Interview with the Fanpire Series 5: Dash Con and San Diego Comic Con Special with Baker St Babe
My name is Sora, I go by the pseudonym M.D Sora, I’m 25 years old and I currently live in the UK however I am a military brat (which means I’ve been everywhere) thus my native country is the US. I run with several groups, however currently I run the London Sherlockians along with my partner Phil (@mjphilmik) who is the founder of the group. I recently was asked to be the graphic designer for The Baker Street Babes and was given the title of “Honorary Babe”. I’ve known about the Babes for several years now, and have watched how they influenced our fandom. Their role has been providing this lovely fandom of ours with a Podcast, at 70K and growing, I feel they’ve become quite the powerhouse in this group.
They interview not only the stars of the most current Holmes adaption BBC’s Sherlock, such as Amanda Abbington and Louise Brealey, but other people who are part of the Sherlockian’s older fandom. They’ve interviewed writers, actors and even fan artists. I feel like they’re there to help us connect to the Sherlockian fandom both old and new.
The Babes are fans of Sherlock Holmes and every bit of it attached to him. As for my role, outside of the Babes I organize fan meet ups in London or where ever I happen to be. I enjoy coordinating such events, every aspect of it. With the Babes my role is to do anything they might need graphically speaking. Posters, fliers, button designs, ext… I hope that in the coming year I can join the ranks of other notable fan artists out there, because at heart I am an artist and that is what I enjoy the most; creating something that people enjoy.
Sherlock Graphic Created by MD Sora
When it comes to the groups however, it’s hardly stressful. I get a great deal of joy taking people to visit filming sites from the BBC Sherlock series, there is a certain excitement you feel when you realize that wow…here I am exactly where they filmed it! It’s a little surreal at times to see something you normally only view on your telly or in your own imagination and physically be there. Typically at our events we meet on a bi-weekly basis (the schedule can be found on our tumblr page LondonSherlockians.Tumblr.Com) we gather at the Baker Street station right beside the infamous Detective’s statue. After a bit of chit-chat we wait around for any stragglers then depending on what the plan is (what sites we’re going to visit) we head out. Phil is our geographer, I tend to get hopelessly lost! With Phil’s guidance we travel all over London seeking out the places we know to see and take photos of. Sometimes we visit places we’d been to before, we like to just go off of what our friends and fellow Sherlockians ask to see.
Sometimes we have people visiting from other countries who haven’t seen any of the sites at all, so naturally we take them there for the first time and I sit back and just enjoy the look of wonder (or perhaps look of intense feels when it comes to visiting St. Barts) that comes over their faces. We usually conclude our meet ups by settling at a park to talk about crazy AU’s (Segwaylock is now a thing) or theories about what’s going to happen next.
As a member of the Sherlock Holmes Society I also attend their events to keep in connection with the older generation of Sherlockians. They’ve got a different perspective and they geek about about Holmes and Watson in their own way and it’s interesting to hear what they thing. At some of the events I’ll get treated to a live play, such as the one I saw during the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Birthday Bash.
As a part of the Babes, I participated in a live radio play of the Charles Augustus Milverton story. I like to dabble in a bit of everything, and when you live in London, the very home of Holmes himself, it’s very easy to do that. I try to encourage our followers to join me on these events, that way they can also indulge themselves in some of the classic Holmes.
Ah, the SherlockeDCC event. It’s a crazy, huge party that last year ended up being spectacular despite being it’s very first run. This is the second annual event we’re doing and it’s going to be even bigger and better than before. And I know people say that, but when I tell you it’s going to be amazing, I mean it. It will dazzle you. We’ll have a live band, amazing swag bags full of neat art, raffle prizes featuring crafts and arts from some ridiculously talented people out there. In this event, I am one of the artists. I designed the logo and a few of the other things that you’ll see at the event.
Sherlock Water Colour created by MD Sora
The Babes are also going to be attending the first annual Dash Con, where they’re going to be doing a live podcast recording doing a comparison of the AU’s in our Sherlockian fandom, touching on everything from The Great Mouse Detective and Rathborn to Fawnlock and Tunalock.
I won’t be at that convention unfortunately since I’m going to be busy with SherlockeDCC. In the UK we have something in the works, the plans are tentative and are more of a thought than anything solid yet but I can tell you that if we can coordinate it, it’s going to be awesome.
The London Sherlockians are also putting together a few neat events such as a scavenger hunt that will send people running around the streets of London to tentative plans for a trip to Cardiff to visit a few places that we haven’t seen yet. Lots of things happening, but nothing solid yet.
Q&A Fun Facts:
Favorite Ben role?
I didn’t meet the fantastic actor until Sherlock, and I have to say that it remains my favorite role of his. He emulates Sherlock Holmes in the modern world so well that you sometimes forget that Sherlock is a fictional character and he doesn’t actually live on Baker Street (or North Gower if we’re getting technical)
Least favorite?
Hmm..This is hard to say, I think he’s a rather fantastic actor in all that he does, however, in Forty Something I just wasn’t feeling it as much as I did with all the other things he’d done and would later go on to do.
Your role in London Sherlockians and Baker Street Babes?
I am a graphic designer slash event planner that enjoys long walks around London, and creating amazing things on a computer.
Favorite Benedict Quote?
Ha I want to say that one of his more philanthropic quotes are my favorite, but honestly my real favorite is “It’s B-E-N-E-D-I-C-T , dickhead”
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