It’s Geek Out Friday!
There are lots of things I’m thankful for. My kids, my husband, my writing. Good food, good friends, family. All those normal things that people are usually thankful for. But as I sit and think about the things that have influenced my life; Who I am, what I love, how I think, I realize that there are some things in this world that I will ever be thankful for. Some franchises so awesome, that my life would be a bit sadder without them.
So here are my top twelve franchises that I wouldn’t be the person I am, without. And these are not in order really because it would be WAY too hard to do that!
1. Star Wars – Old Star Wars, not new. Love Star Wars. Grew up on Star Wars. R2D2 backpack? Check! Ewok backpack? Check! Imperial March as Ringtone? Check! I love Star Wars and the great lessons it teaches about good versus evil. Han Solo is the sexiest rogue out there. Princess Leia is the epitome of a kick butt female. I wanted a Millennium Falcon to fly. Chewy as my partner and a lightsaber to fight the Sith with. Except Darth Vader,
2. Marvel Comics – Hulk is my favorite. Nightcrawler, Gammbit, Wolverine, Loki, Ironman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ghost Rider. I love them. Love them all. I am Groot. I just think comic books as a whole are the most awesome thing invented. My daughter has dyslexia and learned to read on Marvel comic books and the Marvel Encyclopedia. I would rather have marvel comic books than ever eat cake again. And that’s saying a lot because I seriously like cake!
3. Star Trek – Engage! I have loved Star Trek since Shatner sat in the chair. Though I must admit Picard was my favorite. Though Chris Pine is sure giving that statement a run. I’ve always found space exploration fascinating. To see other worlds and other people and creatures. Ever since I was a girl and used to go to the Air and Space museum in Washington D.C. I have loved Astronomy. To see, basically a flying city, go through the stars has always amazed me.
4. Lord of the Rings – I am part elf, so I love what Tolkien did with his rendition of us. Haha. I think J.R.R. Tolkien has one of the most beautiful minds in the 20th Century. And I think Peter Jackson did a fantastic job with the LOTR series. I will not comment on the Hobbit movies because I have a few gripes, but the book was also a great, fun read.
5. Dungeons and Dragons – Not the movies, the game. I’ve played D&D since I was like 14. It was my introduction to the world of fantasy after Star Wars. I went to college for theater so there was something so natural to me to create my own character and head out on an adventure with my friends. Too much fun. I still have my D&D books and refer to them when writing.
6. Underworld – This is one of my absolute favorite Vampire/Werewolf franchises to date. I could watch those movies over and over. I know they didn’t do well and that they weren’t masterpieces of acting, but for what was created, I think that Underworld and Underworld 2 are some of the best out there. They are true to how I think the world would really be if Vampires and Werewolves live in it.
7. Harry Potter – Who doesn’t love Harry Potter? Again, like Tolkien, I think J.K. Rowling is one of the most creative minds of our century. I have an entire bar in my house dedicated to my Potions, Harry Potter Posters, and Halloween items. Harry Potter has been a fixture in our house since the third book was released and as a newlywed my husband and I picked it up and decided to read it to see what the whole thing was about. We then devoured books one and two and moved on from there.
8. Dr. Who – David Tennant! Uhm…sorry about that! I love Dr. Who. Especially David Tennant. I learned to love Matt Smith as well, but in a crazy little brother way. The stories were so fresh and new and original. The whole concept is just a lot of fun to watch. It was the first show I’d ever seen where they killed off the lead characters almost every season. So different.
9. Supernatural – Sam…cough, cough. I know, Dean is awesomesauce, and I love him too, but I am a Sammy fan. I also really love Crowley. The writing is amazing. You never get the same thing twice. It’s constantly fresh and new and just when I think they can’t do anything else, they do something new again. Love it. They are like watching a D&D campaign in our world today. Wait…didn’t they do an episode of that?
10. Alice in Wonderland – Such iconic characters that they’ve been written and rewritten dozens and dozens of times. Movies upon movies have been made and tens of thousands of people have contemplated the meaning behind the whole thing. For me? I love the idea of a girl crawling into a hole and finding an incredible new world where nonsense and frolic are the name of the game. It has inspired me in more ways than I can count. From going to Comic Con as Steampunk Alice in Wonderland with my kids, to having Mad Hatter Tea parties and writing love stories. Alice has inspired me!
11. World of Warcraft – RPG’s! I’ve played RPG video games almost as long as I’ve played D&D! When Warcrack…I mean, Warcraft came out my brother, whom I played a lot of D&D with, got me a membership for my birthday. HOLY COW! I’ve never been so addicted to something in my life! I was a crazy mama gamer who spent all night playing and all day taking care of her family. It only took a couple years to break the habit. Now, playing is a luxury I only buy at Christmas where I try to take a couple week off with my kids and we play together. Best Online Game Ever!
12. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The TV Series)- Don’t laugh! Buffy, rocks! Angel, rocks! Bad Willow, Rocks! I love Buffy. I have seen the entire series at least 2-3 times and it never gets old. Buffy was so ahead of it’s time and Joss Whedon was a master of that world of vampires and demons and witches and werewolves and everything in between. It was one of the best introductions to Paranormal Romance for me and has helped inspire me as well.
So in conclusion, on this Thanksgiving Day! I am thankful to all those creative minds out there who inspire me and bring me joy and entertainment! To all of you I give a Huge hug and say, Thanx!