5 Internet Things I'm Grateful For.

Hi Gang!
  I'm back and today, I am going to write about things that the internet offers that most people take for granted that I am so grateful exist. This lists items such as memes and also people because my internet scouring usually includes bloggers, youtubers, photographers and gamers that interest me.

05. Google Translate. I browse the internet in Google Chrome, simply because I am a Blogger blogger and I love how easy it is for everything to be in one place. When I'm on my Ipad, I also attempt to browse in Google Chrome, even though it came with Safari. The Google Translate Function is automatic a good portion of the time, so much so that sometime's I don't even realize the blog is in another language until I attempt to bring it up/view it somewhere else. Without Google Translate, I wouldn't be able to enjoy kick ass blogs such as: LazyKat or We are Knitters!

04. Hulu/Netflix. I absolutely adore the fact that I can watch movies, Korean dramas, Super old television programs, cartoons and anime on Hulu/Netflix. I chose them both, because they have equally great qualities. Netflix, has great movies and full episodes of Tv Programs, like the Flash, Arrow, Pretty Little Liars (albeit a season behind.) Hulu, allows me to watch things that aren't easily found like Subtitled anime; Brother's Conflict, Assassination Classroom, Korean Dramas. Old television shows and cartoons like: Milton the Monster, Danger Mouse, and Ellery Queen.

03. Bloglovin. It allows me to keep all my blogs in one place. I come across and read so many blogs a day, that it is nearly impossible to keep up with, if I didn't have Bloglovin, my blog registry would just be a complete mess. Like the other day, I had come across Sewaholic and didn't bookmark it, then I tried to go back to it, and couldn't remember the name for the life of me. I was freaking out until I realized that it was on my Bloglovin, I was looking for that blog for a good two full days! Plus, Bloglovin, also helps my readers keep up with me, in one spot.

02. Twitter. Twitter is my morning newspaper, I get all the news I need from my amazing Twitter Feed, especially things that people don't wanna talk about on the regular news, like the NAACP building that got bombed a month or two ago. Or that some amazing person is covering up islamophobic signs with drawn designs of Ms. Marvel. I use twitter to be updated and keep everyone else updated as well. I'm on there almost every day. Especially, when I can't sleep. Follow me if you wanna: I'm @noiremenarie !

01. The free availability to information. There is a reason they call the internet the information highway! I love how easy it is to learn something new on the internet. When it was books, you had to at least be in the ballpark of what you wanted to obtain and then search for books related on the topic, Ugh, book research was so much more difficult than the ease we have now. I love that I can just hop on google for literally anything that I wanna know. That's why I browse with so many tabs open, because I literally found things that I want to learn more about on every page I visit.

P.S. Make sure to visit Nerdette at Large (My Youtube Channel) For a new Video Every FRIDAY!

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel,
~Gabriella!~

read more

Au Revoir, Valentine's Day Weekend.

Hi Gang!

 I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day whether you spent it with the love of your life, a group of friends, or even just yourself and random movies on Netflix. This Valentine's day was a mish-mash of sorts. Dinner out, Saw a ballet, and copious amounts of Scary movies from the local movie rental place. I originally picked up the scary movies on the 11th, so we could watch them for the 13th, but then I got pulled into an extra shift at work, and the scary movies had to wait until Saturday.
 Saturday, We went downtown with my mother to the Aronoff to see a matinee of Alice (in Wonderland) I enjoyed it, but it wasn't nearly as good as last year, and as a matinee it was almost a lazy reproduction of what we've come to expect at the Cincinnati Ballet. Getting over that, it was a fun experience shared with love ones. There were no dancers to meet, unlike with Wicked, and no merch to be scored. I was rather unimpressed. We skipped across the street to have lunch at Penn Station, and there I scored 1 1/2 Large Fries, my secret weakness.
 The weather was absolutely abysmal and it was so windy, that while waiting for the light to turn green, The truck was shaking something terrible! I was really worried that we were going to be swept away before we could make it to the parking. I don't understand why they want to make downtown the hub of the town, but don't want to provide numerous, safe and affordable places to park! My mother and I had to pay 20 bucks to park! People who parked in a garage only had to pay 7, but they were also waiting in the freezing cold to get their car, even after we had talked for a bit and finished lunch.
 Alex and I had dinner at the Outback, one of our favorite places. We must go there pretty often, the bartender recognized us, and didn't card for our drinks. I got the Filet and Lobster tail, with a side of Shrimp Scampi, Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes, and the Wallaby Darned. It's kind of their take on a Peach Bellini, the first time I'd had it was really good, very peachy. This time, it was kind of lack luster, but Alex tells me that it probably had more alcohol in it this time, for most people I'm sure that was nice, but the next time, I'll definitely ask for more peach.
 I received red velvet Pancake Batter, and Strawberry Sauce, A new Super soft cyan skein of yarn, and the most adorable card ever! It was a great Valentine's Day, even without the gifts! I wore a Strapless Peplum top from Charlotte Russe, and a Pair of Faded Glory Platano Pants and Chocolate Chuck Taylors.

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel
Until Next Time,
~Gabriella!~

read more

Comics Roundup #5: Ten Comics to add to my Pull List

Hi Gang!
  The last couple of days have been rife with comic book news! With Convergence and End of Days so near both DC and Marvel have been practically bursting with new additions, and since New 52 is ending, I will definitely need to find something new to read. A lot of the titles that they are introducing sound great, and since I was a bit behind, it will be good to get the continuing titles that I was missing. Thanks to my amazing twitter feed, I've come across a bunch of new comics that I didn't even know was in existence. If you are on twitter Make sure you follow #blackcomicsmonth and #28daysofBlackcosplay !

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/6/7992463/all-female-avengers-a-force-marvel
https://twitter.com/anniew
http://marvel.wikia.com/Cindy_Moon_(Earth-616)

- Watson and Holmes published by New Paradigm Studios and Written by Karl Boilers. This is a reimagining of Doyle's classic characters, as African-American, in a more urban setting solving unique crimes. The cool thing about this is Holmes doesn't have the run of the show, they equally share the limelight, and the art looks so cool, I'm kind of really excited to read it, Comixology has #1 for 1.99, I'm going to invest, and so should you!


- Black Canary by Brenden Fletcher + Annie Wu. First, this is automatically in my list just because Black Canary is my favorite Heroine, she's getting a "fresh" start in her own solo, and it's written by the awesome man who gave me the New Batgirl and Gotham Academy with Babs Tarr and Becky loonan respectively. I am so stocked for this, why is June so far away?

- Silk #1 by Robbi Thompson + Stacey Lee. This is the perfect opportunity for me, to start fresh with the VAST Spiderman Universe! The art by lee looks amazing, and I really loved the art in Steed and Mrs. Peel, Which I will be picking up later as Well. Silk launches on the 18th of February.

- Spider-Gwen by Jason Latour + Robbi Rodriguez,  Gwen has always been one of my favoirte characters and it will be fun to see her not dead, and saving the world on her own! Plus, I totally dig the art, it's kinda futuristic but still reminds me of the 60's, and it's super colorful, all the things that bring me to a comic in the first place! Sometime this Febraury, I'll be picking it up, I haven't really heard a finitive date.

- A-Force by G. Willow Wilson +  Marguerite Bennet.  Again, I'm in love with the art, and the fact that it's the first all female Avenger's team, GO MARVEL! It gathers Great Marvel women from all over the UNIVERSE! I saw Storm, She Hulk, Jubilee, Rouge, Wasp just to name a few! It launches in may, I guess I'll just have to keep reading X-men, until it comes out.

- Storm by Greg Pak + Victor Ibanez
. I can't believe I just heard about it, it's already on issue 5! It is a must have, I hear the writing is good and the art that I've seen looks good to me. Plus, I am a fan and a woman of Color, I feel like it is my civic duty to read Storm's first Solo run! To me that is so HUGE! It's already on shelves, Grab it from your local, or Comixology!

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel,
Until Next Time,
~Gabriella!~

The Conversation Continues on Twitter! What #comics are you looking forward to?

read more

Handheld Mistress #30: The World Ends With You

 Hi Gang!
  So fresh off my Puzzle Fighter High, I decided to switch consoles, and try out the World Ends with you on my 3DS. If this game seems familiar, I actually bought it a year ago, but due to carelessness, I would up leaving it, and a group of games, I played frequently in an old apartment. After getting over the initial depression and disappointment, I decided that I needed to just suck it up and get new copies.
  I couldn't sleep the other night, so I booted it up. A collaboration between Jupiter and Square Enix, it definitely deserves a playthrough. The music is catchy, and it is one of the few games that I play with the sound on. The characters vaguely remind me of  Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy, which is actually one of the reasons I was so interested in picking it up in the first place.
  You start as Neku, a boy, with spiky hair and large headphones that wakes up in the middle of Shibuya with a timer etched into his hand, and a cellphone with the mission, Make it to 104 before time runs out or you will be erased. Neku, Shiki, Beat Rhyme and other players have been thrust into the Reaper's Game, to survive one week, completing different missions, before the time runs out and the Reaper's erase them.
  I made it to Day Four this morning, and am thoroughly enjoying the game, I don't think I have mastered it because there are still times, when my battle score is a D or lower, but I am moving through pretty quickly with a fairly low amount of restarts, and issues. I'm in love with the game play, and the ability to melee attack the Noise, instead of Final Fantasy's Tried and True Turned base Battle System.
  Aint Nobody got time for that. It is one of the reasons, I am starting to like this game so much more than Final Fantasy. I'm sure, that maybe now that I am older, and have a bit more patience I might attempt, and maybe even enjoy a Final Fantasy Game from beginning to end, but when it was super Popular, I just didn't have the will power to sit still for that long.
  Noise the monsters that show up in Shibuya UG, have the ability to give pins ( new skills for attacks) or Possess someone, they come in all different shapes, sizes and strengths, and I honestly can't wait to conquer them all. (See what I did there?) All in all, I highly recommend it to anyone with the ability to swipe across there touch screen with a stylus. Since I only have 4 Days of the Week left, I look forward to writing up a finished Post about it soon!

See Ya next Time,
Same Bat Time Same Bat Channel,
~Gabriella!~

read more

Handheld Mistress #29: First Finished Game of the year!

Hi Gang!
 I've been playing video games again! The other night, I purchased Puzzle Fighter Turbo II  HD Remix on PSN! If you have a PSN, my gamertag is Shadoette, we should totally play some time. I've been itching to play someone other than Alex and the computer! I've only had the game for two days, and I completed the whole thing! Now it's not like it is the most involved video game, it is a simple puzzler with like 9 levels per difficulty, but I completed each difficulty including EXPERT, with three different characters, I feel like that should be bragged about. Now onto my other games, that haven't even been touched. I'm coming for ya, and posts will be coming up soon!! In the mean time, Enjoy Puzzle Fighter, it really just makes me smile. I am hoping to do a lot more of these posts for the year!! I am hoping that I can start cleaning out my gamer cache and start getting new games.

As Always, the conversation continues on twitter, What games fill up your backlogs?

Until Next Time,
~Gabriella!~

read more

Cosplaying Goals for 2015

Hi Gang!
 I am taking a cue from Mia and creating a list of costumes I would like to create this year. I haven't cosplayed for a while, and I am literally itching to get back to it. With all the help I can forsee coming from scoping out  CosplayCents + The Geeky Seamstress archive's I'll be up to snuff to create some awesome stuff, even some of the super complex stuff on my Cosplay Bucket list. Below is the list that I am hoping to actually complete. There's 12 of them, but since it's already the middle of January, I'll have to put some of them on the back burner, or save them for future conventions!!!

- Sailor Uranus: One of my favorite sailor scouts ever! With all the hubub about Sailor Moon Crystal, I thought it would be the perfect time to bring back one of the favorites! Plus, it's a double wammy, I can use Haruka's wig in the King Costume a little further down.

- M: If you aren't aware; Monet St. Croix is a telepathic mutant. One of the few Muslim comic characters. I'm really digging her bodysuit, and the experience I gain from this will help with Lien Neville and Linna Yamazaki costumes later.

- Shermie: a favorite King of Fighters Character, one of the originals. Her Costume, is one of the simpler ones, a blazer, mini skirt and Leotard with a boob window, and then the wig is just a pony tail so easy to style.

- Lien Neville: Another King of Fighter's character, There's just something about a blonde wig, that I am just a huge fan of. She's definitely on the sexier side of my character choices. This should be easy to create her body suit with the experience of M's Costume, and then I just add a zipper. This will definitely be one of my favorite suits when I'm done.

- Hinaka: Also a King of Fighters character, she is perhaps the only one I have never come across in the game before. I chose her, because I like her costume, and it seemed pretty simple to put together. I am just jumping back into the swing of things, so I definitely don't want anything that is extremely scary, or involved.

- Mignon Beart: Have you figured out just how much I like King Of Fighters? It is one of my favorite arcade fighters, I used to tour the tournament circuit when I was younger and going to conventions all the time. Gotta get back into that as well. The costume isn't that difficult just multiple pieces on top of each other, I am looking forward to having a pink wig, pink is one of my favorite colors. She's a very upbeat character.


- "Grunge" Marceline: I have always been a fan of Marceline from Adventure Time. I knew that if I was going to start cosplaying again that Marceline would be one of the first costumes I would finish. This particular costume; Mini dress, Blazer, fishnets and tights, is definitely a great beginner costume.

- "Bunny" Bulma: Dragonball was one of my first animes, Young Bulma being one of my favorite characters. This costume is sexy without being racy. Honestly I am just looking forward to being in a bunny suit at a con and all that male attention. Joking Joking!

- King: King IS my favorite King of Fighters Character. She is always on my 3 piece team, and she is one of my "bucket List" Cosplay characters. A super easy costume, and I can use the same wig as with Haruka's Costume.

- Momoka: The Final King of Fighters Character, I am sure you guys are excited about that. Her costume is so adorable! This will be a super easy costume, and definitely one that I can pull off in the summer, without being too revealing. I also adore her fighting style very similar to Christie's in Tekken.

- Linna Yamazaki: Newbie to the Tokyo Bubblegum Crisis gang, and I am in love with her skinsuit. Maybe if I was a little more experienced I might attempt her outside mecha suit, but that is just way too scary to contemplate at the moment. Plus her hair is so similar to mine, that I can save money by not needing a wig.

- The Rocketeer: I am absolutely in love with the feel of her costume. It's totally 50's super pinup and I will wear whatever comes with garters. They've always been one of my favorite pieces of lingerie. I've already been looking into how I will make the mask, If it becomes too difficult, then I might commission it. Anyone know any awesome mask makers?

Until Next Time,
~Gabriella!~

read more

A Walk through the roses

Hi Gang!
 Personal style is back on the Menagerie, and I am hoping this time that it will be staying put.  Now, that I have a fancy camera, AND a doting boyfriend, issues of Outfit Photography should be a thing of the past! Once a month, my Mother's side of the family gets together and has breakfast/brunch and everyone comes together and talks about whatever has been missed. Generally, it lasts about two to three hours, and is filled with loud voices and cheerful laughter.
 Since it's a once a month thing, I take it upon myself to actually attempt have a sense of style and get dressed to confirm it. Between going to work, and staying at home with my gaming and my knitting, my everyday wardrobe consists of a tank and sweatpants, but I want to change that this year, so hence, I will be sucking it up and doing more style posts! We went to eat at Japanese Buffet, and it was DELICOUS! One of my favorite dishes is their crab casserole, to die for! It is one of my favorite restaurants in town, and I must admit that I stuffed myself.  I have more outfit details on my chictopia, which I plan on bringing back to life, along with outfit posts on the blog! I wore: Converse in Chocolate. "Knee-High" Socks. White Flowy Top. All Bought at Burlington. The Strapless Dress is From Rue 21.

As Always, the convo continues on twitter. Do you guys have any family traditions; other than Holidays?


Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel,
~Gabriella!~

read more