Welcome to Geeky Femmes!
Left:Ari Right: Gina
Geeky Femmes is a new blog run by two nerdy friends, Ari and Gina; two aspiring writers who are proud of their interest in Geekdom! The blog will be our platform to express our views and opinions on various aspects of Geek culture; from comics to video games, science to computers, we plan to cover it all in our regular posts. The blog will be officially 'open' in 2013, but for now, here is a little bit of info on the two Geeky Femmes who will be your guide to all things nerdy!
Ari's Quiz!
What are your personal favourite aspects of geekdom?
I adore comic books with pretty much every fibre of my being. Every day I can’t help but read new comic books, think about them, talk about them… Pretty much everything! Comic books have long become a world I can escape to if the real world gets too much for me, and knowing this has become an integral part of my life. Aside from comic books, I play video games quite a lot, favouring the terrifying survival horror antics of the Resident Evil series to most FPS. I am also a budding/noobie cosplayer, and hope to debut a lot of new outfits in the new year! When I’m not busy in university or scribbling up posts for my blog I devour all kinds of literature. My book taste has ranged from the teen-drama series Gossip Girl to dystopian classic 1984 and further. I’m currently reading ‘X-Men and Philosophy’ which is a collection of academic essays detailing various philosophical aspects of the X-Men universe, and it’s been a very good read so far!
What is your video gaming history?
I’ve been gaming for as long as I can remember! My first game console was the Playstation 1, and I spent hours upon hours playing Spyro The Dragon, Resident Evil 1 & 2, Tekken, Crash Bandicoot, Final Fantasy 8 and a whole range of other games when I was a kid. When I wasn’t gaming at home or at my best friend’s house, I was playing Pokémon Blue Version, Tetris and Wacky Races on my purple GameBoy Colour (a relic I still have to this day!) at every chance I got! As time passed on, the PlayStation 2 was released, and I added a new bunch of games to my favourites. Some of my best memories centre around playing Resident Evil Four with one of my best friends, or playing Final Fantasy Ten and facing off against the dark aeon… But now, I’ve been sticking to the Xbox 360. I’m a huge fan of the Bethesda game Fallout 3, and I play Resident Evil 5 on a pretty regular basis.
And your video gaming platform of choice?
That would have to be either the PlayStation 2 or the Xbox 360!
What is your favourite video game and comic book?
Like Gina said, it is super difficult to pick just one game, and for me it’ll be even harder to pick on favourite comic book! If I’m looking at retro games, it would probably have to be Spyro The Dragon. Who doesn’t love running around as a diminutive purple dragon? As for newer games, like Gina, I’d have to pick Fallout 3 for the amazing gameplay and storyline. My favourite comic book is incredibly hard to pin down, since I tend to change my mind every other month as new titles come out, or I revisit my old graphic novels. In my top favourites list however, is Transmetropolitan, a futuristic tale of politics, scandals and madbastardry; Morning Glories, a ‘cross between Gossip Girl, Avengers Runaways and Lost’; and Peter David’s X-Factor.
What are the hardest aspects of being a geek for a female?
I often find that one of the hardest aspects is people not believing I’m a geek, or not believing I read comic books. It’s not entirely un-common for women in this subculture to be looked down, and people only believing that they’re interested to their boyfriends, male friends and so on when it’s not always like that. Not just that, but many people believe that the geek subculture is purely a ‘boyz-only’ club, but I know dozens of talented, amazing women who are just as devoted to geekdom as I am, and we're not all out to 'prey on geeky guys' like asshole supreme Tony Harris would believe. Women in geekdom are here to stay, and yes, we brought cupcakes.
What sections of geek culture are you going to explore in your part of the blog?
I will be exploring the comic book side of geek culture, as well as talking about any conventions I go to, and maybe a few bits of cosplay thrown in there too!
Why do you think it is important to address the problems and difficulties faced by female lovers of nerdy culture?
Because this culture is not just for men. There are lots of geeky girls out there who love the subculture just as much as men, if not more, and they deserve an equal voice in this. Also the representations that women tend to get within comic books are often absolutely dire, and I am sick to death with them, almost as much as the spangly, completely impractical outfits. Equality is an important thing in our society on the whole, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t stretch to subcultures as well.
Who is your favourite nerdy fictional female character?
“Hi. I’m Layla Miller. I know stuff.” Layla Miller, one of the female protagonists of Marvel’s X-Factor has been one of my favourite nerdy fictional characters ever since I read her first appearance during the events of M-Day. Smart, quirky and sarcastic, Layla is everything I aim to be!
What do you hope to accomplish with this blog?
I hope that I (along with Gina) can raise more awareness for girl geeks, and girls who love geeky things. I will hopefully be raising more awareness for the amazing women in comics, and hopefully we’ll be able to entertain people along the way!
Gina's quiz!
What
are your personal favourite aspects of geekdom?
I'm
interested primarily in video games, books and science. The first two
have been passions of mine from an early age, and in the last few
years I've enjoyed studying books which focus on scientific aspects
of different topics, such as neuroscience, environmentalism and how
it ties in with scientific findings, and other more wacky subjects!
What
is your video gaming history?
I've
been gaming since I was little. My first video games were 'Road Rash'
(looking back, attacking motorcyclists with nun chucks, cattle prods
and chains at 6 years old is pretty shocking!) and Sonic for the
Sega Megadrive. Eventually we got a computer and my days were spent
playing the very square Tomb Raider, G-police and Motorcross
Madness. On vacations and long journies, my trusty GameBoy provided
my entertainment, later to be replaced by it's coloured successor.
Fast forward a couple of years to the PlayStation 1, and Tekken 3
became my new favourite game (and still is one of my favourite series
today!). I also enjoyed the Spyro and Crash Bandicoot games at that
age, too. After a few years collecting games for the PlayStation 2, I
received an Xbox 360 one Christmas and started playing FPS'. Fallout
3 quickly became my favourite, while I also ventured into the button
mashing madness of Halo and Borderlands. I enjoy most other genres of video games as well, including adventure games. My game collection is
ever-expanding, and with a history of playing games it's no surprise
that they have become such an intregal part of my life.
And
your video gaming platform of choice?
Currently
the Xbox 360, but if I'm craving nostalgia I have no qualms with
returning to my Sony roots!
What
is your favourite video game and comic book?
It's
so tough to choose one favourite game, so I'll choose one from the
previous period of my gaming history and a more up-to-date one. Tekken 3, and nowadays, Fallout
3.
I'm
not huge on comic books (that's more of Ari's thing!) but I have
always admired the artwork and concept of Tank Girl. I think she's a
kick-ass heroine.
What
are the hardest aspects of being a geek for a female?
I
think the fact that society encourages this idea that anything geek
is an exclusive boy's club, because it's eye-poppingly infuriating
when I go into a game store or comic book store and get stared at
with such baffled intensity purely because I'm female. There's also
the tirade of harassment female geeks get online and on Xbox LIVE. I
think it's tougher to be a female geek than a male one because not
only do geeks in general get branded 'weird anti-social hermits' by
society outside of the culture, but you get the male geeks who are
skeptical of your interests just because you have boobs. You have to
go through two layers of judgement, and it is ironic that some people
within geek culture aren't hesitant to ostracise others.
What
sections of geek culture are you going to explore in your part of the
blog?
I
plan to cover video games, book reviews, science related titbits and
internet related goings on. A nice mixed bag of nerdy goodness!
Why
do you think it is important to address the problems and difficulties
faced by female lovers of nerdy culture?
It's
important because so many are either put off joining the culture due
to the exclusion of females, or they receive abuse for being brave
enough to do so. The sheer amount of women who report receiving abuse
from other players on internet-based gaming platforms like Xbox LIVE
is atrocious, as is the cultural negative view of female geeks as
somehow being less likely to enjoy nerdy interests.
Who
is your favourite nerdy fictional female character?
This
is definitely a tough one (and I have plans to cover my favourite
fictional nerd girls in an upcoming blog post), but I'd have to say
that my all-time favourite is probably Daria. Being equal parts implicit
and sarcastic- well, she reminds me of myself!
What
do you hope to accomplish with this blog?
I
hope that between us, me and Ari help to increase visibility of
female geeks who enjoy games, comics, books, science and other stuff
within this male-dominated culture. I hope we can both entertain and
educate people and give a female viewpoint on some of the topics
usually buried in male opinion.
Ari's Quiz!
What are your personal favourite aspects of geekdom?
I adore comic books with pretty much every fibre of my being. Every day I can’t help but read new comic books, think about them, talk about them… Pretty much everything! Comic books have long become a world I can escape to if the real world gets too much for me, and knowing this has become an integral part of my life. Aside from comic books, I play video games quite a lot, favouring the terrifying survival horror antics of the Resident Evil series to most FPS. I am also a budding/noobie cosplayer, and hope to debut a lot of new outfits in the new year! When I’m not busy in university or scribbling up posts for my blog I devour all kinds of literature. My book taste has ranged from the teen-drama series Gossip Girl to dystopian classic 1984 and further. I’m currently reading ‘X-Men and Philosophy’ which is a collection of academic essays detailing various philosophical aspects of the X-Men universe, and it’s been a very good read so far!
What is your video gaming history?
I’ve been gaming for as long as I can remember! My first game console was the Playstation 1, and I spent hours upon hours playing Spyro The Dragon, Resident Evil 1 & 2, Tekken, Crash Bandicoot, Final Fantasy 8 and a whole range of other games when I was a kid. When I wasn’t gaming at home or at my best friend’s house, I was playing Pokémon Blue Version, Tetris and Wacky Races on my purple GameBoy Colour (a relic I still have to this day!) at every chance I got! As time passed on, the PlayStation 2 was released, and I added a new bunch of games to my favourites. Some of my best memories centre around playing Resident Evil Four with one of my best friends, or playing Final Fantasy Ten and facing off against the dark aeon… But now, I’ve been sticking to the Xbox 360. I’m a huge fan of the Bethesda game Fallout 3, and I play Resident Evil 5 on a pretty regular basis.
And your video gaming platform of choice?
That would have to be either the PlayStation 2 or the Xbox 360!
What is your favourite video game and comic book?
Like Gina said, it is super difficult to pick just one game, and for me it’ll be even harder to pick on favourite comic book! If I’m looking at retro games, it would probably have to be Spyro The Dragon. Who doesn’t love running around as a diminutive purple dragon? As for newer games, like Gina, I’d have to pick Fallout 3 for the amazing gameplay and storyline. My favourite comic book is incredibly hard to pin down, since I tend to change my mind every other month as new titles come out, or I revisit my old graphic novels. In my top favourites list however, is Transmetropolitan, a futuristic tale of politics, scandals and madbastardry; Morning Glories, a ‘cross between Gossip Girl, Avengers Runaways and Lost’; and Peter David’s X-Factor.
What are the hardest aspects of being a geek for a female?
I often find that one of the hardest aspects is people not believing I’m a geek, or not believing I read comic books. It’s not entirely un-common for women in this subculture to be looked down, and people only believing that they’re interested to their boyfriends, male friends and so on when it’s not always like that. Not just that, but many people believe that the geek subculture is purely a ‘boyz-only’ club, but I know dozens of talented, amazing women who are just as devoted to geekdom as I am, and we're not all out to 'prey on geeky guys' like asshole supreme Tony Harris would believe. Women in geekdom are here to stay, and yes, we brought cupcakes.
What sections of geek culture are you going to explore in your part of the blog?
I will be exploring the comic book side of geek culture, as well as talking about any conventions I go to, and maybe a few bits of cosplay thrown in there too!
Why do you think it is important to address the problems and difficulties faced by female lovers of nerdy culture?
Because this culture is not just for men. There are lots of geeky girls out there who love the subculture just as much as men, if not more, and they deserve an equal voice in this. Also the representations that women tend to get within comic books are often absolutely dire, and I am sick to death with them, almost as much as the spangly, completely impractical outfits. Equality is an important thing in our society on the whole, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t stretch to subcultures as well.
Who is your favourite nerdy fictional female character?
“Hi. I’m Layla Miller. I know stuff.” Layla Miller, one of the female protagonists of Marvel’s X-Factor has been one of my favourite nerdy fictional characters ever since I read her first appearance during the events of M-Day. Smart, quirky and sarcastic, Layla is everything I aim to be!
What do you hope to accomplish with this blog?
I hope that I (along with Gina) can raise more awareness for girl geeks, and girls who love geeky things. I will hopefully be raising more awareness for the amazing women in comics, and hopefully we’ll be able to entertain people along the way!
