Until the turn of the century, a geek (n: an unfashionable or socially inept person) was easily identifiable.

They were the solitary souls who congregated in libraries, tweed garbs and thick-rimmed spectacles selected by their mothers. Or perhaps they were whiling away hours in a darkened room, wearing one (of 13) of their favourite superhero T-shirts in front of a SNES.

They existed on the periphery of society at a safe distance away from denim-clad normals who would scorn their social awkwardness and questionable fashion sense.

Then the millennials arrived and blurred the lines of social hierarchy. Now geekery permeates many facets of Scottish living, be it dining out or the latest blockbuster.

So in honour of Embrace Your Inner Geek Day (July 13), we took a look at how Scotland has championed the offbeat culture.

School playgrounds made excellent litmus tests for the trendiest toy in the 90s, be it Tamagotchis, football stickers or alien birthpods. The Pokemon franchise was created in 1995, a craze subsumed into geek culture, incubated for over two decades.

Now everyone is walking around trying to catch Pikachu via their smart phone. (Definitely not us.)

But over the last five years, Scottish cities have had a healthy appreciation for the growth of gaming, establishing metropolitan havens for geeks to hang out in public (sort of).

Geek Retreat, one of the flagship comic cafes in Glasgow, was swiftly followed by themed shops and venues like Queen Street's Geekaboo and MEGAbytes cafe.

Meanwhile Edinburgh opened its arms to capital nerds with the launch of Games Hub Edinburgh in 2012 and Tabletop Cafe in 2015.

The idea of wearing a kilt has struck fear into the hearts of many Scottish children at some stage in their school career.

Occasions to wear the scratchy, offensive garment usually revolved around a distant relative's nuptials - or if you were unlucky enough to be in a Highland pipe band. Not any more.

Now kilt-making is an art form shared by generations apart - and is even offered as a course similar to a modern apprenticeship through the SQA.

Tartan trousers, once claimed by golfers (and briefly by goths) is now an incredibly fashionable item of clothing - potentially exacerbated by a certain TV programme that romanticises the hardships of the Jacobite era.

Swapping your Mars Bar for a packet of Space Raiders was a staple of social acceptance in primary school - not so for geeks.

They would probably be snacking on something squashed wrapped in cling-film by a health conscious parent.

Now Scotland's high streets are bursting with health food shops (albeit sandwiched between a McDonalds and a Starbucks), where cool hipster folk flock for their flaxseed oil and sriracha.

Even when it comes to satisfying a sweet tooth, coffee shops are swapping double-chocolate for gluten-free - and now Scotland has its first "naked" cafe, a venue stocking treats whipped up from entirely natural ingredients.

Fashion has been unquestionably turbulent in Scotland over the past twenty years - we've thankfully cast off the shell suits and giant scrunchies that obnoxiously characterised the 90s.

Now "geek chic" is a perfectly viable style option for the youth of today - braces, buttoned-up shirts and glasses to boot (whether prescription or no).

Grooming in particular has taken men's fashion by storm - barbers, such as Hard Grind, are places where gents can have their beards preened and partings stream-lined, while sipping rum and playing guitar.

Doctor Who has entertained generations of geeks through Sylvester McCoy's era - but Edinburgh-born David Tennant was arguably the first Scottish Doctor to bring charm to the table.

He joined the BBC programme in 2005, a dream job after watching the programme as a child himself.

For many Tennant's geeky and boyishly handsome Doctor surpasses Jon Pertwee, Sylvester McCoy and Tom Baker as the best incarnation in the series to date, his popularity earning him a chance to direct an episode of companion show Doctor Who Confidential, aired on BBC3, in 2007.

In recent years, he was voted the most popular actor on British television.