Monday 31 March 2014

Fake Geek Week: an Introduction

by Jordan Danger, Editor
FAKE GEEK GIRL: THE FAKE GEEK WEEK STARTS

You've heard the term 'fake geek girl', I'm guessing. This term is what got Capital Geek Girls started. I heard it, and I hated it. So I started blogging about it on Girl, Crafted, and then I started the CGG facebook fanpage, and well...here we are with CapitalGeekGirls.com, a blogazine with nearly two dozen contributing geek girl writers.

Clearly, I loathe the term 'fake geek girls'. When I first heard it, I did a Google search and was absolutely appalled at what I found. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, one deplorable writer named Joe Peacock explains it as this:

There is a growing chorus of frustration in the geek community with - and there's no other way to put this - pretty girls pretending to be geeks for attention. San Diego Comic-Con is the largest vehicle, but it's hardly the only convention populated with "hot chicks" wearing skimpy outfits simply to get a bunch of gawking geeks' heads to turn, just to satisfy their hollow egos.
I can't figure out which part of the concept pisses me off more. Why is it specifically attractive girls they call out? Is it not possible that a woman who does not fit into our cultural aesthetics could be trolling for a geek man? Does her low rating on the 'Shallow Dude 1-10 Scale' make her a defacto genuine geek, or just non-human? And when exactly did geek boys decide that women would be so rabidly desirous of their man flesh that we'd be willing to invest hundreds of hours and boatloads of money into creating accurate cosplay costumes while also owning extensive tee shirt collections that proclaim us to be 'Vulcans on the street, Klingons in the sheets'? This fake geek girl concept implies that there is a wealth of hot commodity men hiding out at comic book stores, and us gals need to bag 'em before they're all gone. I won't even venture into how heterosexist the entire concept is, because I suppose that by the 'fake geek girl' definition, two girls who find love at a comiccon must therefore cancel each other out--two fakes mustn't make a 'real'--and I'm guessing they immediately implode and cause a tear in the space-time continuum.

Really all I needed to write here was: FACEMASH.

Anyway, I've asked the CGG writers to share their take on the 'fake geek girl' concept, so we'll be publishing their perspectives all week right here. So enjoy the posts, and share your comments, and feel free to send CGG an email if you feel inspired.

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford commas.

Tuesday 25 March 2014

Cosplay Wisdom and Tips For Comic Con Season

by Thea Nikolic aka Critical Miss
COSPLAY CONFIDENTIAL: TIPS FOR COSPLAY
Thea, aka 'Critical Miss', as Rockabilly Harley

So Cosplay season is upon us, and that means getting your costumes ready for the masses. Are you going just to Cosplay or are you entering the Masquerade? Are you going straight from a source or is your costume a concept that you have come up with? Whatever the costume and whatever the reason, there are so many tips and tricks one can give to bring your costume to life, however I am going to concentrate on 5.

1. Drafting and sewing your costume - If you are talented enough to be able to draft your own patterns or adjust already existing patterns, you are well ahead of the game. If you are not one of those people, you need to find a seamstress or a costumer who takes commissions. But before you jump ahead and hire the first person you see who makes beautiful costumes, DO YOUR RESEARCH. Make sure you get recommendations from multiple people you trust. Make sure the person you hire can make the deadlines you set, take correct measurements and give you proper fittings to make sure things are going well with your costume. And please, get a receipt or a contract stating how much money you've given as a deposit, what the deadlines are and when the rest of the money is to be paid out. You will be better off for it.

2. Finding the perfect wig - This step can be time consuming, but a good wig can make all the difference for your costume. Through the multiple sites you can find a wig that is not expensive and still looks good. And the other point that you need to consider is whether you can use this wig for another character, and if that is the case, then your 60$ wig then becomes a 30$. Also if you invest in a heat resistant one, that gives you even more versatility to a wig that might have just served for a single character but because you can curl it or straighten it, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few links, but there are tons of cosplay wig websites out there.

                - http://www.ebay.com/
                - http://arda-wigs.com/
                - http://www.cosplayhouse.com/
                - http://www.epiccosplay.com/

3. The 5 foot Rule - Of course the details are important. Especially the exact replica buttons you ordered from England for your spot on Andromeda uniform. However, sometimes it is just impossible to get the exact item to complete your costume. You also may not have the funds to order a screen replica. So you may want to consider the "5 foot Rule". What this rule means is that when you step away from the costume from 5 feet, and it looks great, then you are good to go. Most of the time, people in conventions see you for a split second, take a picture and they are gone. Most people will not spend half an hour looking at the screen used sword you ordered for a pretty penny. If you can afford it, that is amazing. And if you plan on always entering the Masquerade where they do look at the fine details up close, then go for what you can afford (please don't ever break the bank for a hobby that for but a few exceptions, does not pay you back what you spent), but for the rest, the 5 foot Rule is a good way to judge what your costume looks like.
 
by Dana Harper
4. The Great Fabric Hunt - This can sometimes be the most frustrating part of building a new costume. First off, give yourself enough time to search for the right material. Deciding the weekend before a convention to build a new costume might not be the best way to finding the right fabric. Second, shop the sales. Fabricland is one of our local companies that has sales on a regular basis. Another avenue to think about is that it is only a short drive to the fabric district in Montreal. However, online fabric stores are worth checking out as well. Many of them will send you swatches of the fabric so you know exactly what you are ordering. Or, if you are fortunate to live close to the border, take a drive down to the states and shop around there. You are sure to find some deals.

5. Background Check - Here is a way to make your costume shine without spending a dime. Whatever medium your character is from, you have material to source from. Do some research by watching episodes or movies and read the comics. These will help you immensely by giving you dynamic poses that you can use for photos, catch phrases that will make convention goers love you even more and if you have the ability to do it, impersonating your character will seal the deal.

It is my hope that these 5 tips have given you some guidance in how to start, and upgrade and just have fun with your cosplay. Because that is the most important thing, to have fun. Sure, winning the ribbons can be amazing, to get the recognition for all your hard work, but nothing compares to the young child whose favourite character is you, the fan who flips out because of your cosplay, the mother who asks you to pose with her and her baby. These are the moments that make it worth it.

Thea Nikolic aka Critical Miss has been cosplaying for several years and has just recently started hosting panels at various conventions about cosplay. She is also an actor, so she loves to play and act like her various characters that she loves. You can follow her cosplay shenanigans with her costuming husband at their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/criticalmissandretrojoad. You can also follow her on Twitter @HarleyQuinnBabe as well as on Instagram harleyquinnbabe.


Photographer: Dana Harper  http://www.geekxgirls.com/showgeek.php?ID=2

Monday 24 March 2014

Divergent: Geek Girls Movie Review

by Jordan Danger and MJ Baker
DIVERGENT: A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER THAN EXPECTED 


MJ and I are huge fans of dystopic fictional novels. We also read both The Hunger Games  and Divergent before there was talk of movie deals. Of course, like all bibliophiles, we were concerned about how these two movies would turn out. And given their similarities in genre, it’s impossible not to compare the two a little bit. So let me just start by saying: the film adaptation of Divergent kicked Hunger Games’ ass.

In a very tiny nutshell, Divergent is about a post-apocalyptic world where all the survivors are fenced within what remains of Chicago. Everyone is divided into five sections called factions; each one is known for a different quality or trait. A special test is administered to determine one’s faction, but for Beatrice, a young woman from the political faction, the test is inconclusive and she is deemed ‘divergent’. She chooses a new faction, and finds herself in a Fight Club-esque/GI Jane/Lord of the Flies type world.

OUR THOUGHTS ON THE MOVIE

1. Beatrice (‘Tris’) from Divergent is a way cooler, more empowered and appropriate role model for the new wave of ‘girl power’ heroines we are seeing.

2. Despite dumbing down the violence by at least 60%, the movie managed to keep most of the ‘feel’ of the book.

3. It’s harder to really lose yourself in what’s happening because, unlike the book, there’s no running monologue. But that was our complaint about Hunger Games, as well. If you hadn’t read the book, you were probably pretty confused on what parts of Katniss’ romance with Peeta were faked or real. The loss of monologue isn’t as jarring in Divergent, but it still leads us to say, GO READ THE BOOK.


4. In MJ’s words, “If the book was a river you were panning for gold in, the movie version managed to keep all the crucial nuggets.”

5. Once more about the violence: while we understand movie makers want to appeal to the younger crowd with a movie like this, the violence was really, really dumbed down; and sometimes, like in both Hunger Games and Divergent, that violence serves a purpose in building empathy, understanding, and motivation. So we’re a little disappointed with the PG-ifying of these books.

OVERALL RATING:


Totally worth seeing twice, and we’re both going home to reread the second book.

Retrospective: Ottawa Geek Market 2014

by Christina Marie
THE GEEK MARKET: A GEEK'S SHOPPING PARADISE 

Armed with my teenage son, and this time, enough cash, or what I thought was enough cash, I got the wonderful assignment of attending the Geek Market.  I grew up on old Ataris, Star Wars, Nintendos, Superhero Saturday morning cartoons, original sci-fi movies and TV shows, so being at the Geek Market was heaven.  The Geek Market consisted of not only recent and most sought after retro games and toys, but also anime and cosplay items; baked goods, yes, baked good, delicious Lego Cupcakes by Cici & Co which were almost sold out by the afternoon on the first day; and science fiction and fantasy literature, including a booth with Ottawa author, Patricia K. McCarthy who writes a Vampire series of novels set right here, in Ottawa along with other local artists.  The Nepean Sportsplex Hall A and B were filled with rows of vendors, each offering something a geek really must have.  People came out in cosplay as well.  I had to take a picture of “Rick” from The Walking Dead, one of my favorite series on TV. 
Our CGG friend, CiCi & Co!
Clothing by Roxanne

After stopping and trying to decide on which novels to try from Patricia McCarthy’s series, (to date I am on reading my second one and enjoying them immensely), I went by the cupcake booth, who could resist cupcakes from CIci & Co.  One of the bigger displays at the Geek Market were Lego’s.  There was a booth by adult lego creators group of Ottawa, Parlugment (www.parlugment.org) who displayed many video game and sci-fi movie scenes, notably, Link (from Zelda) and Star Wars displays.  I was amazed at all the various artistry among the booths, including painter SophieniArt, jewelry and cosplay items, such as Kigurumi “pajamas”, and Suburban Changeling, who sold elf ears and woodland designs,  Steampunk items from Creative Clothing by Roxanne and Butterfly’s Lab who made various articles such as Harley Quinn aprons, purses and wallets, just to name a few items.  Harley Quinn is a personal favorite, but they made others as well.

Sophie Art

The Geek Market is not only a market, but they also raise funds each year for a charity.  One of the highlights of the Geek Market was a silent auction, with proceeds going to The Royal Ottawa Hospital. Two dollars of every admission and all Silent Auction proceeds are donated to the charity selected for that year.  This year, $6,244 was raised and donated to The Royal Ottawa Hospital.
Butterfly's Lab

There were many other booths, several with video games for out of date systems, new and older collector action figures and I came out of there with several priceless to me items which required a few trips to the bank machine.  I was pleased to discover all the local and online vendors that are in the area that I did not know existed.  I am anxiously awaiting the next Geek Market which is going to be held October 4th and 5th.





Christina Marie is a student at Carleton University, working on her Bachelor of Computer Science. She has a background in web development and programming and her extra time is spent on being a mommy to little geeklings, playing sports and gaming, with her current favorites being Warcraft, DayZ and CoD.

Sunday 23 March 2014

4 Japanese RPG's for New Players

FOUR JRPG'S FOR NOOBS

If you're looking for a list of short,  shoot-em-ups, and square-jawed, rugged protagonists you've come to the wrong place.

Japanese Roll Playing Game's are known for their playtime (usually forty hours or more), turn based combat, and for being full of beautifully coiffed teenagers in complicated outfits with equally complicated back stories. These are games that get you invested.

So what games should a little nooblet start with? The pond of the JRPG is vast and deep, and it can be hard to decide where to get your toes wet.

Do you want to go more Anime?
Do you prefer games that are a bit on the dark side?
Do you like adorable sidekicks?

In no particular order, here's four games to help you (or your confused friends) learn the ins and outs of
JRPG's



FINAL FANTASY IX

Turn based game play breaks up an epic drama set against a beautifully realized steam punk-style fantasy backdrop. Final Fantasy IX was released in 2000, but the cut scenes still manage to stand the test of time, as well as the per-rendered backgrounds that make everything seem like it's being played out on a stage, even if the real time models have suffered a bit at the hands of 14 years of engine development.  The game spans a whopping 70 hours (or more, if you're playing it right).
The characters are charming versions of old-final fantasy classes, and have a real weight to them as the story progresses. And the game boasts one of the absolute best villains in the series.

Final Fantasy IX was originally released for the Play Station, but can also be purchased on PSN.



TALES OF SYMPHONIA

You follow a group of surprisingly well-armed teenagers (well, mostly) playing middle-man to a crisis of religion that is taking place on a global scale. For a T rated game, Symphonia can feel a little heavy handed.

You spend this entire game not quite knowing who's your ally or not. Tales of Symphonia is one of the few RPG's that I  can excuse for its use of cheesy anime character tropes because the story itself is so amazingly set up to make them matter to you.

The battle system, while not turn based, is actually incredibly well put together. You can easily manage your party during battle, or pass a controller to a friend to help you handle the fray. Instead of random encounters, you can see visual representations of your enemies on the over world map, which you can avoid if your running low on health.

Tales of Symphonia was originally released for Game Cube and PS2, and was re-released as a special edition for PS3.



NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH 

This game is an outlier for more reasons than it's release year.

Ni No Kuni is the youngest game on this list, released in 2013 by Level 5 studios, with the help of Studio Ghibli.

Thats right. THAT studio Ghibli. The same one that gave us movies like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and My Neighbor Totoro.

The graphics are gorgeous, the story is simple and charming, and the characters are well thought out. It doesn't feel like a forty hour game
.
Ni No Kuni was released in 2013 for the PS3, and was a platform exclusive.


CHRONO TRIGGER

Time travel, world-spanning catastrophes, and spiky haired teenagers are the central figures of what is widely considered one of the best RPGs of all time.

Your choices actually matter at the end of the game (I'm looking at you, Mass Effect Franchise!) and Chrono Trigger offers you a massive amount of re-playability. You play through with different characters, make different choices, get to experience different endings, and the game doesn't make you suffer for it. You keep your experience points and power-ups.

Original SNES copies are few and far between these days, but it was ported to the PS1 and the Nintendo DS, and is also available on Virtual Console.

Honourable Mentions:
Suikoden II
Final Fantasy VI
Illusion of Gaia
Persona 4
Xenogears
Super Mario RPG
Final Fantasy Tactics

So if you're a fan of Anime style storytelling, or just want to try something a bit different from your standard (stubble wearing, gruff voiced,) gaming fare I highly recommend you try any or all of those four games. I still count them among my favourites, even if the JRPG hay-day was almost 20 years ago.

Baz is a chronic doodler and has a habit of subjecting her friends to long rants about feminism, video games, and whether or not Thorin is the hottest Dwarf. She's using Capital Geek Girls to channel some of that energy. You can also find her at facebook.com/bazcave

Saturday 22 March 2014

Book Review: This Star Won't Go Out

by Courtney Lockhart
THIS STAR WON'T GO OUT BY ESTHER EARL


I am a Nerdfighter. According to my personal definition, this means is that I am a fan of the works of Hank and John Green and their associates. I believe in decreasing levels of world suck and encouraging intellectualism, creativity and general awesomeness.  The Green brothers have been a large part of Youtube culture since 2007. I started watching their videos in the summer of 2013 and  got through all 6 years worth in about four months.

That is how I became familiar with the story of Esther Earl.  Esther was a sixteen year old Nerdfighter. She met John at a Harry Potter convention in Boston and the two became friends.  She also happened to be battling cancer.  Their friendship inspired John to write his number one best-seller The Fault in Our Stars.  Green makes it very clear however that TFIOS is not Esthers story.

This book is Esthers story. Compiled by her parents Lori and Wayne Earl, This Star Wont Go Out is a scrapbook style biography of the young author.  It includes drawings, letters and works in progress from Esthers archives.  They are pieced together with the necessary narration from her parents, doctors and friends. Green writes an introduction that is so heartfelt and truthful I wasnt sure if I was going to be able to finish the rest of the book due to the emotions it stirred.

I did, and Im glad I did. Esthers story is one that most of us can relate to. She sought solace from the stress of her daily life with her internet friends. She knew she wanted to create, to write, and experimented with different styles. She felt at moments blessed with her life and at others stressed and angry that it wasnt fair.  The book is extremely personal and by making it so, very universal.


You can find This Star Wont Go Out at most major booksellers. A portion of the proceeds  go to the foundation of the same name started in Esthers memory to  help children and families dealing with cancer

Courtney Lockhart lives in the west end of Ottawa with her husband and step-cat.  She is polishing her skills to pursue one of her dream careers as either a costume drama character, Torchwood operative or executive assistant to a billionaire vigilante. You can follow her daily mission to DFTBA on Twitter @corastacy.

Friday 21 March 2014

Toronto Comiccon 2014: Stars Wars in TO

by Toni Weri
THE GALACTIC MISSION: Trooping with the 501st/Rebel Legion at Toronto Comiccon 2014

On March 7th-9th, I had the pleasure of Trooping with my fellow members of the 501st and Rebel Legion at Toronto Comiccon, in Toronto, Ontario. It was, as always, an enjoyable event. Legion members from Ottawa, Toronto and the U.S.A attended this geeky event.


Photo taken by Toni Weri

I'll summarize what we, the 501st/Rebel Legion, do. We are a volunteer, international costuming organization that raises funds for various charity organizations. We do this by setting up various booths at events, such as comic conventions or at local fundraising events. What do we costume as? As STAR WARS characters! All costumes are made by Legion members.

The good guys and the bad guys, banding together for the same goal, to make a difference while doing what we love.

Trooping for charity, that’s what we do. All funds raised during Toronto Comiccon 2014 will go towards a children’s charity.

How did we raise funds? Well, that’s one of the fun parts of Trooping. At major events, such as comic conventions, an elaborate and interactive booth is normally put together. At the beginning of the booth, the Canadian Garrison put together an info/recruit desk. Here, Legion members happily answered questions about our group as well as informed convention goers on how they can become a 501st/Rebel Legion member. Normally raffle tickets are available at this part of the booth.



Photo taken by Toni Weri

The next section of the Legion booth was a “Blast-a-Trooper” for charity. Participants shot at Stormtroopers and Clone Troopers with awesome Nerf guns. It was actually quite a blast. Troopers underwent hours of being bombarded by foam blaster bullets, all in the name of charity.


Photo taken by Toni Weri


Moving along down the Legion booth, we reach the photo booth. Here, fans of all ages took pictures with their favourite Star Wars characters, for a small donation of course.



Photo taken by Toni Weri

The 501st/Rebel Legion Canadian Base raised a total of $6170.65 during Toronto Comiccon 2014 for a children’s charity. Awesome job Troopers!


Photo taken by Phil Gotfried at Toronto Comiccon 2014

The Legion is active on five continents, with Garrisons and Outposts in over fifty countries around the globe. Making a difference while being geeky. Sounds about right to me.

For more information about the 501st and Rebel Legion, please visit the links below.


May the Force Be with You!



Toni Weri is a freelance artist. She is a geek of all trades, but her forte lies with anime, costuming, video games and Sci-Fi. 

You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @ TONIGEEKGIRL








Wednesday 19 March 2014

Women In the Fridge: where do all the ladies go?

by Emily Towsley

WOMEN IN THE REFRIGERATOR 

Ladies, have you ever noticed that it doesn’t take very long for your favourite super heroines to fall victim to their nemesis’ plot? Or how about you fellas, have you noticed how many ladies your favourite superhero goes through because their girlfriends just keep turning up dead?

Gail Simone noticed this, and she is doing her best to make sure everyone else notices too. The “Women in the Refrigerator” list started when Simone was reading the 1994 Green Lantern, and for no apparent reason, he finds his girlfriend dead in their refrigerator.

Some argue that violent deaths are part of the superhero world – that you can’t have epic superheroes like Spiderman without a little tragedy like the death of Gwen Stacey propelling them to act in the ways that they do.

This would be a fine argument for character building, if the trend showed up on both ends of the gender spectrum. “Dead Dudes Defrosting” is the male version of the “WIR” list. This list compiles all the male characters that have had violent deaths or maiming, and yet somehow remain unscathed, or return in a future episode.

 (SPOILER)

In Batman the Dark Knight Rises, Bane breaks Batman’s back over his knee. Batman however is not crippled for life, as he should be, and instead trains and rehabilitates himself back to fighting condition in order to face Bane once again. On the female side of this coin, Barbara Gordon, otherwise known as Batgirl, was shot by the Joker in the stomach, in order to drive Commissioner Gordon insane. The bullet went through her spine, paralysing her permanently.

Two very similar injuries, two very different stories. Batman’s injury happened in an active scene. Batman was fighting for his life, and for the good of Gotham, when the man he was fighting, broke his back. Barbara however, innocently opened the door, and became the victim of the Joker, in order to give Commissioner Gordon a larger story arc. Batman recovers, and Barbara remains paralyzed for life.

Luckily for Barbara, she is able to retrain herself in another skill; computer hacking and data manipulation. Her new skills allow Barbara to become Oracle, the great intellect and fighting partner of Black Canary. 
Female superheroes are able to hold their own in the comic book industry, so they aren’t being killed off because of lack of reader interest. This makes it ridiculous that the few females that do make an appearance in comic books meet their end more frequently, more violently, and with less justification than their male counterparts.

Fortunately Simone took her idea one step further, and began contacting comic book industry artists, publishers, and companies to raise awareness of the “Women in the Refrigerator” trope, and how women like herself were sick and tired of it. On her website today, you can see some of the many responses she has gotten from her letters, and most of which are positive.

In addition, as of November 2007, Gail Simone got a crack at the writing world of comics herself. Her Women in Refrigerators site brought attention to the problems of a male dominated industry writing for female superheroes; Simone was offered a job writing for wonder Woman. Not a stranger to comic book writing herself, Simone is responsible for writing hits such as the all-female super heroine crew Birds of Prey, and the ever wisecracking Deadpool.

The future is just within our grasp. A future with female superheroes just as strong, empowered, and death proof as their male counterparts. Making our world a safer place, one rescued gentleman in distress at a time.

(origin picture – the original “woman in the refrigerator”)


Emily Towsley, can be found either teasing her cat, or philosophizing with a customer over coffee in her second-life as a barista. Messages of support regarding her addiction to Netflix, and news of vintage teacup sales can be left on her twitter.(https://twitter.com/emtowsley) Her spare time is spent reading copious amounts of books, (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7246432-milie) or working on her latest blog. (http://spineonline.ca/emily-towsley/)

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Geek Music Best Picks

by Marie Victoria Robertson

A TRIBUTE TO GEEK MUSIC


This is the golden age of geeky music. We’re blessed with epic soundtracks for Lord of the Rings and Thor. Nerdcore (and its cousin Nintendocore) is an actual genre. Thanks to YouTube and similar sites, small-time artists with no radio exposure can share their music, and lucky for us nerds, a lot of it is positively brimming with geek and pop culture references.

What exactly is geek music? It might go back to German band Kraftwerk in the 1970s, which produced revolutionary electronic music using computers and gave us nerdy classics like “Pocket Calculator”. The 1980’s gave us a few classics like Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science” and Oingo Boingo’s “Weird Science” (Incidentally, Oingo Boingo was fronted by Danny Elfman, well-known as a major composer for offbeat movies and the creator of the iconic Simpsons theme.) In the early 2000’s, nerdcore (best described as a nerdy offshoot of hip-hop) came into being, popularized by artists like MC Frontalot and Optimus Rhyme. Nowadays, we can turn to big names with well-known nerd tunes like They Might Be Giants’ “Why Does the Sun Shine?” and Weird Al Yankovic’s “White and Nerdy”.

Video game music has come such a long way in recent years, resulting in some truly amazing soundtracks. The Zelda games have produced some timeless melodies, and the Final Fantasy soundtracks are unparalleled. Anime music, too, is more accessible than ever to western audiences. Show me an anime fan who hasn’t tried singing in Japanese. It’s fun!

No song gives me more fangirl glee than Stan Bush’s “The Touch”. I hear it and I think of Optimus Prime charging into battle against the Decepticons in the 1986 Transformers movie. On its own, the song is a generic 80s power ballad. Nothing geeky in its lyrics, but it makes me giddily think of my favourite fandom, and I know anyone else listening to that particular song makes the same connection.

That’s the point of music: to strike an emotional chord, to give you a feeling of connection to the people who love the same music. Like geek culture, music is broad, and there’s room for everyone’s definition and preferences. If a song makes you go “I get that reference! I love that movie/superhero/giant robot/etc!”—then I say it fits the definition. 

I leave you with a few favourites. This list is not exhaustive; these are some songs I rarely see on geek music lists and would like to share.


I dare you to dislike a song featuring a “laser solo”.


ERB is fairly well-known, but I love to point out the awesome ludicrousness of grown people dressing up like Batman and Sherlock to rap it out. The world is an amazingly crazy place sometimes.

3. Geeks in Love (Lemon Demon)                                                    

A tribute to nerd love by the talent that brought us Potter Puppet Pals and the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny.

2. The Nerd Anthem (Marian Call)

The moral: being a geek is not about being cool, but about being who you are. Brought to us by an amazing female artist.

1. G33k and G4m3r Girls (Team Unicorn)

Another awesome tribute to girl geeks. Stan Lee appearing in the video is just icing.


Marie Victoria Robertson is a speculative fiction writer and playwright, as well as the board president of Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative (www.jersvision.org). When all the other girls wanted to marry Johnny Depp, she wanted to run away with Worf on the Enterprise. She enjoys giant robots, time-travel paradoxes, and forcing her son to watch Futurama.


Sunday 16 March 2014

Best Geek News Sources

by Courtney Lockhart 

BEST PLACES TO GET YOUR GEEK NEWS

We here at Capital Geek Girls strive to be an informative, entertaining source for geek news and reviews. But we are still a fairly new site and can only do so much. Want to help us do more? SPONSOR!(http://capitalgeekgirls.blogspot.ca/p/pr-sponsors.html)

Ok, Shameless plug over.

So as I was saying, we know we cant be your source for all things geeky YET.  In the meantime, Ive spent the last few weeks combing the corners of the web for some of the best sites out there to not only keep you in the loop, but also entertained.

ITS OFFICIAL: THE TRADES.
The internet lives off rumours and speculation.  The best way to tell if your dream actually has come true is to check a few major hollywood publications. Entertainment Weekly (http://www.ew.com/ew/)  Variety (http://variety.com) and The Hollywood Reporter (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com) are upping their coverage  of nerd stuff on a daily basis. Want to know even faster? Follow them on twitter to get headline news before the articles are even written.  The downside to following the trades is they may not hold the news to the level of reverence you would like.  With so many deals going down everyday, Star Wars casting may only get two paragraphs instead of two pages.


ALL IN THE FAMILY: GAWKER MEDIA


While Nick Dentons blog empire is more well known these days for trying to buy Rob Fords crack tape and Lena Dunhams un-photoshopped Vogue photos, there is a huge amount of nerd news published under its banner daily.  Five of the nine pages making up their holdings lean distinctively geeky. IO9 (http://io9.com) covers science, sci-fi and futurism  while Lifehacker (http://lifehacker.com) reviews the latest software and advice to make your current life a little easier. Kotaku (http://kotaku.com) covers the latest video game news, Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com) discusses the gadgets you play them on and Valleywag (http://valleywag.gawker.com) gossips about the people who make it all possible.  Like the trade publications, occasionally youll find that a reporter is covering a topic they dont particularly care about and it shows in the writing. The discussion threads and comment sections are quite articulate and make this one of the few places where it is not only safe, but encouraging, to read the lower half of the internet.
 
FEAST FOR THE EYES AND EARS: NERDIST INDUSTRIES

Do you miss G4 and Attack of the Show? Then I highly recommend hanging around nerdist.com . Chris Hardwicks ever growing digital juggernaut not only includes podcasts, articles and comedy videos, but a five days a week news program on YouTube starring former IGN talent Jessica Chobot.  All Nerdist projects share a vibe of positive and constructive criticism that is a refreshing change from some sites constant doom predictions. But, Nerdist News (http://www.nerdist.com/category/nerdist-news-2/)  as a show can seem rushed with a run time of 5 minutes a day. 

EVERYONES A CRITIC: NEWS AND REVIEWS SITES


This is the most popular genre of news site I found and it was extremely difficult to only pick a couple to recommend. This style of reporting took over starting in 1996 with Harry Knowles Aint it Cool News (http://www.aintitcool.com) a site that mainly focuses on geek film news. If you like your news with a heavy dose of snark, head over to Topless Robot (http://www.toplessrobot.com) a site that completely preaches to the choir with regular columns like I read your fan fiction and Impressive Acts of Nerdery.  One of my personal favourites, Den of Geek (http://www.denofgeek.com) not only covers the latest news  and releases but delves into the back canon of amazing work already available. They are nearing the end of an excellent  series  about the most underrated movies of 2000-present that has definitely  expanded my Netflix watch list.  Last but certainly not least is The Mary Sue (http://www.themarysue.com) a great site  that advertises itself as a Guide to Geek Girl Culture. It does a great job of covering a variety of topics to show geek girl is as broad a definition as geek itself.


Did we miss one of your favourites? Let us know in the comments!

Courtney Lockhart lives in the west end of Ottawa with her husband and step-cat.  She is polishing her skills to pursue one of her dream careers as either a costume drama character, Torchwood operative or executive assistant to a billionaire vigilante. You can follow her daily mission to DFTBA on Twitter @corastacy.

Thursday 13 March 2014

COSPLAY AT TORONTO COMIC CON 2014

By Thea Nikolic 


TORONTO COMIC CON 2014 "CONVENTION ATTENTION"

Well, Toronto Comic Con has come and gone, the costumes were worn, make up washed off and fun was had. But that doesn't mean that the convention attention has to stop. I got to see some pretty awesome cosplay while I was there and have compiled them here for all to enjoy.  These are my favourite cosplays of the convention; they are not in any particular order, they are costumes that stood out to me for various reasons, including craftsmanship, overall look and the cosplayers willingness to stay in character the entire time.




Merida from Brave , cosplayed by www.facebook.com/KrisByersPhotography
Photo by Thea Nikolic
I loved the addition of the little stuffed Bear as her brother. Super cute


Hawk Girl from Justice League Animated, cosplayed by www.facebook.com/AlexRoseCosplay
Photo by Thea Nikolic
I was in awe of this girl's head piece. Really amazing work on that, very true to the show


Zam Wesell from Star Wars Attack of the Clones, cosplayed by Leisa Knapp
Photo by Mark Legault, knave79.tumblr.com
Leisa is a member of the 501st Legion, Star Wars charity costuming group and her stuff is always top notch


Elsa from Frozen, cosplayed by Parker
Photo by Mark Legault, knave79.tumblr.com
This little girl was amazing, she looked great in her costume, she had some fabulous poses and rocked it.




Kroenen from Hell Boy, cosplayed by  Nithic Ixtrix
Photo by Mark Legault, knave79.tumblr.com
This costume commanded attention. Mask was great, stance of this German soldier, henchman of Rasputin spot on.


Captain Hook and Rufio from Hook, cosplayed by Andrea Polcz and www.facebook.com/theAngelofSteel
Photo by Thea Nikolic
These two looked amazing together. Great poses and beautiful costumes.


Deadpool from Marvel Comics, cosplayed by Zach
Photo by Thea Nikolic
Another one of the younger generation showing us his mad skills. This kid was all over the Deapool poses and all his accessories were fantastic.


Katniss from Catching Fire and Lady Deadpool from Marvel Comics, cosplayed by www.facebook.com/UniverseofALI and www.facebook.com/BettyNukem
Photo by Mark Legault, knave79.tumblr.com
These gals are always in top form, crafting with precision and portraying their characters with authenticity.


Ghost Rider from Marvel Comics, cosplayed by Bill "Wild Bill" Plewes
Photo by Mark Legault, knave79.tumblr.com
Loved the flames that catch your eye from across the room. Very effective.




Lady Thor and Loki from Marvel Comics, cosplayed by Sarah Jean Maefs and www.facebook.com/LokiGodOfCosplay
Photo by Thea Nikolic
These two ladies looked fierce and had stellar props, and costumes were fantastic. Loki even shared a few tips


Mark 1 Iron Man from Iron Man movie, cosplayed by Owen Day
Photo by Thea Nikolic
Really impressive to see this guy tromping through the convention hall. He looked like he had the weight of the suit as he walked along. Lovely build.


Ranger of Gondor from Lord of the Rings, cosplayed by Joshua Mendoza
Photo by Thea Nikolic
His archery poses were great and there was never not a flock of photo lemmings around him.


Ace Ventura from Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, cosplayed by Simon Fontaine
Photo by Mark Legault, knave79.tumblr.com
This guy had to be my favourite of the whole weekend. not only did he nail the costume, he NEVER dropped character once, from the floor, to posing, to the escalator on his way out. It was hilarious to watch him conversing with Saruman trying to find his pet Warg.




Thea Nikolic is a local girl of geek, writing for CCG, Geek X Girls and cosplays on her own time. You can follow her antics at www.facebook.com/criticalmissandretrojoad to see where she will pop up next. 
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