Category: Alfred Bester

SGS: Geek Pride!

Posted on by in Alfred Bester, Geeky Sunday

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net! I had so much fun with this one!

24th – Geek Pride

Tomorrow is Geek Pride Day and today’s questions are all about what being a geek means to you.

What is your Geek origin story? (How did you become a geek?)

I thought long and hard about this one, and it goes all the way back to high school. One of my friends was an avid manga/anime fan and introduced me to it.Her backpack was always full of manga, which she always let us borrow. I remember slipping manga inside my textbooks and reading them during class, ha ha!

Once we were hooked, she introduced us to Sailor Moon, and let my origin story begin! We gave each other nicknames and also a sailor scout. The nickname has stuck with me to this day!

Mishi

That’s right! That’s where my nickname came from. I feel like I’ve had it my entire life at this point!

My sailor scout was Sailor Neptune because of my wavy hair.

It all started from there. My inner geek had been unleashed, and there was no turning back! 

What does being a geek mean to you?

EVERYTHING!

You should see my office/art studio! On one wall, we have Babylon 5 Psi Corps posters (including two autographed pieces from the man himself, Walter Koenig!), on one shelf is a family of tribbles, and on the wall to my left are sketches of Rufus Sewell as a Targaryen. 

In the cabinet directly across from me is filled with Star Trek action figures and other various articles of geekdom.  Downstairs, as you all know, is Club High Castle, my blog’s namesake. The club is filled with things I’ve made, painted, and collected over the past 5 years. 

How do you express your geeky side?

In my art and how I dress (I feel like dressing in my retro style is a geekness all of its own).

What are some of your favourite geeky websites and places to shop? Before Think Geek was bought out, Think Geek
  • Amazon – Action figures, geeky attire–you name it!
  • Etsy – You can find almost anything on there because there are many talented artisans on that site! It’s where I got my Loki vest. 
  • Unique Vintage – Not your typical geek aesthetic, but I want to say dressing the way I do is geeky in a fun, retro sort of way. My life-hack with Unique Vintage is to favorite something and wait for it to go on sale and then wait to buy it on sale because they sometimes email you coupon codes. I like to rack up the savings, ha ha!
Who are some of your favourite geeky celebrities?

I don’t follow celebrities’ personal lives, so I have no idea!  I’ll have to name a few based on the characters they play and things they’ve said or done on stage.

  • Stephen Colbert – Mentions Lord of the Rings on his show a lot.
  • Tom Hiddleston – Made that badass appearance in full Loki costume AS Loki at Comic Con one year.
  • Dwight Schrute (I realize this is a character, but he’s realistic, so he’s on this list!).
  • Walter Koenig – has the biggest collection of Chekov action figures on the planet, and he is just awesome. I mean he played Bester! I’ve seen photos of him in a Psi Corps hat!
Who are some of your favourite geeky bloggers?

Everyone who joins in on the Seriously Geeky Sunday fun! I mean it! This has been so much fun discovering blogs and meeting people! I can’t wait to start reading everyone’s geek origin stories! 

SGS: Fictional Families

Posted on by in Alfred Bester, Babylon 5, Geeky Sunday, High Castle

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net! This week’s topic is fictional families, and in just case you need a reminder that it is Mother’s Day in the U.S., this is that reminder. 😉 Call your mothers! 

10th – Families

Who is your Favourite fictional family?

Hands down, the Smiths from The Man in the High Castle. Need I say more? 😉

Who is your favourite fictional unconventional family?

It is a tie between the crew of Star Trek: TNG and of Star Trek: DS9. I love the dynamics between everyone. I often day dream that I am on the bridge of the Enterprise, a part of that family, eager to join them on away missions or am walking along the promenade of DS9 beside Sisko, laughing as we head to lunch. 

Which off-screen/non-played family member would you like to learn more about?

Bester’s wife from Babylon 5.

We know next to nothing about her, and I want to know what she’s like, how she reacted to Bester turning one of his prisoners into his lover. I want to know if she is just as nervous around him as the other Psi Cops are (Lyta mentions how Bester makes even the hardcore Psi Cops on edge in one episode). I know the books shed more light on her before the events of the show, but I’ve never read them (full confession: I’d rather see her on screen). 

Who is/are your favourite fictional grandparent/s?

Joseph Sisko (Captain Sisko’s father/Jake’s grandfather).

He reminds me of my dad sometimes. He cared deeply for his son and grandson. I’ve always loved and adored the family dynamic between the three. There is true love there and they’d do anything to protect each other. I can’t help but love the way Joseph is blunt and stubborn.  

What extended fictional family/legacy is your favourite?

The Targaryens.

Daenerys’s ancestors were EPIC. It also helps that they rode fire breathing dragons and conquered the seven kingdoms. If you like Game of Thrones, give Fire & Blood a read. It is such a good book, and I already want to give it a second read. I can’t wait until the next volume comes out, and I’m more excited about the prospect of diving deeper into the Targaryens than I am for the Winds of Winter! 

Take the main character from your last 5 shows/movies/games/books (etc.) and create a family with them.

This question made me realize how little I read these days, and I need to change that ASAP! We’ve been watching The Office for quite some time (Netflix is going to take it down soon), so that has consumed my television intake for March, April, and May. I’ve been watching a ton of YouTube tutorials lately, so I’m not going to include them. There’s just too many! 😉

  • The Man in the High Castle: Creating the Alt World
  • The Office
  • Joe Biden Town Hall
  • Pac-Man

Grandpa: Joe Biden
Mother: Helen Smith  (High Castle)
Father: John Smith (High Castle)
Weird Uncle: Dwight Schrute (Office)
Daughter: Pam (Office)
Son: Ryan (Office)
Prodigal son: Pac-Man
Crazy cousin from Florida: Creed (Office)

SGS: Freedom of the Press

Posted on by in Alfred Bester, Babylon 5, Geeky Sunday, High Castle, Psi Corps

If this week’s Seriously Geeky Sundays prompt has taught me anything about myself, it is that I don’t pay much attention to fictional news outlets in television, movies, and books! …But I sure as hell love making them up, especially ones that are obnoxious dystopian propaganda echo chambers.  Wading through my various favorite fandoms, I came to realize that most of the fictional news that I wanted to feature in this post were ones I made up!

Sadly, most of them exist only in my head without any sort of eye catching graphics. However, here are some posters I made a while back!

Star Trek: DS9
Babylon 5

3rd May – Freedom of the Press

What is your favourite fictional media outlet?

KVWN (Channel 4) from The Anchorman (2004 film). I can’t help but love a dose of humor! 

Warning: strong language near the end

My second favorite fictional news network is INN from Babylon 5! 

Who is your favourite fictional journalist?

Karen Page from Daredevil (and the Punisher), the TV shows. I love how she *has* to get to the bottom of things and solve cases and ends up doing the right thing. It also helps that I am a sucker for crazy, mystery solving adventures! 

Who is your favourite fictional photographer?

Peter Parker from the 2002 Spider-Man film. Taking pictures of yourself as the masked hero of the day as you save your city from crime? It’s a win-win! I always found those scenes hilarious!

What is your favourite fictional interview?

Helen’s Smith’s sudden appearance on the fictional cooking show in The Man in the High Castle S4 episode, No Masters But Ourselves. If there ever was dystopian propaganda, it is that! 

If you could interview any fictional character who would it be?

Alfred Bester from Babylon 5. I’ve always wanted to see things from his point of view. We got a glimpse of that in my favorite Babylon 5 episode ever, Corps is Mother Corps is Father. I’d like to know his thought process (lol!) and his reasons for everything. I’d also love to hear him tell a story about a time he arrested a blip! 

Which character would you like to see given an absolute grilling live on TV and why?

John Smith from The Man in the High Castle–hear me out! I’d want to see him being grilled because I know he’d turn the tables with his calm cunning way of getting the upper hand, and to see that would be fascinating.

A Circle Skirt of Fandoms

Posted on by in Alfred Bester, Babylon 5, Grasshopper Nation, High Castle, Psi Corps

And trying to make progress on my novel!

I swear I will hit one of my monthly writing goals at one point this year! I’m going to go out on a limb and say I was aiming a bit too high when I sat down and made a game plan. I haven’t been able to finish anything since completing my Sisters novel, and I desperately want to change that.

#HighCastle/#Babylon5 Bester Circle Skirt

Say that ten times fast!

No. Seriously. I am making this, and it is A Thing. I bought myself a sewing machine with Christmas money in January, and life is too short to not aspire to create your own vintage fandom ensembles.

Isn’t she lovely? I got a great deal on her with Amazon Renewed!

My First Sewing Adventure Since 2010

I took time to plan this out because I want this to be the most beautiful and unlikely combination I’ve ever created, which means I wanted to start with something simple. Circle skirts are simple, right?

Step 1: Math. Circles. The waist is the circumference, and you need the radius of it in order to sketch the pattern and cut a proper waistband.

w = waist
r = radius
d = diameter
s = desired skirt length - don't forget to decide how long you want that skirt to fall!

w/π = d
d/2 = r

Step 2: Order enough fabric or you’ll find yourself having to buy another panel and having to sew it together. I must say that sewing was a breeze with my machine.

Step 3: Make an old school compass. No. Really. This is the best way to do it. Get a strand of yarn, make sure it’s a few inches longer than (r + s), and grab the nearest pen. Tie the yarn to the pen. Tie the other end to a pin, and stab that pin into the carpet! It is helpful to secure some measuring tape to the pin as well.

You’re going to use the radius you calculated in the first step and wrap the yarn around the pen until it’s there.

Using the pin you stabbed into the carpet as an anchor, draw a half circle. Add the radius to your desired skirt length (r + s) to draw the skirt part–if you don’t, your skirt will be too short.

Step 4: flatten the fabric (and pin if necessary) and cut 1/2 inch outside the lines.

Step 5: The fun part! If you want to add some flair now is the time to do it.

The next step is to do a little bit of my favorite thing in the universe: hand sew the iron on patches to ensure they stay in place. I am not going lie. I hate hand sewing, so it might be forever before I get around to it. Oh the absolute dread of hand sewing!

Review – Psi Corps Replica Pin

Posted on by in Alfred Bester, Babylon 5, Psi Corps

I am overdue for a review. I got a little Babylon 5 gem in the mail, so here’s the scoop!

This is my in-depth look at the Psi Corps replica badge you see floating around places like Ebay and Amazon. You can view Amazon’s listing here: Babylon 5 PSI CORPS Replica

Don’t be fooled by the crappy product photo. At first glance, it looks like a cheap, plastic replica not worth your time. I’m happy to say that I scoured the Internet for reviews to confirm that the badge is metal (not that cheap Halloween-bend it-break it metal either).

Imagine the way my heart sank when I pulled this out of the packaging. I was fully prepared for a broken badge.

Phew! A perfect badge.

My thoughts:
1. As I said before, it’s made of a decent metal and has a good weight to it which makes it feel like a proper badge. Sign me up for the Psi Corps right now!
2. The clasps in the back are just as the descriptions say: military style.

3. The size is perfect. It appears to be as large as the ones seen on the show. I couldn’t be happier with that aspect of it.
4. The casting/mold has dents in it to give the badge a realistic worn feel, but not to the point of being ugly and unwearable (see the large image above). 
5, There is a slight deviation from the badges on the show (I can see why this would anger people, but the product image–as crappy as it is–shows you this). The psi symbol in this badge is curvy, whereas the ones seen on the show are blocky. 
The difference between psi symbols got me curious (hey, I *am* a huge fan, after all!) Where did the curvy version come from? Take a look at the collage of screencaps I gathered below and click on the image to enlarge it:
I looked in my Babylon 5 Images folder to see if I could spot anything obvious. There was one possible deviation from the blocky version (circled in bright green). It’s hard to tell if the badge in that picture is an instance of the curvy psi, or if just looks that way due to the angle. If it is the latter, where did they pick up the curvy version from?
There it is. 
So why did they mass produce the curvy version instead of the show’s more prominent blocky version? I can only speculate…It could be that phantom badge I circled in green, an early prototype that was nixed in favor of the blocky version, but was somehow sent to the manufacturer instead, or maybe Alfred Bester didn’t like the idea of exact replicas being mass produced for Mundanes…I don’t know!
If there are any Babylon 5 fans who know the answer to this, I am all ears! 
There you have it! More than you ever wanted to know about the Psi Corps replica pin!
Conclusion
4/5 Teeps – The only reason it gets docked a point is because it is not an exact replica of the ones in the show.
Would I recommend this to a friend?
Unless you are a stickler for something that is 100% true to the original, then yes. If you are a fan of Babylon 5, it is a fun replica to have and a nice little addition to any collections you own. Get on Ebay, Amazon, or what have you and purchase one right now! 
*Tosses in more photos just for fun*