#i sorta just blend whatever i want to wear lol

[madokamagicasecrets]

are there any stereotypes about trans women that should be avoided when making a character who is a trans woman?

There’s a few things you should make sure you avoid, but they all come down to the idea that the vast majority of trans women don’t wanna be seen as trans? We generally wanna be passable as women and not want to have to expose ourselves (except to certain trusted people)...some trans women will actively try to advertise being trans and wear pride flags and stuff, which is valid af but for the most part I think it’s safe to say we just wanna blend in.

In movies a lot of trans people tend to be sorta portrayed as their original sex but wearing the opposite clothing, which I think is a disservice. There’s also obviously a lot of gag characters and trans people that seem more like crossdressers, trying to achieve some kind of goal by dressing up. I think it’s obvious but that’s not a good way to write lol.

The other big thing is I think you should try and avoid the “super skinny and inherently attractive” trope with trans girls? A lot of people who draw trans girls tend to make them really really slim which isn’t like...inherently bad? But it’s become such a big trope for trans character design. More average or even plus sizes trans girls is probably for the best.

So basically, what it comes down to is just...writing a realistic woman, but she’s trans lol. You don’t need to be overly masculine or feminine in how you write her personality, it all depends on her backstory. Some trans girls are super feminine, others embrace their masculine interests, a lot are in the middle. Just write what fits her story most rather than what you think is needed to “qualify” her as a woman, or as a masculine woman, or whatever.

[worstfruit]

BEASTMASTER

playing with names. zh'ang, bastardization of the romanization OF a translation meaning warsong, but i was just trying to find something that could sound gith so that doesnt really matter! he never goes by this tho, as his subordinates just call him master, sir, or boss. i think he would be very private about his life before joining a company (one i havent plotted out yet, though i like the idea of whatever mercenary crew he’s apart of following the idea of using assigned nicknames or titles in place of true names, even amongst the non-magic users, just for their safety or rather the integrity of the company so that their private information can’t easily be used against them).

yiz'shi, same bastard deal, this time im thinking beastmaster could be something he gained before joining a company and he just translated it to common. im not sure if the gith would have a need of surnames. i assume they’d be like uh ‘conan the brave’ or whatever, a sort of similar idea i’ve establish for my goblins where their surnames are based on trade and can changed based off merit, and their first names are given after a personality begins to appear. i think gith may be given names, then a ‘the brave’ or ‘unholy’ may follow depending on how they choose to live their life. 

zizshangi --> yizshangi --> some sort of mix between warsong/beastmaster. perhaps his true name is obscured and not even his minions know it!

im thinking he will be a shadow monk who uses his telepathy to rise in the ranks! i dont like multiclassing but i also really want to incorporate aspects of a whisper bard into this character or at least one of his underlings. i think after coming out of slavery under some mindflayers, he joins the company that frees him and starts using his monk training from the astral plane to...not convert, but to translate into the way of shadows. he would recruit the help of those who others overlook, such as kenku, kobolds, gnolls, and goblins. he’s very quiet, very observant, wears a mask often and even when he doesn’t he pretty much as a complete poker face. He chooses his words carefully but does relax around those he knows/trusts, and has a sort of dry sense of humor. Despite his psionic abiliities he’s sort of like, an idiot socially and can’t actually read people all that well. he relies on his extrasensory input and Maud (explained below) to navigate relations mostly. I’m not too sure what he looks like yet! I do want him to have the sort of vaguely asianic features a lot of githzerai have however, and i have a monk outfit in mind based off some Absolver outfits. He’s worked his way up in company rank enough to become a sort of espionage expert within the troops! This has earned the ire of some other company members, but for the most part i think this mercenary group would be pretty civil and view each other as respected associates and comrades. 

His main crew consists of two kenu, two goblins, and a tabaxi. He’s known the tabaxi longest-- im thinking she was also an underling in the company who helped him get back on his feet when they picked him up. She was a teen looking to hone her skills as a rogue and he helped her learn the art of stepping lightly and always keeping an ear to the ground. Looking at tabaxi names I’m thinking she probably has some dumbass one like ‘quick of paw’ but they just started calling her Maraud, which turned into Maud LOL. She’s all black and has short, sleek, shiny fur, brownish/maroon irises, pointed ears and big paws with her claws usually unsheathed. She’s become a mastermind rogue who trains two (also totally black, yellow eyed) kenku twins as a thief and scout under Beastmaster’s tutelage. She’s very streetsmart and has a gravelly sort of raspy voice from years of working as a slave (able to rise as a slavemaster who was tasked with yelling orders to the other slaves and cracking the whip). She’s a bit matronly, very wry and slinky and coy, and very good with people. Typical scorpio but with a flair of aires determination and single mindedness. She’s very driven, but has the life experience to keep herself grounded and logical. She’s beastmaster’s most trusted associate and essentially the brains behind his crew, at least second to him. She’s the boss when he’s not around, but while strict, she has a HUGE softspot for her sort of adopted siblings. She gets along well enough with the rest of the company.

The two kenkus are fraternal twins, a bit younger than Maud, named Lasher (girl) and Bowstring. Lasher is the thief and Bow is the scout. They were orphaned and picked up by the company shortly before absorbing the refugees from the Mindflayer slaveship so they never really had birthnames afa the company was concerned. They speak through sign language, body language and gesture, facial expressions, and a sort of quick-hand morse code they’ve developed from both thieves cant as well as the company cant. They can’t easily speak to people outside the company, and even within the ranks they have trouble communicating without parroting, which they don’t seem to like doing unless it’s to mock someone. Their inability to speak, however, lends to their spy nature as people often underestimate their intelligence and perception. Though they can’t fly, they’re quick when racing across building tops and through tree canopy and prefer high vantage points to preform their work. Beastmaster is a very silent person who gets along well with these two, using his telepathy and patience to forge a mentor relationship with them and cultivate their infiltration and investigative skills. Lasher loves to read anything she can get her feather little fingers on, and often steals what she can’t buy. She’s not too girly but does enjoy fantasizing about the high life noble ladies lead and likes to collect trinkets she thinks represent this such as bows, perfume bottles, bits of mirror and buttons. Bowstring likes to help his sister with her plights but is much more grounded and serious. he’s dry and sardonic and takes himself a little too seriously. even for a mute, he’s very silent and a little shy and prefers to hide behind Maud or beastmaster or even Lasher. He get’s his name for his skills as a ranger, whereas lasher gets hers from her talons and tendency to use them when people get too close to her or her brother. she gets along better with the rest of the company however, and likes to be seen as cute even if she feels she’s being condescended on. she and her brother work spectacularly together, along with beastmaster and maud, and don’t mind being separated for missions or otherwise.

The two goblin (identical!) twins’ names are Fritz and Racket and they are, respectively, a storm sorcerer and a storm barbarian! obviously they’re not as subtle as the rest of the gang despite being gobs, in fact they get their nicknames from their quirks of being loud, aggressive, and favoring a sort of berserker approach to confrontation. Fritz is the caster, Racket is the muscle, and both feed off each’s other whole uh, storm bullshit. they both worship an elemental goblin deity but very very casually, it’s more of hero worship, and beastmaster sorta thinks they might have a touch of wild magic and a fixation on LOUD and FLASHY shit hence the storm kick. they’re very loyal, very brave, and only a little stupid. they both have tempers and don’t like comments about their height. very easy to bait into confrontation especially if they’re together. they’re not the kinda twins who walk together in unison and finish each other’s sentences (like the kenku twins, who similarly work off each other’s energies for their work), but they are usually together and look almost exactly alike. Fritz is a bit slimmer and taller, a bit pointier and a bit more spastic and shrill. He’s weaker than his brother but is smarter. He also has a worse temper and despite not being a melee fighter, will not hesitate to tackle anyone and just use his claws and teeth. Racket is a bit calmer but dumber, more gullible, and a lot stronger. He’s only a tad quieter than his brother but is also more physically aggressive and tends to stomp and throw shit around, hence his name. he usually follow’s frtiz’s lead if beastmaster isn’t around, but the both defer to Maud for instruction. They’re technically younger than the kenku twins if you account for the fact that goblins age quicker than kenku, they’re only slightly older! they’re more immature, however, and usually need more corralling than anyone else. unlike lasher and bow, fritz and racket dont like being seperated, but usually dont have to be since they don’t do much espionage. if they are dispatched for such tasks, it’s usually a matter of blending into busy, or sketchy environments rather than being silent and shadowy. they’re useful for intimidation, distraction, firepower, and muscle.

the last notable character i’ve cooked up is a kobold, the youngest (but again due to kobold age, its not like hes a baby technically) named Rak! he’s not very skilled in anything but he considers himself an inventor and makes really pathetic little stick contraptions that use like. shitty venoumous bugs and stink bombs LOL. i dont even know what class he’d be. no magic skills, too dumb and loud for espionage. he’s sort of a little mascot for the company and everyone treats him like a pet, but beastmaster took pity on him and lets him tag along with them. fritz and racket think hes funny and usually just throw him in a bag or like, if they have to fight, put him in a pocket till theyre done. he doesn’t get in the way too much and every now and again is a bit useful to get into super small places or to do errands like deliveries or shopping or cleaning. he got his name bc he makes a sorta RAK sound a lot when scared or startled or hurt or excited or mad. like a mouse goes EEK but he’s a stupid lizard guy so he goes RAK!

[squeemcsquee]

Anime Iowa 2019: Saturday

Saturday started off with a filling breakfast, compliments of Comfort Inn. I sorta miss the days of being able to run around on almost no food during a con, but I have learned that I get super hangry anymore if I try. So I loaded up!

Side note, I think hotels have really stepped up their breakfast offerings over the years. I don’t remember having options like this as a kid unless it was a higher-class business hotel that we’d occasionally stay in for my dad’s employer’s “employee getaway” weekends.

After breakfast, it was time to get into cosplay. And this is when I realized I’m getting a bit hooked on cosplaying at cons. On Friday, I’d stuck purely to regular, comfy clothes. And I had told myself that I’d packed “regular” stuff for Sat/Sun, in case I didn’t feel up to cosplaying...then I looked at what I’d actually packed. Every single clothing item was black. Because my cosplay options were the Impala and Night Vale Scout. So, unless I was gonna just be a Goth kid all weekend, I sorta boxed myself into cosplay, lol.

I tried out some anti-possession temporary tattoos I’d gotten from Wish. They looked amazing, but the smell... I don’t think it ever completely vanished that day. I’d get a whiff every time I moved my arms. They smelled heavily like those thick permanent markers in the metal bodies. 

Still, I was happy with the results.

Once I was ready to go, it was off to the con!

We started with “A Day In The Life of A Voice Actor” with Morgan Berry and Sarah Wiedenhoff. 

It was definitely entertaining, but I was wishing I’d had more coffee with breakfast. The room temperature and the quietness of the panel crowd were just enough to make me feel sleepy. I think that’s a common issue though, with panels right at the start of the con day. 

After that, @lechevaliermalfet and I split up. I headed over to the Hyatt to attend “The Story Behind Violet’s Eyes” while he attended a panel in the con center. When I arrived for my panel, there were a few hiccups before it began - a communication goof with the hotel meant that the room had not been unlocked until right at panel time. The hotel was under the mistaken impression that no one would be using the room until 1800, though there were panels scheduled off and on all day. So it took our host a couple minutes to get his notes organized, etc. No problem - it happens. 

“The Story Behind Violet’s Eyes” was interesting, though I do think perhaps the panelist could have benefited from a visual aid. It was a discussion of Violet Evergarden and PTSD representation in anime. Our panelist was from the podcast Trash Pandas Watch Anime. I haven’t checked the podcast out yet, though I intend to.

From there, I wandered and people-watched a bit. But I think Anime Iowa really suffered from their location being simply too big for a small con like theirs (approx 3k people). This was an event center clearly intended for events easily triple the size, and so I felt like I kept missing cosplayers/people because the halls often felt so empty. So I didn’t get the number of cosplay photos I expected. It also meant I didn’t even touch video gaming or tabletop, once we discovered were they were - the size of the rooms made the offerings seem sparse and the atmosphere wasn’t as welcoming. I don’t blame the con - I think it was just because of the location.

So I gave up and ran back to the hotel for lunch/relaxation. Thanks to losing track of time, I ended up not attending the concert I’d wanted to check out and instead went to Right Stuf’s panel with @lechevaliermalfet.

We got 2 awesome pieces of news at that panel, imo.

@lechevaliermalfet​ is the one who introduced me to El Hazard and I really enjoyed it, so the idea of upgrading our copy is excellent. 

I never finished Zetsubou Sensei after I was introduced to it, but I would love to do so one day. This seems like I’ll have the perfect excuse to get my own copy and do just that :)

Right Stuf ended the panel with prize drawings and here came the highlight of the weekend for us: @lechevaliermalfet actually won the grand prize!

That lovely box is the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Collector's Ultra Edition Blu-Ray set. And yeah, it’s impressive. I’ve never seen Gundam Wing, but @lechevaliermalfet has and I suspect we’ll be watching it together soon.

After that, we had some time before our next panel, which was Greg Ayres’ “It Gets Better” event. We actually arrived only a couple minutes late, but we didn’t get into until 20-30 minutes had passed. See, every panel room at Anime Iowa had two entries - but the panel signs and the staff members were only at the “primary” doors for each room. For Greg Ayres, unbeknownst to us and a few other attendees, they closed the main door, which was then locked from the outside. A staffer was at the secondary door to let people in, but there was no signage. And this didn’t appear to have been communicated to other staffers, either - @lechevaliermalfet went to get someone from the info desk, who was just as baffled as we all were. 

Once inside, however, the panel was just as uplifting and empowering as always.

Our next event of the day was “AMV After Dark” which was the AMV contest for 18+ entries. There were only 4 videos, so after the initial voting, we just sat and reviewed previous years’ entries. 

Is this something other cons do? I haven’t been to enough AMV contests to know, but I have to say I like the idea of an 18+ option. 

Obviously, we couldn’t take photos of the actual AMVs, so I just have this quick shot of the screen setup for the event. Given the small number of attendees, this setup worked out quite well. 

And then it was on to J. Michael Tatum’s 18+ panel. Y’all, whether you know who this man is or not, this is the best 18+ voice actor event I’ve been to so far, hands-down. Why?

Well, because the rules are simple: No BS basic questions. Go for the jugular. 

Oh, and be prepared to be embarrassed. See, if you want to ask a question, you have to first win a coin toss. Otherwise, JMT will ask you an embarrassing, adult-rated question. So if you aren’t prepared to embarrass yourself in front of fellow attendees, don’t raise a hand to ask a question. 

It was full of laughs and shock and just a general good time.

(As always, any photos from 18+ events that I post are from before the event starts)

After his panel, the convention center was closing and we all got kicked out. @lechevaliermalfet and I hurried back to the hotel to drop our bags and so I could ditch my license plates, though I forgot to change shoes. Which wasn’t quite as big a mistake as it could have been, but I must remember for next time.

Because we went to the rave. And loved it.

Greg Ayres is an awesome DJ. Whether it was video game music, Baby Shark (yes, really), anime tunes, or whatever...everything blended well and the energy level was high. We ended up staying for over an hour, when originally the plan was to just “check it out.” 

That was when I regretted wearing my boots, since they aren’t exactly made for dancing. But I survived.

And that was Saturday!

My Anime Iowa 2019 coverage

1) Cosplayers of Anime Iowa, Part 1

2) Cosplayers of Anime Iowa, Part 2

3) Anime Iowa 2019: Friday

4) Anime Iowa 2019: Saturday (current post)

5) Anime Iowa 2019: Sunday 

[porchbirds]

Hi, Aunt Reyna!! Do you have any tips for a super beginner for eyeshadow, lipstick, foundation, and eyeliner?? I have my colors and everything! I just don't know what to do!!

Uhm well i kinda want 2 open w like makeup is…. a scheme to make money off insecurity but honestly that’s a pretty hypocritical statement coming from me and also it has little practical value in the Real World of like.. life so i’m not gonna do that. 

SO here are some helpful tips? under the cut bc it got long. Hopefully this helps?

Foundation

1. If you can avoid it, don’t use your fingers. I know brushes can be expensive, but foundation already has a decent chance of making u break out. Adding ur finger oils to that shit is gonna be Not Great and application will be kinda uneven.

Instead, use a thick brush, or an application sponge or a blending sponge. You can find pretty cheap brushes at drugstores through elf or on amazon. 

2. Use a setting powder. Ur makeup will move so much if you don’t. DONT set until after you’ve finished your eye makeup tho, bc it’ll be hard to like fix ur foundation once it’s set. 

Use one of those circle foam sponge applicators for under your eyes/ on your cheekbones / the middle of your forehead. (they come with a lot of setting powders. I use elf’s packed setting powder in translucent). 

You don’t have to set your foundation everywhere else, but it tends to sorta wear off during the day if you dont. I find the sponge to be too heavy handed for full face (it makes my makeup Way too light) so i use a fluffy brush to set the rest. 

3. Do your eyemakeup after foundation, but (like i said) before you set the foundation with powder. This will help it naturally (lol) set and make it look less powdery later. Be careful not to move your face too much during this spot or it’ll crease. 

If it creases, that’s fine. Use your brush to smooth it out or buff it out with your power. (Only add more foundation if it’s like moved a lot. DON’T layer foundation on top of powder!)

Eye shadow

1. Prime Your Eyes! You don’t need to spend a bunch of money on expensive primers if you don’t wanna. Just use your regular concealer (assuming you have that). Dab it all over your eyelids and then set it with a light, neutral eyeshadow in a similar color to your concealer. 

2. If you’re going for a more complex, multi color look you’re prob gonna want to follow this formula:

      a. Your lightest shade goes all over the lid, up to the brow bone. This is your base shade.      b. Your transition shade goes NEXT! It doesn’t go over your dark shades!!! It goes under them! This is a shade slightly darker than your base, which is going to help blend everything together. You can do multiple transition shades, depending on the look your doing and how ~complex~ you wanna get with it. One is usually fine though.      c. Your darkest shade goes in the crease. There’s a lot of ways to do the crease shade. General rule is to go in with a VERY light hand. You can always add more, you know? So go in lightly and try to keep it toward the outer corner.     d. NOW you go back and deal with the middle to the inner corner of your lid. This is where you’re going to fix up the lightest shade if it’s sort of disappeared. OR where you’re gonna want to put like a lighter glittery shade if that’s what you’re feeling.    e. Use a lighter shade under your brow, on the brow bone, to frame everything. DON’T use a color that’s too light or too sparkly. You’re going to want something pretty near like the shade you set your concealer with. Think like maybe one or maybe two shades lighter than your skin tone. 

3. BLEND THAT SHIT OH MY GOD! use a fluffy brush and a very light hand. 

Eye liner

1. It’s gonna take practice. That’s just the truth. You’re gonna fuck it up a TON of times. 

2. There’s a billion “right” ways to do eye liner. Here’s the general process for a wing:

      a. start by lining your top lid with a VERY thin line. I personally don’t like to go all the way to the inner corner, but some people do. Do you. I usually start just a little bit inwards of the center of my eye. like ¾ of the way in.       b. Make the bottom line of your wing. Start at the outer corner of your eye and go up and out to about where you want it.       c. connect the wing to the line across your lid. You’re basically just gonna draw a relatively straight line from the wing to like the center of your lid.       e. Go back and fill in until it looks how you want it to. 

3. Your eyes are probably not going to match perfectly. Just get them close, it’s fine. 

I like liquid or gel liners. I think pencil smudges wayy to easily. If you use a gel liner, set it with a thin brush and a dark black eye shadow. 

Lipstick 

1. Finding “your color(s)” is going to take a while

2. You can probably rock just about any color with enough confidence. Whatever it is, it probably looks good. Don’t psych yourself out about it. You can layer colors (i recommend it actually).

I feel like i look best with brown or purple undertones. I have a brown shade i use to layer under a lot of like my reds. Wear whatever though honestly you’re probably fine. A lot of drug stores have decent return policies for makeup, so ask about that when you’re buying.

3. Use Chapstick Under Your Lipsticks! ESPECIALLY if you’re going matte. It’ll help hold things in place, help prevent creasing, and keep ur lips healthy and soft!

4. LINE YOUR LIPS OMG. this sounds like such an old lady thing like grandmas line their lips, but seriously it helps. If you don’t want to buy a ton of liners in a billion colors, just buy a transparent one (yes they sell them). It’s not AS effective, but it’ll still help a LOT trust me.

Removal

Don’t waste your money on rlly expensive makeup removers if you don’t want to. Like not to be That Bitch but (organic extra virgin) olive oil makes for a GREAT makeup remover???? Oil dissolves oil and it’s honestly great. You can buy it in bulk(ish) and you only need to use a little bit so it’ll save you money.                if you do this, there may be a transition period while your skin adjusts to the oil, in which you break out a little. That’s normal and fine. You’ll clear up soon. It’s actually helped my skin a lot over time. (you can also use the oil as a moisturizer if you have dryer skin. I do and it’s great tbh). 

HONEST SECRET TRUTH OF MAKEUP

1. WATCH MAKEUP TUTORIALS! THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE TO HELP YOU THEY WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE. Any look you want, there is probably a step by step video for it, trust me . Girls out there have your back, my friend. 

2. it’s all fake and we’re all just doing our best out here. There’s like ~better~ ways to do things but no specifically wrong way. If you think it looks good, if you like it, whatever, then do it. you probably look great tbh.