Alas, it is an election year in this country. Try as I might, I cannot escape the encroachment of political discussions, advertisements and media. As with anything I'm annoyed with, too much of it pushed into my brain becomes fodder for mockery.
Having just attended a cool shindig recently, all those awesome Firefly thoughts got jostled around a bit by the barrage of politics...and then there was a little tavern brawl in my head and this was the result:
In these uncertain times, it's good to have things to celebrate. In the past month I've gone to a Browncoat shindig, a fun family reunion, an SCA camping event (Crossroads) and finally, finally seen Duran Duran live in concert (that was a 20+ year wait!)
You're probably wondering what Browncoats? Wasn't Firefly and Serenity like, years ago now? Turns out there's a group of dedicated souls called the MileHigh Browncoats in *Colorado that have kept the Firefly party going, having monthly shindigs and raising money for charity. And always, for the last few years, every single shindig has conflicted with other important events on my calender. Until last Friday.
Check out this video of special musical guest Bedlam Bards performing "Can't Take the Sky" at the shindig on June 6th:
You can hear the appreciative audience woo-hooing and singing along. As the night wore on, and music of the 'verse filled the night air. In infectious happiness made me feel all shiny, and long for the days (three years ago!) when I used to blog about Firefly occasionally...
Like what you've heard? Visit Bedlam Bards on Myspace, or get On the Drift - Music inspired by Firefly and Serenity
*Browncoats are not specific only to Colorado. There are Browncoat chapters all across the country - there's even a Browncoat Wiki now!
Way back in the day, when I first started this blog, I considered many blog platforms. One of them was LiveJournal, which has a thriving community of brilliant geeks.
In evidence of that fact, I present to my readers a few lines from evilrooster:
Capt: There's more to flight than buttons, albatross,
More to the pilot's role than charts and maps.
You know the foremost rule of flying? Aye,
I know you do, since you know what I'll say
Before I part my lips.
Riv: I do, but yet I like to hear you say it nonetheless.
Capt: 'Tis love. Though you know all the math the 'verse
Contains, if in the sky you take a ship unloved
She'll shake you off as sure as worlds turn.
Love keeps her in the air when she should fall
And tells you that she hurts before she keens.
It makes her home.
Feast thy eyes upon the whole verse here. 'Tis short at present, but I hope the clamoring tribes of Browncoats will inspire this poetess to spill forth more magic from her pen...er...I mean keyboard. Surely, this will inspire others to similar words of art...because you know how crazy those Browncoats get.
Maybe I should rewrite "Hero of Canton" in the style of Beowulf? Thankfully I've just finished reading Wealtheow, so I'm in the mood for that. Aye, and there will be a book review sometime soon, it's just a matter of time.
When I first heard that Steven Brust had written a Firefly 'fanfiction' that took place between the TV series and the movie, I held my breath...
He sought a publisher, and of course there were legal issues and all...so I knew this might never see the light of day.
Sadly, he did not find a publisher, so he has decided to publish it for free online. SerenityStuff.com has more to say about this story.
I am off to read "My Own Kind of Freedom", as I hope all you hungry little Browncoats will do as well. And if you've never heard of Steven Brust before today, you might want to check out his other works.
Today is my third 'rez-day'. Three years ago today I signed into Second Life for the very first time. Three is OLD, considering most of the growth there has been in the last year or so.
This was pointed out to me earlier this evening, while I was 'virtually' hanging out in Washburne, an area created by Firefly and Serenity fans.
I had stumbled across their weekly virtual Browncoat Shindig and found myself relaxing next to a campfire. I made sure to wear my "No Space Monkeys Allowed" shirt and busted out a bottle of Blue Sun liquor. I thought it strange, that in my real life, the dancers would be nearest the fire, and for once, I had it pretty much to myself the whole time.
While many others were dancing and having themselves a great time, one of the revelers mentioned it was my rezday, and sure enough, it was. I was floored with the "coincidentalness" of it all.
I mean, what are the odds I'd inadvertently be celebrating my virtual birthday with total strangers who are Browncoats??
I think I just gained +3 to my geek skill.
It's that time of year again, to bust out our sleuthing gear and search for the latest crop of virtual Easter Eggs. But I'm not talking about the colored, dyed, painted made-by-a-hen variety. The Easter eggs I'm interested in now are the hidden goodies in games, websites and movies! One of the largest websites devoted to this craft is Eeggs.com, who have a huge archive and a very informative FAQ page. You could spend days there, finding out what treasures your favorite movies and games hold for you.
Some of my favorite DVD easter eggs are the ones hidden in all of the Tolkien Ring movies. These clips are vulgar entertainment at its best, created simply to drive sales up. But now, with the magic of the internet, one only has to search YouTube for copies of the eggs that some other enterprising geek has found.
These easter eggs are not suitable for children, and should you wish to view the Dom/Elijah interview, Gollum at the MTV awards, the Peter Jackson interview by Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughn, or the Jack Black/Michelle Gellar MTV promo, I will not be held responsible for any ill effects upon your brain. Especially the Jack Black one. Not safe for work! You have been warned.
But I also love the Firefly stuff like Adam Baldwin singing "The Hero of Canton" or the "Fruity Oaty Bar" commercial from Serenity! And these are clean, safe and child-friendly.
Maybe you are a Star Wars fan. Yoda hiphop is pretty cool, and the only one I could find a video clip for online. Eeggs.com lists several Star Wars finds, but I cannot vouch for their content or entertainment value.
Lately, I've been stumbling across some NPC's in World of Warcraft whose names I thought must have some 'special meaning'. Turns out there are hundreds and hundreds of pop culture references in the game, most of which you can find on this fine list of EasterEggs by Blizzplanet. They've also got a page of Burning Crusade eggs, but since I don't have that expansion yet, I cannot claim any firsthand experience with this new area.
And now for something completely different: Monty Python has easter egged some of their material as well. Here's a funny skit about a glassblowing factory that is hidden in the BBC compilation of Flying Circus episodes:
Hooray Easter eggs! I'm going to go out to the store and see if all the chocolate bunnies aren't gone yet. Mmmmm......bunnies.
I've come to think of life as a series of tests. Some you pass, some you fail. Some you score 155% on. Apparently math is not needed so much in the future...
I am Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)
Honest and a defender of the innocent. You sometimes make mistakes in judgment but you are generally good and would protect your crew from harm.
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 70%
Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 65%
Derrial Book (Shepherd) 15%
Wash (Ship Pilot) 5%
Inara Serra (Companion) 0%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 0%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 0%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 0%
River (Stowaway) 0%
A Reaver (Cannibal) 0%
Alliance 0%
Whew! 0% Alliance or Reaver! Only 5% Wash, though. Maybe it's because I like plastic dinosaurs.
Click here to take the Serenity Personality Quiz
A couple of weeks ago I checked out EVE Online, which was far, far too complex for me to get into, but the graphics were amazing! I've been interested in space-themed MPORGs since seeing Firefly. I surmised that the "Eve" universe could be easily adapted to include Firefly and Serenity ships, characters and quests, if the user interface were simplified a bit. What the world needs is a virtual 'verse!
Lo and Behold! Mere days after I mentioned this fact to my partner, I see that the internet is abuzz with the very same notion! Now all we need to do is wait until 2008. Sigh. I wonder if Reavers will be a playable class.
Fans can do AMAZING things for the shows they love. Take Phil Teller, for instance, who has built a flamethrowing car called the Capissen 38. The slideshow has photos of almost every angle of the car, and detailed descriptions. It appears to be some oooold 70's model, but I can't tell with all the extra space junk on it. Is that thing even street legal?
In other Firefly news, the Big Damned Flanvention 2 that was scheduled to happen Dec 8 - 10th was mysteriously cancelled at the last minute by the coordinators, Booster Events. Wired has the scoop from day 1, CNET news has more information from day 2, and by day three, the Backup Bash was rolling sweetly along! I am amazed at the tenacity of the California Browncoats for saving the weekend for all those fans! Still, there are several hundred fans crying for Booster Events' blood, demanding full refunds and making very bad press for them.
I don't personally know anyone who went (as there were only 500 tickets sold) but here's a Flickr gallery from The One True B!x with photos from the 'event'. Some very sexy sideburns there, Wash!
STILL don't have the Serenity movie
A battle is brewing.
First, Universal Studios encourages the fans of Firefly ("Browncoats") to viral market for the movie Serenity. But how do they thank the loyal fans for all of the money they've just saved on advertising? They are asking for retroactive licensing fees and sending Cease & Desist orders for the very fan-based products that helped both the movie and TV show succeed.
The Browncoats' answer?
Here's OUR invoice, you gorram ingrates.
From Slashdot.com - Firefly Fans Fight Back Against Universal.
From SerenityStuff.com - An Open Letter to Browncoats
From SerenityStuff.com - An Open Letter to Universal
How did a few fans respond to the ban? By poking fun at Universal, of course! What better way to say " I helped promote Serenity and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt" than this, or this! There is already a filk song about it, which I found on the FireFilk Yahoo Group called the "Ballad of Universal", by a writer named NE Star. And it goes a little something like this...
Winter is knocking on my door. My prediction of the first snow of the year was only off by two days. I really don't like winter, but it's much nicer to spend it in this area than where I used to live, in New England. On the plus side, it gives me an excuse to wear my Jayne hat.
Speaking of Firefly, there's been a huge growth in fans lately, which of course, translates to more websites and cool Firefly and Serenity things that can be found online. Oh, and Serenity also WON A HUGO AWARD on Saturday, August 26 at LA Con IV, the 64th World Science Fiction Convention. Here's the video of Morena Baccarin accepting the award, reading Joss Whedon's acceptance speech (PG -13 if you are worried about swear words).
Well, I had intended to embed THAT video into this post, but since that feature was disabled by the owner of the clip, I'm going to have to give you this one instead. Also because Nathan Fillion just asked me to 'please put this on the internet'. It's Joss Whedon and about half the Serenity cast at a stop on the Wizard World tour.
WOW- is this ever cool! Create your own Serenity ship from paper! The instructions are in Portuguese (I think), but the diagrams are good enough to figure out what you should be doing with all those pieces. You'll need a color printer, sharp scissors, glue and lots and lots of free time.
If you happen to be a PodCast junkie, you'll love The Signal and FireFlyTalk, two podcasts devoted to news of the 'verse. On both sites, you can click to listen now or dowload them for later.
If you'd rather listen to music, try some Filk. Oh, you thought that particular brand of songwriting was native only to the SCA? The Bedlam Bards, normally known for their Renaissance Fair performances are Browncoats!! They've written a filk of "Hero of Canton" and called it "The Creator of Firefly - the man they call Joss!" clicking this link opens an mp3 postcard, where you can get a FREE download of the song!
And FireFly Filk is a site with lyrics to many, many more great songs, but you'll have to do your own singin'.
I haven't figured out how to do a link into Second Life yet, but there's a a bunch of new Firefly/Serenity things going on in that virtual universe as well. Why, just the other day, I was able to walk through TWO different full size Serenity ships. You can now buy avatars that look like any of the cast, and there's a group of people trying to create a whole 'verse themed SIM.
All I can say is, you KNOW you've achieved cult status when people create a cookbook based on your story. Big Damn Chefs is about to publish The International Browncoat Charity Cookbook. Their collection of recipes submitted by fans from all over the world is huge. MMMM.... Livin' Legend Eggs, Special Hell Chili, Fruity Oaty Bars.... I'm gettin' hungry...
I put my Jayne hat on the other day just because I missed the show so much. Clearly, I was craving something new to fill the Firefly/Serenity void.
Hmm...not much news lately, since Sci-Fi picked up the show...but wait, there's always Fan Films!
Done The Impossible - A Fan's tale of Firefly and Serenity looks promising. They've even prominently displayed 'the Jayne Hat' in their packaging! You can buy the DVD from their site or download it free and legally HERE.
Since posting a couple of my own films on YouTube.com, I've become aware of several THOUSAND other good films there. But, since I can't post multiple videos at once, you'll just have to click the links to watch these films.
Tour Serenity 1 - a handheld camera is walked through the set. Pretty cool, but no sound. Tour Serenity 2 has lots of lights and controls on the bridge!
Lego Serenity Trailer - LEGOS! Enough said.
Well, I hope that the Southern Outlands is having a great time at Grand Outlandish right now. I don't know a single soul from up here in the north lands that went, but none of us are really all that bent about it. With the gas prices being so high, I think the SCA is going to suffer much lower numbers at the larger camping events this year. You sure won't see a ton of Outlanders at Pennsic this year.
To those who know me in 'real life' or in person, here is why I have been relatively unavailable for the past few weeks:
My boyfriends' car was stolen, with his wallet, all of his fencing equipment and his mosaic doumbek inside. We did days of 'recon' in the area where the thief had been using his credit cards, and handed over all of the evidence to the detective assigned to his case. I think the detective probably just blew his nose with it, for all the results he's gotten, which is nothing. I swear the Denver cops could care less about you unless there's a possibility for gunplay or good PR from a front page photo about a big drug bust.
The car was recovered, after a week or so, but of course there was nothing in it, and it was ransacked for parts and covered in racing stickers. So he's not going to fence for a while...but hopefully some merchant at Crossroads will have some other drums for him to try out. I'm certain that the swords are in a pawnshop, but they hold items for 30 days. But who knows IF they are ever found, are they in any condition to fight with?
Also, there was a death in my family earlier this week that has taken all the wind out of me. It's not that I don't think I'll ever feel joy again, but the spectre of death sure puts a hurt on your good mood. Which wasn't really all that good from the car theft anyway.
But I've made the decision to go to Crossroads and merchant on Saturday. Maybe I can make some money to put into my SCA event account (which currently has around $1.37) by selling off some old garb and trinkets. It's been a loooong time since I've set up and merchanted at an event, and we'll see if this sets the stage for more merchanting in the future. Apparently a few Darbukans really like my idea of a "DarbukaMart" at Glory.
At least it'll be a good practice day for my guy, who has never been to a camping event before. Or dealt with me in 'set-up' mode. I hope I'm not suddenly single soon.
Eh, onto less depressing stuff. Things I've found recently online that wanted to pass on:
A unique burial monument at Tara - I'm still interested in things Celtic. Especially when they find things that could link two distinctly different cultures.
SereMuppety. Serenity + Muppets. How freaking brilliant is that?? This fellah named Walkerboh has a DeviantArt site ( so I'm not responsible if you click other links while there...) with a serial comic he's made using Muppet figurines. Look for the "Complete SereMuppety Comic" on the right side of his page, and read them in order. Go! NOW! You cannot resist the call of the muppet!
Oh, yeah, speaking of camping events, the last big one I went to was Estrella War, when I had to send some of my heavier stuff on the War Wagon (a rented commercial truck). The Barony of Caerthe always requires anyone sending their things to War this way to label them with your SCA name, phone number and who you are camping with. I think next year I'll stick some nice warning labels on there. I've got to make a ton of different ones for Glory...
Hey, you know what ELSE I found out? I'm NOT the biggest geek in the world.
The YouTube Joss interview - by the dork that actually did it
Make sure you read the backstory on FireflyFans.net
It's been a while since I've posted anything of worth about Firefly or Serenity. Not that my interest is waning, mind you... I just got so much gorram work to do!
I have spread the Firefly sickness to my boss, though, and he just told me that he's hooked after watching "Out Of Gas." Good episode...
Anyway, I finally managed to find a copy of the Serenity graphic novel. The story takes place between the end of the series and the movie, and sets up the Operative's story quite nicely. There's a bit of a surprise (as in 'I thought he was DEAD') with a heavy helping of revenge.
You can't borrow my copy. Get your own here:
Also in the Serenity 'verse is a great new service called BrownQuote. It was originally crafted just for Google home pages, but I asked nicely, and you can see it over on the left side of this page, above the Google ads. Different funny quotes from the series and movie will appear, and change daily, so get your Firefly fix right here!
And because it has been specifically requested...I shall once again post the Fruity Oaty Bar video. Shiny!!
I'm sure you all know of my great love for Firefly and Serenity.
Well, Firefly was cancelled, and the fans banded together and helped push Serenity into existence. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that AGAIN?
Firefly Season 2 is a website gathering information to do just that. I ask that you go there, now, and fill out the survey. We can't win if we don't play!
And if for SOME reason you haven't gotten the DVD's yet, here's links to Amazon:
I love internet radio. It has saved me on many a night, whilst typing furiously away, attempting to reach a deadline or finish a project before dawn.
Imagine my delight to find BrownCoat Radio! It's about gorram time.
I've been listening for about three hours now, and there have been no repeats, and I have just sung along with "The Hero of Canton!" (words on this post). There's asian, western and world music, and songs from the series and movie.
The broadcaster, who calls himself Mr. Universe, has written a bit about his station on Live365.com:
My lifestyle is very much like that of Serenity's captain and crew. My family and I travel fulltime across the USA in a self contained bus. Tough we are not thieves, we often find ourselves having that "us and them" feeling when dealing with people who just don't get the gypsy lifestyle. This radio station truly is "a signal" as we are broadcasting off the grid via wireless and satellite technology. No landline involved. Enjoy!
Mr. Universe, if you are listening, please come to Colorado!! We should have a foot-stompin' Blue Sun drinkin' DVD watchin' shindig!! I'm sure the MileHigh Browncoats would love to have another reason to get together!
Hell, I'd even brew up some moonshine...
While I was checking out the links page for my previous post about the RenFair Music awards, I noticed one of their favorite podcasts is The Signal - Firefly Podcast.
Now I haven't gotten myself quite up to speed yet with all this new technology that seems to arrive whenever I have no money at all, but I keep hearing that Podcasts are pretty cool.
I suppose I don't REALLY need an I-Pod to listen, but being one of the two people on this rock that didn't get an I-Pod for Christmas makes me feel a bit jealous. I guess I'll have to make do with simply donwloading them all to my hard drive.
I did get Serenity on DVD as a Christmas present though (Thanks, Todd!) and managed to find the easter egg - The Fruity Oaty Bar commercial, and a bit of explanation about it by Joss Whedon.
To find the easter egg, load the DVD, and wait for the menu to appear in engllish. There will be two arcs on the right and left sides of the screen, which both have circles in the centers. From "Play", hit your left arrow button on your remote and the circle on the right arc should light up.
And after you've gotten that song stuck in your head like the rest of us, show your support by wearing some Fruity Oaty Bar schwag!
Yep. It HAD to happen.
I love spoofs on already cult-ish movies. "Mosquito" is actually pretty well done, and their mock-up of the opening sequence is priceless.
It's a pretty big download, but well worth it.
Seriously. Some people have waaaay too much time on their hands.
But now I want my OWN Serenity crew hand puppets. Then I don't need a sequel. I'll just make my own.
Earlier this evening I went to Unser Hafen Baronial Yule, a small and cozy event that the Queen herself attended. The food was great, court was punctuated by fabulous musical interludes and a Darbukan Dame getting Stagged.
Then, I received a present that I had asked for. Deadwood season one and two. I was instantly stretched between the medieval and the old west. I wanted to leave and go home and watch them immediately. But I wanted to stay and dance, eat and see great friends. I chose to stay and watch them tomorrow. But it was a close struggle.
The event wound down, and we adjourned to a local residence for the obligatory post revel. But I had planned ahead and brought a swimsuit for the hot tub. Ahhh, modern technology. As we were socializing and the tub was getting ready, a bunch of us ended up discussing Firefly and Serenity gossip and opinions.
One was that Shepherd Book's story was told in Serenity: He used to be an assassin as well. Ok, I can go with that. Another was that Alan Tudyk asked to be killed off in Serenity because he has cancer in real life? I was concerned enough about this one to look it up online, but I can find no evidence to support this one.
Another rumor is that a local SCA'er has apparently found documentation for the Jayne Hat, which would mean it is period and I can wear mine at events. How's that for crossover? Now I completely feel like I'm living in the wrong time.
As I basked in the 103 degree water, I saw a shooting star, and wondered if 500 years from now, someone will be reenacting us...and will it take place aboard ships like Serenity?
