Blog
Cosplay: Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo
It’s that time of the year again, when a fully grown woman’s fancy turns to costuming. Fan Expo and Hallowe’en are right around the corner, and that means it’s time to pull together a costume. I usually go in a group, but this year my Hallowe’en plans are starting to run expensive, so it looks like it will just be me and my boyfriend, tagging along with some awesome Fallout vault dwellers.
My sun and stars, moon of my life.
I finally talked Brandon into going as Khal Drogo, provided that I do all of the actual costume construction. We’re going to cosplay the wedding scene, give or take some expensive details. Reference shots and requirements lists are below, with the price (including shipping and taxes) that I spent on them.
Daenerys
Dany wears an elegant, gray-violet dress with armbands to the wedding. The bodice is held by a triple-dragon fastener. She wears a simple ring on one finger, and her accessories are silver.
Her hair is long and light blonde with beaded braids, and her eyes (in the books) are violet.
Click to embiggen
Wig – eBay ($20)
Violet contacts – Pinky Paradise ($33.50)
Wedding dress:
Fabric – Fabricland ($)
Gray and purple dye – Michaels ($)
Arm bands
Dragon fastener
Silver sandals – eBay ($34.01)
Drogo
Drogo has long, braided hair and a braided beard. He wears lots of leather and an apron of hide. He has fabric wrapped around his knuckles and painted stripes on his shoulders.
He has a distinctive scar and heavy makeup.
Click to embiggen
Wig – eBay ($19)
Beard extention
Leather girdle
Apron of hides and leather
Leather bracers
Leather pants
Leather boots
Other Resources
I found this amazing Daenerys cosplay (in Italian).
This is the most amazing Khal Drogo cosplay you will ever see.
Review: All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How Fifty Years of Video Games Conquered Pop Culture
All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How Fifty Years of Video Games Conquered Pop Culture by Harold Goldberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have book hoarding issues. I bought this book over a year ago, and it’s been languishing on my shelf for over a year.* I picked it up to take a break between epic George R. R. Martin tomes, and I’m glad I did!
I love games and I’d say I consider myself a gamer, but I’m not as hardcore as a lot of dyed in the wool gamers. I’ve loved playing video games since my parents bought me a copy of Jumpman back in the day; I still spend an ungodly amount of time in front of a glowing screen.
I may be playing Jumpman here, or I may be hacking into the Pentagon. It’s hard to say.
Even so, I learned a lot about the history of video games reading this book. It’s by no means encyclopaedic, but there were games I hadn’t even heard of before described in the pages; I learned new things about the games I already knew and loved, too. Harold Goldberg has a lot of personal, hands-on experience in the gaming world, and his personal anecdotes make the text even more engaging. The only complaint that I have is that his writing style can be a bit jarring at times. His prose is engagingly conversational, then abruptly shifts to a formal tone peppered with obscure words in a heartbeat. The flow would have been improved immensely with a little consistency.
Overall, this was a quick, fun read. It rekindled my interest in creating video games, and I think I might take a few courses (or just read a few books!) on game writing and programming, as a result!
*That’s not true. It was on the floor under my computer desk; I tried to class it up with a little white lie.
Coco, from Flight of the Conchords! #recognise
I was watching Parks and Rec tonight (Pawnee Rangers — possibly my favourite episode), and a commercial came on for a show that starts tonight: Bunheads. So far as I can tell, it’s about a Vegas showgirl who becomes a small-town ballet teacher.
Also, it stars Coco, Bret’s short-term girlfriend on Flight of the Conchords.
Wasn’t Jem the bad guy?
I recently discovered that the amazing Eighties cartoon Jem is on Netflix. I was completely stoked to watch this childhood favorite, so I leapt right in and watched three in a row. It’s still wildly entertaining, but I have a fundamental issue: weren’t the Misfits kind of justified in being so angry at Jem and the Holograms?
The Misfits from left to right: Roxanne "Roxy" Pellegrini, Mary "Stormer" Phillips, Phyllis "Pizzazz" Gabor, and Sheila "Jetta" Burns
The Misfits are a group of girls who got a recording contract the hard way: they worked for it. How were Jem and the Holograms formed? Jerrica inherited a recording company, a computer with magical powers, a huge fortune, and clothes, cars and all the makings of a pop band. The computer’s powers let them alter their appearance, to impress the audience. If I worked my ass off to achieve a goal, and someone bought their way above me in the hierarchy, shouldn’t I be pissed? Shouldn’t I do everything in my power, and fight even harder to succeed? Why are they portrayed as the bad guys, and the poor little rich girl is propped up as the hero of the story?
Jem and the Holograms from left to right: Aja Leith, Shana Elmsford, Jerrica 'Jem' Benton, Kimber Benton, and Carmen 'Raya' Alonso
Do I think too hard when I’m watching cartoons? I mean, it does have amazing fashion, soap opera plots, random music videos, and an astonishing amount of action scenes. That’s a recipe for entertainment!
On a lighter note… my favorites were always Aja and Stormer. Now I remember where my blue hair fetish comes from!
EDIT: Oh my god, they’re both poor little rich girls! Also, why doesn’t Jem/Jerrica care that Rio knows he’s cheating on them with each other?
Goodbye, May! Hello, June!
May is over, and June is starting! I love the change of the month; it’s a nice way to divide the year into a comfortable cycle. I achieved some goals in May, and had some exciting experiences! It was memorable, but I have some more goals for next month. Hopefully June will be just as fun!
May
- I wrote something that wasn’t work-related almost every day… depending on your definition of almost.
- I lost a few pounds, by eating better foods and getting more active.
- I wore sunblock almost every day… except for the day I got a sunburn on my chest. It made me wonder if self-tanning sunblock exists. It does.
- I took in three excellent concerts; I was disappointed that Animals As Leaders didn’t perform with Thrice, but it was an amazing night, even without them.
- I bought both Baroness albums on vinyl, and I can’t wait to pick up the next double album in July. I may preorder it to make sure I can get the copy I want.
- I indulged in some amazing guilty pleasures, when I rediscovered some old favourite bands I listened to when I was younger. Nostalgia!
- I tried out a lot of new recipes, and cooked a lot of fresh, organic meals…
- … I also went out for several delicious, albiet unhealthy meals with friends and family. I can’t help it, I love to eat!
- I tried some wine coolers that I really enjoy, and tried self-tanner with some success. Summer has begun!
- I enjoyed celebrating with family. Mother’s Day was great, and seeing Emily dance at her recital was so much fun!
- I discovered that Jem is on Netflix. I am truly, truly, truly excited! It’s outrageous. I loved this show so much when I was a kid. I think this may be my next wave of nostalgia!
June
- Next month, I want to aim for at least 30 minutes of activity, four times per week. I’m planning to walk or jog to work some days; I signed up for a membership at the gym at work so that I can shower if I walk, jog, or bike to work. Plus, I can use the gym at lunch when it’s gross out, or I don’t have time to exercise. Some days, I’ll bring a lunch to work and eat at my desk, then take a break to use the gym for an hour!
- Incidentally, it’s five kilometers to work, and I want to use the couch-to-5K app on my phone. Coincidence? (Entirely.)
- I want to stick to my no-pop commitment. I’ve been drinking tons of water and tea, and it feels fantastic.
- I want to save some money for Disney World. I’m going with Brandon this September, and I’m pretty excited! It’ll be our first big trip together, which should be awesome. I hope it sets a good precident for Hawaii next year!
- I want to read A Storm of Swords, even though I wasn’t crazy about the last book. The TV show can’t be missed, and I’m starting to think I might like to be surprised by the writers of the show…
- I want to write some more in-depth entries, rather than an entry every day. If I miss too many days, I may have to go back to short entries, to keep up my practice, though!
- I also want to start working on a bigger writing project. I haven’t worked on a project for a while, and I need to sink my teeth into one!
- I want to organize my stuff in our apartment. I’ve still got stuff all over, and I’d like to have usable workspaces for the things I want to do. Plus, I still haven’t done any of the entertaining I’ve been meaning to. I wish we had a balcony or yard!
