I can't get this out of my head or my heart...

Fangirl, meet Fanboy

One of the things my boyfriend and I marvel at most is how many things - specifically stories - we're mutually passionate about and how they led us to meet and get to know one another.  There have been several moments where I just have to shake my head and smile at how much fun it is to appreciate stories together.  So I thought I'd share a few of those moments.

(Key: S=me, M=him)


The day after we met, he was perusing my blog...
S: Oh, I apologize in advance, there's a LOT of stuff on my blog about Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston, because I'm a huge fan of them both.
M: Well... how could you not be?

Discussing "important life questions," such as, favorite Avenger?
S: Can I choose Loki?
M: *smiles* Samara, I'm so glad you're a Loki girl rather than a Thor girl...  Deeply dynamic, understandably pained characters like Loki are precious to good stories, for them to last with you.

We were chatting with some of my family and...
M: I just love Patrick Stewart.  I met him at Comic Con last year.  Patrick Stewart is my [gestures to me] Benedict Cumberbatch.

On our first official date, we arrived at the restaurant early. So he pulls out one of his flutes and plays me "Concerning Hobbits" - from memory. 

During the craze of the Ice Bucket Challenge...

S: Ooh! Benedict did the Ice Bucket Challenge :) 

M: [watches] Haha - has Hiddleston done one yet?? 

S: Yes! [sends it to him] 

M: Brilliant!

He is a wonderful Trekkie, and also a huge fan of lions. The other day I find this on FB. 

M: Lion's log stardate 08271.4: I have encountered a new and intriguing life form called the Beautiful Girlfriend. My investigation may require all my attention. 

We read one of Matt's favorite books and now we're reading one of mine, Pride & Prejudice. It is completely new to him & he is "flipping loving it." Last night he was live-texting me his reaction to Darcy's proposal at Hunsford. Below are snippets of our conversation: 

M: [Sends a photo of the "In vain I have struggled…" line] Wut. :D Like, wow!!! Yes!! C:

S: Hehe, Matt are you developing a mancrush on Darcy? It's totally ok...I won't be jealous! 

M: I mean I... Well, yes, in fact I'm quite over Wickham and have put on my Team Darcy t-shirt... 

[a few minutes later] 

M: Shut. Down! 

S: Looks like someone ain't Team Darcy 

M: Not in the least... 

[a few more minutes] 

M: Oh my gosh that was the best fight I've ever read. 

 

These are just a few of many moments where I've been really thankful to be in a relationship with this Fanboy :) 

Con'ing it up: Emerald City Comic Con

A week ago Sunday I got to go to Seattle's biggest Con and it was loads of fun!

Because of Karen Gillan's appearance (Doctor Who's Amelia Pond) and

because my recently chopped hair could mimic his little flick,

I decided to cosplay as Matt Smith's 11th Doctor:

[elevensies]

[Lots of textures]

Being a Con veteran, I decided to simplify my approach and chose 3 panels to attend, giving myself plenty of time to be in line and enjoy things.

The first was a panel with Patrick Rothfuss, author of Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear.
I loved the first two of his trilogy - the best world building of any contemporary author I've read.

[I love you, Harry, but Kvothe's got a point here.]

[Rothfuss - sorry, his eyes were closed]

While we didn't get any news about the final installment of the King-Killer Chronicles,
He did announce 2 new novellas before the year's out, each focused on particularly interesting side-characters.
But aside from the news, I really appreciated hearing some of the thought process behind his writing and was so grateful I got to go.


Now, it wouldn't be a con without cosplay and I rounded up a few of my favorites.

If I could bestow a laurel to the best cosplayer, this girl (and her family) would have won it:

[god of mischief...eating a pb&j]

Her dad homemade all the armor pieces - including the staff that actually lit up!
Her grandmother sowed everything else together, and this girl carried it all SO well!
Bravo to Team Loki!

[Watch out Hiddleston!]

I was also impressed by these homemade Disney-princess coslpayers:

[Ariel & Snow White]

And a few other miscellaneous ones:

[10 & a weeping angel, Belle, and Indy]

Panel #2 for the day was called "From Page to Screen" and focused on adaptation - a favorite subject of mine :)
The panel featured an author, a screenplay writer, and a concept artist.
The concept artist had done a lot of word-image art that I found fascinating - including working on [my latest obsession] Once Upon a Time.
This whole topic is so fascinating... but more to come on that later.


I then met up with friends for the last panel of the day: Karen Gillan!

[Megan as Amy Pond from "Flesh & Stone,"
Kayla being her amazing Whovian self,
Me going all "bow ties are cool,"
Ash as Amy Pond from "The Impossible Astronaut"]

For those of you who aren't familiar, Karen Gillan is a young Scottish Actress
who rose to prominence playing the main companion on Doctor Who for 2 1/2 seasons.
As Amelia (Amy) Pond, she and co-stars Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor) and Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams) had some incredible chemistry as friends and companions.
They share, well, let's just say an extra special bond with the Doctor.

She was wonderfully genuine and no matter how many times she got asked the same question, she always had a unique response.  And she flew through questions like a pro.
Bravo, Miss Karen!  Bow ties are cool and so are you :)

Comic con was a joy - being around really passionate, nerdy people just refreshes me.
I saw some truly fantastic cosplay, heard from talented artists, and made some new friends.
All in all, a day very well spent!

* * * * * * * * *

"made some new friends."
Code for: one very special friend!!

Stories

teach us how to love

and swallow sadness,

find light in darkness,

 turn away from despair.

Crafting and grafting us

into a plot much bigger,

much smaller

than our own.

They remake us

like their protagonists,

from coward to courageous.

Each story that passes

through our hands,

through our minds,

is a gift

wrapped up inside words.

 "Hello, old friend

and here we are,

you and me

on the last page."

Where they end

our hearts break or smile,

crying from tragedy or delight.

But then, our next page.

While their story ends,

our journey is only mid-way,

another chapter,

a new gift.

Top:  Nurse, Young Man, Kiss-a-gram

Below:  Old Man, Journalist, Hero

"We are all stories in the end..."
- The Doctor

"The end of a matter is better than it's beginning."

- Ecclesiastes 7.8

“If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars?"

- GK Chesterton

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."
- Samwise Gamgee

  

“Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving.”  

- Madeleine L'Engle

"You were my new dream."

- Flynn Rider

"There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die...that we may appreciate the enjoyments of living."

- The Count

[HitRECord]

"Though truth is heavier than fiction,

Gravity lifts as the projectionist rolls tape.
And it makes us brave again"

- Sleeping at Last

Within the last 24 hours I have scored a great deal on tickets to:

Gungor in concert - 3/26

An Emerald City ComicCon Sunday pass [to see Karen Gillan] - 3/30

John Newman in concert - 4/16

Spring is looking fantastic!!

*** Update ***

Did I mention... my flatmate and I are going to see The Lion King on April 5th? Oh yah, and that one was a gift!!

Yay! Yay! Yay!  My heart is getting ready for Spring already :)

[Cos]Playin' it Up

Ok... as previous posts show... I really like costumes.
Alice, Hobbits, Sherlock, Moonrise Kingdom, Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

 But I thought I should give you an update of some costumes and cosplay lately.

For Halloween, some friends and I decided on going as Fantastic Mr. Fox characters.
Even despite the "What does the fox say?" craze, this Wes Anderson inspired look was a fun one to pull together. 

[Foxy - mask, tie, vest, blazer, tail]

[Mr. Fox, Mrs. Fox, Ash Fox]

[Inspiration: Foxes on the right]

A few weeks later was the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special (extensive post here).
For the house party with friends, I went as Amy Pond from "The Impossible Astronaut"

[Amy: plaid, denim, sharpie necklace]

[inspiration]

The next night, Rebekah and I went to a showing in Seattle.
She rocked it as Rose from "The Idiot's Lantern" (1950's ;) and I went as the 11th Doctor.

[11 & Rose]

 I even found myself an Amy from "The Impossible Astronaut" episode - perfect!

[11 & Amy]

December brought with it the Hobbit and, being that Bob wanted to see my costume, I threw an "Unexpected Party" at work.

[Hobbit: ears, vest, green blazer, cloak, Lothlorien Leaf, handkerchief.]

[The ears :]

And then, this past Sunday, Sherlock returned to PBS.  So, my flatmate and I hosted a costumed premiere party.
I knew right away, I wanted to go as "The Woman."  And no, not because of that.

[Irene Adler - dress: black, eyeliner: blue, lips: blood, earrings: diamond, hair: classic twist.]

[Irene Inspiration]

Somewhat last minute, not only did my brothers come, they brought their A-game as Moriarty and Sherlock - the gents in Irene's life.

[Moriarty: Westwood, Irene: Azagury, Sherlock: Belstaff]

So... those have been my costume adventures the last few months.
I'm looking forward to more soon.  Any reason for a costume. :)

Which are some of your favorite characters or costumes?  Who do you like to dress up as?

On despair

Lately I've been thinking on despair. Delightful, I know. But it keeps coming up.

Call it seasonal vitamin-D deficiency. Blame it on other circumstances in my life. Settle it as the result of too much melancholy viewing or reading. But, whatever the case, despair has been knocking on my door. 

I'm becoming convinced that despair is the greatest evil. Not the greatest sin - but the end-result & effect of sin. 

Despair is so much more than sadness. I've been thinking on the pinpoint moments in some of my favorite stories when despair enters the picture. 

It's when Peeta doesn't love Katniss. 
It's when Ron leaves Harry. 
Or John fails to find Sherlock's pulse. 
Rose gets separated from the Doctor. 
Frodo Baggins forgets the taste of strawberries. 

Failure. Rejection. Goodbyes. These are always the stories' worst moments. 

But the road to resurrection runs through the grave. 

The greatest stories - both in life & in fiction - force the protagonist to walk a mile or more with despair. I've run up against it a few times. We all have in different ways. 

But there are two conclusions I've come to regarding Despair. 

The first is my prayer in the midst of my despair or any loved one's is that I'd be faithful. A faithful friend. A faithful person. "Frodo wouldn't have got very far without Sam." In fact, according to Tolkien, Sam was the hero of Lord of the Rings… and I can see why. The greatest courage isn't in brandishing glittering swords, but in traversing pain our souls were never designed for. "For the only courage worth calling courage must necessarily mean that the soul passes a breaking point--and does not break."  - GK Chesterton.

The other conclusion is one I came to after talking with my dentist, truly great fellow. The thing is, if despair is the greatest evil, joy must be the greatest good. And I'm not speaking of anything akin to humanist happiness. Many classic philosophers got close to this truth, that joy was the aim, but they all lacked something. Until Christ, "for the joy set before Him, endured the cross," they had no response to despair, and no true reason for joy. But we have. 

My friend, Esther, shared with me today, "Hope is the ability to look the past & present squarely in the face and say, 'I know that my future will make beautiful and light these harsh and dark moments.'" That's what I'm holding onto. 

I look to the stories again and again, not for happy endings, but for hopeful ones. They serve to remind that the truest stories don't end in despair. "When the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer." Until then, "never cruel or cowardly; never give up, never give in." No, now is the time to take another step through the valley, trusting the mountain is still there. All we can do in the meantime is to hold onto the promises, to wait and to hope. 

Est. 1963

This weekend marked 50 years of Doctor Who!!

Some friends and I got together to celebrate the Time Lord and, of course, watch "The Day of the Doctor" together :)

[Kayla made fish-fingers and custard from scratch!]

[Jammie-dodger assembly - lovely designs by Ashley]

[The Shrine - TARDIS, bowties, Matt, and Melody Malone from "Angels Take Manhattan."]

[Fish-fingers and custard, jammie-dodgers, tea, and bananas - perfect Whovian fare :]

[Ash: 11 on top, Amy on the bottom - adorable all the way around]

[Ash & Kayla trying fish-fingers and custard.  Let's just say they tasted better separate]

[Counter-clockwise: a pair of 11's saving the world with a jammie-dodger and banana,
Donna Noble with her TARDIS purse,
and Amy Pond fending off the Silence - complete with Sharpie necklace]

 And then it was time for the show!!

[Title and theme from the original episode - Oooeeeoooooooh...]

[Nice to see 10 + 11 working together]

 

[The Doctor - many faces, one man]

 Happy 50th Doctor Who!

 Many happy returns!!

Come along, Ponds

Last night we said goodbye to the Ponds.  And I just had to share (a spoiler free) appreciation post to the most darling couple and the most precious companions:  Amy + Rory.

From the beginning,

[via]

to the end

[via]

you were "cool."

[via]

You may have thought you needed the Doctor...

[via]

 but he needed you more.

[via]

 You showed us bravery.

 

[via]

You showed us passion.

[via]

You showed us that true love waits.

[via]

We will miss that story.

[via]

But we're all stories in the end.

Just make it a good one, eh?

[via]

So, come along, Ponds.

To the not-yet-Whovians

I realize that several of you out there are not (or at least not yet) fans of Doctor Who.  And that's fine.  "I mean 'not bad.'  Well, I say 'not bad,' anyways."

Anyway... I've curated a few, very short, hilarious, non-spoilery clips for you.  So, humor me and watch these:

1. The Doctor, in a nutshell.

2.  The Doctor has fun friends :)

3. And the Doctor introducing himself. 

costume dilemma

You guys... I'm so ready to throw myself into choosing a costume, piecing it together... but I just cannot decide!

Star Wars?  Super heroes?  Disney?  Doctor Who? They're done every year.

Sherlock?  Always an option.  A friend and I had talked about doing a Femlock cosplay (fandom translator: she and I were going as male Sherlock characters).  But I will be doing a costume for the premiere party (just waiting on a date, Moffat!) - so I'm not sure that's "it."

Alice in wonderland?  Done it.

Lord of the Rings?  Did it last year.

Grumpy Cat?  Seriously tempting

A different Lizzie Bennet Diaries character would be "totes supes adorbs" ...but I have done it twice already this year.

Perfecting my Suzie Bishop look (from Moonrise Kingdom) would be a blast for sure... but I kinda want to tackle something new.

Would it be considered cheating to dress up like Zooey Deschanel?  [I was afraid people might stop commenting both when I went red and especially after I chopped my hair off... there has been no letting up, which is fine with me]

So then I look at books I've read or re-read this year.

Half of the are from the Enderverse.  Not really any impressive or indicative costumes from the enderverse.

Gatsby?  Everyone's going to do Gatsby this year.  [I'm afraid I've turned into a hipster cosplayer... sorry]

Hazel Grace?  Augustus Waters?  I think Augustus would actually be more fun... but with TFioS film coming out next year... 

Name of the Wind character?  Could be super fun, but very few people would recognize it.

TV shows?  

One of my coworkers seriously suggested I dress up as Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad.  That would be... intriguing.

I guess there are a bunch of Once Upon a Time costumes... comme ci comme ça.

I might be perusing classic Hollywood next.  Hmmm...

Pretty much... I need a man in my life so we can go as a couple :)

Got suggestions for me?  Leave a comment ;)

10: Farewell, pt. 2. "Vale Decem"

As I said, my flatmate and I recently bid David Tennant a fond farewell from Doctor Who.  And we did it in style.



[One of my favorite pics of Tennant with the chapter heading of my current book...
which is coincidentally (?) by Doctor Who guest-writer, Neil Gaiman :]



My coworker let us borrow this fantastic TARDIS-disappearing-mug.

Seriously, the TARDIS is sitting on the street outside Rose's house

...and then you put hot water in it and the TARDIS vworps into space (the other side of the mug).

Complete with sound effects - if you're cool like that and do the sound effects ;)

(Thanks, Jennifer, for adding to the festivities!!)



[via]



Then, I printed some cute and funny pictures for our "backdrop."

I also did a quick (and shoddy) rendition of the TARDIS.

And, of course, Allons-y!

I had the soundtrack from Season 4 playing when Beks got home (fabulous stuff!)

And made our own little 3-D glasses.

Without even conciously thinking about it, I was already wearing "TARDIS colors"

and Beks put in her TARDIS earrings.  Such fun!

Then we settled in with pizza and chocolate for the End of Time 2-parter.

Oh wow!!  Brilliant.

Sad.  Funny.  Poingnant.

And Brilliant!

"Vale Decem" - Farewell to Ten

In love with this song... and even more so with it's latin lyrics.



After crying through the "End of Time," we spontaneously jumped right into "The Eleventh Hour."

I'm pleased to say we enjoyed Matt Smith from the get-go.

But as they say, "My only problem with Matt Smith as the Doctor... is that he isn't David Tennant."

We look forward with hope, but back with fondness.

I can say it now more than ever:  Ten is my Doctor.

Vale Decem,  Salve Undecim.