Hey there,

It seems my original blogiversary post got lost somewhere among all the Christmas stuff, or perhaps it was tl;dr, so here's a brief reminder. I decided to extend it to 31 January and added another prize.

Hallo meine Lieben,
mein ursprünglicher Gewinnspiel-Post scheint im ganzen Weihnachtstrubel etwas untergegangen zu sein, vielleicht war er auch zu lang zum Lesen, daher möchte ich es hier nochmals zusammenfassen. Ich habe außerdem das Einsendedatum bis zum 31. Jänner (bzw. Januar für euch Deutsche ;)) verlängert und eine zusätzliche Gewinnoption hinzugefügt.

There will be one winner who can choose one of these prizes:

PRIZE A: Books of your choice up to a value of €15 from The Book Depository as long as you live in a country where they deliver free of charge (check here) - international

PRIZE B: A $15 gift certificate to Ninja Polish - international

PRIZE C: A beauty package with nail polish, eyeshadow, perfume samples and other fun stuff and a few surprises. - EU residents only. Non-EU residents will get different things due to shipping restrictions. For details see this post.

Es wird eine/n GewinnerIn geben, die/der zwischen den folgenden Preisen wählen kann:

PREIS A: Bücher im Wert von bis zu 15 € von The Book Depository (ihr wählt aus, ich bestelle, solange ihr in einem dieser Länder wohnt) - international

PREIS B: Ein Gutschein zu US$ 15 für Ninja Polish - international

PREIS C: Ein Beautypaket mit Nagellack, Lidschatten, Duftsamples etc. sowie ein paar Überraschungen. Kann nur in EU-Länder verschickt werden - außerhalb der EU bekommt ihr ein etwas anderes Paket. Details dazu gibt's hier.

RULES:
Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favourite fandom, or - if you're not the fangirl/boy type - favourite book, TV show or movie. It doesn't have to be an essay, but I'd like to see more than just a word or two. Make an effort to write a couple of full sentences that aren't just "thanks for the giveaway".
You don't have to follow me but if you like my blog (or tumblr or twitter), I'd be delighted if you did.

Make sure I can contact you somehow (e-mail visible in Blogger profile, mail it to boldly_polish (!at) yahoo [dot] com or put it in the post but NOT IN PLAINTEXT.)

I reserve the right to delete and disqualify inappropriate comments. Anyone trying to cheat by posting multiple times will be disqualified completely.

If you win and are under 18, I will need your parents' permission for you to give me your postal address (if required for your prize of choice).

This giveaway will run until the end of 31 January 2014 (23:59 CET - that's GMT+1) I will contact the winner by e-mail and they will have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise I'll draw another winner.

Open internationally, but some prizes are limited to certain regions.
Once I order/send you the prize, it is out of my hands and I cannot accept any responsibility or liability for its safe delivery nor warranty for the items. All  prizes are paid for by me and are not sponsored in any way. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash.
 

TEILNAHMEREGELN:

Hinterlasst mir hier einen Kommentar, in dem ihr mir von eurem liebsten Fandom erzählt – oder welches Buch, welche Fernsehsendung, welcher Film, Comic oder Schauspieler euch besonders gut gefällt. Es muss kein Aufsatz sein, aber ich wünsch mir einen Kommentar mit zumindest ein paar vollständigen Sätzen, die über „Super Gewinnspiel“ oder „Danke für die Auslosung“ hinausgehen.
Ihr müsst mir nicht folgen, aber falls euch mein Blog (oder tumblr oder twitter) gefällt, würd ich mich natürlich darüber freuen!

Hinterlasst mir eine Kontaktmöglichkeit! (E-Mail im Bloggerprofil sichtbar, per mail an boldly_polish (klammeraffe) yahoo (punkt) com oder im Kommentar - dort aber nicht ausgeschrieben, sondern so "verschlüsselt" wie meine hier.)

Ich behalte mir vor, unangebrachte Kommentare zu löschen und vom Gewinn auszuschließen. Bei Mehrfachteilnahme wird die Person disqualifiziert. 

Bei Personen unter 18 benötige ich im Gewinnfall eine schriftliche Zustimmung der Eltern zur Übermittlung eurer Wohnadresse an mich. 

Die Teilnahme ist bis 31. Jänner 2014 um 23:59 (MEZ) möglich. Die GewinnerIn wird von mir per Mail kontaktiert und hat dann 72 Stunden, um zu antworten, sonst wird neu ausgelost.

Die Auslosung ist international, allerdings gibt es einigen Gewinnen regionale Einschränkungen.

Nach dem Versand bzw. der Bestellung des Gewinns kann ich keine Verantwortung für die Lieferung übernehmen. Alle Preise wurden/werden von mir bezahlt und sind in keiner Weise gesponsert. Keine Barauszahlung und keine Gewähr.

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Spoiler warning: This post contains spoilers for episodes 1 and 2 of Sherlock Season 3 (The Empty Hearse and The Sign of Three) and a minor spoiler for Doctor Who Series 1 Ep. 10 (The Doctor Dances). The nail art and screenshot contain very mild spoilers. Also, this isn't a proper review but more of a reaction post.

First of all, dear fellow BBC Sherlock fans, I’d like to apologise for punching you right in the feels. Don’t think the nail art is sad? Stay away from this post until you’ve watched the episode or you’ll be majorly spoiled. Seen the episode but still don’t have enough feels about that scene? Listen to this, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 I don’t know about you, but I had to take this off at the earliest opportunity because I couldn’t deal with the sadness every time I looked at my hand. 

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

"The Sign of Three" ©BBC One*

But wait, it’s a happy and funny episode, right? In fact, it’s the funniest Sherlock episode ever.  Best man speech! Drunk deductions! “Am I a pretty lady?”

Half a year has passed since Sherlock’s sudden reappearance, filled with cases (check out John’s blog!) and, more importantly, wedding preparations. Sherlock is the best wedding planner and maid of honour anyone could ask form throwing himself into the wedding preparations with a fervour usually only reserved for particularly interesting cases. He vets the wedding guests (Sherlock’s mini-me is just the best thing ever! Everybody’s parent!lock fics just came true). He even comes up with several napkin folding suggestions and tries to tell Mary he learned it for a case.  "I’m not John, I can tell when you’re fibbing." – "Learned it on youtube."

Yeah, Mary’s totally running her boys.

Poor Sherlock. The disbelief in his eyes as he realised John considered him his best friend was heart-wrenching. Oh Sherlock, you didn’t know?

He may not be the best best man ever, but he’s definitely the best wing man ever (at least for weeding out the bad ones).

For once, my nail art actually looked better with a glossy coat. Here's the  matte version for comparison.

Sherlock’s definitely off his game though. Twice during the wedding he makes “one more deduction than I was expecting”. The emotions he discovered during his absence and after his return are making things harder. Alone used to be what he had, “alone protects me”. But he didn’t realise he was lonely until he had had John’s companionship and then had to leave for two years (see his comment to Mycroft in the previous episode, when Mycroft says he’s not lonely: "How would you know?")

So now he deduces the sign of three (turned that title around completely, furthest departure from any A.C. Doyle titles so far, content-wise) and realises it is indeed the end of an era. But he vows to protect them, to always stick by them. It is as touching a scene as I’ve seen with the three of them. And then he sends them to dance.

Mary: "But what about you?"– John: "We can’t all three dance. There are limits." – Sherlock:  "Yes, there are."

This is adorable and sad at the same time all by itself, but if you’d like to add some subtext, remember how Moffat used "dancing" as a euphemism for sex in Doctor Who? Yeah. Also, want some more crazy talk about nebulous hidden references? That episode, The Doctor Dances, is the one in which “just this once, everybody lives“. As does everybody in this episode. (Though to be fair, nobody died in The Empty Hearse either. Told you it was nebulous. It’s most likely just a coincidence (even if the universe rarely is that lazy), but it’s a pretty one.)

But Sherlock doesn’t get to dance, does he. Not even with head bridesmaid 'it’s a shame you’re...whatever you are' Janine. Even though he loves to dance so much...

Instead, he leaves the wedding early. Alone used to be what protected him. But it doesn’t anymore. If ever there was a danger night, this is it.

Poor Sherlock...

I was going to add a lot of gratuitous speculation on His Last Vow, which airs tomorrow, but I’m so nervous about it that it’s taken me this long to even get a coherent post about The Sign of Three written. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I haven’t been able to think about anything else all week. I don’t remember a TV show ever getting into my head like this. It’s a testament to the writing skills of Moffat, Gatiss and team and the acting skills of the entire cast that they have managed to captivate me like this. Whatever the ending, I know it will be brilliant. I’ve already heard it’s unexpected, which gives me hope, as all the endings I’m imagining are devastating. So perhaps, just this once, everybody lives.

Captain Spacenails, full of admiration for Moffat & team

*Disclaimer: To the best of my understanding, the BBC Terms of Use (for personal use) permit me to use BBC content on this blog when correctly credited. Should this not be the case, I will be happy to take the screenshot down, just please let me know by mailing me at boldly_polish (!ät) yahoo[dot]com or contacting me via one of my social media accounts in the right sidebar.

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6 January is generally assumed to be Sherlock Holmes' birthday, so let's wish the immortal sleuth a happy birthday! Not that he would have cared much for such a thing, I believe, but sometimes birthdays are more of an opportunity for other people to celebrate the life (even if it's fictional) of someone they love. 

Considering his was the first fandom, with people mourning him in public, wearing black armbands and accosting Arthur Conan Doyle on the streets when he killed off Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls in The Final Problem, I'd say he's pretty well loved. (I can only imagine the mobs of London shaking their fists and screaming "Doooooooyle!" in much the same way that our current generation of Sherlock fans screams "Moffaaaaaat!")

But he doesn't die, does he? He comes back. He always comes back. #Sherlocklives. And that is why we're here today (well, I am, I don't know about the rest of you), to celebrate his life. 

Let me close with a lovely poem by Vincent Starrett, journalist, writer and Sherlockian (learn more about him at this great blog).

221b

Here dwell together still two men of note
Who never lived and so can never die:
How very near they seem, yet how remote
That age before the world went all awry.

But still the game’s afoot for those with ears
Attuned to catch the distant view-halloo:
England is England yet, for all our fears—
Only those things the heart believes are true.

A yellow fog swirls past the window-pane
As night descends upon this fabled street:
A lonely hansom splashes through the rain,
The ghostly gas lamps fail at twenty feet.

Here, though the world explode, these two survive,
And it is always eighteen ninety-five.

-- Vincent Starrett (1886-1974)

1895 began about 7 months after Holmes' return from the dead. BBC Sherlock has returned and is now celebrating his best friend's wedding nine months later. For Sherlock and John, right now, it is their 1895.

I love those closing lines. Starrett wrote this poem in 1942, during World War 2. But it is just as true today: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are still alive, 126 years after A Study in Scarlet was first published. They have lived on in countless incarnations, on radio, in movies and on TV, in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books and in the thousands of stories written by Holmes aficionados (the Sherlock Holmes fandom: Producing fanfic since 1893.)
Their faces may change, but somewhere, those two will always sit in their chairs by the fire, smoking their pipes (or applying nicotine patches or experimenting with eyeballs to deal with quitting smoking), reading the papers, and Sherlock Holmes will explain his deductions to his adoring John Watson.

Happy birthday, Mr Holmes.

Captain Spacenails Sherlocked

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Well, I say spoilers, but if you've read any Reichenfall theories or Sherlock fanfic in the last two years, there's nothing in here that you haven't read before. Because that's essentially what this is: All the speculation condensed into a fan-fic-tastic episode.

(In all seriousness though, there's detailed discussion of E1 and obscure minor spoilers for the rest of the season - and the trailer linked below is okay for E1 as long as you don't click on the interactive stuff, that has E2 (edit: and now also E3) content, which I'm avoiding. Also, this post contains gifs. Spoilery gifs.)

We know Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are aware of what goes on on tumblr, so they probably just decided to do a nice little "best of" medley for the episode. (Heck, I wouldn’t be awfully surprised if they came out on Sunday with the actual first episode of the season and went "haha, just messing with you, that one doesn’t count!")

Sherlock fans, in turn, have been inspired by the episode (or rather the trailer), too:

© geothebio (tumblr, Twitter, Redbubble)

© @vereentjong (tumblr)

So yes. After two years‘ wait, he's finally back. For readers of George R. R. Martin’s books, two years is a blink of an eye, but I'm still glad to finally see Series 3 of Sherlock. I watched the first episode and it was one giant festival of poking fun at fans and still managing to be a brilliant Sherlock episode (and then I watched it again because I was laughing so hard in some places I missed some of the subtler things).

Sherlock is back, thankfully with a haircut (the Jesus hair didn’t really suit him) and a possibly new but still dramatic coat ("I have lots of coats."). He’s ready to have it out with Mycroft over a game of chess – no, wait, Operation (bahaha) and to pick up with John where he left it, because what life could he have had while Sherlock was gone. So naturally he goes to surprise him at a restaurant, only to find him perusing the wine menu (not the dessert menu, like I assumed) and wondering how to propose to Mary (called that one, but it was rather obvious).

I didn’t particularly expect to like Mary’s character (though I didn’t set out to hate her, and certainly not Amanda Abbington, as some crazies have done - I just couldn't picture the dynamic), but I LOVE HER. She is cool, she is funny, and she totally ships it. (As does Mrs Hudson, loved that scene! "So soon after Sherlock? What’s his name?" – "It’s a woman." – "A woman?! My, you really have moved on!") 

I love how at first she’s all 'you bastard, you have no idea what you’ve put him through' but then as he’s explaining it at Speedy’s and the kebab place, she starts to come round and by the next morning she’s reading the stories on the blog and totally fangirling for them to get together again (in a crime-fighting way, of course). 

And can we take a moment to remark how SMART she is? She recognised the text message cipher right away. (Okay, maybe that’s because she’s a clever linguist, as Sherlock deduced.  But he also deduced she’s a liar. I’m not quite sure whether to interpret his expression as she gets into the cab as worried or simply confused by this woman.) Is she just awesome or is there something sinister about it? Is she in cahoots with Mystery Man? God, I hope not, she’s just way too cool. I hope she lives a much longer and happier life than in Conan Doyle’s books.

John’s moustache: Loved Sherlock’s "we’ll have to get rid of that". Thank God John did, that thing was really awful. "Does yours come off too?" was also a pretty good one. But oh Sherlock, did you really have no idea how inappropriate your appearance at the restaurant was? Grinning like a child with a particularly good trick, emphasising the "old friend" and "familiar face" and despairing when John doesn’t react, so pleased with himself when John finally recognises him... John’s reaction was spot on. Having him pretty much lose his voice from being overwhelmed and shocked and furious was a nice touch.

Content ©BBC One*, gif from Olga

Content ©BBC One*, gif from Olga

Sherlock’s either changed during the time he was away and come to realise he misses John and gotten better at showing emotions - or he’s gotten better at faking them. You see it a lot in this episode: The discussion about friends and loneliness with Mycroft (could just be to rile him though, since Mycroft obviously has even worse issues than Sherlock), his conversation with Molly at the end of their day together (and the little kiss), the way he wants to surprise John. Of course in the train he’s obviously faking (and probably faking the mind palace exploration as well), but did he have this sort of humour before? And John’s commentary in his head while he’s trying to use Molly as a substitute sidekick (engaged Molly, who very, very obviously has a type, and it’s not 'sociopath'), not enjoying the showing off without John there. "Forgot to turn up your collar", "jealous?". The other emotions he displays in the episode may be faked, but this is real. He feels incomplete without John. Overall, he seems more emotionally invested in the world around him.

I always like it when a show pokes a bit of fun at the fans. This episode definitely hits all the buttons. All the different crazy Fall theories... I felt pretty let down at the beginning when I thought that this was actually how it happened... and then I fell for it again with the last version, going "seriously? They got it right? Even the ball? Wow!"  – I really should have gotten suspicious when I thought I recognised the phrasing of the ball explanation from a theory I’d read). My favourite has to be the Sheriarty one though, and I’m glad to say I didn’t fall for that one. Their giggling and the faces they pull – priceless. And of course the kiss. 

Content ©BBC One*, gif from Zap2it

Why does Sherlock know Anderson’s first name but not Lestrade’s? Also, I really expected Lestrade to punch him in the face. But aww, how happy he is to see him!

The terrorist plot is pretty decent but, as in any Sherlock episode, far from complete because there’s layers there (in this case it was mostly the backdrop against which all the important stuff happened). I had an issue with the missing train car (not carriage) though: Wouldn’t Train Guy have spotted the train being too short for the platform? Pretty sure they have the same amount of cars on those trains. Should’ve looked different on the footage, assuming both cameras were at the end of their platforms. Unless they use shorter trains at night and it therefore didn’t strike Train Guy as odd?  By the way, I totally called the "underground network". Yay me.

 

Oh, Sherlock. I thought you were crying and was slightly disturbed and quite moved, but then I see you pointing and laughing at John and you’re just a bloody bastard aren’t you? I would’ve killed you. (It was pretty funny though, I’ll give you that. Do bombs really have an off switch? Seems like a useful thing to have, but really?)

Content ©BBC One*, gif from Luciawestwick

I’m a bit upset that I already know who the Mystery Man at the end is. Did you really have to give his identity away in advance, BBC? I would have enjoyed the mystery of not having any idea who this ominous man was who seems to be behind the bonfire incident, possibly even the bombing... he could have been a remnant of Moriarty’s network, perhaps even the man himself. I feel cheated out of the thrill of speculation.

But let's not forget that it's not all about fandom references, there's also the usual brilliant play with A.C. Doyle canon references. I thought it was a nice nod to The Empty House to have an old book porn collector (British Birds was a genius touch!) whom Watson suspects of being Holmes in disguise but who' really just some old guy (instead of Watson suspecting nothing in the original when Holmes in disguise shows him books with the same titles as the porn here, then fainting when Holmes takes off the disguise). Then of course there's the striking fact that The Empty Hearse only referred to Anderson's little fanclub and there's no Adair in sight, and Moran is someone completely different. There's A Case of Identity (and look at how angry Sherlock is at the stepfather!), and I realised I had been both right and wrong about the rat hint (yes, Sumatra, but not the way I imagined it). I'm sure I missed a few more.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable episode. Mr Gatiss, Mr Moffat, you’ve outdone yourselves.

It won't have escaped your attention that this post contains gifs for the first time in my blogging career. Well, an image says more than a thousand words, and sometimes you need a gif to relive the best moments of a show. And let's not forget the people of tumblr said nearly everything I said except briefer and funnier. And they spotted a TARDIS. Whoa. But they're also crying, which I'm not.
Still, in celebration of this episode and because we all know tumblr is where the real fangirling happens, I've joined tumblr. Nothing much going on there yet, but I'll be linking my fandom-related blog posts there and partaking in some real fangirling, gifs and all, if that's your thing.

Happy weekend! Oh yes, and speaking of cakes and surprises: don't forget to enter my blogiversary giveaway for books or beauty items.
Captain Spacenails Fangirl

*Disclaimer: To the best of my understanding, the BBC Terms of Use (for personal use) permit me to use BBC content on this blog when correctly credited. Should this not be the case, I will be happy to take the relevant gifs down, just please let me know by mailing me at boldly_polish (ät) yahoo[dot]com or contacting me via one of my social media accounts in the right sidebar.
 

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Hallo meine Lieben,

Dear readers,

It's the last day of the year and I'm spending a few hours of it on a train surrounded by a bunch of  drinking and chatting but surprisingly un-annoying young boys on their way to spend New Year’s Eve in the big city. Since they’re not pestering me or screaming rude stuff and seem very excited about their big adventure, I wish them a wonderful night while being glad I’ll be spending it more quietly and surrounded by far less people at a friend’s. We’ll have good food, good drinks, good fun, play board games and watch the fireworks from the rooftop. In the meantime, I decided to fill in the same questionnaire as I did last year to see whether anything has changed (more or less, I changed a few points). Want to answer some of the questions too?

Heute ist der letzte Tag des Jahres und zwei Stunden davon verbringe ich im Zug neben einer Gruppe biertrinkender, quatschender aber überraschenderweise nicht lästiger junger Burschen, die offenbar Silvester in der Großstadt verbringen wollen. Nachdem sie mich in Ruhe lassen und nicht ordinär rumschreien, wünsche ich ihnen viel Spaß und einen guten Rutsch, bin aber gleichzeitig froh, dass ich meinen Silvesterabend in wesentlich kleinerer und ruhigerer Runde mit Freunden verbringen kann. Gut essen und trinken, Brettspiele spielen und von der Dachterrasse aus die Feuerwerke bewundern. Bis es so weit ist, füll ich hier mal den Fragebogen von letztem Jahr aus (mit ein paar kleinen Änderungen). Vielleicht habt ihr ja auch Lust, ein paar der Fragen zu beantworten?

Vorherrschendes Gefühl für 2014? Vorfreude – wie letztes Jahr, und das hat sich gelohnt.

Predominant feeling when thinking of 2014? Anticipation – like last year, and 2013 was definitely worth it.

2013 zum ersten Mal getan? Auf einem mehrtägigen Festival gewesen aber nachts heimgefahren. Weil ich alt bin und lieber nicht um 8h morgens verkatert in einem aufgeheizten Zelt aufwache, bei dem jemand in der Nacht die Hälfte der Heringe gestohlen oder Bier verschüttet hat, nur um dann in die überfüllten Gemeinschaftsduschen zu gehen und schlechten Kaffee zu trinken. Minus: Coolnesspunkte. Plus: Ausgeschlafen gemütlich am frühen Nachmittag am Festival aufkreuzen.

What did you do for the first time in 2013? Visited a 3-day music festival but went home to sleep, because I’m obviously getting old and prefer not to wake up at 8pm in the stale and overheated air of a tent that the sun turned into a hothouse and someone ripped out a few of the hooks or spilled beer on it during the night, only to be faced with the decision of whether not showering is grosser than showering in the communal showers and then have bad coffee while waiting for the hangover to pass and the first bands to start playing. Minus: Street cred. Plus: Got to the festival in the early afternoon, freshly showered and after a good night’s sleep and breakfast.

2013 nach langer Zeit wieder getan? Spontan verreist (nach England!).

What did you do for the first time in ages in 2013? Went on a spontaneous trip (to England).

2013 leider gar nicht getan? Geschnorchelt.

What did you unfortunately not do in 2013? Go snorkeling.

Wort des Jahres? Strandbad

Word of the year? Moffaaaat! (Kidding. Kinda.) 

Stadt des Jahres/City of the year? London.

Alkoholexzesse? Nicht viele, aber mehr als 2012.

Excessive drinking? A few times, not a lot but more than in 2012.

Haare länger oder kürzer? Kürzer.

Longer or shorter hair? Shorter.

Mehr ausgegeben oder weniger als 2012? Ungefähr gleich. Vor allem für Nagellack...

Did you spend more or less than in 2012? About the same. A good part of it on nail polish...

Höchste Handyrechnung/Highest phone bill? € 25.

Krankenhausbesuche? Nein!

Hospital visits? No!

Verliebt? Ja!

In love? Yes!

Am meisten angerufen / Most called person? Schwesterherz / sis.

Die schönste Zeit verbracht mit? Freunden, Schwester & Nichte.

Nicest time spent with? Friends, sister & niece.

Die meiste Zeit verbracht mit? Freunden.

Most time spent with? My friends.

Song des Jahres/Song of the year? Do it with a rock star (Amanda Palmer).

Platte des Jahres/Album of the year? Theatre is Evil - Amanda Palmer (closely followed by Delta Machine - Depeche Mode)

Buch des Jahres/Book of the year? The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman).

TV-Serie des Jahres/TV show of the year? Doctor Who.

Film des Jahres/Movie of the year? The World’s End.

Teuerster Gegenstand, der im Jahr 2013 gekauft wurde? Gelten Konzertkarten/Flugtickets? Sonst wahrscheinlich die (vorbestellte) Sherlock-Sammlerbox (die Ende Jänner kommt!)

Most expensive item bought in 2013? Do concert or plane tickets count? Otherwise probably the pre-order of the BBC Sherlock Collector’s Box (yay, end of January!)

Erkenntnis des Jahres? Es geht bergauf.

What did you learn from 2013? It really does get better.

Schönstes Ereignis/Favourite event? Meeting Neil Gaiman.

2013 war mit einem Wort? Fantastisch!

2013 in one word? Fantastic!

Einen guten Rutsch und ein rundum tolles neues Jahr 2014!

Have a very happy new year!

Captain Spacenails

Base ILNP Birefringence (H), fireworks Perfect Holographic (various colours)

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Recycled birthday cupcake

 Dear readers past, present and future,

About a year ago I was sick in bed for several weeks. Feeling too crummy to do anything but spend time on the Internet, I discovered the world of nail blogs - via a comment on a book blog, incidentally, which seems appropriate given how nicely these two interests of mine mix. At the time, I had 3 polishes to my name. Then I won a blog contest and had 4. And then I decided I wanted to put more than one polish on my nails at a time and show that to the world, so I started this blog.

Liebe LeserInnen und solche, die es noch werden wollen,
ein Jahr ist es jetzt her, dass ich dieses Blog startete. Ich war letzten Dezember mehrere Wochen krank und verbrachte viel zu viel Zeit im Internet. Über eines der Buchblogs, die ich lese, kam ich zufällig auf einen Nagellackblog. Eins führte zum anderen und plötzlich las ich jede Menge Beauty- und Nagellackblogs (obwohl ich damals nur 3 besaß). Und dann gewann ich einen vierten Nagellack und hatte plötzlich das Bedürfnis, mehr als nur einen Lack auf einmal zu tragen und das der Welt zu zeigen. 

December: My first nail picture & stuff about me 

At the time, I called it The Nail Newbie, because that's what I was. I don't feel like one anymore, so my blog has a different name now that represents who I am and what I do on this blog much better. I've learned a lot about nail art in the last year, I've started showing my geeky side in earnest and bought a lot of polish (cough cough). Want to jump in the TARDIS with me and revisit a few steps of my journey? 

Ich war damals wirklich ein komplettes Newbie in der Welt des Nagellacks, daher auch der Blogname. Inzwischen habe ich einen neuen Namen, der mein neues „Blog-Ich“ besser trifft. Im letzten Jahr habe ich sehr viel über Nail Art gelernt, meine Nerd-Interessen immer mehr in den Mittelpunkt gerückt und (hust) sehr viel Nagellack gekauft. Zeitmaschine an: über den Post verteilt findet ihr Bilder aus dem letzten Jahr.

My embarrassing first nail art & casting show snark

 

I hope you enjoy this look at the past year! If you didn't, you probably really won't enjoy the rest of my blog either, but you're welcome to hang around anyway. But if you like what you see and perhaps even clicked on a few of the links to other posts, maybe you'll consider coming back sometime.

Here's the thing: While I'm happy about every person who reads my blog, I don't feel the need to increase my follower numbers on any given platform, since they're rarely an accurate measure of actual readers. So I will not ask you to follow me and there will be no extra points for following me. I'd hate it if you saw following me as a chore or an obligation. However, if you find my blog interesting and think you might want to return, you are more than welcome to bookmark this blog or follow or me in any way you like.

February: Super bowl & Zombie Valentine video

Ich hoffe, euch gefällt mein kleiner Jahresrückblick und ich habe – falls ihr mein Blog nicht ohnehin schon kanntet – euer Interesse geweckt. Vielleicht lest ihr ja auch den einen oder anderen verlinkten Post. Ich freue mich über neue LeserInnen, aber tatsächliche LeserInnen sind mir wichtiger als Follower-Zahlen und ich will hier niemanden dazu „zwingen“, mir zu folgen – falls ihr also an der Auslosung teilnehmen wollt, aber euch denkt, dass ihr mein Blog in Zukunft eher nicht lesen wollt, ist das auch in Ordnung, es gibt keine Extra-Lose für's Folgen. Wenn es euch hier aber gefällt oder ihr einfach neugierig seid, was ich ab Februar über die nächste GNTM-Staffel zu lästern haben werde, freue ich mich natürlich sehr!

March: Doctor Who & Pi Day 

Following the proud tradition first established by Astrid Lindgren in Pippi Longstocking in 1945, where the birthday girl gives gifts to her guests, Tommi and Annika, and since spread to the world of blogging, I have gifts for you. Please make sure you read the rules carefully.

Ihr wisst ja, wie das bei Pippi Langstrumpf ist: An ihrem Geburtstag bekommen ihre Gäste, Tommi und Annika, Geschenke. Diese sympathische Tradition setzt sich in der Welt der Blog-Geburtstage fort, deshalb gibt’s für euch was zu gewinnen! Lest euch bitte alles genau durch.

April: Indie music & GNTM reviews

What I would like from you:

Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favourite fandom, or - if you're not the fangirl/boy type - favourite book, TV show or movie. It doesn't have to be an essay, but I'd like to see more than just a word or two. Make an effort to write a couple of whole sentences that aren't just "thanks for the giveaway". Any additional remarks (such as your opinion of the blog, constructive criticism, your opinion of the Doctor Who Christmas Special or the new Sherlock Season (spoiler-free, please) or the worst gift you got for the holidays) are welcome as well.


Was müsst ihr tun?

Hinterlasst mir einen Kommentar, in dem ihr mir von eurem liebsten Fandom erzählt – oder, falls ihr euch nicht als „Fangirl“ oder „Fanboy“ versteht, welches Buch, welche Fernsehsendung, welcher Film, Comic oder Schauspieler euch besonders gut gefällt. Es muss kein Aufsatz sein, aber ich wünsch mir einen Kommentar mit zumindest ein paar vollständigen Sätzen, die über „Super Gewinnspiel“ oder „Danke für die Auslosung“ hinausgehen. Wer mehr schreiben will – konstruktive Blog-Kritik, was ihr vom neuen Doctor oder der neuen Sherlock-Staffel haltet (ohne Spoiler bitte!) oder euer unpassendstes Weihnachtsgeschenk), darf das gerne!

May: Star Trek & Unboxing posts

  

Make sure I can contact you somehow. If your e-mail address is visible in your Blogger profile, you don't need to add it here. If you do put your address in your comment, PLEASE DON'T PUT IT THERE IN PLAINTEXT. Instead, do something like boldly_polish (at) yahoo [dot] com. That's my address, by the way, where you can send your email address (with commenter name) if you'd rather not post it here for all to see.

Hinterlasst mir eine Kontaktmöglichkeit! Falls eure Adresse nicht im Blogger-Profil steht, schreibt sie z.B. in den Kommentar, aber BITTE NICHT AUSGESCHRIEBEN, sondern z.B. als boldly_polish (klammeraffe) yahoo (punkt) com. Ihr könnt eure Mailadresse auch an diese Adresse schicken (samt Namen, mit dem ihr kommentiert habt), falls ihr sie hier nicht öffentlich hinschreiben wollt.

June: LGBT Pride & holo addiction

I reserve the right to delete and disqualify inappropriate comments. Anyone trying to cheat by posting multiple times will be disqualified completely.
If you win and are under 18, I will need your parents' permission for you to give me your postal address (if required for your prize of choice).
This giveaway will run until the end of 21 January 2014 (23:59 CET - that's GMT+1) to give you all plenty of time. I will contact the winner by e-mail and they will have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise I'll draw another winner.
The giveaway is open internationally, but some prizes are limited to certain regions.
Once I send you the prize, it is out of my hands and I cannot accept any responsibility or liability for its safe delivery nor warranty for the items. All  prizes are paid for by me and are not sponsored in any way. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash.

July: 31 day challenge, many of my favourite manis were created that month

Ich behalte mir vor, unangebrachte Kommentare zu löschen und vom Gewinn auszuschließen. Bei Mehrfachteilnahme wird die Person disqualifiziert. 

Bei Personen unter 18 benötige ich im Gewinnfall eine schriftliche Zustimmung der Eltern zur Übermittlung eurer Wohnadresse an mich. 
Die Teilnahme ist bis 21. Jänner 2014 um 23:59 (MEZ) möglich, damit wir alle erst mal den Weihnachtstrubel überstehen können. Die GewinnerIn wird von mir per Mail kontaktiert und hat dann 72 Stunden, um zu antworten, sonst wird neu ausgelost.

Die Auslosung ist international, allerdings gibt es einigen Gewinnen regionale Einschränkungen.

Nach dem Versand des Gewinns kann ich keine Verantwortung für die Lieferung übernehmen. Alle Preise wurden/werden von mir bezahlt und sind in keiner Weise gesponsert. Keine Barauszahlung und keine Gewähr.

August: New Doctor and Sherlock & blog redesign

"So hey, wall of text," I hear you thinking, "what about those prizes"? And you know, I did consider making a separate short and sweet giveaway post, but you know what? I'm celebrating a year of blogging, so I'd like people to see what I did during that year and what this blog is about. Thanks for looking at my pictures and reading the post!

There will be one winner who can choose one of the following options (subject to geographical restrictions):

a. For the readers: I love to read and I know many of you do to. I will order books up to a value of €15 from The Book Depository as long as you live in a country where they deliver free of charge (check here).

b. For the lovers of beauty products and surprises:  A package of beauty products. This package contains an assortment of unused products that I've purchased myself, either directly or through subscription boxes. I'll also throw in a few extras that aren't on the photo. If you're sensitive to scents, you will get nail polish and/or chocolate instead of them.
This is the prize with the limitations: Due to ridiculous shipping costs, I can only ship this to EU countries. If you live elsewhere, I will send you a smaller package that contains some of these items (eyeshadows, small perfume samples) and some extra surprises. (Though if you really want it and are willing to cover the difference in shipping, I'll be happy to send it anywhere the Austrian post delivers.)

The Body Shop Cranberry Joy soap & shower gel, Oh my GOSH #24, Lancaster 365 Dark Spot Corrector, Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Cream, Inglot eye shadow matte square 327, s-he eyeshadow quattro 152, Perfume/EdT samples eau de sisley 1 & 3, Idole de Lubin, Lalique L'Amour, Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrian, Thierry Mugler Alien, Roberto Cavalli Nero Assoluto

Nach dem vielen Gelaber fragt ihr euch wahrscheinlich schon, was ihr gewinnen könnt. Ich hab mir überlegt, einen ganz kurzen und knappen Giveaway-Post zu schreiben, aber nachdem es mein Blog-Geburtstag ist, wollte ich auf einen Rückblick auf mein erstes Blog-Jahr nicht verzichten und mich auch eventuellen neuen LeserInnen gleich vorstellen. Danke für's Lesen und Bilderbetrachten!

Close-up of eyeshadows (unswatched, only opened for photo)

Es wird eine/n GewinnerIn geben, die/der zwischen zwei Preisen wählen kann:

a) Für die Leseratten und Nicht-so-auf-Beauty-Kram-Steher: Bücher im Wert von bis zu 15 € von The Book Depository (ihr wählt aus, ich bestelle, solange ihr in einem dieser Länder wohnt).


b) Für die Beautysüchtigen und Überraschungsliebenden: Ein Paket mit Beautykram (alles neu und ungebraucht, nur an ein paar der Parfums hab ich geschnuppert - alles selbst gekauft bzw. aus selbst gekauften Beautyboxen). Dazu gibt's noch ein paar kleine Überraschungen. Wer keine Düfte mag, bekommt stattdessen Schokolade und/oder Nagellack.
Bei diesem Preis gibt es folgende Versandbeschränkung: In Nicht-EU-Länder schicke ich eine kleinere Variante des Pakets (Parfumproben, Lidschatten, ein paar kleine Extras), es sei denn, die/der GewinnerIn möchte die Versandkostendifferenz übernehmen.

November: After a 2-month break, I rise (like Cthulhu)

I know it's a bit of a risk running a nail art contest on a small blog, but since I love them, I thought I'd give it a try. So here's a second way for you to win:

Do some nail art of one of your or my favourite fandoms. Either post it on your blog, twitter, pinterest or instagram account and link it in a second comment on this post or send me your photo (or collage) by email to boldly_polish (at) yahoo (dot) com. In all cases, I will require a second photo of that mani with you holding a piece of paper that says "to boldly polish". If you send it by mail, I would also like to ask your permission for me to post it on my blog (with credit). If you post it elsewhere, I'd be grateful if I could post it here as well (with credit and link back to your post), but I can also just link to it if you prefer.

Everyone who submits nail art that fits the criteria gets 5 extra entries in the drawing AND if there are 3 entries or more, I will select my favourite for an extra polish-related prize (a package with polishes or a gift card, depending on your location and preferences).

December: More fangirling & Frankenstein

Zusätzliche Gewinnchance: Nageldesign-Contests sind auf kleinen Blogs eine schwierige Sache, aber da ich sie selbst so liebe, versuche ich es trotzdem.

Macht ein Nageldesign zu einem eurer (oder meiner) Lieblings-Fandoms. Postet ein Foto (oder eine Fotocollage) auf eurem Blog oder auf Twitter, Instagram oder Pinterest und schreibt einen zweiten Kommentar zu diesem Post, in dem ihr es verlinkt. Wenn ihr wollt, könnt ihr es mir stattdessen (oder zusätzlich) per Mail an boldly_polish (klammeraffe) yahoo (punkt) com schicken. Als Beweis, dass ihr es selbst und für diesen Contest gemacht habt, benötige ich ein zweites Foto, auf dem ihr in der Hand mit dem Nageldesign einen Zettel haltet, auf dem „to boldly polish“ steht. Bitte sagt mir auch, ob ihr damit einverstanden seid, dass ich euer Design auf meinem Blog poste (natürlich mit eurem Namen/Nickname und einem Link zu eurem Blog bzw. Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest-Account) oder ob es euch lieber ist, wenn ich es hier nur verlinke.

Alle Nageldesigns, die den Kriterien entsprechen, bekommen 5 Extralose für die obige Auslosung. Sollte es 3 oder mehr Einsendungen geben, werde ich zusätzlich meinen Liebling auswählen und euch entweder ein Nagellack-Paket oder einen Nagellack-Gutschein (abhängig von eurem Wohnort und euren Präferenzen) schicken.

Teaser: Smaug is watching you

So, whatcha think? Wanna play? Wanna see if I stick around for another year? That goal sounds a bit scary to me now, so I'll just take it one day at a time. Look out for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug nail art & review fangirling soon!

Also, was meint ihr? Seid ihr dabei? Wollt ihr herausfinden, ob ich noch ein zweites Jahr Bloggen schaffe? Ich finde das Ziel etwas zu beängstigend, deshalb werd ich's langsam angehen. Demnächst gibt's aber auf jeden Fall ein Der Hobbit: Smaugs Einöde-Nageldesign samt Filmreview Fangirling!

Captain Spacenails out

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Unrelated picture, but this is how I felt. (Street art in London.)

 
Here's something new - a theatre review. Granted, I'm no theatre critic, I just saw a play and want to tell you what I thought of it. But I promise you this is an actual review of the play, not pure fangirling.

As I mentioned yesterday, I went to see a screening of the 2011 Frankenstein play last night (directed by Danny Boyle). It was version 2, with Benedict Cumberbatch as Victor Frankenstein and Jonny Lee Miller as The Creature.

My worries concerning the audience turned out to be unfounded - while it was overwhelmingly young and female, and while a quick "survey" conducted by the theatre's presenter before the screening as to "Team Cumberbatch" and "Team Miller" showed that they were, indeed, the main reasons for many of us being there (including myself), everyone was on their best behaviour during the actual screening. Especially during the first 15 minutes or so, where the Creature wakes up and discovers his body and the world, you could have heard a pin drop.

Sure, when Frankenstein bellowed something like "My mind is brilliant!" or the Creature told him it was a logical being or said "I cannot stand inconsistency!", it was hard not to laugh. But that's alright and probably only surprised the few older couples who had presumably just come to see a British National Theatre play and knew nothing of the actors' other roles. Anyway, there are other funny moments in it that have nothing to do with external references. Like Cumberbatch-Frankenstein's expression, which I can only describe as a "WTF face" (as we theatre critics say), when the "monster" quotes Milton at him.

The stage set is simple and evocative at once, the lighting is spectacular, and the music works without being overpowering. One of the things that impressed me about the set was the use of that translucent, vellum-like material throughout the play to very different effects. As the womb or egg from which the Creature emerges, in the house and the boat and again in Frankenstein's laboratory. In this trailer you can see it pulsing before the Creature emerges from it. In terms of direction, the scene in which the Creature first sees people other than his creator is shocking and overwhelming, filled with noise and light and steam - it's as if you see it through the Creature's eyes.

Jonny Lee Miller is simply amazing as the Creature, from beginning to end. I feel it is the stronger character in the play, and it certainly dominates the first part, but as we turn to Frankenstein and his research, Benedict Cumberbatch really shines as the amoral scientist for whom everything is justified in the name of science and progress. That part - a genius with little regard for morality, doing things for science! - sounds like it might carry Sherlockian overtones, but there's nothing of Sherlock in Benedict's Frankenstein. This is a very different character, both on paper and on stage, and it is not only because Frankenstein pours all his emotions and passions into his work where Sherlock remains cold and analytical.

While the main reason I went to see this play were definitely the leading actors, I think I would have been just as impressed if I hadn't know them beforehand. They are truly brilliant at what they do. I wasn't as impressed by the rest of the cast and was in fact quite disappointed by Mr Frankenstein (Victor's father), played by George Harris. His acting was wooden and his lines sounded too obviously rehearsed. Most of the other characters were a bit exaggerated, but it seemed intentional (not only by the actors but the director) and wasn't as jarring as Harris' performance. However, the supporting roles - with the exception of the (convincing) blind, old De Lacey - are rather marginal in the play, which may be a reason for their seeming unimpressiveness and, at the same time, mean that a mediocre performance of one of them didn't detract too much from the overall enjoyment of the play. The true magic here is in seeing the Creature and Victor interact.

The message of the play sounds trite when you put it on paper, and it's not like we didn't all know what it was going to be: The true monster here is not the Creature. But it is hard to see it as cliché when the play drives home so brutally the point that monsters aren't born, they're made.

The play impressed me so much that I will be going to see version 1 - with Cumberbatch as the Creature and Miller as Frankenstein - in January. It will be interesting to see how it is with reversed roles. I find it hard to imagine a Creature better than Miller's, but what I've heard above all is that they both play the characters very differently, so it might not be better but instead different and still as good. We'll see.

There will still be some screenings of the play during the next months in various locations - check here to see if there's one near you. Go and see it if you can, even if you're not a fan of the actors, but note that it should come with a trigger warning. If you need details on that, feel free to contact me.

Have you seen this play? How do you feel about the theatre? Do you prefer classic or modern plays?

Captain Spacenails

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