Horses are good company -- The Witcher

Watched:

The Dragon prince season 5. Netflix.
This is cute and I like some of the imaginative creatures and landscapes.

Heartstopper season 2. Netflix.

I liked this SO much. It's a little slow but that turns out to be a good choice when you have a headache and are doing concussion recovery.

It's just this amazingly sensitive portrayal of queer high school students (or whatever they call them in England, they are about 16). It's an ode to the joys of queer love, inclusive. Inclusive of gay and bi people, ace people, trans people, people of color, etc.

It does focus on the romantic relationship of 2 high school boys, which is a little awkward for me because I identify more with their teachers and parents; this show is not *for* me exactly, but it's healing to watch in that way of speaking to my younger self and wishing I had the language and the stories when I was that age.

I'm so happy it exists. I feel that the show is strongest when it expands outward a bit to the ensemble. But perhaps that is simply because my favorite characters are Mr. Farouk, Isaac, and Elle.

Also! They do some incredible effects of blending comics into the live action.
Cut for spoilers,
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General TV reflections

I am grateful for TV right now, giving me things to think about but not taxing me too much.

I have noticed that I pay a lot of attention to costuming. The trend right now in suits is for them to be so tight that the characters look like if they did a prat fall they would bust right out of their pants.

This is a screen shot from Good Omens 2 where one of the angels is wearing these tight trousers that cut into her butt and show her panty lines. It's hilarious but also why!!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F2VwBaAXgAA3QKi?format=jpg&name=large

Carhartts are also in fashion, these are work clothes but everyone is wearing them including people on TV (Antoni! on Queer eye!). This makes me happy because they are actually comfortable and well made.

Had an arthritis day today, plus the delayed sleep issue is going strong. Feeling much better now at night! So I decided to work on sorting through my closet. I got through jackets, skirts, and dresses. I rarely wear dresses these days but they are nice to have in the summer.

My life is not that different under quarantine, except there is just this general feeling of stress in the air. My roommate is working from home-- I'm very glad to have a roommate and a dog at this time.

I also relied a lot on books to prisoners for social time, and for something to help me feel useful. B2P is on hiatus and we are not sure what to do.

I read several graphic novels/memoirs that I checked out from the library, before the library closed. I especially enjoyed "They Called us Enemy" which is about George Takei's experiences in an internment camp during WWII.

I played through the story mode on "Lego Jurassic World" which I really enjoyed. Lots of running around the jungle. Might start a replay of Dragon Age: Inquisition.

1. Have you ever done something awful to your hair? What happened?
For a while I had hair that resembled a triangle. It was frizzy and grew out away from my head in a funny shape. In high school, I had longer hair that I wore in a pony tail every day.

2. Conversely, at what time in your life have you looked your best?
I'm going to embrace positive thinking and say, right now. It's a little harder to find clothes, though, since I gained about 2 dress sizes in the last three years. I like clothes and I like thrifting, but the plus-size game can be dispiriting.

3. Do you have a favorite article of clothing? Tell us what and why.
I have a collection of jackets, probably around 20. Photos of them here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sasha_feather/albums/72157687132992072
Current favorites are the long black elf coat, and the read leather ones.
I also love my Norwegian sweater and a paisley button-down shirt that looks sort of dandy.

4. Confess the worst fashion trend you ever succumbed to.
Maybe the side ponytail. I was a child though and could get away with it. In college I wore sweater-vests over button-downs until I realized I was wearing the exact same kinds of clothes as my English and chemistry professors, which was honestly fine but I was embarassed about it at the time.

5. Are there any clothing/fashion trends today that you simply don't understand?
I don't go for high femme things like lace, bows, high heels, makeup, etc.

Both eruthros and toft asked about my fashion decisions and clothing thoughts! Which is really flattering, and I echo what littlebutfierce said, in that my teenage self would be really surprised.

I confess I've been feeling weird about my clothes (and body) lately because I put on weight and went up a clothing size. This is probably because of a med I take, but it doesn't matter why, really. I have been slowly purchasing some new clothes, and anything that doesn't fit, I have either gotten rid of, or put in tubs and bags and into the storage unit in the basement. One has to be ruthless about such things: it is extremely important to only wear clothes that fit right and that are comfortable! That is the really the only rule in my book. Otherwise, I generally think that I, and anyone, should wear whatever the frak they want.

For this post I took a selfie in the work bathroom the other day.
Linky!

I'm wearing a long gray wool skirt, a teal shirt, a gray jacket, one of my ever-present flat caps, tights from Lane Bryant, and Dansko boots (brown leather). My love of clothes really started with jackets and blazers and went from there.

I found some dress shirts that I like, finally, after much searching! Button ups nearly always gap over my b--bs, and I hate fussing with the colors. I also hate tucking them in.
The shirt I'm wearing in the photo has a sort of draped neck line (obscured in the photo). I have one other shirt like this and want to find more, because they are my favorite!

I tried to find a photo of such a shirt via Google, on a model with a more similar body type to mine. I think these are flattering on busty people. The model's shirt is 2-tone, which looks good on her; I would have to try that on before I bought it. You never know.



Also, no ironing required! Ironing is not part of my gay lifestyle plan.

My standard work pieces are 2 dresses; the long skirt pictured above; dress pants in black and brown; many many blazers; a couple of nice sweaters; and a few nice shirts. I am short on shirts but working on that. I also have a couple of nice scarves and plain necklaces. For shoes I always wears Danskos or other similar types because my feet hurt.

My favorite fabric is wool! My favorite places to shop are a) Thrift stores and b) TJ Maxx, which is like a thrift store but for new clothes. Maybe someday I will have disposable income and then I can actually enjoy shopping at other places too without getting sticker shock.

My favorite colors to wear are dark red/cranberry shades. :D This was fun to write, thanks for the prompt!

In your own space, share something non-fannish about yourself. A passion or a hobby or a talent, something that people might not know about you. We are more than just our fandoms. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

I have no idea what to write here because I talk about my non-fannish interests all the time.

OK let's talk about Sasha's love of QUEER FASHION! I buy most of my clothes from the Good Will, consignment stores, or TJ Maxx, which is like a thrift store but with new clothes (left overs from department stores). When I was younger I hated shopping for clothes but now I like it, mostly because I did a lot of body-acceptance work and also because I figured out what sort of clothes I like.

I like wool, suits, coats and jackets, and flat caps. The hats especially help protect my eyes from fluorescent lights, but they are also cute, garner compliments, and I think they help give me some queer visibility. I wear a lot more dresses and skirts these days than I used to. I like incorporating both masculine and feminine elements into outfits. I'm not into makeup or hair products, but I do like some kinds of understated jewelry.

Adventure suit! A work outfit, great because it has pockets in both the skirt and the jacket; it's practical and stylish.

Goorin Bros flat cap. One of several that I own. I definitely should get my hair cut this short again, but I am trying not to spend any money.

I also should take more outfit pictures!

Friday:

28: Dressing to make a statement
The Rotund, Sarah Emrys, Laura, Beth Shupe, Betsy Urbik

Mostly a very good panel. Panelists spoke a lot about Steampunk and Lolita styles. Gender and class were discussed. Style is one's personal expression; fashion is the culture's moment. Fashion's major purpose is to signify gender and this is why people can get angry at those of us who dress outside traditional gender types. The Rotund talked about dressing as a fat person and dressing "agressively". She talked about getting sent home from work once because of what she was wearing (a professional dress that showed some cleavage), implying that her body was unacceptable. One panelist talked about dressing in a Victorian style to express a type of femininity that is both visible, but not sexually available. Ageism and classism within Lolita were brought up. Some people brought up that white men in particular tend to limit themselves style-wise. It'll be nice when men can wear feminine styles more openly.

One hiccup when a panelist did not understand cultural appropriation at all!

I know most of you get this but let me explain! When one culture is colonizing, they have the power to appropriate, to pick and choose elements from the colonized culture.

The colonized culture cannot appropriate from the dominant culture. If they are taking elements from it, they are either assimilating, ie trying to fit in, or they are transforming, turning one thing into something else. Or perhaps they are doing something else! But it's not appropriation.

*sigh*

After this I hosted the first-time WisCon dinner, went to Opening Ceremonies, then went to the Vid Party. For me, the most fun part of the vid party was the sing-along with captioned vids.