Seventh Sanctum Blog

New Media Film Festival

I just found out about the New Media Film Festival via one of my contacts.  If you still want to get submissions in for the next one, you can use the discount code "PGA50" - deadline is close, but there you go if you want to try!

- Steven Savage

Welcome to the Ministry Of Entertainment!

A new game site (focused more on non-electronic games, but they're still open on that subject), Ministry Of Entertainment, just opened.  I know one of the founders, so I wanted to mention it since it could be good career experience!

http://www.minient.net/

- Steven Savage

Winners Of The Fantasy Fusions Contest!

Our Winner:
Spinda Spots and The scatterbrained female half-Fairy alchemist. Her wardrobe is revealing. She appears to have multiple personalities - at times being human, at times taking after her non-human parent.

Our Runners-Up:

• FoxLee and The incoherent male half-Hydra tomb robber with a large fortune. His wardrobe is attractive. His face hints at his non-human ancestry, but he otherwise appears human.
• NeptuneClear and The wise, broken-hearted female half-Kirin herbologist. Her wardrobe is fashionable. Her non-human ancestry gives her a strangely attractive appearance.

- Steve

The Fantasy Fusions Contest Is Closed! Final entries here!

Whew, we got a bunch of last-minute entries here - and a lot of good ones. So scope out the latest and I'll get the judges moving.

Also, while you're at it? I could use suggestions for the next contest!

The romantic male half-Gargoyle necromancer. His wardrobe is mysterious. He appears as a 'humanized' version of his non-human parent, but it is an attractive, not monstrous appearance. (And a text entry, so I'm curious to see what you folks think) [link]

The tactless female half-Satyr mage. Her body is that of a human for the most part, but her head is more like that of her non-human parent. [link]

The illogical, conceited, playful female half-Ki-Rin shaman who is part of a secret society. She appears as an 'humanized' version of her non-human parent, but it is an attractive, not monstrous appearance. [link]

The scatterbrained female half-Fairy alchemist. Her wardrobe is revealing. She appears to have multiple personalities - at times being human, at times taking after her non-human parent. [link]

The sheltered female half-Basilisk crusader searching for purpose. Her wardrobe is unconventional. Her non-human ancestry is very obvious and not-concealable, but not particuarly disturbing. [link]

Great job everyone!

- Steven Savage

Latest Contest Entries!

Got a bit behind on posting these - been putting them on Seventh Sanctum but not posting announcements So here's the latest for the contest that's here: [link]

And take a look and the amazing entries from the last two weeks!
The Paranoid female Half Will-o-the-wisp witch hunter. Her non-human ancestry is very obvious and not concealable. [link]
The selfless, world weary female half unicorn marine. Her appearance is a mismatched counterpart of her human and non human ancestry. [link]
The educated, innocent female half-Nightmare alchemist. She has a perfectly human head and face - but her body is that of her non-human parent's species. [link]
The ignorant male half-Unicorn diviner with repressed memories. His wardrobe is fashionable. His body is that of a human for the most part, but his head is more like that of his non-human parent. [link]
The elever, tactful male half-Unicorn watchman who fell in with the wrong crowd. His wardrobe is mysterious. His appearance is that of a normal human - but under certain conditions he turns into a member of his non-human ancestor's species. [link]
The wise, broken-hearted female half-Kirin herbologist. Her wardrobe is fashionable. Her non-human ancestry gives her a strangely attractive appearance. [link]
The miserly, private, inexperienced female half-Satyr seer searching for truth. She body is one half human - one half taking after her non-human ancestor. [link]
The educated, heroic male half-Kraken martial artist. His face hints at his non-human ancestry, but he otherwise appears human. [link]

So we've got 2 more days folks, let's go for it and get even more cool stuff!

- Steve

The Ponies Have Won

 Unless you've been under a rock with poor internet service, you've noticed that the new My Little Pony series (subtitled "Friendship is Magic") is huge online and has achieved a diverse fanbase that far exceeds the expected demographics. Of course it also has quite a pedigree, its creator being Lauren Faust of "Powerpuff Girls" and "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends" fame. The Ponies, it seems, are taking over.

So of course, I HAD to make a generator for, ahem, "Magical Legend Ponies." To fit MLP-like characters. It's with deep irony that I note I have actually had a generator like this requested several times over the decade.

So for the fans new and old, all the Bronies online, and the friends who pushed me to do this, the Magical Legend Pony Generator is here:

[link]

And some examples:
* This stubby-legged male pony is an earth pony who is stressed and self-aggrandizing. His coat is green. He has a mane that reminds you of a pile of shredded paper. His wide eyes are gray. His mark is a coffin.
* This stubby-legged female pony is an earth pony who is apathetic and clever. Her coat is white and orange. She has a long, wavy mane that is gray. Her round eyes are ash-gray. Her mark is four pillows.
* This elegant filly is an earth pony who is angry and gluttonous. Her coat is charcoal-colored. She has a short mane that is yellow. Her slitted eyes are gray. Her mark is a biscuit.
* This bulky female pony is an earth pony who is logical and unreliable. Her coat is emerald. She has an extremely long mane. Her round eyes are bone-white. Her mark is a coconut.
* This leanly-built male pony is an earth pony who is obsessive and kind. His coat is red shading into black. He has a mane that is gray, and it reminds you of a drifting cloud. His eyes are gray. His mark is a net.
* This large female pony is a unicorn who is impractical and unintelligent. Her coat is red. She has a short mane. Her eyes are blue. Her mark is a crown.
* This lean male pony is a unicorn who is worldwise and ethical. His coat is brown. He has a mane that is gray, and it reminds you of a flame. His narrow eyes are smoke-gray. His mark is three cranes.
* This bulky female pony is an earth pony who is ethical. Her coat is peach-colored. She has a mane that is white, and it reminds you of a tangled bush. Her large eyes are gray. Her mark is a ledger.
* This muscular female pony is an earth pony who is aloof, studious, and peace-loving. Her coat is blue. She has a mane that is violet and gray, and it reminds you of a fluttering flag. Her eyes are orange. Her mark is a wheelchair.
* This muscular male pony is a unicorn who is playful and hypocritical. His coat is orange. He has a mane that is violet, and it reminds you of a shark's fin. His round eyes are sky-blue. His mark is a sword.

There you go folks. Ponies.

And in case you wonder, I actually did check the show out. It's got the same vibe as Faust's other work - family entertainment for all with a heart an a brain. I think we're seeing a Big New Thing here.

- Steve

My Latest Book Updates!

And here we go, TWO more books on geeky and fannish careerdom!

• Convention Career Connection!  This is my guide to creating career events at cons, based on my analyses, experiences, and previous work.  It's a 5-step guide to creating career events!
• Inhuman Resources, the best of my work in the second year of Fan To Pro.  This also includes my series on resumes, stereotype-fu, and career/interest intersections.

They're available in Print, ePub, PDF, and Kindle - so no matter how you read, there's a way to get the book!

Thanks to everyone who helped, and be sure to let everyone know about the books!

- Steven Savage

 

Sign up for the Geek Scanner!

Hey folks, I'm glad folks signed up for my own newsletter, the Geek Beacon - and I'm glad it's keeping everyone informed!

However there's one other project, from Fan To Pro, you might like - the similarly-named Geek Scanner. It's a project done by Bonnie and I that tracks trends in the "Geekonomy" each month, with an eye towards Geeky Professionals and what they need to know. I think you'll enjoy it - and more is coming . . .

Sign Up And Stay on Top of Geekonomic Trends!

Email Address

Close

- Steve

Contest Updates!

And they keep coming - and we're seeing new and old faces along with some great takes!

The contest is here: [link]

The entries are here:

• The world-weary, introverted half-Demon witch hunter. His wardrobe is mysterious. He appears human - but those who interact with him keep getting the impression that he isn't human: [link]
• The scatterbrained female half-Dragon soldier. She appears human - yet her shadow is always that of her non-human parent's species: [link]
• The educated female half-Werewolf witch-hunter. Her wardrobe is revealing. She appears as an 'humanized' version of her non-human parent, but it is an attractive, not monstrous appearance: [link]

- Steven

Anime Aid - Can you Help?

Something worth looking into.

The Tsunami and Earthquake which has devastated Japan resulting in tremendous damage and heartbreaking losses felt around the world has compelled local conventions and fan based organizations to find ways to help those affected by this tragedy.  Recognizing that a united effort will achieve more good for all we have joined in a cooperative effort called AnimeAid that will help us to coordinate our energy and resources to ensure that the action born of our compassion can be transformed into effective results for the victims of this disaster.  AnimeAid is committed to the task of assisting fan based support initiatives throughout the area to maximize the impact  in assisting the people of Japan as they weather the continuing trials of this situation and move toward rebuilding their lives, their communities, and their nation.  Through AnimeAid organizations can share their plans with others, consolidate activities to allow for effective outreach, and mitigate the costs that are involved in getting support to those who need it most.

The fan community has a long tradition of supporting charities and causes as part of events that we hold.  This has included support for disaster relief efforts, funding for ongoing medical research, and donations to international service organizations.  Our community crosses cultural, societal and racial lines.  We are brought together by our common interests and  have proven a consistent resource for the causes that unite us.  AnimeAid is dedicated to cultivating this spirit and providing assistance for any who wish to take part.

AnimeAid is spearheaded by Washington, DC's two main anime conventions, Anime USA and Katsucon. More Information about the effort can be found at animeaid.org If you have further questions, please contact Tom Stidman at tom.stidman@animeusa.org or Christine Larson at Christine@katsucon.org.