Fan-gasm Friday: She-Ra Cosplay!

I miss New York Comic Con so much already! But, hey, it's less than a year until the next one!

This year I made my costume, and it was a little more complex than donning a tie and a mustache for last year's Commissioner Gordon outfit.

I took on She-Ra Princess of Power complete with headgear, and through this process I learned that cosplay isn't truly cosplay unless you've got something on your head.

Ta-Da! All the embellishments (cuffs, chest thingie, headpiece, chocker) are yellow foam cut into individual pieces and then glued together. All painted bronze. The jewel is from a toy ring. The belt is a belt I hacked. Dress is from American Apparel. Cape, which doesn't show in this photo, is from a Supergirl costume I already had. And my favorite detail is that I ran out of time to get a Sword of Protection, so, yes, that is a lightsaber, because who doesn't already have a lightsaber lying around?

She-Ra cosplay. NYCC 2013

Aaaand in case you're interested, here's that Commissioner Gordon outfit from NYCC 2012.

Yup. Very few people got it.

So few people got my Commissioner get up that I was forced to wear a second costume on the following day.

Shockingly enough, even less people got Cheryl Tunt from Archer. Also 2012.

Oddly, there were a TON of Archer cosplayers this year. I saw maybe three in the whole weekend last year, but this year they were everywhere. Gotta say, even though there were some good Cheryls this year, none of them had my "You're not my supervisor!!" speech bubble. :)

Fan-gasm Friday

I love bacon. Don't you?

I know, I know. Pigs are smart and adorable, and we shouldn't eat them, and I really really do feel guilty when I think about it...but...

Pigs are also delicious. Like really, maybe the very best tasting thing in the world. I would pick bacon over ice cream any day. I'd pick bacon over cheese. I'd pick bacon over a burger. Unless the burger had bacon on it. Then I would pick that because, I mean, BACON on a BURGER!! The point is, I was eating thinking about bacon all day, and it's because I love bacon. It makes my heart clog up with fat and desire, two unstoppable forces. Which is why you could probably never stop me from eating bacon.

Cured pork belly and I go way back. When I was down in the dumps, feeling like no one understood me growing up, when I felt like no one would listen, when I thought that I would never fit in, when I was hopeless and downtrodden, I could always turn to bacon. And eat it.

Eating bacon didn't make people listen to me. It didn't even make me fit in, though all the cool kids seemed to eat bacon. What it did do, was put bacon - wonderful, delicious bacon - in my mouth. For my taste buds. To taste.

I remember the first time I made Thanksgiving dinner for my family. I put ridiculous completely necessary amounts of bacon on that turkey. And it was good. That's all.

Here are 10 reasons why I'll never stop loving bacon. With all my cholesterol-filled heart.

1. Bacon tastes better than any other food in the universe or the history of the universe.

2. Bacon shares a name with Kevin Bacon. It is always zero degrees away, and thus more of a winner than Charlie Sheen.
3. Bacon is a side dish, but can also function as a garnish, a seasoning for salad, or an entree.
4. Crispiness.
5. There's a bacon alarm clock. Here.
6. It's the best way to eat pork. Better than chops. Better than ham. Better than its Canadian cousin.
7. Other foods, Bacos in particular, are jealous of and therefore, must imitate it. It's that good.
8. It's handheld food. YOU DON'T NEED A FORK!
9. Variety. Smoked. Hickory smoked. Maple flavored. Plain. But even plain still tastes like bacon.
10. The phrase "wakey wakey, eggs and bakey [bacon, you asshole.]" Because if there was ever a valid reason to drag my sorry ass out from under the covers, it's BACON.




edit: after being down for over two months, this post is back. The offending bacon photo that used to be on this post has been removed.

Fan-gasm Friday

SPOILER ALERT - DOCTOR WHO SEASONS 1-2

It's Fan-gasm Friday, and this week's Fan-gasm is a love letter. To Jackie.

Dear Jackie Tyler,

The more Doctor Who I watch, the more I realize something is missing. The adventures get increasingly suspenseful every episode, and the effects look more expensive each new season. But where are you, Jackie Tyler? Where is that whimsical, slutty mom of the Doctor's beloved Rose?

Who makes us laugh while trying to steal her daughter's boyfriends? (we know you had a think for Mickey Smith, too, despite the murder accusation.) Who names her baby in one dimension the same thing that she names her teacup-sized dog in another? Who makes blowjob face every time she's scared? Who waves her knickers around at the laundromat? Who else would dare to wear that insanely tight dress? You know the one.

Sure, you were only a secondary character. Yes, I know you were only really in a couple seasons. And yeah, your offer of sex to Nine got rejected and you smacked him pretty hard and gave Ten an unwanted (sloppy) kiss. But, Jackie, you had spunk! You had more guts than even Donna Noble, what with all your yelling at the Doctor. And, let's face it, you were a hot mom. We all thought so. Maybe even the Doctor. Just a teensy bit. Everyone could see where Rose got it.

You loved Rose more than you loved kohl eyeliner and wearing sweatpants out in public, and that's really saying something. And because all of us love Rose, of course, we also love you for loving her.

Jackie, I'm sorry that in a parallel universe you were turned into a Cyber[wo]man. I'm sorry that you had to get royally confused because an interfering Rose went back in time and prevented your husband from dying, then realized her mistake, went back in time again, and made sure he died. I'm sorry you wound up on the TARDIS and were scared the Doctor would take you to Mars. I'm sorry you hate Christmas now because of that creepy tree and the giant spaceship over London and really ugly British Santa Clauses with trombone missile launchers. I'm sorry that Elton was only dating you to get at the Doctor. I'm sorry Rose made you drive to Scandinavia in a doorless Jeep just so she could have a forty-second conversation with a hologram.

I'm sorry about everything, Jackie. Now won't you please come back?

Love,                           

Giant Dorkgasm

Fan-Gasm Friday

Know what I love? People in costumes.

I love Comic Con. I love Renaissance Faires. I love drag queens. I love the Society for Creative Anachronism's meetings in public parks.

Costumes are probably what drew me to acting and dancing and writing growing up and as an adult, too. Going to the theatre, even if the show blows, is always partially good simply because there will most likely be people in costumes. Often, there will be wigs.

But let's go back to the Society for Creative Anachronism for a bit. I happened upon them in college one evening. As I strolled through Union Square Park in NYC with my best friend, I heard screaming and the clashing of what sounded like swords. Walking towards the ruckus proved that I was not just overly imaginative. I had indeed heard swords. They were being swung through the air at wooden targets and men, women, boys, and girls wearing makeshift armor.

In New York City in the 2000's, one does not really ever know what one will see, but people in oddly fitting chain mail, battling with medieval weapons is not usually high on the list of guesses. However, that's what we found that night. When everyone got tired of swinging their homemade and/or ordered online weapons around, they took a Powerade break. My friend and I cautiously approached these armed strangers and asked something along the lines of "what the hell?"

One spotty-faced boy with plastic sports glasses strapped to his face said, "We're the Society for Creative Anachronism. We have a permit. It's okay."

Thank goodness he told us about that permit, because obviously that's the only reason we were asking. Also, thank goodness for the internet, which explained the Society for Creative Anachronism, because my previous sentence is a lie.

The Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA is, according to their website, "an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and skill so pre-17th-century Europe. Our 'Known World' consists of 19 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Members, dressed in clothing of the Middle ages and Renaissance, attend events which feature tournaments, royal courts, feasts, dancing, various classes & workshops, and more." So what does that really mean? People wear costumes from different time periods and do whatever they want in them while claiming that those things are from SOME time period other than the one in which they currently live. Sounds pretty fun to me.

Fan-gasm Friday

Know what I love? You're gonna judge me, and yes it has its ups and downs. But I love my Kindle. I'm not shelling. I just genuinely love it.

It's not something I would have ever purchased for myself. I, too, used to sneer at e-readers of all shapes and sizes. "What's wrong with books? Haven't you ever heard of the library?"

 Well, SHUT UP, old self! You can read library books on the Kindle! You can also download pretty much anything in the public domain for free, as well. I've read 40 novels this year, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I can access the books I want to read as soon as I want.

My one gripe? You can't read comics on it. It's black and white. Images look meh on it. Comics aren't formatted for this sort of thing. Look at that screen. No, really, are you looking? Not a comic book. Le sigh...

BUT GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!

The Kindle, which I fan-gasm for, just sealed the deal with DC Comics to be the exclusive e-reader for their comics! How's it gonna work?? I'll tell you! The Kindle Fire, bitches! I start purring when I look at it. Faster, smaller, smarter, CHEAPER than the iPad!!! AND YOU CAN READ COMIC BOOKS ON IT!!!

Set back? Well, looks like my old friend Barnes & Noble is now pissed off at DC and will no longer carry any of their comics in their stores. I can acknowledge that this is a touch sad. However, I grew up in a tiny town in the middle of nowheresville. Population=itsy bitsy. And even us hicks in itsy bitsy land had a dedicated local comic book store. So part of me wonders, who actually buys comics at Barnes & Noble? I mean, if your town is big enough for a B&N, isn't it big enough for a comic book store or two?

That's all I got to say about it. Here's what the NY Times says.