FrozenDeath

Happy Bday Bobby!

Just a reminder, I'll be doing my livestream in about 2 hours.

10:15pm est, www.livestream.com/bwbabble

Hola,

I started a little project the other day to develop a signature character for my deviant page. I have other cox characters that I've drawn in the past, but this would be something more suitable to the pinup work I've been doing this year. Also I'll have a character to use for art trades, commissions from friends, and maybe something to attract more people to my page.

The character I'm using is my new claws/elec brute brute Usotski (Liar in Japanese). The character is a shape-shifter that has 3 different appearances based on her psychological state. The default appearance is a dark, monochromatic fetishy Bettie-page style look:



The second is a catgirl look, when the character is higher level of anxiety or excitement:



I haven't drawn the third yet, but it will be a mouse girl. The smallest of the three versions. However the physical attributes are misleading in how they correspond to the looks. The catgirl is smaller but more aggressive than the Bettie Page look. The mouse is smaller and more powerful and aggressive than the cat look. The third form is basically freaked out self preservation mode. I'll write the backstory out in detail when I have all three versions drawn and I post it to my DA page.

Also I will be doing a Livestream tomorrow night at 10:15pm est.
www.Livestream.com/bwbabble

16. Allegation


"Wait, wait, wait.." Mrs. Ward threw up her hands in frustration. "We came here to try to determine Mogo's whereabouts. Mrs. Cullen can you describe what happened the last time you saw him?"

"Well, yes. He said he was done. I asked him if there was any way he could keep an eye on us....I was still worried about Tommy's wellfare. But it seemed like he was quitting. He ddin't want to be Mogo anymore. And he gave Tommy the armor..."

"He gave me his tophat, and it turned into armor for me!"
"Yes..he transferred power to Tommy. And then he left the house. I went after him to ask him a question but by the time I got to the porch he was gone. Some guy outside said he flew off on a winged horse."

Mrs. Ward rubbed her jaw. "Did the guy outside speak French?"
"Err..yeah he did. Said goodbye in French."
"MMmm...that was Mogo. He always speaks French after he lies. Or during sometimes."
"Oh...so he disguised himself?"
"I don't think so. I think he probably changed to what he really looks like. His actual appearance."
"Oh...."

Mrs. Ward looked at Slan. "So the psychics were correct when they said he'd cease to exist. He stopped being Mogo."
"Yes, and this one.." The goggle lady pointed to Tommy. "He has received the power. And that is the basis of Mode's viewpoint. The child has been victimized by the receipt of this power."

"So Tommy is abused because he has received superpowers?" Mrs. Cullen shifted in her chair. "I don't follow that. How can this gift be damaging? And Mogo was very clear--Tommy had to be a good person or it wouldn't work. He had to help out. He had to do good in school. And as he developed as a person, the armor would teach him and give him more abilities--isn't that what Mogo said Tommy?"
"Yes that's right! I have to be good. I have to be responsible."
"Have you?"

Tommy blushed. "I think so..."
Slan waved her hand and spectral images began to form again in the room. "There is some substance to Mode's allegation." Scenes began to form. First Tommy standing on the roof of a building, waiting to jump Brian Johnson and his friends. Then his shock and disappointment as the armor shut down and left him standing there. The image changed to him helping Mode carry a bag out of the building she was robbing. The images changed again and Tommy was on another roof, getting knocked on his back by circle of thorns mages. Yelling in terror as a demon was summoned to claim him.

"Tommy! What were you thinking?!"
"I'm sorry Momma! Someone was in trouble."

The images faded and Slan looked at them. "It is likely that Tommy would now be dead at the hands of the circle of thorns if Mode had not intervened." Mrs. Ward leaned forward in her chair and looked closely at Tommy.

"Tommy, why were you out there? How did you end up at the robbery? Or on that roof fighting those mages?"
"The armor directs me. When there's something wrong....I can hear things. And it gives me a green light that shows where to go. Sometimes it wakes me up at night when there's something going on...I wake up in my bed and I'm in full armor..."
"And then you've been sneaking out of the house?! Tommy I can't believe you!"
"If I didn't, people would get hurt! There was a lady on that one roof! Those men were hurting her..I think they were gonna steal her soul or something! She needed my help! I was afraid and they were winning but then Supercreep helped me out."
"Supercreep.." Mrs. Cullen looked at the other women. "Is that another supervillain?"
"No...interesting that he should pop up."
"So Tommy...the armor has been leading you to these encounters?"
"Yes Ma'am."

Slan turned to Mrs. Cullen. "I think the problem does not lie with Mogo. It lies with the power he transferred to Tommy. It is not following the protocal that you and your son were given. It is pursuing another agenda. It must answer to these allegations of child abuse."
"It's sentient?"
"Yes."

Suddenly the bracelet on Tommy's arm lifted up. His hand rose up over his head and then the metal was dissolving into little points of light like a swarm of fireflies drifting up into the air. The flickers coalesced into a large shape, becoming more and more dense until is was a glowing sillhouette of Mogo. His exact form rendered in golden light. It bowed and tipped it's hat to them.

Slan faced the entity. She rose into the air and assumed a lotus position before it.

"Please leave the room while I commune with the entity."
Mrs. Ward gestured and they shuffled out. Mrs. Cullen lead them to the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. She shook her head.

"I should've known it was too good to be true." Mrs. Ward laughed.
"Nothing is ever really what it seems to be, but I don't think you really need to be worried Mrs. Cullen."
"How can you say that? My son's been hanging out with a criminal gang. A super-powered criminal gang."
"And if they wanted to hurt him they would have done so by now. They aren't exactly a subtle bunch. I think they genuinely tried to help him out. I think they saved his life."
"Well then what do I do? What if they come around again?"
"I think we have to wait to see what Slan says. But I think she's going to tell you to keep going on with your life. I don't think there's anything else we can really do, unless you want us to move you far away and change your identities completely."
"That's not comforting."
"Well, if they have decided to protect him...he's safer than he would be with us. They are not restrained by law or morality." She looked at Tommy.

"You were being bullied a lot at school weren't Tommy?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"By who Tommy? That Brian Johnson kid? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry Momma..it's not a big deal anyway...."

Mrs. Ward smiled as she poured creamer in her coffee. "Tommy.."
"Yes Ma'am?"
"The demon lady went and had a talk with Brian Johnson didn't she?"
"Yes ma'am."
"And the bullying stopped?"
"Pretty much..yeah."

She shrugged and looked at Mrs. Cullen. "Beats talking to the principle."

In the next room they could here the conversation. Strange nonhuman languages sounding off quickly, back and forth, at times sounding more like music than human speech.

15. Crisis

Mrs. Ward went pale, shifting in her seat. She mumbled something then covered her mouth, avoiding Mrs. Cullen's gaze.

"Dark Legion? Who are these people? What do they want with my son?"

Suddenly the little disc sparked and emitted a small puff of smoke. "They have deactivated the device."
"Slan can you pick up any psychic impressions?"
"Allow me to focus."

The room darkened a little as the ball of energy started to glow. The goggle lady held both palms open on either side, concentrating. Then a ghostlike image began to form in the air above her.

"Mode." The image was the dark haired lady Tommy had met at the break in. She was wearing her bathing suit-looking outfit. There were bullets and burst of flame and energy hitting her, bouncing off her body, but she was unharmed. She growled and slammed the ground with her fists, causing the pavement to crumble and crack. She ripped up a large chunk of concrete and lifted it above her head, hurling it out of view at unseen enemies.

Mrs. Cullen gasped. Here eyes widening with horror. "Oh good lord...that woman has been in our home. She's been giving us money...Oh my god.." The image changed. There was Tommy in his armor, talking to the woman inside the building she was robbing.

"OH Tommy...no....." Tommy shuddered his eyes welling up with tears. The light was gone from his mother's face. She looked sad, weary, suddenly without hope. He lifted his forearm to his face to wipe his eyes.
"I'm sorry Momma! I'm sorry!" She rubbed her face in her hands, unable to look at him.

The image shifted again. It shimmered in the air for an instant and then the image of Purple Twilight started to take form. She was walking outside of some sort of military base. She was glowing with energy--fire, green light, floating particles of ice spinning around her like meteors. She was firing blasts of ice at soldiers. They were knocked down, struggling to move away as the ice took hold of their limbs. Then the image changed again and there she was, arguing with Tommy over the Thai food.

"Purple Twilight. You know her Tommy?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"How do you know her?"
"She's my teacher. She's teaching me to fight.."

Mrs. Cullen's face darkened with anger. She gestured speachlessly for a moment, unable to voice her thoughts. Then she was yelling.

"Tommy! How could you! I thought I could trust you...how could you do all these things behind my back?!!"

Tommy started to sob. Before he could respond the psychic lady's hand was on his shoulder. The emotions suddenly drained out of him, like the air from a leaky balloon. She waved her arm and a bubble of energy spread through the space. It passed over his mother and her look changed--to confusion at first. The she sighed and shifted in her chair, composing herself in the shimmering blue light.

"It's better to handle this situation rationally friends."
"I'm sorry momma! I'm so sorry! But she helped me...I think she's a good person!"
"Tommy I'm you're mother. I can't take care of you...I can't protect you when you do things behind my back. Now we are involved with very dangerous people."

Mrs. Ward turned to her. "Mrs. Cullen, we are going to have to look at the payments tha.."
"No."
"Slan?"
"The money is not our concern."
"But we need to trace where it's coming from. It could be stolen. Or we could trace it back to one of their fronts."

The goggle lady seemed to become angry. Her mouth hardened in a strange grimace. She gestured in the air with her right hand. Suddenly there was a pressure in the room. Tommy could see symbols, numbers floating above his head. He heard strange voices..something about executive orders, protocols, streams of code words and authorizations. Mrs. Ward leaned forward in her chair, gripping her head in her hands.

"Alright Slan! Alright! Get out of my head." She sat up scowling. Mrs. Cullen rubbed her jaw and gestured sheepishly.

"So we should keep taking the money?" She blushed a bit looking at Mrs. Ward's expression. "I'm sorry but we have very little to live on. I can barely afford to pay the rent on my own..."
"Yes. Keep accepting the payments Mrs. Cullen. I believe the money is from a legitimate source."
"But why are they doing this.....what do they want with my son?"

Slan rubbed her hands over the small globe of energy. Tommy smiled a little..it was so much like the classic scene of the fortune teller rubbing her crystal ball. The spectral images in the room changed again, this time revealing Mode sitting at some sort of communications console. She was listening to headphones, drinking a cup of coffee. She was in a fuzzy green bathrobe and slippers, a towel wrapped around her head.

"This one. Mode. Believes that your son has been subjected to.....what is the best signifying phrase......mmmmmmm......child abuse."
"WHAT?!?" Mrs. Cullen jerked in her seat, eyes wide with alarm. "I would never hurt Tommy! Never! I swear!"
"Not you Mrs. Cullen.."
"Then who?"

The image in the air shifted and reformed again.
"Oh good lord no...it can't be!"
"What?! NO WAY! That's bullcrap!"

The figure in the image bowed and tipped his hat theatrically.

"Mode believe that the Magnificent Mogo has subjected your son to abuse. And she has intervened to compensate."

Heya,
Just a reminder I'll be starting up in about 30 minutes.

14. Foreboding


Sometimes Tommy thought he did have some sort of super power. Even without the armor. He could remember times when he just knew he was going to get in trouble for something. His mom told him that it was really just his subconscious thinking things through in a common sense way. Like if you did something wrong and the police showed up at your house...well it was just common sense that they were there to get you because of what you did.

Tommy had that feeling outside the apartment. Mrs. Bensen had pulled him aside in the hallway at school. She was so happy that his uncle was going to attend the family day. The school had received his paperwork and everything. So they would do the security clearance and then he would be good to go. So standing there outside his home, with that bad feeling, Tommy assumed that his mom had gotten a call about it. That she'd found out about this mysterious uncle that Tommy didn't really have. But when he opened the door and heard the voices, he realized that he was wrong. But it didn't make him any more at ease.

"Tommy? Is that you dear? Come on in here."

His mother was sitting in the living room with a serious looking woman. She had a grey business suit, was thin...kind of a hard look to her expression. Shoulder length grey hair. Maybe she just reminded him of his gym teacher from last year.

"Tommy this is Mrs. Ward. She's here to ask us some questions about Mr. Mogo."
"Hello Tommy."
"Oh..hi. Mr. Mogo? Is he in trouble?"
"No Tommy he's not in trouble. But we haven't heard from him for a while. We are a little worried about where he is. How he's doing."
"Oh yeah. Me too."

Mrs. Ward looked past Tommy towards the hallway. She was focused on something, as if she was listening to something that he and his mother couldn't hear.
"Tommy, could you go up to your room for a minute please? I have an associate up there that would like to speak with you."

Tommy looked at his mother and she nodded. "Ok, sure."

He went into the hall, dumping his jacket and bookbag on the table, then ran up the stairs. He turned the corner and went into his room, but it was empty. He looked on the other side of the bed, but nobody was hiding there.

"Here."
"WAAAhhhh!" There was a strange woman floating above him. She wasn't actually floating, she was standing high up on the wall, parallel to the ceiling, looking down at him. She had a strange green suit that reminded Tommy of some sort of diving outfit. Her skin was very pale with black hair. She had thick, dark goggles on her face. She smiled, the pinkish diamond shape in the center of her chest glowing.

"I'm sorry. Did I frighten you?"
"Yes, you suprised me."
"Do I look strange to you?"
"Well...yeah, kinda weird."
"When I first came to your world, I was so afraid of you humans. You seemed so cruel."
"We did? Why?"

She floated down and hovered in the air next to him. "Because of your skin. It looked like you had been tortured so badly, like someone held you all down and pushed millions of needles into your bodies."

"What do you mean? I don't get it." The woman lifted Tommy's arm and pointed to the small dots on his skin.
"But those are just pores. Everybody has them." The woman ran his fingers along his forearm.
"Wow, it's completely smooth. You don't have any pores. I guess you are a lot different."

He pulled his arm back, looking her over. "Why were you up there?"
"I needed to get a good look at something."
"What?"
"The back of your neck."

Tommy rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and head. "What's wrong? I don't feel anything.."
"Let's go downstairs and I'll show you."

.....

"Huh, what's wrong?" Mrs. Cullen shifted nervously in her seat.
"One moment please. Tommy stand still for a moment. Right here in the center of the room."
"Why? What's going on? What's wrong?"
"There is nothing wrong. I just need to show you something ok?"
"Um...ok."
"You're going to feel a little sting...just for a moment ok? It's no big deal. I'll count to three then you will feel it."
"Umm..ok."
"1.....2..."
"Ow!"
"There we go."

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. Mrs. Cullen and Mrs. Ward leaned forward in their chairs. The strange woman held out her hand. Above it floated a small globe of energy with a small object inside. It was a small round disc with a few needle-like extensions protruding from the bottom.

"Oh my god...What is that? That was on my son?"
"What is it Slan?"
"It's a communications device."

Tommy rubbed his scalp. The sting was almost gone. "From who? Mr. Mogo?"
"Hahaha no Tommy."
"Then who? Who put that on my son? What do they want?"

The goggle lady lifted the object a little closer to her face, concentrating for a moment.

"This commlink belongs to the Dark Legion criminal organization. And someone is listening to us even as we speak."

Hola,

I will be doing another Livestream tonight at 10:15 est:
www.livestream.com/bwbabble

Might continue working on a piece I've already started or start drawing something new. I guess I'll see what people are interested in.

LOL geeze it's a damn pair of boots.

13. Exposure

She was sitting on a short wall, shoveling some sort of noodle dish into her mouth with large chopsticks. Tommy stopped doing the footwork for the star pattern and stood up beside her.

"What are you eating Purple?"

She stared at him for a long moment without replying. Then she looked back into the little white carton and started fishing around for another bite.

"Thai food."
"Can I try some?"
"Can you eat with the helmet on?"
"Umm..no...."
"Then no. Keep practicing."

He started to go back to the reference marks on the ground but then stopped and turned back.

"That's your name isn't it? Purple. Purple Twilight." She grunted a little. He was slowly starting to understand her expressions. Something was bothering her.

"Where did you hear that?"
"I looked it up online. I found an article about you on the internet."
"Oh?"
"Mmmm-hmmm."
"Probably lies. Don't go digging around about me."
"Why?"
"For your own protection stupid."
"Protection from what?"
"Just go back to your footwork..."

Tommy activated a storage panel on his thigh and slid out the folded up article. "I got it right here."

Purple wiped her mouth and set the carton on the wall next to her. "Let me see it."
"I'll let you see it if I can try your Thai food without getting killed."
"How about I just beat you down and take it out of your hand?"
"Err..ok here."

She took it and opened it up. When the picture was fully exposed she hissed a little, The skin tone on her face turning lighter, a little pinkish. The picture showed five firemen standing in a row. They were holding Purple stretched out sideways in their arms. Her long coat was open and she had on ladies underwear. At least some kind of naughty lady outfit with stockings and stuff. Tommy had seen something like that on a magazine once but his mom had taken it away. His friend Billy Cobert told him that once he was able to get cable tv he'd be able to see more of it when his mom wasn't around.

Tommy took advantage of the moment and popped his helmet off, dropping it to the ground as he scrambled to shovel some of the noodles into his mouth with the sticks. He had to tilt the carton towards his mouth in order to get a few in. She abruptly noticed and glared at him.

"EGGHHHHHH!"
"Haha I got some..hehehe..egh..eghh..er eGGH!! EGH! HA HA! HOT! OW! OWW! BURNING! OWW!! WATER!!"
"MORON!!!" She waved her hand in front of his face and condensed some of the moisture into the air into frost which she shoved into his mouth.

"Mmmmm..mmmmmm....rank roo..."

Tommy tapped on the picture. "It says you helped those people."
"I was just playing around. It was a whim."
"But it says you pulled that one guy out of the fire. You saved his life."
"He was faking it. He just wanted to get close to me."
"That worked?"
"I guess so! He's my boyfriend now."
"But see! You act like it's bad to help people. But you helped them. And look how happy they are. Look how happy you are!"

She folded the article back up and handed it to him.
"Things aren't that simple. They are simple for you because you are a child. I'm using them and they're using me, that's all it is."
"Then why did you blush when I showed you that picture?"
"I was turning color with disgust."
"Haha liar!"

She stood up and grabbed the remaining Thai food. "You finish your workout or I'll freeze you and leave you thawing out the rest of the evening."
"Yes Ma'am! Err..one more thing..."
"What?!"
"I heard a voice in my head. It said it was my uncle, even though I don't have an uncle."
"Well you're probably going insane. It's common for your weak-minded species."
"So you don't know anything about it?"
"Of course not." But she stared at the noodles and didn't look him in the eye as she said it.

That white part on her leg is a highlight. It's consistent with the other highlighted areas from the render.

1. Pyro
2. Shia
3. CR

Happy Bday sucka!

I own Artrage Studio Pro. I prefer Photoshop but I have done some work in Artrage and it's a pretty decent package for under a hundred dollars.

Well I reinstalled procaster and it seemed to work so I will try again tonight, ja?
10:15pm est
www.livestream.com/bwbabble

12. Suprises

He breathed in the dank, musty air of the library and smiled. He loved it. The place had been old before Tommy was even born, so whenever he went there it felt like it was never changing. Always the same. There were never any kids there, so when he was little he could go there and read books and play in the playroom and never have to worry about sharing or getting picked on by himself. He could spend hours looking at the picture books, thinking about giants and magic and robots. It made him feel better about not having a lot of things himself. And in the hot Summer months, he and his mom could go there and relax a little in the air conditioning until the sun went down and the apartment started to cool off.

"Hey! There's my little superhero! Heya Tommy boy, where ya been?" Mr. Benson flashed his toothy grin from behind a stack of books at the reference counter.

"Hi Mr. Benson!"
"How you doin? How's school?"
"Good. Everything's good."
"How's your mother?"
"She's real good. She got some new medicinne for her arthritis and she's feeling a lot better."
"Is that so? Outstanding!"

Tommy looked around the corner and saw that one of the two public internet stations was available.
"Is there something you need to look up my friend?"
"Yes sir. But it's gonna be hard. I was wondering if you could help me."
"Of course! Of course. Let's go take a look."

Mr. Benson sat down at the computer and opened a new tab in the browser. "So what are we looking for Tommy?"
"Well it's a person...but I don't know here name."
"A woman? You're not gettin all mushy on girls now are you Tommy?"
"No!"
"Alright, hahaha, alright just teasing. You don't know her name?"
"No..."
"So what information do you have?"
"Well...she has purple skin.."
"Oh, one of those super people eh? Is she a hero or a villain?"
"Um...I don't really know.."
"What other details can you give me?"

.....

Tommy gave Mr. Benson all the details he could think of, mostly things relating to the woman's appearance. After about twenty minutes of searching, his eyes got wide as they stumbled across something.

"Oh here we go! Purple Twilight. Is that her Tommy?"
"Umm...yeah..that's her.."
"This picture is from a newspaper in New York. It was taken last year."

They stared at the image for a moment in silence.
"Well that's a very pretty lady...kind of a racy costume but I've seen how these ladies dress...wooo."

Tommy grunted. Still a bit in shock from the image.
"I guess she's a superhero then. Very nice of her to help out those firemen. It says she pulled this one on the end right out of the flames."
"Yeah...nice... um Mr. Benson can you print this picture out for me?"
"Sure thing Tommy my boy. Did you need help looking for anything else?"
"No that was it."

.....


Tommy had gotten so used to the bullies ignoring him now, that on the way home he didn't even notice when he walked into a crowd of them hanging out on the street corner.

"Hey it's the creep!
"What's up dork?"

Brian Johnson and three of his friends. Slightly older kids that Tommy didn't recognize. They elbowed him as he walked through and he almost tripped as one thrust his foot out in Tommy's path.

"Jerks!"
"Oh hey dork, you got a problem?"
"Yeah loser, you want to start something?"

Tommy looked in their eyes. Brian still was afraid, he could see that. But the others maybe didn't hear the demon story. Maybe they didn't believe it. They were arrogant and confident. Ready to fight him. But he couldn't seem to muster the usual restraint. He stared at them and just didn't walk away as usual. He shifted his right foot back slightly on a triangle. He was ready to move. He fixed his gaze on the one closest to him.

"Make your move."

There was a moment of silence. The bullies seemed suprised and confused. There were four of them and the little dork was gonna talk trash. The one nearest Tommy reached out. It may have been a push..it didn't really seem like an actual punch, but whatever it was Tommy moved slightly to slide inside the kid's arm and he brought his elbow hard against the side of his ribcage.

"OW!..ah..crap..ow" The kid staggered away, hunched over and rubbing the spot with his other hand.
"What the hell you jerk?"
"Hey, I'm gonna tell my mom what you did to my brother!"

Tommy stood there staring, waiting for the next one to come but it didn't happen. The one he hit looked pale and was waving his arm around to try to stretch out the spasming muscles.

"I was just kidding you jerk! Geeze you didn't have to hit me!"
"Yeah what a jerk, he's crazy."
"Yeah what a psycho.."

Brian Johnson looked at Tommy and started talking for the first time.
"He is a psycho. Nobody likes him. He's got not friends. Even his old man took off and left him."

The four bullies laughed at Tommy. Brian went on:

"We all got friends. We all got cool dads. My dad is gonna help me win the father son race again this year. That dork is garbage. Nobody likes him. Not even his own dad!"

They laughed again. Even the kid with the sore ribs seemed to have recovered. They stood there looking down their noses at him, laughing at his situation in life. Mocking him and all the troubles he and his mother had faced by being alone in the world. Then he heard something. A voice in his head--one he'd never heard before. A man's deep voice. And it said:

Kid, tell them that you're uncle is gonna go to that race and we're gonna beat their *****.

And no sooner than he had heard it, Tommy was blurting it out. He was pointing his finger at them, yelling:

"My uncle's coming to that thing! And we're gonna beat your *****!"

Their eyes got wide with shock. Brian Johnson started laughing.
"Your uncle? Since when? Is he a toothpick like you?" Before the other could respond, Tommy anwered him, staring him down.

"You're gonna see. You're all gonna see!" Then he turned and walked off down the street, leaving them for once in shock and silence.

11. Speculation


"Oh I don't know Tommy.." Mrs. Cullen wiped her hands on her apron as she finished chopping the carrots for her salad. "It seemed like he didn't want to be involved in....magic or anything any more.."

"Yeah I know. I know it's a bad idea." Tommy rubbed his head, looking down at the place setting.
"Well it's not a bad idea sweetie. It's just that..I wouldn't know how to reach him."
"Yeah...."

She shuffled everything into a bowl and started tossing it. "Did you try reaching Mogo through the armor somehow?"
"Yeah but it wouldn't tell me. It said it had no data on him."
"Is that how it communicates with you? It shows you lists of information?"
"Yeah usually. One time it sounded like a woman."
"Really? That's kind of strange..what did it say?"

Tommy grunted, shoveling the lettuce into his mouth. "I just needed help and she guided me to Super.."

His mom was staring at him intently, jaw hardened, her spoon hovering half way between her mouth and the salad bowl. "Why did you need help Tommy?"

He took another bite, filling his mouth in order to give himself time to think of an answer. He wiped his mouth and looked at her, trying to keep his poker face up. "I was out practicing one time. It was after school..."
"Yes?"
"Some kids saw me and started running after me. I didn't want them to know it was me. They were from my school."
"And what did this Super person do?"
"Oh Supercreep...he's like a dancer..but also one of those people that doesn't talk..they just move kind of weird.."
"A mime? The voice told you to go to a mime?"
"Yes." He took another bite.
"That's kind of weird..."
"I guess."
"You're not getting into trouble are you Tommy?"
"No mom."

.....

"Tonight you reek of a kind of weak mental lethargy."
"Sorry Ma'am." Tommy moved his feet in and out along the saw shaped pattern she'd made on the ground.
"What are you fixated on?"

Tommy stopped the footwork and looked at her. "There is a big event at my school. It's a family day. People go there and eat and visit. And there are games--father/son races. And every year that kid you scared goes with his dad and wins. His dad is a huge bodybuilder. He owns a gym and he's a jerk just like Brian. They cheat. They push people out of the way when they're racing and bully them to win."

"Yes?" Her eyes flashed a bit more greenish-yellow as she stared at him.
"Well I was just hoping that someone could go with me. But I don't know how to reach him. And I can't think of anyone else."

She tapped her teeth with her index finger, staring off into the distance. At least he thought she was staring off into the distance, sometimes it was hard to tell.

"I will go."
"Uh..well...it has to be a human family member I think..and a man if I'm going to be in the race.."
"Well I can change my aspect to look like a human male."
"Really?"
"Yes really."
"So do you think we could win the obstacle course race?"

She stared at him blanky. With that look. She always gave him that look at some point in a conversation.

"No. We go there. And I kill the wife so that the big muscle man can stand there helplessly and watch. Then I kill him, while the little bully boy watches helplessly. Then I kill the little bully boy. If there is any family members left, they can live in fear and anguish and spread word of the deed."
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

She laughed. "Why not?"
"It's wrong!"
"Who says it's wrong?"
"I dunno...god? It's just bad..."
"I've met several gods who didn't think it was bad."
"Don't you think the world is a better place when people care about each other and help each other out instead of trying to hurt each other all the time?"
"How is that working out for you Tommy?"

10. Announcement

Tommy was in the library when the principal's voice came crackling over the old PA system:

Students of Center Academy, it's my pleasure to announce this year's Family Fun Extravaganza! This is the time to bring your parents, your siblings, even your friends to our annual fundraising event. We will have games, shows, lots of good things to eat. And as usual, our always popular Father-son obstacle course challenge!!! I want to see some good competition this year! It's time to see a new champion team after Mr. Johnson and his son Brian winning it two years in a row. So boys get your game on! Get your dads down for the race! All proceeds from this event go to helping our school buy the things we need to give you all the best education possible. So help us out if you can. We appreciate your support! Thank you.

Tommy scowled. This would be the start of the hazing season. When all the jokes would be about his dad. The one that had left when he was a child.

"They only win because his dad is a cheat like he is...."
"Tommy..."

It was Mrs. Greysen, the librarian.
"Hi Mrs. Greysen."
"You know Tommy...the Family Fun Event is open. If your mom can't come you could bring any other relative. Also, they've relaxed the requirements this year...even a friend of the family. Some adult, maybe one of your mom's old coworkers or someone you know from your neighborhood. We'd really like to see you come and have fun there."
"I don't..think there is anyone."
"Really? That's.."
"Oh.." Mogo? Would Mogo come with him? That would be so awesome! But...mom said that Mogo quit. He didn't want to be Mogo any more. And how would he get a hold of him?

"Yes? Did you think of somebody Tommy?"
"Umm..maybe Ma'am. I'll let you know."
"Please do Tommy. We would love to see you there. It's still a month away, so you have some time. Just be sure to return the paperwork that we sent home. Even if it's a relative, they have to be screened, ok?"
"Yes Ma'am."

.....

Tap-tap-tap
Tap-tap-tap

[PROXIMITY ALERT
PROXIMITY ALERT]

"Huh--wha?" He rolled to his side. "Uh? WH-Oh man. Again?" Tommy was lying in his bed in full armor.

He looked at the clock. 11:00pm. What was it now?

Tap-tap-tap
Tap-tap-tap

A shiver went down his spine. There was darkness outside his window. And there was something out there. A finger kept tapping on the window. He could see it poke of of the darkness everytime it touched the glass. A single, gloved finger. He slid off the bed and raised his fists.

[PROXIMITY ALERT. WEAPONS SYSTEMS ONLINE. REACTIVE ARMOR ENGAGED.]

"Who's there?" The darkness moved away as he got within a few steps. Tommy leaned down and engaged the teleporter and in an instant he was on the roof of the opposite building. He looked back at the fire escape outside his room, but it was now vacant. Then something struck him on the back of the head. He rubbed the surface of the helmet and looked at his hand. Snow? In May? He looked of the edge of the roof. It was in the alley. A cloud of darkness. Two glowing yellow eyes staring up at him. Then it was moving away. He jumped down, bouncing off the side of the far wall and then landing on the sidewalk
next to the street. He ran after it.

.....

It was the courtyard. The one that Mogo had used his powers to clear. There was a thick mist all throughout. He yelled:

"WHO'S THERE? SHOW YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?"
A low sinister sounding voice floated out to him from somewhere in the darkness.

"My brother's not here to save you this time child."
"WHO?"

Something hit Tommy hard in the chest. It hurt! It knocked him off his feet and he slammed down on his back. He rolled over to his stomach and fired gravity blasts from his helmet. Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew! He shot a wide group in to the darkness. He heard somebody groan. Yes! A hit! He scrambled to his feet and raised his fist as he ran inside the mist. There! He could see the figure bent over slightly to his left.

"HIIIIYAAAAHHH!" His fist slammed into the shape and busted it apart. Ice! It was a decoy made of ice!

Someone swept his feet out from underneath him. He fell on his back and when he sat up, something hit him in the face and sent him sliding across the ground. His jet boots fired and stopped him. He got up to his kees then stood up, hurting. Even with the armor absorbing the force he was aching. He started to raise his fists again but something else hit him. Kind of like getting hit by a snowball, but it spread. Ice spreading over his body. It was getting stiff! Then he was stuck and he couldn't move.

[What do I do now?!]
[WARNING THERMAL DROP
DIVERTING POWER TO LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS]
[How do I get out of this?]

The darkness and mist was sucking up into a shape in front of Tommy. The glowing yellow eyes were there staring at him. He stuggled to move but he couldn't.

"That was horrible. You're pathetic. That armor is going to get you killed."

The mist all got absorbed and then there was a woman standing in front of him. She had a long dark coat with fancy fur trim along the sleeves and collar. She was wearing long black gloves. He thought she was wearing a mask or something--but he realized that her skin was purple! She had long straight white hair that blew slightly in the breeze. Her eyes were glowing yellow--the ones he seen before in the darkness. She smiled at him, then grabbed his arm and started bending it, slapping the ice off with her hands.

"Start bouncing up and down."
Tommy started working his legs. At first he couldn't move much but then the ice started to crack away and his range of motion got back to normal. He started bending and twisting and moving his arms around to see if he was completely free.

"Ok all better?"
"I THINK SO."
"Alright, lemme see that helmet."

[CAUTION: ARMOR BREACH NOT ADVISED!
REPEAT: ARMOR BREACH NOT ADVISED!]

Tommy popped the studs on the helmet and slipped it off his head. She took it, turning it around in her hands, shaking her head. Then she reached out and took his cheeks in her hand, sqeezing his mouth and making fish lips.

"Huh, hey..."

She took her hand off and slapped his face.

"OW!!! Hey!!!"
"Lemme ask you kid--Are you stupid? Is that your problem?"
"I'm not stupid!"
"Then why did you give me the helmet? Do you want to die?"
"No! I..just..."
"Did you think that because I'm a woman, I wouldn't hurt you?"
"Umm..well...sorta..maybe..I guess..." He blushed, staring down at the ground.

"Look at this." She held her finger in front of his face. Not pointing at it, but turned to the side. Psst! A long sharp, dark icicle popped out of the end of her finger. Maybe five or six inches long.

"One of those, right through the jelly of your eyeball and straight into your brain. Or this.." She wiggled her fingers and other spikes popped out. "Maybe I'd shove my hand in your throat and rip out your windpipe. That would work too."

She stared at him for a moment in silence. "I've done it many many times before, do you understand?"
Tommy nodded meekly. She handed back the helmet. "Put that back on and never take it off for anyone unless you're finished with your task."
"Yes Ma'am." He put the helmet back on, snapping it into place. She was looking at a phone or something in her hand, while she waited.

"Ma'am, where you the one who scared Brian Johnson?"
"Yes. What a waste of my time that was."
"Why?"

She looked at him. It was hard to read her emotion becuase her eyes weren't human eyes..but Tommy thought she might be thinking he was dumb to ask.

"I scared some kid that was being a nuisance. Why? I could've just killed him. Now he's free to be a nuisance again."
"But that would be wrong!"
"Really?"
"Yes!" She laughed and looked back at the phone. Tapping a message or something.
"Why did you do that anyway? Why did you help me out?" She put the phone back in her pocket and brushed her hair back.

"When I know the answer to that question, I will tell you. Now give me your hand." Tommy hesitantly reached out with his right hand. She took it and gripped it in front of her. A short, glowing spike of energy emerged from her right index finger. With his palm facing up, she scratched lines in the middle of his palm. Then she let go.

"What is that?" He looked at the grooves in his palm.
"A triangle."
"That is the essence of fighting. Everything you are going to learn about combat movement will relate back to that shape. If you are ever in any doubt, look at the shape."
"Yes Ma'am"

She held up her hands. "Punch my palm." He hit it with his right hand.
"Harder." He used more strength from the armor, but she didn't seem phased. She was really strong!
"Your punch sucks. That's all we're gonna do tonight. And then you're gonna practice it on your own. And the next time I see you, it WILL be better. Do you understand?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Again!"

I think the thumbnails on her page help people follow her acquisitions over the year. At a glance you can see what she got, when she got it, as well as what artists are in the pipeline. I get the sense this is something that people like about her page. It is redundant, but from a design standpoint redundancy isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, you often want to repeat the same information in several places and contexts to guarantee the kind of exposure you want.

The problem I'm having a lot is going to people's pages, and sometimes even my own, and not being able to scroll through the entire page. I've gone to people's sites and had the top half of their journal entry cut off with no way to scroll up. So it wouldn't suprise me if the problems Kat is experiencing are just crappy implementation of the new format, rather than a decision to limit people's journal content.

9. Portents


When Brian Johnson came back, it was like he was a local celebrity. All day long kids asking him what happened. Tommy heard the story three times at least. And it was so stupid.

"Yeah, so like I got these food allergies you know? And the other night last week, my mom tried out this new recipe. It was for fish, which..I hate fish anyway right? But I had to eat that crap, didn't wanna get in trouble with my dad. And so that night I had this really bad nightmare. Like there was this thing in my room. And it was threatening me. I wasn't really scared you know, but it was weird.

So when I told my parents, they thought it was a good idea for me to stay home. Let it get out of my system. With food poisoning you know, you can't be too careful."

He was lying. Tommy knew it. He could see the fear in the kid's eyes. The three of them kept away now. They still sneered and insulted Tommy--but from a distance. And that was just fine. Tommy wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

.....

"Oh my goodness Tommy come in here! Come in! You won't believe this!"
"What? What is it mom?" Tommy tossed his backpack on a chair as he slid off his jacket.
"Oh such good news.. I can't believe it.." She looked like she was about to cry. Her eyes were wet and she was moving around--he hadn't seen her move around that excitedly in a long time.

"What mom? What happened?"
"Tommy this nice lady came by. And she told me that there had been a mistake on my disability checks. For years now! Early on, someone had made a mistake and they hadn't been paying me the full amount. Do you know what this means?!"

"Uh.."
"They're going to start cutting me bi-weekly checks to pay for the difference. Look!" She held up a large, official looking check. "It's for $500 Tommy! We can actually afford some things now. New clothes, some toys for you, and even...we can go out sometimes. Let's go out tonight! Let's go somewhere for dinner and we can have ice cream too!" She was beaming. So happy! Tommy hadn't seen her happy in such a long time. He smiled sheepishly as she grabbed him and hugged him tight.

"Oh and look! This is something separate." She fished around in the pocket of her sweater and pulled out a small plastic prescription bottle filled with little white pills. "That arthritis medicine I couldn't afford. They're going to start sending it here. I was denied coverage so they are having a pharmacy send me the medicine I need directly. Oh it feels so much better Tommy.."

"That's great mom!" Seeing her like this made tommy feel good. It was like he had something to look forward to now, and he realized how down he had been in general. Just about his life. And his mom, how lonely and shut in she was. But there was something...something just not quite right. He couldn't put his finger on it. Something too good to be true? He didn't want to think that way. He didn't want to spoil the moment. But he couldn't help it.

"Momma, what did the lady look like?"
"Oh I wish you could've been here to meet her. Such a beautiful girl Tommy, she could've been a supermodel. Really tall, long black hair. Great figure. Really really nice. I'm amazed that such a pretty girl would be in an office somewhere like that. Why do you ask sweetie?"

"Oh no reason...just curious."

Thanks Larissa, I'll check it out. Sorry that it didn't work out tonight guys, there was a good crowd. I'll try to get these technical issues worked out for next week.

Reminder:
Livestream tonight, 10:15 pm est
www.livestream.com/bwbabble

9. "Don't just take me for tryin' to be heavy"


His hands were a blur. Moving so fast as he took the masks off. Each time he took one off there'd be another beneath it, with a different picture. Moving like a flipbook. Supercreep was looking around, his eyes drawn big. And then he was throwing the masks. Woosh woosh woosh! They sailed through the air and hit the weird balls of magic fire that the bad men were shooting. Then there was a ripple in the crowd of wizards and the boss wizards with their big square hats came forward. They positioned themselves in the front. The other bag guys spread out around them. The mean one with the orange glow made some gestures with his hands. He sank in his posture a little. Then the ground started pounding, shaking a bit. Tommy could feel it under his feet, starting to get stronger. Tommy grabbed the boombox, afraid that it would get knocked over.

"Supercreep! Those are the bad ones--they have powers that--"

Something strange was happening. It was dark in the alley. It was night and the light came from street lights and little lights on the buildings and coming from people's windows. But everything was getting a little more...bluish? The light was changing somehow. And when Tommy looked at the wizards they were still for a moment. Quiet. Did time stop? He looked up at Supercreep, gaping as the weird hero slowly turned back to look at him.

"Whoah!"

Supercreep was different. He had a long dark coat. It had a white strap over the shoulder with big black musical notes. He had a black hat with silver buckles around it. There was a big feather coming off one side. He had a big frilly scarf around his neck. He looked down at Tommy. He expression was drawn differently. The eyes and mouth were wider, more rectangular. Kind of squinty. And there was hair poking out of the chin! Like a little beard! He raised his hand slowly and gestured. Tommy could tell: he wanted the boy to press play.

Tommy hit the button. The boombox buzzed in his hands as he held it up:

boom boom boom...BOOM boom
boom boom boom BOOM boom boom




boom boom boom boom......

There was a flash of lightning overhead. Thunder crashed above them making Tommy wince a little. Rain started pelting the alley. Supercreep lifted his hands. Suddenly water was shooting out of the speakers! Pouring right out of the boom box! Not just water, wind and sparks and fire too!

"OH WOW!" All this stuff flew out and poured into the space between the creep's hands. He was strumming and moving them and there was this shimmering music. Flowing and metallic but full of feeling. Powerful. Supercreep was bobbing his body and playing and the rain pelted them all. The chief wizard gestured, the ground cracked open and a big mound of earth broke out and flew at the hero. But it just crumbled, broke apart into dust as it reached him.

One of the hooded guys with knives rushed at Tommy. He turned the boombox towards the thug and wind and rain blasted out. It blew the guy off his feet. He fell flat on his back and then actually rolled over and started sliding towards the others.

"HAHAHA TAKE THAT JERK!" Tommy could see the look on their faces. He'd seen the exact same look on the faces of bullies at his school. It was that look you get when you're all proud and feel you're so tough. Nobody can stand up to you, you're the boss. But then somebody does stand up. And you realize that you have an actual fight on your hands. And that it ain't gonna be easy. That was the look. They were realizing that they had a fight on their hands.

There was more lightning over head. Closer. Louder. There was a voice on the wind. Did it come out of the boombox? Did Supercreep actually say something? What was it---"It's time to get ready for the storm.." Tommy watched Supercreep move his hands, playing his guitar made of air and water. Fire and even earth sucked up for the ground. He glanced at Tommy, pulling a pair of goggles down the front of his mask over his eyes. Then he was moving forward.

The sound wailed. The wizards were struggling to hold their ground. The head wizards were yelling though Tommy couldn't hear what they were saying. Another flash of light.

"HOLY COW!" Lightning cam down out of the sky and filled the space between Supercreep's hands. He was playing it. The wind and rain were roaring. He hit a long, screaming note, and then he was strumming very fast. Close enough now to touch them. Tommy could see their fear. Some of them actually broke off. Turned to run, But it was too late.

The strumming was so loud through the storm:

bum bum bum
bum bum bum
bum bum
bum bum
bum bum
bum bum

Then there was an explosion. Lightning came out of the sky and hit the bad men. Knocked them down like bowling pins. A wall of wind and water fell on them like a load of bricks. Knocked them out. Sent them sprawling.

"YES! YES!!" Tommy ran to Supercreep. "WOW! I've never seen..WOW! WOW..just wow!" Creep turned back.

He was all white again. Back to the way he'd been in the beginning. He shrugged and bowed. He flipped a mask off and there were little pink blush marks visible on the cheeks. It had stopped raining. The clouds were gone from the sky, Tommy could see the moon overhead.

"Wow......"

But then something strange started happening. The was a mist, it was pouring in from the other end of the street opposite them. It was heavy on the ground, like one of those smoke machines that they used for bands and stuff. He'd seen one at school one time. The mist came in and got thicker and it started to cover up the wizards. But then he actually saw some of the bodies sliding away! Getting pulling into the..smoke? Was it smoke? It was getting thick...like darkness. In the center, it was like a wall of darkness blocking their view. Tommy couldn't see the street on the other side of it.

"What's going on?"

Supercreep beat his palm on his heart. Thump-thumo. Thump-thump. Then he started flipping off his mask, really fast like before. The circles for his eyes turned into hearts, pounding big and small.

"What?" Tommy blushed. Geeze did Supercreep have a girlfriend or something? He was sooo cool, why? Why? Did she wear a mask too? Supercreep pointed to the center of the mist. There were eyes floating there. Cold, luminous yellow green eyes. Kind of wide and angled a little, with no pupils. Tommy thought about it. He supposed he should've been afraid. It did look kind of scary. For some reason he thought of Janice Sterling. Supercreep had a girlfriend? Gross. He was too grossed out to be scared.

Supercreep padded his pockets frantically. Then he pulled a rose out of his sleeve. He took a deep bow then tossed the rose into the mist. A second later something came flying back out at him. He caught it--a bunch of sharpie pens tied together with a rubber band. He took one and opened it. He flipped his mask off then drew a smiley face on the blank surface underneath. Tommy folded his arms and scowled disapprovingly.

The mist was receding. Within a minute, it was gone. The bodies were gone too, as if nothing had ever happened there--except for the patch of concrete that the head wizard had torn up. Supercreep took a pad out of his pocket and wrote a note, handing it to Tommy:

Back to Bed

Lol.