A Day in the Life of Blooper

I wrote a vignette about my favorite character, Blooper, and I want to share it with you.



***



The morning dawns bright and sunny. A lone blooper wiggles itself awake. Amongst the slowly waving reeds and seaweed, it blinks tiredly. Near and far, bloopers across the sea are rising to meet the day. Did you know that squid sleep at night? Well, they do.



The blooper stretches out its tentacles, lazily floating and moving back and forth. It brushes against a piece of seaweed; its home and hiding place.



Peace under water is broken suddenly; a determined, mustachioed man swims erratically amongst the cheep cheeps and eep cheeps. The deep cheeps begin to look around, agitated and suspicious.



Blooper settles itself more comfortably against the solid floor of the ocean. The mustache man is of no concern. Deep cheeps are swimming for him, driving him away from the bed of relaxed bloopers, safe and happy amongst their fluid, grassy nests.



A strange sound cuts through the water, and blooper looks warily in its direction. The mustache man is coming back, and the deep cheeps are gone. Bright orange and red balls are whizzing away from the man, striking through the protective cheeps. Even cheep cheeps, and the gentlest eep cheeps, are falling.



With an imperceptible shift, blooper readies itself. The fellow bloopers follow suit. Lying in wait amongst the seaweed, what were once peaceful, undulating homes, become instruments of invisibility.



The swimming mustache draws nearer with slow, easy strokes; a languid attitude dripping along his legs as he glides in the water. Cheeps of all kind lay in still piles amongst the hidden bloopers. The man loops around once, twice, three times, slowing his approach to the seemingly empty and safe expanse of seaweed covered ground.



And then, he swims into the open. Confidently, quickly, his mustache flowing and twisting with the force of the moving water. Blooper braces for a moment, before propelling itself up and into the wavering shape above it; all thought and focus aimed at the man, and the image of the lifeless bodies of the cheeps that litter the once peaceful home of the bloopers.



***



-MJ



*banner images: blooper, mario.

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It's a Mario Party!

If you follow the A Bit of Geek Facebook page, then you may remember me posting this at the beginning of October:

Well, the time has come! Here is a full showcase of my nephew’s Mario themed birthday party. My sister took great care to create the full Mario Party experience, complete with ceiling, wall, and food decorations. She even did Mario themed games for the kids, and to great success! I was extremely impressed with the range that she brought to her son’s special day, and it, no joke, made me a little jealous that it wasn’t my birthday!

        

Many of her ideas came from Pinterest. I would never have thought of these ideas. The mural behind the food table was an inexpensive and easy way to make a bold statement and large decoration. She used a blue plastic tablecloth, green streamers, gold paper plates, and giant gold stars (all found at Party City for under a few bucks each), and we quickly cut out the clouds with regular printer paper right before the party started.

         

It’s not easy to come up with decorative food that’s not a sugar or sweet, but she managed to find an awesome vegetable display, and even made themed sandwiches with the simple use of a cookie cutter and chocolate chips!

        

She made the pinata herself out of tissue paper and mod podge. She was also convinced that it was extremely fragile and would break with one hit. This was comedically wrong, and after all of the kids had a go at it around three times, her husband ended up cutting it open with his keys. I’d recommend fewer layers of tissue paper, if you’re going to try this yourself! I also want to comment on the brilliance of those question blocks. They must have been a pain to make, but the kids were so STOKED to be punching blocks just like Mario!

        

According to my sister, it was no easy feat to find Mario items for this party. She made these great piranha plant glasses, and filled them with candies, Mario stickers, and star stamps that were pretty close to looking like invincible stars. I provided additional decorations from my own collection, and her sister-in-law brought some really awesome decorations that she had made for her own daughter’s Mario themed party earlier this summer.

         

The afternoon was a raging success, and my nephew walked away with a lot of awesome gifts, one of them being a copy of Mario Party 9! Fun fact, when he was only two years old, my sister and I played a round of Mario Party 8 with him. He was actually controlling his own Wiimote, and he somehow managed to beat us. I legitimately don’t understand how this happened.



Have you ever thrown a Mario birthday party? What would you have done differently, and did we miss any awesome ideas? I may or may not be fishing for more ideas for my own birthday party next year ;)



-MJ



*all images are property of Miranda/A Bit of Geek

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Ten Underrated (and Adorable) "Mario Bros" Villains

When you think of a villain, the words "adorable" and "silly" aren't usually the first to pop into your head. Unless we're talking about the world of Mario, in which case, ugliness does not exist. This universe is one of the very few that make you squeal with delight at the cuteness of the bad guys. We all know Boo, the adorable fluffy (two-faced) ghost. The Koopa Troopas (a personal favorite) are too much to handle with their little sneakers and precious waddle. And of course, even the ugliest big boss is still cute; Bowser is just about as lovable as a puppy.

There are a few villains out there who are not as widely spoken of, however. I think they deserve some time to shine, and dazzle us all with their charm and preciousness.

10. Mecha-Koopa

We first see these silly wind-up Bowser clones in the last level of Super Mario World. They are literally just little robots, but will, of course, hurt Mario on contact. They are easy to incapacitate, but will only need to wind themselves back up to get a move on again. At the last battle, you will need to use Bowser's own cute little robot clones to defeat him. Isn't it ironic?

 

Don't you think?

9. Pidgit

This little guy was taking us on a magic carpet ride way before Aladdin was. Making his debut in the ever-bizarre Super Mario Bros. 2, Pidgit the bird rode in on a flying carpet and stole our hearts. Like, literally. He flies into you, and you die. So, yeah, he's kind of a jerk. But he's so fat and happy looking, and he just loves his little Persian rug!

 

Every turn a surprise!

8. Mouser

Technically, this cool bad guy made his first appearance in Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic. Which is really just the original version of  Mario Bros. 2. In Yume Kojo, Mouser works for Wart, the evil Frog King. Mouser uses explosives to destroy others' good dreams. But I think he looks like a pretty chill dude.

 

Bro, let's go blow stuff up.

7. Wiggler

These sweet, wiggly caterpillars make their first appearance in Super Mario World. They're pretty adorable with their 8 tiny shoes and that daisy sticking out of their heads. But beware: these cuties have a temper! Jump on them and they turn a frightening red, charging with a powerfully furious demeanor. Oh, Wiggler. You're so cute when you're mad!

 

The original twerker.

6. Blargg

This villain is goofy as hell. It just had to be said. But goofy as it is, Blargg is a ferocious badass, swimming around in lava by day, snarling and eating plumbers by night. They mostly reside in the Vanilla Dome of Super Mario World, but have made appearances in other physical forms (from blob-like to humanoid) in other Mario games.

 

Like I said, goofy as hell.

5. Thwomp

Making his debut in Super Mario Bros. 3, this stone cold, spike-encrusted meanie will pound you into a pancake if you cross his path. It has been suggested that they are born from volcanic activity, which would explain the volcanic temper. But there's just something so charming about that furrowed brow.

 

Okay, Thwomp. Take a chill pill.

4. Birdo

Also originating from Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic/Mario Bros. 2, Birdo is a sassy gal who spits eggs or fireballs at her enemies. Birdo has made multiple appearances in newer Mario games as well, and apparently is married or engaged to Yoshi (?). At any rate, she's super weird, and adorable to boot.

 

Yoshi liked it, so he put a ring on it.

3. Ludwig Von Koopa

That hair! That buck-toothed grin! And I just can't get over the fact that he's based on one of the best musicians of all time. Like his namesake (Ludwig Van Beethoven), he likes to compose "Koopa Symphonies".  Ludwig Von Koopa appeals to my inner child, inner gamer, and inner history buff. We can spot him first in Super Mario Brothers 3, and again in Super Mario World.

 

I don't think spikes were in style in the 1700s.

2. Blooper

With a name that is an onomatopoeia for the sound it makes, Blooper is an adorable squishy squid that floats gracefully through the waters of the Mushroom Kingdom. It is one of the original baddies from Super Mario Bros., stalking Mario through treacherous waters. It can only be defeated by fireballs, but it will leave you alone if you swim away quickly enough. Cute is taken to a whole new level in Super Mario Bros. 3, when you can spot "Blooper Nanny", a full-grown Blooper with three or four baby Bloopers!

 

Bloop!

1. The Viruses

Found groovin' to the music in Dr. Mario, these three little germs are causing an epidemic in the Mushroom Kingdom. Red causes fever, Blue causes colds, and Yellow causes mutation. All Dr. Mario has to do is line up the Megavitamins just so, and Red, Blue, and Yellow will throw adorable temper tantrums as they're sent back into hibernation. Next time you're playing Dr. Mario, pay close attention to their little dances and facial expressions. They're so cute and funny, I like to think they are what's swimming around in my bloodstream when I'm feeling under the weather.

 

I feel sick, but I also feel like dancing.

Did I forget any? Let us know what your favorites are!

-Rachel

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Sculpt Video - Kuribo’s Shoe

It has been TOO LONG, but here, finally, is another paper sculpt video! This one is dedicated to the highly popular (but for some reason extremely neglected by Nintendo) one-time-use Mario power up: Kuribo's Shoe!



I haven't made a stop motion video in a full year now and I'm feeling a bit rusty on editing. I tried a few different export options, but the video looked a little choppy every time. If anyone has any tips for me they'd be greatly appreciated!

-MJ

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Gamer Tattoos: Raccoon Mario Edition

Today's gamer tattoo belongs to my friend Rachel. She got hers in March of 2011 from Silver City Tattoo in Poulsbo, Washington. My group of friends and I are fans of Brandon Stewart's work, and he happens to be a gamer himself, so he especially enjoys our requests. 

Here's a little bit of information on Rachel's tattoo from the lady herself!

"Growing up I played outside or I played my Nintendo. I can't remember most of my childhood friend's names, but I can remember playing Mario for hours on end until my mom told me that dinner was ready. For me, those are happy memories, and so I wanted to get this tattoo as a nod to my childhood and what I spent my time doing. Mario wasn't the only game I played, but it was certainly my favorite and I thought this particular illustration was appropriate because I love Mario, I loved getting the raccoon tail, and of course Koopa Troopas are my favorite villain. 

Half the people I show my tattoo to are super excited about it and think it's great, and the other half don't understand and they think it's just some stupid tattoo I got of a video game character. But for me it actually has meaning. 

I'm a lifelong gamer, but it's always sort of been in the closet until recently. My husband has really brought out the inner geek in me and certain friends who are typing this right now [editors note: I transcribed this as she spoke :)] also inspired me to let out my geek and be proud of this hobby of mine." - Rachel

When she and I met she was so excited when she saw my Blooper tattoo. She told me how she wanted a Mario one but had met with less than favorable responses from a variety of people. My response was that if she wanted a Mario then she should get one, and to ignore the people who told her it was a bad idea. People will undersand it or they won't, and there was no reason to forgo her loves and interests for the sake of someone who would never "get" it.

-MJ

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The Tattoos of a Gamer

Until the age of twenty I constantly swore that I'd never get any tattoos. I insisted there was nothing I liked so much to want it on my body, I couldn't decide where it would go anyway, and there was that crippling hypothetical paranoia that it would turn out poorly.

But bring on age twenty, and my best friend and I started talking about getting Triforce tattoos. We had been friends for so long, and we both loved the Legend of Zelda dearly. After a year of talking, planning, and deciding, we finally went for it.

On top of the Triforce having a pleasant and simple design, it has such a wonderful meaning. The symbol for power, wisdom, and courage, and the possessor, if their heart be pure, having the ability to bring the world into a golden age of prosperity.

Please enjoy this dark, out of focus photo of us showing off our new tattoos.
Silver City Tattoo in Poulsbo, Washington.

Prior to the big day I encountered a fair amount of grief from outsiders regarding my tattoo of choice. They simply couldn't believe that something from a video game was a worthy subject for permanent body art. It was difficult to explain to them what, exactly, the Triforce meant to me. It was more than a game, it was also a symbol of my friendship with Jacki. 

People could get onboard with the friendship thing (although some still found that to be a bad idea. "What if you stop being friends?"), but mostly they thought the Zelda aspect to be absurd ("What if in twenty years you don't play that game anymore?").

There's no way for me to know what's going to happen, or how I'm going to feel, in twenty years. I can only know how I think and feel now. I love video games so much, they are a huge part of my life, and I've played them since I could hold a controller. I've had my Triforce for over five years now and I don't regret it. It makes me smile, it brings me happiness. I'm reminded of fond memories of playing Ocarina of Time, and of my best friend and everything we've been through together.

For my 22nd birthday I acquired a second gaming related tattoo, my beloved Blooper.

Tattoo by Brandon Stewart at Silver City Tattoo in Poulsbo, Washington.

People didn't question this decision nearly as much as they did for my Triforce. I guess once you have one gaming tattoo, it's not a big deal to get a second. They did wonder why Blooper, though. My answer for that is two fold: Mario is awesome, and I love sea life. I like to joke that it was a thrifty two-in-one tattoo, taking care of the need for a Mario tattoo and a sea life one. Bloopers also happen to be my favorite enemy in the Mario series. 

And I love this little guy! I don't wear tank tops a lot, so whenever I do I feel pleased knowing that he's behind me staring at everyone that I pass. I also frequently forget that he's there, so sometimes I'll catch him in a mirror and spin around startled to get a better look. People ask me, "What is your tattoo?" to which I reply, "It's a Blooper, the squid enemy from Mario." It elicits strange looks from a fair number of inquirers, but at the very least everyone can agree that he's a cutie. 

Check back through the next two weeks, because I'll be showcasing more gamer tattoos from my friends! See their art and hear their stories, and if you have a tattoo and story of your own please feel free to share it here!

-MJ

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Kuribos Shoe Paper Sculpt

A small offering of love toward my favorite Mario item! Check out the making of video :)

-MJ

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Two Years Free of GameStop: A Retrospective.

Next month marks a whopping two years since I quit my job at GameStop. February 2011 was a time of huge change for me! I was planning a trip to Ireland, and then after that I moved down to California to begin the next chapter of my life. It's a new year now, 2013 ahoy, and I'm feeling nostalgic about the old game store.

Is the power really to the players? Is it? Source.

The other day a friend wanted to pop down to a new location a few towns over from where I worked, but he wondered if I'd be bothered about seeing people I used to work with:

"Unless you don't want to see anyone you know," he said.

"Oh I won't know anyone that works at this location," I replied.

We walk into the store and the first person I saw was a manager whom I'd met a few times, but spoke on the phone with on a regular basis when I was a manager. He had been with the company for a long time and frequently transferred to new or troubled stores to clean things up. My jaw nearly hit the floor with irony and delight.

I spoke to him, he remembered me, and we chatted briefly about our tenure with GameStop. It was a nice visit, and reminded me of one of the best things about my time there: the people. One of my best friends now started out as a simple co-worker, and some of my best memories are of goofing off with my long-term manager. When I talk about the ridiculous and bad things that happened during my six year employment people often ask why I stayed for so long. My immediate answer is, "Because I loved my co-workers."

The free poster perk wasn't bad, either!

On a different and more selfish level, it's also because I loved being in the game industry. No matter how peripherally. I had constant access to release date lists, e-mails about pre-release information, and GameInformer. I could look at the magazines if I wanted, read all the backs of all the boxes, ask customers first hand what they thought of titles, and I could watch the games rise and fall in popularity. Based off of trade in trends I could tell which games were long or short, which were good or bad. I knew the rares from the commons. I had an expansive knowledge base even though I had experienced only a fraction of the games for myself.

Of course it wasn't all fun and games (pun intended?). I was yelled at by customers, there were late nights and long open-to-close shifts. Stores were dirty, people were mean, co-workers were incompetent. I dealt with thieves, irresponsible children, and I lost my temper a time or two. Once resulting in a broken phone and another in a dislodged ceiling tile. My wage was bad and my hours were inconsistent, but part of me really loved my job. And I was fiercely dedicated to my store. I took great pride in working there.

It's strange to go into my old location and see people I don't know and floor setups that I didn't build. I just want to wander behind the counter and start processing trade ins all, "It's cool I used to be a manager here."

I don't think they'd like that, though.

-MJ

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Games and Consoles

My collection of video game based photography. Many of these ideas began as college projects!

-MJ

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Those Precious Coins

With our Governor of Geekdom feeling a little under the weather I've whipped together this little ditty for ya.

It's kind of been done, sure, but this is a slightly different angle. I don't claim to be the first person who thought of this, but hell, I had fun making it and it's always nice to think back on the little guys you crushed on your way to the Big Bad. Back when I first saw Bowser that's what I thought he'd look like if ever we were to meet in a dark dank dungeon. At the end of the game I also kind of expected something to happen with the coins, I mean, extra lives are great but a plumber can only use so many extra lives.


Get well soon MJ, the Geeks are restless without you.

En Taro Adun,
Andrew

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Geek Crafts Day: Mario Quilt!

This Christmas I'm taking the homemade route for as many gifts as possible, and for my five year old nephew I went with a blanket.

A Mario blanket!

Da-da-da-da-- wait, wrong game.

The little guy loves Spider-man and Mario just like his aunt (that'd be me!), so it was a real treat to put this quilt together for him. It's difficult to beat handmade gifts that are also functional, and who wouldn't want a warm blanket emblazoned with a pipe-jumping Italian?

I definitely want one.

I assembled it entirely from old t-shirts that I had saved up for various sewing projects. I wish I had had a darker color for his skin, but the clothes give away the basic idea of his 8-bit image. I've been meaning to make a Mario quilt for myself and I think this'll be the push that I need. If I didn't love my nephew so much I'd probably keep this for myself. Except it's tiny, so it really wouldn't do me any good.

Let's look at some brilliant geeky quilts from across the web and churn up some excitement and inspiration!

I just love the detail and spread of fabrics used in Mario, and the quilt on the right has such

 a fantastic array of characters. It's so vibrant and beautiful!

The non-patchwork aesthetic of the Goron quilt is gorgeous, and the Zelda quilt

has the teeniest, tiniest squares I've ever seen. My mind is blown.

The swirly stitching on the Black Mage works so well with the magic aspect! And a Tetris

quilt is an obvious (and wonderful) choice that also takes a lot of planning. But

the red piece is in the wrong spot, whyyyyyyyyyyy?!

Lastly, two total works of art: a stunning Pokemon quilt, and a video game 

conglomeration that hits the classics as well as the underdog hits. 

They're all amazing in their own way, and so straight and square! I'm a bit haphazard with my sewing, so my squares are always a bit crooked. Someday I'll make the quilt of my dreams and I'll be meticulous with it. Hopefully it'll look a lot like this:

Kuribo's Shoe has a very special place in my heart. Source

Who else out there does quilting? Have you done any geeky quilts before? If so then please post some photos!

-MJ

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