Bristol Comic Expo!

On Saturday, we went into Bristol with the intention of going to Grillstock for the day. A few days before hand, we realised (read: the boyfriend told me) the Bristol Comic Expo was in town on the same weekend. We realised we could quite easily go to both, as the expo started and finished earlier in the day than Grillstock did. And then the other half asked me why the name Anne Stokes was ringing a bell, as she was one of the guests at the expo. Once I finished squeeing at a pitch normally reserved for non-human hearing, it was decided we absolutely definitely had to go.

And it was awesome. I got to meet Anne Stokes and get a bunch of stuff signed by her. (And if you're not familiar with Anne Stokes, go check out her artwork on her website by clicking here. No, seriously, go now. This post will still be here when you get back.) She was very tolerant of me and my extreme fan-girl-ness. I have two amazing new signed prints to hang up on the walls, and a gorgeous dragon pendant that will no doubt become my favourite necklace ever.

We had a great walk around the expo, got to talk to a lot of cool people, see some amazing costumes (even had the kiddo pose with a stormtrooper and a clonetrooper for a photo!), and get some amazing stuff. I picked up an awesome print of Chel and Wheatley facing up against a dragon (I know it makes no sense, but it combines two of my favourite things, so that makes it awesome) from ReaperWorks. I also was introduced to a brilliant artist, Jess Bradley. Her stuff must be seen. (That's a hint that Jess's website is another one of those that you must go look at right now, and this post will still be here when you come back.)

The other major highlight of our time at the expo was meeting Mark Buckingham. For those of you who don't have a clue what that name means, he's an artist - in fact, the artist of one of my favourite graphic novel series, Fables. I not only got to have two of my books signed by him, but we got to sit and listen to him talk about various Fables and The Unwritten stuff in a panel straight afterward. He's a really nice guy, and it was a real pleasure meeting him.

Now, you may notice something missing from this post: pictures! I'm sorry, I meant to sit down and take a bunch of photos of all the stuff from the day, but haven't gotten around to it yet due to other life stuff. Pictures will be coming soon! Stay tuned!

Portal stuff

It may have been mentioned once or twice that I'm a big fan of the Portal games. (If it hasn't been, then I will hang my head in shame, insist that I do in fact love the Portal games, and move on as if that fact was never in any doubt.) I've played through them a handful of times each, and if there were enough hours in the day, would probably play them again. But since there aren't, and my list of games to play is long enough as it is, I will look for the next best thing.

Portal STUFF.

I mean, who wouldn't want LED flashlights in the shape of turrets and Wheatley? Or bookends with the classic man-shaped-thing-running-through-orange-and-blue-portals on each side? Or the completely awesome Portal cookie cutters? (Clearly they saw my sweet tooth coming, though neglected to consider that the kitchen and I usually end our interactions with disaster.) these things are amazing. Who comes up with these things, and why aren't they providing me with these items on a daily basis?

Oh, there is another thing that has caught my eye and is making it a struggle for me not to buy it. Inflatable turrets. I want one. In every room of the house. And by the front door to scare away all the cats and neighbours. Oh yes, I could have great fun with a set of these.

...Marketing and merchandise are aimed specifically for people like me, aren't they? Hmmm.