obligatory introduction post

hello!

i'm new. i'm new, i'm a girl, i'm a geek.

i decided to start this little blog in an attempt to present geekdom from a female point of view, without dissolving into 'OMGZ gambit is sooooo hawt!!!!!!' followed by a bunch of pointless emoticons. with any luck, i can present the female geek point of view in an intelligent way that even my bitchier male constituents cannot sneer at or look down upon. i'm not sure if i need to flash my geek credentials, if there's some sort of password or secret hand shake i have to perform in order to be taken seriously, but i can list a few of the geekiest things i've done in my life, which i shall attempt to elucidate on in columns later in the life of this blog.

i read comics. no, not manga, not shoujo, not yaoi. i play role playing games, and have played them for over 10 years now. i play video games. i watch professional wrestling. i don't know how geeky professional wrestling is, but i'm sure there's some random sub-category of geek out there that professional wrestling fits into. i'm a huge star trek fan, and yes, i have read star trek slash fiction, but more for the humor factor than any sort of serious contemplation of what a troi/riker/crusher(wesley or beverly, depending on how your proclivities lie) sandwich would be like.

now that i've flexed a few of my geek muscles, perhaps i've acquired your attention.

i can't guarantee what the frequency of new posts is going to be like, and i can't guarantee that you'll be entertained or even moderately amused by my columns here, but i do promise that i'll try to at least present my point of view in a clear, concise manner, without dipping too far into the pool of inane vapidity that other femmegeeks like to swim in.

so i guess i'll start with the geekiest thing i've ever done. why not enter the confessional with the most atrocious action on your lips?

i'm a LARPer. vampire only, thank you very much. no foam-rubber padded longswords or velvet pouches filled with glitter 'spell components' here. no, purely world of darkness, angsty-teen, blood-trait spending nonsense. i admit it. i've looked the code of milan up on the internet, trying to figure out a way for my character to do something completely against sect rules without violating the primary precept of said sect. i've spent hard-earned money on sourcebooks so i could get a better idea of how my character should act in a specific situation. i've spent hours in front of the mirror before a game, trying to get my hair/makeup/clothing just right to represent my character in the closest way possible. except prettier. and thinner. vanity is all in LARPing. why else would you be able to buy traits like 'gorgeous' and 'seductive'?

it's such an easy way to pretend to be something you're not, and of course, if you're a moderately attractive female, there's no end to the list of fellow players to 'scene' with. it's a good way to hone your improvisational skills, too. it's no small feat to come up with several different ways to kill/maim/eviscerate an imaginary enemy in order to keep the storytellers entertained (and to earn bonus freebie points to buy more 'gorgeous' traits with!).

but aren't all role playing games about pretending to be something you're not? it's just not taken as far in most others. no one but a LARPer is going to spend 200 bucks at hot topic to buy an outfit they'd only have the guts to wear twice a month in someone's backyard. no one but a LARPer is going to find a cosmetic dentist to make prosthetic fangs to wear twice a month in someone's backyard (well, LARPers and vampire goths). no one but a LARPer is going to make a mix tape of songs to listen to for 'inspiration' (one more time, all together now) twice a month in someone's backyard.

while all role players will get into deep philosophical discussions about their characters' motivations, attitudes, and mentalities, only LARPers create yahoo! message groups so they can continue their adventures between games, or spend hours in IM playing out small scenes between themselves and storytellers. and yes, i'll admit, i'm guilty of most of that stuff. i just never had the money to buy the prosthetic fangs.

despite all that, LARPing IS a fun way to spend every other friday evening. except, of course, if there's combat you're not involved in. then, you get to spend hours staring off into space, only to find out that 3 minutes of game time have passed. then (if you're me), you spend the rest of the night chain smoking and drinking soda until game is called and everyone reconvenes at carrow's.

silly, isn't it? but not so bad in the greater scheme of things.

i mean, after all, wouldn't the world be a much better place if ALL disagreements could be settled by rock/paper/scissors?