a conspiracy of cartographers

i. Today is a Flight Rising open registration window! I have no idea what I'm doing over there besides HOARDING PRETTY DRAGONS; it kind of reminds me of Neopets only I already like it quite a bit more. I think I've already picked up most of my FR-playing friends by mentioning it on twitter, but just in case, I'm AriaWoods over there; feel free to hit me up!

ii. Amiel's birthday was this last week! Verity, very rightly, observed that basically the point of poly is to band together with one's SOs or metamours and sneakily plot nice gifts. So Verity and I baked Amiel a xenomorph cake. I say "Verity and I," but actually I mean I had the idea, we pooled ingredients, I was assistant while Verity baked and set everything up, and then at the eleventh hour when Verity had to run off to work, my friend Lauren stepped in and did most of the actual xenomorph cake-decorating. The end result was SO GREAT. ( Xenomorph cake photo beneath cut! )

iii. Uhhh did I mention how my D&D campaign is kind of my fandom? Now it is REALLY my fandom. We have a wiki and a kinkmeme and I just want to note for posterity that this is what happens when seven people with fannish urges keep getting together every Thursday night to create story together. SPONTANEOUS FANDOM.

Last weekend's New York adventures were such a good idea. Thursday evening was the Night Vale live show with oliviacirce, and it was SO GOOD. Cecil Baldwin's face is so great, and all their guest voices were delightful; I laughed so hard my belly hurt, and I hid in Olivia's shoulder from the scary parts, and I really hope they wide-release that episode sometime reasonably soon, because I want to yell with everyone about it! The cosplay was really great too: there were some hooded figures, a surprisingly large number of Scouts -- mostly from younger audience members who might actually be Scouts -- several Cecils with really impressive tattoos, and a super cute Carlos who did indeed have perfect hair. (I also spotted two Apache Trackers, one at the show and one at NYCC, but didn't collect myself in either instance in enough time to yell "WHAT AN ASSHOLE" after them.)

Comic Con was also pretty great! Went with polarisnorth, met up with hazellazer and nicoleanelle, though we didn't have the best time keeping track of one another; we did have some good hangouts and lunch and cosplay-spotting, though. I went as casual sundress Thor, and soon realized that this was a good costume in which to ask Loki cosplayers if I could give them a hug. Which was really interesting, actually! Everyone said yes, but most of the ones who were really into it, wanted to hug me back and talk &c, were being Lady Loki. I have no idea if this means anything! Some of them were also like "hey, thanks for asking," which ahhh oh god OF COURSE I WAS GONNA ASK. I think my favorite Loki encounter was one where Loki was this tiny lady in wearing Loki's end-of-Avengers costume, complete with chains and mask; she was the only one who hugged me like she was a super dangerous version of Loki, and the dude Thor she was with was really amused by it. All the Lokis were great, though! I didn't take pictures of most of them, because I didn't want to ask for a hug AND a photo, but one Lady Loki who'd made her own incredible costume did take a picture with me while we were out of the crowd crush.

( Sundress Thor on the New York subway, holding a Starbucks mocha that says 'Nicole' on the side cos the barista wildly misheard me saying Thor; me with the really excellent Lady Loki, in what may be one of the best pictures of me ever. )

Then I stayed over with Olivia; she sat me down with booze and cupcakes and proceeded to tell me about One Direction for like three hours. In the morning before I left we went to brunch with mistresscurvy and one of her friends, and it would've been One Direction all the time except that I kept insistently talking about Tom Hiddleston while having a mimosa. I love New York vacation? and pretending to be an adult? and then talking about RPF at brunch.

I'm pretty happy now, is what I'm saying here! I have a movie night with friends tonight, and D&D tomorrow, and really kind flexible work hours that are letting me do the last bit of the Avengers fic in a fit of madness. (On the last part! 87,000 words and counting! Gonna try to be done over the weekend! WHEEEE.) I managed to order a new computer today, and I have lots of art from con to put up around the apartment, and ... some days are better than others, but it's good right now.