Web Crush Wednesdays: A Game of Thrones Supplement

So, I guess Game of Thrones is pretty cool or whatever.

Okay, okay, fine. I love Game of Thrones. I love all the drama, all the dismemberments, all the scenery, and of course, all the fantastic characters. What I love most about it though, is the richness of its universe. It’s clear that there are hundreds of houses the audience may never know about or lands that may never be visited within the story that the audience is allowed to view, but it’s clear that they all play a role in things like how a character may strategize their tactics for battle or how they may choose their allies. While the show does a rather good job at giving the audience information on Houses, lands, and other such things that directly affect the main players, sadly there are many things that are resigned to staying questions in the viewer’s mind.

A good example of this: the other day I was talking to my girlfriend about the late King Robert’s rebellion and his relations to the Starks. Now, as someone who hasn’t read the books and doesn’t really have any plans to in the future, I know that Robert was in love with Ned Stark’s sister and eventually took the throne from the mad king, Aerys Targaryen. Little did I know all the extra delicious tidbits that had been left out of the show—no doubt due to time constraints—that she had only been too glad to tell me. Such as there being certain other, juicer elements at play during Robert’s rebellion (of course, when playing the game of thrones, nothing is ever as it seems). So while the show is wonderful, those of us who aren’t taking the literary pilgrimage presented by George R.R. Martin are dreadfully out of the loop on some things.

Though today’s webcrush may not fill this information gap entirely, it certainly is a great start. Today, I bring you youtuber gameofthronesfan94 and their stash of videos on the mythos of Westeros.

As much as some of us fans want to read the novels, we just don’t have enough time or the will to sit through those bricks (I proudly place myself in the latter category), especially not with all the ‘glowing’ reviews of Martin’s writing style. So, stumbling upon a channel with lore that I can watch, or at least listen to while I’m doing other things—guess what I’m doing right now?—is a godsend for me. Not only is the lore interesting, but I love the fact that these history lessons are given by the characters that know them best. A study on the Targaryens is given by the little shit Viserys and likewise the history of House Greyjoy is presented by the Greyjoy children. (And since I love House Tyrell, I’ll give you a snippet from them. Biases, ho!)

So, if you find your knowledge of the kingdoms of Westeros a little lacking but simply don’t have the energy to get into the books, I’d highly recommend taking a look at these videos. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to get back to my regularly scheduled sobbing over Theon.

Hannah Hart’s “Hello Harto” Tour

About a year ago (wow, I can’t believe it’s been that long!) I talked about Hannah Hart in a Web Crush and since that time I have grown from simply crushing on this wonderful young woman to full on loving her. Yes, I am a Hartosexual, and I’m clearly not the only one, because Hannah is taking her show on the road!

When Hannah first proposed her tour, she started an Indiegogo campaign to raise money to fund it. I had every intention of making a post here about it to help spread the word a little, but it turned out that I didn’t have to. Why? Because Hannah reached her goal of $50,000 in less than 24 hours. I literally didn’t have time to make a post about her campaign before the Hartosexuals of the world swooped in and saved the day, making her campaign one of the most successful in Indiegogo history and reaching more than four times the original goal. Hannah’s response to the success was touching:

Because Hannah is such a loving person, her tour is going to focus on charity. In each city she visits, rather than doing a typical “Meet & Greet” event, she will be volunteering at a local non-profit organization where fans can pledge to spend their time volunteering with her. She will also be filming episodes of her web series “My Drunk Kitchen” in fans’ kitchens throughout the tour.

I don’t know about you, but I really find Hannah very inspiring. For one thing, she is one of the success stories that really shows the power of the internet to connect people and move them. We aren’t just schlubs who sit in basements watching cat videos and ranting anonymously about whatever irritates us, we are people who have found a community and connection with people spread far across the world that we often have difficulty finding in person.

In addition to this somewhat intangible success, Hannah is taking that community out into the “real” world and doing good. This humanitarian effort, combined with her own personal brand of entertainment, helps so many people, from the organizations she assists to her fans who get to be a part of something bigger than themselves. If you’re a fan, or even if you just want to be part of a group of people trying to make a difference, I encourage you to check out her tour site to see when she’ll be near you and pledge to take part in the activity she has planned for your area.

Web Crush Wednesdays: okaynate

You know the deal, everything good on the internet comes either from or in association with Grace Helbig, so today I have another of her My Damn Channel co-workers for your Web Crush: okaynate.

Good ol’ Nate. He’s not Nate the Great, or Domi-Nate, he’s just okaynate. Not even special enough for capital letters and that’s just fine. Now what makes him so okay? I’m glad you asked. Well he started out as part of the “My Damn Channel Live” production team as comment DJ/Punching Bag.

He keeps the show running but gets no respect: that’s okay.

Also, he can fill out a dance number and, despite being barely competent, do absolutely nothing to pull focus from the other dancers:

Is he a great dancer? No, he’s just okay.

Now that he has his own vlog we get to hear his okay stories about his okay life. Even his fantasy life in which he is king features him making the very mediocre laws of movie theaters playing the Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended edition) back to back, but not as a main attraction, merely as background noise for communal naps:

He even got to meet Grumpy Cat. His mediocrity did not cheer her in the least:

He was upstaged on his own show by a tired cat and that’s okay.

All kidding aside though, Nate is more than just okay; he’s a really charmingly simple and earnest person. His videos are always entertaining and he really connects with his viewers by responding to comments and using their input to guide video ideas. I think he really has a handle on the interactive aspect of YouTube and I’m eager to see him continue as a tuber.

Theatre Thursdays: A Very Potter Senior Year

What else could we possibly be talking about today??

Yes, as we all hoped when we heard about the reading at LeakyCon, A Very Potter Senior Year has been uploaded to YouTube! The third and final musical in the series by Team StarKid makes its way into the lives of eager fans—and it’s a bittersweet moment, to be honest. The show is as funny and energetic as we expect, but there’s a sadness in knowing that this is the end which is actually part of the show’s theme.

While the previous two entries were hilarious madcap romps, I would say this is the first time one of the musicals has a theme or message and that theme is directed to all of us as fans and says that it’s OK that Harry Potter has come to an end, that we can move on to other interests without forgetting or betraying all that the series has meant to us. The theme works its way into the story by showing that the wizarding world, including Harry’s peers at Hogwarts, have forgotten all about him and his accomplishments now that Voldemort and his followers have been defeated. This disregard for Harry is hastened by the arrival of new book crazes such as Twilight and The Hunger Games written by none other than Gilderoy Lockhart.

Ginny and the Diary

As Lockhart’s presence would indicate, the structure of this musical comes primarily from The Chamber of Secrets, but of course it has bits and pieces from the rest of the series mixed in and a healthy dose of its own original plot.

Ginny receives Tom Riddle’s diary and unintentionally revives Lord Voldemort, Harry keeps trying to regain his popularity but only sinks lower and lower in the eyes of his friends, and Draco Malfoy becomes the new most popular boy in school. What can be done to save the day? You’ll have to watch to find out, because I’m certainly not giving any spoilers here!

Tropes vs. Women in Video Games (Part 1) & Youtube Comments

It’s finally here: Part One of Anita Sarkeesian’s series about Tropes versus Women in Video Games! Many of you may remember the vast amount of hate Anita received while fundraising through Kickstarter for this series. At that point Anita hadn’t even stated any of her views on sexism in games, but she nonetheless received threats of murder, rape, and sexual assault, revealing just how strongly a video series like this was needed.

The first installment in the series discusses the well-used Damsel in Distress trope. Anita starts by tracing its roots back to ancient Greek legends to show just how deeply this trope permeates our culture. I won’t say any more about the video. Anita does a much better job of explaining the trope than I could ever do so you should really just watch the above video and check out the Tumblr blog for the series.

What I do what to address, however, is Anita’s choice to disable the YouTube comments for this video.

Web Crush Wednesdays: Beth Hoyt

*clap-clappy-clap-clap*

Beth In Show, Beth In Show,

It’s not the “Be Thin Show”!

Beth In Show, Beth In Show,

Let’s go!

That’s Beth’s theme song… perhaps it would be best if you actually heard it:

Beth Hoyt is a YouTube personality (I spend a lot of time on YouTube, as is apparent from my web crushes). I first came across her as the host of My Damn Channel Live, which of course I was introduced to by the queen of the internet, Grace Helbig.

After all, all good things on the internet come either from or in association with Grace Helbig.

But Beth is no second fiddle to Grace! She hosted MDC Live four out of five weekdays and did a great job carrying the show; she was personable and had good interactions with the guest stars; she kept the ball rolling and didn’t let it get stagnant which can be tough to do on a live show; and her skits were always great.

I was very happy to spend my weekdays with Beth, but it wasn’t until MDC Live went on hiatus that I checked out her individual YouTube page. Her videos range from her life experiences, interacting with users’ comments, and little skits. I have to say, the skits are probably my favorite and Beth is a really talented character actress.

Beth is also branching out and has become the East Coast guinea pig host of Dirty Little Beauty Secrets on The Stylish Vids.

I find Beth so very entertaining and hopefully MDC Live will return for a second season soon because she was great on it. Until then, check out her YouTube page and Twitter to keep up with her and her comedy. She’s definitely worth a subscription.

Web Crush Wednesdays: Tim Helbig

Tim Helbig is one of my favorite YouTubers. He’s funny and quirky and as a gay scientist he makes for an out-of-the-ordinary personality. He’s not the gay fashionista or entertainment critic often seen on YouTube, but is instead a soft-spoken and imaginative character. He’s also the younger brother of Grace Helbig and, as I’ve said before, all good things on the internet come either from or in association with Grace Helbig. Tim’s YouTube channel TimWillDestroyYou actually falls into both categories, having been set up by Grace as a Christmas gift and frequently featuring Grace in his videos.

But Grace is certainly not the only good thing about Tim’s channel! Tim’s channel is full of awkwardly charming little skits and self-deprecating humor. Tim seems like the kind of person who could probably seem awkward or boring in a large group, but in the pseudo-personal world of vlogging, his mild personality shines.

TimWillDestroyYou is a kind of unpredictable channel. I’m never sure what to expect from the next video (uploaded once a week) in terms of content. Tim might do a skit, or share a story from his childhood, or film himself filing his taxes. Seriously. No matter what the video though, I know it will be humorous and include Tim’s unique point of view. In all the loud personalities on the internet, it’s enjoyable to watch a quieter video with small puns and turns of phrase. The videos have some clever humor but don’t reach for anything beyond simple entertainment and Tim, though clearly very intelligent, never seems unapproachable or pedantic with his comedy so I love watching him. Give him a look and I’m sure you’ll love him too!

White House Calls for Research on Links Between Video Games and Violence

Yesterday, the White House unveiled “Now is the Time: The President’s plan to protect our children and our communities by reducing gun violence.” Super good! I don’t intend to attack the the President, his plan, or even the fact that he calls for more research into any possible relationships between video games and violence. With the trauma of gun violence being so severe in American culture, encouraging research into what many citizens believe to have a causative relationship with violence, i.e. that violent video games lead to violent crime, is the right call. While it is politically unfortunate that the President seemed unable to find a place for video games in his plan than under the section to “End the Freeze on Gun Violence Research,” (page 8), I don’t think that we have much to worry about regarding any lasting effects on public opinion. We know that all good research into the topic, assuming fair distribution and reporting of research results and data, is going to show that video games and their place in society are nothing to be afraid of.

Here is my point; how do we already know that we have nothing to fear? Hasn’t research already shown that violence in video games has a lasting effect on gamers, causing them to be desensitized to violence and therefore less likely to check impulses toward violent behavior? Since video games are more immersive than other forms of media, doesn’t it stand to reason that they affect a greater ability to impact and change the human psyche? Let’s look into why not.

Web Crush Wednesdays: Albinwonderland

I follow Albinwonderland on Tumblr and on Youtube. And I have to tell you—I adore her. A geek, a feminist, a fashionista, and an overall good person.

You probably know Albinwonderland from her “Shit Tumblr Girls Say” videos, but she is so much more than that.

Albinwnderland has talked on a variety of subjects from weight issues, to self-esteem, and most recently, about the “fake” geek girl controversy spurred on by Tony Harris. She’s taken a lot of shit for talking about these issues on YouTube and I want to support her.

Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: Mr. Deity

Sometimes I worry that people don’t find humor in religion, and that is sad. I truly believe that as Voltaire said,

God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.

So it’s time to laugh, you guys. It’s time to look at the funny side of religion, because there is one and one of the best shows I have ever seen that accomplishes that is the web series Mr. Deity.

Mr. Deity is actually satirical look at religion and is in many ways critical of it (the show is written by atheists, after all) but that doesn’t mean that people with faith can’t enjoy it.

The show starts with God, aka Mr. Deity, and his very stressed assistant Larry, trying to figure what types of evil to allow in the universe. The next episode introduces Jesus in an episode called, “The Really Big Favor” where God asks Jesus to allow himself to be crucified, but assures him that if he does this he’ll be a full partner. The show also introduces Lucifer or Lucy, who used to be God’s girlfriend. Lucy is one of my favorites as she is often the only voice for women when Mr. Deity makes his plans, not that he listens.

So head over to their Youtube page and make sure you watch Mr. Deity this sunday to get your weekly dose of religion.

Hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to check out more!