#dragrace art

[rikdrawsthings]

[gagmedrag]

Paloma, 2022

[spacesick]

Drag is fun and art and humor and love and family, and I pity every gullible asshat being tricked into spreading so much hate and fear in its name. Get a fucking clue. ☺️

PS - It's taken 2 years of srsly dedicated bingeing, but I'm finally caught up with the entire RuPaul's Drag Race extended universe and I'm excited to finish season 15 along with the rest of the world! Can I get an Amen? 💕👑🏁

[kikoalcazar]

🔥Juriji🔥 Model: @jurijiderklee Photo & art: @kikoalcazar Tulle dress by @fab_verr Corset by @misterpearlofficial Wig by @brsdv_ High Boots by @maisonernest Studio: @espacio.wasabi Makeup using products by @krashkosmetics #juriji #kikoalcazar #art #illustration #artist #photographer #portrait #designer #creative #pop #surrealism #picture #dragrace #dragracespain #rupaulsdragrace https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpw8omMjwum/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[cmy2kid]

Heyaaah, been a while, but I'm back to post some silly, fun stuff I'm doing!

I've been playing Drag Race Superstar, a mobile dress-up game, since its launch in 2021, and I just recenly discovered that there's a community of artists and hobbyists doing custom looks with editing or illustrating new pieces for the in-game model, and holding their own Virtual Drag Race competitions! So naturally, I got curious and dipped my hand into it and decided to join!

Theme: Jewel Tones

This look started with one of the oldest dresses in the game, and one of my favorite pieces when the game dropped, and so I decided to use it as the base for this look! I also used these in-game make-up pieces to create Prima's mug!

Also stay tuned for more looks cause I joined the first season Mx. Vera Wong's Drag Race Philippines Superstar, where we make looks weekly based on the runway themes of DRPH season 1!

You can check the episodes on @/thecrownmakerofc (instagram), on Tiktok:

It's not like the art I used to share, but I'm on my final semester of college, and doesn't have the time to draw and create illustrations— and so I figured this will be a fun avenue to practice my illustrating skills, and creativity + it's drag, what's more fun than that!

[ey7s]

You were saying, Miss Beat? 😋 My first post is a super specific joke response to an obscure reference. I’m already having to accept that my artistic aesthetic is an uncomfortable amount of niche 3AM slap-togethers. Hi 👋 I’m EY7S and I’m an artist, plus a lot of other things, too— I, like, totally swear! 🩵

[categorybestdrag]

Monét X Change All stars 7 Promo

[toruandmidori]

Drag Swag

Shop our collection of funny, hand drawn t-shirts celebrating some of our drag queen she-ros.

Available to buy online now in a range of colours over at our Redbubble store: 

100% SAVAGE

I’M DIVINE

RU PAUL FOR PRESIDENT

[pinchinschlimbah]

Hi, something is bugging me today and I need your input on it. You wrote something about Kyo and drag, and I have the same feeling. I've been back to Dir the last 6 months after almost 15 years gap. During this gap, I came to terms with my queerness, took a deeper interest in queer culture and (tried to) educate myself. I have a sweet spot for drag artistry that tends more to the fraeaky side. Because of my taste in general, let's say I'm more a Dragula entouthiast than a Dragrace one. I'm sorry if this is long and twisted, but I like to provide context... I also have to "hide" this interest at home, because my partner is a transwoman, but she's also stopped hormones and tend more and more on the NB side of transition (long hair, not shaving beard, non gendered clothes, going with "any pronouns is fine" but still using the female name she picked). And she's not really a drag fan, in fact, it's a little transphobic for her. And I get that, some dragqueens (gay cis male ones) do have a little problem portraying female figures... I guess you get what I mean.

Back to Kyo. Maybe it's because every Kyo fan I met was a problematic person (lol)? Very, very obsessed with him, almost religious to anything he does, like he's the fucking messiah! So I started to pick on him, making jokes, just to piss off these women I used to hang with. Turns out, 15 years later and even if these women are not in my life anymore, he's still the butt of the jokes, my lolcow, the target of my bullying. In a strict circle of choosen people who get my sense of humour and never online or to his face (like I could harrass him IRL lol). I just don't like the guy and he's doing a perfect job at fuelling my despise. He comes off as arrogant, acting like his shit doesn't smell, gathering a circle of followers who will fistfight you if you dare to criticize or question anyhing coming from him.

With that in mind, when I saw this pic https://www.instagram.com/p/C-XoBeES7Wo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== my brow raised... I see wig, fake eyelashes, overdrew lips, everyhting is drag coded! And the MFing lolita headpiece??? After the infamous clip of him and Die poking fun at gothic lolitas! It was too much for me. I don't give a rat's ass it was like 20 years ago and they might have change minds about gothic lolitas, cross dressing or whatever! I felt angry, like, I don't know why but I was pissed. And here is why I'm bothering you on Christmas' eve while I should be working.

Is this bloody cultural appropriation or not? I'll die on the hill that drag is for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, skin color or whatever. But, where do you draw the line between hommage and plunder? Inspiration and deadpan lootering of the art of a discrimlnated community? Artists who takes risks when performing, in clubs targeted by gunmen and bigots? I KNOW Japan has a different aproach to male impersonating females on stage, kabukl and everything. I KNOW "it's not that serious, Mary!" I KNOW it's Japan and Dir will never acknowledge any personal infos. But it's twisting my guts he's only showing and not talking. At least, can he say somewhere he's paying hommage to a culture that inspires him. Somewehere everybody can read it, not in a magazine interview that will only reach japanese speaking people. Just share something on IG. It's getting personal, I need Kyo to tell me he's not the arrogant asshole I think he is since 2000. Because everything he does is sending me redflags, from the day I listened to Mazohist of Decadance I question his opinion on abortion, from the way he acted toward fans I dread he hates women, which is rich considering he built his career on the back and the purse of women. And now he's queerbaiting? Because he's not an idiot and saw where the potential was? Yes, I'm getting too emotional. Sorry for the rant, the mispelling and the bad english. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say, here and if you feel like it answer to my void shooting. But I'd understand this is an overwhelming message and you don't have time or interest in it.

Have a great day, celebrating or not, I'm going to lie in bed with a book and try not to hyperfocus on the crap in my head.

Hello! First of all, thank you for taking the time to write out all of this. I'm going to try my best to answer all the aspects here but if you think there's anything important I've missed, feel free to follow up. Also necessary disclaimer that all of this is just my opinions garnered from my best understanding of following Kyo's work, at the end of the day Kyo is a stranger on the other side of the world speaking a language that I have to rely on third party translations to understand, and I can't ever truly know exactly what's going on in his head.

So first of all, it seems the main question you're asking is, do I think Kyo's usage of drag imagery and culture is appropriation or queerbaiting? Personally, I do not. Based on everything I've seen and heard from him, it's clear to me that he's got a deep appreciation and understanding for the culture of drag, and has done his homework as someone who is looking to be part of the drag community. I myself am someone who is deeply involved in my local drag and queer community, and every drag person I've shown Kyo's recent work to has recognized his appearance and mannerisms as drag, as one of us rather than an inauthentic imitation for some sort of clout. The couple of friends who I've pulled down the diru/vkei hole with me, have felt the same way I have of resonating with Kyo's work in part because the kinds of drag he does reminds us of ourselves and our friends and the drag artists we look up to, and it's exciting to see someone who looks like that and performs like that also making such good music (drag queen music, as a genre, is unfortunately usually uhhhhh not great hahaha) and being so highly recognized for it.

[As a side note, I'm sorry to hear that your partner has had such a difficult time with drag! I think RuPaul in particular has unfortunately had a heavy hand in trying to separate drag from transness in a very ahistorical way, especially in the earlier seasons of Drag Race which then filtered into the popular opinion about what drag was or should be. But luckily I think most people in the community have since come around to the idea that drag is more about an exploration and celebration of all types of gender expression and identity rather than just "men pretending to be women" and while I think you're much more likely to find people with more in-between expressions in more local communities who aren't concerned with being palatable for television, Dragula has been good about showcasing people all over the spectrum and even Drag Race has come around more recently to featuring openly trans, female, and nonbinary people on the show!]

While I do think it would be really cool to see Kyo give acknowledgement to the specific drag artists who he appears to be directly inspired by, I don't think it's accurate to say he hasn't given any acknowledgement to the drag or queer community as a whole. Of course there are the magazine interviews, which yes they are created for a Japanese audience but translations are available online and digital autotranslate features make it infinitely easier for these interviews to be accessible to wider audiences than in previous decades. In these interviews [here and here], he has expressed support for queer rights (something still very controversial in Japan!), repeatedly brings up queerness and his support for it even when it's not super related to the questions asked, stated that he aims to title and write his songs from a place outside of gender, refers to himself as effeminate, said that he names his songs after drag queens and other queer people, that he modeled Candis (song and video) after Showa era gay icon popstars and that his intended primary audience for the song is gay men, that a show he watched when he was younger about a trans woman had a lasting impact on him, and that he has incorporated queer imagery into his shows with the goal of showing support for the queer community and to display queer love as something beautiful and important.

Even outside of magazine interviews...I think Valentina and the media surrounding it is a perfect example of him being as outright as he can without saying the quiet part out loud. (as I've been yelling about recently, the fact that there are so few officially Out queer Japanese musicians is a whole complicated issue but long story short I don't blame him given the oppressive culture there for not outright identifying himself as queer. I think it would be cool if he did, but I'm not holding my breath even if I do believe him to be someone of queer experience) The song is named after a drag queen. The song is from a feminine perspective. Kyo is in undeniably feminine drag in the video and using feminine/draggy mannerisms. He's holding a "Melty-chan" doll which, thanks to Kyo sharing a post about this on his instagram story when the promo photos first dropped, we know this doll is from an art exhibit specifically about navigating life as a queer person. While not exactly textually related, he also posted on his insta story about Catwoman being his girlfriend AND the Joker being his boyfriend, at the same time he was posting teasers for the shoot.

And also, importantly, the interview where he's wearing lipstick and lingerie begins with the interviewer's shock at Kyo presenting this way, and Kyo responding with "Really? The truth is I wanted to do it earlier, but the timing now ended up being perfect. It's a worldview not possible for DIR EN GREY, but I thought it's fine with sukekiyo." I think a lot of what you're interpreting to be insincere or malicious intent is actually just growth and letting himself be who he always wanted to be but felt he wasn't allowed to explore after a certain point and turned to lashing out at those things instead during that time. It's very very clear looking at Dir en Grey's chronological history that they got caught up in a particularly ugly bout of toxic masculinity/internalized misogyny/queerphobia in the early-mid 2000s, and I don't blame you for being put off by things they said and did during that time- I also bailed around then because I was at best uninterested and at worst actively upset by those versions of themselves. And that's part of why I've found their turnaround so exciting- looking at everything, to me it seems pretty clear it wasn't a sudden pivot as a cash/attention grab now that queerness and drag are trendy to a certain marketable audience. It was a gradual process over the past decade of the whole band learning to love those parts of themselves again that they started with in the early days and then abandoned and admonished, to get to the point of again being as flamboyant and theatrical and feminine as they are now.

I'm curious where you got the impression that present day Kyo is arrogant and full of himself and seeking out mindlessly devoted followers when I've honestly been frustrated with the exact opposite impression reading his interviews. He consistently gives the impression of having incredibly low self-worth, going on repeatedly about how he doesn't think his talents or skills are particularly impressive and he doesn't believe others when they tell him he's amazing or that they're a devoted fan of his and so on. It's made me want to grab him by the shoulders and shake him and tell him to be kinder to himself because his work is, in fact, incredible and he is deserving of love as much as anyone else. I do think he has the tendency to often be intentionally obtuse or annoying in interviews and appearances (such as wearing a bag over his head at the M&Gs on this year's European tour or the infamous film screening appearance from a few months ago where he sat on the floor eating snacks and putting tape on Shinya's shoes instead of answering the questions) which is not going to be everyone's cup of tea and might not be yours! But I personally don't find these actions to be coming from a place of arrogance, I genuinely just think he thinks it's funny and is trying to amuse himself and others when for someone who does those types of appearances often, they can end up feeling redundant and uninspiring after a while just by nature of doing it so many times.

I admittedly have not read many interviews from the toxic masculinity era which may be where your primary impression is coming from, but this one (from a western metal magazine, in I think 2008) stuck out to me as particularly interesting, where the pull quote significantly twists what he actually said and paired with the chosen photo makes him look like a huge dick, but the actual sentiment in the textual quote is that the band is trying to act more tough and "bad" than they actually are because they think they're supposed to, which I feel like really encapsulates what was going on with them at that time and their desperation to be taken seriously as heavy metal musicians outside of the vkei costumes and theatrics.

I do think it says a lot that no one in the industry has had anything bad to say about any of the members (other than poking fun at them for being too shy offstage) and that they've had no personal scandals that I've seen, that they've been able to remain an active and successful band for nearly 30 years with no lineup changes, and that Kyo has two other active bands who he seems to get along very well with. I don't think any of this would be the case if he was actually as miserable and annoying to deal with as he likes to pretend he is, since artistic talent only gets you so far if you're insufferable as a person. I think there's a good chance that under all his bristling, he is actually just a nice guy haha. I hope some of this has been insightful or helpful for you, and as I said at the start, please feel free to circle back if you have more to say!

[slutnali]

rules: pick a song for each letter of your url and tag that many people (if you can)

Tagged by the lovely @buffyathena ty liv 🫶

Sucia by Kehlani ft. Young Miko and Jill Scott

Labios Mordidos by Kali Uchis & Karol G

Ungodly Hour by Chloe x Halle

The Thrill Is Gone by Raye & The Heritage Orchestra

No Letting Go by Wayne Wonder

Alright by Victoria Monet

Leave Me Alone by Katyranada ft Shay Lia

Is It a Crime by Sade

No pressure tags: @petitmonde , @that-art-hoe , @hannahlovesdance07, @fuckyeah-dragrace , @floppydiskorigami

[petitmonde]

Got tagged by @buffyathena @rialitysworld @junosjukebox @momsthetic and @scrunklyshinyguy to go to my On Repeat playlist on Spotify and shuffle it, then post the 10 first songs from there.

I suppose I'll tag @puppywritesthings

@that-art-hoe @fuckyeah-dragrace @ca44en @dehydrated-faerie @inasapphoteur and @70squeer for appearing in my notifications.

[kikoalcazar]

Juriji 💫✨ Model: @jurijiderklee Photo by @kikoalcazar Tulle dress by @fab_verr Wig by @brsdv_ Studio: @espacio.wasabi Makeup using products by @krashkosmetics @wowpresentsims #juriji #kikoalcazar #art #illustration #artist #photographer #portrait #designer #creative #pop #surrealism #picture #dragrace #dragracespain https://www.instagram.com/p/CpU9UrNDCfr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[criicketts]

Howdy there, pardner! I'm Criicketts, just your local artist who likes making weird monsters and fanart once in a blue moon.

Let me just give ya'll a short introduction of myself.

Age: 15

Pronouns: He/They

Nationality: Phillipines, so don't be alarmed if I post at like 2 a. m. in your timezone

Fandoms: MSM, Stardew Valley, Plants vs Zombies, The Battle Cats, NatM, and Dragrace

Sexuality: Aromantic and Bisexual (Male Lean)

Warnings: Please none of that overly sexual stuff, I ain't that comfortable with that subject and I sure ain't old enough for that yet, pardner. I'm complety a-okay with horror as long it ain't about the eyes!

Anyways, hope you folks enjoy my art and have fun! Don't be a stranger and ask away or leave any messages!

[courfeyracs-swordcane]

Teddy... after being mutuals w you for who knows how long I NEED to ask... what does robobs mean? I've been paying attention to the tags on my notifs for a bit and I think that's the one thing I still have no clue about ahdkshfjshfjd

OH BOY! You’ve activated my trap card!

Short version: tag for me and the gang ( @nosongunsung11 @coyotefang1987 @wildfandom @lemonade-comet @dogliker73 )’s transformers ocs. When I first made the spreadsheet I titled it ‘Robobs’ and it stuck. In March we made a 120 slide power point explaining the lore and we’ve made like 20 new guys since then

LONG VERSION: (and I’m only getting into blorbos from MY brain bc there’s like 85 of these mfers collectively)(Guys who come in several separate-but-linked subsets)

(edit: now with images! picrews linked here, here, here, and here and art by @orange-artist/@nosongunsung11)

THE OGS:

Packet and Pinch: (turn into biplanes) little guys who came after the war, them and their dad sometimes moonlight on a research vessel called Forte Spes where theoretically they’re archival assistants but mostly what that means is that Pinch holds the microphone during interviews because when Packet was allowed to do that he kept eating it. When they’re a little older Pinch gets a proper job on Forte Spes helping out and Packet joins the mafia/eventually winds up inheriting an organized crime unit and accidentally taking over a small city (think like JVJ’s Madeleine era except not on purpose)

Hot Shot: (turns into a diy dragrace car) himbo. former Autobot soldier turned drifter (technically looking for one of his war buddies who disappeared but he keeps getting sidetracked) turned preschool teaching assistant on the moon. Frontman of a very small emo band. Meter’s twin brother, Aileron’s best friend, (Sweets isn’t mine, but) Sweets’s self-invited roommate (weird gay thing)

Meter: (used to turn into a regular car, now functions as a speedometer)(also his name is actually Gauge, Aileron just started calling him Metermaid to make fun of him and it stuck) wildly normal little guy for being so fucked up. Got his face and hands and altmode taken by the government for being an anarchist in cop college. Spent the war on the world’s most legally questionable enemies to lovers roadtrip looking for his brother. Hot Shot’s twin, Aileron’s husband.

Aileron: (turns into a massive fucking jet) pointedly neutral freelance journalist. Extremely chill and wildly pessimistic. Can and will befriend anyone with an unfortunate heaping side of terminal Everyone He Really Cares About Keeps Fucking Disappearing Into Thin Air disease. Spent the road-trip causing problems on purpose bc it was funny and also bc he was pretty sure Hot Shot was dead and he didn’t know how to tell Meter so he was stalling. Meter’s husband, Hot Shot’s best friend.

THE ANCIENTS:

Catalyzer (Cat): (left)(turns into a shield except no he doesn’t anymore because he has daddy issues) fucked up old knight. Kind of a dick except with his knight partner and her spouse (the three of them come as a set do not separate <3) and with his little sister (150ft tall). Memory issues wildly exacerbated by the fact that he spent ten million years on the euthanasia planet. There’s a very good au in which he co-parents his nephew w his ex’s ex-wife.

Firefight (FF): (turns into a flamethrower except no he doesn’t bc what if he fucks up his paint) Bitchass little twink. Catalyzer’s shitty ex who lobotomized him. The god of transformation’s special little boy and he’s gonna make it everyone’s problem. After the god war (during which he helped work on a large-scale lobotomy project that made everyone forget the gods) he realized that if there’s not gods to hang around he can’t get special treatment for being god’s special little boy anymore so he fucked off to live in a cave for ten million years and only came out for Cat’s little sister’s funeral bc he figured everyone who would have known him would be dead by now except spoiler alert no they’re not and he immediately gets his ass beat. We don’t have time to get into his wife.

Moonshadow (Shades): (turns into a shuttle)(uses that to cause problems) Catalyzer’s nephew (she/her), troublemaking Weird Little Art Girl TM who’s constantly tagging along on any mission she can get herself into. Unfortunately that includes the mission that lands everyone on the euthanasia planet :(

Equalizer (EQ): (turns into. Maybe a grenade. I haven’t decided yet) Firefight’s ‘apprentice’/weird intense son he didn’t ask for and doesn’t want and also is lowkey terrified of. Functions entirely on looney toons logic. Theoretically xey’re supposed to be helping FF w his lobotomies but he’s scared xey’ll be better than him and take his job so mostly xyr job is knocking people out with the blunt end of xyr Massive Fucking Scythe for their nonconsensual government-assigned brain surgeries and being generally unsettling. Spends FF cave arc waiting outside where he told xem to which xey're not fucked up about but it does make xem very much more fucked up.

Legion: (turns into I don’t know yet probably an anvil or a lever): Little knight guy under the god of wisdom. Dumb as a box of rocks. Trying so fuxking hard all the time and not really getting anywhere with it but that’s okay. Loves his friends so goddamn much. Really fuckin stupid for a guy who kind of functions as the voice of reason in the polycule. Died on the euthanasia planet. :(

Endymion: (turns into a unicorn)(but like the goat kind) goldenboy blacksmith, built to help the main god make guys, conscientious objector to the god war so now he helps out in the armory. Haunted as hell (just kind of vibing with it). Missed the mission that landed everyone on the euthanasia planet and got locked out of the armory :(

DECEPTICON HR OFFICE/EXTENDED CONSTRUCTION UNIT:

Zephyr aka Dreadnought: (used to turn into a flashdrive, tried to do some sketchy ass back alley surgery to turn into something better and fucked it up so now he can’t turn into anything) edgy little goth twink lying wildly about almost everything abt himself. Former spy, current guy who sits in the corner of the office chainsmoking and giving off absolutely rancid vibes. He’s writing a memoir. (it’s bad.) Gets Fixed by the power of Carburetor going “wow, do you have any other slogans from like. Hot topic?” and is really confusingly normal at the postwar HR reunion/Hadron and his boyfriend’s impromptu wedding

Carburetor (CB): (used to turn into a pickup truck, got exploded) readymade soldier who wound up taking over as mostly-untrained medic when the actual medic was killed bc he had spent a lot of time in the medbay recently (due to the getting exploded incident) and kind of osmosed hopefully enough to go off of. Takes no shit but has terminal “I Can Fix Him” Disease (both romantically and medically) but really he’s the one getting fixed—he has a hobby now! 😊 (it’s Zephyr)

Hadron: (serial number ending in 0104)(turns into a crane) starry-eyed little science guy with a secondhand soul. Part of the construction unit and also working part time (illegally) in HR. Defected to the Autobots towards the end of the war and is now doing a goddamn lot of finding out for very little fucking around. Very easy to manipulate. Both has a missing boyfriend and is the missing boyfriend. Main character disease (affectionate but oh dear god at what cost)

Reefer: (0100)(take a wild guess) de-facto leader/union rep of the construction unit by virtue of being built first. Doing his goddamn best but he’s fundamentally just a sillyguy. Also has a secondhand soul but he doesn’t know about it. Would do anything for his little guys. Sneaks Hadron his science magazines. Hazard’s qpp, Hadron’s bestie, other side of Rico’s coin. Died during the great latewar Construction Unit Defection.

Hazard: (0101)(turns into a dump truck) absolutely fuckin massive very nice and kind SIC & emotional support of the construction unit. Also has a secondhand soul but it’s never really relevant. Guy who’s usually the one to talk to outsiders for the gang. Has never held a gun but almost got sent to the front lines of the war bc they’re Fucking Huge and hella shit was pulled to Stop That Happening (without them even knowing in the first place). Reefer’s qpp, Dyker (0102) isn’t mine and there’s a lot of lore but Dyker is their best friend (I think?). Dead. (Meter pushed them off one of the spires of Decepticon HQ bc they asked if he was okay and were a little too concerned)

Ricochet (Rico): (0103)(turns into a backhoe) oh she’s so fucked up. She’s so fucked up. Also has a secondhand soul and she’s not really aware of that but she’s not normal about it either. Hadron’s older sister figure (derogatory), other side of Reefer’s coin (Threefer), imprinted hard on Dyker and took the Shit That Got Pulled really REALLY badly. Blames Hadron for Reefer’s death to avoid blaming herself. Was briefly a neutral medic but went back to the Decepticons real quick and took the ending of the war also incredibly badly. (And by incredibly badly I mean she got a group to try and restart the war and recruited a bunch of guys to try and replace her family and it’s Not Working)

Chainlink: (turns into a tank)(attempt at replacing Hazard) Rico’s Fucking Massive SIC/de-facto bodyguard who’s really not jazzed about following someone else’s orders. Does it anyway out of… respect that she got there first (or something.) but makes it very very clear that Ze Would Kill Her (in a weird gay way) If Ze Got the Chance. (Ze is in fact given the chance and Doesn’t Take It. Neither of them are really sure how to cope with that). Died one time during the war but got better and is kind of an asshole about that. Mean sense of humor.

Sprocket: (turns into a handheld cannon)(Hadron but Rico likes him) literally just a little guy. Built on Earth approximately three days before the war ended and doesn’t actually know what that means for anything. Definitely getting a little bit gaslighted here. Finds out abt that and is so betrayed/hurt/doesn’t know what else to do that he turns them all in and fucks off to actually see the universe and the planet outside the war and also go to robot law school. Does tech/support/recon for the squad’s endeavors and missions from a secret third location

Roughhouse: (turns into a lifted ass Ford F150)(Reefer 2 smarter boogaloo) Sprocket’s bestie and everyone’s emotional support himbo and by emotional support himbo I mean this guy is treating this revolution like a kindergarten teacher. Guy who 100% tried to set up a sticker system to try and get Rico and Chainlink to be normal. He’s not even that invested in it he just thinks it’s funny to get Rico overly invested in things she’s Going to lose. Yes she’s his boss technically yes she forgets that sometimes (younger sister instinct). The fanciest and only prewar member of the gang. Former bouncer, early Decepticon recruit, current pacifist and backup guy.

THE SECRET OTHER OPTION:

Rudder: of Rudder and Oar fame. They don’t give a shit they’re just out there fishing. A lot of the time they wind up picking up body parts/people but that’s not what they’re fishing for so they just toss them in the back to sell to the mafia. Together they turn into a bigger boat.

[qnewsau]

Drag Race Down Under's Lazy Susan explains that runway

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/drag-race-down-unders-lazy-susan-explains-that-runway/

Drag Race Down Under's Lazy Susan explains that runway

Drag Race Down Under favourite Lazy Susan has broken down how her winning, innovative episode two runway works.

The Melbourne queen is competing on Drag Drag Race Down Under season four.

On Friday night’s episode two, our ten queens performed in girl groups for the Grease-themed musical maxi-challenge.

Spoiler alert!

In the end, Lazy Susan won the challenge, and Kiwi queen Olivia Dreams became the Porkchop, sashaying away after losing the lip-sync against Lucina Innocence.

But it was Lazy Susan’s innovative sci-fi “single female lawyer from the future” runway that’s left everyone gooped and gagged.

The transparent suit. The divorce papers inside the bag. The hologram fan projecting faces and images.

“This is INSANE, one of the best conceptual runways throughout the entire franchise, just amazing,” one person wrote on X.

“Can we talk about Lazy f___ing Susan? This bitch is a f___ing mastermind; she has won the first two episodes, excuse me? And next week they are playing snatch game,” another person wrote.

“I am gagged and gooped… She is the look queen this season,” another declared.

this is INSANE, one of the best conceptual runways throughout the entire franchise, just amazing #DragRace #DragRaceDownUnder pic.twitter.com/qHWB50QL8J

— shugus #TeamMuñekas (@batidodepuleva) November 8, 2024

‘It was a very risky piece’

After the episode, Lazy Susan showcased the look in some promo shots on her Instagram.

The queen also posted a 15-minute behind-the-scenes video showing how the fan and the projections over her face work.

“I had seen these hologram fans around. I was absolutely fixated because it’s so cool,” Lazy Susan explained.

“However, because it’s this cheap technology, it was a very risky piece.

“These fans use a third-party app software to insert things into an SD card. I don’t have access to a phone when I’m on Drag Race.

“If anything goes wrong, the file corrupts, anything on the actual device itself… screwed.

“If you’re thinking about trying this at home, in order to create the hologram, these blades need to spin so fast right in front of your face.

“Please, please, please, consider your safety before you do this.”

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Lazy Susan, Brenda Bressed, Freya Armani, Mandy Moobs, Karna Ford, Lucina Innocence, Max Drag Queen, Nikita Iman, and Vybe remain on season four of the show.

Drag Race Down Under is streaming in Australia on Stan on Fridays.

More on Drag Race Down Under:

Bob the Drag Queen finally agrees to watch Drag Race Down Under

Join Art Simone for recap show Kick Ons after Down Under

Isis Avis Loren’s simple message to Drag Race Down Under critics

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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Week 4: Digital Community and Fandom - Reality TV Case Study

Big Brother

In the digital age, the rise of Reality TV has brought with it not only entertainment but the formation of vibrant digital communities and passionate fandoms. From the early days of "Big Brother" to modern phenomena like "RuPaul's Drag Race", reality TV has become a cultural force that extends beyond the screen, fostering spaces where viewers engage, connect, and create. This post delves into the symbiotic relationship between reality TV and its digital communities, using relevant media and communication theories to analyze this phenomenon.

The Role of Reality TV in Creating Digital Communities

Reality TV excels at fostering participatory culture, a concept coined by media scholar Henry Jenkins. Unlike traditional television, where audiences passively consume content, reality TV invites active engagement. Through online forums, social media platforms, and fan sites, viewers become part of a larger digital community, where they not only consume but contribute to discussions, theories, and fan-driven content.

Henry Jenkins

Fandom as a Digital Community

Fandoms—groups of devoted fans—are a key component of reality TV’s success. These communities operate as affinity spaces, where members share a common interest and exchange ideas, interpretations, and emotions. Shows like "The Bachelor" and "Love Island" have inspired dedicated online groups, where fans dissect episodes, speculate on upcoming events, and even form emotional bonds with the contestants. These spaces allow fans to extend the reality TV experience beyond the weekly episode and into their everyday lives.

Jenkins' Theory of Convergence Culture highlights the merging of media producers and consumers, emphasizing that reality TV fans don’t just passively consume content—they remix, recreate, and reinterpret. This is evident in fan-made content, such as memes, fan fiction, and commentary videos that add layers of meaning to the show’s narratives.

The Power of Social Media in Reality TV Fandoms

One of the most significant shifts in the reality TV landscape is the role of social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram in amplifying fan engagement. These platforms have created a space where fans can interact in real-time during broadcasts, contributing to a communal viewing experience known as "second-screen viewing."

Hashtags such as #Survivor or #BacheloretteNation are tools for fans to congregate online, where they live-tweet episodes, share theories, and vote on fan polls. This creates a sense of immediacy and collective participation, blurring the line between audience and participant.

Reddit forums and Facebook groups are particularly important for more in-depth discussion and analysis. These digital communities become incubators for fandom activities, including episode deconstructions, contestant analysis, and even social activism related to issues raised on the show.

Social media has also democratized fan interaction with the stars of reality TV. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok allow fans to directly engage with contestants, following their post-show lives and contributing to their digital personas. This interaction fosters parasocial relationships, where fans feel as though they have a personal connection with reality stars, despite the one-sided nature of the relationship.

Case Study: "RuPaul's Drag Race" and Fandom Culture

"RuPaul's Drag Race"

"RuPaul's Drag Race" provides an excellent case study for exploring the relationship between reality TV, digital communities, and fandom. The show, which has cultivated a global following, has spawned one of the most dedicated and active fanbases across various platforms.

Instagram and Twitter have become hotspots for fan content, where users post critiques, fan art, and memes celebrating their favorite queens. The show’s use of hashtags like #DragRace encourages viewers to join the conversation, creating a large-scale, participatory environment.

YouTube hosts reaction videos, analysis channels, and even behind-the-scenes breakdowns from former contestants, further solidifying the show’s place in digital culture. Fans engage in debates about performances, costumes, and eliminations, turning each episode into a focal point for online discourse.

Digital activism is also a component of "RuPaul’s Drag Race" fandom. Fans often use the platform to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ issues, linking the empowerment narratives of the queens to broader societal conversations about gender, sexuality, and identity.

The evolution of fan labor, where fans contribute their own creative energy to the community (e.g., making art or writing fan theories), demonstrates how reality TV fandoms thrive on collective intelligence—a term used by Jenkins to describe how fans pool their knowledge and skills to enhance their collective understanding of the show.

Fan Empowerment and the Commodification of Fandom

While reality TV fandoms are often empowering spaces where fans can connect and express themselves, there is also a commercial aspect to their existence. The relationship between digital communities and reality TV producers is often symbiotic, but also exploitative. Networks and producers recognize the value of engaged fandoms and often cater to them to generate profit.

Merchandising and branded content allow producers to monetize the fandom, turning engagement into revenue. Shows like "The Real Housewives" and "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" have perfected the art of selling branded products and licensing their personal brands, effectively commodifying fandom enthusiasm.

This commodification can blur the lines between authentic fan engagement and commercial exploitation. Fans may feel empowered by their role in the community but also used as consumers, where their participation is encouraged as long as it benefits the show’s bottom line. This dynamic speaks to the capitalist underpinnings of many digital platforms, which thrive on user-generated content and community engagement to fuel advertising and product sales.

Challenges of Toxic Fandom and Online Harassment

While reality TV fandoms often create positive communities, there is a darker side to fandom culture. The anonymity of digital platforms can sometimes foster toxic behavior, where contestants and fellow fans are subjected to cyberbullying, harassment, and trolling.

Shows like "The Bachelor" have seen contestants endure online abuse, particularly female and minority contestants who face harsher scrutiny. This highlights the importance of digital ethics in managing online communities, where producers and platforms must balance engagement with safeguarding participants' well-being.

In response, some shows have started addressing these issues by discouraging harassment and promoting positive fan interactions. This points to a growing awareness of the responsibility that comes with managing large digital communities.

Conclusion:

Reality TV has transcended the boundaries of traditional entertainment to become a cultural and social phenomenon, with digital communities playing a pivotal role in its success. Through platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit, fans have turned reality TV into a participatory experience, where they can express their identities, challenge societal norms, and even drive real-world change.

However, the balance between empowering fan engagement and commodifying fandom remains a crucial tension in this digital age. As reality TV continues to evolve, so too will the ways in which fans engage, interact, and reshape the cultural significance of the genre.

References:

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press.

Hills, M. (2002). Fan Cultures. Routledge.

Andrejevic, M. (2008). Watching television without pity: The productivity of online fans. Television & New Media, 9(1), 24-46.

Baym, N. K. (2000). Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community. Sage Publications.

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