The Birdy's final month-long ode to the cancelled-but-not-forgotten series Firefly is something that brings nerd-ness and style together in a single post. The look of Firefly was about as close to Steampunk as network television was going to get. It was somewhat ahead of its time, since the series came out ten years ago, prior to the level of recognition this Jules Verne-inspired costume obsession has today. Now, Steampunk has the cultural familiarity that brings to mind a quote from Triumph the Insult Dog, upon observing a fan's homemade costume: "Which of these buttons do I press to call your mom to pick you up?"

Jokes aside, it is a striking look that combines a bit of 1800s Jauntiness with a Western edge to rough it up a bit. While none of us are living in a sci-fi/western universe, having adventures on a spaceship, I found some lovely wearables that have the high drama with the fashion pedigree to match. 

As in all style common sense rules -- don't wear all this at once or you really will look like a cos-play refugee begging to have your lunch money stolen. But the pieces on their own are beautiful with a tough edge, surely putting you in a stylishly fantastical Mood: {1} Trouve faux leather panel leggings, {2} Black and bronze buckled half boots by Laurence Dacade, {3} MCQ razor blade brass and leather cuff by Alexander McQueen, {4} Rockstud driving gloves by Valentino, {5} Old and New pocket watch necklace from ModCloth, {6} Ravel Hope leather boot with double buckle detail, {7} Washed leather fingerless gloves by Vince Camuto, {8} Wool felt coat with leather lapels by Salvatore Ferragamo, {9} Tailored cotton riding jacket in camel by Burberry, {10} Multistrap leather cuff bracelet by Leatherock  

Jaunty Fine Print: items from shops listed above

More Firefly Tenth Anniversary nerdery is afoot! I said I'd be doing a whole gorram month of Firefly-themed posts, and I meant it! Consider it a long overdue ode to the best damn sci-fi/western series ever (because there were so many before it...?), and simply because it's so close to the Magpie's heart. And I didn't have a blog in 2002. Ten years ago, the show would have been hitting a middle-point of its 14 episode run, vying for viewers during a month already fraught with holiday breaks, but still celebrating its survival of the initial Octagon of September network premieres. Much like settlers on a lonely plain, the show wouldn't survive the winter of December 2002, with its last episodes going unaired, but thankfully available on DVD, where it would see its full glory realized, post-mortem.

One of the main reasons why Firefly's cult status thrives after a decade is its writing. It was funny and with the typical Joss Whedon quirkiness, but it could turn suddenly and become sinister. And then before you know it, you're a little misty eyed because some personal nerve was touched. It was always about people and the need for camaraderie, set against the bleak, cold expanse of space. But space could be a comfort as well, a welcome escape, much like the open, unexplored plains of a young America. So, in that sense, Westerns and Sci-Fi aren't such strange bedfellows. And we'll just ignore that Cowboys and Aliens movie ever existed, shall we...? 

I collected my favorite quotes from one of my favorite Big Damn Hero, Capt. Mal Reynolds, which I think perfectly captures the mix of humor and heart behind Firefly. Don't ask why, but I decided to illustrate him as a little LEGO figure, because Big Damn Hero translated perfectly to Little Damn Piece of Plastic. So let us give thanks to our favorite Big Damn Heroes, and the fact that Firefly continues to Keep on Flying in the hearts of fans, even after ten years.     

Jaunty Fine Print: graphic by Denise Sakaki, quotes from the series Firefly and film, Serenity

Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand... I don't care 'cause I'm still free, you can't take the sky from meee.... C'mon, sing along with me, you Nerds! The nice thing about a personal blog is the fact that it's A Personal Blog, so you write about interests and things that are meaningful, even if it is a defunct sci-fi show that's celebrating its tenth anniversary of being kicked off the air but revived in the land of cult fandom and DVDs. The series that I doth speak of is, of course, Firefly, a science fiction-slash-Western series which ran for a whopping 14 episodes on FOX back in 2002. It went from September through December, it didn't even see the light of 2003, save for when it was eventually released on DVDs and it experienced the most amazing act of Television Resurrection you can imagine, spawning a huge following of obsessive fans, making Joss Whedon's name something beyond "That 'Buffy/Angel' Guy," a hit movie (Serenity, 2005), and we thankfully see a lot of the main actors with a healthy work resume since then. 

So to celebrate this marvelous decade-old series, I've got a few Firefly-themed posts for the month of November, because it's a month to be Thankful. I'm Thankful for the fact that this series finally got the recognition it deserved, and people are more crazy about it ten years later than when it premiered to cricket-chirping Nielson ratings back in 2002. If you are a fan of the series and French Surrealism, this quirky illustration will possibly make sense, but if nothing else, I hope it just garners curiosity from non-fans to give the series a whirl. It's not like watching Lost where you have to dedicate 7 seasons to figure out just what the hell is going on.

Even though the anniversary celebrations started back in September, to mark the official start of when Firefly premiered, it's cool that The Science Channel had a special anniversary special on November 11th. I feel like it deserves a prolonged celebration, as the show stretched from fall into winter, plus I recently rewatched some favorite episodes and it hasn't aged a day. Ten years have gone by, but the writing, humor and surprising poignancy woven into each episode is still as resilient as the day it premiered. It wasn't about aliens or using technology as a crutch for interesting storylines -- it was just people trying to live their life, even if it was on the margins, and just find a bit of peace. I still have the VHS tape full of recorded first-run episodes -- yes, with commercials -- because I knew this would be a special show. I wanted to pass the tape around to convince all my friends that this wasn't like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which, incidentally is an equally awesome show, but you know, haters gonna hate. I hoped it would garner this smart, witty, unusual spin on the typical sci-fi genre a few more viewers, but perhaps Firefly was meant to live on in an afterlife of cancelled cult status. I admit, I had a little head-slap-DOH! moment when my Mister bought the series out of the blue and said, "Have you heard about this show? I hear it's good." So let us be nerd-thankful this November, cheer for the Browncoats, go out and have a drink and a fight on U-Day, and most of all: Keep On Flying.

Jaunty Fine Print: graphic by Denise Sakaki, as inspired by artist Rene Magritte and Joss Whedon's Firefly