I just finished sleeping off my C2E2 weekend which was absolutely fantastic.  I cosplayed two of the three days (Ms. Marvel and Lady Sif) which gave me a day to walk around with minimal interruption.  What was so great was Matt Fraction wanting a picture of me after winning the Marvel Trivia Game because I was Lady Sif, a character his wife wrote.  Other than that I think it's important to note how much larger the con was this year.  Last year there were so few people I ended up with more swag.  But the loss of swag is worth it if more people are recognizing Chicago as a great city to have a con in.  I'm lucky enough to live here and not have travel issues.  The poor people on the shuttle bus had no idea what to think when Ms. Marvel walked on. :) I'll be posting up so pictures soon!  The con went much smoother this year and the slight change in venue really helped.  I'm looking forward to a number of years attending C2E2.  Thanks to all who made it so great!
For Asgard!!!!!!

So I have two exciting pieces of news that I wish to share with the interwebs.  First I'm happy to announce I will be a PoP Fangirl of the Month!  My interest in cosplay is rewarding me with being featured in the PoP calendar! I'll definitely be posting more about that in the future.  Second, I am finally starting a blog...about cosplay! Check me out at  http://samiracosplay.tumblr.com/

I've got all this geeky excitement pent up inside just begging for a release.  That's when I realized I haven't blogged in a while.  I fee like it's too late to do my usual review for the X-23 series (even though it was good and I'm super excited for more).  I'm actually pretty excited about the up coming Thor movie.  I really hope they captured Thor in all his aspects: strength, courage, awkwardness.  It's Thor's awkwardness that I truly enjoy.  Nothing like having a giant Norse god in the middle of Arizona to complete the awkwardness picture!  I doubt they'll be using his nickname "Goldie locks" because his hair looks so short and they're not using extensions.  What adds to my excitement is the fact that my boyfriend will be cosplaying Thor at C2E2! But guess whose making the costume.....To be honest I did not really get into Thor until this past year.  I read a few good runs by Thor J. Michael Straczynski and I've been hooked ever since.  I really hope the movie captures the character that I've grown to love.

I just need to have my fan girl rant and what better venue than cyberspace?
I have been waiting for this issue for months, if not a year at this point.  Needless to say, my expectations were high and thankfully I was not disappointed.  Liu did an excellent job of character development and plot development.  The end left me begging for more and I can't wait til next week.  Hopefully this issues stay on the time schedule (Marvel has a tendency to not do so).  It was great to see her and Hellion making progress, even if Surge was being a bitch.  Kurt's influence is still prevalent, particularly with Ororo.  He's one of my all time favorite characters so I was really happy to see his death still being commemorated.  Logan had a great deal of influence in this issue, as to be expected, but not too much or overwhelmingly so. Liu kept it about Laura.  This ending makes me so curious...
My only disappointment to the art.  Kudos to the colorist because what he was given to work with wasn't great but he made a difference.  I just don't see the art style fitting Laura.  Besides, some of the characters are out of proportion (obviously so), close ups of people's faces are horrible and some people are just too skinny.
 Overall, I'm still so giddy!

So I'm a huge fan of X 23 right? Am I not a special enough fan to know when the most anticipated even I've had for the past half year is happening? Her solo is supposed to debut in September.  Guess what?  It's September and there's no word as to the debut! Way to build the anticipation Marvel....I'm hanging off the cliff.  This had better be worth it.  Liu is a good writer, but sometimes things can go wrong.  I'm excited to see where the solo adventures take Laura, so is it really so hard to tell me when they'll begin?

I promised I would edit my fan fic and here it is....
 

The pain is unbearable.   Every inch of my body burns.   There is not a single nerve ending that is not screaming in my head to make the pain end.  The voice of my anatomy tutor reminds me that the human body with pass out when enduring large amounts of agony.   I wait but nothing happens.   He survived this and so will I.   Weapon X.   It is his fault that I am here, alive, breathing, thinking and undergoing this test.   I yearn to slice his throat, to make him pay for the injustices done to me.  No, that is not who I want to kill.   I want Kimura.   I want to torture her as she has tortured me.   I want to slice off her arms so that she never hits me again.   I want to cut off her jaw so that I never have to see the wicked smile on her face as she punishes me.   I want her blood.  

A sharp pain from my wrists wakes me from my homicidal fantasies.  It all feels so surreal, as if I am in a stupor.   I glance down my body.   It looks like mine but it doesn’t feel like mine.   Every movement is delayed, not at all like my natural speed and grace.   I immediately seek the comfort of my claws.   I long for the feel of the bone slicing open my skin.   It is the only comfort I know.   The warmth of my blood escaping is an embrace and the prickling of my healing skin is the kiss to seal the deal.   I know what Dr. Kinney thinks.   I can smell the hormones she excretes when she is close to me.   She sees herself as my mother.   I am a clone.   I do not have a mother.  

I extract my claws for reassurance and what protrudes from my fists startles me.   I try to scream but for naught because of the respirator secured on my face.   These are not mine!   They shimmer in the light with a metallic reflection.   They are not the jagged pieces of bone whose delicious pain when I extract them from my wrist comforts me in my loneliness of loneness.   What have they done!   I cannot take this anymore! But these must be my claws!   They slice through the tubing surrounding me with ease.   I wonder if this is what ballerinas feel like when twirling on stage.   In a moment the thought is gone and I hardly notice slicing through the glass that contains me. I wield these new additions as if they were my claws but I come to realize they are better.   With the metal surrounding my bone they, no, I am stronger and invincible.   As the shards of glass from my containment scatter I fall to the ground and rip the mask from my face.   I sharply inhale.   My lungs are grateful.   The burning from the medical serum I was submerged in is subsiding.   It was not the worst pain I ever experienced but it was an annoyance.   Masked agents swarm around me, weapons ready to fire.   What fools, those cannot do anything to me.   But as I look behind the minions I see Kimura.   Just as the guards cannot harm me, I am helpless against her.   Until she gets me I might as well enjoy myself.

Madame Hydra orders the guards to stand down.   With superhuman reflexes I swing my right shoulder so that my arm my follow until my newly coated adamantium claws make contact.   I slice through the man’s neck with an ease and precision I have never known.   His limp body collapses on the floor and blood pools everywhere while his corpse finishes twitching.   Kimura picks me up by the throat.   I had known she would put an end to celebration.   Sheathing my new weapons I look down in defeat.   How quickly I fell.   The godly feeling of my claws had given way to a longing for tears and frustrated screams.

Madame Hydra begins to congratulate me and tell me how proud she is.   I ignore her.   She is not proud.   I am merely a pawn to her, a disposable weapon and once she has complete control I will no longer be needed.   She honestly believes that a good reward means to be allowed to skip training and not complete any missions.   If only she understood my hell.   Kimura lowers me to the floor.   Her sly grin is etched into my brain. I do not need to look up to know she is wearing it as proudly as a peacock.

I am escorted back to my cell block.   Here is my prison and my hell.   I lay on the ground as if I were a corpse until an hour passes. I can no longer stand the boredom.   First I choose to punch the walls but this only frustrates me further.   The chunks of concrete that come loose hit me and the stench of the crumbling rocks is putrid to my nose.   I resort to my favorite comfort, cutting.   My healing factor is quick to act.   No matter how long or deep the laceration I heal.   I first start with small incisions.   My claws glide over my forearm with grace.   The skin behind my adamantium claw splits like the wake behind a boat.   After a few of these lacerations I am bored.   Soon I am in a frenzy.   I am slashing myself feverishly everywhere from my calves to my face.   There is blood everywhere.   It is the only decoration I am allowed to adorn the barren walls.   As my eyes scan the room and take in the various patterns I have painted I see the cameras watching me.   Why do they do this to me?   I walk to the corner beneath a security camera and attempt to sooth myself.   Pulling my knees to my chest I begin to cry.   I weep as if I had lost something, but what is it?

Finally convinced my boyfriend to go see Knight and Day last night and I'm glad I did.  The commercials show a quirky action movie that looks border-line stupid, and that's exactly what was delivered. I was happy to see some hilarious scenes in the movie that were not in the previews.  Often time I feel that ruins the moments in a movie and there were plenty of unspoiled moments to discover in the film.  The plot is simple and quite predictable but what do you expect form Tom and Cameron?  I felt the simple plot was a good thing because many movies today try to go over the top with plots, special FX and other such things.  This movie kept it simple and really played up the action scenes. The action scenes were not so long that you'd lose interest and always had a quirky or unexpected moment.  I was one of the only people in the theater laughing (there were only about 8 people) but it was worth it.  If you're in a silly mood and want to laugh, I'd give this movie a thumbs up.  If you don't like spoofs or silliness, stay away.

Ok, I've never written a Fan Fic before but here goes.  I love Laura as a character and wanted to capture her vulnerable moments after she under went the Weapon X process.  It's dark, but that's how she is.  Please tell me what you think.
 

The pain is unbearable but it all feels so surreal, as if I’m in a stupor.   I glance down my body.   It looks like mine but it doesn’t feel like mine.   I immediately seek the comfort of my claws.   I long for the feel of the bone slicing open my skin.   It is the only comfort I know.   What protrudes from my fist startles me.   I try to scream only but for naught because of the respirator secured on my face.   I can’t take this anymore! My claws slice through the tubing surrounding me with ease and I hardly notice them slice through the glass that contains me.   Falling to the ground I rip the mask from my face.  Masked Hydra agents swarm around me, weapons ready to fire.   What fools, those can’t do anything to me.

Finally freed from that cylindrical prison I take the time to inspect what caused my escape.   The two claws of bone that once emerged from my knuckles were no longer.   In their place is a pair of adamantium blades.   I used to feel invincible but now I feel stronger, almost as if I am a god.   Madame Hydra orders the guards to stand down.   With superhuman reflexes I swing my right shoulder so that my arm my follow until my newly coated claws make contact.   My claws slice through the man’s neck with an ease and precision I have never known.   His limp body collapses on the floor and blood pools everywhere while his corpse finishes twitching.

Madame Hydra begins to congratulate me and tells me how proud she is.   I ignore her.   She is not proud.   I am merely a pawn to her, a disposable weapon and once she has complete control I will no longer be needed.   She honestly believes that a good reward means to be allowed to skip training and not complete any missions.   If only she understood my hell.  

I am escorted back to my cell block.   Here is my prison and my hell.   I lay on the ground as if I were a corpse until an hour passes. I can no longer stand the boredom.   First I choose to punch the ways but this only frustrates me further.   I resort to my favorite comfort, cutting.   My healing factor is quick to act.   No matter how long or deep the laceration I heal.   I first start with small incisions.   My claws glide over my forearm with grace.   The skin behind my adamantium claw splits like the wake behind a boat.   After a few of these lacerations I am bored.   Soon I am in a frenzy.   I am slashing myself feverishly everywhere from my calves to my face.   There is blood everywhere.   It is the only decoration I am allowed.   As my eyes scan the walls and take in the various patterns I have painted on the walls I see the cameras watching me.   Why do they do this to me?   I walk to the corner beneath a security camera and attempt to sooth myself.   Pulling my knees to my chest I begin to cry.   I weep as if I had lost something, but what is it?

@moviegeek17, remember how I said I write werewolf stories, but I'm waiting for twilight fever to end, here's a snip-it from one of them
 

            Sniffing the night’s bitter air for the scent of their prey, the young women lifter her pale face up to the sky.   The waxing moon’s silver cloak kept the heavenly body warm in the chilling darkness.   As her deep green eyes reflected the shining radiance of the skies, the smell was unmistakable.   Pausing for a slight moment, the lycan savored a fresh hint of fear and despair in the man’s natural odor.

            “Where is he?” a deep voice hushed into her sensitive ears.

            “Patience, dear friend, it’s a virtue you know,” she mocked into the darkness where her comrade was lurking, the smirk broadening on her young face.   “The dimwit thinks he can out run us using water as a cover for his stench,” she chuckled.

            “Wait?   We’ve been reduced to common canines?” he grunted in response, amusement covering up the insult in his voice.   Makit, the katana dangling at the lycan’s side had many scars from the moments like this, as he gripped the scabbard.   His strong grip, along with the claw-like nails, left deep gashes in the covering.   The knuckles of his large figures were truing white, a sign to calm down.

            Glancing up from the blade, he saw his accomplice headed down the river and bounded after her.   Jumping rocks and branches and over the black water by moonlight, the woman’s silhouette leaped with an elegant gracefulness.   He had spoken too soon and grinned at the thought.   She didn’t have the vision he possessed at night and couldn’t see the upturned root until she stumbled over it.   Instinctively, he reached out and caught her by the upper arm, pulling the short woman into him so they could catch their balance.   Although he was the only who could see it, they both began to blush before they separated.

            The runners were silent for the next few hundred yards, until the female started panting and then her companion.   It was the excitement of the chase.   Their prey was near by and this time there would be no escape.   Throwing her companion a wink, she dissipated into the shadows of a weeping willow, but he chose the veil of a near by bolder.

            “Here puppies, puppies, puppies!   Here, come here, darlings!”   A man was chanting, his lanky silhouette pacing the river bank, holding an ax over his head.   “Come out, come out where ever you are!”   His voice hung in the crisp air, creating an unsettling aura over the forest.  

alrighty, here's the second part
 
 

Clutching his chest as if his heart were going to leap from his body, Gabriel jolts awake.   As he stumbles to the kitchen, he tries convincing himself the dream was just that, a dream.   Yet he knew it was much more.   I know what I saw.   Why does this Sight curse me?   At least when I See the future I can do something about it.   Seeing the past is such a helpless feeling.

            After opening the refrigerator, he whisked out the gallon of orange juice.   With the violent jerking of the bottle, the cold beverage splattered down his exposed chest.   Storming to the restroom, he punched an additional hole in the door.   Drying himself Gabriel realized how much he detested mornings.   It seemed he always woke from a horrifying dream or couldn’t muster the energy to smile.   No matter the cause, he stayed in the tragic condition for hours.

            “Fucking relax!” hollered Jake, “Dear god…”   His drowsy roommate stammered past, “Fuck yourself.”

            “Yeah, fuck me,” responded Gabriel, “Wouldn’t you like that.”   Turning the faucet, he stepped into the musty shower.   He let the scolding water pour over him, hoping it would wash away the nightmare.   The vivid images of violence and bloodshed left a haunting echo like a cathedral bell through the empty streets of a barren village.   Continuing with his morning routine, Gabriel realized what would cheer him up.   Better being eight hours early for a date rather than late.   With a spring in his step Gabriel left the apartment and headed for the other end of the campus.

“I just don’t get it,” Kelly groaned, shaking her head, “He’s no good for you.”

“It’s just cuz of his temper and you always get the worst end of it.   As long as he treats me well, I don’t have a problem with it,” defended Lilah.

“One day he’ll turn on you… like a caged animal.   Just wait.”

“Forget it Kel, you’re just not gonna get it.”

“I’m just lookin’ out for you.   What ever.” Kelly grunted, heading for the door.   “I don’t wanna be late for history,” peaking her head through the maple door, “See ya.”  

You just wouldn’t understand.   He loves me more than you can imagine.   She flipped open her lap top with the intention of starting her end of term paper but her thoughts drifted to their last encounter.

            The strength of his hands was evident when he cupped the back of her neck.   His tongue searched forcefully for some form of reciprocation.   She had gladly obliged.   There was desperation in his embrace and yearning in his lips.   Pulling back, he looked over the rim of his glasses so the deep chocolate of his eyes met her mosaic gaze.   “That’s for holding off ‘til next time,” he crooned with a crocked smirk.   His lips moved over hers once again.   More gently this time and with the same passion, his lips caressed hers with less anxiousness.   Regarding her eyes once more he noted, “That was for me.”   For a final time, he gently brushed his lips skyward along her nose and came to rest on her forehead.   With a gentle kiss, he looked down at her for a final time.   He whispered, “And that was for you,” before slipping silently out the door leaving her beaming in the darkness of the night.

            She could still feel his arms around her.   Lifting her eyelids, Lilah noticed the strong arms wrapped around her torso were not a figment of her imagination.

            “Holy shit!” she squealed, “Don’t sneak up on me like that!   How the hell did you even get in here?”

            “Kelly,” smirked Gabriel, “These are for you.”

            An excited gasp escaped her lips as he presented her with three tiger lilies.