Frenzy! Thy name is me.

86 days until Dragon*Con 2013.

That's 86 days, 20 hours, and two handsful of minutes until D*Con 2013, and we are in a feverish frenzy over this way. Costumes have been locked in, and we are working to see these ideas come to fruition.

Of course, the main obstacle is cashola, but that's an entirely different post.

Here they are, in no particular order (except for the steampunk, which will be worn Sunday):

G.I. Joe:  We're talking the action figures, not the movie. Because of the beard, it was instantly decided by the group that I would be Shipwreck. I'm sorta okay with that. I mean, honestly, who doesn't want to be a drunken sailor on perpetual shore leave who has an equally drunk parrot on his shoulder?

But, friends, do you have the slightest idea how difficult it is to find U.S. Navy dungarees? Used to be as easy as looking left or right. Now, though, it's worse than looking for a needle in a haystack. It's more like looking for an invisible needle in a haystack the size of Rhode Island while wearing a blindfold. I have, however, found some suitable substitutes (I think). We shall see.

What I would rather do is Serpentor. Yeah! Serpentor! Cobra Emperor! I've got some ideas cooking in the little gray cells about making a Serpentor costume. We'll see. I may work on it for next year's con.

Superheroes:  The group has decided, after much deliberation, to focus on anti-heroes. Specifically, methinks, we're going with Marvel anti-heroes. This one is not so nailed down as the other ideas. We've tossed around Mad Men meets DC, Batman villains, Justice Society, DC heroes, genderbending...you name it, we've discussed it. Right now, though, at this moment, it's the anti-hero. The womenfolk are planning on doing the two different Black Widows. That's as far as the planning as gotten. Not sure what the other guys are wanting to do (probably nothing). I was thinking of Moon Knight. I would loooooovvvvve to do Marc Spector. I've got some costume tweeks banging around up here.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Steampunk:  We're going with a completely made-up theme:  "Professor Marvelli's Miraculous Travelling Medicine Show! Amazing! Astounding! Lauded by the Crown Heads of Europe, Asia, and Beyond! See the Amazing Science of Dentistry! We Make Rain! See the Incredible Flying Beauty! Sole Purveyor of Dr Lazarus's Miracle Oil, Blessed by the Pope himself! Feel Better! Tastes Great! Weddings and Funerals Officiated! Wills Written! Sermons Preached! Problems Solved! In Town for One Day Only!" I made a top hat,

and I'm working on a suitable arm harness. I'm going to be The Dentist. Mrs. Maestro is going to the be the flying beauty, The Rainmaker. You know how there used to be people who went around the country claiming they could make rain? No? Pay more attention in history class!

Anyway, I decided to make her a device for flying. First, it was going to be a jetpack kind of thing. Then, it turned into retractable wings using a simple pulley system. Now, though, I have lost my mind. I came up with the great idea to make the retractable wings operate automatically. No more simple pulleys for me! With a flip of a switch, the wings open and close by themselves! Astounding! Awesome! Amazing! Only problem is that I have no stinking idea how to do it. I've been frantically teaching myself about electronics over the past couple of weeks. I think I have the basic concept down, maybe. Possibly. Hopefully. Now to put that concept into action. Action! If you never hear from me again, I've fried myself.

So, we've only got about two months to get these costumes finished. It'll take the last couple of weeks to refit, tweek, and adjust everything to make them just right. Hopefully, I can get stuff built, sewn, and glued together way before then. I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck!

Cheers!