Confessions of a Fangirl

New Doctor, new complaints.

2013-08-04T19:30:00.003-07:00

Well shit, it's been forever. I guess I might actually have a life after all. Fuck me, I never knew. Well, what better way to come back, all grown-up and grizzled instead of starry-eyed and naive than in the same way I started, with some Doctor Who news.

You know

Peter Capaldi, Mr. Sexy-pants-from-The-Thick-of-It, has been announced as the 12th Doctor. I, personally, am ecstatic. Finally another actor I know I can trust to do right by the Doctor. I don't hate Matt Smith, don't get me wrong, he has his charms, but he just isn't that primal fan that's needed to do right by the Doctor after so long. David Tennant knew what the Doctor needed to succeed. He brought Doctor Who back into the spotlight and it exploded into the massive fandom I see all around me as I gaze upon the mass of fans in giddy, childlike wonder. I love that Who's gone mainstream. It makes my everyday memorabilia acquisitions that much easier and less awkward now that everyone knows what I'm talking about. Finally.

BUT, there's a huge but here. As with any fandom gone viral, an interesting brand of fan begins to emerge. The fan that likes to bitch and complain while knowing absolutely nothing about what they're bitching and complaining about. In this particular case, I'm talking about the people I'm hearing right now bitching about Capaldi being cast because he's older.

Don't care, still hot.

To them I say, so fucking what? William Hartnell was almost 60 years old when he portrayed the First. He started the mammoth that was, and still is (YES!) the Doctor Who vehicle. Clearly audiences then didn't think Hartnell was too old to do his job (you know, act) properly. And do it he did. The first episodes of Doctor Who are some of my all-time favourites. They put the magical world I had grown up in (I'm a child of Baker on early-morning re-runs) into amazing perspective. They gave me that sought-after origin story every superhero has. And I loved them. I never once thought to myself, "you know, this guy's old, maybe they should have put a Frankie Avalon lookalike in there instead. (If you're too young, or not into late 50s pop music enough to know who Avalon is, take a gander.) I liked Hartnell because he had character that gave his character character, you savvy? I wasn't looking to him to serve solely as eye-candy while I drank in my science fiction fix; I was looking to him to entertain me. And entertain me he did.

That's my biggest issue I'm having with accepting a modern audience to my beloved classic. The New Who Fandom is comprised of younger, more spoiled-by-Hollywood people. People who might have by-passed all the classic Who that made my childhood so damn tolerable, maybe even awesome altogether. I don't hate them for that. I understand. Sometimes the "special effects" are a little hard to swallow, sometimes the stories aren't the greatest. But the actors, oh the actors, were superb. The actors have continued to be superb, no matter what sort of crap has been passing through the script room, sometimes even being green-lighted. (That movie could have been better guys, you know that.) I have no doubt in my mind that Capaldi will keep on with the noble tradition, and, being a fan of the 'dom himself, I feel he has valuable experience to help him do so.

But these spoiled (mostly female, sorry to call you out ladies, but it's true) fans are bitching and moaning because they don't think he's pretty. (Not everyone is Tennant-levels of attractive, the wolrd can't handle that shit.) Fuck that shit before it even gets out of the asshole. There are a lot of people (probably old farts, older than me, even, and I'm a senior citizen on the internet) who do think he's a sexy piece of man-meat, but sadly, we're also majorly the ones who appreciate him for more than his looks.

Capaldi is a phenomenal actor. He's already graced our 'dom before in Series 4's episode The Fires of Pompeii, and in Torchwood: Children of Earth (which is a series I STILL maintain, did NOT happen, okay?). I've seen him blend seamlessly into my beloved fandom before. I know he can do it again, and this time, he'll be in the spotlight, deservedly so.

Give this man a Screwdriver, he's ready.

Basically, what I'm saying here is give the man a chance to do awesome, or in the very least, not fuck it up. (He won't, I know it.) Don't go moaning about all twelve years old bitching about how he's not Bieber, or a Jonas, or whatever the fuck is popular or "sexy" right now. Do like I did when I was your age, all young and doe-eyed, look past the grey hair and see the beautiful creature in there, acting his heart out and giving his all to entertain. You want six-pack abs, open a porno mag. You want a baby face boy, look into any pop mag and you'll find whatever is the new flavour sensation of the month in there. You want entertainment, shut up and let the actors do their jobs before you try to criticize them. Give them a bloody chance to wow you first.

Cheers, gonna go hang myself because it's not November yet.

Anime... Why haven't I grown out of it?

2013-01-05T20:44:00.003-08:00

For a large amount of my childhood, I was very into anime. Not just anime, but the whole anime/manga/popular Japanese culture thing. I was into colourful characters with huge eyes, loved Japanese music, and became an all-around fangirl of the stuff. And I was often told by those older than me that anime was a phase, and I would grow out of it. And for a couple of years, I thought they had been right.

Look him in the eye and tell him he's not sexy... for a drawing.

Work happened, harder school, a lot more duties fell onto my plate and I was forced to give up a lot of the spare time I was so used to having when I was younger. Things like anime, scifi shows and comics wound up getting put on the back burner while I worked to be able to afford the things I loved. I had less time to devote to hobbies, so a lot of things sat forgotten in the bottom desk drawer. I had limited time, so I wound up only following one or two comic series at a time and maybe watching one or two shows I was really into. That didn't leave much time for anime or manga. I was a grown-up and I had grown-up problems to deal with; a job, tax forms, trying to look put-together at family gatherings... I suppose anime wound up being forgotten for a while.

Part of the problem might have been pure tiredness. When I got home from a day at school or at work, I really didn't want to go rooting through different animes to find something new to watch, nor did I really want to go rooting through my old stuff to figure out what I wanted to re-watch. Basically, I didn't want to work for my entertainment.

To be honest, Netflix spoiled me.
"Instant queue." Can't get any easier.

I'm not sure what it was that brought me back to anime, but it started with Gundam SEED. It must have been something my ancient history prof had said, because one evening after that class, I went rooting around the anime drawer for it.

It was as if I'd never stopped watching. SEED led to SEED Destiny, the led to a re-watch of Death Note, which led to my friend forcing me to sit through an episode of Le Chevalier D'Eon which led me to where I am now, determinedly searching through new series that don't bore the crap out of me.

Does this ever get interesting?

But honestly, I couldn't explain it. Even cartoons I love as a child have lost some of their colour to me (the Transformers seemed more interesting when I was seven). But somehow, SEED was still as awesome to me as it was when it aired in 2002. (Honestly, has it been that long? Damn.) Sure, I laughed a little more at some cheesy dialogue, maybe made a few jokes at characters' expense, but who doesn't do that about their favourite things? The thing is, anime hasn't lost its appeal, even though I could now be technically classified as an adult.

Maybe it's my desire to never grow up. My bed is still covered in Transformers or Spider-Man sheets, there are still cartoons on almost 24/7, I still act like a five-year-old if I go out shopping with my mother. Maybe this could be the appeal, but I have a different theory.

I've met people of all age groups who enjoy anime and manga. There are titles out there to appeal to each and every one of them. You've got titles like Junjou Romantica or Gravitation for your teenaged girls, you've got titles like Naruto for younger boys. Then there are titles like Death Note and the various Gundam series that seem to hold universal appeal. Anime is not just another cartoon for children, it's a whole new art form that can take many forms. Certainly there are anime titles for younger audiences, but there are also those for older ones as well. It's like any other genre of entertainment. Why should it just be disregarded because people don't understand its appeal? I'm not saying everyone needs to like anime, it's a matter of taste, of course. All I'm saying as that anime fans seem to be getting a bad reputation, even with the more mainstream "nerd culture" that's growing. I think it's time or that to change.

Cheers.

There is nothing in this world better than fighting robots.

I miss tactical, turn-based gaming.

2013-01-04T13:11:00.003-08:00

Call me old-school, call me a clumsy, all-around terrible gamer if you want, I just miss turn-based fighting in old-school video games. Looking back to 1986, when one of my favourite gaming series was released, you find games with covers like this:

Note: not as many dragons as you'd think.

But with graphics like this:

Half the size of the castle? That's me.

But here's the thing. I didn't care about the graphics. The graphics were, and still are when I break these games out, the last thing on my mind. First and foremost, I care about the story and their playability. Now, I'm not saying the original Dragon Warrior was an amazing fantastical masterpiece, but it did spawn my second favourite game of all time, Dragon Warrior IV.

Blow in me. Do it.

This game had it all, great characters, compelling story, long enough play time. The only thing it didn't have was fantastic graphics.

Although that's up for debate.
I almost believe those are real mountains.

But at the time this game was released, these graphics were state-of-the-art. And that was great. The limited technology available to game designers also affected how fighting could happen in games.

Hot damn I almost believe I'm there fighting.

But here's what I love about that style of fighting. It isn't that it's easy, although it's nice to just sit back and press a button to fight sometimes. I just enjoy the way it plays without detracting from the story. It also lets all the hard work done by artists who create monsters to not go to waste; it's a lot more difficult to see a monster when you're all over the place trying to kill it, rather than calmly fighting based on turns, which gives you a really good look at whatever it is you're fighting.

I've also come to see that a lot of these first-person games that have been coming out recently all look the same, play the same, and have similar stories (or lack of, in the case of all those shooting games). Now, there are, of course some exceptions to this, games that have done really well, or should be doing really well, such as Skyrim and Dishonored. These are games with fantastic stories and immersive worlds. The first-person view adds to the immersion without taking away from gameplay. But games like Final Fantasy, or Dragon Quest, or any other games that began as turn-based should remain that way. It's a formula that's worked well for them over these years.

Black Ops.

Modern Warfare. A different game, apparently.

I don't know, maybe I'm old. Maybe I just can't see the allure of the live-action, first-person games like the rest of the world can. If that's the case, I hope someone can explain it to me so I can understand it too.

Or maybe it's that game designers, particularly those tasked with story are simply getting lazy, or reusing the same old formula again and again because it worked. All I know is, we're seeing a degradation of fantastic story, or great games are being overshadowed by the same game being released over and over again (what are we at now, Call of Duty 54?). I understand that games like Call of Duty can appeal to more people than say, an epic about slaying dragons using magic. But does that really mean one has to be taken more seriously than the other? Yes, I understand that money is on the line and the Call of Duty franchise generates A LOT. And I'm not saying that enjoying war games like it makes you any less of a gamer than someone who's logged 40+ hours into a, RPG. That certainly isn't true, both people enjoy playing games and most likely do so frequently. They are just different types of gamers. But why, are we ignoring a whole slew of types of gamers to favour just one? Why can't I just sit back after a long day and press A, or X, or Circle, or whatever to fight? And if I'm up for a more challenging or immersive game, I'll grab something different like Dishonored or Dark Souls, or whatever's on hand.

The world of gaming has indeed changed. There are times when I'm very happy about it. Like when Dragon Warrior IV was remade for the DS with slightly better graphics.

Thank you, Nintendo, for bringing my childhood back to me.

But then I question, when a game that is strikingly similar to to its predecessor(s) is released, why we even bothered to make the leap into the future in the first place. Have we really come to value graphics over the game itself?

Now, I'm not claiming to be an expert, or even a hardcore gamer. I honestly haven't touched many games since I did my research paper on them and wound up ripping most of my favourite titles apart. All I'm saying is I long for the good old days, where we had no graphics to rely on to make sales, so we had to rely on a good story with solid characters instead of using the same game over and over again and just dressing it differently.

Well, that's my angry rant for the day.

Cheers.

Binary - A Poem by Yours Truly

2012-07-05T22:42:00.001-07:00

Rather than bitch about something tonight, I feel like posting this poem I write, mostly because I like it. Hope you like.

Binary

Constant motion:
Everything Moves around us;
From the tides of the ocean
To our crew and their devotion.
In a system so marvellous.
Like two suns
,We form a perfect balance.
Everything we have done
,And all we can become
Depends on this delicate dance.

The two of us, we're binary
One can't function without the other.
You might say it's destiny
But I know I'll never love another.

We're like one and zero,
Only together can we form our language.
With one gone, there's no tomorrow,
Sense is lost in the other's sorrow.
No way to program around that damage.

The two of us are binary,
Depending on each other.
Nothing I'll ever see
Will make me want another.

We are one and Zero,
Two suns bound together.
Together, we can make a language flow.
Together in our warm glow,
Bound together forever.

I've seen whole systems die
When one sun loses its lover.
And the two of us are binary
And I'll never love another.

My problem with DC's Earth 2 and why it probably won't stop me reading

2012-07-05T00:08:00.000-07:00

This totally has spoilers, so if you read on and haven't read it yet, it's your fault.

A side note before I begin: Is this not one of the coolest covers ever?
Wonder Woman is shiny. This is a thing. A good thing.

It's no secret that I'm more than a little into slash. It's a character flaw, I've been told, and I have to live with it. I am okay with this. It appeared that the Slash Gods somewhere out there were rewarding my unwavering faith when it turned out that Alan Scott (Green Lantern) was totally in love with a man named Sam. (Couldn't have picked a more unisex name, DC, well, other than Leslie.)

I knew it would be risky to get attached to Sam. Significant others in origin stories tend to have a high mortality rate. I knew this and yet... I was hopeful the writers (who are awesome, by the way, regardless of what I say next, they are great and I love them; T'Lema=Robinson fangirl) would stray from the cliché "lover's dead so we must fight in their memory" plotline. I was kind of asking for the moon on that one. It's hard to come up with compelling origin stories that stir the emotions of readers and give the heroes reasons to fight the evil coming for them. In my experience, people are less likely to risk their necks if they've got a lot to lose, by taking away their "everything", in this case Sam, they've got nothing left to lose, and everything to give to the world they protect.

That said, there were some really original and moving things added to this "cliché", although I find it hard to believe that anything can be a cliché any more; in a world where tentacle Hentai exists, I'm pretty sure everything's been done at least once. My favourite part, and the part that actually moved me to tears (which, incidentally is really hard for a comic book to get me to do) was the origin and Alan Scott's Green Lantern ring. It's the ring he was going to use to propose to Sam. If that is not heart-wrenchingly touching, you've got a heart of stone-cold steel and I never want to talk to you. I cried like a baby and then went through about twelve hours of blind anger at James Robinson for making Alan Scott gay and then killing off his lover just after introducing him. Sort of a blow to the whole "acceptance" thing that went with this revelation. But, I'm over that. It is almost 3 am and I can say I'm no longer furious. Characters die. Sam wasn't mine. I knew it was going to happen. I have no right to be angry over a creative decision. And to me, it was a smart decision. You know, the whole "nothing to lose" thing.

Yes, I was actually angry to the point of possible flame sightings in or around my ear-area. Yes I'm really sad that Sam died. But I'm looking at this on the bright side. Sam is actually giving Alan more power, as he is "close to his heart" and all that cliché romantic noise (so cute♥). Also, I didn't see Sam's body, therefore I have liscence to hope he'll be brought back into the story. Between me and you, internet, I'm hoping he'll be used by Grundy to get at Alan. Hello, my favourite plot ever. Lovers pitted against each other, and Alan will DEFINITELY have a reason to defeat Grundy then. (Seriously, James Robinson, if I mention you enough in this will you read it and use that? Please? James Robinson. Please. ...That's not how the internet works, and I'm sad.)

And this is the cover. I'm sorry, bad. ass.

Oh yeah, did I mention Grundy's the villain? Yeah. This is going to be sweet, nay, epic. I just, my fangirliness is getting in the way. Let me turn that off for a bit. Yes this is an option, slash fans. Not a fun one, but it's an option all the same. And yes, I'm fully capable of removing the "slash goggles".

Let's talk Hawkgirl. Super hot. I'm not kidding. She's a real ice queen and I love it. I'd continue reading on in the series for her snarkiness alone. I actually have no opinion on the Flash yet. I fin him sort of dumb and a little whiny, but I feel like that will go away once he understands more of what's going on. Plus, Alan Scott will be there to whack him if he gets whiny. This is something I really want to see happen. Someone please draw the Green Lantern smacking the Flash across the face for being whiny. I will love you forever.

So, the Wonders are dead. I was indifferent to this. A minor character introduced one volume ago had me up in arms for half a day. I was actually invested in Alan Scott's happiness. Alan Scott is someone I hated growing up. But Robinson and the two Scott's have made me like him a lot. He's a strong character with one hell of a heart. Seeing that heart broken made me feel as though my own were being attacked. This is the kind of writing the comic book world needs. This is also why I can't wait to get my mitts on the next issue of Earth 2, regardless of heartache. I want to see where this goes and I want to see more of this fantastic writing.

Seriously, your biggest fan, right here.
Use my ideas. My brain is yours to pick and then throw away, disgusted.

All I need now is for Batman Earth One to be fantastic and my summer will have been made. Since I've just found out I'm going to get to meet Frank Cho in September. DC, you're rocking it this summer, please don't stop.

Cheers!

How to live as an incorrigible flirt

2012-06-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

Have you ever met someone with such a pretty face you couldn't help but flirt a little? Maybe they were in a relationship, but you flirted a bit anyways. Maybe you yourself were in a relationship and felt bad for the flirtations. But at the time, you simply couldn't help yourself. Now, imagine this happening with more than half the people you meet.

If they looked like either, you really can't
be held responsible for any flirtation.
It's a knee-jerk reaction.

So let's say you're someone who can't see even a moderately pretty face without the flirting coming out. Let's say people start to label you as "creepy" or some variation of the word. What can you do? It's who you are. I say, stop apologizing for who you are. So long as you're not actively engaging in any true creeper behaviour (eg. stealing underwear), I say, why try to change. A little flirting does a great deal for a person's ego/confidence. You're doing someone a favour by flirting with them, even if they don't flirt back. It makes them feel special and wanted. It makes them feel attractive. If that's a bad thing, I'll gladly go to jail for it.

This man could file SO many lawsuits
if flirting were illegal...
against me alone.

Now, I'm not one to be judgemental about looks. It takes A LOT to keep me from flirting if I'm in a flirtatious mood. To me, pretty much everyone is beautiful, and they deserve to know that. There have been occasions I may have toed the line of creepiness, but I usually know when to reign it in.

If he wasn't so nice, he could file quite
the sexual harassment suit.

All I want to say is, flirting is healthy. It's a great way to have a little fun, even if you're not in for a commitment. It's a great way to let someone know you think they're attractive, which certainly makes a person feel good about themselves. If that's so wrong, I don't want to know what right is.

Cheers!

In Defence of Grammar Nazis Everywhere

2012-06-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who types like they're a monkey bashing its head against the keyboard?

I feel like the monkey is probably better at both
typing and spelling.

"but i liek to typ3 li3k dis" is often a defence for such crimes against language, or "its shorter 2 not type it all out and ur super dumb 4 not doin this 2" is an alternative. Why? For the first one, why would you want to look like a drunk ape learning how to use a complex piece of equipment? I honestly don't see the allure in looking like a complete moron in a setting where everyone across the globe could conceivably see your act of idiocy. For the second one... well, you're using a full keyboard. Can you honestly not spare the extra half-second it takes to type "to" or "too" instead of using the digit? If you're really that busy, should you honestly be wasting your precious, precious time on an internet forum or the comments section of whatever it is you're browsing? Quickly, get off your computer and get back to your life-changing work.

Seriously, these monkeys know what
they're doing.

Surely, if you are a lover of languages like myself, or at least a human being of moderate intelligence, you've wanted to, at some point, correct at least one egregious error in your time on the internet. Perhaps you've restrained yourself for fear of being labelled a "Grammar Nazi" for the whole internet to see.

My question is, why be afraid? Why fear being known for proper use of your language? Since the internet really started to soar in popularity, the quality of grammar everywhere has been deteriorating. It's gotten to the point where people, grown, adult people, have no idea how to use simple words like "your" and "you're" properly, and are simply confounded by the idea of "there", "they're", and "their" being different things with different meanings. Please, don't even get me starting on using "then" rather than "than" to make comparisons. This is simple grammar people should have picked up in grade school when they were learning how to read and write. No amount of wifi should ever change the fact that this is important linguistic knowledge.

Yes languages change an mutate over the years. Otherwise, we'd still be going around asking "what light through yonder window breaks" or "how art thee this fine morrow?" However, languages should not mutate to the point where words lose their meanings, or become so confused with similar words that no one knows how to spell or use them correctly without several visits to a dictionary. My point here is, use a darned dictionary, learn what words mean and how to use them, and I'll stay off your back. Until you do that, I will continue to be one of the last crusaders for linguistic purity.

Cheers.

I believe Nintendo's lost its mind...

2012-06-12T21:45:00.001-07:00

The Nintendo Wii U is set to be released sometime soon, and it's helped convince me that Nintendo's finally gone completely bonkers.

Let's take a look at the controller:

It's large, it's clunky, it doesn't look like it can fit into someone's hands comfortably. Now, having spent my fair share of time with controller in hand, I can tell you that carpal tunnel from gaming is a real thing, and it's exacerbated by controllers that are uncomfortable to hold. This... this thing is a giant rectangle. It has made no effort to conform to the shape of a human hand, which really leads me to believe that Nintendo has some inside information about an impending robot apocalypse and they are preparing for our soon-to-be robot overlords. Robot overlords that have square-shaped hands or something. I honestly feel like the people who designed this have never sat down and played a game before in their lives.

Now let's talk about how you actually use the clunky controller:

It's a touch screen. Like on a DS. I bought a DS when it first came out. Then I bought another one when the Lite came out. I think I may be partly to blame for the inflated ego Nintendo's gone and grown itself. My point is, I don't need ANOTHER DS lying around the house. And that's basically what this is. It's a bug, clunky, not-foldy DS that works with your TV. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd love to play some of my DS games on the big ol' telly screen (Dragon Quest, anyone?), and if the new system allows me to do that, I will probably shell out my hard-earned, hard-to-come-by money for one on that principle alone. I'm not perfect. But if I'm going to have to look at a smaller screen instead of my TV half the time I'm playing the game, I'd rather not spend the money on the new system and just play my games on the consoles I already have. Because, you know, I'm responsible with my money.

This stuff just materialized on my shelf.
I didn't spend money on it. I swear.

While we're on the subject of the touch screen, it appears that I will have to actually tear my eyes away from my pristine telly screen to fumble around with my bloody box-controller, presumably while I'm dying on the larger screen where the actual game is happening. Maybe Nintendo is looking to encourage team work, having one person operating the large robot weapon controller and the other looking for potential threats on the main screen. But what about lonely basemen hermits like myself with no one to spot them? Are we not allowed to play your games, Nintendo?

Now, let's talk games. Let's see, the hot titles Nintendo;s keeping from us are...

Stick [insert random word] Edition on the end and
BAM! new game.

Games we've already had for quite some time and have probably become sick of by now. It looks to me like Nintendo's just gone and taken the hottest games from the past year and gone "That's great... but I think adding clunky multi-tasking-required controllers will make it ten times better." Because that's how you get people to love your games right? Making them hard to play.

Let's talk connectivity. Ever tried to watch Netflix while hooked up to your PSN?

Then you've probably been filled with rage by this thing.

Annoying right? You're trying to watch a film or a very charming serial killer killing people, when little notifications keep popping up on your screen. A lot of the time, it's messages from the same person. "Hey, I see you're online, but not playing the game I'm playing. You should fix that." "Hey, are you listening to me?" "Hellloooooo?" The point is, they start to sound like Navi.

Back to the Wii U. Apparently, it's a completely connected userbase. Basically, everyone can see and message everyone. You see where this is going. Those "Hey! Listen! HEEEEYYYY!" infuriations are going to start happening. A lot. And there's nothing you can do about it. You'll be getting messages when you're trying to concentrate on a game, and a lot of the times (you know it will happen) it'll be some ten year old going "Hi." I can only imagine the mass console slaughters that will occur within a week of the Wii U's release. So, er, Nintendo... good luck with that.

Cheers!

Green Lantern's Going Rainbow?

2012-06-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

A panel from the upcoming issue in which Sam is introduced.

Oh my, it has been quite some time since I've posted anything, I'm not used to actually having a life. Its strange to me.

Marvel's been making news recently with their announcement that Northstar and Kyle will soon be tying the knot. And if you're anything like me, you're waiting so impatiently to see it you're wearing a groove into the floor with your pacing.

DC, as they seem to do, is following suit, bringing back Alan Scott as the Green Lantern (I hear he'll eventually be heading the Justice League!) and their puling him out of the closet. The second issue of Earth 2 (written by James Robinson) will introduce Sam, Alan's lover, who in my opinion is adorable. It's out soon, I can't wait!

This is such a big step forward for the comic book world and I am so excited to be able to witness such a major change.

I, of course, had to draw my own.
It's obviously not as good as Robinson's.

Last Minute Gift Shopping?

2011-12-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

If you’re about as organized as I am, you’ve probably had your Christmas shopping done for months… yeah, that’s a lie, you probably haven’t started yet. So, going through ideas for friends, I’ve found a whole bunch of stuff any self-proclaimed geek/nerd would love to get. I’ve assembled them all into a nice list for your perusing pleasure.

Star Wars Flash Drives

Come on, what person doesn’t want Yoda protecting their files? Or Darth Vader threatening all who dare touch it? Save your files, you will.

R2-D2 Peppermill

The deus ex machina droid that does all, has come up with a brand-new function no one saw coming: grinding up pepper for your dining pleasure. The perfect gift for any sci-fi fans who are also big fans of cooking. It’ll help brighten up any kitchen.

Star Wars Handbags

For any girl-nerds on your Christmas list, this is one of the most awesome things she could receive. Not only is it a handy purse for carrying all those necessary girl things in, it’s also a piece of art for carrying around on your arm.

Stars Wars Clock Lamp

These are something I’ve wanted for quite some time. I mean, this is truly something that puts the fun in functional.

World of Geekcraft Craft Projects book

This is for your craftier friends or children who happen to be on the nerdier side of the spectrum. From what I can tell it’s got 25 craft projects, perfect to keep you busy on your down-time or keep the kids busy during the holidays from school.

Star Trek Enterprise Bottle Opener

The holiday season is all about the parties, and what’s a party without great drinks? Why not open them up in true nerd style?

Spock Cookie Jar

What’s another staple of this time of year? Cookies of course! Why not keep them safe in the most logical way: a cookie jar, in the shape of the most logical being around, of course.

Spock Holiday Hat

Want to get right into the holiday cheer? Get everyone you know a hat with awesome ears to get everyone feeling jolly, illogically so.

Star Trek Nutcrackers

Keeping in the Christmastime tradition, why not gift someone with a nice collectible nutcracker in the shape of their favourite Star Trek characters?

Ride-in Dalek

Got any children who’ve followed in your noble nerdy footsteps? Looking to spoil them? Why not get them a fancy Dalek shell to ride around in on their quest for galactic domination? I know I wish I could have had one.

AdiposePlush

Got someone on your list who likes cute and cuddly things? Can’t afford to kidnap David Tennant for them? Why not get them a nice Adipose plush instead? Nothing says cuddly like “fat that just walks away”.

11^th Doctor Bow Tie

Got a distinguished fellow to buy for this year? Why not treat him to the coolest accessory of them all? If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that bow ties are cool.

Doctor Who Fobwatch

Any distinguished gentlemen who don’t think bow ties are cool? A delightful pocket watch might just be the thing for them. Available in both plastic and die cast, it’s perfect for the classy gents on any budget.

Captain Jack Harkness Coat

Who doesn’t love a 51^st Century man with charisma? Why not don his coat and some of that charisma for yourself? Perfect for a special someone you don’t mind spending a little extra on, or perfect for spending any gift money you may receive.

Bacon Wallet

Got any bacon lovers in your life? Why not get them a wallet they will truly love? Just make sure they don’t try to eat it!

Minecraft Confusion Tee

Got any Minecraft addicts to get a gift for? Why not make them laugh while giving them a fun shirt with which to express their love of OCD gaming.

Glow in the Dark Zombie Mug

Zombies have become quite popular lately, and I know they’re quite a few die-hard fans out there. If you know one, why not gift them with a nice fancy mug? That glows in the dark.

Firefly Inevitable Betrayal Tee

Any self-respecting Wash fans know that this is obviously one of his greatest lines ever, and movie fates notwithstanding, he will live forever in awesome tees like this one.

Firefly Serenity Keychain

Got any Kaylees in your life that simply love Serenity? Gift them this keychain and support their noble love.

Companion Cube Cookie Jar

This is a gift that’s no lie. Give any Portal fans you know a real companion to keep their goodies safe, they’ll thank you for sure.

Legend of Zelda Ocarina

Got any musical friends who love Zelda? Gift them with a melody, well a way to play a melody with a replica of Link’s trusty ocarina.

Nintendo Monopoly

This is something I actually did buy for a friend who loves Monopoly. Not being one for Monopoly myself, I’ve never played it, but she really enjoys it. So if you’re really into the game or your friends are, this is a fun thing for get-togethers.

Yeah, I did all my window-shopping on ThinkGeek, gimme a break, I’m a lazy internet shopper and they have great stuff from pretty much every fandom. And most of these things can be found in collector's shops and the like, since it's last-minute now, no time for shipping. I know I've seen most of it while out and about.

Better Cookies Made with Love and Glee

2011-12-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

So, in my abundant free time, I often watch people's children, thus fulfilling my quota for social interactions until the next week. I get along pretty well with children, considering I have the maturity of a four-year-old most of the time, but sometimes there's a problem keeping them entertained in a way I never was a kid, meaning, let's not plop them in front of the TV for six hours and then we'll talk to them. This time, instead of running around in the freezing cold and possibly breaking some bones on the hazardous ice, I decided we should make gingerbread. The theme? Something all of us had in common, ie. the game I made them play and they turned out loving: Final Fantasy VI. (III in America, I believe.)


From top left: Edgar, Terra, Kefka, Sabin, Celes, Mog, Chocobo, Shadow Aren't they precious?

So, I basically made the dough, the kids helped by turning on the mixer and such, seeing as they're young and I don't much fancy eggshells in my cookies. The gingerbread is the same recipe as the last batch of cookies, so we won't talk about that. If I'd had fondant they probably would have been a lot nicer, but it wouldn't have been as much fun for the kids, so we mixed up a couple colours of icing and I let them loose. They had a blast. They made a mess. I cleaned it up. Life is good when you're eight and six. They treated me as though I were Leonardo da Vinci himself as I taught them how to use a piping bag, although my skills (seeing as it's impossible to tell apart the ones I decorated from the ones they did) are lacking at best. Point being, we had a great time.

Cyan, Strago, Locke, Relm, Gau and Setzer

I had been planning on doing South Park cookies this year, but seeing as most eight-year-olds (myself excluded, apparently) aren't avid South Park fans, I figured I'd better switch the plan up a bit. So now I have a batch of FFVI gingerbreads, and life if pretty damn awesome.


Gogo and Umaro

Making these cookies was pretty straightforward. We mixed the dough and put it in the fridge for the necessary hour. During that time we looked up pictures of what we wanted to do and prepared icing and such. Time passed relatively quickly. I rolled out the dough and they went to town cutting out the people. Funnily enough, we had just enough dough to make all the characters and a chocobo, well, we'd had two chocobos but one was stolen by an evil passing adult. They cooked rather fast and while they cooled the kids wanted to play the game, so we did.

This one's my favourite. It's both cute and Setzer. ♥

After that, with the icing we prepared earlier, we decorated our cookies. These children are obviously prodigies. I am so proud.


This was the biggest pain in the ass since I had to move back in with my grandmother.

Well, my cookies are done, and I'm already feeling far more jolly than I normally would at this time of year. I think a victory fanfare is in order.

Cheers!

Hey Rick Perry, let's learn some history, huh?

2011-12-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

I'm sure a lot of people have already seen Rick Perry's latest attempt at scrounging up any possible votes from any place he possibly can, seeing as, well, he's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box. I'm not going to do him the favour of linking his video here, if you haven't already seen it, go ahead and go look for it on Youtube, but make certain you have no sharp objects on hand, you'll probably want to stick them in your head upon hearing him speak.

Let's start with his first claim about 'not being ashamed of admitting he's a Christian'. Alright, that's cool. There's nothing wrong with having your own religious views, knock yourself out, you live in a free country, believe what you want. I just want to take a minute to question your wording there: why are you saying it as though it's something most people are ashamed of, or as though it's something people might be shocked to hear you say? I mean, I don't have any statistics here, but I'm pretty confident in saying a LOT of Americans are some form of Christians, be it Catholic, Protestant, etc. I don't see how coming out and saying that Christianity is your thing is supposed to be shocking. Perhaps if he'd come on screen and said "I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a big supporter of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster", people may have done a double take and questioned the man's sanity three seconds into the ad instead of only ten seconds into the ad. As it is, I really think religion should be left out of politics, but his announcing his Christianity is not all that shocking.

Next, I want to talk about the part of his ad that really hit a nerve with me; the part where he claimed that 'there's something wrong when gays can openly serve in the military...', ohh. Let's not open that can of worms with me, Mr. Perry. I, and many people I know, would have flayed you alive if we were in the room when you said that. I like to think that as a species, we've evolved over the years, past the point where we fear people who are different. We've pretty much gotten over the sexism thing, sure there's places in the world where apparently intellectual evolution has yet to reach, but we're doing rather well. I like to think the racism problem is going away in an absolutely swimming fashion, once again, exceptions and hiccups, time will tell. Is it not about time we get over the sexuality hump (yes that pun was intended, sue me why don'tcha... please don't, I have no money) and just get on with our lives? I will be the mature one here and not point out that Perry's jacket is shockingly similar to Heath Ledger's in Brokeback Mountain... oh wait, guess I'm not going to be the mature one then. But seriously, let's not even go there. People are FINALLY growing brains and starting to figure out that what you like to do behind closed doors is really not that big a deal. Unless you know, it's some screwed up stuff I may or may not know about growing up near Hicksville, Hickington; then that stuff is probably illegal. What I'm getting at is: get over it. Some people are straight, some are gay, some are asexual, some are bisexuel, the list just goes on. My point: let people be. You want to be allowed to celebrate Christmas openly? Let others be openly gay, regardless of what profession they desire to pursue. Point finale.

Now, to my main point: his strange idea about America having a "Christian heritage". Now, I'm not an American, but I am a history buff, especially when said history has to do with religion. I do seem to recall reading that the good ol' US of A happened to be a country founded on free religion, meaning it was founded with no particular religion in mind for the country's "main" religion. Seeing as the founders had varying religions themselves, they figured it would be best to found a country with no religion at all involved in the government. How did it come to be that religion, ie Christianity, has become so prominent in American politics? Emails were sent around about Obama being a devout Muslim, a false claim, seeing as Obama said himself he was not raised in a particularly religious household (and as an atheist, panromantic girl raised in a rather strictly Christian, pretty closed-minded household, I am VERY jealous), but my question for them was, who cares? Number one, the Muslim faith is not one of violence, it is a faith of peace, like Catholicism is supposed to be, yet extremists are capable of violence, and I would like to draw attention to something called the Crusades (if you don't know what that is, please look it up, it's seriously messed up and may change your mind about religion being a good thing in the world), but I will say nothing more about them, having exhausted my rant about them. (I was alone against a large grounp of people in a "debate", it was more a lynching, and I really don't want to start that again.) I can only hope that the world is beginning to produce people who aren't afraid to ask questions about the things they hear, and learn to think for themselves, and not do things simply because some ancient book (written by people, I'd like to point out, not faxed down from some dude on some astral plane) tells them to do them. Anyways, I seem to have strayed from my original point; my point is, Rick Perry, you're a closed-minded idiot. Please, stop. It appears you are so desperate for votes your clinging hopefully to religion in the hopes of grabbing the Evangelical vote. Who knows? It may work. I can only hope the rest of the country is completely stupid.

Here's one of those legitimately important topic I warned I might talk about sometimes. This guy rubbed me the wrong way, and after several Facebook and Twitter debates, I felt a need to really rant about it.

Let's freak out some homophobic Matt and Trey fans, why don't we?

I'd like to say that BASEketball, like pretty much every awesome thing, belongs to Matt and Trey and all those other people who matter in the movie. They aren't gay... but man do they act it well sometimes.

Cheers!

Best Cookies in Existence... Ever.

2011-12-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

So, it's that awful time of year where I get depressed due to snow overload, decorations creating eyesores everywhere, terrible songs getting stuck in my head and the stress of finding a gift for everyone. (Don't call me a Grinch, dammit, this is one of the worst holidays ever, besides, I like mistletoe, that's a point in my favour.) To cheer myself up I like to make fun cookies, since apparently it's the time of the year gingerbread, the most delicious of all cookies, is really "in style". And of course, being me, I can't have them be just normal gingerbread men... no, they have to be characters from whatever currently holds my fancy. Last year's cookies were Star Trek: The Original Series-inspired (You'll be seeing those in a minute). This years theme has yet to be decided, but I do have a few things in mind. (If you've got a cool idea, you should drop me a line.)

Yeah, so they're not very detailed. Sue me. They were for fun.

Now to make awesome cookies like these, all you'll need is a basic gingerbread recipe. If you want mine, it can be found here, but it's in French. But they're really good, and the recipe even includes one for icing, if you need one. Seriously, this man is a kitchen god.

Guess which cookies got eaten first.

Make your cookies as directed, yaddy yaddy yadda. Make icing as direct, etc, etc. You have to leave gingerbread in the firdge for a good couple hours, so I suggest making these when you have a lot of free time or when you have something to do in between. When you take them out and roll them, you can use a basic cut-out like I did for my people out of laziness, or you can hand-sculpt, like I did for my Enterprise. Bake as directed, etc. Let them cool before you apply the icing. (Protip: To cool them faster, you can put them in the fridge, or outside if you live in the freaking arctic circle like I do.)

I was really amused that it was Spock-cookie's hand that got split down the middle whilst baking.

Now, depending on what kind of characters you're making, you're going to need a wide variety of colours. I used primarily red, blue and yellow, but had a sort of gold colour for insignias and rank braids, as well as a dark brownish-black for hair and faces. The Enterprise didn't really need icing. I was going to ice her, but I got lazy and was being kicked out of the kitchen. So she just got a label out the left-over gold.

Laziness at its finest.

After you've got all the colours you need, you just apply them in the places your characters' clothes should be. I recommend having reference pictures nearby, that way you don't have to run to find them if you need to have a quick look.

BEHOLD my *cough* amazing *cough* piping skills.

Voila! You have made your very own character cookies. Be proud.

Aww, look at the BFF cookies.

Cheers!

They should make villains less adorable/good-looking. Seriously.

2011-11-25T01:56:00.000-08:00

It is totally not almost four in the morning and I am totally not still playing Zelda. Okay, now that we've gotten that blatant lie out of the way, I shall turn my attention to the pressing matter at hand: Villains, and why I don't feel like beating them up.

First and foremost, why do the dudes look like girls? Is it so I squeal and yell that he's totally my type OMGROLFWAFFLES? Cos I definitely will. Lord Ghirahim, resident Demon Lord of the newest installment of the Zelda franchise, is the most adorable little cross-dressing demon man I have ever seen. (Allow me my fangirl moment, damn you). With that very disturbing thought out there, let's get to the point. I honestly felt really bad about smashing his pretty little face repeatedly with my sword. Even being a woman, I felt like a savage woman beater... beating up a girly man.

I've made it my personal rule not to beat up men with makeup.

Except for him, he's fair game.

Now, don't get me wrong, female villains rock. But don't just give her magical powers while I've got massive Rambo muscles and a sword to cut her up good with. No, no no no no. She needs a kick-ass sword too. Maybe a cool bad-ass catch-phrase too. It's ingrained in all our heads not to go around beating women, so forgive for not wanting to go charging in with my sword while she shoots little sparkle dust at me, regardless of how powerful the spells actually are. At least give me the illusion she's fighting back by giving her a sword, or kick-ass club to hold.

Now THAT'S a woman after my own heart, right there.

Another thing I want to get out there is, stop giving them compelling backstories. Yes, I want to know more about them, where they've come from, why they're evil... but why do they always have to have such tragic pasts that make me feel sorry for them. The last thing I want when walking into a boss battle is to have sympathy or worse, even liking the villain I'm about the lay a smackdown on. (I'd like to refer to Loki right now, even though he's not a video game villain, just because the movie did just that, and it's the first thing I thought of.) The villain Count Bleck, from Super Paper Mario (oh god girliest game ever, but awesome still) is one of those. Of course, being the girly kid's game it is, he redeems himself in the end, so I guess this was a bad example.

After compelling backstories, the next problem is making the villains too likeable. If they're too funny, I won't want to kill them. If they're doing it for a lost love, I'll feel bad about it after vomiting at the cliché. If they're adorable, not going to want to hurt it.

Look at that little loving-life grin. I feel bad every time. Sort of.

You want me to be itching to kick some villain ass? Make them annoying, but not so annoying as to stop me wanting to play the game.

Yeah, we all know we wanted to kill her instead of Ganondorf.

Or better yet, have the villain be as vindictive, sneering and condescending as possible. I think it's an instinct everyone's born with that they see a self-satisfied smirk on someone's face and they want to smack it off their face with their Master Sword. That's why Ganondorf was always such a good villain, he'd be condescending, making us go through round after round of light-ball ping-pong before considering you enough of a threat to let the fight get real. By that time, you're just itching to get your sword into him on even grounds to prove yourself. That's what you need in a villain. That self-confident, condescending asshole players can't wait to stick it to.

If all else fails, make all villains look like this.

Of course, you could go in another direction, with the emo, self-deprecating, why-won't-anyone-love-me-style villain. It gets to a point where they whine so much, you can't wait to just put them out of their misery.

You know who you are, pretty boy.

So what I think the world of video game villains needs, is a sort of mash-up. Someone who has a reason for being so evil, even if that reason is just being born that way, someone who's got story, but not so much that it takes over the game and makes me sympathize for the villain. Someone with flare, but not so much that players become attached. Someone who looks down on other characters with loathsome disdain. And best of all, someone so completely insane you couldn't imagine letting them live to see another day out of fear of what they might do. Well what do you know, Kefka's good for something after all, scaring you into wanting him dead. (Greatest villain of all time!)

He'll murder me in my sleep if I don't give him picture space.

So, to recap, what we need to do is stop making me like the villains I'm about to murder. Make them someone I enjoy killing. Not someone I enjoy watching and interacting with. That's what the whole point of games is, you get to the end, and kill the bad guy. I want to like doing it. Not feel bad about doing it. I want to look forward to the boss battle, I want to be so amped up about sticking my sword/photon/laser gun into his/her chest that I run in like a fool. THAT'S what video games seem to have lost in a sea of artsy graphics and story. I just want that feeling back.

Here's some fuel for nightmares before you go.

Cheers!

The Legend of Zelda: Most Addictive Game Yet

2011-11-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

Okay so maybe the game's called Skyward Sword and not Most Addictive Game Yet, but seriously. If there's one thing that'll wake a Nintendo fangirl from the dream that is Skyrim (that's another addictive one, seriously, what is it with game developers?) it's a brand new Zelda adventure where you actually get to entertain the fantasy that you actually have some sword fighting skill.

You'll probably never be this good.

They brought back your favourite swordsman and that gorgeous princess, and left out all the crappy characters from past games that no one like (Navi, anyone?). Of course they DID replace one annoying little fairy with a bigger annoying fairy, but I'd rather hear Fi's weird Kanye voicebox voice over Nav's irritating squeak any day. Not only is she less of an annoyance, she doesn't hover around your head distracting you from the tasks at hand as you try to stab her down with your sword. (Everyone tried to do that, right?)

Looks like the character design team put a bit more effort in this time.

Not only is she significantly better-looking than Navi, she also offers better advice. Since she's not really a person of sorts and more just a technology inside the Goddess Sword, she offers logical advice and precise calculations, as opposed to the crappy vague riddles we got from our lame-o fairy. Of course, Fi has her downsides, a lot of the information she gives on enemies is limited to whether or not you've defeated one yet. I ran into that slight problem when trying to defeat my first skulltula. But that aside, I'd rather a little companion that stays hidden most of the time than an annoying little floating fairy or having Midna skulking around in my shadow. (I really have nothing against Midna really, I just... I'd rather not have any companion really.)

This game is really very different from others before it, mostly in the way that it's all based on your Wii remote and how you move it. People I've spoken to are a little leery of fighting enemies and boss battles by swinging the swords themselves, but if you take the time to do the training exercises, it's really quite simple to get the hang of it.

In this game, practice makes perfect.

The favourite old tools are back: bombs, the slingshot, the bow and the hookshot in form of the clawshot. The ocarina is conspicuously absent, having been replaced by a Goddess' Harp. I haven't gotten the harp yet, so I can't say if it's anything like the ocarina. You can also obtain a whip, once again, not something I've done yet, having spent most of my time grinding for rupees. There are also mitts for digging to be found and a gust bellows with which you can blow dirt and small enemies around. The new addition that really has me excited is the Beetle. It's a small flying drone that cuts through ropes, and if you upgrade it enough, you can eventually have it carry bombs.

The one tool I've been using the most so far is the Bug Net. In this game, you can catch bugs to upgrade your potions. It's a bit difficult to get a handle on at first if you have shaky hands like I do, but eventually you get into the stride of following the bugs and swinging the net to catch it. You can also gather treasures to upgrade your equipment, a feature in this game that I really like.

Shields in this game have health bars. (Well all of them except for one, the Hylian Shield, one we're quite accustomed to seeing by now.) If you deplete the health bars completely, the shields break, so it's important to get the longest health bar possible for your shield. You do this by upgrading your shield at the scrap shop in Skyloft. Needless to say, the treasures you collect in this game come to be rather important you.

This is a game for people who don't mind grinding for items and rupees. You can get through the game just grabbing the treasures you get while doing yours quest, but you probably won't be able to upgrade all of Link's equipment that way. Therefore, you'll probably be spending some time catching bugs and picking up different relics and other treasures from around the world.

So far, I'm really loving the storyline. You're a boy from the knight academy in a floating town called Skyloft. You're BFFs with Zelda, and she's totally into you, if you know what I mean. I don't want to give any of the story away, so I won't say more, but it really is a lot of fun.

Did I mention the interesting riding that goes on in this game? No, you don't have Epona, which is sad, but it's still actually kind of cool. You have a giant red bird, a Loftwing, of your very own to fly around on. The coolest thing about it? You get to jump off into the air and whistle for your bird. I know I scared the crap out of a friend who came over to see the game when he first saw me dive off a ledge.

I didn't know Link had taken up skydiving.

Flying is one of the more awkward things in the game to catch onto, since it's actually quite sensitive to how you're holding the remote. But, you get a nice tutorial from Zelda, so it shouldn't be too difficult for anyone to pick up. I got it rather quickly and I'm not always so great with stuff like that.

All in all, I'm really loving this game so far. I haven't gotten too far into it yet, despite a 60 hour playing time (spent more time cutting grass than anything). When I get further in, I'll be able to comment further on it, but I doubt I'll do nothing but love it more. Until then!

Cheers!

I seriously have to share this

2011-11-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a video of my cat being adorable. I really just had to share this, he's my crazy little baby.

This is me admitting to being a crazy cat-lady. No one judge me.

Hope cute things brighten up your day!

Cheers!

How to put together your very own Fourth Doctor costume

2011-11-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well, Hallowe'en may be over, but I know for a fact that conventions go pretty much year round, seeing as I have one not to far from now. What a better place to show off your cosplay skills? And, if you're anything like me, you love the idea of going as one of the greatest people to ever bless the Doctor Who-niverse.

I wonder if he looks this shocked when he finds out he's so popular.

If the last con I went to was any indication, Doctor Who is making a massive resurgence, thanks greatly to Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat, bless them. But, amongst the cool bow-ties and the coats from Janice Joplin, I was seeing an awful lot of scarves, which to me, was amazing.

The greatest fashion accessory mankind will ever know.

So, if you're interested in becoming the embodiment of the greatest Doctor to ever be known (opinions may vary, depending on who you started with, it IS true that you never forget your first), you will need to do a variety of things before even getting started.

This is no time to get lazy.

First off, you have to come to the realization that Tom Baker's Doctor had one of the more diverse wardrobes in the series. Consisting of three very distinct coats, two noticeably different=coloured scarves, not counting the differing multi-coloured ones that appeared throughout the Fourth Doctor's long run.

You have to make a decision about which sort of Fourth Doctor you want to portray. Do you want to be the early Doctor, fumbling around in his short burgundy blazer? Do you want to be the Doctor in his dark brown coat, ready to plunge into a dark and mysterious plot? Or would you rather wear the light grey-brown frock, ready for a more light-hearted and action-packed adventure?

He can't make the decision for you.

Once you've made your decision, it's time to find out what kind of components you're dealing with. Personally, I preferred the lighter coat outfit, which is the one I chose, but they all have essentially the same parts, just in different colours. Keeping in mind that there are A LOT of things you'll need, which can rack up in a lot of money spent, this is what you'll need:

Blazer or frock coat
I got mine from CosplaySky, rather thank making my own, since making coats can actually get far pricier than simply buying one online. I was also pressed for time, so I just placed the order and focussed on other parts of the costume instead.
CosplaySky is actually a really great place to get the coats, since they have both the grey-brown frock and the reddish blazer, and everything's made to your own specific measurements, which is pretty awesome. So whether you buy it online, or you make it yourself (there is a wide variety of patterns available online if you need one, simply search "Frock coat pattern" and you'll find one), this should be one of the first things you get done, since coats can be time-consuming to make and orders can take a few weeks for delivery, so don't do this one last-minute.
The Scarf

The iconic scarf. This is the item that will make people recognize who you're cosplaying as. Most people, myself included, will say that this is the most important part of your costume, seeing as it IS his trademark accessory.
Now the scarf is slightly more difficult. Frock coats are coming back into style with all the steampunk and popularity of Victorian-era clothing. Eighteen-foot scarves, however, have never really been in style, and considering the impracticality or them, I don't think you'll be finding those at your local stores.
There are people online you can commission a scarf from, but in this case, that would probably be the more expensive route. If you know how to knit, or even if you don't (it's not really that hard, so why not give it a try?), it's time to get crafty. Wool, if you shop at stores like Wal-Mart, isn't that expensive and you can get rather large balls at a much cheaper price. If you're willing to put aside the time (and eighteen feet or so IS going to be time consuming) you can get the scarf for much cheaper than if you were to buy one online.
My grandmother, an avid knitter (my own personal Madam Nostradamus), volunteered to make the scarf for me, and, knitting for hours a day (it's her hobby, I'm not a slave-driver, honest), she managed to make the entire scarf in a little under two weeks, but don't expect that sort of productivity if you have an actual life. Set aside some time to knit, but make sure you start enough in advance, I'd recommend a good couple months in advance, giving yourself some lee-way. If you want a good pattern to knit from, I'd recommend doctorwhoscarf.com, since they offer all four patterns of the scarf as it evolved.
Either way you choose to go about obtaining the scarf, be assured that it's well worth it. You'll have a Doctor Who prop as recognizable as the Sonic Screwdriver... which, speaking of...
Sonic Screwdriver
This is one of the accessories people often forgo if they need to save some money. I'm not against dropping the screwdriver if you're a little strapped for cash (I'm no stranger to being broke, but that cos I buy all sorts of Doctor Who stuff), but it is one of the cheaper items to put into your costume. I paid 19.99$ for my screwdriver at the last con I went to, and looking online, it's not too much more to order online. I've also seen the Fourth Doctor's screwdriver in comic book and collectible shops all over, so there are options with the Screwdriver. And, after you're done with it in your costume, it's fun to have around as a decoration, I keep mine with my DVDs, and people who visit are always playing with it because of the fun sound it makes.
Hat
The hat is another difficult one if you don't want to spend a lot of money. The only floppy fedoras I'd found outside of Hallowe'en time were in men's specialty shops for upwards of 80$ apiece. I suppose if you shop around online enough you may find one for cheaper, but I hadn't found one. So, with those shocking prices, I'd ended up going to a Hallowe'en costume shop, hoping to fins Victorian props, and came out with a Freddy Kreuger hat. It's not EXACTLY like the Doctor's hat, but it's really similar in some ways, and is providing me with a good template to make a better hat for future cons. So my advice for the hat is to shop around and don't be afraid to get something cheap and work to make it similar with a little scrap fabric.
Waistcoat
The Doctor is famous for his crazy pattern choices, and the waistcoat is no exception, sporting a cheerful brown tartan pattern along the front. Now, if you don't have a lot of time or money on your hands, this one doesn't have to be perfect the first time around, as your scarf does hide a lot. The first time I dressed as the doctor, I didn't have a waistcoat at all. No one noticed with the scarf in the way, but if you're a die-hard cosplayer like me, I know you'll want to get one eventually. I recomment going to men's shops that sell Victorian-inspired clothing, or to shop online in places that sell Victorian or steampunk clothing, as they're the most likely to have what you're looking for. I found that The Gentleman's Emporium had the best choices.

In some earlier episodes, the Doctor was seen wearing an argyle cardigan under his blazer, which is probably easier to find than the waistcoat. I've never gone looking for a cardigan like his, so I have no real advice, other than to look in menswear stores.
Shirt
The Doctor's shirt isn't often seen under everything he wears over it, but's mostly a baggy dress shirt, a more Victorian-styled shirt, but this is one place you can afford to be lazy and just use a normal shirt, as it will be covered. If you're going for authenticity, shop around in Victorian stores until you find something.
Ascot
The Doctor is definitely one for accessorizing! He's always seen with a colourful neckscarf (in red for later episodes, green for earlier ones). This is one of the things that will be visible if it's missing, but I didn't find red ascots too difficult to come by. They sell them in men's specialty stores and online everywhere that sells steampunk and Victorian clothing.
Trousers
The Fourth Doctor wears baggy wool trousers. They're a sort of grey-brown, and you can get them pretty much anywhere you can buy men's pants. I personally bought mine in a suit I got for the jacket that looks like the one Matt Smith's Doctor wore.
Shoes/Boots
The Doctor wears either brown loafers or knee-high buccaneer boots, depending on the episode. This is another decision that needs to be made in the costume process, keeping in mind that the loafers would probably be easier to find, as you can buy them in pretty much any shoe store. The boots would not be too difficult if you don't mind paying for it, as boots can get to be quite expensive. For boots, I'd recommend, once again, looking in places that sell older-fashioned and Victorian clothing, as you'll have the best amount of luck there.

These shoes scream sex.

However you go about getting the components of your costume, it will be well worth it once you start to see it coming together. The only thing left to do once you've gotten everything you'll need is to wear it with confidence. If you have crazy hair like mine, fashioning your own hair into an acceptable "fro" to rival Tom Baker's mess of curls. If you don't have insane hair, there are a variety of curly wigs to be found both online and in costume and party shops all over, so this will probably be the easiest part of the costume.

When you look this good, the ladies love you.

Once you've gotten your hair in order and all of your costume put together, rejoice! For you are now the Fourth Doctor. And that's certainly something to be proud of. Enjoy showing it off at your next party or convention!

Cheers!

Kenny McCormick, Greatest Character Ever

2011-11-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

Could the coolest kid in South Park raise his hand. Not you, Kahl.

"Dr. Pepper, what flavour is it? Is is root beer or cola?" That is one of the biggest questions in the newest South Park episode I just finished watching, and am totally not in the process of watching again.

Most people who know me actually expect me to say Cartman is my favourite of the boys, seeing as my favourite character of all time (other than the subject of this post) is Towelie, or at least Stan or Kyle, since I'm sort of a bitch (Kyle) and a little bit of a pussy (like Stan). But in reality, Kenny is the only one for me. Not only is he the raunchiest, most badass character ever, he's also the one who seems to have the most insight out of all of them, probably due to his position in the town's socioeconomic ladder.

He's uh, quite low on that ladder...

Need I even mention the sex jokes? The ones you sometimes I have to strain to catch, but are so worth it when you do? And do I have to bring up the way he expertly riles up Cartman, the best of all characters, with the exception of Kyle, although Eric tends to rile himself up more about Kyle than Kyle actually does, but I digress. Cartman's jokes "toe" the line (toe is in quotations, because I'm really quite sure they cross the line by quite a bit, really), but Kenny, with his voice being muffled, which basically censors itself, has access to so much more material, seeing as he doesn't need to be bleeped out when he says... undesirable things.

That hood is not only fashionable, it's a useful creative tool too!

And now, in this latest episode, we get to see a softer side of Kenny, which we don't often get to see. We see a Kenny, who is normally shown to be independent and light-heartedly brash, looking out for his terrified little sister. In order to make her feel safer, he dons his costume and assumes his super identity of Mysterion, whom Karen believes to be her guardian angel.

Need I say more? The kid's a sweetie-pie.

Need I say more about Mysterion? Of course! He is the greatest thing to ever happen to Kenny's character in the whole run of the show. Not only does he carry over Kenny's mysterious ability to not die, but he also retains the power to have no one remember his deaths after the fact. This is a power Mysterion believes to be a curse, which he often complains about to Coon and the others. This, along with Mysterion's other line topics, helps to display Kenny's darker, less childish side, revealing a mature boy with remarkable insight.

He shall continue to rise, while fans love him.

All in all, this episode is now one of my favourites, obviously due to it being pretty much Kenny-centric, with a few interruptions from Cartman, for which he can, of course, be forgiven. Kenny will continue to be my favourite character, only aided by episodes such as this one.

And I mean, is he not the cutest little preschooler ever?

I leave you know, with an amateur sketch and a message:

I'm white trash, and I'm in trouble!

And this is an amateur sketch of the greatest South Park character ever. Period.

Cheers!

This cutie-pie, along with everything else South Park, belongs to Matt and Trey. :)

Doctor Who is Doctor New

2011-11-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Well, first off, I'd just like to say that Whovians do not get more obsessed than I am. I've been an honorary Time Lady since I was was a little girl, so there's not a lot of Doctor Who I don't know. Except for one thing: I don't know if it's a good idea to make a big Hollywood movie about the iconic Blue Box and her little puppet pet the Doctor.

Pictured: why I'm always broke

But it sounds to me like that's exactly what they're planning on doing. I've been reading article after article about big shot director David Yates taking on the Time-Space continuum in the hearty little police box.

Now, on a whole, I think Yates is an accomplished director, having worked on project after project and doing wonderfully on most. However, I feel that he does best when he has full artistic license and isn't working from something that already exists and is already popular. I am, of course, thinking about Harry Potter when I write this, as I find that Order of the Phoenix was... less than I had hoped it would be upon hearing Yates' name attached to the project. With that in mind, I think it would be a bad idea for Yates to take on something as big and established as Doctor Who. I mean, the show has been running since 1963, before things were even in colour, you'd think it would have a lot of history and story attached to it, and it does.

The thing that makes Doctor Who so unique is how the story has developed so steadily over the years. To just erase all of that and start over, as it's been suggested will happen, would be nothing less than a sin. Even if this movie were to go all the way back to the first Doctor (William Hartnell, you know, the grumpy old man Doctor) and introduce him, the TARDIS, companions and villains, it would still have a hollow feel to it, like it's missing something.

Another concern I have is that it's been implied that Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, the brilliant men who've revived and revitalised the series so well, will not be a part of this movie. This worries me. The reason Doctor Who has been such a hit is that Davies and Moffat are willing to take risks, and these risks pay off. I feel like it would seem like things were being played safe without one of these toe-the-line writes on the project (I'm thinking of you, Davies, Torchwood is excellent for its scandalously fabulous scenes, you know what I'm talking about). My personal resentment of Moffat aside, he's a brilliant writer who deserves a chance at the big screen, if he wants it.

Which brings me to the question. Were these brilliant, glorious writers offered the chance to be a part of this movie? If they weren't, well, Mr Yates, that is just plain rude. These gentlemen have been the parents and protectors of Doctor Who since the reboot six years ago. It would be insane to not even consult them. If they were offered, and turned it down... well, I wouldn't blame them, I've seen Torchwood: Miracle Day. It appears that these shows do best without being Americanized.

I'd also like to point out that the Doctor Who movie that's already been done, you know, the one everyone's forgotten about because it hurts less that way, was less than brilliant. Doctor Who is fantastic because it fits so much into its one hour slot and always resolves the conflict in one, sometimes two episodes. To draw everything out into a full-length feature would just make it seem slow and empty.

One of my biggest concerns, other than writers, is who they would pick to play the Doctor. My favourite incarnations of the Doctor (2, 4, 6, Fourth is my favourite, for whoever's curious.) have all been sort of childish and outlandishly insane. Lately it seems that the casting's being done based on looks and not insanity-levels. Now, this is not an insult to the new boys, especially not David Tennant, who channeled the Fourth, much to my pleasure. Casting has been done very well so far. So far.

Pictured: Greatest thing to happen to television. Ever.

You see, the best, most popular way to make money, is to bring in a big-name hotshot or a sexy new man to fill the seats in theatres. Now normally, this isn't a problem to me, Johnny Depp is great at everything. Yes I'm a fangirl, shut up. But I'd rather see an old man up on the screen being properly insane than a brooding sparkling vampire brooding and sparkling all over the place. (I swear to god if Robert Pattinson so much as touches this movie someone WILL get hurt XD Great in Harry Potter, now I just can't look at him.) That said, if a big-name actor needs to get attached to the film, why not let it be Alan Rickman? Or, if need be, let it be Johnny Depp. I've seen him be insane more than enough times to know he'd do it well.

This brings me to the issue of fans. You see, the reason I love Doctor Who is that it has such an extensive fanbase of people who know, really know, Who. There's the people who've been there from The Beginning (oddly enough, that IS the name of the box set of William Hartnell's first episodes), and the people the Doctor's picked up along the way, sweeping them off into the TARDIS. The one thing I don't want is people coming to see this movie because an actor like Johnny Depp is in it, never having heard of Doctor Who, and then claiming to be die-hard fans without knowing anything else of the series. I went through this with the Star Trek reboot (which was amazing, you'll never hear me say anything to the contrary, Abrams is a genius) and I don't want to go through it again with my other Fandom.

Maybe I'm just being too protective of my childhood love. Maybe this movie has great potential I just haven't seen yet. The only thing I have to do is wait, since this is a long way off. Maybe it won't happen, maybe it will. I'll just have to go into this with my expectations as they are, that way the movie CAN'T suck. It can only exceed my expectations for it. Only time will tell... guess I'll hop into my TARDIS and see how this movie goes. I'll let you know.. Cheers!