Black Rock Shooter Cosplay – Katsucon 2013
Two-thirds of the award winning cosplay team Human Sushi Cosplay met up with photographer FirstPerson Shooter at Katsucon 2013 and together they put together these amazing pictures of their cosplay of Black Rock Shooter.
Yaya Han – Fiora Laurent (League of Legends) Cosplay
This is a collection of FirstPerson Shooter‘s photos of Yaya Han‘s awesome cosplay of Fiora Laurent from League of Legends. These were taken at Katsucon 2013.
Cammy (Street Fighter) by Gina B. Cosplay
At Katsucon 2013, photographer FirstPerson Shooter met with popular cosplayer Gina B. and put together this lovely collection of cosplay photographs based on Cammy White, popular female fatale from Capcom’s Street Fighter video game series.
Peter Weller! Bruce Timm! And More Interviews at the Batman: Dark Knight Returns Premiere!
Ashphord Jacoway and Kari Lane went to the red carpet premiere of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Part Two) for Nerd Caliber and interviewed the actors and creators that were involved like Peter Weller (Robocop), DC Universe Executive Producer Bruce Timm, Voice Director Andrea Romano and more! Check out the video below!
Filmed by Kari Lane. Edited by E. Ortiz
I’m Not Wearing Hockeypads! Or Underpants!
Let’s take a look at this picture for a moment. A REALLY good look at this picture. It’s sexy. It’s QUITE sexy in fact. There is nothing about this picture that isn’t overtly sensual, the utility belt strewn across the floor, the model’s pose, and the act of pulling down her underpants. What’s so interesting about this image though is that the model is covered from head to toe… and quite sexy!
Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/KitnSilver
I bring this up because, whether intended or not, I find this “Sexy Batman” cosplay to be incredibly subversive to the idea of the mythical “Fake Geek Girl.” If you’ve been under a rock, the “Fake Geek Girl,” is a non-geek girl who uses her feminine magic to lure poor innocent straight nerds to their death. I assume because the “fake geek girl” is about as real as Bigfoot that the fake geek girl then consumes her prey. Part of the “FGG” is that they put time, money, and work into crafting a skimpy costume (One generally based on the designs by men) in order to be acknowledged as a sex goddess by men.
What this image does is show a well-crafted Batman costume which accentuates the female form without sacrificing the core of the character design or making any part of the model’s body gratuitous. On top of that, the model is hooded and cowled so we can’t even see her face. By using her costume she answers the base question everyone has had about comic book hero designs (Why the hell do they wear the underwear on the outside of their suits?!). We find the convention of simulated stripping still reminds us that the model is disrobing.
What this picture signifies is an attitude of “You don’t need to know who I am to know I am a woman who is completely in charge of my body.” “You don’t need to know who I am to know I respect the character too much to just slap on the costume.” Most importantly though this image says “I’m doing this because god dammit the point of me dressing up in a costume is to have fun!”
I’m almost certain the model didn’t intend for this to be a political act or image… AT ALL, but it is a very powerful image and it is incredible!
Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/KitnSilver
Gender Nonconformity is Magic
I defend My Little Pony often. QUITE often in fact. I’d say it’s a guilty pleasure but I have absolutely zero guilt about this. My Little Pony: Frienship is Magic has been able to crash through the stained glass ceiling of TV shows aimed at young girls and was able to attract a young as well as older male audience without compromising it’s pink, heart-filled, unicorn party aesthetic which by all rights should have driven away any and every boy who came in contact with it. So what? Why does My Little Pony matter? Why would you write this post in honor of Transgender Awareness week and International Transgender Day of Remembrance?
To answer that I looked back at an article Lauren Faust, the series creator and Season 1 executive producer/head writer, wrote on Ms. Magazine Blog in defense of a scathing review of the show claiming it had Racist, Homophobic, and anti-intellectual sentiments:
There are lots of different ways to be a girl. You can be sweet and shy, or bold and physical. You can be silly and friendly, or reserved and studious. You can be strong and hard working, or artistic and beautiful. This show is wonderfully free of “token girl syndrome, so there is no pressure to shove all the ideals of what we want our daughters to be into one package. There is a diversity of personalities, ambitions, talents, strengths and even flaws in our characters-it’s not an army of cookie-cutter nice-girls or cookie-cutter beauty queens like you see in most shows for girls.
I bring this up for two reasons. Most programming with an aesthetic that hugs close to the female spectrum is either dismissed or churned into a fluff piece where all women are indistinguishable except for the clothing they wear or one note female stereotypes. They fit the idea of femininity and womanhood into a VERY small, frail, box. MLP presents a matriarchy and a world populated predominantly (but not exclusively) by women who don’t crumble when problems arise. Each has strength and weakness.
But all of that is stuff people have written about since day one. Whether the show intends to or not the fact that this show has been able to attract and keep a male audience truly challenges the gender dichotomy. It says that not only are writers and producers interested in creating a show that is VERY traditionally feminine but that everyone can be interested in it. By starting to break the gender dichotomy the show also opens doors for many transgender individuals who have always felt they have to fit neatly into one category or the other.
Both cisgender boys and girls can watch the show and gain an appreciation and respect for their/the opposite gender’s capacity to be just as strong and brave but also remain feminine, but it also teaches that it’s OK not to fit a mold. That’s where MLP:FiM, while containing no transgender characters, can be used as a tool to help transgender youth. The show has proven that it’s feminine but not about perpetuating a right vs. wrong attitude towards gender expression. When speaking of Rainbow Dash, Faust stated “She is a tomboy, but nowhere in the show is her sexual orientation ever referenced. As we all know, there are plenty of straight tomboys in the world, and assuming they are lesbians is extremely unfair to both straight and lesbian tomboys.” The fact that Rainbow Dash is a tomboy means nothing aside from the fact that she is a tomboy. She is no less a woman and her sexual orientation does not play into it.
Now after Ms. Faust left Season 2 had its moments which seemed a bit out of character such as the fact that there was more violence throughout the season, and the “Babies” episode which seemed like it could have done a complete 180 and made a fluff episode about how all the women should “oohhh” and “awww” the cute babies in order to sell some MLP baby toys. It HOWEVER did not do this and actually had a very funny and cute episode less about the babies being cute (but they are so it’s unavoidable) but was instead about Pinkie Pie the party animal learning to be responsible.
Whether it’s Fluttershy conquering her fear of Dragons, Twilight Sparkle travelling through time, or Rainbow Dash asserting her awesomeness, the show has been able to thrive without compromising who it is (Much), and without feeling pressure to conform just because of its “intended” gender. While Ms. Faust mentioned that “There are many ways to be a girl,” it also implies there are many ways to be a boy, and that there are many ways embrace you as you are and to not care so much about how society feels you should be. I wish a show like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic existed when I was a kid, but regardless of gender I look forward to exposing my future children to it.
Review – Hybrid Girl by ReniReni
Japanese-born, New York resident ReniReni’s Hybrid Girl is a dance-able fun, and energetic body of electro pop music. While some might be quick to label it as “J-Pop” it has a very distinctly American attitude and pulls influence from a number of contemporary American artists and experiences as well as Japanese ones. It would make sense to hear any number of these songs at the Rave at an Anime Con (Suspect A, Hello Sunshine, My Shy Master (Initial P Remix)) but it wouldn’t be surprising to hear them being played at an American electro dance club as well. Rock Paper Scissors and Secret in particular have a distinctly American feel to them. But these songs do not feel in any way disjointed, if anything there is enough commonality in the music to give Hybrid Girl a lot of depth, especially in songs like Judgemental Dramatic Monday.
What really separates ReniReni’s style from the throngs of generic pop musicians is her sense of play which is evident throughout Hybrid Girl. As much as our pop music can be fun, it all feels so serious these days and it’s refreshing to hear a body of work that takes itself seriously but understands how to let loose and have fun with itself.
On the whole Judgmental Dramatic Monday is ReniReni’s strongest piece of the album just because it has the most emotional depth lyrically and it’s tone is 100% matched by the music being played. It’s the kind of song that is happy… in a seemingly sad way. The kind that is hard to describe in words but 100% worth a listen.
You can purchase Hybrid Girl here!
If you’re interested you can check out ReniReni’s Website it can be found here.
The music Video for Judgmental Dramatic Monday can be found here
