Collectormania

Welcome to Monday the 19^th of May. It was my birthday last week so sorry for not blogging; I was preoccupied eating cake. More specifically, this cake.

A lovely friend at work made me this cake and I've never been so moved by such a sentimental gesture. I did a blog post in April titled 'My Favourite Disney Characters' and she made me this rainbow layer cake with the exact characters I mentioned in that blog in edible icing paper - can you see Elsa?

I had a wonderful 22^nd, one which reinstated to me that I have SO many things to be thankful for…good health, a worthwhile job, beautiful family, the most amazing friends and a boyfriend who does genuinely treat me like a princess. Hip hoorah. There's nothing like a celebration to warm up your mood.

Now…prepare yourself for some nerd porn. Over the weekend I went to Collectormania, a comic-merchandise-celebrity convention at The Stadium: MK in Milton Keynes. This event is like a small celebration of people who enjoy comic books, Disney, Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones...the list goes on. It's just FUN and I was in my element (If the element is NERDIUM). Sarah Parkinson, making bad chemistry jokes because all the good ones Argon.

Now, I LOVE seeing people express who they are and if that means a middle aged man very seriously dressing up as wonder woman then I 100% back that shit. How awesome. One aspect of these kinds of events that I thrive off is the Cosplay. Seeing the effort people make to sew and paint a costume is slightly inspiring, the tweaks and personal touches blow my mind a bit. Walking around I couldn't help but awkwardly ask for a photo of some of the more impressive ones.

Alien from Alien vs Predator. This guy was so creepy, the tail even moved on its own. Let's just say I wasn't planning on being his best mate.

But somehow it happened anyway!

Darth Vader and Ezio.

Me and my pal Chewbacca, I tried to get Han's number but apparently he was really busy doing maintenance on the Millennium Falcon...

Captain Jack Sparrow. This photo was a bit of a buy one get one free cus there's a mini Elsa from Frozen in the background! ADORABLE.

My best friend Jordan met his all time hero Boba Fett! Been there, done that and note his t-shirt.

Wall-E props. The small one is so cute.

Chewie got tired of all the frantic human presence and took a break. I adore this photo so much.

"Do or do not, there is no try"

I was and still am amazed by this Tardis inspired hand-made dress; there's even detailing at the front of the dress of what's inside the police box. Very cool.

Me and Dan hanging out with Storm Troopers and looking far too happy about it.

Black Cat and The Phoenix!

BANE!!! This chap was HUGE."That's a lovely, lovely voice"

SARAH vs BANE

My favourite Doctor Who cosplay of the event.

Some awesome Doctor Who costumes.

Kenny Baker, the guy who played R2-D2 was at the event, and so were the droids!

Slightly overweight but fantastic Deadpool.

So yes, if you haven't been I recommend it a LOT. They always manage to pick up some magical guests and this time they had Pippin from Lord of The Rings, some Game of Thrones characters and Gus from Breaking Bad. Woo! Although some of the people who go are socially unacceptable, very weird and musty smelling, the loot you can get your hands on is seriously cool. Please see below what I have been enjoying my tea and coffee in since the weekend. I am now of the house Targaryen.

I LOVE YOU. REMEMBER TO BREATHE AND LET GO OF YOUR WORRIES.

Play More Games

I haven’t spent the past week working or sweating it out at the gym developing muscle in my flabby places. I also haven’t just been sitting, pending, in the same hunched, robotic position at my laptop, fingers over the keys, for five days either. I've been doing something awesome whilst I’m waiting around for the start date of my new job. I've been playing games.

Wait, what’s that? You think that playing games is childish? You think that I’m a bit of a loser? Oh no, unfortunately we've run some tests and the results have come back positive for not giving any shits. Even more unfortunately, I have just rolled a critical hit and you are metaphorically dead. Since the days of being a small human being, I've enjoyed playing games, and I mean right back to the SNES and Nintendo 64. Video games and board games. I honestly think it can develop a person’s mental capabilities because a lot of games require good judgement and skillful tactics. Not only that but it’s so fucking fun. It’s an excellent way to take yourself out of a boring day and a ridiculously satisfying hobby. I’m lucky enough to be friends with a group of the most delicious, free spirited people who love to play and make it unbelievably fun. We get together and it’s like a big, fun orgasm (with some dragons and a few dungeons).

On a solo note, I've begun Dragon Age Origins on PC and am playing as a rogue elf named Sari. I based her look on the ancient Greeks and as a result she’s wearing a questionable bright gold eye shadow. If you haven’t given Dragon Age a go, do. It’s awesome. The character you chose and story line you play through are customisable and I absolutely love that. When it comes to making decisions in the game, I always base Sari’s judgement on my own. Does anybody else do that? I wouldn't kill a man who is overselling food to some poor villagers so Sari wouldn't too. I bet she absolutely fucking hates me.

It's not just console games. My best friend Jordan is the king of table-top gaming and has introduced me to some incredible board games. I feel as though he is a renowned Jedi Master and I am his Padawan. My thanks go out to him, though there is no certainty that it will reach him as he's in constant battle with the Galactic Empire.

Table-top games often allow you to role play a character or group of characters, usually resulting in one player becoming victorious by possessing the most treasure, money, power etc, though in some you may have to play in co-op to win. If you’re not fond of the role-playing part, then a raw competitive nature also plays to advantage (cough cough). Game of Thrones The Board Game, Smash Up, 7 Wonders, Small World, Forbidden Desert and Munchkin are all games I play and love and I urge you to do a little research and give some a go, especially Munchkin as it’s easy to pick up and you get to play as tiny, customisable munchkin people that kill stuff (this video by Geek & Sundry might help you along the way). 

If you've got a sparkling imagination that might feed on epic stories with characters, wars, monsters and dungeons, then try playing a table-top board game. It's a really enjoyable past time and I think you'll have fun (If you don't, leave a comment and you will be given a full refund for the time you spent reading this post). Also it is International TableTop Day on April 5th 2014, so get yourself involved now so you can have fun with tonnes of other awesome people.

Do or do not, there is no try. I love you all. PLAY MORE GAMES.