Anthrocon 2014

Just as I thought, Anthrocon turned out to be quite the adventure!

Bishop and I left our house at 8:00 am sharp, eager to be on the road and on vacation.  We’re good road-trippers; we listen to music and get lost and then laugh at our own map incompetence.  To start this drive, we listened to several hours of Jim Gaffigan stand-up, and even after a minor McDonalds-related bathroom break, we were still feeling pretty good.  This lasted approximately 6 hours until we got to Ohio, where construction spanning roughly the width of the entire state slowed us to a crawl. That, compounded by a trumped up speeding ticket from a very disagreeable state trooper, and we were just about dead by the time we rolled into Pittsburgh, almost 6 hours later. 

Thankfully Bone and our friend Kindle were already waiting for us, and life perked back up again after some good food and laughs. 

The next morning, the con began.

Anthrocon leads as one of the largest cons in the country, and it certainly wins as the largest anthropomorphic convention.  Thousands of people attend each day, and it brings millions of dollars into the Pittsburgh economy.  And walking into the convention center on Friday morning, there’s no doubting that fact.  We pre-registered to save time and still spent over an hour in line; the line to enter the Dealer’s Den wrapped around the entire floor of the center and kept growing even people headed through the door. 

Costumes are everywhere: fursuits, anime characters, someone wearing an actual TV on his head, anything I could imagine.  And no one blinked! I love this about Anthrocon, about cons in general, and I barely let Bishop look around the Den before I sprinted back to the hotel room to get suited up and debut Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. 

The finished product! 

Bishop’s costume, as beautiful as it turned out, takes less than 5 minutes to put on. He went as an Imperial Guardsman from Warhammar 40K: Space Marine, and the costume’s simplicity makes it perfect.  It’s mostly armor and a helmet; otherwise, he’s wearing cargo pants and a surplus Army BDU with some boots, and he looks exactly like the Guardsmen in the game. 

My costume is a little more complex, and sadly, not nearly as perfect as Bishop’s.  (However, mine took about 75+ hours, where his took about 8, so I’m still claiming mine as better J)

For the first time since I was a little kid, dressing was suddenly a two-person job.  I managed to slither into the jumpsuit, stretching the painted diamonds out as I went, and I could get the shrug over my arms and up onto my shoulders, but from there I was basically helpless. When I attempted to wiggle into my knee-high boots, I toppled backward onto the bed and lay there, defeated.  Bishop laughed himself silly. 

Once we finally managed to get the boots on and zipped (allow 30 minutes), Bishop set about pinning the leg wraps in place while I started Velcro-ing my armor to my torso and arms.  The forearm plating snapped within moments, the foam board I’d been using unable to tolerate actually being put on (of course, it worked perfectly in the comfort of my living room!).  And somewhere along the line, between making the belt and harness back in April to putting the costume fully on in July, I must have lost weight because the belt promptly slipped down my hips and off my butt.  The ‘gun’ in the holster was out – I’d never be able to keep it on. 

Finally I was dressed and ready to go, suited up and helmet in hand (too hot to walk outside with it on), and we set out. 

 The trek through the lobby earned some looks, the soldier and the god-knows-what (me), both wielding weapons that certainly appeared realistic and getting high-fives from the fursuiters.  There was a Pirates-Phillies series in town that weekend, and some of those fans may not be reappearing in Pittsburgh anytime soon – too much weird. 

The walk to the convention center let us get into character. Bishop’s Guardsman is very prejudiced against xenomorphs, that is, aliens, and as a quarian, Tali is obviously an alien.  We spent most of the walk ‘yelling’ at each other over the obvious conflict. Bishop actually got stopped by a Warhammar fan who said, “Be alert! There are xenomorphs everywhere!” And there certainly were. 

The Imperial Guardsman and the Tech Priest, both from Warhammer 40K. She lost her shit when she found Bishop in costume :) 

In my dreams, we walked into Anthrocon and got mobbed with people demanding pictures, people begging us to participate in parades or contests, all sorts of things.  This didn’t quite happen, but we did still get quite a lot of attention -- pictures, hugs, high-fives, salutes, questions, requests for cosplay advice, and my personal favorite, people wanting to commiserate over how their own games of Mass Effect ended.  After an hour or two of hiking around, taking pictures, and sweating profusely (remember Tali is in a head-to-toe suit and this is July – even indoors, it was hot), we headed back to change, declaring our first attempt at cosplay a success.  

Saturday, I went as Lady Bone, our friend Bone’s female alter ego.  This surprisingly easy cosplay – a black dress shirt with a hot pink tie, skinny jeans, and some pink lipstick and I was ready to go – turned out to be a blast.  Bone is a semi-celebrity in the furry community, so I definitely got some waves and looks from people who weren’t quite sure if I was Bone or just pretending.

Bone and Lady Bone

Sunday started with a trip to the auction to place my bids on the art I wanted and oogle the art that I couldn’t afford or was stunned by, especially as I ventured into the “Mature” section of the gallery.  Some of what I found was absolutely amazing – my favorite piece was a painting of a dragon guarding a mountain done all in dark greens and grays and blacks that ended up going for about $700.  Some pieces I just didn’t understand; the most expensive piece at the auction, for a total above $5,000!, was a small blue bird statue, less than a foot square.  And some pieces were just plain freaky, even for someone at a furry convention, like the  fursuit genitalia available for purchase in the “Mature” area, if I had happened to be inclined.

I avoided the freakier stuff, and sadly some of the more expensive dragon paintings, but I did manage to get some pretty amazing stuff.  Pics and artist names below:

These Chucks have dinosaurs drawn on them!! They are so freaking cool, I may never even wear them so I don't ruin the design, just put them on display in my house! 

This gorgeous phoenix drawing went for only $40, and no one even fought me for it.  I couldn't believe it! Especially when a fox in the same style went for over $500! Artist: Makoto

As Bishop and I went to pick up my prizes, we ended up in line behind the guy who bought the dragon piece I’d had my eye on, and we chatted with him for a quite a long time.  He ended up being an Australian on his first trip to the US, as well as a fursuiter with a 7 ft tall blue and red dragon suit, and he regaled us with tales of his experiences with hot dogs, Walmart, and Budweiser, those distinctly American pastimes that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with.  By the end of the line, we had an invitation to a concert DJ’d by this man, who wears his suit while he DJ’s, if we were ever in Australia as well as a number of tricks for keeping that suit smelling fresh, should I ever decide to acquire one. 

The people are, by far, the best part of Anthrocon.

That afternoon, I suited up as Tali again, and for the last time for the weekend.  Bishop threw on his Guardsman costume too, and away we went. 

This time, we almost really did get mobbed.  Seriously.  Just as we entered the Dealer’s Den, someone stopped us to take a picture.  Then, as we were saying bye (a crucial element of the cosplay routine – gotta be in character!), a guy stopped me to discuss how I was his favorite character from Mass Effect ever and could he please oh please take a picture with me? Of course, and when I looked up again, about ten other people were standing in a semi-circle around Bishop and I, all with either cameras flashing or waving as they had finished taking a picture and wanted acknowledgement before they left.  This went on for several minutes. 

And then repeated itself about ten minutes later.  Sunday was a very popular day. 

It wasn't a perfect costume -- the helmet was a little too large, in my opinion. But it was one of the most awesome experiences of my life! 

When the picture frenzy died down a bit, we just walked around, enjoying the con and relaxing – Tali and the Guardsman, no big deal.  Then a skinny guy with a backpack came up to me and said, “Tali? I need you to come with me.”  Okay, so off I went, Bishop close behind. 

It turned out that this guy had been sent on a mission from two artists stuck at their table: Go find Tali and bring her back for pictures! They both practically lunged out from behind their table to hug me and ask for pictures, which I was happy to pose for.  Both guys were super enthusiastic about finding me, maybe more excited than I’d been for dressing up in the first place, which was totally awesome.  One guy, after we’d chatted for a while and were about to leave, went, “WAIT!” and ran back to his booth, where he produced a ‘doodle’ he’d been working on.  I say ‘doodle’ because the drawing was on a scrap piece of paper; there was nothing remotely doodle-like about the work itself, seen below.

The caption says, "Oh sure it looks delicious, but can my suit handle the mass effect on my hips?" The only artist name I could find on the table later was Mike Gibbons -- I'm not sure if that was the guy who drew this or his buddy at the table, but no matter: Thank you!!

I couldn’t believe it! This was the coolest drawing I’d ever seen, and an original, and he just gave it to me! He said he wanted me to have it, since I was Tali.  Blown away, I said thank you and promptly sprinted back to Bone’s booth to brag to him and Kindle about my adventure.  Bishop thought it was pretty cool too ;)

Eventually, Sunday afternoon wasted away into Sunday night, and Tali had to be packed up for the trip home. Anthrocon 2014 was over.

Bishop and I in the Dealer's Den

The cosplay experience was totally worth it – the hassle, the creation time, the money, and everything else.  I loved being Tali, even if the costume wasn’t perfect.  I loved getting to play as someone else for a little while, and I really loved bringing a character to life.  The look on someone’s face when they see a favorite character is priceless – I know from experience, having discovered cosplayers as Shepard from Mass Effect and Gandalf from LOTR before – and I’d never realized it was so fun.  I can’t wait to do it again!! I even think I’ll bring out Tali again in the future.  Next time, I know what changes I need to finalize to make the costume even better.  And now I can start on cosplay #2! I’m looking forward to the next con. 

Dragon Age Love

I've been absorbed with Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins for the last few weeks, and like any new hobby, I just can't get enough.

The plot may not be the most unique ever -- it's a pretty standard good vs. evil, gather the army to defeat the bad guys type of story -- but the characters elevate its simpler plot to grand heights that I absolutely adore.

No doubt about it: Alistair is my favorite character.

His whole personality hits all my "fall in love with a fictional character" requirements: he's sweet, funny in a dorky, adorable way, and awkward in an endearing, non-Michael-Cera kind of way.  I played as a female human noble Warden, so of course I romanced him (which is perhaps my favorite Bioware feature), and his romance is cute as hell.  He likes to talk to you, and plenty of the conversations feel semi-realistic so it stays fun. I could even come on to him early on, which is hilarious.

Eventually, when I romanced him, Alistair admitted he was a virgin, a character quirk I'm not sure I've seen admitted in a game before.  Sure, there are assumptions one can make -- Morrigan is probably a virgin too, considering her isolated life, and I'm willing to bet that maybe Tali from Mass Effect could be, but I've never heard one of them admit it.  Hell, when I went to romance Garrus in Mass Effect 2, the "come on" line happens right after he tells Shepard about banging some turian chick! Not exactly virgin territory there.  So the Alistair is a virgin element was a unique addition, and one that I found even more endearing.  He's so awkward and cute when he asks to sleep with you! Plus, the speaking options don't write the Warden into a corner -- I could be a virgin or not, and it didn't seem to affect much for him.  There's a hilarious conversations about licking lamposts, wink wink, to walk you through that revelation.

And then of course, there's the ending. Spoiler Alert! You can marry Alistair if you are indeed a female human noble, which I was and so of course I elected to do this.  Eventually, if I can make it all the way through Dragon Age II, some dialogue crops up where Alistair refers to my PC (player character) as 'the old ball and chain' :). I may not be loving II, but I can't wait to get there.

Alistair looking all suspicious near the end of the game -- I can just hear him saying, "Swooping is... bad." :)

I can't talk about Alistair without talking about Wynne, the 'grandmotherly' mage full of wisdom, an admittedly cliche character type who thankfully breaks the mold.

Wynne fills the necessary magic role in the game better than Morrigan ever could (in my opinion).  She's funny without being bitchy, and she's a fantastic, strong NPC that adds a lot to the party I've been playing.  Seriously, even though she's old, Wynne is a total bad-ass: I even have her take on Loghain at the end of the game, and she always kills him.

She should be the kind of character I can predict, right? She's got lots to say on how to be a strong Grey Warden, and she always wants to help me or Alistair or anyone else in the party. Wynne comes across as grandmotherly, and Alistair's request for her to mend his socks at one point certainly boosts that point.  But somewhere along the line, some programmer/writer with a sense of humor decided that, underneath it all, Wynne was going to be a dirty old woman. And it works, and it's awesome.  Oghren, the dwarf, and Zevran, the elf assassin, hit on Wynne constantly; Zevran, in particular, is fascinated with her 'bosom,' as he puts it.  And while Wynne might turn them down consistently, her banter with them is full of hints at her former less-than-grandmotherly adventures.

Those boobies have seen some things, apparently.  

Plus, since I was in a romance with Alistair, Wynne continuously teases Alistair about being into the Warden. She calls him on watching my character's ass while we're out on a mission, and eventually, when I brought the two of them on enough quests, she 'lectured' him on where babies come from, an exchange that cracks me up every time I hear it. Listen here and be amused! Their mother-son relationship, even when it goes off the rails, adds even more depth, like they really are friends inside the world of the game.

 Wynne's magic leads me to Morrigan, one of the earliest added NPCs and one that I'm not totally sure I love.  She's an out-there character, a Witch of the Wilds who technically should be chased/threatened by the templars (which include Alistair, to a certain degree).

And Sten.  A qunari, a giant race of warriors, stranded in Ferelden and absorbed into the Warden's party as penance for a crime of rage and loss: his character bleeds darkness, mystery, and a cold detachment that takes lots and lots of work to overcome.  For a long time, Sten is silent, standing off to the side of camp in near-silence. Few conversation options exist, and new ones are few and far between as the game goes on.

This is Sten, when the Warden finds him.  He's gigantic and intimidating, all white hair and purple eyes, and only slightly less so once you get him into some armor and a giant sword

Eventually though, the Warden can get Sten to talk, and even more eventually, I got his personal quest.  By the last push of the game (just barely pre-Landsmeet), I had Sten's approval close to 100 points, although the label of his approval is still "neutral" in a funny twist.  (For comparison, Alistair's at 100 points is "love" and Wynne's at about 80 is "friendly.") I really liked Sten and his warrior mentality, dark as his outlook is.

Other than Alistair though, I think I love Shale the best.  He's a golem, which is basically a huge rock-man brought to life with magic, and he is absolutely hilarious.  I only got him by chance -- the copy of DA:O I bought has all the DLC included and he's part of a quest called The Stone Prisoner.  I am so glad I did.  Shale is somewhat effeminate both in voice inflection and word choice, which creates a fun contrast between his intimidating appearance and his personality, and he really enjoys pushing the buttons on the other characters, who never seem to quite know what to do with him.  There's on exchange where Alistair asks Shale about his sleeping patterns, and Shale expresses that he doesn't sleep, he just watches the rest of the party while they sleep, counting breaths because "it helps to overcome the overwhelming urge to crush their faces."  Yet the way he says it doesn't seem that intimidating, more like a casual, almost joking comment.

Ah, Shale. Intimidating to look at, yet terrified of birds.

He's also got this quirk where he just hates birds, obviously from years spent frozen in place and having pigeons crap on him.  Hilarious.

Also: SPOILER, but apparently on Shale's personal quest, the player discovers that, prior to being a golem, Shale was actually a girl. I didn't know this, and since Shale refers to himself as a "him," that's what I'm going with. It doesn't change how much I love the character, regardless.

I love this game so much, and the characters make it. I may just re-start it again the second I finish it.

Cosplay: Six Days to Go!

So all of a sudden, after months of work, the con is in six days and I have SO much left to do to finish my Tali costume!  I've been working almost non-stop for the last week, and I've made a ton of progress, there's just so much left to do!!

The jumpsuit has been my biggest point of progress.  It's totally finished -- painted, lined, and completely ready to go. In this pic, it still needs its outlining around the diamonds, but it's almost done. That process alone took 3-4 days.  

The shawl is so close to being done I can taste it. The hood is finished and attached, and the leg wraps are just perfect.  It still needs its final edging to match Tali's, but the designs are done and it's almost ready to go! 

Despite all the progress -- the belt is complete, the gun is painted and glazed, the shoes are sprayed and ready to wear -- so, so many things have gone wrong.  Like the faceplate.  It's supposed to be this beautiful, dark purple that obscures the face but remains transparent.  As you can imagine, this isn't easy to achieve; I tried four different methods before I finally got one to work.  

This is the mask I'm using.  Shape and flexibility-wise, it's perfect; I cut a notch out of the underside with a dremel and used a heat gun to bend it into the right shape.  In no time at all, that part, at least, was finished.  But the coloring was the bitch.  

First: I coated the plastic with headlight vinyl, a method I'd read about online that seemed to meet with great success.  The results, while a pale purple, looked so poor I didn't even bother to take a picture.  Second I tried coloring the plastic by hand with a purple Sharpie, another method people had tried online.  That worked, definitely, but I was left with a mask marred by horizontal lines every 4 millimeters down the whole length. Not exactly attractive -- again, not worth a photo.  

Then, getting desperate, I figured out that you could effectively dye plastic using RIT fabric dye and really hot water.  A lot of people online have boasted of their success with this method, so I gave it a shot.  It worked really well with an old pair of safety glasses I had around the house, so I set up shop in my kitchen and gave it a whirl with the faceplate.  

This is my kitchen, the faceplate happily simmering away on the stove like some sort of demented stew and old operating room towels (my mom got them from the hospital where she works) on everything to prevent my countertops from taking on the same purple hue as the mask.  

I'm not saying that method worked really well -- much of my stove was purple by the time I was done, and I had to hang a towel from the vent to make sure I didn't also stain my walls that color.  But hey, with some Comet and a lot of scrubbing, it came off. Oh well! 

If only my results with the mask had been as beautiful as the mess I made in the kitchen.  

After more than 5 hours bubbling away on the stove, this pale, sad result was what I got.  

 I'm not even sure you can call that purple -- more like "vaguely pink."  And even worse, when I went to Windex it to get my fingerprints off, most of the color wiped right off too.  So much for the fabric dye method!

Finally, four days ago, I had given up. Tali was going to have a clear faceplate and that was that; there was nothing else I could do.  Then my husband happened to look at my office, strewn with fabric and elastic bands and paint, and said, "Why don't you just use purple fabric?"

And it worked perfectly.  A simple, sheer fabric from Joann's and the mask was done.  Here, the edges aren't trimmed yet, but it's all glued and ready to go.  And all it took was an easy week of my life spent fighting with that stupid plastic.  

Now, there are mostly just details left.  The list above isn't totally updated: the arm plating is finished as of this morning, and the shoulder armor is pinned and waiting to be sewn.  I'm only typing here as a short break before I head back to gluing on the faceplate; the patterns for the pieces are upstairs and clipped to the mask, just waiting for me to finish it.  

It's progress.  Last week, I'd have said I wasn't sure if I could get it done in time. Today, I'm feeling like I'm almost there.  

Six days! 

The Thing About Voices

Voices, be they in video games, movies, or TV shows, often present a problem for me.  I fall in and out of love with them on a near-daily basis, a phenomenon I find hard to explain, particularly to my husband.  Benedict Cumberbatch, Steve Valentine (Alistair from Dragon Age), Brandon Keener (Garrus Vakarian from Mass Effect), I love the sound of all of these voices.  And yet, I am not particularly attracted to any of them physically.  That's where the confusion sets in.

Here's the guy who voices Garrus Vakarian, one of my all-time favorite video game characters:

Brandon Keener, from what I've read online, is a generally nice human being.  And he takes a good head shot, I'll give him that. He's been in a lot of stuff, including an episode of Castle with Nathan Fillion.  That combination alone should be a no-brainer nerd-gasm, and yet he just doesn't do it for me.

However, put that voice of his on Garrus....

And I am instantly in love.  I can't help it.  Those deep gravelly undertones are obviously edited in (you can check out some samples of his best lines here), and maybe that makes it perfect.  I can listen to his dialogue over and over and never get bored.  He's an alien, obviously, a turian, who are known for being spiky and scary and supremely unattractive.  It's not that I find Garrus himself, as he's designed, sexy;  it's just the voice they put on him.  Yum.

Alistair, from Dragon Age: Origins, is designed and animated to be totally cute and endearing, and it definitely works.

In a lot of ways, personality-wise, Alistair reminds me of my husband: he's sweet and charming and funny and I totally just want to take him home and snuggle him every time he shows up in the game.  (Or in real life -- my husband, I mean). I think that's part of why I love the character so much.

He's also got the sexiest accent, a kind of Scottish/British combination that is so perfect I find it hard to believe it exists.  Or that this is the guy who produces it:

I mean, sure, he looks friendly and nice, but he is so not what I picture when I hear him talk.  He's had small parts in all sorts of TV shows, from Big Bang Theory to CSI, so there's no shortage of him on YouTube if need be.  But him as Alistair will always be my favorite.

My finding voices attractive becomes a little more complicated when they're attached to actual human beings, instead of just as my beloved video game characters.

Take Benedict Cumberbatch: (Yes, please! But only if he narrates the whole time... ;))

There's really no denying that he is attractive.  But it's his voice that makes him -- his face is just a little too stark and angular (the classic Sherlock Holmes description, hence his casting) for me, and he looks like he weighs about 100 pounds -- like I could snap him with a hug, and I am not exactly a big girl.  Yet every time I get a message and my phone chirps, "I've got a text!" in his voice, I swoon.

Oh, and in Star Trek: Into Darkness?  I could listen to him all day, just letting that voice wash over me. I'm just still not that attracted to him -- the slicked-back hair is sexier, to be sure, lending him a much more "bad boy" quality than is present in Sherlock, but I still wouldn't do him (as if that would ever happen, right).

There are others whose voices I find blindingly attractive: Michael Fassbender comes to mind, as does James McAvoy -- First Class and Days of Future Past are just pure joy for me.  And Fassbender I find to be an incredible actor, to be sure.  But my god, their voices...

OMG Steam Summer Sale!

The Steam Summer Sale has thoroughly disrupted my life.  One moment, I was sitting at my computer, contentedly working my way through Dragon Age: Origins and a second play-through of Mass Effect 3, and suddenly I have almost a dozen new games to play and not nearly enough time to play them all. And it's only day 4 of the sale...

To be fair, I knew it was coming: Bishop (my husband) has been talking about the Sale for about a month now, but a) we thought it was in August, and b) I've never been through it as a gamer before, being only about 6 months into my gaming career. I'm the type that, when I get interested in something, I throw myself in wholeheartedly; I played through my first video game, Mass Effect, in roughly 3-4 days. Since then, I've been slowly accumulating a Wishlist of games I want to try, never guessing that I'd had the opportunity in only a few short months.

So now the choice comes: Do I start with Skyrim, once Dragon Age: Origins is done? Or confront the darkness that is the Bioshock trilogy? Should I continue my fantasy binge with Fable: The Lost Chapters? Or plunge into the existential mess of Borderlands 2?

I have so many new options, and all I really want to do is go hang out with Alistair and Wynne.  For now, I suppose I stay the course -- for a few more days, at least.

**update**
and now a Hitman collection went on sale, Nooooo.....

Baby's First Cosplay

My very first cosplay happens in just a few weeks.  One of my friends, the illustrious artist Bone (look him up on deviantart, he's pretty cool), goes to Anthrocon every year in Pittsburgh, and despite not being members of the subculture, my husband and I sometimes attend with him.  It's more a chance to have fun and explore nerd culture for an extended weekend than anything else, and I always enjoyed it.

The first time we went, I was in awe of the fursuiters.  Not because I felt that I too needed a fursuit, but because of the freedom they had.  No one knew who they were; with the giant mascot heads on, sure, people were looking at them, but no one had an identity, and what's more, no one cared.  They got to run around, do what they wanted, photobomb people, all that fun stuff that gets tempered by the fact that I embarrass easily.  Maybe I never grew out of that feeling that everyone is always looking at me, but I always feel self-conscious when I do silly things in public.  I was so jealous of the fursuiters!

So back in March, when Bone invited Bishop (my husband) and I to attend Anthrocon with him again, I decided I wanted to cosplay.  And since around then I was embarking on the love affair I call Mass Effect, I knew I had to go as Tali'Zorah.

Here is Tali, in all her quarian glory. 

I've never cosplayed before, never even made a costume. As Bone said when I told him, "Tali. That's ambitious."   But I'm a pretty determined person, and it's slowly taking shape as time goes on.
I have transformed my office, where formerly I graded papers and constructed lesson plans, into a full-on studio, complete with a sewing machine and modeling clay galore as I attempt this project.  The "To Become Tali" list has slowly dwindled as the school year ended and my summer began, and now I'm starting to feel like I'm almost done. Almost.

This is my original "To Become Tali" list, complete with all the things I had to learn to do in order to do this right.  There are some truly amazing Tali cosplayers out there, and there are some that turn out less than stellar; I'm determined that mine, at least, will be in the middle, if not closer to amazing.  Here're some progress shots thus far:

The buttons and clasps for her various belts and the back harness. 

The careful construction of the jumpsuit pattern. This alone probably took 1-2 hours. 

Slow progress on the M-4 Shuriken from Mass Effect 2 & 3. It's been finished and glazed since this picture, and the holster is done too. 

A shrug pattern on Amazon saved my butt on this one -- it was easy to make and didn't require insane sewing skills that I don't possess.  It's not done yet; it still needs edging and a lot of armor attached, but it's progress.  

Everything is slowly coming together.  A bunch of smaller items, like her gold collar and belt and the start of the harness are already finished.  I have the boots and just need to shape them properly, and the leg wraps are cut and pinned and ready to be sewn.  I have no idea how many hours I've spent working on this project; a lot, I imagine, and it's been totally worth it.  The to-do list is much shorter than it was, and I'm so excited for Anthrocon! 

More progress to come in future weeks.  

The Zombie in my Basement

A zombie garden gnome lives in my basement.  He’s still in his box, this terrifying little man with a cute red hat and blood all over his face.  I don’t know what to do with him; he’s been there since Christmas, when my dad gave him to me as a gag gift.  I bought a house last year and apparently, this little guy was all that was missing.
I’m sure he would be happy in my backyard, maybe crawling out from under the old swingset or hiding in the trees. My neighbors would be less happy if he were on my front porch, his dead eyes menacing out at the street.  
Perhaps he’s best suited to my classroom, maybe as a warning to my students to turn their work in on time or face the gnome. Or just to solidify their belief that their teacher is, in fact, a nerd. (He would go well with the “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” poster I already have.)  

This zombie statue is the central point of an ongoing battle with myself. Like I said, I bought a house last summer. In that time, I’ve decorated and painted and bought new furniture, all part of the classic suburban life.  
Now, though, the question must be asked: Do I want a classy house, or a nerdy house?
I am legitimately torn over this decision.  The suburban woman in me wants a super-classy home, one with perfectly tailored curtains and a consistently clean counter. I'm not one to spend a ton of money, but a lot of my current decor fits the style I'm going for -- my deep red and black curtains flow gently over white blinds, and the pale shade of gray that coats my walls meshes perfectly with the dark couch and black furniture of my living room. The art on my walls -- a collage of wedding photos and vows, the carefully selected images of my hometown at dusk, the Roman numeral clock over my stairs -- has been chosen to compliment the walls and furniture around it. In many ways, though perhaps not "Better Homes and Gardens"-worthy, I do have a classy home. But the nerd in me will not be denied. If you look closely at my home, the signs start to show. The lithograph over my fireplace is of an old Mississippi blues-man, hinting at the deep knowledge of music that my husband keeps safe. Star Trek's Enterprise sits unassuming over my stove, disguised as a pizza-cutter. On the shelves of a dark but messy workstation sits an old metal lunchbox adorned with superhero faces, peeking out at the rest of the room in surprise. Even my wedding pictures are filled with deeper, nerdier meaning; upon close inspection, the ceremony lines start by discussing the heat death of the universe, and the sonnet, a classic of William Shakespeare's, betrays my obsession with his work. Even my bookshelves, whose colors and shapes match the rest of my semi-classy furniture, were chosen for their abundance of shelf space, now overflowing with Stephen King books and graphic novels.

I have surrounded myself with the things I love, part of a life that makes me happy, from the books on my shelves to the comfort of my couch. In doing so, I've made my home a haven, where my favorite colors and designs can coincide nicely with my favorites of the nerd world.

But the garden gnome might be too much. His freaky little face can't be hidden, peeking out into the rest of my life. He demands attention. As much as I enjoy a good zombie story -- "The Zen of Zombie" and "World War Z" both sit on my shelves -- he's just a little too much.

Maybe, just maybe, he belongs behind the guest bathroom door, perched quietly on the transporter-room rug, waiting for his next victim.