Sunday, May 19, 2013

On Fandom

I am a geek, no doubt about it. The only question is: what kind of geek am I?

I game a little (random sci-fi, Pathfinder). I like many different things. I like Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Avengers, Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, Sherlock, and more. I even like Twilight (not as much as I used to, though. I think I’m growing out of it just a little).

That covers most of the things that I like that I’ve actually seen or read all or most of the books/movies/episodes that are available. What about the things where I’ve only experienced a small portion of what’s available? Why do I like those things so much?

We’ll start with Supernatural. I have never seen a single episode of Supernatural, yet I have a seemingly unfounded recognition of and affection for the characters (somebody really needs to make a decent Supernatural music fanvid using the song ‘Send Me an Angel.’ It seems like the logical thing to do).

Then there’s the big one: Doctor Who. I have only seen six episodes of the reboot, but my love for this show is so huge that sometimes it feels like I can’t contain it inside my head or heart.

Why? Who do I have so much love for these things I don’t even really know? I'll tell you why: the internet. The internet and Pinterest. The geek category on Pinterest is highly addictive-I’ve literally spent hours scrolling through pictures and articles that others have pinned into the geek category. It’s difficult to stop.

It’s all your fault, internet. You make me smile when I see Dean, Sam, and Castiel. I’ve only seen one episode with Ten and five episodes with Nine, and you, internet, make me squeal and sigh and melt with joy when I see any of the Doctors. I love them. I love all of them. And it’s all your fault.

Nicely done, internet. Nicely done.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Star Wars Day

In case you haven’t been on the internet in the past several days, last Saturday was Star Wars Day (there were pictures everywhere). You know, May the Fourth be with you! It also happened to be Free Comic Book Day. Lucky!

Normally the only thing I would have done to celebrate Star Wars Day would have been to wear an appropriate T-shirt. This year, however, a friend of mine that works at Half Price Books had told me about the May the Fourth celebration her store had planned-posters, decorations, displays, costumes, and, perhaps best of all, stormtroopers. Yes, the 501st Legion had a planned appearance at Half Price Books. This called for something far greater than a mere T-shirt.

I still wore a Star Wars T-shirt.
I wore it in the first half of the day, while I scrounged three different Goodwill stores for a costume. Granted, this was unnecessary thrifting, as I found all my costume pieces at the first store. But really, can you ever have too much thrift store shopping? (In case you were wondering, the answer to that question is no, unless you are a hoarder, in which case it is a resounding yes.)


After my awesome mother did my hair, I was dressed and ready to show my costume to the world. If you’re getting curious, I’ll tell you that I was dressed as Princess Leia from Episode V, in her Hoth gear. So much white! Leia really seems to wear a lot of white. Doesn’t seem too practical to me. Wouldn’t she get it dirty so quickly? But whatever.

My friend (the one that works at Half Price Books), my boyfriend, and I met for dinner before heading over to HPB.  The funny moment there was when my friend and I were waiting for my boyfriend, and I heard the host say, “Are you meeting other wookies?” I knew he was talking to my boyfriend because my boyfriend has this awesome Chewbacca shirt (he got it from me).
Chewbacca for the win!


There were four members of the 501st Legion at Half Price Books that evening: two ‘normal’ stormtroopers, one Hoth stormtrooper, and one TIE fighter pilot. My friend that works at the store was dressed as Wicket the Ewok (Yay!). Among the employees there was also a Jedi, Yoda, Han Solo, and R2-D2. I thought it was quite the nice assortment of characters.


There was much picture taking, with and without the stormtroopers. When I was taking my “getting arrested” picture, one of the stormtroopers said, “Blasters set to stun!”
That made me laugh because that time in the first movie with Leia has to be just about the only time that blasters are ever set to ‘stun.’ I mean, really.


My most surreal moment of the evening was when we were inside watching some kids beat up a Death Star piƱata. The TIE fighter pilot walks up to me and says, “Boba Fett is looking for you.” Hmmm. Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing… Sure enough, a few moments later, up walks a guy in a suit and a Boba Fett helmet and wants to get his picture taken with me. I’m game, obviously, but I get the feeling we looked like the weirdest prom couple ever. He was wearing a suit and a Boba Fett helmet! Seriously!

There was also an adorable moment with a little girl. Her father said she loved Leia, and when I met her she just smiled a lot, didn’t say anything, and cuddled up to her dad. Later, when he got a picture of her with me, she ran right up to me and wrapped her arm around my leg. I just about melted, she was so sweet! Things like that are some of the best things about dressing up in costumes-you get to make somebody’s day, which in turn makes your day that much better.

I finished out my Star Wars Day by going back to my house and watching Episode IV with my parents and my boyfriend. Such a good movie, I hadn’t seen it in a long time! My dad and my boyfriend kept commenting on everything that had been added from the original version. I’m not going to get into that debate here. It would take far too long!

I had a great Star Wars Day. I got to dress up, hang out with stormtroopers, and have a really great time (I also grabbed a free comic-Free Comic Book Day!).
I hope you had a good day too. May the Force be with you!



The stellar couple!


 Star Wars trivia prizes



He's got a red lightsaber. He's obviously evil.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!




P.S. I’d rather kiss a Wookie!
(It had to be done) :D