#the drag race allstars of my art

[demobatman]

a little late but in honor of the one year anniversary of volume 2 i redrew the first drawing i ever posted 😋😋

[kawaiidaddy]

Absolutely loved miz Akerias runway look, I just had to draw it!

[abhxra]

You say winner of Allstars 5 I just say Shea Couleé ✨

[katsahina]

Hello, it’s me, Valentina! *winks*

[romansrace]

Season 13 Sassy Reviews: Taking stock as of E07 ‘Bossy Rossy Ruboot’

So we know it’s not a good season.

Now all we’re watching to find out is is it AS BAD as season 7 or season 11?

It’s definitely up there for producer tomfoolery.

Let’s hit it.

So we know that going in to a new season, some queens are cast to go far, some queens are cast as filler (this year hilariously lampshaded by Joey Jay, self-aware queen), and some girls are cast to go midway and be allowed no further.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a certain proportion of queens are also now cast specifically to have a storyline of failing first time to set them up for an arc on Drag Race AllStars. (Why would producers care that it costs queens upwards of $10k per season to go on and that queens would probably prefer to only have to do that once?!)

As I mentioned in my last review, for some reason it seems that the production’s goal this time was to craft a season around Kandy Muse, a queen who was already fairly-well-known in the drag fandom scene for being a meme (just the one though) with links to existing Ru-lumni Alaska and Aja (and I suppose, Dahlia Sin).

If I had been in charge of production and wanted to craft a season around one queen (which, let’s be honest, has been pulled off successfully before: S3 Raja, S4 Sharon Needles; and semi-successfully before: S12 Gigi Goode and [Redacted], S6 Adore Delano and Bianca Del Rio) I would probably make sure to cast queens that didn’t threaten, or didn’t fill the same lane as my chosen frontrunner.

In season 4, this was probably most successfully previously done. Sharon was posited as the only drag queen in the world with a horror aesthetic, and compared favorably in that regard to her more middle-of-the-road competitors.

Raja, in season 3, was posed as away and above all others the #1 fashion queen. I would hazard that Manila Luzon may have auditioned as more of a comedy queen (given her reliance on Asian stereotype humor through the season) and ended up being more of a threat to Raja’s dominance than prodution initially counted on.

Season 6 was set up to follow the storyline of Adore and see how far she would grow through the competition. This was both helped and hindered by Bianca Del Rio’s dominance, although at least she excelled in precisely the kinds of challenges Adore struggled at, and vice versa. In this season, I suspect that BenDeLaCreme was not cast to be a fan favorite, but that ended up happening when she proved to be unexpectedly strong and versatile at challenges outside of the theatrical remit that she probably played up at her audition.

And in season 12, of course, all the groundwork was laid in Meet the Queens and in all the pre-show interviews for a season-long rivalry between plucky fashionista strategic player Gigi Goode, and old-school campy theatrical comedy queen posed as the relatable heart of the season, Sherry Pie. It would have gone well, had the latter not been revealed to be a sexual predator sociopath, resulting in a hasty re-edit that led to a lot of the (I imagine) originally less visible queens getting more talking heads to fill in the pie-shaped gap in episode content.

So we come to season 13, where it seems one of two things has happened to the show. Either:

1. After the smash success of season 12 last year, the editors got comfortable to try a different and more experimental tack of focusing on queens who were all personality and less good at challenges, in the belief that personality alone was what invested viewers in queens, or

2. Season 12 was ALSO originally edited like this (as was its predecessor, S11), to focus on a small group of queens at the detriment of all others, and the finished product (that was a smash success with fans) only wasn’t like that because of hasty re-editing that they didn’t feel the need to do this time.

Because for this S13E07 episode...

The strongest performing queens (Rosé and Denali) were for the third episode running, absolutely sidelined, even after drasticatically improving on the previous challenge that tested these comedy performance skills, which is surely a ready-made dramatic narrative.

Queens who performed alright, moderately who happened to fall into the group of queens production is favoring were praised to the high heavens, extremely effusively, as if what they had done was absolutely groundbreaking and incomparable to anyone else in the show’s history. (e.g. in what world is a silent character that performs physical comedy the hardest character to play, rather than easiest, in an improvisation challenge???)

Queens who performed poorly were only acknowledged as doing so if they had been cast as filler queens, otherwise, their performance was excused and not mentioned, or even some praise was found for very basic attempts.

This was all even emphasized inside the show itself by the filming technique of setting the queens who weren’t performing up on lawn chairs as an audience in another room to comment on each others’ performance, all suspiciously having the same comments which didn’t really match up with what we were actually seeing on screens.

Speaking as a fairly involved Drag Race fan (I mean, I make hypothetical videos of things that didn’t happen in the show...), I don’t watch this show to watch a scripted reality series focusing on performed characters. I watch the show for a competition in what’s essentially a queer community sport medium, an artform, to be judged by professionals with experience.

For queer people’s hard work to be rewarded, and their struggle recognized.

And this way of favoring the same people week on week, regardless of their craft or skill level, while leaving others to sit underappreciated, essentially televising the results of the creative queer struggle - at that, pretty much inadvertently recreating the feeling for these competitors of what it feels to be marginalized by a normative society that doesn’t respect your art and presentation... Mama, this isn’t it. It’s not the kind of thing I want to be spending my time watching in 2021, and it’s not feeding my soul.

[justwords]

No Day But Today

I just found out that Valentina has been cast in “Rent” as Angel.

Angel is a trans identified character whose name is one that can be male or female and is also a play on the metaphysical - where she both is, and will be, an actual Angel.

Rent fascinated me when I was 19.

It still fascinates me now.

Once upon a time, a hundred years ago as a sophomore at UC Santa Cruz, on scholarship; majoring in Theatre Arts, “Rent” was the first professional play I auditioned for.  I was obsessed with being in the show.  I paid for a private voice coach and trained for months to sing in my upper register.  And even though I was far better suited to play Benny, I was going to be the new ANGEL!

I didn’t get the part.

Casting directors are idiots, (No offense Valentina.) So instead, I stole the role.  I produced my own show and just bootlegged the soundtrack!

Because fuck it!

“There is no day but today!”

Last week I got a CT Scan, and now Valentina: The best (and most villainous) and beautiful Latina drag queen (now airing on” Rupaul’s Drag Race Allstars Season 4”) is playing my role and I can't wait to see it!

And because “There is no day but today,” my doctor had his assistant set me up with an emergency follow up appointment on Friday, when he got the results.

My doctor is so cute; He is this sexy little Columbian with bright mint green eyes - so adorable and compact  that I could put him in my back pocket.  When he checks my cock and balls (at every visit) I make sure that my pussy is hairless and pristine. Because me, Valentina, and Angel from “Rent” keep our cunts hairless and pristine.

Jonathan Larson died from AIDS sometime in the 90’s, weeks before Rent opened on Broadway. He wrote a masterpiece, but he did not get to witness its success; at least not in this realm.  He did not get to stand beneath a single silver spotlight at curtain-call as the audience exploded into deafening applause.  And he did not get to see tears stream from the faces of seat after seat like liquid love letters night after glorious night, from then until forever...

It’s funny how magic works.

It was perhaps the sacrifice of his life that proved the truth in his words “There is no day but today”  and that offering that made a play about AIDS, ADDICTION, PROSTITUTION, HOMOSEXUALITY, and DEATH something that high schools around the country produce religiously, and conservative America “magically” is okay with it.

I finished my novel three weeks ago: It’s really dark, really magical, and probably too difficult for most people to digest. But two weeks ago I got a CT Scan and for the last week my doctor has been emailing me about the seriousness of the results.

I had my appointment on Tuesday.  And of course they found a lump.

Rent is airing Live on Network Television this Sunday!

They think it’s most likely cancer...

But “There is no day but today!”

And I can't wait to see Valentina kill it!

[cyphirix]

Tagged by @acho-q-nao

Rules are to answer all the questions and tag 20 blogs you’d like to get to know better!

Gender: Male

Zodiac: Aries

Height: 5’ 10″ or 5′ 11″? I forget.

Time: 12:38AM

Birthday: April 15th

Favourite bands: Dance Gavin Dance, Heart, Death Grips, Avenged Sevenfold

Last movie I saw: Zootopia

Last show I saw: RuPaul’s Drag Race AllStars

When did I create my blog: Oh god...back in 2011 when I was a sophomore in high school

What do I post: I mean I don’t really post anything, I reblog stuff I think is pretty funny or relateable. Depends on how I’m feeling

Last thing I googled: "Barista” I like to fact check my tweets before I post them, and whatever I was going to post had something to do with that but I think I ended up scrapping it.

Any other blogs: I have an art blog that, aside from checking my likes every now and again, I haven’t touched in a while and I really want to start getting back into working on my art so I might start making it a habit to post there.

Do you get asks?: Barely, like if there’s anything below barely that is just the slightest bit above none then that would be it

Why did you choose your URL: It’s been my go-to screen name for a few years now when I play any sort of game online. One of my favorite characters in Grand Chase (really old MMO that got shut down a few years back, may it rest in peace) had a move callled Rodestar Chaser and I just liked the way it sounded.

Types of Blogs you follow: I would say I follow a lot of humor blogs or just people who reblog funny stuff, I don’t know why but recently I’ll follow people who also live in Ohio?, and I’ve recently started to follow a couple of art blogs.

Favourite colours: Orange since it’s such a cozy color and blue just because I’ve always liked it.

Average hours of sleep: About 6 hours

Lucky number: Uh, I don’t know how to find a lucky number but I mean I like 45

Dream trip: I really want to travel to either Mexico or Spain. I just love that feeling of explorig some place new and I would love to take a friend/friends with me.

What are you wearing? My diamond ohio shorts and tank top.

How many blankets do you sleep with?: I have 3 with me at school that I kinda switch between depending on how I’m feeling but back home I have like 7 more and I’ll sleep with about 3 of those 10 depending on how cold it is in my room 

Dream job: Right now my dream job would have to be working as part of a design team that designs shows for Winter Guard International percussion groups as an Audio Engineer/Sound Designer.

Favourite foods: They’ve got this bbq pineapple chicken at one of the dining halls that I would kill a man for, breakfast foods in general (I guess one specifically would be french toast), dark-chocolate covered almonds, 

Nationality: American

I tag (don’t feel compelled to do this, just following the rules I guess): @astralcollector @nathanfscott @plasmidpopper @chip0tle-papi @tfalexander @minister-kitty-em @sabakarp @writhingflagellum @shulaces @foreman93 @thestarsaredimmed @xxuniverseprincessxx @joannega  

[heartkitty]

20 followers to know better

tagged by @heavenscloud

1.name/nickname: im marley and uhhh idk i guess kin names are nicknames?

2.gender: uhh bigender (girl and agender)

3.star sign: aquarius

4.height: 5′8"

5.hogwarts house: slytherin

6.favorite animal: any cats

7.hours of sleep: uhhh average abt 8 or 9?

8.dogs or cats? cats

9.number of blankets: 2

10.dream trip: to move to cali to live with @charoum unless we r talking temporary in which case japan also with them haha

11.dream job: animator!

12.current time: 9:48am

13.birthday: jan 26

14.last show i watched: rupauls drag race allstars 2

15.when did i create my blog?: idk like a month and a half ago lol. i remade my old one made in jan 2015

16.song stuck in my head: i dont rly have one rn?

17.other blogs: i have an art blog, a nsfw art blog, a nsfw reblog blog, and a couple abandoned aesthetic blogs

18.why i chose this url: my last name is (going to be when i add the e) heart and im a kitty

19.following: uh idk cant count on mobile

20.followers: 24 :(

21.favorite instrument: OTOMATONE

22.what im wearing: polka dot pyjama pants and my zelda symphony shirt

23.top three fictional universes id like to join: uhhhhh bnha, pokemon mystery dungeon, and maybe monster hunter?

im gonna tag @kincentives @paratenseco @jhonny @amaranthhime i cant tag you rip

[thewastedfrank-blog]

Let the Drag, Drag-on.

I’m so clever.  This title was able to combine my hope for the continued growth of Dragcon and my favorite episode of Adventure Time, “Randy”.  With that kind of creativity, it’s only a matter of time before someone of importance reads this and throws dollars my way!  You know, for me to do this professionally?  Since I find myself funny?  I sound like a jackass right?  I seem like the kind of person that looks at something and goes, “OH!  I can do that!”  Well…I am that person.  That applies to mostly everything I encounter.  However, Drag is NOT one of those things!   

I wish I could say its because of my beard, but apparently glitter is a good fix for that issue.  I would say I’m too tall but, nope, there’s plenty of queens at my height of 6 foot 3 inches.  So why would I not be able to do it?  Its a question I ask myself whenever I am in a situation and I really don’t have much knowledge on the matter.  RuPauls Drag Race is in its 9th season, (Well 11th if you’re counting 2 seasons of Allstars), and I only started watching this year after their move to VH1 coupled with the arm twisting of my girlfriend.   Drag is something near and dear to her heart and I owed it to her to give it a chance.  Now I’m not the biggest consumer of reality TV but I do have to say, it’s quite entertaining.  I love all the quips, sarcasm and double entendres that are pumped out by the second on the show.  So with that in mind, when my girlfriend decided she wanted to travel to LA to attend Dragcon, and wanted me to go, I said “eh, what the hell.”  

I didn’t know what to expect.  I am not a Drag virgin mind you.  I’ve had frequented the Stonewall Inn on many occasions.  But I never looked at it as anything other than a comedy act.  Which is what I thought Drag was.  Once I saw RuPauls Drag Race, and eventually the con itself, i quickly realized that this performance art is much more than sassy jokes and making insecure straight men uncomfortable.  So, I decided to anal-yze (see what I did there?), how I would go about learning the ropes of Drag culture by watching the customers and fellow attendees of Dragcon.  

It’s easy to learn from the professionals to know what to do but it’s better to look at the amateurs to see what NOT to do.  I personally believe thats how you create your own style.  I do that with comic books on the daily.  A great mixture of artists both professional and amateur will help you more than trying to just emulate the pros.  However, doing so at Dragcon was no easy task.  Simply because it’s not quite clear what’s considered Drag culture and what’s considered, as I like to call it, the “Notice me Senpai” look.  There are no shortage of Drag Stars in the world today.  You have 9 seasons of Queens to choose from.  So aside from becoming your own custom Drag Queen, you have plenty of iconic looks to choose from.  Cosplay is a big part of conventions.  I should know.  I’ve been to my fair share of them.  Both as a consumer and at the artist alley.  But I always see one of 2 things: Normal nerd gear or Straight up Cosplay.  But at Dragcon I saw something else.  I saw plenty of women and men dressed in neon ripped shirts, unicorn jump suits, half random body paint, bright colored wigs and bright pink tutu’s that had no connection to Drag or Drag culture in my opinion.  

I understand Drag Con is the celebration or ALL gay culture.  Thanks, noted.  I also know since I’m heterosexual I will never get it in your eyes, but I know if I were a Drag Queen and I worked countless hours at clubs and free time perfecting my make-up skills for performances and sacrificing my body and being ridiculed by lots of people on to being the best at my passion, I’d be a little annoyed that non-drag contributors feel comfortable dressed in nonsensical rave attire and it’s being connected to my genre.  Drag work is very meticulous.  Every stroke of arm movement, every application of contour and every song choice for performance is predicated on the creation of something artistic.  The other things I mentioned are just random neon clothing with hopes of getting attention and add nothing to Drag.  Now my feelings on this can be completely wrong.  It’s just how I feel at the moment.  I am a man of science though.  And in science, our opinions change with new information.  But if I were a Queen, the last thing i’d want to see are people using my passion as an excuse to dress like rave buffoons.  Something they would never wear in the real world like the dorky comic book t-shirts I wear during conventions and in real life.    

The convention itself was AMAZING.  The panels were great and the products were fun.  The staff and security at the Los Angeles Convention Center were exquisite and knowledgable.  I can’t say enough nice things about my experience there and how they handled 40,000 attendees.  So lets touch on things I would change instead.  I saw a post boasting about the 2hr wait time for meeting Alyssa Edwards.  Waiting on lines at conventions is nothing new.  But at comic book conventions, they are usually reserved for panels or a custom drawing from a well known artist/celebrity.  I’ve seen long lines for Jim Lee at conventions to get an autograph from him.  But you know what i never see from Jim Lee?  He having a full blown conversation with each fan.  If this some how gets to any of the Queens, please keep your comments with the fans SHORT.  Conventions are about TURNOVER.  With 40,000 people in attendance, someone from the DragCon staff should have relayed the message to the Queens to keep comments short and keep the line moving.  A 2 hour wait for a picture is absurd.  This isn’t something to elicit glorious praise.  Being an entertainer is much more than your performance.  Noticing things like this will help you reach many fans much quicker.  That’s more people to take pictures with and more people tagging/hash tagging you.  Personal experiences can be done at your OWN private events.  Not at conventions creating unnecessarily long lines.  I know i may seem petty and it may be undermining the incredible achievement of Drag Con, and I totally am not but hey, I get annoyed at dumb stuff.  Two hour waits for a cell phone pic and merch is not something to brag about. 

The con came to a close in a great way.  It was a 40-50 minute speech by RuPaul herself focusing on self healing and self motivation. Then the reveal that DragCon will be in NYC on Sept.30-Oct.1st. I won’t go through the details of the speech because I believe it should only be for the people who were able to get into the theater room.  But I will say this, I didn’t agree with every thing that was said, however, this did resonate with me personally.  The story Ru told of her as a child and feeling abandoned is a problem I deal with daily.  It’s why I stayed in terrible relationships and its why I stayed at toxic work environments.  I recently started to chase my dream in comic books after leaving a terrible work situation and up until that story, I was questioning the decisions I’ve made regarding that.  I am not thinking like that anymore.  Thank You RuPaul for reigniting my confidence to continue to chase my dream.  Especially when it was something I didn’t know I needed to hear.  

Beer be with you. 

-Wastedfrank