#this was from a collaboration i participated in a while ago with other artists!

[lumiious]

Team Skull ☠️

[primnroses]

The poll is void and it makes no sense because people aren't following the rules they just want sakura out of it and tell us we're cheating when everybody is cheating equally.

The poll is only being followed suit in Japan. Look at the Top 10 results:

Check the list yourself at the bottom of the page in the official poll website.

And now look at the third databook's poll collecting all the previous manga votes in one single result:

This is the real page of the poll to demonstrate I'm not making this up:

The Top 6 is very similar except that instead of Kakashi, the top character is now Itachi; Iruka has left the Top 10 and he's currently 17th, also he switched with Minato; and Sasuke is below Sakura right now.

Also, Kakashi is still the most voted character in Japan just as usual.

I find it normal that neither Rock Lee, Neji Hyūga and Iruka Umino are in the Top 10 anymore because they have gradually lost popularity from being dead or absent in the current line, but they're all in the Top 20 and overall popular.

Other than that, the pattern is the same. Japan has demonstrated to be the only country that is voting for their favorite characters and not for a character to win a spin-off.

Also, I've repeated this so many times but I'll do it again: A spin-off from Kishimoto is only to motivate fans to participate in the poll. It's a reward for the fans of the most voted character, just like the 20 illustrations will be a reward for the 20 most voted characters.

About the alleged cheating, I think everybody is using bots and they're using them for nothing. The official site posted the rules when the poll started.

*Votes are limited to one per person per day. Using multiple devices to vote more than once is prohibited.

*Any votes that are a result of fraudulent practices or that are deemed erroneous will become void.

*The user will be responsible for any data fees incurred.

And THEN after the first Midterm, they posted this again to clear any doubts:

The original tweet.

The Japanese profile also tweeted the same thing.

The original tweet.

So YES they are fully aware of the bots and fraudulent votes, that's why they created a system to fight them.

I may also add that the poll is tracking your IP and your cookies at all times. It tracks the IP of the device you use to vote and the IP of your internet connection which you can't hide.

They're aware of everything. A while ago some users, including me, couldn't share their votes on Twitter and the official page tweeted about it telling us to deactivate ad-blockers and that they'd fix the issue. This is the tweet.

Believe me, a bunch of anime fans won't troll a system with professionals checking every single vote.

Why is Sakura more popular than Sasuke? In Japan she's one place higher and tat surprised me. I might be wrong, but on Twitter, I always find that Sakura merch is always sold out the first so it might have something to do with that. In the West, they're not voting enough or they're switching their votes to other characters.

Sakura's fandom has many collaborations with artists and kpop fans, on top of being one of the most organized and devoted anime fandoms. We're voting every day and encouraging the fandom to vote every day if they forget. Sakura Haruno has always been popular.

The anime community will always fight Sakura Haruno like she's some kind of obscure and malign force that needs to be eradicated for the sake of mankind, or that she doesn't have any fans that could rise her position in the poll. It won't matter how many times the official page has to say that they filter all the bots, the anime community is illiterate and will continue saying we're cheating because they're trying to convince themselves and trying desperately to prove their own point.

If the west wants to stop voting for their real favorite character to vote for those character that will inevitably ensure Sakura Haruno doesn't peak, be my guest. That's the real cheating for me.

Just as always it's Anime Community vs Sakura Haruno.

I'm happy with Minato winning although he has never been a fan favorite in Japan (and I'm not sure how popular he was in the West before), it's the result of people thinking there will be a backstory for him despite never been said.

I'm happy with Kakashi because he is, and will always be, a fan favorite. He's been popular since day 1 and even if he got a complete story of his life and 2 novels, the poll says "vote for your favorite" and Kakashi is a favorite. Same with Itachi or Naruto.

People don't want to vote for Naruto because "you know the story is called Naruto right we're tired of him" and that's not the point AGAIN vote for the one you like the most. I find all that a bigger cheating problem because it's straight up ignoring the point of the poll and I'm sure they won't do it anymore. Vote for your favorite character ALWAYS.

To sum up: Bots are void. Every fandom is cheating and for nothing because those practices are nullified. Support your favorite character.

[lululawrence]

16

i saw this ask and was so confused like... what did i do without realizing?? hahaha and then i remembered i had added a list thing to my queue. FUN!! thank you for sending this! haha

an artist whose work you like

here's the thing with this question, i don't know what kind of artist you're asking about here haha so if we're talking about what you'd think of with traditional artists, i'm gonna be a DORK and say two of my friends' art is absolutely up there. one of them actually was able to quit her "day job" a few years ago and set up a studio to do art full time and i'm so happy for her! she's so amazing. her name is Erin Birum and you can find her website here. The other is Dane Terry, and he legit just sells his stuff on his FB page haha he started with selling a lot of penis art, and he's incredible honestly, but what my personal vibe is his oil pastel landscapes. it's just BEYOND incredible the shit he can do and capture. it's gorgeous. if i remember, i'll post photos of the art i've gotten from him later. maybe same with erin, actually. ANYWAY. Dane actually is a musician who tours his music as well! he was without a piano for the last while, but he just got it back and is back on his shit so i'm loving it. you can find him on spotify! he had a few nights sold out at the palladium in london on his uk tour last year and i've never been so fucking proud.

NOW as for fan artists?? i cannot name a favorite. i'm horrible with favorites anyway, but there's seriously so many incredible fan artists here! to choose one would be impossible. how about instead i'll name some of the incredible lovelies who have worked with me for collaborations or commissions? is that okay? cause obvs i love their work haha @ialwaysknewyouwerepunk, @moon-sun-thyme, @londonfoginacup, @hrrytomlinson, @pasmwa, @harrehleh, @harrygotthebee, @rishimaaaaa, @fallinglikethis, and GAH there are so many others! i know i'm forgetting some, i'm so sorry. but just. so many different kinds of art and so many different artists who are all so incredible! love love love.

thank you for participating! i hope this was... waht you wanted in answer to this question lmao

send me a number and i'll try to answer before going to sleep tonight

[silverfoxlou]

Will Rick Astley’s Yung Gravy Lawsuit Dampen Pop’s Nostalgia Kick?

Re-recording classic tracks has become more common for financial and creative reasons, but the "Betty (Get Money)" case may give producers pause.

Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but according to a new lawsuit, singer Rick Astleydisagrees.

Astley filed a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles court claiming that while Yung Gravyand his collaborators secured rights to re-record the melody and lyrics of some of his 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” for their track “Betty (Get Money),” they recorded it too close to the original and infringed on his “right of publicity” by “flagrantly impersonat[ing]” Astley’s voice.

Recreating the magic of older songs in new hits is not unique to “Betty (Get Money).” It’s common for artists to secure the rights to use the underlying musical work, like Gravy’s team did with “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and re-record portions of the song’s melody, lyrics and more for use in a new song, a process called “interpolation.” Sometimes, this ends up sounding incredibly similar sounding to the original recording, and other times, the team will put its own spin on the old track.

By opting for an interpolation rather than a true sample, teams avoid the tedious and costly process of securing the rights to the original recording as well, a separate right from that of the musical work. With interpolations, only the songwriters and publishers involved in writing the song have to approve of the new use of their song, not the singer. Interpolations also have the added bonus of providing producers with more flexibility and creativity. But now Astley’s lawsuit has music executives questioning if it could “open the floodgates” to litigation or at least tamp down the practice.

To the average listener, the “Betty (Get Money)” intro hinges on what sounds like a direct sample of “Never Gonna Give You Up.” But, as Gravy told Billboard months ago, he and his collaborators instead “basically remade the whole song,” in the studio. “[We] had a different singer and instruments, but it was all really close because it makes it easier legally,” he said.

Similarly, “I Like It” by Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin is widely believed to include a sample of of “I Like It Like That (A Mi Me Gusta Asi)” by Pete Rodriguez, but the iconic-sounding recording is also a dupe. In an interview with The Verge, the song’s engineer, Leslie Brathwaite, explained that, “a lot of people think that’s the actual sample, but it was actually replayed. Craig [Kallman, chairman of Atlantic Records and one of the track’s producers] hired people to replay every aspect of that sample, and it turned out to be like, 60 tracks worth of stuff… because they didn’t want to clear the sample.”

Nick “Popnick” Seeley, the producer who recreated Rick Astley’s voice for “Betty (Get Money),” told Billboard in a previous interview that he was also part of the replay process for “I Like It” by Cardi B, along with “Dirty Iyanna” by Youngboy Never Broke Again (which replays “Dirty Diana” by Michael Jackson). “I have a knack for vintage stuff… this is a really cool way for me to participate in what’s going on in pop music right now,” he said in the past interview. (Seeley is named alongside Gravy, fellow collaborators Dillon Francis and David “dwilly” Wilson, and Republic Records as defendants in the lawsuit. He declined Billboard’s request for comment.)

Danielle Middleton, senior director of producer/songwriter management firm Page 1 and former A&R at Sony Music Publishing, notes that sampling and interpolation is bigger than ever. “Nostalgia is huge right now,” she says. With songs like “First Class” by Jack Harlow (which features a sample of “Glamorous” by Fergie), “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha (which interpolates “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65, Gabry Ponte), “Big Energy” by Latto (which borrows from “Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club, which is also featured in “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey) and more dominating the Hot 100 in recent years, many artists are looking to quickly jump onto the trend by flipping familiar tunes into something new.

Music attorney Todd Rubenstein wagers that most music creators have likely not considered there could be any legal risk in creating closely imitated interpolations. Producer Marc “Fresh2Def” Soto, half of duo ClickNPress and has worked with J. Cole, Queen Naija, and Alessia Cara, says music execs have often encouraged him to convert samples into interpolations. “A record label will be like, ‘Hey we can’t get the clearance for the sample, but we can get an interpolation, would you be able to replay XYZ thing?’ I’ve been through that on several records with different labels.”

While Soto explains it’s not unheard of for a producer to strive for an exact dupe, far more commonly, he says, producers will make small changes to create distinction. Soto also says an exact imitation is often nearly impossible, anyway. Without access to the same studios and equipment as the creators of a track made decades ago did, re-recordings usually sound different from the original track, even if the attempt was to imitate. It’s most common to hear imitations of guitar parts, drum loops and other instrumentals. Vocals are more rare.

One publishing executive, who spoke to Billboard on the condition of anonymity, says they feel switching out a sample for a close interpolation is not just used to speed up licensing and save money. It’s also incredibly common for “creative reasons,” allowing the producers to control the parameters and tone of each individual element of the song.

In a previous story with Billboard, Primary Wave, the company that owns the rights to “Never Gonna Give You Up” songwriter Pete Waterman’s catalog, explained that the creation of “Betty (Get Money)” was part of a strategy the company has been working on for the past few years. In hopes of boosting the popularity and earnings of their catalog, the team will encourage artists and producers to interpolate or sample from songs they hold some or all rights to.

So far, the technique has been quite successful for Primary Wave. In addition to “Betty (Get Money),” this strategy has produced songs like “Just Can’t Get Enough” by Channel Tres (which sampled Teddy Pendergrass’s “The More I Get The More I Want”), “Thought It Was” by Iann Dior and Machine Gun Kelly (which interpolated the melody of Semisonic’s “Closing Time”) and “What a Night” by Flo Rida (which borrowed from Frankie Valli’s “Oh What A Night”). Primary Wave was not named in this lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, Astley’s lawyer claims the singer has been “looking to collaborate with another artist and/or producer to create something new with his voice from ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’,” but because of the “nearly indistinguishable” imitation of Astley in “Betty (Get Money),” his opportunities to do this have been “obliterated.”

While Milk & Honey founder Lucas Keller says the popularity of Yung Gravy’s tune with such a prominent interpolation of “Never Gonna Give You Up” may hinder opportunities for a major sample placement for Astley’s original tune in the short term, the other publishing executive adds that they believe the opposite is true long-term. “If you’d look at James Brown or Parliament Funkadelic or any number of people that are often sampled, I feel like statistically, the more your work is used, it means you’re more likely to get sampled again.”

As to the lawsuit, Keller, who manages a number of top producers, says it “could set creators back.” The publishing executive agrees, arguing the case could scare creators and hinder creativity in sampling, covering and interpolating.

Soto says this would not be the first time a lawsuit affected producers in recent years, citing the controversial Blurred Lines trial, which claimed the Hot 100-topping hit of that name by Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I. plagiarized the composition “Got To Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye because some felt it centered on similar feels of the two songs — perhaps widening what elements are protected under copyright law. The same lawyer who represented the Gaye family in that trial, Richard Busch, is representing Astley in his lawsuit. With this case, Soto adds, “We might get to a place where things start to feel like, ‘Why am I interpolating anyways when I might get sued?’”

Even if Astley and Gravy settle out of court, Rubenstein believes we’re likely “going to see other lawsuits off the back of this lawsuit” from artists who feel emboldened to fight imitations or similar-sounding interpolations of their voices in songs they were not a part of. He says, “I could see older artists that had this happen to them in the past realize, ‘Hey, I have the same claim.’”

Busch, Republic Records, Primary Wave, and Gravy did not respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.

[jaystephevents]

Just a suggestion but maybe a discord server might help the jaysteph community and would benefit future events. writers could help each other out and readers could help with brickwalls and together could come up with prompts and ideas

Heya! There used to be a JaySteph Discord that shut down a long while ago due to eventual lack of participation, but there’s definitely a new resurgence of JaySteph love sweeping fandom!

Me @river9noble has no energy or desire to be a Discord mod, but if someone else wants to create an independent JaySteph server not directly tied to @jaystephevents they’re certainly free to! (And of course, people could chat about whatever they want on there, including getting help with writing for events.)

I’m gonna make some safety suggestions on that front before anyone impulsively proceeds:

Mods should be 18+

Mods should have a strong sense of responsibility for the safety of the server. It is not a role to take on lightly. Too many servers start out enthusiastic and fail wildly when mods can’t appropriately moderate abuse or drama or disagreements.

Being a mod WILL require you to confront people and engage in interpersonal conflict and resolution. If you’re not comfortable with that, don’t be a mod.

Mods should have time and energy to monitor the server and the willingness to guide members to correct channels when conversations stray off topic

Mods should be in it for the long haul and prepared to make that longterm commitment. Ideally, no one should mod a server alone but have 2-3 mods so that if life happens, there are others already on board to keep the server safely running.

No server should EVER ask for participants’ ages. Minors should never, ever be outed on the internet.

Either make the server 18+ and state in the invites and rules that anyone joining is affirming that they are 18+ and will be permanently banned if they are found out to be lying OR….

OR make the NSFW channels 18+ and state that anyone who requests those roles is affirming that they are 18+ (This doesn’t automatically out minors because some adults may prefer not to join NSFW channels too).

Also, as @jaystephevents we would only advertise servers that are in line with the values of our events, which are:

Protecting the safety of minors on the internet (*see more below)

Being ship-friendly, kink-friendly, and judgment and censorship free (with appropriate server channels for NSFW and triggering content) [EDIT: see this is why I mod events, not discords. It’s very appropriate to ban certain language and discussions on Discords, such as racism, active discussions of abusing children, etc. bc people have free speech in other areas of their lives. Yes I differentiate between censorship of written word and art on AO3 and events and real live discussions with real people. No I don’t care to discuss this position with antis who don’t actually give two shits about understanding the difference.]

Obviously anyone can set up their own server however they want, but we wouldn’t as a blog promote or endorse one that didn’t share our values.

Safety Precautions for Minors on the Internet

Modding anything, from a fandom event to a Discord, puts you in the position of being responsible for the safety of minors. If this is not a role you desire or are comfortable with, you should not become any sort of mod.

Even if you mod an event or server that is 18+, you still have to take the safety of minors into account - by not asking people their ages AND by setting things up in a way that doesn’t out minors WHILE firmly stating that only adults may join. Also, you need to be prepared to deal with minors who may lie their way in and later be found out.

If you mod an event or server that is all ages, as JaySteph Weekend is, there are more concerns to consider:

Aside from not outing anyone’s minor status, potential minors should not be put in a position of DM’ing with adults. (As they would be in a collaborative Big Bang open to all ages. I’ve seen Reverse Bangs get around this by having the artist and author create independently in reaction to each other’s work instead of collaboratively but even so, you don’t want minors choosing to work on NSFW or M rated work in an event where someone else will creatively interact with that work. Adults shouldn’t be put in a position of unknowingly being paired with with a minor on an NSFW/M project. But, it’s not safe to out minors. So it gets complicated and sticky. Either ban minors from event entirely or ban NSFW/M works. And realize that yes, people can lie, and all you can do is ban them if you find out. Which may be small comfort to a safe adult in the position of accidentally working on NSFW/M work with a teen who lied.)

Minors should NEVER DM with people online, even IF they’re not outed as minors, because here’s why:

A friendship may turn flirtatious or something more. An adult DM partner may make sexual or off color jokes and references, either not considering that their anonymously aged chat partner is a minor OR deliberately fishing.

Friendships have a honeymoon period where everyone’s putting their best foot forward. It takes 9-12 months at least for people’s true selves to completely emerge. A lot of trust and vulnerability can be established in 9-12 months. A lot of personal details may be shared in that time, too (even if not age) especially when the convo is taking place over DM, away from public eyes.

Abusers are EXPERTS at hiding their true selves and do it manipulatively, rather than as a natural and normal social precaution. Once trust is established and they have a wealth of personal info on their target, they began to subtlety manipulate and abuse, slowly pushing their convos and their targets further and further into their desired outcome.

Anyone can fall prey to that online OR irl, but minors more so.

Minors, PROTECT YOURSELVES by only chatting PUBLICLY with people - in public or Anon Asks and answers that you reply to with reblogs or in comments. By tagging people and chatting in their notes. By only chatting in public Discord channels on servers that HAVEN’T outed you as a minor.

On an all-ages Discords, mods should clearly state these safety precaution for minors - that minors should choose not to DM - but because it is UNSAFE to out minors, AND because mods have no knowledge or control over who’s DMing, there are uncontrollable safety variables.

For those reasons, I’m not comfortable joining or modding all ages servers. You can’t control what kids do. Yes, it’s ultimately their parent/guardian’s job to monitor their child’s internet activity, but let’s be real: most don’t. I don’t personally feel good creating an all ages environment where potential abuse is more likely to occur, such as a Discord. Because think about it: is an online child predator more likely to join an 18+ server or an all ages one?

Yes, minors can lie their way into an 18+ server, but on an all ages server, predators KNOW they’re in the water, even if they don’t know who specifically is a minor. And knowing that they’re there, predators will be on the lookout for people whose language and convos and thoughtlessly shared personal details expose them.

So, yeah. I’m not saying whether or not all ages Discords should exist, I’m just saying - if you choose to mod one, it is a HEAVY responsibility.

And this also isn’t to say that minors can’t talk to anyone online! Yes you can make friends and chat with people, but always do it publicly and never tell anyone you’re a minor (and don’t share info like “today in high school” or talk about living with your parents.) (Yes adults live with parents too especially in this economy but if you’re a minor, don’t give people any reason to even suspect that.)

Also, minors, don’t chat about NSFW stuff with people. It’s not safe for you, but also consider how icky and horrifying it would be for a safe adult to unknowingly be chatting about that with a minor! Which is why adults also have to be careful who you’re chatting or collaborating about stuff with, even when done publicly.

So yeah. Are you all exhausted yet? I am. But this is reality of minors existing on the internet. Keeping them safe IS heavy work and it DOES take a lot of effort and it is EVERY online adult’s responsibility.

That’s why I ain’t gonna be modding servers myself.

But if someone wants to responsibly take on creating an independent JaySteph server, as long as it’s set up safely and within our event values, we’re happy to promote it. 💜❤️

[zombieplaguedoc]

Hey, so back in September I went to the anime convention for four days, and the reason I didn't say anything right away is because I was waiting on two other commissions. Well, they both came, and now I can share it.

So, back in September, I went to an anime convention with Canada and Sasha, since last year I went with America and Estonia. We ended up staying for the whole event, which we usually don't do but since Canada had something to do in the same town the day after the convention officially ended, we did it this time. The first day we got there, we got some Culver's before going to our hotel room and unpacking, which was a lot harder to do than it looked. Since we arrived on the first day of the con, the hotel had a lot of people checking in so we had to wait a while to check in, but once we did it was pretty smooth sailing from there. We relaxed for a bit and then checked out the vendor hall before it closed. Saw some cool stuff, got some stuff. We got some dinner at a new Ramen place across the street, a d the Ramen they make is so good, way better than what you'd find at the store. Like so much better. So anyway, after that we went down to a panel at 10 pm where everyone discussed their fictional character crushes (one of the panelists had Rattlesnake Jake as a crush, and I was just so excited to see someone giving my dad some love, it just feels like nobody else loves him but me!). I got to admit a few of my fictional crushes (not saying who they are yet 🤫🤭), and I really felt among my people. The next panel was a Hetalia truth or dare panel that was at 11:30, and since I was going as Sealand from Hetalia, I fit right in; I got a few cosplayera who recognized me. I got to ask a few questions, even got asked to feel Germany's muscles (😳), got a dare or two in, I even got to sit up on the panel when three Nordic cosplayers got dared to switch out with three audience members of their choice for three rounds (I was chosen by Denmark), so yay my first panel experience! 🙌 So that went on until midnight.

The next day there was another Hetalia panel at 11:30, so I had to get up early for that, which I didn't mind at all; believe or not, an England cosplayer actually asked me to film it, which I accepted. I still got to participate- got to ask some questions and whatnot, seeing as how it was called 'A Scandal In Hetalia' where we basically had to solve who kidnapped Pierre, France's dove (it was Prussia). Also, I have a new ship thanks to that panel. That went on until 12:30. After that we checked out the rest of the vendor hall, bought some more stuff, and went to a small BJD panel that was at 1 called 'Anime doll meetup.' Not a whole lot happened during that panel, it was mainly people bringing in anime-style ball jointed dollars for you to look at and ask questions about, and there I learned that a Hetalia America doll I bought I believe two years ago actually counts as a ball-jointed doll, since somebody brought one on just like mine which I did not know, so I'll have to bring him next year. After that we bought some more stuff in the vendor hall, headed back up to the hotel room to get some lunch and watch an Indiana Jones movie to pass the time until the next panel at 4, which was a workshop where you got to make little miniature bento boxes for your ball-jointed dolls. We had a little bit of trouble assembling the boxes but I'm still proud of mine. It was a two-part workshop, over the span of two days and we went to the first part, which was making the boxes themselves. After that we went back up to the hotel room, ordered us some dinner, watched some TV, and went down at 10 for a panel called 'Art Attack', where we all played a game where we collaborated with an artist to come up with a new character based on a theme. Basically, after selecting a base for the body, we would all submit our ideas on this website for a specific part and each idea was put on a wheel that was spun, and whatever idea it landed on would go on the character. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the end result so I can't show you guys, but I don't mind; I had fun regardless.

The next day we didn’t have to wake up as early since the panels we wanted to go to weren't until late at night, so we got to mostly relax until 1 pm when there was a maid Cafe that was old anime-themed- the dance they did was the Haruhi Suzumiya ending dance That was fun, except the other sweets I ordered never came :/ Oh well. I still got to take a photo with two of my favorite maids and I got to have it personalized, so that was fun. After that I visited the vendor hall to order some commissions until the next panel at 4 pm, which was the second part of the miniature bento box workshop the day before. This part focused more in creating the miniature food that went inside the boxes and finishing off the boxes. Of course, I spent more time making sure my boxes looked good, but they gave us extra clay to take home and make food with, so that was nice. If I'm being honest, that panel was a lot of fun, I'm hoping the woman in charge comes back next year. After that we went up and ordered us some dinner from Five Guys since the next panel wasn't until 8:30, so we had some time to kill. At 8:30, we went down to the panel which was another Hetalia panel that was mostly centered around APH America and so had a bunch of America cosplayers- regular, nyo, 2p nyo, emo, America as Captain America, and Canada was involved too. Oh, and there was a toddler as part of the panel that was passed off as Chibi America; England even asked me to film this panel too. It was fun too, got a few American-themed goodies, got to ask some questions like what was their favorite Golden Girl, made a Victoria's Secret (the song) reference by telling England that Victoria was made up by a dude. Overall, very funny, would go again. Also, emo America was cute. After that we waited in line for the next panel which was a silent library panel. Unfortunately, this one wasn't as fun as the last one. For starters, there were a lot more people than at the last one, and they were all loud and wild as fuck, like seriously; the panel started at ten and went on til midnight and we only got three challenges done because most of it was spent the host trying to quiet everybody down because they all kept yelling when someone got punished for failing a challenge, or just for no reason. Then, people kept going in and out to use the bathroom so someone would yell 'door' whenever someone walked in, which wouldn't have been bad if it weren’t for the fact that it kept happening every time someone was up on stage to get punished for failing a challenge. On top of that, people got way too into the punishment, like they actually started taking off their pants before getting spanked, which was not something they did at the last silent library I went to. Now, I have no problem with nudity or sex when it comes to fictional characters, but that's it, that is my personal limit. I don't like real life human nudity, I hate humans, I'm not attracted to them at all, and yeah you get the point. Not only that, but since this was an 18+ panel, there was a strict 'No phones allowed' rule, and I swear, people do not know how to follow the rules, because the host caught someone with their phone out three times and all three times the person on their phone was escorted out or asked to leave. I swear, it's like being courteous to everyone participating in the panel was a foreign concept to them. On top of that, my wig kept giving me trouble, so we ended up leaving a half hour in. So yeah, not as fun as the last silent library panel I went to.

The last day of the con wasn't very exciting, which meant we were able to pack up everything with no trouble so we could leave the next day with ease since we had to check out the next day. There was a 'Test your rizz' panel that I wanted to go to since I thought it was like a panel I went to at a different con several years ago where you defended your fictional character and convinced the audience why they were superior waifu or husbando, but it wasn't anything like that, and the characters being cosplayed that were part of the panel weren't ones I'm into, so I quickly got bored and left and we just relaxed in the craft room. Overall, we took it easy the rest of the day, checked out the next day (we usually leave the con on the last day of the con while people are still there, so leaving it while it was completely empty save for the general public felt so fucking weird) stayed at another hotel since cousin Canada (standing in for a real life family member) had an appointment with a specialist, and the following day we went home. Overall, this con was a lot of fun, and I hope next year's con will be just as fun.

So I got a lot of stuff at this year's con, but before I show it, I absolutely have to show you all these cute little bento boxes I made at one of the panels.

Unfortunately, I started them at the con and didn't finish them until recently, and by then the clay they had allowed some of us to take home- which we used to make the miniature food- had dried up, so I ended up half-assing the food. They're not perfect but I still like them.

Okay, so, onto the stuff.

Sadly, there's a photo limit so I'll have to put what I got in a different post since it's quite a bit when combined with the bento box images.

Antis dni, this post is not for you

[geetanjaliddjay]

"Global Spotlight: Gala Expo's Grand Celebration of Ingenuity"

Gala Expo: A Spectacular Showcase of Innovation and Creativity

Every year, cities around the world play host to a myriad of events and exhibitions, each showcasing various industries and their latest innovations. Among these, one event stands out for its grandeur and magnificence: the Gala Expo. This spectacular showcase of innovation and creativity draws attendees from all walks of life, including industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and curious enthusiasts.

The Birth of Gala Expo:

The Gala Expo was conceived with a vision to bring together diverse industries under one roof and provide them with a platform to exhibit their latest advancements and breakthroughs. The first Gala Expo took place several years ago and was an instant success. Since then, it has grown exponentially, attracting more participants and visitors with each passing year.

An Extravaganza of Industries:

What sets Gala Expo apart from other exhibitions is its diverse range of industries represented. From technology and robotics to fashion and design, from healthcare and biotech to sustainable energy solutions, the Gala Expo caters to an array of interests and passions. This all-encompassing approach ensures that every visitor finds something of interest, making it a truly inclusive event.

Showcasing Innovation:

The primary objective of Gala Expo is to showcase innovation. It serves as a launchpad for cutting-edge products, services, and ideas that have the potential to transform industries and improve lives. Start-ups and established companies alike vie for a spot in the expo to introduce their latest offerings to a global audience, gaining exposure and valuable feedback in the process.

Networking and Collaboration Opportunities:

Beyond the exhibition stalls, Gala Expo provides ample networking opportunities. Industry professionals and entrepreneurs converge here to connect with like-minded individuals, potential partners, investors, and customers. The exchange of ideas and the forging of collaborations at Gala Expo often lead to groundbreaking ventures and projects that shape the future.

Knowledge Sharing and Workshops:

Gala Expo goes beyond being a mere display of products and services. It also serves as a hub for knowledge sharing and learning. Workshops, seminars, and panel discussions are organized to delve deeper into industry-specific topics, emerging trends, and challenges. Renowned experts and thought leaders grace these sessions, offering valuable insights and fostering a culture of continuous learning.

The Impact on Local Economies:

The economic impact of Gala Expo on the host city and its surroundings cannot be overlooked. With thousands of attendees pouring in from various parts of the world, the event injects a significant boost to the local economy. Hotels, restaurants, transportation services, and retail establishments witness increased business during the Expo, providing a welcome economic stimulus.

Embracing Sustainability:

In recent years, Gala Expo has placed a strong emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendly practices. Conscious efforts are made to reduce the environmental footprint of the event. From using recyclable materials for exhibition booths to implementing energy-efficient technologies, Gala Expo is setting an example for other large-scale events to follow.

A Celebration of Creativity:

Alongside the technological marvels and scientific breakthroughs, Gala Expo celebrates creativity in all its forms. Art installations, fashion shows, musical performances, and culinary showcases add a touch of artistic brilliance to the event. This integration of creativity with innovation makes Gala Expo a truly mesmerizing experience.

Conclusion:

The Gala Expo continues to captivate and inspire attendees worldwide, providing a glimpse into the future of various industries while promoting collaboration and innovation. With each passing year, the event raises the bar and reaffirms its position as the epitome of excellence in the world of exhibitions. As we eagerly await the next Gala Expo, we can only imagine the wonders it will unveil and the possibilities it will inspire.

[ruedeirdre18]

Hey there!

@songofsutarima tagged me 5 days ago and I've finally had a chance to participate.

There's nothing wrong with that, right?

Anyway, here are the 5 songs I've been absolutely obsessed with lately:

Yoru ni Kakeru/ Racing into the Night by YOASOBI - YOASOBI is known for making music that has a deeper meaning behind it. Their songs often explore themes of human emotion and the struggles that we all face in life. This depth and complexity of their music might be what draws you to them as a fan. This song is a great example of how YOASOBI is able to blend upbeat music with thought-provoking lyrics. The fast-paced tempo of the music, along with the catchy chorus, makes it an enjoyable listen. However, the lyrics are actually quite dark and explore themes of anxiety and fear. Despite the darkness of the lyrics, the song ultimately has a positive message about overcoming those fears and racing forward into the night.

Kimi Wa Dekinai Ko/ You are a Useless Child by Kikuo ft. Hatsune Miku - This song is an interesting and unique combination of electronic music and the synthesized vocals of Hatsune Miku. The music has a whimsical and almost childlike quality to it, but the lyrics are actually quite dark and explore themes of abuse and neglect. Despite the dark subject matter, the song has a positive message about standing up for oneself and refusing to be a victim. This collaboration between producer Kikuo and the virtual singer Hatsune Miku creates a unique and futuristic sound that's unlike anything else out there. The combination of electronic music and Hatsune Miku's synthesized vocals creates a sound that's both futuristic and nostalgic at the same time. Plus, the themes explored in their music - such as abuse and neglect - might resonate with you on a personal level.

Caramelldansen by Caramella Girls (Swedish original) - This song is just pure fun! It's a catchy dance tune that's perfect for letting loose and having a good time. The lyrics are simple and repetitive, but that's part of what makes the song so enjoyable. It's a great example of how music can be a form of escapism and can help us forget our troubles for a little while. Sometimes, music doesn't have to have a deeper meaning to be enjoyable! Caramella Girls' music is all about having fun and letting loose. The upbeat and catchy tunes are perfect for dancing and singing along to, and they're a great way to forget about your problems for a little while.

1900's songs - The songs from the 1900s are a great way to connect with the past and get a sense of what life was like in a different time period. The music from this era often had a strong sense of nostalgia and sentimentality, and listening to it can be a great way to reflect on the past and appreciate how far we've come. Listening to music from the past can be a great way to connect with history and appreciate the artistry of musicians from a different era. The songs from the 1900s often had a strong sense of nostalgia and sentimentality, which might be something that you appreciate as a fan.

J-pop songs - J-pop is a genre that's known for its upbeat and catchy tunes, as well as its colorful and energetic music videos. Listening to J-pop can be a great way to lift your mood and put a smile on your face. It's also a great way to connect with Japanese culture and appreciate the creativity and artistry of Japanese musicians. J-pop is known for its catchy and upbeat tunes, as well as its colorful music videos. Listening to J-pop can be a great way to lift your mood and put a smile on your face, especially if you're feeling down or stressed out.

Listening to music is a great way for me to relax and connect with different emotions and experiences. I hope that by sharing my favorite artists and songs, others might find something new to enjoy as well. And with that, I'll leave it up to the next person to decide if they want to participate in this tag or not. Remember, there's no pressure to participate - it's all in good fun! @herthoughtswandered @saspas-corner @andileighwrites @poeticrayven @pjg2950

[jakesalablogs]

Slam-Girl: Stan Lee's Final Story

Welcome back to my blog here on Tumblr! The blog rolls along with a new and exciting week of content. Today I will be taking a look at the following news story:

“Slam-Girl: Stan Lee’s Character Canned 20 Years Ago Now Lives On as NFTs”

From: https://beincrypto.com/slam-girl-the-marvel-character-nfts/

By Nicole Buckler

            Marvel is once again making headlines in the digital comic book space. This time bringing back a seemingly lost character, Slam-Girl. “While created over two decades ago, Slam-Girl is considered to be a new character. She was a collaborative effort between Stan Lee and his creative partner, comic book artist Will Meugniot. Slam-Girl will make her next appearance at NYC Comic Con as an NFT series. It is now four years since Marvel founder Stan Lee passed away.”

            This news is significant for several reasons. The first being the rediscovery of the character. Comic book fans and collectors will certainly be interested in getting their hands on a so called “lost” work of Stan Lee. The legendary creator and writer of some of the most popular Marvel comics had a massive following of his own in his later years. Lee’s passing in 2018 also adds to the significance of this story. Slam-Girl may very well be one of the final known creations by Lee that hasn’t had a previous widespread release in print or other publications. With that being said, collectors would love to own this character as a digital asset. Marvel and other traditional comic book publishing companies should look to release older and unknown content from legendary creators in order to drive up interest in the collecting market.

            Additionally, “Stan Lee, the creative force behind Marvel, was early into the game when the internet first rose to life. His internet company, called Stan Lee Media rose to life in 1999. It employed 150 writers and animation specialists. The realm where the new characters were going to live was in cyberspace… an early Metaverse. However, the project collapsed after the dot com bubble burst.” While Lee isn’t alive to see it, the adoption of this character into the NFT collection aligns with his original vision for digital characters in comics. These NFTs will be available OneOf. The platform says it is a “green NFT marketplace.” The Web3/Metaverse landscape is the perfect vehicle to launch this character because of the participation and engagement opportunities. “ ‘The ‘Participate To Own’ model has never before existed in the comic industry, connecting fans with characters that they own and storylines that they imagine.” Fans will be able to take Lee’s character in a new direction and have influence on her future. This will surely drive interest in the new NFT collection.

            Whether or not Slam-Girl becomes a household name, this particular NFT project is a powerful tribute to Stan Lee and his legacy in the comics industry. Excelsior!

Be sure to check back here each week for my latest blog entries to stay up to date with the happenings in the industry. Also be sure to visit https://newhouse.syr.edu/ for more information about how you can get involved in this industry. 

[supercorpzine]

I am asking you to denounce big bang. they are stolen the idea from magazine you create and are as if they ignore my warning, but they need to feel shamed and admit to lie. I am knowing that they will admit if you out them.

Hi there! Mod Grace, here. There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding, but I am happy to help clear the air. Please rest assured that the Supercorp Big Bang is in no way, shape, or form stealing our idea.

Like zines, big bangs (or “bangs” for short) are one of the older forms of organized fandom collaboration besides zines! While zines started as a print-based collaboration back in the late ‘60′s with the first Star Trek fandom, big bangs came about in the mid 2000′s as a riff on the zine format as the internet became more widely used as a haven for fandom. The original bang was a Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy fest in 2005 almost 16 years ago, and is credited as the origin and style of today’s fic/art exchanges. (Coincidentally, I think I’ve been in fandom juuuust a little longer than that.) While it wasn’t intentional, the first big bang started with, well, a bang-or a sudden flood (or explosion, lol) of fan created content! Things have changed as fandom and the internet have changed, but at its core bangs are largely in part fic and art collaborative projects that feed a surge of content into the fandom. Just like zines!

I would personally classify the SupercorpBB as an “Closed Big Bang”, or one that has a limited application period where those who sign up are the only ones to participate. There are other distinctions such as an “Open Big Bang” that is generally moderation-free and only has a specific posting time frame, and then “Reverse” versions of these events. The difference between a bang and a reverse bang depends on what form of fandom content is being created first! A bang starts with fic and artists are matched, whereas a reverse bang starts with artists. It is also fun to note that bangs have historically included all kinds of visual art from manips to collages to videos-even music!

So, no. They aren’t doing anything wrong, they aren’t lying, and they certainly don’t have anything to be ashamed of. There is nothing to out them for. The @supercorpbb is carrying on a classic fandom tradition, just like we are! I would encourage you all to be kind to the organizers, as I feel this is simply just a misunderstanding and gap in our shared fandom history. Our fandom is quite large and full of creative people of all walks, and I think having the bang is a wonderful way for us to keep building and feeding our fandom community. I hope this helps clear up some confusion!

With that being said, I know that the reverse bang is in need of more artists! If you would like to join them and meet some new friends, go check out their post with their application forms! The more the merrier. ❤️

[taketheringtolohac]

WHAT IS BLASEBALL PLS

this was sent in a couple weeks ago but i thought it'd be worth answering anyways!

blaseball is a free browser based horror baseball simulator where the players are lines of code and at the fans mercy. you choose a favorite team with names ranging anywhere from the dallas steaks to the kansas city breath mints and root for them to win in the playoffs. fans bet on games and attempt to earn votes so they can participate in elections and win blessings and wills to improve their team.

but horror, you say? how could a game that looks like this possibly be horror?

well, the thing is- players can definitely die. they can get incinerated or their blood can get drained or they could be eaten by consumers (sharks) or swallowed by a black hole or many many other terrible things. imagine playing the same game for forty years and watching all your friends die and get traded around you while you're on the same exact team never moving- that's happened to at least one player in the game! the narrative allows for some truly devastating storylines and characters, and it's interesting to be apart of. play must never stop, blaseball is always going. except for now, where blaseball is on what is looking to be a year long hiatus (starting last august). we just came off of a series of mini sets of blaseball universes with entirely new players.

the other key thing about blaseball is fan involvement in the game. while the things that are voted on directly impact the league at large and therefore the overall story of the game, the players- who, as i've briefly mentioned, are truly just lines of code and a name and some stats- are all constructed by fans and the lore is collaboratively created by people on the teams they belong to, usually discussed on the official blaseball discord. there is also a blaseball wiki that fans collaboratively contribute to and build upon.

overall, it's just a fun time killer and community to be apart of. it isn't without it's problems, but i've been playing for nearly two years now and it's been a wild ride seeing how the plot and the game has developed. the rich fan community (both artists and writers and just any type of participant) has been really influential on me and how i engage with things, and that's also been fun to watch. so join the game! or dont, its a bit of a weird time to join right now. but that's the most basic explanation of it that i can give without going too overboard

[kingstylesdaily]

What the 2021 Grammy Awards Will Look Like

Artists including Billie Eilish, BTS, and Taylor Swift will perform in a circle of five stages with masked crew at the center — in a ceremony that first-time showrunner Ben Winston calls “part Grammys, part Abbey Road studio session”

Ben Winston is exhausted. The television producer, who moved from the U.K. to Los Angeles six years ago to start The Late Late Show With James Corden, is a week away from executive-producing his first Grammys telecast. “I literally had two hours of sleep last night,” he tells Rolling Stone via Zoom.

On Sunday, March 7th, the Recording Academy revealed a slate of performing artists for March 14th’s 63rd Annual Grammy Awards that includes Billie Eilish, BTS, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, and Harry Styles. But while those names are on the lineup, Winston knows nothing about live TV is ever set in stone — especially in the time of a pandemic —so he’s been spending his days double- and triple-checking plans, waking up at 4:30 a.m. dry-eyed and restless. He’s worked to make a show “with heart,” he says — one that “doesn’t feel isolated, quiet, or alone.” He also had to take extra steps to ensure the three-and-a-half hour show, which will not take place at the Grammys’ usual home of the Staples Center, is Covid-safe for performers and attendees. Despite all that, he appears remarkably enthusiastic and alert.

Here’s what viewers next Sunday can expect from music’s biggest night, according to Winston: a multi-stage, audience-free show that highlights the year’s creative triumphs, social justice movements, as well as Covid-19’s impact on the arts. Winston hints at several “unbelievably powerful” performances on the slate, adding that the Grammys “absolutely are acknowledging what’s happened” in the country in the last year.

Winston, who in 2018 co-produced Bruno Mars’ well-received live show at the Apollo for CBS, also wanted to highlight independent venues, which are the “lifeblood of this industry” and a launchpad for emerging musicians — so the Grammys will feature guest spots from owners and workers of iconic American venues, including L.A.’s Troubadour and Hotel Café, N.Y.’s Apollo, and Nashville’s Station Inn. “I drive past the Troubadour on my way home from work every night,” Winston says. “It’s a significant thing for me when I look at it all boarded up. I always think, ‘When those boards come down, this will be over.’ That will be the sign. That will be the day where it’s like, ‘We got through this.'” Winston realized from his conversations with venues that many of them put on their last shows on March 14th, 2020, meaning the Grammys will mark the one-year anniversary of the shutdown.

Employees will come on camera to “tell us a little bit about their venue” and present some of the awards. “So, you’ve got, like, a bartender at a beautiful, independent venue — and she’s giving out Album of the Year to these megastars,” he explains. His goal is to acknowledge the people who work tirelessly to keep these stomping grounds afloat and have recently lost their jobs. “Those venues are made up by the bartender and the security guard, the manager, the box office person, and the cleaner at the end of the night.” He hopes to remind people of the importance of supporting local venues again when it’s safe to do so.

Originally, the Grammys were scheduled for January 31st, but organizers announced a move to March right after the new year. Winston says he felt American morale was at a low point in January — between political insurrection, an impeachment trial, and Covid-19 running rampant in Los Angeles — and it “didn’t feel right” to put the show on in the middle of that. The Recording Academy and CBS, which exclusively airs the annual show, both supported his decision to postpone. “I can now do everything that I wanted to do in my best-case scenario for this year,” he says of Sunday’s show.

Sunday’s location is an undisclosed building in Los Angeles, but Winston teases that the new venue is “massive,” “magical,” and “the biggest building I’ve ever been in indoors.” “I don’t want it to look like I’m criticizing Staples, because it’s the most amazing venue,” he emphasizes, sharing that he’s open to bringing the Grammys back to the arena in the future if they ask him to. While he does believe that Staples is a safe place, he says he wanted to go above and beyond to make even the most-skeptical participants feel undoubtedly safe.

A team of Covid safety officers oversaw the production set-up, and artists will enter the stage from different directions to minimize contact. Each artist also has their own backstage area. The space “allowed us to build an entire world,” he says.

The show will involve five stages of the same size and shape, four of which are for performances and one of which is for presenters. Stages are organized in a circle, facing one another, and crew members will work from the middle of the set. “People will perform while the other three or four artists on their stages watch, applaud, and enjoy. As soon as that one finishes, the next one goes, the next one goes, and the next one goes. Every 45 minutes, you change out those stages, and you bring another four megastars into the room,” says Winston, who was partly inspired for the “part-Grammys, part-Abbey Road studio session” setup by British shows he watched as a child, including Jools Holland and TFI Friday.

It’s going to be a “bespoke night of music that I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to repeat,” Winston says. “It’s about taking a camera into a room, and making an amazing musical moment by filming it quite simply and elegantly.” Performances, which started being planned in April 2020, will be a mix of live and pre-recorded — a fully live show would involve too many crew members moving sets and risking close contact — but the whole thing is intended to feel completely live. (Winston challenges viewers to try and guess which sets are pre-recorded; he designed them to be difficult to tell.)

To help plan the sprawling, immersive show, Winston brought in a suite of collaborators including co-executive producer Jesse Collins, who produced The Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show; co-executive producer Raj Kapoor, who handled creative direction for various artists on the last seven Grammys and produced Vegas residencies for the likes of the Backstreet Boys and Mariah Carey; producer Fatima Robinson, whose expansive background in creative direction and choreography landed her the Black Eyed Peas’ 2011 halftime show and Kendrick Lamar’s 2016 Grammy performance; producer Misty Buckley, who handled production design for Kacey Musgraves’ 2020 Christmas show; talent executive Patrick Menton from Dick Clark Productions; Corden collaborator Josie Cliff; and Super Bowl halftime, Olympic ceremony, Oscars, and Emmys director Hamish Hamilton, who Winston describes as a “legend” he’s admired since he was 14 years old. (David Wild, who has written for the Grammys since 2001 and became a producer in 2016, is the only person returning to his role.) Winston also points out that artists were heavily involved in designing their own performances.

Rather than have cameras pan over empty seats and an awkwardly small stage, the production team decided to reinvent the visual format with the five-stage setup. The pandemic’s limitations, coupled with the advantages of new faces coming in with fresh perspectives, helped them refrain from thinking in terms of what the Grammys had done before, he said.

For the most part, Covid-19 didn’t force too many changes. It did give Winston a lot of anxiety.

“There’s been so much uncertainty with what you’re allowed to do,” he says. Changing international quarantine rules made him question whether certain performers could fly in, while health guidance keeps fluctuating: “Every time my computer or phone dings, my first instinct is, ‘Oh, God, what’s gone wrong?’ I don’t know if that’s ever been my mentality before.”

While all the performers are confirmed and currently Covid-free, “you never know, one of their girlfriends could have Covid and have to quarantine, it’s all just bonkers,” Winston says. “There’s one artist that may, in the end, not be able to make it here due to rules of the country they’re currently in. There’s one immigration issue that we’ve got left.”

The show does not have replacements on hand if anyone pulls out — it’ll just cut that performance out.

Above all, Winston wants the 2021 Grammys to focus attention off of dire times. “I want people to be able to watch the 2021 Grammys in 2040 and go, ‘Wow, what an amazing show that was,’ and not go, ‘Oh, that was the Covid year, that’s why they had to do that,'” he says. “I think that’s what we could achieve if we get it right on Sunday.”

via RollingStone.com

[hutchhitched]

On Fandom

In light of recent kerfuffles, I decided to share this. Communication is helpful for fandom discussions. That’s why I’m offering up my perspective.

 @little-lynx, your artwork is beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoy seeing it on my dash. Your post sharing how and why you joined the fandom is fascinating, and I’m grateful you trusted us with it. I hope you continue sharing and drawing for stories that inspire you, and that you’re able to find more stories and authors that do. That’s not to say you’re not doing enough. Whatever you want to share is awesome. I only say that because there’s so much Everlark out there that is wonderful. I hope you’re able to find more that you enjoy. If you ever read something of mine and are inspired to create, I will be thrilled. If not, I will continue to appreciate what you contribute to the fandom. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy being part of The Hunger Games community on tumblr (and AO3 and FFN, if you find works there).

 @shesasurvivor, I hear you. I know what it feels like to be overlooked despite being part of a fandom for a long time. I understand the frustration of seeing others celebrated and not being one of those. You’ve been here longer than I have, and you’re one of the few who takes stands that might not be expressed by many but are shared by more than you know. You are an important part of the fandom, and I’m glad you’re still here. I hear you. I see you. You are amazing.

 @katnissdoesnotfollowback, you also have very valid points. I know what it feels like to put everything you have into a fandom and it not being enough for some people. I know what it feels like to be overlooked and how it feels to be celebrated. The former sucks, and the latter is wonderful. You are an important part of the fandom, and I appreicate what you can share and wish you well when you’re not able to be here with us.

 It’s always tricky to recommend blogs and lists because feelings invariably get hurt—no matter how inclusive they are. I don’t envy those of you who have tried or are attempting to make those. You’re braver than I am.

 That said, it is demoralizing to be left off lists repeatedly. It’s equally frustrating to produce works and not feel like the images and/or stories are getting any attention. This is true for new(er) people who are trying to join a fandom (@mandelion82 and @endlessnightlock come to mind), former authors who’ve returned (@awhiskeyriver), and those who were around long ago and stayed for the long haul (I am one of those). Each of us wants to be part of the community. It sucks to feel left out (whether intentional or not). You are all amazing, and I see/hear you.

 Yesterday, @eiramrelyat posted fanart she created for one of my stories as a surprise, and I was over the moon. It was a total surprise, and her work is stunningly gorgeous. I am beyond thankful for the gift, and I hope she understands how much it means to me. I’ve been fortunate in the past to receive artwork from @ombradellaluna and @the-tesseract-wrinkling-time and story banners from @xerxia31, @papofglencoe, @maddenmarvels, @burlesonspride, and @ronordmann, and from those who are no longer active on tumblr (loving-mellark, @akai-echo, and @myusernamehere). I am beyond thankful for your gifts.

 I’ve been left off lists before, and it’s painful. Although I’m never angry at being left out, I’m often more discouraged and befuddled. I’m always fascinated to see who others view as “essential” while leaving off others. As someone who has been part of the Everlark fandom since 2013, it seems that my name should be recognizable by now. Since I’m often omitted, maybe I’m wrong. It’s not the fault of newcomers for not knowing who I am when my name doesn’t appear on lists of active blogs. How could the new people find me? The frustration comes from being a long-time contributor to the fandom and still not being deemed essential. @lovely-tothe-bone and @mrspeetamellark have both heard my frustration and reached out to me about it. Thank you both for doing so.

I have published 107 Everlark stories on AO3 and more on tumblr.

I help run @seasonsofeverlark and @talesofpanem.

I helped create the Everlark Holiday Bingo challenge that’s currently running. It would be amazing if those who are writing holiday stories would consider participating. So far, only six people from the Everlark fandom have contributed. One bingo fill is awesome if that’s all you have time to contribute. If you want to do more, please do.

I have written for @nanowrimo seven times.

I have participated in the following charity anthologies/auctions: @s2sl (twice), @fandom4lls (twice), @mores2sl (three years with five stories), @loveinpanem-blog’s A Candle for the Caribbean, @fandomforoz, @fandomtrumpshate (two years with five auctions), and @what2finish (one year with two auctions).

I have participated in the following challenges: nine out of 12 rounds of @promptsinpanem with 21 stories posted, every round of @everlarkficexchange with 16 stories posted and four more forthcoming, three years of @thgseasonofhope (this year’s not yet posted), 17 stories for @talesofpanem, eight stories for @seasonsofeverlark (with one forthcoming), three stories for @everlarkbirthdaydrabbles, 19 stores for @d12drabbles, one story for @loveinpanem-blog’s Valentine’s challenge, two multi-chaptered stories for @everlarkchristmasgifts, one multi-chaptered story for @everlarkvalentinesgifts, three stories for @everlarkianarchives, two stories for @fyeah-everlark’s Secret Santa exchange, three stories for @the-everlark-games, two rounds of the @everlark-your-own-adventure challenge, one for @winterinpanem, one for (the now defunct) wmashgchallenge, one for the Everlark drabble challenge, and one for the Peeta Mellark masturbation series.

Besides those things, I’ve also collaborated with other writers and artists (thanks, @deinde-prandium, @xerxia31, and @thegirlfromoverthepond), and I’ve published more stories that weren’t part of any official challenge. I’ve done these things because I enjoy writing and think it’s important to support the fandom and worthy charitable causes. I don’t participate because I’m looking for praise (although it’s always nice to hear from those who enjoy what I’ve created). My point is that if participating in all those things doesn’t make me an active, essential part of the Everlark fandom or make my name on tumblr or AO3 recognizable, then I simply don’t know what else to do.

 As a historian, I think it’s important to know the history of the fandom, so it’s understandable and commendable to read the “classics” of Everlark. There’s a reason Dickens and Chaucer and the Bronte sisters and Edgar Allen Poe are famous. They’ve created stories that have stood the test of time. There are also new gems like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter and The Hating Game. Newer writers are vital to the success of a fandom, as well. I’ve been reading Everlark for seven years, and I still have countless seminal works I’ve not yet read. The same goes for newer writers. I’m trying, but it can be overwhelming. I’m doing the best I can while working as a full-time professor during a global pandemic, writing my own stories, being an active member of my church, being a good aunt to my nephews, supporting my friends and family (many of whom have health problems), and joining another fandom. I’m doing the best I can.

 This is longer than most people will want to read, I’m sure, but please know you are not alone in feeling what you do. So many of us feel left out or ignored. So many of us are celebrated. So many of us mean the world to one or more readers/viewers.  We all have our reasons for being here, and we are all part of this community. I hope I’ve contributed in at least a tiny way in making you feel welcome while you’re here.

 Lots of love. Don’t send anon hate to me or anyone else. Happy holidays! 

[asleepinawell]

How has poi changed your life? Genuinely curious, I love this show

I got this ask in May '20 and am only now answering it. :')

part of the problem with answering it is that half of the answer would be to the question of 'how has fandom changed your life' where poi is the fandom I've been the most active in and where fandom made the most difference. and that's a long story

my first draft of this was over 2k words long, and went back much further in time explaining how i had and hadn’t fit into queer spaces and fandom throughout my life. I edited it way back but it’s still long-ish, so you can read it below the break

many years ago, when I got my first full time job in my chosen industry my senior year of college I was so busy that I couldn't function. massive unhealthy amounts of overtime and a toxic work environment. (don't work at tech start-ups, kids!!!) my social life vanished. strikethrough on livejournal happened right then too and fandom, which i’d only been a silent participant in at that point, kind of went quiet for a while and by the time it started regrouping I was so busy that I didn't know about it. several awful years later I quit my job, spent several months in my room in my parents' house trying to recover from massive burn out (see my comment about tech start-ups), and then got a job on the opposite coast and left behind my whole circle of friends some of whom made up my entire connection to the queer community at that time.

making friends after college is very hard when you're an introvert and just generally don't like socializing that much. making queer friends can be even harder since there's fewer places to meet them and there's often an underlying question of dating/sex that hovers around awkwardly when sometimes what you want is just an absolutely no romo/no sex friendship. so while I did make a few queer friends eventually, I didn't have that same sort of community I did before I'd moved and I missed it

(I would be remiss in not saying that the queer friends i made in this time are all amazing and wonderful and some are still my close friends and very important to me. The thing I’m highlighting here was the lack of feeling like I was part of a larger queer community).

fast forward a bit. I get sick. like really really sick. I'm in and out of the ER, I'm missing tons of work, I'm mostly bed-ridden. I think after the last few years people can more easily appreciate how intensely lonely and surreal being stuck at home by yourself non stop can be when you're not used to it. sometime right before that I'd joined tumblr for the sole purpose of looking at cat pictures on my phone during boring meetings. I wasn't really aware that this was where fandom had migrated to (it was in fact possible to use tumblr without intersecting with fandom). but stuck home alone with time to kill I started looking for art and gifs of the tv and games I was consuming and stumbled into fandom tumblr and specifically queer femslash fandom.

I kind of poked around the territory and eventually fell into the carmilla fandom which became the first fandom I actually created content for. a few of my fics had a decent audience and while I was never part of the central core of the fandom I made some good friends there. some of y'all probably followed me back then. I eventually drifted away from carmilla for a lot of reasons I won't get into and stumbled right into poi. this would have been between seasons 4 and 5, late 2015-early 2016.

my health problems get more exciting and I end up in the hospital. I have vague memories of watching poi on my laptop in my hospital bed (vague because I was on a lot of morphine). I actually posted some fic while I was in the hospital (would have been the end of my carmilla run still).

and I get out of the hospital (early 2016) and am somewhat better but it's pretty clear that I'm going to have chronic health issues probably for the rest of my life. my social life, such as it was, was mostly dead, a lot of stuff I used to do for fun was much harder to manage. I'm still spending a ton of time at home (not even counting covid) and I have bad days where I feel terrible and can't do much. but I'll come back to that

I think most of us remember 2016. the year tv show runners fully embraced the bury your gays trope (and sometimes the fridging trope at the same time as a bonus!) and, by autostraddle's tally, 30 queer female characters in tv shows died. and then on top of that we had the actual real world tragedy of the pulse nightclub shootings. it was a massively depressing time all around for queer people

s5 of poi aired that year. I know people have different opinions on s5 of poi, and that's valid. I hated it. and I really intensely hated how it treated root and shaw. there aren't enough words to express how fucking angry I was after s5. or rather, there are 319,678 words.

I wrote a fic many of you may have read called sliding towards chaos that rewrote the entirety of poi from mid-s3 onwards. it got pretty popular lol. I put so much into writing it, too. it was basically a second full time job for me and a great way to take my mind off the fact I was still having health problems and all the crazy shit going on in the world (we had a presidential election in the US in 2016 :)))) it did not go well!)

i'm very proud of writing stc, and even if I think it isn't my strongest writing (which is good! improving over time is good!), it was what really connected me to a lot of other people in the fandom. I felt part of the fandom community in a way I hadn't with carmilla and it was an intensely queer community built around shared interests

one of the problems with finding queer friend groups out in the 'real world' is you're often gathering to meet based on the uniting factor of being queer, and your interests may vary greatly. fandom is amazing because it lets you find queer people who you share all these interests with and who you can bond with over them and collaborate with and that's just so so important. does fandom have a ton of issues and toxicity and bigotry? yes, absolutely. but it also has so much good to offer

through stc and later fics I became close friends with some really really cool people in the fandom (including my favorite writer and my favorite artist). these are people I'm still very close friends with. some of them I've hung out with offline and the ones I haven't are mostly because they live too far away. after years of not having my own queer circle of friends I have found one again and one I can usually participate in even with my health problems and that is such an important thing to me

on a creative front, the fic writing and the gif making I've done have both taught me an enormous amount and been a very positive part of my life. working collaboratively on comics has been one of the coolest things I've done. there is just so much good that came out of me seeing one shoot gif on tumblr dot com years ago and being like hmm looks gay I'm in

and in terms of the actual content of the show, I think a lot of the reason I was drawn to it (other than my lingering crush on fred from angel) was that root and shaw felt so uniquely and wonderfully queer in a way few f/f ships I'd seen had before. shaw being bi and reading as aro to me (I've talked about that here) and root being a chaotic computer nerd just felt so relatable to me and their relationship with each other made sense to me in a way that few others had. and the specific draw that they had for some fans probably has a lot to do with why I found friends in this fandom who I really clicked with

so yeah. I don't know how to sum this up. fandom can be a great way to find your people and engage your creativity and I think that's very sexy

[dossi-io]

An introduction to DeVita

Do you want to learn all about the AOMG artist DeVita? This article will cover everything you need to know about the third female member to join the labels roster.

The content of this article is also available in video format, embedded at the bottom of this article.

Prelude

In early April of 2020, the Korean hip-hop label AOMG ambiguously announced that a new artist was signing onto the label. This label was grounded by the Korean-American triple-threat; Jay Park, who’s also one of its executives. This is a label with a very organic feel and artist-oriented nature, which stands out compared to many other music labels.

On April 3rd, the label’s official Instagram account posted a video. It was titled, “Who’s The Next AOMG?” where fellow AOMG members talked about this upcoming recruit. They sprinkled small hints and details by sharing their thoughts on the artist without mentioning who.

Around the world, fans immediately began speculating on who this could be. The major consensus was that it had to be the solo artist Lee Hi, due to reporting like this: “AOMG responds ‘nothing is confirmed’ to reports of Lee Hi signing on with the label”

A few other names got thrown in fan speculations like Hanbin (B.I), previous member of IKON, Jvcki Wai, and MOON (문) aka Moon Sujin. This despite a few of these already being signed to other labels.

On April 6th, three days later, the account was updated with a part two. This time dropping more hints, which would exclude many names from fan speculations.

On the 7th of April, the label’s official Instagram account posted a short teaser. The video sported an 80’s retrofuturistic setting, with a woman turned from the camera, dressed in all black, rocking braids, and some glistening high-heels. As it seemed to be a female, some were now certain that it had to be Lee Hi. A small few actually guessed correctly that the one who would be joining AOMG would be Ms DeVita.

Finally on April 9th, it was official! She debuted with the music video, from which the teaser clips was taken from, EVITA!, which accompanied the release of her EP, CRÈME.

What does the name DeVita mean?

The name DeVita, draws inspiration and meaning from two things. Firstly, Eva Perón – also known as Evita – who was Argentina’s former First Lady. When Chloe was learning about Eva’s life, it inspired her to combine “Devil” and “Evita”, thus creating “DeVita”. The name signifies the duality of how both Eva Perón and DeVita could be perceived. Either being a devil, or an angel depending on the eye of the beholder. Secondly, Salvatore Di Vita, a character from Cinema Paradiso, was also a source of inspiration.

An introduction to DeVita

Chloe Cho – now known under the artist name DeVita – was born and raised in South Korea, until the age of eleven. In 2009, she moved to Chicago, where she would learn English.

In 2013, she went back to Korea and participated in the third season of the show; K-pop Star. A talent show, where the “big three” (the three largest music labels in Korea) hosts auditions to find the next big k-pop star. However she didn’t win, therefore neither got signed.

Later on, she returned to Chicago and graduated high school. After reflecting on what she wanted to do next, she decided to make music. In 2014, her pursuit to become an artist brought her to the talent show Kollaboration. On this show, she performed covers and actually ended up being a finalist. Despite her talents, she did not triumph as the winner of the show.

Not letting these losses stop her, she started releasing music on Soundcloud. The earliest release I could find, Halfway Love (Ruff), was from 2016. Her catalogue consisted of both covers and original music.

One day, Kirin, an artist and CEO of the music label 8balltown Records, was introduced to DeVita’s music. He liked what he heard and the two linked up. In May of 2018, WEKEYZ, one of 8balltown’s producer duos released a track titled Sugar. This track featured both DeVita, and the AOMG rapper Ugly Duck. This was the beginning of many collaborations to come.

On August 28th of 2018, just a few months later, AOMG released Sugar (Puff Daehee Mix).

This was a remix done by Puff Daehee, the alter ego of Kirin. Along with this track, it was accompanied by a music video starring Kirin, DeVita, and Ugly Duck. For most people, this was their first time seeing DeVita.

DeVita continued doing features on many songs by Korean artists while creating a little buzz for herself. There’s one notable feature, which could be seen as an important milestone in her career. That is her feature on the track Noise, from AOMG artist Woo Won Jae’s project, titled af.

In a tweet a few days after the release of CRÈME, she shared the significance of this moment.

“I was still making minimum wage working at a restaurant back when Noise dropped- I wrote my part during my shift on the back of this receipt paper. This was about a year and a half ago. A little bit after that I got a call from Pumpkin at 3am Chicago time. He said Jay wanted to meet in Philly in 4 hours. They put me on a plane and the rest is history.”

The phone call she mentioned in her tweet, about Jay wanting to meet, must have been made around September 2018. Jay was performing in Philadelphia at the time. The moment they met in Philadelphia was actually captured through a photo of the two. However, this picture ended up getting removed later on.

Fast forward a few months and Jay had just released his Ask About Me EP. The project focused on a western audience, so he went to the States on a promo run. During his visit, he also met up with DeVita once again, as can be seen here.

Finally, on April 9th, her being signed to AOMG was officially announced and she debuted with her EP titled CRÈME. Her joining AOMG, looked like something that happened pretty naturally. The vast majority of artists she had collaborated on tracks with happened to be AOMG members. Getting comfortable with the AOMG family, likely made the decision to join crystal clear.

Artistically

Just a quick look at her body of work thus far, a majority of it is in English. However, she has no issues singing in Korean, as proven by her feature on Code Kunst’s; Let u in. The tone in her voice has this sort of mixture of many singers, a melting pot of sorts. It reminds me of Audrey Nuna, SAAY, H.E.R, some vocal riffs from Dinah Jane, and at times, just a tiny bit of Ariana Grande.

As an artist, she’s still in the early stages of carving out her own unique sound and style. There’s incredible potential here, but her distinct identity is not completely there yet. I see before me a caterpillar that within a couple years, will transform into a butterfly, with its own identifiable pattern to spread its wings out on.

From what she’s shown so far, I would say she seems most comfortable doing R&B and soul music. However, beyond a quick description I prefer to refrain from categorizing her. Mostly because artists generally feel limited when categorized. More importantly, because we have no idea what she has in store for the future.

Debut EP: CRÈME

CRÈME is DeVita’s “crème de la crème”. She constantly modified the tracklist to present her debut project in a way that held her personal standard; essentially presenting us her best tracks. The result is CRÈME, which consists of five tracks, with a runtime of fourteen minutes altogether.

This EP showcases the fact that she is a competent songwriter, able to write some soulful, emotional ballads. It is completely in English and all the tracks are written by her, telling both life stories of her own and that of others. A majority of the production was handled by her “musical soulmate”; TE RIM, but other notable names, like Code Kunst show up as well.

Tracks:

Movies, introduces the project in a very gentle manner. In the track, DeVita paints a picture of a criminal couple, getting a rush, by committing crimes together. The lyrics feel inspired by movies like Bonnie and Clyde. My initial thoughts were that, for some ears, it could possibly be “too” calm as an opener. It doesn’t demand attention the way EVITA! does. Simply put, it’s not a bad track. I would just have put this track later on in the EP.

EVITA!, is something different compared to what I hear from others in the K-R&B lane. I love the 80’s aesthetic in both the track and music video. Sonically, the nostalgic saxophone riffs, warm lush synth pads, thumping bass line, results in a trip back to the 80s. With this recipe, topped with DeVita’s “current” contemporary soul and R&B voice makes for an interesting combination. The music video had that futuristic 80’s look with the neon colors, and I loved how the guns she played around with looked a lot like the “Needlers” from the Halo franchise.  The title is once again just like DeVita’s name, an ode to the controversial Eva Perón. The instrumental was originally used by TE RIM, the producer of the track in 2017. His version has the same title as DeVita’s version and I recommend giving that one a listen as well, as it has a different feel to it. This track was definitely one of the highlights of the EP.

All About You, is a simple yet beautiful piano love ballad. Originating from her own tales of love, her vocals effortlessly capture what she felt during these moments.

1974 Live, is yet another ballad, but this time, with a calm guitar backing, playing a poppier R&B chord progression. DeVita’s voice is given a lot of space to be in the center of the track. As soon as I heard this track I became curious. What was the significance of this year, which would have her title the track as such? My questions were left unanswered… until the EP had marinated a while, when she tweeted: “1974 Live is about Christine Chubbuck”. In case you’re unfamiliar, Christine Chubbuck was a television news reporter, who made history in 1974. She was the first person to commit suicide live on air. According to her mother Christine’s suicide would on paper be due to an unfullfilling personal life. All throughout her life, she had experienced unreciprocated love. With this information tying back to the track, it becomes a lot less ambiguous and reveals a more cohesive narrative.

Show Me, is the final track of the EP, featuring immaculate production from the talented CODE KUNST. The sound is very moody, which fits her voice like a glove. This is my favorite performance on the entire EP, both lyrically and vocally. The lyrics present someone who’s fed up dealing with men, who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. Now she’s looking for love with someone who’s honest and “real”.

With the project being a year old now, it has already gotten her nominated for both Rookie of the Year along with EVITA being nominated for Best R&B & Soul Track in the 18th iteration of the Korean Music Awards.

A majority of listeners seemed to enjoy the project. Many seem to be in love with her voice judging by the endless amounts of praise she has received, often described as painfully addicting, soothing, smooth, and so on.

I also asked a friend who’s a huge fan of Korean music, especially the hiphop and r&b scene to share her thoughts on the project. Here’s what she said:

"This whole project is empowering, in particular the tracks Show Me and EVITA! DeVita being a new artist, managed to impress me and many more listeners through this EP. As mentioned earlier, empowering lyrics with unique melodies and beats. Especially with the track EVITA! The fact that 1974 Live and EVITA! was referring to, two historically important women, is something that I love. This is one of my favorite EP:s of 2020 and DeVita is now included in my list of favorite artists." @Haonsmom

From what I’ve seen, only a few have been vocal about not really being too fond of the project. Some were left a bit disappointed, as they were expecting more hip-hop and R&B from an AOMG artist. The lack of “danceable” tracks was also a concern to some. Despite these criticisms, one thing was always mentioned; the girl has a beautiful voice and is obviously talented.

After listening to this EP, I hear a lot of potential. Being an EP with just five tracks, it definitely avoids overstaying its welcome. It’s brief enough to allow a listen through the entire project, no matter what you’re doing. My favorite tracks would have to be Show Me and EVITA!, but I found the whole project to be enjoyable. This EP is sprinkled with lovely vocal performances and simple but captivating production. I do still stand by my opinion that Movies would have fit better later in the tracklist if you’re chasing that mainstream ear.

I think the way EVITA! kicks you in the face, demanding attention, would’ve been a better fit as the opening track. In contrast to the other tracks, the energy level is unique, making the placement feel odd as the rest of the tracks have a chill vibe. All in all, this project gave me a taste of the “crème” but left me with a curious yearning for what this chef will whip up for dessert.

Bright future ahead

The addition of more female artists to the AOMG roster was much needed. Hoody was the first and only female member for about four years. This was the case up until late 2019, where she was then joined by sogumm, who had just won AOMG’s audition program called SignHere. Now funnily enough after DeVita, Lee Hi actually did end up officially signing with AOMG on July 22, last year.

Based on what I’ve heard during Devita’s Kollaboration days, she has improved immensely. This topped with her leaving the impression of someone passionate about their craft, bodes well for what's to come. She seems to be someone who'll constantly evolve.

Following an artist, at the early stages of their career, is something that I always find exciting. With such a lovely debut, I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for DeVita.

To view the content of this article in video format simply play the video embedded below.

Thanks for reading, watching. If you enjoyed this content feel free to follow my socials to stay up to date on when new content is posted.

https://allmylinks.com/dossi-io

Credits:

The first image in article: Original photo, pre-edit from @jinveun

Gif from the Sugar Puff Daehee MV: @moxiepoints

[todaydreambelieversfic]

Author Spotlight: Esperantoauthor Day 1

Author: @esperantoauthor​

How did you get into Glee and Glee fandom?

I only got into Glee a few years ago. I think what finally got me to try it was the musical crossover episode of The Flash and Supergirl, actually. A couple of my friends were all really excited and talking about how everyone in it was from Glee. I enjoyed Melissa and Grant a lot in those roles so it made me want to check it out...of course those characters didn't end up being important to me but it got me in the door! I did nearly stop watching a few episodes in. I'm pretty sure I texted my partner, "If this show says the word 'cripple' one more time, I quit!" but then they did an all wheelchair musical number and I decided to keep going. Once I finished the show, I got the itch to read fanfiction (which I hadn't done in YEARS) which of course eventually lead to writing fanfiction and now here I am, fully enmeshed in Glee fandom.

In general, what drew you into writing (and/or creating)?

It's probably in my blood, to be honest! My grandmother was a published author and my mother is a visual artist. I was drawn to storytelling from a very young age. After my best friend moved away in second grade, we used to play that collaborative storytelling game through the mail (the one where you write a little bit and then pass it to the next person to continue). These days I see it as a natural extension of my love of language and words; finding just the right word or turn of phrase is something I love.

What was it about Glee that made you decide to write fanfic for it?

I was captivated by the characters and relationships while at the same time frustrated and confounded by the plot holes and inconsistent characterizations...so many unanswered questions..so much to explore! Also, Glee deals so much with identity and with being an outsider...those themes really resonate with me. I was drawn to the Klaine relationship and when I started thinking about writing, I knew I wanted to write something related to my field. When the parallels between "coming out" as gay and "coming out" as someone who stutters clicked, I knew I had to write this story and that this fandom was the right place for it.

Have you been a part of other fandoms before? Have you written fanfiction pre-glee?

Yes! Harry Potter was my first encounter with fanfiction as a teenager and I did end up writing (and eventually abandoning) a fic for it. I was also involved in Twilight fandom for a bit and wrote a fic (that I abandoned but at a point that works as an ending so I'm calling it completed). I was working on both of those stories for a while but I left for college and got way too busy to keep them going. Then I was basically on a ten year hiatus from fandom participation until I ended up here in the Gleeverse and it's the only fandom I'm involved in.

Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

So many! Some of the more ambitious tropes I'd love to write are: dystopian AU, soulmate AU, and supernatural AU.  

Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

Teacher/Student. As someone who works in education, this one is just too personal to me and creeps me out so much that I can neither read nor write it.

How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Define "nurturing"? I keep a running list of story ideas and the current count is 23! If I limit it to stories I have actually written a scene of, then I would say 4 (not including the one I just started posting.) 

One of the story ideas I'm nurturing is called "A Very Special Glee Club" (or at least that's the working title.) It was inspired by the fact that the school where I work partners with a local theater company to offer an after school program where someone from the theater works with our students. In this story, Blaine is the special education teacher who is put in charge of running an after school Glee Club for students with special needs and Kurt is the actor from a local theater company who is (begrudgingly) brought in to co-lead.

***

Check out Esperantoauthor’s Fics

Express Yourself - When he was 4, he didn’t notice it. When he was 6, he hoped he could outgrow it. When he was 14 he thought he could ignore it. When he was 16, he tried hide it.When Blaine is attacked for being different, he transfers to a new school where he meets a cadre of misfits called The New Directions, who seem very impressed with his singing and very curious about his past. Blaine just wanted to fit in but maybe he will find something better: his voice.

Love Yourself -  In this sequel to 'Express Yourself,' Blaine and Kurt continue their journey as they are faced with new obstacles and challenges. The members of the New Directions will be pushed to take sides in the most dramatic upset yet, old and new friends will stir up jealousy in his relationship, and the ghosts from his attack will come back to haunt him. All Blaine can do is hope that he really is on the right track.