The Marketing Approach of Fandoms

Recently we have so many trailers coming all at once.  I can smell the marketing competition alongside my Christmas candles.

The major mistake of many is to immediately judge the movie because of the two T’s: teasers and trailers. Just because the marketing strategy of the film was not that good, it does not necessarily mean that the movie is going to be awful. Sometimes there is a good marketing and a bad movie; other times there is bad marketing and good movies. The challenge most of the time is to have the marketing part and the delivery of the product match each other. If you can’t market your product well, no one is going to care about it or worse, they’re going release negative word-of-mouth. I’ve been studying marketing for quite some time and I think now is the time to put those learnings to good use by analyzing the marketing strategies of the following movies; Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Captain America: Civil War. Here we shall see what went right and what went wrong, and what has caused us to think this way.

Warning: DC and Marvel comparisons are present in this post, but only for the sake to point out their marketing strategies. Please do not assume that I am saying that the other entity is better than the other. Both fandoms are great. Now let’s leave it at that.

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Ok let’s be honest, not everyone was thrilled with the brand new trailer of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Comments say it was overstuffed. It gave away the entire plot and it was just plain disappointing. Now the people who say this are mostly DC fans. Mostly. First thing you need to know about marketing is that once you have a product in mind—in this case, a movie that’s soon-to-be-a-franchise—you need to know your niche.

Side note: Marvel has the upper hand on this part now because they’ve been doing so much movies already, and they know their audience fairly well by now. As for DC…well, not so much. The only DCU films movie-goers ever gave a shit about, were the Dark Knight Trilogy and The Man of Steel. That’s just it. And these films were presumed to be independent of one another. Basically, the DCU still doesn’t have a clue who their target market was until the first official trailer, which was shown during Comic Con. If you think I’m saying that they’re starting from scratch, then that’s I’m trying to point out. Again, let us be reminded they’re not following the Marvel Studio formula where you need three or five independent movies for each iconic Justice League character. Compared to MCU, DCU still needs a lot of work at this point if they intend to make it big as well in the Box Office.

Now they managed to succeed in the first trailer release, because I don’t think it was not that bad. It shows everything you need to be excited about. But since it is released just for Comic Con—and eventually the World Wide Web, then my best assumption for this is that this very first trailer was obviously meant to target the hardcore comic book and DC fans. The second trailer was definitely not for the fans. That’s right fans who were so disappointed in the second trailer; this wasn’t for you at all. It is meant for a much more general audiences who aren’t that knowledgeable about the DC universe. Like seriously, re-watch the trailer with a Twihard and ask if he or she knows who Doomsday is, I effin’ dare you. He or she might assume Doomsday is like the Justice League’s version of the Incredible Hulk. Back to my point, they want more people to watch this. They probably want to recreate the miracle that occurred in Marvel Studios where people were oblivious to the world of comics and came out of the theaters as converted fans (Haha, don’t deny it. You’re one of those people too.). Simple as that.

But hey, what’s the point of making a good trailer for the general audience if they show all the good parts?

Now that’s where they got confused.

When you market something, it’s like saying a promise. When you buy this shampoo, I promise you that your hair will no longer have ticks. When you buy this car, I promise you that the gas consumption of it will be cheaper. The title of the movie alone delivers not one, but two promises. The first promise of BvS is well…BvS. It promises a good fight scene between Superman and Batman. The second promise lies on the Dawn of Justice part, which simply means that this will be where the journey of the Justice League begins. Now here is where the marketing team of BvS struggled. After knowing what promise you want to tell your target market, that’s where you show your best features. In this case, they have two major promises for the audiences and they need to feature each somehow. This unfortunately caused the trailer to be overstuffed. Basically, they weren’t sure what message to tell to the audiences. They were simply torn if they should only talk about the Batman V Superman fights or the emergence of the Justice League, because these are very exciting concepts. So they probably panicked and showed both. Shoehorning Doomsday because that’s their best feature for the Justice League promise. Now I agree, the trailer shouldn’t reveal everything. But in this case, their goal is a very general trailer. Now I can’t help but notice that most of the comments and critics for the second trailer came out like this:

“I just want Batman V Superman. I don’t care about the Justice League. Just give me Batman and Superman fighting.”

At this point, they should’ve listened to their niche and stick to just Batman vs. Superman snips. Or maybe just released their 50-second teaser. But again, I understand why they released this trailer, because it is for an audience who know not much about Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman. And to make this work, they could’ve just stuck to at least until the roar of Doomsday and then cut the tape. That is, if they want to execute two of their promises in one three-marketing material. I guess at this point the DCU is pretty much desperate to look cool in the superhero trends. They want everyone to know they can have a cool team-up just like the Avengers.

But let me tell you guys that this does not define DC altogether. I think the best marketing for DC so far occurs in the TV Universe, and that is DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The TV Universe has more ground, thanks to Arrow and The Flash and they are fully aware that the side characters featured in this spin-off series are well-loved by the audience, so to keep them hooked a crossover/team-up series with no filler arcs is the best way to go to keep up their numbers. And they need to get through to Arrow first if they want to see it. Good move, CW. But please work on your teasers.

Now for the Civil War trailer. Yes, I can smell the Marvel fans expecting me to praise this trailer.  Ok, personally I thought the trailer was good, and it already showed what I needed to know about. It already spoke of its promise, which is, “Expect Captain America to fight Ironman and the entire world for Bucky. Because...Bucky. Bucky.” Then they execute the scenes that make it look like a Civil War.

I like how they give a reason for their fight, which is Bucky. The reason why it’s been given so much praises is simply because Marvel does have the upper hand. They’ve been making one movie after the other, and they know their fans will still watch because they are fully aware that everything in Marvel is connected somehow. It is a tiring yet effective plan. Because of this non-stop movie-making, they’ve become aware of their target market, and they were also able to research them, which is something the WB marketing team can’t do at the moment due to their scarce source materials (like I said, DCU is just starting, chill guys and have faith). Marvel Studios knows what makes us tick. And after Avengers and the Winter Soldier, they know perfectly well that anything that has to do with the friendship of Tony and Steve, and a bit off Bucky will make us shut up and allow them to take our money. Because…Bucky. Bucky.

Just looking at the scenes makes you wonder what is going to happen and how in the world will this conflict end. For the hardcore Marvel fans out there, you probably already know. 

The best features of their promise are three things. First is the tension between Ironman and Captain America. The next is Bucky. And the last how this simple conflict is going to cause Civil War.  That’s all the trailer shows. That’s their marketing strategy. Let us make Bucky the source of this conflict, because everyone seems to care about Bucky. Because as implied in the trailer, Captain America won’t let anyone hurt Bucky, who is perceived as this man that must be killed. And it is going to cause a lot of problems. So hurrah, Marvel fans. Your marketing team is not so bad. Because…Bucky. 

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Bucky.

That is how you market a movie, my friends. Tell us the promise and only show portions of your best features. Whether it is the characters or the conflict itself, just showcase it somehow. But don’t expose all the parts of your best features/ And also, it is best if you can come up with a target market, especially when you are starting franchise like DC. If you want a general audience, then give them an education of the characters who they probably know about and let them know what these characters are getting into. If you want to target an audience is very knowledgeable about fandoms, then tug at their hearts and research on your freakin’ audience. Know what makes them tick and use it against them. Isn’t marketing just plain beautiful?

And that concludes my long post about marketing approaches and how it must be done. As I mentioned on my Facebook page, December is the most convenient month for me to watch some Anime. And yes, I will be posting a brand new Anime review pretty soon. Just give me a couple of more days to finish the show until I can construct my thoughts on it. It will probably not be the last since I have time to review some Anime movies and series. So expect more Anime in this post. If you’re on the holidays, then congratulations and I wish you the best time of your life. If you’re still on a Holidaze due to your upcoming exams and workload, then I still wish you all the best. Till the next post~

7 Fandom Etiquettes To Follow

As we become more involved in our fandoms, we develop a certain behavior. And I'm not just talking about the squealing and yelling part. We do other habits as well. Habits that may seem normal to your friends, but peculiar to others who don't have the time to understand you. So here are 10 things people in Fandoms tend to follow.

1.) Stalking- For most people, this skill is considered "research". You open your computer and the first thing you type on a search engine bar is the name of your Fandom. If you're a tumblr user, you would naturally follow blogs who cater to your interests and then you would reblog all the pictures and texts to your hearts' content. Initially this would take hours and sometimes, you will be able to tell that you are spending that much time on your computer when an adult starts telling you stop. I would like to call this type of action, "taking some vitamins". Because the main course called, "watching, listening, or reading your fandom" is still not enough. You just need more of it and you thank the heavens for the progression of technology.

2.) Buying the merchandise- If you are blessed with a disposable income or a great amount of allowance, then you have every right to buy whatever nook and cranny that has the logo of your fandom imprinted. When you get this fandom, you tend to identify with it or it becomes a part of you. It helps when you to buy something you use everyday that has the face of your favorite book or actor. Sometimes it feels like you need to let the whole world you love this fandom, and it can also be a signal or magnet for other people who could possibly relate to you, as well.

3.) Explaining Things- One thing we need to constantly remind ourselves when we join a fandom; not everyone will understand us. Not everyone will get the inside jokes or the feels we get whenever we see a specific characters. So there will be times--if you have the patience to do so--to explain what the fandom is, what is about, and what's in it, to other people. But it can be quite a chore, because it's hard to explain it to someone who has no intention to convert at all. In the end, they just don't get it. Why we love fandoms.

4.) Getting the feels reaction- We all get this a lot. Whenever our fandoms does….well, anything… we tend to get "feels". No matter what they do, they tend to hit our hearts with wonder and sorrow. It's a science that cannot be fully comprehended. If someone can do a full study on this, please let me know in the comments.

5.) Being Defensive- As told by my Mean Girls post, we get all defensive when someone says something off about our fandoms. You think Dean is not hot? Then you are in trouble. You don't like what you watched? Then you have bad taste. You don't like J.K. Rowling's writing technique? Then you're the spawn of Satan. When you say something inaccurate about a book or movie, the job of a fandom member is to correct you in a way that will make you feel that you are the most idiotic person in the world. I guess people who are in fandoms have the tendency to be mean. Really mean. So don't take their hatred, personally. The love is too much to handle.

6.) Adapting the Fandom Linggo- Sometimes you tend to copy whatever a character or a member in a Fandom mentions, and it becomes part of the unofficial Fandom dictionary. As our vocabulary grows, a fandom becomes even more incomprehensible to the outside world. However it becomes part of the identity thing. When it gradually becomes a part of you, you adapt to the language too. So fandom can also be considered a culture. Like that of the Kpop fandom.

7.) Creating Inside Jokes- It becomes ten times more amusing when fandoms create inside jokes. It's a sign that everyone who have the same interests are slowly becoming closer together like a family. And whenever someone else mentions it, other fandom members would exchange looks and they would try their best not to laugh out loud like lunatics. But having someone to easily to relate through inside jokes can be one of the best feelings in the world.

How To Be a Vigilante

DISCLAIMER: This post is strictly satirical and not meant to be taken seriously.

For some reason, being a vigilante is so much cooler than being an actual superhero. Technically, you are still a superhero, but with an air of mystery enveloped around you. In short, it kinda sounds badass. The downside is that you can be considered a threat to not just the bad guys, but to also the good guys. To the public, you are creep in a mask with a hidden agenda. But being a vigilante still looks cool. So here are five ways to become one.

1.) Wear a costume with dark colors.
We've seen Batman, Green Arrow, Daredevil, and the Punisher. Now what do they all have in common? Dark hues. Their costumes do not involve rainbow patterns; they involve camouflage emo colors. It's quite understandable why, since they are also viewed as the masters of deception. They know how to blend well with their surroundings, since vigilantes mostly work at the night time. Don't go for the bright ones like Spiderman. Just look where it led him; now he has to save Mary Jane all the time.

2.) Ignore the need to sleep.
If you think vigilantes are nocturnal, then you're wrong. Vigilantes need to be active during the day too because sleeping in every single day would be too suspicious. Either they will be seen as hardcore party-goers or masked vigilantes. Kinda makes sense right? As much as we need sleep, remember...sleep is for the weak. Vigilantes also lead double lives, which they need to cater to equally. Kinda explains why Oliver Queen demands too much coffee from Felicity, right?

3.) Get a depressing backstory.

As told by Batman. Depressing backstories always have a tinge of the injustice element and this triggers the vigilante's need to put on an awesome suit and save the world...or city. Basically, it's your motive. The reason you need to act crazy and beat up random robbers who are obviously living their own vigilante escapade.

4.) Sneer at the idea of a social life.

Because delivering justice is so much more important than going to your friends' average party. However you still do need to attend social events, but you need to hate it because you seriously have other more important things to do. Or at least pretend to hate it. Also, no love life. That would take a turn for the worst. Isn't that right, Spiderman?

5.) Never EVER kill

It's the vigilante code to never kill. It completely messes up one's psyche. So it would be the best idea to avoid killing. However, this code is still debatable since a lot of vigilantes broke this code. Unfortunately.

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And that is it! Sorry if it's real short. Consider this as an appetizer for an even better and bigger post that will be up in the nearby future. For now, till the next post~

Love, according to Fandoms

One of the weirdest things I've ever did while I was going through puberty, was to base my standards for a potential life partner on my fandoms. Mostly anime shows. Back then, I thought it would be really great to just wait and see if I can actually have my very own carbon copy of Gaara of the Sand from Naruto. But you know, life happened and I completely forgot what kind of attributes I look for in a man.

Many of us do this all the time. This fictional character or person is so perfect, you just need someone like this in your life. Let's be real here; as a girl with random cliched thoughts, it would be amazing to wake up every morning to a Ryan Gosling-looking guy who can cook you breakfast every morning and rant about ducks while you read about The Tale of Two Cities. That's basically the effect our fandoms can have on most of us. Fandoms make us go beyond our imagination. We want their reality to become our reality. But let's be more specific and talk about love here.

Every fandom has their own definition of love and romance. And as members of each fandom, we have our own way of interpreting them. So here are my very own lovely interpretations on some of the most famous and cliched romantic fandoms ever! I won't be surprised if you disagree with me, though.

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The Fault in Our Stars- "Love demands to be felt."

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Once Upon A Time- "You know its love when prince charming still chooses you in spite of the Storybrooke amnesia."

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Arrow/The Flash- "Heroes have failed to avoid the friendzone."

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Frozen- "Love is an open door."

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Harry Potter Series- "I will put my life in the line because I love you. Always."

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The Hunger Games Trilogy- "Ain't got no time for love. But love has got time for the press."

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus- "You know a guy is dam serious about you when he gives up the gift of immortality--or at least, a major part of himself, just to be with you."

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Twilight Saga- "You need a super perfect, protective guy and you have to be naive and surprisingly attractive in order to have the best mysterious romance of your life." 

If you haven't really based your ideal girl or guy on the shows and books you love, then wow. I actually admire you. Many would want a girl who can play video games, because of Sword Art Online. Girls dream to meet the man of their dreams in a gloomy courtyard of some academy that they thought they would dread. I'm not saying that's it is abnormal to think that way, because it happens a lot. It somehow irritates me when a character is perceived as too hot or too perfect. It makes me feel conflicted, actually. I love how they're described, but I hate how it tries to ingrain into my mind that I need to marry someone who is almost like this character. In other words, fandoms like that encourages other girls like me that they should pick this mysterious, complicated god-like man with a high disposable income and the ability to come up with romantic gimmicks over a very simple guy who may not have much to offer but only has the sweet intention of getting to know you because to him you're pretty special. If every girl in the world would always chose this god, then yeah...nice guys will end up finishing last, unfortunately.

Whether we like it or not, the realities of our fandoms is so much different from the reality we are currently in.  Because in the end, finding someone who has the hair of Jace Herondale, the kind nature of Peeta Mellark, has the rock-hard abs of any vampire, and the flawless talent of Daniel Grigori, is almost impossible. If you have someone who is as majestic as that, then congratulations. But if you're that frustrated person who thinks they can't have a love life, I say don't fret. I know, who am I--a random person on the internet--to tell you this? Trust me, I used to be that girl who would make those lists about what she wants in a man. So, hang in there. Your man (or girl) will come. And if that person does not have the gorgeous features that you were expecting, then I guess it won't matter once he or she comes along. Which is why, I challenge everyone lurking on the internet to do one task...Don't come up with standards.

Do not raise them, nor lower them. Just come clean and see what kind of partner you will attract. Because every great story every told always has an element of surprise. Yes, even love stories. Bella never expected to have a man like Edward Cullen. Percy Jackson thought he would never amount to anything until he received the best underwater kiss of his life from the girl he's cared about since they were kids. And Felicity Smoak probably just wanted a boyfriend, not two chiseled vigilante businessmen. These characters only did their thing, and love came to them just naturally. They didn't do any sort of voodoo, nor did they bother to wait. They just continued being awesome. And that's something you can also do. Don't spend your precious free time thinking of what your future husband or wife should be like. Be yourself and let the story of your life surprise you.

Till the next post~

The Fandom Formula for the Perfect Boyfriend

How Fangirls Deal with Hiatus

Do you know that feeling when you finish this book or TV series that you love and then you learn that the next installment comes in a year or two? I hate it when that happens.

As people with fandoms, dealing with hiatus is something that we have to see through in the end. Writers and creators do this for fun so they can build up the suspense and this will make us want more of what they're producing. And don't get me wrong, I appreciate the idea of holding on to the edge of my seat; I just don't like experiencing it because it can kill me. For years and years, I spend every year anticipating for the next book, the next season, or even a brand new release. Wow, Tama. What the heck are you doing with your life?

Surprisingly, we can deal with hiatus. The itching impatience is still there, but fangirls and fanboys can definitely hold out for a year (unless you're part of the Game of Thrones fandom). Assuming we need at least a year to wait for the next big thing, there are stages in a fan's year as to how they keep themselves busy. Luckily, we can measure that in months. Yes my fellow fandom-crazed freaks. We wait in months. Not in decades. Months.

If the art of fangirling needs math (oh no, not this again), we only need to remember five numbers: 2, 3,4,2,1.

Obviously, it takes a lot of time for us to take in a series of unfortunate events. People working on our fandoms nowadays know how to tug on our feels, to the point it becomes unacceptable. So yes, it takes time for one to let things sink in. But that is far from over. We need to keep talking about it until we run out of saliva. In these five months, we do headcanons, probably fanfiction, lurk in Tumblr, and devise theories. We do this...just to feel something.

But we are human too and we get tired. So we take a break, and being the inner lazy people we all are....a week is not enough. We need four months. Hopefully during this time, we try to keep up with our boring lives. Then at a certain point in time, our fandoms will randomly announce that they're going to arrive really soon and this is means that the hiatus is almost drawing to a close. We wake up from our realities and become reckless once again. We lurk in the internet, talk about it some more, come up with wild theories that can pierce our hearts--we do all of this... just to feel something. It also takes a lot of time for us to emotionally prepare ourselves for the worst, of course.

This kind of hiatus does not really feel like you're living the hobo life. You still communicate, you do not just twiddle your thumbs, sometimes you eat out your feelings, and you learn how to prepare especially when it comes to purchasing issues! It doesn't really sound that bad, at all. And during our 4-month break, we explore other things due to our boredom. And again, that's not bad. Discovery is part of life, after all. See what hiatuses can do to us?

Now if you think you cannot survive a hiatus, never fear. I repeat, discovery is part of life. So here's what you can do during your year of hiatus:

1.) Don't just stick to the internet. Join a group. Or at least, find friends you can talk to about it. It's like therapy only better.
2.) Look for other fandoms to annoy. Trying a new fandom may sound like a forbidden temptation, but it never hurts to expand your interests.

and finally...

3.) Evaluate your life. Usually, when we succumb ourselves to something that is totally addicting, we forget what is really going on. I know it sucks but...wake up. Life can be beautiful if you change up your perspective, which is something that fandoms teach us.

Till the next post~

Fangirl Ego: Things Fangirl Students Should Never Do!

It is normal to fangirl urges when you become a student. I mean, as young (foolish) folks, students need some inspiration or entertainment while subjects and deadlines try to mess up their minds. Trust me, I've been there. I know the feeling when a book I read is much more exciting than the book report (but don't get me wrong, I enjoyed many reading assignments back in my day). Even if the "Fangirl Ego" (which I would like to call) seems like a very powerful entity that somehow controls every inch of your body and free will, that doesn't mean there are no limitations. Of course there are, and as humans we need to put extra effort into stopping our fandoms from completely ruining our lives. Yes, it is not the intention of the Doctor to ruin your life. The only person who gets in our way is us; our Fangirl Ego. The question is, how do we stop it?

Now these steps do not guarantee success. Consider them as suggestions that you may attempt to do. Always remember that fighting the Fangirl Ego is never easy.

1.) Never personalize your school stuff!
It may seem like the most fun part to look forward to when you prepare for school, but believe me...it will ruin your life. If all your stuff has the face of Tom Hiddleston, then kiss your concentration goodbye! Also, school materials don't last forever. You end up throwing them away or they deteriorate on their own and at their own time. So it is pretty much a waste of cut-out magazines and effort, as well as money. No offense. If you must personalize your school things, I suggest to stick to minimal fandom references (such as a logo) and make all the color schemes and design show your personality. But if you must have something to stare at while you need some motivation in studying, then a a few photos inside your binder won't hurt. Actually, make that one.

2.) Never touch anything fandom-related during busy periods!
When you have an exam or a pile of major projects to finish...then put away those series and books. I'm sorry, but the only way to get rid of Fangirl Ego (even if it is just for a very short while) is to keep that girl in the closet alongside all your guilty pleasures. I know a lot of people who nearly did not graduate because of fandoms. Yes, those situations exist, especially if you're the type who lacks self-control. If you do need a substance of some self-control pill, then I suggest to consider keeping them away for a short period. Then once all your responsibilities are dealt with, then you can binge watch or read to your heart's content.

3.) Never expect everyone to understand you!
Each fandom contains a whole new set of extensive vocabulary. Eventually you will adapt it and only 1 out of 10 people will be able to comprehend what you are trying to say. You can't expect the muggles to keep up with your thang.

4.) Never assume that conversion is easy!
Everyone has their own different tastes, and chances of you having similar interests (or fandoms, in our case) with the classmate next to you is one in a million. However, it is not bad to share to them what you like. But you cannot expect them to have an interest, right away. Converting a fellow person into a certain fandom is a hit or miss; either they like it or they don't. It would seem exciting when someone develops a liking to your all-time favorite shows, but you can't expect something like this to happen all the time. Unless, you are really persuasive.

5.) Never hide your fandoms from anyone!
Come as you are. The third tip may imply that you should not reveal your fandoms to class, but that is not the case. In fact, let anyone know what you like. Do not shame your fandoms, because it looks weird to other mundanes. Let them judge! It will not kill you! Back in high school, I would initially hide my obsession for anime from basically, everyone. I did that because I wanted to look pleasing and hopefully, appealing.  However, that gave me a hard time to look for friends I can totally relate to. When I brought out my interests, then bam! I got new friends just like that. So don't keep them in the dark. Never keep your fandoms to yourself. It's more fun and exciting with a good friend who can understand all your feels.

Till the next post~

How to Fangirl and Live Your Life

Most of us would develop our love for certain fandoms at an early age, and we end up blaming books, TV series, video games, and many other medium for this kind of feeling. But at the same time, we end up loving them. Having your very own fandom is like being in a love-hate relationship, only we experience it a tenfold (and if not, probably more. May God forbid). Loving your fandoms, that's not a problem. But making it a top priority? Now that's an issue that we cannot easily avoid, especially when the story of the Supernatural Brothers seems a hundred times more interesting than yours.

I'm sure you know where I am going with this; just like screwed-up relationships we see on drama series, fandoms have the tendency to ruin our lives. And we can turn everything backwards all we want, but we know that we give those fandoms the power to rule our lives. We just tend to deny it, most of the time. We give so much love and attention to this Television series and the next thing you know, you end up watching four seasons in less than three days. Not only that, you get slapped by the realization that you got other "important" things to do like schoolwork or actual work, or saving your relationship from drowning (but then it becomes too late, because your girlfriend/boyfriend sees what a total bum you are). I guess that fundamental question is, can we really focus on our fandoms and reality at the same time?

The answer is yes. Believe it or not, you can have your Hogwarts Life and your Career Life at the same time. It's just a matter of balancing your time. I know that is easier said than done, but there are plenty of healthy ways to do so without trying to put too much focus into one thing. And this is based on my experience. My life  story may not be exactly the same as yours, but I guess it is something you can learn from.

Distribute your priorities, equallyNow this is the first and most difficult step, and don't say you don't know why. Dividing your time for life and your fandoms...? That's not easy! If you're one of those people who keep saying, "One More Episode" then I wish you luck as you take on this step. Give each of your priorities the same weight. Don't give this thing more importance than the other, or else you will go mad. I'm sure I am not the only who has experienced such turmoil. There is nothing wrong in planning out how many hours or days you want to dedicate yourself to something. It does not automatically make you a control freak, I'm sure. Besides, it is a whole lot better to plan ahead rather than pressuring yourself to do something last minute. As much as it is difficult to do, don't give all your attention to your fandoms. Do not give all your attention to certain aspects of your life, either. Get a planner of your own and pan out all the things you have to do and want to do. At least, that's what I did. Call me a nerd for saying this, but having a planner is a total life saver.

Fandom as an inspiration
I'll admit. There were many times I would prefer to bury my head into an nonexistent, fictitious, fantastic world rather than burying it into my textbooks. I just get really annoyed by the fact that reading about Shadowhunters and Demigods are much more interesting than figuring out the puzzling (and unnerving) sorcery called Trigonometry. Admit it, you underwent this, too. But what really would fascinate me aside from the stories, are the characters themselves. People like Hermione Granger, Annabeth Chase, and Tessa Gray....they impressed me. From that, that feeling turned into admiration. Then I aspired to become a very diverse, independent, and headstrong individual. So in a way, my fandoms became apart of my life in such a way that they served as inspiration for the way I live my life and how I deliver myself. And it turned out really good. You could say I have books to thank for my very own character development.

Go beyond Fandoms and explore Life
Afterwards, I decided to step out my comfort zone and become acquainted with the real world. Now how did I incorporate my fandoms, you ask? Well, let's face one fact here; we can learn a lot of things from our fandoms and if you dig a little deeper, we realize how much of these discoveries can still be applied in real life. So the first thing to do is close that book or turn off that television or computer (but certainly not now, You gotta read till the end before you can do so), and look at real life in such a way you see your fandoms. Real life can be an adventure and all you have to do is look. The next thing you know, you met the Edward Cullen of your life or you're in the place where they shot the scenes of  Lord of the Rings, living your own Hobbit-like journey. Basically, life is just as interesting as your fandoms. So try to look at your school, work, or family in a completely different angle. Along the way, you will learn and try new things, and sometimes they end up twice as exciting as the book you are currently reading because you are actually doing it.

And there you have it. This is how I dealt with my fandom addiction before it could get any worse. Like I said, this is just how I dealt with it, so you don't necessarily have to do everything I did. In the end, it is your choice on how you want to live your life. But if you had a different way of dealing fandom addiction, then feel free to share your story on the comments below! Till the next post~

10 Times You Became Harry Potter

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If you're a Potterhead, then surely you're one of the many readers who would do anything to attend Hogwarts and be part of something that is obviously more than just a "Potter" experience. And believe it or not, you did live like Harry Potter (so far). It may not involve cloaks and wands, but in some instances of your life, things became magical. In a way, this is a pretty blog post discussing ten life lessons we can get from the brilliant series. Your egotistical minds may say that you already know this, but it does not hurt to be reminded.

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1.) We had a "Snape" in our life
I'm sure anyone who has had at least 7 years of education can realize this. As much as it is hard to admit, we had tough teachers and professors who would push us around and we would think that they're doing this just so we wouldn't pass the subject and hence, ruin our lives. Because of this, we can't help but loathe them at some extent. But then we learn that they push us for a surprisingly good reason. They may not have died a heartfelt death like *spoilers* Severus did, but they would suddenly give us this feeling of gratitude and what's funny is that we notice it in the latter part of our lives. I'm not surprise if you are reading this right now and you are remembering a particular educator who may have been so mean to you, but really wanted to prepare you for the harsh realities of life. And once we do remember, we don't remember the tears or the humiliation; all there is left was the lesson, we smile and we eventually name our kids after that professor (it could happen).

But if you guys had to go through classes with the likes of her:

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Then I feel sorry for you, but not completely sorry. I'm sure there's something we can learn, no matter how gruesome they can be.

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2.) You've been called a mudblood...sort of
If Harry was not your favorite character in the series, then fine. Let's take a quick look at Hermione Granger, the brightest witch her age. Everyone has a gift, but in reality you can never please anyone. Certainly, not everyone was able to appreciate how intelligent Hermione was except for the ones who truly mattered in her life. In other words, there will always be that one person who refuses to see the best in you and shall call you a "mudblood" for reasons that you may never know. And that's the thing; you may or may not know why you're being called that and what Hermione taught us is that it doesn't matter why. It may hurt (and it will), but name-calling didn't stop Hermione from studying her butt off.

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3.) We use the Polyjuice Potion all the time
As we all know, this famous potion can give us the ability to transform into whoever we want. And what's best about the real world is that we don't need to make a potion in order to become someone else. We're the masters of copying others. Heck, a lot of people have been doing it even before Rowling ever thought of writing about Polyjuice. The idea of it is cool at the same time, scary. Sadly, not everyone is truly original. And I guess it is up to you if you want to take this in a good way or a bad way.

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4.) Most of us live in a cupboard under the staircase, already
Harry Potter is not the only one who thinks he has the worst family members. Most of us do, until we learn how to be truly grateful for the things that are already there for us. And I am speaking for a lot of children and teenagers when I say this. We would think that our family is just ruining our lives until...*remember the first point*. I'm not saying you should just stop whatever you're doing and randomly hug all your brothers and sisters, but you should know that you're not the only one who actually thinks they have it worse. And sometimes, thinking about how worse other people's lives are can be therapeutic. So remember, if you think you have the worst and mortifying parents ever, just be kindly reminded that your parents love you enough to give you an actual room...and they're alive.

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5.) You have a wand
The way I see it, wizards and witches use the wand to direct whatever spell they wish. And what's interesting is that all wands are unique and very different. What's even more interesting is that a wand must be compatible with the owner. That's a really cool concept, Rowling! And yes, you already have your wand. You just need to find it you do not chose the wand...the wand chooses you.

6.) Amortentia is right under your nose
One of the many things I love about the Harry Potter series is how they value love. For me, it is the most romantic and heartwarming YA series next to maybe Percy Jackson and the Olympians (eh, maybe not even close). If there is one way I can describe how love was written in these books, then it would be this: love comes naturally. It came naturally when Lily Potter protected Harry from the Dark Lord, and it came naturally when Hermione and Ron agreed to help Harry with his problems no matter how dangerous they were. Basically the act of love came in naturally throughout the series. It was natural as Amortentia. I know it's a potion, but the good thing about the real world is that we don't need any of that to feel that. When we know that we love someone, it will just come naturally. Now how many times did I say "naturally"?

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7.) Exams exist
Whether you are in Hogwarts or not, there will always be freakin' exams.And yes, Harry Potter went through exams just like you.

8.) Harry also had no time for fun because of schoolwork
Honestly, I enjoyed Harry's short montages when he would always describe how stressful his schoolwork was getting. I'm sure he enjoyed those times too, because the boy who lived would certainly want a taste of an ordinary life. Surprisingly, there would be times when we would feel the same way. After wanting so much interesting shiz to happen in your life, you eventually want to keep things simple and ordinary.

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9.) You are a chosen one, and there are times you won't like it
Reading Harry Potter makes you feel that having an extraordinary life is impossible. Harry and a lot of YA protagonists are trying to tell us that leading that extraordinary life is not easy, and it is more than just being not easy. It involves a lot of work and sacrifice. This gave most readers tugs in their hearts, thinking whether or not they still wanted a life of wizardry and adventure. But that's just how it is, even in real life. Having an adventure is not as easy as walking down the yellow brick road (now I'm straying to another book). So instead of reminding yourself how much your life sucks, then "Carpe Diem". You can wait until something unusual is thrust upon you or you can easily look for adventure (or sometimes trouble). And if you end up fearing for your life just like Harry, all you can do is have a little faith on what will happen next because the most exciting thing about life is that you don't know what the next page is because you're already inside a story.

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10.) We're all about that sass.
If you can sass, congratulations you became Harry Potter

Till the next post, Potterheads~

The Fandom Formula for the Perfect Boyfriend

It's a given fact that our world has brainwashed us with love stories that will probably never happen in real life, but let us not take this the hard way. Thanks to Twilight and to all those sappy fandoms we all love anyway, we already have in mind what  kind of relationship we want. We formulate expectations that eventually lead to standards. If this guy is nothing like the Remus Lupin of your dreams, then he is off the list. In other words, most (if not all) of the standards we create are based on the books we read and the stuff we watch. Don't deny that, ever since you saw this super hot fictional person, you suddenly envisioned yourself with a partner who can match those qualities. Admit it. 

Since I "love" math, let's look at it in the point of view of mathematics. I will try to create a formula, that may (or may not) help you find your dream partner for the rest of your life (hopefully). I'm no mathematician, but I am going to give it a shot. 

Okay, now a majority of our standards are based on the following criteria:

Looks- If this man has the incredibly deep blue eyes you are looking for

Personality- If he's an intelligent prodigy, a douche who is secretly a sensitive romantic, or something else

The Romantic Gimmicks- If he is willing to close the entire mall for you so you can have your very own shopping spree without anyone interrupting, or if he  surprises you with a thousand roses when he proposes to you. You know, the sappy stuff.

Skills- If he can do everything, or if he can't do everything.

Theorem 1 If  we managed to get all of these in a guy, then congratulations...he's the one (hopefully). So it is safe to say that if we add all of them, then that means your perfect match exists. Hence, this formula

Looks (60%) + Personality (15%) + The Romantic Gimmicks (10%) + Skills (15%) = The Perfect Boyfriend

Now how do we know if this guy's looks, personality, gimmicks, and skills can sum up to what we look for in a boyfriend? I'll tell you what to do. The first step is to grab a calculator. Or at least, open the calculator app in your phone. Just like almost every criteria we had to look at, each element we look for a man comes with a percentage. And in order to make sure this guy is the one, we have to compute for each trait.

 Looks (60%)

If you say looks do not matter to you much, then you are a liar. Looks are--unfortunately--everything. It's what we first notice from any person. We are drawn to the fictional characters in our fandoms simply because of the way they appear. It's true. We love only five physical characteristics from a guy and those are the eyes, hair, skin, face, and the abs. In order to get the 60% percent we are looking for, we head to our next theorem

Theorem 2 The looks of a guy in every fandom go beyond the scale of 1 to 10, and every characteristic has a weight, depending on what you prefer the most.

Corollary 1 We always prefer one thing more than the other. So rank the top five characteristics according to your choice. The first characteristic automatically gets a total score of 50, the second gets a total score of 40, and so on.

1.) Eyes (n/50)
2.) Abs (n/40)
3.) Face (n/30)
4.) Hair (n/20)
5.) Skin (n/10)

Corollary 2 It's all or nothing. So if the guy does not have the eyes of the Herondales, then that n automatically becomes 0. As long as the guy has the trait you are looking for, the score automatic becomes perfects. Afterwards you must multiply each by 11 (refer to Theorem 2) and add the total. 

1.) Eyes (50/50) x 11 = 11
2.) Abs (0/40) x 11 = 0

3.) Face (30/30) x 11 = 11

4.) Hair (0/20) x 11 = 0

5.) Skin (10/10) x 11 = 11

Total: 33

Now that you got a score, divide the total by 1.61803398875 (because that's the golden ratio) and then you multiply it to 0.60. You may round off to the nearest decimal place.

Looks: 12/60 

Personality (15%)

When you take in the personality, it is not just about asking what do you look for in a guy. There will always be something you will not like about someone. With that said, how will you measure a guy's personality and how do you know if it matches what you are looking for?

Theorem 3 Most of the male characters in fandoms are sexy for two things; their sensitivity and complications. We squeal whenever this male character has a cute moment with this female character, you name it. It happens in almost every Young Adult Fiction. Basically we appreciate the sweet, vulnerable, and soft side of every male regardless of the kind of complicated masks they wear. 

In books, movies, and shows, we are attracted to either the good boy or the bad boy.

Corollary 1 For the good boy, multiply 2 (because two is better than one) to 0.777.

2 x 0.777 = 1.554

Corollary 2 For the bad boy, multiply 2 to 0.666. 

2 x 0.666 =  1.332

Once you got the computation, multiply it to 0.15. But if you chose the bad boy corollary, then you have to multiply your previous answer to -0.15, square it, and then you multiply it again to a 100 because those kinds of guys take a lot of work.

1.332 x -0.15= -0.1998 ^ 2 =  0.03992004 x 100 = 3.992004

Personality: 4/15

Romantic Gimmicks (10%)
Nothing makes a girl swoon when a guy would wake you up from your beauty sleep with the most sweetest texts, ever. But if you are into extremes, you would love a guy who would purchase an entire island for you. Calculating a man's romantic gimmicks is probably the most discriminating part of this entire process. Why? Let's take a look at the next theorem.

Theorem 4 A guy's romantic etiquette will be based on his or her income. If you are swooned by the Edward Cullen-rich kind of man, then you have to divide his monthly income/allowance  over your monthly income/allowance. Interchange the two when you prefer the opposite.

If you want a rich man (signs: you want him to buy you very materialistic gifts, you want him to close down an entire store/mall/airport/restaurant/ship for you so you guys can spend some alone time together, you're into candle-lit dinners, you want to be proposed in the best way ever, you want him to hire a photographer on your proposal, you remind your friends that they should remind your future man to do these things for you, you basically want to be romanced with the grand and fabulous stuff in life):

The guy's monthly income or allowance / Your monthly income or allowance

If you want an average or poor man (signs: you don't want him to buy you that much gifts, being surprised by a flash mob is enough, handmade gifts are enough, to surprise you with breakfast in bed made by him, you want him to hold up signs for you saying how much loves and shiz, you prefer being romanced through songs, it's either you don't want gimmicks or you want gimmicks that do not involve that much money):

Your monthly income or allowance / The guy's monthly income or allowance

Corollary 1 You can't have both, even if you want two gimmicks of two different types to happen to you. You can't always get what you want and that's the sad fact of life. 

15 000 / 140 000 =  0.10

Romantic Gimmicks: 0.10/10

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Skills (15%)

The way he plays pianos, the way he does flower arrangements, the way he dances with you under the moonlight....oh! And when he cooks for you??? Sighs.....Fandoms have the ability to create these kinds of guys. However, in this case, we would need a scorecard.

Theorem 5 There is a difference between having a skill and being good at it. The first thing you have to do is to create a list of the skills you look for. For each skill, you have an automatic weight of 100%. In this scorecard computation, it is up to you if this guy has the skills you are looking for. Define the score on your own (because you have the best judgment for this) and divide it by the automatic weight. Once you are done, add the total and multiply it 0.15

Pianist skills - 20/100
Intelligence - 50/100
Sewing - 100/100
Cooking - 80/100
Singing - 56/100
Dancing - 43/100
Has a way with children - 100/100
Athletic skills - 3/100
Poetry - 57/100
Art skills - 97/100
Mechanic Skills - 69/100
Gardening - 24/100
Flower arranging - 12/100

Total: 7.11

Corollary 1 If the skills you are looking reach more than 10, then multiply it by -0.15 and square it.

7.11 x -0.15 = -1.0665 ^ 2 =  1.13742225

Skills: 1/15

And we are almost at the end! Now that you've got the score of each, add them all up and if it reaches a perfect 100, then that means you certainly found the one!

12 + 4 + 0.10 + 1 = 17.1

Perfect boyfriend score = 17/100
Conclusion: He's not the one

If you do not get the perfect 100, then do not feel bad. There is one reason for that and it is seen in the very first theorem.