Panels Part 1: Soska Twins, Bones, and SHIELD

I went to tons of panels this year, mostly due to the fact that my boyfriend and I got 4 day tickets with preview night. Before, the time seemed much too precious to waste standing for hours in line just to get into a panel. I still like to stick with the smaller panels, but I did get into one or two popular ones.

1) The Soska Twins

The Soska Sisters, twin directors extraordinaire, were in 2 panels. The first was on Warp Comics, an indie company actually called First Comics that published comics from 1983 to 1991. They are reopening and publishing new material. The majority of the panel was Ken F. Levin talking about the history of the company. While interesting, no one else on the panel really got to say anything. The time could have been used more effectively and even having the audience ask some questions would have been nice too. It was just kind of dull and sad.

The other panel was called Horror on the Panelled Page. In this one, all of the panelists, which included Mark L. Miller, the Soska sisters, Tim Seeley, Brandon Seifert, Matt Pizzolo, Mark Miller, and Adam Egypt Mortimer, were asked questions about their opinions on horror and there was time for questions from the audience. The most memorable question was one from a woman asking how they felt about violence in the real world, heavily implying that it was at least partly their fault for creating horror fiction. Some said that making horror helped them cope with horror in the real world. It allows the viewer to get close to something they normally would not be able to walk away from and leaves them unscathed afterwards. I really enjoyed the panel and I want to read more of some of the panelists' work, such as the Hellraiser graphic novel and the Witch Doctor comic books.

2) Bones

I waited in line for Ballroom 20 for about 2 hours to see Agents of SHIELD and got in just in time to see the Bones panel. I don't watch the show, but I'm a fan of David Boreanaz ever since he was Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I figured it would be cool anyway. It turned out to be a blast. The two stars started out by reading scenes from the last season finale, but reading as the opposite character. Deschanel as Booth had a deep, surfer dude kind of voice and Boreanaz as Bones was super high and squeaky. There were spoilers galore. Booth and Bones will finally get married and Boreanaz showed what a proper proposal to Bones would look like. Most of the fan questions were directed at Boreanaz and mentioned his previous Whedon work like what kind of character would Deschanel be. The panel was awesome and hilarious even though I have never once seen the show.

3) Agents of SHIELD

I purposefully avoided any sort of spoilers involving this show so I would be surprised if I somehow made it into the panel. So the panel started with a Q&A, which I thought was odd since they hadn't talked about the show at all yet beyond introducing those on the panel, which were Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Clark Gregg, Ming Na Wen, Iain DeCaestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Chloe Bennett, Brett Dalton, Jeffrey Bell, and Maurissa Tancharoen. The last question asked about a clip. Joss Whedon mentioned some legal difficulties with Disney, but said we would then watch the whole first episode. It was amazing! There were lots of Whedon alums, such as J. August Richards, Ron Glass, and Colbie Smulders. The writing makes the characters come alive. Each of them has their own flaws and fully realized personalities. Of course there is the trademark Whedon humor and rapidfire dialog. The episode introduces SHIELD outside of the Avengers, some sort of nefarious and unscrupulous organization, and a conspiracy theorist that lives out of her van. I can't wait to see the rest of the show, which premiers September 24 on ABC. Because it isn't FOX, maybe the show will last more than a season or two.

More panels to come!

My Mailbox: Comic-Con Edition

Comic-Con is the one time of year I can go on a shopping spree plus there is tons of free stuff everywhere. Here is some of the stuff I got.

* Books

- Conspiracies and Curtsies by Gail Carriger - sequel to Etiquette and Espionage. So excited!
- Krampus by Brom - A twisted retelling of the Santa Claus tale.
- White Trash Zombie Apocalypse by Diana Rowland - 3rd in the series that just keeps getting better. The author was there, but I didn't get to see her. :(
- A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesl Schwartz - Fun looking steampunk novel!
- Magic Kingdom for Sale by Terry Brooks
- Hounded by Kevin Hearne
- Newsflesh series box signed by Mira Grant

* Plushies

- Harley Quinn Skelanimal
- Chlamydia giant microbe
- Intestines! from I Heart Guts

* Hasbro stuff

- Magic the Gathering M14 planeswalker promo exclusive

- Vinyl Scratch figurine
This stuff was the biggest hassle to get due to the Hasbro Toystore having the most insane situation ever. I'm so happy and lucky to have gotten these and I hope Hasbro either gets their shit together and fixes their mob situation or they don't have anything I actually want next year.

* Pins ad Miscellany

- My Little Pony voting pins - got them all! It was so hard to get Rainbow Dash!
- Princess series pins from Adventure Time
- Plants vs. Zombies 2 pin
- Carrie pin
- Luigi gold coin from Nintendo zone

- super awesome cephalopods made from cured leather made by William Thomas Damon. The purple one is also a hair clip or a pin.

* Book swag

- hand sanitizer from Parasites by Mira Grant - clever marketing AND practical. Con crud is very real and disgusting.

- candy from Fiend by Peter Stenson - fake crystal meth to market the novel based around meth addicts during the zombie apocalypse. Tasteless or funny? I can't really decide.

Panels tomorrow!

Best Cosplay Part 2

More of the best costumes at the Con!

* Jaime and Cersei Lannister - I especially liked the detail in Jaime's armor.

* That big red T-Rex with the little arms - This costume made me smile like a maniac. Just adorable.

* Awesome ensemble Mass Effect cosplay

* Lum! This was one of the first mangas I read. Apparently it's not well known even thought it's by Rumiko Takahashi, but I totally nerded out and had to get a picture of her costume.

* Communist Superman - I had no idea until today that there are actual comics (called Red Son) of this character where Superman landed in and was raised in the Soviet Union. Very cool costume of a unique facet of the character.

* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ensemble - I saw them last year with an Elsa, but the costumes are still amazing and crazy accurate.

Stuff from Comic Con tomorrow!

SDCC 2013!!! + Best Cosplays (Part 1)

It's that time of year again! San Diego Comic Con 2013 was just a couple of weeks ago! I look forward to it all year. It's a great amalgamation of a lot of very different things that I like. This was the very first year I got to go all 4 days with preview night and it was a very cool experience with one bad occurrence. Despite the bad things, the camaraderie of nerds and the unforgettable experiences outshine those things.

So, to start this series, here are my very favorite cosplays of this year.

* Genderbent Powerpuff Girls and Him

* modern and stylish interpretation of Ursula.

* Rufio! Rufio! Ru---fi----ooooooooooooo!!

* Sharknado! I never thought I would see it as a costume!

* Edward Scissorhands! This guy stayed in character for everyone that came up to him. He had the mannerisms and expression down pat, plus the costume is amazing.

* Bane. This was another guy that stayed in character. He had the voice and the mannerisms very accurate. This type of cosplayer makes me feel like I'm meeting the character rather than just a person dressed as them. It just makes the experience a little more special.

More tomorrow!

The Beautiful and the Cursed

It's the turn of the century and Ingrid Waverly moves to Paris from London in disgrace. Not only did the boy she loved propose to her best friend, but she is also blamed in burning down said best friend's house (which was a total accident). Seeing no other option, the Waverly family relocates with Grayson, Ingrid's twin brother, going ahead to make preparations. When the rest of the family arrive to move into their new home, Grayson is missing and no one is concerned because of his reputation for partying and disappearing for days at a time. Enter Luc, a servant with an attitude problem and a deep, dark secret. Of course he's gorgeous and Ingrid is inexplicably drawn to him. Her little sister Gabriella sense there is something weird about him and that he knows more than he lets on. Can Luc help them find their lost brother?

The Beautiful and the Damned is the debut novel of Page Morgan and the beginning of a series. Although not a perfect novel. I found it to be enjoyable. Gargoyles are the focus creature and they prove to be a welcome change to the typical werewolves and vampires. They protect a certain piece of consecrated land and are obligated to protect the humans that live there. They also have the ability to transform from human form to grotesque winged gargoyle form. All of the gargoyles are people who killed a clergyperson in their life and have to spend eternity in service and atonement. Heaven and hell, demons and angels are major figures in the novel. Angels aren't the beautiful, serene creatures we usually imagine, but cold, hard, and cruel. The prose is engaging and kept my attention even with the inconsistencies and annoyances.

I had quite a few problems with the novel. Ingrid is generally likeable and lauded for being pragmatic and sensible. All of that goes to hell when she meets Luc, who is abrasive, arrogant, and rude. There is no rational reason why she would ever look at him twice in addition to the social constructs separating them. The instalove I hate so very very much is in full force here, totally going against what defines Ingrid as a character. Although gargoyles have a different mythos than vampires, the gargoyle-human relationship has a very similar dynamic to vampire-human relationships: the same angst, the same issues with age, the danger of being involved with him, etc. I was expecting something much different like a relationship actually built on getting to know each other instead the same old Romeo and Juliet crap.

The Beautiful and the Cursed is a typical paranormal romance. The only thing that really sets it apart is the use of gargoyles and the beautiful gothic flavor and setting. I was expecting something more, so I was a little disappointed. I would read the next book in the series, but I would check it out from the library.

My rating: 3/5 fishmuffins

Siege and Storm

Alina and Mal have fled to an unfamiliar land and seek to build a new life there, away from the Darkling and Ravka. She returns to her sickly, weak state and suffers from the guilt of the deaths caused by her power. They don't stay in hiding for long and quickly have to face the Darkling along with his frightening new power that was previously thought to be impossible. Alina escapes the Darkling with the help of a notorious pirate that is more than what he seems, but not before she acquires another amplifier. This new power prompts her to seek even more power and drives a wedge between her and Mal. They all return to Ravka to prepare for the coming battle with the Darkling, but only time will tell if all of their efforts will do anything against the Darkling's shadow army.

I read Shadow and Bone before it came out last year and was dismayed that although I got to read it early, I had to wait even longer than normal. The wait was completely worth it, I am pleased to report. All of my expectations were subverted time after time, making Siege and Storm exciting and surprising to read. I expected the beginning to have an extended time in hiding with narrow escapes, but the Darkling showed up fairly quickly to capture them. It was so outside my expectations that it was jarring. In a genre with so many conventions and stereotypes, Siege and Storm is a very welcome breath of fresh air. Most second books of trilogies simply set up for the last book and don't have a lot going on outside of that. Siege and Storm accomplished that and so much more. New and very memorable characters are introduced, my favorite being twins Tolya and Tamar. The characters we all love (or passionately hate) develop and change throughout the story.

Alina Starkov is wanted by a great many people. She's known as the Sun Summoner and Saint Alina, after rumors that she died and resurrected circulate Ravka. Very few people know her as simply Alina. Everyone wants something from her. Princes ask for her hand in marriage, not because they like her, but because of the power she wields. A growing group of people idolize her as a saint and hang their hopes and dreams on her, but know nothing about her at all. She doesn't even recognize herself at times because her hunger for more and more power is changing her. I like this new story line. She's grown a lot since she discovered her power. Now the questions are how much is too much and is she seeking it for herself or to save Ravka? I still like Alina, but I see some dumb decisions she's making, like pushing the only person who likes her for her (Mal) away for his own good.

Siege and Storm is an amazing read with crazy twists and turns, breathtaking action, and heartwrenching events. The Darkling is back with a vengeance, charming, frightening, and seemingly unbeatable. He is such a compelling yet evil character that appears and influences throughout the novel. The ending of Siege and Storm was completely shocking and I didn't see it coming. I need to know what happens next and I will be definitely preordering the final book.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

I'm back! (rant and list)

Hello all. I meant to keep posting throughout the semester, but I have never had so much stress and unhelpful people, and bureaucratic crap to go through. The following is a rant about the semester, so feel free to completely ignore if you aren't interested.

I have had the worst semester ever in my life, so I fell of the face of the planet. My student teaching started off on a bad start when I  had to harass the coordinator for a week before classes started to get my assignment. Then I didn't know what date it started or ended because my lovely school doesn't see fit to make that clear at the beginning or really ever.

Then, I was placed with a band director that had no control over their classroom at all and I, as a brand new teacher, was expected to magically fix all the behavior problems. This person also undermined any sort of authority I had all the time so the kids didn't respect me at all. This person basically thought of me as a free secretary/assistant and would make me teach without her observation, which is required for me to improve and receive input. My supervisor that comes and observes me every so often was completely unhelpful and only succeeded in being completely discouraging, insulting, and a bit sexist. About a month before the semester was over, he said if things don't improve, I'm not going to pass. I had shown improvement and didn't really know what else I could do to improve the situation. I was incredibly stressed and hopeless.

I did end up passing because that teacher I worked with, although awful to work with, really fought for me. I'm so happy to never set foot in that school ever again and to have lots and lots of free time this summer.

Anyway, here is a list of things that kept me sane over this hellish, horrible time.

1) The Binding of Isaac

This adorable and creepy video game is addicting as hell. Isaac is a sweet little boy with a mother who tries to kill him because God told her to. The game features dungeon exploration clearly influenced by Legend of Zelda. Isaac starts in the basement to hide from Mom and works through creepy crawlies and monsters in the cutest cartoony style to kill his mother with the help of items, trinkets, tarot cards, and pills before she kills him. He ventures into this hellish dungeon nude and only welding his own tears as weapons. Each powerup and certain items changes his appearance, making him at times appear horribly disfigured and/or mutated. The game stays fresh because each dungeon is randomly generated with a huge number of creatures, mini bosses, and stage bosses. The deeper implications are pretty depressing, but give the game interesting layers of reality and fiction. If you have a pitch black sense of humor like me, you will like this game. I would play the game for about an hour each night after school to wind down and relax.

2) Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Making a complete 180 from Isaac, Animal Crossing: New Leaf is a super addicting, cutesy Nintendo game.  You are the mayor of a town full of animals and the town looks kind of crappy with boarded up buildings and not a whole lot to do. It is up to you to build up the town with ordinances, public works projects, planting greenery, donating stuff to the museum, etc, etc. You can do anything you want in the game: go fishing, catch bugs, earn money, talk to villagers, make the town look like how you want, among many other things. I've played this game since it came out for the DS because my boyfriend played it and I've been hooked every since. This game was only out for about 2 weeks before school was out, but it helped me push through to the end.

3) Books of course!

Books also kept me sane. I read in every free moment. Even though a lot of the books I read in that time were kind of mediocre, they still gave me a nice distraction from my worries and kept me entertained in the long hours I sometimes had to sit around.

So that's it for today. My awful semester and the stuff that kept me sane. What stuff keeps you sane in crazy times?