Home Blog Page 341

Comic Book Roundup (07/11/12)

Laura Maier
-
0
Comic Book Roundup (07/11/12)

Defenders #12 appears to be another final issue (dear Marvel, please develop a consistent system for marking final issues, rather than a fanfare for some and a dot-dot-dot-question-mark for others) which will either leave you nodding thoughtfully at the interesting ending, or setting all twelve back issues on fire while screaming “WELL THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT?!” The storytelling is quietly clever, and even though I’ve never really liked Defenders, the finale made me want to go back and re-read everything that’s gone before. Sadly, the delicate musings on the mutable nature of reality were issued in a font which looks like the bastard child of Helvetica and Comic Sans.

The horror.

Daredevil’s been everywhere this week, Wolverine needs to watch out before double-D takes his position as ‘That Guy Who’s in Everything’. Ironically, he doesn’t show up in Daredevil: End of Days #2, mostly due to being dead, but Ben Ulrich is still diligently chasing down leads on DD’s mysterious last words. This puts him on the trail of Black Widow, who is, um, also dead. Way to go, Ulrich. He teams up with Domino in X-Men #38, which makes it seem like less of an X-Men comic, but awesome nonetheless. And an evil human-hunting DD pops up in Age of Apocalypse #9 -hardly surprising since everyone bar Jean Grey is a moral negative of their 616 counterpart. What is a little surprising, and incredibly sweet, is the budding romance between Jean and Sabertooth, and the reveal that Jean’s oft-mentioned ex husband is not Scott Summers.

Speaking of Scott Summers, AvX Consequences #5 brings the miniseries (and, dare I say, possibly the whole AvX saga?) to an end, and I strongly suggest that you buy this issue so that the next time somebody says Cyclops is a pussy you can show them what he does to the prison guard and laugh in their sorry little faces. Cyclops is shaping up to be a badass and charismatic villain, and I look forward to seeing him in action. Uncanny X-Force #33 gives us another sadistic turn from a familiar face with Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler doing something quite… creative with his teleportation and a shark. Over in black sheep title X-Factor #246, the hectic ‘Five Days that Will Change X-Factor Forever’ arc is over, and this issue we get a light reprieve showing us a day in the life of Pip. It mostly involves picking up women and defending X-Factor without them even knowing. What a sweetheart!

Avenging Spider-Man #14 pits Spidey against dinosaurs. Spidey outright states that he’s never really understood the appeal of dinosaurs, and I agree. Sadly, this means I had about as much fun reading this issue as Spidey must have had being in it. There are some amusing lines, but not quite the kidney-popping hilarity we got from the last arc with Deadpool. Deadpool #1, by the way, gives us the best entrance in the history of comics. Elsewhere, Ant-Man and Wasp reunite in Avengers #33, Tony Stark has an identity crisis in Iron Man #1, and Jessica Jones carries the baby around in New Avengers #32.

The powers of flight and super-strength, and this is what she does in every fucking panel.

And finally, a shout-out to one of the best comics of all time! Love is in the air in Avengers Academy #39– Striker goes to prom with a cute boy, Reptil and White Tiger compare amulets (stop sniggering, it’s exactly what it sounds like), Lightspeed goes walking on air with her girlfriend, Hazmat and Mettle get down to bow-chicka-wow-wow and Finesse and Quicksilver share a moment- not a totally inappropriate moment, because ew, but a sweet teacher/student gruff pep talk moment. Oh, and Veil returns to her normal life, in a normal school, being picked on by the normal kids- until she unleashes a little of what she learned at the Academy on the bullies.

 

 

So remember last week, when I declared John Constantine the king of team-ups? He’s done it again in Animal Man #14, joining forces forces with Animal Man (well, duh), Black Orchid, Beast Boy and Steel, and going on a journey across Rotworld to find Swamp Thing, currently hanging out with Deadman and Poison Ivy. Leave it to Constantine to get a party going, eh? Swamp Thing #14, on the other hand, meanders along with a bunch of flashbacks to stuff Abby Arcane did when she was younger- the reveal that she may not actually be dead after all is meant to come as a shock, but frankly after the third Abby-flashback it stops foreshadowing and starts just throwing Abby at your head, because bricks would be too subtle.

Before Watchmen: Moloch #1 is basically the exact plot of Penguin: Pain and Prejudice, but with more tits and mercifully condensed into two issues. If you haven’t read P: P&P, I beg you, go buy the graphic novel, you will be glad you did. If you just want the cliff notes, here goes: hideously disfigured child (for whom nobody ever thinks to suggest corrective surgery) is tormented by his shallow peers and throws himself into his hobby, turns to violent crime to avenge himself upon the world, uses his childhood hobby as the basis for a supervillain gimmick, and has many run-ins with the iconic hero of their respective stories. Of the two, Moloch comes off looking like a poor relation.

NERDGASMS AHOY!

Green Lantern takes a tip from Princess Celestia and banishes the baddies to the moon in Earth 2 #6, Simon Baz faces the entire Justice League whilst the Guardians continue to be the biggest assholes in the universe in Green Lantern #14, and Green Arrow and Hawkman team up in Green Arrow #13. But far and away the best hero in this and any other world is renowned physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, whom DC consulted to find a possible real-life location for Superman’s home sun Rao, and who appears in a cameo in Action Comics #14. Bloody legend.

Still, the best comic this month has to be Worlds’ Finest #6, in which Huntress faces off against her alternate universe counterpart/half-brother Damien Wayne. Damien’s a smart boy, and Helena isn’t known for her subtlety, so it looks like the secret of Huntress’ past may be out! Eeep! Also, props must go to Power Girl, who keeps on fighting the good fight even though she can’t finish a single issue without her costume getting completely destroyed.

A friend will listen to your problems. A true friend will pull the yuck from your hair after you get dumpster’d during a fight with your half-brother and/or alternate universe self.

Oh, and if you were wondering what’s going on in G.I. Combat #6, apparently nazis, terrorists and hackers are bad. Thanks for that, guys!

Mass Effect Trilogy- Play all 3 back to back……awwww crap

Matt Geary
-
0
Mass Effect Trilogy- Play all 3 back to back……awwww crap

Ok, I’m going to hold my hand up and admit something to you all now.. I have not played all 3 Mass Effect games **DUCKS** I have a good reason though.. I got through nearly three quarters of the first game and then, due to Xbox error, I lost it all! After that, I couldn’t bring myself to replaying everything I had lost and that stopped me from completing the next two… was like an Epic failure and I was pretending it never happened. (sob)

But now Bioware are releasing  a trilogy boxset for the measly sum of £35  and I feel the call …. a new start.. and then… I can be one of the cool kids again.. meep

 

As Commander Shepard, rise to become the galaxy’s most elite soldier and lead an all-out war to stop an ancient and ruthless enemy: the Reapers. With over 75 hours of content and more than 300 awards, one of gaming’s most acclaimed franchises is available for the first time in a premium foiled box set. Experience all three Mass Effect games for $59.99.

Heart-pounding action meets gripping interactive storytelling where you decide how your unique story unfolds. Assemble and lead your team aboard the SSV Normandy, the most advanced ship in the galaxy, and travel to distant and unexplored star systems. On your journey, meet a cast of intriguing characters each with their own story to tell. Wield powerful weapons and customize them with upgrades to create new and devastating attacks. All the thrilling action and your decisions culminate into a heroic battle against the greatest threat ever known.  

Cosplay Interview #8 Yaya Han

Matt Geary
-
0
Cosplay Interview #8 Yaya Han

 GREAT COSPLAYING INTERVIEWS BATMAN!…YAYA HAN?!

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, we are hitting with the big guns of Cosplay up in here. The wonderful, and extremely talented, Yaya Han was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to talk to me about her life, likes and cosplay. 

Raised in Germany and China, but now living in the States , Yaya has worked tirelessly to turn her hobby and her passion into a fully fledged business that takes her all over the world (living the dream). Even so, she never forgets the importance of her fan base and makes time to talk to them and reply to emails whenever she can. Because of this commitment, her success can only blossom and deservedly so.

Geek Pride wishes her the best of luck for the future and hopes maybe, on one of her jaunts across the pond, she might stop off in Blighty to say hello!  

If you want to find out more about Miss Han then you can go to the following addresses and / or you can read her interview with us below… ENJOY!

http://www.yayahan.com
http://twitter.com/yayahan
http://yayacosplay.deviantart.com
http://yayacosplay.tumblr.com
http://www.modelmayhem.com/1670
http://daenerys.livejournal.com/
http://www.facebook.com/yayacosplay

 [nggallery id=21 template=dop-thumbnail-gallery]
Any issues with this gallery in IE then refresh the page or use compatibility view (beside the refresh button in the address bar) .. if that doesnt work, use google Chrome or FF;o)

The Gal behind the costume

So tell us a bit about yourself… when you aren’t Cosplaying, what do you get up to? Got any pets?  A boyfriend? What do you do for fun? Into Gaming or comics? What’s your favourite food?

Well, I own my own business so free time is hard to come by. I’m basically working everyday, if not traveling to a con or making costumes or products, I’m answering emails, updating my social media, doing R & D work… But when I do have a day off, like any girl I love shopping, and actually when you’re traveling, shopping is even more fun. I also love theater, music and movies. I work to movies and tv shows playing in the background so am always looking for new series to get into. Of course I grew up on anime and manga, and expanded to reading American comic books and playing video games when I can. And then there is food. I am a certifiable foodie and love trying new exotic dishes. I could live on sushi and sashimi, and also love curry. When I have free time, I try to spend as much of it as possible with my friends, and my dog Nemo!
 

Cosplaying is actually a career for you so how did that all come about and because it is a ‘job’ now, is it less fun?

I started making costumes 13 years ago, at the beginning just as a fan and hobbyist, but after winning a long list of costuming awards at conventions and being asked to do panels and programming there as a Guest, I realized that my passion for cosplay really made it more than a hobby for me, it became a lifestyle.

As for how I made a career out of it, well, because there is no paved path for cosplay as a job, I kind of had to try different avenues within it. There are not really any professional cosplayers out there because cosplay itself is still very underground. I am, however, the closest thing to it so when I don’t want to get into a long drawn out story, I do use the title “professional cosplayer”. For several years I made costumes for people, indie movies, theater, night clubs and TV shows – used my skills as a costume designer for my income. But when someone else dictates what you should make, your creativity gets stifled, and I wanted to design my own things, and have time to make costumes that I wanted to make, to continue challenging my skills. So I shifted gears and started a cosplay accessories store where I design and hand make unique copyright protected items at a low price so many people can enjoy dressing up instantly.

I pair that with building my own brand as Yaya Han and travel to over 20 conventions worldwide per year to be a Guest, panelist and/or exhibitor. It’s a unique business plan that works well for me, but takes up a lot of my time. I see myself as an ambassador for cosplay, which is a very under appreciated artform. Especially now that it is becoming more commercially seen, people can’t figure it out and misconstrue cosplay for an underground fetish, a modeling thing or extreme halloween-ism. It’s my mission where ever I go to educate people that cosplay is actually a challenging and rewarding form of art and creativity. I love being my own boss and setting my own schedule, and I feel very blessed that I get to craft and make things every day. While things can get hectic, I never want to take my unique situation for granted. I love my job!!
 

If you weren’t a model/costumer/costume maker, what would you be?

A translator! One who travels a lot, that is a must. I speak Mandarin Chinese, German and English fluently and if I were a translator, I would also master Japanese, Spanish and French 🙂

 

You seem to have been alllll over the place travelling and know many languages (I’m jealous) why all the relocations and did you learn a language as you went to a different place or are you just interested in linguistics?

It’s like you are reading my mind! I was raised in Germany and China dualy before moving to the States which is why I know those languages, and generally I think the world is a great vast place with different cultures and lifestyles, and to really appreciate your own life you should see some of the world and how other people live. Language is just a part of another culture and I’m always interested in different cultures.

 

Out of all the places you have been, where is your favourite and why?

Can’t name a favorite, because different places make me feel different things. Tokyo and London are both cities I could live in, and absolutely adore. Germany is home so I always love visiting. Egypt was a dream trip because I studied Ancient Egypt all of teen years, but I would never want to live there lol.

 

Anywhere out there you would love to go to but haven’t yet?

I’ve never been to Paris or Rome, which seems rediculous compared to some of the more exotic places I’ve visited. Basically I want to visit Europe a lot more! Maybe some convention + sightseeing trips?

‘Warm Bodies’ Trailer – a different take on the Zombie Apocalypse

Becca Harper
-
0
‘Warm Bodies’ Trailer – a different take on the Zombie Apocalypse

I’m  not quite sure how I have missed everything about this zombie comedy prior to today so I’m going to blame stupid Facebook and it’s pay to promote policy. Moaning aside (haha get it moaning, zombies) the film is Warm Bodies a romantic zombie comedy focused on the love story of Julie and zombie R, based on the story of the same name by Isaac Marion. It stars  Teresa Palmer (I am Number 4), Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class), Rob Corddry and the wonderfully creepy John Malkovich, and is written and directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50).

 Shaun of the Dead is the base mark for zombie comedies and judging on the trailer alone I am excited though wary to say it will do as well. The advantage of this story is simply being a different twist on the zombie apocalypse. Forget the struggle for survival, this is a story about the struggle for love and acceptance without getting all Twilighty about it. The official trailer is below for your viewing pleasure followed by a full synopsis, which is a little spoilery for my liking, so be warned. The film is due for release February 1, 2013 and with World War Z coming in June, could this be the year of the zombie?

“Zombies love people, especially their brains. But R (Nicholas Hoult) is different. He’s alive inside, unlike the hundreds of other grunting, drooling undead—all victims of a recent plague that drove the remaining survivors into a heavily guarded city. Now the Zombies roam about an airport terminal, searching for human prey and living in fear of the vicious Boneys, the next undead incarnation.

One day, R and his best friend M lumber toward the city in search of food. There, R first sets his eyes on JULIE (Teresa Palmer), a beautiful human. Determined to save her—first from the other Zombies and then from the Boneys—R hides her in his home, a cluttered 747 aircraft. Julie is terrified, and R’s grunted assurances of “Not…eat” do little to calm her. But when R begins to act more human than Zombie, coming to her defense, refusing to eat human flesh, and even speaking in full sentences, Julie realizes that R is special.

After a few close calls with the Boneys, and with her father mounting an armed search for her, Julie realizes she can’t hide forever. So she sneaks back home, leaving R broken-hearted. Desperate to see her, R decides to comb his hair, stand a little straighter, and impersonate a human long enough to get past the city guards. If only he can prove to the humans that Zombies can change, maybe R and Julie’s love might stand a chance. But with the rampaging Boneys heading toward the city and Julie’s father intent on killing R and his Zombie friends, the stage is set for an all-out battle between the living and the undead.

A genre-bending tale of love and transformation, WARM BODIES is a story about a boy who loves a girl…for more than just her body.”

 

 

GTA V And Open World Games; Is Bigger Always Better?

Matt_Walklate
-
0
GTA V And Open World Games; Is Bigger Always Better?

With the recent release schedule for Rockstar’s upcoming GTA V have come a flood of new details; most notably, that GTA V is big. Really big. So big, in fact, that according to Rockstar it is “bigger than San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Red Dead Redemption, combined”. The game is touted to include military bases, wildernesses, and ocean floors to explore.  That’s a lot of surface area.

While this has many gamers drooling at the prospect of such a large landscape to explore, I’m always sceptical whenever developers start making promises such as “It’s so big it will take you days to cross the map!”, or “It’s bigger than all these games combined, wow!”

The problem is; developers tend to think bigger is better; which can ultimately lead to sacrificing quality for quantity.

Take GTA V’s predecessor. The hugely anticipated GTA IV was similarly touted for its game world, and though it was a resounding success, the game world was incredibly monotonal. You could’ve been at the very beginning of the game or at the very end, and you would be looking at almost exactly the same thing. Generic, cloned buildings, the odd patch of grass, all passed through a drab brown and gray filter. Aside from the odd unique landmark there is very little diversity, despite Liberty City’s size. It’s a similar story with the even bigger San Andreas. For all its cities and towns, there was nothing to compel you to explore outside of these. There was very little to do in those deserts or woods, that incidentally filled out half of the map.

Now, compare this with a game such as Skyrim. The land of Skyrim may not be as big, in fact it is roughly the same size as TES: Oblivion. However in one game world there are probably four or five distinct geographies present, from plains, to blizzard worn cliffs, glaciers, treacherous mountains and lakes. Aside from this, no matter where you are, almost everywhere you turn there is something you have never seen before. Nooks and crannies in buildings; secret stashes, mysterious dwellings in the woods, ancient ruins, dragon graves, easter eggs, there is so much to see and do, it boggles the mind. And it all looks astonishing. I count Skyrim among one of the few games where I actively tried not to use the fast-travel system, as I preferred to run around exploring this rich world around me. You genuinely do not know what you are going to see next; everything you see gives you the impression that a lot of love, care and attention has gone into making this landscape as rich and diverse as possible. However this seems to be the exception to the all too pervasive rule.

Even when developers do put effort into making a game diverse; this can still be a pointless exercise if the game world is too large. Take another example of Just Cause 2. To date one of the largest game maps ever made; comparisons have been made between this and an actual country in real life. But it is all too overwhelming; sure you can hijack a jet plane and speed all over the country but again, despite there being deserts and jungles and mountains; it all seemed too…pointless. There was no incentive to go to these places and explore apart to find them and put another dot on the map. What’s the point of finding yet another town or military base, when all there is to do there is wanton destruction, just like the last 20 or 30 towns you visited? After I put down the game there were still whole settlements I’d not even discovered;  mountains I hadn’t stood on top of. It was all just too much, too unnecessary.

Sure, occasionally large worlds are great. Necessary, even, when it comes to games such as Burnout Paradise; or the hugely ambitious Fuel. But when you are on foot; and you get sick and tired of walking or driving and just want to fast travel to your next objective to save you a pointless journey; surely that’s when you need to consider whether this is a world you enjoy being a part of?

In games like Read Dead Redemption or Skyrim; the game makes you want to explore because there’s so much unique and special content to find. When done right, open world games can be engaging, and full of content, but all too often they are done wrong. So when Rockstar says that GTA V is going to be huge; I honestly hope that by huge, they don’t just mean in terms of size.

What do you think about the size of game worlds today? Do you disagree and love the size and scale of things? Let us know!

The Rock to play Hercules in Brett Ratner adaptation

Becca Harper
-
0
The Rock to play Hercules in Brett Ratner adaptation

The Rock or as he is more sensibly referred to Dwayne Johnson, has been confirmed to play the title role in Hercules: The Thracian Wars. The adaptation is based on Steve Moores 2008  graphic novel published by Radical Comics. A different take on the character, Hercules and his six battle worn companions are called upon by the King of Thracian to train his armies to become the blood thirsty warriors the group have a reputation for. The journey awakens Hercules and his companions to the dark road they have taken and how far they’ve fallen setting them on the perilous path to their own redemption.  Brett Ratner is to take the reins and retell this alternative and somewhat less mythical story of the half god Hercules, with filming to begin in early 2013.

Dwayne is one of the few to have a successful film career away from wrestling and is not short of work. Set to appear in G.I. Joe: Retaliation as well a the Micheal Bay directed Pain & Gain and the, apparently needed, sixth Fast & Furious film the man likes to keep himself busy. Can he pull off Hercules? well Kevin Sorbo did so I don’t see why The Rock can’t.  Personally I have enjoyed Dwayne’s film career, except Scorpian King of course, but I am particularly fascinated by his nipples in Journey 2, seriously. They were like bullets poking through his t-shirt for the entire film, I couldn’t help but stare. 

 

First Tom Cruise ‘All You Need Is Kill’ picture lands with a bang

Andrew Corban
-
0
First Tom Cruise ‘All You Need Is Kill’ picture lands with a bang

Having finished filming Jack Reacher and Oblivion, Tome Cruise is already on to his next action packed adventure; this time in All You Need Is Kill.

Set to be released in March 2014, the film is based on the book is based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s science fiction novel published in 2004 (2009 in English) and illustrated by Yoshotoshi Abe.  Today the first picture has arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruise plays Lt. Col. Bill Cage who on the day of battle with aliens is killed and mysteriously wakes up the day before the battle.  Again and again he is killed and each time he awakens the day before the battle trapped in a time loop; however, with each resurrection Cage’s skill as a fighter increases.

Obviously based on a Japanese science fiction war of the future, it delivers Mecha, and its good to see Hollywood is transferring the Mecha to our screens.

All You Need Is Kill stars also stars Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Charlotte Riley and is directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Jumper).

Ben Browder joins Arrow

Andrew Corban
-
2
Ben Browder joins Arrow

It has been announced that Ben Browder is travelling to Starling City to play DC Comics character Ted Gaynor, who was first introduced in Blackhawk #266 in 1984, and IGN reports that Gaynor will be another comic-to-screen straight transfer and will feature in the seasons 11th episode.  Gaynor is a former soldier who served with Oliver Queen’s bodyguard, Diggle (David Ramsey) in Afghanistan and is currently working for the Blackhawk Squad Protection Group.

This could be a return to glory for Browder, having stared in Farscape and then staring in final two series of Stargate SG1 (including The Arc of Truth and Continuum) in 2008, Browder didn’t appear on our screens until he guessed stared in an episode of Chuck and Doctor Who.  However, hopes are high that he will be given a chance to shine as per his previous performances in Farscape and SG1, as his talent was completely wasted in his episode of Doctor Who on a near-nothing part.  If given the screen time and the character is given a chance to become part of the show, Browder could soon be back on top.

Cosplay Interview # 6 Alexia Jean Grey

Matt Geary
-
0
Cosplay Interview # 6 Alexia Jean Grey

Alexia is a full time Cosplayer / Model from the States and specialises in Comicbook characters such as: Black Widow, venom, Poison Ivy and Bat Girl.  She puts every bit of effort and passion into her hobby / career and was an absolute pleasure to talk to, as well as being  extremely nice and UBER GEEKY! (**thumbs up Geek Pride likes this** )

By the way, if you think you might have seen her before, then that’s because she has done shoots with the UKs very own Adam Jay (as Batgirl) and you might have seen her Mary Jane body paint pictures… they are rather Epic!

If you would like to find out more about Alexia then visit the sites below and check out what she had to say to me in our interview…ENJOY!

http://www.alexiajeangrey.com

http://www.facebook.com/AlexiaJeanGreyFanPage

 

[nggallery id=20 template=dop-thumbnail-gallery]
Any issues with this gallery then refresh the page.. if that doesnt work, use google Chrome ;o)

 

So tell us a bit about yourself what do you work as when you aren’t cosplaying? Got any pets? What do you do for fun?

[quote]Costuming is my full time job. Which I am very lucky to say. Although I shell out most of money on my costumes instead of gas and tasty food, but I am living and that is perfectly fine with me as long as I am doing what I love. I have an evil kitty (well she likes me at least) her name is Kiki. I also have a stubby fat dog named Chuy who is the love of my life. I did rescue little orange a kitten in Miami early this year, I named him Guile (because he was a street fighter of course.) Sadly though he escaped a couple months ago and it’s been breaking my heart. I saw him outside recently and he is the size of a small lion but ran away before I could grab him play Magic The Gathering almost every night and when I am home for the weekend I draft.[/quote]

Got any other hobbies that don’t include cosplay? You a gamer? Like reading books. comics etc?

[quote]Of course comics, animes and all that jazz. I love gaming I wish I had more time to do it though. My all time favorite is Super Smash Brothers Melee, I have gotten in more arguments about if Melee or Brawl is a better game (strangers probably thought we were talking politics). Really you could through any fighting style game in my face and I probably love it, MVC, Street Fighter, DOA, etc. I picked up Battle Royale to read on the plane on the way to conventions (ended up sleeping most of the time), but I wish I picked up that book sooner, it’s fantastic. I could sit here all day and list my favorite animes/comics. Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop are defiantly up there, and I have a crush on Peter Parker.[/quote]

What’s the end game plan for you, have you got goals in life; if so can you tell us about them?

[quote]My major goal in life is just to be happy. I try not to stress myself with details of exactly what that is, just trying to enjoy every moment I can. My dream is to be well respected in costuming and inspiration to everyone out there to chase after your dream. Before I started major costuming I jumped around to different career goals from cosmetology to pastry chef, but I never really felt like that was my calling. I always knew I could model so I worked at it really hard and sacrificed a lot to get this far and I don’t plan on stopping.[/quote]

Cosplay

So I guess we need to start , at the start; when / where did you first cosplay, what did you go as and what made you do it?

[quote]My first ever costumes where just some hot glued Halloween  costumes. When I moved to Florida I became friends with my lady Emily Galea who went to conventions and made costumes. Ever so pumped that there were these conventions I wanted to start cosplaying right away. She made my first costume which was Kasumi for Dead or Alive and Metrocon.[/quote]

What characters have you portrayed so far and who was your favourite?

[quote]More than I can’t count. It’s hard to pick a favorite because there all my favorites but Black WIdow is my number one for both the character and the costume it’s self. Even though I have more dramatic costumes I feel like it’s the one I pull off the best.[/quote]

The Mary Jane “outfit” is rather amazing, I actually thought it was a costume and not paint for a while. How did that all come about? You not feel a bit… well… nekid?!

[quote]Actually being nakedz does not freak me out terribly. Once you start modeling you get used to changing in front of people. I am lucky enough to say the amazing body painter Jessie Melero wanted to do a shoot with me. He has a good eye for making body painted clothes look realistic. It started off recreating a tshirt with a comic book cover on it but do my lady chest it would be really hard to do. I came up with the idea to do a Mary Jane inspired shoot since there are so many fan arts of her in different Spider-man gear. We found a cute fanart of her with the Spider-man panties and top. We wanted to recreate that image into real life.[/quote]

Similarly how did the Venom shoot come about and was it really hard to get off?

[quote]My friend Carlos Blanchard came to me with the idea for the shoot. We choose liquid latex as our medium because once you start layering it becomes more elastic and gives that symbiote look to the paint. it actually was not hard to pull off at all. It hurt a bit, but just trooped through it.[/quote]

Any characters you have your eye on doing next?

[quote]I am currently making Felicia from Darkstalkers as well as Rei from Highschool Of The Dead. It’s been a long time since I did a costume other than comic book. I do however plan on working a lot on one costume I am debuting at Megacon next year. I want to keep that one my little secret.[/quote]

What is your favourite convention to go to and why?

[quote]It all depends on what your looking for at a convention. For guests/awesome stuff to by the bigger ones like Megacon are where you need to go. Personally I prefer the smaller ones. Anime Festival Orlando being my favorite, it’s the one I get to go to with my friends and it feels like one giant nerd party![/quote]

General Questions

What does Geek Pride (not the awesome website and FB page, but the way of life) mean to you?

[quote]Not being afraid to be yourself.[/quote]

StarWars or Lord of the Rings?

[quote]Tough question but I will probably go with Lord of the Rings.[/quote]

If you were given one super power, what would it be and what would you use it to do?

[quote]telekinetic powers hands down.[/quote]

Anything else you’d like to say?

[quote]I ate soup today and it was awesome[/quote]

Dust and Sand – Chapter 18 – By Sean P. Wallace

SeanPWallace
-
0
Dust and Sand – Chapter 18 – By Sean P. Wallace


Chapter 18

Shadows Fade again reflected on how odd white folk could be as she and Eleanor Naismith walked through the white band; a sensible band would have moved on to somewhere less dangerous, somewhere they wouldn’t face constant assault. But not the white folk. They were a people of permanence who develop strong, unnatural attachments to particular plots of land… so much so that their individual squares become more important than the infinite world beyond them.

Shadows Fade understood fighting to protect what was yours, but not claiming such small parts of the world and being willing to die for them.

Nor could she understand why the white folk would’ve treated Godly Claw with terror had she been present, for that matter. Their connection remained so she could feel the wolf stalking the outskirts of the band, laying low and gathering information, but the warrior keenly felt her companion’s absence; Godly Claw was a part of her. Her hand or her eye would have been missed just as much.

“What a poor place this is,” Eleanor Naismith whispered under her breath, interrupting Shadows Fade’s thoughts.

She cast a glance across at Eleanor Naismith. This was a girl she could not trust. It wasn’t so much that she knew Shadows Fade’s language, or that she acted so superior without having tasted real combat, but the way she acted around the Wanting Man that gave the warrior pause; as though she had plans for him beyond what Resistance wanted. And her attitude in general was rotten.

“All permanent dwellings are poor,” Shadows Fade replied.

The white girl sniffed. “Crucifix doesn’t make a convincing argument against that. This place… it is less than a real town.”

Shadows Fade couldn’t disagree; even her band were more numerous, had more connections with the world and better living conditions and they suffered from the white folk’s oppression. But this band had been standing firm, albeit stupidly, before a host of dark spirits so it was only natural they would be in such a dire condition.

Realization struck her like a blow; this was what her people feared they would become if they joined her hunts. Because they did not fight, did not see that the dark spirits could be banished, they thought action might incite a never-ending war that would reduce them to nothingness and squalor. The Elders, wearied by decades of facing the dark spirits, were fearful of becoming like this band.

What surprised Shadows Fade most was that the squalor and fear in the eyes of those white folk who dared scuttle out in the open made her understand her Elders’ fears.

“We should concentrate on gathering information,” the warrior said. She doubted the white girl knew enough of her people’s language to tell how shaken she was by feeling empathy for the cowards in her band.

Eleanor Naismith shrugged. “That makes sense. The quicker we kill these things, the quicker we can get out of here.”

Shadows Fade examined the white girl’s face to see if she truly meant that. She did. The warrior turned away, her face smeared with disgust; it wasn’t the sooner they could protect these people or the more likely they would be to save her friend but the quicker she could get away from a situation she deemed below her. It took a special kind of person to face dark spirits and still hold such disdain for normal people.

She held her views as she and Eleanor Naismith walked amongst the white band’s alien and permanent structures, all immovable clay, wood and glass. Even with holes riddling their hides, the buildings were frightful and encompassing. Though their customs and way of thinking perplexed her, it was that the white folk choose to live in such horrid places and lock themselves away from the world that she could truly not understand.

And because she couldn’t understand them, she couldn’t trust them. Not one of them. Of course, the Wanting Man was a different matter…

The warrior felt Godly Claw begin stalking round the band to provide a full picture of its weaknesses, and so concentrated on examining the buildings for anything which might help her protect them. After all, that was the reason she’d given Eleanor Naismith for them to take this walk.

The band were quiet as nervous prey as they went down every street, examined all sides of each structure. Desperation tinted the air like perfume, so strong it left its sour tang on her teeth.

Seeing the damage done to the band’s buildings taught her little though; there were no consistent patterns or markings, no one direction the attackers always came from and no clue as to what manner of dark spirits they were. All she learned was that the monstrosities had frequently grown bored and visited idle destruction on the white band’s homes.

Still, Shadows Fade judged that attacks were most likely to come from the north, where tall, looming hills provided good vantage points over the band for bows or guns and enough cover that a hundred careful warriors could approach without being seen or heard. She would ask Eleanor Naismith to convey this to the Wanting Man later.

“Well, this achieved nothing,” the white girl said when they had completed a full patrol of the band. She turned to the chapel and began heading back.“A complete waste of time, I feel.”

Shadows Fade might have agreed if information was why she’d invited her to survey the band; taking Eleanor Naismith away from the Wanting Man and the Father was, as her absence could only simplify whatever matter they had to discuss.

Thinking of the Father, she too turned to his chapel and the odd sight of her people’s sigils standing alongside those of the white folk. She looked forward to examining those walls in detail once they’d defeated the dark spirit host; that this band had survived for so long meant the Father’s wards had to be strong. Hopefully she could learn from his imaginative work, perhaps enough to add a new tattoo to her collection.

1...340341342...362Page 341 of 362