#in another universe we’d go to comic con together

[lqfiles]

BRO STFU STFU CAN WE ALL JUST ARREST LQFILES AND HOLD HER HOSTAGE BC WTF YN BEING HURT WASNT MUCH BUT IK THE ANGST IS GONNA HURT SO BAD IF I FELT BAD DURING THAT UPDATE omgggg

also I see that little “2 months” MY MAN HAECHAN IS BEING SO LOYAL WITHOUT REALIZING IT OMG yk he goes crazy with the “i love my gf so back tf up before i personally fight you for disrespecting her” if anyone flirts with him like he would be more offended than mc 😭

“i also got tired of ppl liking me for being haechan instead of really me” goes crazy bc that’s why he loves bothering mc since she gives him back the same energy without trying to suck up to him since she can’t stand him (she’s starting to and i love the progress 🥺)

BUT PUT your hands up PUT EM UP

but awwwww thank you for the update!! you bless us so much ☹️🫶🏼 GIVING YOU A BIG SMOOCH ON THE CHEEK

and for comic con, it was going to be my second timeeee it finished yesterday but the traffic was crazyyyy. it’s like 15-20 minutes away from my house and it was hellll, i didn’t get to go but one of my friends did go and she was dressed up as an anime character i think and another friend saw an actress from marvel (lupita nyong’o) and im so bummeddd i could’ve seen so many actors

ALSO LA IS NOT FAR FROM HERE AND TO BE IN KCON OMGGG I COULDVE SEEN NCT GUYS PLSSSS

hehe bro mark went crazyyy omg but you guys KNOWWWW i just have something for yuta, i go crazy 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

“do you hate me?” is the number one question i ask my bf 24/7 😭😭 it gets annoying so i change it up like “would you love me if i was a worm?” or “so you don’t love me? i guess you want me to dieee” or “would you kiss another girl if it meant saving me from dying?” heh thankfully he doesn’t get annoyed 😭🙏🏼

BUT YESS LISTEN TO THOSE SPANISH SONGS AND GIVE ME YOUR REVIEWS AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT IT MEANS IN DEPTH 🫶🏼 IM HAPPY TO TEACH YOU SPANISH YOU AMAZING HUMAN BEING

- 🫧

(lemme know what you want to learn btw!!)

GIRL DONT ARREST ME… arrest haechan if anything 🤦🏽‍♀️ but yasss if you think these stuff lowk hurt her now just wait till haechan is gonna be conflicted and unintentionally hurt her..

ALSO YES HE’S BASICALLY BEEN SHOWING HIS LOYALTY FR always mentioning how she’s the only girl he likes talking to or still keeps in contact with.. he would DEFINITELY be the type to do that once he gets in a relationship with her like before he liked all the attention but his eyes will be only for her so he wouldn’t even entertain the other girls fr

SHE LIKES HIM FOR WHO HE IS FR like he can be shamelessly annoying because that’s how they started but now he finds it endearing and it’s also the reason he likes talking to her like she really does make him like his true self 🥺

its unfortunate that you didn’t get to go but i’m happy your friends got to go!!!! YOULL HO NEXT TIME and you’re lucky as hell to live near LA, u genuinely was going through it because i wasn’t able to experience fact check 2 baddies and walk live like FUCKKK i should’ve been there

I WANNA KNOW WHAT HE WOULD SAY TO THE KISSING OTHER FIRLS ONE OMGGG we will use that for bonus chapters and haechan will indeed be the one asking that 😄 that’s such a fun relationship tho i hope you two last forever <3

I LOVE TOU AND YASS ILL TELL YOU SOON WHAT I THOUGHT OF THE SONGS you’re amazing and i’m glad you liked the update, and umm please let me know how to say “i’m hungry” 👀👀

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa has 8 stories at Gossamer, but there are even more X-Files fics at AO3 and her website. She writes Mulder and Scully in a very lovely way. I've recced 3 of my favorites of her fics here before: Bird in Snow, Fall: East on M St, and Skuamorph. Big thanks to Tabula Rasa for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I'm always extremely pleasantly surprised to get kudos (or, very rarely, a comment) on my old fic, but I'm always happy to see it! I did post them all (I think) to AO3. I'm not surprised people are still reading fic, though. It's an iconic show and now with streaming, it's really easy to watch older shows and natural to want fic about them!

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

XF was my first fandom, definitely my first online fandom, and so it will always have a special place in my heart. Also... I had a great time! I stumbled upon and joined the Scullyfic email list by accident, but it was the best thing I could have done. I learned a lot about how to be a writer and how to be in fandom, and those lessons are still important to me. Foundational. Also, in terms of modern fandom drama, XF was more low-key on the drama (although it didn't seem like it at the time!). But I learned something that's always served me well: find like-minded people, and hang out with them. Don't worry about the rest.

Also... you can't control the show, but you kind of can control the canon.

Because of Scully, I ended up taking a forensic anthropology class in university-- and now I have a Master's in a forensic science! Part of the Scully Effect, and proud of it!

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Definitely mostly email list! I never really got the hang of message boards. Posting fic was exhausting, and tbh I never figured out how to work Ephemeral. I checked it every day, though! I loved, after a new episode, everyone sending in their thoughts and reading everyone's experiences together. Fandom was a lot more work back then, tbh!

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

That fic can be just as good, or better, than traditionally published works. There are works of XF fic that have stuck with me for years now, far more than some books I've read. That fan writers can know the characters better than the show writers. The fandom in general was really smart, and mostly more adult than me (I joined fandom when I went away to college, so I always felt at the younger end of the scale. That was good though!).

Also, my first time reading and writing porn. Not gonna lie, I was shocked the first time I accidentally read smut. But I adjusted fast. lol

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I was still a kid (now we would say preteen) when the show premiered- I think in middle school. But I was already into ghosts, aliens, monsters, solving mysteries, and I'd already imprinted on the dynamic thanks to Square One (really)! I was also just old enough to start developing celebrity crushes. Hilariously, I did not twig to the fact that I'm bisexual the entire time I was in XF fandom, despite having enormous crushes on BOTH Mulder and Scully. Ahhhh!

Also, my whole family was into the show, but I was definitely the one with the hyperfixation. I used to take notes and record the episodes as I watched. It just had the right stuff and hit at the right time. And I've always been obsessive.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

As a kid I also really liked Star Trek, and someone had given my dad a book about the history of Star Trek, which I read. This included mentions of fandom and fanfic. As soon as I had a private-- and perhaps more importantly fast-- internet connection (in college), I went looking for XF fanfic, and that was that. Hooked immediately. Also I shipped them A LOT so that's what I went looking for.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I tend to not go back to a fandom once I have a new fandom, so I wouldn't say I'm in it. I did hang around the edges for the revival, of course, because I wanted to experience that with the same people, but since the revival was mostly not that great (with a few exceptions), I didn't get pulled back into it. But I still think of the people I knew in the fandom a lot, and always hope they're doing well.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I've never left fandom, and I've been in a BUNCH: Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Bandom, Supernatural, now CQL/The Untamed and other Chinese-media fandoms, with many smaller ones in between or on the side. I feel like at their core fandoms tend to be similar, although where you host the fandom makes a big difference: Livejournal, tumblr, twitter. I think that because fandoms now tend to be bigger and more diverse (which is good) there tends to be more wank (which is bad). In some of them I was close to a group of people, some of them not. Honestly the best thing is when someone you know from an old fandom is in your new fandom. It's so much fun. I have really good friends thanks to fandom, and I've had them for YEARS. Like. 15 years.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

I tend to focus more on ships than characters, but some of my all-time favs: Scully, Hermione, Sirius Black, Castiel, Lan Wangji, Xie Lian. That's just fandom-oriented ones, otherwise we'd be here all day. :D

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I don't often rewatch episodes any more, although if I come across an ep on tv I might. I definitely still think about them though! For example, I'm a teacher now, and just a couple weeks ago one of my colleagues mentioned he'd heard the students saying they shipped two of their classmates, and he was like "Ship? I don't get it" and I was like "HOO BOY, do I have a story for you!" And I explained how shipping came from XF fandom, and why. That was fun. I definitely still think about Mulder and Scully too-- I mean, they're cultural touchstones, so they do come up sometimes in greater pop culture. Also, I was in Hannibal fandom for a while, and Gillian Anderson is still The Best.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I haven't read XF fic in years, even the ones I remember as being really significant/important to me. I still have my all-time favs saved on an external HD though! Fic in another fandom- every day lol.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

Blinded by White Light by DashaK has stuck with me. Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the Ruby-Throated Warbler by I forget I'm so sorry -- that's lasted as my ideal post-canon MSR and as an interesting and different way to tell a story.  [Lilydale note: It’s by rah.] I was always thrilled to see fic by Brandon, JET, MaybeAmanda, Syntax6... and, frankly, everyone on the Scullyfic/ Emuse list. So many talented people in that fandom!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Things Outside, which is the only thing I've ever written based on a dream, and I'm really satisfied with it. It was hard to write but so much fun to revel in the weirdness. I always kind of wanted to write more because I know a lot more about the situation, but otoh, I like the open, ambiguous ending (usually I am very HEA).

In other fandoms, King & Country in bandom (MCR) and in Supernatural I'm very proud of Hope and Clay. I struggle to write casefics even though I love to read them, but that one really worked out.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I don't think I'll ever write something new. There is an old fic that may be done but it was smut so I was too shy to post it at the time. In theory if I find it and it's decent, I could post it!

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I do! I write fic very slowly, but I do write still! I have a million ideas for stories, but I'm so slow at the actual writing part.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I usually take a jumping-off point from canon, or of course, something I need to fix or expand on. Or sometimes I start telling myself a story as I fall asleep and the idea grabs me long enough I can manage to write it.

What's the story behind your pen name?

I was getting into fandom and realized people didn't use their real names. I flipped through my history book looking for inspiration, and decided tabula rasa was a great name for a writer. I tend to add an X because it's rare to get "tabularasa" as a username, and the X is indeed for X-Files (so I'm something like tabulaxrasa most places). I usually go by Tabula Rasa or Tab, though. And I still use it because 1) it IS a great name for a writer; and 2) it's not fandom-specific so I can keep it in every fandom.

I identify with it so much I have answered to this name in class (oops). I have a "Tab" t-shirt (as in the soda, but I have worn it to Comic-Con for ease of ID-- better than a nametag!). And my mom got me a necklace with a "tab" typewriter key as a charm, which I adore. Yes, I have accidental merch of myself.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

As you can tell from the above, my family knows (my family being my parents and sister). They are supportive! I think my mom read a couple stories? But obviously she has to know the fandom to get it... I got my sister into fic, and we even wrote a couple fics together (in Gundam Wing). She's a lot more selective about fandoms, but she's joined fandoms on her own, too. She's just not in one constantly, like me. :p

I tend not to tell not-online friends unless I have felt them out and know they're super fannish, or they bring it up first.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Most of my old fic is now on AO3 and I hang out on twitter a lot, @tabula_x_rasa

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

I'm really glad people are still in this fandom! It will always be so important to me. Thank you Lilydale, for this nostalgia trip!

(Posted by Lilydale on March 30, 2021)

[transcendence-au]

r!Pacifica tricks Dipper into running a booth at a TwinCon. He comes across an r!Mabel and an r!Henry who meet at his booth. (Also, brownie points if it’s a Mizcor booth)They both talk about how much they love Alcor and want to date him, and Dipper helps them realize that the traits they’re projecting onto ‘Alcor’ are actually traits they can find in each other. SO WOODZAR HAS BLOSSOMED IN THE PLACE OF MIZCOR

Mod F got really excited about this and ended up writing a thing! (Here it is on AO3 too)

===

Dipper looked toward the entrance of the convention center, at the large banner proudly proclaiming “WELCOME TO TWINCON 2896″, and slammed his head face-first onto the table.

Damn Aubrey. Damn her to the deepest pits of the Nightmare Realm for making him run a booth at TwinCon. He couldn’t believe he’d let himself get taken in by her evil tricks and wily ways; couldn’t believe he made a bet with her and lost. That was the last time he trusted Pacifica’s soul. And he totally meant it this time! Way more than the last eight times Aubrey had tricked him. He definitely wasn’t going to immediately go back to being friends with her. This was the last straw.

A loud creak announced the opening of the main con doors, and the room was quickly filled with a flurry of excitement. Dipper picked his head off the table with a sigh and prepared himself for a long day of peddling garbage. He considered how he must look – a sad demon sitting under a sign reading “MICOR MEMORABILIA” and surrounded by perverse figurines, body pillows, and graphic novels.

And then his curiosity got the better of him. He conjured a mirror in his hand and immediately noticed his top hat was askew, so he reached up to straighten it out. Perfect. He actually looked pretty good that day if he did say so himself. His hair was fluffy, his suit was pressed, his teeth looked sharp. Nice and presentable. He was so busy making faces in the mirror that he almost forgot he was at a convention, until -

“Excuse me, sir?”

“Ack!” Dipper yelped in surprise, his hat shooting high into the air. Despite this, he didn’t take his eyes off the mirror. “What do you want?”

“I hope I didn’t frighten you! You’ve got some lovely merch here. I was just wondering how much this comic would cost.”

“Check the price tag,” he responded gruffly.

“I- I tried, but it doesn’t look like there is one.”

Groaning, Dipper flicked his eyes away from his own beautiful reflection so he could see exactly what depraved nonsense the voice wanted to purchase, and -

Mizar smiled sweetly back at him.

The mirror shattered in his hand. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. This wasn’t happening. Why was she here? What was going on?

“I’ve heard about this series before,” he suddenly realized Mizar was saying, “but I never had the chance to check it out before. It’s a coffee shop AU, right? It’s so inspiring that fans can take the framework of Twin Souls and make even more beautiful stories based off of it.”

Dipper’s head was too filled with buzzing to really make much sense of what she was saying. All he could think about was how his sister’s soul was apparently a fan of the worst book series in the universe. It didn’t even seem like she was doing it as a gag like Mabel did – the girl in front of him was radiating nothing but enthusiasm and sincerity in her aura.

“Oh, I’ve read that!” another voice piped in. “It’s dope as fuck, although the first volume’s got a bit of a Woodzar focus. But if you can power through that, it’s high key Micor there on out.”

Okay okay okay. He could do something about this. Maybe he’d take Mizar aside and have a talk with her about why being a Twin Souls fan was a sin of the highest calibre. Dipper tore his eyes away from her for a moment to tell the newcomer to go away, but no sooner did he get a good look at them than he felt all the air kicked out of his imaginary lungs.

“Don’t get me wrong, man,” Henry’s soul continued, a sly look on her face. “Woodzar is a fine ship. There’s a lot of good Woodzar fic out there and I don’t fault anyone for writing it. But if we’re gonna be honest with ourselves, it’s pretty obvious that Alcor and Mizar belong together. Their romantic chemistry is off the goddamn charts. Remember when they finally kissed in the first novel? Oh, fuckin’ heart palpitations, man.”

The blood drained from Dipper’s face. What in the world was happening? Why were Mizar and Henry both Twinners? What was the universe punishing him for this time??

“I know, right?” Mizar replied with a giggle. “My name’s Minty, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”

Henry’s soul grinned back. “Halley. Nice to meet you too. I knew coming to this con would be a good idea – it’s the perfect place to find like minded people.”

“What about you?” Minty asked, and it took Dipper a minute – so embroidered was he in querying his omniscience to see exactly what traumatizing thing had happened to Minty and Halley that made them turn out this way – to realize that she was talking to him.

“I, uh, I’m… not a… Micor is bad,” he said finally.

Halley frowned. “What, don’t you love Alcor too? You’re running a booth at TwinCon and your cosplay is on-point! That suit must’ve been expensive, and the wings look almost real!”

Puffs of steam shot out from Dipper’s ears and he flared his wings. “It’s not a cosplay, I just look like this! And I’ll have you know that I would’ve never in a million years gone to a TwinCon if my friend Aubrey hadn’t pretended to be really bad at hula hooping and then made a bet with me that she could beat me in a hula hoop contest and then absolutely kicked my ass into the stratosphere with her nutty good hooping! Graggh!” He slammed his forehead into the table again.

“Awwww,” Minty cooed. “Stage fright is the worst. I know I sure was nervous the first time I went to a con in full cosplay. That was awful nice of your friend to convince you to go anyway!”

Dipper’s head shot up and he stared slack-jawed at the two of them just as Halley nodded. “You’ve got this man, you know? Like I said, your outfit kicks ass. And hey, thanks for opening up to us. That can’t have been easy.”

“B- but I- you WHAT-” Dipper stammered.

Minty squeaked and clapped her hands together. “Yeah! I feel like I’ve made some great friends at this con already.”

“I’m- n- no you’re WILDLY mistaken- this isn’t-”

Both Halley and Minty turned their backs to the increasingly flustered demon and leaned against the stall, looking off into the rest of the hall with pensive expressions. “Friends are nice,” Halley murmured, “but what I wouldn’t give to meet Alcor at this convention. He’s everything I want in a partner. And then I wouldn’t be so lonely anymore.”

Minty put her hand on Halley’s shoulder. “I know what you mean! He’s so confident and protective. Loyal to a fault. If Alcor was here, I’d ask him on a date!”

“What makes you think Alcor wants to date any of you humans?” Dipper grumbled. “Or anyone at all?”

“Don’t be such a pessimist, man!” Halley responded. She patted Dipper on the back, surprising him into coughing out a little cloud of yellow sparkles. “Alcor is real and he’s out there. As long as there’s the smallest spark of hope that he might love me back, I’ll follow him to the ends of the Earth!”

Minty slapped her forehead, startling Dipper out of the silent terror written all over his face. “Oh, duh! He’s cosplaying as Alcor because he’s here to find his Miiiizar! That’s why he’s not interested in Alcor’s love! I connected the dots!”

“No, you haven’t connected anything!” Dipper tried to cut in, terror returning in full force because the situation was spiralling rapidly out of control, but Minty kept going.

“Ah, if only I was Mizar,” she trilled as Dipper watched her soul dance traitorously in her chest. “Then it’d only be a matter of time before Alcor came to ask me out. We’d go to the coffee shop he works at and someone would cover his shift. I’d get a hot chocolate; he, an iced latte.” She sat on the table, sending a set of Mizar action figures toppling over onto Dipper’s lap. “I’d tell him all about how art school’s going and he’d confide in me some dark secrets about how the 2801 moon landing was faked because giant aliens were playing golf with the planets and accidentally knocked the moon into a black hole. And then, finally, he’d give me a dainty kiss on the cheek, and I’d make a little squeaky noise, yknow, and he’d blush and ask me if it was alright for him to do that, and then I’d say I’d rather you kiss me on the lips instead. And then -”

“Okay, I think I’ve heard enough of your fanfiction!” Dipper shouted, cheeks going completely scarlet, claws making deep gashes in the table from how tightly he was gripping it. “I didn’t- I’ve never- No one needed to hear that, it’s- I feel lightheaded.”

“I know what you mean, man,” Halley spoke up, an obvious wobble to her tone. Dipper and Minty looked up to see her staring off into the distance, eyes red and puffy, hands crossed over her heart. “I’m feeling it too. That was so beautiful, Minty, you sure as hell have got a way with words. And yknow, I- I work in a coffee shop, actually. I’d totally take Alcor there. We’d talk and laugh – damn, he’s gotta just have the most heartwarming laugh in the world – and I’d straight up offer right there on the spot to be his Mizar. I wanna protect the world, but I also wanna protect him, I know he’s got a sensitive side, I just know it. I’d chew steel for him.”

No no no no. This had to stop. Mind racing, Dipper struggled to find something they’d said to latch onto. “Hey, uh, Minty!” he interrupted. “You like coffee shops, right? Halley… works in one! You should go there with her. Instead of being here.”

“That’s a great idea!” Minty squealed. “We should all meet up for coffee after the convention!”

“No!” Dipper blurted. “I meant, you two should go. Together. Without me.” All he got in return was blank stares. He ran his hand through his bangs nervously. “Listen, Minty, Alcor doesn’t work at a coffee shop, because no one in the country will hire him. His claws make awful screeching noises on the mugs, and also he’s a demon. But Halley does work at a coffee shop. Maybe… there’s something there?”

Minty and Halley traded glances. “I don’t understand,” the former finally said.

Dipper facepalmed. “Okay. How about… Halley, you want to protect Alcor. That’s ridiculous, he doesn’t need protecting, he has so much magic. But Minty goes to art school, she probably needs someone to, I dunno, support her during tight deadlines. That’s like… mental health protection.”

Minty shrugged. “I guess that sounds nice…”

“And, uh, Minty, you want someone who’s loyal, which sounds to me like what you really need is a dog, not a romantic partner, and I’m not- Alcor is not a dog. Also, again, he’s a demon, he’s only loyal to himself. But if you’re really set on getting that kind of loyalty and trust from a sentient creature, well, Halley’s offered to chew steel for love.”

“Hey man, don’t put words in my mouth, I said I’d chew steel for Alcor,” Halley countered, putting her hands on her hips and staring Dipper down. After a moment, though, she looked back at Minty, who had a starstruck look on her face, and drew back. “I- I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like you Minty. I just don’t want to be alone anymore. How can I trust someone other than Alcor not to get tired of me?”

“Kinda toxic, but also big mood,” Dipper muttered. “Trust isn’t something you can or even should have for people you don’t know. Not just for romance – in any kind of relationship, trust is something you build up through getting to know someone. I should know; there’ve been so many times when I made the mistake of trusting someone – say, not to snuggle body pillows with half naked pictures of me on them – without even knowing them, just because of my preconceived notions about who those people are. Relationships are always a risk, but they’re worth it when they work out. You’ll miss out if you’re too afraid to take that risk.”

He beamed at them, extremely proud of his little speech he’d managed to pull together. Minty and Halley stared back, mouths agape, probably blown away by his emotional maturity.

Then they launched themselves at each other and started furiously making out.

“Oh my stars!” Dipper yelled, recoiling from the mass of flailing limbs. “You literally just met each other! Go get a coffee or something first, holy shit!”

They broke apart, faces red but grinning. “Wow,” Minty breathed.

“Yeah. Wow,” Halley echoed. “Um, would you maybe want to walk around the convention with me? And maybe go get some coffee together afterward? I do work at a coffee shop nearby.”

Minty squealed again and grabbed Halley’s hands. “That sounds wonderful!”

“Yo, dude,” Halley said to Dipper, who was clutching his chest and hyperventilating. “Thanks for the advice. You’ve got some dope emotional maturity. Your friends are lucky to know you.”

Dipper, still trying to calm down, opened his mouth to make some words and only managed to emit a weak gurgle. He settled for giving them a nod.

The two of them started to walk away, but Minty paused and turned back. “Oh wait. We never got your name.”

“I’m Alcor the Dreambender,” Dipper grunted without a second’s pause. “Go away.”

Halley laughed. “Sure you are. You’re really committed to the character, I love it! Maybe we’ll see you around.”

Dipper gave them a strangled half-smile and waved them off, to which they finally made their departure. Finally alone, he collapsed onto the table out of exhaustion. He was relieved that he’d managed to turn Mabel and Henry’s souls away from being Micor shippers, but after a few minutes of lying there the reality of what he’d just done started to sink in.

“Oh stars, I just shipped my sister and her husband,” he moaned. “What is my life. Please, universe, let me get through the rest of the day without anything else happening. Please.”

Naturally, someone immediately started talking to him. “Yo, sleeping guy, wake up.”

“Whatever it is, please just use the credit card swiper and move on,” he responded.

“Dude, what swiper. Help me out.”

With a groan, Dipper picked his head up, and then he froze, his every hair standing on end like a terrified cat.

“This body pillow rocks,” Soos’s soul said, hugging one of the models that had both Alcor and Mizar on it, half naked and blushing. “You gotta hook me up.”

“Ohhhh, I have that pillow! You won’t regret it!” came another voice, and Dipper looked over to see Melody’s soul walking up to the table. “You’ve got good taste. Micor forever, am I right? Bro, there’s some really good smutfic I could recommend you if you’re interested.”

Dipper slid out of his chair and curled up into a ball under the table. “Damn you Aubrey,” he whispered. “I’ll fucking get you back for making me do this.”

(As it turned out, giving Aubrey a dream about being stuck at a convention where everyone was attracted to her did not adequately “get back” at her, and it was a full week before she stopped laughing about it.)

[shinystarfishpenguin]

An Explanation Not Due

So, I just wanted to rant about why I hate Dirk.  Now, a lot will probably come up later because I just got to the Alpha Kids in my latest HS reread, and nobody is reading this nor cares, but why the hell not write this, what’d to be lost?  Also, it’s been a looong time since I’ve been this far in the comic, let alone beyond, so I’m probably going to get things wrong, or forget things, or whatever.

Now, another clarification: Post-canon doesn’t exist and if it did, it would be utterly garbage.  I read the epilogues, and at some point I’ll probably get around to reading HS^2, but based on the Epilogues and everything I gather from Tumblr, it’s not for me, and despite what it may sound like based on how many times I’ve embarrassingly read Homestuck proper, I’m not a complete masochist.

Now on to Dirk proper.  What’s wrong with him?  Let’s start with the attitude.  He’s a narcissist, plain and simple.  Does it make sense?  Yes, for someone in his position that’s totally reasonable.  Is it still annoying af?  Absolutely.  He doesn’t himself actually feel all that important so he overcompensates to an extreme degree with several layers of “irony” involved.  He’s the epitome of the “you wouldn’t get it” stereotype that thinks that all his shit is so far above everyone and instead of being all cool about it he hangs that above everyone’s head to not only put himself up, but also push everyone down.  And it’s not like an occasional thing that we could shrug off as not being socially adept due to his upbringing, it’s constantly happening, and he seems to get off from it.  It’s like that idyllic hipster attitude that everyone claims to hate, but also seems to love when it’s them holding the attitude.  And certainly, I’m guilty of that myself.  I love having my own little bits that other people don’t/wouldn’t understand.  But I don’t, or at least try not to, constantly hold that above others’ heads.

And he’s jealous, too.  If I recall correctly, when he and Jake were together, he was suffocating Jake with his attention, while still maintaining the attitude of superiority, which is abusive af.  And sure, this is another thing we can attribute to his upbringing of, you know, literally being alone for his entire life.  It’s not unreasonable to assume that someone whose entire communication was composed of online chats, that when they came to meet in person and got in a relationship, boundaries would be very difficult for them.  That’s fair, I’ll cede that.  My issue isn’t necessarily that he was like that, but he’s the first openly gay human (I’m pretty sure his sexuality came to light before Rosemary became canon, but I may be wrong about that) and he’s super aggressive to his partner, and if I remember kind of guilted Jake either into the relationship to begin with, or guilted him into staying in the relationship.  Again, that’s beyond the scope of what I’ve read this time around and it’s been a long time since I read that portion of the comic.  So he’s the first openly LGBT+ character, and he’s abusive to his romantic partner.  Great representation there, Hussie and Co.

Now let’s talk about the community for a sec.  The Homestuck fandom is not historically remembered for being the best fandom in the land.  I’m glad I was never part of the cosplaying or the cons, but I was part of it and I was part of the problem.  That said, how the community treated the Striders as a whole was that they were soooo cooool and could do no wrong.  So when Dirk was portrayed in fan media, all his problems were ignored.  Now, this problem certainly extended beyond the Striders, let’s not be coy, but I felt it was most prevalent with the Striders, and considering my previous point about Dirk being gay and his status as an abuser, he kept the good and the community just...ignored the bad.  Now this is a problem that’s also prevalent with Vriska, whom I adore as a character now.  But I take the bad with the good with her, and let’s be honest, the community has gotten a lot better with acknowledging her faults, at least since I’ve gotten back on Tumblr.  And that may be true for Dirk, I go on Tumblr to see content I want to see, so a lot of Dirk stuff is not in my periphery.  It was just very frustrating to see a character that could have been so good and could have been presented so well just have his characterization butchered by the fanbase.  All that said, this was not so much a problem with Dirk himself, so much as the fanbase at that time as a whole.

Now, side note: I used to feel the same way with Dave and Vriska, and I’ve certainly come around on Dave AND Vriska, and if during this reread I come back around on Dirk, that would be great.  I want to like all the characters, I just don’t.  And Dirk is the one that just so happens to be harboring the brunt of my ire right now.

One of the biggest problems with how I see Dirk as written, is that I see Hussie in Dirk.  And I don’t know anything about Hussie.  But Dirk seems to be another one of his “splinters” in the story.  There’s his self-insert and Doc Scratch and Lord English and they’re all kind of traditionally villainous in their own right, but there’s just something about Dirk being one, that he’s one of the kids, albeit Alpha kids, and he plays this part of Hussie’s splinter that just seems...gross?  I don’t really know what it is about it it just doesn’t seem right, doesn’t seem like a natural character in the world/universe/multiverse that is the Homestuck canon.  And yes, I get that every character of any written work is by their very nature a kind of splinter of the author, my point is that Dirk just seems a little too on the nose for being one of the kids.

And I think my final point is that I know someone in real life who is very much like Dirk.  Always lording how much better they are and how much better their taste is and their opinion is always right and my opinion, if it differs, is just wrong, and not a different opinion.  It’s exhausting.  I lived with this guy for a while, we’d been friends for a long time and even though it was exhausting, I still liked him before I lived with him.  And, granted, so many of the problems that we had were my fault.  I was going through a really difficult time and myself brought a lot of problems into the house.  The thing is, though, the part that probably hurts the most and connects the best between him and Dirk, is when my roommate and friend, a cis-man, hit on me, a transwoman, and I rejected him, and he managed to subtly turn it around on me and caused problems and eventually kicked me out of the house.  Just the connection with the psychological abuse that Dirk literally commits in the comic and the abuse that I went through, and that just goes completely gets ignored.

Everything above notwithstanding, I think Dirk is fine as a character.  He’s kind of lazily written, tbh I think his Autoresponder was written better and had a better arc, at least before...You know.  But Dirk proper is fine.  Not great, not necessarily poorly written.  Milquetoast is how I would describe him, if I’m being honest.  But I don’t like him.  I hope that changes as I read his character arc as a more mature adult (”mature adult” reading Homestuck), maybe I’ll be able to see something more that I glossed over previously.  I want to like him, and a lot of my own issues are personal if I’m being really honest about it.  But I can’t look at him and see a cool guy like the fan media oft portrays him as.  I do see a guy that was destined to be fucked up and is hurting.  But pain and hurt and abuse can’t excuse all behavior.  It doesn’t work that way.

Thank you, this has been my TED Talk.

[scandalsavagefanfic]

All right. I’m still mad. So here it is. The post I rage-wrote (my new favorite term) last night:

I don’t know what Tom King means by “murders that weren’t” but unless it means that no one actually died at Sanctuary and Wally isn’t actually a killer (accidental or otherwise), I’m pulling the fucking trigger on all the things that I’ve though about doing but haven’t because I love comics and I want more.

I won’t buy HiC #9

I’ll drop Flash

I’ll drop Nightwing

I’ll drop Batman

I’ll drop everything Bendis

I won’t buy anything with King’s name on it for a while (unless it’s an Image book)

In fact, I’ll drop pretty much everything. And I buy a lot of fucking books.

I won’t renew my DC Universe subscription.

I will continue with RH because hilariously, even though it’s quality has dropped after Rebirth too, it is still, somehow, one of your better books right now.

I will continue with JL because I will always support the hell out of Scott Snyder. I’ve never seen a more humble, gracious, caring, considerate, understanding creator in my life.

Honestly, DC, what the actual fuck are you thinking? Making Wally a killer? Don’t you know how to read the room? I know you have a disdain for your fans, that you seem to think that anything they like is dumb and if they don’t like something it’s because they ‘don’t get it’ but Christ, man, come on.

Over a year ago at Wonder Con (it may have been Comic Con, they blur together) I sat in a room while a panel of creators asked the audience who their favorite Flash was. Flash War was starting, Heroes In Crisis was coming up, and we’d been hearing worrisome things in regards to Wally, the face of Rebirth. The room full of fans let you know, clearly and unequivocally, what we thought. When half the panel looked surprised that Wally beat Barry by an extremely wide margin, I tried convince myself that you’d listen and course correct.

But you didn’t. You doubled down.

Batman 50 was an appalling manipulation of fans. Truly disgusting. Not on a story level which is the only reason I kept buying the book after that fiasco. If it had been marketed for what is was, just the next issue in the arc, there would have been no problems. But in bad faith, knowing precisely what you were doing, you tricked us.

And then I sat in a room at Comic Con and listen to some of your top people make fun of fans who were upset, as though they were overreacting. As though you didn’t knowingly and maliciously tell everyone that the book was something it wasn’t in one of the lowest corporate cash-grabs I’ve ever seen in my life.

For the love of god, pull your shit together. I don’t want everything to be owned by fucking Disney but you’re starting to make that look like the best bad option.

Off the top of my head:

Fire whoever decided to cancel Super Sons. It had nothing but positive feedback. If its sales were lower than you’d like MARKET IT!

Put the fucking reigns on Bendis or let him walk and free up that capital for hungry new writers who won’t trash good stuff just because they think their idea is better. Why do we need two 17 year old Superboys? Why do we need two Robins? Yeah, yeah, I know ‘there’s a reason, just wait’ and ‘the story is still going’ 🙄 I know I’ve heard that before... *cough* HiC *cough* Batman *cough*. The fact is, you had the first really good Superman stuff in a long ass time and you sacrificed it in favor of big name with just more boring, action-over-storytelling/character plot lines

Hey speaking of dick. No one likes Ric. Literally, not a soul. The longer you keep this shit up the lower Nightwing sales are gonna drop. Everyone still buying the book is only hanging on because we keep thinking this ridiculousness is going to end.

I don’t know if you need new content editors, new top brass, or what (it’s not my job to know), but you keep making the same story/creative mistakes over and over and over again. It’s asinine that you can’t figure this out.

The New Age of Superheroes was a fun idea but it was never going to work out. I saw that. The clerk at my local cbs saw that. You should have seen that.

You know what would be a good idea? Like instant money, so obvious no one can figure out why you haven’t done it yet, kind of good? A fucking Bat-Family book. Give Tomasi and Gleason the core four batboys and let them do a spiritual successor to their Batman and Robin, Superman, and Super Sons books with the extended family and friends popping in and out of issues/arcs. Use Batman sparingly. You don’t even have to create another book. Detective Comics is the perfect place for this. And hey look, Tomasi is already there! (You probably wouldn’t even have to market this but, you know, it couldn’t hurt.)

OWN the crap out of Batman Damned and what Black Label should be like the adults you ostensibly are. You can’t take a few dick jokes? Really? Come on.

Content geared towards adults is a great idea. We’re the ones with the money. But most adults like a variety. I like Archer and TTG. I like Futurama and Justice League Unlimited. You should have left Young Justice alone. 

Speaking of Young Justice. A spin off Batfamily should would free up space on YJ and give you a place to go darker, more adult focus if you wanted.

That proposed Superfam cartoon going around that you passed on? Fucking. Make. It. 

You have a lot of problems. And pretending your fans don’t know what they’re talking about is only going to do one thing. Keep losing you fans.

[carynsilver]

Marvel 20 Questions

I wasn't tagged, but I saw this on @musette22‘s Tumblr and decided I wanted to play. Thanks! 

1. Favorite solo film? It’s so hard to choose. It would be easier to list my top five. :-) But, I have to go with Thor: Ragnarok, because it is funny and heartwarming and I love it. Plus I have been a sucker for Thor since his first movie. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a really close second, though.

2. Favorite team-up film? The Avengers. It was so cool seeing all the characters we’d watched in the solo movies come together for the first time. Marvel really did the solo movies to team-up movies formula right--didn’t rush it like DC did. The payoff in that first Avengers movie was great. Plus a good villain, high stakes, and a plot that I didn’t have problems with. A good mix of humor to action. Love it. Also, I’m really partial to the AUs where the Avengers all live on their own floors in the tower, and that is the movie that sets that up (even if I’ll forever be sad that they did nothing with it).

3. Favorite female character? There are a lot of BAMF chicks in the MCU, but my absolute favorite is Peggy Carter. She is strong and gorgeous and knows her worth, even a time that is worse that today about allowing women to have that value. I liked her in the first Cap movie, but I loved her even more in the Agent Carter TV series. While I like the Peggy/Steve backstory, I like Peggy better on her own. Darcy Lewis is a really close second favorite--only second because, while I liked her in the Thor movies, it was fic that really fleshed out her character, while Peggy got all that character development on screen. But we’ll see how things go with Wandavision. Maybe Darcy will get the more developed character in cannon that she deserves. (I guess the Netflix shows no longer count for the MCU, huh? Because Jessica Jones was pretty awesome, too.)

4. Favorite male character? Oh my gosh. I love both Thor Odinson and Bucky Barnes SO MUCH--it’s nearly impossible to choose. However, I have to use the rule that I used for favorite female character, and give Thor the number one spot because his character’s awesomeness is fleshed out on screen. While I still think that his first movie could’ve used a bit more middle (more time than just one night on Earth to grow and change into someone who would give his life for others), I’ve loved watching Thor’s character grow and change over the years. He tried so hard to be a Gryffindor, but he’s really a Hufflepuff. While he would’ve been an all right king due to training, he doesn’t have the heart for it, and I think he finally realized that. He is so much more than muscles and a weird accent--he’s loving, supportive, and really smart; he forgives; he’s just an awesome guy. Bucky has that whole tragic redemption arc, which is great, but they really cheated his character out of development on screen after CA:tFA and CA:tWS. Like with Darcy, a lot of his development comes from fic and head cannons. I’m really hopeful for the Falcon & Winter Soldier TV series. Maybe now Bucky will finally get the character development he deserves!

5. Best canon ship? I’m not really tied to many of the cannon ships in the MCU. I liked Tony/Pepper a lot; probably because they got a lot of screen time, and Pepper is another favorite BAMF MCU lady. Scott/Hope is also pretty good. I would’ve said Thor/Jane, except then they broke up. Maybe they will resurge to the top of the list when we get Thor 4.

6. Best non-canon ship? I love so many non-cannon ships for the MCU! I like Stucky, Stony, WinterShock, WinterHawk (but only with the more comic-esque Clint who is deaf and a disaster; not boring family man movie Clint), WinterIron (but only in no power AUs without the Bucky killed Tony’s parents angle), ShieldShock, TaserTricks a bit... Basically any ship with either Bucky or Darcy in it would have a chance, and even though I don’t love cannon Steve all that much, I like a lot of ships with him in fanfic, too. Weirdly, I never read fic about Thor or Peggy--maybe because they are so fleshed out in cannon, I don’t need more from them.

7. Favorite actor? Man, another rough one. I love Chris Hemsworth and Sebastian Stan so much. I think I have to go with Sebastian on this one, though. Chris is great, hot, and I adore him, but Sebastian did so much with a character that had relatively little screen time overall. I mean, Bucky was in five movies, but in a lot of them he was there more for the action than the actual character development (which makes me sad! he deserves more!). But the fact that he took a smaller, supporting character and made him one of my favorites in the whole universe says a lot for Sebastian’s acting. Like, a lot of actors can make you love a character when they are the main character in multiple movies, but how many can do it from the sidelines? (**crossing my fingers for lots of good Bucky in the F&WS show!**)

8. Favorite actress? Gotta go with Hayley Atwell here. The way she played Peggy was masterful. I also really love Kat Dennings, though. Second only to Hayley.

9. Favorite director? Taika Waititi, hands down. He should do all MCU movies from here on out. Prior to him, it was Joss Whedon for his great work on the first Avengers, but Joss let me down with A:AoU.

10. What was the first MCU movie you ever watched? Iron Man. Aside from Spiderman: Homecoming and The Incredible Hulk, I watched all the MCU movies in theater in the order they came out. We are dedicated Marvel fans that way. :-)

11. Which MCU movie have you watched the most? Hmmm... I’m honestly not sure. I’ve never specifically counted viewings. I know the top contenders would be Thor: Ragnarok, Ant Man, The Avengers, Thor, Captain America: the First Avenger, and Iron Man. I have definitely watched every MCU movie except the Spiderman and Hulk solo films more than once, though.

12. Favorite super-suit? I think I’d have to go with the Iron Man suit. I mean, it’s by far the most useful, and it has Jarvis (or Friday) inside. And it lets you fly! That said, if we take it as most attractive suit, then I’d be torn between Steve’s navy and white suit (sans cowl) from the beginning of CA:tWS and Thor’s suit when it bared his arms (the long-sleeved version was weird looking).

13. Favorite weapon? Mjolnir, by far. Even though it creates some weird questions/plot issues, I love the idea of a weapon that only someone with a worthy heart can use. I think my favorite moment in End Game was when they paid out on that bit from AoU and Steve busted out fighting with his shield and Mjolnir. Steve and Thor fighting together with the hammer and the axe was fabulous. I do also like Cap’s shield, even though it’s a weird choice. I’m really looking forward to Thor 4, if the rumors are true and we’re going to get to see Jane use the hammer. That will be excellent!

14. Favorite origin story? Oh, another hard one! I am a sucker for a good redemption story arc, so I think Bucky/Winter Soldier edges in for the win here. Overcoming 70 years of brainwashing and mind wipes for his best friend, struggling to get back to human again, and then trying to make up for some of the wrongs from the past (which I hope is where we’re going in the F&WS show) is excellent. Though, Thor’s journey from spoiled brat to someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for others to king to someone who realizes that he isn’t the best king and is willing to hand the crown to someone else for the good of the people that he loves is a really good one, too. I also like tiny anger-ball Steve taking a risk to become a hero with a good heart. Didn’t necessarily agree with all his choices later, but did like the origin. Solid third.

15. Favorite villain? Definitely Loki. His arc in the first Thor movie is great. And knowing that in the first Avengers movie he was affected by the mind stone adds a great layer. Plus watching him continue to mature and grow until he finally was willing to be there for his brother in Ragnarok. That was a great arc, and the character toes that line of gray morality but redemption that is so compelling to watch. His death was the worst one to me in IW/EG--I really thought he was pulling some other con, and I’ll forever be sad they dropped that thread. I hope that his show is good, and I’ll give it a chance, but I’m still bummed that we’re going back to post-Avengers Loki and losing all that character development from Thor 2 and 3. :-(

16. Favorite fight sequence? Honestly, the action and fighting are probably my least favorite parts of these movies. I know, that’s atypical, lol. Like, they are the less interesting bits I have to put up with to get the character growth I want from my superheroes. Often, the action sequences go on too long. Shorter action sequences would allow them to both keep up momentum and put in more character development, but no one in charge asks me. :-P That said, I like the action sequences best when they show character development, and the best one for that is the highway fight in CA:tWS where Cap and co. fight the Winter Soldier for the first time. No one in the whole movie had challenged Steve that far, but the Winter Soldier truly put him in danger for the first time, and his friends, too. The Winter Soldier was menacing, and then paired with the Bucky reveal at the end. Best action sequence. Though I do also love the Revengers vs. Hela in Ragnarok when Thor finally gets his full lightening powers down and crashes into the battle. He is so OP now, but in an awesome way.

17. Favorite line from any of the films? I love that bit in the first Avengers movie when Thor snags Loki, Tony flies out after him, and Nat tells Steve not go because they are basically gods. I love Steve’s line of, “There’s only one God, Ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.” That one cracks me up even now that I’ve watched it so many times.

18. Favorite scene from any of the films? Pretty much any scene with Darcy in it is a favorite. Her stuff in the first Thor movie is gold. I also like Bucky and Steve’s goodbye scene at the beginning of CA:tFA.

19. If you could pick an Infinity Stone to keep, which would you choose? Huh... I don’t know that I’d want any of them. I guess, if pressed, I’d choose the Space stone because I think it would let me teleport. The Time stone/time travel seems interesting, but I’d be afraid I’d mess up the timelines.

20. Which Disney Plus MCU series are you most looking forward to? Falcon & Winter Soldier, hands down. Though, when I heard Darcy would be a character, that jumped Wandavision up to second place.

I think that @virtual-insomnia would enjoy this. :-) 

[squeeprojectsllc]

On participating in creator/fan relationships in real time: Joe Bob Briggs Last Drive-In Marathon.

Long time beloved late night genre movie host, Joe Bob Briggs returned to streaming TV via Shudder for the first time in 17 years.

 I’m an OG fan of his earlier shows Drive-In Theater and Monstervision as well as his books Joe Bob Goes to the Drive In and Joe Bob Goes Back to the Drive In and Profoundly Disturbing: Shocking Movies that Changed History  They are all wonderful but parts of Profoundly Disturbing stick with me to this day and whenever I stay at a hotel which is fairly regular with my comic con schedule, I change the Do Not Disturb signs with a sharpie as an homage to his work. 

When I heard the news that he’d return for a 24 hour+ one time streaming marathon screening of 13 horror films I went into full on #FangirlFlail mode. I could see on twitter other fans were beyond excited, too.

There were awesome new shirts from Fright Rags and I bought one immediately.  It got here the day of the NiteHawk event he was hosting so like the dork I am, I wore it to meet him. That’’s the thing about fandom, sometimes you can’t keep your cool. You just need to fully embrace your passion even when you feel embarrassed by it. #fangirlshame #fighttheshame

We'd made casual arrangements for me to interview him. Although I didn't get the opportunity for the interview, I did get to hang out with him and the Shudder team for a snack and to discuss the upcoming marathon, the industry and horror films with them. I won't lie, that was freaking amazing. 

 The Shudder team was super excited about the opportunity to bring Joe Bob back to TV. I interviewed Shudder Curator, Sam Zimmerman about the upcoming event.

That video can be seen at https://youtu.be/tz_JKuyi2Bg

As the fans geared up for the marathon we shared our squee on social media platforms; and made plans to collectively gather on twitter, facebook, slack channel. (which I will never figure out), twitch and other platforms. Many of us posted videos and photos of how we’d be watching. 

I made a vlog post about how I’d be watching https://www.instagram.com/p/BlMSxr_HxhZ/?taken-by=squeefilmmaker

Joe Bob had written n his regular column in TakiMag about what he called “The Loneliness of the Cord Cutter” Published a few days before the event.

“What we do there is we experience the movie as a group and then we discuss the movie as equals because we’ve all had the same emotional experience. I suppose, if we asked Camille Paglia or some other academic, they would tell us it’s some form of pagan worship.No one ever talks about this. If you ask the specialty theater managers, they’ll tell you about the brilliance of the 35-millimeter film image (true), the awesomeness of the sound system (true), or the various ways the film has been reconstructed, preserved, enhanced, or changed by the director. None of these things matter. What’s essential is the crowd—and it doesn’t matter whether it’s five people or five thousand. What matters is the agreement that “We will tell each other stories and we will feel that rush of knowing who we are and where we are and why we are here.”

Please read the full article here so the writers get paid fairly. They deserve it.

http://takimag.com/article/the_loneliness_of_the_cord_cutter_joe_bob_briggs/print#ixzz5LqJZV9kW

Then the internet failed us. Most of us  couldn't access the stream on any of our  devices. Fans posted various responses on social media. We were frustrated but we were here for Joe Bob and Shudder was doing their best to try to make it work.  Fans posted funny tweets abut it. Fans rooted for Joe Bob and Shudder. We weren't  going anywhere.

Fans started joking that Joe Bob Briggs broke the internet. We were kind of thrilled. The hashtag started trending. Now from a fan’s perspective this was wonderful. We weren't happy that we were missing the event we’d been longing for since #Monstervision got cancelled but there was tribal joy spreading.

I think that we felt that we were alone in our passion for Joe Bob and his work.

Then we discovered we were legion. Yes, we are the weirdos, mister. The Drive-in Mutants, the Monster Kids, the horror geeks. This was one of the best examples of a community of fans who didn't even know we existed coming together that I’ve ever experienced. And I’m multi-fandemic, participating in dozens of fandoms and this response was outstanding,

One of my twitter friends got access to it somewhere in the midst of Sleepaway Camp and offered to share it via Skype with me. Another fan got it going and shared the stream on Twitch with many fans. He was given a 24 hour ban from Twitch but became a hero to the other fans.

“One fan, known only as Cthlhu on Twitter, saw fit to help out the horror community as best he could by broadcasting the highly sought-out special on his Twitch stream. As a result, many fans were able to see the broadcast they’d been waiting for since the year 2000. Twitch, however, didn’t find the solution particularly heartwarming, as they suspended the user for 24 hours. Cthlhu didn’t seem to mind. (Please read the full article below so the writers get paid fairly)

https://www.inquisitr.com/4986333/horror-icon-joe-bob-briggs-comes-to-defense-of-fan-on-twitter-after-overwhelming-shudder-premiere/

I finally got the stream up on my laptop  around 1 am and watched till about 5 am and it was everything I’d hoped for. By the time I got up the next day, Shudder had posted all the films that had aired up that point on their site separately so we could all catch up.

Then the man himself posted in his column 

“You don’t write, perform, shoot, edit and broadcast a 24-hour show and then feel good about nobody being able to see it. You start out with a fear of disappointing the audience—I have the greatest fans in the universe, and I love them, and they’ve saved my ass a thousand times, and so preventing them from seeing the opening title card is sort of my ultimate nightmare.” Please read the full article so the writer gets paid fairly by using the link below.  http://takimag.com/article/breaking_the_internet_joe_bob_briggs/print#ixzz5LqLVQ1hh

“But, Joe Bob, people will eventually see it, the important thing is that you broke the Internet.”

“If that’s the important thing, it shouldn’t be the important thing. Not everyone can hang around for two days monitoring their devices. The casually interested observer, who might have been barely intrigued enough to sample the show, was gone after 15 minutes and never came back. “Breaking the Internet” is not a happy thing for those of us who believe communication is better than gossip.”

Please read the full article by using the link so the writer gets paid fairly

http://takimag.com/article/breaking_the_internet_joe_bob_briggs/print#ixzz5LqL7ZT3Q

I absolutely understand Joe Bob’s disappointment. Any creator wants their hard work to be enjoyed, appreciated and successful. As a filmmaker and someone who’s worked in media for over 20 years, I get it. It was rough. On a much much smaller scale of course I’ve had panic attacks as I watched the tech person struggle to get my film screening during a panel. It’s an awful feeling.

But as a professional fan, it was an absolutely amazing experience. Now I know dozens of other weirdos that are just like me and I bet if Joe Bob wants to return to do any kind  of short or long term hosting, we’ll all be there with him.

Update: Announced only moments after I posted this! 

Now recite The Drive-In Oath along with the rest of us Mutants.

[fuckyeahgravityfalls]

Q&A Transcript with Alex Hirsch at MomoCon 2017

Question: Before you decided to make Bill the main bad guy, did you have another character in mind that would have been the villain? 

Alex: Yeah, um that's a good question. Uh, so, when we came up with the villain of the show, I knew that... I knew that Bill was involved. And I knew that Ford had disappeared due to some deal gone wrong with some villain next to the mystery of how Gravity Falls was all assembled. 

Um, but, I didn't yet decide that Bill was that character in the very beginning, y'know? I had always imagined it was some sort of evil character somewhere kinda hidden in the woods. I wasn't sure I could go with the Bill idea cuz I thought it would be too much like Twin Peaks, but as we got further along the series we discussed it among the repairs and we were like, 'none of our other villain ideas were as good.' Bill, Bill was weirder than anything else we thought of. Um, I remember there were other ideas. Strange monsters and government officials; some kind of cthulhu-- some weird crazy old man. But nothing was ever better than Bill, so it ended up sticking. Probably somewhere around, y'know, season one-- midway through season one, we started thinking we might be-- might be on point.

Q: Was Grunkle Stan ever aware of McGucket’s connection to his brother? 

 A: Oh, oh that's such a good question. Wait, let me think about that for a second... Uh... lemme see... I don't think so. I don't think Stan was ever aware of McGucket's connection to his brother. Because, by the time Stan traded identities with Ford, uh... McGucket had already gone off the deep end-- Was already y'know, had already created the Society of the Blind Eye; had already lost his own memory. So Stan would've really only known McGucket as a local obnoxious fisherman. 

And McGucket, probably somewhere deep in the back of his mind, was eerily just drawn to Stan in a way he just couldn't put his finger on, because he thought maybe he knew him, but-- I don't-- I think Stan was ignorant of that. Um, I think Stan... I think Stan looking through the journals probably should've put two and two together, but Stan's not the best at book-learnin'. Uh, so... my guess is Stan wouldn't have known despite that uh, that there's a lot of tumblr art out there showing them as like the Scooby-Doo gang. I don't think Stan ever really knew McGucket before.

Q: What episode do you believe came out the strongest and the most well rounded overall? And is it the same as your personal favorite episode?

 A: Oh gosh. Um. That's a great question. Hmm... I probably feel, personally, that the strongest episode is uh, "Not What He Seems" just because it's such a dramatic episode. Like, we know-- We've never had an episode that dramatic. But, when we first pitched it to Disney executives... they thought it was bad. [laughs] Um, Because it didn't have a lot of jokes in it? Like, I remember normally when we're pitching our episode, executives can usually gauge how good they are by how much people laugh. People didn't really laugh for that one, because it's really tense. So we thought, maybe we'd screwed up. But, when the animation came back we were like, 'Oh! It's GOOD that it's tense. Like, it worked!' Um, So, I dunno if that's my favorite episode, but I think-- that's the episode we should've won an Emmy for, and I'm still pissed we didn't. [laughs]

In terms of favorite episode, like... I dunno. I think the first episode that I really felt that the show was really starting to feel the way I wanted it to-- "Time Traveler's Pig" in season one. Like, that was an episode where Dipper had an interesting story, and Mabel had an interesting story, and uh, felt nostalgic, and based around the summer, and had a big secret callback to even previous episodes, so-- I just remember when we first just got that episode back in color, I was like, 'hey I think maybe I like how I'm making this cartoon show,' so I think that has a particularly fond place in my heart, y'know.

Q: Is Disney bringing you to SDCC or NYCC later this year to promote the journal and other books coming out? 

 A: Right, um, yeah, Disney-- Disney... Disney-general and me, have like-- we're divorced. Like, they kept the house, and the pets. Y'know what I mean? It's... we don't like get dinner or anything. But, the Disney Publishing department, separate from Disney Television, they're really cool, and enthusiastic, and energized. And they wanna make new cool stuff. Um, so I think it's possible I might be at D23 this year, and it's possible I might be at Comic Con, but I don't have anything confirmed yet.

Q: In the scene where Bill is trying to convince Ford to join him in the Fearamid, were there any other jokes or story beats that were considered? 

 A: Which episode specifically are you talking about? [Q: The We'll Meet Again scene.] Yea yea yea, We had a-- Every scene that you've ever seen in the show has a ton of ton of stuff we've thought of and had to cut for time or other reasons. Um, I remember there was definitely a version of that where Bill was a lot trickier. Like, he sort of more successfully lied to Ford about like: 'We're actually going to make the world a better place. Though I present myself as this chaos lunatic that's just my personality.' Like, 'here's ways in which we'll IMPROVE the universe.' 

Um, but it felt out of character. We thought it was much more like Bill to just draw smiley faces in oceans and eat the sun and just-- hope, that the force of his charisma could convince Ford that that was a good idea. But uh, I feel like-- I feel like Bill can be really really tricky when he wants to, but by the time Weirdmageddon showed up he's so impatient, and he's so convinced that he won, that he was no longer like, this brilliant chess master he used to be. He's like, 'alright let's do it! Do what I want or I'll eat your face.' Like, no more-- No more, like-- He wasn't as smart a tactician as he used to be, y'know?

Q: Was "We'll Meet Again" always the song you were going to use? 

A: Oh yeah, it had to be that. It was like... I think I'd just seen Dr. Strangelove recently around that time and it stuck in my head. It seems to me, if Bill has a taste in music, it would be, like, old timey music that ranges from either weird to obnoxious to obscure. 

Uh, Disney wanted me to cut it cuz it cost them a bunch of money to get the rights, even though it's so old, it still cost them money to get the rights. And I just... said, please. Over and over and over again. I would send an e-mail that just said, 'please.' And send another e-mail that said, 'please.' And I would send another e-mail that said-- Yeah. [laughs] Eventually I wore them down that they're like, 'alright we'll spend thousands of dollars.' [laughs]

Q: Are real comics coming? 

 A: You want comics? Would you read Gravity Falls comics? [Audience screams] [Alex leans his ear forward] [AUDIENCE SCREAMS]

A: It's a terrifying noise isn't it, Michael? I was at a... Gravity Falls gallery, and like, they didn't tell us how many people would show up, and it was like, THAT noise echoing from every corner. And uh like, I think I lost a year of my life. My hair started going gray, and it was like, 'oh my god, this is too much love! It's terrifying.' 

Comics. I would love to do Gravity Falls comics. Um, I have so many... One of the tough things about a half hour show like Gravity Falls is every now and then we think of an idea that we really liked, but it was too short for a half hour; 'oh that's only five minutes of story'-- Or it's too specific and weird. And so I have tons and tons of ideas of the show that y'know we'd like to explore this character, we'd like to show this secret, this storyline. So, I'd love to do comics. But, that's up to Disney Publishing, and I'm trying to convince them. So, hopefully, I'll have something exciting to announce in not too long.

Q&A with Stan and Soos

Q: Is Dipper adorable or manly?  

Stan: Dipper smells like baby wipes. Even if I cut off all my shoulder hair, and taped it to him, he wouldn't be 1/10th as manly I am.

Q: What would you do if Mabel told you she had a date to prom? 

Stan: I would... invite the gentleman over, have some coffee, tie him to a chair and interrogate him for 10 hours, and maybe throw him in the pit. [shrug] Hands off my neice, kid!

Q: What would happen if Soos met Giffany again? 

Soos: Oh yea, I recently downloaded this couple's therapy sim? Uh, I think she and I would have to talk about our issues and pass around a conversation pillow, and really work out these struggles. Cuz she's got some problems, dude.

Q: Soos, why are you so perfect? 

Soos: Yeah, uh, my grandma said that a whole bunch of doves flew down and formed the shape of a perfect angel over my crib. I dunno, dude I guess I was just born that way.

[shamelessnerd]

First Cosplay Experience

SO! It’s taken me too long to do this, but.... here we go.

On November 9th of this year, it was announced that Gail Simone (one of my favorite writers, mainly because of the awesome goodness and miraculous character save she did for Huntress after years of other writers slowly driving the character into the ground would be at the New Jersey Comic Expo.

I.

Freaked.

Out.

Such little warning and it just so happened that an online friend called Cali lives about 5 minutes away from the expo center. Cali was more than happy to let me crash on her couch and we’d go to the expo together. I was thrilled.

And then I despaired.

My cosplay was nowhere NEAR ready for this. Ever since a drastic turn of events in my life in late April of this year (greatly inspired by Huntress herself), I have been on something of a personal crusade -- to make the most accurate, badass, awesome and amazing Huntress cosplay the world has ever seen. I declared to everyone that I would construct this most true-to-character portrayal, I would live off myfitnesspal and I would appear before Simone and get on bent knee asking her to campaign for the return of the REAL Huntress. The Helena Rosa Bertinelli that had such a dramatic change on my life, who was unlike any other character -- fierce, independent, fearless, funny, and passionate as hell. I wanted to show that people out there still remember Helena, that she is still deeply loved, and that she is, above all, sorely missed. I wanted everyone to remember who Huntress is, what she is, and stand defiant in all attempts to consign her to forgotten archives.

I vowed I would do this.

And here I faced my last opportunity to see Gail in person and I thought for sure that I would not be ready. My representation would fall flat. The impact of the meaning, of appearing as the deadly vigilante (not a sexy portrayal, though she is that too -- but I wanted badass armor) as true-to-life as could be, would be too little for what I hoped to achieve.

But then I had an idea. And, hilariously, this idea came from a kind of little-known comic called Gotham City Garage. Basically, this is what would happen if Mad Max tangled with the DC universe, giving characters fast motorcycles and lots of leather and tattoos and absurd amounts of studs. A little mental checklist informed me that I had most of the materials on hand already. So I set to work.

A leather jacket and purple t-shirt (from the Salvation Army), a fake tattoo, and a lot of help from my friend and her husband to make the armored bracers, I had a costume. We walked in like badasses. We weren’t there for 3 minutes before a vendor asked for our picture.

DREAM TEAM RIGHT THERE, BABY! #RedHunt 

I. Felt. AWESOME. I felt like I was Huntress! And let me tell you -- that feeling was addicting. I never wanted it to end. According to my friend, I walked in there like I wanted to kick teeth in and that’s pretty much how I felt. Like a badass.

And of course, I got to see Gail.

(That’s the smirk that says, “Please fight back. I love it when they fight back.”)

So, full disclosure here.

I SWORE to myself that I would not cry and gush when I met her. I wouldn’t. I. Would. Not. I would be dignified and composed and erudite. I would say everything I wanted with precision and eloquence and I would convey just how deeply her contribution to Huntress had influenced me and saved me from an abusive relationship. I saw it play out in my mind a thousand times. It would be profound and serious and meaningful.

I breathed deeply. I mentally chanted, “You are Huntress, she doesn’t cry. You’re a badass. Huntress doesn’t let anyone see her weaknesses. You are Huntress. Now make her proud, dammit.”

I stepped up to the booth.

My friend (who had gotten a gift for me signed by Gail at New York Comic Con weeks prior) introduced me.

Gail looked at me. She had this expectant look, a friendly smile.

I took a breath and....

I started freaking crying.

Chernobyl melted down more gracefully than I did.

I got ticked off at myself, actually, because I SWORE this wouldn’t happen. Hoping to distract myself from the critical meltdown that was going full steam ahead, I tried to squeak out my speech I had written prior.

I think I got out a fifth of it.

My mind has kinda blacked out the memory of what happened. Out of self defense, I think. I wasn’t mortified. I was soooo past mortified. But I had to go through, because know what? I’m passionate about this. Huntress means a HELL of a lot to me and I had to say something to make sure someone knew, that they truly Heard The Voice Of The Fans. Not just for me but for others I know love Helena Bertinelli, such as @purpleladyofthenight and @thelastofthebertinellis and so many many others out there that have yet to be found or heard. I (stupidly) had decided I’d be at least one voice for Helena’s fans, someone who is crazy and idiotic enough to walk up to a famous writer and say, ‘Hey, we really love this character, mind undoing this injustice and bringing her back?’ No one asked me to do it, not everyone is gonna want the same writer, but I just had this idea (and I still do) that at least the message is heard. That it might get passed on up the chain. Someone noticed. And maybe that’ll give us some hope to getting her back.

Except I was nowhere NEAR as composed and erudite as I wanted to be. Not. One. Bit. I babbled. I gushed. I gushed like the damn Niagara falls during snowmelt times. (I hail from the land of Michigan, I know these things.) I was actually afraid the Pros-Aide stick the mask onto my face might get compromised from my stupidly crying idiot tears. And I think my friends ushered me away before I could gush TOO much. Damage control and all that.

Like I said, I really cannot recall a lot of it. I think back and get choked up. It’s all a blur muddled with a faint tinge of horror and embarrassment. I don’t pry too deeply. I think my brain is protecting me and I’ve read enough comics to now that can be an immense blessing. I am Genre Savvy. Cannot fool this chick!

But yes, horror and gushing aside, it was wonderful! ^_^ She’s a lovely person and DEEPLY forgiving of my determined attempts to wear my pants on my head or something. I did get her to sign my Wonder Woman journal and it’s something of a mission of mine to gather the signatures of the artists and writers I simply adore. (Nicola Scott and Matthew Clark’s names are proudly inscribed on the inside cover.) 

It’s really a whole new experience when you cosplay at a con. I’d been to a few of them, but never in character. There’s this... I dunno. VIP feel, I suppose, but that could’ve just been me. I loved getting stopped for pictures! I think we were stopped about 6 or 7 times for pictures and I loved each and every one! KNOW THIS: I want everyone reading this to swear, “I, who am about to go to a con, will not hesitate to ask a cosplayer for pictures, because that is why they do it and it makes them feel awesome.”

Good. Now I expect ya’ll to abide by that.

Amusingly, I heard someone say, ‘Oh look, it’s Batgirl!’ I turned around to see a dad pointing at me and talking to his young daughter. I cheerfully said, ‘Nah, not anymore. I had the gig for a while but I don’t need the Bat or the symbol to do what I want. What has to be done.”

The guy just looked at me and said after a minute, “Oh! Huntress!”

I felt AWESOME.

Perhaps the most memorable moment is when a teeny widdle Wonder Woman (probably 6 years old??) wanted to take a picture with me and Red Hood, but was too shy to ask. Her father did on her behalf and I was thrilled. She had a little stuffed monkey toy and I, channeling Huntress ENTIRELY, asked the monkey’s name. He didn’t have one yet because she just won him at a booth, so I suggested Minksy. (I swear to god I do not know where that name came from.) This was acceptable. Then we posed for a picture.

So somewhere out there is a stuffed monkey doll owned by a Wonder Woman that was named Minksy by Huntress. Real life stories here alone, peeps.

You can check out another group picture of myself, my friend Cali and her hubby on Dinner And A Podcast over here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbr7giAFN1O/ The trivia questions weren’t really trivia. They just asked the real name of the character you were cosplaying as and I, being a DEVOTED Helena Bertinelli fan, said Helena Rosa Bertinelli.

The guy was stumped as to what to ask next. He scrambled for a JLU question which I answered no problem and got a free comic. Woot!

I’ve been unable to find any further images of the expo, sadly, but it was amazing. I never wanted to stop being Huntress and I’m sure as hell gonna do it again! 

~COSPLAY STUFF BELOW~

Just a bit of info on the Bikerpunk!Huntress cosplay I whipped together with cheap deals and a lot of help from my friends!

1. The boots are Volatile Combat Boots for women, available on Amazon for about $58. I do recommend you get a half size up. I usually wear 8 to 8.5 and I got a size 9 to accommodate for my insoles. They fit beautifully! I had to get these puppies because any good Huntress pic shows she don’t screw around with no damn high heels. She wears big, bad, stompy combat boots to deal damage. These boots fit the bill and they’ll be great for many other cosplays as well.

2. The leather belt is from Cabela’s. I painted it purple using Angelus Leather Paint. It’s very dark here because the belt itself was dark brown originally, but it really shows beautifully in the light.

3. The belt pouches are lifted directly from the tutorial from furiescosplay for the Batgirl belt. These are just phone cases I got from the Dollar store, painted purple, and slipped on. Done.

4. The GORGEOUS Huntress mask I’m wearing is from TigerStoneFX. I used Pros-Aide adhesive to keep it snug. However, there’s some finagling with the strap that I have to do to make sure it fits really good and snug.

5. On my blog you can find a short video tutorial on Batgirl bracers. These are essentially how we made mine as well.

6. The fake tattoo. WHY the fake tattoo? Glad you asked! It’s because Huntress has a cross motif (we all know this) that’s formed by the white stripes down the front of her uniform and across the hem of her cape that crosses her chest. However, considering how tattered my shirt was for that BikerPunk (tm) feel, there wasn’t really... space to get that cross shape. So I had a lightbulb moment. Let’s make a fake tattoo!

I put my graphic designer skills to use, found an image I liked, outlined it to a vector image, blew it up to fit on an 11 x 17 paper, and then spent about two hours cutting out every little detail with my Xacto knife. Then, with some help of my friend and rather inconveniently placed papercut, put the stencil on me and started coloring in with a black Sharpie. Rub on some baby powder, LIGHTLY spritz with hair spray, you got a fake tattoo. It fit the biker-y feel (and Gotham City Garage has a very similar thing with Nightwing so I didn’t feel bad about it at all) and got the cross image in, too! 

7. Make up I’m still working on. But for any aspiring Huntress cosplayers out there, I recommend the lipstick color Amethyst by Nyx Cosmetics. Make sure you get the lipstick AND the lipliner! It lasted all day and I even had trouble getting it to come off in the shower! The other color I had toyed with getting, Oh, Just Put It On is actually an extremely dark shade of purple, nearly black. So unless that’s the palette you want, use Amethyst. It’s also a helluva lot more affordable than Kaoir (the only other lipstick seller I could find with such a vibrant purple) and I can attest to its staying power.

8. The gloves were also Salvation Army finds. I cut off the fingers (and had to use a teensy dab of E-6000 at all the seams to seal them off because the stitching was unravelling -- oops!) and also painted them with the Angelus Leather Dye. That stuff goes a long way and gets great color in just a few coats.

So that’s it. My First Big Adventure in Cosplay! It only gets bigger and better from here, right? Wish me luck and remember -- don’t get stuck on the details. Just GO for it!

[spideycentral]

Fans come in varying degrees of devotion. There’s the obsessive, the weird, the flattering, the stalkers, the imitators and the downright odd. Then there are the hardcore Comic Con fans, and they are in a league of their own. This is exactly what 26-year-old model-turned-actress Laura Harrier discovered recently when she arrived at her first Comic Con convention in San Diego. Chicago-born Laura and her fellow cast members of Marvel’s new film Spider-Man: Homecoming surprised an 8,000-strong crowd when they made an impromptu visit to the annual get-together of science fiction, comics and movie fans. Flying in straight from filming in Atlanta, Laura, was thrown in at the deep end and taken straight to Marvel Camp. ‘I go into this green room and there’s every famous person I’ve ever seen,’ she says. ‘Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor. I started crying.’

Laura plays Liz Allan, the love interest, in the first of a new Spider-Man series, which doesn’t remake the previous films but instead starts again from scratch with full creative control for Marvel. Laura says it’s a relief she isn’t playing your typical giggling high-school girl. ‘To be a woman of colour playing the love interest in a movie like this – that’s really exciting.’

Her co-stars were pretty exciting too. Brit actor Tom Holland plays Spider-Man: ‘He is lovely, such a sweetheart.’ Do they snog? ‘I can’t tell you. I’ve signed an NDA!’ Another cast-mate was Disney pop star Zendaya. ‘I love her; she was my bud. We’d be hanging out and strangers would just run up to her sobbing. I’d be like, “Oh right, you’re like really famous.” It’s crazy!’

Born in Chicago, Laura’s family moved to Evanstan when she was seven. ‘It was a really cool place to grow up. It’s very liberal and diverse: racially, socioeconomically, in all ways.’ A role in a science-fiction film like Spider-Man seems fitting for Laura, who as a child was obsessed by space: instead of posters on her wall, she had a galaxy of glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling above her bed. ‘I went to the planetarium and my mind was blow. I was fascinated by how infinite the universe is.’ She says Neil deGrasse Tyson (scientist, Nobel prize winner and director of TV show Cosmos) is someone she is a huge fan of. ‘He’s the first major black astrophysicist and he built his way up to being one of the top scientists in the world. He is one of those people who I would kinda freak out over if I met.’

A move to New York presented her with a chance to do some modelling, but after a short stint she realised it wasn’t what she wanted to do at all. ‘I loved film and always loved movies, but I didn’t think that could be a viable career.’ But not long after leaving acting school she landed a role in an HBO pilot, which just so happened to be directed by the Steve McQueen. ‘He was brilliant and it was eye-opening. It definitely led me to be doing what I’m doing now.’ The pilot never made it to a series but McQueen made a big impression on the young actress. What was the best advice he ever gave her? ‘Don’t be boring. You can be anything you want, just don’t be boring.’

[justgotham]

Edward Nygma, aka Gotham City's puzzle-prone supervillain The Riddler, has always had the potential to be one of Batman’s most intriguing, multi-layered foes, though it took comic books several decades to elevate the man from a one-note gimmick to a complex, three-dimensional character.

It was a transition of the most glacial pace, not exactly aided by largely goofy on-screen portrayals in the mid and late 20th century, with two prior live-action TV iterations (Frank Gorshin and his successor, John Astin) and a feature-film appearance by Jim Carrey cementing The Riddler's status as little more than a hyperactive nuisance with a Lycra fetish and an inexplicable need to tell his opponent — albeit cryptically — exactly what nefarious plans he had up his sleeve.

But, even with early animated appearances in the 1960s-80s reinforcing the campy, unitard-clad interpretation of the character, change eventually took hold: the 1990s' Batman: The Animated Series gave Nygma a new look — actually first worn by Gorshin in 1966's Batman: The Movie, and since adopted as his primary outfit in the comics — as a suit-and-bowler-hat-wearing genius initially out for vengeance against an employer who had scorned him, consequently driven forward by his obsessive desire to outsmart his nemesis and anyone else who would oppose him. (Granted, the series' successor, The New Batman Adventures, reverted to the unitard, and mid-2000s series The Batman went full weirdo-goth — but the less said about that, the better.)

Along with that reinterpretation and a few consequent re-imaginings in the comic books, his mythos has found further substance elsewhere: he was a persistent presence throughout the Arkham games of the past decade, and — although not canon — writer/artist Alex Ross even suggested in his 2005-2007 series Justice that Nygma's penchant for riddles was the result of an abusive father who used to beat the truth out of his son when he suspected the latter was lying, the villain's clues a manifestation of his ensuing psychological inability to be untruthful about his intentions.

All of which is to say: The Riddler has come a long, long way since his first appearance almost 70 years ago.

In the case of popular Fox TV show Gotham, a similar degree of depth has been achieved for the character, though it's done so in a much shorter time frame, across its three seasons to date, gradually coaxing Nygma's inner evil out from underneath a shell of naivety and social awkwardness. Even so, for actor Cory Michael Smith — presently in Australia ahead of his impending appearance at Supanova Comic-Con & Gaming Expo — reaching the point where he has finally stepped into the shoes of one of Batman's greatest supervillains still felt like an eternity.

"I actually said to the producers ... ‘When does this change? When does my life change? When do things start happening?'"

"It started so slow for me; season one really tested my patience," he laughs. "I was just some dopey, gawky, chipper dude walking around the GCPD, trying to make some friends and make people laugh and test people, and I just kept pissing people off and upsetting them, but it was this long period for him — it felt very much like his life.

“I kept coming in and kept making effort to impress these people, as Edward, and make people laugh, and was just getting shutdown after shutdown, and I actually said to the producers ... ‘When does this change? When does my life change? When do things start happening?’ and they were like, ‘Yeah; yeah, that’s Edward’s experience, isn’t it?’ But, once the ball started rolling, I started having a blast, and I’m having more fun than ever. And, now that we’ve finished season three, I can officially call myself The Riddler, and that feels pretty darn fantastic."

Describing Nygma's shift from maligned and misunderstood coworker, to accidental murderer, to aspiring criminal mastermind as "one of the most extreme and cared-for evolutions on the show", Smith says that his character's journey represents "a very smart transition" for Gotham over the course of its existing arc, one that has served both show and character in very good stead by establishing Nygma's underlying humanity before tearing him down and rebirthing him as The Riddler, ensuring a genuine connection was established with the series' viewers.

"I certainly try to connect everything to a piece of humanity, and not just be evil for evil’s sake; that’s not that interesting."

"I think the audience got to sit with Edward as a genuinely well-intentioned young man, and to see him kind of suffer, and then the unfortunate events that befell him," he muses, reflecting on Nygma's journey. "At a certain point, when you’re in your late 20s and you just can’t catch a break, and when you finally do have the first taste of normalcy in your life ever — that being a relationship with a beautiful woman who loves you back — and you’ve lost your virginity and you’re going on dates, and all of a sudden this guy at your work, Gordon [Ben McKenzie], likes you, and is on a double-date with you, and that’s taken away from you by you accidentally killing your second person... at a certain point, it’s like, you know, this guy looks at his life and he goes, ‘You know, I’m not making these decisions; this is the world taking over my life. This is fate.’

"I’ve always found that to be a really interesting way to kick Edward into villainy, by him forfeiting his attempts at being a good guy, at being kind, and trying to make friends with people, just trying to love someone. It’s like, the world’s just not going to let him do it, and he can’t do it any more. He has to kind of forfeit that, and accept the role that he thinks the world has given him. And I think there’s a tragedy to that, that a viewer, as they watch that, can have some sort of compassion and sympathy for him, so that as he goes forward, it’s almost… you feel so bad and sad when you see this person doing all this stuff. So, I don’t know, maybe that’s what people are attached to. I certainly try to connect everything to a piece of humanity, and not just be evil for evil’s sake; that’s not that interesting."

While Nygma's slide into villainy appears, at face value, to be something of an inevitability — it was a foregone conclusion at the outset that we'd eventually see the man take on the persona of The Riddler, though there was no telling when that change would take place — Smith says that he enjoys the idea "that there is a way that he could not have been this evil, evil person".

"I like to think that there’s a way that most people who cause harm and destruction wouldn’t be that way, for whatever reason, whether it’s ideological, or abuse or neglect, or mental illness," he reflects. "I think his turn into villainy is an amalgamation of a few of those things, so, yeah, I think he’s more interesting if he’s someone who possibly could have had a life where he wasn’t harming people or choosing to wreak havoc. Perhaps still contentious, and liked challenging other people, but I like that there was another life and another path for him that was a bit brighter."

It's nice to think about whatever alternative universe exists in which Nygma ultimately got his happiest ending, but in Gotham's reality, it was not to be — especially not once the character started rubbing shoulders with the city's ascendant crime lord, Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor). Since their very first scene together back in season one, the pairing of Nygma and Cobblepot has been one of the series' most compelling relationships, and it has only grown in both complexity and entertainment value — through the duo's blossoming camaraderie, underlying antagonism and genuine love alike — as the show has progressed.

"Oswald is really one of the only people who can sometimes outsmart Edward, for now, because he’s understanding what Edward’s intentions are, what his habits are, what his neuroses are."

Echoing Taylor's sentiments about the innate chemistry that exists between both actors and their characters, Smith says that their fruitful onscreen compatibility is the product of several factors.

"Well, I think they work together for a couple of reasons: one, because Robin and I are dear friends now, and we get along very well, and that dynamic transfers very well to the screen," he explains. "Even when we are at odds with each other, Robin and I are very… it feels very safe, working with each other, and we’re able to do things with each other and mess with each other and be quite competitive on screen with each other, trying to get the upper hand, and when we finish … we just, like, hang out. It’s just easy. It’s a really great environment.

"But I also think that Edward admires Oswald so much, and Edward is able to use his skills and intelligence and ability to… he kind of understands Oswald better than Oswald sometimes, and knows what he wants and what motivates him, and he’s able to guide Oswald to getting what he wants, and vice-versa. Despite Edward not wanting to hear it, Oswald knows him just as well, and it creates this really interesting dynamic where Oswald is really one of the only people who can sometimes outsmart Edward, for now, because he’s understanding what Edward’s intentions are, what his habits are, what his neuroses are, because he’s spent so much time with him, and so he’s able to predict some things that Edward is going to do, which is dangerous for Edward, because he thinks he can outsmart everybody.

"It’s just a really interesting relationship; I think it’s one of the richest relationships on the show, because they’ve allowed us to have so much history together and so many shared events. It’s been really, really fun; it’s been really fun to spend so much time with him at work."

The on-set fun of Gotham also translates to the finished onscreen product of the show itself. In fact, it's pretty broadly accepted by fans of the show that, in its second season, Gotham underwent a fundamental shift in tone that saw it distance itself somewhat from its straighter crime-procedural origins to more fully embrace its comic-book roots and get a little looser, a little more ambitious, a little more exciting in what it was bringing to the table in terms of charting the rise of several of Gotham City's best-known and best-loved villains. According to Smith, it was a transformation that was "absolutely" felt among the cast and crew as the show reimagined itself anew following its (still generally successful) maiden season.

"We were all very, very aware of the transition of style and format at work, and we were all very excited as each episode kind of came out," he says of the series' structural changes. "We always get together as a cast with our producers and the writer and director, and read each episode together. It’s just a nice little family bonding time for us, because, you know, we don’t all get to work together. So we get to reconnect and read each episode together. As we were reading them, it just… each one just felt like, ‘Yes! Yes! This is heading in the right direction.’ We have rerouted ourselves, and it felt way more exciting. It felt right. So we all were very aware of it, we were cheering on the writers and the showrunner, and were really celebrating the redirection of the show."

"It’s pretty exciting to now have this moment where he is donning the name and donning the hat and is wearing the green suit, but that doesn’t mean anything if he doesn’t know what his objective is."

Although the Gotham crew have finished filming season three, the final eight episodes are yet to air, and Nygma’s ultimate acceptance of his destiny as one of the city's foremost supervillains will only be seen when the show returns this week in the US, with an episode titled — fittingly enough — How The Riddler Got His Name. For his part, Smith is positively jubilant about the prospects of what that means for the character after so long a journey.

“I finally get to call myself The Riddler on-screen for the first time,” he enthuses. “And I feel like it’s just a very cool thing, because up until that point, it’s like, I wasn’t really The Riddler, so I wasn’t really the third live-action Riddler; I was the third live-action Edward Nygma on my way to becoming The Riddler. But now, as it stands, I am truly the third live-action Riddler, and that’s just a pretty cool thing.

"But, in terms of the narrative, it’s pretty exciting to now have this moment where he is donning the name and donning the hat and is wearing the green suit, but that doesn’t mean anything if he doesn’t know what his objective is, or what he wants from this, or how best to be this person, and so there’s still so much — and really this is going to go well into season four — how does he become the best version of that? So, at the start, I had him kind of experimenting with how to deliver a riddle, how to interact with an audience that is captive, how to present yourself, and initially I have him doing things that are a bit brusque and tight and forced — he’s trying to figure it out — but I want him to kind of move to a very different version of The Riddler; his expressions are perhaps a bit more elegant and with grace."

"It would be very interesting to see how The Joker would handle puzzles and problems set up by The Riddler where he is in danger, and the only way to solve them is to be analytical."

It’s not just his own character about which Smith is excited, but Gotham’s direction in general. With The Riddler set to make a proper return to the comic books in the near future — facing off against the Dark Knight's arch-nemesis, The Joker, in a kind of supervillainous civil war, with Batman's rogues gallery taking sides in a skirmish sure to be one for the ages — Smith says that he would be keen to see his Nygma go toe-to-toe with the series' own take on The Joker, a young madman by the name of Jerome (Cameron Monaghan), because, despite their similar names, their modi operandi couldn't be more diametrically opposed.

"I think that it’s an interesting pairing-off, and I think I’ve said this at a comic con recently; somebody had asked me who I wanted to work with on the show, and I said Jerome, you know, our pre-version of the Joker," he elaborates. "I think it’s an interesting pairing, because The Joker is really about anarchy and destruction for destruction’s sake, and when you have someone that likes questions and answers and analysis and puzzles — things that have to be solved, not crushed — I think it’s very interesting. It would be very interesting to see how The Joker would handle puzzles and problems set up by The Riddler where he is in danger, and the only way to solve them is to be analytical. I think that’s a pretty exciting dilemma for The Joker character."

Hypotheticals aside, Smith teases that Gotham is set to delve even deeper into the comics’ mythological well as the show stares down the barrel of season four, with surprises and delights in store for long-time fans of Batman and his crime-riddled city, and new devotees alike.

"Our team of producers, they’ve kind of taken on a new way of going about this, now, and it starts, really, with… towards the end of season three, they decided to go less obvious with most of their choices," he allows. "We're going to see some transitions happening at the end of season three, and some identities unveiled that I think are going to be really surprising, and people aren’t deep into the mythology probably won’t — may not — recognise. But, like, the people that love Batman and the mythology are really gonna get excited by some of this stuff that we’re doing. So I’m excited to see who else in season four they’re going to pull out from the deeper end of the well in terms of the villains.

"There are some very, very cool ones. I think that they make a few choices towards the end — and Ra's al Ghul is coming in at the end of the season, which isn’t as, like, obscure by any means — but there are a couple of revelations at the very end that are so good. So good!"

[jessicakehoe]

All of Marvel’s Big Announcements from San Diego Comic-Con

Let’s just face it—we live in a superhero world. Over the last few years, there’s been a steady rhythm: one Marvel movie barely leaves theatres before another one rolls in. And if the latest announcements from Marvel Studios are anything to go by, we’d better get used to it. While Marvel’s hegemony isn’t necessarily what we want for the future of the film industry, there is some good news: the studio seems to be making a concerted effort to push for a more diverse array of stories, bringing indie film directors on board as well as a slew of talented women and actors of colour.

Over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studio’s Kevin Feige unveiled a slate of new movies and projects as part of the franchise’s “Phase Four.” (Quick recap: Phase One introduced its marquee hero vehicles, including Iron Man, Captain America and Thor; Phase Two expanded the universe with Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy; and Phase Three began brought forth more diverse stories like Black Panther and Captain Marvel.) By the looks of it, Phase Four is going to be the MCU’s most diverse and boundary-pushing undertaking yet. The announcements—and accompanying hysteria—were major: Mahershala Ali! Angelina Jolie! The franchise’s first Chinese superhero! Its first openly queer superhero! Read on for all the biggest announcements out of SDCC this year, and what you can expect to see hitting your screens over the next few years.

Canadian actor Simu Liu cast as the lead in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

In the ultimate example of wish fulfillment, Kim’s Convenience’s Simu Liu tweeted at Marvel in December 2018 when news of an Asian-led superhero film first broke, throwing his hat in the ring. Half a year later, the Canadian actor/stuntman has been announced as Shang-Chi, a character often referred to as a master of Kung-Fu in the comics. Awkwafina and Tony Leung are set to co-star, and if that weren’t exciting enough, Marvel has tapped indie director Destin Daniel Cretton (whose previous works include Short Term 12 and The Glass Castle, both starring Brie Larson) to helm the film. Liu, who screen-tested for the film in New York just two days before SDCC, still seemed slightly in shock. “I feel like I was kind of this social experiment,” Liu told the crowd. “Like, ‘Let’s just take this guy, this ordinary guy living in Toronto, let’s tell him he’s going to be in the next Marvel movie, and give him, like, four days to prep for it.’”

Thanks for getting back to me https://t.co/FFRuM03p20

— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) July 21, 2019

Natalie Portman takes over as the new Thor

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will both return for Thor: Love and Thunder but in a surprising twist, it turns out Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster will take over as the titular character. Fans of the comic books would have seen this coming, though, because as Variety notes, a 2014 comic-book storyline saw the astrophysicist (and Thor’s love interest) taking on the title of Thor, Goddess of Thunder, when she’s deemed worthy of the superhero’s legendary hammer, Mjolnir. “We love the story—it’s one of the best comic runs recently,” said Feige. “[Director Taika Waititi] would flip through and read that run while he was doing Ragnarok. And I think when he agreed to come back and do another Thor, he was like, ‘How do we–?’ This is a very big movie that’ll be folding in a lot of elements. That is a huge important part of it. He pitched it to us, and we were totally in. We loved it. We’d been in touch with Natalie. She’s part of the MCU family and we put [her] and Taika together. It took one meeting and she agreed to do it.”

Mahershala Ali is the star of the Blade reboot

It’s been over 20 years since Wesley Snipes appeared on our screens as Blade, a superhero who protects humans from vampires. After two more films with Snipes at the helm, the torch is now being passed on to Mahershala Ali, who will play the protagonist in the upcoming resurrection of the cult film. While the two-time Oscar winner was their “dream casting” for the role, it turns out it was actually Ali who approached the studio, giving Marvel a call shortly after his Oscar win for Green Book. “When Mahershala calls, you answer,” Feige told The Hollywood Reporter. At a subsequent meeting, Ali expressed his interest in taking on the role, and well, here we are.

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Tessa Thompson as MCU’s first openly queer superhero

It looks like Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, a character who’s already been established as bisexual in the comics, is finally going to be out and proud on screen. ICYMI, Valkyrie inherited the King of Asgard title from Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in Avengers: Endgame and over the weekend Thompson revealed what might be next on her agenda. “First of all, as new King, she needs to find her queen, so that will be her first order of business,” she told a room full of screaming fans.

Tessa Thompson on Valkyrie: “First of all, as king, she needs to find her queen.” #MarvelSDCC pic.twitter.com/XR1I2wsUNR

— Ryan Gajewski (@_RyanGajewski) July 21, 2019

The Eternals reveals a star-studded cast

“We wanted to do our big ensemble like we did in Phase Two with Guardians, and that’s what Eternals is,” Feige told CNN. The cast boasts some serious heavy hitters including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden and Kumail Nanjiani. It also stars Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry and Lauren Ridloff, who will portray the franchise’s first deaf superhero. Beijing-born indie director Chloe Zhao, whose last film The Rider was hugely acclaimed at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival—is on board to direct.

Lauren Ridloff joins #Marvels ’Eternals’ as the first deaf hero in the MCU #SDCC https://t.co/UE88MhaVbt pic.twitter.com/0HS0dePClR

— Variety (@Variety) July 21, 2019

The Black Widow prequel is finally confirmed

After years of rumours, the Black Widow prequel outlining the Russian assassin’s origin story has been confirmed. Starring Scarlett Johansson (as a human, though, not an animal or a tree), Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh and Stranger Things’ David Harbour, the film will explore Natasha Romanov’s shrouded-in-mystery past. “I think you’ll learn about what Natasha is afraid of, and I think you’ll learn about what parts of herself she’s afraid of,” said Johansson at the panel. “You really see her in, like, a pretty broken-down place, and she kinda has to build herself back up and pull all the pieces together in this film. It gets kind of gnarly, but good gnarly.”

The post All of Marvel’s Big Announcements from San Diego Comic-Con appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

All of Marvel’s Big Announcements from San Diego Comic-Con published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[templeofgeek]

We caught up Robert “Bob” McKeone, his art is not only has it’s own unique style but also has an amazing sense of humor.  We’re always fans of an artist’s ability to bring two different universes together and make it work.  You can check out Bob in person at SDCC at booth AA-13.  You can also check out all his art on his website…

  Your style is very recognizable; using humor in many of your pieces… what’s your process to find the perfect mix of art and humor?

I grew up listening to “Weird Al” Yankovic, and enjoying smart comedies like ‘Airplane!’ and ‘The Naked Gun’.  I’m no stranger to parody.  I like to laugh, and I like to include that in my work. Where many conventions are saturated with fan-art and mash-ups, how does one stand out?  Stick to what you know!  I know parody.  So that’s usually my starting point.  What can I parody, and what will give me a chuckle.  I have a sounding board of a few close friends, and if an idea is not quite working in my head, I’ll run it by them.  Sometimes they suggest something that just gives it that little extra nudge it needs to elevate it.

Since you are from San Diego, is there anything you recommend all tourists check out?

While downtown, I got three good eateries within walking distance of the convention center.  If you want Mexican, hit up Lolita’s just on the other side of Petco Park.  The California Burrito is delicious!  You want a slice of pizza, definitely hit up Ciro’s Pizzeria near Market and 6th.  2 slices, and a drink for $10 (a little more if you want that drink to be a beer!).  And if you want a little bit of everything, Lucky’s Lunch Counter on 7th, just slightly north of Petco Park.  The Bases-Loaded Breakfast burrito is one of the best breakfast burritos in San Diego!

Do you have any advice for young artists just starting out?

It’s cliché as all get out, and I’m guilty of not doing it as much as I should… but… PRACTICE!  PRACTICE!  PRACTICE!  If you’re watching tv, be doodling in a sketchbook as you watch.  Bring a lil pocket size sketchbook with you when you go out with friends.  If you’re out to eat, be doodling while you wait for your meal to arrive.  Draw, draw and draw!  Just keep drawing!  Some will tell you to draw from life, and there are advantages, but honestly, just draw!  The 2nd thing is most artists are introverted by nature.  Put yourself out there!  They say no, put yourself out there again, eventually somebody will say yes.  And then it just builds and grows from there.

What exclusives are you bringing to SDCC 2018?

I don’t have any planned exclusives for this year.  My newest print is a bit more work than originally anticipated, and will likely take up all my prep time.  But I do have a few exclusives from previous years that are almost gone!  Get them while you still can!

What sets SDCC apart from other cons?

It’s the big one!  Yes, some other conventions claim to have more foot traffic.  But, San Diego is an event!  It’s where announcements are made.  It’s where most of the heavy hitters in comics, television and movies come to promote.  It’s a beast!  Deals are made, dreams come true, and moments and connections are constantly happening.  You can be buying an exclusive collectible from some booth, turn around and literally run into a celebrity you’ve admired on television or from movies.

What’s one thing you wish attendees understood about artists that have to work a booth?

Yes, we are there to make money.  Yes, we’d LOVE for you to buy a print, or request a commission.  Yes, I might try to “sell you” on something… But honestly, what I want MOST is I just want you to STOP and LOOK!  There’s a sort of fear I’ve noticed with some people who walk Artists’ Alley, that they’re afraid to touch.  We’re all there because we want to be SEEN!  I have my portfolios, dead center on the table, open to a page I think will catch your eye, because… I want you to stop.  I want you to flip through, I want you to maybe connect with something in there.  Just take a look!

What’s the strangest commission request you’ve ever had?  and are you taking commission requests this year?

A NON-sexualized Scottish school girl, mermaid, looking scared in a tide-pool.  “How do I convey she’s Scottish?  I mean, red hair…?” I asked.  “Well that, and she’s wearing a kilt, of course” was the answer from the commissioner.   Of course, I should have known!  Yeah, that was a weird one.  I’m always willing to take a commission.  I don’t go in with a set limit for the day, like some artists.  I kind of gauge my ability to complete based on the commissions as they come.  And I’ll always hear the person out. I try my best to work with them in the time given.  I try to avoid saying no, if at all possible.

What’s a typical day like for you at SDCC? Is there a typical?

There isn’t a “typical” SDCC day.  There are trends.  The only typical thing I do, is I try to get there early, I really enjoy getting in about an hour or so before the doors open to the public.  I intentionally enter around Hall B, so I have to walk almost the entire length of the exhibit hall, on the way to my table all the way down by Hall G.  Being able to walk by the big booths without swarms of people is amazing.  I don’t get much time to wander around when it’s open, so it’s really my only opportunity to “see” anything.  I then drop off my stuff at my table, then hit up the Starbucks by Hall E for the shortest line it will be all day.  Then I go back to my table, coffee in hand, and set up, and just wait to see what the day brings.  What people I’ll meet, what strange commissions they’ll present. And then just draw most of the day, and hopefully sell some art.

What’s one thing you are looking forward to at SDCC 2018?

This is my fourth year exhibiting at SDCC.  The last 2 years I was in the same spot.  This year I’m in a new spot in Artists’ Alley, which means new artist neighbors.  It’s always great interacting with other artists, especially if you haven’t before.  Yeah, sometimes you don’t connect, and it can get awkward cuz you’re spending almost a week next to them.  But, even just watching how another artist approaches a commission or just seeing what artistic tools they use, or how they use them is exciting to me.

What’s next for you after SDCC 2018?

I don’t have any planned convention appearances for the remainder of the year.  That doesn’t mean I won’t do any others, though.  There’s just none on my slate, right now.  I do have a few projects that have been on the back burner for way too long, and I really would like to get them up and running for the 2019 con circuit.  Prints and commissions are great, but I really would like to get some actual original content and intellectual property out into the world.  Like a comic book.  I think it’s time to get that out there.

  SDCC 2018 Artist Interview with Robert “Bob!’ McKeone We caught up Robert "Bob" McKeone, his art is not only has it's own unique style but also has an amazing sense of humor. 

[njawaidofficial]

How Two TV Nerds Found Love at Comic-Con (Guest Column)

http://styleveryday.com/2017/07/18/how-two-tv-nerds-found-love-at-comic-con-guest-column/

How Two TV Nerds Found Love at Comic-Con (Guest Column)

Meeting people at Comic-Con is simple. Whether wandering through crowds, attending afterparties or waiting in endless lines, it’s hard to not be constantly surrounded by fellow genre geeks, freaks and superfans. But what about meeting that special someone? What about actually falling in love? That’s a little harder to pull off … but it’s not impossible. Here, The Exorcist creator Jeremy Slater and actress Melissa Russell (Feud: Bette and Joan, The Exorcist) share their story in a humorous and touching guest column. 

HE SAID: San Diego, 2012. I spent the day waiting in line with friends to get into Hall H. We just missed the Django Unchained panel, but a friend in the press managed to smuggle us in just in time for Pacific Rim and The Hobbit. This was the reason I’d taken off work and made the trip down to San Diego, the chance to catch a first glimpse of Peter Jackson’s return to Middle-Earth. I waited in line for ten hours to watch ten minutes of footage, and it was worth every second. I figured that would be the best thing that happened to me all trip. I was wrong.

SHE SAID: Really? You spent 10 hours waiting to see Hobbit footage while I spent the day hanging out with Gollum? To explain: none of my usual Comic-Con buddies were able to attend that year, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me. I drove down solo and spent the weekend hanging out with my cousin. Since he works with Andy Serkis, that meant I also spent the weekend hanging out with Andy, watching him get mobbed by adoring fans. But I kinda had an ulterior motive for the trip: I’d been flirting with a guy on Twitter, and I knew he was in town.

HE SAID: For the last few months we had been tweeting back and forth. I don’t remember about what. 

SHE SAID: I got this. (I remember every conversation.) We talked about the old NES DuckTales game, and how they filmed both Star Trek and The Flintstones up at Vasquez Rocks, and whether we were actually hate-watching Ghost Adventures or kinda secretly into it. Instant connection.

HE SAID: I was probably super charming.

SHE SAID: Totally. We had mutual friends in town, so I dropped a few hints on Twitter about being alone at SDCC, and next thing we knew we were being set up on a blind date.

HE SAID: When Saturday night rolls around, it’s nearly impossible to find a spot where you can actually hold a conversation. The good restaurants all have lines out the door, the best parties are invite only, and every hotel lobby becomes a beehive of noise and chaos and sloppy drunken Stormtroopers bumping helmets. Since we had nowhere else to go, we talked our way into a club party being held by a couple of blogger sites. It was…loud.

SHE SAID: We grabbed a booth in the back and talked for hours. Compared favorite movies (Back to the Future versus Jaws), our love for Disney animation cels, Community, Universal Studios, panels we’d attended that weekend, cool things we’d seen on the convention floor…you know, super deep stuff. It was one of those perfect nights.

HE SAID: I never told her that I’m partially deaf in one ear—my little brother stabbed me in the ear with a knitting needle when I was a kid, don’t ask, long story—so I mostly spent the night nodding and wishing I knew how to read lips.

SHE SAID: He was sharing a hotel room with a few other people, so we all went back to their place for drinks. Once we were sitting on the bed, he went in for the kill by whipping out…his phone. And then we spent the next two hours playing bootleg copies of DuckTales and Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers. It was pretty hot.

HE SAID: Like a modern day Casanova.

SHE SAID: You have no idea. Anyway, Comic-Con ended and we returned to reality. But we kept texting and flirting on Twitter. One thing led to another.

HE SAID: This Friday at SDCC will be the five-year anniversary of our first date.

SHE SAID: At this point we have the Con down to a science. We know the best paths in and out of the convention center, the hidden gem coffee shops and restaurants that are just off the beaten path, the best hotels for avoiding crowds. Still haven’t figured out how to get one of those coveted spots in the Funko merchandise lottery, though. One day … one day …

HE SAID: We’re once again spending our anniversary in San Diego. But this time I’m there to promote The Exorcist, the show I helped create, and Melissa is attending as one of the co-stars. Instead of spending our days waiting in lines, I’m signing autographs on the show floor and we’re being whisked through the crazy labyrinth of tunnels that run beneath the convention center. It’s thrilling and exhausting and absolutely terrifying. But even in the middle of all the chaos, we still find time to slip away for a few hours each day to scour the floor for discoveries or take a walk along the waterfront.

SHE SAID: After five years together, I was half-expecting him to propose in San Diego. Why break the streak? But he jumped the gun and proposed this April, on a secluded beach in St. Lucia, beneath the shadow of the Piton Mountains. Which was still kind of romantic, I guess… but it’s no Hall H.

HE SAID: We haven’t picked a wedding date yet, but we’re thinking next July. Right around Comic-Con.  

SHE SAID: So the next time you’re waiting in line for a panel or a signing or that slice of mystery pizza that’s going to get you through the day, take a chance and talk to the person standing next to you. Trust me, it’s worth it. Who else gets to celebrate their anniversary surrounded by 650,000 friends? 

Catch The Exorcist’s Comic-Con panel Thursday from 6-7 p.m. in Room 6BCF. 

Exorcist

#Column #ComicCon #Guest #Love #Nerds #TV