Search Word Post

We interrupt your regular reading to bring you the last 8 searches which brought people to this blog.

italian female mob
convent school scans porn
eureka 7's characters
supergirl remake
giantess breasts
kyle rayner donna troy
jim balent wedding pictures
depressing tv shows list

In case you are wondering, "giantess breasts" is my most common referral search, those exact words bringing at least one hit per day for over a year now. It appears that there is a whole sub-fetish of breast-seekers who are interested in giantesses. I can only wonder how they react when they find this blog, which as of this posting is number 3 on Google for that term.

This is annoying.

So, someone desperate comes up with a unique idea to get a date:

But really, Comic Book Conventions should be a great place to meet guys. We're talking about a virtually untapped market. In theory: for a smart, (somewhat) attractive girl, getting a date should be like shooting fish in a barrel, no? Thousands of men are gathered in one place (granted, some of them are taken; some are gay; some, undoubtedly, live in their mothers' basements) with a very small proportion of available women around. The statistics alone would lead us to believe there have got to be a few good men in this crowd.

Gee, thanks for perpetuating the stereotype that women only pretend to like "guy things" in order to meet guys. I can tell you that I and my fellow real comic book fans so enjoy being hit on by guys when we're just trying to find our comics, because they think an unescorted woman can't possibly be there to actually buy the Green Lantern statue. We also adore being ignored in comics shops because they assume the guy who walked in after us is the comic-reading boyfriend, not to mention having such a hard time finding female-friendly superhero comics because our presence is minimized by such assumptions. Its a real fucking blast!

Sarcasm aside, the last con I went to, WizardWorld Chicago 2006 and I noticed a lot of women at the panels I attended. My sister counted at one of the Writer's Workshops and concluded at least 25%. I could swear the DC panels were half and half. So, surely someone will set her straight on her misconceptions about Geekdom, right?

Well, let's look at the comments:

You'll be surrounded, consistently cloaked by a nebula of men and stink that, while not leaving you alone to peruse the offerings, won't really be able to muster the courage to speak with you either. You'll be hidden in the midst of a dense thicket of confused nerds unable to ascertain just why it is you're there, but effusively (far too effusively!) happy that you are! What's more, they'll be convinced that the fact of your attendance indicates that the best way to "land" you will be to demonstrate an inappropriately plumbed and reworked body of knowledge, criticism and theory on...that's right...COMIC BOOKS!

I went to the Wizard World Chicago 2005 comic con to see what it is like and I have some bad news. There are actually some very beautiful women at these. You see, the major comic book dealers have booths, big expensive booths. At these booths they hawk their wares to customers, retailers and even distributers. They have also realized they're surrounded by loads of geeky men and capitalized upon it through the use of individuals affectionately known as "booth babes".

I predict success. A lot of comic book guys I know are decent looking, but very shy. They don't have much of an idea about how to talk to women. If you initiate the conversation and work just a little bit to get them out of their shell, you'll meet some great guys. I suggest going after the artists and writers there to get jobs or sell their work. Artists would be super easy to meet. All you have to do is ask to see their work.

I think you may be opening yourself up to a world of hurt in advertising this whole concept. This article has now appeared on the frontpage of Digg, so now I suspect the unwashed masses of geek-dom will be on the lookout for you. Hopefully you don't get inundated with propositions. I wish you luck in your search. Finding a good geeky woman is a task onto itself, so I'm sure you'll do alright.

That's as far as I got before I was overwhelmed with disgust for the outside world.

Bad enough she thinks all the men are troglodytes and the women are nonexistent, but everyone there insists on validating her idiocy.

Oh thank you, Elayne, for linking this and destroying my once peaceful mood.

Everyone else: Her picture is on her site. If anyone sees her at NYCC, please please tape a sign to her back that says something embarrassing, and take a picture for me. I have nothing to reward you with except my laughter. But you get bragging rights. (Note: Do not actually do this)

Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be under my rock.

Off-TopicUrban Legend

(ETA: Commenters debunked this)

(Via) A "Black" Man, A Moor, John Hanson, was the First President of the United States! 1781-1782 A.D.

Site Note: Blogroll

Umm... There's a slight issue when I upgraded my blogroll. Sorry about the people who got dropped, I'll try and get it back the way it was soon.

I added the people I meant to, though. :)

If anyone hasn't been to Kevin's yet...

Otter Prime has returned.

The 12 Levels of Comic Book Fan Agreement

Now, I know we all vary on this list depending on the combination of personalities and series discusses, but it would be nice to understand how easily people get on each others nerves when discussing their favorite series. Just knowing what level you're at could be a great help in avoiding (and finding!) fights.

To that end, I propose the following 12 Levels of Comic Book Fan Agreement:

I. Your favorite series is my favorite series, for much the same reasons. -- This is the friendliest you can get. People on this level of agreement in geekdom tend to spend their days trading theories (in essay or fiction form), making series-pertinent jokes, and teaming up during arguments to overpower someone from a different level of agreement.

II. I like your favorite series, but for a different reason. -- There is a divergence, but its still friendly and in addition to all of the above activities, two fans on this level of agreement will debate their favorite aspects of the series, and try to win each other over.

III. Your favorite series is fun, but would be better this way -- There's potential for insult here, but as there is still a common ground between the two fans so this is a friendly level of agreement. This is the first level where the presence of fanfiction about the series becomes a modifier on the fan relationship, depending on how the new idea is presented and received. If the idea isn't well-received to begin with, presenting the change in fiction form can be an even greater irritant (conversely, if well-done it can win the other over). Since there's still a lot of common ground and goodwill, it tends to be only a mild irritation if its an irritation at all.

IV. I don't get your favorite series at all/I dislike your favorite series for my own perfectly valid reasons. -- While on the surface a perfectly viable argument, it can still hurts a fan a little bit when someone doesn't share her tastes. Its stupid to take it personally, but we are all fanatics. Different common ground can easily make up for this.

V. I like your favorite series, but only for a reason that grates on your nerves. -- This is where friendliness starts to break down, as every discussion of the series in question brings up the one part of that series that one person can not stand. They start to associate the other person with that one little annoyance, which leads to a foul relationship.

VI. I like your favorite series, but only for a reason that really grates on your nerves, and I write fanfiction based entirely on that reason. -- There's a chance that a well-written story can turn around someone's ideas on a concept, but in my experience that's pretty rare. Usually it just makes things much worse, and the two fans on this level should avoid each other.

VII. I don't like your favorite series, because I think it would be better this way, and I won't even bother to try it at all unless someone makes it that way. -- A reasonable disinterest or aversion after reading one issue/hearing the concept is one thing, but this is insulting because it insists on changing something that a person enjoys very much, just to suit someone's personal tastes. The problem here is that, if it were to be changed to suit one person, what the other person loved about it would be gone. Two fans who find themselves at this level of agreement had best find another subject to discuss.

VIII. I don't like or understand the basic premise of your favorite series, I've never read it, and I won't be bothered to actually read it, but I write fanfiction about it anyway. -- This should be self-explanatory, but here goes. If you enjoy something very much, and someone comes along with this attitude, insists they know better than you, and writes their desires in a fictional format (which, as we're discussing fictional series, only makes those ideas clearer and more solid to the reader) and has absolutely no idea what makes it desirable to you, it might get on your nerves more than someone saying "I think it might be better this way," "It doesn't interest me" or simply writing a "what if" fanfiction story that diverges greatly from the concept you love, but still has a basic love for what your loved.

IX. I don't get your favorite series at all/I dislike your favorite series for my own perfectly valid reasons, and you're a fucking idiot for disagreeing with me. -- Anytime someone gets snotty, things are much worse.

X. I think your favorite series would be better this way, I won't even look at it until its changed to be that way, and you're a fucking idiot for disagreeing with me. -- See the unfortunate mixture?

XI. I think your favorite series would be better this way, I won't even look at it until its changed to be that way, you're a fucking idiot for disagreeing with me, and I write fanfiction to demonstrate the rightness of my way. -- Stubbornness, snottiness, and those ideas made concrete by a fiction format. Bad combination.

XII. I think your favorite series would be better this way, I won't even look at it until its changed to be that way, you're a fucking idiot for disagreeing with me, and I write terrible fanfiction to demonstrate the rightness of my way with a thinly veiled self-insertion character, and a character from another series that I felt was fucked up unless written my way too. Oh, and if you think my fanfic is bad/un-entertaining/uninteresting/not as good as your favorite series, you must personally hate me and everyone who shares my interests. -- I think you all get the picture.

Now, did I leave anything out?

Look what I miss when I take a weekend off...

The Ormes Society went live.

The Ormes Society, named after the legendary pioneering cartoonist of color Jackie Ormes, is an organization dedicated to supporting black female comic creators and promoting the inclusion of black women in the comics industry as creators, characters and consumers.

Congratulations, Cheryl!

I DEMAND THIS STORY!

From Jesse's Livejournal:

I think it's pretty clear that Lois Lane, written up to her best and not as a marriage-obsessed ninny, is honest and fearless. (Frankly, I believe the fearlessness is amply demonstrated by the amazing number of building collapses, floods and explosions Lois has been in- she's been through all that and she can still leave the house. I couldn't.)

"Honest and fearless" are the primary job prerequisites for being a Green Lantern. (For anyone reading this not into the whole comics thing, a Green Lantern is a space cop with a magic ring that can do anything, as long as it's colored green. It's a cool gig.)

Damn! He's right! Why haven't I thought of this one? She's honest! She's fearless! And most importantly, she's stupid!! She's absolutely perfect for the Green Lantern Corps!

Come on, DC, we all know those Elseworlds are coming back. This is an ideal story idea. Even without them, there's the return of the Multiverse, dream sequences, drugged hallucinations, Lex Luthor, Dr. Destiny and all sorts of crazy ways to make this happen. Just ten pages and I will love you forever! (Or until I see her in an Ivan Reis costume.)

About Fucking Time.

Newsarama:

WONDER WOMAN #5 (JAN070319), which was previously slated to feature the final chapter of the 5-part story "Who Is Wonder Woman," will feature a new story when it arrives in stores on March 14.

This new story is by Will Pfeifer (CATWOMAN, AMAZONS ATTACK), with art by Jean Diaz, Geraldo Borges and Wellington Diaz and a cover by Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson. In it, Wonder Woman learns that a new women's movement has begun, inspired by her killing of Max Lord - and leaving Diana torn between the good intentions of the movement and the validation it gives her violent act. Worse yet, she's ordered to investigate a possible connection between Wonder Woman and this movement by Sarge Steel and the department of Metahuman Affairs!

Chapter five of "Who Is Wonder Woman" will be rescheduled at a future date.

Retailers may adjust orders on WONDER WOMAN #5 (JAN070319) now through its final order cutoff date of Thursday, February 22.

Also, orders for the WONDER WOMAN: WHO IS WONDER WOMAN? HC (FEB070299) have been cancelled. This title will be resolicited at a future date.

A step in the right direction, at least. Actually getting the damned book out!

The article says issue 4 is due out on February 21st. If that gets delayed they should do a two page recap and print the last two issues as flashbacks or a story told by the characters. It'll look bad and sloppy, but honestly, this has gone on too damned long.

That's one of dem furrin comics, isn't it?

Contrary to popular belief (and possibly what I've written on this blog) I don't absolutely despise Manga. I'll read it, of course, but I don't like to review or rant or comment on it. I just finished reading Revolutionary Girl Utena, Volume 5. I imagine with a simple search I'll be able to find blog articles on the sexuality in the story. The gender roles that switched, the gender roles that weren't, Utena as a romance hero vs Utena as an action hero, homosexual undertones, homosexual overtones, lesbian text, bisexuality, whatever you can think of. Probably all written by people who know Japan better than I do because I don't know a damned thing about Japanese culture. I've never been there, and I don't really have the inclination or funds to go. I try to read enough about Eastern religion and philosophy to recognize when someone's blatantly ripping off and/or disrespecting an Eastern religion in paganism, but really that's not the same as studying culture. So, while I'll read and enjoy anime or manga that's been recommended for a very specific reason (Utena was suggested after I did a short message board post on why I liked Wonder Woman) I can't break down the story like I can a book by a British or American writer, because I feel like I'm out of my element when it comes to the symbolism. I'll make an exception here, though.


(I told you I'd use that banner). Spoilers, but I'll summarize first (and gender-specify because I know shit-all about japanese names and I'm willing to bet some of you are in the same boat) for those of you who haven't read the series but still want to read the post.

Please note, this is the Manga only. I haven't watched the anime, and I've heard it goes totally different.

In this series, Utena (female) gets rescued from drowning as a little girl by The Prince (male) and decides she is going to be just like him when she grows up. (Also, he's promised they'll meet again if she's noble and strong so most of this series is her looking for him). After moving to a new school, Utena rescues Anthy (female) from her abusive spouse Saionji (male) in a duel (which has special effects and a sword beign pulled out of a woman's chest), and then gets informed that Anthy is the Rose Bride and is now her Bride because she won the duel. There are lots of MYSTERIOUS and SECRET happenings with the duelists, and there's a special dueling field that is directly underneath the floating upsidedown castle where The Prince lives.

Utena then duels Juri (female) over the affections of Touga (male), and Miki (male) because Miki's sister is being held hostage. Then Touga (male) because he was leading her on, pretending to be The Prince. After she's won against just about everyone, enter Akio (male), who is Anthy's brother and apparently The Prince. He gets into a romantic relationship with Utena. Touga, who still has a crush on Utena, tells her that Akio is just toying with her emotions like he toyed with his emotions and one things leads to another and Utena ends up dueling Akio. Akio wins, turns Utena into the Rose Bride, and reveals that oops, no he's not The Prince but he's The Bad Guy who has been manipulating them all series. Well, that sucks, and the enchantment around being the Bride manages to keep Utena from stopping Akio from climbing up into the floating upside down castle to kill The Prince. She snaps out of it, though, and is then pissed and gets Anthy (who switches sides more than Ares in Wonder Woman) to lead her and the other four duelists up to the floating upside-down castle.

While inside the floating upside-down castle, Juri, Miki, and Saionji try to get everyone to turn back, so Anthy imprisons them in glass coffins because all of a sudden she's a major power and shit, and Touga and Utena follow her on. Touga gets injured, Utena moves on and finds The Prince, already injured and dying. She then fights Akio, gets the exposition, does some funky power merging thing with The Prince's Soul, merges Akio and The Prince (because they were just two halves of the same diety), saves the world and gets locked up in the floating upside down castle -- or it gets destroyed, I'm not too clear on this.

Touga wakes up to find that he remembers everything, but no one else (Juri, Miki, and Saionji) remember Utena, Akio, dueling, or the floating upside-down castle. He finds Anthy, who is now acting exactly like Utena, and she explains that Utena's waiting in the floating upside-down castle and that someday she'll go up there and they'll hook up.

The reason I gender-specified (instead of letting people guess!) is to point out who was in a samesex relationship with a divine figure and who wasn't. Akio and Anthy are established as divine figures in the end. Touga was with Akio, and Utena was with Anthy. Saionji was with Anthy, so he was with a divine figure, but he didn't have a samesex relationship. Miki has no romantic relationship (his sister prevents it). Juri only has romantic interest in Touga and Ruka (male). She actually doesn't interact with women much at all. Juri, Miki, and Saoinji are unable to go forward in the castle, and they end up forgetting the entire experience.

Kalinara swears Juri is a lesbian in the anime, but in the manga she's like the token heterosexual woman of the story. Only shows interest in male characters. They make a point of having her say she's not dueling for Anthy, but for Touga. She doesn't even interact with women other than Utena. (Actually, I was surprised in the second volume when they pointed out that Juri was a she! She's thin, in a male uniform, and only ever spent time with male characters). I'll probably rent the anime just to see how much differently everything works out with the character sexuality realigned. But in the manga, it lines up so that the bisexual characters get to advance, but the straight (by which I mean strictly) heterosexual characters get caught up, and the straight homosexual side-characters don't ever make it to floating upside-down castle.

So I wonder, is there a point to that particular division? Was not embracing both genders romantically a sign of being blind/unaccepting of divinity and destiny in this book? Or was it simply because these three characters were minor, they just weren't important enough to get a samesex relationship or an epiphany?

Maybe someone who wasn't surprised to find out this book wasn't set in a small communist South American nation can help me out here.

Personal Note: To Anyone Who's Tried to Contact Me.

I'm on dayshift this month and its cut into my free time, so if I'm curt over instant messenger or not answering e-mail and comments, that's why. Also why I'm missing a lot of posts I'd otherwise comment on since the New Year. My various blogs are only getting updated as I need to write/vent/make jokes to preserve my sanity.

I'd like to stay social, but trying to stay social gets stressful enough that a relaxation activity becomes extremely tasking as you try not to offend everybody you know but can't get to speaking to them right away.

I have to prioritize, I know.

Anyway, that's my blanket "no offense or snubbing meant" disclaimer.

Will there be people-eating monsters involved?

Tonight brought a great deal of snow to Oklahoma (so my plans to get together with a large group of friends and burn valentines in front of the Hallmark store were canceled), a new hiding place to my cat (which I still have yet to find -- and in my little apartment here are few enough options to seriously assume stepping through the mirror into another world), the unique experience of being serenaded over a text-based instant messenger (which Chris ruined three songs in by stating that he does this regularly for Kalinara), and great news on the latent goth front:

I'll be making an official announcement there, but here's the unofficial pre-announcement. This year will bring (drumroll, please) a NEW COURTNEY CRUMRIN BOOK!

Yes, it's true, the next chapter in the grand Courtney saga will come out starting in August. This time, it's going to come out a little different. Instead of four individual chapters, the forthcoming installment will appear in two perfect-bound 48 page editions; before being bound together into a single digest at the end of the year. The final collection will be the same charming mini-format as the first three, while the two issues will look more like the Portrait of the Warlock one-shot.

(Via)

Valentine's Day

I'm sure everyone was expecting a Steve Trevor post, but really I'm in a Starman mood lately and I always had a soft spot for the Shade and Hope O'Dare as a couple. I like to think that since the series ended they've gotten together and had an adorably creepy little baby girl with shadow powers who will be vexing the Justice Society or the Flash in some future storyline. (Actually, I'd overlook my "no more blonde teenaged girls" policy if such a character were to show up with pale yellow hair.)

It would be living together, at best, I can't see either of them too fond of anything official even in the case of a baby. So why wish a baby on them? Because the idea of shadow powers (not to mention Shade's probable parenting style) introduced into the fanatical law enforcement legacy of the O'Dares makes me giggle.

(And I'd rather never see either of the two characters again than have them established as not romantically linked.)

Anyway, in honor of Valentine's Day, can you top the Shade's original smartass answer to Hope's stupid question?

Okay, its safe to blog again.

Hell yeah!

Although it's difficult to tell when the unpredictable Oscar winner is being serious, Cage insisted he was. "I am serious about She-Hulk, and I think it should be done," he said. "No, I don't want to direct it or necessarily even be in it." Cage added about Mendes: "Can't you see her as the She-Hulk? I think she'd be great."

Cage said he is talking to producer and former Marvel executive Avi Arad. "I'm trying to put that together. I'm talking to Avi," Cage said. Turning to Mendes, who was seated beside him, he added: "You in a bikini kicking a lot of ass, throwing cars. Awesome!"

"Why do I have to be in a bikini?" Mendes asked.

"Because that's the character," Cage replied. "That's what she wears. You have to be in a bikini."

I want to see this. It would be wonderfully cheesy.

And yes, she would wear a bikini. Its She-Hulk. She is a mouse who sees herself as big, muscular, green, and glamorous when Hulked out. That's why I relate to her. She'd never walk out the door in one as Jennifer Walters, but as She-Hulk she would wear a bikini.

(H/T Kalinara and Mike)

Is it safe to blog yet? II

Nope.

If anyone needs me, I'll be under my rock.

Some might deride this internet pasttime...

But at the moment, it's very relaxing. Fortunately, nice people all over the world post their cats to be made fun of.



(I just think comic geeks might be the only ones to get this joke.)

Is it safe to blog yet?

Apparently not.

I love her current costume. It might be neat to read a few stories about this "cute" supergirl, but as far as the regular comic, I like my "sexy" Kara very much thank you.

I'll be back when I can write something other than a stream of obscenities.

Thursday Thirteen: Not All of These Are Rational.

In honor of yesterday's Lovecraft post...

Thirteen Things That Terrify Ragnell Beyond (Because Of) Her Imagination 1. Stories about Witches. 2. Moonlight shining off of reflective surfaces in a darkened room. 3. Standing on any rickety structure that requires that I carefully maintain my balance. 4. Impalement. 5. My reflection in a mirror that's placed in a darkened room. (this ties in with #1) 6. Accidentally dropping something heavy on the cat, and killing him. 7. Ghosts. 8. Being sucked into a jet engine. (A big danger where I work) 9. Sharp pointy things in the vicinity of my eyes. (This is why I am so attached to my ugly round glasses) 10. Losing a finger. (another danger where I work) 11. Being accidentally choked to death by a necklace. 12. Sleeping through a Tornado. 13. Spiders. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Racy Li 2. Kalinara 3. Artemis (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Gothing Out

I'm a latecomer to the horror genre. Aside from a couple Steven King movie adaptions, the required Edgar Allen Poe poetry (standard for any budding young Goth), and weekends rolling dice over my Vampire character sheet as a teenager I didn't bother with the genre much. I always loved ghost stories, but I was a jumpy kid and my parents never let me watch horror movies. They needed to protect my delicate imagination. When I got older I found out that my sister never really liked the scary stuff, so I was deprived until my most recent boyfriend (now an ex-boyfriend, but that's not really his fault) decided to introduce elements from his favorite pulp writer into his Mage games.

I'm competitive, especially in relationships (which is why so many boyfriends shortly become ex-boyfriends). I had to keep up with him, so I scoured the comic book stores and found only a copy of The Worlds of H.P. Lovecrat: The Tomb. It met my satisfaction, so it was to the library for me and a month of indulgence in short horror stories. From the Call of Cthulu in an anthology, I moved on to all of the Cthulu Mythos cycle, to the Dream Cycle, to the miscellaneous stories in other collections, to the original Lovecraft Circle (the ones I could find) and now I'm reading the modern knockoffs.

I never pass up the chance to read a Mythos story, even though its not a subject I am compelled to blog obsessively about. Lovecraft is a private indulgence best savored alone in bed, after midnight, by the dim illumination of a flashlight. It doesn't do to blog endlessly about the minutia of Lovecraft continuity (mainly because he played loose with the details to achieve that mythic feel). The most you can really do is trade jokes, videos, parodies, and mock derisively the people who actually buy and use the Necronomicon.

I will, however, say that The Dreams in the Witch House is the freakiest story ever written.

Anyway, this was a particularly good day for Lovecraft fans. First, there was an anthology put out by Boom Studios that I'd asked the clerk to pull for me, though I can't imagine where I may have heard of it (all playing aside, Kevin's story was my favorite of the collection. Neat concept, I was expecting Erich Zahn when I saw the musical references but he went in a direction I hadn't seen before and captured the mystery/horror mood of a Lovecraft story. Tough to do in a visual medium.) And right next to it there was a Graphic Classics volume of Lovecraft stories that I hadn't seen before.

Best of all, no repeats. Well, it has adaptations of stories I've read before, but no repeats of any stories I have in comic book format. (Not to mention it has a rendition of the freakiest story ever written.)

Nice week, all in all. Plenty of tastefully horrible dinner reading and hopefully I'll get some entertaining nightmares out of it.

I WAS planning to post something substantial...

But you know me, that's really unlikely on dayshift. I had a post idea but instead ended up messing around with images. I came up with these pathetic offerings:




Now, what I want to know is why I haven't seen anyone else do it. Its such an obvious idea, and there's a huge Steph fanbase. Not to mention there's a lot of people out there with better graphics skills than me.

I mean, I should see those banners everywhere.

(Note: Next time you see such a banner on this blog, you'll see actual comics content. I swear.)