#I do have also prompt/compilation gifsets planned

[mystery-star]

Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey in Master and Commander (2003)

[transwizardtournament]

Trans Wizard Tournament FAQ

What is The Trans Wizard Tournament?

The Trans Wizard Tournament is a donation drive specifically for charities in support of trans and non-binary people, in the form of an online auction of Harry Potter fanworks. This is not to to be confused with commissions, as neither the organisers nor the creators will receive any money or other form of compensation. Sign Ups and Bidding will take place on Dreamwidth.

When can I sign up to offer fanworks? When can I start bidding? When will I receive my gift?

June 9th, 2020: Sign Ups Begin June 20th, 2020: Sign Ups Close June 22nd, 2020: Auction Begins June 30th, 2020: Auction Ends; Winning Bidders Contacted July 3rd, 2020: Proof of Donation Must Be Submitted July 31st, 2020: AO3 Collection of Works Unveiled. October 31st, 2020: All Works Must Be Completed Unless Otherwise Discussed With Bidder

Note, creators can begin creating work as soon as a winning bidder contacts them and details are worked out. Works can be submitted to winners at any point once completed, but works submitted to AO3 won't be unveiled until the 31st. While you have until October 31st to complete works, it would be amazing if we could have a nice number of complete works to unveil on July 31st, as both Harry Potter and JK Rowling's birthdays. Let's try to make a statement!

What types of fanworks are included?

You can offer any type of digital fanwork. A brief list of examples as follows, but if there is something I've not mentioned, feel free to send me a PM: fic and podfic artwork, including gifsets, manips, and moodboards fanvids fan labor, (for example, beta-work, translations, brit-picking, or in specific for this project, many have expressed an interest in writing about trans issues, but fear for getting things wrong, as they are not trans themselves--this is a great opportunity to offer to help writers by offering to help them write authentically about the experience, and fix problematic issues that may arise in their fic.)

The point is to encompass as many different types of offerings as possible, to allow for the participation by those with a broad variety of talents. When signing up, please be as specific as possible when describing your particular offerings. (As an example, which characters you're willing to work with, what type of fics you'll write ie fluff/angst/rating level, what form of fanart, the specific fan labor, etc.)

We are organising a separate auction for donated physical fanworks. If you have something you would like to donate, please contact us about making a listing.

Can I offer more than one thing?

Yes. We are hesitant to put a limit on how many gifts you can offer, but would has that you please take time to really consider what you'll be able to follow through on in a timely manner. Creating fanwork can be difficult especially given current events. Please don't over extend yourself. I would suggest strictly limiting the length/complexity of the works offered. Also, please sign up for each different TYPE of work individually (that is if you're offering three different types/lengths of fic, you can do so in one post; if you want to offer a fic, a moodboard, and a beta, you need to make 3 different posts).

Of course we want to generate as many donations as possible, but it doesn't help to overpromise and then not be able to follow through. It can cause people to lose faith in fandom auctions, and be less likely to participate and donate in the future. Please only offer if you are willing to make this a priority, and only offer as much as you're able. Offering a single item is not only allowed, it is a wonderful opportunity to give all your focus to a spectacular gift for a donor.

I have a WIP/planned project similar to the bidder’s prompt, can I use that to fulfill my auction?

This is something you need to discuss with your bidder. In general, anything that has already been partially published, either as a WIP or early draft, shouldn't be used to fulfill a prompt. However some bidders might wish to see a continuation of a WIP or reworking of an older fanwork, in which case it would be fine. Opening dialogue with your bidder will help you understand exactly what they want, if what you're working on fits their prompt, and if they're okay with you using it. But please don't come into this assuming it will be okay.

What causes/nonprofits are you supporting this year?

Complete list will be coming soon, and will include non-profits such as TransWomen of Color Collective, The Trevor Project, The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Trans Lifelife, and more. I have already been informed of other organisations on the local level in different cities, states, and countries and am researching and compiling the list. Please let me know if there is an organisation you'd like to see included!

I’m offering fanwork but I would like my bidder to donate to a different organisation/I'm bidding but would prefer to donate to a different organisation.

We encourage bidders and creators to donate to charities/nonprofits from out list, but recognise there are many worthwhile organisations across the globe that simply haven't gained attention for their work. Creators will have the opportunity of listing other nonprofits when signing up, and bidders can make suggestions for additions to the list. These suggestions must be made during the sign up period, so that we have time to verify that these are legitimate organisations. Bidders and creators should have a clear agreement over which organisation(s) they will be donating to before donation takes place. These charities must be for trans and/or non-binary communities.

Can't you get in trouble legally for selling fanworks?

To be clear, we are not selling fanworks here. Donors will be making donations directly to the charities. At no point will the creators or the organisers be in possession of the money donated, nor receive any portion of it. Fanwork creators are showing their appreciation of these donations by creating gifts in recognition of the act.

How Can I Help? Besides from those donating fanworks, there's a lot that needs to be done, from both an organisational standpoint, and through reaching out to fandom and signal-boosting. Please contact me on tumblr or dreamwidth, with offers of help.

[bisexualrapline]

9, 17 , 37 (hiii i like your gifsets and i think it is really cool that you started making gifs in the first place! Ok bye :D )

kari hi this is so sweet of you to say 🥺 i am genuinely so honored that you like my sets 😭

9. what/who inspired you to start making gifs? - i taught myself how to make video edits way earlier this year bc i had a very specific jikook edit in mind and wanted to make it myself! that made me realize that learning to edit is super fun and so when i had a very specific bisexual yoongi gifset in mind i decided why not teach myself how to do it instead of just hoping someone else would!

17. 10 sets, 8 sets, 6 sets? how many gifs do you prefer in a set? - ooh, such an interesting question! i think it depends on the contents of the set - if it’s just a visual set from one event then usually just two gifs, if it’s a compilation then usually 6-8 gifs!

37. what sets if any do you have planned to make in the future? - of course the rest of gtkm and 100 days of KSJ, and then i’m eventually hoping to also do 100 days of MYG and maybe another bts challenge! i find it much easier to make gifs when there are set prompts

thanks for sending these in kari and for your sweet compliments, you made my day! 🥺

send me an ask about gif-making? 🥺🤲🏻

[lacefuneral]

i’m doing a little better today - thank you to the folks to reached out yesterday - i appreciate it ❤️ 

i did a little more work on the geordi video in my short absence. i haven’t actually picked a song yet - there’s a couple i’m thinking abt but i’m still not set on it. but i do have a bunch of clips and i’m still in the process of collecting more. once i figure out what song is going to be in the background i can start piecing everything together.

i also started a side project of disco spock being autistic (prompted by rewatching the short trek Q&A because there’s a LOT of coding there) and i’d like to do a TOS one at some point down the road but it’s going to take me... a very long time. i’m already working on a “spock stimming” gifset - which is separate - altho i’ll incorporate the stimming clips in the TOS vid if i ever get around to it. 

and i’m keeping my pinned post as bi riker because i fully intend to do that as well. so i have a lot planned. 

confirmed:

geordi fanvid - clip collecting/pre-editing

spock is autistic (& dyslexic) compilation  - clip collecting

riker is bi compilation - researching

maybe:

spock is autistic compilation (TOS edition) 

[asreoninfusion]

Current Projects

List all the things you’re currently working on in as much or little detail as you’d like, then tag some friends to see what they’re working on: writing, art, gifsets, whatever.

I was not actually tagged by anyone, but after seeing @lilly-white doing the thing it looks like a useful way to organise what the hell I’m doing. xp

Fanworks Exchange fic

There’s a deadline on that, so better get to it. >> I’m totally digging the prompt I got and progress has begun now that I’m finally back home, so this should be finished within a couple of days.

Visual Novel project: FFVII ‘Let’s Play’ (working title) 

Totally a secret, yup. Main role in this is hashing out some kind of plot and doing the writing for it. Also need to poke around with the programming required for the development to get a feel for what the possibilities and limitations are, and potentially actually do the programming if it gets that far. xp

Novel compilation anthologies

For Kupocon Feb 2018. I’m sharing an artist alley table with Lilly, but I’m not really terribly artistic myself, so I’m putting together what are intended to be basically novel doujinshi style books with compilations of some of my fics. The planned books are 1) Let’s Play (as its own standalone novella), 2) Cloud Sharing (featuring, of course, Cloud Sharing, and a mix of multi-partner/different pairing stories), and 3) a Sefikura compliation. There’ll be illustrations and stuff as well, but the main thing I need to get on with myself is giving a proper edit to all the fics that are going in and get them polished up to perfection.

Cloud cosplay

Also for Kupocon. I got the ticket with the copslay discount, so gotta make sure that’s done. >> It’s ages away but I want to get the cosplay finished over summer so I don’t have to worry about it during uni time.

Doujinshi 

I just. Need to sort that shit out, especially since I got so many in Japan. @_@ They’re gonna need a new bookcase all to themselves, sorting, scanning, editing, probably translating a few since that’s a thing I’ve started doing now... it’s gonna be a big task with over 400 books in total now, ahahaha whoops.

And then general writing and kink meme fills and such as well, of course. When I get time between everything else. >>;;

[thank-your-lucky-stars]

I’ve been feeling a bit reflective about my old fandom since yesterday, after watching a compilation video of all the times The Monkees broke the fourth wall. I also realised it’s roughly three years since I hosted the first Monkees Awards! So many people took part back then. Oh how things change!

This post gets kinda long, and I chat about the differences between my old fandom, and my current fandom, and what I’ve learnt from my experiences. I’m shoving it under a read more so not to flood your dash’s!!!! 

It’s so sad how things work out. It’s so sad the way that a fandom that was happy and active when I joined in 2012 just fizzled out to nothing a few years later. I know it had been on the decline for a little while, but the fact that it finally died in 2016 - the Monkees 50th anniversary year - is honestly so so sad to me. I just find it a real shame.

There were some good people in that fandom. Some smart, funny and fun people. It’s sad that many people got too scared to post, and we all know why that was. It made the most active blogs who posted the most content - like myself at the time - not want to post anymore, as we’d go into the tag and it would be.....dead. There would be nothing there. Nothing to inspire us to create, and I know I’d wonder if anyone would care if I did post. There didn’t seem to be the audience anymore. 

There were people I really thought were friends. If not proper hardcore friends, then mates at least. There are a handful of Monkees fans/blog that still follow me. Most of them unfollowed me, which I can understand - especially now I post so much of something else. It’s still a shame though. I lost one of the first Monkees blogs that ever followed me/that I ever followed the other day, but at least she messaged me first and explained, which I really appreciated. It was a nice gesture, to say there was no hard feelings, she still wanted to stay in touch, but she was just cleaning up her dash. Which again, I totally get. Especially when I’m posting 8848429 Robron posts a day (which....I don’t every day, but when something exciting/major is happening, then yeah I can post a LOT, which I understand can be annoying to non-fans). But still, it was so kind of her to at least tell me she was going to unfollow me, especially as she’d been a constant presence on my dash for the best part of five years. I doubt I’ll ever hear from her again, but that’s okay. I still follow her all the same.

Not everyone has been that kind though. People that I’d had long, long conversations with over the course of years, people that I’d chatted to about personal stuff as well as fandom stuff just....disappeared. Either unfollowed or simply stopped talking to me all together. In one very specific case, with someone I used to talk to quite a lot, I said “I don't want it to get so you only speak to me about terrible people and nothing else.” to which the person said that would never be the case. I saw that as a test, an opportunity for me to see if that person would ever actually talk to me about anything else, so I left the door open, wondering if they would ever get in touch with me, ask me how I was doing, or anything like that. 

It’s been almost six months, and they never spoke to me again.

But I know that’s just the way it goes for some people. I know they want their fandom friends and if you take the fandom away then they don’t want to know. And I mean.....I get it. I honestly do. But it can be eye-opening. I feel like I have learnt a lot, and I’ve definitely learnt to protect myself, to not invest myself as heavily anymore. Which is....hard for me. It goes against my natural instincts.

It’s especially hard, coming into a fandom where everyone is so so kind and sympathetic and caring and open and just....nice. I was burnt a LOT in my last fandom, and used a lot too. People who would come to me, spilling all of their problems, and I would spend hours talking to them, trying to help them. But once they’d got my advice, my sympathy, they didn’t want to know. And when the tables were turned, and I was the one struggling, I’d hear nothing from them.

But that was my fault. It was something I spoke about a lot at the time and I won’t go into it again. But it taught me a hell of a lot!! I can never not help people or be there if they need it, but I’ve definitely learnt the signs between people that genuinely care, and genuinely need help, and people who just.....like attention, people who will take take take but won’t give. I can read it a lot better now. But at the same time, I also know not to invest too much of myself into these people. I can offer advice and support but I don’t necessarily have to offer me.

I haven’t encountered anyone like that in this fandom so far, which is amazing. But I still have the valuable lessons from my old fandom (and my first ever fandom, the MCR fandom tbh) that I can carry with me! 

But I mean, I’m not going to say it was all bad, or all people were selfish or awful or anything, because by god they weren’t! And even the people that were self-involved.....I know it wasn’t their fault. It doesn’t make them bad people. I don’t hate them or even dislike them, not at all. Some people are just like that, and maybe it was my fault, maybe I just put myself out there like I was a doormat or something. I don’t know. I accept my part of the responsibility. Sometimes I try too hard.

But there were great people too, and great times. There were some funny conversations and memes and some really insightful posts and I learnt a hell of a lot. It was such a different experience, being in a fandom where the band’s/TV show’s heyday was 20 years before I was ever born. It was weird to just celebrate the past and not really have any care for the future. A totally different ball-game to being in a fandom like I’m in now, where every day there seems to be something new, something to look forward to (or dread!) and there are obviously a hell of a lot more people about now.

But I did like how....chilled it was. There was still the odd drama, but for the most part it was fine. It was pretty easy. And I had a lot of respect for the women who compiled so much information, who run fansites for years and made the Monkees seem hip to teenagers in the 90s-2000s instead of having kids see them as some lame old band from the 60s. I love that it was a fandom run by women. 

And I’m proud of the place I managed to carve for myself amongst the fandom, especially considering I was a fan post-Davy Jones’ death. I was a newer fan, but I was still welcomed and I still found my place. I had a lot of fun putting together all the posts I did, finding pictures, making screen-captures of my favourite scenes, writing my reviews of the albums and the episodes, and especially hosting the Monkees Awards from 2014-2016. That first year especially was amazing, because so many people took part!! Considering it was such a small fandom, I would say half of all the active Monkees blogs on tumblr at the time took part in that first year, which was so much fun. 

I do miss it sometimes. I do feel like my current fandom is more for me though, in the sense that people talk/interact a lot more. It made me sad how the Monkees fandom got from probably the start of 2015-ish, until the end....people spoke less and less. It become more and more about the same old pictures and less and less about discussion. Which, I mean, I can understand in a way because this was an old band, an old TV show, it wasn’t like there was much new stuff to cover. But there seemed to be a lot of people without voices, where even when you’d ask a question, people would reblog the question but wouldn’t give an answer. That always baffled me, that even when prompted and encouraged to talk about their favourite episode or their favourite song/album, they wouldn’t. It was a bit odd to me, but each to their own. Not everyone is a fan in the same way and I totally respect that.

That’s why I enjoy this fandom more, because there is constant discussion. I think the only thing that gets me down is sometimes there is SO MUCH and I want to be a part of it all but it can be impossible to keep up! There are so many insanely smart and observant and articulate people within this fandom and it blows my mind. As much as I love the stunning gifsets and edits and art etc, it’s a good ol’ text post that will get me the most excited. And writing is the only thing I really have to offer, and compared to so many other people here, I know it’s not much. But I have been welcomed in such an amazing way. I know I have been an Emmerdale fan long before there was a fandom here (long before tumblr even existed!), but when the fandom was born I was sort of on the outskirts of it, more a lurker, as I still hung onto my old fandom and I didn’t want to spread myself too thin by being heavily involved in two fandoms. Letting go of my old fandom and throwing myself into this one was the best thing I have done in a long time. 

But anyway. This is a lot longer than I planned it to be!!!! I don’t know if anyone would read it, but I’ve been thinking a lot about this stuff since yesterday.

I will always continue to reblog my old Monkees posts (one at 7pm, and one at 2:30am, every single day!!!) because....I don’t want to let go completely. I may not offer anything new, but I still like to hold on a little bit!

If anyone still follows me who still loves the Monkees, and you ever fancy shooting me an ask and chatting about them (the music/the show/the boys themselves!) honestly....that would make me so happy. I may have moved on in many ways but I will never not love them and I will never not love the good years I had in their wonderful fandom! 

[fangirlingwithjen-blog]

Ness Analysis: A Father’s Love

I’ve always felt that “A Father’s Love” tends to be overlooked in terms of Nick and Jess. I mean, there’s more to “A Father’s Love” than just semen.

This episode is very significant for Nick’s character and why he is the way he is. Why is he so pessimistic about life? Turns out, it’s not solely because he found five bucks on a pavement when he was a kid, prompting a stranger to immediately:

Steal his money

Push him into a bush

The stranger literally did a hit and run. 

No, it’s mostly due to the repeated letting down by his father in his childhood and adulthood. Unlike Winston and Jess, Nick can see through his father’s charm and lies - it was how he dealt with the lack of male parental figure in his absence. 

Walt: Now, come on, let’s make a bet. Here you go. [Hands him cash.] N: What's the catch?

It’s also worth noting that he held the same belief about Gavin, Schmidt’s dad, who had the same habit and whose son forgave him time and time again. It’s funny how the name Walt conjures up images of Disney and magic and childhood; for Nick it does the opposite.

Walt is the reason why Nick has a need to protect/take care of those closest to him, much like Jess. His unavailability drove Nick to be the one to take care of his family. This complex subsequently reveals itself to a greater extent, understandably exuberated by his mistrust of Walt:

Winston: Yeah, sure, Walt may owe me a couple hundred bucks, but it's not a big deal. N: My dad owes you money? How much? Winston: Three, 400...like, 1,100 bucks. N: Oh, my God, he's with Jess. He's gonna rip her off. He's gonna rip her off.

When Nick learns that Walt owes Winston money, his first thought is not to make sure Winston gets repaid - it is to ensure Jess, the most gullible person there is, doesn’t fall for Walt’s trap. He’s too late. And I’m sure that Nick blamed himself for not having prevented it, which added to his immediate decision to take part in Walt’s scam. When do you think was the last time Nick participated in Walt’s scams? In his teens?

N: Five hundred dollars? You stole $500 from her to buy that horse? Walt: I didn't steal anything from her. She saw the opportunity for a business investment, and she took advantage of it. I mean... N: Dad, she will believe anything.

He knows Jess. He also knows how to prove it, too. ‘My name is Jamil’, he tells Jess, and to his exasperation, she believes him. (”I know I’m gullible ‘cause people tell me that and I have no reason not to believe them.”) Nick knew Jess would take him at his word but he still thought she would rise above it. He thinks a lot of her. To be fair, Walt is weird.

Walt: Just wait for one hour. You see, I go meet the buyer, I sell them our horse for a huge profit, and because these suckers think our horse is Big Brown's nephew, they'll overpay. Blue Eyes gets her money back with interest. N: Sounds like a great plan. We'll come with you. And I'll watch you give Jess her money back. Yeah!

Nick actively tries to protect Jess from Walt, even if it means going along to a scam in a sketchy place in the middle of the night; even if it means sweating because he knows there’s lying involved. His protectiveness leads him to think someone is going to kill Jess in the next episode, Pepperwood. Walt tries to convince him otherwise, but Nick is defiant that he will be there; he’s always there when it comes to Jess. And I know for certain that given Walt’s nature, he will have compiled a persuading argument for him not to do so, offscreen: i.e. in the car on the way there; that would have swayed anyone else. Nevertheless Nick holds his stand. 

This goodwill inadvertently leads to something resembling closure with his dad before his death, something I’m sure he appreciated. The closest to an apology that Nick could ever get was ‘maybe I did make some mistakes down the line’. That’s something. I’m sure it’s more than the rest of the family ever got, and it’s thanks to Jess driving away (”this thing doesn’t turn so well”):

J: “Now you have to talk to each other! You’ve been conned!” N: “That’s not a con, Jess, you’re just driving away!”

Walt leaves the next day - of course he does - abandoning one final promise to his son. Jess tries to curtail this, but Walt is just too slick. Jess tells Walt he is good; she tells Nick he is good, too, both with different meanings. Walt Miller is good at what he does. Nick Miller is good as a person.

J: “Damn, you’re good.” Walt: “Listen, Blue Eyes, do me a favor, will ya? Will you tell him for me that I, uh...You know, that I...Just keep an eye on him for me, will ya?”

The responsibility of telling Nick of Walt’s departure is bequeathed to Jess, perhaps because Walt knew she was the one person his Nicky could always rely on. In his solitary redeeming moment, he makes an attempt at actually expressing a father’s love. He can’t do it. He doesn’t know how. 

When Nick sees Jess hitting the sink with a hammer, he’s not pleased that she’s following in his footsteps. He’s concerned for her safety:

N: “Jess, if you're gonna mess with my sink, put some goggles on. Your eyes are twice the size of normal eyes. It's a bigger target.”

Walt excels at many things, but being a father is not one of them, no matter how much Winston or Nick once wished he would be. He can take Nick to the races. He can offer Nick his pants. But he can’t be a father. And that’s why Nick is the man he is.

N: “Jess, people don't change. If someone's broken, they just stay broken.”

This leads to another one of my all-time favourite Nick and Jess moments.

J: “You’re not broken.” N: “I’m a little broken.” J: “No, no, no, no.” N: “Oh, yeah.” J: “You should be so much worse. Seriously, you could be picking up calls on a banana. You could be, like, "Hello?" I don't know how you made it out. But...you're good.”

All his life, Nick has believed he is broken. “If someone’s broken, they just stay broken” - this is why Nick had resigned himself to the way his life was. Instead of arguing with his reasoning, Jess finds a positive way around it: maybe Nick isn’t as broken as he thinks. He should be so much worse. He made it out. He’s good.

Nick gives her a small smile. I’m sure he took her what she said to heart.

If you liked this (thank you!):

You can find my shorter commjentary - see what I did there? - on Relaunch here.

You can find my gifset on A Father’s Love (with a Liz quote on the episode if that’s more your Jenny jelly) here.

You can find the showrunners’ very interesting, in-depth thoughts on the episode (and the rest of season two) here.

(I didn’t intend this to be so long; I just wanted to explain why I love the “I’’m a little broken” exchange, but it spiraled so let’s just go along with it.)