Writing!
Arrows! Speeders! Martial Artist! Cosplayers! Tabletop Games! Geek
& Sundry galore! Hunters and the Mark of Cain! No, this is not me
singing my own version
of “My Favorite Things.” Although I could. Badly. These are but a few
of the things that made up the highlights of a nerdy, busy, sweaty,
fast-paced 2015. Everyone has their whirlwind stories about what made
it great for them and what made it not so great.
The highs and the lows, the shockers and the “Well I saw that coming”
moments. Here is a look at the things that made a tough year manageable
for little old me.
I’m
a “Conner.” A “Con-Goer.” A “Con- noisseur.” Insert appropriate Con
related pun here, and it’s me. It’s my stress breaker therapy for the
year. For me these
conventions include conferences like writers conferences as well. For a
writer they’re just like DragonCon: a place for you to meet with those
that are as crazy as you are to discuss your lunacy. My highlights for
the “Con-Circuit” this year were the Authors
Combat Academy writers conference and of course, our beloved DragonCon.
The ACA kicked off its first year in Nashville in April. I was hipped
to it by author Sherrilyn Kenyon’s update about it as she was one of the
panelists, and the more I looked into it the
more interested I became. Writing…fighting…two of my constant and
favorite things. Sold! Panel after panel on writing science fiction,
proper police procedures to write accurate police/S.W.A.T scenes,
medieval weaponry exhibitions, martial arts demonstrations,
and panel hours lovingly referred to as “Rent-A-Ninja” where we could
“rent out” martial artists for an hour long block to help us block out
fight scenes in current projects to work out details and believability.
Dinners and breakfasts that were stellar, prize
giveaways that were as hilarious in how they were drawn as the
awesomeness of what was given (“Who has even been in a fight? With more
than one person? Who drew blood in said fight? Each of you get this
gift!” Priceless.) It left me more inspired to write
than I have been in years and forced me out of my fear of launching the
career I always wanted. I now have my manuscript ready and my proposal
for it freshly polished and shined, and I can definitely say that I owe it to the ACA and the many contacts that I have
made there.
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| Grappling Instruction during an exhibition at the ACA. Curious? Check out http://authorscombatacademy.com/ |
One
of the panelists at the ACA this year happens to be a regular on the DragonCon
Writer’s track, which is a perfect segue for me into my second Con
highlight. DC 15’ was a year
unlike any other for me. My highlights post for DragonCon covers the
major details, but so many firsts occurred for me this year. First year
volunteering in the DC Store (though not first year volunteering,) first
year doing major celebrity panels (We frequented
all the Doctor Who, Arrow, and Supernatural panels the hubby and I could get
to,) first time in the new building of the America’s Mart (and it was
huge!)…first time I never set foot in the Westin during the entire
convention as no panel seemed to take me there…just
so many firsts to choose from. It was kind of a second honeymoon for my
husband and I so we got to travel around aimlessly, plan or not plan,
play Magic or not play Magic…the Con was ours, baby. It was a week of
freedom I will never forget.
 |
| For my full DragonCon 2015 coverage, follow this link |
I
lie to myself if I say I’m not a TV person. I don’t binge watch all day; I DO have a life. But I do have shows that, when
the kids are asleep, I will
watch one or two episodes of every couple of nights with my husband. Granted,
it put us way behind on our shows not keep up regularly, but hey…DVD
and Netflix. We’re not creatures of habit. A longstanding favorite (as
you should guess if you saw my first piece
here at Needless Things) is Supernatural. And let me tell you…as Season
10 came to a close at the beginning of this year, my want to hug a
fictional character increased with a major +10 bonus. This was by far
and away Dean Winchester’s best Season in eleven
years of the show so far (at least in this writer’s humble opinion,) to
rival Sam’s lost wandering of Season 2. I was left with the biggest
natural high as I followed them through dealing with Dean’s…well…not
possession so much as “transformation,” the curse
of the Mark, the attempts at removing it, the stain it left on the elder
Winchester, and the circles the entire mess ran the boys around and through with their
many attempts at solving not just the big problem, but all the minor
ones that were thrown at them along the way. And Charlie.
Oh by all things scared…Charlie...
*sniffle.*
If
Supernatural were in the Marvel or DC ‘verse I could group them in these next paragraphs, but sadly they are not. I admit that I, at first, gave
Arrow only ten minutes of
my time; it didn’t hold my attention. But in retrospect I think I
realize why; I didn’t like looking at a short haired me with a penis
running around a fake city. Put him and Piper from Charmed in the same
body…yeah, it’s sad, but watching is therapy I suppose.
I think I was projecting a bit by ignoring that. Breaking away from
that I decided to give the show a shot and I’m glad that I did. I nail
bite through the MANY scenes that make me realize it’s way too close to
home in terms of my personality and our similarities
in the PTSD department, but then I get down to the storyline itself and
find that it’s a good thing I gave the show a second chance. Ollie was always my favorite DC
character even as a kid; this show keeps that belief in him alive and
well for me and, dare I say it, even stronger. Season 3 came to a close at the start of the year and was by far and away the most intense for me so far. The best one word
description: rollercoaster. Emotionally, physically, everything
spiraled out of control for everyone in both the good and the bad. The
only thing that didn’t shock me was Felicity and Oliver.
Even though the scene was staged for the benefit of Slade in Season 2,
when they kissed I said out loud (before knowing it was faked,) “That
happened a bit sooner than I knew it would.” Some things are just
predictable…especially when you are also with a techno
geek who is mouthy and always the one person brave enough to be your
voice of reason and force you to look at yourself when you don’t want
to. Did I mention watching this show is therapy?
You
can’t mention Arrow without The Flash. If you can, then I worry about
you. You are not a true geek or DC dedicate! SHUN the non-believer!
Ahem…moving on. The
crossovers are epic; my husband and I have found a website that lists the watch order
between Flash/Arrow so you can follow in the story-line exactly and not get lost when certain things happen and cross between
Starling/Central city. Go to Geekritique to find the list. It helps. That
being said, the show itself is a lighter contrast to the darker elements
of Arrow. Barry is a younger and lighter superhero (and not just on
his feet,) so you get a bit of much needed humor and light-heartedness when you
switch over to a Flash episode from time to time.
You still, however, get an action packed and emotional hour. You can
help but get involved in certain character’s lives. The most amazing thing to
me was how until the end of Season 1 I could not for the life of me
determine what to make of Dr. Wells. My husband
and I can normally peg em’ from minute one, but he kept bouncing from
horrible atrocity to altruistic life saving moment. It was dizzying and
confusing and I loved him for it. It keeps you wanting to know what is
going on for more than just the MHOTW (Meta
Human of The Week) episodes, which is key for any show. It has a story
with characters that have sub-stories, and if they don’t tie in with each other, they
will eventually. Like Supernatural, that is what makes for a good show;
the building of a quality world with quality
people in it.
If
you have found out anything about me from my pieces here, it’s that I’m
a gamer. My game reviews I am particularly proud of. So while I
always knew about Felicia
Day’s Geek & Sundry company I never checked out the YouTube
channel. I feel ashamed. Now that I have discovered it I cannot let
go. For gamers this place is a dungeon’s treasure room of awesome. The
+10 ring of Amazing. The DM consenting to your ridiculous
request of a Chromatic/Gem Dragon hybrid crossbreeding! You get my
point. The Tabletop channel is where my family found half of our new board
games this year; here you can watch Wil Wheaton and friends play various
board games you never knew existed and will
LOVE. Co-Optitude is another favorite, where Felicia and her brother
Ryon play retro and Indie games for our amusement. Those are just two
of the MANY channels on the Geek & Sundry station, people. Giving in to watching this the videos here this year was the best decision I ever made. Go to
YouTube IMMEDIATELY and look it up. Now. Go. Stop
reading my crap and go watch you moron!
Well
there you have it. From writing to fighting, from DC superheroes to
geek gaming…my year has been full. These are the things that have
helped a stressful year be
less stressful and I have ate a bellyful of all of them. A big thank you to
each listed for helping me through a tough 2015 and here’s to having all
of them around again in 2016 as well. I hope you check them out too,
guys. May the Geek be with you.
Christina Sizemore is trained in only four
things: writing, fighting, paranormal
investigating, and being a mom. At this
point in her life she truly feels that she is not qualified to attempt to learn
any new field. A twenty year martial
artist, mother of three, and writer who is working on the publication of her
first book titled “Finding Your Way: A Guide To Your Path In The Martial Arts,”
she spends her days working out, writing, making fanvids, going to DragonCon,
and playing board games/video games/out in the yard with her kids and husband
who are just as geeky as she is. She is
convinced that one day her skills will be of assistance in the Zombie
Apocalypse and that while she is of no use in the kitchen, she can Buffy that
zombie for ya or teach you the best way to get the blood stains out of your
clothes (Psst…the secret is mixing Crown Cleaner and Shout. Just sayin’.)
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