternia was not explained at the time.

Then there’s one more before the Classics era. When He-Man traveled to another solar system in The New Adventures of He-Man, the Mutants of Denebria has their own lizard person, Lizorr.

He was said to be from the Gorn Desert of Denebria (a homage to the original Star Trek’s reptilian Gorn). His name suggests there’s no connection between his people and any Eternian Snake Men who ended up making their homes on Horde planets in the past two millennia or more.

#motu #classic shera #new adventures of he-man #he-man #snake men #lizard men #lizard man #kobra khan #reptons #king hiss #rattlor #tung lashor #sssqueeze #snake face #fang man #saurod #lizorr

[skeetlebeetle]

reposting this cuz i forgot to tag it last time and it was lost in a dusty corner of the interwebs smh

(DONT MAKE ME TAP THE SIGN!!! if yr gonna use my art [don’t repost] u gotta credit me!!)

ok guys…. i really like this au… so i made more :))

they r j sm easier to draw than actual crowley & aziraphale and drawing 2 characters w their design & personality combined is so fun omg

note abt max-crowley’s design - i’m thinking abt making the white on his glasses (the light reflecting) represent where he’s looking. so in the bench scene (bottom left) he’s looking up at aziraphale-sam 4 example

another note (not rlly abt design or ne thing but it is about eyes ig???) - azira-sam was totally looking at crowley-max’s lips in the last study (wall scene). j wanted to be true to the original scene ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

if u want more of these guys pls lemme know and i might make a whole comic or smthg. if not i will probably do it ne way lmao :P

oh also lemme kno abt yr opinions on max-crowley’s horn placement & overall snakiness

#sam and max #good omens #crossover #good omens au #ineffable husbands #freelance husbands #absolutely loving that their ship names are similar #snmgo #side blog #skbeetle art

[fireflysummers]

Have a short comic about Crowley snuggling in Aziraphale’s sweater. Because. Reasons. 

(Reasons that defo don’t have to do with an angstier short comic that I’ve got on the backburner, -coughs-)

As usual, book husbands designs by @10yrsyart!

Based vaguely on this TikTok

Alt Text + Transcript Below

Panel 1: 

Crowley, a black snake with a gold ring around its neck and roughly the size and shape of an adult ball python, approaches Aziraphale, who is sitting comfortably on a couch. Aziraphale is wearing a comfortable pink sweater over a blue collared shirt, with a pair of beige slacks. On his feet are tan colored loafers, with mismatched blue and pink socks peeking out.

Crowley: Angel!

Aziraphale: Oh, hello love. Did you want to come up?

Panels 2-3: 

Crowley is positioned on Aziraphale’s lap. Aziraphale takes his pink sweater and pulls it over Crowley.

Panel 4: 

Close-up of Aziraphale’s upper torso. Crowley has slithered out of the neck of the sweater, and is resting his head on Aziraphale’s upraised hand. Aziraphale’s wedding ring, a black, snaky-looking thing, is clearly visible.

Aziraphale: There we go. Comfy?

Panel 5: 

Crowley retracts back into the sweater, with only his little head poking out. He looks very comfortable and happy.

SFX: Snoom

#good omens #gomens #book omens #aziraphale #crowley #anthony j crowley #my art #my comics #10yrsyart

[kingcreativityau]

Ahem. Throwing my hat in the "wholesome comic means angsty thoughts ring." And me being me it involves Virgil. I am sory but I take my job seriously. Though there is also Janus and Remus.

I'll start with that.

'Canon': imagine Remus finally getting Janus to spar with him and things go well until Remus wins and does the almost kill thing narrowly missing J's real boddy. Janus has massive flashbacks and is a jerk. Remus figures he just doesn't like losing and so he and next time he wears him down he tries to give him something of a fighting chance by promising to use his Morningstar and no other weapons, not even manipulating his surroundings once the fight starts. Janus manages to actually win by distracting Remus for a second and presses his staff to Remus's throat. Before he can declare him dead, remus does an overdramatic death scene making J laugh. Because that man is ridiculous. The moment is ruined though when Remus smiles excited and fond of his snaky friend and for a moment Janus can truly see king in him. Which hurts. He hides it and sends Remus back to work but the Duke can tell he's still upset.

Omg OKAY feels

Lemme tell you I literally gasped when I saw this. Like, I can already see it so clearly I might really want to draw it some day as that "post-split Remus/Janus shenanigans" extras kinda like this one

"he just doesn’t like losing" would be DEFINITELY what Janus would prefer him to think he would go with it and wow I might cry 🥺 🥺

overdramatic death scene as in ‘wow this man is actually so different from king like wow’

and then yep, smile ruins the moment bc young Remus has a tooth gap too :)

Poor traumatized snek being a jerk because feels, I love it! 😭

#ask #demus? #demus #i really love #that you take your 'expert on this au psychology' job seriously #i'm enjoying these analyses so much

[legobiwan]

As is now my weekly ritual, I once again tottered off to the movie theater to enjoy life in the real world and attempt to integrate more cinema and popular culture into my life.

Today's adventure: Snake Eyes

I will start this off by saying I know little to nothing about what is apparently the GI Joe Cinematic Universe (that just feels...incredibly soul-crushing to write, as much as I love Marvel and Star Wars, not everything needs to be a god damned franchise).

I do have a hazy recollection of the cartoons existing in the 80s/90s (they weren't part of my personal Saturday morning schedule as I was more of a Mario Brothers, Legend of Zelda, and Captain N kind of kid. Gods I can still hear the theme music to all of them, too. Good stuff. Terribly written shows, but great intros.) Anyway, all this is to say I came into this movie with zero preconceptions aside from doubt that this would be any form of cinematic masterpiece.

And...call me Cassandra because I will say I did not come out of this movie feeling more intelligent and/or enlightened.

Mostly boilerplate to start off, kill the father, kid watches, wants revenge, etc. etc. etc.

I felt like this movie was the personification of that meme "Can I have [insert character]" "No, we have [insert character] at home." *shows stunt double or mediocre cosplayers*. Just, there were some hastily-taped together cardboard parallels to both the MCU and Star Wars franchises.

I mean, there was totally a bargain bin Mace Windu crossed with Chirrut Imwe in there and I laughed.

Maybe it's because I've watched too much Star Wars in the past, but a lot of the training scenes had that kind of vibe. (And yes, I'm aware Star Wars totally cribs its notes from Asian culture, so there's a feedback loop thing going on.) The Ilum-type floaty light, dark side cave, clear your mind, etc. Also, one of the b-tier bad guys, after being asked if he killed the protagonist's father, came up with a reply straight out of the Vader comics, "I've killed a lot of people." Sure you have.

Oh yeah, and the whole Chamber of Secrets cgi snake house, that was amusing.

Cobra is Hydra, essentially - am I reading this correctly? Snakes versus cephalopods, who will win? Find out in the next mega Hollywood crossover event please do not do this studio execs please

I felt like the fight scenes had a lot of potential and were choreographed well, but the editing just made them a mess, which is disappointing, as I'm now understanding this was supposed to be partially a ninja/martial arts flick.

Oh my gods, when they shoehorned the sentence, "He was a Joe" into the dialogue I think my brain receded in shame into my thorax, wow that was a terrible line.

The guy playing Tommy was actually a good actor so props there, and did a fair amount with some pretty wooden dialogue.

I loved how the whole film was very sword fight/martial arts and then these chicks show up and start blasting shit with semi-automatic pistols Winter Solider-style, that was hilarious.

What the hell was up with the glowy heart of darkness?

I will say that both the cinematography and the costumes in the Japan sequences were very well-done, as were the graphics in the credits.

Yeah, sorry, but no way that Baroness lady was running anywhere in those heels.

In a surprising subversion of these types of action movies, the main character is actually kind of a dick the entire time and doesn't really redeem himself. But I still don't know why the lady spy just didn't let Voldemort's snaky horcrux eat the guy, I mean, really. (Also, lady spy got shafted on character development.)

I actually think if they dropped the whole franchise angle and just made this a straight-up martial arts/espionage/yakuza flick - and if they recut the fight scenes - this movie could have been less mediocre. But you don't go into something subtitled "A G.I. Joe Origin Story" expecting high art, let's be honest.

At least the mother and kids next to me seemed to be enjoying themselves. 5/10

#hello there #legobiwan goes to the movies #snake eyes #snake eyes spoilers #if that's your bag #well that was...an evening to be certain #i think some more interesting films will be out next week #but the pickings were rather slim today

[gardensnackie]

Sweetness - Part 3/???

weh its not as detailed but the next page will be a bit longer and ill take time with it

[I made a tag called 'snakie comic' to read it all together]

#omori #omori stranger #stranger omori #omori fanart #omori game #faraway stranger #art #digital art #omori basil #snakie comic

[longitudinalwaveme]

Longitudinalwaveme Reviews  Old Comics, Part 1

I bought some comics at my local comic book shop today and decided that now was a good a time as any to launch a new project, wherein I read comics that are at least 20 years old and then make lovingly snaky comments about them. Up for review this time are: 

Flash #126 (1962): “The Doom of the Mirror-Flash” and “Snare of the Headline Huntress” 

The Brave and the Bold #129 (1976): “The Claws of the Emperor Eagle” 

The Super Friends #23 (1979): “SOS From Nowhere” 

Flash #308 (1981): “The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful” and “Dawn of the Sixth Sun”, starring Dr. Fate 

Flash Vol. 2 #58 (1992): “The Barry Allen Foundation” 

Legends of the DC Universe #17 (1999): “Dark Matters, Part 3″ 

Starting things off is what is now the oldest comic that I own, Flash #126. As with most stories from the time period, it contains not one but two stories. The leading story, and the one that got the cover, is “The Doom of the Mirror-Flash”. I’ve read this story a number of times before, as I own a number of books that collect Silver Age Flash issues in trade. The story was written by John Broome, inked by Joe Giella, and drawn by the inimitable Carmine Infantino. 

The main protagonist of the tale is of course Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash. The main antagonist is the original Mirror Master, Sam Scudder, in his fourth-ever appearance. The story opens with Iris West (at this point in the comics she was still Barry’s girlfriend, not his wife), who is preparing to appear on a “public affairs program” of some kind (what she’s talking about, we’re never told). She’s understandably nervous, but Barry, being the nice guy that he is, is very supportive. Also of note is the fact that Iris Allen is wearing a yellow dress that screams “60s”, and the fact that her pocket mirror makes Barry remember that the Mirror Master, who has escaped jail, has been mysteriously eluding him by apparently vanishing into reflective surfaces. How is he doing this? Is he using holograms? No, this is the Silver Age. The explanation is way more convoluted than that. 

Mirror Master has escaped from prison by using mirrors to teleport himself into an alternate dimension, one that exists inside of mirrors. (Note that this comic predates the Mirror Realm by at least ten years; it seems that this comic and a few others like it may have eventually inspired it.) This dimension is populated by a bunch of Amazon-esque ladies called Orinocas, who originally try to kill Sam (with, um, unsharpened sticks?) before being distracted by a mirror he somehow took into the alternate dimension with him. They’ve never seen mirrors before, and offer to spare him if he makes more. He agrees, and soon he’s so popular that he’s basically made their king. Oh, and the Orinocas are also telepathic, because why not? So Mirror Master is now the king of an alternate dimension, surrounded by beautiful women who give him anything he wants. But Sam isn’t interested in being king. He wants the challenge that comes with being a professional thief, and because the Orinocas are both telepathic and willing to give him whatever he wants, he can’t have it. As such, he’s bored out of his mind, and has been projecting mirror images of himself into the real world in the hopes that Flash will see them and rescue him from being king. And it works! Flash works out that these images seem to be disappearing into the mirrors, decides to test his theory by vibrating through the mirror, and makes it into the alternate dimension, where he defeats the Orinocas and rescues Sam from the boring life of being king. When they return to the normal world, they somehow end up in an armory, where Mirror Master uses a “mirror device” to turn the Flash into glass. He then picks up a bazooka and shoots it at the immobilized Flash (the image on the cover), but the Flash uses his control over every atom in his body to both avoid being shot by the bazooka and to un-mirrorify himself. Then he spins his arm around really fast to create a burst of wind that knocks out the Mirror Master and takes the crook back to jail. The tale ends with Iris thinking to herself about how loyal and supportive Barry is (even if, as is typical of Silver Age Iris, she prefaces this observation by pointing out that he’s slow and lazy.) 

After a really fascinating page of fan mail circa 1962, where readers gave their responses to “The Flash of Two Worlds (Flash #123, the comic that reintroduced Jay Garrick), we move on to the second tale. (Highlights of the letters include a reader from California suggesting ads to increase readership of the comic, a reader from Missouri who clearly hadn’t forgotten Jay Garrick and was glad to see him return, and a reader from Massachusetts who thought that the story wasn’t as good as it should’ve been. I wonder if he ever changed his mind.) 

The second story in Flash #162, also written by John Broome, inked by Joe Giella, and drawn by Carmine Infantio, is titled “The Snare of the Headline Huntress”. Barry Allen is again the protagonist, but the most important secondary character in this issue isn’t a villain-it’s Daphne Dean, making her first-ever appearance! Daphne Dean is introduced as an up-and-coming movie star, whose jerk of a press agent thinks that the best way to get publicity for her new movie is for her to pretend to be in love with her old childhood sweetheart...who happens to be none other than Barry Allen! She and Barry are both visiting their hometown of Fallville, and, with the urging of the press agent, Daphne and Barry are soon eating lunch together and striking up a conversation. We tour the small town with them, where we learn, among other things, that Barry’s father is a doctor, that his parents still live in the town, that Barry and Daphne share the same favorite flavor of ice cream (tutti-frutti), that they went to school together, and that they carved their initials into a tree. We also learn that Barry was constantly late even as a kid. That night, Barry has a dream about being the Flash as a child and rescuing Daphne from a rampaging bull as he sleepwalks through his parents’ house. (This issue also serves as the first appearance of Henry and Nora Allen, though they are not yet named as such.)

The following morning, Barry determines to tell Daphne that he’s in love with Iris and always will be, while Daphne prepares for a masked ball where she will reenact a scene from the movie to gain more publicity. Barry comes to the masked ball as well, where Daphne tells him that the jewelry she is wearing is real. Naturally, this leads to some thieves, disguised as actors and pretending to help Daphne reenact the scene in which her character is arrested, kidnapping her to steal the jewelry. Barry figures out what happens when the real actors manage to get loose, changes into the Flash, and saves Daphne and the jewels. Some time later, Barry is returning to Central City, and tells Daphne about Iris before bidding her good-bye. Daphne is quite understanding...but realizes that, by playing at being in love with her old sweetheart, she has now really fallen for him!

Daphne would return several more times, but never as a serious love interest for the Flash. They remained friends throughout his run, though.

These two Silver Age stories are a delight. The Mirror Master story is kooky, crazy fun, and is one of the best displays of how interesting Sam Scudder really is, while the Daphne story is sweet and helps to flesh out Barry’s past, which readers hadn’t known much about prior to this point. Both are very much of their time, but they’re still good reads. 

#flash #dc comics #flash rogues #comic reviews

[fishybehavior]

ninja meet baby yoda/grogu/the child also the mandalorian if you like (i know you don't watch it but sssstill i <3 grogu and mando. imo the clone warssss issss better tho) ~ ssnek emoji (i changed my identity from emoji to sssnek emoji because i was in a sssnek mood) 💖💖

hello snakie! 

and yes, from wat I’ve seen grogu and mando are flipping adorable. I see those little comics of mando being a good dad and it warms my fishy heart!! X)

[theartfulmegalodon]

My Godlings comic’s first issue, “Serpentine”, finally has a cover! And I’m pretty happy with it!

The issue itself still has 10 more pages to go, but I finished this ahead of time (for ulterior reasons). Featured on the cover, of course, is Quetzalcoatl in his gorgeous snaky form, slinking through Olympus, with its dusty, late-afternoon atmosphere. (The final cover will have creator credits and the issue number, and all that good stuff.)

#Godlings #stay tuned for process gif #aztec #Aztec Mythology #quetzalcoatl #Feathered Serpent #lookit that snakey snake #snake #feathers #mythology #olympus

[bgn846]

Worthy Chapter 11: New Beginnings FFXV A/B/O Promnis

<Previous Chapter 10

“What should I wear?” Prompto asked with worry as he sat precariously balanced on the edge of his bed.

 “Dude, what you normally wear,” Noct answered with a snort. “It’s not like you should wear a suit or anything.  You’re going on a picnic in the gardens.”

 “I know, but what if he doesn’t think I look good?”

 Noct pinched the bridge of his nose. “Seriously, I thought the whole purpose of you suggesting a picnic was because it was laid back!“

 “Yeah but –” Prompto stalled out and squinted at Noct. “Ya know, you look like Ignis when you do that.”

 “He’s been my advisor for like five hundred years, man. Of course, I copy his mannerisms.” Noct huffed. “You should see me in a council meeting. If I get mad, I look like a mini Iggy.”

 Prompto burst out laughing at the image and flopped backwards on the bed. “Aw, buddy, I’m so screwed,” he announced nervously once his fit of giggles had died down.

 “Why?!” Noct exclaimed. “He clearly likes you. What’s the issue?”

 “That is the issue!  He likes me and what if – what if I’m not good enough for him,” Prompto stammered.

 Noct raised his hands dramatically. “He bent several international diplomacy rules, sent you a glaive as a personal escort, left Lucis with intent to maim and destroy, and rescued you.  I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

 “No, I do! We didn’t know each other hardly at all, and we still don’t.  It’s only been two weeks since we escaped from snaky,” Prompto wailed. “What if he gets to know me and then realizes I’m not worth the trouble.”

 “If you don’t pick something to wear in the next minute, I’m calling Ignis for help.”

 Prompto squealed in terror and leapt off his bed.   Leave it to Noct to find the perfect motivation. He didn’t have many articles of clothing to dig through, so he grabbed what caught his eye first.  A nice pair of jeans and a light weight sweater completed his look. “There, how’s this?” he asked with wide eyes.

 “Perfect – and Prompto?” Noct ventured as he waited for the omega’s full attention. “You’re worth it.  Don’t ever think differently.”

    --

     “You are not going back to change shirts      again    , are you?” Gladio asked in disbelief.

 “This one has a wrinkle,” Ignis offered as he breezed past his friend and back into his closet.

 “You are going to run out of shirts if you keep this up,” the older alpha grumbled.

 “I heard that!”

 “It’s a picnic, Iggy. You can handle a simple picnic right?”

 “Of course I can!  I merely want the whole experience to be perfect for Prompto.”

 “And a wrinkle in your shirt prevents this date from being perfect?”

 “Astrals! Gladio dear six, this is a date isn’t it?” Ignis breathed as he walked out of the closet donning shirt number five.

 “What did you think it was?”

 “A picnic. A neutral gathering where we might get to know more about each other!” Ignis enthused as he started pacing. “I have no idea if he wants to be with me or not.  I don’t want him to feel obligated, since I helped him escape Niflheim.”

 “Calm down, there. Stop overthinking things.  Go to this neutral gathering, as you call it, and have fun,” Gladio offered with a smile.

 “That’s far too easy, Gladio.”

 “Yeah, it’s supposed to be easy like that.  Both parties eat, talk, maybe kiss.”

 Gasping in realization, Ignis turned to Gladio. “Don’t let me forget to brush my teeth again.”

 The shield couldn’t help but laugh. “You could always bring a bottle of mouthwash with you.”

 “Oh, stop being silly.  They make pocket packs of breath strips for that sort of thing.” Ignis then began digging through his bedside table looking for said product.

 Gladio wasn’t able to stop Ignis from changing his shirt a sixth time. He did manage to talk him out of attempting to bake a last minute cake.  Ignis was the type of person that needed something to occupy his mind if he was nervous.

 The appointed time arrived, and Gladio stood up to give his friend a hug. “You’ll do great. Go have fun, and make your date laugh.”

 Ignis groaned as he grabbed his jacket. “I don’t know if I’m able to be funny on command.”

 “It’ll be fine. Just tell blondie funny Noct stories.  That always works when I’m trying to get Sana to laugh.”

 “Is she still looking forward to moving here?” Ignis asked curiously.

 “Yeah, she can’t wait.  She’s looking forward to having an official pack.”

 “I’m hoping she and Prompto are able to make a connection. They are both omega’s after all.”

 “She’s mentioned the same thing, so we will have to wait and see how it plays out.  Now stop getting distracted, and go pick up your omega!” Gladio announced as he shoved Ignis towards the door. “He’ll think you don’t like him if you’re late.”

 The look of horror on Ignis face was comical.  He barely paused to lock his front door before sprinting down the corridor. “I’ll call you later,” he shouted as he disappeared into the stairwell.

 Gladio shook his head in amusement.  It was fun to see Ignis so excited by something.  Taking out his phone, he texted Noct to see what takeout he wanted for      their     secret dinner date.  He knew he’d get the other half of the story from the prince.  There was no way Prompto wasn’t a nervous mess like Ignis. It just wasn’t possible!

    --

     Adopting a normal pace once he determined he wouldn’t be late, Ignis tried not to worry about his date. It had been a couple of weeks since the dramatic rescue.  Prompto had taken a few days to recover from the ordeal. Ignis knew that mentally Prompto would need time, but at least physically he was on the mend.

 Soliamare and Prompto had agreed on which guest suite they liked and had moved in a week ago.  The queen had been adjusting quite well, all things considered. Ardyn seemed to have taken a shine to the demure beta.  Anytime Ignis asked what he was up to, the reply involved plans with Soliamare. Ignis warned him not to start anything he didn’t have intentions of seeing through.  Ardyn had rolled his eyes at the advisor and assured him he meant well. Apparently the queen was happy to simply be in his company.      

 A soft grunt stopped his daydreaming, and Ignis turned around to seek out the source of the noise.  Nothing stood out as being odd, but he stayed still and continued to look around. It took a second to realize that the giant potted plant nearby had a person hiding behind it. Not wasting any time, Ignis summoned his daggers and approached cautiously.

 A familiar voice called out to him urgently, “Ignis, it’s me.”

 Frowning, Ignis moved closer to get a better look.  He was so confused; Nyx Ulric was standing before him holding a leaf in front of his face. “What are you doing?” he asked, dismissing his weapons.

 “Hiding from Aranea!” he huffed. “Quiet, she’ll hear us talking and find me.”

 “Nyx, she will most likely be able to locate you due to your scent.”

 The beta looked stunned and moved to lean out and check the corridor. “Alpha’s can smell things like that, huh?”

 “Yes, I’m afraid we can,” Ignis offered as he inhaled deeply. “She’s not harassing you, is she?” he asked carefully.  Aranea’s scent was also mixed with Nyx’s. She’d clearly attempted to mark him recently. “If she is behaving in an uncouth manner, we need to report this to Cor.”

 “No! It’s not like that, Ignis,” Nyx frantically corrected. “She’s just really – intense.”

 Unable to process what that meant, Ignis blinked slowly at the glaive. “Do you need my assistance with anything at this time?  Am I alright to leave you alone with your plant?”

 Nyx nodded and slipped back into his original position.  Left to continue on his way, Ignis could only wonder what the rest of the day would hold for Nyx.  Aranea was a very forward alpha, and she’d made it obvious she wanted to be with the beta. It seemed Nyx may be having second thoughts.

 Prompto’s suite soon appeared, and Ignis stopped thinking about his odd encounter.  Taking a deep breath, he approached the door and knocked. The sounds of muffled voices and something falling were the only indication of life.  The door remained closed and unanswered as Ignis stood and began to worry. Perhaps agreeing to go out in public with Prompto was too much for the omega.  They’d been able to hang out but always with other people Prompto trusted nearby.

 Ignis had been very careful to ensure Prompto wouldn’t feel trapped or unsafe.  This time it was different. Prompto would be leaving the suite alone with Ignis.  Finally the door unlocked and opened to reveal Noct. “Hey, specs. Sorry, you need to come talk to him.”

 Instantly, Ignis’ dreams of a pleasant afternoon in the citadel gardens were dashed. Prompto was too nervous to come out with him. “Very well, I suppose this is to be expected,” he added sadly.    

 “Huh?” Noct questioned. “Ignis, he thinks his outfit is stupid-looking. You need to talk him out of changing.”

 Perking up at hearing he wasn’t being turned down, Ignis followed Noct towards Prompto’s room.  The omega shrieked when Noct pushed open the door. Ignis had stayed outside the room. He didn’t want to invade his privacy if he was unwanted.

 “Noct!  What happened?  He didn’t leave, did he?!” Prompto wailed. “I ghost him for two weeks when he first texts me, and now I can’t even answer my front door!”

 Ignis couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like Prompto was having a panic attack.  His breaths were labored, and he’d stopped talking. Noct calling for him confirmed his suspicions. Rushing into the room, Ignis saw Prompto slumped on the floor next to his bed.  He was gasping for air and trying to say something to Noct.

 “I’m still here. There’s no need to worry,” Ignis offered as he gracefully sank to the floor next to Prompto.  Expecting the omega to shy away, Ignis was surprised when the younger man tackled him for a hug.

 “Thank the six!” he breathed softly. “I thought I’d screwed this all up again.”

 Ignis wrapped his arms around the shaking omega and pulled him close. “No, you’ve not screwed anything up. Not now nor in the past,” he replied. “Relax and focus on breathing.”

 Prompto squeezed harder and buried his head in Ignis shoulder. “Thank you.”

 Noct, who never liked public displays of affection, took the time to try and ruin the mood. “Specs, his outfit looks fine, right?”

 Deciding to ignore the prince’s tactics, Ignis replied, “Prompto looks nice all the time.”  The blond in his arms giggled, and his breath tickled Ignis’ collarbone. “Would you still like to go the gardens?”

 Prompto nodded but remained silent.  Waiting another few minutes for him to fully calm down, Ignis slowly released his grip.

 Noct couldn’t help but groan at the display before him. “Are you both done being gross?”      

 “You don’t like cuddling with Gladio?” Prompto asked with wide eyes.

 “Yeah, I like it, but not all the time.  When I turn twenty in another month our third pack mate will move in.  Gladio will get to smother them with cuddles whenever he wants.”

 “Third pack mate?”

 “Sana. She’s an omega like you,” Noct supplied with little fanfare.

 Ignis thought Prompto’s eyes were going to bulge out of his head at the news.  He looked over to Ignis with hope. “Is it true. She’s like me?”

 “Yes, we are all hoping you both will get along.  Unfortunately, you can’t meet in person until Noct’s party.”

 “Right, it’s a secret. I remember Gladio mentioning that.”

 Prompto’s face flushed slightly at the memory, and Ignis wondered if he recalled everything he’d said that night.    

 “Ok, so back to the issue at hand,” Noct sighed. “You both look fine. Will you go have your picnic, already!”

 Looking at the blond, Ignis waited for a reaction.  Prompto smiled brightly and stood up, “okay, I’m ready. Sorry for being so silly.”

 “You’re not being silly,” Ignis corrected as he waited for Prompto to lead the way.  The three of them left the suite a moment later. Noct went the opposite way back to his apartments.  “Noct thinks he’s sneaky, but he’s terrible at it,” Ignis conceded once they were out of earshot.  

 “What’s his deal? He seemed like he was in a hurry,” Prompto asked quietly.

 “He’s got a date with Gladio tonight, except he thinks none of us know about it.”

 “But he said he didn’t like to cuddle, so why would he go on a date?”

 “He enjoys certain things in private.  He’s not your typical teenager.”

 “Oh,” Prompto mumbled. “Um – so I know we are going on a picnic, but where’s all the stuff?” he asked with a pout. “I didn’t eat, and we don’t even have a blanket.”

 “I’ve had the citadel chef prepare us something for the occasion. We simply need to swing by the kitchens and retrieve it,” Ignis replied with a smile. “As far as the blanket, I’ve instructed the groundskeepers to clear us a space and leave one out for us.”

 “Wow, that’s awesome,” Prompto enthused.  “Noct said you were doing something special.”

 “I don’t normally abuse my position as Noct’s advisor, but I figured every once and awhile wouldn’t cause too much harm.”

 This statement made Prompto grin widely. “So that means you like me.” The blush that instantly starting creeping up the blond’s neck meant he’d not wanted to blurt that out. “Uh, I guess, or I mean, I hope.”

 Ignis raised his hand to stop Prompto from continuing, “I like you a lot.”

 The omega released a breath and bumped shoulders with him. “Thank the six. I was so worried.  I didn’t want to be bothering you if you didn’t want to be around me.”

 “Prompto, you are not bothering me.  Please believe me when I say I truly desire to be in your company.”

 The poor omega’s blush deepened, and he ducked his head to try and hide it. “Okay,” he offered meekly, “and just so you know, I really like you too.”

 Unable to stop the smile spreading across his face, Ignis felt relieved to hear his advances were welcomed.  What happened next really melted his heart.

 Prompto was fidgeting and cleared his throat. “Ignis, do you think we could hold hands?”

 Choosing to extend his arm as an answer, Ignis watched Prompto bounce excitedly before he linked hands.  They stayed like that even after Ignis retrieved their picnic basket from the kitchens. The walk to the gardens was quiet; it seemed they both were enjoying the calm of being alone together.

 Once Prompto could see the blanket that had been left out for them he tugged Ignis along faster. “It was always too cold to have a picnic in Niflheim.”

 Ignis thought for a moment. “Does that mean this will be your first one?”

 Prompto nodded enthusiastically as he sat down, pulling Ignis with him. “Yeah, so I want it to be amazing.”

 Ignis hoped he was able to deliver on Prompto’s request.  He didn’t picnic enough to know what was considered amazing.  However, the permanent smile on the omega’s face made him think he was doing something right.

 Their meal consisted of small sandwiches and other finger foods.  Ignis made a mental note to personally thank the chef for a wonderfully prepared meal.  It had taken a lot of convincing on Gladio and Noct’s part to allow someone else to cook for them.  Gladio had driven the final nail when he mentioned Ignis might not be focused on Prompto if he was busy worrying about the food.

 It seemed Gladio had a point, since he could barely dress himself for this date, let alone cook.  He supposed this was one of the few downfalls of being a perfectionist. Ignis hoped their date would go well, and he would be able to showcase his cooking skills at a later time.  Things were going smoothly, and Prompto was relaxing as the afternoon progressed.

 The location Ignis had selected in the gardens was shaded and on a slight hill.  They had a view of the entire garden but the tree they were under offered privacy.  This was important; Ignis didn’t want the omega to be nervous. He still wasn’t sure how Prompto felt about other alphas.

 Ignis didn’t have time to dwell on the topic when Prompto gasped suddenly.  Following the blonds line of sight revealed a tiny animal. One of the resident garden cats was trotting over.

 “Does it bite?” Prompto asked in a hushed tone.

 Ignis didn’t really know if the cat would bite. “Perhaps if you let him approach first, it would be best.”

 The cat took up residence in Prompto’s lap after a few tentative sniffs.  It didn’t take long before animal started purring happily at the attention it was getting.  The omega clearly had a deep love for animals. A vision of a shared apartment with Prompto and a cat flooded his senses.  The desire to make this young man feel safe and happy was strong.

 They spent another hour relaxing and talking about anything that came to mind.  Ignis learned Prompto liked photography but never had the nerve to go out alone and take pictures.  Vowing to change that circumstance, Ignis listened intently as Prompto told him all about the things he wanted to photograph.  

 When Prompto was finished, Ignis couldn’t help but say what he’d been thinking the whole time.  “I’d be more than happy to take you around if you wish to pursue your photography,” he offered humbly.

 “Really?! That’d be so cool.  I never left the house much in Niflheim.  I didn’t want to get harassed, but if you’re with me, it’ll be different.”

 Ignis had to bite his tongue. He desperately wanted to tell Prompto he’d be with him forever if he wished it.  The pull the omega had on him was undeniable. Ignis wondered if Prompto felt the same way. Deciding to be brave, he took a steadying breath and worked on how he wanted to phrase his question.

 He didn’t get the chance. A noise in a nearby bush caused the cat in Prompto’s lap to perk up in curiosity.   A second later it had bolted over to investigate. Prompto seemed both disappointed and fascinated by the current turn of events.

 A familiar scent soon wafted over and Ignis rolled his eyes. “Nyx, I told you she will smell you.”

 “I know that!” the glaive hissed loudly.

 “Who are you hiding from, Nyx?” Prompto asked with worry.

 “Forgive me for being blunt, but he’s hiding from Aranea so she won’t bite him.”  

 Prompto’s eyes went wide. “Wha?  I thought you liked her, though,” he retorted, staring at the bush.

 Nyx moved slightly so they could see him better. “I do, Prompto, but I’m not used to the attention.”

 “Oh, so she is harassing you.  I understand that.”

 The mood was starting to change, and Ignis racked his brain for what to say that might help the situation.  Nyx thankfully beat him to it.

 “Hey, no, no. That’s not it at all, Prompto.  If she was really harassing me, I would report it to my superior officer, and they would work to make it stop,” Nyx corrected quickly. “When I say I’m not used to the attention, all I means is I’m not sure I’m ready for a mate.”

 “Why not? Having a mate sounds really nice,” the blond hummed. “They are always there to support you and give you a hug if you are sad.  I think having a mate would be really cool.”

 Nyx smiled at the response. “I agree with that, but I’m not sure Aranea has read the same guide book on having a mate.”

 Ignis couldn’t help but snicker at the remark.  Alphas females were a mixed bag. Sometimes they displayed more beta like traits and other times they were like Aranea.  Bold, loud, and fully aware of what they want.

 “Well, then tell her what you want,” Prompto added sincerely.

 Nyx opened his mouth to reply but stopped.  It seemed Prompto’s simple statement had him thinking.  After a minute, he found his voice. “I think I might try that. She’s gotta catch me first though.”

 As if on cue, a voice rang out from close by.  It was Aranea. She was calling for Nyx and using the nickname he obviously hated with a passion.  Cor had even started calling him Nyxie for fun.

 “Thanks for the advice, Prompto. I’ll catch you guys later.” Nyx huffed as he crouched down and continued to scurry along the wall behind the bush.

 Ignis waited to see if Aranea would grace them with her presence.  Her commanding figure soon glided into view. She waved and continued on the way Nyx had gone.

 “How does she know where he’s going?” Prompto asked softly.

 “She’s an alpha; she can smell other people’s scent profiles to track them.”

 “Did you do that when you and Ardyn came to rescue me?”

 “Ardyn suggested it, and I quite frankly thought he was crazy.” Pausing to remember the incident, Ignis was so grateful he’d been wrong. “However, as you have correctly guessed, I did locate your scent to follow that evening.”  

 “Alban tried to call me yesterday,” the omega added with a frown. “I got scared and didn’t answer the phone.”

 “Did he try and call you back?  I can put a stop to that if you don’t want him to contact you.”

 Prompto shook his head and smiled. “No, it’s alright.  He just left me a message, and he wasn’t angry at all. He wanted to make sure I was okay, and he --.”

 Ignis could see Prompto was struggling with the next part of the story. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

 “No, it’s not that.  I didn’t realize me almost dying would make him worry.  He never seemed to care before.”

 “I believe for the first time he may have been able to understand how you felt.  You both were targeted and nearly died. That can change a person.”

 Nodding, Prompto sighed heavily.  Ignis could tell he was affected by the turn in conversation. He wished it was possible to take away his pain.  Prompto needed time, and Ignis hoped the omega would turn to him in the future for support.

 “Thank you for helping me start a new life, Ignis. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you didn’t show up in my life.”

 “I would like to remind you that us meeting was entirely your doing.  So do thank yourself for being brave enough to face the world in search of something better.” That statement finally brought back the bright smile Ignis was getting used to seeing.    

 “Um, I know it’s a little ways off, but do you want to go to Noct’s birthday gala with me?”

 “I would be delighted to go with you.  However, I must apologize in advance, since I will be working at the same time,” Ignis lamented.

 “Oh, that’s right! You organize the whole party and make sure it’s all running smoothly.  I don’t mind so long as I won’t get in your way.”

 “I would love to have you with me, and for the brief moments when I must attend to something, I know that Gladio and Noct would keep you company.”  

 “Oh emm gee, this is the first party I’m actually excited to go to!” Prompto exclaimed.

 “I suppose that means a visit to the royal tailor is in order,” Ignis announced calmly.

 Prompto grinned and then held out hands as if he’d been struck by an idea. “My mum is gonna flip; she will get to wear a gown.  Can she come to the tailor, too?”

 Ignis nodded and watched as the omega practically vibrated in place.  They had another month before Noct’s twentieth birthday, and Ignis already had ideas for their next date.  He’d been a little worried they might not go out again. Prompto asking to be his date at Noct’s party removed any last worries. Ignis was officially courting an omega and loving every minute of it.

>Next Chapter 12

#ffxv #fanfic #promnis #prompto #ignis

[mobius-prime]

174. Sonic the Hedgehog #106

Crouching Hedgehog, Hidden Dragon (臣人豪猪臧龍)

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Ron Lim Colors: Josh & Aimee Ray

Yes, there are actually Chinese characters included with the title of this issue. They were a real bitch to actually get copy-and-paste-able text for, since all I had to work off of was a slightly blurry scanned image of the title page, but my girlfriend helped me figure it out. I went ahead and ran the characters through Google Translate, and they came out to "Chén rén háozhū zāng lóng," which, when translated into English, apparently means "porcupine zanglong." Now, I'm well aware that Google Translate is unreliable at the best of times when translating Asian languages into English, but I have a feeling that it was trying to make sense out of nonsense, and that the artists/writers for this issue just kind of… found some cool-looking Chinese characters and slapped them in there to give it a more "exotic" feel. Anyone who can actually read Chinese, please feel free to correct me on this one, because I'm woefully ignorant. But why use Chinese characters in the first place? Well, let's move into the story to find out…

The Freedom Fighters have set out in their airship to Station Square on a diplomatic mission. However, their ship is buffeted by strange winds that nearly blow them off course and cause them to crash. When they land safely, Sally reminds them all to be on their best behavior, and they're met by a news crew to welcome their arrival.

When Sally and the others make their way into the city, they're met not by the mayor, but by the city's new president and his chiefs of staff, with whom they quickly sit down to a meeting. Sally explains her wish for the city to take in the Overlander refugees from Robotropolis, and when the mayor balks when he hears how many people he'd have to make room for - about seventy families - Sonic becomes outraged that he isn't immediately taking them in because it's the right thing to do.

That night, Sonic mopes a bit on the balcony of the hotel, still upset about the president's reaction, as well as concerned that despite Sally finally being a part of the team again, she doesn't seem very pleased about it. He's distracted by his friends calling him to go play at the arcade, but while he leaves, we see a strange snaky figure floating against a backdrop of stars behind him…

In his own office, the president is watching various footage of Sonic defeating the enemies of Station Square in the past - Chaos, Silver Sonic, and Shadow - and begins to wonder to himself if he should make a more permanent ally out of Sonic, despite his brash attitude. He doesn't have long to decide, as chaos suddenly erupts on the streets, flames chasing after fleeing citizens. The president considers calling for Sonic's aid, but true to his nature, Sonic is already there, staring down the source of the commotion - a massive Chinese dragon. Sally and Antoine rush to the president while Tails, Rotor, and Bunnie hurry to Sonic's aid, but they're not quite fast enough to help.

In his office, the president tries to insist to Sally that this is a bad place for refugees as there are now dragons attacking the city, but Sonic walks in, draped in a blanket and flanked by his friends, offering the president a deal - if he runs the dragon out of town and saves the city again, then they'll take in the refugees. The president finds this to be a fair deal, and accepts.

Now, instead of another character file, we find ourselves looking at another map - this time of Station Square itself!

I know that text is obnoxiously small to read, so I'll summarize it myself. Considering that Station Square in the comic is vastly different from its counterpart in the games, a lot of effort was certainly put into explaining exactly how it functions. Apparently, along with its supply of Chaos Emeralds, the city also runs off solar power collected from the top of the mountain it's buried underneath. It's surrounded by complex holographic projectors that simulate a sky and surrounding landscape, with the weather control systems maintaining a consistent 70°F or 21°C and simulating various weather conditions. All it needs to stay self-sufficient is contained within the enormous cavern, including all its farms. We already know the general history of the city, but this page includes the fact that the original founders sought shelter down here while fleeing from a catastrophe on the surface that is supposedly unknown, but is heavily implied to be one of the past Days of Fury, this one occurring five hundred years ago.

However, perhaps most interesting are the various technical statistics given for the city. Of course, they're all given in metrons, but that's no problem for us and our conversion formulas! There's a whopping 13.7 km, or 8.6 miles, from the surface of the city streets to the top of the cavern, which is again much higher than the peak of Mt. Everest. That's an enormous cavern! That is much, much deeper than the deepest known cave on Earth, but it's still somewhat plausible given that our planet's crust goes much deeper than that. And the file doesn't stop at height. Assuming the city is arranged in a vaguely square shape (we're never told or shown otherwise, and frankly that's the easiest way to calculate area, so that's what we're working with), the city's area is around 14,390.4 square km, or 5,625 square miles! That's a good bit bigger than the entire state of Connecticut, and around the same size as the country of Montenegro in Europe, for just one city! If it existed in the real world, it would be the largest city in the world by land area by a long shot. However, we have to assume that not all of it is dense metropolis. I'm going to go ahead and assume that this area measurement includes all the farms and emptier, less populated space that we see surrounding the actual city, meaning that the metropolis is likely more of a third or so that size going by the picture, making the actual city around the size of Atlanta, Georgia, which is the fourth-largest city in the world going by area. That's impressive!

As for the city's population, the file comes right out and tells us the exact number of individuals living there: 23,856,427 people. This kind of makes the president's worries about taking in a few hundred people seem a little silly, as there's surely more than enough room for everyone, as well as enough kind people within to offer help getting everyone settled in, but I digress. If Station Square existed in real life, that would make it the second largest city in the world, barely beating out Delhi, India, but still vastly outstripped by Tokyo, Japan. Now, I'm not an expert on calculating population density, as I know that it's very different depending on whether you're only counting the distinct urban center of the city, or the metropolitan area which includes the surrounding, less-dense areas, but I'm not entirely sure how to calculate such a thing accurately. All I know is that if we calculate the population density straight from our initial area (before I adjusted it), we get a density of 1,658 people per square km, or 4,241 people per square mile. That's a population density similar to that of Melbourne, Australia, and is actually fairly low compared to most real-world big cities. Just as a fun exercise, however, let's say that two-thirds of the city's population lives in the urban center, while the rest lives in the outlying farmland and suburbs. In that case, the city proper would end up with a density of 3,312 people per square kilometer, or 8,474 people per square mile, which, though almost twice as high, is still much less dense than the vast majority of large world cities. This would also give the outlying areas a density of 829 per square km, or 2,721 per square mile, which is comparable to the average density of modern American suburbs. I'm satisfied with these numbers! Unlike the disaster that was the file on the Floating Island, everything about this file actually makes sense and checks out with reality. And in the end, wasn't that what we all really wanted - for our Sonic the Hedgehog comics to be realistic?

Reunification (Part 1)

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Dawn Best Colors: Josh Ray

We're finally back to the Green Knuckles saga, and right away we're being thrown a curveball. On the streets of a cold, empty Echidnaopolis, a flash of light disturbs the peace, and reveals a figure materializing inside of it - that of a young echidna woman whom we've never seen before. From her dialogue, it appears she's traveled back in time, and is on the lookout for clues that will let her know exactly when she's arrived. The only other ones within the city are various Dark Legionnaires on patrol, though they and the woman never cross paths and the Legionnaires grow bored of the lack of activity. As they report in to Dimitri, Lien-Da approaches her boss' room to give a report of her own.

Gee, I don't know, Dimitri, what could Knuckles possible be doing? He certainly wouldn't be trying to reverse the effects of the Quantum Beam just as you suggested doing just a few issues ago, would he? Of course, that's exactly what he's doing. The young woman, wandering the streets, actually seems to know that everyone from the city is in another zone currently, but that's about to change, as suddenly strong winds begin to blow her away. She's shocked, and is blown around until the winds cease, at which point she's offered a helping hand.

Remington… kill Knuckles? I can't believe that for a second! Remington's been nothing but a bro ever since we first met him. What's going on here? Who is this girl, and what's the deal with Remington…?

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 106 #writer: karl bollers #writer: ken penders #pencils: ron lim #pencils: dawn best #colors: joshua d ray #colors: aimee r ray