A Geek’s Guide to the Ultimate Valentine’s Day

Welcome to the season of love, Geeks!

Now V-day can be challenging for anyone even in non-Covid times, especially if your significant other is a geek. But honestly, it’s hard not to love us geeks. When we love something, we go all in and fall in love with every iota of it. There’s a word for that kind of “all-in” love mentality, isn’t there?

It’s called “passion.”

Now, before you all start purring like cats, it’s time to take a look at some great ideas for a geeky Valentine’s Day.

Cook a Nerdy Meal for that Nerdy Someone

Dwarves eating at the table.

Does your husband/wife/life-long soul companion enjoy picking up that pickax as they head off to the mine each morning? Do they often stroke their long luxurious beards as they reminisce over the days of old with a tankard of beer. Do their eyes sparkle like gems and do they laugh like the soft clink of gold coins?

I hate to break this to you, but I think you’re dating a dwarf! And what better way to treat your beautiful dwarf than with a meal from their favorite fandom.

And oh, would you look at that? We already wrote an article all about some great nerdy recipe books that you can look at here. Whad’ya know? If you want some free recipes inspired by books we have some of those too!

Cooking for Wizards. Warriors and Dragons Cookbook.

Recipes are a great way to make your loved one feel like their favorite character and feel immersed in their favorite fandom. The best way to someone’s heart is through their stomach after all. And since you’ve already gotten their heart, you might as well show off a little.

Take it to the next level

You want to take this Valentine’s meal to the next level? Is it just not enough to simply cook the food? You need more?

Don’t worry, I gotchya.

A great way to add to this dinner is to make it candlelit. Add some dragon egg candles to your Winterfell feast. Eat lembas bread while you gaze into each other’s eyes by the light of the one ring. Drink some butterbeer while you melt the golden snitch. And tear into that roasted turkey leg over the scent of lilac and gooseberries.

(Seriously, I have a candle that smells like lilac and gooseberries, no wonder Geralt is obsessed with a girl who smells like that!)

And hey, what do you know? We have an article about some great candles, too! And you can read it right here. Seriously, what are the odds?

Some other great ideas for taking this meal to the next level are to include fandom appropriate place settings as well as any utensils or other small items. Color-coordinated and appropriate tablecloths.

Bon appetite.

Low candle light.

Write them a handwritten note… in Elvish

There’s something just inherently sexy about handwritten notes. You didn’t just take the time to write something, you took time to write them something. It makes the other person feel special.

Now, the question is what to write?

There are few wrong answers (though a couple ex-girlfriends might disagree with me), but it really is the thought that counts. You love them, you’re thinking of them, et cetera. Typical Valentine’s card stuff. If you’re feeling heavy into the feelings, saying “I love you” is always an option, but if you’re feeling a little more playful and silly, then a simple “Be mine” or “Be my Valentine” is always good. And, of course, there are always puns and jokes.

But how do we make this Geeky? Easy, you do it in Elvish.

I mean, it doesn’t have to be Elvish, but you get the idea. I’ve compiled a list of fictitious ways to say “I love you,” these came either from my own research (the first two) or from hodderscape.co.uk, with other websites listed as sources where appropriate.

Here are some really great ideas for those made up languages for your Valentine:

Elen sile lumenn’ omentielvo—Tolkien’s Elvish (Quenya): A star shone on the hour of our meeting.

Vanimelda—Tolkien’s Elvish (Quenya): Fair-love (This is actually what Aragorn calls Arwen).

Gi melin—Tolkien’s Elvish (Sindarin): I love you.

Ekespu menu men o targu men—Tolkien’s Dwarvish (Khusdul): You mean more to me than my beard.

Bangwi’ soh—Klingon: You are my love (pronounced bahng-WI shokh).

I ashaya du—Vulcan: I love you.

Uma ji muna—Huttese (Star Wars): I love you.

Meechoo nuv kush—Ewokese: I love you.

Anha zhilak year norethaan—Dothraki: I love you.

Losei dii yol—Dovahzul (Skyrim’s Dragon Tongue): you are my fire (there is no official word for love). (from diaryofadragonborn.tumblr.com).

Ck’yarnak ehye—R’lyehian (the language of Cthuluh): best guess is something like “We share cohesion.” (from themarysue.com).

The book I used to get the Tolkien translation came from The Languages of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth by Ruth S. Noel. Really great book for any Lord of the Rings fans, I highly recommend it.

Pen and petals on handwritten note.

Ways to take this to the next level?

So, you have your chosen phrase, now do you want to make it even more extra?

Calligraphy.

That’s right, the lost art of handwriting is a great way to go that extra mile (or five) for the one you love. I’m not saying that this is why I learned calligraphy in the first place (actually, it was for a much nerdier reason), but I am glad I did.

So, there are two ways to go about doing this: an incredibly long way, and a short way. The long way is the one that I’ve done: learn calligraphy either by taking a class or if you’re hard-core and dumb you can teach yourself like I did. This takes a lot of practice, but once you get good enough at it you can actually move pretty quickly.

But there is also an easier way that doesn’t require two years of nightly practice:

Tracing.

How to effectively trace

Print out the phrase you want in the script you want it in, and then here’s where we get options. Option one is using a light table (the easiest but more costly option), while option two is using tracing paper.

The way the tracing paper option works is you trace the image/script/what-have-you onto the tracing paper and then put that paper on top of the paper you want the script on and then go over the tracing again with a pencil to make an indent on the paper beneath (you actually don’t need a pencil, just any stylus with a hard tip).

Then go over it again on the new sheet of paper you’re your chosen medium and voila, you have your script!

Extra points go to getting the right kind of paper or at least soaking it in tea to make it look old.. And even more extra credit if you can seal it in wax with a cool crest.

This is a great option if the two of you won’t be together on Valentine’s Day itself.

Be their Dungeon Master

A set of dice of tabletop roleplaying games.

A great option for playing D&D with your special someone is to do a one-shot One-on-One campaign.

This is to say that it is a single quest that only lasts one night (a one-shot campaign) with the one-on-one aspect either being a PVP (going toe to toe with your loved one can be pretty fun if you keep it light), a two player boss fight (get two level 20 characters and see how you’d do against Tiamat, with you operating as both player and DM) or even do a full one-off campaign for only one character (with you being the DM).

This is a great way to just let your fantasies run wild. With this option, the two of you can go on those crazy adventures that you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t for whatever reason.

This is also a great way to give your significant other a chance to use their favorite D&D character again. Maybe they created that cool half-orc wizard or halfling fighter three campaigns ago but still miss being them.

The possibilities are limited only by your collective imaginations.

And if you’re still drawing a blank, there are some great one-on-one campaigns online.

Goin’ that extra mile

LARP it!

Or, at least, dress up for the part. Who doesn’t love it when their DM looks like Gandalf? Very sexy.

Another thing, and this is especially true if you go for the PVP option: let the wookie win. But, like, don’t be obvious about it. Let them work for it, let it be a little hard, but your significant other should come out on top.

Remember, you’re doing this for them. And it should be fun.

Play Video Games Together

Mario and Peach in Mario Kart.

I know you like video games, and chances are that they do too. Valentine’s Day gives us an opportunity to play together.

The key for this to work is that it needs to be something you both like. Or can at least put up with without complaining—I’m lookin’ at you guys, and yes there is a mirror in there as well.

My favorite options for this are either casual games, racing games like Mario Kart, fighting games like Dynasty Warriors 9 (this is actually my favorite option), or even certain Jackbox games. There are lots of other options that I haven’t tried before, but do what’s going to make both of you happy.

Gamer couple enjoying time together.

How to level up this game?

So, you both like playing video games but maybe you’re not terribly competitive or maybe you want something a little more relaxed and intimate?

Boy howdy, have I got a plan for you!

This works best on consoles but I don’t see why it can’t work on a PC too, but the plan is this: Get yourselves a new game (it works best this way if it’s one you’re both interested in but haven’t played yet), then trade off playing it between the two of you.

Let’s say one of you is better at puzzles and the other is better at fights: then for the puzzle challenges they play, while the other one takes on boss fights, and you split the exploration between the two of you.

This is a pretty normal, night-in couples-playing-video-games type of thing, but what makes this special is that it is an entirely new game that both of you want to play.

Now, as for what that game should be, I can’t tell you because this is entirely on you. But oh, if only someone could have written articles about new games that came out in December and January and new games that are coming out in February.

What’s that? That’s already been done and you can read the “What’s Geeky in…” articles for December here, January here, and February here?

And that these articles were written by an incredibly handsome and devilishly clever young man who may or may not be just a little bit vain? Whaddya know.

Watch a Movie or Binge a Show Together

Howl and Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle.

There are a lot of really romantic and super sweet movies and shows out there that are also… out there. So, what are some nerdy movies and shows to watch on Valentine’s day? I’m glad you asked:

  • About Time: Time-traveling Domnhall Gleeson tries to get the perfect girlfriend in this movie about romantic, platonic, and familial love.
  • Beautiful Creatures: Southern Gothic charm meets magic with an all-star cast including Alden Ehrenwright, Emmy Rossum, Viola Davis, and more. A seriously underrated film. 
  • Deadpool: Ryan Reynolds delivers a great romantic-comedy with Morena Baccarin about the Merc with a Mouth trying to get the girl… and revenge, but mostly the girl.
  • Edward Scissorhands: A nice, dark, and sweet Tim Burton movie with Johnny Depp and Winona Rider about a man with… well, scissors for hands.
  • Farscape: This show features not only some top-notch alien puppets but one of the best romances in Sci-Fi history. The show is about an astronaut who got shot through a wormhole and is now trying to get home but the meat of the show is all about John and Aeryn’s developing relationship and it’s beautiful.
  • Firefly: It didn’t last long, but this show’s will-they-won’t-they was perfect in the time that they had for a quirky found-family show about being space cowboys and smugglers.
  • Howl’s Moving Castle: Miyazaki’s classic movie about a young woman who falls in love with a wizard, after being cursed by a witch to look like an old lady. And what’s the first thing he says to her? “Sorry, I’m late.”
  • Inuyasha: This anime tv show is about the fifteen-year old Kagome Higurashi who is accidentally sent back in time to the Sengoku Period where she meets the half-demon heartthrob, Inuyasha.
  • Ladyhawke: An oldy but a goody about a knight cursed to be a wolf at night and his lady cursed to be a hawk during the day. “Forever together, eternally apart.” With Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Lady Hawke movie still.
  • Practical Magic: Long ago, a witch didn’t want to fall in love so she cast a spell to create the perfect man with qualities that she knew couldn’t exist. Years later, the witch (played by Sandra Bullock) meets the man she summoned… who is now investigating her and her sister for murder.
  • The Princess Bride: It’s inconceivable that this movie wouldn’t make this list with it’s themes of true love. Starring Cary Elwes as Wesley and Robin Wright as Princess Buttercup.
  • Sailor Moon: Nothing can quite beat Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, who are in love with each other’s alternate costume-wearing identities while hating each other in real life.
  • Stardust: a fairy tale story about a boy, played by Charlie Cox, who leaves his village to find a fallen star, played by Claire Danes. Naturally sparks—and pirate ships—fly.
  • Violet Evergarden: An android who was once a weapon in war takes a job at a writing agency to write letters and connect people together despite the fact that—so she has been told—she has no emotions.
  • Wall-E: Robots falling in love, what more do you need in a movie?
  • Warm Bodies: Zombie Nicholas Hoult tries to get it with a human girl. Plenty of walking dead for all of our zombie fans in this movie about getting a heart.
  • The Witcher: The show about a monster hunter protecting a little girl is also about the destiny that binds him and a witch together in a magically created love that may or may not be real. I mean, it’s totally real, but they still struggle with the implications.

Before we want to move on, I stress that this is not an exhaustive list and is not meant to be. You know your significant other better than I do (at least I hope so), so you know better about what to do.

How to take this to the next level?

A great way to take this movie night to the next level is to make it an event.

You know those recipes for dinner I talked about earlier? Use ‘em. Make it a dinner and a show complete with candles and some mood lighting. Extra points for having the movie or show’s soundtrack softly playing while you eat.

Read and Chill

If you and your partner are not interested in doing anything too big on Valentine’s Day, and if everything I’ve mentioned so far has made you go “Eh, that’s not for me” or even “Eh, I don’t have the budget for this,” then don’t worry because this next idea is much more low key and chill.

Read a book together.

I’m not joking. Snuggle up together in your favorite blanket and read together.

There are different ways to go about doing this.

One way is to read the book out loud, with both of you switching off who’s reading either chapter by chapter or any other way you want. Another way is to read in silence, if that’s okay with you both, turning the page only when you both have finished it. A third option is to put on the audiobook and either follow along together or sit back and listen like it’s a radio play.

(That last option is especially good for my friends with dyslexia. I see you and I got you. Since they’re probably not reading this article, will someone please let them know? Thanks.)

What to Read?

Now as for what books to read you have basically two options: either a personal favorite of you both or a book that neither of you have read before.

In this case, and for this specific purpose, I would say that Young Adult and Middle Reader books are your best bet. Tolkien’s Beren and Luthíen is insanely beautiful and romantic and has one of the greatest one-liners in history (it’s complicated to explain but trust me, it’s there) but it is also a big book with big words that just won’t read quickly.

A comprehensive list of Sci-Fi/Fantasy books with a great romantic subplot would be way too long, so instead, I’ll give you a short list of books that I personally recommend:

The Golden Dream by Carlo Chuchio.

There are many more books that I could list, but these are just some of my personal favorites. These books are all short, sweet, and easy to read. Perfect for Valentine’s Day.

That said, comment and tell us what your romantic book list would be.

How to level up your reading?

So, if you go the route of reading the book yourself, then a great way to go that extra mile is to use voices for the characters. You don’t need to be Matt Mercer, but making a gruff voice for the irritated guard or a high-pitched voice for the young princess is all that you really need.

Nothing fancy, just that little bit of extra work goes a long way.

Another thing you can do is have you and your partner split up the lines between the two main romantic leads. It’ll be like you’re starring in these roles.

Couple reading a book together.

The Ultimate Level Up: The Full Monty

What I mean by this is do everything!

Have the food, the candles, the costumes, the movie/video game/book reading all on the same night. Transform their world into their favorite fandom for Valentine’s Day.

This is not the option for the faint at heart or the small of budget or for those of you who have only been dating a couple of months or less. You’ll have time to do this another year.

An extreme route, the Full Monty is still a great nerdy option that really lets you and your partner lean into the things that you’re passionate about.

But what if you don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day

For all the single people who are have made it this far in the article: thanks for reading. The ideas that I’ve just listed can also work for Galentine’s Day, Single Person Awareness Day, or whatever you choose to call it.

If you’re feeling it, then do one or all of these options for yourself. You’ve earned it. Just, you know, if there’s another person celebrating with you then tone down the “romantic” aspect of the idea.

So, whether you’re single, taken, or busy building an empire, go out and have yourself some fun!

And let us know how it goes. We want to know how your geeky Valentine’s day went.

Happy V-day, Geeks!

Oh, and if you’re looking for gifts here’s our Valentine’s Day shopping guide Geeky Gifts for Valentine’s Day.

Don’t miss our FREE geek alerts every month!