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Pride Month Character Spotlight: Damianos of Akelios

Nicole
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Original Art by Noxiim on DeviantArt

Welcome to the twenty third article in our Pride series for the month of June! Each day we will be highlighting a different LGBTQ+ character who we think is a great example of representation, dynamic characterization, and overall badassery. Check out the rest of the series here.

Damianos, or Damen, is the Crown Prince of Akelios who has his crown and his freedom stolen from him by his bastard-born brother. Kastor, his brother, has him beaten and sent to the enemy country Vere as a slave. Once he reaches Vere, we learn that he is not just going to be any slave, or pet as they are called in Vere. No, he is to be the new pet of the Crown Prince of Vere, Laurent.

Damen is very much the opposite of Laurent. While Laurent is very fair with light blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin and lithe, Damen has brown hair, brown eyes, skin tanned from the sun. From the beginning, Damen talks about his sex slaves as beautiful and sweet, leaving us to infer that they are women. But he also talks about being with men and the difference between the two. There is no question as to his sexuality because it is a non-issue. There is no gay or straight or any type of reference to choosing one or both, there are simply men and women and whomever you choose to lay with that night.

Damen talks about laying with men because he wanted a man that night. Again, there is no self-consciousness about it, just simple fact. Throughout the entire book, the one thing that Damen is unconcerned about is the gender of his partner. He tells Laurent that he usually prefers women, but makes no secret of the fact that he is drawn to him and wants him as well. Damen faces sex as a matter of fact part of life without taboos or artifice. And when he finally comes together with Laurent, it is very clear that he is doing it because he desires him. Afterwards, when he is thinking about the encounter, he thinks about he was unable to fully control himself because he was overcome with feelings for Laurent. He is also shows his vulnerability when he thinks and talks about how he is unsure if Laurent will ever be able to forgive him for being the one to kill Auguste, Laurent’s brother. Once again, Damen shows us that it is not the gender that concerns him, rather the fact of how he was responsible for taking away Laurent’s childhood.

As we hear Damen’s inner dialogue throughout the the books, we can see that his struggle is not with Lauren’t gender, that is a non-issue to him, rather it is with the fact that he has been helping and is falling for someone who is supposed to be his enemy. How can he tell this man that he loves, who he truly is and what he has done to Laurent’s family. Damen has taken away Laurents big brother, the person he idolizes, and forced Laurent to abandon his childhood because of it.  Damen also thinks about how he never saw Laurent as someone to be protected; instead he saw him as a cruel, unfeeling boy, a worthy advisory, a brilliant tactician and finally the man who eventually wins his respect and love.

Do you have a character spotlight suggestion? Leave it in the comments down below!

Pride Month Character Spotlight: Eliot Waugh

Emily
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Welcome to the twenty second article in our Pride series for the month of June! Each day we will be highlighting a different LGBTQ+ character who we think is a great example of representation, dynamic characterization, and overall badassery. Check out the rest of the series here.

Dashingly handsome and unabashidly himself, Eliot Waugh stole the show from the first episode of The Magicians and never gave it back.

Brilliantly played by Hale Appleman, Eliot is a second year at Brakebills, a magical graduate school in upstate New York. He is introduced as he welcomes a confused protagonist Quentin to Brakebills – adorned in a vest, lying on the front steps, smoking a cigarette with his hair perfectly coiffed: a model of both sophistication and basic bitch. Fast forward through some plot and exposition (Quentin takes a test, gets to be a student at Brakebills) and he discovers the Physical Kids’s cottage, a house for the students studying physical magic (as opposed to psychic,) and who is there but Eliot, throwing a massive rager.

Eliot loves to party, as well as consume intoxicating substances. Sometimes, it livens a party. Other times, it ruins a life or death plan. He often uses drugs and alcohol as coping mechanisms, particularly after the death of Mike McCormick in season one.

Other than the occasional harmless flirting with Quentin, Eliot’s first romantic relationship is with Mike, a Brakebills Alumnus. They seem great together until it is revealed to the audience that Mike is possessed by The Beast, the show’s overarching villain. After Mike attempts to kill Quentin and then kills another woman, Eliot is forced to kill Mike himself in a truly heartbreaking moment. Cue the well-deserved downward spiral that ends with a drunken three-way between himself, Margo, and Quentin.

Photo by: Carole Segal/Syfy

Side note – how have I gotten this far without mentioning Margo? Margo is Eliot’s best friend and soulmate – not in the romantic way, but in the literal sense. The two are practically joined at the hip, in partying and in peril. While they do love each other, this threesome was the first moment between the two. Since then, they have kept romantically separate, but they do rule an entire kingdom together as King and Queen, which is pretty awesome.

The morning after turns out to be a bit more than a typical “morning after.” In order to stop The Beast, Eliot must marry the daughter of a magical knife maker and become High King of Fillory, a Narnia-esque magical realm. And Fillorian marriage licenses are binding, which is not great for a gay guy. As he explains to Margo when she faces a similar regal marriage situation, “This would only be equivalent if [The Prince of Loria] was a girl and you found pussy, you know, interesting in a ‘sometimes you like Thai food’ kind of way. And now it’s all Thai food, forever, until you die.” Or so he thought.

Unbeknownst to Eliot, Fillorian marriages allow for marriage to one partner per gender. So, rather than Margo marrying the Prince of Loria (a neighboring land,) Eliot makes plans to marry King Idri. “We’re all just one big, royal, polyamorous family.” He says after announcing his engagement. But… then there are gods and mice and bigger issues. They are finally able to get together in season 4, and perhaps season 4 will finally include the big wedding.

And finally, there is Quentin. Eliot is flirty with from from the beginning, so it his hard to decipher what is Eliot and Quentin and what is “Eliot and Quentin.” One episode in season 3, however, cemented that their relationship will forever be more than just friends. Titled “A Life in the Day,” this episode has Eliot and Quentin going back in time to solve a puzzle and earn a magical key. This is easier said than done – the puzzle is a 72 by 72 tile mosaic that, when correct, will depict “the beauty of all life.” This is just a bit of a daunting task, and within the blink of an eye they are celebrating the one year anniversary of the beginning of their journey.

They have a picnic on the mosaic platform, and Quentin kisses Eliot! And, after a moment, Eliot returns the gesture. This begins a montage of their lifetime together. They develop a polyamorous relationship with a girl who brings them fruit, they have a child, they see him off to travel as an adult, and all the while they try to solve the mosaic. It is not until Eliot dies of old age (yes, dies!) and Quentin begins to dig a grave for him that he uncovers a missing mosaic tile they had never seen before. When he places the sole tile in the middle of the frame, the tile disappears and is replaced by the key, proving that the “beauty of all life” was the life they shared together.

(No need to worry, Eliot’s not dead-dead. Due to time travel magic and paradoxical loops, Margo gets the key from them in present time and stops them from going back in time in the first place, but then because magic is a thing they both remember everything… just don’t think about it too much.)

During this past season, there was a mutiny, an almost assassination, and Margo took his place as High King (which he fully supported,) all while dealing with a complete loss of all magic. And while season 1 Eliot would have met all of these problems with a flask and some sort of hallucinogenic tablet, season 3 Eliot accepts each challenge and works to make things better for himself, his friends, his kingdom, and all of magic itself. The season finale left things on a fairly grim note – magic restored, but bigger evils at play… and Eliot’s fate is the one most up in the air. Season 4 is sure to be another season full of twists and turns, magic and mischief, and just maybe a permanent boyfriend for Eliot.

Do you have a character spotlight suggestion? Leave it in the comments down below!

‘Timeless’ canceled again at NBC

Elizabeth
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The season 2 finale of Timeless is now a series finale…for now.

After a month of campaigning by fans and the Timeless cast and crew to #RenewTimeless, NBC finally dropped the axe on the time-travel show.

Timeless was famously renewed for a ten-episode second season after NBC cancelled the show last May.

Despite having rave reviews from fans and critics alike, Timeless “only averaged 4.2 million viewers and a 1.0 in the demo,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

EW also said that according to sources, there are talks of a movie to wrap up the cliffhanger ending of season two, but neither NBC nor Sony have officially said anything about it.

Eric Kripke, one of the show’s co-creators, made a statement on Twitter about the possibility of a movie:


Here’s hoping that we get to see Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus take one last ride.

CW Releases 2018 Fall Premiere Dates

Gisselle
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The CW network has released the premiere dates for their 2018 fall television line-up. This schedule is set to kick off on Tuesday, Oct. 9, with the return of The Flash and Black Lightning.

This announcement comes with a few scheduling changes that should be considered: Arrow, set to premiere its seventh season on Monday, Oct. 15, will take over the 8 p.m. slot in place of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which will instead air at 9 p.m. on its own premiere date the following week on Oct. 22.

Supergirl, premiering its fourth season on Oct. 14, will now air on Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. as a lead-in for the reboot of Charmed, which is airing its series premiere that same night at 9 p.m.

Also debuting this fall on the CW are All American (Oct. 10) and Legacies (Oct. 25).

Check out the full roster for the CW’s fall programs below! All times are Eastern Standard Time.

Tuesday, Oct. 9
8-9 p.m. – The Flash (Season Premiere)
9-10 p.m. – Black Lightning (Season Premiere)

Wednesday, Oct. 10
8-9 p.m. – Riverdale (Season Premiere)
9-10 p.m. – All American (Series Premiere)

Thursday, Oct. 11
8-9 p.m. – Supernatural (Season Premiere)
9-10 p.m. – All American (Encore of Premiere)

Friday, Oct. 12
8-9 p.m. – Dynasty (Season Premiere)
9-10 p.m. – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season Premiere)

Sunday, Oct. 14
8-9 p.m. – Supergirl (Season Premiere)
9-10 p.m. – Charmed (Series Premiere)

Monday, Oct. 15
8-9 p.m. – Arrow (Season Premiere)

Thursday, Oct. 18
8-9 p.m. – Supernatural (New Episode)
9-10 p.m. – Charmed (Encore of Premiere)

Monday, Oct. 22
8-9 p.m. – Arrow (New Episode)
9-10 p.m. – DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (Season Premiere)

Thursday, Oct. 25
8-9 p.m. – Supernatural (New Episode)
9-10 p.m. – Legacies (Series Premiere)



The ‘Supernatural’ Cast Invites You to Creation Entertainment’s “Giving Back Tour”

Briar
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As a lot of Supernatural fans know, Creation Entertainment hosts some great Supernatural conventions throughout the country, bringing in stars from the show to sign autographs, take photos and host panels.

However, Creation is changing it up a bit for a few of the dates, starting with Indianapolis from September 21-23. This stop will not include Jared and Jensen, but rather have Misha Collins as the headliner.

According to Creation, “every stop on the Giving Back Tour features two main Quests that the attendees can participate in: The Charitable Con-Quest, and the Creative Quest!”

Let’s learn more about these quests:

The Charitable Con-Quest

This quest will send you on all kinds of fun and (of course) weird tasks throughout the convention. These tasks will have you working with your fellow con-goers and stars to spread plenty of weirdness and kindness, and will include doing kindnesses to benefit Horizon House in Indianapolis. In the Kindness Con-Quest you can earn points, move up the levels, and win prizes along the way, and those that reach the top will achieve a special prize given only at this convention! Step outside your comfort zone and get creative, quirky, and join us for a great time in Indianapolis!

The Creative Quest

Harness your creativity and join us on the Creative Quest! The Quest will challenge you to tap into your inner artist and create something amazing. With a SUPERNATURAL twist, of course!

For more information on the quests, please visit Creation’s website!

Other guests for The Giving Back Tour include Rob Benedict, Richard Speight, Jr., Matt Cohen, Ruth Connell, Mark Pellegrino, Rachel Miner, Jason Manns, Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Alexander Calvert, Samantha Smith and David Haydn-Jones. This lineup may change depending on which stop for The Giving Back Tour you attend!

This convention will also differ in some great ways from the normal Supernatural conventions – there will be more ways to interact with the guests! For example, you can play “Head’s Up” with Alexander Calvert, play “Trivial Pursuit” with Mark Pellegrino, film a scene from Supernatural with Misha Collins, play “Charades” with R2M (Rob, Rich and Matt), Sing with Louden Swain, play “Mad Libs” with Rachel Miner, do a “Flash Mob Dance” with Ruth Connell and do a “Monster Mash-Up” with Kim Rhodes and Briana Buckmaster.

Think that’s a lot? But wait, there’s more!

You can have sammies with Sam Smith, attend Ruth’s “Witching Hour”, get comfortable in your pajamas at Briana & Kim’s “PJ Party Night” and chat with Rich at the “Director Dick Chat”.

Of course, some staples from the Supernatural conventions will still be happening, like Friday night karaoke and the Saturday Night Special with Louden Swain.

If that isn’t enough to convince you, watch the video below from our friend/writer Alana and Creation Entertainment of the cast inviting you to attend!

It’s a great take on an already great convention, and we’re so excited to see what happens! You can check out Creation Entertainment’s website for more info on all of their conventions!



Pride Month Program Spotlight: “Teen Wolf”

Melanie
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Welcome to the twenty first article in our Pride series for the month of June! Each day, we have been highlighting a different LGBTQ+ character who we think is a great example of representation, dynamic characterization, and overall badassery. Today, we are highlighting an entire show! Check out the rest of the series here.

It is so rare to come across a show filled with diverse and accepting characters on television these days. It is even rarer to find a show that does it in a subtle way. I was so pleasantly surprised by how well-rounded Teen Wolf was, and how little praise it had received.

With Pride Month in full swing, I think it is important to note just how accepting the characters onTeen Wolf were of characters in the LGBTQ+ community. Early on in the series, we meet Danny (Keahu Kahuanui), a classmate and fellow lacrosse teammate of Scott (Dylan O’Brien) and Stiles (Tyler Posey). There was no big coming out, and no obvious focus on his sexuality. We simply find it out in Season 1, Episode 2 by an offshoot comment from Stiles. Danny’s classmates and teammates were nothing but kind and accepting of him. It was always just simply who Danny was, which was a continuing theme with other characters as well.

Photo courtesy of MTV

Later on in Season 2, while on the hunt for a creature called a “Kanima,” Stiles and Scott find themselves in a gay bar after following Danny inside. They both stayed after figuring that fact out and even accepted a drink from a guy at the bar. We later find out that Stiles even befriended a group of transgender women when he invites them to Lydia’s (Holland Roden) birthday party.

Throughout the series, we meet Mason (Khylin Rhambo) and Corey (Michael Johnston), a couple whose strong love defied almost every obstacle thrown in their way. We meet Ethan (Charlie Carver), one of the Alpha twins who dated Danny. We find out later in the series that he is in a serious relationship with Jackson (Colton Haynes), a character who originally identified as straight. Lydia, his ex-girlfriend, was happy that he finally figured it out and found love with Ethan. Speaking of Lydia, we also find out her grandmother Lorraine was in love with a woman named Maddy.

 

It is clear that Teen Wolf made sure there was a voice for everyone. That the viewers were heard and represented within every character of the show. Whatever the struggle, they showed us that you will always make it through. If you are considered different, that is okay, too. Because in terms of Teen Wolf, different is synonymous to perfect, amazing and extraordinary.

Do you have a character spotlight suggestion? Leave it in the comments down below!

Supernatural Pittsburgh Recap: A Last Hurrah For The ‘Burgh

Alana
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For many people in the Supernatural fandom, myself included, Creation Entertainment’s Salute to Supernatural conventions are some of the most anticipated weekends of the year. Even if you can’t physically go to the cons, the content that’s put online by other fans who are in attendance is like a treasure trove of squee. I always love to see other people’s stories of how their weekends are going, and Lynn’s (@FangasmSPN on Twitter) excellent live-coverage of the panels. This is why, whenever I’m lucky enough to attend a con, I also try to put out as much content online as I possibly can.

Two weeks ago, from June 8-10th, Creation held their final Supernatural convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was able to go and cover it, which turned out to be very bittersweet. My first Supernatural convention was Pittsburgh in 2016. To see the cons make their last stop in Pittsburgh (at least for a while, who knows if they’ll return someday) was a little sad. But it was clear that everyone was hell bent on making the convention one of the best ever. We certainly went out with a bang in the ‘burgh.

The festivities kicked off Thursday night. At a typical Supernatural convention, there isn’t any programming on Thursday. But in the evening, you get to register your admission pass, browse the vendor’s room, and of course meet other fans. There is, however, one special ticketed event that up to 40 fans get to attend: Kim Rhodes and Briana Buckmaster’s PJ Party. Even though I’ve been to my fair share of cons, I had never been to the PJ Party before, so I was extremely excited to see what the girls had in store for us. This one was special, though, because that Thursday also happened to be Kim’s birthday! Briana and I, along with my cousin Kailey and a group of other trusty PJ Party-goers, planned a surprise birthday party for Kim. We got there an hour early to decorate the room and set up the cake station. A special thanks goes out to Creation for helping us make that happen!

The PJ party itself was an absolute blast. We all played fun games (including Supernatural Cards Against Humanity), ate cake, had a talentless talent show, and watched Kim open some wonderful birthday presents. The whole thing lasted about two hours before the girls took selfies with all of us and said good night. After cleaning up the decorations, the PJ Party gang headed to registration and the vendor’s room. You can take a look at what Kim’s Wayward birthday party was like in my first vlog for the weekend.

Friday is always one of the best. It’s pretty mellow compared to Saturday and Sunday, but it’s nice to have a day that’s a little more laid back. For example, main stage programming on Friday normally doesn’t start until around noon (which means you get to sleep in). This Friday was a little more hectic for me as I was filming a lot of the photo op sessions for a video I’m working on with Creation. The experience of getting to watch many of the photo ops being taken throughout the weekend was incredible. I can understand now why Chris Schmelke (Creation’s talented photographer) has never missed a Supernatural convention. Seeing the pure joy from people who get to meet (and hug) some of their favorite actors was incredibly heartwarming. I felt incredibly lucky to be able to film those special moments.

In between filming photo op sessions, my cousin and I were able to catch some of the panels. Kim and Briana were definitely a highlight of the day, bringing both laughter and serious advice to the stage. Rachel Miner also lit up the theater with her infectious smile and bright attitude. David Haydn-Jones and Jason Manns both brought incredible enthusiasm to their panels. Briana even came out to join Jason at the end of his to give us a sneak peak at a song from her upcoming album. It was beautiful, and an indication that the rest of the album will be just as amazing.

When panels were done, the day wrapped up with autographs and, soon after, Karaoke. It’s hard to explain the awesomeness that is a Supernatural Karaoke party, but when you get to sing your favorite songs onstage with some of the cast, you know it’s bound to be a good time. Also, it’s a free event so even if you don’t have a ticket to the convention itself, you can still attend! The theme for this year’s Karaoke is cartoons, so many people (including the actors) were dressed up as their favorite cartoon characters. I went as Kim Possible and my cousin went as Candice from Phineas and Ferb. You can see clips from Karaoke and more in my Friday vlog.

Saturday is when everything starts to pick up speed a little. Misha Collins always arrives at the conventions on Saturday, which of course draws more of a crowd. There are always more panels scheduled and, ultimately, the day wraps up with the famed Saturday Night Special. For me, Saturday was a blur. Kailey and I were running in about ten billion different directions. Between filming ops and other special videos with some of the actors, we barely made it to any panels. We did get to watch some of Misha’s which was, of course, fantastic. Misha is a wonderful storyteller, so when he answers a question, you can clearly picture what he’s talking about in your mind. That’s how powerful he is with words. It’s always a treat to get to watch a panel with Misha Collins. My cousin and I were a little bummed that we had to miss most of the other programming during the day, like the Ladies of Supernatural one with Kim, Briana, Ruth Connell and Rachel, but we had a lot of video work to do so that took priority.

Once panels, photo ops and autographs ended for the day, we had about two hours before the Saturday Night Special was due to start. Kailey and I grabbed a bite to eat with some good con friends before heading back to the theater. If you don’t know what the Saturday Night Special is, it’s a concert put on every Saturday night of a convention. Headlined by the convention’s house band Louden Swain, a lot of the Supernatural cast will come onstage and sing their hearts out. It’s incredible to watch and always a highlight of any convention weekend. A certain part of the Saturday Night Special was incredibly emotional for me in Pittsburgh, but I’ll let you watch the Saturday vlog to see what that was.

And now we arrive at Sunday. This is always the biggest and busiest day of any Creation Supernatural convention, because it’s the only day when Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are in attendance. They kicked everything off at 10:30 a.m. with an exclusive 30-minute gold panel featuring the boys. This is one of my favorite parts of a convention weekend, because it’s really relaxed. At any gold panel, they keep the house lights up so the boys can see the audience, and if you want to ask a question you just raise your hand from your seat. If you’re lucky, Jared or Jensen will call on you. The panel in Pittsburgh was particularly fun, with Jensen hinting at the possibility of more Scoobynatural in our future. After that panel was over, Jared and Jensen jumped headfirst into photo ops and meet and greets. My cousin and I were lucky enough to be able to film some of the J2 photo op session, which was really fun. When we got to the op room to set up the camera gear, Jensen was driving around a remote-control Impala. It was the cutest thing ever. Also, he almost crashed it into me but I didn’t mind because… it’s Jensen Ackles. And it was hilarious.

Sunday flew by (as it always does) in a blur of ops, videos, and panels. My favorite op experience of the day was when I took a photo with Jared and some lightsabers. Jared and I are both huge Star Wars fans so I knew this had to happen. Afterwards, I got to introduce my cousin Kailey to him, and I surprised her with her own Jared op (we were supposed to do one together but I just gave it to her because everyone deserves their own squishy Jared hug). We also managed to watch all of Alexander Calvert’s panel, which only solidified how much I love him both on the show and as a person. He has an Instagram account for his cat, guys. I mean, come on. Immediately after Alex was the main hour-long panel with Jared and Jensen. As always, the boys killed it onstage. They have an amazing dynamic and have been doing conventions for so long that everything flows super… naturally for them. Heh.

The day finished with autographs. These are always a little terrifying for me because it’s the longest amount of time you really get to talk with them (unless you get a meet and greet). However, I really had nothing to be scared of. At this point Jared treats me like a friend, and he always makes me feel really comfortable. I was able to keep my composure in front of him, but I fangirled a little over everything when I got home. Jensen still manages to intimidate me because… he’s Jensen Ackles. But he’s really a big sweetheart. For more detailed looks at my experiences with the boys, check out the Sunday vlog below.

I will forever be grateful for the experiences I had in Pittsburgh this year (and over the course of the last two years as well). Sometimes I go back and watch my first Supernatural convention videos from Pittsburgh in 2016, and I get all nostalgic. A lot has changed since then, but they’ve mostly been good changes. I hope you all enjoy the vlogs from my Pittsburgh adventure this year. I’ll be back in a few weeks with more vlogs and coverage from Supernatural Chicago!

And as always, a huge thank you to Creation Entertainment for making all of this possible. The staff and volunteers worked really hard to make Pittsburgh an incredible experience for so many fans, and they did not disappoint.

The featured image for this article was taken by Kim Prior.



Mark Sheppard Launches “Long Live the King” Campaign

Brianna
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The King of Hell is back in black with a new limited edition custom tee! Mark Sheppard, arguably best known for his role of Crowley in Supernatural, has returned with one last Supernatural design proclaiming “Long Live the King”.

Sheppard launched the campaign on social media confirming that this will be his final piece of Supernatural themed apparel.

Though he played one of our favorite TV baddies, the funds from Sheppard’s campaign will be used for good.

Proceeds for his campaign will benefit Camp Conrad Chinnock, which “provides children with diabetes a positive camping experience and demonstrate to everyone that, when managed correctly, these children could participate in the same activities considered only possible for children without diabetes.”

Sheppard’s “Long Live the King” collection is available as a sweatshirt, short or long sleeve shirt, and even a tank top for those hellishly hot summer months. The campaign ends on July 3, so act fast and grab yours here!



Beyond the Page: Review of “Ship It” by Britta Lundin

Becky
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Hiatus season is upon us!

And with it, the lack of regular updates of our favorite shows, leaving us to either binge watch the previous season or sit patiently awaiting the fall when our faves will grace our screens once again.

But take heart, friends! This summer we’re going to be recommending some truly excellent books that will quench your thirst for all things nerdy. Think of these as the summer break required reading assignment you’re actually going to want to complete!

First up, queer YA Romance Ship It by Britta Lundin.

Lundin’s Ship It might be the most meta work of fiction I’ve ever read, including fanfiction. And that is in no way a criticism – there were moments in reading this story where my fangirl anxiety reached peaks so familiar I had to put it down to take a breather. I know the protagonist, Claire. I AM Claire. And if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you are too, which is why you should stop what you’re doing and drive to the nearest bookstore immediately. The realism and catharsis in this pretty fantastical story should be required reading for every fangirl on the planet.

This story starts out right in the middle of a fanfic between Smokey and Heart, the two lead characters from the show DemonHeart. Smokey is a hunter of all things that go bump in the night, but primarily demons. And Heart is a demon with, you guessed it, a heart. The two are sworn enemies, clashing at every turn until they’re suddenly not. Until they’re unlikely allies against other forces. Until they recognize a kindred spirit between each other and –

You see where I’m going with this, right? They’re perfectly shippable.

Except, like most genre shows, there’s nothing canon about this “romance”. There’s only the subtext of the two leads (Perhaps because of the chemistry between the actors and not the writing? Who’s to say for sure?) and a legion of fangirls that have picked up on it. Claire is heart-of-lightness on Tumblr, with thousands of followers and oodles of self-penned SmokeHeart fanfiction. She’s also the nerd most of us have been: isolated and different and unsure of herself – except when it comes to fandom. There, she’s found a home.

So it’s no surprise that when she attends the DemonHeart panel at her local comic con amongst hundreds of other fangirls, she feels brazen enough to ask the question. The question that every fangirl learns early on you never ask:

Will SmokeHeart ever become canon?

The showrunner makes an attempt at a diplomatic and vague answer but it’s Forest, who plays the lead, Smokey, that shoots her down in the harshest possible manner. He clarifies in no uncertain terms that Smokey and Heart are not gay, and especially not romantically involved with one another. And furthermore, she’s absolutely crazy for thinking that. Hysterical, delusional and every other descriptive word that just basically means “Don’t drag me into your sick fantasies, lady.” Have you been there, right where Claire is? Because I have. Hearing your favorite actor discredit your OTP (one true pairing) is downright devastating. And reading Claire’s emotions in that moment sucked the breath from my lungs. Ouch is an understatement.

What follows is a PR attempt to soothe the gaping wound Forest struck to the fandom as they invite Claire to attend the next three comic conventions with them across the country – thus the premise for the rest of the book. Undaunted, Claire makes it her mission to convince the showrunner Jamie that SmokeHeart must go canon.

The other half of the story is told from the point of view of Forest, a young, handsome actor who’s trying to turn his first big-time television role into a major movie career. His biggest hurdle in getting cast as the lead in a movie about his favorite video game (sure to be a big blockbuster hit) is the pesky and determined Claire, filling his fans’ (and more importantly, potential director’s) heads with the lie that he’s gay. Forest draws the conclusion quite quickly that any read of his character being gay automatically follows that he must be too. And, according to him, gay actors don’t get cast as action-star leads.

The story spends a lot of time focusing on Claire and Forest’s individual sexual identity crises, which at times overlap. For Forest, it’s the notion that he feels straight – and he certainly didn’t have a choice to the contrary growing up – but then there’s Rico, the smiley, relaxed, kind co-star who plays Heart. He has eye crinkles. He isn’t bothered when people think Heart might be gay. He loves the fans. He’s at ease in his own skin. So inexplicably drawn to him, Forest has a hard time defining what exactly he does feel for Rico – and how exactly he’s played Smokey’s relationship with Heart onscreen.

For Claire, she meets the friendly and beautifully unique Tess at one of the conventions and feels, in short order, quite different about her than any other person that she’s ever met. Tess has curves and looks amazing in sundresses and has a beautiful smile and awesome hair – and look, it’s a bit more than just a “girl-crush”. Watching the two of them fall in together was at times painful and mostly sweet, not unlike how any first love goes. But at the heart of their relationship was what some fangirls find a defining difference when trying to befriend one another – those that think what’s in subtext should go canon (like SmokeHeart), and those that believe fanon (fan created concepts) should stay with and for the fans. Watching them bridge this gap was a reminder to all of us that how we choose to love and experience a thing doesn’t have to be the same to be valued equally.

I’m keeping this review vague in part because I want to keep you unspoiled. There’s a great many twists and turns in this book, and like I said, there were several times I had to put it down and walk away because I was so acutely reminded of fangirl moments I’ve experienced. The overarching concept of loving something (like a ship) that ultimately doesn’t “love you back” can be very upsetting for anyone who has devoted hundreds of waking hours to proving the existence of, or paying homage to, that relationship via fanfiction or art. Lundin clearly has firsthand knowledge of what being a fangirl is really like – at times equal parts exhilarating, and devastating. As they say, I didn’t choose the fangirl life – the fangirl life gripped me tight and raised me from perdition.

But what was comforting was watching the transformation of Forest, a character who reflects many actors that have found themselves in similar positions, realizing that fangirls aren’t a group of weirdos wanting two people to kiss. It’s by and large a group of passionate, smart, talented women who pay attention to subtext and nuances of acting and writing, and then make an attempt to have a voice in a world where often stories aren’t told by them. A fact that is slowly changing with books like this written by a woman that understands the value fandom has, not only for the longevity of the television show, but also to the individual person who finds their tribe within the shelter of a shared passion. 

TL:DR? If you want to love yourself as a fangirl, read this immediately. If you have a fangirl in your life (or several thousand) you want to understand, read this immediately. Or if you just enjoy adorable coming-of-age lesbian romances (and who doesn’t?) read this immediately.

Have you read Ship It already? Or do you have a suggestion for another nerdy book we should read this summer? Let us know in the comments below!


“Travelers” Instagram Takeover Part Two

Nicole
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Today’s Travelers Instagram takeover was split into two parts. I was unable to catch the first part of the takeover done by costume designer Mandi Line, however I did catch the second part, which was started by Leah Cairns who plays Kathryn Maclaren, Grant Maclaren’s wife. Cairns took us behind the scenes on set today, while they were filming. Amanda Tapping was directing again so she was on set and made sure to say “Hi” to the fans watching. As Cairns brought the camera around the back of the set, we saw a few guys in FBI gear sitting on a couch waiting for their set call.

Cairns stayed on set with the camera as they were filming but she wasn’t able to show us what was actually being filmed because of spoilers. Once we heard Amanda Tapping call cut, Cairns brought us over by where they had been filming where we saw a few familiar faces come across the camera. The first actor Cairns ran across was Eric McCormack, the actor who plays Grant McLaren. After that, we saw MacKenzie Porter, who plays Marcy Warton – you might remember her from the last take over. Next, there was Reilly Dolman who plays Philip Pearson, and then before Cairns left the set, she stopped to introduce us to Lee, who is one of the camera guys. Cairns left the filming area and took us past the hair and makeup crew who threw us a laugh and a wave as Cairns went by. Next, Cairns showed us where the props are kept on set and she also showed us one of the stunt dummies that had been named Mark. They were getting set up to start filming again so Cairns had to run off the set so we didn’t see any spoilers.

She took us over to hair and makeup trailer, where one of the crew member’s puppy was lounging on a chair. Leah talked about acting and how much she loves it. As she was talking, Rebecca Lee and Forest Sala, who are members of the hair and makeup team, came over to talk to us as well. Cairns told us that she loves Kat’s (her character) wardrobe and shoes so much, there were a few outfits that she wishes she could keep. When Cairns was on set one day, a bunch of Kat’s shoes were missing so since Cairns had gone out and bought her own pairs, she ended up just wearing her own shoes.

Cairns talked about watching Queer Eye and how she watched the first episode of this season with her whole family, including her 6 year-old twins. She feels it has such a good message and that everyone should watch it. Cairns then talks about the next takeover which will be done by Adam Lastiwka, the show’s composer.

Forest Sala is the set stylist who is responsible for cutting Cairns hair on set for her. Cairn’s haircut was done specifically for the Kat character and it is specific for shooting; however she likes the style and keeps it that way.

Cairns started taking some question from fans in the video chat. Some of the fans brought up DragonCon and Cairns said that she was both excited and terrified as it was her first convention. She talked about how they were going to be doing a lot of Instagram videos and also giving away a lot of swag at the Travelers panel.

Cairns then talked about when her and Eric McCormack did a takeover and how they had no clue what they were doing at the time. Rebecca Lee chimed in and said it was hysterical. Cairns talked about how wonderful this season is going to be and how excited she is for us to see and experience it. “You guys are going to feel every emotion this season!” She also talked about how Jared Abrahamson was on set with his dad today (it was his first EVER visit to the set!!!) but he wouldn’t be able to come say hi while she was live-streaming. Conventions were brought up again by the audience and Cairns said that she would like to go to a con in France because it’s France, and her daughter Aura is in love with Paris.

A fan asked Cairns if she had worked with Magda Apanowicz on Kyle XY. Cairns said that yes, she had been on Kyle XY as Emily Hollander and worked with Magda. She then mentioned that Apanowicz was going to be on Travelers this season.

Another fan asked what Cairns favorite Kat outfit was, and she replied that it was the dress she wore to Grant’s surprise party in Season 1, Episode 7.

Cairns spoke about how Travelers has always filmed in Vancouver. The first two seasons were filmed in an old empty post office by the Downtown Vancouver Library. It’s such a large, iconic building that there were also a few other shows filmed there such as Altered Carbon, GhostWars, and the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. Because of the size, sometimes there were multiple projects filmed at the same time. Cairns said it was a super cool building with a helipad on the roof, tunnels underneath the building that ran to the waterfront, and a creepy boiler room.

She then talked about how emotional the finale was. Cairns had worked with Richard Hatch in the past on Battlestar Galactica. They became friends on that set and she talked to us about how much he helped her during filming of BSG and afterwards.  They stayed close friends, and when she was having a really hard time maintaining the emotional level she needed towards the end of the season, she asked Richard to help her.  Even though Richard had passed away, she felt like he was there with her and that was how she was able to get through the scene and keep up emotional response she needed.  While Cairns was talking about the emotion of the finale, she also said it was a lot of fun to film. She showed a picture that they had taken after filming the season 2 finale last year.  Cairns said that it was the coolest thing, “We shot the last scene, and then we all got together to take the case picture with the helicopter in the background.  It was such a cool thing.”

I watched both seasons of Travelers virtually with a friend who lives in Vancouver.  It grabbed me with the first episode and I am so excited for what is coming in Season 3.  Stay tuned for the next Travelers Instagram takeover on June 27th with Adam Lastiwka!!

 

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