The Geek Embassy

Welcome to the first episode in our new series, The Geek Embassy Reads! This series is the official book club for the site. We will read a book and then come together to share our thoughts about it.

For the first installment, we read Storm Front by Jim Butcher. This is the first installment of The Dresden Files series.

Hold on to your hats, Sci-Fi lovers! The Geek Embassy is taking on the latest Star Trek series for TGE Watches. Star Trek: Discovery is the latest offering in the Star Trek universe. Airing exclusively on CBS All Access, this series releases every Sunday night. We will meet to discuss the latest in a beloved fandom every two weeks through the mid-season finale in December.

Greetings, Geeks!

Today, I have a recording of our recent panel at Rose City Comic Con for your listening and geeking out pleasure. This is the third time we have presented this topic but each time is different, largely because we depend so much on audience participation. Because come on. The best panels let YOU speak. Am I right or am I right?

RCCC Audiences Rock

The audience at RCCC was engaged and engaging. They knew a lot about fairy tales from the very start of the panel which is not how it has gone for us in the past. Usually, I pose the question to the audience intending to trick them and tell them that everything they know is wrong. I couldn't do that this session because other than one comment about fairy tales being "for kids," everything the audience shared was spot on. It is such a joy and a pleasure to present this panel but even more so when the audience truly appreciates our efforts.

Jesse came up to the stage after we presented and bestowed us with her declaration of "best panel of the con." Her enthusiastic comments contributed to how flawlessly this panel went for us. She told us we should make it two hours next time. (I'll check with RCCC and see if we can do something just like that next year.)

Unfortunately, my friend and colleague and expert in fairy tales, Jennifer Leaver, was unable to attend this time. She is working on a guest post with reading suggestions on this topic for the near future.

A New Panelist

It's also noteworthy that this is the first time that Dante sat on as a panelist. At Wizard World, he moderated the panel and did his best to keep us on track. For RCCC, his analysis of Green Lantern was flawless and perfectly engaged not just what we were presenting but the audience's interest as well. Isabela and I have both had some practice presenting about Jessica Jones and Guardians of the Galaxy respectively. But Dante's example and thoughtful commentary was truly outstanding.

I am always proud of the work we do here at The Geek Embassy but never more so than when we are out at cons representing the site and our geeky interests. I have another article I am working on that will go into greater depth on that topic but I will save it for another time.

Check out the panel and let us know your thoughts!

Until next time, get your geek on!Regina & Isabela & Dante

Recently, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing three comic book hotshots at Rose City Comic Con. Fortune favored me and I got a chance to talk to Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, And Babs Tarr about their latest offering from Image Comics: Motor Crush.

When I went through the list of books available for interview, Motor Crush raced to the top because the premise seemed so unique and inherently feminist. Domino Swift is a woman of color competing in the dangerous world of moto racing. She lives her life perched between the official racing world, and dangerous street racing where she competes for the hot pink engine boosting substance, "Crush." Torn between two worlds that demand every ounce of her spirit, she battles her own demons and those out to get her. My jaw dropped at the end of the first volume and I can't wait to see what comes next.

This is a live recording and unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a video to go with it. Check it out and order your own copy of Motor Crush Volume 1 now!

Get your geek on! Regina

The time has come, our faithful listeners! It's our finale, Coups & Contracts! Our merry band of adventurers has found their way into the biggest battle they have ever faced! The journey ends here at the very place it began with the characters we met in our very first episode. Don't miss this exciting battle as we roll dice, take and give damage, and greatly enjoy our time together. Did our characters live or die in this battle? You must listen to find out!

Many thanks to Evan for writing this original Pathfinder story. The Keeper of the Dead proved to be a fertile learning ground for those of us unfamiliar with pen and paper role-playing games. I feel much better versed in the mechanics of the game but still feel like I have a lot to learn about active and engaged role-playing.

As always, we love your feedback. Let us know in the comments about your first role-playing campaign and what you learned during that journey.

Watch our entire journey on the YouTube playlist.

Until next time, get your geek on!Regina, Mark, Dante, Isabela, and Evan

In this episode of TGE Watches, Mark, Ryan, and I discuss Christopher Nolan's epic Dunkirk. We decided to break our summer movie superhero run with quite a different epic film. Two of us enjoyed it and one was quite very disappointed.

Official Description

Three different perspectives with overlapping time periods: one week on land, one day at sea, and one hour in the air, create a non-linear narrative.

Introductory text at the start of the movie says that in 1940, after the invasion of France, hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers had retreated to Dunkirk. As German forces close in, they await evacuation in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Our Analysis

Our opinions differed greatly in pretty much every aspect of the film. Mark shares his disappointment that the setting didn't look truer to the actual beaches during the war. (See photos below for comparison.) Ryan and I both appreciated the artistic nature of the movie overall and how it was surprisingly deep. I will heartily admit it is hard to follow at the start, especially if you don't know the details of the battle particularly well. Watch and listen to hear our thoughtful analysis.

It’s finally that time of year again: Game of Thrones has returned to HBO! Regina, Isabela, are joined by Nicole Tanner from Gaming with the Moms to discuss season 7 of everyone’s favorite fantasy drama. Our first episode discussed Episodes 1 & 2 of Season 7. Our second episode discussed 3,4, and 5 and we wrap up the season with episodes for just episode 6, and now the finale!

It’s finally that time of year again: Game of Thrones has returned to HBO! Regina, Isabela, join Nicole Tanner from Gaming with the Moms to discuss season 7 of everyone’s favorite fantasy drama. Our first episode discussed Episodes 1 & 2 of Season 7. Our second episode discussed 3,4, and 5 and this week covers just episode 6!

It’s finally that time of year again: Game of Thrones has returned to HBO! Regina and Isabela join Nicole Tanner from Gaming with the Moms to discuss season 7 of everyone’s favorite fantasy drama. Our first episode discussed Episodes 1 & 2 of Season 7. This week we discuss episodes 3,4, and 5 and let me tell ya, we got a lot to talk about.

Greetings, Adventurers!

We return again to the depths of the Vastwood and find our characters traveling back toward civilization. Nictis Loath travels with our merry band of adventurers. As you'll remember from episode 8, we discovered Nictis the only living person among a community of powerful mage ghosts.

Nictis berates our characters with questions about every living thing. Having not been around other living people, his excitement is understandable even if a little on the annoying side. The group also discovers that Nictis might be a little more powerful than they originally expected. Will this help or hinder their experience? Check out the episode and see.

Until next time, get your geek on!Regina & Isabela & Dante & Mark & Evan