Clever Manka is dressed and undressed

Handsome and soft with noodles.

Handsome and dangerous with glasses. (kid version)

( Portrait progress and plea for validation )

Found on Twitter. You might wanna be sitting down for these.
BB!Shen Wei cosplay
Weilan cosplay

I also saw this Multifandom Secret Virgin Ficfest advertised on Twitter via bonibaru and I'm tempted. Very, very tempted. No way will I be done with Ghost Story by the deadline, but I'm feeling sloggy and blah about where I am with it and it's a daily fuckin' struggle to hit my word count goal right now. Maybe I need a palate cleanser before heading into the home stretch? Idk, idk, something to think about for a couple days. The original announcement led to confusion if this was limited to K-pop fic and it looks like they say it isn't, even though it definitely sounds like it is in the AO3 description. Is anyone else writing for this? ( naye , please tell Dr. Skuld I will read the virgin!Jack fic so hard.)

Card-making was delayed because my gesso was all dried up. Guess that's what happens when you prep a whole bunch of card bases at once and don't use your gesso for over a year. It seemed like such a good idea at the time! So that was a trip to Michael's and nearly $30 because they no longer sell small bottles of gesso. sigh

Last night I saw The HU at a local venue and it was so good. SO GOOD. 1. Metal fans are great. I wish I liked more metal music bc they're all just so damn polite. 2. At several points in the show, I closed my eyes to absorb the sound in my ears, in my chest, and it was like a physical touch--something I've been very much lacking of late. Damn, I love loud music. 3. I highly recommend Etymotic earplugs. I have the first incarnation of their basic version and they are worth every penny. I would like to assume the next generation is the same or better (and who knows, those might be), but as I learned yesterday, this is not always the case.

Because in absolutely heartbreaking news, the new Diva Dolphin arrived yesterday and...I hate it. It's smaller than the old model, the silicone feels (very) different, and I don't like the vibration style. It doesn't even use the same size batteries (which I wish I'd realized before purchasing--that would've been a clue). So yeah, I spent $90 on this thing that I'm never ever going to use and of course sex toy stores never take returns. Y'all, I seriously almost cried. I'm back at square one, I guess, only with less money. sigh

Anyone want a brand-new vibrator that I'm sure will work just fine for someone less picky? 

I'm getting my hair trimmed this morning and will see if having my hair straightened (which only happens when I get it cut because I am lazy as hell and dgaf) cheers me up a little bit. I just want a god damn power-assisted orgasm, y'all. My hands are getting tired.

Mostly. I've been adding to this post for like four days. Time to just publish it.
( Cut to save your reading pages )

Oh, and I only got three paragraphs into the sex scene before I had to tap out. This is just not working for me and I'm pretty sure now it's not the ~issue with narrative~ like before (and unfortunately, is not as easy a fix). Taking today off from writing to fuck around in the craft room. Cover a couple more tea canisters and maybe make an art card or two. Anyone want an art card (similar to what I did for my Con*Strict name badge)? I don't mind mailing internationally. Heck, if you want a tea canister and are willing to help with shipping, I'll make you one of those too. I got my dSSS assignment, so I need to get my hand back in that game before I go producing an exchange gift. 

I love Kpop dance practice videos. This one is particularly notable for 1) having a mixed-group of back-up dancers and 2) switching their parts for this practice video. I don't often enjoy watching girl band MVs because I hate how ~feminized~ the dance moves are for them. This video highlights (intentionally or not) what gets choreographed for women versus what gets choreographed for men and how ridiculous the differences are.

Since I was stuck yesterday on I Have No Idea What Happens Next in Ghost Story, I decided to practice carving 值得.

Welp:

I always carve around a transferred template ("freehand" is not a term in my vocabulary) but  because 得 was the last part I got to, the graphite was just smudged enough and...well, that happened. Wasn't even a slip of the tool. Just plain old inattention. *laugh-cry-emoji* Good thing I was already in the mentality of "it's been so long since I carved a stamp, this is just practice" and that I noticed before I spent the time tidying it up.

But then I figured out what I wanted to do for the next couple scenes and managed to crank out another 1k. We're at Thanksgiving break!

Yesterday lasted forever and it was mostly terrible.

( Cut to save your reading page )

ETA: holy crap my screenshot of a tweet that I posted on Tumblr apparently took off overnight.

Because the due South fandom never dies (cheers to everyone in the dSbar!), there's a quick, last minute fandom challenge going on for this coming Sunday. I'm gonna see if I can get it together to make even a little piece for it. The most recent fanart I made was in September of 2016. Sheesh.

I've had weird headaches every day this week. This morning I ate more and earlier than I wanted for breakfast and had a cup of green tea to see if that helps to stave off another one today. They usually hit around 1pm. They might be related to the fact that my vision is changing (again, god damn it). I know I need new glasses but my eye exam isn't until February 1, which is the earliest day insurance will cover a visit to the ophthalmologist. I'm gonna have to suffer the indignity of getting multi-focals this time. The taking-off-glasses-to-read isn't working anymore since now I'm losing my close vision, too.

Anyone ever wants a negative LASIK story, I'm your girl.

Oh, and speaking of negative medical stuff, siderea posted an interesting/terrifying post about the medical device industry (and a current documentary about it on Netflix). I am so glad I had a fantastic surgeon for my hysterectomy who actually performed the surgery herself (and went above and beyond in order to make it as safe and minimally invasive as possible despite complications).

GPOY:


spacefem put up a good post about how to speak to an audience that can, I think, also apply to the written word.

An angel of the dueSouth fandom uploaded a crap ton of screen caps that I'll be making good use of in my various fanart pieces.

Today's Tumblr collection is Tuesday, October 27: Gas Masks. That wraps up the Vaguely Creepy October collections.

( Cut for large xkcd comic )

I used to be blonde ponytail girl. I'm glad to say I'm dark short haired girl, now. GROWTH.

Tom Hiddleston tweeted the first clip from I Saw the Light. Oh my god you guys this movie's gonna kill me. He sounds so much like him.



mckitterick doesn't like country music (to the point that he claims Johnny Cash isn't a country singer because he likes Johnny Cash but doesn't like country music, therefore Johnny Cash isn't a country singer to which I think most of us will call bullshit but it's okay whatever moving on) and sometimes that makes me a little sad because I really like country music. I even like some modern pop country. All genres of music have a lot of crap, but man, that swing and twang? SO GOOD. sigh

I'm glad I can count on redheadfae going to see this with me. If msmitti can make it to town for a visit when it's playing, that'd be wonderful. hint hint It opens the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, ladies.

I look at a lot of refashioned/recycled clothes designs. A lot of them. And 99% of the time, I firmly believe there is nothing you can do with old ties that doesn't look like a bunch of old ties thrown together. Horrible. But check these out. A jacket (what makes this succeed IMO is the interrupted lines--it's not just horizontal lines that screams I AM MADE OF TIES), an ottoman, and (my least favorite, but still kind of pretty) a rug.

How to access a million stunning, copyright-free antique illustrations released by the British Library

I have a working phone now. Thanks, mckitterick! You're amazing. Now I need to spend a weekend learning how to use it. In the meantime, it's super pretty.

This morning was a tired morning, but it's nearly 11:30 now and I'm functional. I haven't had the stamina to stand at my desk yet, but I've taken two ten-minute walks. Okay!

I'm going to help miischelle vend at this event in October. I'll cannibalize Pit Girl for a generic Hunter costume. I'm tempted to make a statement costume of A Dead Woman On Supernatural, but I assume everyone attending is, you know, still a fan of the show, so I'll reign back my personal feelings about its Issues.

Today's Tumblr is Tuesday, July 7: Gowns.

I know, I know, I know I link to Breaking Muscle all the time but oh my god you guys, I want to do this 90 day program so hard.

Either I misplaced my box of fandom calling cards or I gave them all away. In any case, I wanted to get more for Con*Strict. I ordered them late Friday evening and they're already done this morning. Local folks, I can't recommend Minuteman Press enough. I didn't even have to call them. You can do all your ordering online! So great, and $40 for 250 cards (full color with bleed).

I finished my badge for Con*Strict last night! It was coming together pretty well, so I decided to go ahead and make it double-sided so that when it flips over (as lanyard badges inevitably do), it'll still show the relevant information. One side is Mad Max themed and the other is Sherlock. I'll try to remember to bring it to work to scan tomorrow so I can post a picture of it.

Found on the Toast Link Roundup, here's a great Kids These Days article.

"Screen Addiction is a generational complaint, and generational complaints, taken individually, are rarely what they claim to be. They are fresh expressions of horrible and timeless anxieties. They are a tried and true form of advanced-age self-care. They apply to all children except your kids, who are mere victims of their degraded peers. They apply to the Snapchats and the sexting, but not to those Facetime conversations with your grandniece, who is too young to text and Twitter, or to turn away, and who is therefore perfect.

The grandparent who is persuaded that screens are not destroying human interaction, but are instead new tools for enabling fresh and flawed and modes of human interaction, is left facing a grimmer reality. Your grandchildren don’t look up from their phones because the experiences and friendships they enjoy there seem more interesting than what’s in front of them (you). Those experiences, from the outside, seem insultingly lame: text notifications, Emoji, selfies of other bratty little kids you’ve never met. But they’re urgent and real. What’s different is that they’re also right here, always, even when you thought you had an attentional claim."

And my favorite is the closing bit:

" A new technology can be enriching and exciting for one group of people and create alienation for another; you don’t have to think the world is doomed to recognize that the present can be a little cruel."

I don't understand why it's so difficult for parents to remove the technology when the presence of the technology is inappropriate to the situation. I understood when it was time to put down the book or the crayons or whatever. How is a tablet or phone different? That's not a rhetorical question. I honestly want to know. Is there a difference? How? Why?

I commented on The Toast that grandparents need to make themselves relevant and interesting. That's just courteous. I'm lucky. My dad's parents were fascinating people and I happily listened to their stories about throwing rocks at the National Guard when they came in to guard the scabs during a union strike. Or about how theirs was the first lunch counter in their city to seat Black people. Helping grandma in the kitchen and her telling stories about the people who bought her pies as she taught me how to make a good pie crust. I mean, I guess I didn't have the option of internet friends back then, but even today, if I had the choice to visit with them about their amazing adventures or scroll through my Tumblr dash, I probably wouldn't choose Tumblr. Old people need to get over the notion that they're deserving of time and attention just because they're old.

Tonight is my appointment with Dr. Jonah in KC. Tomorrow night is prep for Indy (making kale chips so we have a travel vegetable to go with the jerky so we don't have to stop somewhere for lunch), and also slicing up the jerky for Con*Strict (so it has four days to marinade before I put it in the dehydrator when I'm back from Indy). I'd like to make a couple more tops to take to Con*Strict. My first attempt at re-fashioning some thrift-store tees into a mini-dress was successful. I'd like to pack those instead of tops and skirts because I am all about minimal packing. Also because I need to leave enough room for my iPod speakers and yoga mat in my suitcase.