Nerd Girls Unite

So, I'm a nerd.

(In other news, water is wet.)

I'm also a girl (well, woman if we're being technical, I'm a bit old to be a girl) and sometimes it seems like the two terms still aren't as meshed as I might want to think. For instance, over on the Blistered Thumbs community message boards, I'm the only female forum moderator; I can count the actual known female participants in this video game website on both hands. That's maybe 5% of the forum population.

Now, by comparison, the majority of the Risembool Rangers are female, and very nerdy indeed. So it's a bit of a diverse world, and probably the only thing that can be determined for sure is that I spend entirely too much time on the internet. (However, I'm still trying to conquer it, and therefore I think that's to be expected.)

Anyway, the main point of this post is to share two places online where my fellow female nerds have made homes for themselves. I've already talked about the Geek Girls Network, where I've contributed bits and bobs to the collection. These are on the same wavelength.

First up are the Fantastic Fangirls, who have carved out a section of the internet where they can geek out about comic books and culture. I discovered the existence of the FF when I became friendly with one of them, Caroline, owing to our mutual love of Fullmetal Alchemist. Caroline and her compatriots Sigrid, Jennifer, and Anika spread the word about their favorite comics and characters, often in funny and thought-provoking ways. For instance, they recently tried to decide how their favorite comic characters would spend a birthday. My personal comic book knowledge is limited almost exclusively to the old Legend of Zelda comic books and the humorous reviews of the esteemed Linkara, so I find FF to be educational on a point of nerdiness which is outside of my own expertise.

Recently, the Fantastic Fangirls have begun a foray into podcasting, which can be accessed from the same address. They're waiting patiently for their existence to be acknowledged by iTunes.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the internet...

Fangirl Magazine is an online publication whose tagline declares that they are "All geek all the time...with a woman's touch." They are led by the fearless Jessica, and among their number is my beloved and talented friend Ella, who does art pieces for their various posts. Unlike the FF, who focus on comics, FM covers a broad spectrum of nerdosity including movies, cartoons, con reports, and reviews of different media productions. FM is also available in podcast form. If it appeals to the nerdy masses, and if it particularly appeals to the female nerdy masses, they're on it.

Sadly, the "Centerfold of the Month" feature seems to have been discontinued. But the archives remain for future enjoyment.