Cosplay in the UK has been going on for long time, and I have found myself being involved in it, to a greater or lesser extent, for the last decade. I love cosplay. I love making it. I love wearing it. I love seeing what other people do with it. It has helped me become…
Kingdom: Aux Drift – A Study in Power Fantasies
Kingdom: Aux Drift Dan Abnett (Writer), Richard Elson (Artist) 2000AD March 8, 2017 Kingdom: Aux Drift is the fifth installment of the Kingdom series by Dan Abnett and Richard Elson. The series follows Gene the Hackman, a part-dog, part-human hybrid known as Aux, as he makes his way through the post-apocalyptic wasteland that was once Earth,…
A Whistle-stop History of Fanfiction: Part 3
Previously on The Whistle-stop History of Fanfiction, we have talked about the Bronte Sisters creating fictional worlds for Wellington to dash around in, the Austen Family writing fic for the lovely Jane, if Star Trek is the granddaddy of fandom, and does the Tolkien Society need to get over itself? See parts one and two…
EGX Rezzed Con Diary: The Changing Face of Gaming
I have never been to a gaming convention. I come from a comics and literature con background–sci-fi at a push–but a video game convention? EGX Rezzed is an industry-based event, promoting new games, showing off the demos that people have spent years putting together, and putting Square Enix and Nintendo next to the tiny indie…
A Whistle Stop History of Fanfiction: Part Two
Last time on Holly’s Whistle Stop History of Fanfiction, I discussed the idea that a lot of what is often considered classic literature in fact sprung from fanfiction, stories about existing characters, or people, with a few tweaks and name changes. Which is all very well, but I’m sure some of you are there saying…
A Whistle-Stop History of Fanfiction
Welcome to a Whistle-stop History of Fanfiction. Love it or loath it, many of us nerds know about fanfiction. It’s a huge part of modern fandom that ranges all the way from 200 word flash fiction to epic multi-chapter novels, but when did fanfiction start being part of the way we view fandom, and what…
Put Some Character In Your Wardrobe: Dress Like Your Faves
Today a friend of mine told me “I like your boots, they remind me of Sherlock Holmes.” I was properly chuffed. This had been my thought process when I bought them: “It’s a cool look” swiftly followed the Holmes statement. It was rather gratifying to have someone say it out loud though. I mean, I…
How to Visualise Identity? Looking for Nonbinary
Nonbinary. It’s a word that’s being thrown around a lot at the moment. The acknowledgement that there are, and always have been, more than two genders is incredibly important. However, we still aren’t seeing a huge amount of nonbinary representation in mainstream media, and when we do it’s a little vague – take Steven Universe,…