Category: Geeky Sunday

SGS: What makes you smile

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, News

Before I dive into today’s post, I want to remind everyone that, in times of tragedy, we must do something to try to make the world a better place instead of remaining silent. 

Use whatever talents and abilities you have
Use what is available to you to make a difference
Always be kind

In memory of George Floyd

In memory of George Floyd, I’m donating the proceeds from everything in the Know Your Rights section of my Etsy store to Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp. 

You can also donate directly to Know Your Rights Camp.

Due to COVID-19, my access to the post office is none at the moment; I have to use flat rate priority shipping envelopes/pouches, so there is an $8 fee for shipping (included in the price). 

31st – What makes you smile?

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net!

What TV shows do you love? 
  • The Man in the High Castle, and that should come as no surprise to anyone, ha ha!
  • Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and The Next Generation
  • The Orville: Give this show a chance. Ignore the trailer that was initially released for Season 1. The show has the perfect mixture of comedy and 90s era Star Trek! I can’t wait for the next season. Hulu is often bundled with other things for free, if you’re worried about paying a fee 😉 
  • Babylon 5
  • Bosch
  • The Expanse
  • The Grand Tour
What are your favourite movie genres?

Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, and Fantasy

What do you like to read?

I just finished The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (I enjoyed it; it did its job of allowing me to escape reality for a little while!). I’m about to reread the original Hunger Games trilogy because I want to discover every last way the prequel ties into it. 

I also enjoy alternate history novels like take a wild guess 😉 The Man in the High Castle. 

What about games?

I haven’t had much time to delve into any video games lately, but I’ve enjoyed Star Trek Online and Guild Wars (1 & 2) in the past. 

What geeky thing made you smile this week?

Finishing the Hunger Games prequel, breaking out my mockingjay necklace and wearing it again (I’m going to wear it today as a matter of fact!), and finishing a Loki drawing. 

What quote always makes you smile?

We all have flaws, all of us. It makes us who we are.

Juliana Crain

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: Food!

Posted on by in Babylon 5, Geeky Sunday

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net!

Okay, so I love food. I really, really love food. I love making it, and I love eating it! I made bread, cake, and ice cream on Thursday, and let me tell you A Thing: delicious! 

17th – Food

If you could have any fictional food item become reality, what would it be? 

Romulan ale! I have always been tantalized by its blue color and its highly intoxicating content, ha! For those of you who have known me for a while, you’ll remember I visited my mother in August and found a mysterious bottle of Romulan ale (my mother and step dad don’t watch Star Trek or anything sci-fi related, so it was bizarre). I wish I had drank it.

When I was there in February for my uncle’s memorial, it was still there, and I promised myself that I’d drink it when I visit in April. Well COVID-19 happened, and you know the rest. Hopefully it’s still there because I really want it and am kicking myself for not drinking it in August. 😉

What is your favourite food moment/scene? 

I swear there is a scene in The Orville where Captain Mercer attempts to spit out alien food awkwardly in his napkin or is grossed out by it. I cannot remember which episode, and google has failed me…Okay, so it’s me desperately trying to type the right things into the search bar and failing, ha ha!

What fictional restaurant would you like to visit? 

the Three Broomsticks Inn for some good old fashioned butterbeer! 

What is the most decadent dessert you’ve seen in a fandom?

Pretty much any desert with chocolate. Diana Troi’s favorite deserts come to mind! 

What is the most disgusting fictional food item you’ve seen?

Spoo from Babylon 5 and Taspar Eggs from TNG

Just thinking about Spoo makes me gag! I don’t care if it’s supposed to be the most delicious food in the universe, the second someone puts that in front of me, I’m gonna offend the galaxy by pushing it away. Nope to the power of nope, and Bester better read my mind before serving that, ha ha!

More than you ever wanted to know about Spoo:
Spoo is a fictional food product that served as a running joke within the Babylon 5 science fiction television series. In the series’ fictional universe, spoo is made from alien worm-like creatures of the same name, and is considered to be the most delicious food in the galaxy, regardless of which species is asked. Although it is a universally loved foodstuff and an actively traded commodity, the creature itself is regarded with contempt by the races that consume it. https://www.cs.odu.edu/~salam/wsdl/inforet/wikihtml/Spoo.html

Taspar eggs evoke an immediate gag reflex, so I’m not going to go into describing them. If you’d like to experience the wonderful world of Cardassian Taspar eggs, watch Star Trek: TNG, Chain of Command. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! 

What is your favourite fandom inspired recipe/food item?

I haven’t tried any, so I don’t have an answer for this one. However, I want that bottle of Romulan ale!

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.