July Life Update: Manchester Comic Con 2017

Hi readers, 

Yesterday, I went the Manchester Comic Con for the very first time. I was really excited and it had taken me an age to decided what to wear! Being a big Steampunk fan, I decided that would do, so I went with the costume I'd brought to wear later this year at the Leeds Steampunk Fair. I was worried, I might be the only Steampunk person there, but there were a few others, so I didn't feel that alone! There was also a section for Steampunk, though there wasn't a lot for sale there. There was a stage where talks about what it was and how people discovered Steampunk etc. 

My boyfriend dressed as his favourite anime character and he got stopped often for people to take photos. I got asked like three times and the third time was actually from someone I half know from playing Dungeons and Dragons! My boyfriend looked so dashing in his costume and I was happy as our costumes kinda went together. He had a great time and since it was his first time too, it was so nice for us both to share it. 

There were lots of people dressed up as so many different things; mostly it was anime, comics and games characters, but I saw Jack Sparrow, the Mad Hatter, a Big Daddy and Little Sister from Bioshock (Unfortunately didn't get a photo!) a T-Rex and Pikachus. I also saw lots of Stormtoopers, Batmans, Spidermans, Harley Quinns and Jokers. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed seeing all the different characters and he pointed out everyone I didn't know to me.    

There was a lot to see and do! Too much for only a few hours really. We didn't see any of the speakers and we didn't queue to meet any celebs. We did see them from a distance though; Warwick Davis and Chris Barrie. I would've liked to meet them but it was a bit expensive for me. Most of the other celebs didn't seem to be there at the times we walked by. I would have liked to hear some of the speaker stuff too, but it was busy and we'd not looked at the timetable for what was on. - Thing to remember next year!   

I loved all the stalls that were crammed together selling geeky things. Even though sometimes you had to wait to get close. I saw tons of soft toys- mostly Pokemon, Totoro and other Japanese icons.   There were many action figures, covering a whole range of themes and styles. There was also the model robot kits my boyfriend likes. The other stalls were selling; comic books, manga, photos, prints, drawings and other collectable items. There was an independence section where you could get an artist to sketch you! There was lots of interesting things in this part and I wished there'd been more time to look. There was a section for food places too and we had pizza for lunch as that was an easy thing to share. Plus, I didn't want to spill anything on my dress!

Then we found a second hall which we'd missed because we'd not walked in that direction. This was more of a games and a kid's play area. There was a professional photo stage, a copy of the Game Of Thrones throne. They also had two cars; a police car and Kit. It was a brief wander as we were on the edge of leaving early. I wish we could have stayed longer but unfortunately, my costume was giving me a lot of trouble, plus I was hot and tried. 

I did buy somethings because you can't really go to a Comic Con and not! I got a fan, which was expensive but so worth it as I was far too hot and having a breeze was nice. A large Jolteton soft toy - once again expensive but he's so soft and cuddly! Jolteon is my favourite Pokemon and I just couldn't leave him behind. I got some choco-banana flavor Pocky and an interesting strawberry drink that had bits of like strawberry jelly in it. I was half attempted to get some of the Lego figures to go with the Batman set my boyfriend brought me and there were so many other things I could've brought, but I'm so trying to save money at the moment. It's needed for Sweden in 2 weeks time (Yes, I got my passport now!) Leeds Steampunk Fair in October and some parts of my car because it needs a service. 

I had so much fun at my first Comic Con and I learnt a lot too! Next year, I'm going to try and make things better so I can have more fun. I'm so going to make sure the costume I'm wearing is comfy. Even though my dress was nice, I kept catching it when I was walking and I was worried other people might do to, so I had to keep carrying it. The corset I was wearing wasn't comfy after a few hours and come undone at the bottom too. I ended up taking it off before we went home as I'd had enough. My feet also hurt, despite my boots being a good fit. Plus, I so needed to bring a better bag! 

It was very hot, not just because of the summer and the people, but due to there not being much of a good circle of air. So, I might wear my Steampunk costume from last year's Leeds. Half tempted to do that this year too for going back again.Though I might have lost some more weight and be able to fit in my dress better. Wearing cooler, comfy clothes is key, so I can't imagine how hot people wearing bigger and heavy costumes - like the furries and full body suits, felt! 

I'm also going to find like a timetable of what's going on so we could see a few of the talks etc. Maybe see which celebs will be there too. We did know some of them this time but there was more then I remember. Maybe a map of the halls would also be useful! It's easy to get lost in all the stalls. Saving more money to buy a few more things would be handy too. 

Most importantly, is making sure my camera works and taking more photos! That was one of my biggest regrets. I took only 20 odd on my phone and then when I got my camera out to take some photos of people dressed, up my camera took two photos then to told me there was a problem with the memory card and didn't work again. Though it seems I didn't put the memory card back in right and after fixing that it seems okay again. I think also, stopping and asking people was a bit challenging for me, but most people will let you if you ask and there's enough chances to jump in when other people are taking photos too. 

Overall, I had great fun and I can't wait to go again!      

Book Review: Bioshock Rapture by John Shirley

Hi readers, 

Today, I'm finally bring you my review of the Bioshock novel. Those of you that have read my life up date posts will have noticed I've been playing games one and two for a little while now. I did pick up this book before and I read a little of it then put it down. That was because it wasn't set in the 'Rapture' the games where and I really wanted it to be. I really love the abandoned, dystopia feeling you get from the Rapture in the games and it feels so real to me. I often imagine what it must have actually looked like and the novel does help with that. 

I picked this book up again halfway through playing the first one, just because I felt like giving it another shot and I knew it'd have some interesting background information. It's a very well written and true to the games story. It includes all the main characters from both games and you get to learn a lot about their backgrounds. I know in the games, you learn too, but this goes into more depth. There's also a nice tie in with the use of the voice records and some lines are quoted from the games, which just brings you to thinking about that moment in the game. 

For those of you who haven't heard of Bioshock, you might find this book a bit hard to get into and understand. Even though all the right information and the description of characters and settings are really good, it really is aimed at the players. And whilst, I think most of the players will like it, there are a few that maybe won't, just because if you've played the games well enough and a few times, there's not a lot new to be learnt about the main characters or the creation of Rapture from this novel.

The novel starts with a prologue set in 1945 New York City with Andrew Ryan, a millionaire business man, deciding to began his dream of building an underwater city. The idea behind it is to escape the control of the government but also to provide safety from the growing threat of nuclear war. Ryan wanted the best people from Earth to live in Rapture and able to develop scientifically and creatively with no rules to stop them. Ryan comes across as an interesting character in the novel with a scarred background which drives him. 

The actual main protagonist of the novel isn't actually Ryan, it's his chief engineer Bill McDonagh as the novel focus on his life and development a lot. By chance Bill meets Ryan when he comes to do some plumping and Ryan takes an interested in him. Slowly, Bill is let onto the secret building of Rapture out in the Atlantic Ocean. He then gets to work and live in Rapture and becomes Ryan's left hand man. (On the right is the chief of security).

The rest of the plot reveals how Frank Fontaine got into Rapture and his work with the scientists, Tenenbaum and Suchong to discover and develop ADAM -found in sea slugs-and EVE-which they make. Thus, meaning people could change their DNA and gain super human powers. However, there is an addiction to it and also some side effects so the splicers were born. When the ADAM starts running out, it's discovered that little girls with the implanted slugs can find and gather ADAM. They become Little Sisters, but even though they become immortal due to the slugs, they still need protecting and so the Big Daddies where created. 

Then there's the fall of Rapture and how that all came about. The ending was interesting with Bill trying to escape with his family and not being able to as no one is allowed to leave Rapture. I did find it sad because I'd got attached to Bill! 

I did find this novel a bit hard going due to the science fiction genre and my dyslexic brain. Though in the end, I'm glad I got through it. I'm sure though if I hadn't played through Bioshock and didn't love it then I won't have bothered with the book. But that's just me. I think that people who like science fiction with a utopia and dystopia theme will enjoy it. 

Overall, this novel is really aimed at fans and players of the Bioshock games. I like the writing and the characters, I liked learning more about the different character's backgrounds and the creation of Rapture. But though, I still feel that the games are better! 

Thanks for reading and I'd loved to hear your thoughts. 

I'm off to London tonight, so next week will be kicking off a new month with a life update about that. Till then.      

   

  

Images from: 

Amazon.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioShock