Tag: star wars

Geeky Sunday: International Women’s Day

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday

Hello, Everyone! I am back with another fun filled Seriously Geeky Sundays brought to you by Heather! I’ve been busy these past two weeks with a virtual conference, so I hope today’s post makes up for it.

Women's Day

7th March – Maiden, Mother, Crone

March 8th is International Women’s Day (IDW), a worldwide celebration of women, and later this month it is also Mother’s Day in the UK. What better time to think about the leading ladies of fandom?

Who is your favourite leading lady?

I couldn’t possibly choose just one! There are so many well written women that I’ve admired over the years, so I included a few honorable mentions at the bottom of this question.

Ellen Ripley from the Alien franchise – the first Alien movie was ahead of its time and still holds up even to this day. She is such an iconic character, and I’ll always rank her among my favorite female leads.

Ellen Ripley - Alien
Ellen Ripley – Alien

Honorable Mentions

  • Starlight – The Boys
  • Queen Maeve – The Boys
  • Kimiko – The Boys
  • Princes Leia – Star Wars
  • Delenn of Minbar (Babylon 5)
Which kickass female fighter do you admire?

My favorite female fighter will always be Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games trilogy. She’s realistic with her fears, failures, and emotions, yet she has the intellect and skill to survive and bring hope to those around her.

Katniss Everdeen - Hunger Games
Katniss Everdeen – Hunger Games

Honorable Mentions

  • Princes Leia – Star Wars
  • The awesome ladies on The Boys! 
  • Juliana Crain – High Castle
Who is the most badass female villain in your opinion?
Queen Daenerys I Targaryen
Queen Daenerys I Targaryen

Fire breathing dragons. Need I say more? I wish the final season had the full 10 episodes because Daenerys became one of my all time favorite villains in the span of a single season. She always had it in her, and I wish we had gotten to see more of it in Westeros.

Do you have a favourite fictional mother or grandmother?

You know I’m going to pick Helen Smith from High Castle, right? Because I pick Helen Smith from High Castle. She protected her children at all costs, and when she failed to protect her son, she went through a dark, emotional spiral, but she came out of it with the realization that she had been wrong and that she was going to save her daughters and take down a certain ideology no matter the cost.

Helen Smith - Season 3
Helen Smith – Season 3
IDW is about celebrating women’s equality and inclusivity in all fields; what characters have championed this cause?

If something is obviously preaching at me, I tend to not take interest in it. I want to be immersed in a book, show, or movie, so much so, that I lose track of time and forget my woes. Examples of inclusivity done right include The OA, The Expanse, and MCU’s The Black Panther film

The OA
The OA
Which women in pop culture inspire you?
  • Wonder woman (she was an icon of my childhood!)
  • Galadriel – Lord of the Rings/The Hobbet
  • The Romulan Commander from Star Trek: TOS
  • Major Kira – Star Trek: DS9
  • Catwoman (kid me loved cats and wanted to be badass, okay!)

SGS: Galaxy Adventures!

Posted on by in About Queen Grasshopper, Geeky Sunday
Apollo 11 launch – Photo by NASA

Today’s prompt is near and dear to my heart. I have always been fascinated by space. Fifteen year old Queen Grasshopper’s room was plastered with Nasa posters, one of which, I still have to this day (I’ve been meaning to frame it after all these years). My ceiling was covered in glow in the dark stars, and I’d lay in bed just gazing at them.

Would I ever go to space?
Would there be a colony on the moon by the time I was 40?
Would we go to Mars?

July 19th – Galaxy Adventures

Tomorrow is National Moon Day, the anniversary of when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. It’s a day in our history when our world got that bit bigger and that means it’s time to talk about adventures in Galaxies Far Far Away.

What is your favourite sci-fi fandom?

Sci-Fi fandoms can be wonderful, and they can also be hard–I mean it is only natural that a group of passionate people have their differences! This is a tough question because I’ve made so many lifelong friends through the various sci-fi fandoms that I’ve been a part of over the years. 

I have traded gifts with friends (most of whom are on the other side of the pond 😉 ). I’m always on the look out for gifts to send to a select few during my travels, but 2020 has thrown a wrench into that for now. I look forward to the day I can peruse a gift shop in some far away state!

Through fandoms, I’ve laughed, I’ve created art, I’ve had arguments (I mean..who hasn’t?), and I’ve been introduced to new ways of thinking–opening up my mind to become the kind person that I am today. 

So in answer to this question, I’ll look back at the good times and name my top three.

1. High Castle
2. Star Trek 
3. Babylon 5 Psi Corps/Bester fandom

Runner up
Star Wars – many fond memories of my teens and early twenties of creating stories with my friends and doing group cosplays on Halloween. I still have the Jedi costume that was tailor made for me!

What is your favourite fictional planet?

The Martian Congressional Republic
Mars from The Expanse – I love how militaristic they are. I love how their society is one of do what’s best for everyone; in other words, Group Think. They are fascinating to me and I love any and every shot of Mars in that show! I look forward to seeing how the events of the show play out for them. I’m a little worried, ha ha!

Who is your favourite alien character?

This is impossible to pick just one, so I’ll name a few.

  • Weyoun from Star Trek: DS9
  • The alien queen from Alien
  • The predator from Predator
  • Kira from Star Trek: DS9
What is your favourite alien species?

This should come as no surprise to those who follow me: Vorta and Romulans. They’re sneaky, cunning, conniving, and attractive. 😉

What alien creature would you like to have as a pet?

Tribbles: they are cute, fluffy, and purr. Need I say more?

My family of tribbles
What is the most visually stunning alien landscape you’ve seen in a fandom?

I’ll have to go with any landscape involving the protomolecule from The Expanse. I love the glowing blue tones and the orbs; everything is so eerie yet beautiful. I love it!

SGS: Kings and Queens

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

It’s Sunday! Time for another round of Seriously Geeky Sundays! Before I dive in, I probably never thought I’d ever utter these words, but I miss going into the office. I miss walking around on my lunch breaks (it is beautiful there!), and I miss the convenience of the lunch carts and coffee shops. 

19th April – Kings & Queens

Who is your favourite female royal character?

I sat down and thought hard about this one because there are just so many that I’ve loved and looked up to throughout the years. I’ve narrowed it down, so I’ll start with the princess who I looked up to as a child. 

Princess Leia – She was beautiful, smart, cunning, and fierce in her own way. What little girl wouldn’t want to be her? She was the definition of awesome. 

Daenerys Targaryen –  I have a tendency to like problematic characters, and Daenerys is no exception. She became a favorite during Season 7. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I loved her character arc and how she descended into madness. I only wish that they had made Season 8 a full 10 episodes so that they could have delved more deeply into it. 

Who is your favourite male royal character?

Thranduil – I enjoyed the shadowy veil of darkness in him; how he carried himself and evoked power without uttering a single word. He was the perfect mixture of dark and mysterious with a dash of kindness.

Who is your favourite royal couple?

Calanthe and Eist from the Witcher! They are the definition of a badass power couple who respects each other.

What is your favourite storyline involving a royal character?

I can’t decide! I’ll have to say that all of the arcs involving the characters I’ve mentioned so far. Their arcs are what make their characters interesting. 

If you could live in any fictional royal residence, which one would it be?

Rivendell

Such is the virtue of the land of Rivendell that soon all fear and anxiety was lifted from their minds.

J.R.R. Tolkien
The main character of the last fandom you experienced just became King/Queen of their universe; how do they react?

None other than The Man in the High Castle’s John Smith. He essentially became a king, so I’d say it was his endgame and he’d lavish in it.

The Force Awakens: My Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by

I had my doubts even though the trailers looked awesome. I refused to let myself get excited, and let me just say that I was blown away by how amazing this movie was!

If you are a fan of Star Wars, you’ve either seen it or are waiting for reviews to come in because you don’t want to be disappointed with yet another Hollywood “BAM, BLAM, BLING SEQUEL WITH SHINY THINGS so you better give us your money right now” sort of deal.

If you fall into the latter category, go buy yourself some tickets right now. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an exciting, action-adventure film that holds up to the original Star Wars trilogy.

It takes place thirty years after Return of the Jedi. The Empire has fallen, but a sinister group called The First Order rises from the ashes while the Resistance has attempted to rebuild the Republic. TFA picks up the pieces for a seamless transition to its own story. I promised not to post spoilers, but here is a list of my favorite things about the movie (in no particular order).

1. The Costumes
They were true to the original trilogy. The First Order uniforms were sleek, 2015 upgrades to their late 70s counterparts. They weren’t drastically changed or bedazzled with a bunch of pointless, distracting bling found in so many sequels and remakes floating around today.

The resistance had fewer changes. You could still see a strong 70s vibe going on with their collars, hair styles, and polyester vests, not to mention the x-wing pilot uniforms did not change much.

Oh, and Captain Phasma has the most badass storm trooper armor and cape I’ve ever seen.

2. Visual Effects
Everything felt right, like it belonged. As I said with the costumes, TFA feels like a 2015 version of the originals. It wasn’t infested with a bunch of lens flares or pointless CGI. For 2 hours and 16 minutes, you are transported to a galaxy far, far away.

3. The New Characters
They were three-dimensional and not afraid to show nitty, gritty emotions. Even Kylo Ren was an interesting character (I’ll leave it at that, lest I drop some spoilers!).

4. The Story
Critics say that it feels like they stole from A New Hope. While TFA mirrors A New Hope in ways, I feel that it was different and unique enough to stand on its own.

I give Star Wars: The Force Awakens 5/5 lightsabers. I felt like I was back in the old Star Wars world that I grew up with and loved as a child. This movie is a must see for Star Wars fans and sci-fi fans alike!

A Little Teaser

Posted on by

Let’s just rename today Teaser Thursday!

I’m sure everyone’s feeds are buzzing with Star Wars awesomeness right now. If you haven’t seen the new teaser trailer, head on over to YouTube (I’ll post a link at the bottom). I feel like adding my own little teaser into the mix!

This is by no means on the same epic level as Star Wars. 😉

Teaser cover!

I’m working on a novella (I took a break from editing Omg!Orcs), and the best news is that it will be a FREE ebook! Here is a snapshot of the cover…which may or may not change by the time I’m done revising the story.

Oh, and as for my Photoshop woes? They are over. I downloaded a free alternative (yes, folks, it is a safe alternative and not one of those “super optimizer pro double speed freezz storage support paint and remember that’s free with a double z!” scams).

The program I’m using now is called GIMP. Wikipedia has a good summary of it.

GIMP (/ɡɪmp/;[5] an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free and open-source raster graphics editor[6] used for image retouching and editing, free-form drawing, resizing, cropping, photo-montages, converting between different image formats, and more specialized tasks.

http://www.gimp.org/ is their website. Click download, ignore the torrent (they have a normal download option in smaller font right below the torrent option), and enjoy!

Here is a huge shout out to all of the people on YouTube who’ve posted GIMP tutorials. You guys are the real MVPs! 

And now for some Star Wars: