Thank you for the lovely feedback on the first ever Steampunk RAPS. I think it is well-established now that the theme and the style is very much favoured by many readers here. I have noted it and will make more. In fact, I have already started brainstorming scenarios and chaRActers and screenshots and what-have-you. Watch this space.
Talking of ‘thank you’ – a thank you was due to one of my fellow fans. Kate already mentioned it in her final instalment of the RDC5 reports: It’s a long way off but we already have *one* item for my traditional RA birthday auction in August. And this is how it happened: In the run-up to RDC, fellow fan Michaela had contacted me to request some fan badges. When I told her that I was going to be at RDC, too, she spontaneously offered me a copy of the Castlevania DVD for the auctions. She had bought a duplicate by accident, and rather than have it sit around, Michaela thought it might be nice for an auction. I immediately said yes, and we arranged to meet at the con for a hand-over. In return for the generous donation, many weeks later I decided to make a little shrine for Michaela in return. And this is it.
One of those tiny square tins. They are probably not more than 4 x 4 cm. With a spy theme on the lid…
… I had to put a spook inside. There he is, leaning against the tin.
And an incongruous RA himself in the bottom of the mint tin. No candles – mainly because the tin’s design is too nice to destroy it with holes hammered into the lid. (And luckily Michaela confirmed she is not really into putting RA on a pedestal anyway, so no candles needed 😁).
These tiny tins are really too small to create elaborate scenes. They are pretty fiddly to work with, but they make extra-stealthy pocket shrines and will be much less conspicuous than any of the more ornate, larger tins. In any case, they are the perfect thank-you size. So thank you once again to Michaela for donating that copy of Castlevania.
And a thank you also to Kate. If she hadn’t worked as a volunteer in the autograph sessions at RDC5, we wouldn’t have gotten a signature on the cover of this DVD: Every con attendant had the opportunity to get a maximum of 5 items signed by the stars. One autograph (per star) was included in the ticket price, but the other 4 extra autographs had to be paid for. Yours truly had not used her full allocation (see my account HERE) but my autograph session had been on Saturday – before I actually got hold of the Castlevania DVD. Thank heavens for Kate then, who sacrificed one of her 5 autograph items to be the DVD, and whose own autograph session with Mr A and Jill(‘s Gymkhana) was on Sunday afternoon. So between Michaela’s donation of the DVD, me paying for the autograph, and Kate getting it done, we managed to get a truly cool item ready for auction in the summer. Perfect collaboration, right?
And the perfect opportunity to finish up with the latest image from Starfury’s IG page. Mr A signing, signing, signing. He really looks a little tired already, doesn’t he:
Ha! And he didn’t know he still had something else coming for him… A last encounter with a fan. And boy, that was two reluctant photo models in one shoot… I’ll tell you soon.
Guylty Pleasure 
Oh, I love the casual Leaning Lucas and the arrest record on the bottom made me chuckle a little too loudly in the office right now.
All thanks are due to Michaela. All I did was place a DVD on a desk and tell Mr. A. how much I enjoy his swearing—and frankly, we would’ve gotten the autograph without that particular lapse in judgment. I’m just glad we all ended up having our appointments on different days to allow us to compensate for the obstacles thrown in our way by administrative red tape. And to think I assumed cons were these wild affairs. 😉
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Huh – how come I didn’t notice this comment???
In any case – the idea was basically Michaela’s – but the execution depended on you. Thank you!
Oh, and given RA’s own comments on how much he enjoys performing Trevor Belmont, I am sure your comment did not upset him *hehe*.
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Well, he was the perfect gentleman and ignored it. 😉
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Ha! Good old uncle Richard…
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He’s the best, better than all the rest.
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Guylty, The shrine is very cute, I zoomed in on the date Sept 28, 2013 and I’m trying to rack my brain the significance of that date and coming up short. Was that a premiere date or more significance for you or Michaela?
I love his pic here, He’s able to handle three sharpies in one hand so adroitly and write with a magic pen in the other and gaze up with such an adorable look on his face. I think this is an astonishingly sweet candid pic of him. I wish there were more like this around…. sigh sigh…
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Eagle eyes, Michele. Ok, the truth is that I just used that picture because I had it at hand. But I originally created it in the wake of the most beautiful pictures of RA being released back in 2013. If you mention the words “BAFTA LA tea party” to any long-term fan, you will immediately get some knowing smiles. If you don’t know the images, here is the emergency *ooof* I wrote back then: https://meandrichard.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/emergency-ooof-check-mate/
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Guylty, first thank you for the link! Second I love your use of the words “spontaneous ovary bursting stint” just spot on and expostulation “damning good looks” love love love these words and their contexts.
Third, you should really write more OOOFS emergency or extra special or evolving. I know I’ve said it before and I will campaign hard for this (like I did the “wind movie” re watch) but your ficlets capture so much of his personality and charm by the eye of your writing as a photographer.
That longer curly hair is very sexy although I like his Proctor hair the best..
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I know, I totally tell myself the same – I would like to write an *ooof* again. but somehow writing has become a bit of a chore lately. Not sure why… In any case, I am finding it hard to motivate myself to write, so I can’t promise any new *ooof*s.
And *eeek* I had (again) forgotten about the wind film… That has to be done this week, too…
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Guylty, you are very descriptive but I totally get mood and motivation. I enjoyed writing my first fanfic but was very nervous putting it out there! Happy though how it turned out!!
Wink wink nudge nudge on the “wind” film. Zee and I are waiting to comment!!
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i like the theme, really fun and nicely suggestive 😉
perfect for carrying around!
my creative friend Richard (different one!) was suggesting you should branch out into Indian dashboard shrines after seeing mine! lol
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Hahaha, I had to look up dashboard shrines to find out. LOL, tell Richard that I had a good laugh. Nice idea. (But not really my gig – I prefer the little tins ;-))
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Loving the shrines and all the stiries around them. You’ve created a new art form, Guylty. Each one is so clever and carefully made.
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Or even stories. Sigh…
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Aw, thank you Jenny. Glad you like it – was just small, and spontaneous.
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Thanks again for the lovely shrine, such a nice surprise! I hope you´ll all get your money together Ladies to get a good price for the DVD! First time I saw it with the autograph!
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For a good cause!
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Very cute. I love the use of that pic as s mug shot — he does look a bit drunk or hungover in that one!
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He does, doesn’t he? Well, it was early in the morning… Maybe he was still have asleep…
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I love love love that bottom of the tin picture, that really was his sexiest look ever in those days (BAFTA LA tea party but also at the Hobbit Berlin premiere). Nice nice shrine yet again!
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IKR – the slightly longer hair… And he was in really fit shape without being massively bulky. He was really at the height of his masculine attractiveness. It was almost too much…
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It’s a great look for him.
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