#kiki beth

[fabulous-wellmeaning-lunatic]

intro

greetings & salutations! haven't been active here in awhile so I thought I'd make an intro.

bio

~ artist, writer, photographer

~ '07

~ agender & queer, she/it/he

~ autism

I contain multitudes (interests)

music

~ taylor swift

~ lorde

~ halsey

~ neutral milk hotel

~ fiona apple

~ spotify

tv shows & movies

cartoons

~ gravity falls

~ hhineas & ferb

~ avatar the last airbender

~ over the garden wall

~ my little pony

~ spiderverse

~ studio ghibli

~ bojack horseman

~ beastars

live action

~ the queen's gambit

~ the end of the f***ing world

~ the marvelous mrs. maisel

~ gossip girl

~ parks & recreation

~ the hunger games

~ heathers

~ wes anderson

misc.

~ don't hug me I'm scared

~ audrey hepburn

~ animal crossing

~ the sims

[kennedy-family-library]

Happy 4th of July to the United States🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[eddiessidegirl]

Who called you that 🤬

Listen, I've been following you for a year now and I can safely attest: you're neither a fuck-up nor boring. You're a bright, creative, talented, kind and brave person and if we're getting superficial on top of that, you're beautiful and your style is chef's kiss.

Might sound cheesy but if anyone thinks anything less than that of you, it's a them-problem, and mean people will always be mean because deep inside they're just bitter and miserable and they bully others because it brings them a rush of joy and control they can't find anywhere else so really they're the boring fuck-ups.

Don't listen to bullies, dear 🖤

it’s unfortunately someone i thought cared about me.. it legitimately came out of nowhere and i just cried myself to sleep because of it.

thank you so much for the kind words kiki, i appreciate you so much 🥺💕 you’re a beautiful soul (and person).

[meademalove]

Beth and Viv in Kiki's latest IG post 🔥❤️ (thank you Kiki you are an angel! 🙏🏼)

[moocha-muses]

"Malia has a date today."

"No way. This the kid you went to prom with? Beth's spawn? The one with the unfortunate name?"

"His name is Archie and he's sweet. Um. And I think he really likes me, but I don't really know how I feel about him."

"Oof, yeah, that's rough. You Lees are, like, fuckin' cursed to lead people on, with those cow eyes. Just ask your dad."

"I didn't-"

"You did, Kiki. Like, the whole campus. Anyway, Lia, you might as give the kid a chance before you leave for school. Maybe his stupid name will grow on you."

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

EDIT: Typo, should be Domhnall Gleeson. But you know who I meant.

[greenbergwrites]

There's another 3-day "stuff your Kindle" promotion going on where a bunch of books are free right now, link to the master list here~

Some notable mentions:

Favor by Kiki Clark - Book one in a trilogy. I own both available books in this series and the third one comes out next week. I'll be honest, it's been a while since I've read this, so I can't give you specifics, but Kiki Clark is one of those authors I trust enough to grab their stuff immediately.

In The Shadows by Hailey Turner - Book #3 in a 6-part series. Not sure why book 3 is free instead of book 1 but I will tell you that the whole series is on KU and it's pretty cool. Good X-Men vibes if the X-Men were a branch of law enforcement. I own the whole series in paperback. HT is heavy on the plot but she also throws some casual kink into her sex scenes. Alexei is one of my favorite characters and this is his romance. It feature a good couple'a tropes that I'm a sucker for. [HIGHLY recommend the audiobooks, too, if anyone is interested. I found this series through Audible.]

Lost Touch by Eliot Grayson - The 7th book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone. A lot of books in the series aren't really connected, or only tangentially connected. Another series I own the paperbacks for. I read this book while DEEP in my depression state, though, so I remember almost nothing about it but EG is another author I automatically grab. [In case you're wondering, my favorite of the series is the one just before this, Lost & Bound. Only free if you have KU, though.]

Lacuna by N.R. Walker - I have not read this book, but I do know the author and I tend to like their stories. I'm looking forward to this one since it has fantasy elements. Most of NRW's stuff is contemporary, and the works I've read by them are among those.

Drive Me Crazy by Beth Bolden - I have read this one, it's decent if you want something that's a quick read. BB has a couple of different food-related series that are interconnected so there are mentions of other couples but I didn't have a problem following it without having read the others. [Sweet As Pie is another BB title and a better read imo but it's only free if you have KU.]

The Wrangler & the Orphan by Jackie North -- JN has another series called Love Across Time. I've read most of that series and own it in paperback. I haven't read this series, so I can't vouch for it, but the other one was pretty good.

Here are some authors on the list that are hit or miss for me, but fair warning, I haven't read any of the titles:

Professor Daddy by Nora Phoenix -- I own this one, but I don't seem to remember it? Maybe if I re-read it, idk. NP is technically a good writer, I just think they infodump too much sometimes and I find myself glazing a lot. I like books that I'm invested in emotionally and I don't find myself too invested in NP's stuff.

King of Askara by Victoria Sue - I own things by VS but some of their stuff is objectively terrible. I haven't read this title, I don't know which it will turn out to be.

Out of the Frying Pan by Elouise East - I have this ongoing probably where I know I've read things by Elouise East because the name is familiar but I can't for the life of me remember the title or if I liked it. I'm guessing they're somewhere in the middle re: writing, because if it was terrible, I'd remember it.

The Problem by Piper Scott -- They also write under Emma Alcott and I own all of EA's books in paperback. I also own all of Forbidden Desires (y'know, that dragon-shifter series I talked about a while ago) in paperback.

I cannot vouch for any other Piper Scott titles, but I do know that everything where her co-author is Susi Hawke is objectively terrible.

[fathermarama]

Imagine a Twisted Wonderland x Summoners War crossover.

Wonder how the students and teachers would react to a random "magicless" student just summoning people.

My team is;

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Liam - Weapon Master (Water) ↓

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Beth - Hell Lady (Water) ↓

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Emma - Neostone Agent (Water) ↓

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Lapis - Magic Knight (Water) ↓

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Kiki - Mage (Dark) ↓

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Mine have outfits, but I just put the default outfits on for them. Anyway, has anyone thought of this? I love Summoners War, and I love TWST.

You don't have to just be able to summon your main team, you can switch between all your monsters/summons.

Also side question. What monster/summon do you think each character would like?

Ooooh and what about mounts?

[juniperhillpatient]

thank you for tagging me @kiki-strike !! <33

10 characters 10 fandoms 10 (ish) tags!

1. Azula ATLA - she's a girlboss. she's a pathetic poor little meow meow. she's a manipulative mastermind. she's a socially awkward wreck. she's a child soldier whose mother left her & who's father treated her like a weapon. she's the most formidable villain the heroes have ever faced. i love her

2. Ashley Graves TCOAAL - a controversial pick MAYBE but I love to see a demon-worshipping cannibal queen winning (committing unspeakable acts but it's ok because her mom didn't love her & also she is baby have u considered that?) i think ashley should be allowed to commit all the atrocities she wants as a treat on the grounds that her parents were so awful they left her to starve to death & before that, pretended not to notice when she & her brother accidentally killed a girl in middle school

3. Natalie Scatorcio, Yellowjackets - 2 cannibal queens in a row I must have a type <3 I love a tragic hero who is also a violent, dangerous & unstable individual. forgiveness is a nice idea but my poor doomed antler queen will never live to see it... she was a gentle soul (ignore the atrocities) who never got to see a single moment of peace or gentleness in her life

4. Sam Carpenter, Scream - it was nearly impossible for me to pick between my best girls Sidney, Emma, & Sam for this list but I have to go Sam. she's the daughter of a serial killer. she enjoys stabbing people. she sees visions of her dead dad telling her to kill but she loves her friends & her sister more than anything. i adore my dangerous & violent but also oh so sweet babygirl

5. Faith Lehane Buffy the Vampire Slayer - listen, Buffy is the obvious choice for the best character in Buffy OFC. but have you considered. faith is broken & hurt & a little crazy with jealousy & obsession with buffy. she's the dark slayer. she has a dynamic with the wacky evil demonic town mayor that mirrors buffy's relationship with her wholesome (mostly. sometimes demon rebelly) librarian mentor as the dark side of the coin. she's never had anyone pick her first & it kills her but she pretends she doesn't care. i'd die for her

6. Baby Firefly - this time not a confirmed cannibal but my girl is into corpse desecration & necrophilia so I think this is a great list that proves I have excellent taste in fictional characters. "there is no wrong. if someone needs to be killed you kill 'em! that's the way :)"

7. Beth Salinger, Hostel 2 - fave final girl my bestie had a hot lesbian enemies to almost lovers to beheading you & playing soccer with the head dynamic with an evil secret society member who tried to lure her to her death. she also cut off the penis of the man who dared to fuck with her & fed it to a dog so like what more can you even want from a character <3

8. Dennis Reynolds IASIP - having dennis as my fave is soo embarrassing he's such a basic fave but genuinely he's SO fucking pathetic & sad beneath the layers of fake manipulative suave cool rich kid that he thinks he conveys (he doesn't). he's literally just a sad little girl who falls apart & curls up on he ground crying when things get overwhelming. everyone who doesn't understand him thinks he's a mastermind serial killer but they are FALLING FOR HIS ACT

9. Katherine Pierce TVD - THEY HATE TO SEE A GIRLBOSS WINNINGGGGGGG (I don't know Scarlet Witch but I think it's funny to steal the description for #9 for Katherine from the person who tagged me in this hehe) anyway it's funny for me to pick Katherine when I named my cat damon & I have a ginormous shirtless poster of ian somerhalder literally over my bed I'm looking at it right now BUT hear me out. Katherine is my real fave. unforgivable villain who always chooses herself first & also mirrors the protagonist & also she was just a girl once too, a pregnant, scared young girl. if the writers cared about me specifically at all we would've gotten a spin off of Katherine & her daughter instead of what we got

10. Annie Edison Community - much like with buffy the vampire slayer & buffy summers, there is a correct answer to which community character is objectively the best & it's obviously abed. BUT my subjective fave that I latch onto is annie. she's just so babygirl. she had a nervous breakdown in high school because she was always too perfect. she's just out of rehab for adderall when we meet her but it's mostly only referenced or flashed back to as a joke. we never meet her parents but the quotes she references from them are deeply disturbing if you turn off the laugh track & pay attention. she has a fucked up relationship with her good older male friend because #daddy issues. she is obsessed with true crime. there's a monkey named after her boobs. she's the ONLY member of the study group who could've EVER lived with troy & abed & incorporated herself into their dynamic the way she does in episodes like foosball & nocturnal vigilantism. my girl is so silly & a little crazy <3

anyway

thank u for the tag i love rambling about my fave characters!!

I tag: @missjessefantastico, @theowritesfiction @dont-leafmealone, @peony-pearl, @stalker-among-the-stars @bearsandbeansart @chasingfictions @hello-nichya-here, @lunaintheskyforever, @gathering0gloom, @jctko, @jet-apologistmybadhomies, @745voiceofthepeople, @prodogg, @matchamarshmallow

ok if you wanted to be tagged please just say I tagged you also no pressure to the people I tagged it's just for fun if u want :)

[birindale]

Well, I guess I'm transcribing news segments now.

Filmation She-Ra: The day I held aloft my sword and said, "for the honor of Grayskull!"

[Filmation She-Ra's transformation sequence segues into Dreamworks She-Ra's]

Beth Canon, VP of Development, Dreamworks Animation Television: I was a child of the 80s, and I grew up watching She-Ra. I was just a huge fan of the property, because honestly there wasn't that much for girls at the time. Because I had that--that personal connection to the show, it was so important to really do it right, if we were gonna reboot it. A lot of my friends and I were having conversations about female empowerment. I think we just started to feel like it was the right time, like there was something happening, we felt like young girls really needed a new sort of… superhero to look up to.

ND Stevenson, Executive Producer: Beth was awesome to work with. She was interested in uh, especially my take on female characters. She wanted to go a little bit deeper than the typical 'girl power' show would go, which was really exciting to me, that was exactly what I wanted to do. I didn't quite find myself relating to princesses when I was a kid. They were always very pretty, they were always very dainty, they were too perfect. And that wasn't my experience. As a girl. And so I really wanted to see a version of that that rang true to me.

Filmation She-Ra: [kicks in a wall] Now to take care of a few things.

?Elizabeth Kresin?: Welcome to the rough pitch of episode 114, we have boards from uh, Mickey, Angela, Jasmine, and Kiki

Josie Campbell, Story Editor: We have a lot of women, we have a lot of people from different backgrounds. The fact that we wanted to make a show that reflected what we wanted to see, and who we were as people, I think really spoke to everybody. It was like another reason we all really care about She-Ra.

ND Stevenson: We have a first time art director, first time directors, first time story editor, so we really relied on each other, and we really relied on the support from each other in order for this show to be possible at all. So much of that ended up going into the show, even just the story about all these characters working together to like, solve this problem, to save the day. It felt like a lot of what was going on with us, as well.

Josie Campbell: I think the biggest message of She-Ra is sort of a combination of, "No one can do this alone"--She-Ra is a strong hero, she's got the sword, she's got the mystical background, but she still needs her friends to come and help her.

[recording booth]

Aimee Carrero: From 129?

Unseen crew member: Yeah, we'll pick it up from 129.

Aimee Carrero, voice of Adora/She-Ra: [as Adora] For the honor of grayskull! [as herself] Girl power isn't like explicitly stated in our show, but it's implied and I think it's because Noelle has created a post-misogynist world, which is like very refreshing to live in because obviously as soon as we walk out of this room we're faced with things on a daily basis. But in this world, a woman in power is not something that's commented on. A woman's shape is not commented on.

Karen Fukuhara: [as Glimmer] Why isn't it attacking the woods?

Aimee Carrero: [as Adora] It's still just a Horde bot. We know how to handle these--[screams]

ND Stevenson: It was very important to me from the start that our characters represented a diversity of body shape, diversity of ethnicity, and a diversity of, I guess… romantic and gender expression. We wanted our characters to fall along these spectrums in so many different ways.

Karen Fukuhara, voice of Glimmer: The reaction on this show has been absolutely nuts, it's amazing. I--I've gotten phone calls from friends that have said, "Thank you for being part of a show that--that I see myself on."

Glimmer: Iiiiiiit's makeover time!

ND Stevenson: To see yourself reflected in that way, it's hugely important, because if you only see one type of body type in that role you start to think, "Maybe that's just what a protagonist looks like."

[at a table read]

ND Stevenson: And Marcus, on 128 could I get a--a scream and a--and a voice crack there? 'Cause Bow's just really freaked out.

[back in the recording booth]

Marcus Scribner: [as Bow] Did you learn anything new from Light Hope?

Aimee Carrero: [deflective chuckling] Getting way better at transforming my sword! Look! [holds up a pretend pitcher] Hyeaah….

Bow: [huge gasp] Wow… a pitcher… that's so useful!

Marcus Scribner, Voice of Bow: Bow back in the old days of She-Ra was like this middle-aged white man who was like, "Hah, She-Ra, let's save the day!"

Filmation Bow: She-Ra! Thank goodness you're here.

Marcus Scribner: I feel like new Bow is obviously different, in that he's an African American character, and I think he's a really cool male character in an animation we haven't seen too often.

Bow: Do we have a new addition to the Best Friend Squad?

Glimmer: Shut up.

Marcus Scribner: He's there to support his female leads, and I think a lot of young boys can learn a lot from watching Bow does and how he treats the women around him.

Sea Hawk: Can I be this miniature painted model of Bow?

Adora: No! Those represent Bow and Glimmer. And this one's mine. [fields incredulous stares] … Bow made them for us. Okay, just--! Everyone focus!

Marcus Scribner: My little cousin Jackson and my little cousin Timothy both watch the show. They watched all thirteen episodes super quick, I was getting really excited 'cause I was like, "Oh, we're gonna get you guys Bow action figures and Bow pins and all this stuff--" and they were like, "Nah, we want She-Ra figures!" which I think is super dope. And kind of like the motive of the show is really opening people's eyes and--and getting people to see a strong female lead in an animation, which I don't think is done too often.

ND Stevenson: I think we were all sort of making the show for ourselves, in the past. So, when I look back and I see myself as this kid, and I think, "What does she need to see right now?" and, "How can I be the person that I needed when I was that age?" and hopefully that rings true to the kids who are watching it now.

Producer/Director: Carly Marsh Editor: Sharon Ruedeman Director of Photography: Emily Geraghty

[byte-your-tongue]

What I'm Willing To Write

Content:

x reader romantic

x reader platonic (default unless you specify)

x reader familial

x reader queerplatonic

fluff

canon x canon ships

i'm bad with angst sometimes but i can try

gore/horror

specific reader traits(to a certain extent)

poly ships

queer reader

gender neutral reader(default unless you specify)

female reader

transfem reader

trandmasc reader

nonhuman reader

if something isn't listed feel free to ask!

Fandoms/Characters:

Splatoon (Marie, Callie, Shiver, Frye, Big Man, Marina, Pearl, Harmony, the agents(IF ROMANTIC I WILL ASSUME THEY ARE ADULTS. OTHERWISE SPECIFY AGE), Acht, Finn, Spyke, Sheldon, Mr.Grizz, Tartar, Octavio, Warabi, Yoko, Tao Blu, Kiki)

Overwatch (Pretty much any of the playable characters but i have a better grasp on some of their characters than others, Maximilien)

Rick and Morty (Rick, Beth, Rick Prime, Summer, Morty, Unity)

Honkai Impact 3rd (Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Otto, Welt, Void Archives, all Flame Chasers, Klein(human and ELF), Dr.MEI, Senti, Fu Hua, Roza and Lili, Sushang, Theresa, Coralie, Songque, Sera, Thelema, Helia, Senadina, Lantern, Himeko, Ai-Chan, Durandal, Rita, Susanah, Kallen, Sakura, Siegfried, Tesla, Einstein, Seele, Seele(other), Sin Mal, Cocolia, Gray Serpent, Raven, Sirin, Any Captainsverse Characters) APHO VERSIONS OF MEI AND BRONYA ARE AVAILABLE FOR ROMANCE, BUT NOT THEIR TEEN COUNTERPARTS.)

Honkai Star Rail(Welt.... again..., Himeko, Dan Heng, Trailblazer, March 7th, Bronya, Seele, Sampo, Sushang, Herta, Natasha.) As i play more i'll add more characters to this list

Dungeon Meshi (All of the Touden Party, Mithrun, Thistle, Kabru)

Mario Games (Peach, Daisy, Luigi)

Soul Eater(Maka, Kid, Soul, Black*Star, Liz, Patty, Tsubaki, Crona, Ragnarok, Meme, Anya, Tsugumi, Kilik, Ox, Ragnarok, Kim, Jackie, Stein, Spirit, Medusa, Azusa, Sid, Naigus, Blair, Eruka, Giriko, Arachne, Mifune, Marie)

Pokemon(Akari, Rei, Volo, Adaman, Irida, Ingo, Emmet, Elesa, Guzma, Hilda, Selene, Arven, Nemona, Penny, Leon, Raihan, Melony, Allister, Cilan(anime), Iris, Korrina, Skyla, Nessa, Kabu, Cynthia, Kukui, Gloria, Jessie(anime), James(anime), Meowth(anime), Lana, Kiawe, Sophocles, Mallow, Lillie, Faba, N) You can Specify Anime or Game Counterpart For Some Characters, Feel Free To Ask :)

Wakfu(show)(Yugo, Amalia, Dally, Rubilax, Remington and Grany, Eva, Ruel, Qilby, Nox)

My Little Pony G4(Mane Six, Discord, CMC, Luna, Celestia)

Obey Me!(Mammon, Lucifer, Satan, Leviathan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Luke, Diavolo, Barbatos)

Undertale(Pretty much anyone)

Roblox: Pressure( Painter and Sebastian)

What I'm NOT Willing To Write

Content:

NSFW content (im aro ace and just not comfortable with it)

Pedophilia/Lolicon/Shotacon/Underage

Zoophilia

Incest (including stepcest)

Reader character being seriously mean to a character. (it makes me sad to think about anyone being seriously rude to a character... enemies to lovers/friendly teasing/rivalries/etc are all allowed, just no serious rudeness to characters.)

Pokephilia

amab male reader. (i am afab genderfluid and just don't have any perspective on this. sorry!)

Fandoms/Characters:

Harry Potter (self explanatory)

Jerry Smith (just don't like him)

Belphegor (i don't take pleasure from writing him....)

[illicien]

Tagged by @zemos-bathrobe & @hiddenxplaces-blog

RULES: spell out your URL using song titles, then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL

In My Head - Virtual Riot & PRXZM

Leave The Lights On - Meiko

Little miss mysogyny - audalei

In The End - Beth Crowley

Can't Control The Kids - Kerli

I Ship It - Not Literally

Emergency (Sorority Row Version) - Aimee Allen

Never Enough - AViVA

As ever, only if you'd have fun with it:

@descaladumidera @evilwinterfruit @bicycleonfire @kiki-shortsnout

@atypical-snowman @turtleoftheabyss @amethyst-noir @hypnxrchy

[junkshop-disco]

Thomas Barrow’s Barris Mixtape

Brave Face - Beth Rowley / Under the Weather - KT Tunstall / The Moon and Me - Tom Baxter / Tonight the Streets Are Ours - Richard Hawley / Long After Tonight Is All Over - Julie Rogers / Don’t Say - Gabrielle Aplin / Indestructible - Robyn / Stay Awhile - Röyksopp & Susanne Sundfør / One Night with The Valet - Tennis / Loving & Free - Kiki Dee / Rainy Days and Mondays - Carpenters / Goin’ Back - Dusty Springfield / The World’s Strongest Man - Scott Walker / A Different Corner - George Michael / I’m a Better Man (For Having Loved You) - Englebert Humperdinck / Every Night - Paul McCartney / Love Song - Lucy Rose / Rambling Man - Laura Marling / Love Letters - Ketty Lester / Emotions - Brenda Lee / Solitaire - Andy Williams / Goodbye to Love - Phoebe Bridgers / If It Wasn’t For the Nights - ABBA / Love Is A Losing Game - Amy Winehouse / Chasing Pavements - Adele

listen here

[eddiessidegirl]

8, 15, 34 and 40! 🖤

8; What’s your favorite band/artist? Unabashedly it’s Taylor Swift, i’ve grown up with her and we’re similar in age so i relate to her so much 💕

15; What’s your favorite season? i’m obsessed with fall, especially early fall! rain is one of my favourite weather systems so it makes sense also halloween 😂

34; What’s your favorite flower? Black Dahlias! they’re such beautiful flowers 🥹

40; Do you like the beach? Do you prefer it sunny or cloudy? i love beaches, but i don’t get to visit often, rock and sand! either weather tbh as long as i’m dressed appropriately

ahhh thank you kiki! i’m sitting in an airport terminal bored and waiting for someone’s plane so this was nice!

[meademalove]

Beth putting the text over her adidas slides in the Kiki birthday story

Firstly, she's wearing a Nike shirt and shorts with Adidas sliders, and that's an abomination. Secondly, maybe those aren't hers. 🤣

[nyupreservation]

FILM INSPECTION: THE EARLY FILMS OF BETH B

by Emily Jenne, Institute of Fine Arts Conservation Center graduate student

Beth B, one of the most influential filmmakers to emerge from the generative chaos of the 1980s downtown scene, is known for her transgressive head-on confrontation of power structures and sexual politics. She formed the independent film production company B Movies (a play on low-budget films) with her partner Scott B, with whom she has worked over the years along with a panoply of collaborators, downtown luminaries such as Jack Smith, Arto Lindsay, Pat Place, John Lurie, Bill Rice, Gary Indiana, James Nares, Kiki Smith, Tom Otterness, Richard Edson, Vivienne Dick, James Russo, Richard Prince, Ann Magnuson, Jenny Holzer, Richard Kern, Kembra Pfahler, James Habacker, Dirty Martini, Thurston Moore, and Kai Eric (the list goes on). She is still active today, and her recent documentaries zero in on burlesque, no-wave provocateur Lydia Lunch, and the painter Ida Applebroog (who also happens to be Beth B’s mother).

Flyer for ‘Black Box’

As a longtime Beth B fan myself, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work on several of her early films as they entered NYU’s Special Collection (Beth B Papers, MSS.614; Scott and Beth B (B Movies) Records, MSS.622). This included: G Man (1978), Black Box (1979), The Trap Door (1981), Salvation (1987), Belladonna (1989), and Visiting Desire (1996), as well as a copy of Un Chant d’Amour (1950) the first and last film by French writer Jean Genet, famously banned for its explicit content. As a graduate student specializing in both time-based media and paper conservation at the Institute of Fine Arts NYU, I am often asked where these two seemingly disparate fields overlap. The work I’ve done at the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department is an excellent example of the two working in tandem. The Beth B collection, for example, has both a media component (the films) and an accompanying paper element (posters and other ephemera). 

‘The Deadly Art of Survival’ poster, photograph by Dawn Manokowski

Film preservation begins with an assessment logging current conditions and identifying the media, which will determine the best practices for storage. The first order of business is identifying the film base as cellulose nitrate, acetate, or polyester. The film gauges present in the Beth B collection, 16mm and Super 8mm, ruled out one possibility, cellulose nitrate which was never used as an 8mm or 16mm substrate in the West. From there, acetate and polyester could be distinguished using a very high-tech piece of equipment, 3D movie glasses. A pair of polarized 3D glasses folded in half at the nose can be used for a polarization test. When slid between the lenses, a polyester base will birefringe, acetate will not (birefringence is a phenomenon of optical anisotropy in certain materials that causes distinctive visual undulations at changing angles). In the end, all of the films were found to have an acetate base. 

The film inspection bench in the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department.

Further information about the film stock can be determined from clues in the edge code. Using a loupe and cross-referencing with an edge code chart, the year and even the location of manufacture can be established. The placement of a dot within the word ‘safety’ notes the location (acetate film base is known as ‘safety film’ in contrast to its highly reactive and flammable predecessor, cellulose nitrate). The film stock in the Beth B collection was manufactured in Rochester, NY. 

Kodak edge code identifying Rochester, NY as the manufacturing location.

Eastman Kodak Date Code Chart

Information on the soundtrack format was also noted, the Super 8mm reversal films had a magnetic soundtrack, and the 16mm reversal films had a variable density optical track. Other relevant information was also recorded such as instances of surface abrasion, broken sprocket holes, number and character of splices, and any annotations on the head or tail leader (often instructions for the projectionist).

‘Salvation’ Print # 2

‘The Trap Door’ 8mm reel.

The major concern with acetate film base is deacetylation, an irreversible form of deterioration colloquially known as ‘vinegar syndrome’ for its distinctive acidic odor which can be detected at concentrations as low as 1 ppm. Deacetylation is essentially a reversal of the synthesis steps used to make the acetate base, and the reaction produces acetic acid which can also have a detrimental effect on the other component layers of the film. Acetic acid can soften the gelatin emulsion layer and accelerate fading of color dyes in color film. Deacetylation also leads to warpage, embrittlement, channeling, and shrinkage of the film base by as much as 10%. Shrinkage beyond 0.8% makes it dangerous to project the film. 

Film shrinkage gauge.

Deacetylation is exacerbated by high humidity and fluctuations in temperature, but further damage can be mitigated with correct storage conditions. The industry standard for measuring the extent of deacetylation is with AD strips, a type of targeted litmus test, which measures acidity on a scale of 0 (blue, indicating no deterioration) to 3 (yellow, which indicates critical condition). In conjunction, multiple readings taken with a film shrinkage gauge can be used to determine the average shrinkage level of the film.

An 8mm film splicer in action.

‘Trap Door’ film reel storage case.

The films in the Beth B collection were found to be in generally good condition, and minor preservation interventions included the removal of tape residue and splicing of new labeled extensions onto the existing head and tail leader. The copy of Un Chant d’Amour, now upwards of 70 years old and suffering more from the effects of deacetylation in contrast the Beth B films, is a good reminder of the importance of consistent low humidity, low-temperature storage in prolonging the life of acetate-based films, just the kind that these films will receive in their new home at NYU.  

Film Poster for ‘Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over’