Villian And Hero Shoes

Don't you wish that there were geeky shoes out there for women? I do. When Star Wars Adidas came out with their Princess Leia shoes, it was all I could do to get my hands on a pair... alas, I never did and they never came out with another pair of shoes for women... 

But now there is hope

Enter Melissa Shoes and her Disney Villains line

How amazing are those? I totally want all of them, but I think the Maleficent ones would be my go to pair, for sure. These shoes are actually eco-friendly. They're made of plastic and is eaisly broken down and recycled. Does that mean they won't last as long as regular shoes? I don't know to be honest, but I still love them. You can check out and buy the rest of her line here.

Not into villains? How about hero off to rescue his Princess?

These awesome Mario and Zelda shoes are made by the Etsy seller Magic Bean Buyer. Aren't they amazing? I love all the little details like the stone across the soles. These aren't your typical shoe paintings, but something so much more! 

They would be perfect fro when I go hear the video game music orchestra! Not to mention a nice way to dress up and dress down at the same time! The price for them is pretty reasonable too, considering the work that goes into them. Which pair do you want? I totally want Bowser's Castle.

Thanks to Stellar Four and Welcome To The Dorkside for brings these awesome kicks to my attention.

Geeky Lingerie

Ever want to feel like a sexy super heroine? I know I do. Want to dress up for that special someone or maybe even just for yourself?

Well, to all those out there who do, here are a couple great ways to do so. I know I've blogged about Corsets and Pajamas before, but this is a little different.

Going out to formal affairs where I have to dress up are fun, but it's hard to stick to my geeky roots while doing so, but if I had awesome underthings like these, I would feel super all night!

You might have seen the above Wonder Woman sketch circling the internet and thought that that's all it was, but it's actually a prototype drawing of this amazing lingerie that will (hopefully) soon be on sale thanks to Socially Stealth. I totally love the garter belt and I hope they figure out who to make the stockings too!

Or if some time in the future is too vague for you, you can get yourself an awesome Marvel garter belt from Volusious Wear on Etsy. There are geeky and non-geeky alike, so you can choose the pair that works best for you.

I really want to start making my own, but I really have no idea where to even start. Oh wait... Star Wars lingerie... that's a good place to start :P

So, would you wear or want someone to wear geek lingerie?

Should I make my own Star Wars garter belt?

Thanks to Fashionably Geeky and So Geek Chic for the awesome tips.

Ashely Eckstein Cosplays Ahsoka Tano

Dressing up is one of my favorite things to do. Whether it's for Halloween, Fan Expo or just for the hell of it, I always have fun props and costumes on hand and I'm always working on making new ones to use.

Cosplay is awesome. But how awesome is it when the voice actor of a Star Wars cartoon cosplays as that character? Totally Awesome!

That is exactly what happened to Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano on The Clone Wars.

Ashley has very quickly become one of my favorite geek celebrities, due to her awesome line of Star Wars clothes for girls and great attitude. (Yes, I know I blog about her a lot, but I can't help it) She totally stands behind women kicking ass and wants to make sure that young girls are brought up to believe that they can do anything.

 

After seeing so many girls at cons dressed as her character, she decided that she wanted to try it out as well, with amazing results.

 

 

 here's what she had to say about it.

For kids, it’s completely normal to dress up in costume.

When I was a little girl, I used to dress up all the time, and not just for Halloween. We had a giant dress-up bag full of costumes! My sister and I would tear through that bag during playtime, and every day we were different characters.

We had beautiful princess dresses, a pirate costume, a Punky Brewster outfit, a Cousin Itt costume from "The Addams Family," an authentic Disney Alice in Wonderland dress (my favorite!) and, as seen in the photo below, a Karate Kid costume. I was a total tomboy and for my school pictures, I insisted on wearing my Karate Kid uniform.

Why, then, is it considered nerdy, weird or socially unacceptable by the general population for adults to dress up as their favorite characters, outside of Halloween?

As any true fanboy or fangirl knows, dressing up in costume is called “cosplay,” and, as adults, many of us take this hobby very seriously. We spend hours perfecting these costumes and find a lot of pride and joy in debuting our works at local conventions or events. Go to Dragon*Con in Atlanta and you will behold some of the most amazing costumes you’ve ever seen, complete with a parade through the downtown streets showcasing the meticulous work of many hardcore fans.

I bring this up because, at times, I feel as if I live in two separate worlds that seem completely different – but the fans are actually more alike than they think.

My husband, David Eckstein, played Major League Baseball for 10 seasons, and during that time I probably went to about 1,000 baseball games. I live the life of a sci-fi loving fangirl and also the life of a passionate sports fan.

 

Almost every time I tell someone outside of my geeky world about the fact that I go to sci-fi conventions, I am usually met with a rude comment similar to, “Do you see a lot of freaks dressed up in costumes?”

Excuse me!? Why is this freaky? Why is it weird? I cannot even begin to tell you all of the creative ways I’ve seen sports fans dress up at games. I’ve seen guys who body paint their bare chests with their favorite team’s colors, people dressed up as their team’s mascot, lots of face paint, temporary tattoos, crazy hats, wild color-coordinating outfits. Some fans practically look like clowns the way they are decked out head to toe in support of their favorite team.

So I ask – Please tell me how this is any different than a sci-fi fan showing up at a convention in costume. The difference is that one form of dressing up is widely socially accepted and the other is not. However, both types of fans are passionate about the genre that they love, and they want to express themselves through what they wear. I actually see a lot of common ground between the two fan bases, and there is no difference to me. I fall into both fan bases, and I have elaborate sports outfits for all of the teams my husband has played for.

I also enjoy dressing up as my favorite characters, and I had the ultimate cosplay experience a couple of months ago.

For the first time, I got to dress up as Ahsoka Tano from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." For those of you who don’t know, I am the voice of Ahsoka for the hit animated series on Cartoon Network, but I am also a major "Star Wars" fan.

As the voice of Ahsoka, I simply go into the recording studio and record my lines for the show. There is no need to ever dress up as the character, because they only need our voices to bring the character to life.

However, I am also a fan, and year after year I have been going to conventions, seeing hundreds of girls dressed up as Ahsoka, and secretly wishing I, too, could someday try on the costume. Well, with the help of my friends, my wish was granted, and I got to dress up as Ahsoka for the day! This was just me, as a fan, having fun!

All of a sudden, I reverted back to when I was a little girl. I wanted to have a light saber battle and help save the galaxy! I really felt like I was a Jedi. I felt strong, and it was very empowering.

Then it hit me: As a little girl, I could only dream about being these fantastical characters and saving the world, but as an adult, I realized I could actually BE a real-life Jedi and do great things. For example, the 501st Legion and The Rebel Legion are both worldwide groups of "Star Wars" fans who dress up in costume, raise an enormous amount of money for multiple charities every year, and attend all sorts of events bringing smiles to everyone they come in contact with. They have taken their love of cosplay and turned it into an opportunity to change people’s lives.

Unfortunately, I don’t own the Ahsoka costume in these photos, and sitting through four hours of makeup is not something that I can do on a daily basis.  But being in costume for the day made me realize that I don’t have to just dream about being a superhero – I have the power to be a real life superhero. I have the power to control my destiny, make my own decisions, do so much good with my time, and live my life the Jedi way.

You don’t have to dress up as your favorite character to change the world; however, it’s certainly more fun in costume. - Geek Out, CNN

I think it's so amazing that she speaking out for the geek community. I realize that cosplay has become more mainstream in the last few years, but I know that a lot of people still turn up their noses at it. I bet if everyone tried it at least once, we would have a lot more understanding and probably a lot more cosplayers. 

So, Thank You Ashley for stepping up and supporting your followers (and for making awesome clothes)

Spiderman Nail Polish Line

Spiderman, Spiderman

paint my nails like Spiderman

they have lots of funky colours

there is even one that shatters

come look!

my nails are Spiderman!

Ok, ok, so I'm not really good at making up songs, but you get the point. While most of us look forward to the upcoming movie and subsequential merchandise aimed mostly at boys and men, we geek girls do get one awesome addition; Spiderman nail polish.

Now I've blogged about nail polish before and that isn't likely to stop any time soon as long as they keep putting out awesome character related colours. There's something just cool about wearing nail polish that corresponds to your favorite character, without having to always wear graphic t-shirts. Right now, my go to colour of nail polish is called Animal-istic and it's based on Animal from the Muppets. I was very disappointment when the Hunger Games nail polish was released, due to crappy names and crappy colours, so when OPI (my favorite nail polish company) released the names of their new Spiderman polish, my faith in pop culture nail polish was renewed.

Ok, so here's what I think about the actual colours;

Your Web Or Mine - I love the pink colour, but I kind of wish it was red solely for the fact that I would like a Spiderman red, a colour that really represents him.

Into The Night - midnight blue is a lovely colour especially for those creepy crawelers who only come out at night.

Call Me Gwen-ever - Although I love the colour and the name, I would've gone with a more traditional Gwen colour like purple or green

Just Spotted The Lizard - A perfect villian inspired colour for the Lizard, but what am I ever going to wear it with?

My Boyfriend Scales Walls - I love a good white polish, but I kind of wish this was a shatter polish. I think it would look kind of like webbing on your nails.

Number One Nemesis - A good gunmetal grey is so hard to find. What it has to do with Spiderman? I guess there could be another villian crammed into the movie somewhere?

Shatter The Scales - (not pictured) A shattering polish, I guess to give the look of the Lizard's hide, but in all the pictures it looks black. I thought maybe it would give that web costume look.

Will I be buying these? YES! Maybe not all of them, but probably most of them. They will make a fine addition to my awesome nail polish collection when they are released in May. Until then, I will keep on wearing my Kermit nail polish.

Thanks to Fashion Tips From Comic Strips and Fashionably Geeky for sharing my geek polish love

Animal Avengers

I love my cats. I have 2 of them; an older, white, long haired, female named Rina and a younger, black, short haired, male named Lynx. They're kind of my yin and yang

I always wanted 2 kittens, a black and a white and they just both showed up in my life over the years. It must've been meant to be.

When Ron first started visiting, Rina fell head over paws in love with him and he loves her just as much and spoils her rotten. Since we've moved in together, it's become even worse. When Ron gets home from work, Rina will meow at him until he sits down and pets her for at least 5 minutes and sometimes for as long as an hour. When he's here, Rina is never far from him and and is in his lap as much as possible. 

She sometimes wanders away for a few minutes and then comes running back frantically into his lap as if she's been gone for hours or even days! We've begun to suspect that maybe we have an entrance to Narnia in our house somewhere.

Lately, when he leaves for work in the morning, she's been meowing sadly as loudly as she can, as if mourning that he's gone. I call it cat-erwauling. She sometimes sulks around the house after he leaves too and we've started calling her The Incredible Sulk.

art by Katie Cook

 

When we heard this little Hulk ditty, we changed up the lyrics and made them about her sulking.

So when I went into PetSmart the other day and found out that they had Avengers dog-wear, I couldn't resist buying her the Incredible Hulk one.

Yes, dogs in t-shirts never cease to amuse me, but cats in t-shirts are even funnier. Especially my cat.

Look at her Sulking!

She is not impressed. She only wore it until Ron came home and then he made me take it off of her. But isn't she cute?

I know, I know, I put a dog t-shirt on my cat. But you know what? I'm not the only one who's done it.

Here's a lovely collection of other cats in Avengers t-shirts.

I think the cats look better than the dogs do, but as I said before, animals in t-shirts just make me laugh.

Thanks to Fashionably Geeky and PetSmart for making this happen; also my cat for being sort of a good sport and not clawing me. Think I should get her an x-men one next?

Ryu Vs. Darth Vader: How Fandom Works In Our House

Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices (a fandom); this is what differentiates "fannish" (fandom-affiliated) fans from those with only a casual interest.

A fandom can grow up centered around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individual celebrity, or more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903. - Wikipedia

Ron and I are both geeks. Yes, geeky love is wonderful, and you probably think that mutual fandom is what brought us together; this is not the case. Yes, we do have a few similar geek choices, but mostly we geek about very different things.

I, on one hand, love all things Star Wars; as I'm sure you already know. My Star Wars collectables take up most of a geek shelf that we share in our new house. You may not know this, but I'm also a doll collector, as in Barbie, Monster High, Sailor Moon, and of course, Star Wars dolls. These take up an entire shelving unit in my craft room and I am very proud of this collection. I also have a lot of geeky art that I have either gotten at comic conventions or that my Dad has drawn for me. This consist of Sailor Moon, Maleficent, Kermit the Frog, Cloud from FFVII, Edea from FVIII, Wheel of Time maps, and my all time personal favorite, my Lord Of The Rings picture from my Dad.

Now Ron on the other hand, is into totally different things. He is a huge computer/gadget geek. Over the years we've been together, he has shown me he loves me through gadgets. He once built me computer! I wish I understood everything that went into it, so I could truly appreciate it, but the fact that he built me a computer because he loves me, is pretty f*ing amazing. Ron's computer room in our new house is filled with gadgety goodness. Every gaming system pretty much ever made resides in this room, as well a his own memorabilia. But unlike my haphazard collection, pretty much everything he's collected is still pristine in the box. He goes more for Street Fighter and anime characters, most of whom I only have a vague idea who they are. He has boxes of pristine comics and anime art scrolls.

It's not that our fandoms don't mix, it's just that they're very different. He thinks that when I take my collectables out of the box, I'm ruining their value and I believe that by leaving them in the box I'm not appreciating them as much as if I can hold them and pose them and get a real sense of them. He looks at the the lessening value of mine and scoffs and my fingers are itchy to tear those toys out of their packages. So far, everything is still intact and we laugh about it a lot.

But when we pin our fandoms up against each other, this is what we get.

RYU VS. DARTH VADER

Ok, so it's more like Princess Leai vs. Chun Li, but I still think this is a great analogy.

In the end, love always wins over fandom and our differences are part of the reason we love each other.

Thanks to Distracted by Star Wars and the Student Pocket Guide for the video and YamaO for the great Street Fighter art. And of course to Ron, for loving me despite my love of Star Wars :P

Hunger Game Music And Parodies

Who's excited about The Hunger Games? Me! Me!

Also, my best friend Jocey. She thinks that March 23rd is much too far away and that she might have to re-read the series again before then. I totally can't blame her, because I was thinking about doing the exact same thing.

In the mean time, I though I would help tie us over with some parodies, musical or otherwise. Just keep in mind that if you haven't read the books yet, they might be a bit spoily.

First off we have Holly Laurent with a parody song of Lana Del Ray's Video Games. 

I do seem to love the parodies of this song. They're just fantastic. Not to mention extremely clever.

This next one is based on the Bruno Mars song Grenade.

TIME TO GO
GRAB MY BOW
12 IS WHERE I LIVE (COAL)

GAYLES HERE
KILL A DEER
SELL IT AT THE HOB

DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS TROUBLE
IN THE OTHER DISTRICTS
LIFE WAS ALMOST EASY
BEFORE THE REAPING

EFFIE READ THE NAME IT WAS
PRIMROSE EVERDEEN
PRIMROSE EVERDEEN, SHE READ
NO WAY MY LITTLE SISTER
WILL EVER BE A TRIBUTE
PRIM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SCARED

CAUSE I'LL PLAY THE HUNGER GAMES FOR YA
I'LL TAKE TRACKER JACKER STINGS FOR YA
SHOW PANEM HOW MUCH I LOVE PEETA
I'LL FOOL SENECA CRANE FOR YA
I WOULD GO THROUGH ALL THIS PAIN
I WOULD EVEN BE THE MOCKING JAY
YES I WOULD DIE FOR YOU PRIM
IN THE HUNGER GAMES

CAP CAP CAPITOL
PEOPLE HERE ARE DUMB
NO ONES NOTICED PRESIDENT SNOW
SMELLS LIKE HE'S BEEN DRINKING BLOOD.

SOUND CANNON, LOUD CANNON
ONE MORE PERSON GONE
NOW IF ONLY THE CAREERS
WOULD SHARE THE CORNUCOPIA

SINGING FOR RUE'S DEATH
IS WHAT SAVED MY LIFE FROM THRESH
OH IT SAVED MY LIFE FROM THRESH YES IT DID
WE THOUGHT TWO COULD SURVIVE
HAD TO THREATEN SUICIDE
BECAUSE THE GAMEMAKERS LIED

YA I'LL PLAY THE HUNGER GAMES FOR YA
KILL MUTTATIONS THEY CREATE FOR YA
SHOW PANEM HOW MUCH I LOVE PEETA
TRY NOT TO DIE IN THE ARENA
I'LL EAT LAMB STEW IN THE RAIN
I WILL EVEN BE THE MOCKING JAY
ILL VOLUNTEER FOR YOU PRIM
IN THE HUNGER GAMES

YA I'M THE GIRL ON FIRE
IN THIS GOWN CINNA MADE
SAID I LOVED PEETA I'M A LIAR
CAUSE I ONLY WANTED SPONSORSHIPS
HAYMITCH

YEAH PRIM I VOLUNTEER IN THE GAMES FOR YA
I'LL TAKE TRACKER JACKER STINGS FOR YA
SHOW PANEM HOW MUCH I LOVE PEETA
FOOL SENECA CRANE FOR YA OHHHH
I WOULD GO THROUGH ALL THIS PAIN
I WILL EVEN BE THE MOCKING JAY
YES I WOULD DIE FOR YOU PRIM
DIE IN THE HUNGER GAMES

IN THE HUNGER GAMES
I'LL PLAY THE HUNGER GAMES

 - Lyrics and download 

I love it!! It's just written so cleverly!

Lastly, but not least is a hilarious take on what might have happened when Gale came to say goodbye to Katniss by The Second City. He's just trying to help... right?

 

 

I want you so bad... to focus on hating the Capital... Booo Capital...

 

 Poor Gale, stuck in the friend zone forever. Well, whatever, it's not like anyone can compete with the boy with the bread. At least not to me anyway. 

Well, maybe Finnick. Is it just me or does he remind anyone else of Aquaman?

Sorry, I guess I'm skipping ahead a book.

There are a lot of great parodies out there as well as a lot of really bad ones as well, but the one thing they do have in common is that they all really love The Hunger Games.

Thanks to The Mary Sue for the videos and Rat Girl Studios, Mary-Chan, and Bleunite for the amazing fan art.

Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill Audition Taps

Aren't you glad that Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford were cast in Star Wars? I know I am. I just can't imagine anyone else playing these iconic roles as well as they did.

Who knows, perhaps if they had been played by other actors the movie might not have done as well as it did. 

Thank goodness they did well in their auditions.

I love this video! I wish they had kept this part of the scrip for the movie. It really does explain a lot, like why Leia lead the Imperials to Yavin 4.

Again, you get a neat perspective on both Luke and Han that wasn't in the movie. I like that Organa-Major was blown up and not Alderaan (which nobody dares go near), as well as the fact that Mark calls his Hans.

There are only a few short clips of Harrison Ford auditioning, but really you get more from him in these 2 tapes than from anything else I saw.

Auditioning is hard, but these 3 are as cool as cucumbers through it. Yay for them and an even bigger yay for us to see them together.

Thanks to The Mary Sue for loving Star Wars as much as us

Ralph McQuarrie RIP

Sad news hit the Star Wars Universe yesterday with the passing of Ralph McQuarrie.

1929-2012

Best known for his conceptual art for the original saga of Star Wars, McQuarrie was also noted for his design work on Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Back to the Future, and many other amazing films.

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of such a visionary artist and such a humble man. Ralph McQuarrie was the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars. His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy. When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'Do it like this.'
"Beyond the movies, his artwork has inspired at least two generations of younger artists—all of whom learned through Ralph that movies are designed. Like me, they were thrilled by his keen eye and creative imagination, which always brought concepts to their most ideal plateau. In many ways, he was a generous father to a conceptual art revolution that was born of his artwork, and which seized the imaginations of thousands and propelled them into the film industry. In that way, we will all be benefiting from his oeuvre for generations to come. Beyond that, I will always remember him as a kind and patient, and wonderfully talented, friend and collaborator."
—George Lucas on StarWars.com

Let's take a look back at some of his amazing art and appreciate what Star Wars became because of his conceptual designs.

Yes, Star Wars wouldn't be the movie that we know and love without this amazing man. We own him Darth Vader and Stormtrooper armor and so many other amazing things. He will truly be missed.

Thanks to The Mary Sue, StarWars.com and Signalnoise for sahring in our sorrow and taking time to honor a wonderful man.