Avengers Infinity War ((NO SPOILERS))

I don't know about you guys, but Antho had bought our tickets to see the momentous, much-anticipated Infinity War (in 3D) weeks before it actually came out. Marvel has been building up to this movie for a decade now, and it's built up an immense universe with a huge cast of heroes rushing in to save the world, time after time...but what if they can't? Is there ever going to be a threat that is too great for Earth's (and the Galaxies') greatest heroes? That seems highly improbable, given how successful our heroes have been in past movies, but when the newest menace appears on the scene, that big Purple guy with the ballsack for a chin, he poses a much larger threat than any of his predecessors... except, maybe, Ego? Because the dude was a celestial, a literal planet capable of creating life like a god, so...but Thor himself is actually a God... so I digress. What even is Thanos? Aside from a big mean purple hero eating machine, I mean. In some of their previous installments, they've touched on this idea of their fallibility a bit, giving Iron Man a case of PTSD and some cosmic dread when he has a vision of impending doom, but for the most part the Avengers and friends have done a pretty bang up job at keeping Earth (and the Galaxy) safe enough. There have been civilian casualties, and damages, which was what lead to the events of Civil War, but for the most part we haven't lost any of the major players or important battles.  

What this all translates to, for Infinity War, is a movie with a lot of moving parts and a lot of anticipation. There's a huge cast of beloved heroes necessitating screen time and character development... because despite having most of our heroes fleshed out and developed in their own individual character films, there has to be some grounding and development in this movie for the consequences or results to have weight. We've had so many new characters introduced into the MCU in recent years: Tom Holland's Spider-man, Ant-man, Black Panther, Vision, Doctor Strange... So one of the movie's first challenges is bringing all of these individuals together, somehow- which is where Thor Ragnarok branching into the galactic space helps, as it gives sufficient backing to Thor running into the Guardians crew, but we still have to unite all our Earthbound heroes, too... and get to the meat of the plot, the conflict, the epic battles... Even though the movie is 2 hours and 40 minutes, it felt rushed and some crucial plot points felt shortchanged in their brevity to me. Then there were glaring absences of people who, for all intents and purposes, SHOULD have been there. Where'd they go? Are we to assume their absence means the worst or the best? Or were they just deemed inconsequential bit players after gaining ground in our hearts in previous films? 

There's absolutely no doubt that there's going to be a follow up to this movie, because holy shit. I'm not going to discuss how it ends, just that it's not satisfying to me. At all. I knew going into it that there was going to be a cliffhanger ending because of course there is, but I still wasn't prepared nor was I happy. And now we have to wait at least another year for the second half.

After the credits wrapped, the girl seated next to us in the theater was complaining loudly that she had been dragged out for "half a movie". Not really sure how she would have survived 10 years of Marvel movies thus far and not concluded as much was bound to be the case, but not everyone watches Superhero movies for fun I suppose. I don't watch football but I know what the superbowl is, and that's essentially what this movie is for the Marvel Universe, right? 

Anyway, if you're a fan of Marvel you're invariably going to go see this movie if you haven't already gone. It's headed towards making $230 Million for opening weekend. If you're reading this post debating whether to go see it, just go. Be part of the zeitgeist. Peer pressure and all that.

As for me, I'm going to be processing all the emotions I'm left with after this movie and all the shit going down on the CW Flash lately. 💔

Sigh.

Thanks for stopping by!

💖

XOXO,

NAU

Vegas: Batman Commitment Ceremony at Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel

A couple days prior to Valentine's day proper, our good friend Blaze contacted us asking if we'd like to participate in a commitment ceremony at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel. There would be photographers / paparazzi there for Buzzfeed, commemorating the experience and giving us a few moments of potential internet fame under our belts, and to top it all of the event was going to be hosted by Batman! How could we possibly say no to such a proposition? Antho has gone above and beyond for Valentine's days in the past, like the time he signed off on a townhome for us and got the keys so he could surprise me with our new home on Valentine's a few years back, so it'd be hard to top that but this was definitely up there! The whole experience was really cheesy and fun, and we'd discussed in the past how we'd like to have the ceremony officiated/hosted by Batman when we got married, so it's pretty outrageously cool that the varying coincidences and circumstances just so happened to make that occur. 

And on Valentine's day, no less. It was pretty romantic, there was even Michael Keaton's Batman theme playing to enhance the Gotham-noir mood. There was a dense fog and a mysterious reveal, and then the Dark Knight was there, guiding us through the process. 

You might be wondering what the difference between a commitment ceremony and an actual wedding is... basically it boils down to paperwork. A commitment ceremony is a way for couples to publicly celebrate their love and make vows to eachother, like in a wedding, but there's no marriage certificate involved so no legally binding contracts. Traditionally commitment ceremonies were a way for couples who might not have legal access to marriage to have the same affirmation of their love and dedication among friends and family. Our good friends Mae and Stefano joined us, as did Blaze though he was technically working still for a large portion of the evening so he couldn't socialise as much. It's all good, though, as we were able to spend some time together after everything was said and done! Also, his hard work is what led to us getting most of these photos and the video, so we're extremely grateful for him! The girls from Buzzfeed were sweethearts too, and while we didn't get to talk to them much because they were busy working we wish them both well and look forward to seeing what they create with all the footage they captured of not just us but many other happy couples they witnessed that day.

Overall it was a wonderful experience. We got the brighter lit of all these photos and a video of the entire ceremony for ourselves which is a great keepsake! The owners of the chapel were quite hospitable and lovely, the decor fun and the theme entertainingly and thoroughly executed. I mean, look at all that fog, guys! The chapel also does Rocky Horror Picture Show weddings, Oompa Loompa weddings (which Antho and I both cheered at when we saw it on their sign), Star Trek, and countless other themes to choose from! During our time there we saw a couple getting a Medieval style wedding where they were dressed in full garb and entered the chapel via a stunning cart pulled by knights. This place is a blast! Highly recommend it if you're ever looking to get hitched in Vegas, or at least commit. Since we didn't have rings prepared or anything, the chapel provided some for us. They were rubbery light up rings, which was fun! They have a wide variety of options available, so you don't have to go low-end like we did. 

Another Valentine's Day in the books, and another tough one to beat. I wonder what's gonna happen next year!

😂

Anyway~

Until next time!

💓

XOXO,

NAU

Vegas: Zappos Fandom Friday 2016-03-25

On Friday, March 25th I was lucky enough to participate in Zappos Fandom Friday event! Zappos, for those not in the know, is an online retailer based in my quaint little home town of Las Vegas, Nevada. On top of being a successful company that ranks as one of the best in country to work for,  Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has taken a very active role in helping to revitalise downtown Las Vegas, leading the way in it's resurgence as a popular tourist & local hipster destination. And yes, if you read the Wired article I linked there, it's true; there is a giant praying mantis that shoot fire in Downtown Vegas, located in front of the Downtown Container Park. Thanks, Tony.

As a participating artist/vendor at the event, I got to hang out in their lobby area and partake in all the nerdy goodness afoot! There were many super talented artists, groovy vendors, cosplayers, banging DJs, and even some llamas. 

Yes, llamas.

Gosh they're cute! 

And really, it was a very cool event to attend. If I'm not mistaken, this was the first ever Fandom Friday thanks in no small part to Rogue Toys! Rogue Toys partnered with Zappos to get the gears rolling on this event and I'm so grateful they did. It's always great seeing new opportunities and events pop up for the artistic community in this city! And what a fun event this was; there were dancing storm troopers, amazing cosplay, fantastic original art, live performances by Decaying Tigers, arcades games free to play, food trucks, and fun and games for all involved!

I came out with some limited edition Batman Vs. Superman prints in honour of the new movie. Have you seen it? Antho and I had already watched it by the time I went to the event, but I made sure not to give away any spoilers...but I didn't really get much opportunity as almost everyone I asked about the movie admitted to being less than excited to see it...womp womp. 

Even so, I managed to sell a few of the prints. ^_^ I'm thinking of putting them up on Etsy, but I have a few Superhero events left here in town first so I'll see how they do. The nice thing about prints is once they're made you have them, so even if I didn't sell out of them at the event I'm glad to have gone! 

How often do you get to encounter random llamas or dancing Storm Troopers, after all?

This is going to be an image heavy post, so be forewarned ye of sluggish internet!!

Also, if you see yourself or anyone you know and want me to include their name or remove photos, please contact me ASAP and I'll be happy to oblige!