Saturday, May 9, 2020

FOE & Tell, Quarantine Edition: Yoda Masks, Lockdown Crafts, Costumes, & More To Make You Smile

I still have a backlog of cool things I want to share from your posts on Fans of Epbot, but right now I think what we need to see most is each other, you know? What we're doing, what we're wearing (heyoo), what we're making or playing or laughing about through all this.


You know, like Josephine:

 "Eggbots" is my favorite new 'bots variation. 

My sister-in-law Anne-Marie loves chickens so much that we just got her a chicken purse for her birthday last week. I bet she's going to make Josephine here her lock screen, Kali. 

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Please note before you scroll further: many of today's posts are quarantine-adjacent, and some include masks. So feel free to skip if that's not your jam right now. Believe me, I get it.

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I love seeing people find reasons to dress up anytime, but it's especially awesome now, as folks make the best of cancelled events:





And of course, the crafting continues!
(You can also follow Jamie on IG!)

Anyone else want to drop everything and brainstorm band names for these three Wonder Wombs? I don't know if Jamie named them yet, so leave your suggestions in the comments. :p

Alexa made the first Name shirt to make me genuinely laugh out loud. This is GOLD, Alexa:



Anyone who's seen Frozen 2 is laughing their carrots off right now. 

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Daisy's over here laying down knitting goals:

Not to mention hair goals. You're a human rainbow, Daisy! Love ya. ::mwah::

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Josh's quarantine project is going to give John ideas, just you wait:

My gosh that is gorgeous. Even if you're not a Fallout fan!

 (John IS a huge Fallout fan, and has been replaying several of the games the past few months.)

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I should have known I could rely on this group to make face masks fun and geeky:


Look at the Yoda ears!! This is brilliant for kids *and* adults, Jennifer. Love it love it love it.

And you know who else has epic ears?


Fascinating. This is made by another Jennifer. You ladies are giving our name... a good name. Thank you, keep it up.

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Another pet picture that improved my week:


This... this is everything. 10 out of 10 Goldblums, Jillian.

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I need suggestions for good polling questions, because Tara has inspired me:


Ohhh, that's a gutsy choice, delivery person. I can respect that.

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I didn't do anything for Star Wars Day because I was feeling kinda blah, but Kimberly and her family knew just how to make me smile:

THE PORG. Omigosh. The Force is strong with this family.

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You know who else I love?


Kathleen in her Hei Hei costume taking out the trash, that's who. (Kathleen, you look a lot like my SIL here - the one who loves chickens? - and you're giving me some clutch ideas. Eh? EH?) (Also bless you for the leg kick shot, you look so happy I can't look at this without grinning!)

Oh, and here's the "Bin Isolation Outing" FB group Kathleen mentioned in her post. Costumes and creativity galore! I think they're all one of us. :D 

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And finally, Karin took a frowny day and turned it upside down... for all of us:


How long did it take you spot Karin in the background?
And how hard did you laugh when you did?

:D

(I can't get over how much the pot handles look like ears. You're somewhere between a Knight Who Says Ni and one of the goblin knights from Labyrinth, Karin, and I am LIVING FOR IT.)


 Karin's post reminds me, on one last happy-but-personal note: this past week I let slip on a friend's FB post that John and I didn't have Disney Plus yet. I thought the post was on her private page, though, so I was mildly mortified the next day when I realized her post was actually on FOE. I don't know why - I guess I was afraid folks would judge us for not having seen the Mandalorian yet? Maybe subtract some geek points? And sure, I got a tiny bit of teasing, but John and I also got an excited note from our friend & FOE mod Melody recommending all the D+ shows she knows we'd like, plus a gift subscription. ::sniffle::

It reminded me of something I read once, about how instead of saying, "You've never seen Ghostbusters??" I should always say, "I'm so excited you get to see Ghostbusters for the first time!" I'm still working on that, because I want all fandoms to be that welcoming - and Melody's response was the best example of how *I* want to be. So thank you, Melody, and thank you all for being the kind of group that really is that wonderful and welcoming.



 That's why I love you guys.

(Also I'm pretty sure there's a Dean .gif for every situation. :D)

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Now, let's announce this month's Art Winners!

The winner of the Dragon Drinks pack is kperantie

The winner of the Super Hedge grab pack is Jen (of the Beichman Wedding blog)

And the winner of the Mythology pack is lyndalybraryan

Congrats, you three, and please e-mail me your mailing addresses!

34 comments:

  1. As a grad student, I'm constantly on the receiving end of "You haven't seen ______ yet!?"

    The plus side of this is that I've had time to watch a show I've been looking forward to for months. If you like movies (and want a side of archive love in the process), I highly recommend "Prop Culture" on D+!

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    1. I am just enjoying Prop Culture myself and I second the recommendation!

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    2. OR, you could embrace the "you've never seen X?" exclamations. I have never seen It's a Wonderful Life. I never will, as I have come to enjoy the looks of horror I get every time I reveal this info.

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  2. Ooh I'm so excited for you to see so many of the Disney documentary shows and specials! There is a lot of squeeing in your future.

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  3. Disney+ hasn't rolled out in Denmark yet. But they've been pulling their shows and movies from other streaming services for months... 🙄

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  4. Due to anxiety/panic issues, I learned a long time ago that I can't watch about 90% of the movies and tv shows and video games that everyone is geeking out over. Sometimes I read up about them or read the plot summaries, but occasionally even those get to be too much for me. So I'm always hearing "you haven't seen/played/watched ___________ yet?!" or I might enjoy parts of something, but I can't handle seeing all of it, so I get told that I'm not a "real" fan because I don't know all the details or haven't watched everything. Gets old really quickly. Disney makes me happy because it's one place that is usually gentler and easier for me to enjoy. One friend even told me I'm not a true geek because I don't read/watch/play "geeky" stuff, just "nerdy" stuff (like Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, Dorothy Sayers, and similar). Apparently the only geeky thing I'm really into is Harry Potter, and since I can't watch all the movies and had to skim a couple parts in the books I'm not a real Potter geek. Sigh.
    This is why I love FOE and Epbot - I can come here and enjoy everyone's fandoms without feeling left out because I don't get into the same things. It's lovely to be part of a group that celebrates each other!

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    1. That does sound like it gets lame real fast! My husband is along the same lines. Austen is the bomb! So is Dorothy L Sayers! If you haven't met them already, Gorgette Heyer is like Austen, but with less wit. But, delightfully light and fun :)
      Also, if you love Dorothy Sayers, you should try To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis. If you love Gaudy Night, (bonus points if you know 3 Men in a Boat) you will extra special enjoy To Say Nothing of the Dog. Also just read Daddy-Long-Legs and was as delighted as I had been with a book in pure AGES!

      Sorry for all the unsolicited recommendations, if you don't need any, please ignore. It's just us with gentle tastes need to stick together to keep us going for the good stuff!

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    2. I love recommendations, especially from people who understand the need for gentler stories!! I do know Gorgette Heyer - I read a lot of her in college especially, although that reminds me to add her to my "to be re-read" list. And I'll definitely try the others you recommended. Thank you! Gaudy Night is hands down my favorite Sayers novel, although I loved Nine Tailors for the details on change ringing.
      I just finished reading some childhood favorites by Elizabeth Enright, then dipped back into a Miss Marple mystery. Gentle and joyful reads have been very soothing right now.
      Thank you again for the suggestions...I'm going to go hunt down my Heyer books now!

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    3. Here I was getting slightly nervous that Sayers (who I dearly love) might be a bit too intense/violent for someone who likes gentle reading, depending, and was waffling about whether to annotate with a warning, and you already love Sayers! (I do too! But: not in my placid category. Ditto for Miss Marple!)(which makes me wonder if you have read any of the third in my Detective Trifecta, the Father Brown stories?)

      I enthusiastically endorse the blog redeemingqualities.wordpress.com/ for (admittedly, only Fairly Old Book) book reviews - she does a very good - and also highly entertaining - job of explaining what she liked or didn't like about a book, and I can usually figure out, from that, whether I will also like it. She reviews the occasional work of official "literature" but also reviews total fluff and all sorts of things in between (or sideways). There *are* sometimes what might be considered spoilers in the reviews, but generally for the sort of book where "spoilers" don't matter at all, at least to me?

      (and Elizabeth Enright is so good, too! There are so many delightful books out there, but sometimes it is hard to find the ones that are not "heart-wrenching" or "gritty" or "edge of your seat" since these attributes are so popular at the moment - I have had some success with reviews of modern books by going for the ones labeled "charming" - but it's still slightly mixed success.)

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    4. Have you read any Ngaio Marsh? She was the third of the Queens of Crime, along with Sayers and Christie.

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    5. I have a friend with a phobia to something that crops up in just about every video game ever plus lots of books and movies. Makes feeling a part of the geekdom really hard sometimes. But having lots of friends who are always on the lookout for "safe" stuff she can enjoy helps a bit. And people whose primary geekery is gatekeeping need a better hobby.

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    6. You all are so wonderful! Yep, I've read Father Brown and Marsh - my mom was a huge mystery fan and started me on Christie, then gradually introduced other favorites. There's a few that I started reading but had to stop later in the series. I started reading Sayers before the anxiety got too crazy, so now her books feel like an old friend and are more comforting than stressful.
      And I love Epbot and FOE because it's such a safe place to learn about all kinds of geeky stuff that I can't watch/play myself, but it's fun to see others enjoying it without any sort of condemnation for those who don't/can't join in. Sometimes I'll love the artwork or the jokes and memes that get shared, and sometimes I read the spoilers to learn more about it. I don't feel left out here!

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    7. I'm so glad we are all here too! Hooray for sharing book recommendations, and having internet interactions that are full of understanding and good feelings!! Hugs (from 6 ft away) all around!!

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    8. Thank you, Bethany, for starting this discussion, and everyone's suggestions! I love crime stories but not the way most modern ones seem to maximum gore/horror/shock/trauma :-P. I love Cristie but didn't know about these other authors, have now added them to my list and am starting on Sayers!

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    9. These authors are like a tour of my library! I'm a huge fan of gentler mysteries - if you haven't read them already you might also enjoy Patricia Wentworth and Phoebe Atwood Taylor. Charlotte MacLeod has a lot of humor and edges into the 'screwball comedy mystery' territory. Carola Dunn is still writing, and falls into the 'cozy' category, but does touch a little more deeply on some things that might be triggering for anxiety (war, grief, PTSD, ...dentists) so maybe check the summaries with care.

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    10. Bethany,

      I went through something similar with my college roommate telling me I wasn't a real fan because I didn't go to the movies or hear someone in concert. What a crock! She didn't ask why - which was because my family was really struggling financially at the time and didn't have a working vehicle. Thank God where we lived we could walk to necessities such as the grocery store. If you like something that makes you a fan!
      A book I really enjoyed is "The Witch of Blackbird Pond." And anything written by Rosamond De Jardines. Please feel free to check these out if you are interested. Nice clean stories about growing up.

      Maureen

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    11. See, you all are awesome! You've either reminded me of favorite books and authors to re-read, or given me new ones to check out!

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  5. I made the change to "I'm so excited you get to see X!" a while back, and it gets a MUCH better response! It's hard to remember sometimes, but it's worth it. :)

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  6. Oh my gosh. It's SUCH an honor to have my shirt included in this post. Jen, thank you for using your talents and platform for good and positivity in this weary world.

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    1. Alexa, I totally love your shirt! It gave me a much needed laugh when I saw it!

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  7. I'm so excited you get to see Bluey for the first time! :-P Seriously, please check it out. It's beautifully written, beautifully animated, and beautifully scored. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel all the feels! A real bright spot in isolation for everyone of all ages. http://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/series/bluey/1xy9TAOQ0M3r

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  8. I had a brief moment of solidarity with you, Jen, when you said you didn't have D+. I simply can't justify it financially, so I just live hearing other people talk about it. LOL Then, you just had to burst my bubble! KAPOWIE! *sob*sniffle*bawl*

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    1. Awww, I'm sorry, I know it's hard feeling like the odd one out on something everyone else is doing! I'm still in that camp for the new Animal Crossing, since I'd never have the time to play it even if I had a Switch (which I don't). I do like hearing folks talk about it, though, since I like hearing about fandom things people are excited about. :)

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  9. I find "Oh, wow, are you in for a treat!!" To be a great response too. Although frankly I am most often on the receiving end of anything made after 2005!!

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  10. I am so excited for you to watch the Mandalorian! My new favorite Disney+ show is Prop Culture where they hunt down props from one movie per episode and interview makers and actors along the way, it's wonderful.

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  11. i love everything on this blog, and I showed Josephine when I went out to feed everyone this morning, she really does make my heart smile every day. who would of thought a tiny chicken could bring so much happiness? Keep on keepin on epbot family, truly a magical group of creative awesome people, all hail our leaders Jenn and John <3

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  12. We've seen Frozen 2 and still don't understand Alexa's t-shirt. :(

    However, Kiddo and I geeked out over the masks. And now wondering what geeky things we can do with the limited fabric choices and even more limited sewing skills.

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    1. I had to Google it, myself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj4tzjmKGGo

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  13. Does Jennifer have a pattern to share for that adorable Yoda mask & ears? Please & thank you.

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  14. I’m not exactly sure about the Wonder Wombs, as in I don’t know the backstory, but how about “Flo and the Uterettes”?
    “The exciting new girl band with hits like ‘Don’t cramp my style’ and “I’m pms-ing over you”! You’ll love them, but only once every 28 days!”

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  15. Of *course* Supernatural has a gif for everything. It is known.

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  16. I haven't seen most of Star Wars or related things besides bits and pieces, but I would watch Mandalorian over and over again.

    Strangely, I had a dream about Dean last night and I've NEVER seen the show, only gifs. SO there's that.

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