#my fandom participation has always been 'add more resources'

[liminalpsych]

Every Gawain reference I could find in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136 C.E.), including Faletra's translator notes, in case that's of interest to the Gawain fans out there.

"Desiring to honor the decrees of his own father, Arthur gave Anguselus royal power over the Scots, and he gave Urian the scepter of Moray. Back in the days of Aurelius Ambrosius, Loth had married the king’s sister Anna, by whom he fathered Gawain and Mordred. Arthur now granted him the earldom of Lothian and the other neighboring lands that had once belonged to him." [152]

"So he prepared a fleet and sailed first to Norway, hoping to bestow its crown upon his brother-in-law Loth. Loth was, in fact, the nephew of Sichelm, the king of the Norwegians, and should have inherited the throne when Sichelm died. But the Norwegians refused to accept him as their king, setting up a certain Riculf in his place. They believed they could fight off Arthur from within their fortified cities. At that time, Loth’s son Gawain was only twelve years old and had been placed in the service of Pope Sulpicius, from whom he received his arms." [154]

"From the outlying islands came Gillamorius, the king of Ireland; Malvasius, the king of Iceland; Doldavius, the king of Gotland; Gunuasius, the king of the Orkneys; King Loth of Norway; and King Aschill of Denmark." [156]

(So Loth, Gawain, and Mordred weren't of Orkney originally. Where did that first happen?)

Then there's this longer passage, which I'll do in smaller font because he gets a whole battle scene:

"He also sent two of his vassals, Boso of Oxford and Gerin of Chartres, along with his nephew Gawain, as an embassy to Lucius Hiberius to explain that he should withdraw at once to the borders of Gaul or else Arthur would come to do battle to determine who had the more just claim to Gaul. The youth of Arthur’s court, rejoicing greatly, began to urge Gawain to create some type of pretext for fighting with the Romans while he was visiting the emperor’s camp.

"The delegation made its way to Lucius and ordered him to withdraw from Gaul or else meet them in battle the next day. While Lucius was in the process of replying that he would by no means withdraw but had instead come to rule that country, his nephew Gaius Quintillianus interrupted, and started saying that the Britons were far better-equipped with bragging and threats than they were with courage or skill in battle. Gawain was incensed at these words; he drew his sword, attacked Gaius, and cut off his head. The delegation then took to its horses and fled. The Romans pursued them with foot-soldiers and a cavalry force, sparing no effort in trying to avenge themselves on these fleeing messengers. But just as one of the Romans was starting to gain on them, Gerin of Chartres suddenly turned his horse and cast his spear at him, piercing right through the man’s armor and body and pinning him to the ground. When Boso of Oxford saw the great feat that Gerin had performed, he turned his horse as well and threw his spear at the first Roman to approach. It pierced him through the throat and made him fall off his horse, lethally wounded. Then Marcellus Mutius, who was hoping to avenge Gaius Quintillianus, tried to attack Gawain from behind and was just beginning to lay his hands on him. But Gawain spun around and struck him with his sword right through the helm, cleaving his head all the way down to his chest. He told Mutius that, when he saw Quintillianus in Hell, he should tell him that this was why the Britons’ boasting was not idle. Gawain then regrouped with his companions and urged them each to turn and attack their pursuers in this way. They agreed, and each of them threw down one Roman. But the rest of the Romans, who had up until this point been bent only on pursuit, now answered their blows with swords and lances. Yet they still could not catch them or cast them down. They chased them at long last into the vicinity of a certain forest, from which around six thousand Britons emerged. They had been watching the delegation’s escape and had lain hidden in this wood in order to lend their aid. The Britons set spurs to their horses and the air was suddenly filled with their war-cries. Readying their shields for the attack, they rushed upon the Romans, immediately setting them to flight. The Britons followed them, unhorsing some of the Romans with their spears, while others they either captured or killed." [166]

"The rest of the army was led by the renowned earls Gerin of Chartres and Boso of Rydychen, which is called Oxford in the Saxon tongue; the third battalion was led by King Aschill of the Danes and King Loth of Norway; the fourth battalion by Hoel, leader of the Armoricans, and the king’s nephew Gawain." [168]

And another long battle scene:

"Eventually, the companies that they led were weakened beyond measure and had to retreat until they came to the battalion led by Hoel of the Armorican Britons and Gawain. These two men suddenly burned like a flame and led a charge against the enemy. Regrouping the soldiers who were retreating, they forced those Romans who had just a moment ago been in pursuit to turn and flee. Catching up with the retreating Romans, they cast them down and slew them and did not cease massacring them until they came up against the emperor’s personal battalion. The emperor, seeing the great peril of his comrades, lent his aid immediately. The Britons were greatly weakened in this battle. Cinmaroc, the Count of Tréguier, fell there, along with two thousand of his men. Three famous noblemen also fell—Richomarcus and Bloccovius and Iagwivius of Bodloan. If these three men had been princes of their own realms, future ages would have sung their fame on account of their prowess. While Hoel and Gawain made their charge, no enemy whom they attacked could escape, but had his life snatched away by either sword or spear. But when their company had come into the midst of Lucius’ men, they were completely surrounded by the Romans and they fell in battle just as their comrades had. Hoel and Gawain, however, were the greatest of all the knights of old, and when they beheld the slaughter of their companions they fought on all the more fiercely. Pushing ahead now on one side, now on the other, they harried Lucius’ personal bodyguard. Gawain, always aflame with a vigorous courage, sought to do battle with Lucius man to man. As this bold knight advanced, he would throw down and slay his enemies. Shining no less brightly, Hoel pressed the attack on the other side, urging on his companions and wounding the enemy. He received their blows most valiantly in turn, never shirking. He attacked and was attacked. It was not easy to say which of the two—Hoel or Gawain—was the mightier knight.

"As Gawain cut his way through Lucius’ bodyguard, as was mentioned before, he finally reached his goal and rushed upon the commander himself, forcing him to single combat. But Lucius was still in the prime of his youth. He possessed great courage and strength and skill in battle; he desired nothing more than to test his prowess against such a knight. When he withstood Gawain’s initial assault, he was joyous and exultant, for he had heard of Gawain’s fame. The battle between the two lasted a long time. They showered each other with mighty blows and warded off the blows with their shields, all the while struggling to kill each other. While they were fighting bitterly in this way, the Romans began to make a comeback, and they rushed upon the Armorican Britons and came to their commander’s aid, forcing Gawain and Hoel and their men back until they suddenly found themselves back among Arthur’s battalion." [173]

"Placing his trust in the enormous army he had amassed, Mordred marched out to meet Arthur as he attempted to land in Richborough. The two forces met in battle, and Mordred’s troops inflicted great slaughter on the others, who were still in the process of disembarking. King Anguselus of Alban, the king’s nephew Gawain, and countless others fell on the field of battle that day." [177, this is about the Battle of Camlann]

Translator's footnote: "The focus on Gawain partially reflects Welsh traditions like those found in Culhwch and Olwen, where the hero Gwalchmei (literally “Hawk of the Field”) also appears as Arthur’s nephew. Geoffrey was probably more directly familiar with the following account in William of Malmesbury’s The Deeds of the Kings of the English, III: “At that time, in the province of Wales which is called Rhos, the tomb of Walwen [Gawain], who was not Arthur’s degenerate nephew by his sister, was discovered. He ruled over that part of Britain which even now is called Walweitha. He was a warrior who was most renowned for his great valor, but he was slain by the brother and nephew of Hengist … but only after inflicting great damage upon them in compensation for his exile; in this he can share in the praise given to his uncle, for they both staved off the downfall of their homeland for many years…. Walwen’s tomb, which was fourteen feet long, was discovered upon the shore of the sea during the reign of King William. For this reason, some claim that he was wounded by his enemies and then shipwrecked; but others say that he was slain by his fellow-citizens..."

[snuflin]

Hey, Snuflin I was a fan of your work, more specifically Krel lore. I just want to talk about the Twitter post you made a few days ago about Hero x Sunny, your reasoning for shipping them felt childish and your points came off more of an excuse than anything. I believe you are a good person and all, don't get me wrong. It is just concerned for how you are acting and the decisions you have made, which you may regret later on. Your interactions with kokomi and Tsukia is just worrying at the least. They are bad influences and it would be terrible if you stray down that path just "out of spite".

However if it was a imposter or someone else pretending to be you, please say, because it would be best to speak up now or have your reputation ruined over a misunderstanding.

I wasn't going to answer this ask because I felt like the ask was written very unkindly, but I've finally decided to answer it after receiving the latest death threat.

No, that was not an imposter, that was me. Kokomi and Tsuki have nothing to do with what I did, and, yeah, it probably came off as childish, but there was a reason for it.

I was going to add screenshots and go more in depth, but I really don't want to get back into that negative headspace again, so I'll summarize what happened. It's still a very very very long summary, though, so I'll place everything under the cut:

I created an account on Twitter in April along with all of my other social media to reserve my username in case I transitions to it. Eventually, that transition did happen, and I moved over to Twitter around July. I began following people that I loved the art of and inspired me, but then, starting about August/September, I started receiving ominous messages and threats through Tumblr. No one ever specified anything, they just said insulting things about the people I was following without ever telling me who they were talking about.

In December, someone made a hate account dedicated to me on Instagram, which narrowed the individuals they were talking about: One of them was a proshipper who is very very popular in the fandom. The other two were Sunny Side Up shippers (Hero/Sunny) that became and still are two of my closest friends. The others listed were just random popular omori artists that I followed on Twitter.

I'll say this now: I'm not a proshipper and have never been nor will ever be a proshipper. Omori is actually my second fandom ever. I left my first fandom nearly eight years ago and had not been in one since. I have never heard of these terms in my entire life and didn't know what "proshipper" meant until that hate account was created in December.

I did ask one of my friends about it, but they didn't know either. We just guessed it was a Western thing and I chose not to look further into it because I didn't want to get involved with that type of stuff since I know I do not have the mental capacity and energy to do so. I have my own problems in real life (mental, physical, financial, family, housing, education, health, etc.) that I have to deal with. I do not have the time, health, energy, and resources to research these things to make an informed decision or opinion. That's why I never say or share anything related to these types of topics on my blog or Twitter.

Being online and in this fandom has always been an escapism for me from real life problems. My only goal is to make fanart and improve my own work.

I still follow this proshipper, however, and they have never ever posted/shared/retweeted anything problematic on my feed. At most, they've participated in popular memes.

As for the two Sunny Side Up shippers, I have tried to understand why it's problematic and why people are harassed for it. My friends are constantly called things like "pedophiles" and receive many threats solely because Hero is 19 and Sunny is 16. While I understand the age gap is a little wide for some people, this age gap has always been very normal to me. I grew up with freshmen dating juniors, sophomores dating seniors. Movies, TV shows, manga, books, comics, etc. have always depicted this as normal to me. It was even the goal for a lot of people around me to date a junior or senior when they were freshmen in high school because they wanted someone more mature than the people around them. I can understand why some people would think it's a problem, but I also don't think it's a problem because Hero and Sunny grew up together and are friends. They aren't two random strangers getting together. Maybe if they didn't know each other their entire lives, then I'd second guess it.

I've been told by people that the ship is impossible because them growing up together would make Hero a groomer, that Hero would be abusive towards Sunny due to Sunny's involvement in Mari's accidental death, and something about Hero having the "upper hand" due to being a bit more mature and using said "upper hand" to manipulate Sunny. I have never seen these awful types of behavior implied in game. Hero has only been depicted as a kind and supportive of Sunny in canon. These negative things are just really weird headcanons made about Hero. Maybe something like this did happen in game, but I never found anything like it? I don't know?

I agree that Mari and Hero's previous relationship with each other does make it kind of weird, but this is also a troupe I've seen explored in fictional media before. It's nothing new and, being fictional, exploring and repairing this problem in this relationship isn't abnormal and can work out positively for both Hero and Sunny. Some people shun this relationship by saying things like "Imagine dating your dead ex-girl's little brother who accidentally killed her," but similar things could be said about everyone in the group: "Dating the person who has an unhealthy obsession with you, hung your sister, and stabbed your eye out." "Dating the boy who slashed you with a knife after you saw him for the first time in four years and then beat you up in church." "Dating the person you ghosted/ghosted you for four years..." etc. These are true, but that does not mean they're bad ships either nor does it mean the people who ship them are bad, abusive, or manipulative. It all just feels like ship wars. I can understand if Hero was 5+ years older than Sunny, but that's not the case. I don't see the point in harassing, hating, stalking, and making death threats over a three year age gap between two childhood friends.

Even after people have explained to me, I still really don't understand the problem with Sunny Side Up. The hatred I've seen for it and the people who like it is really gross. Stalking people with new accounts to bypass blocks and leave hateful comments, calling shippers awful names and terms, telling people who ship it to die... it's all very disgusting behavior.

A lot of people have explained to me that the Sunny Side Up hate is a very "first world, suburban area, Western country, privileged child" thing and to ignore it. So I decided to follow mainly non-western world artists and I haven't seen a problem regarding this ship since then.

However, I did see a new problem which is what led to all of this. In late December and throughout January, a lot of Asian artists joined with the release of the Japanese localization. As it turns out, NSFW art/writing of fictional characters in fandoms is very common and normalized in non-western world countries. These new artists were creating multiple accounts (one for their regular omori art and one for their nsfw omori art) and very excitedly sharing their Omori artwork on both accounts. The fandom felt very lively on Twitter.

Unfortunately, the very same people who harass Sunny/Hero shippers began to attack foreign artists for white washing Sweetheart/Kel/Hero and for their NSFW art/side accounts.

(Side note: I don't support white washing, but I don't believe non-western artists do it intentionally. A lot of non-western countries are racially homogenous with tons of people who have never seen a black person, a white person, nor a Hispanic person in their entire lives, especially in East Asia. They shouldn't be attacked for not knowing how people of races different from their own look like in real life. Instead of leaving a comment pointing it out, send them a DM. Very rarely is it done intentionally.)

They encouraged cyberbullying, called these new artists "disgusting", told others in the fandom to avoid them, made callout posts, and threatened their own friends into unfollowing them. It got very messy and left a lot of these new artists confused. Some of them decided to deactivate and move their content to Japanese only websites, others just switched fandoms or abandoned the account. It eventually turned into full blown out racism against Asian artists. These people were telling others to avoid any anime art style.

Thankfully, a couple were able to ignore the comments and stay, but some still refuse to interact and engage with Westerners.

This all happened in less than a month, and it escalated very fast with callout posts either every weekend or multiple times during the week. What finally made me snap was all when I saw a child make a NSFW innuendo, get harassed, labeled a pedophile, and then bullied into deactivating their account as a result.

TMany artists began threatening to quit the fandom due to this behavior, even artists who had been here since the beginning, weren't a part of this or a victim of it, but were witnessing it all. What happened to this child, artists leaving, this racism, this hate for NSFW, on top of everything else mentioned and the harassment/death threats I received myself, all of it combined, is what made me snap and speak up. I was really tired of their behavior and on the verge of quitting as well. So I created a series of tweets to tell people to knock it off, block/mute people they dislike instead of constantly cancelling them, and to stop being toxic.

That was this first thread: Here.

Other people started speaking as well about how they truly felt about the restriction through fear in the fandom. I decided to join in by talking about how sick I was of the censorship through fear and that I was going to make whatever I wanted again. I warned people that if I see them participating in hate posts/callout posts, whether through liking, retweeting, or commenting, that I was going to hard block them. This is when my blocking spree began.

That was this second thread: Here.

Instead of reading both of my threads and taking them seriously, the exact same people that I've been talking about in this entire post, the same people that created this mess, made those racist comments, harassed clearly labeled NSFW artists, and bullied others off the platform, focused entirely on the ONE comment I made about Sunny/Hero shippers and used it to label me a Sunny Side Up shipper, thus dismissing everything I had said about their behavior because a Sunny Side Up shipper's opinion doesn't matter.

That's when I realized I was fighting a very stupid and pointless battle and that, no matter what I said or did, it would never change a thing. Maybe Tsuki did influence me, actually. Tsuki is the one who made me realize that I was spending too much time and energy into this mess and that I should just "curate" my experience by blocking these people and moving on with my life. So I did.

The easiest way I found to do that was to just accept the label that was pushed onto me since the toxic people I wanted out of my life were the same people who constantly harass Sunny Side Up shippers.

That's why I made this: Here.

Some people criticize me for "forcing" myself to ship Sunny Side Up out of spite. Truthfully, Sunny Side Up doesn't bother me. It's never bothered me. I see the ship the same way I see Sunny/Aubrey, Sunny/Kel, and Sunny/Basil. I ship them all, but I also don't ship any of them. They can be cute, but shipping in general has never really been my cup of tea. It never has been, that's why "I don't ship" was in all my bios from April until February. That's also why I had never written or drawn any ship art.

I purposefully made that post to incite the creation of hate posts and threads against me and make it easier to find and block all the people who participate in them. Sure, maybe it was childish, but it worked. I got my freedom back. Plus, now the people who participate in harassment can easily spot me, block me, and avoid me.

This took a couple of hours to write. I hope that answered yours and anyone's questions about that situation.

[pi-cat000]

BNHA: Kakashi dimension hops crossover (5)

Summary: Kakashi gets dumbed into the My Hero Academia universe through random plot devise.

Characters:  Kakashi Hatake

Fandoms: My Hero Academia and Naruto

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence/injury

START  / RREV / NEXT

Ms Iroi always tries to engage him in conversation whenever she comes in, asking questions and chatting to herself in a fruitless attempt at helping him recover his 'lost' memories. Most of the time, Kakashi is indifferent to her presence and always has a magazine handy as an excuse not to talk.

Today, Iroi is in a particularly good mood, humming to herself, greeting him with an energetic, “How are you doing today!”

Kakashi grunts a noncommittal response which doesn’t do much to discourage the woman’s good mood as she runs through a check-up routine.  

“You should try watching U.A’s sports festival tomorrow. I hear it’s going to be particularly spectacular this year,” she says as she pulls the blinds on Kakashi's window, blocking out the distant city lights. 

U.A? he recognises the name. Kakashi glances up over the pages of HERO!! MONTHLY BREAKDOWN. It is the third time he has read this issue.

“You know, since you like reading those hero magazines, I figured you would be interested in watching the ‘next generation of heroes’ debut,” she continues, noting his attention, “U.A always puts on a good show.”

Kakashi frowns. The problem with his amnesia cover story is that he is still trying to figure out what he can get away with not remembering. So far the doctor’s seem content to chalk up the disappearance of his long term memories to a ‘quirk’ accident but were always more concerned when he failed to recall basic factual information. Something to do with different parts of the brain being responsible for different types of information.

 “Watch how?” He settles on asking. U.A. was supposed to be a hero-training academy so whatever this ‘sports festival’ was was worth checking out. 

“Oh,” Iori pauses to think, “I, ah, think channel 2 with be covering it?” she hesitates, “You know what. I’ll look it up and let you know later. Sorry, I can’t carry my phone around with me while on shift.”

“Thank you.” He smiles and makes a show of returning to his magazine to dissuade further conversation.

Later the same evening, just before the end of the evening shift, Iori pokes her head into his room again. She is out of uniform, long hair untired, waving to catch his attention.

“The coverage is on channel 2 and starts at 11am,” She holds up her portable communication devise like it means something.  It probably did mean something. The frequency by which people checked them suggested it had a function beyond basic communication. He has held off attempting to steal one because, unlike pens, people would notice and care if one went missing.  

“Have fun watching! Oh… also, I forgot to ask…”

Kakashi raises a brow.

“I have a bunch of old gossip magazines. Mum used to read them all the time and there are a few hero-themed ones in the mix. I can bring them in if you want more stuff to read.” 

“If you want.” Iori must have noticed him re-reading the magazines. 

"I'll bring them on Friday!"

Iori had been unsubtly hinting that Kakashi might have had a history in heroics. It definitely wasn’t because reading information on a page just made sense when compared to the barrage of conflicting reports the television gave him. A few weeks with only the television as his information source has him writing off most of its information as useless or propaganda.  

…

...

“HEELLLOOOOO, LISTENERS!”

Kakashi stares dully as the video footage, which had been giving him a bird’s eye view of a positively massive stadium, changes to a sweeping shot of what must be thousands of people crammed into seats. It almost makes him claustrophobic just watching it.

“WELLCOME TO OUR ANNUAL U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL! THE HIGH SCHOOL ADOLESCENT RODEO YOU ALL LOVE TO WATCH. CAN A GET A ‘OH YEAH!’”

As if of one mind, thousands of people leap to their feet screaming. The camera angle changes again to show a grinning blond-haired man, seated at a desk and pointing enthusiastically at the camera. All these shot changes are going to give him a headache. Kakashi is already having reservations watching this and its only10 minutes.

“Thank you! You’re an AMAZING audience!”

 It almost reminds him of the final Chunin Exam stages -if the Chunin exams had had three times the audience - which always involved some sort of combat display.  There hadn’t been any public Chunin Exams recently for reasons such as a large portion of Konoha being flattened by Pein.

“FIRST UP ARE OUR FIRST-YEAR EVENTS! And what an exciting round of events they are, perfect for debuting our newest students! Give us a shout so they can feel your support!”

Another loud shot as thousands of people yelled in unison.

“Come on! Louder than that! These are your future Heroes I’m talking about! SHOW THEM SOME LOVE!”

More yelling. Kakashi turns down the volume.

“But! Wait just a minute!! We're not only here for our Hero students! As I'm sure you all know, behind every great hero is a hardworking support team! GIVE IT UP FOR our Support, Management and General departments who are also competing for a chance to face off in the finals!”

Kakashi sighs. He is getting the sense that this might be more for entertainment than utility purposes, conforming to the general trend of Hero-related stuff being flashy. Different from the Chunin exam which had deadly consequences if not taken seriously.

“Hey. Hey! HERE THEY COME NOW! OUR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE FIRST YEAR STAGE!”

What follows is an overly dramatized race where the only thing of interest to him are the obstacle types, including robots, - mobile mechanical weapons of some sort that produced a lot of environmental damage but were taken down fairly easily- and explosive devices that acted a lot like explosive tags. Then there was a team elimination round and one-on-one tournament fights after which the coverage shifts to the second year and third year stages.

He uncovers the sharingun only to discover that, while its memorisation function worked fine, the part that translated the movements into muscle memory felt off. Perhaps, the replication and copying component of the eye didn’t work when viewing a technique through a screen rather than in person. Interesting. As there wasn't anything particularly impressive technique-wise during the events he counts the new information as a net gain. 

The student-heroes – he is not sure if there is an official term for a hero in training – barely match Konoha’s academy standard in their taijutsu and physical conditioning though there was marked improvement between first, second and third-year groups. These students were what...between 14-18 years old...and yet most had the skill level of an academy  students and fresh genuin with only a few notable exceptions?

Sure, there were - honestly ridiculous- versatile and powerful bloodline abilities being thrown around like nothing, but ninjutsu techniques only took a shinobi so far without a strong base to work from. He shakes his head, reminding himself that these kids - because what else did you call combatants who hadn’t graduated yet- weren’t shinobi in training and would be policing civilians and engaging ‘Villains’ of similar skill levels. It was obvious that the students favoured non-lethal takedown methods and put little to no thought into stealth and misdirection during fights. 

Different words…different priorities. 

As Kakashi has yet to see any evidence that the country, Japan, was at war with another he thinks the skill level displayed might be serviceable. There were also no major conflicts between the country’s large cities over farmland, water sources and the like. Obviously, this place had sorted out the resource and distribution issues usually encountered when supporting such large populations. Or, who knows, maybe everything on the television was a carefully constructed lie to lull people into complacency.

Now he has seen an example of hero-students, he better understands the low combat ability demonstrated by the police. It also gives incite into the blurry recordings of Hero/Villain confrontations which played on repeat across the various ‘news’ reports. They all tended to hover around Chunin or maybe Special Jounin in terms of skill. He knows generalisations are dangerous so, until he saw the combat in person, he would exercise his usual level of caution. There were bound to be outliers after all-the impressive brute strength of the number one hero comes to mind- and there was no telling what advantages a bloodline ability might provide. Absently, he makes testing the susceptibly of people without chakra to genjustu as something to figure out sooner rather than later.

He sighs. This is why he hated the television. Whenever he watched it, he came away increasingly confused, with more questions than he had answers. Not to mention anything useful being constantly interrupted with information detailing one of the many products that he could apparently buy here. It irritated him to no end. 

...

...

The chakra collecting seal is ready before the week is out. Mostly ready...it was ready enough.

Kakashi returns to the roof. Sitting cross-legged, back against the stairway entrance, he works his way through the 100 or so pens, cracking them open and tapping out ink into a large bowl, stolen -like the pens -from hospital staff.

The mix of black, blue and red ink is gluggy, forcing him to add water to thin the solution out. Once satisfied he pulls out an appropriated scalpel – one of a growing collection hidden alongside his pens because having a stash of weapons is never a bad thing- pricking his middle finger, watching the blood drip and curdle with the mixture. The blood would be absorbed into the ink, allowing it to conduct chakra. He mixes everything with pair of disposable chopsticks, taking care not to spill it on the ground or stain his hands.

The whole process reminds him of other insistences where he had improvised fuinjutsu ink in the field. The last time being during his final Anbu missions where he had created a body storage scroll from scratch after unexpectedly losing a squad mate on what should have been a simple intel retrieval mission. Not a particularly fond memory but a memory he was stuck with.

Since his demotion to Jonin-sensei there had been fewer of those sorts of missions. Not that being a Jonin-sensei had been easy – considering all his students had gone off to find other teachers he didn't even think he had been particularly good at it - bringing with it its own special brand of stress, culminating in a stint as Hokage, a fourth war and him stuck here. He is pretty sure his experiences aren't universal. Team 7 was just cursed to fail in increasingly spectacular ways.

He lets out a heavy sigh, leaving his airways open to a sudden gust of cold wind which carries the scent of cleaning chemicals from the hospital and oil from the road straight up his nose. He exhales forcefully and mentally bumps finding a face mask up his list of priorities. It would be good for hiding his features and dulling the artificial smells of a city housing over a million people.

The sound of wind whistling around the building almost blocks out the echo of feet in the stairway, approaching his location. In one smooth motion, Kakashi stands pushing the remaining broken pen back into the vent, nudging the cover back in place with his foot. Carefully he holds the bowl of ink in his injured arm and a scalpel in the other. Kakashi steps back against the entrance so the outward opening door would hide him from whoever came out.

A crying kid comes barrelling through the door.

Well, not completely crying, more like sniffing loudly, eyes all shiny. He even recognises the kid from the U.A combat demonstration, as improbable as that was. It is the first year hero student with the speed-enhancing ability which, seeing him up close, probably had something to do with the strange growths coming out of his caff muscles. High speed movement put enormous strain on the body so he could reasonably conclude that the kid was physically resilient to acceleration stress and similar forces. Not resilient to stabbing though....

Kakashi forces himself to relax, his scalpel lowering ever so slightly. Lucky he had heard the kid coming or he might have accidentally hurt him. A few weeks of reduced sleep coupled with a lot of time to ruminate on past missions and failures has put him on edge. This was exactly why he disliked taking extended breaks. 

Maybe, Kakashi should start relocking the stairway if he was planning to make regular trips up here because the young male probably hadn’t had the roof in mind as a destination. Kakashi knows from experience that, unless you were injured or a member of staff, there were few good reasons to wander around a hospital at odd hours.

With the hero-student distracted sniffling into his arm, Kakashi slips around the door and back down the stairs. He hadn’t planned on applying the seal on the roof anyway. Too exposed to the elements and the concrete was too rough for the delicate line work.

He continues mixing while he walks, having mentally mapped the hospital well enough to know which hallways to use and which to avoid. There is a surgeon with some sort of heat-sensing vision who works late most nights that he must be careful around and a nurse with a weak proximity based empathic ability working in paediatrics. Both obstacles force him to take a meandering detour on his way to the ground floor and  the larger shower blocks which housed  cubicles the size of small rooms. Enough smooth floorspace for the expanded seal design and easy to clean afterwards. He supposes he is lucky, some complicated fuinjutsu required several meters worth of floor space. The containment on Saskue’s cursed seal comes to mind and he is glad that this seal is infinity smaller.

Not one to waste time knowing that nurses and patients regularly used the space even this late in the evening, he immediately slips into a cubicle upon arrival. Flopping onto the floor he pulls out the paintbrush he had had scour the hospital for and eventually to steal from the children’s ward. Carefully, he begins the slow process of application.

…

…

The final seal design is circular, about the size of his splayed hand, positioned on his uninjured shoulder just above where his Anbu seal had previously sat. The sleepwear provided by the hospital had sleeves that extend just past his bicep. It hid the design, for the most part. The final visible seal is a bit bigger than he had predicted or planned for. If this were a proper infiltration mission, where blowing his cover came at the price of death, he would be in big trouble. If this were a proper mission, he would have waited before applying this. An unnecessary risk. He itches the back of his head, turning from where he is craning his neck to see the seal, gathering up his supplies to be thrown in one of the hospital’s many rubbish bins. Kakashi lets out a breath. Maybe, this whole ‘trapped in a different world’ thing is affecting him more than he was willing to admit and making him sloppy.

He pulls down the sleeve so it mostly hides the design. Not like the doctors here would recognise the significance of fuinjutsu, he reminds himself, even if their questions would be annoying to deflect.

He pumps chakra into the seal and a jolt akin to lightning runs down his limb. It activates without issue and Kakashi grimaces as his chakra is slowly drained and collected. The rate of the drain is pathetically slow. Three years too slow. But, between this and his sharingan - which was always active and draining chakra- he can’t risk making it quicker. Despite the relatively low-level threats around him, Kakashi is, first and foremost, a Jonin in an unknown territory who is already taking risks simply making and applying the seal. He can’t afford to impair himself with poor chakra management on top of everything else.

Kakashi pops his head out of the cubical, scanning the shower block. Nothing of note has changed and he darts out, intent on returning to his room. He is tired and it would be a long, tiresome week as his body adjusted to the strain as well.

NEXT  

[wolfstar-in-color]

Creator’s spotlight: alifeincoffeespoons

It’s September and our fourth Creator’s Spotlight is here! We are so happy to share with you today the thoughts of a wonderful creator: @alifeincoffeespoons. We’ve rec’ed her fic Sirius and Harry go to Whitecastle here and we did the description for one of her artworks here (which includes the rec of some mitski songs!!).

As usual, here you have one of our favorite quotes of the interview, and under the cut you can read the full interview!

“Remus and Sirius understand each other on a level that few other characters in the series do. They have so many shared experiences and so much history, and there’s so many different ways to write them as a result. They are also foils, but somehow also a matched pair — they move in sync so easily.”

alifeincoffeespoons prompt: “It’s a rare sunny day when Remus sees Sirius, for the first time in three years, and he has to resist the urge to call emergency services immediately and announce that he needs to be hospitalized on account of a broken heart.”

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself

A: My Tumblr username is alifeincoffeespoons (inspired by Eliot’s “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock”) and I go by spellingmynamewrong on AO3. I’d probably be considered part of Gen Z, and I’m Asian-American, which inspires a lot of my work. I usually create works of writing, though I also dabble in fanart occasionally. I’m a fan of both modern and canon divergent AUs; I’ll write canon compliant content occasionally but not very often, given how tragic canon is. 

Q:How did you start creating in the fandom? What did you wish to bring into the fandom?

A: I started writing back in middle school, and I’ve been reading and writing fanworks on-and-off since then. My first work of fanfiction was for Harry Potter too, although I didn’t start writing for Wolfstar until later on. I want to write works that make people think more deeply about — and even critique — the existing world of Harry Potter. There are a lot of deeply problematic aspects of the original work, as we all know, and I think we have an obligation as creators to call them out and demonstrate why they are so problematic.

Q: What things about Sirius/Remus as characters or in their relationship inspire you to create around them?

A: Remus and Sirius understand each other on a level that few other characters in the series do. They have so many shared experiences and so much history, and there’s so many different ways to write them as a result. They are also foils, but somehow also a matched pair — they move in sync so easily.

Q: What things would you like to highlight about the Wolfstar fandom and your experience in it?

A: It’s such an expansive fandom! That’s one thing that’s dawned on me over time — it has so, so much history, and so many individuals are or have been involved in it. 

Q: What type of content do you wish you saw more in the fandom?

A: I’d love to see more content that deals with the historical circumstances of the wider world around them — I’m a big sucker for historical fiction and real-world context. If we’re going for a particular sort of story, I’d love to see more superhero AUs. Also, a Good Omens AU. I saw fanart for it once and it’s never left my mind. There are so, so many possibilities there. 

Q: What is your favourite wolfstar fan content (fic/fanart/gifset/etc) and how does it inspire you?

A: This is so hard to choose! Let’s go with some tropes instead — I love fix-it fics, and I also find canon divergent AUs very interesting, particularly ones that involve giving Harry a better life. I’m also a big fan of Modern AUs, though. I also love humor — whether that be a full-on humor fic or just one with humor interspersed lovingly throughout.

Q: Which of your own identities inform your creative processes? How has that process been for you?

A: My Asian-American identity likely informs my creative process the most. There are so few Asian characters represented in media still, particularly fan-created content, and I’d like to see that changed. What I usually do is incorporate small details that can feel universal but also give readers an insight into a particular culture — usually through food or similarly common experiences. It comes fairly naturally, actually, since I often write about Asian or Asian-American characters in my original fiction as well.

Q: What advice do you have for other content creators with diverse backgrounds in the fandom? What would you say to people that might feel they don’t have the “right” experience to participate in the creation of content related to Wolfstar?

A: If you’re comfortable, definitely share your experiences — we always need more diverse voices in fandom. I don’t think there’s any particular history or characteristic you need to be an active participant in Wolfstar fandom. 

Q: How could we build a more diverse fandom?

A: Firstly, by seeking out and supporting content that features characters with diverse backgrounds. Secondly, by calling out rhetoric that marginalizes diverse creators. Thirdly, by doing our best to do better ourselves.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to modify in Sirius’s or Remus’s characterizations to bring new perspectives to them?

A: I’ve often written Sirius as Asian, mostly because I think it truly does add another layer to his characterization. I’ve explained some of my reasoning behind that in this Tumblr post I wrote eons ago. I often also write Remus as Jewish — I saw this headcanon a long time ago and it’s stuck with me since. My characterizations of them are always shifting, though, and I’m sure they will continue to over time.

Q: What does diversity mean to you? What does that encompass in fannish spaces?

A: Diversity doesn’t just mean including a POC in your work or an LGBTQ character; it means giving them meaningful, non-stereotypical narratives and characterization. In fan spaces, that means supporting creators from diverse backgrounds and works featuring well-written, diverse characters. It also means, as a creator, doing research on the cultural backgrounds of characters you are writing about, particularly if you do not belong to that culture yourself.

Q: Is there a resource you would recommend for fans to read when it comes to learning about diversity?

A: If you’re interested in learning more about Asian-American culture and diversity in particular through literature, two memoirs I read recently and enjoyed were Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings and Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H-Mart. I think they give insight into the Asian-American experience and are also incredibly moving. There are lots of resources for writing out there, on Tumblr, Reddit, and elsewhere. Also, sensitivity readers, if you are a writer, are critical. 

Q: Is there a project/organization that you want to hype?

A: Given what’s been happening in Texas and in countless other states across the U.S. — horrific attacks on bodily autonomy and the right to choose — please donate to Planned Parenthood.

Q: Any cause that you want fans to know about so that they can support it?

A: Rental assistance — the Supreme Court recently struck down Biden’s eviction moratorium. If anyone you know is at risk of being evicted, please direct them to local and state rental assistance programs (a tool to search for them: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/coronavirus/mortgage-and-housing-assistance/renter-protections/find-help-with-rent-and-utilities/).

Q: Leave us with a quote or work of art that always inspires you.

A: Whenever I need to write, I’ll put on a Phoebe Bridgers song if it’s a sad section I’m writing, and if it’s a relatively happier section, I’ll put on a NIKI song. Other artists that inspire me: Mitski, Lorde, Lucy Dacus, Taylor Swift, Lily Allen, and Lizzo.

[michaels-blackhat]

So You’re Feeling White Guilt and You Don’t Know What To Do

I’m not going to rehash the most recent Roswell New Mexico fandom news. I’m not going to rehash any of the difficult and necessary conversations surrounding race and racism that have been happening over the last week. They are important, they shine an important light on fandom racism, and they have caused many to reflect on their own unconscious bias and how it has manifested itself in fandom. That’s important. That is the constant work of an ally: to reflect on your bias and your actions and take steps to inform yourself and do better. As participants in a racist society and a culture that tries to say that racism is only an overt, obvious thing, we must always take the time to listen to others and change our own behavior.

This post isn’t necessarily about that either. It’s about how you can do other, small things, for yourself to help a community and individuals who are continuously mistreated, whose suffering is continuously erased, and whose culture is continuously stolen. Political involvement is always an option, but it’s also not always possible. I know for myself, I work two jobs that leave me with 14 hours days multiple times a week, and only one day off a week to relax, do household chores, and prepare for my grad school classes. I can exercise my right to vote, right to assembly, etc. but sometimes doing more isn’t a viable option.

So what else can I do?

Below I have accumulated links to different relief funds, bail funds for protesters, language programs, native artist collectives and stores, musicians, and conservation project.. Some of the links will take you to a larger project that you can explore. Some of the links will be for direct donations. This is not exhaustive. This is limited to what I’m able to find and authenticate to the best of my ability. But I wanted to put this out into the world, as an example of different ways you can support people, cultures, and communities. I invite anyone to add on to the list, particularly people who are Native American. 

Special thanks to @jocarthage​ for being an amazing resource and adding to my already long list. And @litwitlady​ for the bookstore link. Additionally, I was writing this and realized how long this got, so I started limiting to two or three links per area. Please, add on.

Relief Funds:

An article from Navajo Times that highlights different Coronavirus relief funds, including the Navajo Department of Health, John Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, relief for families and children, and Food Baskets for Elderly.

https://navajotimes.com/coronavirus-updates/relief-for-coronavirus/

Reply with recommendations

Bail Fund:

A thread on the O’odham land & water protectors: https://twitter.com/LaikenJordahl/status/1315707808470503427?s=20

And the bail fund: https://t.co/yzyDnEi0x6?amp=1

Generally, the National Bail Fund Network’s twitter page is a good place to go to keep up about bail funds for protesters for many leftist causes. They also help with immigration detention and the cause to end money bail in general. https://twitter.com/bailfundnetwork?lang=en

Reply with recommendations

Language Programs:

https://www.firstnations.org/projects/native-language-immersion-initiative/ : The Native Language Immersion Initiative aims to build the capacity of and directly support Native American language-immersion and culture-retention programs. They work with the National Endowment for the Humanities, along with support from the Lannan Foundation, Kalliopeia Foundation and the NoVo Foundation. The linked website has the list of grantees from the previous years, so you can go and explore the different language programs that have benefitted from the initiative. The NLII aims to support the cultural and linguistic preservation of all Indigenous Americans, including Native Alaskan and Native Hawaiian cultures.

The website also allows you to explore their programs, learn more about topics such as environmental justice within native communities, and donate directly.

Duolinguo has short courses in both Navajo and Hawai‘i. They’re not perfect, but they’re a good starting point. Spending some time getting used to the sounds and cadences can be really grounding in the realities of the language and grammar (and if everyone who read our fics downloaded it, it would give Duolingo a strong indicator of interest in these languages, which might encourage them to invest in making them full courses).

Reply with recommendations

Art & Clothing & Holiday Presents:

Art and clothing are grouped together, as a lot of the websites feature both.

Beyond Buckskin: https://shop.beyondbuckskin.com/

A shop/collective started by a member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe. They have a variety of products and you can learn more about their individual artist. They also have events, news, and a lot of cool things to explore on their website. 

+their buy native list: 

http://www.beyondbuckskin.com/p/buy-native.html

b.Yellowtail: https://byellowtail.com/pages/about-us

The clothes are designed by Bethany Yellowtail, a Northern Cheyenne & Crow fashion designer. The art and jewelry are made by hand by a collective of Native Americans, First Nations, and Indigenous creatures throughout North America.

SheNative: https://www.shenative.com/

A shop that primarily focuses on leatherwork, but does have other products as well. The aim of the company is to empower Indigenous women, so Idigenous women work on all levels of the manufacturing of the products. Additionally, they donate at least 10% of profits towards causes and charities that aim specifically to help Indigenous women.

Etkie: https://etkie.com/

This collective of Native American artists all hail from New Mexico. They specialize in beaded cuffs, all of which are gorgeous. Personal note, I very much want the Dawn Glass Cuff.

There are a lot of people who sell Native American art who are not, in fact, Native American people. Here are some sources:

The Indian Pueblo Store is owned and operated by New Mexico’s 19 Pueblo tribes. Find our physical location at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque https://www.indianpueblostore.com

The bookstore in the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian has one of the best collections of books about Native American life, by Native American authors, anywhere we’ve found (if you become a member for $25 a year, you get their excellent quarterly magazine) https://americanindian.si.edu/store

Weirdly for a museum named for a man famous for playing a white cowboy in American movies, the Gene Autry museum in Los Angeles has one of the other really good collections of books by Native American authors on modern Native American life, as well as historical books: https://shop.theautry.org/collections/books

I haven’t been, but the Heard Museum gets recommended a lot and their shop has a lot of authentic Native American pieces: https://www.heardmuseumshop.com/

Birchbark Native Arts seems to have an extensive collection: https://www.birchbarknativearts.com and is associated with the bookstore mentioned below

Note from JoCarthage: In 2016 I drove to all 58 counties in California and started my collection of books on Native American tribes living and working in California, both as research for what I thought might be a book and because I was curious. A lot of the books I found are not on Amazon, you can only buy them in reservation book stores or National Park bookstores or little county museum bookstores. When the world opens back up again, that is a good process I have found for building my own understandings. 

It’s not a perfect system, but when you’re shopping, look for the term “Authentic Native American artworks” and a seal like this one; here is a longer guide to buying Native American art:

Reply with recommendations

Music:

Spotify & website links are provided. This is also limited to what I know and already listen to.

A Tribe Called Red: Website: http://atribecalledred.com/ | Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2jlWF9ltd8UtoaqW0PxY4z

Mary Youngblood: Website: http://www.maryyoungblood.com/ | Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0pRrf0i6X4uUIdzYrA2mDz

Buffy Sainte-Marie: Website http://buffysainte-marie.com/ | Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5exO2eW84QucBhrRhcK76x

[Video: A Tribe Called Red’s “Burn Your Village to the Ground”]

Books:

Based on the theory that the best information is closest to the source, all of the books below are written by Native American authors; the bookshops are owned by Native America booksellers. 

Bookshops:

Birchbark Books, a bookshop in Minneapolis: https://birchbarkbooks.com/ They also have art, jewelry, and community events. When available, the links for the books below are provided through the store’s website.

Book Recommendations:

Nonfiction and hilarious: Custer Died for Your Sins, by Vine Deloria Jr (Standing Rock Sioux): https://birchbarkbooks.com/all-online-titles/custer-died-for-your-sins

Poetry: New Poets of Native Nations, edited by Heid E. Erdrich (Ojibwe): https://birchbarkbooks.com/all-online-titles/new-poets-of-native-nations

Novel (murder mystery): Chenoo, by Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki): https://www.oupress.com/books/14415530/chenoo

Poetry: When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry, edited by US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo (Muscogee Nation): https://birchbarkbooks.com/CatalogueRetrieve.aspx?ProductID=9713772&A=SearchResult&SearchID=11528255&ObjectID=9713772&ObjectType=27

Art book: First American Art, Edited by Bruce Bernstein and Gerald McMaster (Plains Cree and member of the Siksika Nation) https://americanindian.si.edu/store/books-and-products#1845

(The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook: Recipes from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian by Richard Hetzler (Not a Native American person but the recipes reflect a huge range of modern Native American recipes and are worth cooking through ) https://birchbarkbooks.com/CatalogueRetrieve.aspx?ProductID=9685880&A=SearchResult&SearchID=11528257&ObjectID=9685880&ObjectType=27)

Here is a selection of children’s books, YA, memoir and biography, and Native American fiction and poetry, Native studies, and Native language

Reply with recommendations

Diné and other Native American actors’ accounts to follow:

Why include fun social media stuff: because we’re humans and we like nice things. It’s very hard to keep learning about something that challenges our whiteness and privileges if everything we read and consume is painful and grim. It also fundamentally limits the stories we consume about modern Native American lives if all we do is wallow. So read good poetry, cook recipes that are shared freely, follow pretty actors on Instagram. When Jo went through her house to find the above book recommendations, 4 of them were on her Native American section, one in her poetry section, and one in her cookbook section. Native American stories and food and life are part of modern American life and integrated them into your bookshelves and menus and IG scrolling is a good way to stay aware and learn more osmotically.

Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (kanien’kehá:ka from ⁣⁣⁣ kahnawà:ke mohawk territory⁣⁣⁣) https://www.instagram.com/kdeveryjacobs/?hl=en

Tatanka Means https://www.instagram.com/tatankameans/?hl=en

Jay Tavare https://www.instagram.com/jaytavare/?hl=en

Forrest Goodluck seems to not be active on social media, but he’s worth keeping an eye out for https://twitter.com/forrestgoodluck?lang=en

Check out more here, from pocfansmatter https://pocfansmatter.tumblr.com/post/632180141361119232/my-favorite-native-american-men

Reply with recommendations

News Sources:

Note: none of these are perfect. They all have their own biases, foci, and weirdnesses. But if you subscribe by email to a few of them, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what issues are important, generally.

Native America Calling: https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/

Navajo Times: https://navajotimes.com/

Indian Country Today: https://indiancountrytoday.com/

Reply with recommendations

Conservation:

A petition to close Mt Rushmore and to return public lands in the Black Hills to the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires of Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations). 

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-close-mt-rushmore-and-return-all-public-lands-in-the-black-hills-to-the-oceti-sakowin

From the site: “Standing in solidarity with our ancestors, families, our allies, and the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires of Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations), we are calling on Director Bernhardt and Representative Deb Haaland to close Mt. Rushmore and return all Public lands in the Black Hills to the Oceti Sakowin as negotiated in the 1868 Treaty of Ft. Laramie, as Indigenous treaties are the supreme law of the land.”

The Kumeyaay people are currently protesting against the illegal destruction of their sacred lands to build the border wall. You can keep up with their work and support them directly through their twitter account.

https://twitter.com/kumeyaayprotest?lang=en

The Native American Land Conservancy aims to reacquire Native American land, particularly in Southern California, to preserve and protect sacred sites and areas. 

The group has a mix of board members from a variety of tribes, along with members who are not affiliated with a tribe but have a focus and background in environmental conservation.

Reply with recommendations

Thank you for sticking with us through this whole list. It’s long, yes, but it does not even begin to show even a small percentage of places and artists you can support.

And as for what to do about your white guilt? Live with it. It’s not going to help anyone if you express your guilt continuously. It’s not going to help anyone if you push it aside. Live with it. We benefit from a racist system and we should not forget it. Do what you can to help others, lend your voice in support of others. And for fuck’s sake remember that it’s not about us.

[riding-with-the-wild-hunt]

Day 1 of Fëanorian Week: Maedhros and Medicine

Hello, my lovelies! I hope you are all having the most amazing Monday. Anyways, it's my first Fëanorian Week as an active creator in the Silm fandom (cue confetti and balloons), and I'm trying my best to participate in (hopefully) every day! Wish me luck, friends!

Anyways, I thought I'd start out with some Maedhros-themed meta. I chose to work with the prompts "torture," and "adjustment/coping." Many thanks to @feanorianweek for all their hard work on this. You all are awesome!!

(TW for discussion of: torture, medical procedures, severe injuries, general body stuff)

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor or a nurse and I haven't extensively studied medicine. I'm just into speculative biology and speculative medicine (pretty much speculative anything, tbh), and I wanted to write about this. I invite all you wonderful medical professionals out there to add on if you care to. Just be kind, please, okay? :)

Now, on to the meta!

Most everyone knows about Maedhros' capture by Morgoth. There's a lot of writing on the subject, and on the subsequent topic of his recovery (the ever-so-lovely @outofangband has many resources on both of these things if you want to check their work out).

Maedhros is tortured for approximately 30 years before Fingon rescues him. Think about that for a minute. 30 years. To put that in perspective, that's more than double my entire lifetime. It's slightly under half of my father's.

I'm going to guess that the amount of time Maedhros spent hanging on Thangorodrim is much longer than the amount he spent in Angband itself, simply because he's more useful as a visible trophy/symbol than hidden away in a cell somewhere. This is definitely speculation, but for the purposes of this, I'm going to say he spent 8-12 years in Angband and 18-22 years on Thangorodrim.

Now, we know that Morgoth is an, er, less-than-courteous host. Maedhros probably would've been beaten, starved, burned, experimented on, assaulted, maimed, poisoned, and otherwise harmed in all sorts of ways before he ever gets on Thangorodrim.

And then there's the matter of those 18-22 years he spent hanging from a mountain, suffering respiratory damage from the polluted air and the hanging, starvation, thirst, extreme damage to his bones, muscles, and tendons, hypothermia, potential animal attacks or parasites, infection of previous wounds, sleep deprivation, and, well, you can imagine the rest.

(And this doesn't even include the psychological consequences. We'll get to that later.)

But anyways. He gets rescued. What then? I highly doubt that any elf had actually returned from Angband before, so....do the doctors know how to handle Maedhros' injuries? They've probably seen missing limbs, broken bones, stab/slash wounds, etc. from battle, but what about a partially collapsed/stretched diaphragm (yes, this happens if you are hanging from your hands/arms for a long period of time), or extreme blunt force trauma, or internal bleeding, or repeatedly opened and probably gangrenous wounds, to name a few?

Unless there's a REALLY dark side to the Valar that we don't know about, elven medical professionals wouldn't have had to deal with these things in Valinor, and probably not even on the Helcaraxë. Which leads me to believe that most, if not all, of the healing techniques used on Maedhros were experimental, purely theoretical, or the highly respected Fëanorian method of"guess we'll wing it."

This means that Maedhros probably never healed right in a lot of places. Even if elves have different physiognomy than humans, his immune system and his capability for recovery were both probably compromised from extreme strain. Chances are, Maedhros wouldn't have been able to walk for years after his return. He would've had to relearn a lot more than just how to write and fight with the other hand. And even if he managed to get close to how he'd been before, he would never have been the same physically, and he would've been constantly pushing through fluctuating levels of pain. For the rest of his life. For thousands of years.

Oh, and he probably would've needed to relearn how to talk to a degree. During the mountain years, he probably would've created a whole new vocabulary of words for things that weren't connected to his former linguistic knowledge. At the beginning of his recovery, it's possible that most of his speech would've sounded like babble to everyone else, even if it made perfect sense to him.

And then there's the psychological and neurological effects! PTSD, severe anxiety, suicidal ideation, chronic depression, selective mutism, extreme dissociation, eating disorders, hallucinations, paranoia, phantom pains, no/low self-worth, memory loss--these are just a few things that can come out of having been tortured.

All of this leaves me with a lot of questions: did elves have physical therapy? Did they understand nerve damage? Would their surgical techniques have been helpful to Maedhros? Were they aware of the extent of his injuries? How good were their painkillers and antibiotics? Did they even have those? Were new procedures developed because of Maedhros? Did he, as king and after, advocate for better medical understanding of torture survivors, or write about his experiences to help others? Did he spend time with recovering elves? Did he have to hide his pain because ableist views were widespread? Did he use mobility aids? Did he have nonverbal episodes? Did he always have lingering respiratory/lung problems? Was he really sensitive to light (hint hint: ask me about my eye headcanons)? Did he ever forget who people around him were, or become disoriented and afraid?

Whatever the answers here may be (and there are many, many possible theories) my conclusion remains the same: it was an absolute miracle that Maedhros survived--and not only survived, but continued on to be a ruler, an accomplished diplomat, an incredible soldier, a caretaker, an ambassador, and so much more, all while persevering against physical and emotional pain and probably facing ableism.

And probably most people never even realized just how strong he was.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this big honker of a piece and/or learned something. I'm glad I got to write about this, because Maedhros matters a lot to me. Like, a lot a lot.

May the Valar smile on the rest of Fëanorian Week! I look forward to appreciating all of your wonderful creations and commentary. 😘

[kpopincorrect-quotes]

Not an Incorrect Quote

Today I was watching Monsta X crack videos on YouTube, as one does, because I’m still stuck inside, and I was scrolling through the comments section. There was the usual joking around we always see under kpop crack vids, and a lot of ‘We Miss You Wonho!’ and ‘OT7 for life’ comments. That was awesome and cool! (I miss Wonho too :c)

But I also saw a lot of comments with a specific timestamp of Changkyun falling off a chair that said stuff like ‘precious bb, must protect’. I felt weird about that, and I didn’t really understand why. Then I saw even MORE comments about a specific timestamp of Wonho flexing that were along the lines of ‘nooooo he’s bb don’t do thatttt’ and I felt even weirder. I still couldn’t figure out why it was bothering me.

I ended up doing some thinking, and then some research. 

My eventual realization was that there is a very specific brand of Asian racism in the US and a lot of other western countries that emasculates and reduces Asian men to childlike figures. (Think ‘smart Asian’ stereotypes that stem from a mix of the ideas that Asian men aren’t sexually desirable and the influx of higher educated Japanese immigrants under certain us laws in the first decade of the 1900s.) After snooping on the internet for a while, I found the source of the stereotypes. Early southeast Asian colonialism by white people. In order to repress and dehumanize these cultures, Asian women were (and still are) hypersexualized, and both Asian men and women were seen as childlike. 

This attitude has carried over into the modern day. Asian people are infantilized and sexualized. With women, it’s usually far more obvious. However, the infantilization of male kpop (and cpop, and jpop) idols is still rampant.

We need to address this as a fanbase. This form of racism, the carefully marketed and sold image of innocence, isn’t okay. We need to accept that our idols are actual, fully grown men and women. They’re going to get married one day, or not. It’s going to be their choice. They probably have sex, and we shouldn’t pry, or coddle them, or demand information about it.

We can love our idols, and protect them, and support them to hell and back, but we cannot see them as children. That isn’t fair. Kpop agencies need to address the marketing their idols in this way, as it is an industry wide problem. (I’m not talking about idols’ privacy, as that isn’t the issue. I understand that Korean and many other Asian cultures are conservative in regards to privacy invasion. I honestly think that is a good thing. I’m talking about the active marketing of idols to appear childlike with the awareness that it is a part of the problem.)

This is racism. It is culturally ingrained, and it needs to be unlearned. It isn’t your fault if you were mindlessly participating in this part of kpop fandom culture, but it is if you continue to actively do so while aware of the connotation your actions hold. That idols (and southeast asian people in general) are somehow less than.

Please add any other ideas or resources you have to the notes! I love you guys, sorry I got so broody today. It’s been a pretty rough week.

More resources/articles along these lines:

Asian American Masculinity Eclipsed: A Legal and Historical Perspective of Emasculation Through U.S. Immigration Practices (Scholarly Paper)

White Sexual Imperialism: A Theory of Asian Feminist Jurisprudence (Scholarly Paper)

The desexualization of the Asian American male (CNN)

[goodshipsherlollipop]

Self-interview (but not really)

When I heard about @sherlollyappreciationweek hosting a self-interview event, I thought it would be fun to participate, so people could get to know me better as an author.  But, instead of doing a self-interview, I approached some of my readers and asked them to pose questions for me to answer.

I’m not aiming at making this about me personally.  It’s all about me as an author.  If you want to know about who I really am outside of my writing, feel free to chat with me privately.

The name of the person asking the questions will precede each section. As this interview is rather long, I will do it in two parts.

MossRose10

Q: What personal experiences or skills (in broad strokes), besides your faith, have influenced what you write about for your characters?

A: I know I see Molly differently than most people, in a more wholesome way.  When I look at her character on the show, she doesn't seem the type to have a long sexual history, but instead, seems to be someone who has devoted her life to becoming the best pathologist she can be.  I adore her character, and to be honest, I put a lot of my own traits into her - including her love of singing and faith.  My post TFP Sherlock has had his true nature restored by the events of Sherrinford.  Thus, he is emotionally stable and able to love Molly deeply. I can write him that way because I happen to have a romantic, loving husband (lucky me!). A lot of times in my married stories, I draw on experiences I've had that I have fictionalized for the characters.  I usually refer to these in author’s notes.  I also love writing about their children, and put a lot of thought and personal experience into writing for them from watching my own daughters grow.

As for the other characters, I just write them the way I feel reflects their personalities best from what I’ve observed in the show, working on fleshing out their characters more as I’ve continued 3 years worth of storyline beyond TFP. For example, my version of Mycroft has mellowed a lot and married Lady Smallwodd, and John has also become a Christian and is remarried with a son.

Q: What kinds of characters do you find most challenging to write, and what strategies do you use to write them?

A: I don’t think I necessarily have a lot of issues in writing the canon characters because I have watched the show so many times I feel I know them personally.  Probably the most challenging thing is writing for OC’s or peripheral characters I may have brought into a story that we haven't seen a lot of (like Billy Wiggins or Philip Anderson).  I must admit, I have written very little about Moriarty, because most of my stories take place after his death.

dmollyc

Q: What character is hardest to write?

A:  I kind of  addressed this one in the above answer, but I do think I'd find it difficult to write for Moriarty because I'm not sure how well I could get into the psyche of a deranged madman!

Q: Do you get any nasty reviews?

A: Thankfully, not many. Most of the negative ones are people reacting to a story out of context.  They will read a story in the middle of my chronological timeline and then complain that the characters are OOC.  When I write my continuing stories, I assume that people are familiar with the characters as I’ve written them already, so this can cause confusion.

Because of the Christian themes, I have lost readers who object to the theology I present through my characters. Obviously, I will not please everybody.

But generally speaking, people are very kind about my work when they review it, and I especially love the reviewers who immerse themselves into my world of Sherlock and Molly and embrace my post-TFP version of them.

Q: What do you like best about your stories?

A: Probably what I like best is that I've found a unique niche in the fandom in creating a whole Christian theme, and writing a lot of different stories with the same theme.  I've not seen anyone else doing that (although I'd love to see it done by others).

I enjoy writing my own continuing post-TFP happy ending for Sherlock and Molly, expanding their universe and that of the other characters from Sherlock as well.

Also, I enjoy showing Molly as someone with a belief in saving herself for marriage.  It's not going to be a popular idea for the general population, but I know many Christians can relate to that desire to keep sex for that special someone rather than experimenting with every boyfriend they date.  

I also think I do a pretty good job in writing love scenes that are steamy, but still clean, although I’m aware that some readers are more sensitive who find them too steamy.  I write using my own inner guide for how far to take things in the bedroom.  Some stories are definitely steamier than others, but there are certain graphic terms I will never use in my writing because I feel they cross the line of my own comfort zone.

Chelseamh98

Q: How have you overcome the challenges of your vision impairment?

A: This is definitely an ongoing process for me.  When I began writing, my proofreading would just consist of looking over the chapter a couple times to try to errors. I have issues when typing on my iPad because of the flat keyboard surface.  That means I often type a word incorrectly.  To help compensate for that, I have hundreds of words in my “text replacement” section, so that certain words I often mis-type automatically correct to the right word.  I have a bad tendency to hit the M instead of N or vice versa, for example.  A few months after I began publishing, someone suggested I use a text-to-speech app to help me identify incorrectly spelled words.  That did help.  I copy a chapter into the text-to-speech app and watch my chapter in a split screen as I listen to the words.  That has been a big help.  Then, this year, I discovered a free website called prowritingaid, which I now use as another editing tool, and it identifies even more spelling and grammar errors.  So now I find myself writing, proofreading as I go along several times as I write.  When the chapter is finished and I am ready to publish, I do another visual read.  Then I use the prowritingaid site as another editing step. After that, I use the text-to-speech app and listen as I read.  Finally, I copy the whole thing into Google Docs, add italics and bold type and glance through the chapter again to see if Google Docs has discovered any more errors.  It's a very long process, believe me, and it takes so much longer to do the editing and proofreading than to write! For me, the writing part is easy!

Q: Does it (visual impairment) affect the way you write?

A:  Physically, yes.  I cannot use a computer, because I need to be inches away from the screen to see what I am doing.  Sometimes I will sit at a table and write, but usually, I put three cushions on my lap and sit my iPad on top.  Over time, that method has caused me to have pretty severe tendonitis, but I have no other way to write, and it's worth the pain to keep writing! Currently, I am also dealing with frozen shoulder as part of the physical issues.

Also, I have to enlarge my text to write.  I use the Colored Note app for my chapters, set to the maximum size of 36, and when I go into Google Docs, I set the size to 25 so I can read it.

Q: What part about writing do you find the most challenging? What’s the easiest?

A:  As I mentioned above, the most difficult part is definitely the editing/proofreading process because I have to work so much harder than a normally sighted person, and it takes up a huge chunk of time.

Also, I am very particular in trying to write realistic fiction whenever possible.  That means a ton of research. For example, in my story where Molly was shot, Confronting Evil and the Truth, I researched a lot about gunshot wounds and how to care for them.  In A Honeymoon Journey, my characters went to Stratford-upon-Avon, and I researched that location thoroughly for many of the chapters.  In my latest COVID-19 series, I have followed the pandemic closely in the UK and have added many real situations that have happened there.  Research, research, research!

The easiest part is definitely writing the story itself, especially dialogue.  I can hear the characters in my head telling me what to write.  I rarely suffer from writer’s block, unless I am trying to think about how to write a mystery or crime and how to resolve it.

Aslan's Princess

Q: Where do you find inspiration? Is it something specific? Or multiple things?

A: I find inspiration mainly in two areas.  First, from watching episodes over and over and analyzing them. Second, I also find inspiration in my own life, in bringing in real experiences I am familiar with (such as pregnancy and childbirth).  Occasionally I will read a story or a review where someone tells me something that sparks my imagination. My current WIP, The Good Book, was actually inspired by a gif-set one of my readers, Penelope Chestnut showed me.  It got me wondering what would happen if Sherlock suddenly discovered the Bible (shown in TBB) in his bookcase and decided he wanted some answers about the meaning of life.

Justwritebritt

Q: What drives you to keep writing?

A: Certainly, one of the most motivating factors is hearing from readers who enjoy my work.  Readers generally have no clue what kind of power they possess when it comes to encouraging a writer to keep going.  A pat on the back is always a good thing. I wish more people could understand that.

Aside from that, though, I feel a calling from God to keep writing. I like sharing my faith through Molly (and Sherlock). My hope is that people will find my stories inspiring and encouraging.

Q: What/Who can you absolutely not write without?

A:  I cannot write without my iPad.  I use it not only to write, but to research and to watch Sherlock on Netflix.  it's my all-in-one resource!

Q: What is your favorite story you've published so far?

A: I will always love A Journey to Love, Faith and Marriage, because it is the “mothership” from which all my other stories spring, but my writing technique was not great at the beginning; there’s an obvious improvement in later chapters.  But, I am also very fond of Sherlock’s Dream of What Might Have Been.  That one tells a story of Sherlock and Molly meeting in uni, and then jumps to the canon, inserting a secret relationship (and child) throughout the series canon. I put a lot of thought into filling in Season 4 backstory as well.

Q: What (in vague terms) story are you looking forward to telling next?

A: I have a few stories in the pipeline that I am looking forward to sharing.  One that steps away from the overt Christian themes is a Pretty Woman AU.  I haven't seen anyone attempt an AU for that movie, and I look forward to sharing it.  Perhaps it will spark interest with a few more readers because it isn't heavily weighted on the Christian theme scale, but is merely one of my more whimsical, creative story ideas. It is the first story I have written that combines elements from both a movie and the Sherlock narrative.

I also have a couple of one-shots that I will publish in the timeline of my WIP Journey to a New Home, one,that deals with the topic of divorce using a Biblical perspective, plus one that sheds light on the subject of depression.

End of Padt 1.

[avatar-mom]

The Avatar Legacy Fan Panel SDCC 2020 News

Hello Friends! This is a LONG update. I hope everyone has enough energy to get through it all.

The Avatar Legacy Fan Panel put in a proposal for Comic-Con @ Home 2020!

If chosen, we will need to produce a Zoom/digital panel for SDCC to host online. Our production will be due by mid-June (June 20th or so). GASP! That’s only 2 weeks to create/plan/organize/ and produce a digital panel! The panel will not go live until around the usual time of SDCC in July. If chosen, SDCC will announce the actual day our pre-recorded panel will go live on their channels/site. We will update you if we receive that information.

In the meantime, the proposal I submitted to Comic-Con @ Home 2020 included everything our panels are known for. Our live fan panel format always includes a Fan Artist Spotlight, comic reading with cast and crew, cosplay contest, and a Q&A. A few of these sections seem very ambitious for a virtual panel ( and honestly, might not happen…), but we are up for the challenge! Besides, this online format gives us the opportunity to invite participants from all over the world!

Now, to make the most out of the precious little time we have, I need to get started ASAP. So today (June 8th  2020), I am putting out the 1st update to the fandom. More details and updates will follow soon! Please share this message and encourage others to share and follow for updates. The planning will roll out in phases.

Phase 1: Plan/announce the possibility of a panel

Phase 2: Assemble/organize resources for all areas of the panel

Phase 3: Record/edit panel and submit to SDCC

Phase: 4 Compile/announce final votes for the winning fan favorite cosplay

Welcome to Phase 1! In this phase we are not only communicating the possibility of a panel, but we are also broadcasting a request for participants!

We need:

A Fan Artist!

The mission of the panel is to celebrate the passion of the fans. This is why we always include a fan artist in every panel. Fan art is much more than 2D drawings. We welcome sculptures, animation, textile art, mixed media art, paper art, game art, writers, musicians, metal smiths, costume makers… oh gosh! If you are not sure if your art could be considered, just email me to ask! Also, you do not have to be an amateur. The series has been around for over 15 years and has inspired so many professionals.

The fan artist who joins us should have many examples of Avatar the Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra fan art. The artist should also be willing to appear on the digital panel and share how the series has inspired their craft. To apply for the Fan Artist Showcase, please email me @ the.avatar.legacy.fan.panel@gmail.com, subject line, “Fan Artist Showcase”. I will respond with some questions and details.

Cosplay Contestants!

We love Avatar Cosplayers. The fandom is never afraid to try new ways of interpreting characters or engineering cosplays for challenging characters like Appa or the Water Spirit! We know that there is nothing better than seeing a cosplay live and in person, however, that’s not the world we live in right now. So, we are asking hopeful contestants to create a 1 minute video of your cosplay and send a zipped MP4 version to us via email.

If your video passes our content screening, we will assign your video a number, add your description, and then host the video on our YouTube channel for fan voting. For more information and contest instructions, click on the following link: Cosplay Contest Rules: Avatar Legacy Fan Panel. Please follow the link for more information about the process. If you submit a video, I will assume that you have read the requirements and agree to the terms of the contest. Because there is a short time frame, I ask that you contact me with questions before you submit. the.avatar.legacy.fan.panel@gmail.com

Tips for creating your cosplay video:

1. Make sure the video allows viewers to see the entire cosplay

2. Be sure to record in a well-lit area. 

3. It’s ok if your video goes under a minute, but do not go over a minute. 

4. You only have 1 minute, so use it to show not only your cosplay, but also your character’s personality. Example: If you are cosplaying the Cabbage Merchant, say something or act like the Cabbage Merchant (MY CABBAGES!!!).

5. Check out videos from our past panels to see how contestants showed off their cosplays for our panelists. 

Vote for your favorite! Voting will be open from June 8th - July 27th at 1pm 2020 (CST). To vote, go to The Avatar Legacy Fan Panel YouTube channel. We just updated the channel, so it’s squeaky clean and ready for contest videos. In the beginning of the contest, there may only be a few videos uploaded. We will do our best to receive, screen, and upload entries as soon as possible. Be sure to subscribe to the channel for updates.

When videos become available, browse and enjoy your fellow fans as they celebrate their wonderful cosplays. To vote for a video, click the video’s thumbs up/ “like” icon under the video. We ask that you only vote for your favorite. However, if you cannot choose, feel free to like a few more. Please try not to like them all (even though I am sure they will all have exciting merits!). If you change your mind later, you can change your vote up until July 27th at 1pm (CST). Comments on all videos will be turned off. We will stop accepting and uploading videos after we receive 35 qualifying entries. The contest ends July 27th at 1pm 2020 (CST). If there is a tie, we will use additional YouTube data or have a special run off to break the tie. 

Questions for the Q&A!

We know one of the best reasons to visit a panel is to ask questions of people you admire. What was their inspiration? What was their process? How do they improve their craft? Because the panel will be pre-recorded, we are asking that fans email questions after we announce the guest line up. We will be accepting questions for only a few days after that announcement. Then we will hunt through all the fan questions and pick out a handful that we feel will add to the theme and tone of the panel. If your question is chosen, you will be contacted and given the opportunity to receive a small prize. We do not have the final panel line up yet, so keep us on your radar. We will announce the line up when everything is approved and ready!

Whew... that’s it for now ;) Thank you for reading through all of that. Cross your fingers and wish us luck! We have NEVER done anything like this before. Going digital with this panel gives us the opportunity to finally realize a dream of a cosplay contest judged by panelists AND fans (something that has been difficult to do on location). Also, the fan panel’s cosplay contest can include contestants from all over the world!  If it goes well, we will definitely consider including a virtual cosplay contest component for all future fan panels.

The best part is that the panel will be available for EVERYONE that has access to the internet.  It breaks my heart every year when fans are turned away because we have a 500 capacity room, but 800 fans waited in line to enter. Thank you all so very much! You are all incredibly special to me and I am wishing you health, strength, and peace <3

p.s. if there were typos, i will fix them later. hehehe...

[letterboxd]

How I Letterboxd #7: Cinemonster.

Hooptober’s head honcho opens up to Jack Moulton about his love for Texas-born horror director Tobe Hooper, the joys of running Letterboxd’s most beloved Hallowe’en community challenge, and the “terrifying, magical” experience of seeing Frankenstein at the age of four.

“You can’t spell October without Tobe.” —Cinemonster

Cinemonster, known to his family and friends as David Hood, is a restaurateur in Pittsburgh by day, and the head honcho of Hooptober by night. Now in its seventh year, the horror film challenge sees participants set their own 31-day viewing agenda of 31 films, curated according to a list of criteria set by its creator.

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974), directed by Tobe Hooper.

With over 5,000 films logged on Letterboxd and a growing collection of posters, DVDs, Blu-rays, laser discs and film memorabilia, Cinemonster is a literal monster of cinema. He has created more than 500 lists, including a ton of year, director, actor, actress, franchise and memoriam lists.

What brought you to Letterboxd? I found Letterboxd while I was doing a Google search for a horror film that I had forgotten the name of. I ran into a list that Hollie Horror had made and wound up starting a profile and it went from there. That would have been a little over seven years ago.

How freakin’ cool is last year’s Hallowe’en Easter egg with the dripping blood from our logo? [Pro members get this added to their pages by mentioning #horror in their bio.] I’m a fan.

Unfortunately I haven’t heard of a single one of your four profile favorites! What’s urging you to highlight these films? They are just lesser-seen and have something good or great about them. Eyeball is a great little underseen Umberto Lenzi film. Death Machines is an awkward, weird and wonderful film with kung fu and blood. Massacre at Central High is one of my favorite films and sadly lacking a disc release of any kind—anyone who has seen Heathers will recognize a couple of things if they watch it. Rituals is a criminally underseen stalked in the woods film from the ’70s.

In this this list description, you explain how the original Frankenstein (1931) hooked you into horror at four years old. Can you describe what you most remember about that life-changing experience? It was both magical and terrifying. The space, the creature, the little girl. I had trouble sleeping for weeks afterwards. No matter where I am in the world, if there is a screening of Frank, I’ll go. I watched most of the major universals by the time I was six or seven. I saw Alien and Jaws 2 with my folks and those stuck with me. Cable and a local UHF station showing Hammer films on Saturdays are what really allowed me to get sucked in.

‘Frankenstein’ (1931), directed by James Whale.

The horror films of 1980 and 1981 were the most impactful and are the ones that mean the most to me to this day; Fade to Black, Night School, Motel Hell, The Fog, Alligator, Altered States, Terror Train, Death Ship, Scanners, An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, The Funhouse, Dead & Buried, Hell Night, Wolfen, Ghost Story, The Pit and Evilspeak. I saw all of them five to ten-plus times on cable as a kid. They’re still all high on my list. I am glad that Fade to Black is on Shudder. People need to watch it. More relevant now than then.

What exactly provoked you to start Hooptober seven years ago? I moved into an old spooky house and had a backlog of Blu-rays to watch and the 4K of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was about to come out. I’d done some interactive stuff on Letterboxd previously and had a decent amount of people involved. I was also at a point in my life where 31 films in 31 days is tough, as it is for a lot of us now. So I thought ‘Why don’t I do something that starts a little early, clears some of my list out, and has some parameters that don’t feel like I am handing out an assignment?’ I grew up in Texas, Tobe [Hooper] is close to my heart, and with all the Hooper I owned and the 4K coming out, I decided to christen it with his name. You can’t spell October without Tobe.

What’s the most members that have participated in a Hooptober? The number of people who participated was a little more than I expected, but that wasn’t what I was surprised by. I never thought of it as a recurring event until I started to hear from people the following summer about ‘the next one’. I just kinda chuckled after about a dozen people had asked and I said out loud to no one, “I guess I’m doing another one of these”. We are well over 700 this year, and still climbing.

‘Fade to Black’ (1980), directed by Vernon Zimmerman.

Where do you get the ideas for the rules for films to consider watching? At this point, I look back at past years so that I don’t repeat myself. I look to the current year for inspiration. Is there a film from a sub-genre that was prominent? Was it a strong year for output from women, Mexico, Asia, Black filmmakers, something cultural, and so on? I may focus on effects creators, an actor or writer on a whim. I try to keep an eye out for blind spots I haven’t covered. Shudder, archive.org, the big streamers are all resources. Sadly, rarefilmm no longer exists.

In last year’s interview with Merry-Go-Round magazine, you mentioned plans to turn Hooptober into a film festival. How’s that going? In a post-pandemic world, how can we keep independent niche film festivals thriving? The world has not been agreeable, obviously. I’m not even sure how viable something like that will be next year. I’ve been taking a look at streaming options. Post-pandemic will require more creativity and outside-the-box thinking, and will probably continue to feed some drive-ins. Been a while since more than a handful of people wanted to put money into a drive-in, which is nice to see.

I’m going to do a tweet along to The Witch Who Came From the Sea in October, and I’ll give you an exclusive here: The George Romero Foundation and I are doing online Horror Trivia on October 11. I had been doing it live with them here in Pittsburgh until the pandemic.

Based on this year’s rules and conditions, if there was one essential you-can’t-miss film you could force all your participants to add to their challenge, which film would it be? Demons, Eve’s Bayou or The Witch Who Came From the Sea.

‘The Witch Who Came from the Sea’ (1976), directed by Matt Cimber.

What have been your own greatest film discoveries through your Hooptober adventures? A Tale of Two Sisters, I Drink Your Blood, Blood Diner, and though it is a bit of a cheat to list this one, The Amusement Park. It’s cheating because it didn’t exist as something that I or anyone else could have watched, prior to when I saw it.

Do you have any acclaimed horror movies still lingering in your list of shame? Eyes Without a Face, Upgrade, Cure and Scream 4.

Have you ever completed one of your own Hooptober challenges yet? Errrrrrrrrr, one. I’m on track this year.

What about the participants over the years—any Letterboxd friends you’ve made who would you like to give a shout-out to? Aaron, Sarah Jane and Chris Duck are people that I talk to outside of Letterboxd. There have been a few others over the years. Slappy McGee has helped me with Hooptober the last two years. They are great. Javo and David Lawrence are pretty great, too.

Before Hooptober, many of your lists invited discussion with your followers. In what ways is Letterboxd the ideal forum to foster a community of film fans? Fans exercise their fandom in so many ways. The platform is so flexible that it allows you to utilize it in a small and personal way, in a promotional way, or to dive into the community pool and see who’s out there that shares something with you or can show you something. The more people that we are exposed to and listen to, we are all the better for.

Which of your review—from any genre—are you proudest of? The Invisible Man or The Hustler, probably. I have a capsule of Hud that I like.

So, you’re the horror guy. Nobody is denying that. You are Cinemonster, after all. But when I look at your top movies list and see that Singin’ in the Rain is your all-time number one, I’ll need you to explain yourself. I go back and forth between that and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They are 1A and 1B in some order. Singin’ in the Rain is a perfect film and the studio system at its best. I will ignore your implied insult. ;)

‘Fear of a Black Hat’ (1993), directed by Rusty Cundieff.

It’s true, even a horror aficionado needs some levity in their life. What other comedies pick you up from a dark place? Fear of a Black Hat always does the trick. Same with The Awful Truth, Murder by Death, Hollywood Shuffle, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Blazing Saddles, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Black Dynamite.

Who has been keeping you company during this tough year? I have watched thirteen Spike Lee films so far this year. I’ve taken a break the last few months, but I’ll probably knock out five or six more. With the exception of 25th Hour, everything is a revisit. It’s been a joy to go back through everything. Crooklyn is much stronger than I remembered, and Bamboozled just gets better and more impactful as time passes. I have loved Spike since the day I saw School Daze. His films have always connected with things that are important to me and to those that have been around me. Lee is still grossly under-appreciated as a narrative film director and a documentarian.

We’re bowing down to your epic Blu-ray and DVD collection. Which ones are your most prized possessions? Make us jealous. I have an Anchor Bay DVD of Dawn of the Dead signed by the cast and George A. Romero, a steelbook of Battle Royale, the first Slumber Party Massacre set before they had to reprint the box, the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu. I’m sure there are things I’m not thinking of. I have a lot of out-of-print and laser-only stuff. I’ll never get rid of my Holy Grail, Ghostbusters and Akira Criterion laser discs.

A selection of Cinemonster’s signed memorabilia.

I have a copy of Painting with Light signed by John Alton, John Waters and Steven Soderbergh I’ll send you a picture of. I used to collect movie posters, and I have the original Revenge of the Jedi one-sheet and the Drew Struzan Squirm poster. I do love those.

From your top directors list, let’s put one horror director on a pedestal. Who does the genre better than anyone else and why? George. They’re always topical, intelligent, thoughtful, personal and sometimes prescient. At their best they hold up both a mirror and a crystal ball. He was writing found-footage scripts in the early 70s, for god’s sake. Tobe is grossly under-appreciated. James Whale and Mario Bava could scare you in so many ways.

So, thinking beyond Ari Aster, Robert Eggers and Jordan Peele, which up-and-coming horror directors are you most excited about? Issa López, Gigi Saúl Guerrero, Benson and Moorhead, Shinichiro Ueda, Na Hong-jin, Julia Ducournau, Nia DaCosta, Jeremy Gardner and Leigh Whannell.

The 2010s were a great decade for horror. We have more money on-screen, moving away from the low-budget films of the 2000s. Which favorite horror film of the last decade inspired you the most? Get Out. What Jordan did for generations to come is unmatched in this century.

Chucky from ‘Child’s Play’ (1988).

Which probably-too-long horror franchise gets too much flak and is top-to-bottom a great time? Child’s Play. Chucky has always been treated generally as second tier. [That franchise] has tried a lot of interesting and out-there things during its lifespan that had no business working, but did.

I know it’s been a slow year but you haven’t logged many 2020 movies yet! Which is your most anticipated horror movie of 2020 or 2021? Peninsula, for sure; I love Train to Busan. Then Candyman, The Dark and the Wicked, Grizzly II: Revenge, Bad Hair, #Alive, After Midnight, The Platform, Bulbbul, Underwater, Shirley and Swallow.

Interview by Jack Moulton. Follow Jack on Letterboxd.

[emcon-imagines]

weekend moodboard event!

Hey everyone!

For my followers in the United States, it’s 4th of July weekend. I wanted to use this time to share a few organizations working to solve various issues in the United States and who are always looking for support.

To participate, you can do anything from signing up for a mailing list, donating, signing a petition, writing in a mailing campaign, really anything. It does not have to be an organization from the list under the cut, these are just some suggestions to get you started. If you know another group in your own community, go for it! After, request a moodboard by sending me the name of the organization, what you did (sign up for their mailing list, donate, petitioned, did a mailing campaign, etc.) and who you want the moodboard for! It could be any character from my fandom list or an OC (I’ll just need details or a link to them).  

Some of my favorite organizations and issues I’m familiar with are listed below the cut but it is by no means exhaustive! If you have any that you want me to add or boost, just let me know!

Thanks everyone (and yes, this is open to non-U.S. followers as well, if you have a organization in your country or internationally that you’d like to support!) and open from today (July 4th) to tomorrow night (July 5th). It’s quick and short, but it’s just a little something!

Some organizations and people to check out:

Mari Copeny is a 12-year-old activist in Flint, Michigan (she turns 13 Monday!), who has been fighting for clean and safe drinking water in her hometown. She organizes various drives for the kids in her community, as well as events pushing for clean water both in Flint and beyond. throughout the year, so keep an eye on her twitter for updates. While water quality has improved in Flint over the last five years, there is still work to be done, and Mari is on the front line.

RAICES Texas provides educational and legal services for immigrants and refugees, specifically those at the southern border. They’ve been working to give legal aid to migrants facing deportation, families that have been separated, and for those in detention. They have a ton of resources on their site to check out, and their twitter is also full of information on how you can help.

In a similar vein, Migrant Justice is a group out of Burlington, VT that fights for economic justice and the rights of migrant farm workers in the state, especially those in the dairy industry. Like RAICES, they also provide support for workers who live in fear or have been being racially profiled or detained, especially near the northern border, which has become heavily militarized. 

This Black Lives Matter card provides a ton of details on how you can support the cause, way more than I can detail here!

The Trevor Project provides support, resources, and a hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, especially those struggling with mental health issues or who are living in an unsupportive environment. 

The Electronic Freedom Foundation is a nonprofit that defends digital privacy rights and free speech. They’ve also put out a lot of great resources for protesters as well and are fighting against government surveillance and censorship. 

The Lakota People’s Law Project is a group working to defend the First Amendment rights of Native people and their allies. They were present in 2016 at the Standing Rock protests, and continue to work to assist in the reclamation of Indigenous lands, stop future threats to Lakota culture, supporting Native voting rights, and work with tribal nations on other issues facing Indigenous peoples.

The Navajo Water Project is an Indigenous-led group working to bring clean, running water to families living in Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada in the Navajo Nation.

Re:Store Justice is a criminal rights, California-based nonprofit seeking to improve the lives of incarcerated people and are fighting mass and static incarceration, with the hopes of working to re-imagine the justice system.

I hope this can get you guys started if your interested! It would mean the world to me if you used this weekend to get involved in some way, even if it just means signing up for a mailing list or signing a petition!

[wolfstar-in-color]

July Creator Spotlight: Desicosplay

Hello, lovely people, and welcome to our second creator spotlight!

Each month, we will highlight a different creator in our lovely fandom who features diverse characterizations of Sirius and/or Remus. We will invite you to get to know them better through questions and answers, Fandom Discourse(tm), and a featured prompt created by our guest.

For our second spotlight, we are absolutely honoured to having the presence of @desicosplay, an incredible cosplayer and writer that if you don’t follow, you should do right away. They’ve gifted us with many, many amazing gifsets, a lot of them about Sirius. Below you’ll see a little snippet of the interview and Mastani’s prompt. Under the cut you’ll be able to read the full interview. Don’t forget to share and interact with this post, and if you have anyone you’d like to recommend for a spotlight, shoot us an ask!

“Diversity means celebration. So in fan spaces, that means actively seeking out creators that you might otherwise miss. It means trying out new perspectives, or listening to new perspectives on your favorite characters. It means standing with your peers, being loud in your love and support of them. I’m not saying you have to reblog or comment on everything. Diversity is not just visual, it’s also mental. Diversity needs to be intentional and active, even if that takes place just in your head.”

Mastani’s prompt: Muggle AU! Sirius and Remus at Harry’s sporting event!

Hi! I’m Mastani, she/they/he pronouns, I’m a 1.5/2nd Generation Indian-American, and I cosplay and write fanfiction!

Q: How did you start creating in the fandom? What did you wish to bring into the fandom?

A: Almost five years ago, Laina @ohtheclevernessofme1972 convinced me to join the HPRP community. She and everyone else were so supportive of my desire to bring my culture and background to the Harry Potter characters. Eventually, I also started writing fanfiction again!

Q: What things about s/r as characters or in their relationship inspire you to create around them?

A: I think that they are very complex characters that really demonstrate how external factors affect your life, whether you like it or not. Their relationship, whether platonic, romantic, or anything in-between or outside, is also so fascinating in its potential to evolve. Wolfstar is constantly changing, and all its interpretations are totally feasible to imagine.

Q: What things would you like to highlight about the Wolfstar fandom and your experience in it?

A: My main dips into the fandom are when I cosplay Sirius, and every time, I feel so much love. The fandom is so open to any interpretations of Sirius, and it does wonders to make someone feel accepted.

Q: What type of content do you wish you saw more in the fandom?

A: This is entirely self-indulgent, but Godfather/Uncle!Sirius just make me feel so warm inside. There’s a love inside Sirius that only gets touched upon inside the books. AUs where he gets to interact with Harry as a child or teen outside the pressure of a war are just so calming and warming.

Q: What is your favourite wolfstar fancontent (fic/fanart/gifset/etc) and how does it inspire you?

A: Y’all, I have so many Wolfstar fics saved that are just stunning and several that are comfort fics. I think the biggest takeaway from all of them is the comfort the boys find in each other. All of them are AUs, and I’m inspired to depict my Wolfstar as something kind, gentle, and communicative.

Q: Which of your own identities inform your creative processes? How has that process been for you?

A: All of them! But more specifically, my racial background informs most of my process. My process is… Sporadic, to say the least. However, when I do get struck with an idea, I have to create it almost instantly. One example, Wolfstar-related, is that my Sirius cosplay has long hair, half-up in a bun. I feel like desi!Sirius would celebrate his heritage by growing his hair long, which also is a nice, “screw you,” to societal and familial constraints.

Q: What advice do you have for other content creators with diverse backgrounds in the fandom? What would you say to people that might feel they don’t have the “right” history/experience/characteristics to participate in the creation of content related to Wolfstar?

A: think the best advice for participation I have comes from the iconic Jay @siriussly-serious, Rest in Power. “Go. Get in. Dive in. Fucking head first. Fuck that, cannonball your butt right in there and make a damn splash…” There is no, “right,” history/experience/background. These characters are fictional, but they can reflect our world. Our world is not homogenous. So why should fictional worlds and characters be that way? These stories are ours, and we shape them to be whatever we want them to be. If you want to create, that’s all the prerequisite you need.

Q: How could we build a more diverse fandom?

A: This blog is a great example of how to build a diverse fandom. Celebrating creators with diverse backgrounds and being loudly supportive of them makes us want to stay. Finding communities that celebrate, not just accept, can make a world of difference. So, raise your voice and love on your favorite creators.

Q: What’s your favourite thing to modify in Sirius’s or Remus’s characterizations to bring new perspectives to them?

A: I’m a huge communicator, so improving character communication is something I love to do. I like to create fluff, and this change lets me focus on the gentler parts of Sirius and Remus, or the parts that need some love, e.g. mental health. It also lets me flesh out their senses of humor more, like their dislike of cats (in my headcanons).

Q: What does diversity mean to you? What does that encompass in fanish spaces?

A: Diversity means celebration. So in fan spaces, that means actively seeking out creators that you might otherwise miss. It means trying out new perspectives, or listening to new perspectives on your favorite characters. It means standing with your peers, being loud in your love and support of them. I’m not saying you have to reblog or comment on everything. Diversity is not just visual, it’s also mental. Diversity needs to be intentional and active, even if that takes place just in your head.

Q: What are your ideas about the notions of culture and ethnicity? How do you relate to those notions?

A: I find culture and ethnicity to overlap in many ways, as they both pertain to group characteristics. I’m not an anthropologist, so I don’t know the detailed differences between the two. However, in my quick searches, it feels, to me, that culture is a bit broader and ethnicity is more geographic. So, I’m culturally Indian-American and ethnically Gujarati Indian (Gujarat is the state in India). I find these notions to be helpful when defining and describing my experiences. For example, among desis (and other brown folks), saying I’m generation 1.5/2 tells them that I straddle American/Western and Indian culture. If I tell another Indian that I’m Gujarati, they instantly know the kind of foods I grew up with and the language my parents speak. It’s a streamlined way of explaining my experiences, and as a science brained person, it makes life easier for me.

Q: Is there a page/organization/institution you would recommend for fans to search/read when it comes to learning about diversity?

A: With the tool that is social media, there are so many activists and creators that are willing and able to teach about diversity. On my page, I keep a page titled, “Resources for Justice.” This page has a wide variety of social justice resources on it. Google is great, but you also want to cross-check your sources. However, I feel like the best way to learn is to ask questions. Do so respectfully and ensure the person you’re asking has the energy/time/compensation to answer. Especially if you’ve done some research ahead of time, I find that many folks are willing to have a discussion - but again, check with the person first. Trust is paramount in these conversations.

Q: Is there a project/organization that you want to hype?

A: Oh, I could name so many. However, the ones I want to shout out here are Chrysalis - Gender Identity Matters and Raze Collective. As many of you know, Jay @siriussly-serious passed away recently, and in his name, we’re promoting/donating to these charities. Chrysalis - GIM offers online and in-person mental health support for trans and nonbinary people in his area and Raze Collective supports LGBTQIA+ performers. Ami @ami-acts and a few others (I apologize for not remembering exactly who - I’ll message the mods if I remember/please add on if you know) organized this. Links are below.

Donate to Chrysalis - GIM here.

Donate to Raze Collective here.

Q: Leave us with a quote or work of art that always inspires you

A: Is it too cheesy to say all of our fandom? To be totally honest, that’s who/what inspires me most of all. It’s a work of art, all the people in it make our fandom a work of art!

[dontcallmecarrie]

Hi there! I've got a question, what is Tony's threat level according to other intelligence agencies after all the snafu of TWIFFON? Like does CBI and FBI' opinion differ from Interpol or MI6? And what about SI legal? Do they have specific lawyers on threat watch and Pepper too? At this point I'm even wondering what does Bill Gates and other competitors think of SI legal? Are they crying in opposition? What was president' reaction over SHIELD' fall and Tony? What about FoxTV and Twitter?

Disclaimer: TWiFFON was created with accidental world domination as an end goal long before I posted the first chapter, as a spitefic in response to the fandom’s reaction to Civil War, and Tony’s treatment in particular. I am a very broke student who’s doing this for fun, as stress relief between classes and whenever I have the time. I am not a political science major, or economics, or business. I have absolutely no clue as to how a corporation’s run, or international law, this is just me derping around in the MCU and keeping my fingers crossed that comic book science covers for whatever I’ve missed and hoping for the best. [So if I screwed something up on the legal side, you’ll know why.]

Okay, now that that’s taken care of: the gist of what you’re asking can be found in a post I did a while back, on power dynamics behind the scenes. 

[more under the cut, because you guys know how I roll and RIP whoever’s on mobile otherwise. Because this turned into surprise SI meta.]

To sum up from that post: 

Tony and Co. are pretty damn formidable, but PR’s mostly on top of things to make them seem like they’re harmless. Whether or not it works depends a lot on a myriad of factors, including economics, political leanings, and location, and as I’ve said before the US has a different view on Tony than the rest of the world does. I’m not going to delve into specifics [this was supposed to be crack, dammit!], because of the above, but given that in real life the heavy pull that corporations have, I’d like to think that in terms of suspension of disbelief I’m not doing too badly. 

I mean, sure, there’s always going to be opposition, but a) Stark Industries used to be in the weapons manufacturing business, so they’re used to cutthroat politics even if they changed tracks a while back [and we’ve seen it happen, and will continue to do so in the fic], and b) I haven’t even touched on how comic book science influences things, like how Wakanda’s existence throws a wrench into International politics or Howard Stark’s infamous legacy [which is a story for another post].

I mean, in real life, the US really did a number on Latin America in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Now imagine what could’ve happened if SHIELD was also out there fucking shit up.

Or how Vietnam must’ve been like, because guess who probably got some of the contracts for supplying the military with munitions? Or just what might’ve led to a different sociopolitical landscape, because how would have Captain America’s image have influenced the Red Scare? Would Howard’s influence [via SHIELD, or otherwise] led to a different way of dealing with Iran? He was known to have participated in the Manhattan Project, so that’s already one change felt: how else did he make it into the history books?

Just…I could go on. I haven’t watched any of the tv shows, but…well. You get the idea. How influential was Howard, even before Tony was born? Bits and pieces’ll show up in TWiFFON, and some other things I write, but…well. You get the idea. 

Also: I have no clue how economics work in real life [again, broke student here, statistics’re more my speed at the moment], but…if NAFTA and the TPP can exist, in real life, and royally fuck up international economies because profits, then a fictional company that’s been kicking since before World War II and is currently headed by some of the sharpest minds in their generation is, again, not too far out in terms of suspension of disbelief. 

After all, Stark Industries is a family company. [Well…kinda.]

Sure, at the time it was also for weapons manufacturing, but still: Tony grew up knowing he’d inherit it someday. I cover this a bit in the PR interlude, and I think you guys might be able to see hints of it in the Legal interlude as well, but Tony grew up with Obadiah being a larger presence in his life than Howard was, and I forget if it got cut or not but in one draft the PR representative was also a known face. 

So, Stark Industries’ presence has been a constant in Tony’s life. Stemming from childhood, even, and we can see its influence early on, too: remember how he was 17 when he worked with PR to keep stock prices from plunging and thus avoid layoffs? 

Tony’s very possessive of what he has, when it comes to people. Add in a dash of spite and his issues, and you get a company that hasn’t changed its stance on vacation time in decades, or health insurance coverage for its employees since before the Reagan administration, and offered roughly a month of paternity leave shortly after Tony took over the company. [Daddy issues for the win.]

Sure, it cut into profits a little, but iit wasn’t like he was hurting for money. And Tony always had a patent or two ready to shut up the board whenever anyone tried to complain and the ‘hey our productivity’s way higher than the competition’ wasn’t enough of a reason to keep things as they were. 

Plus, remember how I said it part of it was out of spite? Tony’s mentally flipping his father off the whole time, but he’s also very smug about it because ha, that that, Hammer and your stupid budget cuts! 

And all the while, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal are all but gushing about how SI’s employee satisfaction rates are off the charts. Tony tries to make it background noise, because really, it should not be unusual to offer that much maternity leave, seriously, what is wrong with you people…and in doing, so kinda misses out on some things.

Like, for instance, just how diehard loyal Stark Industries is. 

There’s a reason everyone in SI’s so rabid about corporate espionage, and maybe money can’t buy everything but overtime pay sure goes a long way sometimes and turns out that on-site daycare is a smash hit, who knew? It’s not just the pay, really; it’s the company picnics with a line-item for property damage, it’s the rivalry Legal and R&D have that has the rest of the company eating popcorn, it’s in the top-of-the-line coffeemakers in the break rooms and free entertainment whenever Hammer Industries tries to do a thing and fails epically. 

Add in the way SI’s got some very strict policies on stuff like sexual harassment [because Tony may act like a playboy for the cameras but he respects women and won’t stand for it], and JARVIS’ assistance, plus Pepper being Pepper, and you’ve got a company full of highly motivated, hypercompetent people all united under the same banner and an employee satisfaction rate that makes the competition go equal parts ‘that sounds fake but okay’ and ‘just what the hell do these people even eat?!’ and that’s why, in the legal sense at least, Tony’s all but untouchable. Business-wise, SI’s feared and envied because Legal’s Seen Some Shit and PR’s handled two generations of Starks and good fucking luck getting a spy in. when JARVIS is in charge of background checks and all fellow coworkers are willing to go the extra mile if it means showing up Hammer. [And I haven’t even mentioned SWORD yet.] Again, SI used to be a weapons company. Sure, they’re doing more civilian-friendly stuff now, but that kind of legacy is really hard to erase even if you tried. You don’t get to the top by being kind, in that industry […I think; again, broke student here], and we’ll see that aspect crop up more as we go along in the fic, too.

Just…where other companies took a colder turn, went more for profits and took advantage of the tax cuts, Stark Industries didn’t change a thing. Jobs didn’t move offshore, and the international branches were chugging along well before NAFTA was put into effect. After all, unlike other sectors, they can afford to do so, because Tony takes pride in churning out top-of-the-line stuff [be it bomb, pre-Afghanistan, or the latest tablet or nanoprocessor], and, again, his genius means he can increase revenue without having to do it at the expense of SI’s employees if push ever came to shove.

Plus, I reiterate: this is meant to be self-indulgent stress relief. Suspension of disbelief’s a thing, this is the same universe where we have cryogenically-preserved supersoldiers running around and magic exists. 

To sum up: okay, now what you’ve got is a company of hypercompetent employees who’re diehard loyal and who knows how many resources at their disposal. So when things snowball…well. Really, it was a tiny bit of miscommunication, could’ve happened to anyone!

It’s just. Umm. Just a tiny case of world domination. 

[not going too much into specifics because guess what the fallout-from-AoU/buildup-to-CW arc’s even about, and I kinda went overboard with the meta enough as is.]

[movietipsdmq-blog]

Leading 5 Things You Must Remember For Cosplay

Hey there, I'm Pugoffka, often understood by my given name Elena.I have been doing cosplay fires for 5 years currently. In the working shop, we'll deal with these subjects: As a digital photographer of both cosplay and non-cosplay image shoots, I have actually seen my share of great as well as bad preparation.Through previous knowledge, I have actually tightened down a choice of key pointers that will make for an enjoyable as well as smooth photo shoot.

1. Know your personality inside out

Let's start with the image shoot prep work. The love as well as personal investment in the personality is noticeable in your cosplay as well as will certainly inspireyou to provide it your all.

I enjoy the personality "Evie Fry" from Assassin's Creed Organization: She fascinated me as well as I expanded to take care of her. If I really did not enjoy the personality then it would certainly have turned up as sloppier craftsmanship or lack of detail. Finding out about your personality will help you connect with the cosplay and, when at a Con, you will be able to relocate and also talk like them thus including an additional layer to the outfit. Just love that you are as well as what you do, essentially.

2. Talk, Talk as well as Talk

So, you have lastly scheduled yourself a photo shoot with a photographer, either through emails, telephone call, or texts. Below are a few points to make sure you as well as your photographer get on the exact same page.

Organizing

Keep in normal call with your photographer. Relying on when you arrange the image shoot, you may locate that you require to alter the day, the time, also the cosplay you planned on putting on. Ensure to maintain your professional photographer informed if something has come near offer you and the photographer time to reschedule.

Timing

I can not worry sufficient about time. What time of day are you preparing to fulfill? Did you pick 2 o'clock? Or was it 1 o'clock? Make certain you absolutely recognize what time you planned on satisfying the professional photographer. Relying on the day, that digital photographer might have multiple consultations as well as require to adhere to the timetable to the min. Being late to a photo shoot can place a thrill on both individuals depending on what you have planned.

3. Locate your character.

To select the location for the shoot. If you favor an outdoors shoot, you have to determine the time of day when you'll start and end up the shoot.

The places for the photo fires do not always need to be nearby. Often times I've had to go to the countryside and also even to various other cities to find a perfect location, close to the original resource's design (canon). If you can't determine where to shoot your cosplay, try searching for some concepts on the net. There are numerous themed web-sites that could help you discover some deserted structures, historical places, gorgeous landscapes. See to it that your chosen location's design fits to your fandom's histories. Everything in the shot requires to look sensible. For example, let's have a look at my recent photographs of the now-popular fandom "Strike on Titan". We did the contend different locations. Our main job was to locate a wall. What you see on the picture is a messed up movie theater. We likewise wished to add something unique, so we went to a steed club and also shot the fifty percent of the shoot with steeds. When collaborating with an additional individuals, we went to an old healthcare facility. And after that finished the shoot in a forest with special impacts. Yet we'll get to this tail end later.

If you do not have any kind of comparable how to cosplay superhero locations in view, attempt to be innovative. You can make use of a normal old block wall surface. As well as, in my viewpoint, the older and also dirtier the wall surface is, the much better it will certainly look. Choose the style of your picture shoot, based on the area. Make a decision if it will be funny or unfortunate, if it is a romance. Possibly you desire it to have its very own plot-- in that instance you have to prepare a storyboard, to leave no location for holdbacks or thoughts on "what to shoot next". Though following a rigorous strategy isn't always such a good thing. Often times we took care of to produce a far more intriguing product by improvising as well as not adhering to our strategies.

Always think about these befoe you begin the shoot.

A refuge. Make sure you are in a secure area, not also remote, too harmful.

You would certainly better have a restroom.Having to go to the bathroom will probably occur at one of the most troublesome times, like in the center of a photo shoot. Be ready and already be close to a washroom. And also, it aids if there are multiple costume adjustments that require to happen.

4. Expert present and also makeup

Makeup

No cosplay is total without the correct cosmetics, hair piece, wig, prop, or accessory. Everything down to the eye shade of the personality can bring any cosplay to the next level.TO prevent to be not practical, I'll advise a site for you concerning exactly how to make up.

Position

For me the hardest is making pictures with great pose. You need to look not only for hands and head, like in picture, however, for the complete body, it's angle, placement of legs. Than check out the costume, and also just after that make an image.

5. Make it Perfect.

Don't neglect to photoshop your photography for better behavior.You can occasionally include good results with the shade or illumination of the image to make it more unique before sending them over to us, and that makes your work a great deal simpler when it comes to submitting them to the net.

If you're taking your very own pictures or have a digital photographer that will not be including any impacts (like a family members participant who is involuntarily dragged right into taking pictures for you), you can either include impacts or just leave the photos as they are. It can be a pricey program to purchase, however will be well worth your time if you're major concerning your cosplaying photography.

If you do not know how to use photoshop to modify your photos.you might ask a specialist photographer to aid you to modify it, or you may find some overview in the Internet to aid you to edit your images, or you can use some tools that is much easier for you to modify.

Of training course cosplay, cosplay photosets-- this is primarily a hobby that brings us fun.I love characters. Trust me, once you really obtain right into the trenches of cosplay as well as feel your hands developing imaginary personalities in the genuine globe, all the work and also hours on Youtube will be worth it. If you've ever wanted to live in a personality or walk for a mile in some imaginary footwear, cosplay is the means to.

I protest any guidelines as well as limits in the image. Yet there are things that are much better not to do due to the fact that experience has revealed more than once that it does not look great on the images if you do not think the experience of various other digital photographers you can do to try and also experiment. After all of this can get something drastically brand-new.

Bear in mind that not everything is mosting likely to be perfect for the first time. Occasionally you need to obtain made use of to the professional photographer. And also if you really feel unpleasant it will certainly be really obvious in the photo. Do not quit after the very first time. Try repeatedly. One way or another you'll shock your friends and yourself with lovely photos.

[thesundaymorningpost]

The Sunday Morning Post

October 15, 2017                                                              16th Edition

Current News: 

National Novel Writing Month | @nanowrimo   is fast approaching, and if you haven’t started already, now would be a great time to get ready for a month’s worth of writing. 

On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30.  

In 1999, NaNoWriMo started with only 21 people from the San Francisco Bay Area with a desire to write novels in a short period of time. Their goal was to write 50,000 words in 30 days.  Since then it has blown up into a huge organization where thousands of people come together all over the world to help each other write their stories, though encouragement and swapping ideas. 

NaNoWriMo’s Mission statement:  National Novel Writing Month believes in the transformational power of creativity. We provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page. - nanowrimo.org

Story Recommendation: 

Baked by AsbestosMouth | @asbestosmouth

(Game of Thrones)  (Click title to read)

Renowned chef Sandor Clegane is 'the mean judge' on The Great Westerosi Bake Off. He hates soggy bottoms, flaccid gingerbread housing, doughy bread, and doesn't the nation know it? Sansa Stark is an amateur cake lover who is just thrilled to be taking part - it's all so exciting to be thrust into the giddy competition with eleven other hopefuls!

Things do not go according to plan; as everyone knows, lemon drizzle cakes can be most contentious.

Will Yara's innuendo finally be too much? Will Olenna's machinations raise her grandson to glory? Will Ramsay kill everyone with a sharpened spatula? Is Cersei really that drunk all the damned time? Can Podrick's adorableness break Twitter? Who will be crowned King or Queen of the Tent? Let's bake.

the bake off is hilarious, Everything is just Death threats, puns, cake, and innuendos. add some strawberries on top and you have a feast of Mutual pining and baking - @mygeekcorner

Artist Spotlight:

Flowers ft Nori by @bodedo  (Click title to reblog)

Comic: 

Calvin and Hobbs by Bill Watterson

Support: 

This week’s Ko-Fi shout-out goes to Oldmythologies | @oldmythos

I write transformative work, often posting more than a thousand words a day. I have a lot of feelings about many things and am a broke college student.

Patreon: 

Vress by @vress-shark  (Click title to become a patron)

Fun and Games:  👻🔮✨ spooky questions! ✨🔮👻  by @rosepotion  (Click title to reblog)

ghost: have you ever seen a psychic? witch: do you believe in heaven? black cat: favorite urban legend? bats: are you superstitious? coffin: have you ever had a paranormal experience? cauldron: strangest dream (or nightmare) you’ve had? wizard: do you believe in aliens? enchanted: what fictional character scares you most? haunt: do you believe in haunted objects? spells: do you believe in magic? graveyard: do you believe any conspiracy theories? if so, which ones? potion: favorite horror movie? full moon: do you believe in reincarnation? vampire: are you afraid of death? pumpkin: do you believe in ghosts? midnight: last horror move that you’ve watched? skeleton: what is your biggest fear? crystal ball: when is a time you got caught? magic: have you had any near-death experiences? raven: favorite fairytale? ouija: have you ever played with a ouija board? fangs: favorite poem?

Story Prompt: 

After a long day you come home and flick on the lights. Someone who looks to be a stereotypical vampire is fiddling with your remotes. Before you can speak, they simply say: “Did you know you have a piece of rug that says ‘Come right on in’ in front of your door?”  - @writing-prompt-s

Art Prompt: 

Dress up your favorite character in a Halloween costume.

W.I.P. Motivation:

Blood is thicker than by @icanhinatashouyoutheworld

“You might be Yuri’s biological parent, Mr. Nikiforov. But I’m his father. If Yuri wants to go with you, that’s one thing,” Yuuri Katsuki’s voice flows quiet and dangerous into the room “but if he doesn’t, don’t think that you’re taking my child away from home,”

Or: Victor Nikiforov finds out he has a son. He wants full custody.

Katsuki Yuuri isn't going to give up his child that easily.

Or: Victor and Yuuri fight a custody battle for Yurio. Shit happens.

Or: Yuri Plisetsky starts with one parent, and ends up with two.

model!viktor has a biological son (yuri) he knows nothing about until 8 years later when bio mom dies. danseur!yuuri is adoptive father who just wants to keep the son he's been raising for the past few years. Vicious custody battle with plenty of media attention. bit angsty when it last left off but all the yuuyu is just so sweet and i love it so much? - @mygeekcorner

Please go read and support this artist. They are looking for kudos and comments to get them back into finishing this fantastic story!

Fandom Week:  (Click each line to go to blog)

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Fic Writers Week! - November 26th - December 7th.

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Yuri on Ice BIG BANG Week! Artist sign-ups til December 11th.

Resources:  

not sure what should happen next in your story? by @doctrina  (Click title to reblog) 

Embarrass your protagonist. Make them seem weak and vulnerable in some way.

Shoot someone. That always takes the reader by surprise.

In relation, kidnap someone. Or, rather, make it seem to your protagonist like someone has been kidnapped.

.... (Click title to see full resource)

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@nanowrimo | @asbestosmouth | @mygeekcorner | @bodedo |  @oldmythos |  @vress-shark | @rosepotion | @writing-prompt-s | @icanhinatashouyoutheworld | @seungchuchuweek | @koganetwork | @otabek-altin-week | @shaladinsecretsanta | @yoiauweek-2017 | @jjbellaweek | @ficwritersweek | @saiino-week | @bigbangonice | @doctrina

[anemonensblog]

11(33) Questions meme

So I got tagged by @writsgrimmyblog quite a while ago, and didn’t get around to answering it since I was travelling, so got further tagged by @dictacontrion​ and @huldrejenta​. So this is very long. Hence the cut thing.

RULES:

- Always post the rules

- Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you

- Write 11 questions of your own

- Tag 11 people (or however many you want)

As for my questions, I’m tagging @eidheann, @dracogotgame, @capipuff, @awesomedig, @comingupwithusernamesishard, @noeeon, @i-didnt-wanna-do-it, @firethesound and then if you guys who tagged me wants to do my questions too, I wouldn’t mind readig your answers :D

@writsgrimmyblog​ asked:

1.       What’s your favourite quote from a book or poem? I'm not the best at picking out quotes and I've never been big on poetry, but Kate Tempest has some texts that really digs into my soul. Seeing her at the third biggest stage at Glastonbury, a spoken word artist drawing such a crowd - was pretty powerful. So I chose this quote from her 'Tunnel Vision':

"The myth of the individual has left us disconnected, lost, and pitiful" (which sounds a bit bleak, but the whole poem/album is really powerful, and it ends on a sort of hopeful note.)

2.       What song makes you want to dance like nobody’s watching? I only ever dance like nobody's watching :D latest to Pumarosa at their set at Glastonbury, and then to some pretty heavy techno waiting for Josefin Örn's set at the Glade. While I don't listen to it much on my own, nothing really makes me let loose and not give a shit like hard electronic music does wrt dancing.

3.       What’s your favourite ship to read? Currently Larry. Fic wise it's such a varied pairing to read - covering so many themes and settings - so I never manage to get tired of it. I also really love Tomlinshaw, but Drarry is always in my heart - my first and deepest fandom love.

4.       If you could own one item of clothing belonging to any celebrity what would you pick and why? Umm, is it weird to be in a celeb related fandom and say that I don't really pay that much attention to celebrities? I guess in the sense of overall style I usually like Kristen Stewart's choices and I'd probably be more than happy to wear her wardrobe at all times. But for a single item I'd probably go for one of Harry Styles's lush and luxurious and ridiculously expensive floral blouses and pair it with a pair of high waisted skinny jeans and my brogues.

5.       Gif with a hard or soft ‘g’? Well, as I usually pronounce file formats in Norwegian, the hard g is the only one that makes sense. I suppose we do have a version of soft g too, but that would make it yif, and that just sounds weird. So hard g it is!

6.       What’s your favourite fanfic ‘getting together’ trope? Hmm, does coming to terms with one's sexuality count as a getting together trope? That always hits me really hard and feels very emotional. Otherwise I guess friends to lovers and enemies to lovers, with loads of pining and ust.

7.       What’s your guiltiest pleasure? I'm not sure I actually have a really guilty pleasure? I used to watch a lot of Americas next top model, just because I loved seeing the process with the photo shoots, so maybe that's a little guilty with regards to how the modelling and fashion industry perpetuates some very unhealthy things.

8.       Most relatable 1D (or solo 1D) lyric? “If tomorrow you won’t be mine, won’t you give it to me one last time” JK LMAO but no one can convince me that song isn’t fucking hilarious. For real though, I’m more of a melody than lyrics kind of gal, so I’m not entirely sure? Maybe this one, for good luck, since I’m making some changes in my life (also bonus since they are Louis’ lines :D): “I think I'm gonna win this time, Riding on the wind and I won't give up, I think I'm gonna win this time, I roll and I roll, 'til I change my luck, I roll and I roll, 'til I change my luck”

9.       If you could give one piece of advice to a celebrity, what would it be? I don't necessarily feel like I have any good basis for giving advice to celebs, but I guess just remembering to keep a healthy perspective towards the world, and to use their platform for good. Their participation in politics and activism could do more good than I think a lot of them realise. (But stay informed and think before you speak.)

10.   Tell me your favourite joke. You know, I literally can’t think of a single joke. I guess I could search for some, but that would sort of belie the point.

11.   If you were famous for a day, what question would you most dread being asked during an interview? I think anything related to diet/workout routine/keeping my body in shape would make me feel really uncomfortable and objectified.

@dictacontrion​'s questions:

1.       If you could have one billion dollars or the not (or only incidentally) profitable superpower of your choosing, which would you choose and why? As my big dream/my favourite thing to do is travelling and seeing the world, my chosen superpower would probably be teleportation. BUT teleportation would still leave me with the issue of spending money and getting days off work (unless I used the teleportation for criminal purposes I guess). So I think I'd go for the billion dollars, which not only would enable me to travel as much and however I'd like, but is such a ridiculous amount of money that maybe I could use it to do some good in the world.

2.       What article of clothing makes you feel most awesome? The way I dress is incredibly dependent on my mood, but I guess maybe my denim shorts? Mostly because of the setting in which I would wear them. I love the feeling of warm air and sun on bare skin more than practically anything, so the few occasions where I'm able to wear my denim shorts I feel happy and awesome from the get-go :)

3.       How did you get into your most recent fandom? That must be the 1d fandom, so long story short: a 1d fanfic based m/m novel tickled my curiousity, Harry's 'not that important' even more so. Got recommended the fantastic gryles fic “If this is love” by sunsetmog which I read and adored, and diving deeper into sunsemog’s fics I then read “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow” which till this day still stands as one of my fave ever fics. Then followed some arbitrary tumblr searching and blog following, and in time the rabbit hole that is Larry swallowed me hole and has failed to spit me back out.

4.       What’s your least favorite/most hated book, and why? I’m terribly impatient, so I don’t really finish stuff I don’t like? So I don’t really have that passionate bad feelings about any one book I’ve read. Read some 1800s Norwegian realism/naturalism literature in high school which at the time felt like a drag, but in hindsight I’m very happy I read. Moby Dick annoyed the hell out of me, and I gave up halfway through, but I still don’t hate it, I don’t think. So I don’t really know *shrugs*

5.       Describe a fanwork you’d love to read/see/watch, but don’t want to create yourself, please? Ummm, a long and plotty Ginny/Luna fic maybe. I’d love to read more femslash, but the fics I’ve seen out there are usually just little ficlet. And nothing against a good ficlet, but I’m longing to dive deep into a long and immersive wlw story. (Incidentally, if anyone have any such recs, be it fanfic or original fiction, I’d be happy to hear about it!)

6.       What would be the lineup of your ideal music festival? Ahhhh this is simultaneously the hardest and the best possible question for me!! Okayyy: Grimes, Years & Years, One Direction (ofc), Pumarosa, Arctic Monkeys, Lianne La Havas, Shura, The Shins, Loyle Carner, Wolf Alice, Ezra Furman, Lady Gaga and Rihanna (the two of whom I don't listen to much, but I think they'd bring some amazing pop flair), the Kills, Chvrches, All We Are, Warpaint, Tame Impala, Susanne Sundfør, Amason and then Katzenjammer for some fun nostalgia, ohh and Kate Tempest! and Charli XCX was a lot of fun and I wouldn’t mind seeing her again. ummm okay and then a club line-up for after hours with AlunaGeorge, Disclosure, Hot Chip, Roger Sanchez, Röksopp ft Robyn, Christine Dancke and Nick Grimshaw because why not ;) (And now I’ll probably go on to regret everyone I forgot to add)

7.       You’re given the power to unilaterally create one law or policy in one country - what is it? To nationalise all natural resources so their riches would benefit the people rather than a few rich private business owners and multinational corporations who are often not even based locally.

8.       If you had to commit to living in one place for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Part of me wants to say London, but I think realistically I'll have to choose Bergen (in Norway)<3

9.       Thinking about your life a year from now, what’s one thing that you hope will be different? I hope I’m no longer in this limbo between life phases and will have got to implement the changes I’m going for properly.

10.   What’s one thing that you hope will be the same? My relationship.

11.   What’s the last thing that made you laugh? Was out with some friends for beers last night, which included many laughs, but I can’t remember what in particular that made me laugh. I hang out with these people way to rarely. They’re such great people, and hanging out with them feels so relaxed.

And last but not least, @huldrejenta​‘s questions:

1. What was your favourite album as a teenager? Depends on when you asked me. If I was 13, probably “The Eminem Show”, but as a 17-year old, most definitely Arctic Monkeys’ “Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not” (which still stands as one of my all time favourites)

2. What’s your favourite album now? Pumarosa – “The Witch” – fantastic album, which I wholeheartedly recommend.

3. One pairing you’d love to have more fanfic/art about? As mentioned above, Ginny/Luna. But also more femslash in general would be pretty fantastic.

4. What’s your favourite villain in books and/or movies? I’m not a villain kind of lady, but maybe Umbridge? I don’t think anyone has ever given me as bad feelings as her, because she’s such a realistic villain in a lot of ways. She’s not caricature evil like Voldy or Sauron, but an everyday, self-involved, closed minded evil. And that’s a very effective kind of evil to hate.

5. Do you believe in supernatural phenomenons? No

6. You can have dinner with any person from history, who would you choose? This is kind of an impossible question. So many interesting persons through history. But, actually, I think I’d really have loved to have met my grandfather on my father’s side. My dad is quite old, so his dad was born in the late 1800s and died long before I was born, but he was a teacher and from the sound of it, incredibly foresighted and modern for a man of that time. Which are values he’s very much passed on to his sons. My dad is amazing. My grandfather was a teacher, and during the Nazi occupation of Norway during WW2, he was among those who lost their jobs because he refused to teach nazi ideology to his pupils. And this was in a small, working class industry town, and my dad has told so many fantastic stories about him. I’d love to have met him and talked to him.

7. Name three things you like about yourself :) While I’m pretty shy, I’m also kind of tough in some ways. I went to Japan without much of a plan and winged it as we went. I started playing rugby at age 27. I started singing in a choir I found by googling, where I didn’t know anyone. I wish that toughness spread to other sides of my life, but at least it’s something. I can sing, something which brings me immense joy. I have a pretty good memory, combined with wide spanning interests and curiosity, so I remember a lot of weird facts and random things.

8. Hogwarts era Drarry, yes or no? Depends. 8th year, post war/canon, yes. Canon divergence (other than ewe), mostly no.

9. What was the last thing you googled? The lyrics for some 1d songs for one of the questions further up :P

10. Favourite Harry Potter book? Hmmmmmmmmmm I don’t know? Maybe Prisoner of Azkaban? They’ve all had very profound effects on me though, so it’s like choosing a favourite child.

11. Favourite museum/gallery? I’ve seen a lot of amazing museum during my life, so that’s kind of impossible to answer as well. But maybe, for nostalgic reasons, Bryggens Museum in Bergen. Because my dad used to take me and my sister there sometimes during weekends when we were little, when my mum needed to sleep after a night shift at the hospital. And he’d tell stories and we’d look at the archaeological spots and the seasonal exhibits, and we’d get soda and cake in the museum café.

My questions:

1.     Do you have a song stuck in your head right now? Which one?

2.     Do you have any plans in the foreseeable future that you’re looking forward to?

3.     What’s your favourite place inside your house/flat?

4.     What hobbies do you have outside of fandom?

5.     Do you speak any languages besides your own?

6.     What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?

7.     If you could meet the leader of your country and tell them whatever you wanted, and be guaranteed they’d listen to you, what would you say?

8.     What movie did you watch over and over as a child, and what was your favourite thing about it?

9.     What’s your favourite thing about each season through the year?

10. If you were to get a pet tomorrow, what would you call it and why?

11. How did you discover fanfiction?