#i'm doing mcm london in may

[stubbornessissues]

Hey, hey

Do I have any UK followers that are going to any cons this year?? 👀👀

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

It is Done. I've finished embroidery on my blouse for the Laudna cosplay

Ever since I've seen the first episode of Campaign 3, and even before any announcement of cons, I was seized by an idea. I just had to do a Laudna cosplay, even though I've never done one before in my life. I was inspired by the wonderful official design (by @agarthanguide), bought a simple blouse, taught myself really quickly hand embroidery, and got to work. And I'm really happy about how it turned out !

(more photos and details under the cut)

I started in January 2022, with no pressure for a year, so I took it very slow. And then when the MCM London was announced, I finished almost half of the project in under 3 months ! Unfortunately, because I'm still new at this, I didn't exactly count the total time I spent on this, but it's more than 60 hours for sure, and probably around 140 hours in total (including initial drawings, trials on other materials, re-drawings on the final blouse, washing, etc.).

The little yellow square were my enemies for a time (some do not resemble squares... but I got the hang of it after a while). In general, I think the lines are not really straight, but when worn, no one will see !!

This project changed my life, in small ways (like everything you do in life). It was not only a part of my first cosplay ever, but especially the thing that made me do embroidery. I discovered a passion, and techniques, and resources (thanks Internet people everywhere !), and since then I've been working on other projects - not CR related, that I may show later if people are interested. Also it's been a constant companion of my intense watching of the later episodes of campaign 2 : picture me if you will with my needle and thread and my project watching the best team that no one in Exandria has ever heard of save an archfey, not-really-kill an archmage, and save the world while still being chucklefucks.

So yeah I'm excited to share it with the world, a little. London awaits !

[withoutyouimsaskia]

Remember Me, Special Dreams

Part X.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25

GIF: Originally posted by​ @sic-vita​​​

Summary: Self-insert. You're having trouble with recurring night terrors and Morpheus pays you a visit. (Title from the lyrics of Placebo’s Special Needs)

Warnings: language, angst, mentions of night terrors.

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: Good evening wonderful peeps. Hope you've had a good week. It's just been announced that Tom Sturridge and Mason Alexander Park are going to be at London MCM Comic Con next weekend and the thought of it is too much for me to handle. I think I might be having a day in London... 😉 Anyway, please enjoy this next one. All my love, Saskia xx

Sandman Masterlist

---------------

The instant that yours and Morpheus' lips touch, you feel him tense. There’s an acute intake of breath. Then he is a statue. Carved from ice.

You consider pulling back but then the ice begins to melt. 

He’s kissing you back. 

Only very slightly yet it’s all the encouragement you need to keep going.

His lips are just as perfect to kiss as they are to look at.

Soft. And combined with his smooth skin, it is like being caressed by silk.

Within seconds, you are lost in him.

The reaction your body gives is unlike anything you have ever experienced before from a first kiss, or any other kiss for that matter. You are completely overtaken by the oxytocin binding to your neuroreceptors, and there's an additional layer of bliss to cushion your aching heart. It laps over you like a wave soaking the sand at high tide.

An otherworldly sensation. 

You presume it is because he is that entirely. Not of your world.

The thought is sobering. He’s a powerful, ageless, visually stunning being. And you’re a human.

A human going through a crisis. 

You know full well that trying to solve it through intimacy is wrong, regardless of the physical attraction and the burgeoning connection you feel with him on an emotional level.

You pull away.

Out of his personal space and further still. You withdraw into yourself.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Morpheus speaks your name in a whisper.

It takes a great amount of force for you to feel able to look at him.

His eyes are gleaming with tears. He looks so vulnerable.

Vulnerability caused by your actions.

Shame floods through you.

What must you think of me? You question inside your head.

He had been dutifully trying to help you, attempted to bring you comfort, shared what it meant to be the guardian of dreams and apologised for upsetting you, and the only thing you could think to do in that moment was to take advantage of his kindness by kissing him.

You feel despicable.

You're pushing your hands shakily over your scalp. 

He says your name again. There’s real confusion on his face.

"Please can we forget that happened? I've literally just told you about my break up and kissing you, well, it’s a classic rebound reaction. I should know better.”

"Rebounding is a concept created by humans to bring shame to those who have the fortitude to act on their desires."

His words, though they sound seductively logical, do not sway your resolve. 

“That may be true, but it was still massively impulsive of me.”

You watch as his walls go back up, cleaning his face of all feeling and freezing his eyes to a dark, frosty blue.

"Then I will do as you ask and ignore its occurrence."

You exhale with relief.

"I appreciate that."

Morpheus changes the subject so quickly, not even allowing for a second of unease.

"We should return to the library."

"Okay."

You shift into a better position to be able to stand but then he is in front of you and extending a long-fingered hand for you to take.

You hesitate.

"Please, Y/N."

You slip your hand into his grasp.

The skin on skin contact creates a buzzing sensation in the back of your head. Your body was going to take some convincing to detach. 

You think back to his choice of adjective.

Desire.

That was what had happened. A heady moment of desire. One that you had enjoyed, yes, but nothing that could be pursued.

He helps you up gracefully.

"Thank you."

He simply nods and begins to walk back the way you had both originally come.

You fall into step beside him.

You occupy your thoughts by looking at every detail of the dense, green forest.

The textures of the tree bark, the colours of the leaves, the smell of the air.

It’s easier to distract yourself when you get closer to the palace. In your upset, you had completely missed the details of the gorgeous structure before. The pale stone and gleaming copper of the domes and towers. Statues dotted in amongst the architecture. A dragon and a Pegasus that move with their own autonomy greet you at the entrance doors.

It is fantastical.

Once inside, you re-trace the steps you had taken so hurriedly not an hour ago. Through the corridors with their abundance of arches and pillars and swathes of red carpets trimmed with gold.

Once back in the library, Lucienne greets you with a glowing smile.

You all sit down around the table.

Morpheus nods for Lucienne to present their findings.

“We have found the moment when your night terrors started. You were thirteen years old and you had a hallucination about a spider.”

You nod, remembering that well. You had been so convinced that it was dangling above your face that you had hit out at it with all of your limbs in turn.

“The exact same night, there was a small disturbance recorded here.”

Lucienne takes off her glasses.

“Every parasomnia episode that you have had from that moment on has coincided with some unexplained event in the Dreaming. However, because they were low magnitude and happened so infrequently, there was no cause for concern. Until now, of course.”

You wet your lips nervously. You are fearfully replaying Matthew’s words from earlier in your head about what happens to vortexes.

“What course of action are you going to take to stop it from happening again?”

“Well, it appears that it only happens when you are severely stressed or afraid and then have a nightmare,” Lucienne replies.

You look at Morpheus.

“So you could just stop me from having nightmares?”

“I cannot do that. I do not think it wise. Nightmares serve a purpose. They are a necessary means to help you confront your fears.”

His stance is regal and tone unyielding.

You visibly deflate, there will be no persuading him, you are certain.

“What I will do is grant you a reprieve from them until you are less unsettled in your waking life.”

You blink as you process his words before becoming alarmed.

“And what happens the next time something bad happens? I can’t just stay inside and avoid everything and everyone that could potentially upset me. That’s no way to live.”

“I will step in,” he says this like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Wait, let me get this straight. You are going to stop my nightmares every time I feel emotionally out of control?”

“Yes.”

You stare at him in shock.

“If that is agreeable to you,” he adds.

“It is.”

He stands.

“Then it is decided.”

***

You and Morpheus return to the main doors of the palace and stand on the bridge side by side.

His hands are clasped formally behind his back as he watches you looking out at the gates in the distance that are book-ended by mountains.

Subconscious life bustles in the landscape around you and beyond. Dreamers have been dreaming the entire time you have been here, completely oblivious to the threat you pose to them.

You look up at Morpheus and gesture before you with both hands.

“So you made all of this?”

"Yes.”

“How long did it take you?”

“Eons.”

"I feel privileged to have experienced it in such a lucid way. It's more beautiful than anything I have ever seen.”

“I am pleased you think so.” His voice sounds strained despite his choice of words.

A murmur of Starlings are suddenly dancing in the sky. Clearly someone is dreaming about bird watching.

“You will need to wake up soon,” Morpheus says.

“Oh, okay.” His comment is so abrupt that you can’t help but feel like you are being kicked out.

“I will come and check on you in two weeks.”

He goes to raise his hand and end the dream.

Your heart lurches.

“Morpheus, wait.”

He pauses.

“Thank you. For everything. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve your kindness but I am really grateful for what you’re doing for me.”

His eyes soften to an ocean blue.

“I meant what I said to Lucienne. I will do my utmost to protect you. You have my word."

---------------------------

"I used to be overwhelmed by every little thing. Torn apart, unravelled at the seams. I think it rooted in the way I breathe." 

Taglist: @pinkcyclewitch @layla2-49 @shoidy-cat @silverhart93 @boofy1998 @dotieeee @ponyboys-sunsets @fangirlmary @littledollll @fatimakinney @jamiethenerdymonster @rosaren2498 @mr-sandman-bring-me-a-dream

[cuffmeinblack]

Do you ever go to any Cons?? If so what kind? Like Sci-fi, anime, gaming etc

Regularly? I usually go to MCM London, though it's been a bit meh the last couple of times so I'm not going this May. Maybe in October.

It's a bit of a mixture of all kinds of things but I usually go for anything gaming-related and the artists. Hyper Japan is also pretty fun!

[figurecollection]

thank you as always for your response, figure guy! i appreciate all the info you can give me! the no shipping thing is astonishing to me, if lumine and aether didn't have bonus face plates i was going for then i would probably use dekai instead!

its just a issue of feeling like there just is not a lot of anime media in the uk! outside of a few shops, (forbidden planet, ect, but they tend to stock a lot of the most popular stuff like naruto, jjk, the maid anime with the blue and pink maids with short hair? they get so many figures btw, when i went to a anime con in my town they had a full shelf of JUST ram and rem it was like huuuuuh?) and i didnt think i would get bonus face plates from them, so i ordered my lu/aether through kotobukia us... the shipping, ow... ;_;

i didn't actually know Prisma Illya has weird stuff in it, i'd only ever seen if after i saw those figures ahaha i'll go into it cautiously!

ty as always!

ugh i totally understand. i've lived in London my entire life before moving up north recently and it's always been a struggle getting figures. I remember in the 00's when the only places were tokyotoys in picadilly and one shop in china town that was hit or miss with getting something legit lmao. I've been going out a lot and i've been considering making a map of places to get figures in the UK since I've been visiting a few recently. I've checked out London, Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester so far. Maybe I'll do a post on London at least.

Also do American cons have issues with people selling fake figures, esp nendoroids ect?? I feel like it's so bad over here that sometimes I'm just not willing to buy figures at cons because so may stalls get away with selling fake figures, even I've ended up getting some that had really legitimate looking packaging and can't see the actua figures (trading figures??!!!?) and it's a nightmare. MCM and Hyper Japan both have this problem, like it's not hard enough getting figures in the UK as it is.

[plutinya]

Hello ~ (´,,>ω<,,`)

So !! I've decided to make an updated promo / info post because I've been here for over a year now and I think I've only made 1 ahah

Anyways !

Hello ! My name is Jude/Alicia from England ! I'm 17 and identify as a panromantic ace (questioning enby)!! I attend college 3 days a week ( Monday Tuesday and Friday) And I study fashion owo its quite good and as of 26/6/19 I've been in a relationship owo

I also always attend mcm London comic con !!! If anyone ever wants to meet there hmu

This is me ! I don't really take selfies that often anymore and I tag them with #it me and #face !! I also tag my own text posts with #jude.txt. ~♡

Moving on to an F/O list hehe

main f/os ;

N Harmonia ( pkmn )

N is a character I grew up with as a kid !!! I really really really love him , hence my username. I also am @harmoniaswife on instagram but I no longer use that account BC of issues with people sigh ,,, anyways I won't let that ruin how much I love him !!! He is my rock !!! I also have a self ship diary about him !!!! He's definitely my main f/o ahhhhh 💗 I use the tag #jude loves n

Erwin Smith ( snk )

My favourite old man ! Lolol ! He's my best aot character and I love him loads !!!!!! I use the tag #jude loves erwin

Pietro ( acnl )

So many of you know how much I love Pietro !! He's such a cute fluffy smug sheep !!!!! I love him loads ~♡ I use the tag #jude loves pietro

Other f/os include Henry and Ophelia from Fire Emblem but they are no longer mains ! I also have no problem sharing f/os !!!

Kin List

may as well add this hehe, I kin for comfort and fun ! Its not something I really do a lot,,like visibly but there will be times I mass spam reblog lots of posts to do with someone I kin with ~♡

Iris / Pokémon ( main ID ) ヽ(^◇^*)/

Hanayo Koizumi / Love Live

Nagisa Furukawa / Clannad

Mirai Kuriyama / Beyond the Boundary

Tsukasa Hiiragi / Lucky Star

I'm not iffy about people kinning the same characters at all !!! I also may add to this soon BC I'm still figuring out a few people !

(*´˘`*) ♡

Anyways I have a dni / byf post but I'll just put a bit here on the end !!!

No !! Terfs!!

No p/rn blogs

No anti self ships

No racists / homophobes/ bigots etc

No ableists !!

Please no pedophiles or pedophile sympathisers or any of that map crap

no ddlg blogs , absolutely not

Really this shouldn't be too much of a problem ahh

anyways （⌒_⌒） thank you for reading this far !! My blog is a safe space for all lgbtq+ people and a safe space overall !! If you ever wanna drop an ask or a message, I'm always here !!! So nice to meet you !!(*´˘`*)♡ please consider reblogging so I can meet many new people this month (ฅ´ω`ฅ)

[angryschnauzer]

This heatwave can go fuck right off. I've now made the difficult decision that i wont be attending LFCC this weekend. The venue is a victorian glass roofed building that apparently does have aircon but its so useless once you get 50-100k people inside its still hotter than hades butt crack. That alone is enough to trigger my asthma.

But today made me realise that i'm not physically strong enough to cope with it.

I ate breakfast but because i had what i thought was just a dental checkup at lunchtime i didnt eat lunch thinking i could do it afterwards. Well... turns out it wasnt a checkup it was a major filling. Lots of painkillers and my mouth has been out of action for all food all afternoon. Cue 5pm when i sit down at the dinner table to help Superpup with his dinner, feel like i've got a runny nose at which point kiddo says "you've got red on you". Ok major bonus points for inadvertantly quoting Shawn Of The Dead, but i have a sudden nosebleed, i can feel my pulse going all over the shop and then i pass out onto the dining table. Thankfully hubs was home and because of the warm weather our backdoor was open and as was our next door neighbors who are police officers and know major first aid, hubs yelled for them and they were there in a flash.

I came to maybe 30 seconds later but my nose was still bleeding and we all immediately knew my blood sugar was having a major part in this. I needed glucose quickly, but fate would have it that 99% of my pantry is set up for 'diet' stuff so is sugar free... the only thing with sugar in that was soft enough to eat was this:

Superpups nutella. I basically was spoonfed about a quarter of the jar (its only a small one). Thankfully after about 5 mins the nosebleed stopped and so did the lightheadedness.

We did call a doctor, and we checked my pulse out and blood sugar out and it had levelled out, but i was basically told to take it easy, dont do anything stressful, stay cool, and dont do anything or go anywhere that could mean i may end up skipping meals in this heat.

I am gutted. LFCC was due to be my first ever con. Thankfully i hadnt bought any photo ops (i had always hoped for a marvel miracle but it never happened), so will now instead look into MCM London in October. Hopefully this fucking heatwave will be over by then!

[thedogsled]

I'm interested in hearing about the Merlin queerbaiting thing because I seem to remember someone saying that this homoerotic subtext was upped after the producers or writers or whoever had been asked whether the queer subtext was intentional or something like that.

tbh the likelihood is you probably heard this from me, but who knows. I think it’s clear to a lot of people in Merlin fandom either way, although maybe not everyone feels that way. I’m going to go riiiight back to the beginning, though, to the very first episode where I was coming off my last fandom (Harry Potter) and had nowhere else to go, and there was this awesome show on TV…

First of all I’m going to drop this here:

So this was my experience, back in 2008, when I got to go to MCM London. The show had been on maybe a few weeks at the time, and not much had been developed back then, but there was no doubt that they were writing the pair of them very well as a strong male/male friendship. Now the subtext was glorious, because as you can hear right here it wasn’t the intention of the writers to put any of it in there, and it came off so naturally as a strong set of bonds forming between two guys. Nobody was aware of it, and then bam there’s all this fanfiction being written. This was the first ever question these guys had been asked on a panel ever. We’re not talking like the pussyfooting into asking those kinds of questions like you see with SPN panels, these guys were fresh and green and had no idea what they were getting into, and the unequivocal downplay from the writer ‘No, this is a story about friendship’, well it should have stopped there. But as you hear the writer go on to say, as they laugh about the idea of people shipping Merthur at all, these sorts of heroes journeys do have a homoerotic subtext. He acknowledges that, but he’s also forthright in saying ‘no, that’s not what this is, end of story’.

So for me, that should have been what it is, i.e. it’s not queerbaiting because there’s absolutely no intention of going there, and they’ve made it clear. Unfortunately that’s not what happened, and the consequence is that it wasn’t made clear to the audience. Sure, that crowd at comic con of a few hundred people, but not the audience (also I’m disappointed there wasn’t more to that clip, because the writers (there was at least one other person, a woman there, backed and forthed briefly on the topic, “is that a thing?” or something like that, but it was ten years ago so I’m afraid I can’t remember exactly. By this time next year people were cosplaying Merlin, it had played in the USA and everything was really taking off, but that first season was in the can at this point, and consequently precious and innocent. The friendship between Arthur and Merlin was as untarnished as you could get, because the writers had no idea what they were doing, and the actors had no idea of what was coming across in those intimate moments, so that was perfect too. Seriously, that first season of Merlin is superb.

But now everyone is self conscious. They know they have this audience and they’ve been exposed to how loud it is, how superbly influential. The feeling of watching Merlin season 2 was therefore entirely different to watching season 1. Bradley and Colin carry themselves differently. The wording choices in the scenes become deliberately nudge nudge wink wink. The scenes themselves are more homoerotic because of this conglomeration of ideas and acting choices. Merlin talks about how he ‘feels’ about Arthur and there’s shitloads more shirtless scenes and long silences and held glances between Merlin and Arthur than Arthur and anyone else. 

I’m saying this as someone who didn’t fall for the queerbaiting, because I knew from that unequivocal “this is a profound friendship” declaration that they were never, ever going there, that Arthur was destined to get with Guinevere (that was the societal wall i.e. class, that he had to jump over) and they weren’t ever going to do anything but straight and hetereosexual on Saturday night on BBC1 (an opinion I changed for Sherlock but very quickly changed back when I saw the same tone and delivery grabbing for and successfully pulling in the audience who so desperately wanted to see what they were being teased at. Merlin and Sherlock really coincided at the sweet spot of queerbaiting (which incidentally is when Cas joins SPN, and coincides with the most queerbaiting seasons of SPN as well.) But I was at ground zero for Merlin, before shipping Merthur was cool, and you can betcha that the writer declaring that there were only straights here put a dead end to that before it could begin. Just imagine a writer saying something like that now. We track all the panels, we record everything. We’d tear them to pieces in a second flat.

The mood in S2 just changes. Here’s a bunch of clips from S2. I’ve stuck it on a late timestamp, but that’s only because that particular scene is a standout example: gay 4 comedy. By the middle of S3 filming, everyone is well briefed on the interest in the ship. The baiting gets really hard and comedic by season 4. I’ve jumped to some of the worst offending moments in this series of clips here. And remember Sherlock’s first season aired just before this, thus my accusations of a queerbaiting heyday. It was all getting into stride about this time, carte blanche to suck in queer viewers with no intention of following through and use ‘they might be gay’ both as an endless mockery, as in these Merlin clips, and as a way to add seriousness to some scenes. My memory of feeling mocked and ridiculed by Merlin is just so strong, and reviewing some of the episodes really nails that down for me. Having known where the writers come from, knowing the sentiment behind their approach to their queer audience…it drives me up the wall even right now.

So season 5 they pull it all together, and - spoilers - Arthur dies in Merlin’s arms, and there’s an unspoken I love you, and Merlin waits for centuries for the return of the Once and Future King. And this, coming back to the strongest part of the story in order to deliver the final emotional punch, the part that carried it through (the relationship which could be misconstrued between the main characters) and offering a flimsy not quite there delivery of yet more subtext (because you have to be in on the queer reading to see it), was a final spit in the eye. It’s why you’ll see a bunch of people in fandoms who are disgusted by the idea of a kiss in the last scene, they die together, or a subtextual drive off into the sunset ending, because it’s such a familiar and heart wrenching and aggravating cop out. It’s not even Thelma and Louise, you know? Because over years and years, you’ve been driven by this show, by what you’re seeing on screen, and your reward is a lacklustre nod in the last few seconds; what you’re there for you never get, and yet at the end of the day you’re supposed to be delighted they gave you even 50% certainty that your ship would end up together. Fuck you.

Merlin could easily have been read as not queerbaiting. That’s the thing. Some people will outright tell you that Sherlock is easily read as not queerbaiting too. Those people will also say ‘why is it that two guys can’t have a relationship without people thinking it’s romantic.’ Well, they can. They can. But I point you to the word ‘bromance’. These shows deliberately either take romantic storylines and apply them to those characters, or play up the gay for laughs. Especially at this sort of 2008-1016 sweet spot, pre The 100 drama, they absolutely did. They didn’t see the harm, and what they got back in return from fandom involvement and viewership and repeat viewing was absolute justification for those choices. Merlin benefits from it’s queer audience, but it also benefits from a storytelling perspective as having been intended as a heterosexual friends only story in the first place, and the first season (and season 3 largely, idk why) play out like that. That’s what lets it off the hook when people are looking for queerbaiting in the show, because it’s absolutely not from the get go. Like with Destiel it establishes naturally, both as a result of the story and because of the vibe the two main actors have with each other. 

Compare to Sherlock, which went for it right out of the gate “Is this a date?” and never backed down, applying the queerbaiting consistently until they were done as though I think to legitimatize the writing choice. “See, it wasn’t queer, that’s just how we wrote it, you’ve all got dirty minds.” That same show will be defended with ‘why can’t guys just be friends’, and implications that any suggestion of physical intimacy doesn’t make it gay and is harmful to guys in general. There may be some truth in that, but there is also truth in the use and manipulation of queer audiences, and there are plenty of touchy feely male/male relationships which aren’t queerbaiting; look at most buddy cop shows (I exclude due South from this), JD and Turk, McGee and DeNozzo, Esposito and Ryan. Well written brotherhood and friendship is out there which does not rely on one character waiting for another to come back from the dead for centuries, or casually delivering that Cas ∴ Cas

I’ve been going on for a while, but I’m going to just make one last swing for it before I conclude. Take in mind that original quote, then. Look at this article. The quotes here are notorious in Merlin fandom, of course, but even from an outsider they leave a bad taste in my mouth. 

“Murphy points to the moment where Arthur finally dies as what the entire series has been building towards. At the “just hold me,” Murphy justifies to a shocked McGrath that, “well, he’s dying, the man he loves is dying, so he’s holding him.””

Maybe it wasn’t queerbaiting to start with, but Merlin knew what it was doing. S1: “Merlin is about a friendship between Merlin and Arthur, and they do care about each other hugely, but um it’s not necessarily, you know, it isn’t a gay love story, no.” vs. S5: “I think you maybe just confirmed what a lot of people thought, and I’m glad that Julian could do it, because he’s probably the only one who could have gotten away with that commentary.”

I don’t know where Merlin fandom stands on this. I know there’s an undercurrent - because I’ve read it - that some people like the ending as it is because they don’t think that all love has to be shown in smooches. But that would be fine if it wasn’t raising a strawman to argue against (I see it a lot in these conversations). Nobody is even talking about kissing. A relationship of any shade which is confirmed and genuine is fine. But queerbaiting specifically is this kind of stringing people along by dancing around the suggestion of something, and then coming back to state that it was there all along, or worse still just go “Maybe~ If that’s the way you see it~”. Nobody is saying they have to bang it out in a clearing in order for it to be legitimized, but that’s a whole other level from ridiculing people who see it that way, playing it as a joke, or stringing those people along right to the very last gasp.

For sure, if you don’t think it was queerbaiting then that’s great, and I’m actually glad for you! I’m sure people disagree with me on a handful of things I’ve said here, but Merlin was a huge disappointment for me as a creative. I wanted to play in that universe, but the seed was planted that every hint of homoerotic subtext was targeting me, or making a mockery of me, and it poisoned that well from the get go. That I’m still harboring those feelings a decade later probably shapes the way I interact with canons now, but it also is an indication of how strongly I feel about Destiel that I can get over it; once burned twice shy usually applies; it harmed my viewing experience of Merlin, Sherlock, and Hannibal, and I won’t deny it affects me when I watch SPN (and some other shows) too. It’s part of why I think this show has such an opportunity to do something different. But there’s still that tugging part of me that insists that because this is a show nurtured in that sweet spot, I have no reason to believe it should do anything outside the norm. Perhaps the situation with The 100 doesn’t affect it, or maybe it will have learned from it? Some things, like the queer hires to the writers room, fill me with hope. But who knows? That’s unfortunately the state of the uneasy relationship I have with it, particularly as a queer person who wants to see those stories on TV. To tell the truth, this uncertainty and unease is the damage that queerbaiting causes in the long term, and we deserve better stories.

This got super duper long, so thanks for sticking with it.

[st-eve-barnes]

Hi, quick question about the Jibland event... do you think the passes/tickets will finish soon? Because it's too early for me to buy it (I'm not sure I can go) but I need to understand how much time I have :(

I have no idea nonny, I didn’t follow how quickly they sold out last time. All I know is for MCM London everything sold out incredibly fast, VIP tickets were gone in literally 3 minutes and I think photo ops were all sold out within hours or a few days too especially the Saturday.

I don’t know how Jibcon works but in most cons you can’t order/buy autographs beforehand but only on the day of the con, so you could still hold out for those even if the rest sells out? It’s different for every con and this isn’t Seb’s first time so maybe he won’t sell out as quickly now?Also May next year is still very far off, I don’t know if people will be that quick to buy tickets so early on.

@postmodernmulticoloredcloak I know you went to Jibland and are familiar with the con, any advice here for my anon?

[demiboypercyjackson]

Hello!!! I'm cosplaying Will Solace at MCM London in May this year - I am a trans boy and I'm super excited to do it - I am trying to think of what I could write on a sign for the cosplay - people with signs are always more approachable and I wanna make friends :) - any suggestions on what I should write??? Also any generals suggestions for Will cosplayers???

that sounds like so much fun!!!!!! ive never cosplayed… it always makes me happy to see other trans ppl out/at cons though :Oc i hope you have a really fun time! and oh man, theres all kinds of things you could write on a sign…. im imagining a “have you seen this gay?” poster for nico that has references/jokes instead of information, or maybe a funny pjo reference, or a joke of any kind just to get peoples attention and let them know youre there for a good time. another goodie; “in loving memory of nico di angelo. he’s not dead, i just love remembering him.” or do what i would do and write “dear rick, make trans will canon you coward” 😂 if any followers have any other suggestions? (id love to see your cosplay btw! and stay safe at the con! ☆ - mod will)

[brightstarblogs]

As I'm at con next weekend, I thought I'd give some cosplay/con advice 😊

1. Wigs

Wigs are vital for a lot of cosplays, especially if the character has unnatural hair, however it is important that if you are at a con for HOURS that you let your head breath as you don't want to faint (the buys halls can get very hot). Try and take a wig bag with you to a con and wear a wig cap, that way if you need to, you can remove the wig but keep your hair secure so you can put it back on with out having to pin all your hair out of the way again (alternatively, instead of a wig cap, use a small socks made of stretchy tights/pantyhoes material)

2. Binders

This really can apply to anyone, not just cosplay (eg I use one for my crossplay characters like Tweek and Craig). Whatever you do, DON'T USE BANDAGES, as you will be at the con for a long time you don't want to damage the sensitive tissue there. A binder is more comfortable, BUT after a while it may start to hurt. Listen to your body and take it off in one of the toilets if needed. My main tip is to take a bra with you so you can switch into it if needed (I am speaking from experience 😅)

3. Weapons/props

Every convention has different rules for these, so check the website of your given event a few days before you go in case of last minute revisions (rules changed for MCM London due to Manchester terrorist attacks one year so cases for cosplays where more strict for example to make sure there weren't bombs). A good rule of thumb is to make the weapons/props from larp safe materials or paper mache (sometimes wood is allowed but definitely nothing metal!). Also being able to break a prop down into smaller pieces is very good to help with height limits.

4. Hydration, nutrition and rest.

I cannot stress enough how important these are. The queues are going to be long and it will be hot, so making sure you stay hydrated is a must. You don't want to faint. Also make sure to eat when you can and always sit down when your feet tell you too. Yes conventions are an awesome experience, but don't push your body to far just to see everything.

5. Money

Definitely buy stuff you want, but if you have to pay to get back to the hotel or home, make sure you keep this money separate from your spending money. You don't want to be stranded and have no way of getting back.

6. Hygiene

If you go for several days you may want to take showers when you return to your hotel/home. Trust me, you may be exhausted, but being clean will make you feel better, it does get sweaty and you don't want to ruin the costume you've spent loads of time/money/effort on. Also having deodorant in your bag is good (but this is not the same as a shower! This is only a quick fix!)

7. Pictures

If you want to take a picture of someone's cosplay, please do ask their permission before hand. More often than not they will be happy to. Sometimes though they may be trying to get to a panel so if they say no, please respect them.

8. HAVE FUN 😄

At the end of the day, a con is a place for everyone who loves geek culture. It's a chance to meet people with the same interests as you. Try and avoid the drama that can happen and enjoy the experience. Remember to stay safe but staying in groups (there can be people who will try and feel cosplayers up so strength in numbers will help avoid this).

Con is a wonderful experience and I hope for any future convention you go to, it is a fun and rewarding experience 😄