Gamer Drama: A Story Review of Pokemon Y

   Before you say anything—I know. Pokémon isn’t meant to be played for the story. The point of any Pokémon game is the Pokémon themselves—catching them, (EV) training them, and making the best team you can put together. The goal is always to beat the Elite Four, and then the Champion. It is to be the very best, like no one ever was (yes, I went there).

   In case you don’t know, Gamer Drama is the name for my collection of video game reviews. In these reviews, I typically focus on the story-telling aspects of the game—setting, plot, characters. Obviously, this is why the Pokémon Y edition of Gamer Drama will be shorter—the setting and main characters are nearly indistinguishable from edition to edition. Sure, you go to different regions, but they all look fairly similar. There are different Pokémon and different gyms, but the story experience of playing the game doesn’t really change significantly from game to game. This is why I’m only going to focus on the storyline.

   In Pokémon Y, your character (and four of your friends) receive starter Pokémon from Professor Sycamore. The ladies’ man prof is more laid back than previous professors, and encourages each of you to pursue your own Poké path. Shortly after meeting the professor in the Kalos region’s central city, Lumiose, he introduces you to Lysandre. This man is Kalos’s wealthiest citizen, and a genius inventor. However, he seems a little downtrodden, and he bemoans the state of the world. It’s obvious that something’s up with him.

   But that’s not your concern at the moment. You continue to make your way through the Kalos region by completing quests, catching more Pokémon, and defeating gym leaders. You begin to clash with the flamboyant members of Team Flare—who make vague references to the end of the world, and assert that they’ll be safe. While you and your rival are willing to fight Team Flare members when they pop up, you’re only mildly curious about what’s going on.

   After the seventh gym, though, you receive a message on your Holocaster. Lo and behold, Lysandre announces that he and Team Flare are going to kill almost everyone (and every Pokémon) in the world.

   Sure, there are hints of what’s going on, but they remain at the same level throughout the game. It’s only after getting seven gym badges that you’re suddenly contacted by Lysandre and the main conflict of the game crashes over your head. In Pokémon Black, the conflict between your character and Team Plasma evolved over the entire game. It almost seems like they completely forgot about making a storyline for Pokémon Y, though, and just tacked one on at the end.

   The only thing that shows the developer had plans for this storyline is the integration of the legendary Pokémon, Yveltal. Yveltal awakens every few centuries to rain death upon the world, and he powers the machine (originally created by a mysterious giant man). The only opportunity for you to catch the legendary Pokémon comes when you try to stop Lysandre’s genocide.

   The mysterious giant, I think, is the single worst part of the storyline. You see this guy once while wandering the “wilderness” of the Kalos region. The next time you see him, he’s locked up in Lysandre Labs. You witness him telling the story of an ancient war, in which he lost his beloved Pokémon. Unable to deal with its death, he builds a machine to resurrect his Flabébé. In order to do this, though, the machine kills a bunch of other people and Pokémon. Tortured by guilt, the giant’s Pokémon abandons him, and he begins to wander the wilderness for hundreds of years with the goal of finding the Pokémon again. After defeating the Elite Four, you battle the giant—the ancient King of Kalos—and in doing so, the example of your love for your Pokémon redeems him. His Flabébé floats down from the sky and rejoins him.

   The entire plotline could have worked without this character and his story. Sure, Lysandre is using his ancient machine to kill everyone, but Lysandre could have built a machine himself. He’s a genius, after all. If the main conflict was sudden, the importance of the giant is completely out of left field. It just emphasizes the lack of effort that was put into the plot of the game.

   All in all, the plot of Pokémon Y is one of the weakest in the series—at least, of the games that I’ve played (I got lost somewhere between Leaf Green and Soul Silver). As I said, though, the Pokémon games are not meant to be played for the plot. They’re just there to add a little flavor to the experience. So while the story behind Pokémon Y isn’t very good, the game is still a great experience. The innovations in the sixth generation are certainly worth checking out. 

Top Five: Favorite Pokemon New to the Sixth Generation

As I said a few posts ago, I have been spending a LOT of time playing Pokemon Y. It's a little ridiculous how much time I've logged into the game since getting it the day after Christmas. I've finished the story lines, almost caught 'em all, and my time with the game is winding down as I find less and less reason to play it. But all the time I've spent playing Pokemon Y has made me an expert on the new generation Pokemon, so I present you my list of my five favorite new pocket monsters. These aren't the best, or strongest, or most badass--just the five I've enjoyed the most. I ruled out the Mega Evolutions--because they're either awesome or silly--but otherwise, everything is fair game. 

Litleo

Litleo was the Pokemon that I was most excited to catch and train (read: play with in Pokemon Amie) in the sixth generation. He’s a little lion cub, which is adorable. He also has fire on him, which is awesome. Of course, Litleo and its evolution, Pyroar, are pretty much just average when it comes to Pokemon battles. Good thing I only keep this guy around for his looks.

Tyrantrum

While I chose the Sail Fossil and received the Pokemon Amaura (and its evolution, Aurorus), Tyrun and Tyrantrum are obviously the cooler choice—which is saying a lot, since Amaura is an Ice-type (see what I did there?). Who hasn’t wanted their own badass T-Rex? Tyrantrum is also the more powerful of the fossil Pokemon in the Sixth Generation, and a pretty stable member of your party. His attack and defense stats are great, and he learns better moves than Amaura/Aurorus. Also, I may not have mentioned this: he’s a T-Rex.

Sliggoo

The internet is pretty crazy about Sliggoo’s predecessor, Goomy. It’s also fond of Goodra, Sliggoo’s evolution. But I haven’t seen Sliggoo get much love out on the web, which is a shame. Sliggoo looks like a pink and purple snail, and has a goofy smile and goofy eyes. Sliggo learns some excellent moves, had decent stats, and is a pure Dragon type—which has few weaknesses. I liked my goofy-looking Sliggoo more than my, well, goopy-looking Goodra. Team Sliggoo all the way!

Aegislash

You may have heard of Aegislash—this is the Ghost-type Pokemon that looks like a sword and shield. They hype about Aegislash online was huge before the game came out, and he didn’t disappoint. A third evolution, Aegislash has excellent attack and special attack stats, making its weaknesses not that upsetting. He also learns some fantastic moves. Also, I gave mine the nickname Sting. That is all.

Yveltal

Yveltal is the legendary Pokemon in Pokemon Y. My brother got X, and I was initially sad because I wanted the pretty deer legendary Pokemon. And then I met Yveltal. He’s a Dark/Flying type BIRD OF DEATH. Literally. He was going to be a weapon used to destroy most of life on the Poke-Planet, but then I caught him and now we’re besties. I pet him on the head, and feed him Poke-Puffs, and also use him to mow down the Elite Four and the Champion without breaking a sweat. I’m sorry I ever doubted you, Yveltal.

Have you been playing Pokemon X or Pokemon Y? If you have, you should add me as a friend: my friend code for my 3DS is 3883-6512-3963. You should also leave a comment below telling me your favorite new Pokemon! Narrowing the list down to five was so difficult! I didn’t even get any of the starters on there (and, though I deliberately left out the Mega Evolutions, those are awesome, too).

Come back tomorrow for a mini edition of Gamer Drama for Pokemon Y!

Geekphoria's Second Anniversary!

The internet at my parents' house is a little wonky, so I wasn't able to post yesterday. What was I going to post about?

The fact that January 11th marked two years since my first post on Geekphoria!

Of course, I only really started posting on here with any sort of frequency the year after I began the blog, but still! Two years!

I'm planning a few things to mark the second anniversary of Geekphoria, including freebies, a giveaway, and a surprise. 

Though I suppose I can start things off a little early by showing you my new, official Geekphoria logo! If you've been on my personal Twitter page, you've already seen it, but if you haven't, I hope you'll tell me what you think:

I'm back at school starting January 19th, so all the "official" Anniversary celebrations will start then! Until then, stay tuned for your normal programming!

New Year Geek Tips: Planning Ahead for Con Season

January means a new year, and a new year means that convention season will be here before we know it (and, in some areas, is still going strong). Cons don't really start in Chicago until C2E2 in April, but because I'm a poor graduate student, I do like to (and need to) plan ahead in order to know exactly when I need to have the cash to play for badges/registration, hotels, and travel. My plans aren't 100% for later in the year (I want to go to Dragon Con, but I need to figure out if it's logistically possible for me), but here's a brief overview of what I'm planning for 2014 with an approximate idea of costs. Making a list of the conventions, dates, locations, and costumes for the year ahead helps me to stay organized for the year--and it could help you, too, which is why I'm sharing this.

I'm also laying out the costume ideas I have for each con, because my major "resolution" in 2014 is to expand my cosplay portfolio.

Con #1: C2E2

Where: McCormick Convention Center, Chicago, IL

Dates: April 25(?), 26, 27

I teach until 3pm on Fridays, so I'm not sure if I can make it to the city before the end of festivities on Friday afternoon. Still, though, I purchased a 3-Day pass ($60 if purchased before the convention). I also reserved a hotel room for Saturday night at the con hotel, but the costs of that will be shared and be $70 at the highest. Gas up to Chicago from school is about $30.

Base Cost: $160

Cosplay Ideas

1. Rogue from X-Men: Evolution

2. Enchantress from Justice League Dark (If my brother doesn't come)

3. Death from The Sandman (If my brother does come)

Con #2: Anime Central

Where: Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Rosemont, IL

Dates: May 16th-18th, though I'm not 100% on which dates I will attend due to final exams.

I haven't purchased anything here, but weekend passes are currently $53. I won't get a hotel room, most likely, unless several people want to go in on it with me (which is a possibility). I'd expect to spend around $50 on a room, then. Gas to Chicago is about $30, but since we're going on a family vacation a couple days later, I won't count it as a con cost since I'll be there already.

Base Cost: $53

Cosplay Ideas

1. Aqua from Kingdom Hearts

Con #3, Possibility 1: Chicago Comic Con

Where: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL

Dates: August 21-24 (it's late this year, and the weekend RIGHT before classes begin. Thanks, guys.)

Chicago Comic Con has been my yearly convention, but I'm willing to forego it in order to go to Dragon Con, if I can afford it and get down there in time after teaching on Friday. Weekend tickets are $90, and I will be staying at my parents' house (per usual). Gas to Chicago (if I'm not there already) is about $30. 

Base Cost: $90- 120

Cosplay Ideas

1. Spoiler (Though I may switch her with Rogue for C2E2)

2. Riven

Con #3, Possibility 2: Dragon Con

Where: Atlanta, GA

Dates: August 29- September 1

I want to go to Dragon Con so badly. I just don't know if I'll be able to afford it--I'm not paid between June and September 16th, which would make things hard. Still, I really want to try to make this happen. I'd use the same costumes for Dragon Con as I would for Chicago Comic Con. Dragon Con costs between $85 and $100, depending on when you get tickets. I would expect to drop another $60 on my share of gas and $200 on my share of the hotel room. 

Base Cost (Estimate): $305

Con #4: Chicago TARDIS

Where: Westin Lombard Yorktown Center

Dates: November 28-30

I had so much fun last year that I just had to make plans to go again. I also have a few people coming to Chicago TARDIS with me this time, and I'm really excited to share the time with them that holiday weekend. Tickets aren't on sale yet, but it was $50 for last year. I would be driving to and from the con on Saturday and (maybe) Sunday. Travel costs from my parents' (it's the weekend after Thanksgiving) would be negligible. 

Base Costs: $50

Cosplay Ideas

1. Member of the Sibylline Sisterhood

Total Base Con Costs (With Chicago Comic Con): $353-383

Total Base Con Costs (With Dragon Con): $568

And that, my friends, is why it's important to budget and stay ahead of things. This doesn't even include costume costs, food/drink, or spending money at the con.I plan to chronicle my C2E2 costumes very closely, including all the costs of making costumes for you beginning cosplayers out there. So keep an eye out for that around March, and I'll update some of these costs to reflect those costs.

Hopefully this is helpful for those of you who plan to develop a yearly con schedule (with or without cosplaying). Part of my goals for this next year is to be more responsible financially, and this my start. 

Until next time...

How I've Slacked Off Through The First Week of 2014

I'm a Ph.D. student, which means that I get about a month "off" each mid-December to mid-January. Technically, I should be working on my own research during this time. This year, though, I've been really bad about keeping on track of things. I was working on my finals up until the day before Christmas Eve and then, on Christmas, I received a Nintendo 3DS. Add Pokemon Y, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Resident Evil: Revelations, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds to the mix and my productivity has been down to zero.

My precious...

I've been pretty quiet on the internet since Christmas as I've been making my way through these games, but I'm going to try to be better about it this week. I have a couple of posts in the making, and I have a tee DIY on the horizon as soon as I brave the cold to get to the craft store. Or it gets warmer. Whichever comes first.

In the meantime, check out some of my recent work on Junkies Nation (I've been pretty quiet over there, too, but there's plenty to catch up with):

My review of the first episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 2.
My weekly cosplay review, Weekly Cos-Day.
My review of the Indie game Cubicity.
My weekly indie game spotlight Indie Game of the Week.

I have some other things that aren't really timely (like my review of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Episode), but I'd appreciate the views on my other things over on JN.

Until tomorrow...

-Amanda

Five Best (Fictional) Christmas Gifts...to Receive

Hi everyone! My finals are taking me a lot longer to finish than I expected, and I was feeling guilty over the fact that I hadn't updated since December 5th. Luckily, Erin from The Pixel Party volunteered to write this guest Top 5. I hope you like it--I really enjoyed the theme and agree with her 100%!

Have you ever watched a movie, read a book or played a game, and wished instantly that you could have whatever thing the character is using? That’s how I feel EVERY TIME I see the Holodeck being used in Star Trek. Here’s a list of other things that I have desperately wanted every time I crack open a good franchise:

1.) Dire Wolf Pup - Game of Thrones

(img originally from: http://fangirlisms.com/?attachment_id=4374)

So, you want a puppy for Christmas? How about a DIRE WOLF PUPPY?! Guaranteed to protect you, and they’ll do it in the most bad-ass way EVER! Oh, and by the way, they are also down for a good cuddle-sesh. I would love to have a Dire Wolf as a pet, and not have to become a Stark to get it (unless you mean Tony Stark, in which case… I’m in). I love that family, but man… Their lives are not a cake walk.

2.) Time Turner - Harry Potter

(img originally from: http://jamjellypot.deviantart.com/art/time-turner-295111516)

While I did ok in school, I am not anywhere near Hermoine Granger’s level of genius. She was so smart, that the school let her jump from timeline to timeline just so she could add more classes! Wha??! What I am trying to say, is that there is no teacher who will be giving me a Time-Turner anytime soon. So, I guess I’ll just have to put this on my wishlist and hope for the best. Can you imagine having this thing? Spilled an entire bowl of salad on your customer’s head while waiting tables at Olive Garden (it’s strangely specific, because it might have happened to me)? Go grab that Time Turner, henceforth solidifying a tip. Yes… I could use one of these bad boys.

3.) The DeLorean - Back to the Future

(img originally from: http://miss-hypershadow.deviantart.com/art/Delorean-Back-to-the-Future-267735664)

Apparently I have a thing about time travel. While I believe the Time-Turner would be great for getting things done, or fixing things you messed up on (salad!), the DeLorean would be great for actual pie-in-the-sky time travel. Want to see the dinosaurs, or go to a David Bowie concert during his prime?! Get into that DeLorean and make it happen. I would need some plutonium as a Christmas stocking gift though. This car is useless to me without any plutonium.

4.) The Holodeck - Star Trek

(img originally from: http://www.offthereservation.net/2013/10/the-holodeck-is-one-step-closer.html)

Ok, so listen. The Holodeck. It can create all kinds of “programs” for you to interact with. In The Next Generation, you see the cast use the Holodeck in all kinds of ways- from physical training courses to solving mysteries as Sherlock Holmes. This description alone should be enough to explain why I want one of these more than Jean-Luc wants a cup of tea… Earl Grey….. hot. Since I’ve thought about this though in great detail, here’s a quick list of things I would do with it IMMEDIATELY: No-lines Disneyland trip, make out session with Tom Hiddleston, lightsaber battle with Katniss (it’s my holodeck program- I can mix franchises if I want!), and maybeee VIP tickets to a Lady Gaga concert.

5.) Babelfish - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

(img originally from: http://randomwire.com/hitchhikers-guide/)

The last thing on my list is this fish from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. You put the fish in your ear, and you can then understand any language spoken to you. It’s similar to the translator microbe in Farscape (which, I just finished the WHOLE series- thank you, thank you). I am quite the social butterfly and I would love to be able to go anywhere in the world and be able to speak to anyone I wanted. Can you imagine how much more culturally saturated you would be when travelling abroad if you could understand the language? It would be amazing, which is why the Babelfish is on my list!

About the Pixel Party (pixelpartyblog.com):

Hello! My name is Erin, and I am head nerdette behind The Pixel Party! In my corner of the internet, I specialize in merging fashion, DIY projects, cooking, illustration and design with nerd and pop culture (all while driving 88 miles per hour). So come visit - you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy!

Funko Thursday #2

I'm obsessed with the Funko Vinyl figures. Funko Thursday is my way to share my obsession with you as I highlight upcoming releases and awesome exclusives.

I almost got my hands on this awesome Batmobile exclusive from Toy Tokyo--it's blue! But it was only at NYCC and my friend wasn't quick enough to snag one for me--the last one sold out two people ahead of her in line! Blast!

                  

The next wave of Game of Thrones figures will be released on January 14th, and will include Tywin Lannister and Ygritte.

Also, a line of Thundercats figures are coming out on December 17th. Right after my next paycheck. Crafty Funko.

From the best and most emotionally touching children's movie about robots, the Iron Giant comes out on December 24th.

And from what is DEFINITELY not a children's franchise. Judge Dredd is released on December 10th. 

That's it for this Funko Thursday! Which of these figures do you want to add to your collection?

Chicago TARDIS Recap

     I always mean to write these recaps for conventions right after the con, but I usually don't get to it until a few days after. I was on top of things for Chicago Comic Con, but somehow it's Tuesday and I'm only just now writing about my time at Chicago TARDIS.

The hotel allowed dogs!

     If you've been reading my blog, you'll know that I was really excited to go to Chicago TARDIS. I even wrote a whole blog on why people should go without even having gone myself. And to be perfectly honest, the convention lived up to my expectations. I enjoyed the entire day, even though I attended the con by myself. The attendees were friendly, the space wasn't too crowded (each day was capped at 2,000), and it had a laid back and relaxed atmosphere. With my anxiety issues, I sometimes become very uncomfortable at conventions, but I was relaxed and enjoying myself all day at Chicago TARDIS.

      I started the day early because I had an interview schedules with Paul McGann (the Eighth Doctor) at 11am--but I had to get there ten minutes early. There was a bit of a kerfuffle, though--the night before, I saw on the Chicago Tardis Facebook page that the photo ops with Paul McGann had been moved to 11am. I sent the person I had been in communication with an e-mail, but I didn't receive an answer until I got to the convention. While I assumed that there wouldn't be an interview at 11am, I still wanted to be there before then, just in case. The response I got from the convention staff was brief, saying that they were trying to determine if the interview was going to happen or not. I didn't have anything planned at the time, so I went to one of the TV rooms to wait for my first panel. On Saturday, this TV room was playing The Fires of Pompeii--the fourth series episode with soon-to-be-Twelfth-Doctor Peter Capaldi. It was a decent way to spend my time. At about 1pm, I got another e-mail letting me know that Paul McGann's schedule wasn't going to allow for me to do my interview, which was a bummer. I had spent a lot of time getting ready for the interview, and I was sad I wasn't going to be able to do it. On the other hand, though, I was extremely nervous about it so the fact that it was canceled allowed me to relax a little bit before speaking on my first panel.

From the Chicago TARDIS Facebook page.

     The two panels I spoke on were at 12pm and 2pm. The first panel was a discussion of SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay, and the second panel was a beginner's guide to cosplay panel. I had thought that there would be moderators at the panels, but when we got there the panels were three of us sitting in front of a room of people. We went through and introduced ourselves, then asked each other questions and asked questions from the audience. I kind of went into my default TA/lecturer mode in each panel because I was a little uncomfortable about not having a plan or structure, but I think it worked out alright. I wish they had let us know more about the structure of the panels beforehand. If I had known that there wasn't going to be someone in charge of structuring the panels, I would have contacted my fellow panelists beforehand in order to devise a plan of attack. The lack of structure meant that we inevitably left out a lot of information that could have been helpful in the "So You Want to Cosplay" panel, since we conducted it on the fly. One of my fellow panelists was wearing an incredible Barmaid Clara costume, and has a really impressive costume portfolio, so I think you should check her out (here's a link to her blog).

Also from the Chicago TARDIS Facebook page. 

      I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the con collecting cosplay pictures (you can see them now on my Weekly Cos-Day post on Junkies Nation), deciding what I was going to buy from the dealer's room (a Fourth Doctor/Dalek action figure set), and attending other panels. I went to a panel called "Moffat's Girls," which was a critique of the characterization of female companions during the Moffat era. It was an interesting panel, but I was a little disappointed that I didn't hear anything new. It's a critique, though, that's just my own fault--I spend too much time on the internet and thus have heard all of these comments before. The panel kept the audience involved and interested, though, so I thought that it was very successful.

     I also spent some time trying to collect some badge ribbons. I have always been jealous of the Gallifrey One ribbons, so I was really excited to see these at Chicago TARDIS. Unfortunately, as I'm a giant introvert, I wasn't very successful at gathering ribbons. I got two, though! Good for me!

The bottom ribbon has a silver UNIT logo.

     There was a good amount of time between the last few panels and the masquerade, so I drove to the nearby Portillo's and grabbed dinner. While I was there I ran into a girl I met earlier, and she invited me to eat with her and her dad. It was very nice of them to be so friendly and welcoming, and we had a very interesting conversation on sci-fi and reality over dinner. This was just one example of how nice the whole Doctor Who fandom was at this con. It was great.

      I got in line early for the masquerade, but I sat about halfway back in the main programming room due to VIP tickets. I think, though, that they would have been better off seating the VIPs first, since only about 50% of the seats they had saved were filled. As a result, I wasn't able to get any good pictures of the masquerade for this site or for JN, which was a bit of a bummer. Some day I will invest in a better camera that will allow me to take pictures from further than three feet away. However, that's waaaay out of my budget for now.

     I left after the announcement of the masquerade winners, even though I had initially wanted to see the MST-like presentation of The Five Doctors. It was after 9:30, though (about 30 minutes after it was scheduled to end), and I had a baby shower I needed to go to in the morning.

     I'm definitely going back to Chicago TARDIS next year. I have a few people who decided they wanted to go with me too late to grab Saturday tickets, so next year I won't have to wander around by myself. Despite some of the issues with organization that plague all cons, Chicago TARDIS was a great way to spend the day. If you're in the area, you should definitely check it out next year.

Chicago TARDIS: My Schedule

Hey everyone! Here is my schedule for tomorrow (Saturday) at Chicago TARDIS. I'll be spending most of the morning in registration and waiting for my interview, so things will really kick off for me at noon.

12:00 PM

My first panel! Come to the Cypress room, where we'll be talking about SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay.

1:00 PM

Going to the Lilac room to see the panel "Fangirls Are Real Fans, Too."

2:00 PM

Speaking on my second panel, "So You Want to Cosplay" in the Cypress room.

3:00 PM

I'm going to check out the dealers room and the gaming room.

4:00 PM

I may go to the "Moffat's Girls" panel in the Lilac Room, or I may just wander around.

5:00 PM

"Saturday with Freema" panel in the Grand Ballroom.

6:00-7:30 PM

Break. Gotta find somewhere to eat!

7:30 PM

Masquerade! The best part of the day!

I have Geekphoria stickers to give away to people who come say "hi!." And also, as a special surprise, I will have a K-9 necklace and a Tardis necklace from my Etsy shop to give away to the first two people (one each) who come introduce themselves at Chicago TARDIS.

Happy Thanksgiving: My List of Geeky Things I'm Thankful For

I've been a geek since before I even knew what a geek was. I was a geek throughout elementary school, middle school, high school, and college--even if I had to sometimes hide the extent of my geekiness (don't know why I even bothered, it didn't make me any cooler). Now that I'm an adult, and completely comfortable being my ridiculously geeky self, I can make this list of the geeky things I am thankful for--and the geeky women role models that I'm thankful I "met" as a child.

I'm thankful for these things that made me into the geek I am:

My life has always had Star Trek in it, and The Next Generation and Voyager in particular were the series that defined my childhood.

Not just Labyrinth (though it's #1), but all of the awesome fantasy movies from the 80s helped to foster my life-long love of fantasy, just as TNG did for my love of Sci-Fi.

While I played ton older systems, the Sega Genesis was the first console of my very own. I will always remember you fondly, Sega. Even if Echo the Dolphin was too difficult for kids my age, which was ridiculous BECAUSE WHAT FIVE-YEAR-OLD DOESN'T WANT TO BE A DOLPHIN?! (It's alright. I still love you).

Ocarina of Time is the video game that turned me into a gamer--there is no question about it. Forever grateful that I had the chance to own and play this game as a kid. It's still my favorite game in the world.

I'm grateful that I grew up in an era with the "right" type of children's shows and books that fostered me as a geekling.

I picked up the first Harry Potter book around the time that The Chamber of Secrets was published in the U.S. I love the Harry Potter world. When my anxiety gets crazy and I get upset, I grab one of these books, sit back, and it always manages to calm me. The Harry Potter fandom was also the first time that I realized how amazing and welcoming a fan community can be, and I'll always be grateful.

...but these will always be my #1 love (in terms of books). I started reading chapter books in kindergarten, and my silly Dad suggested that I read these only in first grade. Of course, they were waaay above my reading level, but I wanted to impress my father so I sat down and read them (and stole the dictionary to help me make my way through). Still, a lot of it was over my head...so I came back to them the next year. And the next. And the next. Revisiting LotR over and over again each year allowed me to see new things each time, to grow my vocabulary, and to foster in me a love for fantasy. So even though my dad was completely insane to suggest that I read these at age six, I'm grateful for his urging (and to the Professor).

And I am grateful for these geeky women role models for making me into the person I am today:

I covered a few of these in my Geeky Heroines blog post, but I wanted to give credit where credit is due. Overall, I have to be grateful to these characters--and the people who created them--for giving a growing girl female role models who were intelligent, strong, brave, creative, and dedicated.

Alanna of Trebond and Olau

Captain Katherine Janeway

Agent Dana Scully

Buffy Summers

So those are my lists--even though they're nowhere near 100% complete. What is your geeky heart thankful for this holiday season?

DIY T-shirt to Lacey Tank

I made this shirt to wear to Chicago TARDIS on Saturday, but then I scored an interview with Paul McGann and brought myself something nicer to wear (this TARDIS dress from Her Universe, to be specific). I still really like this shirt, though, so I thought I would share the DIY with you.

I began by cutting off the neck line, then cutting two inches off each side of the shirt. This allows for room to add in the lace without making the shirt too large and baggy.

Cutting two inches off...

From there, it was pretty easy to just sew in a strip of black lace on both sides. Make sure to sew the strips in so that the seam of the t-shirt/lace line are on the inside of the shirt. It's easy to mess this up. I didn't do that this time, but I did do it for my Halloween DIY.

I laid each strip of lace down so that the edges of the lace lined up with the edges of both the front and back of the t-shirt. I cue enough lace so that there was an inch or so left at the bottom, but it was flush with where I wanted the top of the lace to end for the arm hole.

Once I had the side sewn in, I cut across the top of the t-shirt's shoulder and inserted more lace there. I followed the same process of sewing in the top lace as I did sewing in the side lace. The picture above shows the process of sewing in the shoulder lace.

Remember that inch or so left at the bottom? I then folded it over and sewed a hem. I made sure to fold back the inner hems before I sewed the lower hem, to keep them in place.

Here's the shirt hanging over the door. I pushed out the sides in the first picture so you can see where they are.

I wasn't originally going to take a picture of the shirt on (it was a sweats day at my house), but then I threw it on over the tank top I was wearing under my sweatshirt. It doesn't go, but you get an idea of what the shirt looks like on. Luckily, the flash was ridiculously bright which helped to hide the fact that it wasn't a make-up day at my house, either. This shirt should be worn over a bandeau or a cami.