One of the first things that I discovered at some point while learning about American history was the 1920's--specifically the culture and fashion within the 1920's. I first discovered the 20's through detective novels and have always loved the culture of that era.
On an entirely different note, back in middle school I discovered the world of webcomics, many of which I have followed for a few years now. Some of these include Gunnerkrigg Court, String Theory, and Kiwi Blitz. The last one, written by recent SCAD graduate Mary Cagle, uploaded a fanart a few years ago which I discovered when looking through her work. And I will admit, I was curious.
What I discovered was a webcomic called Homestuck, written by Andrew Hussie. It starts out a bit slow, with a group of four internet friends trying to play a video game and accidentally destroying the world, with all sorts of nerd culture references mixed in. It was a bit of a tough read, but over all pretty funny and enjoyable. But somewhere in the middle of Act Four that I began noticing that it wasn't quite as simple as I thought, specifically with this flash animation, [S] WV?: Rise up.
Homestuck is credited as being the longest webcomic in existence, with a wordcount clocking in at over that of War and Peace, which is pretty impressive since it's only been running since April 13, 2009. It has over 8000 pages, which can consist simply of one image, or a flash animation, or a series of images followed by thousands of words of dialogue, or an interactive game. With 267 characters, 24 music albums, many art and music contributors, a video game to be released in 2014, and over 3 million fans, Homestuck will probably always be one of my favorite comic-things.
Anime Expo 2012 (I'm somewhere in the far back in my Rose cosplay)
It's sort of hard to explain how Homestuck changed me, but I think above all else it broadened my worldview. I've met some really amazing people through the community and completely changed my artistic and creative perspective as a result. There are so many wonderful things about it, beyond the basic comedy and temporal shenanigans, that I could hardly ever begin to cover. Every single character, even the villains, is relatable and complex. I could ramble and write an entire research paper about a few pages alone, so I'll stop and switch to the next thing.
Somewhere in my internet escapades I discovered Steampunk, likely with the webcomic Girl Genius, but when I first heard of Steam Powered Giraffe, I was a bit skeptical. They wear a bunch of weird costume makeup and pretend to be robots? That's kind of weird. I bet they sing weird music too. But after so many people were talking about them, I got curious and watched one of their music videos.
I fell in love with the band exactly at 1:33
While I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, it certainly was not beautiful harmonies and pantomime and whatever music genre they make. It really isn't quite as simple as just being a plain old band with costumes--Steam Powered Giraffe has an entire world behind it, and each of the players has a complex and fascinating character. Sometimes they wax poetic about falling in love and the struggles of being inhuman, but sometimes they wear funny hats and sing about cowboys and demons in suspenders.
Rabbit's makeup needs a closeup
The members of SPG are some of the most inspiring people I have ever heard of. Each member had their childhood dreams bashed to pieces when they became adults, but somehow salvaged their futures in a way they never thought they would. The band started as a Pantomime troupe from Bunny and David Bennet's (who play Rabbit and The Spine respectively) college miming class, with two other members who have since left (one of them is The John, with the suspenders and the curly hair in Honeybee) and the addition of their newest member, Hatchworth, played by Sam Luke. They began as street performers and eventually got a steady gig at a local zoo, but after their above video, Honeybee, went viral, have become an internet sensation.
Bunny and David out of costume
They are coming out with a new album, MK III, this fall, which I'm hoping will contain the above song, Fire Fire. All photo credit goes to Geekshot Photography
Bonus video of The Spine's cover of Diamonds by Rihanna
Last, and certainly not least, is the summer camp I have attended for the past three years. It is called The Wayfinder Experience and is what can only be described as a Live Action Roleplaying camp. It's basically the nerdiest thing I do in my entire life, and that's saying something, considering that I run an anime club.
The Druathi Delegates (aka evil jerks)
Captain Harland Porter of the Queen Anne
*chanting* Verdant Circle Verdant Circle Verdant Circle
Crow had wonderful makeup
These are some of the wonderful friends I was with just a few weeks ago
Oh hey it's me as Annet Slozhana, valedictorian and recent graduate of the Incantessima with a thesis in Etherical Sciences (I died a near the end of the first game though)
Wayfinder is one of the strangest and most wonderful things to fall into my life, or well, I fell into it. From a creative standpoint, LARPing is so much more immersive than any other artform or story. You are able to shape and control each scenario and the fate of the world, simply by swinging a foam sword around. Not only does it inspire me creatively, it's one of the most welcoming and wonderful communities I have ever been able to be a part of. At Wayfinder I am able to witness the most amazing interpersonal experiences I have in my life, simply because everyone is so open with each other.
We keep getting yelled at for sitting on the porch railing. We do not care.
Good ol' production
Jack and Rue being cute
I'm near the middle in the green shirt
A few of my best bros in the dining hall
I think the result of the community being so open is that when we are in character and playing games we aren't afraid of being hurt physically or emotionally, even if we can "die". It's the juxtaposition of competition and love that really makes the over all experience so wonderful. I'm actually hoping that next year I'll be able to be a Staff in Training, either in Sets and Props, Costume, or Story.
Most photos are from the facebook page, probably taken by Kyle (who played my dad during the second game. Thanks for letting your fourteen year old daughter rule your country, that was just an amazing idea??) though some are my own.
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