If you read this blog, you’re probably familiar with A Very Potter Musical, or, as I like to think of it, the funniest, smartest, most heartwarming piece of fan art of all time. What you might not realize, though, is that since the show premiered on YouTube in July of 2009, Starkid has grown into a fully-fledged theatre company that’s produced eleven full-length comedy musicals (all of which are available on YouTube) and is currently working on its twelth, which is due to open this October.
Being the tenth anniversary of A Very Potter Musical and Starkid’s inception, this year marks a huge milestone for them, but also for us, their fans. I’ve been following Starkid since the beginning. I watch the shows the moment they come out, I buy the soundtracks and listen religiously, and I have been known to launch into convoluted but exuberant explanations of the chronology of their works to anyone who loves me enough to pretend to listen. I even follow their careers outside of Starkid, everything from sketch comedy groups to planetariums to Buzzfeed.
Over the years we’ve highlighted our favorite characters in the running series “Strong Female Characters.” We wanted the name of the series to reflect how passionate we are about these characters, and came up with the name “Fantastic Femmes and Where to Find Them.” We hope you like the new name as much as we do 🙂
To kick off this series reboot, our newest copywriter Rebecca Anglesey wrote about her favorite fantastic femme, Anne Shirley. Enjoy! – GGC Copy Team
Anne Shirley, the indomitable main character of the beloved Anne of Green Gables books, has been inspiring girls everywhere for over a hundred years. Written by L.M. Montgomery in 1908, Anne’s passion, intelligence, and quirkiness endeared her to audiences of all ages. Anne blazed a trail for geek girls everywhere by being herself and wearing her heart on her sleeve, regardless of what others around her had to say.
As a child of the early 90s, I was first introduced to Anne in the Sullivan Entertainment movie adaptations of the book that were frequently aired on PBS fundraising telethons. I used to love sitting on my living room floor to watch Anne’s antics, and I quickly devoured every Anne book I could find at the library. As an adult, I think I appreciate the story even more.
Here’s the thing about Anne Shirley: she is a total geek girl! Anne had a passionate love of literature from the very beginning, and she was never shy about that fact. She loved to use big words, and she never hid her intelligence, even though people were constantly putting her down.
Anne had some hard knocks in her early life. Being an orphan, she was shuffled through the system and was frequently abused. No one cared enough about her to nurture her obvious academic talent until her eventual adoption by the Cuthbert siblings of Avonlea. With a little bit of encouragement and advocacy from people who loved her, Anne flourished and became a model student and high academic achiever.
One thing that I loved about Anne was that she never listened to the haters (I’m looking at you, Josie Pye). Anne was surrounded by people who could only be described as basic, but she never felt pressure to conform to what was considered “socially acceptable” because she was happy being herself. This lesson is relevant to everyone everywhere, which is another reason Anne’s story is so near and dear to my heart.
Remember the time Anne cracked her school slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head because he made fun of her hair?
Anne smashes her slate over Gilbert’s head in a fit of temper. Image courtesy of Giphy
Or when she told Rachel Lynde to stick it for calling her skinny and ugly?
Rachel Lynde is Surprised! Image courtesy of Giphy
Anne never took any crap from anybody, and she always demanded respect from the people around her. Anne knew her self-worth, and she refused to associate with people who didn’t respect her.
Even when met with adversity, Anne would adapt her plans. When Matthew died suddenly, she didn’t give up on her dream of going to college. She adjusted her plans so that she could help Marilla with Green Gables, but she still pursued her education while holding down a teaching position to boot. It is even more impressive when you think about the fact that women weren’t encouraged to go to college in Anne’s world. Most women were expected to get married and have kids and keep house, but that was never the goal for Anne.
All this isn’t to say that Anne didn’t have her flaws… Anne was terribly vain, and she had a quick temper, both traits that landed her in more than one embarrassing situation. She constantly bemoaned her red hair, but accidentally dying it green taught Anne that having red hair wasn’t so bad after all (I personally think redheads rock, but I may be biased). She even sold her cow, Dolly, in a fit of temper with the bovine troublemaker for getting out of her pen only to find that she had accidentally sold her new neighbors’ cow instead! Anne was able to use honesty and charm to turn that potentially alienating act around and make good friends with the man, showing that you should own up to your mistakes and take responsibility, and that you can make friends anywhere if you have an open heart and mind. I feel that these things make Anne a more relatable person, and she always learned from her mistakes.
Even after all these years, I still get as much enjoyment as I ever have from experiencing Anne’s trials and tribulations. She has always been one of my top role models. She was a loyal friend, she always tried to make herself better than she was, and she let her imagination run wild. Anne Shirley taught me that it was okay to be a girl who was smart and passionate and a total geek!
Gilbert gives Anne a standing ovation at a recital. Image courtesy of Giphy
This month is the month, people! GeekGirlCon has arrived (basically)!
Throughout October, look to our blog for everything you need to know about the weekend, from Panel Highlights to Cosplay Contest announcements, we’ve got you covered.
Though our epic panels are what attract a lot of folks to GeekGirlCon (me included), they don’t comprise the whole of the weekend’s festivities. Today, I’m going to walk you through some of the other kinds of activities we have in store.
First up, meetups, the perfect event for meeting like-minded attendees to share the weekend with. To name a few of our offerings this year, we have meetups for first timers, Black Panther fans, Star Wars/Star Trek enthusiasts, and more! Meetups will take place throughout the duration and venue of the con, so check out the schedule for specifics.
[Image Description: Data from Star Trek saying to Worf, “You have friends here.”] Source: MRWGIFS
One especially exciting meetup we have slated for this con is Meet & Geek: A Networking Event for Mavens-in-the-Making. This is the event for folks who are looking for mentors and advice to assist with anything geeky-career related. Bring your questions and look forward to discussions of everything from writing to digital media to game design. In addition to the meetup, GeekGirlCon will be hosting a Mentor Booth in the Connections area of the Exhibitor Hall where you can sign up for one-on-one sessions with a mentor who can look at your resume and give you tips for breaking into the geeky career of your dreams!
[Image Description: Winston from New Girl at a job interview saying, “I know Word. I can open a document, Save, Save As, Print, Print Preview.] Source: Rockwood Search
Also in the Exhibitor Hall will be VAIN’s booth for impromptu hairstyle sessions. Need a touch up on your cosplay look? Need a general spruce? VAIN, a longtime supporter of GeekGirlCon, will be there to save the day.
[Image Description: River Song fluffing her hair and mouthing, “The hair!”] Source: Giphy
And last but far from least is the QUEST, our con-wide scavenger hunt. We set up this event each year to help folks touch base with everything GeekGirlCon has to offer, and this year is no different. To play, you’ll need just your program and sense of enthusiasm. There are six checkpoints: attend a panel, play a game on the gaming floor, attend a workshop/meetup, post on social media using #GGC18, do an experiment in the DIY Science Zone, and complete the con survey. You’ll receive one stamp per activity you complete, and each stamp gains you an entry into a raffle for a bag of the sweetest goodies from our vendors. It’s up to you whether you collect one stamp or six! If you do complete every step, you’re rewarded with a pin of the GeekGirlCon avatar of your choice. And if you fill out the con survey at the GGC QUEST table, you can receive a second avatar pin of your choice!
More details about the checkpoints and how to get your stamps will be included in the program, but until then, get your game face on!
[Image Description: Sherlock walking out of a door saying, “The game, Mrs. Hudson, is on.”] Source: SteemKR
GeekGirlCon Costume Contest at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, WA, on Saturday, September 30, 2017.
This year I started dabbling in cosplay, and very quickly came to learn that making a costume is not only an expression of love for a fandom, but it’s also a great opportunity to show off your creative side and your design skills! A LOT of hard work goes into creating outfits, weapons, gear, and props, and it’s only right that if you’ve put in the time for that, that you be recognized for it.
That’s why we’re bringing back the Costume Contest to GeekGirlCon this year! Register in one of the two age categories: adults (13+, holding an adult GeekGirlCon pass), and kids (12 and under, with child passes). Adults can also register as a group of no more than five, if you have a squad effort happening.
Show us what you’ve sewn, hot glued, welded, knitted, or otherwise put together to celebrate your favorite geeky characters.
Image description: a cosplayer holds a R2-D2 parasol while in a ballet-themed R2-D2 costume. Photo by Danny Ngan.
After you register for the category that best suits you, you’ll also be given the option to meet our amazing panel of judges backstage. They’ll be to ask questions about your costume and look up close at it. (This is optional and you can chose not to participate in pre-event judging.) Then, all you need to do is show up on the day for the contest and strut your stuff.
Plus, there are fabulous prizes to be won for your efforts!
A participant in the kids’ costume celebration is asked about their Child of Light cosplay. Photo by Danny Ngan.
Registration is NOW OPEN and will close when all of the spots are filled, or at the time of the convention, whichever comes first. Spots are limited, so make sure you get in quick to snag yours.
August is right at our heels, my fellow geeks! It’s sunny, it’s hot, it’s the perfect time to get out and about and explore some of the incredible events our lovely city has to offer! (Though, it’s just as good a time to stay inside a temperature-controlled house all day and fully submit to a combination of gaming/reading/TV-marathoning. Just saying.) Without further ado, here’s what’s coming up in August:
Image Description: A gif from the TV series “Golden Girls” of a person spraying themselves with a spray bottle in a kitchen. Source: Giphy.
1000 2nd Ave 1000 2nd Ave, Seattle, Washington 98104
Join us for daily weekday (M-F) VIGIL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS in front of the Seattle ICE office, 1000 2nd Ave (between Spring and Madison in downtown Seattle). We are a group of concerned human beings who gather every day in front of the Seattle offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Many of us are here from 8 to 10 am every workday, but we encourage people to come any time between 8am and 6 pm, or later. Bring your friends. Bring a sign if you can. Our goal is to be a constant visual reminder that we repudiate ICE’s/CBP’s activities. Our presence is peaceful and we are not engaging in civil disobedience. Every day at this address, ICE and CBP agents report to work, and immigrants arrive for hearings at the Seattle Immigration Court on the 25th floor. ICE’s lawyers are on the 29th floor; its investigators, who work in joint task forces with Seattle Police and the King County Sheriff under the name of “Homeland Security Investigations,” or HSI, are on the 23rd floor. CBP, also known as the Border Patrol, has its Seattle field office on the 22nd floor. There are also other offices in the building unrelated to immigration enforcement. The U.S. government continues to subject migrants and refugees to an organized campaign of cruelty and abuse. For years, it has broken up families, detained migrants in inhuman conditions, and frustrated the right to asylum. Under President Trump, it has seized children from parents, threatened migrant families with indefinite detention, declared victims of gang violence and domestic violence ineligible for asylum, and slashed the number of refugee admissions. These policies are accompanied by a rhetoric of hate targeting migrants and refugees. Our government’s policies, implemented by ICE and CBP, violate fundamental rights to asylum, due process, and family life. They cause anguish, terror, and lasting psychological harm. They threaten the safety and well-being of children. We will not rest until our government respects the human rights of migrants and refugees. We call on our leaders to end the systematic mistreatment of migrants and refugees. We call on public employees to refuse to implement or assist such mistreatment. We call on our fellow human beings to oppose it with all their might.
Central Cinema 1411 21st Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122
Presented in collaboration with Pacific Science Center. Join Pacific Science Center and Central Cinema as we show the Disney family favorite “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” paired with a talk by Rae Eaton, research scientist with The Bush Lab and president of Women in Chemical Sciences at the University of Washington. Making Prototypes: Out of the Garage, Into the Lab: Building a shrink ray is harder than it looks. It takes a lot more than a few home tools and wires to turn an idea into a prototype. Rae discusses the challenges home inventors can run into, and explores the benefits a lab offers versus working by oneself in their garage. Rae Eaton is a 4th year graduate student in the University of Washington’s Department of Chemistry and president of Women in Chemical Sciences at the University of Washington. Working under Prof. Matt Bush, Rae designs, constructs, and tests new scientific instruments to understand the shape of proteins and their interactions with other chemicals and proteins, all to help research the causes of and treatments for chronic diseases. Her work focuses on studying current instruments and techniques to maximize the precision and accuracy of these tests. Since a home laboratory is currently out of her price range, Rae spends her free time baking, knitting, and otherwise learning about any craft that involves making things.
The Michael Birawer Gallery – Seattle 1003 1st Ave, Seattle, Washington 98104
For the month of August we have a killer ‘Double Feature’! Two amazing, fresh, exciting urban artists. Joshua Monuteaux brings us his recycled, re-purposed, mixed media material pop art pieces. Phillipé Ducasse comes at us with emotional, colorful, incredible paintings entitled, “beautifuL sLum”! This is a pretty sweet show and we are over-the-top crazy about it! Yes, you will be too. Come hang out, grab a beverage and meet these two amazing artists. And don’t forget, we got original works by Uyen Tran-Gjerde, Brooke Borcherding, Arlon Rosenoff, Alexandra Wass, Cheryl Zahniser, Patri O’Connor, Keegan Hall, C.A. Pierce. See you all Thursday, August 2!
Jet City Improv 5510 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98105
Joined by Seattle improvisers Nathan Cox and Alison Luhrs, Mike is bringing the show on the road! For the first hour, they will discuss part of Deathly Hallows, and after intermission, there will be a Q&A!
Peddler Brewing Company 1514 NW Leary Way, Seattle, Washington 98107
Join Exhale Pro-Voice, NARAL Pro-Choice WA and Repro Health Happy Hour Seattle for an afternoon of empowering conversation on reproductive choice and the pro-voice story sharing philosophy. Exhale, an after abortion counseling talkline, has been engaged in listening to callers with abortion experiences for over 15 years. Our pro-voice approach provides the space to listen without judgment and to create a brave and respectful space for our callers. Under the leadership of our new Executive Director, Susan Chorley, we are sharing our pro-voice model through storytelling events and community conversations across the country. The time for open and honest sharing across difference is now. It is through open-hearted conversations and personal stories that we can create community and bridge the abortion divide, using radical empathy and authentic listening. We’re thrilled to be hosted by Peddler brewing company, a family-friendly space with delicious beer on tap and a food truck on site. Join us in the outdoor beer garden for this afternoon of abortion story sharing and conversation.
The Lab at Ada’s 425 15th Ave E, Seattle, Washington 98112
Join the writers and engineers of Botnik Studios (creators of this predictive text Harry Potter chapter and this computer-generated Coachella poster) along with their friends for a night of readings, sketches, songs and interactive experiments at The Lab. Featuring performances from: Jamie Brew – CEO of Botnik and former head writer at Clickhole Elle O’Brien – Consulting Chief Scientist at Botnik Kai Curtis – Master of Text Scraping at Botnik And special guests! Doors open at 7:00pm, show begins at 7:30pm. Full bar available, 21+ with ID.
Blanche Lavizzo Park 2100 South Jackson Street, Seattle, Washington 98144
A short time from now, in a park very close to here, Hello Earth will bring you the first segment in a galactic saga of rebellion, family, and friendship. Like Outdoor Trek the past seven years, A New Hope uses creative casting and innovative stage techniques to bring this classic film to life! Families welcome. Hot dogs for sale most days. Come join the Rebellion!
1009 E Union St, Seattle, WA 98122-3824, United States
Come out and join us for the very first Macabre Market! Celebrate the dark side of life with vendors selling jewelry, art and clothing. The bar will be open! 21+ only, non-smoking. Come be our guests! Our event takes place at The Mercury @ Machinewerks. Mercury is a private club for members and their guests. August vendors include: Half-Caff Crochet City Street Vomit Blessed Beads Jewelry Capybara Cafe Ground by the Sound Bawdy Love Kinky Bricks ScarletRabbit Psychopomp Designs The poshness monster Son of Dawn Icon Alchemy Hidden From The Light Studios Merlyn’s Realm Spirit Boards Tormented Artifacts Miniature Wytche Tarot Swamp Swag Creations Come out and see us!
REBATEnsemble Theatre Group 1900 NW 89th St, Seattle, Washington 98117
Banished from her uncles shiny tech megacorp, Rosalind decides to seek herself (and her father) in the great outdoors, armed with nothing but trail mix, her loyal cousin Celia, and her wit. Disguised as a young man and his sister, the pair ventures out of the city theyve always known into a mystical place known as the Forest of Arden, where they encounter a strange cast of characters, including the lovestruck Orlando, who has escaped to the forest in order to avoid his brothers wrath. Music, poetry, and love unite in this compelling journey of community and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We return to Volunteer Park (where we last played “THE TEMPEST”) for Shakespeare’s famous gender-bender love comedy. Audiences will literally follow Rosalind and Orlando into the “forest of Arden” because, well, why not? “All the world’s a stage” after all. Bring your walking shoes, picnic blankets, and arm chairs and end the summer with us and Shakespeare in the Park! Featuring a score of original songs, dancing, singing and even some Judo. CREATIVE / CAST Director – Megan Brewer Stage Manager – Rebecca Hsia Assistant Director – Hannah Hadjes Costume Design – Amelia Wade Production Manager – Rojo Davis Fight Choreographer – Tom Dang Featuring the talents of: Mara Palma Alanah Pascual Chris Wong Frank Sun Season Qiu Duncan Pound Hannah Prendergast John Han Andrew Forrest Morgan Patton Nick Eveland Buddy Todd Tickets Available at the Door SUGGESTED DONATION: $15 ***For a guaranteed seat, please consider visiting www.rebatensemble.org and registering at the suggested donation price
The Vera Project Warren and Republican, Seattle, Washington 98109
Rainbow Remix is a Family Event for all ages Celebrating LGBTQ+ children & families ?❤ Cat Valley https://catvalley.bandcamp.com/ WIGS Dj Christian Science Art by: Kaya Nieves, James Meyers, Fennec Nightingale and Lucia Santos Photos by Jordan Nicholson of Gender Family Alliance for Li’l Woody’s Benefitting: Gender Family Alliance and the Rainbow Book Fund for Seattle Public Schools The Vera Project 6-9 pm $5 *Collecting Period Supplies for One Million Tampons
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
The Hillman City Collaboratory 5623 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, Washington 98118
We’re back! We’ve found an accessible safe place we can regular host letter writing nights in! Join us to write letters to prisoners of war and political prisoners. We’ll also be talking about the upcoming #August21 prisoner strike so bring your questions and enthusiasm about abolishing prisons! This is also a good time to bring any general prisoner support questions you might have. We will also be providing all the supplies. Rain City ABC and Hillman City are committed in providing safe and accessible place. There are two ADA compliant all gender bathrooms. We ask that folx come as scent free as possible and sober. We look forward to seeing you!
Museum of Pop Culture 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98109 Seattle Mini Maker Faire is the greatest show (and tell) on earth! Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is a gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. You won’t want to miss it!
Seattle Hempfest 3130 Alaska Way, Seattle, Washington 98121
Join us Friday August 17, High noon – 8 PM & Saturday/Sunday August 18 – 19, 10:00 am – 8:00 PM for three days of more freedom than you’ll find anyplace else on earth! Our 4 stages will feature hundreds of bands & speakers to entertain and feed your brain knowledge about cannabis law reform and where we are with our burgeoning legalization. Our Stage Schedules are https://www.hempfest.org/festival/schedule/ Seattle’s Hempfest features ~400 vending booths along 3 gorgeous Seattle waterfront parks. You can check out our Vendor Directory https://www.hempfest.org/festival/directory/ Have you booked your stay yet? Or having trouble to find the best deal? Well, we have you covered! HERE is an accommodation map where you can find the best deals for your stay and being close to the action. Book ASAP! Rooms are filling fast! https://www.hempfest.org/festival/accommodations/ Our new NO WAIT entrance, The West Thomas Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass, is accessible at 3rd Ave W & W Harris Streets just north of Seattle Center. This new entrance has great parking potential being just 4 blocks north of Key Arena. It’ll take you across the busy Elliot & Western Avenues, and drop you right in Main Stage! Take The West Thomas Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass! Do you want a safe and secure place to store your things while you attend Seattle Hempfest? Personal lockers will be available so you can free up your hands and avoid losing any personal items during the fest. They’re only $15 and need to be booked in advance before they sell out! Full info https://www.hempfest.org/festival/locker-rental/ General attendee information https://www.hempfest.org/festival/attendees/ Want to vend? Full info https://www.hempfest.org/get-involved/vending/ Seattle Hempfest is free, but free speech is not. Suggested donation is $10 per day – remember to give as the Hempfest you save is your own!
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
If you’re not watching The 100, I do forgive you. It is a CW show, after all. (I don’t know why, but I can’t take the CW seriously! It doesn’t seem to matter how many of their shows I watch and love!) However, if you are unfamiliar with the show, this post is a PSA for you specifically.
Before I get too into it, I’d like to say that though I am aware of the book that inspired the show (thanks, Kass Morgan!), for my purposes, know that everything here refers exclusively to the TV series. And, with that series, there is a lot to get into. But, first and foremost, the main character, Clarke Griffin.
Welcome to July! Summer is in full swing, and Seattle (and beyond) is buzzing with all things fun, geeky, and eventful! Here’s a quick peek at special occasions you’ll want to add to your calendars as quickly as you can say “Harry Potter Drag Show!”
Image Description: A gif of the cast of High School Musical saying the word “summer” as they sit at their desks. Source: Giphy
1000 2nd Ave 1000 2nd Ave, Seattle, Washington 98104
Join us for daily weekday (M-F) VIGIL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS in front of the Seattle ICE office, 1000 2nd Ave (between Spring and Madison in downtown Seattle). We are a group of concerned human beings who gather every day in front of the Seattle offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Many of us are here from 8 to 10 am every workday, but we encourage people to come any time between 8am and 6 pm, or later. Bring your friends. Bring a sign if you can. Our goal is to be a constant visual reminder that we repudiate ICE’s/CBP’s activities. Our presence is peaceful and we are not engaging in civil disobedience. Every day at this address, ICE and CBP agents report to work, and immigrants arrive for hearings at the Seattle Immigration Court on the 25th floor. ICE’s lawyers are on the 29th floor; its investigators, who work in joint task forces with Seattle Police and the King County Sheriff under the name of “Homeland Security Investigations,” or HSI, are on the 23rd floor. CBP, also known as the Border Patrol, has its Seattle field office on the 22nd floor. There are also other offices in the building unrelated to immigration enforcement. The U.S. government continues to subject migrants and refugees to an organized campaign of cruelty and abuse. For years, it has broken up families, detained migrants in inhuman conditions, and frustrated the right to asylum. Under President Trump, it has seized children from parents, threatened migrant families with indefinite detention, declared victims of gang violence and domestic violence ineligible for asylum, and slashed the number of refugee admissions. These policies are accompanied by a rhetoric of hate targeting migrants and refugees. Our government’s policies, implemented by ICE and CBP, violate fundamental rights to asylum, due process, and family life. They cause anguish, terror, and lasting psychological harm. They threaten the safety and well-being of children. We will not rest until our government respects the human rights of migrants and refugees. We call on our leaders to end the systematic mistreatment of migrants and refugees. We call on public employees to refuse to implement or assist such mistreatment. We call on our fellow human beings to oppose it with all their might.
Hello friends, blog readers, geeks far and wide! Today we are gathered here to celebrate a very important show. A show that is so insistently tense that it might as well be mainlining adrenaline directly into my veins. A show that represents relationships between women in all their strange and amazing multiplicity and complexity. A show that is smart and funny and idiosyncratic and bold. A show that, above all, provides a showcase for the brilliance of Sandra Oh, an actor so gifted that every tilt of her head conveys ten different emotions.
(Image Description: A gif of Eve and Villanelle lying in bed together, fully clothed. Villanelle cradles a gun and has a bloody lip. The caption says “Are you gonna kill me,” and represents lines spoken by Eve. Source: Giphy)
The show is Killing Eve, and as you can see, I’m only slightly excited about it. Based on the Codename Villanelle novella series by Luke Jennings, and adapted by the inimitable Phoebe Waller-Bridge (the mastermind behind the brilliant Fleabag and Crashing), Killing Eve follows the intersecting lives of two women who are each enmeshed in a plot to pursue each other. Sandra Oh’s Eve is an American transplant living in London, a bored MI-5 officer who has outgrown her role and whose innate curiosity and intellect ensure that she will always crave something more than the cozy, tidy life she has constructed for herself. Portrayed by Jodie Comer (equally amazing in a diametrically opposite way in the groundbreaking series My Mad Fat Diary), Villanelle, on the other hand, is an immensely talented assassin and diagnosed psychopath with a mysterious backstory. When Eve catches onto Villanelle’s trail of seemingly disconnected kills, she finds herself propelled down a quest to apprehend one mercurial, enigmatic, highly dangerous, and absolutely irresistible target – Villanelle – who, in turn, becomes equally obsessed with her dogged pursuer.
(Image Description: A gif of standing in her apartment with a bloody lip. The caption says “I think about you too.” Source: Giphy)
There is nothing easy in the relationship that develops between Eve and Villanelle. Fraught from its inception, stretched to the brink my their actions, it still manages to spark with a kind of palpable energy. Scenes with the two of them are kinetic and electrified, as impossible to pin down as they are to resist. Just as Eve and Villanelle cannot resist their mutual obsession, so too is the viewer implicated in their mesmerizing dynamic, unwilling to look away even when we know we should.
(Image Description: A gif of Eve and Villanelle. Eve looks terrified and holds a toilet brush out towards Villanelle in self defense. Source: Giphy)
It is important to note that, from its very first episodes, the show has been wholeheartedly embraced by the queer community. Deftly sidestepping the pitfalls of queerbaiting, homonormativity, and (perhaps counterintuitively) queer demonization that so often befall mainstream television, Killing Eve presents a central relationship that is unmistakably queer even as it defies easy categorization. Stripped of the trappings of a traditional onscreen relationship, the show still manages to depict a red-hot core of infatuation that not only gives what could have been a stale cat-and-mouse game a palpably fresh urgency, but also expands the possibilities of what queer representation in television (and beyond) can look like: intimate, thrilling, complex, and provocative.
(Image Description: A gif of Villanelle chewing and holding up a sandwich. The caption say “That is massively poignant.” Source: Giphy)
If you, like me, geek out about queer representation, about espionage, about people with British accents typing very quickly on keyboards and referencing CC-TV, or about Sandra Oh being the lead in one of the best TV series of our time, please allow Killing Eve to change your life. You won’t regret it.
(Image Description: A gif of Eve pleading with another character whose face isn’t shown. The caption says “I have to find her.” Source: Giphy)
Just to keep you all updated, I am a changed woman. And it all happened last Friday when the series finale of Sense8 premiered.
If you’re unfamiliar with the show, it’s a Netflix original that first premiered in 2015. Loosely, it’s about a species of human, Sensates, who are intensely telepathically linked with each other. More than anything else, this premise is a tool that allows the creators to write interlocking stories about eight strangers who, upon finding themselves linked and the prospective victims of vicious scientific testing, find out just how vital their newly amplified sense of empathy can be.
I’ve never been able to get a clear sense of just how large the Sense8 fandom is. Most people I ask haven’t watched it and don’t have immediate plans to. I myself only sat down to watch the first episode after a direct and imploring recommendation from a close friend, and I don’t remember it being on my radar before that. Maybe this means the show’s marketing team didn’t do the greatest job. Maybe it means the cast wasn’t high profile enough to garner the attention the show needed. Regardless, this just-too-small viewership has led, ultimately, to the cancellation of the show.
We’ve known about this impending end for a while now. In fact, this final episode was publicized as a last-ditch attempt to tie up the action before the show officially ended. And, let me tell you, it was perfect. It was everything we wanted and needed. More than anything else, it made me sad that more people hadn’t experienced this beautiful, glorious show. So, to commemorate this ending, I offer you eight spoiler-free reasons why you should consider watching Sense8 because if I’m sure of anything, it’s that this story deserved more attention than it got.
As you’ve probably noticed (or are feeling yourself), reactions to Solo, the newest installment in the Star Wars film franchise, are, to put it simply, mixed. If you’re looking for a general consensus, the closest you’re going to get is a noncommittal “it wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t horrible.”
From Black Nerd Problem’s assertion that it’s fun if you’re not expecting a good origin story to The Atlantic’s claim that its difference from the other films is what makes it refreshing, everyone seems to have gotten something different out of it.
In trying to organize my own thoughts and feelings about it, I asked some fellow GeekGirlCon staff members about their first impressions. Unsurprisingly, it seems our responses were as mixed as those of the fandom at large. Here’s a selection of some of my favorite reactions. I know that reading about what everyone else has been thinking has been good for my excitable fangirl heart, and I hope it will be for yours too.
