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Showing posts with label Colleen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colleen. Show all posts
He's BA-ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Evening my Children. Den Mother Colleen here with a mini-review of Sanctuary...the land of the Pretty. Towards the end of season 2, something horrible happened on Sanctuary. Not an uncommon occurance when dealing with monsters on a daily basis. The horrible thing was the devamping of Nicola Tesla. And remaking him into a Magneto rip-off. Both things royally pissed me off. I liked the idea of Nicola Tesla as vampire/master of electricity. AND I mean master of electricity the way Jenny Sparks of The Authority (awesome graphic novel whilst Jenny lived...now she's a toddler...long story that would require another article) was master of electricity...as in he could CREATE IT with his body. Then he got devamped with his own device (really, really stupidly, btw) and somehow developed the ability to manipulate magnetic fields. THUS, Magneto rip-off. So tonight's post is dedicated to Nicola Tesla: Vampire, devamped, Magneto'd, and now revamped!!!!
FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!
Anyway, quick recap. Helen Magnus was part of a group that called themselves the five. The five included James Watson i.e. Sherlock Holmes, John Druitt aka Jack the Ripper, Nigel Griffin aka The Invisible Man, and Nicola Telsa aka unnecessary as he's NICOLA FUCKING TESLA. Now this group somehow procured a batch of unaltered vampire DNA. In Sanctuary, vampires weren't undead aberrations, they were a species of Earth called Sanguine Vampirus that could breed but were still, in fact, immortal. According to Sanctuary history, they were the great emperors of Rome, Greece, the Pharoahs of Egypt, etc. Basically they ruled the world and humans were their slaves. Well, humanity, under the power of the Church, rebelled and largely exterminated the species. They also, which still hasn't been fucking explained, managed to sterilize the remaining vampires. So the unaltered vampire blood is blood of a random vampire who wasn't sterilized. Anywho, the Five injected themselves with the blood giving each some cool new ability or trait. Watson's natural intelligence was heightened to superhuman proportions. Druitt developed teleportation abilities, unfortunately during transit of a teleport some bat-shit crazy abnormal piggy-backed into him and made him Jack the Ripper. Helen Magnus became essentially immortal. Nigel Griffin became a human cloaking device. Nicola Tesla, due to a vampire ancestor, had dormant vampiric genes awakened and became a vampire...who can manipulate electricity.
So for 120 or so years, Nicola larked about, trying to use his blood to make other vampires. He finally succeeded in the 21st century. But they weren't playing by his rules so, using a fail-safe device, he devamped them. Unfortunately, while he was devamping the last asshole vamp, the guy grabbed him and pushed him onto the device, which apparently worked at both ends. Thus Nicola was devamped...as I said, stupid huh? And to make it even more irritating, he became Magneto.
Well in the most recent episode of Sanctuary, The Awakening, our Nicola gets revamped. YAY!
So he and Helen are investigating a cave that was supposedly Praxian (the underground beings who went, well, underground to escape the rule of the Vampires) but was taken over by the vampires. The vampires put a booby-trap in it and Tesla gets shot with a laser. While investigating the site at Tesla's "dying' request, Helen uncovers a stasis pod with a vampire in it. Realizing that this woman probably predates the sterilization of the vampires, she goes all HULK on the crystal and withdraws some blood...and revamps Tesla. YAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vampire Tesla...AGAIN! As it should be!
However, in the process of HULK STRENGTH, she destabilizes the pod and it starts disintegrating...and the vampire is set free. Originally I thought her name was ATHENA...which makes sense to me as she was quite Goa'uld-like...but apparently she's AFINA. Whatever. Anyway, she decides that the world should be taken over by vamps again, tosses Nicola down a big ol hole, and takes Helen hostage to be her own undying meals on wheels or meals in heels to be more accurate. They go into another chamber deeper in the cave where there is a big ol room full of vampires in stasis. She starts the wake-up call. Helen attacks her. Bad move Helen...this is a VAMPIRE...
Meet Athena or Afina.
Meanwhile, Tesla is trying to get the fuck out of the hole. AND apparently he still has his magneto powers and is able to grab his pack, which has a very convenient grappling hook and apparently a shitload of rope. And thus saves Helen from being all killed by Afina. He throws the grappling hook at Afina and the momentum knocks her across the room. Anyway, while he and Afina have a big ol' vamp fight, Helen stops the other vamps from being awakened...but Afina wins the battle. Helen stops her by saying she'll give Afina the crystal that had the location of the Praxian city if she lets them go and tells them how to get out of the cave...unbeknownst to said vamp, the crystal has a fail safe in it that creates A BOMB if a vampire gets a hold of the information. Helen and Tesla haul ass out of the cave while vampires go boom and MAN WHAT A BOOM. There's a big ol crater from the boom.
Oh, meanwhile, the rest of the gang deal with Kate's ol mercenary gang. But I really didn't care about that subplot except for the part where Kate tells her ol' gang that they have one chance to get out of dodge posthastey as she is now part of the Sanctuary and thus is a bad-ass for good!
That's about it. Vampire Nicola has been resurrected (he actually uses that term) and Kate is scary when she's pissed. So all in all a great episode. Which is nice since I couldn't care less about the past couple of episodes.
Good Night and Tesla Bless You!
Video Games
Nothing like a good Waterworld reference to start things off!
Hello, My Brethren and Sisteren!
Get ready, 'cause this sumbitch is gonna be a doozy!
It all began on May 3rd, when this article from FilmDrunk drew the ire of an entire Pantheon's worth of Geek Goddesses and their loyal followers on Twitter--myself included. Give it a read...I'll wait....
Later, things got even worse when this article not only continued the assault on female Nerddom, but specifically, and violently, targeted Miss Jill Pantozzi: one of the Internet community's most acclaimed Geek Girls. I have never had the pleasure of meeting Miss Pantozzi, online or IRL, but she's a marvelous writer and a fellow Topless Robot contributor, and seems like an awesome person. Specifically, she came under fire for the title of her personal blog: Has Boobs, Reads Comics. Apparently, the writer of the article in question did not see the irony in the name.
So I decided I needed to put my Crom-given powers of blogification to good use and weigh in on the growing Geek Girl controversy.
There was just one problem--I'm a dude!
See, I wholeheartedly support the cause of female nerdery, but, in the interest of honest journalism, I must admit that my support is largely the result of enlightened self-interest: I want Geek Girls to be open, accepted, and prolific because it increases my chances of finding a mate. I want a girlfriend/wife who shares my interests, and that's much easier when female nerds feel they can be up front about their enthusiasms. I'm not saying that I'm entirely selfish: I'm very supportive of nerds of either gender being able to fly their Geek Flags without fear of judgement--but fact is, my gender and its implications render me unqualified to speak objectively on this topic.
FORTUNATELY...
The Internet Gods (Goddesses?) have blessed me with a number of good friends, readers, and contributors who are the biggest, most hard-core Geeks this side of the SDCC....AND, just happen to be lovely, intelligent, interesting women. So I turned on the Scoot Signal, and called as many of them as I could to the cause. They'll be supplying the actual meat of this article: The interesting, insightful, and enlightening anecdotes that I lack the personal experience to provide.
But before you hit the jump and get to know my charming friends and colleagues, I'd like to share a little something that'll help explain why I don't feel qualified to speak intelligently on this subject:
See, just like the authors of the two articles I linked above, I too have at times doubted the veracity of the Geekiness of very attractive women. It shames me to admit this. In addition, it's become painfully apparent that a number of starlets and models have indeed misappropriated aspects of Geek culture in order to make themselves more appealing to our growing demographic.
Check out Exhibit A:
Yep, that's Megan Fox, and next to Olivia Munn (who I think is hilarious on The Daily Show, but I digress), no other female celebrity is more constantly accused of false Geekhood. Now, I do not know one way or the other concerning the accuracy of her claims...But I just get a vibe of fakeness from her--there just seems to be something contrived about her whole image. I'm not accusing Ms. Fox of any specific duplicity, but unfortunately, she happens to serve well as an example of idealized and fetishized female nerdery.
Which leads us to Exhibit B:
I saw this pic while searching for images for this article, and my first thought was to include it as a perfect example of unrealistic, posed, glamorized, and fully, utterly insincere female Nerddom.
WRONG!!
That's Michele Boyd, Clare Grant, Milynn Sarley, and Rileah Vanderbilt--better known as Team Unicorn, and they're bigger goddamn Geeks than I could ever hope to be! I'd like to go into more detail about these magnificently nerdy women, but they deserve their own article, which I'll deliver later this week (probably).
For now, this interview at Action Flick Chick should tide you over.
Point is, I have no place berating others for making superficial judgements about Geek Girls when apparently I'm as prone to do so as those I decry. So, instead I'll let the women speak for themselves. After the jump.
I thought I'd start things off with a familiar face (and yes, I'll be writing in italics to distinguish my words from those of my contributors):
For the benefit of newcomers, this is Colleen Seelke: TTOS Den Mother, my very first contributor, and Second-In-Command. Should anything unthinkably horrible happen to me (Read: I lose Internet access) my Kingdom shall be hers.
Enjoy her thoughts on Star Wars, and growing up Geeky:
Star Wars is TOTALLY a valid nerd love. I get that non nerds can see the film and like it. But then there are people like me. For instance, I know the Death Star Run scene SO WELL, I know the dialogue that is being said based on the music played ALONE...I once recited the dialogue while stuck in traffic while listening to the music. The Husband is witness to this. In addition, I once pissed off a male nerd when I beat him at Star Wars Trivial Pursuit...twice... It's actually the first win that is epic. I went to a picnic with my best friend Jen...by the time I got there, the game was well under way. The "Undefeated Champion" of the game had 4 pie pieces already. I took over for a girl who had none. I won within a half hour. He was utterly shocked and demanded another game with just me. His exact words "No fucking way a girl beats me at this game." So I beat him again.
Sometimes girls, like guys, are late bloomers. They may have been skinny and awkward growing up...and were part of the "nerd/geek" group. Then they got hot. That doesn't change them loving nerdy stuff. Or they have a parent who absolutely loves a certain genre. This parent worked a lot. The one time the child had the parent all to his/herself was on Sunday Afternoon's watching Star Trek...Oh wait, that was me. For both points. My dad worked for the telephone company throughout my childhood. In order to give us a good home, food, a college fund, and you know presents and fun stuff, he worked an insane amount of overtime. Whenever he was home, though, he spent time with my brother and me. But one of the few times I got him to myself was when he was watching Star Trek. My brother had no interest in it. Initially, neither did I...you know, being only six years old. But he was so excited that I was showing an interest so I kept watching it...and thus my nerdhood was born...well that and the fact that I was pretty much weaned on Star Wars. Growing up, I was skinny, too tall, freckled, and rather plain. My hotness didn't really appear until high school...and by then, I was already labelled both nerd and scifi geek, so I didn't even KNOW I was hot until I went to college and boys finally began hitting on me.
Next we have longtime TTOS reader and fellow TR Contributor, Bri Buckley.
I'm very proud to have helped Bri get her start with Topless Robot. I got to read and critique her very first Daily List before even Rob Bricken saw it. It means a great deal to me that someone considered my judgement to be of such import, and I thank her with all my heart for that. Since then, she's done a number of truly unique and entertaining pieces for TR. Here, Bri expounds on her definition of "Nerd",the reactions she's received from male Geeks, and self-imposed divisions among the subculture.
I'm proud to call myself a nerd. I feel that my nerdy interests are just as legitimate as any other person's. I think it's possible to be nerdy about anything you feel passionately about - nerdiness is based on love and knowledge, not necessarily on the subject matter itself. I've had to deal with the same crap from non-nerdy friends and family members that you probably have. My mother's asked me when I'm going to "grow out of this" ("this" meaning my nerdiness). Answer: NEVER!
And yet I've had male nerds test my knowledge of my interests, as though they're trying to evaluate whether or not I deserve to call myself a nerd - not in a "What was your favorite part?" or "What do you think about this?" sort of way, but in a "You can't name the 2nd Assistant Director of this movie we both like? You obviously don't like it at all, then!" way. I'm not sure why this is. Why wouldn't all nerds everywhere just be happy to connect with people that have similar interests? After all, being a nerdy is sometimes pretty lonely. Why would you want to discourage such a connection because "she's not nerdy enough, based on my individual and arbitrarily-defined criteria"?
Case in point: the article at filmdrunk is titled: "Hot Women Pandering to Nerds".
Here are the assumptions made in the title:
1. All nerds are male
2. If there are any female nerds, they're not "hot"
3. If there is a "hot" woman claiming nerdy interests, she's pandering (i.e., her interests are not legitimate)
I know that there's a perception out there right now that geek is "in", and therefore there are a lot of people jumping on the geek bandwagon in order to claim some of that popularity. But it seems as though people are even more skeptical of women admitting their nerdy interests than they are of men doing the same thing. I don't think this is because all male nerds are inherently sexist, but that it's more of a protective "I've put a lot of time and love into this interest, and I don't want you to ruin it by pretending you love it as much as I do" thing.
If there are two main points I'd like to get across to my nerdy brethren, it would be these:
1. Learn to share. Allowing someone else to like the same things that you do doesn't diminish your own nerdiness in any way.
2. Expand your definitions. Let the words "nerd" or "geek" mean a person with a high level of interest in something - not just a man or a woman. If you fall into the trap of having extremely rigid categories that you absolutely must fit people into, you miss out on the people that don't fit into those categories. And that's a shame.
This next contributor I've only recently begun to get to know, so I'm sorry not to have more to share about her:
Meet Miss Debra Shelly. She's another longtime TTOS reader. I only started to get to know her when she answered my request for contributors to this piece, so as I said, there's not a lot I can say except that she's an awesome person, and I'm honored to have her as part of my audience (plus, she's a fellow Dune-Fanatic, meaning it's all I can do to stop myself from tracking her down and proposing ;) ) Miss Shelly was kind enough to share with me her experiences growing up as a nerd and the pride she takes in her Geek Girlhood (Btw: for my money, Children of Dune is the best book in the series):
The phenomenon of the "Geek Girl" is not news to any of us girls who have always loved all things genre. Some of us dig "Star Trek". Others love "Dune" - I know I certainly do. In fact, I have gotten into arguments over whether "Dune Messiah" is, in fact, the best of the Dune Sequels (my vote goes to "God Emperor of Dune" - yay Hwi Noree!) I read comics by the pileful, but I do NOT play videogames. Why? Because the last time I played a videogame, namely Batman: The Brave and The Bold, I got stuck playing Robin and got turned into a cat while my boyfriend was merrily off kicking ass and busting out the "Hammers of Justice"....rrrr. I heart "Star Wars", despite the best efforts of George Lucas to alienate us all. Other Geek Girls I know play RPGs, online game, and engage in cosplay at conventions. Heck, I even know a Geek Girl who owns her very own comics and gaming store that got nominated for the 2010 Eisner "Spirit of Comics" Award for outstanding comics retailer. She was a finalist, which is so cool and awesome I can hardly believe it.
But to my main point: I am a Geek Girl because I always have been. It was never a conscious decision, or a path I sought out. Nope. I have always been drawn to nerdy awesomeness. I got a lot of crap for being a Lone Fangirl growing up. I was teased relentlessly in grade school and junior high. Going to my local comic shop in my hometown was torture. But I didn't care. I wanted those comics. And here I am, quite some time later, in my thirties, and I have found my Geek Tribe. My partner is a comic expert and a show-runner at FanExpo Canada, where I have volunteered. I recently volunteered at Kazoo!, a local indie zine/comic fest. TCAF (the Toronto Comic Arts Festival) is coming up this weekend, and promises to be a great time. I have met so many amazing people through the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop. I have a Darwyn Cooke Batman and an Agnes Garbowska Dex-Starr hanging in my apartment. My boyfriend brought me a Katie Cook original for my birthday. I love my Geek Girl life, and if you want to come and join the Geek Tribe, there's plenty of room next to me. I'm the one with the Dex-Starr decal on my fridge. I wear a Flash T-shirt to go running at the gym, 'cause I'm a fast girl. Maybe you know me, or someone like me. I insist upon my right to revel in my own fangirl geekery. Life's too goddamn short to waste.
And finally, we have something very interesting:
This is Liz Coleman. And I've not yet had the pleasure of meeting or speaking with her. In a most serendipitous move, TTOS' new Chief Australian Correspondent: Vadim Stoger-Ruitz (I know--odd names them Aussies have! ;) ) just happened to be planning to post an interview with this charming, game-crazy young lady whom he recently met on Facebook and shares his affection for SNES. I convinced Mr. Stoger-Ruitz to send me said interview and allow me to include it in this piece. Btw, the sections marked "Tao of Scoot" are the words of Mr. Stoger-Ruitz:
Tao of Scoot: How did your social groups as you got older respond to your love of gaming, or was it something that wasn't mentioned?
Liz Coleman: Gaming most definitely affected my social development, but I would argue in a good way. It wasn't hugely mentioned because instead of talking to people at school about whatever stupid crap people at school talked about, I would kind of hermit off and think about what I was going to do in Wutai when I got home.. The reason I say this is a good thing is because I'm naturally a follower, and would have followed whatever group I fell in into whatever walk of life they followed, which where I grew up, would have been very bad. Instead I had games, stories, worlds of my own to grow with.. I learned how to like my own things, how to use my imagination and understand that there was a whole lot to experience out there. Otherwise I reckon I would have just sat around doing not much. People seem to think that gaming is superficial, but as a kid, gaming saved me from a life full of superficial nothing..But to answer your question, my social groups didn't really recognize it, I didn't even think of it as something to talk about. It was mine.
Until the online community became my social group, which of course is an entirely different thing..
Tao of Scoot: The market of female gamers has been growing for some time recently, but in the days of the SNES, when a developer wanted to try and make a game for girls, they would invariably use bright colours, and unicorns and ponies, and basically whatever a 30-year old man thought girls wanted. Did any of those types of games appeal in any way, or was it somewhat offensive to you that they thought it was what you wanted?
Liz Coleman: I really think I was too young to recognize such things, but I certainly don't recall being attracted in any way to anything girly. I hated Princess Peach, my God she was (is?) useless. I don't even remember seeing any games like that on SNES, although of course I know now they exist. I was very much attracted to good gameplay.. It doesn't really offend, even now, when that is done; marketing is marketing, and it does work, but that kind of marketing just does not work for me as a gamer. Being surrounded by
girliness is not what I was looking for, in fact I'd say I'd already rejected all of that in favour of what I was doing, which was playing kick-ass games..That kind of marketing is designed to make non-gamers play games. That does not count as gaming..I do remember being somewhat excited that Lara Croft was female, I was a bit sick of having to imagine myself as a dude all the time. I didn't realize she was marketed to men, but
it was irrelevant to me..Characters like Tifa and Aerith were also pretty awesome for me to relate to.
Tao of Scoot: Have you had to face any crudeness or sexism online?.
Liz Coleman: Yes, lots of times. I remember realizing in Age of Empires that I was the only chick around really, which surprised me. That was the first time I realized I was a minority in gaming..Of course I copped a lot of "OMG GIRLS DONT PLAY GAMES" and "PICS!", but I was also fast becoming very aware of Internet Culture, so for the most part I either laughed or shrugged it off..In Call of Duty, someone from my clan accidentally called me "she" in a pub server, and that was it. I copped so much shit in chat, which I didn't mind, but every time I did something stupid I got told to "fuck off, girls can't play games"..It was frustrating that I was just as good (better?) than a lot of these people, but I couldn't make any mistakes or miss a shot or I'd be crucified..WoW was different, people weren't surprised that there was a chick around, because by
now there were lots of us. That was nice. You still missed out on a lot of boys-club type stuff, like assuming I didn't want to come and raid an alliance town with everyone else, but it was nothing like in CoD..I think I avoided a lot of it by not mentioning my gender if I could help it. I didn't see a need to, nobody else did, so I'd say 99% of the people I've played with assumed I was a guy. Which suited me fine..I think the worst
was when Ventrillo and TeamSpeak became a necessity in online gaming. I did cop a fair bit of shit on there, especially in public ones, but within my guild/clan it was fine, it was like banter. If you take offense, you will be eaten alive. If you get in on the joke, you can actually have a lot of fun..
Vadim made me promise to add this footnote to the interview, I don't know if they're his words or Ms. Coleman's though. Regardless, it's food for thought.
"Liz met her husband playing Age of Empires, so guys, if you're cool to your female co-players, you could end up with a great girl. In short, don't be a douche to the ladies online. When you are, you're only proving to yourself and the world at large that you're to be avoided like a herpes infested bomb made of Atari's E.T cartridges."
I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed compiling and writing it. To the other Geek Girls out there: Stay strong--as you can see, you're not alone. Also, feel free to share your own experiences and thoughts in the comments section. If I get enough, perhaps I might compose a sequel.
I leave you with a marvelous quote from Charles Piner I found on Twitter--words of wisdom that would be of value to us all, regardless of gender:
"I'm a geek who has learned that being a geek or nerd isn't about proving yourself, it's just about being yourself."
If someone were to ask me to sum up what I hope to convey with this article into a single sentence, this would be it. Thank you, Mr. Piner.
(Oh, and if anyone is wondering why I didn't end on a quote from an actual Geek Girl, be aware that I only know this quote because it was Re-Tweeted by Bonnie Burton, Geek High Priestess and author of the Star Wars Craft Book. )
James Paul Daniels, AKA: Scooter Atreides (no name-based jokes today: I'm proud of this one)
Nothing like a good Waterworld reference to start things off!
Hello, My Brethren and Sisteren!
Get ready, 'cause this sumbitch is gonna be a doozy!
It all began on May 3rd, when this article from FilmDrunk drew the ire of an entire Pantheon's worth of Geek Goddesses and their loyal followers on Twitter--myself included. Give it a read...I'll wait....
Later, things got even worse when this article not only continued the assault on female Nerddom, but specifically, and violently, targeted Miss Jill Pantozzi: one of the Internet community's most acclaimed Geek Girls. I have never had the pleasure of meeting Miss Pantozzi, online or IRL, but she's a marvelous writer and a fellow Topless Robot contributor, and seems like an awesome person. Specifically, she came under fire for the title of her personal blog: Has Boobs, Reads Comics. Apparently, the writer of the article in question did not see the irony in the name.
So I decided I needed to put my Crom-given powers of blogification to good use and weigh in on the growing Geek Girl controversy.
There was just one problem--I'm a dude!
See, I wholeheartedly support the cause of female nerdery, but, in the interest of honest journalism, I must admit that my support is largely the result of enlightened self-interest: I want Geek Girls to be open, accepted, and prolific because it increases my chances of finding a mate. I want a girlfriend/wife who shares my interests, and that's much easier when female nerds feel they can be up front about their enthusiasms. I'm not saying that I'm entirely selfish: I'm very supportive of nerds of either gender being able to fly their Geek Flags without fear of judgement--but fact is, my gender and its implications render me unqualified to speak objectively on this topic.
FORTUNATELY...
The Internet Gods (Goddesses?) have blessed me with a number of good friends, readers, and contributors who are the biggest, most hard-core Geeks this side of the SDCC....AND, just happen to be lovely, intelligent, interesting women. So I turned on the Scoot Signal, and called as many of them as I could to the cause. They'll be supplying the actual meat of this article: The interesting, insightful, and enlightening anecdotes that I lack the personal experience to provide.
But before you hit the jump and get to know my charming friends and colleagues, I'd like to share a little something that'll help explain why I don't feel qualified to speak intelligently on this subject:
See, just like the authors of the two articles I linked above, I too have at times doubted the veracity of the Geekiness of very attractive women. It shames me to admit this. In addition, it's become painfully apparent that a number of starlets and models have indeed misappropriated aspects of Geek culture in order to make themselves more appealing to our growing demographic.
Check out Exhibit A:
Yep, that's Megan Fox, and next to Olivia Munn (who I think is hilarious on The Daily Show, but I digress), no other female celebrity is more constantly accused of false Geekhood. Now, I do not know one way or the other concerning the accuracy of her claims...But I just get a vibe of fakeness from her--there just seems to be something contrived about her whole image. I'm not accusing Ms. Fox of any specific duplicity, but unfortunately, she happens to serve well as an example of idealized and fetishized female nerdery.
Which leads us to Exhibit B:
I saw this pic while searching for images for this article, and my first thought was to include it as a perfect example of unrealistic, posed, glamorized, and fully, utterly insincere female Nerddom.
WRONG!!
That's Michele Boyd, Clare Grant, Milynn Sarley, and Rileah Vanderbilt--better known as Team Unicorn, and they're bigger goddamn Geeks than I could ever hope to be! I'd like to go into more detail about these magnificently nerdy women, but they deserve their own article, which I'll deliver later this week (probably).
For now, this interview at Action Flick Chick should tide you over.
Point is, I have no place berating others for making superficial judgements about Geek Girls when apparently I'm as prone to do so as those I decry. So, instead I'll let the women speak for themselves. After the jump.
I thought I'd start things off with a familiar face (and yes, I'll be writing in italics to distinguish my words from those of my contributors):
Enjoy her thoughts on Star Wars, and growing up Geeky:
Star Wars is TOTALLY a valid nerd love. I get that non nerds can see the film and like it. But then there are people like me. For instance, I know the Death Star Run scene SO WELL, I know the dialogue that is being said based on the music played ALONE...I once recited the dialogue while stuck in traffic while listening to the music. The Husband is witness to this. In addition, I once pissed off a male nerd when I beat him at Star Wars Trivial Pursuit...twice... It's actually the first win that is epic. I went to a picnic with my best friend Jen...by the time I got there, the game was well under way. The "Undefeated Champion" of the game had 4 pie pieces already. I took over for a girl who had none. I won within a half hour. He was utterly shocked and demanded another game with just me. His exact words "No fucking way a girl beats me at this game." So I beat him again.
Sometimes girls, like guys, are late bloomers. They may have been skinny and awkward growing up...and were part of the "nerd/geek" group. Then they got hot. That doesn't change them loving nerdy stuff. Or they have a parent who absolutely loves a certain genre. This parent worked a lot. The one time the child had the parent all to his/herself was on Sunday Afternoon's watching Star Trek...Oh wait, that was me. For both points. My dad worked for the telephone company throughout my childhood. In order to give us a good home, food, a college fund, and you know presents and fun stuff, he worked an insane amount of overtime. Whenever he was home, though, he spent time with my brother and me. But one of the few times I got him to myself was when he was watching Star Trek. My brother had no interest in it. Initially, neither did I...you know, being only six years old. But he was so excited that I was showing an interest so I kept watching it...and thus my nerdhood was born...well that and the fact that I was pretty much weaned on Star Wars. Growing up, I was skinny, too tall, freckled, and rather plain. My hotness didn't really appear until high school...and by then, I was already labelled both nerd and scifi geek, so I didn't even KNOW I was hot until I went to college and boys finally began hitting on me.
Next we have longtime TTOS reader and fellow TR Contributor, Bri Buckley.
I'm proud to call myself a nerd. I feel that my nerdy interests are just as legitimate as any other person's. I think it's possible to be nerdy about anything you feel passionately about - nerdiness is based on love and knowledge, not necessarily on the subject matter itself. I've had to deal with the same crap from non-nerdy friends and family members that you probably have. My mother's asked me when I'm going to "grow out of this" ("this" meaning my nerdiness). Answer: NEVER!
And yet I've had male nerds test my knowledge of my interests, as though they're trying to evaluate whether or not I deserve to call myself a nerd - not in a "What was your favorite part?" or "What do you think about this?" sort of way, but in a "You can't name the 2nd Assistant Director of this movie we both like? You obviously don't like it at all, then!" way. I'm not sure why this is. Why wouldn't all nerds everywhere just be happy to connect with people that have similar interests? After all, being a nerdy is sometimes pretty lonely. Why would you want to discourage such a connection because "she's not nerdy enough, based on my individual and arbitrarily-defined criteria"?
Case in point: the article at filmdrunk is titled: "Hot Women Pandering to Nerds".
Here are the assumptions made in the title:
1. All nerds are male
2. If there are any female nerds, they're not "hot"
3. If there is a "hot" woman claiming nerdy interests, she's pandering (i.e., her interests are not legitimate)
I know that there's a perception out there right now that geek is "in", and therefore there are a lot of people jumping on the geek bandwagon in order to claim some of that popularity. But it seems as though people are even more skeptical of women admitting their nerdy interests than they are of men doing the same thing. I don't think this is because all male nerds are inherently sexist, but that it's more of a protective "I've put a lot of time and love into this interest, and I don't want you to ruin it by pretending you love it as much as I do" thing.
If there are two main points I'd like to get across to my nerdy brethren, it would be these:
1. Learn to share. Allowing someone else to like the same things that you do doesn't diminish your own nerdiness in any way.
2. Expand your definitions. Let the words "nerd" or "geek" mean a person with a high level of interest in something - not just a man or a woman. If you fall into the trap of having extremely rigid categories that you absolutely must fit people into, you miss out on the people that don't fit into those categories. And that's a shame.
This next contributor I've only recently begun to get to know, so I'm sorry not to have more to share about her:
The phenomenon of the "Geek Girl" is not news to any of us girls who have always loved all things genre. Some of us dig "Star Trek". Others love "Dune" - I know I certainly do. In fact, I have gotten into arguments over whether "Dune Messiah" is, in fact, the best of the Dune Sequels (my vote goes to "God Emperor of Dune" - yay Hwi Noree!) I read comics by the pileful, but I do NOT play videogames. Why? Because the last time I played a videogame, namely Batman: The Brave and The Bold, I got stuck playing Robin and got turned into a cat while my boyfriend was merrily off kicking ass and busting out the "Hammers of Justice"....rrrr. I heart "Star Wars", despite the best efforts of George Lucas to alienate us all. Other Geek Girls I know play RPGs, online game, and engage in cosplay at conventions. Heck, I even know a Geek Girl who owns her very own comics and gaming store that got nominated for the 2010 Eisner "Spirit of Comics" Award for outstanding comics retailer. She was a finalist, which is so cool and awesome I can hardly believe it.
But to my main point: I am a Geek Girl because I always have been. It was never a conscious decision, or a path I sought out. Nope. I have always been drawn to nerdy awesomeness. I got a lot of crap for being a Lone Fangirl growing up. I was teased relentlessly in grade school and junior high. Going to my local comic shop in my hometown was torture. But I didn't care. I wanted those comics. And here I am, quite some time later, in my thirties, and I have found my Geek Tribe. My partner is a comic expert and a show-runner at FanExpo Canada, where I have volunteered. I recently volunteered at Kazoo!, a local indie zine/comic fest. TCAF (the Toronto Comic Arts Festival) is coming up this weekend, and promises to be a great time. I have met so many amazing people through the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop. I have a Darwyn Cooke Batman and an Agnes Garbowska Dex-Starr hanging in my apartment. My boyfriend brought me a Katie Cook original for my birthday. I love my Geek Girl life, and if you want to come and join the Geek Tribe, there's plenty of room next to me. I'm the one with the Dex-Starr decal on my fridge. I wear a Flash T-shirt to go running at the gym, 'cause I'm a fast girl. Maybe you know me, or someone like me. I insist upon my right to revel in my own fangirl geekery. Life's too goddamn short to waste.
And finally, we have something very interesting:
Tao of Scoot: How did your social groups as you got older respond to your love of gaming, or was it something that wasn't mentioned?
Liz Coleman: Gaming most definitely affected my social development, but I would argue in a good way. It wasn't hugely mentioned because instead of talking to people at school about whatever stupid crap people at school talked about, I would kind of hermit off and think about what I was going to do in Wutai when I got home.. The reason I say this is a good thing is because I'm naturally a follower, and would have followed whatever group I fell in into whatever walk of life they followed, which where I grew up, would have been very bad. Instead I had games, stories, worlds of my own to grow with.. I learned how to like my own things, how to use my imagination and understand that there was a whole lot to experience out there. Otherwise I reckon I would have just sat around doing not much. People seem to think that gaming is superficial, but as a kid, gaming saved me from a life full of superficial nothing..But to answer your question, my social groups didn't really recognize it, I didn't even think of it as something to talk about. It was mine.
Until the online community became my social group, which of course is an entirely different thing..
Tao of Scoot: The market of female gamers has been growing for some time recently, but in the days of the SNES, when a developer wanted to try and make a game for girls, they would invariably use bright colours, and unicorns and ponies, and basically whatever a 30-year old man thought girls wanted. Did any of those types of games appeal in any way, or was it somewhat offensive to you that they thought it was what you wanted?
Liz Coleman: I really think I was too young to recognize such things, but I certainly don't recall being attracted in any way to anything girly. I hated Princess Peach, my God she was (is?) useless. I don't even remember seeing any games like that on SNES, although of course I know now they exist. I was very much attracted to good gameplay.. It doesn't really offend, even now, when that is done; marketing is marketing, and it does work, but that kind of marketing just does not work for me as a gamer. Being surrounded by
girliness is not what I was looking for, in fact I'd say I'd already rejected all of that in favour of what I was doing, which was playing kick-ass games..That kind of marketing is designed to make non-gamers play games. That does not count as gaming..I do remember being somewhat excited that Lara Croft was female, I was a bit sick of having to imagine myself as a dude all the time. I didn't realize she was marketed to men, but
it was irrelevant to me..Characters like Tifa and Aerith were also pretty awesome for me to relate to.
Tao of Scoot: Have you had to face any crudeness or sexism online?.
Liz Coleman: Yes, lots of times. I remember realizing in Age of Empires that I was the only chick around really, which surprised me. That was the first time I realized I was a minority in gaming..Of course I copped a lot of "OMG GIRLS DONT PLAY GAMES" and "PICS!", but I was also fast becoming very aware of Internet Culture, so for the most part I either laughed or shrugged it off..In Call of Duty, someone from my clan accidentally called me "she" in a pub server, and that was it. I copped so much shit in chat, which I didn't mind, but every time I did something stupid I got told to "fuck off, girls can't play games"..It was frustrating that I was just as good (better?) than a lot of these people, but I couldn't make any mistakes or miss a shot or I'd be crucified..WoW was different, people weren't surprised that there was a chick around, because by
now there were lots of us. That was nice. You still missed out on a lot of boys-club type stuff, like assuming I didn't want to come and raid an alliance town with everyone else, but it was nothing like in CoD..I think I avoided a lot of it by not mentioning my gender if I could help it. I didn't see a need to, nobody else did, so I'd say 99% of the people I've played with assumed I was a guy. Which suited me fine..I think the worst
was when Ventrillo and TeamSpeak became a necessity in online gaming. I did cop a fair bit of shit on there, especially in public ones, but within my guild/clan it was fine, it was like banter. If you take offense, you will be eaten alive. If you get in on the joke, you can actually have a lot of fun..
Vadim made me promise to add this footnote to the interview, I don't know if they're his words or Ms. Coleman's though. Regardless, it's food for thought.
"Liz met her husband playing Age of Empires, so guys, if you're cool to your female co-players, you could end up with a great girl. In short, don't be a douche to the ladies online. When you are, you're only proving to yourself and the world at large that you're to be avoided like a herpes infested bomb made of Atari's E.T cartridges."
I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed compiling and writing it. To the other Geek Girls out there: Stay strong--as you can see, you're not alone. Also, feel free to share your own experiences and thoughts in the comments section. If I get enough, perhaps I might compose a sequel.
I leave you with a marvelous quote from Charles Piner I found on Twitter--words of wisdom that would be of value to us all, regardless of gender:
"I'm a geek who has learned that being a geek or nerd isn't about proving yourself, it's just about being yourself."
If someone were to ask me to sum up what I hope to convey with this article into a single sentence, this would be it. Thank you, Mr. Piner.
(Oh, and if anyone is wondering why I didn't end on a quote from an actual Geek Girl, be aware that I only know this quote because it was Re-Tweeted by Bonnie Burton, Geek High Priestess and author of the Star Wars Craft Book. )
James Paul Daniels, AKA: Scooter Atreides (no name-based jokes today: I'm proud of this one)
Mea Culpa Liz!
Hello My Children. Den Mother Colleen here on a lovely Mother's Day Morning. Well for the past week I've been mad busy so I had little time to address a comment that one of my fave gals of TR posted on my "I'm not that Shallow" article. Boredlizzie said she was a bit disappointed that I didn't give descriptions of the females of whom I posted pictures. She had a valid point. The truth was that I was a) emphasizing my shallowness when it comes to the ladies I like and b) I was also really tired when I was finishing the article and just didn't feel like looking up quotes for them.
For You Boredlizzie: Fully clothed images, Character descriptions and quotes of my fave hot babes! And Sorry!
Amanda Tapping of Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Sanctuary. In all three shows she plays a brilliant scientist and a total badass. I guess that's her 'thing'. From the first moment she appeared I knew I would adore her for all eternity. And this was before I even realized I liked women in that way. She also can totally snark with the best of them. So here goes the quotes from 3 series:
1) And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside and not the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle. (Children of the Gods, the first ep of Stargate SG-1)
2) Daniel, find me an anthropologist that dresses like this and I will eat this headdress.
3) For the record, I hate you. (To Rodney McKay)
4) Were you this annoying when you ascended? (To Daniel Jackson)
5) Col. Caldwell: Colonel.
I know, that wasn't very snarky from Carter, but I did love this exchange. Very whose on first.
6) Will Z: I profile criminals, not monsters. Magnus: You can't see the irony of that statement?
7) There's an expression among creature hunters, if you could teach a lion English, you still wouldn't be able to understand him.
8) I have standards, Will. Drinking coffee? Well below them.
9) Stop doting on me, it makes my teeth itch.
10) Helen Magnus: Granted, but it wasn’t their choice. They may be rich, spoiled, insolent children, But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t save them.
11) Tesla: Well, well, well, the appetizers have arrived. Magnus: Well, this is the last time I come to your rescue.
Thank you Amanda for being awesome. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pare down 3 series???
Eliza Dushku, who was totally awesome as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now she has been in other things, but Faith, in my opinion was her best role. And man she got her bitch on in it...as well as homicidal mania! Not to mention she was the opposite side of Buffy's coin. And I loved her!
1) Always...I could eat a horse. Ain't it crazy how slaying just always makes you hungry and horny?
2) Faith: New Watcher? Buffy & Giles: New Watcher. Faith: Screw that.
3) Wesley: (About Cordelia) My. She's cheeky, isn't she? Faith: Uh, first word: Jail. Second Word, Bait.
4) Faith: [in Buffy's body] 'Cause I could do anything I want and instead I choose to pout and whine and feel the burden of Slayerness. I mean, I could be rich, I could be famous. I could have anything. Anyone. Even you, Spike. I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you pop like warm champagne and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little bit more. And you know why I don't? [mockingly] Because it's wrong.
5) (To Buffy) You're protecting vampires now? Are you the bad slayer now? (Pause) Am I thegood slayer now?
6) Buffy: That's one of the bad guys. Faith: You should make 'em wear a sign.
7) Faith: There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. we're not supposed to exist together.
Buffy: Also, you went evil and were killing people.
Faith: Good point. Also a factor.
Buffy: But you're right. I mean like...I guess everyone's alone but, being a slayer? There's a burden we can't share.
Faith: And no one else can feel it... Thank God we're hot chicks with superpowers.
Buffy: Takes the edge off.
Faith: Comforting.
So Faith in a nutshell. Hot, badass, and funny as hell.
Cote De Pablo as Officer Ziva David in NCIS. Ziva was a Mossad agent that was sent to work with Gibbs's team on NCIS after the murder of Kate in the second season. She's gorgeous, also badass, as in can kill you with a paperclip (I'm starting to see a pattern here :) ) and makes the most awesome errors in English. And she loves to mess with Tony, the "hottie" of the show.
1) Ziva: Ziva David. Mossad. Tony: You're Israeli? Ziva: Very good. The way you made that connection. Mossad, Israeli. (From the moment they MET! Snark)
2) You might want to do something about your hair...its sticking up like a porcuswine...no, that's not the word...a porcu...pig? (Tony looks at her funny) The little animal with the little spikies?!?
3) Ziva: Once he saw us at Norfolk, he must have taken a Kite.
Tony: Hike. The expression is taking a hike.
McGee: She may have had it confused with "go fly a kite."
Ziva: I speak five languages, forgive me if I get confused sometimes.
4) Ziva: Where did all these people come from?
Tony: Didn't you see the sign? Its a yard sale day.
Ziva: I see. And do Marines sell their yards often?
5) Ziva: I don't need a babysitter, Tony. I have been in hundreds of these situations.
Tony: Never with me. As far as I'm concerned, you're a probie.
Ziva: I've never had sex with you either -does that make me a virgin?
6) Ziva: They owed me a favor.
McGee: How many people owe you a favor?
Ziva: How many dates does Tony have in a month?
7) Not a ziva quote but does emphasize her badassness:
[Gibbs and Tony arrive to find Ziva standing over two restrained suspects and a woman with a knife in her chest]
And there's Ziva. Wouldn't ever want to be on her bad side.
Pauley Perrette as Abby Sciuto also of NCIS. She's the forensics specialist assigned to NCIS. She is a perky Goth, which should be a total oxymoron but she makes it work. She sleeps in a coffin, as a child of deaf parents can speak sign language, addicted to caffeine, dated McGee the most clean cut of the group in Season 1, and Gibbs, he who is mean to everyone, adores her like a
daughter. Oh and she bowls with nuns.
1) Abby Sciuto: What are you going to do while I test for poison in a health snack?
2) Abby: (while watching film of a terrorist's van) Are we submitting to the Sundance film Festival? Tony: Yes, best terrorist film category.
Abby: Sweet.
3) Perfume is expensive Gibbs. I can't just hang out at the Macy's tester tray with my lab kit. They frown on that sort of behavior.
4) My cursor has moved across places that would make Tony blush.
5) Abby: (admiring Tony's bullet ridden hat) Very cool, where can I get one of these?
6) Abby: So I suppose you want me to find out what chastity belt this opens?
Gibbs: Do I look like DiNozzo?
Tony: Not funny, boss. Besides I can open a chastity belt.
Abby: Did you ever see one? Mine's awesome, eighteenth century French.
Tony: You have a chastity belt?
Gibbs: So much more information than I need to know about Abby.
7) McGee, never forget. I am one of few people, in the world, who can murder you and leave no forensic evidence.
8) Abby: I have some good news and some bad news. Good news: I'm still cute. Bad news: The bomb squad got a little trigger-happy. [holds up bag of bomb fragments] Do you have any idea what's beyond "smithereens"?
Gibbs: Not a clue.
Abby: Neither do I.
[A moment later, Ziva catches up to annoyed Abby in elevator]
Abby: Are you going home?
Ziva: Not yet. I thought I might be able to help you with... [gestures to evidence] ...that.
Abby: [scathingly] Really? Do you have a degree in forensic science?
Ziva: No, but I'm very good at jigsaw puzzles.
Abby: [softening a bit] Huh. We'll see.
9) (Having tied up the dude trying to frame Tony) Now can I work alone?
And we have Abby. And she is quirky!
Karen Gillan as Amelia "Amy" Pond in Doctor Who. She's tough, smart, and straightforward. And she is also the only companion that I know of who actually attempted to seduce the Doctor. She and her hubbie, Rory are also utterly cute together.
1) The Doctor: You're Amelia!
Amy: You're late.
The Doctor: Amelia Pond, you're the little girl!
Amy: I'm Amelia and you're late.
The Doctor: What happened?
Amy: Twelve years.
The Doctor: You hit me with a cricket bat!
Amy: Twelve years!
The Doctor: Cricket bat!
Amy: Twelve years and four psychiatrists!
The Doctor: Four?
Amy: I kept biting them.
The Doctor: Why?
Amy: They said you weren't real.
2) (About the space whale) It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race is dead, no future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, that kind, and the very last of your kind...you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry.
3) Amy: Hey, look at this. I got my spaceship, I got my boys... my work here is done. [struts into the TARDIS, head held high]
Rory: [scoffs] We are not her "boys."
The Doctor: [beat] Yeah, we are.
Rory: Yeah, we are.
4) The Doctor: This is bad, I don't like this. [kicks console and yells in pain] Never use force, you just embarrass yourself. Unless you're cross, in which case... always use force !
Amy: Shall I run and get the manual?
The Doctor: I threw it in a supernova.
Amy: You threw the manual in a supernova? Why?
The Doctor: Because I disagreed with it! Now stop talking to me when I'm cross!
5) Amy: [After Rory disintegrates] Save him. You save everybody. You always do. It's what you do.
The Doctor: Not always. I'm sorry.
Amy: Then what is the point of you?
6) [Amy awakens in a confined box with a glass lid.]
Amy Pond: Let me out. Can anyone here me?! I'm alive in here! Let me out! I know you're out there. My name is Amy Pond and you better get me the hell out of here or, so help me, I'm gonna kick your backside!
[A Silurian appears on the other side of the glass lid.]
Silurian: Shhhh...
Amy Pond: Did you just shush me? Did you just shush ME?!
7) The Doctor: [talking to Amy in the TARDIS using a communicator] Now all I've got to do is pass as an ordinary human being. Simple. What could possibly go wrong?
Amy: Have you seen you?
The Doctor: So you're just going to be snide? No helpful hints?
Amy: Hmm, well, here's one: Bowtie - get rid!
The Doctor: Bowties... are... cool.
Amy...always awesome!
Anyway, I'm not gonna bother with Amia Moretti. She truly is pure eye candy and she's also in porn, so there is NEVER good dialog. But she's adorable and VERY enthusiastic and looks like she is one of those who genuinely enjoys her job. And that's why I so enjoy watching her, umm, enjoy herself. :P
So Liz, I hope that makes up for the discrepancy in my previous post!
America! FUCK YEAH!
Hello My Children. Your Den Mother here is very proud to be an American today. And as a New Yorker, this news is doubly awesome. Osama Bin Laden has finally been taken down. Multiple shots to the head, specifically, thanks to a covert ops by Navy Seals.
Amia says: Thanks Navy Seals!
I want to say this: I am not proud of the direction this country took in the war on terror. Bush was out of line taking on Hussein when he had no involvement. It was appalling that trillions of dollars were spent on Iraq, but they couldn't even get the man who began it all. But today that wound can finally heal.
I give my heartfelt thanks to the team who conducted the raid. I Thank You. New York Thanks You.
And because this ended up being so damn serious I must leave on a light note. This song, a children's song no less, seems weirdly appropriate for the occasion. Its so damn infectious, I find it impossible to be in a bad mood after hearing it.
My babysitting job, Cecilia, loves this song by the way.
PS: Best thing I found on internet regarding Bin Laden killing... From Texts from Last Night. Very appropriate btw since it pretty much includes everything Muslim Extremists hate.
"Now one day I will be able to tell my children how a drag queen in a gay bar told Mommy that Bin Laden was dead."
America. Fuck Yeah.
No really, I'm not!
Meet Dave Hewlett aka Rodney McKay. He once called Colonel Samantha Carter of SG-1 "a dumb blonde." Seriously, he did. He more or less defines "snarky." Here are some quotes!
1) Using power...using power...using power (referring to the dwindling power supply on Atlantis)
2) Yes, if only we had a magical device that could slow time down. I foolishly left mine on Earth...Did you bring yours?
3) You just can't resist bringing up the fact that I once destroyed a couple of planets, can you?
4) We're building nuclear bombs, staying awake is sort of a prerequisite.
5) M7R-227 you were a constant pain in the ass, its good to see you go!" (As he deletes the replicator planet from the map)
6) I'm Doctor Rodney McKay alright? Difficult takes a few seconds, impossible, a few minutes.
And finally my favorite exchange between Rodney and Sam Carter...
Carter: So what? We call Anubis and ask him to stop? (Anubis is making the stargate overload)
McKay: Yeah, "Hey Anubis, this is your agent, you're playing it way over the top, can you get serious please?"
McKay is balding and kinda chubby...but I would choose him over Sheppard or Ronan hands down! Oh and he gets Kaley! (Or the character Jewel Staite plays on Stargate Atlantis anyway)
Colin Morgan as Merlin... EARS. That's all that needs to be said about what keeps this actor from being a mind-numbing hottie. The character is generally a likeable fellow but MAN can he get his snark on.
1) Look, I've told you you were an ass. I just didn't realize you were a royal one. (An early exchange with Arthur)
2) There must be another Arthur because this one is an idiot. (After Dragon told him that he was destined to help Arthur become a great king etc etc)
3)I think you are mad. I think you are all mad. People should marry for love, not for convenience. And if Uther thinks an unhappy king makes for a stronger kingdom then he is wrong, because you may be destined to rule Camelot but you have a choice...as to how you do it.
4) Gaius: Are you not fond of crypts? Merlin: I wouldn't be seen dead anywhere else.
5) Arthur: What the hell are you doing here? Merlin: Why can you never just say thanks?
6) Merlin (while aged): And YOU! I've heard how you mistreat your servants. They do everything for you but they don't have any thanks. You're an arrogant prat, with the brain of a donkey, and the face of a toad! (Taking the opportunity to dig into Arthur)
He's the least assholish of the group. But he does know how to dish it out when vexed...
Jonathon Strong as Nicola Tesla on Sanctuary...Between his forehead and his teeth this guy will never be nominated for the 50 most beautiful people. But he's a genius and a vampire...was a vampire...now Magneto-like...and apparently will be a vampire again this season. YAY! So salute Sanctuary's chief asshole and world dominator wannabe!
1) Helen Magnus. Kiss me and I'll save your life.
2) My God, you look sexy with a gun. (to Magnus)
3) Your shaggy friend is still refusing treatment, and frankly, I'm insulted.
4) Which part of "I'm a genius" aren't you getting?
5) Well, well, well, the appetizers have arrived.
6) I've often wondered what this moment would be like. Me. You, tied up. It's a shame you brought the children. (Take a wild guess who Tesla is saying this to!)
And one of my favorite exchanges...interestingly NOT between Tesla and Magnus though.
Tesla: Drink?
Will Z: No, thanks
Tesla: Oh, Come on. "Shoot Your Employee Day" comes but once a year. Lighten up, you did what you had to do. Magnus woulda done the same thing.
Will Z: Really? You really think so?
Tesla: Oh, absolutely. Magnus has shot me more times than I can count.
Will Z: Yeah, well, that's you.
Tesla: You're right, bad example...
Anyway, Robin Dunne is very pretty and I enjoy him being without a shirt. But Tesla had me at "MY GOD, you look sexy with a gun." Go Forehead!
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock...on Sherlock. His face is too long. His forehead is even more epic than Tesla's...and he may actually be paler than ME. And I'm so white I'm translucent. But he sounds like Alan Rickman and he has possibly the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen... and he's SHERLOCK. A notorious misanthrope in the book serious, here he's a fucking sociopath. So he might be the biggest asshole of the group...
1) Watson: Why didn't I think of that? Sherlock: Because you are an idiot. Don't look at me like that, practically everbody is.
2) We've got ourselves a serial killer. Love those -there's always something to look forward to.
3) Brilliant! Yes! Oh, 4 serial suicides and now a note. Oh its Christmas.
4) (to Mycroft) Try not to start a war before I get home -you know what it does to traffic.
5) J. Moriarty: If you don't stop prying...I'll burn you. I'll burn the heart out of you.
Holmes: I have been reliably informed that I don't have one.
-Oh Moriarty and Holmes in the 21st century: Battle of the Sociopaths, anyone?
Whereas when it comes to females I would bang...although they are often also snarky, they are also all HOT... I think pictures are all that is required here... :)
Amanda Tapping. Her characters on both Stargate and Sanctuary are brilliant. No really. But mostly... Hot damn! I will NEVER get tired of this image!
Amia Moretti. She's in porn. I'm not overly interested in her wit, sorry to say.
Karen Gillan. 11's Companion. Lucky Bastard. (Thanks for the pic, James!)
Eliza Dushku. Faith, Gotta Have. Oh and the Mormons would have a much easier time gaining new followers if SHE went door to door.
Cote De Pablo. Her character on NCIS, Ziva Davide, probably could kill you with a paperclip. But would you complain with THAT ASS!?! Also, she is so cute when she messes up American idioms on the show.
Pauley Perrette. Absolutely Adorable Abby also on NCIS. The single most cheerful goth in existance. And also a great tattoo right???
So I hope you enjoyed snark and hot babes. Have a nice night.
Merlin: Still giving the finger to Continuity
Hello my Children. Den Mother Colleen here with a review. I have finished watching the third season of Merlin and thus have updates on character and plot developments...as well as more veering from the accepted myth. When I wrote my last review I was still fairly early in the third season. So a whole bunch of stuff has happened. Follow me to the list.
1) Merlin still needs to grow out his hair. Seriously, Colin Morgan's hair stylist should be shot for cutting his hair that short. His ears just take over his entire head.
ATTACK EARS! Seriously, grow out the hair.
2) Morgana continues to be a bitch and a traitor.
3) Sir Gwaine, the biggest lush of the Knights of the Round Table, enters the scene and much drinking and brawling ensues. He is portrayed by Eoin Macken and appeared in four episodes of season 3, including an episode labeled "Gwaine." He has a lot of issues with the noble class, though he is part of said class himself. It appears that the writers have decided to be pretty true to myth with Gwaine...which is a nice change. Anyway, Gwaine and Merlin get on quite well. Oh and I totally want to fuck him.
Meet Gwaine. He likes to drink. A lot.
4) Apparently, Guenevere has a brother named Elyan, portrayed by Adetomiwa Edun -haven't a clue how to pronounce THAT name. Which brings us to change in myth number 11: Elyan was a knight of the round table according to the myth, but was in no way related to Gwen...and was called Sir Elyan the White, son of Lord Bors. I wonder if the writers of Merlin were being deliberately ironic here. Anyway, he's a decent guy with a penchant for getting into trouble. Morgause and her puppet King, Cenred, kidnap him to get poor Gwen to lure Arthur into their clutches. Trap ensues. Trap fails.
I give you Sir Elyan the White...no really.
5) Arthur almost marries a fairy. Wackiness ensues.
6) Morgana continues to be a bitch...oh I already said that. Well in this case, her bitchiness is due to her dreaming about Guenevere becoming Queen. So she sets up Arthur and Gwen up to be caught by Uther. Then she frames Gwen for witchcraft -as in she enchanted Arthur to fall in love with her. Merlin makes himself an aging potion so that he can be caught leaving the enchantments...and almost gets burned at the stake. Gaius saves him in the nick of time. Arthur and Gwen decide to keep their love on the DL...which lasts about two more episodes.
A much more familiar looking Merlin...
7)Harry Potter's cousin Dudley shows up for a tournament at Camelot. And MAN has he lost a lot of weight. Anyway, here he goes by Gilly. He is magical and uses it to try to win the tournament...and tries to kill Uther whom he fights in the finals. Its battle of the big ears when Merlin uses HIS magic to stop him. They talk later and Dudley decides that Merlin was right and he shouldn't have used his magic for personal gain. So yay all around.
vs
Big Ears and Yellow Eyes FIGHT!
8) Season finale part 1: The Holy Grail reappears. Morgause gets Cenred to capture said grail. They use it to make his army immortal in order to invade Camelot. Morgana is crowned queen. Fuck.
Queen Morgana...for now.
9) Season finale part 2: Arthur, Merlin, Gaius, Gwen, Gwaine, Elyan, Sir Leon (a knight of Camelot), hide out in a cave. Arthur broods over learning that Morgana is a) his sister and b) a TRAITOR. Merlin verbally bitch slaps him out of it. We learn that they are actually undead by the appearance of Merlin's dead girlfriend, Freya. Merlin learns from Gaius that if you empty the grail of the blood of the evil dead, they would actually die...permanently.
10) Part 2 continued: Merlin calls Mr Dragon for a ride to the lake of Avalon to retrieve Excalibur...apparently it can actually destroy the soldiers. He returns to the cave. The intrepid band of buggered are almost captured by Cenred's immortal army but are saved by the arrival Lancelot and Percival, played by Tom Hopper. He is really tall. And REALLY strong. He makes a whole bunch of big rocks fall on the undead soldiers.
Percival the freaking Tall!
So they go to some old ruins of a castle. Where we are finally introduced to the actual fucking round table. They decide to invade Camelot to rescue Uther. Arthur then knights Percival, Lancelot, Elyan, and Gwaine. Yay. Whilst the rest of the band go after Arthur's daddy, Merlin and Lancelot go after the Cup. All battle the evil dead.
The Round Table!
Merlin and Lancelot finally get through their bunch and Merlin is about to get the cup when Morgause shows up. She magically tosses Merlin across the room and is about to kill him when GAIUS magically tosses HER across the room. She is about to counterattack when Merlin finally decides to use his magic and magically tosses her into a column...and possibly kills her. Merlin uses Excalibur to knock over the grail and all the blood leaves the cup. And all of the evil dead go phoom. I would say boom because they all explode but its more of a puff than a BOOM. Morgana appears and goes apeshit when she sees Morgause possibly dead. She magically huffs and puffs and brings the room down all around her. She and Morgause disappear. So Morgause may or may not be dead.
Schrodinger's Morgause...
Arthur and Merlin sit on the steps in front of the Citadel of Camelot and discuss Uther. Apparently, Morgana's betrayal has massively fucked him up. Merlin tells Arthur he may have to take the throne. Then Gwen and the knights of the round table show up. Gwen and Arthur kiss...aww... Poor Lancelot.
Knights of the Round Table...at last.
Season ends with change in myth number 12: Merlin places Excalibur within the stone. Excalibur is NOT the sword in the stone. In the myth Uther's sword is the one in the stone. After it breaks during a battle, Merlin gets Excalibur from the Lady in the Lake and gives it to Arthur. But it was a cool scene anyway with Dragon voice over saying, "when its (the sword's) task is complete you must promise to put it where none can wield it." Take me up, cast me aside indeed.
Merlin's solution to the "where none can wield it" command.
And that's it for Season 3. I love that in one episode we get the Holy Grail, Excalibur, the Sword in the Stone, and the Round table! Huzzah for Iconic Overload.
Oh and while I was looking up images I found a picture of my FAVORITE Merlin. This is from the 1981 movie Excalibur. Merlin is portrayed by Nicol Williamson...who utterly ROCKED! When I think of Merlin, THIS is who I picture...plus I totally dig the skullcap. Also, it has Helen Mirren as Morgan le Fay...which was just awesome.
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