Category: Geeky Sunday

Around the World in 8 Sundays – The Americas

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

Its our third trip here at Seriously Geeky Sundays! Today’s trip takes us to my world, the Americas!

Around the World in 8 Sundays – North America

Week three of our Around the World in 8 Sundays (a multi-week theme taking us around the world) takes us to North America as the United States celebrates Thanksgiving this week.

Who is your favourite Northern American character?

You know who I’m going to say. I’ll give you one guess….

What is your favourite film set in North America?

This is a tough one. There are so many I love and enjoy. It is hard to pick just one. I even looked at our collection of DvDs to try to make up my mind which one I like best! I’ll name a few favorites: Apollo 13, Our Tarantino collection, Thor, and The Avengers.

North American history features frequently in pop culture, which part do you feel is overdone and which do you wish was covered more?

I have a similar answer to @winstolf’s. And can I just say thank you, Winstolf, for the well thought out answer mixed with kindness? Thank you!

As much as I love reading and watching anything involving WWII, I am tired of how they portray soldiers as picture perfect cutouts with demi-god levels of aptitude and skill. And then there are the pointless love stories which always seem to be between two flawless people. They hardly ever have a strand of hair out of place, even in war zones, and are about as interesting as watching paint dry.

As for what I’d like to see more of, WWI. We need more WWI movies. I feel like it is often skipped over in favor of what will sell (WWII). I’d also like to see more alternate histories/realities like The Man in the High Castle and Handmaid’s Tale. I am a sucker for those! 

North America tends to be seen as mainly just the US and Canada, which other countries do you recognize in fandoms?

There are a ton of great movies filmed in Mexico. My favorite would have to be Kill Bill: volumes 1 & 2. I am a huge Tarantino fan. His movies are fantastic! When I heard that he’d be directing the next Star Trek, I was elated. He knows how to make a good film. However, I don’t know if they’ll ever actually make the movie now because that was several years ago. 

Although Hollywood is at the center of the entertainment industry, the Canadian entertainment industry is blooming. What is your favourite Canadian production?

Does The Man in the High Castle count? It was mostly filmed in Vancouver/Canada. 

In 2019, I was in Vancouver for work and had the opportunity to walk to Smith’s headquarters. I still have the hand written directions and map I drew (I was not taking chances, ha ha!).

Broadway musicals are a national treasure in the US; do you like musicals?

I have never been a fan of musicals. Broadway is a national treasure to those who can afford it, and please don’t hate me for saying so! I mean no offense 😉 It’s just how I feel.

The only musical I have any interest in watching is Hamilton, and it would have to be live (I cannot sit still for a musical at home. The second someone starts belting out a tune, I’m done, ha ha!).  With that being said, I enjoy certain songs from musicals as songs.

Gratitude and Content Creators

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving for those of us celebrating it in the U.S! Today’s rendition of Seriously Geeky Sundays, I mean Seriously Geeky Thanksgiving will focus on gratitude. 2020 is the year to be thankful for the little things (I’m always grateful, but this year more so than most). 

22nd November – Small Screen Views

The small screen, the telly, the idiot box; the television has had many names and gone through many changes since 1926. Today we’re focusing on our small screen habits.

Do you watch much television?

As I sit here mentally going through my daily routine, I realized I don’t watch much TV day-to-day. With that being said, if I am painting or drawing, I’ll put something from YouTube on in the background. Yesterday’s YouTube adventure was NASA TV. The days before that were Everyday Astronaut’s live stream of Chang’e 5 Lunar launch (China) and NASASpaceflight‘s stream of SpaceX’s Starship static test fire (hmm…I’m starting to think there is a theme here).

Let’s give a shout out to the YouTube creators out there for providing hours upon hours of free entertainment and tutorials with a special appreciation for creators like Everyday Astronaut and NASASpaceflight for their hard work in providing coverage of rocket launches and all things SpaceX.

What genres do you like to watch?

I love shows that open up possibilities, shows that force the mind to wrap itself around different ways of seeing things, and shows that explore humanity at its core. The genres I tend to favor are science fiction, alternate history, and some fantasy (I am extremely picky with fantasy).

Everyone involved in my favorite shows have forever captivated me (and in some cases changed me for the better), and I will always be grateful for that. 

What shows are you watching at the moment?

Turn on Netflix. It is so good! If you want a dramatic adventure show set during the Revolutionary War, Turn. Watch it for the side characters, not for Abe (sorry, but he’s the only character I don’t like. Simcoe and Rodgers are characters I love to hate, ha ha!). 

Is there any TV shows that you like to rewatch?

The Man in the High Castle, of course! 

I am always in the mood for a random episode of Star Trek (DS9, TNG, TOS episodes). It’s one of the things I love about episodic shows. You can just jump in and watch whatever episode you feel like it!

Do you watch TV shows live or stream?

I stream for the most part. The only thing I watch live is NFL games. As a matter of fact, I’m watching Thanksgiving football at this very moment!

What TV shows are you looking forward to the most?

Season 3 of The Boys!

The crossover no one asked for! High Castle meets The Boys

A Very Stylish Geeky Sunday

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

Costumes, costumes, and more costumes! I am here for this. Before COVID, I was an avid purveyor of all things cosplay and even cosplayed incognito, so today’s prompt is something I have been looking forward to. 

15th November – Adorn

Last month we were talking about visual locations with Embellish, and this month Adorn brings us to costumes! Characters wear an assortment of outfits throughout fandoms and this week we’re talking all about costumes, fashion and more.

If you could steal any character’s wardrobe* which would it be?

I was just having this conversation with @ChelahFan on Twitter! Ever since I first watched The Man in the High Castle way back in 2015, I was mesmerized with Helen’s Smith’s beautiful wardrobe (it was just so classy that I wanted to look like her). I’ve been slowly phasing my wardrobe into a mixture of vintage (reproduction dresses), modern, and pinup. 

Dressing like her is a lot of work. You’ve got the retro dresses which require some clever ways to keep warm in the winter, and then there is the hair. Oh, the hair. It takes a lot of practice and patience to get it right because, without a vintage-do to go with the dress, it just doesn’t match the look. 

Then COVID-19 happened, and my hair is almost to my waist now (the longer your hair is, the harder it is to style like that), and since I’m working from home, there is no motivation to put all of that time and effort into it (I miss wearing my dresses!). 

What superhero’s costume do you love and which do you hate?

As much as I hate Stormfront from The Boys, I like the style of her costume. I’d make a few changes, of course. I’d ditch the earrings and change the belt. Her costume is practical (with the exception of no pockets), and I just adore the way her cape drapes down her back.

Before I get into one I hate, I need to delve into a pet peeve of mine! It irritates me to no end when there is this need to  change a superhero’s costume every single movie the character appears in. They normally make it worse, less imaginative, and more discrete/blend-in-with-the-crowd (whyyyyyy). Leave good things alone, damn it! Shout out to The Boys for NOT doing this! 

The only type of costume I really hate is overly skimpy costumes for female heroes, you know the type…where it barely covers her chest, and her ass cheeks are hanging out. 

You’re riding into battle; who’s armour do you choose?

Loki’s Asgardian armor from The Avengers. It is nice and form-fitting while protecting the chest and shoulders. I’d change up the helmet because I’m too clumsy for horns, ha ha! 

Who wore it better; pick an outfit that’s been worn by multiple characters and tell us who wore it best.

Captain America’s costume – worn by Loki and, of course, Steve Rodgers. Sorry Loki, but Steve wore it better!

From utility belts to magical backpacks, accessories in fandom can be anything and do anything. Which one would you choose to borrow for a day?

A bag of holding (a small bag that matches my costume, of course!). As someone who hates carrying purses, I want a tiny discrete bag of infinite holding attached to my belt. The purses I *do* carry are small because I already hate having it dangle and get in the way.

You’ve been given the chance to redesign a character’s appearance? Who is it, why and what would you change?

Emma Frost from X-Men. As I mentioned before, I am not a fan of skimpy, impractical costumes. I went on one of my favorite places, Doll Divine, and made a new costume for her!

A Very Geeky Wednesday

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday Wednesday! These past two weeks have been crazy to say the least. I don’t want to derail this into politics, but I did my civic duty last week. The line was the longest I’d ever seen it. It took about an hour and a half, but it was well worth it!

A huge thank you to Heather from Seriously Geeky Sundays for the steady stream of interactive prompts!

8th November – What’s in a name?

This week I’ve got a unique one for you all because everyone’s questions are going to be slightly different. What’s in a name? Well, what’s in your name is actually the question. This week each question is based on each individual writer.

Thinking of your name/alias, what is the first female character you think of that has the same name/or a name that starts with the same initial? Do you like them?

Since my real name and most of my Internet handles start with ‘M’, M it is!

Queen Meave from The Boys

Photo courtesy of Prime video

Need I say more? She is badass. There was actually a time when I was badass 😉 I am *very* much out of shape right now. Maybe this will motivate me to at least do some push-ups here and there. 

How about a male character? How do you feel about them?

Morn from Deep Space Nine

He’s the talkative staple of Quark’s bar. His S tier skill is the ability to swallow pure latinum and hide it in one of his stomachs for decades. –what is there not to like, ha ha!

What about an actor; what is the best thing they’ve done?

Mayumi Yoshida

She played the Crown Princess in The Man in the High Castle. I adored her character and still do. I follow her on Twitter, and she always has something engaging to say. On top of that, she responds to fans and appreciates them.

What was your favourite soundtrack during your teens?

My answer for this doesn’t begin with an M (I didn’t discover Metallica until my 20s).

The Backstreet Boys. Hands down. I was obsessed. Nick Carter was my favorite. There was nothing like ripping the plastic of Backstreet’s Back and popping it into a CD player to blast my favorite songs. This was back when CDs came with extra goodies when you inserted them into CD-ROM drive. I remember squealing with delight at the music videos and clips.

Go to a shelf/collection and count the letters of your name across or down. Tell us about the item you just picked out!

I feel like M is a hard letter for this, but I will do my best! 

*Comes back from a good long moment of staring.*

I have to disappoint, dear readers. I have one thing: melatonin gummies. This is probably the most exciting answer of the prompt, ha ha!

Have you ever heard a characters name and formed an opinion about them before you met them? Was your opinion right?

Oh yes, my dear friend. There are a few that evoke a flash of hatred. I think we all have those select few names which make us recoil with dread when we hear them. I’ll leave this answer at that! After all, we are only human.

Around the World in 8 Sundays: Eastern Europe

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday

It is time for another trip around the world! Today we’ll be taking a look at Eastern Europe through characters and film!

A huge thank you to Heather at Seriously Geeky Sundays! for organizing this!

25th October – Around the World in 8 Sundays – Eastern Europe

It’s week two of our Around the World in 8 Sundays, a multi-week theme taking us around the world, and this week our spotlight is on Eastern Europe.

Who is your favourite character of Eastern Europe heritage?

I can’t pick just one, so I made a list of a few of my favorites from over the years. 

  • Chekov – There is no way I can NOT include him! He’s fun, handsome, and full of life!
  • Anastasia
  • Borat
  • Black Widow (MCU)
  • Scarlet Witch (MCU)
What is your favourite film set in this region?

As an American born in the 80s, I remember a ton of action movies set in Eastern Europe because of the Cold War. Teenager me was an avid reader of all things Tom Clancy. I’m going to skip over Cold War era action movies and sit down and remember ones that made an impact on me.

  • Chernobyl – HBO’s mini series
  • Band of Brothers – an HBO WWII mini series
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier

 Believe it or not, I’ve never seen Schindler’s List, otherwise, it would most likely be at the top of the list! 

In Hollywood characters of Eastern European descent are often stereotypically cast as the villain, can you think of a hero instead?

Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch from Avengers. She is easily one of my favorite Avengers in 

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • Captain America: Civil War
  • Avengers: Infinity War
  • Avengers: End Game
Image courtesy of Wikipedia

She is (in my opinion) the most powerful human avenger and does everything in her power to protect Vision. I’ve always wanted to see more of her in the MCU (I am happy she is getting her own show on Disney + even though I don’t subscribe to it…too many things to subscribe to nowadays. I’ll stick with Netflix and Amazon Prime). 

Greek mythology frequently features in pop culture, which appearance has interested you the most?

Loki – wait, wrong pantheon. 😉

I’m not much of a Greek mythology fan (mainly because Zeus is just gross), but I absolutely loved Xena: Warrior Princess when I was a kid. My sisters and I were obsessed with the show and would spend many hours making “weapons” from sticks and pretend to be our own band of Xena warriors. 

Which Eastern European country or location do you feel is overused in pop  culture and which is underutilised?

The Soviet Union is the most overused because of the Cold War.

I’d like to see more of Estonia. They were our allies in the Iraq War, and I’d like to see more of them. I know there are some compelling movies to be made!

Flag of Estonia

By Originally drawn by User:SKopp.
Blue colour changed by User:PeepP to match the image at [1].
– http://www.riigikantselei.ee/?id=73847, Public Domain, Link