Geek Fun at Otakuthon 2013

This post was originally shared on our sister site, GirlCrafted.com
by Jordan Danger

Last weekend I headed out to Otakuthon in Montreal, an anime-focused convention that attracts about 15,000 geeky fanatics of all things Asian. Cosplay (people in costume) was everywhere; I'd say upwards of 50% of the crowd were wearing at least a partial costume. The dealer's room was a wild place and it's where I spent most of my time, hanging out in Artists' Alley where you can find some incredible art done by super-talented people.

I also met up with Rob from Geek Inked Magazine, and he wrote this lovely article about the con, and about Capital Geek Girls. I encourage you to give it a read. I like Geek Inked because it combines two of my favourite things: geekiness, and tattoos. Totally worth checking out and keeping an eye on.

credit: Rob from Geek Inked

I'll let Rob's article do most of the talking today, as I'm still recovering from the convention, but in a nutshell let me say: the Otakuthon crowd does geekdom proud with their fervor and enthusiasm, attention to cosplay detail, and general awesomeness. From where I stood, it looked like everyone had a stellar time.

The Star Wars Identities Exhibit in Ottawa

This post was originally shared on our sister site, GirlCrafted.com
by Jordan Danger

Well, since my boyfriend most closely resembles a Wookie, and my best friend MJ called dibs on being Han Solo years ago, I guess my sass and penchant for odd hair-dos makes me a ringer for Princess Leia. And so off we went--Han, Chewie, and Leia--to the Star Wars Identities exhibit here in Ottawa last weekend.

I didn't know what to expect from this show, and frankly it didn't really matter: MJ is a lifelong Star Wars fanatic, so even if the exhibit was simply 200 props piled in the middle of the floor, we were going to take her to see it and she was going to love every minute of it. The girl knows things that no one but Lucas should know; I can ask her about any character in the Mos Eisley cantina, and she will give me their name, their dog's name, and the mailing address. I'm not joking when I say, this exhibit would be a 'win' no matter what was there.

To my delight, however, it was much more than just props in boxes. The whole show had a spin on 'nature vs. nurture', genetics, and innate vs. learned behaviours. The show starts off with each visitor choosing a Star Wars species and naming their character, and as we walked through the show, we assigned those characters back stories, home planets, professions, and personality traits. An earpiece allowed each of us to hear the audio tracks to various animations detailing how our own human identities are formed, citing examples from the Star Wars saga. Pretty cool stuff, indeed.

The props were really great, too. I enjoyed that there were a lot of concept sketches and random funny scribbles by the production team, all with explanations posted to share the 'inside jokes' with you. As a travelling exhibit, the setup was quite simple--no X-Wings hanging from the ceiling or life-sized dioramas to walk through--but the artifacts were all in pristine condition and displayed in crystal-clear cases. It made me even more certain than ever that Jedi robes should totally be the next fashion trend.

And how did MJ like it? She wandered through with giant wide eyes, taking photos of everything, even items from the newest three movies (which she generally hates, like all genuine old school Star Wars fans). She loved the interactivity of getting to build your own character, choosing traits and back stories and saving them all on the supplied magic wrist band, which later presented you with a projection of your completed Star Wars character.

This is a girl who, every time the opening notes of the Star Wars theme song roar through the speakers on her TV, smiles like a fiend and conducts the orchestra. So, other than wanting to actually wear some of the costumes, I think MJ was about the happiest little geek in all the universe. And even I--with much more a Star Trek upbringing--was mesmerized by the impeccable props and super cool interactive character-building displays.

I recommend you head down to the show, which is continuing on at the Canada Aviation & Space Museum until October 14 2013. Whatever your age, whatever you geek level, you will emerge with a new Star Wars identity to call your own.

Anime North '13: the cosplayer's pilgrimage

WHERE WIGS ARE THE NORM

At the end of May, I attended my first-ever Anime North. Anime North, in Toronto, is a convention for all things anime-related-- Japanese-made animation, which usually has a sci-fi component, and is often way more edgy than anything animated we make over here in North America. You may be familiar with Pokemon or Sailor Moon, for example, but there are gorey productions like Vampire Hunter D and Ninja Scroll which wouldn't be safe choices for your ten year-old. Anyway, this was my first time going, and I had no idea what to expect.

What a pageant. 

I don't think I'd be exaggerating to say that at least 70% of the visitors were dressed up in costume. Funky spiked and coloured wigs were the norm all day long, with costumes ranging from the pre-made kind to the intricately DIY'd designs that show the world just how much adoration the wearer has for the character. 

What I enjoyed the most about the con was how friendly everyone was. These people are so excited about their fandom that it puts most mainstream geeks to shame; and what makes that fun is that everyone is up for a chat. Numerous times throughout the weekend, I heard visitors say, "Well, it's only once a year I get to buy this stuff/wear this stuff/see these people," and it hit me that this is pretty much Anime Christmas for the 20,000 people who attend. 

A huge thank you to Toni Weri for her contribution of all these wonderful photos. 

There's lots there that I didn't understand. I'm not a big animation nerd at the best of times, so I'm unfamiliar with the majority of the characters. The whole 'Furry' phenomenon baffles me, and I'm not sure how sticking cat ears onto a sexy outfit makes it a costume, unless there's a genre of zoomorphic anime that I don't know about. But I could appreciate all the costumes, the neat merchandise for purchase, and the incredible artists selling prints in Artist's Alley. 

For three days, the Toronto Congress Centre turned into a magical land where a jeans-and-tee-shirt kid like myself was the odd man out; where lines fifty people deep at Tim Hortons were composed entirely of technicolour woodland creatures; where casual picnic lunches were enjoyed by bands of ninjas with styrofoam swords. 

And yes, even I came home with a treasure: a knock-off Tokidoki gym bag that makes my heart sing every time I look at it. 

Overall, even if I just go for the people-watching, I think I'll be back to Anime North. 

Ottawa Comiccon 2013 video post wrap-up!

This post was originally shared on our sister site, GirlCrafted.com
by Jordan Danger

Here it is, ladies and gents: our Ottawa Comiccon 2013 video post! Enjoy the fun interviews with Steampunk Canada, Marvel artist Nick Bradshaw, The Comic Book Shoppe's Rob Spittall, and even our 'show stealer of the con' award winner, Akumu Ink! I heartily recommend watching 'til the very end, when a wookie from the 501st Legion Capital City Garrison scares the daylights out of me. But my favourite is the Batman unicorn bit. You'll see.


And yes, the count is off on the Star Wars poll: Episode V had the most votes.

Of course, I took tons of pictures and I'm going to have to upload some later on (so check back for updates) because I'm currently on the road to Anime North, a major Anime convention in Toronto, Ontario. But here are a few of my favourites:

Thanks again to the Ottawa Comiccon for having us there as official press and giving us great access to all aspects of the event. We can't wait to geek out at the next one! And don't forget to become an instant member of the Capital Geek Girls fanclub (our very own geek fanclub, with posts right here) on Facebook today. Boys, girls, and everyone invited.

Geek Girl Review: Star Trek, Into Darkness

This post was originally shared on our sister site, GirlCrafted.com
by MJ of Bake it So

This Capital Geek Girl movie review is by Geek Girl MJ, owner of Bake It So Bakery. She got to see the new Star Trek movie before the rest of us and had a lot to say, so I asked her to share her thoughts in a review; here it is. 

MJ REVIEWS STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS 

MJ

I need to say first off that I absolutely acknowledge that my Star Trek knowledge is not as vast as so many others out there.  I’ve always been a Star Wars kid; that being said, I do love my Trek.  

When I went to the screening of Iron Man 3 last month, I thought to myself, ‘Man, that is setting the bar pretty high for the other summer movie competition!’. Well, J.J. Abrams took that bar, set fire to it, used it to draw a line in the sand and then dropped it like a mic. Abrams out.

I want to avoid any spoilers because no one likes those. If they did they’d be called “Information Gifts” instead of spoilers.  I purposely avoided trailers so I could go in with a totally open mind and let the movie unfold and try to take me along with it.  Into Darkness had me completely immersed within the first 5 minutes and I stayed there, right on board the Enterprise for the whole 127 minutes.  The movie moved at a good pace and didn’t feel like it was dragging me anywhere.  There were solid performances given by all of the main crew, with fairly good performances by Peter Weller and Alice Eve.  Benedict Cumberbatch created a stellar character as a top-notch  villain and disappoints no one.  Indeed all of the awesome you love about him as Sherlock Holmes [from the BBC series, Sherlock] is here with so much more awesome added on top of that.

Ball of twine adventures at Ottawa Comiccon: Julie Newmar & Nathan Fillion!

This post was originally shared on our sister site, GirlCrafted.com
by Jordan Danger

Soon I'll be doing a full wrap-up post about Ottawa Comiccon 2013, but for right now, I just gotta show you something:

That's Julie Newmar with a ball of twine, people.

Me, Julie Newmar, and MJ. 

Yes, the original (and finest) Catwoman is holding a ball of twine.

If you don't know why Ms Newmar has twine, you may not be a reader of The Bloggess, and you may have missed my earlier post about going to Comiccon armed with twine for a photo with Wil Wheaton. But long story short: Jenny Lawson, blogger of the Bloggess, has a growing collection of celebrities doing mundane things like holding balls of twine. And because I adore the Bloggess, I set out to hit the Con and try to get her one specific ungettable shot: Nathan Fillion with a ball of twine. Which I kinda did, too: so here you go, Jenny: it's the best I could do:

Nathan Fillion with a ball of twine. Sorta.

That's me, but dressed as Jenny Sparks from The Authority. And Nathan Fillion in the background.

My other goal had been to get Wil Wheaton to do a twine photo with me, but first *I* was too busy, then *he* was too busy, and basically when you try to get an overstimulated, attention-deficit blogger to remember that she's gotta stop playing with nerd stuff and go track down Wil Wheaton, you may end up with the blogger forgetting to do that. We just got so busy interviewing costumed fans (video to come) that I kinda forgot about Wil. Sorry, Wil. I came back on Sunday specifically just to see if I could grab him for an interview, but the PR team politely told me to frack off, because I should've asked yesterday. So I was just about to wander off and go sulk somewhere when I noticed that Julie Newmar had a lull, and there was no at her autograph booth.

I ran back to my bestie MJ, who was working at a booth, and grabbed her by the arms. "Julie Newmar is taking photos and there's no line," I said. MJ's eyes grew giant and she said, "Are we really doing this?!" In response, I clutched her elbow and began dragging her, full-speed, through the crowds. 

A little context here: MJ and I are big admirers of classic film and television actresses. And when it comes to elegance and beauty, Ms Newmar is top rank. And, aside from being one of the original Catwoman actresses, she was also in To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar.A movie we both love and MJ has always wanted an autograph just like that. So yeah: we ran.

We ran up the rows of railing and stood behind another girl who’d gone up to meet Ms Newmar. While we waited, I could see how overwhelmed MJ was, and with giant eyes she murmured that she’d maybe like an autograph. Then it was our turn, and I basically had to drag MJ forward by the elbow, she was so frozen.

The wonderful, blessed thing about other people panicking is that it makes me less panicky. So, despite my own tendency to be struck dumb by the presence of celebrity, I kept it together for the sake of MJ. And she did great. She told Julie Newmar how lovely she thinks she is, and how much she admires her. I definitely mumbled something along the same lines. The two of us, though, did spend a lot of time just staring at Ms Newmar while Ms Newmar stared expectantly back at us. Then she looked at my hands, where I had my giant ball of twine clutched in front of me, reached out one long catlike finger to tap it, and said, “What’s this?”

And basically what came out of my mouth was a classic Jordan string of words said so fast, they sound like one long blur: “It’s-a-ball-of-twine, you-see, my-friend-has-a-blog [‘friend’ being Jenny Lawson, of course, and ‘friend’ being ‘someone I hope I meet one day and don’t throw up on’], and-she-has-this-crazy-collection-of-photos, you know, of-celebrities-with-balls-of-twine-and-other-stuff.” Ms Newmar just stared at me, perhaps wondering if I was mentally well, and I felt something more needed to be said, so I added, “She’s friends with Wil Wheaton.” Because that obviously was proof that none of us over on this side of the autograph table are insane.

Anyway, she said, “Well, that’s the most peculiar thing I’ve ever heard,” and then we asked for a photo with her, and she said yes, and then I asked if she’d consider holding the twine, and she said yes, and then they took the photo and now I’ve got a photo with my best friend, Julie Newmar, and a ball of twine symbolic of the funniest living woman writer I know. So it’s like four levels of girl power awesomeness.

Oh yeah: and MJ managed to turn the twine thing to her advantage, because after the photo she asked for an autograph but said she wanted something specific, and that it may sound like a strange request, but would she sign like she did in To Wong Foo? And of course, after the ball of twine, this seemed totally normal. So she did it.

I was so happy. I had set out to get a really cool celebrity shot with a ball of twine; and MJ had been dreaming about a ‘thanks for everything’ signature from Julie Newmar for all the years I’ve known her. And we both got our wishes. And so then I did something utterly ridiculous: I cried. I cried all the way walking back through the convention centre. I should note that this crying fit happened literally 20 minutes after I’d just rolled my eyes at another poor sod who’d been so excited to meet Nathan Fillion, she’d puked. I mean, at least I didn’t puke...but I know Ms Newmar saw the tears starting in my eyes, and I don’t even mind.

Anyway, Jenny Lawson, if you read this: you were represented, in spirit, at the Ottawa Comiccon this weekend. I didn’t actually mention the web address of your blog because a) Julie Newmar doesn’t strike me as an online reader, and b) I couldn’t bring myself to recommend a blog with taxidermied costumed rodents and a lot of vaginal humour to a woman who wears a fascinator to a comic book convention. Maybe next year I'll do this again, though...same bat time, same bat channel.

POST SCRIPT: And then THIS happened...

And I saw the tweet after a particularly sweet and lovely date with my boyfriend, and generally was in such a happy place that I think I might have turned into a ball of happy orange light and imploded. But I'm still here this morning, so I guess I've got more work to do.

Ottawa Comiccon 2013 Begins!

This post was originally shared on our sister site, GirlCrafted.com
by Jordan Danger

Nananananananana nanananananana Batmobile!

The Ottawa Comiccon kicked off yesterday afternoon with a short press conference and the appearance of the Adam West-era Batmobile down at City Hall. Mayor Jim Watson sat in the car looking spiffy.

Throughout the weekend, I'll be tweeting and facebooking about the con, and there'll be a post to wrap-up, too. If you're missing this year's comiccon, people, I think you're missing something special. But if you really can't make it, there's this crazy sale running on Saturday night at our Geek Girls HQ, the Comic Book Shoppe, that runs from 9pm-midnight. So you can make your own mini-con.

Be sure to check out all the info on the event on the Ottawa Comiccon official site!

Various City Councillors looking giddy as schoolgirls.

CTV's Kurt Stoodley Emcee'ing

NEW STUFF:
It's Friday night of the Con, and I just had to add a few things here:

The Force is strong with this one!

The display for the 501st

Precious handmade treasures from Liebchen Designs.

My new favourite tee maker, Akumu Ink

Smart cookies this year: shelter for the long lines!

AND a very special video clip of the four Daleks: