Month: January 2016

Tagged by: @gottischan – thank you!! <3 

RULES: Tag 10 followers that you would like to get to know better

Name: Melissa 

Nickname: Gab

Star Sign: Virgo

Gender: Female.

Height: 5′6″

Favorite Color: IDK… any of the TMNT colors will do. Red, blue, purple, orange, green…

Time Right Now: 7:16am (yeah I’m filling out a meme instead of writing…)

Average Hours of Sleep: 6ish, though last night I only know that I slept because I had another WHALE nightmare. ughh.. so much tossing and turning…

Lucky Number: 144!

Last Thing I Googled: “sandshrew” – so I could have some reference!

Number of Blankets I Sleep With: Anywhere from 1-5… the more the better! Right now there are three on the bed and that is Not Enough.

Favorite Fictional Character: Ever? How am I supposed to choose?! Maybe Ender from the first Ender’s Game book…?

Favorite Books: Ender’s Game/Shadow, Black Beauty, The One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Ella Enchanted, Star Girl, etc. etc. etc…

Favorite Bands/Musicians: Muse, The Beatles, Linkin Park,Sixpence None the Richer, Depeche Mode, Maroon 5…

Dream Job: Author/Illustrator who goes on tours and to cons and TEACHES CLASSES AAHH <3 

What Am I Wearing Now: Tank top and underwear. I should get ready for work…

When Did You Create Your Blog: February 2011, it looks like. Woah.

Current Amount of Followers: 640! YAY! 

What Do You Post About: I mostly post drawings… sometimes photos… and other times, news about my life. AND sURVEYS LIKE THIS.

Do You Have Any Other Blogs?: I have a couple of RP blogs that I don’t really pay attention to (they’re for OCs since I shut my Conan ones down), but I also have @icklegab  for my reblogs… which is mostly politics, cat pictures, other peoples’ art, and so on.

When Did Your Blog Reach Its Peak?: IDK I was getting lots of traffic during that time when I was a guest of honor at Confuzzled. And then I stopped posting everywhere for several months. 😐 

Who Are Your Most Active Followers?: Oh gosh, idk… Shar checks my blog directly. So does Hazel, I think…

What Made You Decide to Get a Blog?: Switching from LJ + a decision to do more art for social media purposes. 

Do You Get Asks on a Daily Basis?: LOL no.

Why Did You Choose Your URL?: Because ‘gab’ is taken everywhere. 

Tagging: @mamodewberry, @pixel-spooky, @podunkmouse, @artsyfartsywhatnot, @askashapeshifter, @deductionfreak, @squadalaa, @bakapandy, @kahunapuffin, @anyahatesbunnies

(anyone else can do this, too! You have my permission!)

Tagged by: @gottischan – thank you!! <3 

RULES: Tag 10 followers that you would like to get to know better

Name: Melissa 

Nickname: Gab

Star Sign: Virgo

Gender: Female.

Height: 5′6″

Favorite Color: IDK… any of the TMNT colors will do. Red, blue, purple, orange, green…

Time Right Now: 7:16am (yeah I’m filling out a meme instead of writing…)

Average Hours of Sleep: 6ish, though last night I only know that I slept because I had another WHALE nightmare. ughh.. so much tossing and turning…

Lucky Number: 144!

Last Thing I Googled: “sandshrew” – so I could have some reference!

Number of Blankets I Sleep With: Anywhere from 1-5… the more the better! Right now there are three on the bed and that is Not Enough.

Favorite Fictional Character: Ever? How am I supposed to choose?! Maybe Ender from the first Ender’s Game book…?

Favorite Books: Ender’s Game/Shadow, Black Beauty, The One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Ella Enchanted, Star Girl, etc. etc. etc…

Favorite Bands/Musicians: Muse, The Beatles, Linkin Park,Sixpence None the Richer, Depeche Mode, Maroon 5…

Dream Job: Author/Illustrator who goes on tours and to cons and TEACHES CLASSES AAHH <3 

What Am I Wearing Now: Tank top and underwear. I should get ready for work…

When Did You Create Your Blog: February 2011, it looks like. Woah.

Current Amount of Followers: 640! YAY! 

What Do You Post About: I mostly post drawings… sometimes photos… and other times, news about my life. AND sURVEYS LIKE THIS.

Do You Have Any Other Blogs?: I have a couple of RP blogs that I don’t really pay attention to (they’re for OCs since I shut my Conan ones down), but I also have @icklegab  for my reblogs… which is mostly politics, cat pictures, other peoples’ art, and so on.

When Did Your Blog Reach Its Peak?: IDK I was getting lots of traffic during that time when I was a guest of honor at Confuzzled. And then I stopped posting everywhere for several months. 😐 

Who Are Your Most Active Followers?: Oh gosh, idk… Shar checks my blog directly. So does Hazel, I think…

What Made You Decide to Get a Blog?: Switching from LJ + a decision to do more art for social media purposes. 

Do You Get Asks on a Daily Basis?: LOL no.

Why Did You Choose Your URL?: Because ‘gab’ is taken everywhere. 

Tagging: @mamodewberry, @pixel-spooky, @podunkmouse, @artsyfartsywhatnot, @askashapeshifter, @deductionfreak, @squadalaa, @bakapandy, @kahunapuffin, @anyahatesbunnies

(anyone else can do this, too! You have my permission!)

I typed/wrote 1,400 words today, and looked up my focusbooster stats… since July, I have spent 33 hrs actively writing/revising Fishsticks. Crazy.

Productive day, even though I spent most of it being asleep and/or coughing. 

BACK TO WORK TOMORROW! They need me! There are many custom emails to be designed and coded! 

Goodnight!

I typed/wrote 1,400 words today, and looked up my focusbooster stats… since July, I have spent 33 hrs actively writing/revising Fishsticks. Crazy.

Productive day, even though I spent most of it being asleep and/or coughing. 

BACK TO WORK TOMORROW! They need me! There are many custom emails to be designed and coded! 

Goodnight!

nerdysingingcatlady:

codenamecesare:

aranel-parmadil:

ormondhsacker:

scifigrl47:

gingerjuju:

I just don’t understand where this concept of ‘fake geek girls’ came from. Like, AT ALL.

Cus when I look for fandom related stuff like 90% of the fan art and the fanfiction and the meta, zines, comics, etc. Like 90% of the shit that I’ve seen is created by women & girls.

And all that stuff take’s a lot of work and research and critical analysis and staring at reference photos for hours.

We are literally the most well versed and invested group in the fandom. So, like, What the fuck boys? You mad you can’t keep up?

I saw an argument, and I can’t find it now, but it totally made sense, that there’s a gender split in fandom. Male fandom tends to be a curator fandom; male fandom collects, organizes, and memorizes facts and figures. Male fandom tends to be KEEPERS of the canon; the fandom places great weight on those who have the biggest collection, the deepest knowledge of obscure subjects, the first appearances, creators, character interactions.

Female fandom is creative. Females create fanart, cosplay, fanwritings. Female fandom ALTERS canon, for the simple reason that canon does not serve female fandom. In order for it to fit the ‘outsider’ (female, queer, POC), the canon must be attacked and rebuilt, and that takes creation.

“Male” fandom devalues this contribution to fandom, because it is not the ‘right’ kind of fandom. “Girls only cosplay for attention, they’re not REAL fans!” “Fanfiction is full of stupid Mary Sues, girls only do it so they can make out with the main character!” “I, a male artist, have done this pin-up work and can put it in my portfolio! You, a female artist, have drawn stupid fanart, and it’s not appropriate to use as a professional reference!”

In the mind of people who decry the ‘fake geek girl,’ this fandom is not as worthy. It damages, or in their mind, destroys the canon. What is the point of memorizing every possible romantic entanglement of heterosexual white Danny Rand if someone turns around and creates a fanwork depicting him as a bisexual female of Asian descent (thus subverting Rand’s creepy ‘white savior’ origins)? When Danny Rand becomes Dani Rand, their power is lessened. What is important to them ceases to be the focus of the discussion. Creation and curatorship can work in tandom, but typically, in fandom, they are on opposite poles.

This is not to say that there aren’t brilliant male cosplayers or smashing female trivia experts, this is to say that the need of the individual fan is met with opposing concepts: In order for me to find myself in comics, I need to make that space for myself, and that is a creative force. Het white cis males are more likely to do anything possible to defend and preserve the canon because the canon is built to cater to them.

Comment bolded by me because effing important that’s why.

This.

“I, a male artist, have done this pin-up work and can put it in my portfolio! You, a female artist, have drawn stupid fanart, and it’s not appropriate to use as a professional reference!”

Seeing this spelled out was revelatory to me.

This.
Is.
Absolutely.
AMAZING