Geek Girl in Hollywood: It’s a great time to be a nerd

This past weekend, I did something I never do: I took a day off. So, what does a girl who writes about geek stuff for a living do when she’s not working? Talk about geek stuff, of course!

This weekend’s geek-out was all about how many superhero/geek movies are coming out in 2016. Someone asked me about what movie I’m looking forward to most and when I put together my list, I sounded like a hungry kid in a candy store being asked what she wanted. Gobstoppers! I mean, Mike and Ikes! I mean, chocolate frogs! No, wait, fudge!

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I’m sure you guys have had the same discussions. “Batman v Superman,” “X-Men: Apocalypse,” “Deadpool,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Suicide Squad,” “Ghostbusters,” “Star Trek Beyond,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Warcraft” — we all know the list. So, why am I writing about it? It’s because I was also talking this weekend about what my 7-year-old self would have thought of this.

It’s heartening to know that my niece and nephew are growing up with geeky things — that if they love this stuff, they won’t be alone. They won’t worry that everyone will think they’re silly for voraciously reading fantasy novels under the covers until it’s hard to find one they haven’t read. That endlessly quoting “Star Wars” and knowing thousands of fun facts about Batman isn’t going to set them apart.

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To be fair, I wasn’t bullied for loving all things geek as a kid. Not at all. I did, however, often hide how many times I’d read the “Dragonriders of Pern” series. I maybe didn’t mention that I played Dungeons & Dragons after knowing someone for only a few weeks. I knew I’d be looked at strangely or I’d get the ever popular, “You don’t look like a geek.” It was just easier to keep it quiet. Now, my closet is full of geek shirts that get comments like, “Dude, where did you get that Ms. Marvel shirt?” instead of, “Oh, I didn’t know you were into that stuff.”

Must-see television isn’t “Friends” anymore. What you hear at the water cooler is, “Have you watched ‘Jessica Jones’ yet?” “Did you see the ‘Suicide Squad’ trailer?” It isn’t about who’s sleeping with who in a show. It’s about whether or not Darkseid is being referenced in the “Batman v Superman” trailer. I’ve never been happier. It’s a good time to be a nerd.