Steampunk Superheroes

Getting your cosplay noticed is HARD!

Even if you have a really good traditional costume, sometimes it's a little too common to catch the eye of fans and photographers.  This has given rise to a lot of hybrid cosplay.  Hipster Disney Princesses.  Pin-Up Star Wars.  The Real Housewives of Westeros.

Cause, like they say, You Gotta Getta Gimmick! 

A fave gimmick of nerds everywhere is steampunk.  Fashionably Geek rounded up their favorite steampunk superheroes.

Dark Phoenix

Daisy Viktoria photographed by Fremen9
(Has anyone ever used the username Morgan Fremen?  It seems obvious, but I've never seen it.)

Bat Family

Photographed by Mark Rollerson, whose page also led me to these lovely Bat villainesses:

And here's one more of my favorite Batverse character, Poison Ivy:

DAT BUSTLE
DAT WAISTLINE
Photographed by Anna Ficsher

[via Fashionably Geek]

2013: The Year of the Fangirl

ALL MY NERDY LADIES, ALL MY NERDY LADIES!

This is our year!

HerUniverse--in addition to having some really cute clothes--has dubbed 2013 The Year of the Fangirl!

GIRLS, THAT MEANS US!

I'll let the oh-so-adorable Ashley Eckstein tell you more:

So let your fangirl flag fly in 2013 and beyond!  And, if you want to submit a post for Fangirl of the Day (you can even submit yourself!), you can find all the proper formage here.

[Her Universe via Geek With Curves]

Trekccessories

I'm always looking for new clothes and accessories.  [It's not a problem, I can stop anytime I want.]  So my fancy was tickled when I discovered Fashionably Geek's roundup of Star Trek accessories.

You guys, there's even a ring with Picard facepalming!

WARDROBE AUGMENTATION...ENGAGE.

[via Fashionably Geek]

Shopping Spree: Rockets and Rainbows

Everyone should go on a shopping spree at Rockets and Rainbows.

This Etsy shop sells cutsey jewelry made with little nerd-friendly figures.  There's a ton of Star Wars, but also My Little Pony (squee!).  A perfect addition to a referential cosplay (Hipster Ackbar?) or just adding a little bit of flair to your work wardrobe.

[Rockets and Rainbows via The Mary Sue]

I Love Love: A Physics Proposal

Today, io9 posted a short scientific paper:

Redditor bogus_wheel received a one-page proposal from her beau filled with romance and data points.

Okay, best science fair project ever!

[reddit via io9]

The Possibility of Successfully Creating A Cute C3PO Dress Is Approximately 3,720 to 1

Well, here's the 1!

[GeekyU1 via io9]

" Right. I'm the chosen one. And I choose to be shopping."

Buffy: "Yeah. You just say, 'Hey, I got a thing. You maybe have a thing. Maybe
we could have a thing?'"
Giles: "Well thank you, Cyrano."
Buffy: "I'm not finished. Then you say, 'How do you feel about Mexican?'"
Giles: "About Mexicans?"

[RedBubble via Geeky Merch]

Psylocke Cosplay

Stella Chuu has the career I want!  So let's look at her pictures and be THE MOST JEALOUS.

[Stella Chuu via Geeks Are Sexy]

Still Not A Ginger

But You Look So Hot!

[via Women Fighters in Realistic Armor]

The Sexy, Pulpy Art of Carlos Valenzuela

I <3 Carlos Valenzuela.  I've loved him for a long time without even knowing it.

Okay, STORY TIME!

I saw this image on tumblr awhile back:

I love me a monster-fightin bombshell, so I put it on Pinterest and forgot about it.

TUMBLR AND PINTEREST IN THE SAME PARAGRAPH.  Can I be any more of a 20-something girl stereotype?

A few months later, I was looking for inspiration for a short story, and so I was browsing through my Pinterest board dedicated to pix I find brainstorm-worthy, and this one immediately jumped out at me.  So I started working on a sexy lady monster hunter character.

Then today, Classic Movie Monsters featured a couple of portraits of Frankenstein and the Wolf Man.  I liked the portraits, so I clicked the link to the artist's page.  I noticed my lady monster hunter in the background of another picture, and I got really excited.  And so began today's internet timesuck!

I went through Valenzuela's whole gallery.  I so totally dig his pulp-meets-pinup style.  A few of my favorites are below, but you should really check out his whole deviantArt gallery.  Because you'll love him as much as I do!

[Carlos Valenzuela via Classic Movie Monsters]

A Pretty Girl Can Be Smart, Too?!? BAULDERDASH!

I don't know if you know this, but you can be smart and care about your appearance.

I KNOW.

I wish someone would have told me that secret in high school.  I could have been a lot prettier.  THAT'S A LIE.  I was totally pretty.  I could have been be smarter!!

 The inspiration for this musing is 16-year-old Lauren Marbe.  Lauren is from Essex, and, according to the Daily Mail, "loves fake tanning, having blonde highlights, manicures and getting glammed up for TOWIE parties with her friend*."  Recently, a bunch of kids from her school took the MENSA IQ test, and Lauren scored a 161.

You guys, that's higher than Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, and Albert mothafuckin Einstein.

Say what you will about the accuracy of IQ tests.  It still means that this girl is a smarty [in very fashionable] pants!!  She even has a bunch of really British-sounding academic honors, including being a prefect.  Which, until today, I thought was a status made up by JK Rowling for the purposes of Percy Weasley.

She also loves trashy TV, making my biggest takeaway from this article the discovery of TOWIE (The Only Way Is Essex).  OMG IT'S LIKE BRITISH JERSEY SHORE.  Excuse me while I binge watch as much as I can find.

*Yes, the article said "friend" and not "friends."  I assume that she has more than one; she is pretty, after all.

[Daily Mail via Jezebel]

Comics + Fashion: Tom Ford at NYFW 2013

Image via Jezebel

OMG Retweet

Re: American Girls Suck at Science

@dreamstobecome @nicolemkeating hilarious!
— Bobak F. (@tweetsoutloud) February 8, 2013

C2E2 Meetup--The Place to Be!

Here in Chicago, C2E2 (Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo) is the Next Big Thing.  Since I've started living on my own in the city, this event has gone from a wee little con picking up the slack from Wizard World's rift with large comic labels to a rapidly growing geek destination.

[And, you guys, my role model Felicia Day is going to be there.  More importantly, I will be there--in costume, of course, so look for some cosplay teaser images in the next couple months.]

As a dedicated convention attendee and a lifelong Chicagoan, I want to help C2E2 grow and grow and grow.  I want to live in a city whose con rivals NY's.  They have a meetup event coming up next week, and I'd love for as many people to be there as possible.

I want C2E2 to be popular, but not quite as popular as me.

Here are the deets:
February Drink & Draw
02/28/13
7-9pm Headquarters Beercade
Chicago, IL
RSVP for a spot here

Jurassic Park for Kidz!

These adorable illustrations from Pakoto Martinez are what would happen if Jurassic Park was a children's book.  Now I saw JP at 9*, and it made me stay up all night.  My mom thought I had dinosaur nightmares.  Really I thought Jurassic Park sounded like an awesome vacation spot.

In conclusion, some people are bound to think killer dinosaurs are totes inappropes for kids, but I think it's freaking perfect for a child-brain (a.k.a. my brain).

*Hey, it was the height of my dino obsession.  That's a lie.  Right now is the height of my dino obsession

[Pakoto via io9]

I Love Love: A Princess Bride Wedding

Offbeat Bride has some glorious wedding porn featuring a Princess Bride-themed wedding, including an officiant dressed as the grandfather from the movie!!  OMG!!

Also, this couple is named Nicole and David which is THE SAME AS ME AND MY BOYFRIEND.  YAY LOVE!!!

My fave pics are below, but head over to OBB for the whole set.

[via Offbeat Bride]

The Skywalker Bunch: (Some) Art of Renata Castellani

[Renata Castellani via io9]

Happy Birthday, LeVar Burton

Valentine's Day Countdown

So I didn't finish my countdown on actual Valentine's Day, BECAUSE I HAD A DATE, LOSERS!

So here are the last two entries--and the most important entries--presented without comment because there are no words for how these final pairs make me feel.



2.  Mulder & Scully

1.  Han Solo & Princess Leia

Valentine's Day Countdown: My Favorite Couplings #3

3.  Frodo & Sam

Love doesn't always mean romance.
Sometimes it means True Bromance.

Valentine's Day Countdown: My Favorite Couplings #4

4.  Ron & Hermione

Because I'm of Gen Y.

Because who doesn't want the dopey sidekick to get an awesome, hot, smart, badass girl?

Because they remind me of me and my own boyfriend.

Because LOOK AT THAT PROMO PHOTO.

Valentine's Day Countdown: My Favorite Couplings #5

5.  Renly Baratheon & Ser Loras Tyrell

 Forbidden love is off-the-charts on the sexy scale, and Renly Baratheon & Loras Tyrell are my favorite forbidden lovers of Game of Thrones characters.  They have all the attractiveness and drama of Jamie and Cersei, without any of the gross incest.

Okay, things might get a little 'cesty.  Renly is married to Loras' sister.  BUT THEY'RE NOT BLOOD RELATED, SO IT'S OKAY!

Also, both the books and the TV show manage to show a same-sex relationship that is just as honest and fraught as the hetero relationships around it.  There's no stereotypical using-gays-for-comic-relief etc.  Well, okay, maybe that shaving scene.  BUT THAT'S NOT IN THE BOOKS, SO IT'S OKAY!!!

My only complaint?  TV Loras is not as hot as Loras in my imagination.  It's okay, I'll focus on Renly.

Valentine's Day Countdown: My Favorite Couplings #6

6.  Lancelot & The Women of Castle Anthrax

 "Please can't I have just a little bit of peril?"

Valentine's Day Countdown: My Favorite Couplings #7

7.  Seth Green & Clare Grant

Prominent Nerd Couple Seth Green and Clare Grant are everything I want to be in life.

My love for Seth goes back many years.  When I was in 8th grade, my friends and I had a party for his birthday at which we marathoned his Buffy episodes in addition to Idle Hands and Radio Days, an oft-overlooked entry in the Seth Green canon.  [Has anyone else seen the masterpiece Something Special?  Apparently it's also known as Willy/Milly...]

Seth found a ladynerd after his own heart, the hottie-with-a-body Clare Grant.  Clare helms Team Unicorn, thus stealing my career as a Professional Hot Nerd.

Together, they are unstoppable.

Valentine's Day Countdown: My Favorite Couplings #8

8.  Worf & Jadzia Dax

We can't talk about this one.  Too many feels.  ALL the feels.