Two ladies with an appetite for all things sci-fi, fantasy, and generally out of this world. So much nerdiness... so little time. Also we are sticklers for canon and watch everything in order. Spoilers, you know.
Hello Nerdlings & Happy New Year. We decided to be a bit lazy and do a short video blog (in our, well AM's pajamas nonetheless). So here it is!
...well. Sorry. Let's do that again.
...there we go.
Please go ahead and check out our awesome host Elliott and amazing musician Jess! Also bravo to Challengers Comics for hosting the shindig. They had a great space and awesome stuff, so check them out if you're in Chicago.
A very happy New Year to you all! Cheers!
~AG & AM
P.S. THIS is what followed the construction of this post:
A very Happy Christmas/Hanukah/New Year to you all! I'm writing to you now from sunny Milwaukee, WI where I have just opened all of my presents and am now sitting and watching BBC America (with a fez on) as the hours count down to the new episode of Doctor Who... like ya do on Christmas Day. I have been meaning to post for weeks but December got pretty hairy at the day job and so it hasn't been easy to get time to actually construct thoughts into sentencey-things on the blog. But anyway, I digress.
Last time you heard from us we were in Madison, WI for TeslaCon 2: 20,000 Leagues Beneath The Aether. In case you missed it through Twitter, here are the two video blogs we filmed while at the con:
First video: Nov 19, 2011
Second video: Nov 20, 2011
I have to say, going to TeslaCon was the SINGLE GREATEST THING WE EVER DECIDED TO DO TOGETHER. A while back, sometime last year, we saw that Gail Carriger had announced on her blog/Twitter that she'd be appearing as guest of honor at TeslaCon 2, and so we did some poking around to see what the word was. Once we found out it was in Madison and not terribly expensive, we agreed to go. We marked the dates on our calendars and moved hell and high-water to get there. It was well worth the effort. We experienced steam punks of all walks of life and level of costuming ability, we listened in on intriguing panels (shout out to DJ Doctor Q for his wicked "steampunk in comics" panel!) and met fantabulous people (shout out to Krisin of Bionic Unicorn, Samantha of Blasphemina's Closet, Syntheia Finklepott and Kevin, the Airship Ambassador). We had delightful teatimes in the Tea Room and we danced like crazy at the official ball. Beyond all of the regular delights of a convention, TeslaCon is the brainchild of Lord Hastings Bobbins III (Eric Larson), the first steampunk immersion event of its kind. During the course of our weekend journey on the H.M.S. Trident we met the Aquilan Ambassador, saw the signing of a peace treaty, were attacked by the evil Doctor Proctocus, saw a fashion show, witnessed the kidnapping of dear Lady Bobbins (GOOD HEAVENS!) and discussed the prospects of next year's TeslaCon 3: A Trip To The Moon.
That's right. We're going to the FLIPPING moon next year.
If you're interested in conventions, steampunk, or just want to have a deuced good time, you should really consider buying a ticket and coming along for the ride next year. It's going to be so much bigger and grander than this year, and seeing how good this year was makes my brain rattle with the actual possibility of next year's con. This year's theme was inspired by Jules Verne, of course, but next year is a nod to Georges Mélies.... and SPEAKING of Georges Mélies....
...have you read "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" yet? Have you seen the movie? If you haven't read it, good luck tracking down a copy, because it's selling out like CRAZY now that the movie is in theatres. But definitely try to track it down, because it's a marvelous book and author Brian Selznick is totally innovative. It absolutely deserves the Caldecott Award it won. You should also go see the film, though. And although I'm usually very much against 3D movies -- headaches, you know -- this is one film I highly recommend you see in 3D if you can. It's just so beautifully done, and it's made to be seen in 3D. It's a love letter to Parisian urchins, clockwork automatons, and silent movies. It's incredibly well cast and gorgeously filmed. I spent most of the film hugging my knees and grinning joyfully because it's so damn beautiful.
Trailers are fun!
Aaaaaand while we're doing trailers... go ahead and watch The Hobbit trailer again. Because it's also flipping amazing.
Yyyyyyyyep.
In the meanwhile, wishing everyone a very happy holiday season... does anyone have their New Years Resolutions sorted out yet? The few thoughts I've had so far include the following:
Finish playing Pokémon: Black.
Read more comics.
Read more MARVEL comics (since I'm mostly DC).
Play Arkham City (DUH).
Continue writing and get a short story published.
Go to more conventions.
BLOG MORE.
...any thoughts? Oh, and by the by: AM and I got the green light to start writing our Doctor Who burlesque script for Gorilla Tango... Keep your eyes open for more on that this year!
Off to open more presents; my extended family has arrived.
[AG:] So, you’ve got your fez, jacket and bow tie ready to go for Friday? We do.
Yes, friends, this upcoming Veteran’s Day also coincides with a once-in-a-century numerical coincidence: the eleventh day of the eleventh month, on the eleventh year of this century. That’s a lotta ones! (Insert binary joke here.) But seriously, the internets are a-buzzin’ with fans of everyone’s favorite Time Lord prepping their cosplayin’ best for Friday in anticipation of what bloggers are calling Eleventh Doctor Day.
[AM:] Normally we don’t participate in silly internet life-memes* like “Change your Facebook status to what color your bra is in honor of (insert cause here)” or “Repost if you support (insert cause here)” or “Wear blue to (insert cause here)” because let’s face it they don’t really accomplish anything and are mostly annoying. We’re not saying support (insert cause here) is a bad thing, but mostly they are silly and ineffectual. (Though we both count May the 4th as a national holiday). That being said in light of recent news regarding the potential eminent departure of our beloved Eleventh Doctor we have come to view this day as a way to honor, remember and have fun.
[AG:] Join in by paying tribute to Matt Smith as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor by wearing a fez, a bow tie, a tweed jacket, suspenders, or any combination of said items to work, to go out to the bar, or wherever you may be on Friday the 11th.
Tweet or email us pics of your Eleventh Doctor Day encounters and we’ll post them on the blog!
[AM:] P.S. For those of you who would like to point out that it is also Veteran’s Day and what we are doing is unpatriotic, etc., etc., there is no reason why we can’t support the Veterans and love our Doctor. My dad’s a Vet so lay off.
