For this post, I've decided to write about something that I, personally, and quite a few of my friends face.
So, without further ado (what a weird word), I present to you...
PROBLEMS OF A BOOKWORM!
In a world with waves of fantasy and dystopian bestsellers with strangely similar aspects (because hey, which kid who's read the books hasn't drawn comparisons between Divergent and The Hunger Games? Or noticed that, for some reason, in several series the protagonist's mentor is elderly and bearded?), there are lots of "geeks" and people belonging to "fandoms".
Why don't we take a look at some of the problems we fans face?
1) The Merciless Movie Murder
This is when you find out that a book you like is being made into a movie, and this is your reaction: "OHMYGODICANTBELIEVETHEYREFINALLYMAKINGITINTOAMOVIEINEEDTOWATCHIT".
And then you wait on pins and needles, counting down.
Finally the movie releases, and you go to the theatre (or watch it online) and...
The director's RUINED the plot. Whoever directed the movie has taken the plot, cast Sectumsempra on it, and presented it to the public for viewing.
So naturally, you're thinking, "Did you NOT read the book?"
An example?
And of course, Sea of Monsters is another example. Because movie sequels are almost always not as good as the first one. Which means that, when the first movie is really bad, the second's even worse.
Or, another case, there's a totally awesome character, who's smart, or sarcastic, or strong, or good-looking, or some combination of the above, and the person they cast, or how they write that character in the script, soooo does not live up to your expectations.
(Like, I don't know, maybe how in Sea of Monsters, Percy says "We gotta get out of here" and Annabeth says, "How?" Hello? Lady, you're the daughter of Athena. You're a strategist. And you're sarcastic. You do not, when Percy says something totally obvious, ask, "How?")
Worst-case scenario- combination of both. Bad casting and murdered plot. Painful is an understatement.
2) The Redundant Reference
This is when you make a reference to something you like- a book or a movie- and NOBODY gets it.
Like when you say, "No, we didn't carpool. We took a ride on a magical fifty-ton metal dragon."
Or, "Oh, yeah, this'll be fun. About as much fun as being chosen as a tribute for the Quarter Quell."
And the response is, "Uh... Okay."
This is how the conversation goes:
Person: What took you so long?
You: Sorry, Sunshine. Traffic was murder.
Person: What? This is school, dude. There are no cars in here.
You: That was a reference actually...
Person: Yeah, yeah. Anyway, those two are friends again.
You: Really? What happened?
Person: So, that girl, she said she was 90% about not talking to the other girl, and the other girl slaps her. And this one's all like, "What was that for?" And she says, "The other 10%" and they both start laughing and talking again. It was random. I mean, seriously? That makes no sense.
You: Ha! Good one.
Person: What do you mean?
You: The 90% and 10% thing. It would be better if they had been in an elevator, though.
Person: Whatever. And then, one guy got bad grades and he was sulking, like, all through lunch, and the other guy asks me why he's upset. And I told him, and he says, "So?" I mean, that's just heartless!
You: That's horrible! You should've said, "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all do."
Person: Huh?
UGH.
I don't know. Is this just me?
3) The Clueless Companion
This is what happens when you've just watched a movie or read a book, and you're in shock mode, and nobody sympathises.
Like maybe you just read Deathly Hallows and someone just died (because there are so many who do!) and you HAVE to tell someone, so you go up to someone and say,
"Oh my gosh, I just finished Deathly Hallows. How could Rowling be so cruel?"
And they say, "Uhhhh...what?"
Okay, so some HP fans I know will be like What? EVERYONE knows Harry Potter! Nobody's gonna say that.
To which I say, Uh, no.
Because not everyone knows Harry Potter. And, blasphemous as it may sound, that's okay.
(Okay, the fans reading this, could you wait till your rage cools and then continue reading?)
Back to what I was saying...
Maybe you just watched Mockingjay Part 1 and you're like:
"No. This can't be happening. It can't just END like that!" (If you haven't watched it -- spoiler alert -- it ends with a shot of Peeta tied to a hospital bed and trying to free himself. Seriously. I'm no obsessive fan of THG but that's just cruel.)
And you go to school or wherever and tell someone about it and they say, "Oh, that's nice."
NO! It is NOT nice! I'm in shock mode here! Understand already!
But noooo. They don't know, so they can't get it.
It's tough, okay?
So yeah, that's it for now. Three of the problems faced by bookworms.
To those of you who are fangirls/fanboys, I hope you can relate.
To those of you who aren't, well, then, now you know how we feel. And now maybe you know how to handle a person like this.
As in stay away from a fan in shock mode over a book or movie.
Or, if you're confronted by one, make soothing noises and find an excuse to leave.
It might work.
Results aren't guaranteed.
So, without further ado (what a weird word), I present to you...
PROBLEMS OF A BOOKWORM!
In a world with waves of fantasy and dystopian bestsellers with strangely similar aspects (because hey, which kid who's read the books hasn't drawn comparisons between Divergent and The Hunger Games? Or noticed that, for some reason, in several series the protagonist's mentor is elderly and bearded?), there are lots of "geeks" and people belonging to "fandoms".
Why don't we take a look at some of the problems we fans face?
1) The Merciless Movie Murder
This is when you find out that a book you like is being made into a movie, and this is your reaction: "OHMYGODICANTBELIEVETHEYREFINALLYMAKINGITINTOAMOVIEINEEDTOWATCHIT".
And then you wait on pins and needles, counting down.
Finally the movie releases, and you go to the theatre (or watch it online) and...
The director's RUINED the plot. Whoever directed the movie has taken the plot, cast Sectumsempra on it, and presented it to the public for viewing.
So naturally, you're thinking, "Did you NOT read the book?"
An example?
 |
| Enough said. (Photo from imdb) |
Or, another case, there's a totally awesome character, who's smart, or sarcastic, or strong, or good-looking, or some combination of the above, and the person they cast, or how they write that character in the script, soooo does not live up to your expectations.
(Like, I don't know, maybe how in Sea of Monsters, Percy says "We gotta get out of here" and Annabeth says, "How?" Hello? Lady, you're the daughter of Athena. You're a strategist. And you're sarcastic. You do not, when Percy says something totally obvious, ask, "How?")
Worst-case scenario- combination of both. Bad casting and murdered plot. Painful is an understatement.
2) The Redundant Reference
This is when you make a reference to something you like- a book or a movie- and NOBODY gets it.
Like when you say, "No, we didn't carpool. We took a ride on a magical fifty-ton metal dragon."
Or, "Oh, yeah, this'll be fun. About as much fun as being chosen as a tribute for the Quarter Quell."
And the response is, "Uh... Okay."
This is how the conversation goes:
Person: What took you so long?
You: Sorry, Sunshine. Traffic was murder.
Person: What? This is school, dude. There are no cars in here.
You: That was a reference actually...
Person: Yeah, yeah. Anyway, those two are friends again.
You: Really? What happened?
Person: So, that girl, she said she was 90% about not talking to the other girl, and the other girl slaps her. And this one's all like, "What was that for?" And she says, "The other 10%" and they both start laughing and talking again. It was random. I mean, seriously? That makes no sense.
You: Ha! Good one.
Person: What do you mean?
You: The 90% and 10% thing. It would be better if they had been in an elevator, though.
Person: Whatever. And then, one guy got bad grades and he was sulking, like, all through lunch, and the other guy asks me why he's upset. And I told him, and he says, "So?" I mean, that's just heartless!
You: That's horrible! You should've said, "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all do."
Person: Huh?
UGH.
I don't know. Is this just me?
3) The Clueless Companion
This is what happens when you've just watched a movie or read a book, and you're in shock mode, and nobody sympathises.
Like maybe you just read Deathly Hallows and someone just died (because there are so many who do!) and you HAVE to tell someone, so you go up to someone and say,
"Oh my gosh, I just finished Deathly Hallows. How could Rowling be so cruel?"
And they say, "Uhhhh...what?"
Okay, so some HP fans I know will be like What? EVERYONE knows Harry Potter! Nobody's gonna say that.
To which I say, Uh, no.
Because not everyone knows Harry Potter. And, blasphemous as it may sound, that's okay.
(Okay, the fans reading this, could you wait till your rage cools and then continue reading?)
Back to what I was saying...
Maybe you just watched Mockingjay Part 1 and you're like:
"No. This can't be happening. It can't just END like that!" (If you haven't watched it -- spoiler alert -- it ends with a shot of Peeta tied to a hospital bed and trying to free himself. Seriously. I'm no obsessive fan of THG but that's just cruel.)
And you go to school or wherever and tell someone about it and they say, "Oh, that's nice."
NO! It is NOT nice! I'm in shock mode here! Understand already!
But noooo. They don't know, so they can't get it.
It's tough, okay?
So yeah, that's it for now. Three of the problems faced by bookworms.
To those of you who are fangirls/fanboys, I hope you can relate.
To those of you who aren't, well, then, now you know how we feel. And now maybe you know how to handle a person like this.
As in stay away from a fan in shock mode over a book or movie.
Or, if you're confronted by one, make soothing noises and find an excuse to leave.
It might work.
Results aren't guaranteed.
