Geek Herring

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEEK HERRING!

Can you even believe that we've been at this for a whole year? It's pretty crazy to think that we're here. And not only are we here, we're going from strength to strength, learning and growing every single day. So many awesome things have come out of this podcast in the last year and there's so much to come. What's coming!? 

So first of all - THANK YOU - to every single person who has ever downloaded an episode of Geek Herring. To everyone who follows and chats with us on social media and Discord. And to everyone who's ever supported us in any other capacity. You all make this the best thing for us to do, ever, and we love you so much! Literally wouldn't be here without you <3 <3 YOU ROCK!

We're really excited about how much we've accomplished with Geek Herring in the last year. We've tackled some really hard subjects (looking at you, Rape Day!), cried on the mic (hello, Robin Hobb!), and geeked out hard. Plus we've interviewed the RADDEST GUESTS EVER!

Now we're saying hello to year two. So much excitement coming! A few highlights: round table discussions, exciting updates to Patreon, and even more awesome interviews in the works!

What was your favourite episode of Geek Herring in year one?
 What do you want us to bring in year two?
 Who should we interview? Let us know!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Discussion: Rape, Steam, & Responsibility
• Geeking Out About Robin Hobb: Fantasy That Represents – LGBTQ+, Gender Roles, Classism, + More
• Geek Characters: Badass Witches of Harry Potter

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to iTunes and leave us a review!

Geek out with Geek Herring Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring

Geek Girl in the News looks at the awesome or not so awesome news that will make you go either: "YAY" or "OMG I can't believe that." 

The latest and greatest geek girl news from September 2019 covers Kristen Stewart's sexuality, Scarlett Johansson's unfeminist takes, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp (again), Siri's stance on feminism, and the awesome new game, Ms Monopoly!

September brought us a LOT of geek girl news. While we're bringing up a former couple we've spoken about a few times, there's been some new developments in the Amber Heard/Johnny Depp saga. What do you think about it?

We also think it's totally rude to tell sassy bisexual actor Kristen Stewart to tone down her sexuality - let your bi flag fly high, Kristen! Your fans are out here supporting you. Whoever told you that shouldn't be working in PR. But let's not skip over Scarlett Johansson's latest hot takes - no thank you! Where's YOUR PR support? Because they should tell you to sit down!

Let's celebrate the new game from Hasbro, Ms Monopoly, that celebrates women and takes a unique spin where women are getting paid 20% more than men. Love love love this! While this isn't what feminism wants (hello actual equality) Ms Monopoly is addressing the gender pay gap in the coolest way. Here for it!!! Plus, they've given grants to three awesome school girls making waves in STEM at their young ages. Go Hasbro! More companies like this, please!

Oh, and what do you think of renaming Lincolnshire's Fire & Rescue mascots Freddy and Frida!?? CONSIDER IT, OKAY!?

What’s your take on these news articles? 

In this episode of Geek Girl in the News, we covered these news stories:

• Kristen Stewart was told to “tone down” sexuality if she wanted to bag Marvel roles
• Amber Heard Worried She Will Be 'Demonized' In Johnny Depp Lawsuit, Wants Details Kept Private
• Johnny Depp Accuses Amber Heard of Blackmail With Drug Photo
• Apple made Siri deflect questions on feminism, leaked papers reveal
• Twitter thread about Siri
• Let's Stop Making Excuses For Scarlett Johansson
• 40% of new podcasts are hosted by women
• Girl power: Hasbro brings gender pay gap debate to game night with new Ms. Monopoly
• Ava Canney's Twitter Account
• Gitanjali Rao's Twitter Account
• Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue drops Fireman Sam over inclusivity complaint
• Cecil Castellucci Is Writing The Batgirl We've Been Waiting For

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Discussion: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Cast Them
• Geek Girl Stereotypes: Identify, Self-Reflection, and Toxic Femininity
• Geek Girl Community: Support, Sisterhood, and Friendship

If you’ve been loving Geek Herring, please hop over to iTunes and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring

Rising up the ladder, hitting Legend, topping the Badass Women of Hearthstone league, and competing weekly in the Hearthstone GrandMasters is a journey, but not one without an emotional rollercoaster. We're joined by Pathra Cadness who's sharing her experience as a professional eSports athlete, currently competing at the GrandMasters!

Pathra is a Thai/Kiwi Hearthstone player who started streaming on Twitch back in 2015. She quickly climbed the ladder and started making a name for herself on the Hearthstone scene. When a friend convinced her to start competing with the Badass Women of Hearthstone, she soon started topping their leagues. Of course, Blizzard noticed, and now she's a regular feature in the Hearthstone GrandMasters, a weekly tournament run a couple times a year.

Now that Pathra has moved to Atlanta, Georgia, this competition has ramped up on another level. Because she still competes in the Asia-Pacific tournament, Pathra is waking up and competing sometimes at 4 in the morning - crazy or what!! Imagine that pressure, especially when you're not firing on all cylinders! 

In this episode, we're talking about Pathra's experience at the GrandMasters. It's not easy sailing being the only woman competing at this level. She breaks down what it's like reading the comments and Twitch chat that isn't always (or even usually) very complimentary of her.

There's no doubt about it, playing Hearthstone at a professional level is nerve wrecking! It's 50% talent, 50% getting your head in the right space - and when you have harassment and trolls berating you in chat, it can definitely be challenge.

Join us as Pathra gets intimate about her experiences, how we think Twitch and the GrandMasters can be improved and moderated better, and what's next for this Hearthstone Pro.

Quotes
Be one tough cookie!

Find Pathra Online

Fine Pathra on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Girl in the News: Gillette’s transgender ad, an end to child marriage, and Georgia’s abortion bill
• Geek Interviews: Mental Health and Real Life Rep Grinding with Thyst
• Geek Girl Community: Support, Sisterhood, and Friendship

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!

Geek out with Geek Herring Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: Pathra Cadness.

Support Geek Herring

Disney+ is coming and we couldn't be more excited! What the heck is better than all that Marvel goodness, every Disney movie ever, The Simpsons, and more!?? Nothing, that's what!

Even though it might feel like Disney is taking over the world, who are we to argue? With so many incredible shows, films, and parks, not to mention the awesome merchandise out there in the world, it would just be fighting a losing battle to fight it. So we're not. Long live Disney!

Here's what you need to know:

• It's an online streaming service similar to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and all those awesome things. Naturally, Disney had to get on board the streaming services!
• It'll be released in 5 countries in November, 2019. Sadly, The UK and Europe (minus The Netherlands) are not included in those countries. 😭😭😭 forever.
• It's going to cost as little as $6.99 for 4 different people to watch on one account. What a bargain! Netflix, who!?
• And it's going to be available on iOS, Android, Apple TV (which Amanda's super excited about!), gaming consoles, and right on your internet browser.

What's on it?

• Everything Disney has ever made. That's all the Disney films ever, Disney tv shows, including Disney channel originals, and who the heck knows what else!
• Alllll the good Marvel content (except Deadpool 😭). Films like Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame will ONLY be realeased on Disney+!
• Star. Wars. Now that Disney owns Lucasfilm, they have exclusive rights to the films and are putting out a new series: The Mandalorian!
• And with Disney's recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox, who knows what's going to be streaming. But we're here for The Simpsons, that's for sure.

Will YOU be subscribing to Disney+? It's hard to think of a reason not to.

• Super affordable
• All that awesome content
• And that's it... that's what we've got.

Let us know in the comments or on social media what show or movie you're looking forward to streaming the most!

While you're here, don't forget to follow Amanda on Twitch!](https://www.twitch.tv/falamoyacrava)

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others! 

Geeking Out About Marvel’s Phase 4
Geeking Out About Avengers: Endgame: Mental Health, Politics, + Representation
Geeking Out About Captain Marvel: Higher, Further, Faster, Feminist

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!

Geek out with Geek Herring Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring

Geek feminism is about issues that affect women across geek culture... and sometimes, those issues also affect the awesome geeky dudes in our community. Today, we're talking with Seage, an artist whose art styles mainly around drawing beautiful women in fantasy settings. 

Seage shares what it's like for him to be an artist online. Some of his experiences may surprise you, especially the disappointment some of his followers feel and tell him about when they find out that Seage is actually a dude. He also gives us some insight into what his thought process was when considering drawing erotic art and why, ultimately, he decided not to pursue this.

We also talk about Seage's other passion: Electric Unicycle riding. 

Yes, really! 

Seage has recently started using one of these crazy awesome contraptions to get around the busy city of Toronto. He's also joined a local EU club so they can go on day trips together. Seage is passionate about getting more representation into this community and is actively encouraging women from Toronto and the surrounding area to join the club and learn more.

What will you get out of this awesome interview with Seage? You might actually get a bit of a reality check. Do you need a boot in the ass to get you working on what you're truly passionate about? 

Because like Seage says, you never know what's going to happen tomorrow, so why are you afraid of doing what you love? Spend all of your days creating what you're passionate about. 

Happiness over misery. Joy over sadness. And passion over depression.

Quotes

Mortality shouldn't hold you back from doing things that you might be interested in doing.

• Seage

Anything can happen so why stop yourself from doing something that you might be passionate about. 

• Seage 

It wasn't the praise that I was interested in, it was the fact that they seemed so happy, so I kept on drawing stuff.

• Seage

Seage's Video "Brothers"

Find Seage on Twitch

Fine Seage on Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Characters: Glorious Ladies of Warcraft
• Geek Herring & Chill: Upcoming Excitement, Host Updates, & Mental Health
• Geek Girl Community: Support, Sisterhood, and Friendship

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!

Geek out with Geek Herring Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: Seage.

Support Geek Herring

Geek Girl in the News looks at the awesome or not so awesome news that will make you go either: "YAY" or "OMG I can't believe that." 

The latest and greatest geek girl news from August 2019 covers breastfeeding on Twitch, the newest female Hearthstone pros, banned commercials promoting gender stereotypes, inspirational women in TV STEM careers, teaching girls to code, and some awesome pop culture news!

We get a bit heated over some of these articles today. 

Like, why is breastfeeding one of the most natural things in the world, not sexual, legal to do in public in most of the world, and totally okay on social platforms such as Instagram... yet it's sparking debate on Twitch? We mean, if a woman can get bits for eating a burger on stream, why can't another woman feed her hungry child? It doesn't make sense!

And have you seen the recently banned from UK TV adverts? Both Volkswagen and Philadelphia (yes, the creators of the infamous chocolate cream cheese) have had their latest tv ads banned by the Advertising Standards Agency for promoting gender stereotypes. You might think one or both of these ads are funny - and while, yeah, they might be - they're also harmful to progress. And not just for women, these stereotypes are bad for men, too.

What’s your take on these news articles? 

In this episode of Geek Girl in the News, we covered these news stories:

• Streamer Sparks Debate Over Whether Twitch Should Allow Breastfeeding
• THE NEW SUPERSTARS OF CHINESE HEARTHSTONE
• First ads banned for contravening UK gender stereotyping rules
• VW Golf and Philadelphia Adverts Banned For Promoting 'Harmful' Gender Stereotypes
• The VW eGolf Commercial
• The Scully Effect and the Feminist Future of STEM
• How a summer camp is bringing young women into the game industry
• Check out Girls Game Lab on Twitter
• This Fall, We’re Getting A Brand-New “Nancy Drew”
• It’s Official: ‘The Matrix 4’ is Coming and Will Reunite Keanu Reeves, Director Lana Wachowski

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Discussion: Rising Representation and Diversity in Video Games
• Geek Discussion: Women in Game Development with Three Extra Lives
• Geek Girl Reviews: The Mask You Live In (Exploring Toxic Masculinity)

If you’ve been loving Geek Herring, please hop over to iTunes and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring

A recent post by a well known business coach sparked some outrage about what it means to be a woman. According to her, anything less than high heels, sexy lingerie, and cooking naked in the kitchen for your man is not feminine enough. We TOTALLY disagree! Femininity comes in many different shapes and forms, and what's right for one person might not feel right for the next.

As self-identified geek girls, or geeky women, we don't necessarily like to dress up and wear heels. But does that make us any less feminine? NO! 

Being a womxn means whatever you want it to mean. You don't need to be all pink, frills, and lingerie if you don't want to. You can be sneakers, t-shirts, and jeans if that's what you want. The most important thing is that you are COMFORTABLE and HAPPY with what you do! Don't try to fit into a box just because some coach says you should.

It's like when we had our episode about The Mask You Live In where we talked about toxic masculinity in America. Feminine and masculine qualities fall on a spectrum, and really, most of the qualities that make us up are in the middle. We're more in common than we sometimes think!

But when we get down to it: why do we identify as geek girls?

For us, it has nothing to do with the clothes we wear and everything to do with the feelings we have when we geek out about things. Being a geek girl is about getting excited about the things you love, and yeah, they're usually rooted in some kind of pop culture. Being a geek girl is playing games with your friends or alone. And being a geek girl is about finding something you connect with, really, truly love, and not being afraid to express it.

Geekdom is self-care. Geeking out about what you love, whether you're vocalising it like we do, wearing it with pride, putting it on your wall, sharing it on social media, sitting alone and contemplating, reading, watching, being... geekdom is simply about expressing who you are. And it's pretty damn great.

Quotes

Your Identity is what you're comfortable and confident in! 

• Amanda

You can have your M&Ms and you can have your Skittles.
 They are very similar but they are totally different and there are a lots of different colors.
 If you mix them together you can really mix and match. They all look the same but they are all different aspects. 

• Amanda

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Girl Stereotypes: How the World Sees Us
• Geek Girl Reviews: The Mask You Live In (Exploring Toxic Masculinity)
• Geek Interview: Feminism and Gender with Dr. Sol Haring

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!

Geek out with Geek Herring Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring

Running two successful Blizzard positive podcasts, building a super supportive community, and working in gaming, all while dealing with anxiety and depression can definitely be hard! But our guest today, the incredible Thyst of Lagging Balls, makes it all look easy and completely natural.

Thyst says that the best thing about everything she's doing is the community her and Laggin Balls co-host, Thorn, have built. They have an extremely active Discord channel where members of their community can share everything from memes and nudes to Blizzard game chatter to asking for help and support. It was really important to Thyst to have the kind of community that builds each other up.

Thyst shares why she started podcasting and how she's built it from the ground up while dealing with some mental health issues and depression. In fact, World of Warcraft and podcasting is what helped bring her out of her depression -- who says gaming is bad for you! 

You can say that Thyst has definitely found her spark, which is a GOOD THING because holy crap this woman is BUSY! She recounts a "day in the life" with a typical Tuesday, where she's out of her house for 12 hours a day talking about video games before coming home, shovelling food into her face, and recording Convert to Raid.

Thyst gives some extremely valuable advice to content creators for getting industry jobs. If you've been wanting to take the leap from content creator to professional, you should definitely check this episode out! Super, super useful!

Did you know that Thyst has started working for Blizzard? All her hard work and real life rep grinding has paid off: she was chosen to sideline report at the Mythic Dungeon International in Australia. A literally dream come true!

Thyst talks about her experience as a female Warcraft podcaster, which for the most part has been pretty damn positive! Though she does get the occasional hateful comment or trolling, her community is so full of positive faces, both male and female, that she doesn't let them get her down.

Her final thoughts? Find your passion, make it work, and get paid doing it! 

Quotes

"I always wait for life to happen to me, and then in the last couple years, something lit a fire under my ass cuz I've just been grinding and hustling and doing everything I could."

"Women in eSports are coming, just give it 5-10 years. It'll start evening itself out."

Find Thyst Online

Find Thyst on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Discord

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Characters: Glorious Ladies of Warcraft
• Geek Herring & Chill: Upcoming Excitement, Host Updates, & Mental Health
• Geek Girl Community: Support, Sisterhood, and Friendship

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!

Geek out with Geek Herring Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: Thyst.

Support Geek Herring

Because hanging out listening to us talk is the best half hour of your week, we've gone free form again! Geek Herring and Chill is just that, time to sit back, relax, and listen to us ramble on. This week, it's all the geeky gaming we've gotten into over the past week... and trust us, it's a lot! 

In this episode, we talk about what geeky things we've been up to lately! Amanda gets all excited about her big tech purchase, shares what games she's been obsessed with, and geeks out about Warcraft. Monika was finally able to join in on a Dragon Powered Studio games night! You can join our Discord and come to the next one! They're every 2 weeks on a Saturday right now 🎮

Join our regular Geek Herring Go! MarioKart 8 tournament with this code: 1175-9520-5163
 Tournament is open Friday evening - Sunday evening weekly!

Check out and pick up the free-to-play game Under What? on Steam!

Check out and buy A Short Hike on Steam!

Get more games on Humble Bundle

You can also game with Amanda on Steam - add her as a friend!
And if you're on Battle.net, you guessed it, she's there, too! Add her as Cefpabda#2201 

You can game with Monika on Steam - add her as a friend!

We're so excited to play some more games with our Geek Herring crew!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Girl in the News: Gender discrimination in game development, FFVII, & female representation in video games
• Geeking Out About Anime and Manga with Jannie & Nat
• Geek Discussion: Rising Representation and Diversity in Video Games

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to iTunes and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!

Geek out with Geek Herring Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring

Stranger Things has been giving us all a good dose of 80s nostalgia that we, obviously, desperately crave. Following a group of badass teens while they work to stop the grossest monster from taking over Hawkins is the most fun we've had with TV in a long time. But it's not just the plot that has us hooked this season.

We've kept this episode SPOILER FREE! No huge plot points have been spoiled

Stranger Things 3 is all about friendships. Okay, friends fighting against the Mindflayer, but really, it's friendships. Today, we're talking about what friendships were our favourites, what ones fell flat for us, and why! 

But not only were these friendships out of this world, can we talk about how incredible every. single. female character was? Amanda makes a great point about how without the Stranger Things 3 gals, the guys were totally screwed. Badass women? Check. Mate.

And what about little nerdy Erica? This season of Stranger Things gave us PERMISSION TO NERD. In the first two seasons, it was the guys and their Dungeons and Dragons love that was the cool nerdy thing. But this season? STEM IS COOL. Geek girls are IN. Erica is a FUCKING LITTLE QUEEN who is getting down with her mathy self.

Of course, Stranger Things 3 wasn't all sunshine, rainbows, and uplifting. We tackled some pretty HUGE issues and heartbreak.

Coming out? Uh-huh.
 Toxic masculinity in the workplace? Yep. 
 Abused kids growing up to be horrible bullies? Unfortunately.
 Women's ideas and suspicions being brushed aside as unimportant? That, too.

What a season. Thank you, Stranger Things 3, for being the 80s show highlighting social issues we ALL need to talk about.

What did you think of Stranger Things 3? Which friendship are you stanning? Who's your favourite strong female character?

Be like Frazley and support us on Patreon!!!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Girl in the News: James Bond Alternatives, How to Deal with Harassment Online, Stranger Things Female Power, and Exciting New Releases
• Geek Girl Reviews: The Mask You Live In (Exploring Toxic Masculinity)
• Geek Herring & Chill: Upcoming Excitement, Host Updates, & Mental Health

Love Geek Herring? Please hop over to iTunes and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!

Geek out with Geek Herring Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring