I am proud to say that I stopped going to cons when I was 14. The celery stick on my Fifth Doctor costume wilted and I had a bit of a panic attack. That was a Starlog con in Boston back in the early ’80s. Oh the fun I’ve missed since then.
To date, I have never seen a comic with an X-Man in the personal hygiene aisle of Walgreens. Come to think of it, I’ve only ever seen a few shower scenes in comic books…
You know, I think the comic & deodorant companies are missing out on some lucrative licensing deals here. How many of these schlubs would pay twice as much for a body wash that had a hot comic chick on the bottle?
One of the “For Men” lines could’ve had Avengers tie-ins and made millions on a “God of Mischief” scent, alone. What comic geek wouldn’t want to [theoretically] smell like the most lusted after villain on the internet?
For people paid to understand the psychology of consumers, ad execs think so small.
I’d also suggest that the “hot comic chick” on the BOD labels didn’t exactly work, but then, she was just a piece of pay-per-use clip art, and not a very good one, at that. If you’re going to appeal to the buyer who thinks with his penis, you need better bait than a mall-goth Ferngully extra.
G4 has live coverage – we saw some flipping through last night, and there were plenty of furry-esque costumes. 2 GIANT Spongebob costumes, as well as several plush Pokemon ones….
Oh, also? My husband and kids (who want to go to this) couldn’t understand why I was so excited to watch it – they kept bugging me to change it. BUT, I wanted to see if I could catch HK and Bronc!
Usually at cons you have 5+ people, often minimally acquainted, per room. So maybe 4+ people trying to put on costumes, often taking turns doing so in the bathroom because they don’t know the other people well enough to change in front of them, and then trying to get to panels and such… there isn’t much time for a shower.
Agreed! The first few conventions I attended were in single or double ballrooms at a hotel, some were even in conference rooms at malls! These ‘super’ conventions are crazy! I needed to go to a few for my job at one point in time, and they were hilarious.
The fact that a good amount of cons happen around summertime doesn’t help with the smell. You can count our guests for Otakon as the few who actually shower; there’s no way I’m keeping anyone smelly in my house when we already have a gassy dog.
That would be the single most uncomfortable place for me to try and hang out at. It sounds great for people who are into it, but I definitely am not one of them.
I like the idea in theory of SDCC and will go someday… but I also have an irrational fear of strangers and crowds… I even get punchy at the grocery store on a Sunday afternoons and have been known to yell “Hey Granny, it’s called personal space!”
Totally. I left myself open for it, lol. Like I said typing fast. But, just because we speak Elvish doesn’t always make us super nerds, it just means we spend WAY too much time studying a language for the sake of being able to insult each other in our linguistics classes.
I never spoke Elvish, but I wrote it. My diary from senior year of high school is written in Elvish.
The next time I unearth it I’m going to find the alphabet and write it out in English. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll find it one day when I’m old(er) and think that I’ve had a stroke and can’t read English.
I, uh. Could write out the Tengwar table from memory for you, if you’d like, adapted to English with shortbuts for English words or the unadulterated original, as you’d prefer. Or you could print this.
I have journal entries written as recently as 2010 in a pidgin of Tengwar and kanji, partly to keep my hand in and partly to bitch about my ex in super-secret.
*scuffs toes* Imma crawl back under my rock now, ‘kay?
A handful of languages from Tolkien’s writings. The alphabet, Tengwar, has a consonant scheme similar to the Japanese kana, but each letter is adapted to reflect the properties of the consonants it represents. One main curve is unvoiced, two are voiced; a bar closing the curve denotes a plosive, and so on. Vowels are diacritic marks, written above the consonants they follow. (Er, I’m not trained in linguistics, so I may be misusing terms here.)
Sindarin and Quenya are the languages used by Tolkien’s Elves. Sindarin is based on Welsh, and Quenya on Finnish.
This is gonna sound douchy, but I don’t mean it that way- is this a skill that benefits you in any way? Is it a social thing where you can talk to other buddies that know it, too? I’m so far removed from the fantasy world that I really couldn’t see studying a language that isn’t real. Where do you find the time?
Matt, in all seriousness, I believe it serves an important purpose, beyond entertainment: Helping to create new brain thingies (obviously I don’t converse or write in Elvish anymore). Doing new things that require thought have been shown to improve memory, brain health, and may help to stave off dementia.
You make a good point. I’m sure tons of people here would have the same what-the-fuck question about most of the stuff I’m into.
This is all so funny to me because the answers to my questions are more confusing than the original thing I was asking about. It’s such an insider thing that dumbing it down for me (and possibly the one other person here who’s not into fantasy) seems difficult for you. I’m just curious, is all.
Well, Matt, I also speak Spanish and Japanese, and am studying Russian, French, Dutch, Hindi, and Finnish in my spare time, so apparently picking up languages isn’t that difficult for me personally. It’s not the time sink you might be imagining, and I enjoy it.
As I mentioned above, yes, it was useful socially in high school, for passing notes. Even written in English, the Tengwar alphabet made our notes completely unreadable to the uninitiated. And woe to teachers who intercepted notes and threatened to read them to the whole class.
As an adult, it’s let me keep a habit of journalling very honestly, even when I have roommates. Since I mix it with the other languages I speak, the chances of anyone else being able to read my diary could fit between an atom’s electron shells. Many great thinkers have kept diaries in some form of cipher or code. It’s a fine old tradition.
(There’s also a decent chance, based recent on second-language-learning studies and its relationship with neurology, that learning Quenya and the Tengwar alphabet in high school, and using them sporadically throughout my lifetime, are the reason I think it trivial to pick up a handful of new languages in my down time. Learning a new language may help the brain retain plasticity, the ability to learn, well beyond the age boundaries at which the brain was previously thought to stagnate developmentally.)
I must say I am in awe. Especially after reading your comments detailing the number of languages you are currently learning. Maybe I should encourage my four year old to learn Elvish. Hats off to you!
Not a Lord of the Rings fan? It’s ok, I can’t even get through the first book, yet I still love it. I even play the MMO. No WAY could I ever learn to speak any of the languages though! Jump off the top of Weathertop = yes. Speak Elvish = no.
androgynous emo hipster douchebag
July 17, 2012 at 12:05 am
I do not speak or write elvish, but I have immense respect for Tolkien’s intellect. I don’t think I could figure out how to make up one language, let alone the 15+ languages and dialects he created, complete with working grammar and written alphabets. I also admire his tenacity, working on them for years and years… his worlds are so detailed, I think he must have lived in them, mentally, 24/7.
As a linguist and world-builder, he was peerless. As a storyteller, he left a lot to be desired. I love his books, but the guy couldn’t write an action scene if his life depended on it.
I don’t think the Black Speech is a complete enough language to actually learn. It’d probably have to be treated like they did grelvish *shudder* to make much of a language out of it. The conjugations and all that just aren’t there.
My dad signs off notes with his initials in elvish writing. He used to be a hippie so he gets away with it. Hey, at least I come by my extreme love of the LOTR honestly.
Not one to say you might want to tone down the meanness in the name of humanity, but really, if the dorks and cosplayers are having a good time, who cares? And stop going, even if it’s for your real job.
HKApril, I would like to request that you continue to go and increase the fun you make of other con attendees. I AM one to say you need to ramp up the meanness in the name of humanity though.
We* have all been waiting for this momentous day: Your screen name and your comment convey the same message.
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*Not true. Sorry. OK, I’m not sorry. True!
I thought the whole point of this site is to make fun of stuff!
There should be an entry sign here that says something to the effect of: “Upon entry, all sense of outrage and offense shall be relinquished for the duration of your stay. Thank you, and fuck off.”
Thought maybe I could translate it, but the best I can do is essentially “Thank you, and blow me.” (or literally, thank you, and drink my seed). Le hannon a sogathal eredh nín. Cheers!
Yes, but then the trolls and the cupcakes wouldn’t come in and we LOVE* them!
Speaking of cupcakes, and I was, a friend sent me a cool site, http://www.SloganMakerHate.com and I decided to put in “Cucpakes” and got the following:
“Cupcakes, we don’t hate you because you’re famous. You’re famous because we hate you.
*Much like one loves crunchy things. Or chewy things. That are chewed up and spit out. THOSE kind of things.
Thanks, Mugsy Doodle! I like that cupcakes slogan. It’s true, too.
It’s actually fun when people show up here and go through the hassle of creating an account with apparently no idea of what this site really is just to post something hilariously serious and lame and get immediately down-thumbed. I kinda live for that.
I have been attending conventions professionally and for fun since the 1980′s. Convention goers smell better now – unless you are at a mega-con in the Summer. PAX in Seattle isn’t too stinky – and I think that is largely because the weather here is cooler.
I’ve totally lost track of this thread; two days have passed, which is an eternity in Internet-Time; I’m just riding on Matt Johnson’s awesome coat tails; that said:
How is commentary a statement AGAINST an event?? Or the people attending? I crack jokes about my husband – does that mean I hate him? Wtf? Go take a Xanax and mellow out….
I just think that ANYTHING can be joked about. Life is hard, and full of various tragedies that most of us have experienced in one form or another. If we were to start an “off-limits” list, it would rule every joke imaginable out! My sister died of Leukemia- I’m not gonna get offended by cancer jokes, some of them are hilarious. My other sister is special needs- I still think short bus jokes are funny. Mellow out is right. Get over yourself and laugh.
Amen. There’s too much in life to cry about…Hence my user name…I’ve lost 3 incredibly dear people to me in the last year and a half…I’m 6 feet over them, but I don’t feel like joining them yet, so I go on. I come to Regretsy to laugh until I cry. Laughter is a celebration of life in all its fucked up forms. Also, I come here because I’m in awe of some of the absolutely BRILLIANT humor!
The beauty of geeks is that they are generally smart enough to know that dressing up in costumes and going to conventions is going to merit you some mockery. and for the most part they have strong enough senses of humor to be able to both take the teasing, and to dish it back out. Hooray for Geeks!
Oh no!
You had to plan your wedding around a public event that is attended by thousands of people?
Damn, I bet that has never happened to anybody else, right?
Can someone please tell me why a comment like this (making fun of people who to comic-con) gets -20 votes down? Then the guy commenting for people to stop making fun of con-goers only got a billion “if you can’t make fun of yourself, blah blah” comments in addition to -100 votes down?
Seriously? Those replies just contradicted themselves now. If we enjoy making fun of ourselves here, why did people just downvote this comment for making fun of people?
To be fair, there’s a lot of body odor at any convention. But it was a million degrees outside, and latex and cardboard don’t breathe well.
Plus you can’t really launder a Hefty bag covered with feathers, so it’s just going to preserve your stink until you put it on next year. That’s when it gets really layered and complex.
Yeah, I have no room to talk. I’ve contributed my share of costume-related body fumes to the hotel atmosphere. But I also know many people just don’t take their daily shower, and that’s a shame.
Still, the stench of a thousand unwashed groins couldn’t keep me from these conventions.
I love this! It will be my new battle slogan. “Not even the stench of a thousand unwashed groins can keep me from completion of my quest!” (Heads off to embroider a banner.)
It….would probably keep me away. you know how pregnant women get super-noses? Mine never went away. Four years, and I can still smell things to an unbelievable degree.
I’ve never been pregnant and yet my nose is super sensitive. I would probably get major headache and pass out.
You know what’s worse than a convention? trapped in a plane with some stanky person sitting next/around you, and your flight is 10+ hours. One time I had to request aspirin 5 times on a single flight because of it. X(
The vintage 1987 Super Chicken costume has strong primary notes of Roquefort and Onions. Secondary notes on the back of the palate hint at Bisphenol A and Phthalates. Overall, a dry scent with only moderate indications that it had once suffered mildew.
Plus you can’t really launder a Hefty bag covered with feathers, so it’s just going to preserve your stink until you put it on next year. That’s when it gets really layered and complex.
Don’t forget about the hidden danger of the Comic-Cons that no one talks about: the fart cloud. There’s nothing like walking behind some obscure Manga character, wrinkling your nose in distaste their B.O. when you suddenly hit the wall of stink from the day-old burrito they microwaved for breakfast. You can’t even run outside for fresh air because you’re stuck in a current flow that won’t get you near the doors for 2 hours.
I have in my archives* a newsletter from an old WorldCon (back before Dragon*Con existed and WorldCon was THE gathering of the fen) where the con attendees were reminded to shower if they hadn’t yet done so (it was day 3 of the 5-day convention).
The best is when cons put a bit in the rules about hygiene basically saying “PLEASE DEAR GOD SHOWER AND USE DEODORANT.” I remember seeing one that was like “And no, having your friends spray you down with perfume or Axe doesn’t count.”
Same boat; please pass an oar. Also, all my several-times-hourly updates about Comic Con are coming from Doctor Who fans who make it sound like it’s one big Matt Smith orgy-and-sing-a-long.
Although I’m extra-super-jealous because HK is at Comic Con and hasn’t said anything about Dragon*Con.
I’ve offered to buy Helen and Bronc a glass of vodka (with extra ice) if they were to attend Dragon*Con. I’m assuming they’re still putting together their itinerary, because seriously, if that offer is enough to lure Margot Kidder to DC then it should also land bigger fish.
The host of Escape Pod, a SF podcast, once offered advice for those attending Dragon*Con, and one of the tips was to shower at least once a day. He said that, unfortunately, it was needed advice for many.
I guess they get so excited and stay up so late that they forget. Or don’t want to miss anything. Or something.
Ah yes, the hubris of Lycra! Admittedly, some of the spandex superheroes have good bodies AND I’m always a sucker for a well packed, caution yellow speedo!
I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want to go to a proper con, but I am severely limited by funds, a young family and our location =( I am, however, learning to seamstress, and once I have finished my first costume it will be celebrated by a trek across the globe! Hope everyone had a really good time at SDCC! =D
I went to a Star Trek Convention once and it was awesome. I didn’t bother with a costume although I presume that might be half the fun. I was more interested in the 3-tier chess game I couldn’t afford.
I’ve been to horror conventions, a few sci-fi cons (including several Gaylaxicons, aka sci-fi/fantasy cons for LGBT nerds), and a couple of murder-mystery conventions (nerdy with an older demographic, a bunch of 50+ gals with dreams of being hardboiled private eyes). A friend goes to Oz conventions. My parents don’t dare say a thing about me going to horror or sci-fi cons because my dad goes to iron conventions. Seriously. He collects antique flatirons (the old ones you heat on the stove and use to press the clothes) and there’s actually conventions for collectors of such.
It was so hot and humid this weekend, we were actually speculating that all the perspiration was rising over the convention center and having an effect on the weather.
Being in the Uk (and too cheap/lazy to go to London’s convention)I make do with the teeny-tiny Manchester MCM Expo con. But they DID have robot boxing, so there’s that.
You know you’re at a comicon thing when you see a giant furry walking around or someone with duct-tape wings.
there is one stat lft off that list…Number of rubber horse head masks purchased! I know both Thinkgeek and J-box had booths selling them, and, judging from their photo posts, every person who walked by either booth bought one!
I may be alone in this, but I fucking love Bai Ling and all her batshit craziness. She’s great at playing batshit crazy parts, as well. She was in this movie where she convinces a lady that eating aborted fetuses baked into dumplings will make her young again.
DUMPLING !! That movie was great!! Aborted fetuses aside, those dumplings looked tasty.
And the movie is highly touted by my dear friend Auntie Myles, who gives thumbs up to the “hot Asian daddy” in it.
The body order thing is covered so well by Foamy (from ill Will Press) that my convention going friends play the video Rules for the Masses before every convetion starts.
I feel that the video should be required viewing for every convention attendee.
I have linked it: Rules for the Masses
Please have a sense of humor before viewing it.
You see, part of the problem (and I am drawing on my experience as a medievalist) is that many people don’t wash their costumes from one use to the next. In my “kingdom,” I think I was one of the very few who actually washed their garb from one event to the next. A lot of these people keep everything in rubbermaid totes and crack them open when it is event time. Trust me, you do not want to be anywhere near those totes when they do.
This wasn’t an isolated phenomena, I had noticed it also when we would have joint events with other groups.
Eh? Period garb – Ours goes into the washing machine about 30 seconds after we get home, having stripped most of the hot, sweat-soaked layers off in the car. Other genres don’t do that? I mean, sweat ROTS fabric! grumble grumble … philistines …
July 16, 2012 at 9:33 am
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
July 16, 2012 at 9:41 am
I’ve been to both, and I much prefer SDCC. It’s just so much fun.
July 17, 2012 at 4:11 am
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July 16, 2012 at 9:33 am
I’m thinking the deodorant messes up the costumes. I know I wouldn’t want to walk next to Gambit rocking flaky residue.
July 16, 2012 at 9:40 am
they make that clear gel shit for exactly that reason.
July 16, 2012 at 9:49 am
To date, I have never seen a comic with an X-Man in the personal hygiene aisle of Walgreens. Come to think of it, I’ve only ever seen a few shower scenes in comic books…
July 16, 2012 at 4:35 pm
You know, I think the comic & deodorant companies are missing out on some lucrative licensing deals here. How many of these schlubs would pay twice as much for a body wash that had a hot comic chick on the bottle?
July 16, 2012 at 7:21 pm
One of the “For Men” lines could’ve had Avengers tie-ins and made millions on a “God of Mischief” scent, alone. What comic geek wouldn’t want to [theoretically] smell like the most lusted after villain on the internet?
For people paid to understand the psychology of consumers, ad execs think so small.
July 16, 2012 at 7:26 pm
I’d also suggest that the “hot comic chick” on the BOD labels didn’t exactly work, but then, she was just a piece of pay-per-use clip art, and not a very good one, at that. If you’re going to appeal to the buyer who thinks with his penis, you need better bait than a mall-goth Ferngully extra.
July 16, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Instead we get Avengers cake pans:
(Available at Williams-Sonoma)
July 17, 2012 at 7:29 am
While I DO want to take a bite out of Robert Downey Jr. this wasn’t what I envisioned.
July 17, 2012 at 2:43 pm
BPAL already has: http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/hellboy.html
I mean it’s not deodorant, but “Aftershave, candy wrappers, brimstone, and cat” is still better than nothing.
July 18, 2012 at 6:38 am
Let’s just stop pussyfooting around and put them on lube bottles.
July 18, 2012 at 5:08 pm
I would use Warcraft Feminine Wash.
Just a little FYI…in case any product-ad people are reading, you know.
July 16, 2012 at 9:35 am
Were you nude, or was Bai Ling? I would think that would affect the price.
July 16, 2012 at 9:39 am
I think either way is worth $40
Me nude WITH Bai Ling nude: priceless
July 16, 2012 at 2:29 pm
WHO pays 40 bucks for Bai Ling’s nude picture?
July 16, 2012 at 5:33 pm
I had to google her to have a clue who she was.
$40? Nah. Pass.
July 16, 2012 at 10:04 pm
Yeah, I’m bailing out on this one too.
July 17, 2012 at 11:56 am
OH! You have to pay HER?
Sorry, thought it was the other way around…
July 16, 2012 at 9:35 am
Too bad you can’t change the size of the smell.
July 16, 2012 at 11:58 am
And with zero pounds of deoderant it must have been ginormous.
July 16, 2012 at 9:35 am
Don’t forget the $150 to get in for the full weekend!
July 16, 2012 at 9:45 am
Yeah I was also dismayed by the lack of Furry stats. Wait, do furries go to ComiCon or is it just wishful thinking on my part?
July 16, 2012 at 9:52 am
G4 has live coverage – we saw some flipping through last night, and there were plenty of furry-esque costumes. 2 GIANT Spongebob costumes, as well as several plush Pokemon ones….
July 16, 2012 at 9:53 am
Ooops, not last night – the other night.
Oh, also? My husband and kids (who want to go to this) couldn’t understand why I was so excited to watch it – they kept bugging me to change it. BUT, I wanted to see if I could catch HK and Bronc!
July 16, 2012 at 1:42 pm
I think you’d have better luck at Dragon*Con.
July 16, 2012 at 7:57 pm
I’ve heard from friends that personal hygiene is also a problem there.
July 16, 2012 at 10:08 pm
The Marriott Marquis has 1,663 rooms. That means 1,663 showers. Use of which is included in the price of the room.
So I don’t get it. Unless there’s 3,200 people staying at the Marriott and 57,000 sleeping in their cars.
July 18, 2012 at 6:45 am
Usually at cons you have 5+ people, often minimally acquainted, per room. So maybe 4+ people trying to put on costumes, often taking turns doing so in the bathroom because they don’t know the other people well enough to change in front of them, and then trying to get to panels and such… there isn’t much time for a shower.
July 18, 2012 at 5:16 pm
http://furtherconfusion.org/2013
My so– I mean, someone I know works there every year.
July 16, 2012 at 9:36 am
It’s good to know that some things never change.
July 16, 2012 at 9:38 am
Back in my day, comicons were about comics!
*totters off muttering about Bronies*
July 16, 2012 at 9:41 am
Agreed! The first few conventions I attended were in single or double ballrooms at a hotel, some were even in conference rooms at malls! These ‘super’ conventions are crazy! I needed to go to a few for my job at one point in time, and they were hilarious.
July 16, 2012 at 10:15 am
Heh, back in my day, AnimeCons were about Anime . . . I actually don’t mind the bleed-over too much, it makes things entertaining.
Though, if I wanted to be annoyingly literal, there ARE My Little Pony comics. >:}
July 18, 2012 at 5:31 pm
Why, back in my day, comic cons were held in medium security!
–what?
Never mind.
July 19, 2012 at 9:12 am
Bronycon 2012 happened like 3-4 weeks ago.
The fact that a good amount of cons happen around summertime doesn’t help with the smell. You can count our guests for Otakon as the few who actually shower; there’s no way I’m keeping anyone smelly in my house when we already have a gassy dog.
July 16, 2012 at 9:39 am
Sounds delightful…
July 16, 2012 at 9:44 am
That would be the single most uncomfortable place for me to try and hang out at. It sounds great for people who are into it, but I definitely am not one of them.
July 16, 2012 at 12:34 pm
I like the idea in theory of SDCC and will go someday… but I also have an irrational fear of strangers and crowds… I even get punchy at the grocery store on a Sunday afternoons and have been known to yell “Hey Granny, it’s called personal space!”
July 16, 2012 at 9:40 am
Pedin i phith in aníron, a nin ú-cheniathog. Yeah…I speak Sindarin, such it bitches.
July 16, 2012 at 9:41 am
It’s always funny when someone misspells a cocky statement. Nice try, though.
July 16, 2012 at 9:43 am
Eh, I was typing fast. Trying to do too many things online at once. But I always have to stop by for my daily dose of Regretsy goodness.
July 16, 2012 at 9:45 am
It’s sort of like when someone proclaims, “I am a jenius!”, you know?
July 16, 2012 at 9:49 am
Totally. I left myself open for it, lol. Like I said typing fast. But, just because we speak Elvish doesn’t always make us super nerds, it just means we spend WAY too much time studying a language for the sake of being able to insult each other in our linguistics classes.
July 16, 2012 at 9:54 am
I never spoke Elvish, but I wrote it. My diary from senior year of high school is written in Elvish.
The next time I unearth it I’m going to find the alphabet and write it out in English. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll find it one day when I’m old(er) and think that I’ve had a stroke and can’t read English.
July 16, 2012 at 10:01 am
I, uh. Could write out the Tengwar table from memory for you, if you’d like, adapted to English with shortbuts for English words or the unadulterated original, as you’d prefer. Or you could print this.
I have journal entries written as recently as 2010 in a pidgin of Tengwar and kanji, partly to keep my hand in and partly to bitch about my ex in super-secret.
*scuffs toes* Imma crawl back under my rock now, ‘kay?
July 16, 2012 at 10:02 am
*shortcuts
I totally did that on purpose, to redeem Emagyne’s mistake. Yeah.
July 16, 2012 at 10:34 am
Squee!!
Coaxes Crease de Resistance out from under the rock and gives her a big hug.
(I’m sorry I can’t set the accent in your name)
July 16, 2012 at 1:03 pm
On windoze: Alt+0233
On Macs: Option + e
July 17, 2012 at 7:27 am
Elvish…sounds like someone at Graceland with a lisp…
July 16, 2012 at 9:56 am
Or to pass notes in high school Spanish class, the only one in which passing notes in Spanish didn’t work as an encryption strategy.
July 16, 2012 at 9:59 am
As a non-fantasy person, could someone give me the Cliffs Notes on what Elvish is? I realize it probably has to do with elves, but that’s about it.
July 16, 2012 at 10:07 am
A handful of languages from Tolkien’s writings. The alphabet, Tengwar, has a consonant scheme similar to the Japanese kana, but each letter is adapted to reflect the properties of the consonants it represents. One main curve is unvoiced, two are voiced; a bar closing the curve denotes a plosive, and so on. Vowels are diacritic marks, written above the consonants they follow. (Er, I’m not trained in linguistics, so I may be misusing terms here.)
Sindarin and Quenya are the languages used by Tolkien’s Elves. Sindarin is based on Welsh, and Quenya on Finnish.
July 16, 2012 at 10:15 am
This is gonna sound douchy, but I don’t mean it that way- is this a skill that benefits you in any way? Is it a social thing where you can talk to other buddies that know it, too? I’m so far removed from the fantasy world that I really couldn’t see studying a language that isn’t real. Where do you find the time?
July 16, 2012 at 11:58 am
Matt, in all seriousness, I believe it serves an important purpose, beyond entertainment: Helping to create new brain thingies (obviously I don’t converse or write in Elvish anymore). Doing new things that require thought have been shown to improve memory, brain health, and may help to stave off dementia.
July 16, 2012 at 12:10 pm
You make a good point. I’m sure tons of people here would have the same what-the-fuck question about most of the stuff I’m into.
This is all so funny to me because the answers to my questions are more confusing than the original thing I was asking about. It’s such an insider thing that dumbing it down for me (and possibly the one other person here who’s not into fantasy) seems difficult for you. I’m just curious, is all.
July 16, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Well, Matt, I also speak Spanish and Japanese, and am studying Russian, French, Dutch, Hindi, and Finnish in my spare time, so apparently picking up languages isn’t that difficult for me personally. It’s not the time sink you might be imagining, and I enjoy it.
As I mentioned above, yes, it was useful socially in high school, for passing notes. Even written in English, the Tengwar alphabet made our notes completely unreadable to the uninitiated. And woe to teachers who intercepted notes and threatened to read them to the whole class.
As an adult, it’s let me keep a habit of journalling very honestly, even when I have roommates. Since I mix it with the other languages I speak, the chances of anyone else being able to read my diary could fit between an atom’s electron shells. Many great thinkers have kept diaries in some form of cipher or code. It’s a fine old tradition.
July 16, 2012 at 12:21 pm
(There’s also a decent chance, based recent on second-language-learning studies and its relationship with neurology, that learning Quenya and the Tengwar alphabet in high school, and using them sporadically throughout my lifetime, are the reason I think it trivial to pick up a handful of new languages in my down time. Learning a new language may help the brain retain plasticity, the ability to learn, well beyond the age boundaries at which the brain was previously thought to stagnate developmentally.)
So, what Mugsy said, turned up to eleven.
July 16, 2012 at 12:46 pm
I would just like to interject with Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu
July 16, 2012 at 5:26 pm
I must say I am in awe. Especially after reading your comments detailing the number of languages you are currently learning. Maybe I should encourage my four year old to learn Elvish. Hats off to you!
July 16, 2012 at 9:42 am
*suck
perhaps studying English would be better?
(J/K!!!!!!)
July 16, 2012 at 9:50 am
Elen sila lumenn — oh, Sindar. Never mind. Totally no starlight there.
Also? Yeah, I will.
July 16, 2012 at 9:55 am
NICE. I figured Sindarin was a good one to start with. But my real goal is to learn the Black Speech.
July 16, 2012 at 10:00 am
Like Ebonics? It’s relatively easy.
July 16, 2012 at 10:02 am
Haha, no, the Black Speech of Mordor. it’s like the evil language of Sauron.
July 16, 2012 at 10:05 am
Oh, that makes sense*.
*Just kidding. That makes less sense to me.
July 16, 2012 at 10:09 am
How else are you supposed to negotiate for your life when the Nazgul catch up to you?
July 16, 2012 at 10:18 am
Not a Lord of the Rings fan? It’s ok, I can’t even get through the first book, yet I still love it. I even play the MMO. No WAY could I ever learn to speak any of the languages though! Jump off the top of Weathertop = yes. Speak Elvish = no.
July 16, 2012 at 10:42 pm
What server are you on, Hejira? I’m on Imladris, same username.
July 16, 2012 at 10:09 am
One simply does not Rosetta Stone into Mordor.
July 16, 2012 at 10:13 am
This needs to be a comment of the day, oh dear God.
July 16, 2012 at 10:17 am
I don’t want to gain access, I’m just genuinely curious. I know less than zero about this subject.
July 16, 2012 at 10:35 am
I think I have a new tagline for my Regretsy profile!
July 16, 2012 at 10:37 am
Sampler! This MUST be made into a sampler…in Elvish.
July 17, 2012 at 1:29 am
It needs to be in both Elvish and English, so that it is a Rosetta Sampler itself.
July 17, 2012 at 12:05 am
I do not speak or write elvish, but I have immense respect for Tolkien’s intellect. I don’t think I could figure out how to make up one language, let alone the 15+ languages and dialects he created, complete with working grammar and written alphabets. I also admire his tenacity, working on them for years and years… his worlds are so detailed, I think he must have lived in them, mentally, 24/7.
July 17, 2012 at 12:09 am
As a linguist and world-builder, he was peerless. As a storyteller, he left a lot to be desired. I love his books, but the guy couldn’t write an action scene if his life depended on it.
July 17, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Tolkien should have teamed up with somebody like Robert E. Howard – who could ONLY write action scenes.
July 16, 2012 at 11:57 am
I don’t think the Black Speech is a complete enough language to actually learn. It’d probably have to be treated like they did grelvish *shudder* to make much of a language out of it. The conjugations and all that just aren’t there.
July 16, 2012 at 11:23 am
My dad signs off notes with his initials in elvish writing. He used to be a hippie so he gets away with it. Hey, at least I come by my extreme love of the LOTR honestly.
July 16, 2012 at 1:32 pm
I just had a coworker suggest that someone should make an Elvish – Klingon dictionary for the uber-geek win of all time.
July 16, 2012 at 2:03 pm
Well, my Dad is even cooler– he wears a utility belt…
July 16, 2012 at 11:56 am
“I say the words that I want, and you can’t understand me.”
July 16, 2012 at 10:39 pm
Arranich nin, Emagyne, u-’erin hannas uin peth pedich. U-’erin hannas o “-thog” egor “phith”. Man thenich na ti?
July 17, 2012 at 11:16 pm
I’m amused I got thumbs up on something no one can understand.
July 16, 2012 at 9:40 am
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
July 16, 2012 at 9:43 am
No thanks.
July 16, 2012 at 9:46 am
HKApril, I would like to request that you continue to go and increase the fun you make of other con attendees. I AM one to say you need to ramp up the meanness in the name of humanity though.
July 16, 2012 at 10:08 am
That super elegant infographic didn’t arrange itself–you have to go. Do it for the sake of visually represented data.
July 16, 2012 at 12:01 pm
That’s my favorite kind of data.
July 16, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I’m waiting for the Venn diagram of furries wearing Bazinga t-shirts
July 18, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Will you settle for a photo of a furry wearing a baby murloc t-shirt?
July 16, 2012 at 3:45 pm
As a con-going nerd, I found this totally funny and relate-able. Someone needs to chill out.
July 16, 2012 at 9:43 am
I used to need to go for my job too…but making light of the attendees is half the fun!
Doesn’t mean we hate them.
July 16, 2012 at 11:46 am
I’ve been at conventions where I and friends make light of the attendees….and then laugh at how we’re sure they’re making light of us!
It’s something that you go into knowing will happen.
July 16, 2012 at 1:35 pm
We get to broadcast video at cons every couple of years.
Photos may speak a thousand words, but video makes it more akin to Ulysses.
July 16, 2012 at 5:46 pm
It often means you are one of them.
July 16, 2012 at 9:46 am
Thanks, we’ll keep that in mind!
July 16, 2012 at 9:57 am
WIN! for clean, bone-dry sarcasm.
July 16, 2012 at 9:52 am
We* have all been waiting for this momentous day: Your screen name and your comment convey the same message.
.
.
.
.
.
*Not true. Sorry. OK, I’m not sorry. True!
July 16, 2012 at 9:53 am
I thought the whole point of this site is to make fun of stuff!
There should be an entry sign here that says something to the effect of: “Upon entry, all sense of outrage and offense shall be relinquished for the duration of your stay. Thank you, and fuck off.”
July 16, 2012 at 10:21 am
TYAFO! Sounds like an Elvish toast.
Reminds me of years ago when the cash registers at Kmart all had stickers on them that said “TYFSAK”.
July 16, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Thought maybe I could translate it, but the best I can do is essentially “Thank you, and blow me.” (or literally, thank you, and drink my seed). Le hannon a sogathal eredh nín. Cheers!
July 16, 2012 at 10:52 am
Yes, but then the trolls and the cupcakes wouldn’t come in and we LOVE* them!
Speaking of cupcakes, and I was, a friend sent me a cool site, http://www.SloganMakerHate.com and I decided to put in “Cucpakes” and got the following:
“Cupcakes, we don’t hate you because you’re famous. You’re famous because we hate you.
*Much like one loves crunchy things. Or chewy things. That are chewed up and spit out. THOSE kind of things.
And congrats on the award!
July 16, 2012 at 11:42 am
Thanks, Mugsy Doodle! I like that cupcakes slogan. It’s true, too.
It’s actually fun when people show up here and go through the hassle of creating an account with apparently no idea of what this site really is just to post something hilariously serious and lame and get immediately down-thumbed. I kinda live for that.
July 16, 2012 at 1:00 pm
That sign should also mention Regretsy’s strict NO SACRED COWS policy, which I love.
July 17, 2012 at 5:56 pm
I have been attending conventions professionally and for fun since the 1980′s. Convention goers smell better now – unless you are at a mega-con in the Summer. PAX in Seattle isn’t too stinky – and I think that is largely because the weather here is cooler.
July 18, 2012 at 6:01 pm
I’ve totally lost track of this thread; two days have passed, which is an eternity in Internet-Time; I’m just riding on Matt Johnson’s awesome coat tails; that said:
ABANDON ALL COUTH, YE WHO ENTER HERE!
(All-caps because I’m YELLING!)
July 16, 2012 at 9:56 am
How is commentary a statement AGAINST an event?? Or the people attending? I crack jokes about my husband – does that mean I hate him? Wtf? Go take a Xanax and mellow out….
July 16, 2012 at 10:10 am
I just think that ANYTHING can be joked about. Life is hard, and full of various tragedies that most of us have experienced in one form or another. If we were to start an “off-limits” list, it would rule every joke imaginable out! My sister died of Leukemia- I’m not gonna get offended by cancer jokes, some of them are hilarious. My other sister is special needs- I still think short bus jokes are funny. Mellow out is right. Get over yourself and laugh.
Humor is the best medicine. Period.
July 16, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Amen. There’s too much in life to cry about…Hence my user name…I’ve lost 3 incredibly dear people to me in the last year and a half…I’m 6 feet over them, but I don’t feel like joining them yet, so I go on. I come to Regretsy to laugh until I cry. Laughter is a celebration of life in all its fucked up forms. Also, I come here because I’m in awe of some of the absolutely BRILLIANT humor!
July 17, 2012 at 12:14 am
If we cannot laugh at ourselves, how can we possibly laugh at anything? And what is a life without laughter?
July 16, 2012 at 10:05 am
Oh no! Someone was a meaniehead on the internet!
July 16, 2012 at 12:19 pm
The beauty of geeks is that they are generally smart enough to know that dressing up in costumes and going to conventions is going to merit you some mockery. and for the most part they have strong enough senses of humor to be able to both take the teasing, and to dish it back out. Hooray for Geeks!
July 16, 2012 at 12:39 pm
I agree. I think that anyone should be proudly into whatever they’re into. Let your geek flag fly!
July 16, 2012 at 8:00 pm
But that’s a terrifically apt choice of name!
July 16, 2012 at 9:45 am
Seems Legit.
July 16, 2012 at 9:54 am
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
July 17, 2012 at 5:39 am
Oh no!
You had to plan your wedding around a public event that is attended by thousands of people?
Damn, I bet that has never happened to anybody else, right?
July 17, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
July 18, 2012 at 6:03 pm
——————> point <——————
July 16, 2012 at 9:58 am
It’s sad that these numbers (even the stat about deodorant) has just made me even more excited for Dragon*Con than I already am.
It’s sad that these numbers (especially the stat about deodorant) is making me more hesitant to attend Dragon*Con than I already was.
July 16, 2012 at 10:03 am
To be fair, there’s a lot of body odor at any convention. But it was a million degrees outside, and latex and cardboard don’t breathe well.
Plus you can’t really launder a Hefty bag covered with feathers, so it’s just going to preserve your stink until you put it on next year. That’s when it gets really layered and complex.
July 16, 2012 at 10:07 am
Yeah, I have no room to talk. I’ve contributed my share of costume-related body fumes to the hotel atmosphere. But I also know many people just don’t take their daily shower, and that’s a shame.
Still, the stench of a thousand unwashed groins couldn’t keep me from these conventions.
July 16, 2012 at 1:35 pm
I love this! It will be my new battle slogan. “Not even the stench of a thousand unwashed groins can keep me from completion of my quest!” (Heads off to embroider a banner.)
July 16, 2012 at 4:51 pm
It….would probably keep me away. you know how pregnant women get super-noses? Mine never went away. Four years, and I can still smell things to an unbelievable degree.
Plus there’s the whole “social anxiety” thing.
July 16, 2012 at 5:45 pm
Nose clips. Or plugs. (If you really want to attend.)
You could probably even work them into a costume (a stillsuit from Dune, say).
July 17, 2012 at 10:35 am
I’ve never been pregnant and yet my nose is super sensitive. I would probably get major headache and pass out.
You know what’s worse than a convention? trapped in a plane with some stanky person sitting next/around you, and your flight is 10+ hours. One time I had to request aspirin 5 times on a single flight because of it. X(
July 17, 2012 at 1:34 am
Keep you away? I thought that was part of the reason for going.
July 16, 2012 at 10:14 am
Comic-Con Blindfold Notes:
The vintage 1987 Super Chicken costume has strong primary notes of Roquefort and Onions. Secondary notes on the back of the palate hint at Bisphenol A and Phthalates. Overall, a dry scent with only moderate indications that it had once suffered mildew.
July 16, 2012 at 10:25 am
Plus you can’t really launder a Hefty bag covered with feathers, so it’s just going to preserve your stink until you put it on next year. That’s when it gets really layered and complex.
You’re preachin’ to the choir there sister!
July 16, 2012 at 10:48 am
Don’t forget about the hidden danger of the Comic-Cons that no one talks about: the fart cloud. There’s nothing like walking behind some obscure Manga character, wrinkling your nose in distaste their B.O. when you suddenly hit the wall of stink from the day-old burrito they microwaved for breakfast. You can’t even run outside for fresh air because you’re stuck in a current flow that won’t get you near the doors for 2 hours.
(I really do love going to Cons though!)
July 18, 2012 at 6:07 pm
Comic-Cons?? You just described my last trip to the grocery store.
July 16, 2012 at 1:48 pm
I have in my archives* a newsletter from an old WorldCon (back before Dragon*Con existed and WorldCon was THE gathering of the fen) where the con attendees were reminded to shower if they hadn’t yet done so (it was day 3 of the 5-day convention).
*hoarded stash of old papers
July 16, 2012 at 3:50 pm
The best is when cons put a bit in the rules about hygiene basically saying “PLEASE DEAR GOD SHOWER AND USE DEODORANT.” I remember seeing one that was like “And no, having your friends spray you down with perfume or Axe doesn’t count.”
July 17, 2012 at 10:37 am
nothing attract ladies more than over sprayed Axe mixed with B.O.
July 16, 2012 at 10:13 am
Same boat; please pass an oar. Also, all my several-times-hourly updates about Comic Con are coming from Doctor Who fans who make it sound like it’s one big Matt Smith orgy-and-sing-a-long.
Although I’m extra-super-jealous because HK is at Comic Con and hasn’t said anything about Dragon*Con.
July 16, 2012 at 10:19 am
I’ve offered to buy Helen and Bronc a glass of vodka (with extra ice) if they were to attend Dragon*Con. I’m assuming they’re still putting together their itinerary, because seriously, if that offer is enough to lure Margot Kidder to DC then it should also land bigger fish.
July 16, 2012 at 10:37 am
Has anybody told her there’s a Heroes and Villains Ball that she could attend as Helen Killer?
I will buy her a second glass of vodka, or let her sip (or chug, her option) Mystery Alcohol from my Regretsy flask, purchased just for this occasion.
July 16, 2012 at 10:17 pm
I’m still hoping for an Atlanta Regretsy meet-up the day before Dragon*Con at Trader Vic’s.
(Why do we put a star in the middle? Is Dragon*Con the illegitimate half sister of Wal*Mart?)
July 16, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Did someone say one big Matt Smith orgy-and-sing-a-long?
July 16, 2012 at 1:53 pm
You can say that again.
July 16, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Dammit, that belongs WAAAAAAAAAAAY up there with #13.
July 16, 2012 at 8:03 pm
The host of Escape Pod, a SF podcast, once offered advice for those attending Dragon*Con, and one of the tips was to shower at least once a day. He said that, unfortunately, it was needed advice for many.
I guess they get so excited and stay up so late that they forget. Or don’t want to miss anything. Or something.
July 16, 2012 at 10:01 am
479: Overweight women in slutty costumes
224: Men in body suits showing off their junk
17: On purpose
127,934: Pimples
July 16, 2012 at 10:15 am
Ah yes, the hubris of Lycra! Admittedly, some of the spandex superheroes have good bodies AND I’m always a sucker for a well packed, caution yellow speedo!
July 16, 2012 at 4:49 pm
Junk in lycra…Sold! When’s the next Con?
July 16, 2012 at 10:06 am
I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want to go to a proper con, but I am severely limited by funds, a young family and our location =( I am, however, learning to seamstress, and once I have finished my first costume it will be celebrated by a trek across the globe! Hope everyone had a really good time at SDCC! =D
July 16, 2012 at 10:08 am
I would love to have gone too! I should look up some YouTube videos or something.
July 16, 2012 at 10:17 am
I went to a Star Trek Convention once and it was awesome. I didn’t bother with a costume although I presume that might be half the fun. I was more interested in the 3-tier chess game I couldn’t afford.
July 16, 2012 at 10:45 am
Well that may have turned some heads among the nerds. Especially if you are female.
July 16, 2012 at 11:53 am
I’ve been to horror conventions, a few sci-fi cons (including several Gaylaxicons, aka sci-fi/fantasy cons for LGBT nerds), and a couple of murder-mystery conventions (nerdy with an older demographic, a bunch of 50+ gals with dreams of being hardboiled private eyes). A friend goes to Oz conventions. My parents don’t dare say a thing about me going to horror or sci-fi cons because my dad goes to iron conventions. Seriously. He collects antique flatirons (the old ones you heat on the stove and use to press the clothes) and there’s actually conventions for collectors of such.
July 16, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Vagrarian, if your dad ever comes to NYC, he’s going to plotz. We’ve got a 21-story Flatiron BUILDING!! Good luck to him taking it home.
July 16, 2012 at 1:42 pm
he can buy one in Detroit for next to nothing. Also there is an iron factory with an iron on the facade for sale.
July 16, 2012 at 10:22 am
It was so hot and humid this weekend, we were actually speculating that all the perspiration was rising over the convention center and having an effect on the weather.
July 16, 2012 at 10:38 am
Is your name Sheldon?
July 18, 2012 at 6:22 pm
MmmmmNo. There is a distinct lack of barometric and temperature data in thenshewaslike’s statement, and an absense of the word “meteorology.”
Couldn’t be Sheldon.
July 16, 2012 at 10:22 am
Here in the good old UK we have to make do with chubby Boba Fetts and ginger Jedis, we don’t get 300lb Wolverines
The stench remains though – and the guys in spandex onesies that are a tad worn and a tad see through around the groinage
July 16, 2012 at 10:46 am
Thumbs Up for “Groinage”. Isn’t he the cartoonist that does The Simpsons?
July 16, 2012 at 11:49 am
“The Scrotums” by Matt Groinage?
July 16, 2012 at 10:19 pm
Isn’t this not only a reply to the wrong comment, but on an entirely different post?
July 17, 2012 at 1:51 am
Check the times; this one came first.
July 17, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
July 16, 2012 at 10:28 am
Being in the Uk (and too cheap/lazy to go to London’s convention)I make do with the teeny-tiny Manchester MCM Expo con. But they DID have robot boxing, so there’s that.
You know you’re at a comicon thing when you see a giant furry walking around or someone with duct-tape wings.
July 16, 2012 at 10:28 am
there is one stat lft off that list…Number of rubber horse head masks purchased! I know both Thinkgeek and J-box had booths selling them, and, judging from their photo posts, every person who walked by either booth bought one!
July 16, 2012 at 10:29 am
I may be alone in this, but I fucking love Bai Ling and all her batshit craziness. She’s great at playing batshit crazy parts, as well. She was in this movie where she convinces a lady that eating aborted fetuses baked into dumplings will make her young again.
July 16, 2012 at 10:47 am
It wont’t???
*Cancels standing order at Fetii-R-Us and gazes at 4 dozen cartons of dumpling wrappers and contemplates what crafts can be made with them*
July 16, 2012 at 11:30 am
Make ‘em anyway. They could be the ultimate tragicraft for a certain elephant-themed political group.
July 17, 2012 at 1:37 am
Don’t worry, Mitt Romney’s company can take care of them.
July 18, 2012 at 6:25 pm
I always have to stop and think: “Am I an elephant, or am I an ass?”
July 16, 2012 at 10:48 am
DUMPLING !! That movie was great!! Aborted fetuses aside, those dumplings looked tasty.
And the movie is highly touted by my dear friend Auntie Myles, who gives thumbs up to the “hot Asian daddy” in it.
July 17, 2012 at 10:43 am
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
July 16, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Etsy: The Movie
July 16, 2012 at 7:42 pm
YES! YES! Both versions … NObody can walk/trot like Bai Ling.
July 16, 2012 at 11:22 am
I wanna know how many converts the Scientologists got there. yes, they had a booth. http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2012/07/scientology-at-comic-con.html
July 16, 2012 at 11:39 am
Trolling for Tom’s next
hostagewife?July 16, 2012 at 12:02 pm
God, I NEED to know how to do that crossed-out word thing. Such possibilities there…
July 16, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Use the left-pointing caret
Type the word strike
Close using the right-pointing caret
Type your word(s)
Repeat with carets, but type /strike instead.
Make sure to do that or EVERY COMMENT THAT’S ADDED AFTER YOURS WILL BE STRUCK AND YOU WILL HAVE BROKEN REGRETSY.
Just sayin’.
July 16, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Thanks. After I google the word “caret”, I’ll mess with it.
July 16, 2012 at 1:03 pm
They’re the thingies above the comma and period keys.
July 16, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Angle brackets, I think Mugsy meant (or greater-than/less-than signs to me, what with the math degree).
I thought a caret was this: ^.
July 16, 2012 at 1:34 pm
FHM: You’re right, a caret is ^. I couldn’t think of another word (English degree here) and figured, “There can be sideways carets…can’t there?”
July 16, 2012 at 6:00 pm
I thought the sideways ones were just arrows
July 16, 2012 at 8:02 pm
I absolutely love how discussion of strike-through text coding almost immediately became more interesting than Scientology.
July 17, 2012 at 1:53 pm
The programmer that taught me just enough to stop me bothering him all the time called them “chevrons”. Possibly just to see if I’d notice.
July 16, 2012 at 11:43 am
The body order thing is covered so well by Foamy (from ill Will Press) that my convention going friends play the video Rules for the Masses before every convetion starts.
I feel that the video should be required viewing for every convention attendee.
I have linked it: Rules for the Masses
Please have a sense of humor before viewing it.
July 16, 2012 at 12:17 pm
You see, part of the problem (and I am drawing on my experience as a medievalist) is that many people don’t wash their costumes from one use to the next. In my “kingdom,” I think I was one of the very few who actually washed their garb from one event to the next. A lot of these people keep everything in rubbermaid totes and crack them open when it is event time. Trust me, you do not want to be anywhere near those totes when they do.
This wasn’t an isolated phenomena, I had noticed it also when we would have joint events with other groups.
July 16, 2012 at 6:17 pm
What’s worse is when someone tries to insist that body funk “is period” and thus okay.
July 16, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Eh? Period garb – Ours goes into the washing machine about 30 seconds after we get home, having stripped most of the hot, sweat-soaked layers off in the car. Other genres don’t do that? I mean, sweat ROTS fabric! grumble grumble … philistines …
July 16, 2012 at 12:51 pm
118K+ zombie cosplayers, or cosplayer zombies?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu17yNsg7YM
July 16, 2012 at 1:17 pm
….Jayne? Jayne??!! JAAAAAYYYNNNEEE!!!!!!!!!! (theme music from “Hero of Canton” starts up)
Sorry, that clip just brought out the nerd in me….
July 16, 2012 at 1:49 pm
That is the a terribly beautiful infographic.
July 16, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Next year, I’m going as the most badass character ever: Helen Killer.
July 16, 2012 at 5:28 pm
But which Silk Spectre, though? This is very important.
July 17, 2012 at 12:10 am
An even mix of both.
July 16, 2012 at 8:14 pm
I’ve attended Blizzcon a number of years, and one of the years, I kid you not, they had to give the Stinky Talk.
“You’re here for Blizzcon. That means most of you are staying in hotel rooms. They come with showers and soap, USE THEM!”
Sadly, it didn’t help.
July 18, 2012 at 6:35 pm
They forgot the Alliance Feminine Wash!!!!!
July 16, 2012 at 11:26 pm
This shouldn’t bother me so badly…
but the thought of all that lost albuterol is giving me an asthma attack.
July 17, 2012 at 3:50 am
Asthma attack? No problem– lots of lost inhalers laying around…
July 17, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Lou Ferrigno was charging $20 just to take a picture with your own camera with him! I thought that was gross.
Also, I’m short, so I got all the pit smell and fart smell faster than anyone.
July 18, 2012 at 2:57 pm
I can’t believe none of you have heard of the Avengers cologne line! http://www.avengerscologne.com/
Yes, this is a thing. And yes, we own it–the game store near our place had the set. My (scrupulously clean) partner smelled pretty good in these, too.
July 21, 2012 at 3:34 pm
As uninterested in Hawkeye as I am, he should really have a bottle. It’d smell like leather. mmmmm leather…