Fun at the Nashville Comic Con and Expo

On September 17, 2013September 17, 2013 By R. PettyIn Random Fun, ReviewsLeave a comment

Some things can’t wait. This post is one of those things.

Instead of a traditional story of the month, we decided to talk about the Nashville Comic Con and Expo we attended this past Saturday, Sept. 14. It was actually our first take pics, spend-lots-of-money con!

Highlights

Robert Englund: I can’t speak for our whole group, but hearing Englund tell stories about shooting the Nightmare on Elm Street movies or share his feelings on the reboot was a real treat. Englund is a cool dude, and he loves the entertainment industry. You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. I was blown away by the number of kids ages 10 and under who stood at the mic and asked him questions about his movies — it just shows that the slasher movie is alive and well. Englund treated every fan with the same respect and gratitude his fans showed him.

Costumes: I admit I was impressed by the costumes people walked around in all day. Sure, there were some standard ones you’d find at a party store, and then there were the costumes. The ones that made you stop and ask for a pic because they were so freaking cool. We all were so inspired by the ones who dressed up, we all decided to dress up for the upcoming Wizard World Comic Con in October!

Ghostbuster — This guy’s costume came complete with lights and sound effects!

The Crowd: Everyone was so unbelievably nice. There was no pushing, no fighting, and no attitude. It was a large group of people who were there to have fun. I did not see one person decline a photo op; it didn’t matter what they were doing at the time. The artists talked to you without pressuring you to buy, and you could walk away with almost anything signed.

Merchandise: One tip: bring cash and lots of it. It was no surprise there were dozens of vendors, but the amount of items they brought with them surprised me. There was SO much cool stuff – and it wasn’t just comic books. We found clothes, figures, games, accessories, artwork, hair bows, posters, weapons, stuffed animals, and almost anything else you can imagine.

My son bought a replica of the Master Sword. It’s almost as big as me.

Raven: Teen Titans print — Awesome Raven from *Teen Titans* print that I framed the next day.

We did miss Maggie and Glen from The Walking Dead, and I would have liked to have stayed for the costume contest, but I can see how the first time can be a little overwhelming. Thousands of people wandered all over the area, and you could easily spend 20-plus minutes at every table browsing through stuff or talking to artists. If you have never been to one, plan to spend at least a few hours there.

If you attended the event, we’d love to hear about your experience, and don’t forget your tickets for Wizard World. Who knows … maybe next year RevPub will have a booth!

If You Want to Write: Personality

On September 15, 2013September 15, 2013 By R. PettyIn Writing for Web and TipsLeave a comment

“But since he has no true feelings about poverty, nothing to offer about it, neither do you, the reader, have any feelings about it. There is no infection.” – Brenda Ueland

Passion and personality: The difference between good writers and great writers. The difference between a good story and a story no one remembers.

In this chapter, Ueland discusses what she calls the “third dimension”. It is the personality behind the words and ideas.

Depending on the reader, seeing a writer’s personality can be the deal breaker. If there is no personality, why should your reader care what you have to say? Ueland also references Chekhov’s idea for fiction, “to pose a question but never answer it.” According to Chekhov, as soon as you answer it, the reader knows you are lying or trying to prove something. That’s the beauty of writing as art; it’s all about interpretation.

What does your writing say about you?

Honest writing exemplifies its author. If you look closely, you can see certain personality traits from the author(s). Here are a few examples from recent posts:

1. I think we CAN all get along. I think various kinds of fans CAN get along, and many kinds of fans can exist within one person – you can be a fan of games, electronic entertainment, sports, literature, history, natural science, etc. I know you can be, because I am a fan of aspects of all those things.

2. No matter the animal, we grow attached to them. Sometimes we talk to them when we can’t talk to anyone else – animals can’t gossip or argue. In fact, they may be the only ones in the world we can completely trust. There’s no judgment or criticism.

3. Despite the accident, I did return the next year; though it was unremarkable for the most part. I did get a ridiculous case of athlete’s foot from the community shower. I also saw a boy cut off most of his thumb with a hatchet. Nothing matched the bus accident though.

What do you notice about the writers?

I see writer one is accepting and open-minded, but he wants and possibly expects others to be as accepting and tolerant.
Writer two doesn’t trust easily, and she sometimes feels alone and judged – so much so, that animals fill a void people cannot.
In the third passage, the author shows fearlessness in a potentially traumatic situation. However, he also uses humor to make light of the situation that may still haunt him.

Fun, right?! This week, pick an article, post, or book, and look beyond the words and images. What do you learn about your author’s personality? Also, think about what your readers will say about you. Feel free to share your thoughts below!

How to be a Good Fan: Wrap Up

On September 11, 2013September 11, 2013 By James CastroIn Games, Movies, OpinionsLeave a comment

It has been a longer series than I planned, but it helped get some of the frustrations I’ve experienced just being a fan in the current day and age. As a wrap up, I thought I’d do summation, kind of a quick-n-easy guide to being a good fan.

1.) Be Accepting, Not Exclusionist: It’s hard to become a fan of something if people who are already fan exclude you and deride you for not having been a fan as long as they have. Would you, as a neophyte, want such derision? If you are criticizing them for not being experts as neophytes, you are now part of the problem.

2.) Be Discerning for Personal Tastes, but Not Judgmental: It’s good to be critical and desire the “best” of things, but nothing’s perfect. And just because something isn’t your cup of tea doesn’t mean it’s bad.

3.) Constructive Criticism, Please: Be critical. Please everyone be critical — don’t just accept what’s been given to you — but be constructive in criticism. If it’s bad, how could it be better? If it could use improvement, how? If you don’t like it, why? If enough people say the same thing, maybe it can become something you’ll enjoy.

4.) Debate, Don’t Argue: Debating is very healthy for an active mind. Arguing is personal and taps into aggression. NOTHING you can be a fan of is worth real rage. Even the things I love the most I wouldn’t defend with violence. Even verbal violence. Would you win new fans that way?

5.) The Impermanence of All Things: Possibly most important, remember the impermanence of ALL the things we love. What we’re fans of today, we may not like tomorrow. The most important thing to our brains may only hold that position for a brief period. Before ending friendships, making new enemies, acting like a petulant child over the things we’re fans of, remember it’s just a thing that we like right now.

Of course there are many aspects to being a “good fan” and, of course, many opinions. It seems strange to think it all comes down to, “can’t we all just get along?” but hanging around the Internet long enough has gotten me to this point! I think we CAN all get along. I think various kinds of fans CAN get along, and many kinds of fans can exist within one person — you can be a fan of games, electronic entertainment, sports, literature, history, natural science, etc. I know you can be, because I am a fan of aspects of all those things. And if someone wanted to debate them or learn about them, I’d be happy to participate!

I feel sure there will be more topics on fandom that come up, and you can be sure I’ll be happy to post about them! Until then, I hope everyone makes the Internet a better place to be a fan!

Chess: The Perfect Game

On September 8, 2013September 7, 2013 By R. PettyIn Games1 Comment

Twenty years ago the mass media portrayed geeks as wearing glasses and pocket protectors, and they played chess, which was so not cool. Growing up, I never understood the last part because I played chess and was cool. Right?

Chess is more than a strategy game; it’s the perfect game. You can play alone – as the Pixar’s Geri’s Game shows us – or you can play with your best friend, child, or significant other. It requires no luck (unless you count the other player’s screw up as luck), and you have to consider your next move. It’s not mindlessly stacking blocks or mining, you’re not just shooting people or beating them up, and you’re not throwing down chips on a table hoping to out bluff four-plus other people.

Traditional chess set — Photo by: commons.wikimedia.org

Chess challenges you. It’s good for your brain, and there are dozens of studies that explain the mental benefits of playing, such as improving your memory, preventing Alzheimer’s, and increasing your IQ. And who out there doesn’t need a little brain boost?

Chess Brings Us Closer

Brain benefits aside, my favorite part of playing chess is the intimacy of the game. I remember my dad teaching me to play when I was 9 years old. I remember teaching my son to play when he was only 4. Ten years later, I’m proud to say he can beat me, sometimes in less than 10 moves.

Another cool thing about chess is the types of chess sets available. In a quick search, I found Street Fighter chess sets, literary-themed sets, sports, aliens, etc. And sure, some are a little pricey, but when you consider how much you spend on movies, apps, and video games in a year, the price is affordable. If well cared for, the set can provides hundreds of hours of gameplay, and you can pass it down to future generations without it freezing or becoming outdated. How many apps and video games can do that?

They also make great gifts as they can accent a room and start a conversation. Chess sets are versatile, and you can play anywhere. I’ve even played in a parking lot after work out of the trunk of a car!

Common Misconceptions

When talking to others, I hear “I’ve never played, it’s too hard,” or “I wouldn’t be any good at it.” Bull stuffings. I guarantee these people have never tried to play. Each game piece has a rule and moves accordingly. It’s not hard to learn – in fact, it’s probably one of the easier games to learn – but it can be hard to win. However, it’s not about winning; it’s about having fun, learning, and bonding with your opponent.

According to Parents magazine, in 1990 more than 3,000 kids ages 14 and under played chess for school. Today, more than 35,000 adolescents play. That’s a huge leap, which tells us parents of my generation and just above me get it. They see the importance and encourage their kids to play, no matter how nerdy the world tries to portray it.

So, get a chess set, whether it’s a $5 board at Target or a custom $250 set, or dig out the one in the closet and play a game. It’s family-friendly fun but can also be very romantic. It’s up to you!

Check out some of my favorite sets:

How to be a Good Fan: Building Them Up to Tear Them Down

On September 4, 2013September 4, 2013 By James CastroIn Games, Movies, OpinionsLeave a comment

This topic is one of the most alarming to me, it says a lot about the nature of our culture’s priorities and mentality. I’ll leave geek culture for a bit and enter the only part of the sports realm I know.

Manny Pacquiao circa 2003 was an incredible, but one-dimensional fighter. Aggressive, courageous, talented, fast, powerful. He had it all. He shocked challengers, from up and comers to established, brilliant, hard-fighting, more skilled boxers (Marco Antonio Barrera anyone? Styles really do make fights…). He his reputation increased when he stepped up from Featherweight to Super Featherweight to Lightweight. Even fighting a draw and disputed victory with Marquez, he was hailed for giving a great fight. He demolished champions, sometimes ferocious long-running champions like Ricky Hatton, crushed Oscar De La Hoya in a fight OSCAR sought, so he could beat the best fighter of the era and retire (thinking the little Pacquiao would be too small to be effective), pounded dangerous fighter Miguel Cotto. He did even more by fighting the massive but stationary Antonio Margarito. Manny’s showing some rust a bit now, but even worse, going all the way back to his conquest of De La Hoya, a fight many ring experts picked him to lose based on the legend and size of Oscar, fans started to turn against him.

“Overrated,” he “picks his fights,” “he’s limited in ability and just made to look good by fighting old, drained, and chosen fighters.” Media started to look into his private life. How’s his marriage? How are his taxes? What kind of business is he in? Is he overspending his money? He’s not that nice, he can’t be. His movie was a bomb. He lost his first election. Etc. Etc. Eeetttc…

It’s this kind of attitude I just can’t understand. We love you, we love you! Oh wait no we don’t. We hate you! We hate you!

It happens in so many areas of entertainment. TV shows are the “new” thing, then quickly abandoned as the “worst” thing. Bands and musical artists sell more than anyone ever has, then are quickly hated. Some of it is over-exposure. The “summer hit” rarely means the artist will be the next U2. For example: The Macarena. Biggest hit of the summer one year when I was in school… In the U.S., Los Del Rio never showed up again, and the dance and song Macarena went from national pastime to a reviled joke. The opinion changes from, “this is fun, this guy’s great, this show is the best” to not only “this isn’t good anymore” but to “this is the worst thing that ever existed and, not only that, but it always has been.” Then why did you love it six months ago? Like I said in the CBG post, maybe you’re the one who’s changed. If you hate the exact same song you loved six months ago, it may mean that you hate a little bit of who you were when you loved that song, too. Maybe that’s why we so violently turn against things.

With Pacquiao, I think it’s partially the change from “up and comer” to “made it.” For some reason, fans love the up and comer, but can’t wait for the NEXT up and comer. Once Manny made it, the only thing fans wanted to see was the next guy whose coming up to beat him. When no one really showed up (he beat Bradley…sorry guys) it just became, “I just want to see him beaten!” I haven’t quite pinpointed this mentality. It’s like the fans of a band who only like the underground stuff. Once they release a studio album, they “sold out” and are no longer worthy of our undying love. Like Maynard says though, they likely sold out long before you’d ever heard of them. Is the music still good? If the answer’s “yes” just sit back and enjoy it without complaining, “it was better when” just to be pretentious and snobbish.

On the other side of the coin, sometimes something that doesn’t last long causes outcry simply because it didn’t. Three popular examples: the original Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Edgar Wright collaboration Spaced, the UK Office, and Firefly. I haven’t seen the latter yet, but the other two were written to be limited in run. Firefly wasn’t, but many feel it was unjustly cancelled as it was a terrific sci-fi show. One of the things I feel about Spaced and the BBC Office is these shows were great because they were so short in their run. They packed hilarious good ideas into 14 episodes or so each and never grew stale, or made dumb sitcom mistakes. It makes me wonder if the same is true about other shows many feel ended before their time. If Firefly went 12 seasons, would it have been as incredible? Joss Whedon has been elevated into a geek god, but Buffy eventually ran out of steam… I can’t think of any shows that maintain the same level of quality throughout their run. I wonder if Spaced had gone into season 8 would it have had a fan outcry of “this show is terrible…it’s not what it used to be” — some fans say that about the difference between its TWO seasons, though fans of the first tend to agree both are terrific.

The only lesson I can think of with this is “enjoy what we have while we have it.” Fighters, as Marcellus Wallace said, “have a short shelf life and don’t age like wine.” Manny, Jones Jr., Tyson, Duran, Ali, all had great careers. They have (or will eventually) turn to vinegar in the ring. It’s the aging process. So why do we hate them for getting old and not being what they used to be? Stupid songs can be terrific fun. Almost ALL popular 80s music has that stupid sing-along quality that can grate at your brain. But still fun to sing along to! Even shows you loved as a kid that may seem incredibly lousy now (I’m thinking Thundercats), why hate them for being lousy now? Just love the fact that you loved them then.

Fans shouldn’t see things in black and white. It’s not the “greatest of all time” or, related to the last post the, “worst thing ever.” I think of them as “things I loved then,” “things I’m into now,” and of course, “things I can’t believe I ever liked!” All said with a smile. After all, we’re always changing; the things we love will change as we do. But we shouldn’t hate the things we used to love. They help explain who we were then and helped make us who we are today.

Weird Pets: We Love Them Too

On September 1, 2013August 31, 2013 By R. PettyIn OpinionsLeave a comment

When I tell people I have a dog and a bird, I get raised eyebrows and strange looks. Sure, most people understand the dog, but a bird? They ask, “Why do you have a bird?” “Does it talk?” and “What do you do with a bird?”

A lot of people think a pet should just be a dog or a cat. Dogs and cats are “real” pets because you can play with them and/or cuddle with them. If you have a bird, reptile, amphibian, or any other animal that doesn’t fall into the traditional pet category, it’s weird.

These people should open their eyes (and minds) a little.

Friday afternoon as I sat in traffic, I received the call about my bird, Snowflake, passing away. She sat comfortably in her cage, where she used to lay eggs, and fell asleep for the last time. She did not suffer and simply died from old age.

Snowflake the cockatiel — She loved to explore our bedroom.

I won’t lie, it hurt. A lot. I cried the whole way home. I thought, if she wasn’t a real pet, this wouldn’t hurt so much…

We adopted Snowflake 15 years ago when she landed on someone’s head, and they brought her to us. Growing up, I only had dogs and maybe a cat, but there was no way I would let her just fly out a window. She needed a home, and I was happy to care for her.

Snowflake was more than just a pied cockatiel. She was sweet and affectionate. She was moody and hostile. She hated men of her kind and mine. She loved heavy metal, hated the answering machine, protected the women in the house, and only wanted to socialize on her terms. She loved popcorn and Doritos. Snowflake had personality.

When I got married and moved into my current house, she was the only thing – other than clothes and a few posters – that was mine. Sure, she was the family pet, but we shared a special bond. I talked to her like she was a person, I let her fly around my room, and she loved to walk on my bed. And she’d fly back and forth, from one window to another, when she didn’t want to go back into her cage. Sometimes I’d cuss at her for that, too, as I balanced on chairs and my bed while offering my hand as a perch.

No matter the animal, we grow attached to them. Sometimes we talk to them when we can’t talk to anyone else – animals can’t gossip or argue. In fact, they may be the only ones in the world we can completely trust. There’s no judgment or criticism.

So, to those who don’t understand why someone has a nontraditional pet: Think about having a confidant who is understanding, loyal, and can offer peace and normalcy during the toughest times. We depend on them, whether we realize it or not, just as they depend on us for food, shelter, and water. We need them as much as they need us.

A special thanks to Snowflake, one of the best pets I’ve ever owned. The house won’t be the same without her…