Sexualized Saturdays: On Shipping Questions and Questionable Ships

How many of you here are in the Supernatural fandom? Yes, all of you? Then you probably know about NJWank2013: one of Supernatural‘s many chances to gank us all with angry feelings before the season finale. Let’s recap the events: At a Supernatural convention in New Jersey (“Salute to Supernatural 2013″), there was a panel with Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, otherwise known as Sam and Dean. The first questioner at this panel was a young lady who started her question with “I’ve loved seeing Dean’s character become more comfortable with himself this season. I’m bisexual and I’ve noticed some possible subtext…” She was immediately drowned out by a chorus of booo’s. While a bodyguard confronted her, Jensen said that he couldn’t hear the question, and that he planned to move on. “I meant no disrespect,” said the girl, and that was the end of that story.

Psych.

Project Runway Season 11: Steampunk for the Win

There have been eleven seasons of Project Runway and two full seasons of Project Runway: All Stars. Usually the show turns out lots of pretty dresses and other things you might imagine on a high-end-ish (this is reality TV after all) runway. Sometimes they go a little funky or costumey or tacky, but rarely do they ever pick something truly outside of these norms for the win.

This time, however, they did.

Michelle Lesniak Franklin from Portland, Oregon did her take on a steampunk collection. I personally liked her since the first episode of the season, where she described her ideal client as ‘a hip girl who can recite the entire periodic table of elements.’ So sort of like me and a lot of the women who probably read this blog. I rooted for her all season (even when she was getting screwed over by the judges) and she finally came out on top a couple weeks ago! Yay!

In geekdom, there are a lot of different points of view when it comes to fashion and you see it at cons; our version of a catwalk so to speak. In general, you have your cosplayers, your more goth kids (who Saika calls ‘the people who fell into Hot Topic’), and your steampunk. If you follow more mainstream fashion, you know costumes, Hot Topic/goth gear, and steampunk are not exactly trending right now (or ever). So to have a popular reality TV show acknowledge someone who has more of a steampunk aesthetic is a big deal. It says that geekier fashions have a place outside conventions—that your leather jacket with 5,000 buckles is cool and not bizarre.

So congratulations, Michelle, and thank you for making the fashion world acknowledge that steampunk has its place there!

Theatre Thursdays: A Very Potter Senior Year

What else could we possibly be talking about today??

Yes, as we all hoped when we heard about the reading at LeakyCon, A Very Potter Senior Year has been uploaded to YouTube! The third and final musical in the series by Team StarKid makes its way into the lives of eager fans—and it’s a bittersweet moment, to be honest. The show is as funny and energetic as we expect, but there’s a sadness in knowing that this is the end which is actually part of the show’s theme.

While the previous two entries were hilarious madcap romps, I would say this is the first time one of the musicals has a theme or message and that theme is directed to all of us as fans and says that it’s OK that Harry Potter has come to an end, that we can move on to other interests without forgetting or betraying all that the series has meant to us. The theme works its way into the story by showing that the wizarding world, including Harry’s peers at Hogwarts, have forgotten all about him and his accomplishments now that Voldemort and his followers have been defeated. This disregard for Harry is hastened by the arrival of new book crazes such as Twilight and The Hunger Games written by none other than Gilderoy Lockhart.

Ginny and the Diary

As Lockhart’s presence would indicate, the structure of this musical comes primarily from The Chamber of Secrets, but of course it has bits and pieces from the rest of the series mixed in and a healthy dose of its own original plot.

Ginny receives Tom Riddle’s diary and unintentionally revives Lord Voldemort, Harry keeps trying to regain his popularity but only sinks lower and lower in the eyes of his friends, and Draco Malfoy becomes the new most popular boy in school. What can be done to save the day? You’ll have to watch to find out, because I’m certainly not giving any spoilers here!

Why I Strongly Dislike Utilikilts

A real kilt

Maybe I’m too much of a purist, and it’s very possible so feel free to call me out on it, but I hate Utilikilts with an undying passion.

First let me explain where I’m coming from: I play the bagpipes and own two kilts of my own. I come from a place where a kilt is neither a skirt or a costume, but rather a traditional article of clothing symbolizing an entire (and very proud) culture.

The Utilikilt is a poor knock-off of a symbol of the entire Scottish culture. In fact, it is just a skirt and the mere attribution of the name ‘kilt’ to it is an insult to kilts. I’m trying to make this not sound like a rant, but it’s sounding an awful lot like one. Let’s put them side by side and see if you get it.

Saint Patrick’s Day sort of makes fun of everyone who’s Irish because everyone puts on a green shirt and calls themselves Irish when they’re not. They’re just using it as an excuse to be drunk. It’s the same way with Utilikilts; they’re cheap knock-offs of something people take very seriously.

An utilikilt

What I’m talking about is technically called cultural appropriation, or the adopting of some elements of a culture by another group (check wikipedia if y’all don’t believe me). However, it’s really hard to tell whether someone is trying to be nice about it and show their appreciation of the culture or whether they think something is just pretty or cool without knowing the object’s cultural importance. Now usually it is considered offensive only when there is a minority culture and a majority culture, but I disagree with that definition. Why does the dominance of one party over another make it offensive?

I guess this sounds like a real first world problem, but I suppose if you haven’t been in this situation it’s hard to explain how an article of clothing can make one’s eyes burn. And I know there are so many more cultures that have more problems along these lines than one can shake a stick at (ex. Native Americans), but it doesn’t mean that it’s not a problem for those who take pride in their Scottish and Irish heritage.

What do you all think? Think I’ve played in too many St. Patty’s Day parades and need to go take a nap and stop whining? Let me know in the comments!

Con Etiquette (Connecticut, if you will)

Lady Bacula: After another excellent con and our hectic lives (hopefully) being a little less crazy, Lady Saika and I decided to bring you a lovely guide to Con Etiquette, a small state in New England with a lot of wealthy people and home to Yale University.

Lady Saika: We have a lot of cons under our belts, and we see people engaging in the same annoying behaviors time and time again. This kind of stuff can range from mildly annoying to con-ruining for the people around you. We’ve painstakingly considered the most obnoxious con behaviors we’ve encountered and made you a list of what to do and not do at a convention.

• Don’t ask for someone’s picture while they are eating or in the bathroom.
• Do not stop walking in the middle of hallway or stairwell. Move over to the side.
• Also, do not stop at the top or bottom of a stair case/escalator.
• Do not ask for someone’s picture in any of the above locations.
• Never say anything bad about other people and/or their costumes. People come to cons to get away from the judgmental jerks in real life. Cosplayers have varying degrees of money and time and skill to put into their costumes, and they wouldn’t be wearing it out if they weren’t proud of it. Don’t be a dick.
• Shower so that you don’t smell like con. Believe us, it’s a smell that you would prefer not to smell. Because it is a smelly smell that smells smelly.
• Ask before you take a picture. 99.999% of cosplayers want you to take their picture because it makes them feel like the work they put into their costume is validated. Ask first, and you’ll get a nice pose instead of a blurry and candid sniped picture.
• Absolutely ask before you hug, touch, glomp, etc. Just because con-goers are fellow fans doesn’t mean that consent is irrelevant.
• Don’t complain about people in costumes that aren’t relevant to the con theme. I’m looking at you, people who complain about Homestucks. Everyone at the con paid the same registration price to be there, and it’s none of your biz what they dress up as once they’re inside.
• Do be aware of your surroundings. Cons tend to be very crowded, and if your costume or prop is big and unwieldy then make sure you remember that you’re occupying more space than usual. You can’t expect others to watch out for the long hem on your dress.
• If you are cosplaying as a specific character (ex. Vegeta) who has a Funny Thing They Do (for Vegeta, responding “IT’S OVER 9000” when asked what the scouter says about his power level), expect to be asked about it. If you do not want to be asked about it, do not cosplay as that character. Nothing is worse than a grumpy con-goer.

Lady Bacula: We hope that some of these are rather self-explanatory. And in a perfect world, some of these wouldn’t even be an issue in the first place. However, our world is not perfect and so we need to put these guidelines on the internet.

Anyone have any other guidelines that we missed? Leave them in the comments!

Web Crush Wednesdays: Ebay

So this day after Christmas, also known as Boxing Day, I present you with something you’ve all heard of. It’s called Ebay.

Whether you have those books from last semester you need to sell or just some really bad presents from your holiday, Ebay provides a venue to get rid of them.  But you guys already knew that, so I’m going to cut to the chase and tell you why it’s here today.

Ebay is an excellent place to buy all of your cosplay needs. Many people/businesses have their own cosplay stores where they sell entire costumes. Simply searching a character’s name and the word ‘costume’ usually generates results.

But if you don’t want to buy your entire costume, fear not! Ebay is still a great place to look for costume pieces. Especially for wigs. I don’t live in an area that has many (or any for that matter) wig shops, so Ebay is really the only place I can look. And like shopping for a costume, you can type in a character’s name and ‘wig’ and you can find something. This usually works with the more popular characters, such as Ciel Phantomhive or Naruto, but not for your lesser known characters. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of wigs to be had in any variety of colors and lengths. And with good luck, you’ll be able to find the exact wig you want for a reasonable price. I got a wig for a Kyoya (from Ouran High School Host Club) cosplay for $4. So if I can have good luck you can too!

Cosplay Questions: Wigs

This is me as Roy Mustang

Okay everybody, here’s an important question: how do you select your wig?

I’m addressing this question under the assumption that you do not want to cut/dye/restyle your hair for every different costume. And if you are doing three costumes a weekend, that’s impossible.

But let’s say getting away with your real hair is a possibility for a costume, do you buy the wig anyway? Well if you have long hair, thick hair, or a big head, then wigs are not going to be your best friend. So if any (or all if you’re me) apply to you, then skip the wig when possible. 

New ‘Shortpacked’ Arc Hits Close to Home

I’ve been noticing a trend not only on my Tumblr dash, but in the general consensus of the net and its denizens on what the hot topic issue to discuss this season is: sexism! But when is it not sexism, honestly? At least this time there’s a figurehead for our discussions: Tony Harris. Harris, a comic author that has worked for both Marvel and DC, recently has come out saying a whole slew of offensive things that boil down to “hey girls, you can’t actually like nerdy things because you’re a Fake-y McFakerson and I’m on to you and your tricky lying skank ways.”

Okay, it was better thought out than that (barely), but it brings up a point that we’ve already brought up here once, and will probably do so again: is it possible to be a fake nerd or geek?

I’m Pretty Sure We All Know That Feel

More importantly though, does it even matter?  Let’s, for the sake of argument, say that yes, there are fake nerds and geeks that want in this super special club of fandoms and feels and whatever else there is. Who’s going to care or notice? For one, if they’re attending cons, they’re essentially giving money to support other nerds and geeks. If they’re watching shows, they’re adding viewership ratings that may help keep the show on the air. Literally, the only problem I can see with this is that the lack of knowledge they may have on your fandom of choice may be slightly annoying. If that’s the case, either teach them and help them understand—who knows, you may make a nerd/geek of them yet!—or ignore them and go on your way. It’s. Not. That. Hard.

There Are Some Things You Just Can’t Ignore

But, I’ve completely veered from what I wanted to bring to light for today. This morning, I checked out the webcomic Shortpacked (which we’ve already praised for one of author David Willis’s previous strips) and was completely sick to my stomach, but in a good way, I’m hoping. It seems as though in his latest arc he’s going to tackle this new, unapologetically geeky girl generation through the eyes of Lucy, the newest addition to the Shortpacked line-up and also an unapologetically geeky chick, and her being harassed by someone that looks freakishly like Mr. Harris. Although it’s only on its first page, it’s already uncomfortably hitting close to home. I’m interested to see where he takes it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope it ended in a cosmic dick punch.

“There You Go” with Dino Andrade: Part 3

First parts of the interview here and here

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MadameAce: Now the Scarecrow, he’s a Batman villain that has been re-imagined a lot, over and over again. How did you envision him when you first started playing him? I know you talked about the demon in the human body and whatnot, but I’ve just seen so many different versions of him.

Dino Andrade: Being a long-time Batman fan, the first thing that I did was look back at the first, the original Arkham Asylum graphic novel which then I got the script and discovered that the two had absolutely nothing to do with each other. After that, I started looking at darker versions of the Scarecrow. One of my favorite versions of the Scarecrow, although he’s not in it for very long, is in the series Batman: Vampire where Scarecrow has human fingers sewn into his costume and stuff like that. He’s this terrifying character and I really liked that interpretation.

That was kind of my jump off point from there because I knew that Arkham Asylum was going to be much grittier than anything that had been seen or done before on video games or comics and so on because, of course, Chris Nolan’s Batman, which took a grittier tone, was so successful. I believe that was part of the mandate for Arkham Asylum: to go for darker territory than Paul Dini and company were allowed to do in previous television incarnations. That’s why I purposely studied Batman: Vampire which is probably the darkest Batman story there is.

LGG&F’s Best of New York Comic Con Cosplay

I am bad at doing stuff at conventions. I love the atmosphere, and the opportunity to people-watch and hang out with like-minded nerds, and most of the time things like panels, screenings, and celebrity guests are just icing. I can probably count on two hands all the panels I’ve been to in my con-going life, and that’s out of sixteen conventions.

This lead-up is all an excuse to explain why I don’t have any first-hand news from any NYCC panels or photos of myself with famous guests—we didn’t bother seeking any out.  There were only a few panels that sounded interesting to us, (Marvel in Television, the Firefly panel) but we have tremendously short patience for lines, and in the latter case, only part of our group had seen Firefly and we weren’t going to force them to wait for it without even an interest in it.

There were approximately 116,000 people at NYCC, and we had enough trouble just getting from one place to another in the Javits Center without drowning in Homestucks, let alone finding the rooms where actual panels were happening.

So, rather than a roundup of all the cool nerd news that came out of our gripping journalistic coverage of New York Comic Con, this is going to be a Best Of Cosplay roundup instead. Check out the slideshow or hit the jump for the gallery of our highlights!

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