Babbles of a Fangirl - Dressing Like a Nerd

Today we are going to get a little girly; fanboys, you have been warned.  I've been trying to figure out my identity as the Patchwork Nerd these last few days and in doing so I've 

began exploring the different looks I'd like to have for future videos.  Unfortunately, it might be a while before we see that, but I thought what better to do than explore what I think makes a good nerd look.  So here we go!  These are some of the pieces I think would be perfect for the ultimate Nerdy Girl get-up!  

Let's start with a top.  I'm a steampunk/oldfashion kind of girl, so what better way to show that off than with high collars, flowy sleeves and puffy shoulders.  I picked the following two shirts to cover many different bases.  The black top will satisfy the need for long sleeves (for us gals afraid of our arms) and the black is always a classic. I adore the yellow, shot-sleeve top because it allows us pale girls to get some desperately need sun while giving us an adorable pop of color!  The upper part of the shirt is sheer, leaving lots of fun for our fanboy's imagination without causing the wearer to fall out of the top.  The pattern is fun an intricate.  I could easily wear either of these out, depending on the weather!

How do we show off those lovely lady legs?  Shorts!  Ladies don't run!  I used to be terrified of showing my legs.  It didn't matter what the weather was outside, it was long, thick jeans or not going out.  It wasn't until last year that I finally gave in.  My boyfriend is an active soccer player, with many outdoor games, in the sun...during the summer.  It only took a few games of steamy heat to convince me that I needed to find a better fashion choice. I fell in love with wearing shorts!  They are cool (temperature wise), flirty, and a great way to drive your fanboy wild!  I discovered that I actually have great looking legs (after much denial) and I loved letting the warm sun tickle my skin. By the end of the summer I had a full armory of shorts and (GASP!) a tan!  

Let's begin our decent into showing our legs off nice and slow.  How about a skirt that looks like shorts?  Or (even better!) a skirt with darling suspenders for that classically nerdy pop!  I think these brown shorts not only look perfect for dressing up, but dressing down for small get togethers or porch D&D games!  Give it a try, girls.  Breaking personal boundaries can be a jolly good time! 

Okay, okay.  If you aren't ready to show off those legs there are other options!  How about a cute pair of pants?  These grey trousers are a real winner for me because they are a clever, unique fit and the little peep of ankle is great for summer and for getting transitioned into a pair of shorts!  (Okay, no more pushing the shorts, I swear!) 

Now how about something a little dressier?  These mosaic styled leggings scream PERFECT to my inner patchwork lover!  Follow it by a dress that drapes so relaxed against your body with bright pops of color and you will be the hit of any party, con, or get-together you go to!  It doesn't hurt that the dress I found is from the King of Project Runway All-stars himself, Mondo.  I could wear every one of his pieces on every day of the week and never get bored.  

It's time for my favorite part: SHOES!  I'm a girl who is short with a stubby body, tiny waist, and wide hips.  Long story short I have a heck of a time finding clothes that fit (and flatter) all these areas.  Shoes, on the other hand (or should I say foot?) almost always fit as long as you know your size.  As a result, my shoe collection has blown-up into it's own monster.  What kind of shoe dominates my collection, you may ask?  Boots!  I live is a cold climate and boots never go out of style for long.  I'm pretty sure I own at least eight pairs and I don't see the number shrinking anytime soon!  I can't get enough of a good pair of lace-up boots with shinny buckles!  This pairs is a winner.

Still, summer is on its way and flats might be the better choice.  What better way to show off my inner Patchwork Nerd than by flaunting these patchy beauties!  

I had a hard time narrowing down what heels I wanted to show you!  I finally settled on these two for two VERY nerdy reasons.  The first pair is about as elegant as you can get and I'd wear these gals any day of the week (as long as there's no snow on the ground!) but this isn't the reason I chose them.  No, these are known as "Unicorn Shoes".  Google it.  I dare you.  I discovered a similar pair on the always amazing Modcloth online shopping website and I almost died with nerdy excitement.  If you want a great conversation piece for not only their look but also title, seek nowhere else!

The second pair I chose for the conversation as well.  That conversation centers on the materials.  The heels are designed to look like the spins of a book!  I'm not sure if they are made of recycled materials but I applaud it if they are!  

Well Ladies (and perhaps a FEW gentlemen!) I hope I've helped influence your nerdy looks.  Keep an eye out for my future article on Nerdy Accessories!  

Again, it's such a joy getting to "Nerd-out" to you all!  I hope you keep with me!  Next time we can look forward to something that is great for nerd regardless of gender:  THE HUNGER GAMES!

Let's talk people!  Do you have a favorite nerd item to wear?  Guys!  What nerdy stuff do you wear?  Post a comment or a picture.  I'd love to see!  Are there other items you'd like to see on a future list?  Feel free to drop me a line!

Until next time, stay nerdy! 

Babbles of a Fangirl – Michael Bay’s Teenage MUTANT Ninja Turtles

I'm all for a gritty TMNT, but is Bay taking it too far?

Some of you fanboys and girls out there might have heard rumors floating around the sewers about the new adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and it’s producer, Michael Bay.  If you did, you know where this is going.  If you didn’t, strap yourself in for some fan-rage. 

Sources have confirmed that Bay is planning a unique adaptation of the popular franchise.  One might think this means more expositions, CGI, or serious tones than found in the original 1990 live action film.  Think again.  What does good old Bay of Transformers fame have in store for us?

Aliens.

The turtles are of alien decent.  To be exact they are aliens from another dimension. Since this news was confirmed a few days ago, Michael Bay released a statement but if his intentions were to smooth the feathers of fans, he’s not very good at it.  Bay said,

"Fans need to take a breath, and chill. They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles to help expand and give a more complex back-story. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world."

According to firstshowing.net fans might need to give the idea a chance.  In the original TMNT “…TCRI, which is the name of the place where the mutation causing ooze originated (it was TGRI in the second film), was actually a secret base for the alien beings Utroms….”

Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about this.  I was a fan of the movie before the cartoon (because I was born after the 80s) and I’ve always adored the world created in the movie. The problem with remaking such a beloved franchise is that fans are probably going to get mad anytime a change creeps into the world they’ve loved and protected for so long.  TMNT fans have to be one of the most hardcore fan bases out there because you have to have a lot of backbone to support and defend liking giant, mutant turtles with surfer accents to strangers and haters.  It doesn’t help that Bay has had a history of inciting fanboy with his Transformers franchise.  I think the best way for Bay to get past this fan doubt is to give us something encouraging.  Release an early concept design of the turtles, tell us (for the love of God) that you will be using live action suited turtles and not CGI, give us character designs for the movie’s baddies.  Throw us a bone, a familiar bone with all the trimmings beloved by the original turtles fans.  It just might do wonders! 

Until then, I’m going to shelf my feelings.  But trust me, much more of this and you will see some fangirl rage.  We’re watching, Bay, we’re watching.    

PS:  Voice your thoughts on Bay's thoughts and ideas in the comments!

Babbles of a Fangirl - Good Morning Spring!

Spring is finally here!  So what better way to start the season off than with the merry singing of some very lovable ponies?  I've been waiting since my first viewing of this episode to sing this song at the top of my lungs with spring really starting!  If you haven't guessed by now, yes, I watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and yes, I'm a girl.  As much as am crazy about my brony brothers I sometimes feel like us girl fans get over shadowed.  We fangirls finally have something nostalgic and awesome to lose our heads about (that doesn't involve sparkling men...."shivers") and we lose to a bunch of men hugging plushies.  I guess it's not meant to be a competition, though.  My Little Pony is meant to be enjoyed by everyone, young and old, male and female!  I'm so glad that we can all enjoy spring together too!

Then again....I don't get out into the sun much....haha!  We'll have to work on that this year!

This is probably my favorite episode of MLP (or at least in the top 10....I'll do a list later) because I can relate to it so much.  I never was a girl with conventional abilities.  I often had to find a way to fit in my creatively inserting my talents amongst the normal ones.  I'm just as big of a "egg-head" as Twilight Sparkle, so I feel her pain and desperation to belong.  I think this episode is great for little girls (and kids in general) because it encourages them to keep searching for their place and when they can't find something that matches everyone else, make up something new!  I also like how the other ponies don't belittle Twilight for not not having the same talents.  They are very encouraging.  It's only when Twilight realizes she has no passion or ability to keep going that she moves on.  The other ponies even make suggestions on other things she could try.  The only time that Twilight gets into trouble is when she breaks the rules.  This teachers kids that you have to still respect the rules of the people you are working with.  Creative solutions and clever thinking are what save the day.  And what better way to usher in spring than by coming together with your friends, having some self-exploration, and enjoying the sweetness of spring!

Site Changes

Now before I go into a major overhaul I wanted to give your few but faithful followers (yes, I'm talking to your precious three!) a heads up.  Beside the Controller is going through some changes.  Let me make one thing perfectly clear,  my BTC articles are NOT going away; they just won't be the only focus of this site. I've recently realized I have a lot I want to say about other mediums like movies, RPGs, and all around nerdiness, but I don't want to make 24254563 blogs for each focus.  Thus there will now be three main publications to this site, those being Beside the Controller, Movie Rants (Title Subject to change!) and Babbles of a Fangirl.  I hope that this will also help me produce a steadier flow of articles.  I hope that this doesn't turn anyone away from the site.  Everyone who has been watching my posts and reading my thoughts means a lot to me and I can not hope to continue my success without you.  I want to be able to give you more to read, a more consistent flow of articles, and more chances to read about topics that might interest you.  Now come along my freaks and friends!  We have some major nerding to do!

....Now if only I could come up with a new names for the site....

In Control – My First Experience as a Dungeon Master

Recently I’ve started playing Dungeons and Dragons again and I’ve decided to honor this event by recording my experiences and stories here.  I know that this blog is meant to capture the perspective of a game watcher, but I think it’s fair to include many types of gaming experiences for the sake of variety and freshness.  I’m not going to go and make a blog for every type of activity I do or else I’d have at least 37 blogs half of which are about My Little Pony (I’m a girl, don’t judge me). 

Khala - A Shadar-Kai with a quest and a plan

I have played Dungeons and Dragons before as an eladrin rogue named Arianna.  The game lasted for about four months.  That game had one consistent DM (Dungeon Master), but I always yearned to take a crack at telling a story.  This new game finally gave me my chance as we switch DM’s often because of busy schedules. 

I’ve seen a good D&D game before.  I’ve seen amazing storylines with deep investments for the characters.  I wanted my game to contain something engaging where the players actually had to make tough decisions.  For my first time Dm-ing I think I was pretty successfully. 

My game centered on that a strange Shadar-kai named Khala asked the players to retrieve her ruby from an eladrin named Greyson.  Upon returning her possession to her the players would be handsomely rewarded.  Pretty standard adventure, right?  Well I can’t resist adding a twist!  I’m not going to give too much away, but let’s just say that the players were after a lot more than they realized.

The most important thing for me was providing my characters with choice.  I wanted my players to be invested in the story and I felt that giving them choices would help them feel connected to the story.  It wasn’t just the outcome that was given to them it was there decision.  Of course I could only provide them with three possible outcomes, but I feel that was better than just placing them on a straight line and telling them to follow. 

It is wonderful to look at your players and see that they really are thinking about the decisions you are offering them and how to go about things.  Sure, I’m playing with all guys so you get interrupted by bodily function jokes and comment about whether or not they’d “bone” the female characters you’ve introduced, but that just comes with the territory.  Anything beats being in a room full of 6 men all smoking multiple cigarettes, cigars, and pipes through out the game (as I dealt with in my last group). 

Anyways, being a woman in a dominantly man’s world is another rant for another day.   It’s great when you can see a group or people just looking to have fun really invest in your story. I know that I didn’t have specific stories to offer this time around, but I hope you enjoyed hearing what I’m up to. I’m looking forward to Dm-ing more games and collecting stories to tell you.  This certainly won’t be my last thought on the matter. 

Toddles!  

Overall Thoughts - Don't Shit Your Pants

After the serious faced game of Batman: Arkham City, I need to watch something mind numbingly stupid to cleanse my pallet so I can fairly watch and evaluate future games. Enter “Don’t Shit Your Pants” a brief but memorable game on Newgrounds. Can you guess what the premise is? Yeah, that was a stupid question. Premise aside you play the game by typing in simple commands to manipulate the character and objects offered to you. Beyond that, there isn’t much else.

 Overall this game is good for two things. It will make the wait for your other games to finish downloading seem shorter and possible kill you with laughter. If you need to kill five or ten minutes, this game is perfect, but is this game good enough to watch? Well, yes and no. If you want to interact and help the person typing the commands, then you will get some entertainment out of it. This is game can be just as entertaining for the player as it is for the watcher if you are willing to help out with generating ideas of what to do. It doesn’t over do it will its possibilities so you will probably finish it or be done with it before you can get bored. If you are looking for a deep plot with twists and turns, see my other reviews (I’ll hook you up!). This game is best described and brief but funny. Quick laughs and a short time in your life where you are encouraged to type the word “shit”. What more can a person ask for? To give the game a try, visit here: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/540127 And if you feel like being the sweetest of people, write a comment, saying who sent you! Hugs and kisses! -Zanny

Overall Thoughts- Batman: Arkham City

I have come to a dark, dark realization upon finishing the game, “Batman: Arkham City”: I don’t think it is possible for me to find a better game to review. This game was close to perfect. The plot, the characters, the experience were all so enthralling enough to the point that I lost myself in this game. It is rare for me to enter a game so completely when I’m just watching, but I was damn near close in this one. It seems odd starting on such a high, but it is true. I loved every moment of this game.

 My first review “Initial Thoughts: Batman Arkham City” outlined the basics of the plot, so see that entry if you want a starter. Today I will being going deeper in the belly of this decaying, beauty of a city and yes, that means spoilers will be found but I will make sure to mark those areas.

 Watching a game is different form playing. You aren’t in control of things so it’s hard to connect as deeply with what you are playing. You are getting the heart pounding that comes with needing to push the right button or risk death because it is all out of your hands. Sure, you can backseat game to some extent by telling the player what to do or where to go, but whether or not they take your advice is a completely different story. If are really going to enjoy watching a game you either have to get into the story or get into backseat gaming and hope to god someone will listen. For me my major investment has always been the stories of games. Yes, I’ve dabbled in giving game advice (And I’m pretty damn good at it once I get my bearings) but it is the stories and characters where my deepest investment lies. Narration is the key to game watching.

 I love cut scenes. If a game does not have interesting cut scenes, it loses a large chunk of what game watching needs. There are many ways to handle cut scenes so that they are both brief (so the player can get back to the game) and engaging (so I don’t lose interest while the play gathers hp for three hours). Dialogue between characters is also important. They need to be insightful without turning it to a flashing exposition dump. Arkham City creates cut scenes and dialogue that both move the plot and engage the audience. They help the player know that they need A to get to B so that they can do C and the cinematic quality that makes watching sustainable. I felt as much invested in the story as the player. I wanted to see Batman to the end and save the day. The stakes were high enough and the danger of not fixing things was believable. If you watch a movie you have to have an investment in the characters and storyline to keep you going, this is often the same for a game watcher. Arkham City used these elements to both further the adventure and push the mystery. We don’t really know what is going on with the story and as soon as we think we’ve figured it out, it punches you in the face with a twist that would make damn M. Night Shyamalan blush (God Damn thank you IMDB for saving me from spelling that!). If you want adventure, it’s got it. If you need mystery, you’ll be clicking your heeling in joy. And if you action freaks need a fix, oh the friends you are about to make!

 As a game watcher I often have to find a very rare mix to enjoy viewing a game from start to finish. If there is nothing but senseless button mashing, I’m going to lose interest fast. Arkham City does have a somewhat repetitive fighting style to watch, but it never fails to improve itself throughout the game. The most common fights you will run into are when large groups of minions attack Batman with hand-to-hand combat. If this were a basic punching game this would be the part that I normally sleep through. City, though, finds a blend of changing up Batman’s jabs so that you have an interested, almost choreographed battle to watch. Upon delivering the defeating blow to the finial baddy of the group we get to see fun, slow motion sequences of Batman bashing their faces in. The minions also can grab weapons to change up the combat and force Bats to rely on some of his gadgets!

 SPOILERS SPOILERS YOU CAN’T GET MAD AT ME BECAUSE I WARNED YOU SPOILERS BE AHEAD!

There is a teany, tiny, itsy, bitsy little bone I have to pick with this game. This is probably not the most professional, faith, or rational aspect I can add to my critique, but the loud, obnoxious, raging fangirl in me needs to get it out of my system and for Pete’s sake this is MY BLOG. Forgive me. If you really want you can ignore this section and proceed to the end. I will even clearly label that section so you can get there with little damage. Still here? Okay. Here…. we…. go…. WHAT THE HELL WAS WITH THE ENDING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I know, it made logical scene and pushed the drama of the overall narrative by creating for tension and suspense for the next game while bringing about a dark, almost Shakespearian-like twist of irony, but I could just not believe it! SPOLIER SPOILER SPOILER…. the Joker, The Clown Prince of Crime, dies. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Joker die, but I will argue that this is probably the most unexpected of his deaths, though probably not the most ironic (That in my opinion goes to the television movie “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker”). The entire game is built around Batman finding a cure to the Titan formula that the Joker unintentionally poisoned himself with in the first game. Batman, through a very Joker-esque twist injects Batman with a bit of his blood, resulting in the Dark Knight now suffering from the same fatal disease. Batman finally concludes the game by pieces together the cure. The Joker makes the mistake of attack Batman for it, causing the vial containing the cure to break and we see a rare glimpse of a desperate Joker. Unable to heal himself the Joker goes out in a mixture of laughs and choking coughs. Batman brings the Jokers body to Commissioner Gordon but quickly retreats into the night. As I write more about this development I beginning to see this moment for how tragically beautiful it is to fans, players, and watchers. Batman and the Joker have played cat and mouse with each other for so long that it is heartbreaking to see it end. We can feel Batman’s remorse as he was going to give the Joker the cure if not for the unexpected attack. After everything the Joker had done, Batman could still not bring himself to ending it all. It seems fitting that the only way it could go down was by any means other than themselves. 

ENDING IS HERE. 

Am I sad to see this adventure end on such a note of uncertainty? Yes. Am I terrified that no third game can be as good as this last one? You have no idea. Still, I have faith brought on by the fact that I know this game has been in damn good hands this far. I would watch this game again a thousand times and the many side quests and Catwoman sub-plot have promised that I don’t have to leave the City just yet. I am an invested watcher and that, my friends, is hard to do. 

Hugs and Kisses, 

Zanny