#journeyman pictures

[eternal-learner]

might have screwed something up at work that resulted in costly damage and could cause very worrisome issues in the future but there's also a chance that it's not my fault and i won't know until i talk to my journeyman about it on monday so yay it's gonna bother me all weekend

[sinkingtime]

That still gets you elven Sam Vimes, complaining that the poor stay poor because they're forced to buy cheap human shoes, which they'll have to replace in just a few decades, while the rich can afford a proper dwarven pair and not worry until 12 or 15 centuries later.

[gwaindrifter]

This little asshole, Arthur the AI from Journeyman Project 3, is who you have to blame for why I speak in like 50% pop culture references. Because I was obsessed with this game as a kid, and this guy had basically three forms of dialogue; infodumping, pop culture references, and sarcasm, usually in some mixture of the three. And he is your main companion in the game, so you hear him a lot. And I picked up on it, A LOT.

[lil-tachyon]

The Lagrange Heavy Industries "Journeyman" utility frame was, for decades, a worksite staple. Its low price point, reliability and ease-of-modification made it wildly popular in various industries. Extensive use by insurgent groups, however, severely damaged its reputation. Eventually, its perception as a potential weapon of terror by LHI's clients forced the model's quiet retirement. Successor frames were purpose-built, more difficult to modify, and were often sold with software overrides that allowed corporate agents to shut down frames remotely.

The frame pictured bears the emblem of the radical Earth Orbit Shipbreakers Union, which at one point occupied and collectivized several industrial habitat cylinders before being forcibly broken up by Intrasystem Commerce Authority forces. Although the action failed, it inspired more successful occupations in the further-out belt mining habitats. Journeyman frames featured prominently in both struggles.

[misseandc]

Kamino Ward Statue All Might

Raise your hand if you've ever been so obsessed with a character you cosplayed a statue of them 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️

This was from Fanexpo Chicago 2023. I had this crazy idea to cosplay as the statue of All Might. The statue is such an important point of his story and how people view/take heroes for granted so I needed to do it.

I even took home the Best Journeyman award for this piece! One of my favorite All Might cosplays I've ever done! And All Mights English va actually ran to me from his table at the con to say hi and take a picture with me 😭💖

[snowy-equinox]

Revisiting Rahdue's Wheel

Rahdue’s Wheel is a much-larger-than-average tarot spread that originated from Eileen Connolly’s 1987 book, Tarot: The Handbook for the Journeyman. It’s difficult to find detailed information outside of the book, as its size makes it unpopular among most tarot readers. Hell, Connolly herself needs 28 pages to explain it all. Rahdue’s Wheel shows up occasionally on Tumblr or Reddit, but its reputation has mostly become a kind of “Eat the Pig Trough and Get Your Picture on the Wall” for diviners. 

It’s when you get past the size that you start to realize the spread itself has some problems. 

Tackling the ‘Size’ Premise

Let’s get the premise out of the way: Rahdue’s Wheel does not use all 78 cards. When you look at the spread in detail, it’s broken down into 7 sections: 

Inner Wheel - Present

Center Wheel - Future

Outer Wheel - Past

Dagim Block - Past life

Taleh Pillar (right side) - Past life relationships

Shor Pillar (left side) - Past life memories/experiences

Malkuth Block - Answers the 9 questions you are supposed to have asked before the reading

The last section, the Malkuth Block, is optional. Even if you choose to use it, you may not pull the rest of your deck. Connolly says “Any cards that have not been used are left face down and are not to be read. They do not pertain to the reading and leaving them face down retains the original energy of the spread. If you turn them over, you break the esoteric structure of the entire spread.” At most, this spread requires 69 cards, not 78. 

The Popular Criticisms

While its gimmick is an exaggeration, it is still a behemoth of a spread. Many believe it is unwieldy and bogged down with too much information. This is a common criticism of larger spreads; the more information you pull, the easier it is to get lost. The continual energy drain of pulling, followed by the mental drain of interpreting, can leave you with inaccurate results.

However, this is assuming that you have to do your tarot readings in one sitting. I don’t hold with that idea. You can take on the Wheel in parts, doing a section a day for a week. Or, you can pull all the cards one day, write down what you got, and then do the interpreting the next day. Personally, I think if you have the time, dedication, and skill to parse through all the information, you should be able to get good information out of a large reading. 

The Information

In my opinion, Rahdue’s Wheel’s failure is not due to its size, but the quality of information it gives you.

While I approached this spread with the assumption that most people will read it for themselves, Connolly goes back and forth on the role of her readers. In most of the section dedicated to Rahdue’s Wheel, she talks exclusively about “the client”, implying she is writing for a professional tarot reader and the reading is meant to be between two people (reader & querent). However, at one point, she advises the reader to do the Rahdue’s Wheel for themself four times a year, and there are a couple of “for yourself or the client”’s sprinkled throughout the section. 

I bring this up because this spread is not very good if you’re reading for yourself. The three wheels are the exact same questions; the only thing that changes is the tense. I know what my current health concerns are, and likely I know what my past ones were. The entire past wheel is redundant, as you’re just reliving everything without added context or commentary. Pulling a Three of Swords for past relationships tells me a break-up really hurt me, but it doesn’t tell me how that’s still affecting me. There’s no new information given to the querent beyond “this is how your life and philosophies have changed”. 

The redundancy cuts both ways in the reader/querent question. If you read for yourself, you’re wasting time and energy on things you already know. On the other hand, if you’re reading for someone else, you’re not giving the querent new information that can solve their problems. If anything, it’s spiritual junk food; the reader gets to come off as intuitive and knowledgeable (assuming the cards are all accurate), while not giving any real advice. The querent will leave feeling fulfilled from their amazing connection with the reader without any new ideas on how to fix their situation. 

The Past Life Issue

The other issue that becomes apparent right away is the focus on past lives. The wheels total 39 cards, while the past life sections total 30. This makes the past lives sections nearly half of the spread. Connolly believes that our actions and mindsets are influenced by the hidden memories and traumas of our past lives. She rationalizes that knowing about these lives is a good way to look deeper into the querent’s psychology. This gives us context for the previous problem: The reason we’re looking at every aspect of a person’s life is to find patterns stemming from the past lives. If we find your past life was betrayed by a lover, we know the root cause of your commitment issues. The wheels and the past lives sections work together to illuminate the overarching themes of the querent’s karmic life. 

This creates multiple barriers in order to make this spread work: 

You must believe in past lives as a concept

You must believe you personally have at least one past life

You must believe that issues from your past life can affect your current life

If you have all three beliefs, then this spread can do amazing things for you! But many people don’t have all three. I can’t get past the third one myself; I think it’s possible to connect with and learn from your past lives, but I don’t think their traumas become ours. For many, they don’t have the necessary beliefs to bridge the gap between the two halves of the spread. 

Even if you do believe past lives can affect our current lives, this spread still runs into the problem we discussed earlier: there is no advice given. At best, the reader will probably say to do “past life work” before sending you on your way. Knowing where your issues stem from can be helpful, but the knowledge itself won’t change anything. Ultimately, to see change you need a direction to go in. This spread will not give that to you. 

Finally Answering the Questions

Let’s revisit the Malkuth Block, the tarot reading within the tarot reading. Once the diviner has exhausted themselves sorting through every facet of your lives (present and past), it’s time to actually answer those questions you had that brought you to a reader in the first place. Connolly leaves it up to the reader to determine how many cards should be pulled per question. As I mentioned earlier, she says not every card will be flipped over and read, but then she goes on to say that if the querent only has one question, you must read all 9 cards in the Block. She does not give an explanation for this; I assume something to do with the “esoteric structure” but who knows. 

At this point, you’re doing a basic tarot reading. Surprisingly, many tarot readers are able to do “here’s the answer to your question” readings without knowing every single thing about you. If you’re just trying to get questions answered, the majority of this spread is unnecessary. It’s also incredibly damaging; by putting the questions at the end of the marathon spread, you get to the important part of the reading when the diviner is exhausted. 

Conclusion

Rahdue’s Wheel works well for very specific situations, like when you want to do past life work and don’t know what to focus on. But for the average reader this spread is too bloated. Not only is the size too large for most people to read accurately in one sitting, but the information it gives you is useless. You’re better off finding a smaller spread. 

While some use Rahdue’s Wheel as practice, I think most people bookmark it purely as a challenge spread to do “some day”. But this spread does work if you use it within the beliefs and framework Connolly created it for. I would bet there are a lot of people out there looking for just this kind of spread to help them with their past lives. They’ve probably heard the name before, but pass over it because no one talks about it as a past life spread or a karmic spread. They only talk about it as “The Ultimate Spread”. It’s become clickbait, in tarot form.

[skygoldart]

Entered my first cosplay contest yesterday with S10 Grian at Minicon!

I entered into novice since it’s my first comp, but got moved up to journeyman and won second!

I am so happy my friend, Moth (pictured on the right), convinced me to join

Bonus: pic from waiting in line for pre-judging

[communist-manifesto-daily]

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific - Part 16

[ First | Prev | Table of Contents | Next ]

But, side by side with the antagonisms of the feudal nobility and the burghers, who claimed to represent all the rest of society, was the general antagonism of exploiters and exploited, of rich idlers and poor workers. It was this very circumstance that made it possible for the representatives of the bourgeoisie to put themselves forward as representing not one special class, but the whole of suffering humanity. Still further. From its origin the bourgeoisie was saddled with its antithesis: capitalists cannot exist without wage-workers, and, in the same proportion as the mediaeval burgher of the guild developed into the modern bourgeois, the guild journeyman and the day-laborer, outside the guilds, developed into the proletarian. And although, upon the whole, the bourgeoisie, in their struggle with the nobility, could claim to represent at the same time the interests of the different working-classes of that period, yet in every great bourgeois movement there were independent outbursts of that class which was the forerunner, more or less developed, of the modern proletariat. For example, at the time of the German Reformation and the Peasants’ War, the Anabaptists and in the great French Revolution, Babeuf.

These were theoretical enunciations, corresponding with these revolutionary uprisings of a class not yet developed; in the 16th and 17th centuries, Utopian pictures of ideal social conditions; in the 18th century, actual communistic theories (Morelly and Mably)[2]. The demand for equality was no longer limited to political rights; it was extended also to the social conditions of individuals. It was not simply class privileges that were to be abolished, but class distinctions themselves. A Communism, ascetic, denouncing all the pleasures of life, Spartan, was the first form of the new teaching. Then came the three great Utopians: Saint-Simon, to whom the middle-class movement, side by side with the proletarian, still had a certain significance; Fourier; and Owen, who in the country where capitalist production was most developed, and under the influence of the antagonisms begotten of this, worked out his proposals for the removal of class distinction systematically and in direct relation to French materialism.

One thing is common to all three. Not one of them appears as a representative of the interests of that proletariat which historical development had, in the meantime, produced. Like the French philosophers, they do not claim to emancipate a particular class to begin with, but all humanity at once. Like them, they wish to bring in the kingdom of reason and eternal justice, but this kingdom, as they see it, is as far as Heaven from Earth, from that of the French philosophers.

For, to our three social reformers, the bourgeois world, based upon the principles of these philosophers, is quite as irrational and unjust, and, therefore, finds its way to the dust-hole quite as readily as feudalism and all the earlier stages of society. If pure reason and justice have not, hitherto, ruled the world, this has been the case only because men have not rightly understood them. What was wanted was the individual man of genius, who has now arisen and who understands the truth. That he has now arisen, that the truth has now been clearly understood, is not an inevitable event, following of necessity in the chains of historical development, but a mere happy accident. He might just as well have been born 500 years earlier, and might then have spared humanity 500 years of error, strife, and suffering.

We saw how the French philosophers of the 18th century, the forerunners of the Revolution, appealed to reason as the sole judge of all that is. A rational government, rational society, were to be founded; everything that ran counter to eternal reason was to be remorselessly done away with. We saw also that this eternal reason was in reality nothing but the idealized understanding of the 18th century citizen, just then evolving into the bourgeois. The French Revolution had realized this rational society and government.

[2] Engels refers here to the works of the utopian Socialists Thomas More (16th century) and Tommaso Campanella (17th century). See Code de la nature, Morelly, Paris 1841 and De la législation, ou principe des lois (note from OP: no English translation available thus far), Mably, Amsterdam 1776.

[ First | Prev | Table of Contents | Next ]

[femmedaraya]

Welcome back to my series breaking down my Talald cosplay, the details and techniques that helped it win Journeyman at ACen, and how you can use these for your own competitive work! In this post I'm talking about all the hidden snaps on this costume.

This series is primarily made for intermediate cosplayers who have some sewing experience under their belt. It's less of a tutorial and more of a build log with tips.

At my day job, we use a lot of snaps in the costumes we make to keep things together, from gloves to collars to detachable accessories. My theatrical background is also snap laden—button up shirts are commonly quick-rigged with them to make costume changes faster behind the scenes. Their wide range of sizes and colors makes them extra handy!

Here's the finished collar piece of the costume compared to an earlier pattern draft. I needed it to connect in the center to create the little mandarin collar on top, but I also wanted to keep the center flat to match the pictures I was referencing.

(Note: Throughout VE and SBB she's drawn with a varying number of collar scallops, anywhere from 4 to 8. I chose 8.)

So, how'd I do it?

Using lots of little snaps reduces bulk, allowing pieces to lie flat, and gives me precise control over where everything sits. To keep it hidden, I put a decorative seam on the other side of the middle scallop. If you want to hide a closure or seam but can't make it fully disappear, give it a friend or two and pretend they're all decorative. It's a nifty way to make judges ask themselves "how does this work?" and then surprise them with the answer!

I also used snaps to keep my sleeves from riding up past the tops of my gloves:

(Don't mind the purple marks, I use purple disappearing fabric pens. This was taken when the ink was fresh)

And also to fasten some straps under my arms that kept my tabard in place:

I do need to replace these ones with larger snaps though, they kept coming undone all day.

Part 1

Thanks for reading!

[tedsies]

Medieval Windenburg - Farming district complete!

With a couple of weeks gone by since I shared my completed Old Town district of Medieval Windenburg, I've now managed to reach another milestone - a second finished neighbourhood! This time, it's the rural farming area.

This district is largely comprised of peasant dwellings, but also includes a tavern and a stately home belonging to an important local family. These builds are all quite similar in style, but that's just because I think it makes sense for this area to feel quite uniform and cohesive.

As before, all builds are my own, but a special shoutout has to again go to @thesensemedieval for their amazing mod which changes the environment of Windenburg to appear more medieval (i.e. the roads, streetlights etc).

Anyway, here are some short descriptions to go with each build (in the order they are pictured):

Herbalist/midwife's cottage (picture 1) - a small home tucked away amongst a forested area, this is where the herbalist and her young protege reside. The barn that you see alongside their home is where they perform their 'rituals' and treat those who come seeking their aid. Whilst magic is outlawed in these times, most are willing to turn a blind eye if it means an improved chance of surviving childbirth or making a miraculous recovery from a sudden fatal illness.

Peasant's lakeside home (picture 2) - a humble abode situated on a small plot of land, surrounded on three sides by a lake. It has everything a small family might need to sustain themselves in medieval times, and (spoiler!) it may be where my own Sims begin their journey once I finally start playing in the save.

Journeyman's Tavern (picture 3) - a small tavern that doubles up as a dance hall/event space for the local community. A popular watering spot for those travelling in and out of the nearby city (hence its name), it also hosts a number of market stalls on its doorstep. Shopping and drinking - sounds like a perfect medieval day out!

Horse lover's haven (picture 4) - another quaint peasant home (you may recognise this as the WIP I shared a few weeks ago), but this time with a sizeable stable to house one or two horses. It again has everything a family would need to live off the land. I personally love this one.

Noble's mansion (picture 5) - a grand stately home belonging to the Lord and Lady Webb who oversee these rural lands on behalf of their good friend, the Duke of Windenburg. Whilst this house is huuuge (and as such is the only one I couldn't be bothered to furnish), its the heavily landscaped gardens which the owners take particular pride in.

Neighbouring farmers (picture 6) - two final peasant homes, who in their close proximity to one another agree to share a plot of land on which they both grow their food. These homes are small but cosy, and most importantly within stumbling distance of the local tavern!

So, what's next? I've recently been improving the Landgraab Keep lot I built a while ago, and once finished I'm torn between completing the rest of the island neighbourhood, or taking a break to actually start playing in the save. Hmmm... decisions, decisions!

[georgiapeach30513]

Been having insane week and non stop! Nursing School Brain in effect and having to already put that knowledge to the test at home! It would absolutely make my week if I Could please make request please? Something with Primal Ari? Fluff maybe little smut but definitely the primal!!! Please absolutely adore your stuff and look forward to your stories!!!

I hate that you had an insane week, and things are just going out of control.  But yes, yes I think I can make a primal Ari...this particular Ari is going to be a bit of the sweeter side though...

What That House is Made Of

Summary:  You shouldn’t have teased Ari.  Or should you?

Pairings:  Ari Levinson X Reader

Rating:  explicit

Warnings:  explicit language, explicit sexual content, smut, unprotected sex, PIV sex, growling, primal kick, praise kink, mentions of phone sex, mentions of masturbation, creampie, 18+ ONLY

Word Count:  1.5K

Ari Masterlist

You take one final look into the mirror; fiddling with your hair, turning to the side to check out your appearance in your new lingerie, and take a deep breath.  You needed him.  Ari had been gone for too long on a work related trip.  You didn’t care if he only had a few hours to be at home, you wanted your man with you.  Wanted to feel his thick hands grip you tight as he takes you over the edge again and again.

It was risky to send him photos such as these, but this was a risk you were willing to take.  The pictures start off innocent enough for someone wearing next to nothing, but then more of your lace starts coming off.  You get into it; arching your back, and popping out your ass.  Putting on a show for your man.  He missed you, too.  Told you every night as you fell asleep in a long FaceTime.  

You don’t want the last photos you take to have you a bit upset, but even you see the glossiness in your eyes.  Sending him the photos, you grab a tissue and dab at your eyes.  Ari was sexy, he was a sex god, but most importantly he held you like you were the most precious thing in his life.  And to Ari, you really were.  You were his everything.  The reason he became a journeyman lineman was to provide for you, and hopefully one day, your family that you would be making.

Checking your phone, you see that he had opened the photos, but still hadn’t responded.  Biting at your lip, you sigh.  Deciding to slip on a robe, and go about your day.  He was busy.  He would make time for you when he could.

Ari looks down at the pictures one more time, yes, you were beyond sexy.  Everything he had ever dreamed of wrapped up in pretty lace, but those last photos where your face was clearly visible is what upset him.  He couldn’t have his best girl being lonely and missing him.  With his calloused fingers still a bit stained from work, boots still dirty, and face still dingy he stomps up your front porch steps.  He had to take a personal day.  Money be damned.  You needed him, and he most definitely needed you.

Making a dramatic entrance of slinging the door wide open, you yelp in fear, until you hear that noise.  Could practically see his lip curled up as he releases that low and primal growl, “Woman!”

Sauntering around the corner, you hold your hand up on the wall, looking your thick beefy man up and down, “Oh, I’m going to fuck you,” his voice rasps out.  His steps are calculated, slow, and steady as he walks closer to you.  His fists pulsing.  “You deserved to be fucked good and so fucking hard.  Trying to tease me while I’m at work,” his nose scrunches up, and he shakes his mane out of his face.

Standing right in front of you, his hand goes to your neck.  Fingers behind you, while his thumb pets over the front.  Giving you just a tiny squeeze, “You know what you were doing, huh?” You give him a pitiful little nod, pouting up at him.  “You’ll be punished in due time, but,” Ari picks one of your legs up, resting it on his waist as he starts grinding into your core.  “I’ve missed you, Foxy.”

“I’ve missed you,” your lip trembles as he bends down low giving you the softest chaste kiss.  “Each day got longer,” whining as he starts ripping at your panties, his mouth drifting to your neck as he nips around the sensitive skin.  Thankful that you still walked around the house with nothing but one of his old tattered shirts.  “I forgot the way you felt,” he snarls at that comment, running his fingers through your glistening folds.

“Forgot the way you taste,” he crashes his mouth into yours, shoving his tongue in your mouth, massaging your own with his.  He was going to make you remember what he tasted like.  His hands struggle to get his pants undone.  Letting them drift to the floor.  “Forgot about the…stretch,” you whimper as he picks your body up to situate you over his fat cock.  “Ari!” You mewl out when he pushes you all the way down.

Holding you on his length as he gazes at your face.  Letting you cockwarm him while he commits the way you look on him to memory.  Watching every muscle flench in your face as you try not to moan.  The way you bite at your lip when he circles his hips, and the way you whisper his name in an achingly needy way.  

“I love you,” he whispers, pulling himself completely out of you, and thrusting back in so slowly.  He wanted you to remember every bit of his long shaft.  Every wide inch of his girth.  Wanted your pussy to know where that thick vein of his stayed seated inside of your walls.  Growling on your neck while he pumps into your warmth.  This was just how you and Ari were made to be…connected.

Traveling lately has made things difficult.  Phone sex just wasn’t the same.  His hand didn’t feel nearly as good.  That hot pink dildo didn’t fill you quite as well as him.  It didn’t have the perfect curve to it.  The curve that hit all of your spots.  But what felt the best was the way that he looks at you.  A look that says he wants to both destroy you, and worship at your feet.  The look that shows he’s just as obsessed with you, as you are him.  

Dragging himself in and out of you, no words spoken, picking up speed with every stab into you.  Not caring when pictures fall off the wall as he starts a hard pound into you.  Wondering just how well this house was built as you feel the vibrations behind you from his movements.  It felt like he was trying to beat it down along with your cunt.

The walls in your house hadn’t seen the two of you make love in what felt like years.  If only they could talk.  They would tell how Ari made sure to christen every part of the house with your juices.  How he would literally chase you around in the unfurnished place you now called home.  Jump from the top floor to the bottom as you giggled trying to get away from him.

They could tell how you had spent so many nights completely naked, wrapped up in each other as you talked about your future.  Mention how there was so much love between the two of you, even without sex.  But right now they shutter at how much desperation the two of you feel as he rails into you.  How many times your walls have clenched down around him, but he wanted your body to remember how he felt for the next month.

Relentless at how hard he shoves in your wet heat.  How his mouth leaves traces of his mark behind on your neck.  If it was remembering that you wanted, he was going to go above and beyond to give you just that.  He needed to remember you, too.  Remember how your arousal drips down on him, creating a sticky mess on his thighs.  Remember each little inflection as you sob at being stuffed full.  Remember just how much he loves you.  Loves your precious little voice, and your pitiful scratches you put on his back as another high crashes around him.

You were sure that there would be no house left when Ari was finished with you.  That the whole damn place would just fall down.  Gulping up at him when you feel you can’t take anymore. “One more my sly little Fox.  Give me one more.  Come on, Foxy, you’re right there,” your eyes roll in the back of your head, vision blurry as you cling tight to him.  Your walls flutter around him, holding him in a vice grip when he finally lets go.

Pumping you full of his essence.  Slowing down his movements as he pets around your face, “Atta girl.  You did so good,” he presses his lips against your forehead, holding them there as he sniffs your new smell; a mixture of sweat, him, and pure unadulterated pleasure.  “I won’t be so sweet next time, baby.”

“Good,” you run your fingers over his shoulders, wishing that you could feel his skin against yours.  “I don’t want you to be.”

“We’re testing this house’s foundation limits tonight.”

“And tomorrow you have to leave?”

“First thing in the morning.  But only one more week and I’m back home.  Then I’m all yours, and you’re all mine,” it wasn’t much, but one week wasn’t too long.  Just long enough to get your body ready for the marathon Ari undoubtedly would be ready for.  He bites at your neck, growling on the irritated skin, and you feel him throughout your entire body.  “Already throbbing again.”

“Shh,” you whisper.  You wanted this night to last a lifetime.  You wanted Ari and you to last even longer.  And you knew you would.  “I love you.”

“And I love you.  Come on, lets get naked.  I want to have you properly next time.”

Masterlist

Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @sstan-hoe @infatuatedharleys @missusbarnes-rogers @peaches1958 @seitmai @smile1318 @andydrysdalerogers @cjand10 @donutloverxo @bambamwolf87

[pins-snip]

Cool cosplays we saw around Momocon on Friday!!

Friends who won at the craftsmanship contest!

Sunny (left) who won BiS Journeyman! And Bec (right) who won Best Fabrication Journeyman!

Heartstopper Caitlyn is Rosemary who hand finished most of her costume to get it to lay right and the DEDICATION for that 🤌🏻

We met Doodle after the contest! Her Aldrich tail uses office chair bases and I think that's neat

We love a maid uniform alternate version and SugarPuns delivered with her Waluigi

We met up with our favorite actual magical girl, Crissy for a cool kids mask at cons photo ✨

If you bottled kindness it would definitely be AllieCat shaped!! She was so sweet and I'm thankful we unintentionally matched because it meant we ended up talking to her for a few hours over the weekend and I'm happy to call her a friend now!! A silly lil edit because why not 🤌🏻

The dungeon meshi cosplay scene was SO GOOD this year. We ended up just camping out near the entrance of the dealers hall portion of the exhibit hall and saw all these cool cats!!

We kept seeing Helldivers 2 cosplayers on Friday and Saturday and we were crossing our fingers for Sunday and the luck held out!!!

I wanted to get better about taking people's pictures again (and actually posting them lol) and I think I did a better job this year! Definitely easier with Mario Bros cosplays compared to plagues!

If you know someone's at please let me know and I'll edit with the tag :)

[dickinson-devotee]

Iron Maiden, As Known By...

BRUCE DICKINSON as known by Nicko McBrain (2003)

I think my first encounter with Bruce was when he was rehearsing with Samson in Kilburn, which must have been 1979. I remember I was playing pool and Bruce came out of the studio and he was very animated and very loud and I thought, ‘Who is this geezer?!’ His personality was way in front of the man himself. But as I got to know Bruce, I realised that he is a very intense guy. In the early days when I joined Maiden, he was very extrovert, yet he was introverted at the same time. When he gets a great idea, he won’t let it go and he gets so animated, but other times he would be so intent on what he was thinking about, he would be in another world. His mind amazes me. He’s a genius. He’s also an absolute lunatic - but most geniuses are! And inside there’s a heart of gold.

In the early days, there was a bit of ego. He was the frontman of the band, and you can’t be the stubborn brawny frontman of a band like Maiden and be timid and weak. Outwardly, very few things would phase him, but I know inwardly he’s a very sensitive man. We would have incredible times together, but he would also be a bit of a loner and go off and do his own bits and pieces.

He got into his fencing, which I completely admired about him, because he’s superfit now, but he doesn’t work out half as much as he used to. He was such a good fencer, he was actually asked to join the Olympic fencing team in the mid-to-late Eighties, but he couldn’t because he had to go on the road with the band.

Writing books was the next thing. He was unbearable when he was writing those Iffy Boatrace books, because you’d be doing something on the bus and he’d have just finished writing a new chapter and he’d want to read the whole fricking story to you! But he was so excited, you can’t blow someone out the sky for that.

I was very angry with him when he left the band, because of the way it happened and because I didn’t want him to leave. But when we all got back in the room to take that beautiful picture of the reunion, it was as though we’d all been on holiday for a couple of months, instead of four-plus years and in Adrian’s case, ten almost. The most amazing thing about making music together is that you really bond with your music and also personally, in your inner soul. There’s an amazing vibe that’s always maintained and even though we had four great years with Blaze, when Bruce and Adrian came back into the band, there was this incredible affiliation again.

A change I saw in Bruce from that time, apart from his enthusiasm for the band back like he had when I first joined it, is the genuineness of the emotion that I feel from him. He’s changed in that he seems more rounded and more content, although he’s doing so much more than before he left the band. He’s doing his radio show, he’s doing his flying and he’s got a part-time gig in a band as a singer! He is an absolute joy to be around. We’ve had so many great times on the ‘Give Me Ed’ tour, as we will do on the ‘Dance Of Death’ tour.

I think his finest moment on ‘Dance Of Death’ has got to be on ‘Journeyman’, because it shows a lighter side to Bruce’s voice. There are a lot more subtle emotions than you get with some other tunes and there’s so much more control. The emotion he puts into that track is phenomenal.

[singlesablog]

Bona Drag ‘89

“Getting Away With It” (1989) Electronic Factory (UK) / Warner Records (US) (Written by Sumner/Marr/Tennant) Highest U.S. Billboard Chart Position – No. 38

When Pet Shop Boys first approached (coaxed, begged?) Dusty Springfield near the end of her career to duet with Neil Tennant on the 1987 single “What Have I Done to Deserve This?”, few of us could have known that this would lead to a great many more collaborations from the boys, or how fruitful this instinct would become.  It was also in that same year that they both (mainly Neil) collaborated with a group newly named Electronic, which would be comprised of the lead singer of New Order, Bernard Sumner, and Johnny Marr, the ex-lead guitarist and songwriter for The Smiths. “Getting Away With It” was a huge moment in my circle that year (as well as on the dance floor) for it’s sound combined the coolness of the alternative scene with disco, even though no one ever wants to say that very bad word. 

We all adored it.

The Smiths had disbanded in 1987, leaving Johnny Marr as a journeyman (never being the lead type).  We all loved The Smiths passionately because they were in part “our" band, and spoke to gay culture, and because, yes, Morrissey was a genius. We all hated him for ending it all too soon, because yes, it was all his fault.  His narcissism was not hard to apprehend, in content or image.  Johnny Marr's pairing up with Sumner was something of a miracle because both were surprisingly interested in house music, specifically an emerging genre known as Italo House, which leaned more toward Europe and upbeat electronic piano riffs.  They worked on the single first, along with an early cut called “Lucky Bag” (seek it out it is a jam) in the pure Italo House style, and went on tour to support Depeche Mode that year.  They ultimately spent 18 months finishing the debut album Electronic, which a lot of folks consider to be a minor classic.  Neil appeared on yet another track (“The Patience of a Saint”), and we were all in disco heaven—it was just so cool.

I am now surprised to discover that the secret behind “Getting Away” may the be sly and hateful jabs toward The Moz himself, who famously disdained anyone who ever ate meat, or any style of music he did not personally direct.  He is on record for dismissing electronic music in general as useless, so the jabs at his persona in the lyrics (“I’ve been walking in the rain / just to get wet on purpose”) are penchant, and just what he had coming.  It was only the year before that Morrissey had released a track called “Hairdresser on Fire” (as the B side to the A single “Suedehead”), one of his more famous B sides, which include the lyrics 

“Here is London Home of the brash, outrageous and free You are repressed But you're remarkably dressed Is it real?”

to which (apparently) the boys from Electronic responded in verse

“I've been talking to myself Just to suggest that I'm selfish (Getting ahead) I've been trying to impress That more is less and I'm repressed (I should do what he said)”

Which may be nothing, or may be pointed.  It is on record that Morrissey criticized the song in a 1991 interview, calling it "totally useless" and joking that the song had a "very apt title”.  

It is certain that both Marr and Sumner were looking to explore new freedoms and territories outside of the straight jacket of rock and roll.  It is especially ironic that Morrissey, one of the patron saints of gay identity, would be so narrow and humorless about pop music in general.  Then again, maybe not; I love him, but a kinkier curmudgeon would be hard to locate.  It has been suggested that Neil Tennant continued the lampooning of Morrissey with the B side to the single for “Was it Worth It?” (which flopped), “Miserablism” (which is iconic in their catalog), and paints the picture of a person using inversion as a religion:

“Every performance tends to reach the same conclusion No happy endings but a message to depress Saying life is an impossible scheme That's the point Of this philosophy

Miserablism Is is and isn't isn’t

Miserablism Is is and isn’t isn’t."

Electronic’s last album (of 3 total) was released in 1999.  They have never formally disbanded, but are likely done with the project.  Morrissey is still making records and slagging people off to this day.  There are no plans to reunite any version of The Smiths.

---

The collaborations with icons of gay culture would certainly continue for the Pet Shop Boys.  In 1992 they had their biggest success outside of their band by producing Boy George’s cover of “The Crying Game”, the title track for the movie of the same name.  It was a success worldwide, a Billboard No. 15 in the US (Boy George’s highest ever here as a solo act), as well as a dreamy synth pop gem.  Neil Tennant told NME in 1993, "I think George sings that song really well, he sounds a bit like Roy Orbison” which is rather true, a credit to the production and vocal alike. Charles Aaron from Spin said, “Heard it in a mall, wanted to weep in my Orange Julius.” to which I would say, didn’t we all Charles, didn’t we all.

"The Crying Game" by Boy George, 1992

The song title “Getting Away With It” is suggestive of many things.  As a member of the band The Smiths, Morrissey and the band adopted an anti-look look, very industrial city clothes, even presenting as nondescript.  But Morrissey had a way of inverting this idea, sporting a giant pompadour, thick NHS black glasses, an inoperative plastic hearing aid during performances, and receiving gladiolus flowers on stage from fans.  His was not an undramatic pose, and actually part of the long tradition of the gay man presenting as a fop.  

A fop from "What is this my Son Tom?", 1774

In England alone there was the “macaroni” of the Georgian period, followed by the Beau Brummell of the Regency period, and then the Aesthete, which culminated in the late 19th century with the writers Walter Pater and Oscar Wilde.  For the opening in 1892 of  his play“Lady Windermere’s Fan”, Oscar sported an unnatural green carnation as a publicity stunt (it actually signified nothing).  However nothing can easily become something.  The green carnation went on to become a craze for aesthetes, a tip off for the presence of homosex, and finally aided in Oscar’s undoing when an 1894 novel by the name of The Green Carnation by Robert Hitchens was used as evidence in Wilde’s sodomy trial to send him to Reading Gaol prison for 2 years, even though Oscar personally had nothing whatsoever to do with it’s publication or content.  He went on to comment 

"I invented that magnificent flower, but with the middle-class and mediocre book that usurps its strangely beautiful name I have, I need hardly say, nothing whatsoever to do. The flower is a work of art. The book is not.”

Oscar Wilde died only a few years after his imprisonment in 1900 at the young age of 46.  

His crime: high style.

Oscar Wilde, pictured with a green carnation.

[leclercenjoyer]

tagged by my darlings @bright-and-burning and @glasscushion to post my lockscreen, home screen, last song and a pretty picture

lockscreen and home screen are the same picture of pierreste because my brain is terminally rotted

last song is mademoiselle by kamijo i have uhhhh been listening exclusively to visual kei while doing my fuckass journeyman exam because it really helps me focus

and for pretty picture, have a picture of the fabric im making my jacket from for the aforementioned fuckass journeyman exam <3

tagging uhhhh @gaslybottoms @apeacebone @landoisokay @lafaerie @wewentcarracing

[starseneyes]

New York, New York - A Union Town

This weekend, I went on a whirlwind adventure up to New York from Virginia on Sunday and back down on Monday. Why? I went to walk the picket line with my Union.

Why go through 8 excruciating hours of driving up, one brief night of sleep, 4 hours walking 10 miles, and another 8 painful hours driving back in less than 40 hours? I'm glad you asked.

I joined SAG-AFTRA in 2001. I started acting as a kid, but it was then that I had the opportunity to join, at age 17.

It was just AFTRA back then, which is why I still have never had a SAG card. Maybe after I catch up on my dues, I can solicit one, but I'm two years behind due to Pandemic and *waves hands* all this. Those who read this blog often know life's hit us with problem after problem, but we soldier on.

So, why the hell waste money going to New York? Well, first of all, I didn't. I told my husband that I felt like I needed to be there during the first day of negotiations. See, yesterday AMPTP finally met with the NegCom to negotiate a new contract.

The old contract is antiquated, leaves us vulnerable to AI, and has made it almost impossible to make a living as an actor in the current landscape. There was a time voice-acting was a third of my income. Those days are long gone.

It's important to have as many people on the line as possible during negotiations to send a clear message—we're here, and we aren't going anywhere until you give us fair contracts.

I originally was going to bum a night in a sleeping bag on a friend's cat-filled house while freezing because they don't believe in turning on the heat at night. I'm allergic to cats. Still, the idea was the only one I had.

Then, a client of mine (I'm a Digital Marketer by trade because writing and acting don't exactly pay the bills) said she wanted to cover my room.

We should note that I know writers don't need actors to write. I meant that they needed actors for the Fall Season, and I was having trouble thinking and typing through my tears. Anyway...

That settled, a Twitter friend I've never met in real life reached out offering gas money. I was so thankful, cried again, then quickly packed on a Saturday night for a Sunday morning departure.

I drove up with one stop to relieve my bladder, grab a kids meal (keeping down costs) and gas up.

I tried to sleep Sunday night, but I'm rubbish at going to bed early. I am good at getting up, early, and was ready for the lines. I put on my WGA East hat a WGA member handed me when I walked the lines back in July. I think they thought I was going to die of heat exhaustion, I was so red.

Instead of politely explaining that I don't temperature regulate and only sweat after I'm already in danger of heat stroke, I said, "Thank you".

I brought it with me this time in case Netflix was a sunny location. Spoiler alert: It wasn't. I didn't need the hat, and I didn't mind one bit.

Also to note: It's not that I was rich in July. No, a dear friend who passed (see blog on Cheryl Anne Marek) gifted us with a little money and said she knew we'd find something good to do with it. We rented a lake house in New Jersey for a vacation with the kids (though I brought my work and worked every day) and I took the train in one day to walk the WGA line.

I lamented that a heat wave shut down the rest of the week's picketing back in July, and always wanted to get back. So, I was ready for walking yesterday!

I was nearly a half hour early, and remarked that my mother's an IATSE 798 Journeyman makeup artist and I'm very used to being there before actors. I received a polite nod and asked if I could help at all. No, they said, they had a system.

So, I took this picture which strangely got the most attention on Twitter. But, it was a call to action—"I'm here and signed in! Where are you?"

"On our way", came the response. And people came. Our initial group of 20 or so became well over a hundred in under an hour. They kept expanding our walk way, and we marched, sang, and chanted along to the beat of our five percussionists. Yes, people with drums. Actors do not hold back when we're asked to go all-out. We go all-out!

Shortly after we got started walking in our tight, little circle, a friend of mine found me. Well, Peter and I have been Zoom and Twitter friends for ages, but we finally met. And when we hugged it was like old friends who hadn't seen one another in a few years. Fairly accurate, really.

We're both Pre-WGA—an often polarizing term that simply means we'd like to be WGA someday and are puttering along with spec scripts and screenwriting competitions until our dreams turn real. Being the realist I am, I know my odds are next to null, but the optimistic corner of my brain says not to surrender hope. So, I don't.

We stepped out of line for a quick photo, then back in to dance, chant, chat, and make noise. And while Picket Lines might look like a lot of fun from the outside, I was in a mad amount of pain.

See, I have a lot going on medically. Chronic pain is an old friend. And smiling through it, second nature.

So, if you saw me singing and swinging my hips, that wasn't just the beat. That was me trying to keep everything from locking up and telling myself I could make it just a little longer without a sip of water. And, yes, they handed us waters. I never say no to a proffered (sealed) bottle of water.

Because Picket Lines aren't just about the dancing, singing, chanting, and chatting. So many people out there are exhausted. But Actors are really good at finding our way through lean times, and Writers are, too, dagnabbit. Several WGA folks were out on the line with us, and they're standing alongside us as we stood alongside them.

Solidarity matters. We stand together, and it's not just Writers and Actors. I've seen IATSE on the lines. I've seen Teamsters on the lines. I've seen vacationers who decided to skip seeing the Empire State Building and come march with us instead. I've met film students (and history students) out on the lines who said they knew this mattered and they had to be a part of it.

I drove 8 hours there. I know people who've driven far more.

We are Actors. Writers. PAs. Teamsters. Makeup Artists. Hair Artists. Grips. Electricians. Craft Services. Camera Operators. Directors of Photography. Costumers. Best Boys. Boom Mic Operators. Editors. And more.

We—not those few billionaire, decision-making CEOs—create the bounty of beautiful films and television shows that illuminate people's lives. We are the dreamers of dreams.

Throughout the walk, I was struck by the care of the Captains. They made sure we knew where to walk and not. They brought out coffee (regular or black), bagels with cream cheese, cold waters, chips (or crisps, if you're across the pond), and more. These folks are volunteers who believe. We are all out there because we know this matters. But the sacrifice they make cannot be under-represented.

I got a new Strike shirt at the line, and decided to wear it on the drive home. It was far less smelly than the one I'd worn all day, and I was going to be trapped in a small tin can with me for hours, after all.

When I stopped at a service station, a random woman pointed at the shirt and told me she liked it. I smiled and thanked her. It always warms my heart when people see our fight and stand with us.

I drove home listening to the Good Omens audiobook (have about 41 minutes left, now) I borrowed via my local library (Please support yours. Libraries are amazing!). I was so bloody tired, but the voices of the actors filled my car and the story kept my mind awake. It's bloody brilliant if you've never read/listened.

It was after 9PM when I pulled up to my house. My three children (ages 9, 9, and 6) were still awake.

6yo: Mama, what did you do?! Me: Walked in circles for three hours. 6yo: Walked in circles?

While the twins have a fairly firm grasp on all this, she's six. I pulled her in my arms and hugged her close as I tried to explain a little better.

Because I believe in what we did. I am no influencer or celebrity. I'm simply a girl who believes in her Union. While I've been a Twitter warrior (one WGA guy I met said, "I think I've seen your tweets!"), I wanted to do more. I have been to a rally in Wilmington. I've walked the lines with WGA. But I wanted to walk the lines with my Union, too. It felt like the right thing to do.

My hips were killing me last night. And I admit I worried about my chronic pilonidal disease flaring up. But, I know what to do after a decade of living with it, and today I'm just fine.

Folks, WGA and SAG-AFTRA have been out here fighting for the rights of workers. We're all workers. That's what we are. Most actors and writers aren't famous or rich. We're simply people working our asses off doing what we love, and hoping to make enough to live. It's as simple as that.

I never wanted fame or fortune, even in my youth! I simply wanted to write and act and earn a living. Doesn't seem so strange, right?

Anyway, please do post your support for SAG-AFTRA, if you feel so inclined. If you can make it to a picket line, good on ya! If you can't, no worries. We all have different parameters to what we can and cannot do. And we're all in this together.

Here's to new contracts, a better future, and worker's rights. Onward.