Stuff. Things. Vague words for the objects that occupy our homes. Most of it isn’t valuable, except that it belongs to us, and we consider that a value.
So I’m saying goodbye to the comics.
Over the last few months, I’ve been trying to reduce the clutter in my home. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t go full minimalist on my house, but I did get rid of anything that hasn’t been utilized in a year or so. Most of the comics have been sold.
But today is the difficult one. Today I’m posting the few series to which I’m emotionally attachment.
Goodbye, Batwoman:
When I first got into comics, I was amazed at the strong feelings fans had for them, both positive and negative. I didn’t understand the level of anger and disappointment one could feel about a publisher’s choice. After all, they could always change their minds again, right? Maybe even, oh, reboot the entire series?
Then there was Batwoman.
It has been two years since the original creative team left Batwoman, and my heart still hurts when I look at the books on my shelves. It’s dramatic and crazy. Yet I feel like I’ll never forgive DC.
Hell, look at the note I impulsively scribbled in my copy of “The Secret History of Wonder Woman” by Jill Lepore.
Female protagonists inevitably make me thing of my disappointment in what happened to the Batwoman series…
And yes, those are Batgirl pajama pants that I’m wearing behind that book. Mostly because they don’t make Batwoman pajamas.
But that’s it. The series I love ended twice now: Once when the creative team left, and again when the next team to step up failed and the series was canceled. The TPBs are on my bookcase. It’s time to part with the pile of comics, many of which I never read, but kept ordering out of some twisted loyalty.
Wish me luck.
My lone remaining Batwoman comic. A variant that I spent way too much money on through impulse, simply because I loved the art. She’ll represent my Batwoman love in the Nerd Office now.
This year, my husband and I decided to be responsible adults and save our tax refund, with a small exception: we put a tiny portion toward an Amazon gift card so we could each indulge the smallest amount and add to one of our collections.
I added to my absolutely ridiculous who-collects-that? Harry Potter book collection. I’ve written about it on other platforms, but since I haven’t addressed if here, I’ll give you a look:
Yeah, that’s a custom bookcase. Yeah, we made it. Yeah, I know the “H” is off, but two years later I haven’t replaced it, so I don’t see it happening. No, I don’t speak any of those languages.
This ridiculous (and AWESOME) collection started when I was in the 7th grade and trying to decide if I would take German, French or Spanish the next year. I settled on French and, assuming I’d pick it up easily because I was a confident student, asked my mom for a French Harry Potter book for Christmas, sure it would motivate me to learn. At the time, Barnes and Noble had a section of children’s books in foreign languages (this was when people still very much shopped in stores. I swear I’m not as old as I sound), but they were out of French, so she got me what she could find: book 2 in both Spanish and German. I would eventually pick up my French copy (no, I can’t read it. No, I don’t want to talk about how many years of French I took…) and it went on from there.
Fourteen years later, I’ve finally completed one of my favorite sets, the Japanese books (which I can totally read! What? Is that unbelievable? … … Okay, yeah it is). I love this set in particular because they don’t just have different covers. Japanese is printed in what an English reader would consider back to front, and vertically across the page. Despite getting them all used, several came with ads, and the fifth book even had a HP bookmark in it. The picture below shows each book next to its American counterpart.
You’ll notice that some piles have an extra book. As the books got longer, they were split into multiple volumes in Japan. My final addition was volume 1 of book 6. Despite all the books up there, I have few complete collections. It tends to be cheaper to buy used, so I’m never going after a collection in particular, but rather a good deal. Some exceptions exist, like the complete paperback set in German on its way to me from Europe.
So that’s my big claim to nerdom. Not that I occasionally play World of Warcraft, watch various shows/movies with “Star” in the title, played Legos on my anniversary or own more TARDIS’ than I own dishcloths. Nope. It’s books. I can’t think of a better reason to be a nerd.
Really, I could have picked any of the women from Serenity (okay, Firefly, but Serenity was the movie, so I decided it counted). I chose Kaylee because she’s a strong female character without being the cliche fighter or hero. She’s a woman who loves what she loves, has emotions, and has her own morals.
Only one other person knew who she was, which was a little depressing. Next time I’ll pick something more family oriented, like Jessie from Toy Story. Then at least all of the parents and people who grew up in the 90s will know what I’m talking about.
In honor of my recent attempt to join the masses and watch Game of Thrones, I’m throwing up this recent Superfight hand, made entirely from the Orange expansion:
A Rodent of Unusual Size armed with red turtle shells, who can just ask a giant eagle to clean up this mess any time.
vs.
A Creeper, who is a Stark, and shoots Mountain Dew and Cheese Puffs.
Okay, I have no idea who would win in this fight. I don’t think I’d find an ROUS that intimidating, deadly as they’re supposed to be, but being able to call in a giant eagle is a pretty great life-saving ability.
It’s the Stark Creeper I’m not sure about. A creeper alone might not take out the ROUS, but I don’t yet understand what being a Stark means. Good? Bad? Has a cool dog?
After the success of the Loot Crate I bought for my brother at RTX, I decided to hop on the subscription bandwagon. I figured, hey, it’s a box of Geek-tastic stuff delivered every month. I’m a Geektastic person. I’m also a generally cheap person, who figured it would probably only last a few months for that reason.
Then they announced this month’s theme: Villains. Oh no. Maybe I’m going to start on an amazing one and nothing will ever compare again. The e-mail announcing the theme even had pictures of Harley Quinn and Darth Vader.
Have I told you guys that I have a Joker problem? No? I have a Joker problem.
That’s my mindset opening this box (please let there be Joker or Harley in this box). Before I dig in, let me tell you how I’m going to categorize each item: His, Mine, and Someone Else’s. “His” meaning the husband loves it, “Mine” indicating that I’m snatching that thing away before my husband gets it, and “Someone Else’s” meaning that thing is going in the gift pile (or who knows, maybe eBay). Let’s get started!
The box:
Nice and unopened. Husband wouldn’t let me crack into it until he got home.
I learned something here. For some reason, I had assumed that all Loot Crate boxes were the same size, but this is shorter and wider than the one I got for my brother last month. Now I feel silly.
OPENING IT:
Oh my goodness. The box. LOOK AT THE BOX. Joker has totally been here. *rips out shirt*
“Joki” shirt:
The shirt: Joker and Loki. I have no words. Mostly I giggled. I absolutely love this shirt. This is not going to be bias because anything with the Joker looking maniacal is going to make me happy. The shirt is exclusive, according to the book that came with the crate. I don’t care. I’d be happy anyway.
Conclusion: Mine.
The Posters:
The posters: Sticking with our Joker theme we have two posters, Joker and Harley. Seriously, Loot Crate, you are setting yourself up to never, ever be this amazing for me again. I recognize that most people don’t have a need for such tiny “posters,” but I have a couple of things swaying me here: First, I love the picture of Joker at the top. It’s from the cover of one of the last issue of Detective (? I think. I could go check my comic stash, but that seems like too much work) before DC launched the New 52, and I loved it the first time I saw it. Second, I have “Geek Room” in my home. We’re running out of space for big objects, but we have little spaces above the door where these would fit perfectly.
Conclusion: Mine. Okay, ours, really, since we share the room, but I’m the comic nerd in the house.
Deadpool Socks:
The socks: Everyone likes Deadpool, right? That’s what I heard, anyway. I’m not much of a Marvel person, but I can recognize these are fun.
Conclusion: Someone else’s. Or one of ours the day I’m too lazy to do laundry.
Darth Vader Key Chain:
The key chain: It looks like of cheap. It feels kind of cheap. It also came in a box full of stuff that cost me $20, so I won’t complain. We’re a Star Wars loving home, and Vader is always welcome.
Conclusion: His. The husband automatically wins on all things Star Wars. Maybe we’ll stick it with the spare key.
Necessary Evil DVD:
The DVD: First, forgive me for the obvious difference in color here. I used my cheap camera, and I write from my laptop, which doesn’t have any photo software. According to Loot Crate, “Christopher Lee narrates this awesome documentary that explores the villains of the DC Universe from over seven decades of incredible comic book chaos! Find out just what goes into bringing the Rogues Gallery to life in every issue…”
Conclusion: Mine. It’s pretty obvious by now, right? IMBD has it rated a 6.8/10. That’s decent, I figure, and I’ll always give a documentary about something I like a chance.
Bowser Magnet:
The magnet: Pretty standard, light but not entirely flimsy magnet featuring a non-comic villain. Definitely adds variety to the box. If I didn’t love Joker stories so much, I think I’d be relieved at this point, and then annoyed that I had to be relieved.
Conclusion: His. Considering my husband’s response was “OH I LIKE THE MAGNET,” I wouldn’t even try. It’s already on the fridge.
Rocket Raccoon Comic:
The comic: This is an exclusive comic, which is always fun. It’s a nice plug for the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie (which I am seeing for Karen Gillan), but these one-shot promotional comics don’t really do it for me. I’m also not much of a Marvel person (and before you go thinking I’m DC crazy, the only DC comic on my pull list is Batwoman).
Conclusion: Someone else’s. We have some cousins who would love this. Maybe one of us will draw one of their names for the Christmas exchange this year.
Conclusions:
We’re in. This wasn’t even a theme that my husband found appealing, but he had a great time. You can’t deny there’s something fun about a mystery box of goodies. I’m sure some logical part of me will take over soon enough and remind me that I wouldn’t normally spend any money on any of these items in a month, so it’s really a waste of money.
Eventually. For now, we’re happy to have had fun. I’m hoping that next month catches my husband’s interest a little more.
Did I mention the best part?
The box! I’m overly amused by the scribbles. This thing is getting saved and used to package a Christmas present this year (hopefully the person who gets it doesn’t know what Loot Crate is and doesn’t think that they’re getting a box full of goodies rather than the book or socks or chili pepper it will actually contain).
We’ll see another Loot Crate next month. I’m excited to see what they prepared, and already trying to make sure I know they won’t all be full of this addictive villain.
I could probably write several essays about Harry Potter. DOn’t worry, I won’t. What’s important to know is that it was a big part of my childhood. Harry Potter gave me a safe place when I was an awkward kid who was better at making friends on the Internet than in person. I still collect the books (that’s a post you’ll get eventually).
When the “short story” was announced yesterday, I happened to have some free time and decided to head over to Pottermore and check it out. I’ve had my Pottermore account since its beta, but I really hate the place. Some part of me is bitter that Rowling made the website rather than publishing the encyclopedia she promised, and that part of me should really get over it. Regardless, it’s not a place I frequent, despite the extra material (and because apparently I’m terrible at potion-making). I decided to suck it up, and pop on a book on Audible while I went to this “childish” site.
Screen shot of my Pottermore page. Pretty sure it’s unimpressive to anyone who frequents the site. Also, apparently my wand isn’t very powerful, and that makes me sad. I’d be an awesome wizard…
It was about halfway into sifting through chapter after chapter of “The Chamber of Secrets,” trying to unlock all of the “New from JK Rowling” information, that I realized what I would look like to my twelve year-old self at the moment. There I was, playing on a Harry Potter website (as I did a lot when I was twelve), a cat on my lap, and an audiobook about a wizard playing on my phone. A wizard named Harry.
My current read in the series. I read this one by accident already, and I’m going through it again now that I’ve caught up to it in the series
Yep, I was listening to The Dresden Files.
I couldn’t decide if twelve-year-old me would have been proud of scared. Realistically, she probably would have been more impressed by the cell phone that played audiobooks (which were lame to her. Why listen when you could read?).
Fantasy is my favorite genre, but I’m picky about it, especially when it comes to magic. It took two exes who watched The Dresden Files TV show before I finally picked up a book and was willing to give it a shot. I love the books, because they’re easy reads that still have some depth. They’re what I like to think of as “candy” books – delicious and gone quickly, though not what you want all the time.
That’s when I had to admit that Harry Potter probably influenced my reading more than I ever wanted to admit. Since I’d always liked to read, I didn’t credit Mr. Potter with any of that passion. Harry is probably the reason I’m so picky about books about magic, though. I fell in love with some once already. I think I was actively trying not to let that become my genre, because I didn’t want to take anything from my love of Harry Potter. That, in turn, makes me appreciate the books I like in the genre even more.
Damn you, JK. It’s been years. Get out of my head.
Every couple has that one topic they cannot discuss. I have a friend who can’t talk about politics with her husband. Another who can’t talk about guns with his wife. My husband and I can’t talk about House Elves.
It sounds like a joke, and I really, really wish it were, but if S.P.E.W. comes up, we have to stop the conversation before one of us (I) gets reasonably (irrationally) angry. Maybe it’s because I want to think I’m a good person, but I struggle to understand how someone could not support The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.
You know, if it were real.
The background: The world of Harry Potter contains creatures called “House-elves,” shown above. A house-elf lives in a wizard household and does the bidding of the wizard family – cooking, cleaning, anything it is asked. You’ll notice that our house elf-friend above is wearing a pillow-case. This is because if a House-Elf is presented with clothes, it has been “freed,” a mark of shame for their kind. House-elves do not make any wages and are generally appalled at the thought. Dobby, above, thinks differently. Dobby frequently has to punish himself for not living up to his masters’ wishes – no big deal. Just ironing his hands, banging his head against lamps. The usual. He longs for his freedom, which he eventually attains, and comes to work for a meager wage (his insistence – he was offered more, but freedom isn’t easy to accept for those who have never experienced it).
One of the main characters, Hermione, is appalled by the slavery of another species by wizards. She decides to create S.P.E.W. to try and bring awareness to the plight of the elves, but finds little support among her wizard peers, who generally tell her the same thing: They like it. They don’t want to be free.
So begins the debate: Do house-elves like slavery because it is all they know? Have they been brain-washed into submission? Should freedom be forced upon them? Or are they actually happy? Should they be allowed to remain enslaved, because slavery makes them happy? And if they’re happy, they aren’t really slaves, right?
If I were a wizard, I guarantee you I would have bought a S.P.E.W badge and participated in a sponsored cleaning of the Gryffindor Common Room. I’d support helping them slowly adjust to freedom. It’d be hard, but no race should be enslaved. My husband, meanwhile, would not have bought a badge. He tends to feel for Winky, a house-elf who was freed and became an alcoholic from shame. He can’t imagine forcing freedom on anyone if it would result in that. We have yet to find a middle-ground that will make us both happy.
The craziest part of this is that every time the topic has come up with friends, it has started a debate. A coworker of mine found that he and his wife had a similar debate. A couple friend of ours made fun of us, and then realized they were getting annoyed with each other for the same reasons as us.
In the end, that’s the power of literature. J.K. Rowling created imaginary creatures that reminded us of struggles in humanity.
What do you think? Is this the most ridiculous argument you’ve ever heard? Have you read Harry Potter? Would you buy a badge? What about your significant other?
I promise a real post about our adventures at RTX once I’m home and can write on something other than my phone. For tonight, let’s look at one of the fun parts of conventions: The shopping.
Keep in mind that this is our honeymoon. We’re both moderately cheap people, but we made sure to set aside some money so we could go crazy this one time.
First is one of the RTX exclusive Halo posters that we got at the 343 panel. It was a fun bonus getting a free item for showing up to hear about a game that makes my husband so happy.
SuperFight! I told you that the card in our goody bag was a good ad. The game is a lot of fun, and we look forward to playing it at home with friends. The orange pack is a geek expansion. We laughed so much flipping through the cards that I can’t imagine not enjoying them in game play.
RWBY! If you haven’t watched RWBY, go do it. Husband never enjoyed an anime until this one, which comes in short, easy to digest episodes. Here’s how this pile happened:
I wanted a Blake figure (black hair/clothes). Husband was sad that they hadn’t released the Yang figure (the blonde girl), so he decided to get Ruby (the big box). The next day, he concluded that he’d want the Yang figure once it was released, so we should probably get the Weiss (angry looking one) figure too because it would be weird to have 75% of the set.
The same sort of thing happened with the plushies. We also bought season one of the show, and some buttons (which we then forgot to put on our lanyards. Oops).
Two shirts each. Husband got the official RTX shirt and the super cute Toothless shirt (second down). I got a Rooster Teeth shirt (Jeff’s Farm and Mercantile) and the Avatar: The Last Airbender shirt. The picture was free with the two non-RT shirts.
The buttons are gifts for our siblings. We could have gotten them items with Austin references, but nahhhh.
On the gift topic, Loot Crate was there selling last month’s crate. Since it had already been released, we knew its contents. This Transformers themed box will be my bother’s upcoming birthday gift. I won’t open it since that’s his job, but believe me that it has a pretty awesome shirt in it, along with some other goodies.
And our final Rooster Teeth items. We both bought hats since we weren’t smart enough to bring one, plus we got some Achievement Hunter (part of Rooster Teeth) playing cards. Why did we buy the cards? I have no idea. Probably because we had lost our minds and $5 seemed inconsequential surrounded by all of the more expensive items. Yet we still refused to pay $2 for a bottled drink. At least we retained some of our frugality.
Overall, it was a lot of fun looking at all of the great booths and crazy things for sale. I know we won’t be able to indulge like this on most vacations, and I have to admit that being materialistic about this market for a couple of days was a ton of fun. Thank goodness we can’t keep that up.
Looks like our next project at home will be redecorating our nerd room -er- I mean office. Right. That. This trip may have made us outgrow the space.
For the longest time, I found “unboxings” to be odd. Now I’m obsessed. Should have seen that coming. I’m not going to do a full dramatic equivalent, but I wanted to share the goodies we got when we pre-registered today.
The RTX Goody Bag and Badge:
I like the lanyard, but the clip is pretty weak and doesn’t fit the badge as well as I’d like. I’ll be using the one I brought with me.
Now the STUFF:
Love the card. We haven’t played this game, but this is brilliant advertising. I’m in.
Sunglasses. Sure. Nerds are afraid of the sun, right? Best to hide from it as much as possible. Right? Okay, I’d be disappointed if goodies were a necessary thing, but I’m happy to get anything with my badge.
Munchkin bookmark. Definitely fun.
And the paper. They have an order form to speed checkout if you’re buying popular items from their store. I like the idea, though I can’t imagine NOT thoroughly shopping the store of the company I flew halfway across the country to celebrate. Good for those who won’t though.
RTX SideQuest:
SideQuest isn’t directly related to Rooster Teeth, but it is related to the community. They’re putting on several charity events this weekend. Here’s what we got with the badge:
I love the Challenge Coin bottle opener. Husband loves anything Halo. It’s all a win.
We’re off to one of the charity events. Overall, it’s been a great day getting ready for the con tomorrow!
Stuff. Things. Vague words for the objects that occupy our homes. Most of it isn’t valuable, except that it belongs to us, and we consider that a value.
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