Hey! I'd like to water down things a bit with a New Yolk Times post, where I express some food for thought. A special anime review will be coming your way very soon, but for now let's talk about something serious. So today marks the start of Holy Week (sort of), and that also means the start of summer vacation for the rest of us (unless you go to my University). And whenever vacation hits, a majority of the human population struggles with one thing: and that is productivity.
Never date Edward Cullen. He may have the sparkles and a fancy car, but he's way too controlling and possessive. Don't get me started with Jacob Black and his werewolf pack. They have the symptoms of a domestic abuser.
Never date Zuko. Or basically, never play with fire. You will get hurt, one way or another.
Never date Draco Malfoy. Not because he's a cowardice, but his personality is just unflattering. How is a tortured bully ever an attractive trait?
Never date Augustus Waters. His flirting game may swoon in you in the pages of book, but you won't be able to recognize it in real life because the guys who tried his strategy are the ones you most probably rejected and regarded as "creepy" and "weird".
Never date any shadowhunter. Their occupation has made them elitists, so at the end of the day, they will still think they're better than you no matter what they say. And they can be potential rapists.
Never date Katniss Everdeen. Just don't. Not because she's too busy with the revolution, but she can sometimes be very insensitive.
Never date Korra. The job of an Avatar is way too demanding and if you're the type who wants to spend a lot of quality time, then save your breath.
Never date Dick Grayson. His job can put you in great danger, even if you say it's worth the risk (because there's a high probability you do not know what you are saying). And if you're looking for loyalty in your date, then he's most definitely not for you.
Never date Nagisa Furukawa, because she still has a lot to learn for herself.
Never date Wonder Woman. Her pride may be a bit too much for you.
Never date Hercules, because he's not really a wonder boy in real life.
Never date any Disney Prince, since their basis of love and attraction is quite superficial and happily ever after will forever remain a mystery.
Never date Elsa. No matter how many times you sing her song, she has a hard time of letting go.
Never date Ariel, because stubborn is not necessarily hot.
Never date a fictional character. They're not perfect. They're not any different from real life people. Control over your will is not a sweet gesture. A badass attitude may not be something you're looking for. When they say that they're too dangerous to be with, maybe what they say is true. Then who should you date? Who's the right one? My advice is to look up and never depend on fiction for how your love story will be written. Write your own and it will be guaranteed to be the best.
Hi! Sorry if it's been a while. School is around the corner, so things are starting to get busy around here. Speaking of which, I'm sure most of you are starting high school or college for the first time, or you just dread the idea of school. Well, whether you like it or not, education is very important. In short, yes, we need to go to school because it will eventually produce some good benefits. And if you think about it closely, most fandoms contain very educated characters and most of these happen to be characters we love. So why not make them examples or icons of education? Here are five important school survival tips that I learned from five different fandoms.
1.) Annabeth Chase/Hermione Granger- "Knowledge is power" Although they come from two different book series, I think it's safe to put them on the same category. Hermione and Annabeth taught me you definitely get something if you spend a little more time with your homework. And they don't just learn things, they apply what they studied in every situation, The fact that they are eager to learn something new, already makes them the badass female characters. That's why Harry or Percy depend on them a lot, because let's face it; they aren't the most studious type. I'm not saying you have to be studious like them, but they taught me to embrace learning as much as I can because I'm definitely gonna need what I store in my brain.
2.) Felicity Smoak- "Education can give you a future" For those have seen her filler arc in Arrow Season 3, we all eventually understood why Felicity became who she is. Not only that, she made it clear that she thought she wouldn't amount to anything. One thing's for sure, though; she didn't want to end up like her mom. Although her aspirations made her have disagreements with her mom along the way, but one thing I've always admired about Felicity, is that she is able to make a goal for herself. And to make things even better, she made that goal happen. I guess she taught me that spending your afternoons understanding complicated math equations is definitely worth your time. In other words, education will definitely guarantee you a future. It doesn't matter if your course or your future career path is not technical as hers, but rest assured all your hard work in school will produce something great in the end. So try looking at that homework again and put your mind to it like she did.
3.) Katniss Everdeen- "Learning is not a privilege, it's a necessity" I know, I picked the most generic and possibly overrated YA character of all time. But even if the Hunger Games never had much info about the way they handle their education system, Katniss Everdeen still proved to everyone that she's smarter than you think. Unlike the other tributes, nobody in her district gave her tips on how to win the Hunger Games. Nobody taught her how to fight or even survive. She learned that all by herself. She didn't really need a school to teach her how to hunt down some meat. If you're one of those people who thinks school is not at all that important, try to think twice. School is kind of important, at least for me, because it has taught me many things that are not even academic-related.
4.) Barry Allen- "Never stop pursuing" Barry is one of those characters who would never give up or who would never stop believing in something. Barry has always believed in the impossible and he actually became the impossible. Basically, that very attribute is something that we're going to need in our daily lives, especially in school. No matter how stressful your week seems to be, believe that you can make it. If you think graduating is impossible, pursue it and it will hit you in a flash.
5.) Mako- "Don't make school take over your life" Yeah, she seems like a very unfitting choice, since she barely showed much promise in her schooling. But guess what, it doesn't really matter to her. She certainly does one thing that I honestly think every student should do, which is spending time with her family. In my high school days, joining family outings or even spending time with friends was a luxury for me because I had so much school work to do. Furthermore, I wanted to maintain really good grades and I am one of those students who seriously needed to drill their brains into studying. And it really frustrated me at the time, because I wanted to be one of those people who would just take a glance on their notes and understand things in an instant. But no, I'm not that kind of student and hard work is essential for me if I want to succeed. But during high school, I took my studies way too seriously to the point I would have moments where I snapped into a mad frenzy (and me being stressed is not a pretty sight, by the way!). Because of that, I wasn't able to spend that much time with family. As for my friends, I get to see them everyday, but there where many times I would miss outings with them too. And I learned that it's not healthy because I knew I wasn't going to be stuck in school until I die (and I do not intend to let that happen). So what I'm saying that it's okay to take a break. It's okay to set a time where you can just goof off with your loved ones, because that's important too. And yes, too much of school will most likely kill you. Trust me, I know.
And that's it! Hope you guys are going to look at school in a much more brighter perspective now (in spite of the bullies, perhaps). Work hard, relax, and don't forget to smile! Till the next post~
Recently I watched a Youtube video created by CassJayTuck and I found myself agreeing with everything she said. She was talking about what she thinks is the problem with YA Fiction today, saying that the ideas in current YA novels are not as fresh or original. In other words, writers are simply recycling so much ideas to the point they forgot the whole point of writing.
I'd like not only to reiterate everything she said, but to add up to it, because I think this is definitely an opinion that needs to be heard among more hardcore bookworms out there. If you want to have a head start, you can take a quick look on Cass' video here:
Before I begin, I'd like to make one thing clear; I have nothing against the Dystopian or Romance Genre. I'm saying this because it is one of the most common genres we normally see in YA Fiction. That's the reason why I don't hate them, they are just genres. If a writer wants a Dystopia, then he/she has every right to write one. So if I have no problems with these, then what is the problem?
Cass mentioned in her video that most novels in YA lack this thing called, "world-building". One of the many joys in reading is that you get suck into a whole different world, that your reading experience becomes more or less surreal. YA Novels today, unfortunately, do not give that much world-building. It only focuses on a certain element that the writers think will excite their readers, as well as editors and publishing companies. And this is what happens when you pretty much recycle from a classic YA Novel. You end up focusing on things that you think will make your novel become a hit, but let's establish the fact that all novels are not similar and shouldn't be. You might as well stick to fanfiction writing if you intend to recreate something that's already there. The main challenge of a writer will always be the creative juice. A reader will be able to notice right away if you're trying to rip something off. I'm not saying that writers shouldn't draw their inspiration from other books. If they intend to base their ideas on previous published stories, might as well put a little bit more flare and not put other used ideas in one book. There's a difference, yes. That's why being a writer is not as easy as you think. You shouldn't be using other techniques or styles. Use your own. Basically, most writers are missing the fun part in writing. You get to create your own world. The time and effort must be focused on that, as well as in character development and in plot ideas. Not in just who ends up with who. So Cass is right, give your stories a little bit more love. This is my challenge for aspiring writers. Create stories wherein I can enjoy a whole new world. Follow the example of children's books. Please. Or maybe, you can take notes from Anime, because most anime shows do that very well.
Back on the genre issue... genre should never be an issue. It becomes an issue when a book fails to deliver a promise. For example, you want to create Dystopian novel (sorry if I constantly use this as an example, but it's the most common one at the moment), but you want to put a bit of romance. I've read tons of novels similar to this problem, and instead of focusing on the main problem, it concentrates on the love triangles. In other words, the secondary genre suddenly becomes much more important than the dominant genre. Then the story strays from what it originally was. Twilight is a perfect example of a novel that is able to deliver its promise. Stephenie Meyer made it clear from start to finish, that this whole saga will be a love story in between a huge vampire-politic problem. And it was a love story that was in the middle of a huge vampire-politic problem. I've read many books that imply that this is gonna be a story about a conflict two parties, but when I read it, the story is purely or mostly about romance and how the character is so awkward about puberty.
I also want to challenge writers about writing protagonists, because they can also be a YA issue. Main heroes and heroines now lack a bit of originality, nowadays. We always get the following:
1.) The person who doesn't want anything to do with the situation but gets into the situation anyway. 2.) The sassy or blunt person with a terrible or sad past, becomes very indifferent to almost everything but still gets loved by everyone 3.) The confused person who runs into a middle of a crossfire, and surprisingly becomes a major part of the crossfire.
As you can see, the similarities between the three are endless. I'd like future writers to come up with a whole new and realistic main character. I guess this is why I like the Insignia Series so much. Tom Raines had sass all over his body, but he didn't conform to any typical YA cliche I mentioned above. So the perspective was new, fresh, and absolutely interesting.
I would like to discuss another cliche. I know romance is something that any young adult can relate to, but I am sick of love being the driving force or main motivation for any YA character. There's more to life than relationships and all that shiz. I am starting to get tired of YA for creating characters who would just participate in a war or do something totally crazy for the sake of their significant other. I give kudos for The Hunger Games, for giving Katniss a whole new realistic motivation, which is her family. It made perfect sense for her character and for the world she was in. So perhaps another challenge? If writers cannot write a straight YA Fiction without inserting a few love stories here and there, make it subtle then? Give your characters different kinds of motivations? Give your readers a whole new thing to be inspired about?
That's all I have to say about YA for now. If you have other misgivings about the current situation on YA (which won't end right away), let me know on the comments. Also, you can share this so it will reach to more people, particularly to authors (aspiring ones, included). And I will see you till the next post~
Whether we like it or not, we all get judged and judge even if it is considered a bad thing (source: The Bible). What's even worse is that we get immediately judged based on our interests. For instance, if I like watching The Star Wars Trilogy, then I am possibly considered a prestigious geek. If I enjoy reading Twilight, I am immediately labeled as this illiterate fangirl. I know that there are certain kinds of people who don't really care about what others say about their likes and dislikes, but its really depressing and infuriating to know that there are people who will think lowly of you simply because you like something generic.
Let me remind everyone that interest is called interest for a pretty good reason; we like it. That's all there is to it. Liking a movie or a book is kinda similar to being in love as described in most YA novels. In other words, sometimes we can't clearly explain why we enjoy something and I'm sure this is something most fangirls can relate to. In other words, why should someone be badly judged for simply having an interest in something? For me, it's not fair to insult someone's taste simply because it doesn't match your own. I guess it's something that I've learned growing up.
If you guys still can't picture what I want to emphasize, just think about your friends or siblings or anyone you're close to. At some point, you can express yourselves (or in the case of this blog, "fangirl") to them without having this tinge of fear of being teased. And that feeling is great. And I guess that's how your mortal life should always feel. Now think of your dislikes. When you encounter someone who happens to be interested in your dislikes, then the common courteous thing to do is to be polite right? But at times, especially when were still young and naive, we think disdainfully about why this person would even like this thing you consider crap. It may be just a thought to most people, but the fact that you've thought of it in your very own mind? That's terrible.
Looking back at the times I did that, I ended up being very disgusted with myself. Then I began thinking why can't we just respect that person instead of asking why they consider Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele the best OTP in literary history. Just thinking about it is time consuming and very exhausting. Because in the end, we would probably never be able to understand why. That's the beauty of diversity, my lovely people.
Our world is aspiring to become a place were we can be equal, just, beautiful, colorful, and unique all at the same time. But I believe that the beginning of something big starts with the tiniest step. And we can all start with this. If you're one of those people who does hate comments or thinks badly about other people's tastes and preferences, then please consider what you are doing if it is even worth your energy. Learn how to simply respect what they like, because that's the easiest way to go. So basically, yes, this is the best advice I can share to you. When you can accept someone liking something you don't like, then congratulations. You're on your way to maturity. If you guys think this is not maturity, then I don't know what else to say.
I have to admit, doing this is extremely hard. Especially when you consider yourself a very proud and firm person. But sometimes, there would be times that your pride won't be needed at all. All you have to do is nod, and swallow that disgusting sin. Don't even bother trying to explain why you hate what he or she likes, like you're suddenly some debating expert (because if you think about it, is that really necessary?). Just say what you also like, and move on with your life. Make love, not war.
For some odd reason, Gamer or Geeky girls create a huge buzz on the interweb. You see them on Tumblr, create fashion trends, or even on Youtube. And to be perfectly honest, I have no idea why they are such a big deal. From what I understand of social media's portrayal of them. they are the "rare-type-of-pokemon" girlfriend material for boys, simply because they understand the video game language and many other things. Now that's a bit strange for me. They're not really an endangered species. I have many friends who are gamer, geeky girls. Also, that very idea just became completely bizarre in a way that girls are suddenly pressured to look like gamers or just plain geeky. The question is why?
Recently, I saw this post on Facebook about the double standards that definitely made me decide to type this very post.
Facebook
If you are attracted to girls who like playing video games and read comics then that's more than okay. It means they're your type and there is nothing wrong with that. But in this case, we tend to forget that gamer girls are not a homogenous species. They're people and they are all different. Not every nerd of geek wears glasses, or looks like a cynical hipster. She may be this cute shy school girl who cosplays, but that does not automatically mean she's going to be perfect. Diversity does not exactly equate to perfection.To the people guilty of this ideology, don't expect nerdy or geeky girls to look like the one on the right. Every girl looks freakin' different, deal with it. And to the girls in the world who are bothered by this picture, never fear. You don't have to look like nerdy Tumblr girl just to look physically appealing or attractive. Just be yourself and don't pressure yourself to get those hipster Raybans everyone else is getting. In other words, don't pretend you look Geeky when you know deep down video games or anime isn't your thing. As you all know, pretending to be someone you're not was never a good idea.
The bottom line is that we all (and will) get judged like these two girls. No matter what happens, deliver whatever you have and give it all you got. Because not everyone in this world will hate you. And if they do, then it's time to reflect and find out what the heck is wrong with yourself. Don't give yourself a personality goal and try to be this rare-pokemon gamer girl. Be you.
I am not going to lie. I actually love taking selfies. It just so happens that I don't post them all because I do not want to appear like a self-obsessed freak on the internet, which I am not. And this leads me to the whole idea of the Selfie Culture. A long time ago, we would all use our cameras sparingly--we bring it out only during times of special occasions like birthdays or graduation. But with the advancement of technology and the newly-enhanced front cameras we get each year, every moment we receive suddenly counts as a special occasion. Whenever we buy a new pair of shoes, we have to study for a hardcore exam, or even when we're just sick in bed, we document the visuals in our smartphones. That's the Selfie culture. If you still think it does not exist, here are seven instances that prove that it truly exists.
1.) The existence of Photography Mobile apps It's not a question that smartphones are now a thing among us. And if you are one of those people downloading Vscocam just to make your Instagram pictures look hipster or Tumblr-esque, then welcome to the world of Selfies.
2.) When you take more than one selfie and only pick that one special shot to post to your Instagram I'm not saying this is a bad thing. There's nothing wrong with expanding your options in terms of camera roll shots. But the idea of just picking the right selfie is not enough for us to realize that we are idolizing this brand new way of life.
3.) When likes suddenly matter Upon entering the world of Selfies, we tend to wonder why our other friends get at least a hundred likes per selfie. For me, I am still trying to calculate the factors contributing to this surprising phenomenon. Is it because of the quality of camera? Is it because my friend can actually pose? Is it the popularity? The effects of the filter maybe? That moment when that person suddenly looked photogenic? Seriously, what did they do to get celebrity-accumulated likes?
5.) There are songs and published works talking about the selfie But first...let me take a selfie!
6.) When you take your picture-taking to the next level You get extra lenses for your phone's camera, you actually ask someone to seriously take photos of you, you add more photography apps, you find a cute pet to pose next to you when you're really posing for yourself and not the innocent creature...you basically become an amateur photographer when it comes to your phone.
7.) When selfies plays a major part in building your self-esteem
Again, this is not a bad thing. If you feel confident just because you think you look aesthetically good in your pictures, then knock yourself out. It is time for this generation to stop putting themselves down and start embracing every part of their bodies. Selfies actually play a really big part in character building, unless you let it do its magic the right way. Seeing those great comments about your dress is great. And knowing that there are people who find you really pretty or hot, is good. We are actually exercising common courtesy here. Nonetheless, selfies help in confidence boosts at the time.
As of now, I am convinced that the world's population consist of people who are fandomized. Fandomized meaning, we spend at least half of our time talking about Adventure Time, Sherlock Holmes, or even the upcoming sequel film of the Avengers. We all have our own interests, and the people I know would always go into their fandom phase. Whether they need an outlet or they're bored to death, they will still talk about what's going on with their favorite Kpop group or what just happened in the last episode of Reign. Now if you think you're a very normal person who treats TV and books with average respect and you are trying to talk to someone who will not stop going on about his or her fandoms like its their own limited supply of oxygen, never fear. I am here to help you.
Here are five simple steps on how to interact with a fandomized person. (Note: I decided to come up with the term, 'fandomized' because I am sick of saying fangirls and fanboys at the same time. It's time for equality, yo)
1.) Tolerance. Just like the immortal Gretchen Wieners always says, "You have to be considerate to the rest of the group." When your friend decides that its time for him or her to talk about a John Green book he or she just read, then do what every other normal person would do. Listen. You may not exactly know what Shingeki No Kyojin means in English, but just listen. Surely, a fandomized person would know better and not pick you to be the listener. However, sometimes when the urge to spazz is too strong, they feel like that they have no choice but to let it out on someone. Irregardless of how fandomized a person is, they just have to scream about why this OTP should get together. And if you're the chosen one, might as well deal with it. You want to socialize with fandom? Then socialize. Learn how to listen.
2.) Ask many questions. When you are especially clueless about the story of Game of Thrones, might as well keep the conversation alive by asking about it. One of the many basic ways of socializing is to keep asking questions. Initially treating your talks like an interview gradually becomes productive and the next thing you know, you two are exchanging numbers and are official friends. I consider myself a fandomized person, but there a lot of fandoms I haven't came across yet. That's when I ask the questions. Who is this character? What is this show about? Why is this fandom awesome for you? Where can I read this? Who wrote this story? How is this romantic? And yes, those questions eventually branch out to many answers and many words exchanged between who I eventually call friend.
3.) Never question. There is a difference between asking what the fandom is all about and asking what can the fandom offer. Never question the taste of a fandomized person. For one thing, it is quite rude. Asking why Arrow is great is like asking why you prefer having this particular calorie-heavy snack every day. And if this person is heavily fandomized, insulting him or her is probably the last thing you want to do. Many say its just all talk, but I'm telling you. The backfire is real.
4.) Be open. For your future conversations to nurture, I suggest you try out this book or movie especially when your friend highly encourages you to do so. That way, you can understand him or her more. Withhold judgment and learn why this person is so fascinated with the world of the Hobbits. It's not exactly a way of wasting time because you are in the midst of discovery. Who knows, maybe you can get a fandom on your list. Beware of the addiction, though. It can get pretty nasty.
5.) Accept. If you can never understand why your friend finds 50 Shades of Grey romantic, then just let it be. Express your opinion about it, but don't try to impose. Humans usually consider this an abomination. This can also ruin friendships because you are basically forcing someone to drop something he or she has been used to. You're simply asking your friend to just move out with no preparation or even a warning. And when it comes to moments like these, there are no warnings or go signals. Telling your friend to stop watching Anime is a major blow or an act of betrayal in your friendship code...unless the fandom life is beginning to engulf her soul. So if she or he she likes this, don't bother to tell her otherwise. It will only cause more complications. And if you can't really deal with him or her talk about the incest sex between the Lannister, might as well back off yourself. Other than that, accept your fandomized friends for who they are because their fandoms actually contributed in constructing his or her well-being.
When it comes to our beloved fandoms, we are ruthless.
The love we have for fictional characters can be easily compared to the love a mother has for her children. Anyone who dares to get in the way of that love...is asking for a death wish.
If a person with not much knowledge about fandoms triest to insult us...they can be easily forgiven. Why? Well, they don't know any better. Come on, we're not that heartless.
BUT...if a fellow person with a certain range of fandoms dares to insult any of my fandoms...even if it is just about single strand of Killian's hair ...there will be blood.
Anyone who has a love for anything that's not real, getsinto fandom wars. It happens all the time. There was the war of the directioners and directionators; A war between DC and Marvel (Team DC for layf); A war between bookworms about Pro-John Green and Anti-John Green; A war between Team Jacob, Team Edward, Team Peeta, and Team Gale deciding who rules the YA fiction world; even Stephen King and George R.R. Martin are creating their own wars. And sadly, their war is something that not even the great Gandalf himself can pass through.
We all want to prove that our fandoms are the best. That our taste in books, movies, music, and TV series are superb than anyone else's. Waging war against other fandoms though is ironically, like a double-edged sword. It creates both harm and good. Up till now, I am not sure if it is generating more harm than good, or vice versa. These wars, exercises our minds. I thought I would forever be the girl who can't speak her mind. But when it comes to fandom wars, I go full-on Amazonian mode for the books and series that I love. And as much as possible, I try to do it in a healthy way. I end up explaining why this show is good, why the characters are not what they seem. I am not only using voice via social media, I am developing a critical mind. Yes, believe me, there are plenty of other ways of being intelligent other than trying to get straight A's on college algebra. That's what makes Fandom Wars good. Our right to express anything we want, is being used at its best advantage.
However, you know what they say. Too much of something can also be a bad thing. Now, the bad thing about Fandom Wars is that they can get so out of hand, to the point we become demons. We terrorize others by swearing, insults, and even cyberbullying others. All because we want to rub it in everyone's faces that Game of Thrones is the best TV show, that One Direction is the best boy band, that no novel series can ever compare to what John Green writes, and that this character is the worst.
I am not saying we should all stop being mean to each other, because that can't be done right away. We are all very convinced that social media can help us take advantage of the opinions and inner voices we thought we never had in the first place. And for now, we do not want to let go of that very idea. Social media has somehow made us feel powerful. We can easily criticize one thing and get away with it. We can bash this celebrity and there's nothing anyone can do about it because it is your opinion. Same goes in fandom wars. I can easily say that Tyrion Lannister is the worst character ever, and you can easily tell me that Arrow is the worst DC-adapted show in history. We can go on and on about what we want to believe in. But in the end, nothing much is going to change. No fandom will win. Will that very idea give us a reason to stop fighting?
Have you experienced witnessing your favorite book in the entire world be turned into a movie or a TV series? If you did, were you satisfied by the media's adaptation of it? Now that is a question.
I can't count how many times my favorite books and comics got turned into film, TV series, or even animated features. A summary of my verdicts were 50/50. Some adaptations were really good or a-okay, and some were just terrible. But I think most of us can relate to the situation, wherein the movie adaptation completely ruins the book(s).
Lemme share all of you a simple story. Before I officially became demigod, I watched The Lightning Thief before even reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. My thoughts on the movie? It was fine. Interesting, but it didn't wrap up my mind. A year later, my friend recommended the Percy Jackson series to me and she lent me all her five books. After reading the first book, I was immediately hooked. I was mesmerized by how much depth most of the characters had, enticed by Riordan's writing style, and overwhelmed by the Greek Mythology references. Overall, I fell in love with the Percy Jackson series and I officially declared myself as a demigod.
But right after I read the first book, the first thought that came to my mind before everything else was this, "Oh my god, the movie ruined the book."
The moral of the story? If you want to start on a book series and you learn that it became or is becoming a movie or a TV show, start with the movie or TV first. You will encounter spoilers, no doubt. But you will be spared from the feeling of disappointment. The question is, why do movie adaptations suck?
When I learned that The Mortal Instruments Series was going to have its own movie adaptation, I emotionally prepared myself for the worst. A huge part of me knew it was going to be terrible. A lot of people of the TMI fandom knew that, too. So they bombarded Cassandra Clare, who is the amazing writer of the Shadowhunter series--with lots of questions regarding the movie. Obviously, most of my fellow shadowhunters were concern who was going to play the main characters and how much of the plot is going to be in the movie. But in the end, Clare's answer is always said that it is out of her hands because she already sold the rights of her book to the filmmakers, and that the ones producing the film have the last say on what's going to happen in the script. I have to admit, that did not make me feel better. The good news was that Clare was highly involved in the production, but that did not stop the film from its downfall. I guess the main point of this story was to tell you that it is actually up to the filmmakers on how the story goes. Like, no matter how genius and creative the story is to you, they still have the power to change it. After all, to them it is just an adaptation. I don't know if they know how much these stories mean to us.
I guess I will never understand how the film industry dissects a plot from a book, but I do understand why we end up getting disappointed. It is because our imagination will never theirs. You can say that is the main challenge when you attempt to make a book series into a movie. If you want to make it a big hit, you should be fully aware that your target audience will be the readers. Don't just research the fandom, be the fandom. Because chances are a reader's vision is far different from a director's vision. However, I think trying to understand a reader's vision is...impossible. Because you're not just focusing on one member of the fandom, but thousands. Millions. Probably billions of readers. And each of us have a different version of this scenario. Each of us have a different idea of what our favorite hot male character would look like. Each of us have a different interpretation of what this feeling in the book is trying to express. And most of the time, our imaginations are just insane. They're so insane, they can't be comprehended in reality..sadly. The way people from fandoms envision their favorite characters is like how a women would set impossibly high standards for a mate. That's why most movies seem like they ruined our favorite books, somehow. Our standards are just way too high.
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~
Before the holidays even began, I could not wait to dedicate myself to blogging. Now I'm in the middle of vacation, I ended up getting lazy. I'm sure that I am not the only one experiencing this. So, for the sake of sharing my thoughts to you, I will talk about writer's block and how I deal with it.
Writer's block is what I call a sin for all writers. It is the common enemy, the obstacle, the main reason why we can't get any work done in time. It literally blocks your mind to all these incredible ideas that you have yet to use! Because of the mental block, you end up wandering mindlessly and you end up being unproductive. Apart from pure laziness, I don't know what are the other causes of this damned disease. If there was an actual mallet that can dismantle the block in my brain, I'd be happy to sacrifice a huge fragment of my soul for it (I'm only exaggerating, of course).
So yes, this will not be the last time that I will go through something like this. So forgive me if a post of mine becomes bland; it means I am experiencing writer's block. However, there is something I would like to talk about, but it won't be as spontaneous as the others. Since it is about the internet.
This may be the first time that I will be sharing this, but I love watching Youtubers. They're funny, easy to relate with, and very random. I love hearing about their thoughts and their ideas. Their spontaneity and jokes can always brighten up the worst days for me. Lately, every time I try to read the comment section (usually, I do that to read the top comments, which are most of the time hilarious)...I end up finding a lot of unpleasant things. Meaning, it's either spam, a troll comment, or just a plain rude remark. Why is that? Why has the cyber world gone so bitter, is the real world that bad now?
I know that the whole issue of "hate in the internet" won't disappear any time soon but I can't help but to readdress it. Because, I feel strongly against cyber bullying and anything related to that. Nobody wants to be disrespected. Nobody. And if you say that you don't mind being treated with disrespect, then I do not know what's wrong with you. And if you are one of those people who enjoy writing mean or spam-worthy comments, then I get that you guys have nothing better to do with your lives; but do you really have to affect other people with your negativity? This whole hating and trolling is kinda like a virus. For some odd reason, you just feel like typing an offensive comment and sending it means spreading that virus all over the net, affecting a lot of people. And the next thing you know, others are following the very same bad example.
And it is not surprising that nothing much will change regardless of what I say here. As far as I know, this is just the beginning, and unless there is a law on internet etiquette or something, then this whole hate thing won't end anytime soon. I just want everyone to know that it's seriously happening and it's not a laughing matter. I've experienced cyber bullying and I know a lot of other people who went through it, too. A rude comment may not have an affect on you, but it can greatly affect most people. Youtubers like Pewdiepie have made it clear that the internet is no longer a happy place, it is broader than that. Also, I'm sure you've heard about Zoella and her hater issues. It is natural for famous like them to have haters, yes, but at the end of the day...they are people...with feelings. They get hurt, too. And judging from their posts regarding the internet, the comments, and the hate.... it's taking a great toll on them too.
Has the world gone sadistic?
The best tip for every internet user is very overrated yet very simple; think twice before doing something. And I think that's very self-explanatory. For the ones affected by the hate, don't fret. This may be hard to take in, but do not focus on the bad stuff. Appreciate what you already have and once you do, you will realize that you have nothing to lose. Basically, don't listen to the haters and just focus on yourself, because you know yourself better than they do. Stay strong!
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