Fandom Terms

It has occurred to me that most people in the world do not know what an OTP is or maybe even what a fandom is. I figured that google would sort of come into play at some point or someone would use the context to learn what some of the things I say mean during my never-ending monologues. I have finally thought that this is probably overdue and I should explain some of my nerd slang.

Courtesy of Pintrest

The word 'fandom' come from mushing the words fanatic and domain into one word, it basically means a group of people that like the same actor, band, TV show, anime, book, webcomic, etc. The populations that make up fandoms are called fangirls or fanboys, depending on gender. These people are sometimes really closely knit groups in real life or online. Now, you might be wondering, what do these strange subcultures do besides share a common like for something?

These people sometimes cosplay, ship, draw fanart, write fanfictions, role-play, go to conventions, and worship their actor, band, TV show, anime, book, webcomic, etc. Cosplay is when a person dresses up like a character from their fandom and at Anime Bonzi most of what I saw was from an anime or Homestuck. You may have heard of ComicCon or something similar, but it is basically a gathering of fandoms that nerd out together and there are panels where people talk about anything from headcanons to origami to actors talking about filming.

Fanart and fanfics are fan created drawings and stories that revolve around characters in the stories or original characters created by a fan. Shipping is when you like the idea of two characters being in a relationship, and it can be platonic or romantic as well as canon or not. The acceptance of shipping varies from fandom to fandom. A Headcanon is an event or fact that someone likes. An example being that a character is secretly ticklish or what their height is.

Going back to shipping, the ship that you consider your favorite is called an OTP, and although it stands for One True Pairing, most fangirls have a dozen or more. A common word used by all fans is 'feels' as in feelings, because typing out ing is too much to do when your feels have been hurt. Finally an AMV or MEP are some fanart with music playing in the background. They stand for Animated Music Video and Multi Editing Project respectively, the main difference being that more people work on a MEP.

After getting such an amazing crash course in fandom slang, you are ready to dive face first into the world of fandoms and read this blog with a basic understanding of what I am saying some of the time. Either of those, or you are just really very scared and want nothing to do with fandoms or anything like them ever again and have probably stopped reading. Whichever one you are, you can now better understand some of the nerds you will meet.

The Hobbit and the Five Armies

When I was in sixth grade we were given the Hobbit as assigned reading. Now, it is a simple law of nature that even if the book you have to read is something you would like to read in your own time, the fact that it is an assignment practically forces the reader to detest it. I was the only one that actually read the book all the way through instead of relying on spark notes or hoping the person sitting next to me knew the answers to the chapter quiz.

So I really liked the Hobbit and am in the midst of reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy since I got the box set for Christmas. I was apprehensive about seeing the Hobbit movies because although directors have good intensions when changing things to "make the story better" the fans of the book are there to see a movie about the book, not something vaguely based on it. I am still bitter about the Percy Jackson 'movies'. Anyways, I watched the first movie when I was sick and I do not remember much of it, but I felt like it stayed true to the story.

My copies of LOTR and the Hobbit

Besides the dwarf love and general orc shenanigans that went down in the second movie, it was also fairly in sync with the book throughout it. However, leaving three of the dwarves in lake town did not seem like something that the other questants would have done and it was not canonical, but I can live with that. The final movie showed more of the battle than the book, since it was from Bilbos perspective and he was knocked out pretty early in the fight. Then again just leaving out an epic battle for control of a mountain full of gold would have felt sort of cheap and removed the need for a third movie.

 I was sad when Kili and Fili died, but mostly because a twin or both of them always seem to get killed in movies (Avengers) and books(Sea of Shadows). As a twin, I take offense. Plus they seem like pretty good guys. Yes, Kili's romance was heartbreaking and sweet, but that was not all that big of a reason to why his character was appealing to me. Maybe it is a twin thing, but I feel really sad when a fictional twin dies.

It also felt overly heavy-handed when they referenced the Lord of the Rings. There were some scenes that someone would be really confused about if they did not have previous knowledge of the other movies or books. Overall it was one of the better movie adaptations tha
t I have seen, and to be fair I am being rather knit picky when it comes to this sort of thing. I would highly recommend this for anyone who wants a good fantasy movie to watch or story to read and any Tolkienies (that's probably wrong) that are apprehensive about the movies, they are not perfect but they are certainly worth watching.

The Amazing book is not on Fire

The Amazing Book is not on Fire

Two of my biggest role models and influences wrote a book together. I may seem calm, but I honestly cannot stop freaking out right now. The release date is October eighth 2015, which seems to be a magical day for book publishings, since the last two years both Blood of Olympus and House of Hades were released on October eighth. 

This seems to be a good years for Dan and Phil since they have started a co-gaming channel, written a book, and announced a tour in the UK that may be taken international (fingers crossed for that). I am really happy for the success of some of my favorite people. The Amazing book is not on Fire tells various antidotes about Dan and Phil’s lives, including Phil’s teenage diary, Reasons why Dan’s a Fail, advice on what to do in an awkward situation, and what happened in Vegas. Dan promised to upload a vlog about what they did in Vegas, although he never did which has lead to much speculation by the phandom. 

They say on their website that they also have a test to see which of their dinning chairs represent you emotionally. I would probably buy it based on that alone. They are going to be uploading a making of video, so we know that the book was not “ghost written” where the celebrity tells a few personal facts and someone else writes it without getting any credit. Many youtubers are partnering with publishing companies like Penguin Random House to write books and Danisnotonfire and Amazingphil really got into all of the choices they could make, like in the book trailer, the cover, and even the texture of the paper. 

I think it will be a well written book with plenty of humor since Phil graduated from the University of York with a English Language and Linguistics degree and Dan is naturally very articulate person if he cares to sound that way. They are both giant nerds if you could not tell from the fact that they have a joint gaming channel, so I am going to bet that there is going to be a ton of silly references.

 I cannot wait for the tips for drawing the perfect cat whiskers, so if you see me walking around looking awesome with loads of sharpie on my face, you will know where that came from. It is kind of difficult to believe that they could keep a secret of this magnitude quiet for so long but i am proud of them for being able to do it. Another thing is that it is already the number 1 book on Amazon after it’s announcement yesterday and thousands of people have pre purchased the book on their website. 

Whatever is in the book, I want it, so I am going to go preorder it right now. The future looks really exciting for the two of them, and I can not wait for what the future might hold for them and their fans around the world.

shadow and Bone Trilogy review

Last summer when I was visiting my aunt we went to the bookstore and bought me the first book in the Grisha trilogy. The main character Alina is part of the first army of Ravka (fictional sort of Russia), which is basically the regular army. Her troop is scheduled to go through the fold, land that became dark and full of monsters after the black heretic unleashed his power apon the land. While traveling through, they are attacked by monsters called Volkra and Alina’s best friend Mal is attacked, and Alina discovers that she has the power to summon sunlight. In this world, there are people called Grisha, who can heal, stop hearts, invent new objects, and summon things like fire, wind and water.

Alina is the only person who can summon sunlight and her talent interests the Darkling, a man who can summon the darkness, and she is drafted into the second army, which is comprised entirely of Grisha. I really liked this series even though it is a little more serious than what I am used to reading. The author, Leigh Bardugo is a talented writer who was able to successfully create such an stunning world with relatable dynamic characters. 

From Leigh Bardugo's website

Another brilliant author, Veronica Roth the writer of the Divergent series, gave a good review for the book that made me want to read the book even more than I already did. It has a fantastical theme to it obviously, but it also manages to incorporate elements of real life into it in a straightforward way, like the abuses of power and manipulation inside of Ravka’s court. It has a few twists that I did not see coming and a few that I did as well (not to brag but it was obvious), and they are rather shocking, so for those that want a good fantasy drama with adventuring and consorting in the palace, this is an excellent book.

I have also heard that a Harry Potter producer has picked up the rights for a movie adaptation, so for those that do not like to read longer books, it may be available to watch at the movies. As always with book adaptions, there will be some inaccuracies, but so far it looks like it has the potential to be a great movie. I would be especially interested in how they would make their powers look. As I said in an earlier post, Alina is my favorite character, but her best Grisha friend Genya has become one of my favorites after reading the most recent book. Genya is a “taylor” or someone who can alter the appearances of others as her Grisha talent and is technically a servant to the queen and not part of the second army. She is still an amazing and strong character. I am still not quite finished with the last book, but I really like them and would recommend them strongly to anyone in need of a world to get lost in this week.

Fandom Rules

There are a few rules that all fangirls should hold themselves to, somewhat like an honor code. Some are just plain common sense, like not spoiling a book, or a recent episode of a show. Others seem like they should be common knowledge, but are sadly not, like never insulting someones OTP, favorite character, or fandom, no matter what. Not only is it horribly rude to do, but death will likely occur. Here are a few of the most important fandom rules of any fandom.

Lots of Fandoms

1. Never judge a fandom by the fan, and never judge the fan by the fandom. Like with anything, one person is a bad representation of a group, and their fandoms are not be an accurate way to tell anything about them. Stereotypes are not something that should be a part of fandom culture.

2. Do not make other fangirls feel unaccepted. Since we are a subcultre, some fangirls do not have any friends that they can talk to about their fandom, head canons, or other fandom related things. It is of upmost importance that everyone is always kind to each other, like they say, “Birds of a feather stick together”. 

3. Good fandoms must be accepting of other fandoms, unless there is a fandom war going on between them. Fandom wars have no rules, so they get incredibly terrifying and should be avoided at all costs. Unless they have insulted your fandom, then destroy them without a trace of mercy. Like when Supernatural star Jared Padalecki insulted Justin Bieber and its fans pledged to stop watching the show. Supernaturals next episode was the most watched episode in the shows history. Haha. Although when Homestuck and Hetalia used to fight, it got scary.

4. To reiterate the point, OTPs (One True Pairings) are not to be messed with. Seriously. People are dangerous when something they love that much is threatened. Even if it is the most vile NOTP (anti-OTP) possibly imagined, someone loves it and you will probably need an exorcist to calm them down if it is insulted.

5. If an actor, youtuber, or celebrity expresses that they are uncomfortable being shipped or having their character shipped, just do not do it. It is not easy for them to say they are uncomfortable, and ignoring them and their request will lessen their opinion of the fandom and cause problems in their lives, like with youtubers KickThePj and Crabstickz. Although if they are fine with it like the vast majority of actors and such are neutral or even supportive of the ship, like Misha Collins, Dan Howell and Phil Lester, and basically every Hetalia voice actor. Respecting our idols is very important, and the last thing we would want to do is to make them quit doing the job they love because of us.

I have seen so many fans doing these things lately, and it is really not okay. It is about time that fangirls started treating each other, actors, and characters with respect.

Pottermore

After finding a Harry Potter house quiz and finding out that I was a Hufflepuff (the best house) I happily told my friends. Only then did I learn that to find your true house, it is paramount that you only listen to "Pottermore" the website designed by queen J.K. Rowling, for the most accurate test on where the sorting hat would put you.

I was both excited and nervous to find out, so in my typical nervous habit, I waited as long as I could before actually doing something important. So, after signing up, I first had to take a test to figure out which wand I would have and personally, mine is a really nice one, although apparently it is also like the one Lucius Malfoy owns, but Harry's wand was Voldemort's wands twin, so having a villains wand can not be that bad.

My lovely wand here's the sign up link

Then it was time for the moment of truth where I would find out if I had what it takes to be a Hufflepuff. Most of the time with character tests and the like it is easy to spot what answers to give to get what you want, but with this test I had no idea. Then, the quiz was over and I saw what I was. I was now most officially the newest member of Ravenclaw. They are all really nice houses and I am rather happy with what I got.

The game also gives the player wizard money, also known as Galeons. With the money you can purchase a multitude of items, including potions items and messenger owls. I am not very good yet at handling potions, but they are fun to make and important for winning the house cup.

 With each successfully brewed potion, the house the brewer is in will receive house points. The house with the most points by the end of the year wins the cup. Houses can also earn points by being excellent finders, good friends, or winning duels. It is a friendly competition that also breaks all of the house stereotypes in the best ways. 

I have also seen the Daily Prophet, the Harry Potter version of a tabloid paper that no one should believe a word of, but for some reason think that it is absolutely true. The pet shop was cute and included a half dozen owls and cats. Eventually I had to pick a Barn Owl because my aunt gave me a book about them that was really nice and gave me more feels than an owl should.

That was my complete experience in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, it was really cool and for any potter head out there not yet on Pottermore I would highly recommend signing up and I hope you get your favorite house. Then for any muggles, you ought to read the books or watch the movies, because they are awesome.

A Fangirls Christmas

Ah, the holidays. One of the best and worst times of the year to be a fangirl. Now like anyone I love all of the gifts and tasty holiday foods, but leading up to getting presents is maddening. Let me explain.

Before the holidays, everything I want either can not be found, or, like this year, my parents ask me to go along with them on their christmas shopping for me. Way to ruin the magic. I mean, I get it it is difficult to figure out what to buy someone, but asking them what they want seems a little better than telling them to pick out what they want in a TJMax. 

It is also awful trying to pick out something that a friend or family member would like when they have different tastes than you. This here is a common problem everyone suffers from, especially those who, like me, do not understand how not everyone wants an Attack on Titan Eren plushie, or a god tier hero of heart shirt from Homestuck. 

Although, by far the worst thing about it is that I do not know what books I will get that year. This means that to avoid reading a potential gift, the entire month of december turns into a book deprived sadness month. I am not being dramatic, every year it means I have to deal with reality much more than usual. It is exhausting. Seriously how do people live with only reading very little or not at all? It makes me crazy to go to school, or anywhere really, without a trusty book. 

I even brought 16 books on a cross country road trip to Michigan and was worried it would not be enough for what I then though would be a month long trip that turned out to be a little over twice as long. Thankfully the books held out with some meticulous rationing and Netflix binge watching.

Disappearing Weeping Angel mug

Hero of Breath

Another thing that tends to happen all the time is that I will receive a book that I already have. The current record is held by The Book Thief, one of my favorite books of all time, but when you have three copies of that book, it gets to be just a bit too much. Bookshelf space is slowly disappearing while the new books are quickly piling up. For the record I do like using my kindle to read, but there’s something really nice about owning a real life book, like hi lighting it, dog-earing pages (my biggest pet-peeve in library books), and books legitimately smell absolutely amazing, do not judge me just visit a book store and you will get what I am talking about.

Heart T-shirt 

Anyways, Christmas this year was very good I got tons of cool gifts, had fun with my family, and I think everyone got what they wanted this year. This year I got a Misha Collins t-shirt, two Homestuck t-shirts and a Dan and Phil t-shirt TARDIS socks a weeping angel tea mug and 4 books. It was a super awesome break and it made going back to school even more difficult (no offense), but I hope you had a good holiday and appreciate how tough being a fangirl is during the holiday season. 

Blood of Olympus (SPOILERS)

First of all, thank you Morrison for lending me The Blood of Olympus, and thank you William, for being too sick for Morrison to lend you the book first like she promised. Of course I only had the book for 2 days while William was still out sick, but I managed to finish the book in under 48 hours. Side note: reading for 8 1/2 hours straight is very likely to cause a bad headache.

 Even though I was really excited to finally read the book after waiting for a year after The House of Hades was published, it's sad to see the series end. I am content with the ending though, because everyone was able to find their place and where they would be happy. I also liked the fact that it had Nico and Reyna's POV. Although now that I'm thinking about it, the fact that neither Annabeth and nor Percy got a chapter from their POV, I find that sort of irritating.

The top five things that I liked were that Nico found his place at Camp Half-Blood, the giants were defeated in an epic battle, Octavian was the only person I knew by name who died (thank the gods), the Romans and the Greeks are finally getting along, and Charisse, the super hardcore daughter of Ares, became a godmother. I'm happy with how it ended, but also a little sad that Percy Jackson's quests with his friends are over. Thank you Rick Riordian for giving us Percy Jackson and his friends extraordinary adventures.