Like a decent number of goths, I’m a big fan of manga and anime.

In fact, a large enough fan that I’m actually a an ersatz producer. For a while, I had Australia’s largest and most widely distributed manga magazine, OzTAKU, pumping out an edition every few months. We got up to 7 issues before the money ran out because advertisers didn’t see the value in adults that’d pay money for comics and merchandise… Yeah, I know.

And this led me to drink! (more…)

It’s around this time of the year that people are beginning to make plans for their NYE partying.

Me, I don’t plan to go to parties. I plan the parties themselves.

If anyone’s interested, I’m organising a masquerade / cosplay night entitled Solstone.

The theme is Artefacts & Enchantments, so the thinsg people are wearing alone should be interesting. I’m hoping with the provision of booze that what they’re no longer wearing later in the evening will be more so for many attendees.

I’m not going to give a full spiel about what it is here. You can go to the site for that. But I will say why I’m putting it on (with the funding of Manifest).

Last year, I went to Euchronia and I had a fucking awesome time… but then again, I’m pretty into that sort of scene, and that kind of music. I also remembered what it was like being a social malcontent that didn’t really fit in with any of the regular crowds, and having to go to house parties that actually really sucked for NYE, except that one year where I got to see Half Moon Bay actually entirely ablaze.

Euchronia’s not happening this year. So strike one for me. No plans. Sure, I could go to one of the clubs out there and listen to the same music I listen to month in, month out, with the same people, in the same clothes, drinking the same drinks… and it’ll just be more crowded and more expensive than my usual night out. That’s strike two.

Strike three would be deciding not to do anything and host a party at home… Been there, done that, had to clean up afterwards and hazily remembered that the lack of hair on my hands and arms was actually caused by me drunkenly setting myself on fire with Bacardi 151.

No strike three this year.

So I’m putting on the most awesome cosplay event ever to grace Australia. Nerd focused, as opposed to Goth, because it allows me to put on a wider variety of acts, have a wider variety of people, and play a wider variety of music (Dr. Steel, anyone?). I can also indulge my hobby of cocktailing by having a few sake and ramune based cocktails. When that stuff is glowing under the UV lights and freaky blue LEDs, you’ll be amazed that it doesn’t eat out your stomach lining and it manages to taste that good.

I hope you’ll think about joining me there.

P.S. Cosplayers are pretty much like goths. Just becaused they’re dressed in stuff that’d make a stripper blush doesn’t mean they’re actually into you, or anything you’re into… Except perhaps the particular thing they’re dressed as. Whilst this may be a chance for you to live out your Final Fantasy X, do consider some restraint.

Some places make a drink called a Golden Geisha… It doesn’t have real gold.

Mine does.
The idea for this drink has been floating in my head for a little while, like little specks of gold, ever since I spotted another drink on a nerd blog involving Gold Schlager.

It got me thinking about a few things. The first thing that came to mind was actually the Dwarves of Discworld, and the way that they like to sing songs about it. Unfortunately, these songs tend to only have one lyric, but it’s really more about the meter, timing and emotion behind it than the actual meaning of the word(s). (more…)