Fandom Foods: Happy Waffle Day!

March 25th was National Waffle Day, so to celebrate such a glorious holiday, I would like to provide you with a recipe for your everyday, typical waffle and then offer some tweaks with fandom twists.

First, here is your ordinary waffle recipe, the bare bones of our fandom foodie fun:

Typical Waffle Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.

Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

Stranger Things 

Now, to put a fandom spin on these tasty treats. If we're talking waffles, then we HAVE to start with Stranger Things, right? El loves Eggos, but that doesn't mean we can't make hot, fresh, and homemade waffles.

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Suggested Tweaks:

Though, you could always just buy Eggo Waffles...

Suggested Toppings:

French Fries (secondhand fries are fine)
Ice Cream
Apples
Whipped Cream
Snack Pack Chocolate Pudding

Six of Crows series

If you haven't read Six of Crows or anything by Leigh Bardugo for that matter, then I suggest you stop reading this post and pick up something by her immediately!

(Why is the French Edition so pretty?!)

One of the characters in the series is a girl named Nina, who is an accomplished magic user and avid waffle appreciator. She adores these fluffy, sweet treats. Thus, I present tweaks and toppings that I'm sure would be Nina (and Inej) approved. Since the country Nina comes from is based a lot on the Russian culture, I added some Russian flare to breakfast. 

Suggested Tweaks:

Add Cognac (brandy), condensed milk, and caramel to mixture and give it a traditional Russian flavor. For a non-alcoholic substitution, instead of using Cognac, replace with peach, pear or apricot juice.

Suggested Toppings:
More Caramel and chocolate never hurt!
Walnuts (if not allergic)

Teen Titans

Teen Titans (the original, not Go!) is about teenagers fighting crime, but more importantly, it's about friendship and the time we spent with the ones we love. Each team member has their own unique personality, so I thought that I'd give you several options about how to better your waffle experience. 

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With the team in mind, here they are:

Suggested Tweaks:

Instead of regular eggs, make sure to use vegan substitutes. Beast Boy is vegetarian, but I'm positive he would much prefer the vegan recipe. Here's a recipe from the Flaming Vegan: 

Ingredients: 

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 cups of unsweetened soy milk
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

Instructions: 

Step 1: Grease the waffle iron with a drop of vegetable oil and turn it on

Step 2: Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl

Step 3: Add the soy milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients

Step 4: Whisk the mixture by hand until it forms into a smooth batter

Step 5: Pour the batter into the waffle iron according to its instructions.

Second option might be to dye the waffles purple for Raven.

Suggested Toppings: 

Have a mustard dipping sauce on the side to satisfy Starfire, chocolate chips for Robin, and lots of crispy bacon for Cyborg (just, don't tell Beast Boy). 

Persona 5

Persona 5 has become my latest obsession. It's a strategy game which revolves around the idea of teenagers, who usually do not have that much power in society, having the ability to change people's hearts for the better.

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When it comes to food, there are many options in the game. Some food even gives you health or magic boosts. So, since Persona takes place in Tokyo, I wanted to offer Japanese flavor options.  

Suggested Tweaks: 

Add Matcha to the mix.

Toppings:

Assorted Fruit (pineapple, apple, strawberries, banana, berries)

Red Bean Paste

Voltron Legendary Defender 

Voltron is a show about a group of people fighting to save the Galaxy. One of the characters, Hunk, is a brilliant chef, so when he's faced with alien food, he can get pretty creative.

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Here are some suggestions to help inspire you to think outside the box with your breakfast, just like Hunk!

Suggested Tweaks: 

Colored dye

Lemon juice

Suggested Toppings: 

Cut into triangles to signify Al markings

Boysenberry syrup

Star-shaped sprinkles

Incorporating fandom into anything can be fun. Having your passions shine through will brighten your day and get the creative juices flowing in new and exciting ways. Though Waffle Day has passed, know that if you so choose, waffles and fandoms can be enjoyed whenever you feel like it. If you like books AND waffles, be sure to follow my friend Jaime at her blog here.

Have you ever made fandom-inspired waffles? 

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Happy Pal-entine's Day: Celebrating Fandom Friendships

Remember in Elementary School where instead of celebrating your significant other (because you're like seven) you would gift everyone in the classroom Valentine's Day cards and perhaps even those cool, holographic stickers? Ah, the good ol' days.

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It reminds me that Valentine's Day isn't always about romantic love; in fact, it SHOULD be about all kinds of love, your family and friends included. So, instead of focusing on my fandom couples, I instead want to celebrate some of my favorite fandom friendships. (Note: All of these are just what came to mind first and do NOT signify what I deem as the BEST friendships in fandom. Additionally, spoilers are only included blacked-out but can be highlighted to view.)

Anime

For this category, I’m going a decade or so back to Fullmetal Alchemist. One of my favorite relationships in the series—and there are many—involves tinkerer Winry Rockbell and bookworm Sheska.

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These girls cannot be more different from one another, since Winry has an obsession with mechanics and engineering and Sheska focuses on reading and, well, more reading. You might think, “hey, what do these girls have in common, anyway?"

Though an unlikely pair, it completely works, since they amusingly feed into each other's goofiness but have the same drive to help people in need. They form a tremendously capable duo! YAY for besties.

Video Games

You can’t see it, but I’m shaking with excitement (and also from a teensy bit of caffeine) over this next one. Recently, I’ve been playing Persona 5 and have found that I’m only slightly addicted. Okay, okay, so I’ve been playing it fairly frequently and because of that, I’ve come to care for the characters and acknowledge how important friendship is to the game (just like past Persona games).

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Throughout Persona 5, you must pay attention to what’s called the confidant system, which is a social link level system between the main character and another character in game. As your friendship with another person grows stronger, you’re able to gain more abilities, items, and bonuses.

Besides this gameplay aspect, it was also interesting to see how the characters interact with one another, both in cutscenes and battles.

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What’s even more amazing is that throughout the game the importance of friendship is cherished and put far above most things. In fact, at the end of the game, in order to get a “good” ending, the player MUST choose not to spill any information about his friends. It feeds into the whole concept behind Persona, that you're connecting with not only people in the world but, most importantly, your team.

Books

So, this goes for all Rick Riordan’s series, but the most recent one I’m on is Trials of Apollo.

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Of course, we have to acknowledge Percy, Annabeth and the rest of the characters' friendships. That’s a given. However, I do want to touch on Apollo and his evolution from self-absorbed god to only slightly less self-absorbed god. The premise of Trials is that Apollo, the god of the sun/prophecy/medicine/music/etc. (he’s in control of a LOT!), is sentenced to live as a mortal until he can prove he is worthy to come back to Olympus. Zeus commands that the first mortal Apollo sees shall be his master (turns out to be a girl named Meg), who will have absolute control over him.

Now, you’re probably thinking: wait, this doesn’t sound like fun and most certainly doesn't sound like the beginning of a friendship. This sounds...like the opposite of that.

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Oh, ho! But the story progresses and you watch as a burning hatred between Apollo and Meg blossoms into something more. I won’t dare step into spoiler territory, but I will say that there is one specific feels moment between Meg and Apollo in the second book that made me want to die from complete and utter sweetness. We’re talking full on sugar coma, people! It’s refreshing to see the great god Apollo develop modesty, kindness, and consideration all thanks to a little girl's friendship.

TV Series

I’ve recently finished Jessica Jones (I'm watching all the Marvel series at the moment) and found it was fascinating because it was packed with complicated human feelings, artsy noir vibes, and true to life consequences. That’s why Jessica and her best friend Trish's friendship was so treasured for me, because it was bright and white hot and created the perfect light to brighten the darkness of the show, especially near the end.

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Jessica is about to take out Kilgrave once and for all, so she must pretend that she’s under his control to fool Kilgrave. Prior to this, Jesssica has said that she doesn’t say I love you. So, when Kilgrave compels her to say just that, instead of turning to him and telling him what he wants to hear, she locks eyes with Trish and says "I love you" to her instead. 

Of course, there are many more instances of lovely friendships (Harry Potter, Kingdom Hearts, Voltron, Fire Emblem, and Totally Spies all demonstrate this), but fandom culture truly tends to highlight the importance of relationships of all kinds, most recently friendships. It's refreshing to see that bromances and galentines are definitely a thing. Let's keep it that way!

What's your favorite fandom friendship?

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The 8 Greatest Video Game Sidekicks

As a gamer, especially as an RPG gamer, I've come across a few terrible NPCs (non-playable characters) to say the least. But, there have always been a good amount of excellent sidekicks in the video game realm. Here are some of the best. 

GLaDOS from Portal 

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Sidekick support: No support, really. Just provides comedic relief in the most hateful way possible.

She’s actually the antagonist of the series. Still, her comedic timing and clever quips make up for her many attempts to kill you, especially since she’s the only one you stay in contact with throughout the entire game. In a way, it's sort of endearing, right? Eh. Maybe not. Though, the amusement factor does help her case tremendously.

Mickey from Kingdom Hearts 

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Sidekick support: Second chance and a reliable healer.

Odd, because at least for the first Kingdom Hearts, the AI wasn’t all that advanced and you usually had your sidekicks (*ahem* Donald) rarely help in battle. They would heal you directly AFTER you healed yourself or die within the first two attacks. I'm not bitter. No, not bitter at all.

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But the game developers put special care into Mickey (and Riku!). In Kingdom Hearts II, he was the one who would swoop in when Sora died and you had a brief period of time where you controlled him. With all those flips and all that agility, it felt like controlling Yoda. He was even better in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep when he fought alongside Aqua. He did a great deal of damage (yeahhh, there was a time when I just sat back and watched him hack away at that life bar) and saved me more times than I expected.

Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 

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Sidekick support: Information.

Uh, did I say best? I meant worst for this one. No, no. She was fine. Anyone who has played Zelda knows that Link comes across a variety of companions. Navi, the fairy friend in Ocarina of Time is extremely informative, unless you’ve played the game for the 100th time, then she just becomes annoying. I’m tempted to add Midna instead of Navi, but part of me is pleased by the fact that I might trigger some people’s dumbfounded wondering over why I put Navi on my list.

Miles "Tails" Prower from Sonic the Hedgehog

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Sidekick support: Two player ability and air support.

I kind of want to include Knuckles here, just because the later Sonic games had him as your sidekick and he was awesome, but the nostalgic side of me, the younger side, the one who had Sonic and Tails, definitely wants to say Tails is the best sidekick. I remember always wanting to try out Tails, at least once because, heck, he could fly!!

Personas From the Persona series

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Sidekick support: A manifested personality that evolves from social choices and battle. Also, gives you the ability to fight unseen monsters.

Okay, okay. I have NOT yet played Persona 5 (I know! What a crime.), but I have played Persona 3 and greatly enjoyed it. Two particular characteristics carry over in all Persona games: that your manifested personality, your persona, is affected by social choices throughout the game, and that both shadows (enemies) and personas are broken into tarot card categories, each with their own strengths, depending on real world and shadow world interactions.

Summons from the Final Fantasy series

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Sidekick support: Depending on the series, they could be a form of worship and/or resurrection (FFXV) or perhaps even a connection to the dead and ultimate weapon for the big bad (FFX), but really they’re just beasts/gods/critters you use to battle monsters. Chocobos are included! They have been used as summons before.

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Summons and chocobos have appeared in the Final Fantasy series since Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy II respectively. Summons are ALWAYS a powerful attack, no matter the game, and later, usually have stunning cinematics to accompany them. Besides, the summons tend to repeat throughout the series, yet differ ever so slightly from game to game. Hm, are all final fantasies parallel universes?

Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite

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Sidekick support: Emotional investment, complements main character’s personality, and is actually useful.

Bioshock Infinite was brilliant in many ways, one of them being the AI companion that follows you throughout the series, Elizabeth. Finally, a sidekick that doesn't typically die within the first 3 minutes of battle.

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Though I won’t delve into the spoiler territory, I will say that having Elizabeth by your side adds not only to the story as a whole but also the gameplay. There are certain instances in the game where Elizabeth will find coins on the ground and chuck them towards you. Thankfully, Booker is a pretty good catch. Again, not venturing into spoiler territory, but she's a key piece of the plot and quite the interesting character.

Pocket/Digital “Monsters” from Pokémon and Digimon

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Sidekick support: Best friend! Has emotional/cuddle/battle support.

How could I NOT add Pokémon for best sidekicks? Who wouldn’t want a gaggle of monsters you could carry around in your “pocket” to battle friends or total strangers? I mean, you were able to choose a starter Pokémon, making it seem interesting to say the least. Who would ever trade their starter? There’s a sense of loyalty there.

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I also want to add digimon to this list as well. I mean, to have a monster that's tailored to your specific personality and needs, that you could connect with whenever you’re on the internet. After all, we’re always connected to the internet anyway, so you could basically see them 24/7.

Having an NPC that is informative, provides battle support, and contributes to the story and heart of the game is always welcome. They simply make the experience much more enjoyable and feed my fangirl heart, at the very least.

What's your favorite video game sidekick?

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Steal My Heart: 5 Upcoming Thief-Themed Fandoms

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Persona 5 released this past Tuesday and I've reallllyyy been wanting to play it, partially because it's been YEARS since they've released a new Persona game. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a little longer to actually try it out, since I'm too busy playing the HD PS4 versions of all the Kingdom Hearts games. But I'll get to it eventually. After all, Persona 5 has teens transforming into thieves to steal the hearts of corrupt individuals! I can already tell that I'm going to love it.

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I'm aware that I have an obsession with thieves (*ahem* Six of Crows, D.N. Angel, Magic Kaito etc.), so that's why I'm extremely excited for a thief-themed Persona. Below, I have listed 5 fandoms about thieves I anticipate experiencing (and thoroughly enjoying) in the coming year(s).

Persona 5

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Though the rest of my list includes upcoming, unreleased fandoms, Persona 5 can be purchased right now! But since this post is dedicated to its release, I felt it was necessary to include it (plus, it hasn't even been out a week yet). In short, Persona 5 is about a group of teenagers who all come to realize that adults are unfairly taking advantage of and suppressing the freedom of others. To combat this, the teens form “The Phantom Thieves of Hearts” in order to steal the root of various adults' corruption. They live dual lives, one in which they're normal students and another in which they're phantom thieves. Just as in previous Persona games, the teens must unleash Personas to unlock special powers and abilities. 

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Why I want to play it:

• I mean, come on, who doesn't want to be a phantom thief?
• The promise of once again playing a game that merges the best qualities of a dating sim with an RPG. 
• You have to be strategic and stealthy. (This intrigues me.)

Thick as Thieves (The Queen's Thief series) by Megan Whalen Turner

(out May 16, 2017) 

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Remember reading The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner? If not, then you’re seriously missing out. For those who aren't familiar, the book is about a magus that seeks out a thief named Gen, whose boasting gets him in major trouble. Gen accompanies the king's magus on a quest to steal an unnamed legendary object. Throughout this charming tale, we find Gen to be both amusing and stunningly clever. To top it off, there are even interesting stories about this world's ancient gods and goddesses. Believe it or not, this series just gets better as it goes along. I didn't want it to end! And with Thick as Thieves, it doesn't have to! Though the story isn't about Gen this time, it still takes place in the same world. To be honest, I haven't heard much about it, except that it features a new character named Kamet, who is set on a different path from the one he expects.

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Why I want to read it:

• More about Gen’s fantastical world!! 
• This book includes a map of the Queen's Thief world!! 
• Megan Whalen Turner is a genius. Enough said. 

The Star Thief  by Lindsey Becker
(out April 11, 2017) 

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Another book I've had my eye on is The Star Thief. The story follows a maid named Honorine, whose whole life has been spent daydreaming about something more. When she stumbles upon a mysterious stranger atop a fiery horse, she finally gets her chance to begin a true adventure. She soon comes to realize that she’s much more important than a maid and that she's in the middle of an epic battle between magic and science. From what I can gather, this story has an interesting fantasy concept (constellations come to life!!) set in a steampunk world.

Why I want to read it:

• Like I said, constellations are coming to LIFE! How cool is that?
• It's steampunk!! 
• This book is an action-packed middle grade book? Sign me up! I need more to booktalk.

The Sly Cooper Movie 
(not likely until after 2017)

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Right around the time that I started playing Kingdom Hearts, I tried Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. Man, I spent many a night playing through this wonderful game. Unfortunately, I never got around to playing the others in the series, but perhaps I'll pick it back up later on.

All the games follow the misdeeds of Sly Cooper the raccoon and his team as they make their way through various heists. What truly brings these games to life is the comic book style animation and need for stealth and carefully timed attacks. That’s why this movie, which has yet to be given a release date, has me so hyped. It makes me wonder what the plot is going to be like. Here’s hoping it stays true to Sly and the gang’s mischief and humor.

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Why I want to watch it:

• Opportunity to relive my childhood
• Awesome stealth scenes (I know, I have an obsession.) 
• It's a heist...WITH ANIMALS!! 

Genies Movie and the Live-Action Aladdin Movie
(release dates TBA)

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Everyone’s aware that Disney is currently revamping most of their classic Disney movies from the golden age, so of course they’re thinking about doing a live-action Aladdin. How awesome would it be to see our most beloved street rat win the heart of the fearless Princess Jasmine?

But before they film Aladdin, they’re hoping to create a live-action prequel called Genies, which will be about (you guessed it, folks) the Genie before he meets Aladdin. Just like Sly Cooper, Genies and Aladdin have yet to have official release dates. The only thing I’m worried about is how the new actor for Genies is ever going to live up to Robin Williams' rendition.

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Why I want to watch it:

• Pure curiosity. Like I said above, how will this guy pull off Genie?
• To find out what Genie was like before Aladdin.  
• Will they get an all Middle Eastern cast? Please, please, please. 

I’ve said this before, but just to reiterate, I adore thieves. Perhaps it’s the thrill of the heist, or maybe it's the love of the unlikely antiheroes triumphing by using just their wits, agility, and dexterous fingers. Thief-themed stories help us see that cleverness trumps strength and that people have flaws, but that doesn't mean that they're terrible human beings. Life's a bit more complicated than that.

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Did I miss any upcoming fandoms involving thieves? Let me know below. 

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My Top 5 Most Anticipated Video Games of 2016

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This year is the year of long-awaited video games. A few games I’ve been following are preparing to make their debut.  Here is my list:

5.  What Remains of Edith Finch
(PlayStation 4 exclusive)

I’ve only recently found out about this game.  Consequently, I don't know much about it, but what little I do know intrigues me.  I was floored by its engaging story.  Seriously, some video games have brilliant writers.  This kind of thing should be acknowledged. 

What's fascinating is that the game is a collection of short stories about a cursed family. You explore the various family members’ stories, from the first member in the early 1900s to the last one in the present day. Unfortunately, each short story doesn’t end well (hence, cursed family).

In the present day, you play as Edith Finch, who is the last of her family.  You must explore her house to gather clues about her deceased relatives.  Supposedly, the creator deemed the house “crazy."  If you’ve seen the trailer, you’d agree. 

Really looking forward to this gem.

4.  Tacoma
(Xbox One and PC)

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Ever since Game Informer featured Tacoma on its front cover, I’ve been itching to get my hands on it! Unfortunately, it won't be coming to PlayStation.  Luckily for me, I do have a PC, so I will be playing it whenever it comes out. (Just like the rest of these games, the release date is unknown.)

What’s really neat about Tacoma is that it’s a visual novel adventure game. You are stranded on a lunar transfer station called Tacoma. You’ve been sent to fix the station and to figure out where all the crew has disappeared to. (Yes, an entire space station's crew is missing.)  You must find out what happened by exploring Tacoma, looking for prerecorded holograms and various other clues. There have even been hints that you shouldn’t completely trust the computer system on board Tacoma, even though that’s where you get most of your information. 

Space mystery? Sign me up!

3.  Persona 5
(PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4)
Trigger Warning:  Suicide 

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Persona 3 can be rather…intense.  After all, not every video game features playable characters having to shoot themselves in the head in order to defeat baddies. (It's dark!) While Persona 3 was very much a dungeon crawler, it doubled as an "animesque" dating sim.  Yup, one minute you’re fighting terrifying monsters by using a manifestation of your personality, the next you're trying to figure out what to say to get your friends to like you.

With that in mind, Persona 5 is a teeny tiny bit different. It has the feeling of a Persona, but it’s added a few things. 

 Most importantly, the characters are thieves! Guys, they’re phantom thieves! 

That being said, the director has mentioned the dungeons were influenced by the phantom thief trope.  You can see in trailers how using your surroundings as a thief is significant.   One trailer showed the main character hopping from chandelier to chandelier and using stealth to creep around corners.  Some have even said that Persona 5 could play similarly to a Sly Cooper game.

I still can't get over how this game is about thieves.  I’m not sure why, but I have this odd fascination with Japanese phantom thieves. I guess I can blame Dark Mousy for that.

2.  Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
(PlayStation 4 exclusive)

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Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Does she just like creepy games? Ha! Not entirely, no. Kingdom Hearts is my all time favorite series, after all. Nothing creepy about…well, Xehanort in all forms is pretty creepy.

Anyway, I wish I could put Kingdom Hearts 3 on this list, but Nomura has pushed back the release date again. Do your thing Nomura. Just finish the game already. 

In the meantime, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 has been promised a 2016 release date. It’s to include Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, formally a 3DS game; snippets of Kingdom  Hearts x[chi], which will consist of cutscenes only; and Kingdom Hearts 0.2, where the player can play as Aqua in the Realm of Darkness.

Now, I should add that Dream Drop Distance is basically Pokémon with Disney/Final Fantasy characters and time travel.  It also focuses on the greatest bromance of all time—Sora and Riku!!

I know next to nothing about KH X[Chi]. Mainly, this was included because it wasn’t released in America. But this gives us the opportunity to learn more about the Kingdom Hearts Universe. The cutscenes should be enlightening…or confuse us even more.

Then there is KH 0.2, which was developed on the same engine as KH 3! It’ll almost be like a demo. This should keep me busy for a bit.

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1.  Final Fantasy XV
(PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

I’ve been waiting ten years for this one, ten long years of writing horrible fanfic about Noctis and Stella (Right!  Her name is Luna now.) and squealing over the Shakespeare quotes (Are they still going to be in the game?). Even though Tetsuya Nomura isn’t heading the project anymore, I have a good feeling about Tabata. Please, please make this a good game. 

Which leads me to the question, will this game be any good? From what I’ve seen...YES!

Have you played the demo?! Oh, it oozes greatness. My eyes were bleeding from the pure beauty of it.  And they've included black chocobos!! They’re like heavy metal chocobos for crying out loud!

As for the gameplay, most promotional material likens Final Fantasy XV to Kingdom Hearts. That’s right, it’s not your older sibling’s Final Fantasy. Turn-based battles are the thing of the past.  Don't worry.  The gameplay works!  When I played the demo, the controls were so fluid that reality felt clunky.

The Final Fantasy XV team also sent out a survey that players took after they completed the demo. The survey asked fans for suggestions, something Square hadn’t really done before. But what was truly impressive was that they updated the demo according to the survey results.

Final Fantasy XV is coming out this year!  This means my 15 year old self will finally be at peace. 

 

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Any video games you're looking forward to playing this year?  Let us know in the comments.

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