#(draft by soul on the 22nd but souls not here to post it now)

[soulchronicity]

{At least one of these two is a Jash reference /j}

[cheesybadgers]

Narcos Fic Plagiarism

I don't know about any other writers, but I am sick and tired of seeing bits and pieces of my writing scattered through other people's work, especially when a) those people have never once bothered to interact with me or my fics, and b) their works get WAY more engagement than mine.

Below the cut, I've included some examples from the last year, although some are very recent and over the line for me.

I used to just ignore this kind of thing, but with the most recent ones I thought I would reach out privately to the writer and unsurprisingly, they denied all knowledge...and then did the exact same thing in another chapter posted just days later.

I know people can come up with the same ideas independently etc. and that's bound to happen when writing the same characters, but, the examples below go beyond that and there is often a pattern with serial offenders. One-offs can be ignored or passed off as coincidences, but when it's done multiple times? Come on now.

I'm sure this post won't stop those who are still determined to behave this way, although I would really urge you to do some soul searching and ask yourself why you do this, because it's not conducive to your own creativity or growth as a writer, let alone in the spirit of a fan community. But I'm asking you publicly now to PLEASE STOP IT.

I have reported some of these to AO3, but they don't seem to care unless it involves huge chunks of text, or is all copied exactly word for word, even though their website defines plagiarism as:

There's nothing wrong with being inspired by other writers in your fandom and giving them a mention in your fic notes. In fact, that's a good thing! Creatives should be inspired by others, I don't know why so many don't like to admit it. But there is a big difference between that and just taking without credit, and doing it multiple times is going to get you found out.

Mine: Chapter 13 of OHDH - Javier x Horacio (posted 16th May 2022):

These are from the same scene involving Steve visiting Javier on the ranch, having drinks together and talking about Steve finding out about Javier/Horacio and whether Javier is going to go back to his job:

Very popular fic involving Javi x OFC (posted 3rd February 2023):

And these are from a scene involving Steve visiting Javi on the ranch, having drinks together and talking about Steve finding out about Javi/OFC and whether Javi is going to go back to his job:

Mine: Chapter 17 of OHDH - Javier x Horacio (posted 22nd December 2022):

Same very popular fic involving Javi x OFC as above (posted 26th February 2023):

Mine: Chapter 17 of OHDH - Javier x Horacio (posted 22nd December 2022):

Same very popular fic involving Javi x OFC as above (posted 26th February 2023):

Bear in mind as well that this same fic included Día de Muertos from 18th September 2022, i.e. just 3 weeks after I shared a snippet of my fic in the main tags about the same subject. Again, I know I don't own ideas and in isolation, I would have just thought it's a coincidence, but not when combined with everything else here.

I've also got e-mails I've sent to myself (I do that a lot with my drafts) going back to early August 2022 where I was working on this idea (obviously I've erased my e-mail address from these screenshots):

And here's my Goodreads page that shows the date I read the book which inspired me to include Día de Muertos in the first place:

For anyone interested, the book is set in a Texas border town and follows a Mexican-American family. The main character gets married and her father-in-law starts to appear to her every Día de Muertos because he's trying to resolve conflict with his son that he never got to do when he was alive. Given that I was writing about...a Mexican-American from a Texas border town, it felt like perfect research lol.

EDITED TO ADD ANOTHER EXAMPLE:

Mine: Chapter 17 of OHDH - Javier x Horacio (posted 22nd December 2022):

Same very popular fic involving Javi x OFC as above (posted 2nd April 2023):

These are older screenshots I've had on my phone so the format is slightly different to the above.

Mine: Chapter 1 of OHDH - Javier x Horacio (posted 1st March 2021):

Another Javier x Horacio fic posted on AO3 on 24th February 2022:

Mine: Chapter 1 of OHDH - Javier x Horacio (posted 1st March 2021):

The same Javier x Horacio fic as above posted on AO3 on 24th February 2022:

Mine: Chapter 1 of OHDH - Javier x Horacio (posted 1st March 2021):

The same Javier x Horacio fic as above posted on AO3 on 24th February 2022:

Mine: Chapter 3 of OHDH - Javier x Horacio (posted 31st March 2021):

The same Javier x Horacio fic as above posted on AO3 on 24th February 2022:

These are just some examples, I know there are more but this post took me long enough as it is lol. I think you get the point anyway.

[thecactusoasis]

💙 I figured it'd only be fair to return the offer to ramble about any of your OCs. So...! if you have any character ramblings available, feel free to share them with us!

If the freedom of choice is paralyzing there, though, I'd personally be down to hear some Rin ramblings (if you have any.) 💕

So!  Actually I WILL talk about Rin, as it turns out I haven’t done a proper post for the main character of my own story.

Rin Kazashi, Commanding Officer of the Investigation Wing within the organization known as the Hunters. (They’re a group known for protecting the treaty between Humans and Kraeka after the last major war two thousand years prior to the events of Oraeka Project.) 

She’s the main character of my story, though originally when she was first thought up she wasn’t!  She’s the single daughter of the Kazashi family and was raised in a bit of a pampered life, though she works hard on her own terms as she truly believes her actions should sway your opinion of her and not her family heritage. 

Her main weapon of choice is a Katana and her typical fighting style is more defensive than aggressive. She does know how to wield a bow and otherwise fights with her Aura. Secretly, a fact only those she trusts the most, she has the power of manipulating another beings Aura by either taking it or giving it.

Before I continue a small explanation of Aura. It’s the magic of the world and the lifeblood of all souls. Kraeka can use it to empower extremely potent magic but they can’t use it to empower their own body as well as risk exhausting themselves to dangerous levels. Humans, on the other hand, can enhance their body as well as items they touch with their aura. Though, its not as potent as a Kraeka’s but they make up for it in technological inventions.

This image has some of the worlds writing, spelling out her name!

Most of the drawings I depict her in show her when she’s aged a bit, 29 to be exact. In the story it starts off where she’s 19 and the trials and tribulations she goes through in the world. 

Despite her Hunter title being the Hunter of Fire, she actually prefers to use air aura in battle thanks to its usefulness to the human body.

Rin does have a canonical romance in the story with a powerful warrior woman named Kaede. It takes a long time, as I depict Rin as Ace as well as not exactly understanding what Romance even is.

Being seen outside her uniform, Rin can be found in frilly dresses and dressing very formally. I like drawing her in gothic lolita from time to time but it’s rare she gets to show her feminine side.

Rin’s known for trusting people a little too much or giving people the chance to learn from their past quite often. Her second in command had, at one point, tried to kill her. 

She won’t cut someone down unless she’s forced to. She gives people the option at least to not fight to the death, most end up testing her patience in this manner anyway. 

Other random facts include that: She likes to bake. Her height is 5′6″ Her birthday is October 22nd (October is also my own birth month as well as the birth month of Oraeka Project. Very important month haha.) She loves to bake and does so regularly for her Wing. She was the first human in at least a thousand years to allow Kraeka to work in the Hunters and they do so with great respect to her. She was the first person to survive a battle with the Great General of the Fire Kraeka, Kaede, and she became quickly infamous for it. She hates being touched without knowing. You will end up on the ground, with your aura drained and a blade at your throat. She is a workaholic and doesn’t mind being busy. She also tends to not bother asking for help in her workload.

Right now Oraeka Project sits at 4 chapters in its current draft, found HERE! 

I love how far she’s come as a character, and it always brings warmth to my soul that people enjoy her so much.

[heytheregreeneyes]

How come you gave up on 'Something Just Like This'? I loved that fic

So here’s the thing...

I haven’t given up on Something Just Like This. I actually still love that fic dearly and very much intend to finish it (and I need to do it soon before Tyler steals all of my ideas like he did with Jenna’s pregnancy reveal *shakes fist at Tyler*).

As you all know, this past year I hadn’t felt much like writing and I couldn’t figure out why... until the other night at work. I was sitting at my desk, staring off into space and thinking about dialogue for the current chapter when it hit me like a freight train why I haven’t been writing. I had had an epiphany!

My eyes literally got wide as I sat straight up, gasped and literally said “Oh my God,” out loud. It was so obvious, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before. And the first thing I did was text @ohfrickfanfic (who agrees with me), even tho it was somewhere around 3:25 in the morning. So if you wanna hear the story behind the fic, buckle in kids, cause it’s gonna be a long one, and it’s gonna get deep.

So as you all know, I started writing Something Just Like This in July of 2017. I was 4 months pregnant with my 3rd surrobaby, who was due in December on Christmas Eve. I was writing as fast as my fingers could fly and was banging out chapters probably once a week. Sometimes twice.  

December 12, 2017 - SURROBABY IS BORN! After this, chapters obviously slowed down so that I could pump milk and get my life back to somewhat normal again.

Six months later, in June of 2018, I finally reached the end of my six-month contract for pumping breastmilk for Surrobaby #3 and I started working at my current job at the hospital. I am a CNA and it just so happens that this hospital is where all the surrogate babies were born IRL. I have been super lucky and I now work in that very department, which is where I have wanted to work all my life!  Serious life goals, guys. But as you all know, nurses work insane shifts and long hours. I work overnights, 13 hours at a time, and so writing slowed down even more since I was now working my first job outside of the home in about 9 years. For the next few months, chapters are still being posted, but much more slowly.  

Things are moving along great... I’m still writing, albeit a bit more slowly, but chapters are still being posted 

April 2018 comes and my grandpa dies... my emotions took a huge hit. I had grown up very close to my grandpa and I couldn’t write happy things when I was in such a sad place. It was rough. 

Writing slows even more over the summer, but I am still writing, still posting, still planning, still rough drafting, still plotting scenes, and still writing dialogue.

September 2, 2018 - I meet HIM. I don’t want to give out his real name, so we’ll just call him William. I will never ever forget that night. I wasn’t even supposed to be at work that night; it was my night off but they had sent out a text that they needed help, so I picked up an extra shift. Around midnight I got a call that they needed me to pass off my patients so that I could go down to the ER and be a 1:1 for a patient suffering a panic attack. I gather up my things, head down to the ER, get my assignment, go to his room, and...

That was that. He had been sobbing and when he looked up and saw me, he suddenly took one last big breath and stopped crying. He calmed. We got to talking over the course of the night and it was like we had known each other for millennia. We were immediately comfortable with each other, had each other's sense of humor, shared similar life experiences, you name it. This was the night I met my best friend.

He was still hardcore in the middle of a panic attack and didn’t like to be touched, but somehow I was allowed to touch. He openly admits to how much he despises hospitals and no one was allowed in the room, but somehow was calm when I was there. Do you believe in fate? Cause I do.

A week goes by and we now are either talking/texting/video chatting/instant messaging all day and all night, about anything and everything. Our phone calls go on for HOURS and often would end up talking all through the night. Turns out that he has severe anxiety and hasn’t left his house in over two years. Neither of us could believe how quickly we connected and bonded, but the new friendship was a blessing for him and me both. Because of his anxiety and tendency to call/text/message me if a panic attack hit, he earned his own ringtone, text notification sound, and custom volume so that if he called or texted in the middle of the night, or if I was out in a busy area, it would wake me up or ring loud enough so that I could stop and answer. 

September 18, 2018 - Two weeks after meeting William, my world gets turned upside down. I lose my mom. She was only 52 years old and died very unexpectedly from sudden liver death. I was DEVASTATED.  William was there for me throughout the whole thing, something I didn’t expect since we had just met barely two weeks earlier. In fact, one of the last things my mom ever said to me was “make sure you take care of that sweet boy”. I’ll never forget it. 

After my mom died I didn’t feel like writing for a long time. Again, it’s hard to write happy things when you feel so sad and shocked. 

So this past year goes by and things level to a norm. William’s depression and anxiety waxes and wanes. We’d hang out in person at his house sometimes, mostly just making fun of each other and enjoying each other’s company. We still talk and text multiple times every day, and had gotten into a habit of sleeping while on the phone.

Then mid-October this year, something changed. We still do all of our normal stuff but he had started to say that he hated not being able to leave his house, hated the way he felt, hated not being able to do stuff, felt like a failure and a coward, etc. All things he has said before, but this time was just hitting him so much worse.

The night of October 22nd is when things really changed. To me, that’s the day I had breast reduction surgery, but that’s also the day communication between us stopped. He stopped calling, he stopped texting, we no longer messaged or chatted on discord... He was gone. 

Let me tell you that this felt exactly like another death. How could I lose someone I was so close to? Did I say something wrong, did I do something wrong, did I make him feel bad, did I scare him somehow... all these questions were running thru my head, constantly, throughout the days.

One night I texted him that we needed to talk so he called and sort of, got onto me. He said that I did nothing wrong, that I didn’t say or do anything, that he just couldn’t handle things very well at the moment and he would see texts but just didn’t have it in him to reply. He lacked the energy to call and carry on a conversation. didn’t want to do anything but be by himself. He told me that he loves me and that he misses me, but this is just how it gets sometimes. it just be like that.  

I understood. Depression fucking sucks and it just sucks the soul right out of you sometimes. I was there for him but right now, he just needed alone time... something he hadn’t required in over a year... and something I definitely was not used to. 

So there I sit this past Saturday night at work, thinking about my fic and writing dialogue in my head like I had been the last few weeks when it hits me. 

‘Oh my God,’ I thought to myself. ‘I just figured out why I write fic and why I had stopped for a bit... until now.’   

IT FILLS A HOLE OF LONELINESS AND LONGING!

I texted @ohfrickfanfic and she replied, “you were lacking male attention so you made up for it by writing fic but then you met William and he filled the void but now he’s not giving you as much attention so you feel you need to fill that void again.”

I’ll be damned if she’s not 100% right. I had love. I had someone who loved me, someone who genuinely cared about me and for me, asked how I was, loved my family, wanted to know what I was up to, took interest in my life, valued my opinions, asked my advice and took it to heart, called me his, called me pet names, gave me hugs and kissed my forehead. 

When it suddenly stopped, ngl I cried quite a few times. I was heartbroken. I went into my own depression and that is when I got the want to start writing again. I’ve always wanted to write and finish SJLT, but now the urge is there. 

Things are slowly getting better. He calls every now and then... more often all the time. He teases me and texts sometimes and sends me messages on snapchat, just not NEARLY as often as before. It’s been over a month since I’ve seen his face and I hate it, but I can see my best friend slowly coming back to life. It’s tough because I miss him so fucking much, but he’s coming around and trying to battle his anxiety. 

As far as the fic goes, I NEVER gave up on Something Just Like This and it WILL be a finished fic if it kills me. As it stands now, there are only about 3-4 more chapters to go before the fic is finished, and I would like to get it out before the new year... again, before Tyler Joseph steals all of my ideas that I’ve had planned for Josh for over two years. *shakes another fist at Tyler*

I really do appreciate all of you sticking with me and the fic for this long. Allowing me to grieve the loss of my loved ones and asking for updates on the fic... it lets me know that you like it and that my work is wanted.

I won’t let you down. 

[some-cookie-crumbz]

New and Improved Fic Schedule

New and Improved Fic Schedule

Okay, gonna try and be brief with the nitty-gritty details here so I can get you all to the good stuff!

I’ll be going on a six-seven week hiatus starting the first week of April due to my school load getting heavier and the one-year anniversary of my dad’s suicide on April 21st. I will try to keep checking in on my account, but my activity is gonna be way less.

I will still be participating in Kidge Week. I have already written a good chunk of the fills for it and, as such, will schedule the posts ahead of time so they’ll release on the right days. The only day I will not be uploading ahead of time is April 22nd, since I want to take the time to make my post about all the other wonderful Kidge shippers out there myself. I will be aiming to still participate in Hance month, but I may only complete a handful of prompt fills.

All multi-chapters are being side-lined until at least June, due to school, but there are also a couple new projects in the work, so that also has an effect. Also, if I find the time to write up any additional one-shots, I’ll upload those as well. I’ll also need to see about maybe getting a Beta reader to look over the chapters for me before uploading - excluding LMv.tW, as I already have a Beta for that story – so I might make a separate post seeking one out as we get closer to June.

There are 3 categories under the “Read More”; Main Projects, Developing Projects, and Undefined Projects.

Main Projects are ones that I have already started writing/ completed the outlining process for and have defined start dates, plots, and release schedules. These are the projects that I’ll be focusing on most of the time and can be expected from me on a regular basis.

Developing Projects are ones that I would like to write, but as of now are more ghosts of a thought than concrete works. These have the potential to be scrapped or, should I decide I myself do not want to write them, will be offered out to any writer interested in taking them on themselves. If a project is dropped, I’ll make a post letting everyone know I’m offering the idea over to another set of creative hands.

Undefined Projects are projects I have every intention of writing, but are a bit wider in scope/range and I am unsure of how far ahead in development they’ll be when I start making them more public. These are projects that I have started to write/ draft, but I have done very little in the way of determining where to end the project off at. Basically, these are stories that have no end goal in sight. This projects will have no upload date or upload schedule, as such, and will be more sporadic in when I choose to work on them.

Main Projects (Fics will be listed in chronological order based on release date.)

Dress Rehearsal: Voltron (Kidge, sidelined Hance): After publically calling out the shady business practices of Galra Tech, acclaimed actor Keith Kogane finds himself the subject of both an attempted assassination and threat of blackmail. Undeterred, he feels no fear at the prospect of making an enemy of the powerful conglomerate. Worried about his safety, both physically and his privacy being violated, his agent, Allura LeAltea, calls upon the help of an old charm school friend of hers. Enter Katie Holt; renowned tech prodigy and secret hacker known as Pidge Gunderson, hired on to be Keith’s personal bodyguard. The only catch? The two must pretend to be dating to assure that Katie can tag along with him wherever he goes without cueing Galra Tech into knowing their threats have had an effect. Release Date: June 15th, 2018 Update Schedule: Bi-Weekly Note: Only thing changing for this story is that it has a finalized update schedule and a proper working title.

Lance McClain vs. The World: Voltron (Hance, sidelined Kidge): After getting involved with a charming young engineering student named Hunk Garrett after meeting at a bar, Lance McClain finds himself getting dragged into a series of events that seem to be ripped right out of a comic book. He is given a warning from the leader of something called “Team Voltron”; a group of Hunk’s ex-lovers and close personal friends, dedicated to determining the worthiness of Hunk’s suitors through various competitive means. Never one to back down from a challenge, Lance agrees to the terms and is forced to learn various new skills and talents in order to compete with the roster of powerful opponents he faces. Release Date: June 29th, 2018 Update Schedule: Weekly Note: Pushed this one back a bit but also gave it a defined update schedule, so there’s that!

Lowlife: Voltron (Kidge): Inspired by the song of the same title by Poppy. After being framed for the murder of her own brother, Katie Holt is forced to flee to the bustling metropolis of Marmora, a city where anyone can disappear in an instance. Assuming the new identity of Pidge Gunderson, she tries to settle into life, despite the constant feeling of being watched. After an evening snack run takes an unexpected turn, Pidge ends up with a roommate who goes by the moniker Blade, a young man with a story all-too-similar to hers. Together, the two set out on a mission to uncover the truth and clear their actual names… While trying not to kill each other. Release Date: August 17th, 2018 Update Schedule: Bi-Weekly Note: I decided to place a month between when any new multi-chapter fics will be coming out to avoid burning myself out. My plan is that I should be close to having finished both my other projects by the time this one drops. This project will most likely be a bit on the shorter side, as it will center almost completely on the two goofballs, but I’m really excited to work on it! Hopefully it’ll be a fun adventure for you all as well!

Story Time: Soul Eater (SoMa): Soul Evans has been struggling with life as a single father for roughly three years now; working two jobs and odd hours to support himself and his precious daughter, Harmony. Upon the announcement of his older brother, Wes, getting married, he is begged to return home to help with preparing for the ceremony and to be his brother’s Best Man. Feeling that he’ll have better opportunities with his family’s support and more time to spend with Harmony, Soul agrees to moving back to Death City. Through fate and circumstance, Soul meets Maka Albarn, the writer of his daughter’s favorite series of children’s books and intended Maid of Honor to Liz Thompson, Wes’ fiancée, and the two get along pretty well. And, perhaps from there, more will develop between them. Release Date: September 28th, 2018 Update Schedule: Bi-Weekly Note: Again, another one where nothing really changes. This story is mostly just going to be domestic, romantic fluff, but I think it’ll have some nice touches to make it stand out.

Twilight: Voltron (Kidge): One night, Matthew Holt disappeared from his room without a trace. In the time that he’d been gone, his younger sister, Katie Holt, has been frantically pushing for more action to be taken in bringing her brother home; believing he has been whisked away to the deadly mystery of the forest around their small village of Kerberos. With her brother missing, her mother’s health rocky in her grief, and her father away to help a neighboring village with a fast-spreading illness, she is struggling to maintain not only all effort to bring her brother home alive, but also keep the family farm up to its normal functionality. The Head of the Village Guard, Thace Kogane, insists that she accept the help of his two children, Keith and Allura, to assist her with the farm. Initially cold and distant, Katie slowly warms up to the duo and finds that they may be able to offer her more help in finding her brother, as well as unraveling the mysteries of the dark forest just outside the fences of their small village. Release Date: October 31st, 2018 Update Schedule: Monthly Note: Decided that I want to push this one back to Halloween for very specifics reasons. Also, because this is a project with a lot of world building and establishment to it, I want to give myself/ any potential Beta plenty of time to go over it to make sure everything makes sense.

 Developing Projects

Keidge Month Day 30 Prompt: Voltron (Kidge, potential other pairings as I develop it further): Not gonna say too much about this one, as I want it to be a surprise, but basically a canon-divergent story that would fall more inline with the headcanons I had in the very first Kidge fic I ever wrote, which Day 30 will also kind of expand on in a way. Note: If I do decide to pursue this project, it’ll most likely end up under the Undefined Projects category.

Starring Role: Voltron (Lanlura, mentions/hints of Lotura, sidelined Kidge): Inspired by the song of the same name by Marina and the Diamonds. Lance understands that, as far as things go, Allura doesn’t really need him. Gorgeous, confident, intelligent Allura Altea could have any guy she wanted at the snap of her fingers. They all trip over themselves to just catch a glimpse of her as she wanders the campus of Olkari University. But, for whatever reason, he’s the one she calls upon when the nights are cold and lonely. He knows that someday she’ll realize he isn’t worth her time, but until then? Until then, he’ll enjoy pretending that there’s more to their nights together. He’s always been a showman, after all. Note: I fell into Lanlura Hell and I am not sure I want to crawl out yet. I’ve been entertaining the idea of writing something a bit more on the bittersweet side of things (though I’d probably end up giving it a happy ending because I AM WEAK). Plus, Lance would give Allura everything, even if it could break his little heart.

A Mirror’s Edge: Voltron (Lanlura, sidelined Kidge): For centuries, the Galra have pitted the families of Altea and Terrain against one another, framing the other for assassination after assassination, hoping the two noble bloods would wipe one another out so that Galra may control the entirety of the city. Tired of the bloodshed and scorn on the streets, the Grand Duke Mage of Voltron creates a magic veil; a mirror made of illusion and incantation, to keep the two warring families from coming in direct contact with one another. But even magical bonds do not always hold against forces of a different kind, forces that songs and poems and theater have been written about. This is the tale of how two young children, belonging to House Altea and House Terrain, happen a glance through the mirror’s glamour and find the spark of something more enchanted in between. Note: I fucking hate Romeo and Juliet but damn if the stupid thing doesn’t give a lot of room to play and come up with some fun ideas! I have already started to develop a whole world for this one fic but, again, I am unsure if I want to do a full exploration of it (or, also, if I might want to use my own characters for this one).

Seashells and Scallops: Voltron (Plance or Lanlura, I swing both ways, with potential side pairings if I decide to pursue this project): After being saved from drowning by what can only be called a mermaid, Prince Lance of the Azure Isles, falls in love with his rescuer. Mermaids, however, are tricky and mysterious creatures, leaving him with almost no chance to meet his dream girl again; at least, not without taking fate into his own hands. In exchange for his voice, a witch on the outskirts of his city trades his legs out for a tail and gills. He has six months to woo the young mermaid and have his feelings reciprocated, or be fed to the witch’s pet sleeping deep in the murky depths. Note: A Little Mermaid AU with a twist! I like to subvert tropes, and this seems like something Lance would absolutely do.

 Undefined Projects

The Star Witch: Voltron (Kidge, potential others as I develop the story): A continuation of my Keidge Month Day 25 Prompt fill. Would further their relationship, probably get a little spicy, probably have an incredibly tragic end. Might warrant having a sequel series, or just being a really long running multi-chapter fic?

Copper and Indigo: Voltron (Kidge, potential others as I develop the story): It’s the Soul Eater!Kidge AU I’ve been planning out! Haven’t yet finished the finalization of everything, as I want to wait a little longer on the poll, but this will be coming! And it will be coming soon!

Time, Space, and Everything Between: Voltron (Kidge, potential others as I develop the story): A continuation of my Keidge Month Day 15 Prompt fill. I have an idea for a good chunk of the beginning, but it’s simply determining where I want to go through the middle and end. I want to have it still follow some of the series, specifically in regards to them all piloting the Lions, but then it becomes a question of to what extent and where I’d want to end things off at. But I am most certainly going to be doing more with this!

[fabulizemag]

Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival

New Post has been published on https://fabulizemag.com/reel-sisters-of-the-diaspora-film-festival/

Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival

Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival is a two-day annual film festival that is founded by African Voices magazine and Long Island’s University Media Arts Department at the Brooklyn Campus. The two-day festival highlights Black women filmmakers and this year’s theme is #IGotYourBack. More than 40 films will be screened throughout the weekend for the public and tastemakers to view.

The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series is a two-day annual film festival founded by African Voices magazine and Long Island University’s Media Arts Dept., Brooklyn Campus.

Established in 1997, Reel Sisters continues to being dedicated to providing opportunities for women of color filmmakers to advance their careers in the film industry. It is also the first Academy Award qualifying film festival dedicated to women of color.

The theme for this year’s festival is #IGotYourBack: A Time for Holding Space & Healing, which showcases films dedicated to looking out for one another made for and by women with over 40 films being screened during the season. Reel Sisters 22nd Anniversary event will take place from Oct. 19 & 20th, 2019 at Alamo Draft House in Brooklyn.

Here are some of the featured films:

Skin Skin is a feature documentary about exploring through identity the meaning of beauty in all the different shades of black. It is set in present-day Lagos, where Nollywood actress Beverly Naya goes on a journey to learn about contrasting perceptions of beauty. She speaks to school children, traders, artists, beauty entrepreneurs, and sex workers. This narrative is interwoven by poignant personal accounts of individuals who have dealt with the pressure to conform to certain standards of beauty, revealing how colorism continues to shape the face of the entertainment industry in Africa. Beverly concludes her journey with a trip to her hometown exploring her rich cultural heritage with her mother and grandmother.

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POCCON POCCON stands for P.O.C con (people of color). POCCON is a short documentary film that explores the world of anime conventions through the eyes of POC (people of color) cosplayers. The film will explore some of the issues they face as cosplayers of color. It will follow a few cosplayers as they attend Katsucon, a local anime convention that takes place at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland. The cosplayers will give the personal accounts of issues they have faced within the cosplay community.

Black Girls Guide to Fertility Black Girls Guide to Fertility tackles infertility in a profoundly intimate way that’s both dramatic and comedic without ever feeling rigid. It focuses on Ava, a 37-year-old romance novelist, who faded into obscurity after finding love-and now finds herself on the rise again after self-publishing a diary detailing her fertility woes. Each episode is a recreation of Ava’s diary entry, adding a unique and compelling touch to the everyday struggle of infertility.

And Nothing Happened Director/Writer/Producer: Naima Ramos Chapman In the aftermath of an assault, a woman tries to come to terms with the violation, or just get through her day. Director Naima Ramos-Chapman uses an unexpected dose of magical realism to express a poetic response to a loss of dignity.

Paper Boats Why can’t Rahel bring herself to sign her artwork? The visit of her high school academic triggers memories of why she is haunted by her surname, yet would not consider changing it.

"Paper Boats" (2019) – Trailer from Gonzalo Guajardo on Vimeo.

Brooklyn to Benin Régine Romain, Haitian-American artist, educator and visual anthropologist, completes a three-year spiritual pilgrimage traveling from Brooklyn, NY, southern United States, Central America, Haiti to Benin, West Africa — the birthplace of Vodou. Her journey crosses the turbulent TransAtlantic Slave Trade history and delves into an ancient cascade of memory, myth and magic.

THE APOLLO The HBO documentary THE APOLLO, helmed by Oscar- and Emmy-winning director Roger Ross Williams, chronicles the unique history and contemporary legacy of New York City’s landmark Apollo Theater. The feature-length film weaves together archival clips of music, comedy and dance performances; behind-the-scenes verité footage of the team that makes the theater run; and interviews with such artists as Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Pharrell Williams, Common, Patti LaBelle and Smokey Robinson. While uncovering the rich history of the internationally renowned theater that has influenced American music and culture for 85 years, Williams also examines the current state of race in America, following a new multi-media adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ best-selling book “Between the World and Me” as it comes together on the theater’s grand stage. It will take place at LIU at 6pm on October 19th.

Tattoo The young Iranian woman had not been expecting this kind of examination. She only wanted to renew her driver’s license, but when the officials noticed a scar on her wrist and her tattoo, they began looking at her with suspicion. Suddenly she is trapped, forced to answer personal questions and exposed to insinuations. The camera captures the growing uneasiness with clinical precision.

TATTOO from Dena Rassam on Vimeo.

Ballet After Dark Ballet After Dark tells the story a young woman who found the strength to survive after an attack. She created an organization that is helping sexual abuse and domestic violence survivors find healing after trauma through dance therapy.

Detained Two Syrian refugee siblings receive official legal documents to permanently join their father in the United States. However, when the plane lands in JFK, they are taken into custody for interrogation by Custom and Border Police.

Wash Day (animated film) A young black girl spends the day washing, styling, and sometimes fighting with her hair.

Plant the Seed Directed by Taína Asili, tells the story of a Black farmer’s journey to creating Soul Fire Farm, an organization dedicated to the food justice movement

The Jessicas Are Turning 30 “The Jessicas are turning 30” weaves together six compelling narratives of people who were born Jessica in 1989. The film captures what it’s like to be 30 in America today. For millennial women, the milestone has become aging heavy with expectation.

Today is the last day to catch all of these Black women centering films and lectures. You can still get a pass for today.

[jessicaptain]

For at least the past year, I was consistently told, demanded, and jokingly harangued to join the pedal RACING men on this unofficial-yet-has-an-official-name ride Tuesday and Friday mornings near Cherry Creek State Park. And for eleven months, I found excuses to avoid it: “Gotta work,” “maybe next time,” and my favorite: “one of these days, I’ll join you.”

I knew it was a sausage fest and the thought of hammering out the watts elbow-to-elbow with testosterone-pumping broski bros didn’t turn me on like it did my male counterparts.

I didn’t see the benefit of waking up at the asscrack of dawn, trying to find the elusive meeting spot, only to potentially make a fool out of myself or crash or hell, maybe both.

Then one of my female pedal RACING teammates swallowed her pride and dropped all apprehension and joined the dudes. After seeing her activity glittered with kudos and Strava bling, I had immediate FOMO. Kinda what social media does to us, right?

All the encouragement and positive comments convinced me that, sure, I can at least give it a try once to see what it’s all about. Not to mention the fact that this season as a Cat 3 has been exceptionally soul-crushing and challenging watching my competitors leave me in the dust as I suck [wind].

From all the mediocre finishes, I was desperately seeking another type of training that’d increase my speed, skills, and maybe confidence. The pedal RACING guys had been telling me the past year how PHP would make me faster and it wasn’t until I saw my female pedal teammate speak highly of this impervious ride-but-actually-it’s-a-race-for-us-newbies that I realized, “shit, if I try to ride [operative word being “try”] this with faster people, maybe I’ll get faster.” Sure, we all have to figure these things out on our own.

So I hardened the fuck up (Rule #5) and on May 22nd, I joined my first PHP ride. The meet-up was on the bridge at Cherry Creek and Holly. I didn’t see a single person when I drove past looking for a parking spot. Am I in the right spot? I frantically thought.

I parked alongside the road and scanned passing cyclists for any hint of a gathering. I applied my chamois cream, buckled my helmet, slid on my shades, and started my Garmin as I attempted to look like I knew what I was doing and where I was going.

I slowly rolled up to the bridge five minutes ‘til and there were two dudes hanging out. Seriously, five minutes before and no one is here? I’m totally at the wrong spot. I finally mustered up the courage to ask one of the guys if this was the meeting spot for PHP. He smiled, “yep.”

And like clockwork, 60 (that’s a rough estimate) cyclists appeared out of nowhere. Just in time to Hammer. I found my teammates who were both shocked and excited to see me finally own up to my word. Then the game plan was laid out for me: “this is just the warm-up before we get to the park.” “Watch out for the potholes. It’s the worst right here.” “You’ll get dropped up the first hill. It happens to everyone. Just wait at the top for the group to come back.” “Oh, the ‘S’ turn. You want to be toward the front because it’s like an accordion. If you’re on the back at the ‘S’ turn, you’ll get dropped. That’s what happened to me.”

Loads of tips were offered as I tried keeping pace during their “warm-up.” Of course I wouldn’t keep up at the first hill. It was race-pace for me. I could only speak a few words before another giant breath.

“The fuck did I get myself into,” I thought, as we made our way down Colorado Blvd.

We rolled into a parking lot just outside of Cherry Creek State Park to reconvene. I was told sometimes they broke into A and B groups. This time they didn’t. A couple of other teammates showed up and we started rolling out as a giant peloton-ish group.

As soon as wheels touched the perimeter of Cherry Creek, it was full gas. I picked a Jersey in front of me and held on. Luckily, drafting kept me on the pace line.

The group rides the Cherry Creek Time Trial course, which I’m quite familiar with, so I knew where the hills were and sections of the road to avoid. As the first Hill was coming up, I kicked it down a gear (high cadence, lower power) and tried to keep up with the quickening pace.

Men flew by me on my left, they flew by on my right, and the rest of us left on the hill, pushed and pulled on our pedals, trying in vain, to reach the top of the hill before the peloton was completely gone. Our heavy and rapid breathing became a choir of novices and determination.

I was dropped.

The peloton was nearly at the bottom of the hill by the time I recovered. My buddy, Zuzana, and I, collected ourselves, and followed the group down the road.

We watched the giant mob grow smaller and smaller and just like that, it was like the group of 50 men were never there.

Too proud to not do the full route, I zoomed around the lollipop loop with a couple of other stragglers. We formed a small group of three as we pedaled up the second Hill (which, on later rides, I would eventually be dropped) desperately seeking the peloton.

We didn’t even know what direction they went, so we guessed. We didn’t know which road to take to get back to our cars either. As we biked back to the entrance of Cherry Creek, we saw several dropped riders, like discarded litter on the side of the road. One man was headed back to the elusive meeting spot where he was also parked, so we jumped on his wheel.

The meeting spot was as bare after the ride as it was before.

As soon as I was back to my car and uploaded my ride to Strava, the kudos, the bling, and the comments poured in. I PR’d segments on the route I didn’t even realize.

I saw the others with whom I started the ride and kudo’d them. It was like I had been initiated into a secret society that anyone who follows them on Strava knows about. My own friends asked what PHP was and I had to tell them I had no idea what it stood for, but… then I’d detail the crazy ride I experienced.

I’ve since started commuting to PHP with a few men from my team. It’s about ten miles from the Littleton meeting spot to the PHP meeting spot. The guys told me it’s also a warm-up to PHP, but by the time we get to the bridge, I’m drenched in sweat, I’ve QOM’d segments, and my glasses are foggy from my warm face. Then PHP commences. I follow that with a ride on Cherry Creek path to work. I end up clocking in about 54 miles by the end of the day.

I’ve only seen a few other women ride at PHP, notably two Cat 2 women from Palmares who seem to be regulars. I could see why this would intimidate anyone who just started racing: you’ve 60 amateur cyclists trying to be like the pros, riding on public roads, 99% are dudes, testosterone is raging, and you’re privy to crashes.

One time I joined a B group actually formed. Some people think the B group is slower, but I work harder in this group because I actually get a turn to pull. It was both a good and bad experience. It was good because it was bad. It taught me how to handle myself and my bike around people who didn’t.

The men didn’t understand how a paceline worked and once they came to the front, they’d take off. The group would break up, there were no longer two lines, and we had to reel them back in. Halfway through the the route, I was sick of no one calling them out and I was concerned for my safety. I finally asked this one older dude, dressed in his green PHP kit (to prove his seriousness and dedication to an elusive bro’s club), if he was part of the paceline because he kept shooting off the front.

He growled back at me, “I’ve been doing this for ten years. Don’t tell me what to do!” Now, 18-year-old Jessica would have opened a bottle of verbal whoopass. 29-year-old Jessica swallowed her pride and bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood. Instead, I told him, “calm down, it’s just a ride.” Another teammate of mine tried to settle him down as well as a Palmares racer rode next to me and very loudly said, “For what it’s worth, you’re fucking right and he’s wrong.”

I tried to not let the dickhead ruin the rest of the ride. But it also made me realize it’s guys like that who turn women off from joining PHP. To men, it seems like it’s all about comparing not just dick sizes, but bikes. I know women can be combative, catty, and of course, competitive. But for a woman to join PHP, it’s much more than riding with the bros. We want to get faster. Stronger. We want to learn skills. And there aren’t many opportunities for a woman to do that in a big group setting. When there are women’s workshops, we’re lucky to hit double digits.

I think the fear is what I worry about each time I go to PHP: being the only one who can’t keep up. Getting in a crash. Not having anyone I know there.

Luckily, I have teammates who care about my wellbeing and are great examples of how to treat others in the peloton. They hold their line, they call their pass, they tell me where I need to go.

Each time I’ve joined PHP, I’ve been able to stay with the group longer, which says something about where my fitness is going. My good cyclist friend, Anna, tells me all the time to ride with guys because it’ll make me faster. And I think I found the guys who will do just that.

The post PHP: voluntarily kicking your own ass before the sun comes up appeared first on Jessica McWhirt.