Katsucon 2015

Katsucon. What is it?!

Katsucon is a 3 day anime and Japanese convention held at the National Harbor in DC. Previously, it has been held in Arlington, and Baltimore. The convention will begin Friday February 13th and run through Sunday February 15.th  But this year marks the 21st celebration of Katsucon. What does that mean? It’s going to be jam packed with artists, events, competitions, a formal ball and even a rave!

I’m getting super psyched for this one and will be reporting to the convention on Saturday. Of course I’ll be cosplaying (as usual). But this will be my first Katsucon, and I really can’t wait. This is very different from your normal convention or comiccon. Yes it will be nerdy and packed with anime lovers but there’s something unique about this convention, it’s also a Japanese culture appreciation event.  Here you’ll find booths dedicated to various cultural aspects of Japan including; the art of the bonsai tree, a Japanese maid café, traditional Japanese food, clothing merchants, and more. OH, and its packed with anime celebrities! This year even Yaya Han will be in attendance (for those of you who aren’t familiar with her, Yaya is a world renowned cosplay model).

Oh, and what am I cosplaying as you ask? I will be in attendance this year as a blue Twi’lek Jedi. Not anime, but all costumes and fandoms are welcome! No worries, I’ll take hundreds of pictures for sharin!

Posted by: Chleo @cleo622

Living The Nerd Life! January GIVEAWAY!

January Giveaway!

This month we're giving away a sweet Marvel T-shirts (size medium), 2 Walking Dead Funk Pop Minis figures and The Walking Dead 100 Project Book.

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To enter LIKE the Living The Nerd Life facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/teamnerdlife

and like this video and or post promoting the give away.

A winner will be picked on Feb. 6th!

Remember all you have to do is Like the page and like the video/post promoting it.

My 90's Childhood in a Nutshell: N64

I grew up in the 90’s. This means that scrunchies, jelly shoes , Barbies and furbies were just some of my favorite things. But when someone asks me what my favorite childhood toy was, it’s an easy answer. My Nintendo 64! I spent days, no..WEEKS of my life on that thing. I first got mine in 1997. That’s all I did after that. Barbies? Dolls? Tea sets? NO THANK YOU. All I needed was my N64.  So today I’m going to talk about some of the best games that came out for N64 in the 90’s. 

First off, my favorite all time game for any system, EVER. LucasArts 1996 , Shadows of the Empire. This was one of the first games released for N64 and it received great reviews. Who doesn’t like a Star Wars game where you can fly a snow speeder, as well as various other ships, have first person shootouts , and run ins with the galaxies scariest bounty hunters and villains?! Not only was the storyline great, but the music, and graphics steal the show. In fact I played this game so often ,that to this day I can still tell you the location of every NPC, health pack, and special item . Sad? Maybe…but that’s how much I loved this game.

Next up is Rare’s 1997 GoldenEye 007.  This game was exclusive for Nintendo 64 and is the third best selling game for the system. Impressively, it totally changed first person shooters for the time and created a new multiplayer experience. And while the single player storyline is pretty good, it’s pretty obvious that this game was loved for its multiplayer levels.  I remember playing this game with my cousins and friends for hours. GoldenEye to this day is one of my favorites and brings back great childhood memories. (I mean C’mon, you ran around and shot at each other for fun).

Last up is Nintendo’s 1996 Super Mario 64. This game was one of the original N64 launch titles. Mario 64 was a “game changer” for the gaming world. Known for its 3D game design and new camera angles, as well as an awesome Mario storyline, it is widely renowned as one of the most revolutionary games ever created. It had beautifully, colorful graphics for the time, with diverse levels and an endless amount of fun. Not only was it a new way of playing Mario, but it was addictive as hell! (trust me , I still have dreams about collecting those golden stars)

Posted by: Chloe @cleo622

A Call for Cosplayer Unity

So I want to start the week off by talking about a growing problem I’v seen in the cosplaycommunity. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Cosplay (AKA costume play), is a performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character or idea from books, movies, comics, tv shows or video games. Cosplay has been around for awhile and has come a long way from its simple beginnings. Back in the day “cosplayers” were few and far between. This was generally a hobby that few participated in, but if you did, you knew everyone locally that was in on it. Because of this, you had a small tight knit community where support and help was common.

Since the 70’s, Cosplay has come a long way. Conventions have gotten bigger, competitions have become a staple, and now there are even cosplay TV shows. And while it’s great that cosplay has become a widely accepted phenomenon, many of us that participate have noticed some growing animosity amongst the community. I’m going to call it “cosplay shaming”. Frequently I hear or see people making fun of other cosplayers because of the quality of their costume, their weight, or even implied sexiness of the costume. People, this shouldn’t be happening!! We should be out there supporting each other! Don’t hate on the person who couldn’t afford to make a screen accurate metal replica costume, or the bigger framed girl who was brave enough to go for that risky cosplay. In fact, applaud them and their efforts. At least they tried.

In an attempt to rally all nerdoms together, next time you're at an event, support and encourage each and every person around you. Imagine how awesome conventions would be if everyone was on the same page. This doesn't mean I'm saying conventions are a disaster, I personally love them. I'm simply pushing for Cosplayer unity so that everyone enjoys themselves and is proud of their work. 

Posted by: Chleo @cleo622