I am Felicia Day, Co-Founder of Geek & Sundry, Actor, Writer, Producer, ETC and Stuff – AMA

Two part question here. Who is the person you most admire in this world, and why your brother?

EDIT: Someone gave me gold! I bet no one has given her gold!

WHO GAVE HIM GOLD?!?!

i think as her brother, you need to tell us a few embarassing stories of her ^{^}

Maybe if one day I accomplish enough to deserve my own IAmA!

GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE

LOLOLOLOLOL

Remember when I said I was sending you Tomb Raider after I finished? Cold day in hell now dude.

felicia, you need to share with your brother.

YOU CANT MAKE ME DO ANYTHING JOSHUA

Hey Ryan! It's Chris from Be a Real Gamer, how's it going?

MY MAN! How are you? I have been wanting to get back with you guys but work is tightening its grip on me me harder every day, and unlike star systems, I am not slipping through their fingers.

WHY ARE YOU HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE ON MY AMA?!?!? FUCK

Someone has to supply the interesting content.

Ryan, what is it like being Felicia Day's brother?

and almost as important, Felicia, whats it like to be a sister to an obvious 'hell of a guy'?

Guys please don't encourage this shit.

What the fuck type of name is Ryon

HAHAH You just opened a can of whoopass sir.

I'd just like to apologize for accidentally stalking you while you were out for breakfast one day in Vancouver. I spotted you while you were chilling at a cafe and wanted to just pop in and say thanks for being cool and all that. But then I got nervous and started to chicken out so I instead ordered a coffee and cookie and sat down nearby to try to regain some courage. The problem is I don't drink coffee because it makes me really nauseous and jumpy, so this didn't help my state of mind at all.

After about half an hour or so of pretending to mind my own business while actually pretty much just being a creepy stalker I managed to stand up and shout at you "I'VE JUST BEEN STALKING YOU FOR AN HOUR BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE NEAT, I'M SORRY" and then I ran out of the store.

I am awkward and I apologize.

I dont' remember your screaming that, did you scream it or was the screaming in your head and you were quiet and polite about it? But I do enjoy it when people come up and say they like my stuff, I've met a lot of cool people that way.

I did meet someone in vacouver in line at a place and then the next day she wrote a comic about my conversation I was having with someone else. That made me hella paranoid about talking in public afterwards haha.

It's possible that in my caffeine addled state things were moving a lot faster and louder for me than for the rest of the world around me. I remember that you started to respond saying "Oh thanks I appreciate - " but by then I had already half bolted out the door. I'm glad that I haven't scarred you towards fan interactions though!

I have panics all the time and I think maybe sometimes the things in my head are not what people outside see haha

All of Reddit has a crush on you.

Really?! there was a thread a few years about about "Is it just me or is Felicia Day totally horrible at eveything" and it had like 500 comments. I admit, of all the places on the internet I want to be liked, it's Reddit so I cried haha.

This is really sad. Reddit, you made her cry, what the hell. We love you, we promise!

It's cool, if everyone praises you all the time you're probably gonna turn into an asshole. The Internet makes sure I stay humble!

Not sure if you're aware, but there is a subreddit devoted just to you!

/r/feliciaday

I DIDNT KNOW THAT!!!!

Any plans to get your Dr. Horrible co-stars NPH and Nathan Fillion on tabletop?

I would love for them to be on the show, but they are so busy and I really do feel shy asking people I know who are very busy to take time out. I need to be more assertive about it! But yes, I would love it if they could make time, I'll try to persuade them!

This gave me an idea: Firefly cast reunion on TableTop? Or would that be too many people?

I like that you're excluding Felicia Day from this event, while in her own AMA.

I want Morena to come be on the show, she's open to it just gotta make the schedule work!

Whoah there are a lot of questions here! I'll start a bit early after I make a cup of tea, hang onnnnn

What kind of tea?

Yerba Mate. I had to stop coffee and it's killed my soul a bit, but I have chai with almond milk now and then Yerba Mate gives me energy without the jitters :D

Do you know Jesse Cox?

WHO?

Most awkward date you've ever been on?

I went to a Hilton in Austin during college and there was an amphibian show going on in the ballroom. Weird lizards do not horny make.

Here's a question for you guys. We're doing a lot of new things on Geek and Sundry this year, lots of shows not returning, new shows coming. What do you guys want on the channel that you can't find anywhere else? What makes you watch web video?

Flog, Tabletop and the Guild must return. I also love Wil's idea to do a roleplaying show, something like a serial campaign like Acquisitions Incorporated. Would love to see another Dragon Age Story too

These are great ideas everyone!!! I'll write these down for us!

Thanks for doing this, I love your work :)

Is there any way your character will come back in the next part of Doctor Horrible? (please?)

Assuming that Doctor Horrible 2 is going to happen....

If it were to happen and I were to be asked back (theoretical!!!) I would drop everything of course!!! The Dr Horrible experience was probably one of the highlights of my life, to be a part of that family again would be heaven, absolute heaven!

While I was doing this AMA Geek and Sundry hit 500k subscribers on YouTube! WHAT A TREAT FOR OUR 1RST BIRTHDAY THANKS GUYS!

How is it like to play the role of a quirky lesbian on Supernatural, and what is your most memorable moment being on the show?

It's awesome to have a fellow Texas Longhorn doing an AMA, so thank you Felicia!

I think my most memorable moment is in the upcoming episode i just finished. I can't talk a lot about it, but Charlie goes through a lot, and it really stretched me as an actor. In the last episode where I Larped though, I loved stabbing that book, because I used my dagger skills I trained 4 months for Dragon Age web series, so it was like I got to call back to 2 years ago on film. I was super proud of myself for not dropping the dagger, haha.

Hi Felicia! We are excited about Tabletop Day at our Geek Tavern where tabletop & Geek and Sundry are celebrated every night in Montgomery, AL. We talked to Wil Wheaton and came up with a drink we have named after him.
What are some liquors/tastes that you would like in a drink named after you?
Thanks for all you do for the geek community!

YES I WANT A DRINK NAMED AFTER ME! -I like sweet drinks -I love rum, dark rum.

So excited you're doing an event for TT Day!

Whose nerdier in real life, Neil Patrick Harris or Nathan Fillion?

I think Nathan is pretty nerdy because he loves tech, he loves video games, he loves other kinds of games, but Neil is into magic and theatre and everything, so it's a tough call!

Felicia, you are such an amazing role model and I respect everything you stand for. I loved Penny in Dr. Horrible, and I am such a huge fan of the Guild.

What would you say to your high school age self about how to live life happily and best?

I would tell myself that grades don't matter, that you are better than you realize, and that the willingness to fail will get you farther than will to be perfect ever does.

Did you ever sort out your underwear issues from the other day?

I still have not done my laundry, no. I am currently wearing itchy lace underwear and hating every minute of it.

You're one of the first actresses to figure out there's a big market out there for media by and for geeks (and I'm not talking about Big Bang Theory here…)

How'd you manage to go from a small part on Buffy the Vampire Slayer to become Queen of All Geeks?

I was at my lowest after quitting World of Warcraft, and I told myself that if I didn't write SOMETHING I was a total failure and would never amount to anything. So I wrote The Guild because I wanted to write something I knew about. And after that, I just believed in what I was making so much I MADE people see it, haha. It was just really about finding who I was and telling a story regardless of how many people would "get" it, or allow me to tell it. The internet took away the barriers to have my characters heard. I hope it never changes@

Have you ever thought about recording and releasing an album?? (because of your awesome violin, vocals, etc. skills)

It is on my bucket list to do, I'm actually sad I can't make time for it. Or I guess i'm not prioritizing right, but one day I'd definitely love it. I think if I could find fun collaborators I would be more encouraged to do it, because I actually don't feel comfortable doing things about MYSELF only, I like doing things with other people, under the banner of a show or a band would be way more comfortable for me than doing a solo album.

Just wanted to let you know, whenever I become a father I'm glad my kids will have a role model like you.

Thank you so much for saying that!

You have a very prominent social media presence - how do you deal with the individuals who abuse the access?

I've seen some facebook comments and twitter replies to you that are some of the filthiest things someone can say to someone else. Do these comments get to you?

I skim over the gross ones, I really do. I have seen it ALL. Other than the time that 4Chan flooded one of my videos and made me cry and totally depressed for a month, I have a very thick skin. And some people actually don't KNOW they're being skeevy, so i just skim over them. I don't have enough time to say, "hey that's not cool" to everyone, and it's such a small percentage of commenters that I just focus on the ones that count, the people who support me and offer good criticism!

If you were offered the role of Squirrel Girl in the 3rd Avengers movie would you take it?

HELL YES

My friends and I have a theory that Joss Whedon and everyone he repeatedly works with secretly live in one big house somewhere and make movies for fun. It's sort of like Summer camp.

Can you fail to deny this theory?

I want to go to there.

Obviously your career has been based upon your passions (Congratulations on that!). I was wondering if at any point in your career did you ever doubt yourself during low points--along the lines of, "I love this thing, but am I truly cut out for it?" Do you have any advice on how to push over the "self-conscious" side, and just make things?

I experience self-doubt every day! When I start to really fall back I start journaling a lot and find that a lot of the self-doubt is just a voice that doesn't want me to succeed in my head. That voice is not my friend, so I am able to separate it, silence it and keep going!

If you could be any character from a book or game, who and why?

I love the main character from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. I love urban fantasy, where a character is able to be HERE but there is magic all around, that makes me excited.

Felicia, I just wanted to let you know that you are one of the biggest role models I have. I love all your work and the guild really inspired me to go towards my dream of game design. My question is, what sort of challenges did you face being a female geek?

I am actually pretty myopic about who I am, because I grew up loving what I love and no one called me out about it because I was homeschooled. I think it would be harder for an average girl to be solid in herself as a geek, to stay an "outsider" to the mainstream. I think the actual BIGGEST challenge for female geeks is STAYING a geek. The role models women have in media don't always present that being intellectual or geeky or an outsider is desirable, it's all about women being attractive and sexually appealing that leads to "success". I think that probably drives a lot of women away from more geeky subjects. SO I think overcoming those challenges is about finding people to look up to and more importantly peers that make you feel accepted and included. THAT is why it's good to live today, when you can connect with people over the internet who reflect how you are and who you want to be.

Forgive my Wikipedia stalking but it says you graduated with majors in mathmatics and music, why the sudden urge to go into acting? Also, you're awesome and my favorite Fallout companion.

I did those majors because I was good at them, not because I was passionate about them (although I loved playing the violin a lot). I acted all through my childhood in community theater, and there I found the greatest connection with people and the love of entertaining. My dad said I had to get a "real degree" before going to Hollywood, so I did. I was very naive about the whole thing ha.

Hi Felicia! Thanks for doing an AMA!!!

If money was no object, what would your dream project be?

Also, do you ever get to walk around cons anymore? Or do you do it in costume now to not be noticed?

I would love to do a big mini-series online adaptation of a huge video game franchise like Fallout or something. Creating a world from scratch would be amazing.

And I walk around wherever I want and my fans are really cool. They understand I'm probably rushing everywhere, and if I can't stop they don't feel insulted. HOPEFULLY!

As a violinist, what is your professional opinion of Lindsey Stirling?

I love her, I wish I had been that innovative with my instrument when I could play really well, she is reinventing classical music for a lot of people, and she's existing outside the music industry box. Bravo to her!

Hi Felicia! Loved your work on Dragon Age: Redemption.

On your Twitter profile, you mention that you're a misanthrope. Do you think that the human race is generally doomed?

Hmm, doomed? Well, i think when we lose beautiful things in this world, like habitats and animal species, that is a bit of our soul that is lost, that unique beauty, so I guess I'm a bit of an environmental pessimist. I don't think anything changes on a large scale until people are FORCED to change by being uncomfortable. And at that point a lot of beauty and diversity could be lost forever. But we are smart enough to SURVIVE. But to LIVE? That's a different issue :)

Do you watch Doctor Who or Sherlock?

I'm obsessed with Sherlock, I occasionally watch Dr Who but I'm not very consistent.

What is your favorite board game to play?

What is your favorite video game to play?

-I love Agricola and Lords of Waterdeep (resource management)

-I love any game that I can project myself into. That's why I get mad if games don't have a female character choice. That really pisses me off. So RPGs are my face, Dragon Age, WOW, Fallout, all those are my faves.

As a business owner, how to do you decide what to delegate to others and what to handle yourself?

Thanks!

This is the best question! It's been the hardest learning curve for me, how to scale. Before G&S we never had an employee, now we have awesome staff but it's hard for me to not say, "I'll just do it myself." I took time to write down all the things I LOVE to do and what I do BEST and now I try to take a pause every time I do something and ask, "is this on that list?" Because everything takes time and has opportunity cost. I'm not there yet but it's definitely a move in the right direction.

The length of web-series episodes are short in comparison with traditional television. With Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go and other streaming services becoming more and more popular and people becoming comfortable watching television on the internet for extended periods do you think web-series will begin to expand to 22 min episodes? Or will budgets and viewers fragile attention keep them brief?

I think this year will prove that TV-length content can succeed online. It's just a matter of time. One day soon I'd like to come up with my own full-length show, but creatively I don't have enough time right now to get the space. It's my biggest priority right now to carve that out, because of everything I've done, creating The Guild is my most proud achievement.

Hey Felicia :) It's been a long time since Buffy, but who was your favourite cast member to work with??

I loved Indigo, who was a slayer with me, and I loved Alyson (Willow) because she's an amazing person

Who are your role models? anyone you inspired to be when you were younger or now even?

My role models are Nora Ephron, Tina Fey, the women who are not trying to fit a mold of success but following their own muse. My favorite movie is Bringing Up Baby, because Katherine Hepburn is a total nut job but has an amazing heart, and just wants to bring love and joy to people's lives (in the weirdest way possible haha). I love eccentrics and people who dared to dream. Whether successful or not, they expressed themselves during their lives and that should be the goal for all of us.

Hi Felicia! Fellow lady-nerd here. I am truly inspired by the things that you've accomplished, and it makes me just want to go out and CREATE things. But, as I am sure you know, it can be disappointing when things aren't received as well as you'd hoped.

How do you cope with that? The negativity, or just the plain lack of interest in maybe something you love but other people don't respond to? Also, do you have any recommendations for people to get their concepts and ideas out? (If you build it, will they really come? That feels untrue sometimes...)

Thank you for this AMA, and for everything you do to champion not just geekdom, but ladies in the community as well.

You gotta make sure that you're doing something for YOURSELF first. If you're making something FOR outside praise then you're doing it wrong. Make things as if you're the only person who could make them, and you're just doing it for yourself. It's tough, but THEN you'll make something uniquely for yourself, and if people don't praise it, you believe in it enough that you don't get crushed about it. If no one had ever seen The Guild past episode 1 I would still have felt the accomplishment of it, because I bested my fears about writing, I got together and MADE something with people I liked and I FINISHED it. That in itself was the victory for me. Everything else was just wanting people to see it because I believed in it so much for the right reasons.

Hi Felicia! Long-time fan here, just had a few questions :D

1. What has been your favorite Flog segment to film to date? My favorite one to watch would personally be the one where you made custom perfumes with Sean Plott. Hilarious!

2. Is your hair naturally that color? I'm so jealous of it either way.

3. Where's the soap?!???

ps. thanks so much for signing on for Ottawa Comic Con in May, I'm super excited to meet you!

1- My favorite would have to be the CPR one, it was like I was on drugs that stuff got so weird. And all the gaming segments with my brother, because that's really me without a filter haha. 2) Yes although I make it a bit redder than natural because I like bright colors. 3) When we moved offices someone lost it. I got VERY ANGRY but the followup video made up for it.

Can't wait to go to Ottawa!

So many insightful and relevant questions have been asked already! I must try to keep the trend going. What is your favorite cheese? ...uh, dammit. ;)

GOAT CHEESE STINKIER THE BETTER

If you had to change professions, what career would you pursue?

I think I would be a fantasy book writer. I like being alone, I like being silent with my thoughts, I love escaping.

What's your favorite part about producing content for the web? How does it differ from making content for TV?

I love that when we have an idea, we just MAKE it. I find someone on the internet I like, I email them and BAM I can be working with them the next day. I love that we don't have a gatekeeper censoring us (except for bleeping profanity, whatever.)

It differs in that we never have the resources to make 100% what we want, we can't get a lot of fancy people to work for us because we don't have the money to pay them, and we have to do so many roles on the set that we're never 100% at any ONE of them. So there's the tradeoff. For me, the freedom is worth the lack of comfort.

Just dropped in to say THANK YOU for 6 fantastic seasons of 'The Guild'! Look forward to your future endeavors.

PS: can we get full versions of you and your brother playing video games? 5 minutes isn't enough time. Thanx!

I'm bringing my brother back this year to do gaming stuff, we'll see about doing long-form stuff! I'm trying to segment my life a bit better, so it's a constant struggle to do all the things I want to and have time to create (oh and have a life haha)

One of my wife's great regrets is that she didn't go over and talk to you when we saw you at you Tender Greens in Hollywood a while back. She saw you and totally geeked out - but since you were alone, she figured you didn't want to be bothered.

Later on, she saw that you had twittered from the restaurant how flattering it was that another fan came up to you to something nice about your work, and it made your day.

Lesson learned: Don't be afraid to tell Felicia Day she's awesome when she's alone at a restaurant.

YES! As long as I'm not in mid-bite I love hearing from you!

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

I like a sundae the best. Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, almonds and some whipped cream. I can't just do one thing :)

From the last season of the Guild, it seems pretty apparent that it will not be coming back. It will be missed dearly. Can you tell us of some of the process that you went through in deciding to end The Guild? What kind of things did you keep in mind while writing the last season?

The Guild is still owned by me, so no one told me to stop, but I felt in THIS incarnation, doing more wouldn't really work beyond this season. The budget has gotten too big to keep everyone together, and people were interested in moving on. I felt wrapping up Codex's story by finding a job and getting her friends was a great arc and came full circle, she was healed a lot in a way by healing othrs. I still love the characters and can do whatever I want with the world, but if I do something else it would be in a different format in a different way. And after I do something new, because I want to invent a new world I just don't know what that is yet.

What was your favorite game to do voice work for?

I loved doing Tallis for Dragon Age II because I created the character first, and then they took her in directions I never imagined and it was wonderful to see and act.

Is there any chance of Sean P., Sean B. and Bill returning for a new series similar to MetaDating?

Yup we are trying to work out what it is, but it's on the agenda. Metadating being on a monthly live schedule was hard for Sean so we're trying to come up with something new.

What do you do to keep in such good shape? you spend so much time on computer games yet you never put weight on and always look amazing what's your secret?

I do not work out NEARLY as much as I should, but I have really bad stomach issues due to stress, so I have to watch what I eat in a health way (not a diet way). I am very high-strung though, and I got a treadmill desk recently that I LOVE so there are some genetic things but also small things I do to keep in shape!

Do you still love Comic Con? For me it feels like it has multiple personalities as of late.

I feel like Comicon is a bit disenfranchising for the average Geek now, it seems like there's a class system now, where there are fancy hard to access places and then everything else. It's also extremely commercial, about selling and selling and selling. We have an off-site destination planned where our community can relax and enjoy our stuff in a democratic way, so I think that's a cool trend, with Nerd Machine and other off-site places creating that community feeling that the core of Comicon doesn't have as much anymore. I still love it to death though, I go dancing every night because it's my vacation! :)

Hey Felicia! Just wondering if you have any crazy fans at con stories? What's the craziest fan encounter you've ever had?

A dude asked me to sign his arm so he could tattoo over it (his friend dared him to for 500 bux). I refused a lot but then was like, "What the hell". He came back and showed me the tattoo which was RED and gross but kind of awesome. Then the next day he tweeted at me, "Hey, my friend never paid me the money". DOH!

First and foremost, thank you for doing this AMA!

• How did Geek and Sundry get started? (Btw, congrats on G&S's TableTop getting a second season!)
• What are you doing to celebrate TableTop Day?
• Have you noticed a resurgence in the nerd community since you started The Guild?
• What is the favorite part about what you do?
• Would you be interested in coming on my podcast and nerding out? Boyan Radakovich came on and chatted with me about TableTop Day. I'd love to have you on as well!

Thank you again for the AMA and look forward to your responses!

-I pitched YouTube a slate of shows, they funded them (they funded 100 out of like 5000 pitches!) -I think the popularity and power of online took geek into popular culture in a big way, The Guild was in the right place at the right time, because the tools were there to reach the audience that would like the show. Right time right place, right person! :) -I love talking to fans, I love sharing the things I create with everyone and have them be delighted or laugh, that is what fuels me. I love it when people say they meet friends in the community around my stuff, that is even cooler. -I have very limited time nowadays, so I can't promise anything I'm sorry. I am trying to balance life and work better, so that makes me have to pass up offers and requests a lot. I feel VERY bad about it, but last year I got to the point where I was collapsing from work, so I have to be strict now. I will try to check out your podcast though! Thank you for supporting TableTOp Day!

How would you define success?

-Supporting yourself with something that doesn't FEEL like work

-Knowing you're expressing something UNIQUE about yourself, and people are responding to it because of that truth

At which point did you realize that you "made it"?

When someone made fan art of my show. That was the most thrilling thing ever, that my creativity had spawned someone else's creativity.

Hi Felicia! Big fan.

• If there were no restrictions, whether it be financial or scheduling, who would you most like to cast as a character in a season of The Guild?

• If you could have one super power what would it be?

• Would you be happy if Harrison Ford, Mark Hammill and Carrie Fisher all returned for the new Star Wars movies? Or do you think their characters are best left alone?

I'd love Simon Pegg to be in The Guild, OMG awesome. Love interest for Codex WHAT?! -I want to be invisible for sure, I love sneaking around, it's creepy -I dunno, I feel like unless theres legitimate STORY there, they shouldn't come back. But that's just me.

Two part question, do you ever worry that you are type cast as the nerdy cute girl? How big of risk is it for you to go the other way as an actress?

Yes I am actually very aware of that and turn down roles now. After Holly on Eureka and Charlie on Supernatural, I feel like I've done that, let's move on. I'm really into comedy and want to do roles that push the envelope a bit, so when I have time to go out and act on more stuff I'll be very picky

Who was your favorite actor to work with on eureka

Errrrr I mean Wil is pretty fun to work with but Neil Grayston was super funny too, and he farts disgusting things after eating broccoli, so I gotta go with him.

Which is better, Dragon Age, or Dragon Age II?

I enjoyed both of them, I think DA I is a more fully fleshed out game because they had twice the time to work on it, but the writing in both of them is stellar. FENRIS NEVER SLEPT WITH ME GRRRR

In one of the Guild Hangouts you mentioned wanting to do one with Dodger.

This never happened, was it due to scheduling issues or what?

Slightly related: do you remember a man named Jesse Cox? :P

Who?

Oh Dodger, yes I forgot to call her. I want her to come play on the channel more though, I actually just emailed her before this, psych!

Why are you not on every episode of Supernatural? whyyyyyy!!!!

Tell CW to make it soooooo!

Favorite d&d class?

I love sorcerers because I love high charisma low INT characters, they're SO FUN TO PLAY!

Do you ever get challenged for self identifying as a nerd/geek/game girl? With your level of fame I'm sure it's less common, but can you give the rest of us some advice on how to approach that sort of situation?

I am sort of insulated in my world, I don't have to interact with a lot of people (except Hollywood suit-types) who don't "get" me. I get frustrated when I get pigeon-holed but then I just go back to the truth of what I believe in, WHY I do what I do, and that centers me. You are never alone in what you feel, so if you need to reach within yourself for strength or to people around you who UNDERSTAND, DO IT. Never be shy about reaching out.