Other Things You Need to Try Your Nerdy Hand In

Nerdyness

       Being a nerd is a wonderful thing. You find something that intrigues you, you fall in love with it, and then you obsess over it with friends, either online or in real life. I'm almost positive if you're reading this, then you are here because you are a book nerd (like me). Since I'm always looking for more pop culture to obsess over, I thought I would share some of my favorite nerdy topics.

Movies

       If you haven't gotten around to Star Wars, first off WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN SINCE 1977? (No, I'm serious. Where have you been?) You could be like me, who only joined the Star Wars fandom about six months ago. Nevertheless, you are missing out on the king of all classic sci-fi movies. (Although, I can't vouch for Star Trek. I'm still trying to figure out where to start with that...)
       If you need some direction on the order to watch, I suggest the Machete Order, which has an in-depth explanation here. If you want to experience Star Wars the way I did, I watched in Release Order, except I skipped over Episode I and saved it for the end. The Machete Order link has great reasoning on skipping Episode I and other possible orders, so I suggest you go check it out for a more detailed approach.

Star Wars

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

       Marvel Movies are great for someone who really wants to get into superheroes, but doesn't want to have to figure out the comic book world. (I have tried, I promise. I just don't have the commitment to ALL the comic books.) The movies are great, the way they intertwine is really genius. Once you watch one, you have to watch them all. With these, I don't feel like there is a specific order you should watch. Here is a chronological order of all the MCU works. I have watched them all except for Agent Carter, Agents of SHIELD, and Jessica Jones, but I can vouch for everything else on the list.

       The Bourne movies are definitely my favorite crime/thriller movie ever. I watch them all the time, and they never get old. There is always something you missed the last time, and finding those little foreshadowing moments is so neat. These are movies that are great the first and the tenth time. (And early 2000's Matt Damon is super hunky. And he's beating people up. Let's be honest, who doesn't want that in their life?)

Jason Bourne

Classic 1980's Movies​

       I feel like this is a given, but I thought I would mention some of my favorite '80's movies, in case you've missed any.

• The Princess Bride
• Dirty Dancing
• Footloose
• The Outsiders
• Indiana Jones Franchise
• Ghostbusters
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures
• Rocky Films

       I know these are not all of the classics, but these are just a choice few of my favorites. Feel free to add your favorites to the comments below!

Art

       Fanart is a bit of an uncharted territory for me personally, but I do make a little bit here and there. I'm sure there are whole communities surrounding fanart, and I enjoy recreating my favorite characters in my drawings. It's so much fun to put things you love into your own style as well.
       If you haven't, go to Google and search "fanart" with your favorite movie or TV show. The art that pops up is phenomenal.

Fanart

Cosplaying

       If you're in any fandom, you have probably seen or heard of cosplaying. It's basically taking your favorite nerdy Halloween costume and giving it nerd steroids. Cosplaying is a great way to express your passion for a character, and a fun way to create. There are no rules when it comes to creating your costume, so go get started!

Television

       Merlin is a British television show that follows the story of King Arthur and the sorcerer Merlin in their younger years. It is very much a fantasy show over a historically accurate one, with lots of magic involved. I enjoy it for the action, story, and humor that's involved. Arthur and Merlin are always joking and picking at each other, which is so entertaining. I love the casting, as everyone does a wonderful job. It's definitely a great Netflix watch.

Merlin

Sherlock

       Sherlock is probably the smartest television show I have ever seen. It is a modern version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes book series. The writing of the show by Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, and Stephen Thompson is so amazing. Everything that happens either references to something that has already happened, or to something that is going to happen. It's everything you could want from a show of this genre, and I absolutely recommend it.

Other

       Booktube is a great community if you are already into book blogs. It's a community of people on YouTube who talk about books. There are quite a few to choose from, and it's also a great place if you want to start a blog, but are more into videos over writing. A few of my favorites include:

• PolandBananasBOOKS
  JesseTheReader
• ArielBissett
• Katytastic
• Tashapolis

       These are just a few, so please comment your favorites!

BookTube

Theater

       Theater is such an amazing and open community. It's also super easy to meet others who are interested in it. If you're still in school, almost all schools have some sort of drama department or theater group to join. If you're out of school, there are lots of community groups to go see or to join. Some of my favorite shows are:

• Shrek: The Musical
• Fiddler on the Roof
• The Wizard of Oz
• The Sister Act
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
• Into the Woods

       There is a show out there for everyone, though. Go and find yours!

       Those are some of my favorite nerdy topics other than books. Do you have a favorite to recommend? Leave it in the comments below!

While she attempts everything nerdy at once,
Ashton

Never apologize for being nerdy, because unnerdy people never apologize for being assholes." 
— John Barrowman