This is a test of the Mugar Omnimax Theatre.

I was brain dumping at a friend on the most inexpensive ways to join the Legions, be it 501st Legion or Rebel Legion, and I thought, wait, I should save this for later. Here goes. :)

Terminology & background notes:
* The CRL is the Costume Reference Library, which is what costumes are judged against. Note that it's not the costume that's approved, it's the costume on the person that's approved - the costume has to be proportional on you.
* The CRLs are updated as the fans get better access to source material and as technology gets better. What was approved 5 years ago may not be approved today.
* Caveat emptor! Lots of stuff that's sold won't be approved. Look for claims that stuff is 501st or Rebel Legion approved, and then investigate further if that's actually true or if they're just blowing smoke.
* Do research before spending. Ask many questions. I've heard stories of people spending lots of money, only to find out that their stuff is not even close, so they get super frustrated and give up. Nobody wants that to happen.

501st Legion

The cheapest is probably the Imperial Bridge Crew. CRL: http://databank.501st.com/databank… The nice thing about this costume is that it's also the basis of the TIE Reserve Pilot http://databank.501st.com/databank… which then expands into the TIE pilot http://databank.501st.com/databank… (the ROTJ version is slightly different, of course).

The correct answer to "where can I buy some of this stuff?" is "ask the Detachment forums". Costumes are grouped into detachments, and you can ask around for the latest info on vendors. This is where caveat emptor really enters: sometimes vendors will stop doing a product, or their quality will fall off, or something.

To give a ballpark, here's my understanding of research I did months ago:
* hat ($64) from sewing jenny
* flightsuit ($120) + belt ($60) from wampa wear
* jackboots are on your own - this is where women often have a much easier time than men, given that boots are more commonly made in women's sizes.
So call it $250 plus boots as a baseline.

Edit: oh right, cosplaysky.com has been working with the 501st to update their stuff to be CRL approved, and they're really driving prices down. See? Research. Do it. :) Hats for $18 from them.

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Rebel Legion

I'm not actually sure, but I suspect a generic Jedi may be the cheapest route. Certainly a fun route; it's possible that a Rebel Fleet Trooper is cheaper, but their helmets may cost quite a bit.

CRL: http://www.rebellegion.com/jedi-co…

I got most of my costume from Khloes, an etsy shop. $145.
Belt, I made on my own; if you buy a belt + 2 pouches, I'd guess that might be $80.
Boots, again, on your own.
You need 3 of 4 extras; I went for food capsules ($20) instead of a robe, because robes are never cheap.
Lightsaber, figure $100 for a cheap one from Ultrasabers. (If you want sound, add $100; if you want a cooool looking saber, that's more like $150 base. An all-up saber is easily $450.)
So call it $345 plus boots.

If you're willing to sew and/or make your own belt, you can probably make the costume for $60 and the belt + pouches for $30. Not surprisingly, a lot of people go this route. (You can also 3D print the food capsules for $9, but they break easily, so I found it wasn't worth recommending.)

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All this is worthless if you don't like people in your local Garrison & Base. (501st chapters are called Garrisons; Rebel Legion chapters are called Bases.) So before you do anything, find out where your groups are and signup to wrangle a few events and meet people. Wranglers are like theatre techs - just as the on-stage people can't look good without help, so the Legions depend on their wranglers. Wrangling should be free and a very easy way to figure out "hey, do I want to spend my time with these people?".

To find your local garrison, go to http://501st.com/maps/index.php

To find your local base, go to http://newsite.rebellegion.com/bas…

In closing, as they always say: may the Force be with you. :)

In 2011, I ran my first marathon, the Cape Cod marathon. I blogged about it, but since all those posts are friends-locked, I can't point random people to it. This post is public, and is a recap of all those posts.

...except that lj can't handle a post that long, so go read the original over at dreamwidth:

http://dcltdw.dreamwidth.org/37611…

I think it's time for another game of It Was A Dark And Stormy Night (but hopefully with a better implementation than the first time). So: if you like (and especially if you're tagged), respond to *this* post to continue the story, such that the first-level responses are just the story continuing. Feel free to comment on first-level responses as you wish: exuberant applause, wild speculation, apparent errors, etc. Keep it positive, please.

If you'd like to fork the story at any point into your own lj, feel free. My suggestions are that you keep the fork as a public-level entry, and that you leave an LJ reply at the point where you forked for others to follow.

All are invited to play; feel free to point others to this post.

It was a dark and stormy night.

The wind smashed the rain up against the glass panes of the windows. Inside, the candles, unperturbed, lent a soft light to the wood-panelled cafe. The cafe was fairly empty: two couples at two different tables engaged in quiet conversation, and a man seated alone near the back. The man wore unremarkable clothing: a dark blue shirt, typical enough for an office or casual wear, black slacks. A single small gold earring in his left ear was the only unusual thing about him.

The man sits with his back to the wall, playing with a deck of cards. He quietly shuffles, deals out a hand of six cards, examines them, and then re-stacks the deck, only to repeat. The espresso on the table, untouched, grows cold.

The tinkling of bells announces a newcomer, a woman well-wrapped in a fashionable dark brown coat. The proprietor, a large man with a white apron neatly wrapped around him, hurries forward. She orders a latte, extra sugar, and as the proprietor hurries into the back room, the woman shrugs out of her coat, which allows her to surreptitiously eyeball everyone in the room. With a casual manner that only an accomplished actress could pull off, she meanders over to the man seated by himself.

"Six cards?" the woman asks the man. "I haven't seen someone playing shumashi in years."

The man looks up with a blank look. "Actually, it's a variant called tallou."

"I lost a lot of kallan playing that once."

The man immediately gets up and quietly walks out. Without hesitation, the woman takes his seat and grabs the deck of cards. She expertly palms the bottom card and is wholly unsurprised to see, instead of a normal playing card, a written note.

"Well, well, well. Operation deva_fagan, is it?" she says under her breath.

The test will be at MIT, in the Exercise Room in the duPont building. To gain access, you need to enter the Z Center. For MIT alumni, note that the doors into duPont behind w20 are now permanently closed, so you have to enter via the Z center.

We'll be starting at 12:30pm.

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Note that the Exercise Room isn't air-conditioned. There are large fans, though, so yay, plus water fountains right outside the room, whew. Dress comfortably. :)

I'm testing this weekend, woo.

I need to compile a guest list to let people in, so please let me know by Wednesday. If you are interested, or maybe interested, in attending my second-degree black belt test, please drop a comment here. It's okay if we include your name and you don't show up -- it doesn't cost us anything -- but it may be hard to add your name at the last minute.

Sat, Aug 7th
MIT
12:30p-2:30p test and Q&A
Reception to follow for all, and if anyone is still around, we'll probably form an early dinner mob at 4pm-ish.

This and next weekend, there'll be shuttle service between Kendall and Park St, for track improvements at Charles/MGH.

And now, for something completely different.

If you are interested, or maybe interested, in attending my second-degree black belt test, please drop a comment here. We're in the midst of logistics planning, so we'd like to make sure we have enough chairs. :)

Sat, Aug 7th
MIT
12:30p-2:30p test and Q&A
Reception to follow for all, and if anyone is still around, we'll probably form an early dinner mob at 4pm-ish.

From http://mbta.com/rider_tools/transi… :

RED LINE DIVERSION
Due to signal improvements a diversion of service is required Sunday July 11th between Alewife and Harvard Stations. Starting from the beginning of service to the end of service on Sunday July11th a substitute bus shuttle will run in both between Alewife and Harvard Stations. Please allow extra time to your commute. 7/7/2010 11:48 AM

Quoting myself:

I'll be testing for ni-dan, or 2nd degree black belt, sometime probably this summer. Best guess so far is Sat, Aug 7th.

Everyone is invited.

For those who came to my shodan test, it'll be similar but different. There'll be a panel of black belts, and it'll be just me. However, this time, rather than the panel saying "do this... now do that... now do this other thing", my job this time is to write the test itself.

Okay, date/time is set. It is indeed Sat, Aug 7th.

Here's the schedule:

Test commences 12:30.
Nominally ends at 2:30; this may slip until 3pm due to Q&A.
3-4, reception in the Z center.
Post-testing food outing to occur after 4; location TBA (high likelihood we'll decide on the spot at the reception).

I'll post reminders closer to the event, as non-MIT people will need to be on a guestlist in order to attend. If you already know that you'll be attending, woo, I'd love to know, so feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment. :)

I'll be testing for ni-dan, or 2nd degree black belt, sometime probably this summer. Best guess so far is Sat, Aug 7th.

Everyone is invited.

For those who came to my shodan test, it'll be similar but different. There'll be a panel of black belts, and it'll be just me. However, this time, rather than the panel saying "do this... now do that... now do this other thing", my job this time is to write the test itself.

There'll probably be a post-test reception and a post-reception dinner mob.

If you're the type to mark your calendar, now you know.