Tag: sgsun6

Gratitude and Content Creators

Posted on November 26, 2020 by grasshopper 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 November 15, 2020 by grasshopper 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 November 11, 2020 by grasshopper 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

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 October 25, 2020 by grasshopper 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

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!

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

SGS: It’s all fun and games today!

Posted on October 4, 2020 by grasshopper in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

Sunday, FUNday! Another fun prompt for Seriously Geeky Sundays by the awesome Heather!

4th October – Celebration Time

Smiles, tears, drama; celebration in fandom can run the gauntlet of emotion as characters celebrate the small and big moments in life. As fans, we celebrate our love for those characters and the worlds they inhabit through anniversaries and milestones. This week looks at the idea of celebration from both sides of the fourth wall.

What is your favourite celebration scene from a fandom?

High Castle – When Juliana, Frank, and Ed are reunited in Season Three

Star Trek DS9 – The celebration at the end of the war in Vic Fontane’s club. I loved it, and I loved how Weyoun and Damar got to be included (as humans 😉 ).

Game of Thrones – Sansa’s coronation. It was beautifully done; she deserved to be queen, and can we just talk about her gorgeous gown?

This next one is going to sound horrible, but when the Skeksis drink the essence of the guards in The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance and are drunk off of it. It was so messed up that it was hilarious (as much as I disliked them!). I wish it wasn’t cancelled. It was so good.

It won an Emmy for goodness sake!

Which character’s birthday was the most memorable?

Does Picard-Day count? Star Trek: TNG was full of fun scenes like that! I’ll always love how Picard begrudgingly accepts that Picard-Day is A Thing.

What does celebration mean to you as fan?

Enjoying things with like minded friends who share the same love and devotion to a book/show/movie. I love seeing the things they come up with and feeling that same appreciation when I share my art. I am so thankful I got to experience that with High Castle.

What was the last fandom related achievement or milestone you celebrated?

Art – Since discovering the best show ever created in 2015, The Man in the High Castle (I mean, what other show would I call the best? Ha ha!), my skills as an artist have skyrocketed. I never thought in a million years I could do realism or paint beautiful sea scapes,and it is all thanks to my obsession with High Castle.

The pandemic has thrown a wrench into my ability to come up with things to draw, and for that I am truly sorry.

Club High Castle – It all started with painting peg dolls of the characters. Since there were no posters, action figures, or memorabilia to buy, I created my own, and it has sense grown into a full fledged room!

Have you ever had/been to a fandom themed celebration?

Does football count? Ha ha! I need to think of something I haven’t talked about before, so football it is!

At the beginning of the year yes, there was a normal beginning in the Before Times of 2020, I was thrilled that the 49ers were in the playoffs.

They’d play on a Saturday during a work trip, and my fellow football fanatic coworker’s team also had a game when we’d be gone (her team is an AFC team, so they didn’t play each other). We coordinated our jerseys (and nails!) to wear the final day of the work conference.

And oh the adventure we had trying to get glimpses of the 49ers game later that night after we had closed and packed up. I feel like we stumbled upon an alternate universe, where the wacky adventures, strangeness and hilarity of Paddy’s Pub (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) reigned supreme-supremely crazy! I’ll just leave it at that, ha ha.

I FORGOT about this picture! I couldn’t decide on which color to wear and sent it to her. We then brought our jerseys and nail strips to work and decided on what colors to wear. Football is SRS BSNS

Do you celebrate any important pop culture dates such as movie or video game release anniversaries?

Not really because I often forget. Shame on me, I know! I will make a note to do something for the anniversary of the final season of High Castle though on November 15th.