Fandom School (7th period): How to Find Related Fandoms

So this was supposed to be written yesterday. Sorry. Let's just say that Fandom School had a snow day because my school didn't (but we do have one today). But enough about snow, let's talk about fandoms.

As a huge fangirl, I'm always looking for a new fandom to add to my life (more like become my life), and I'm sure many of you are the same. While you may like a wide variety of things, most people like fandoms in the same genre. But how do you find fandoms similar to the ones you're already in? This post will give you advice as well as a few fandom recommendations. (Note: if you want more detailed recommendations instead of an "if you like this, you might like that" approach, you should read this post.)

Step 1: Make a list of the fandoms you are in
What do you watch/read? What are you obsessed with? You have to figure this out first before you can find what else you might like.

Step 2: Find out what genre(s) you like
Now, look at your list. What categories do these fit into? I like several different genres, but most of my fandoms are sci-fi or fantasy. I also like musicals, mystery, and Disney. There are a few fandoms I'm in that don't fit in any of those categories (those are what we call outliers).

Step 3: Pick a few of your biggest fandoms
If you're like me, you have a LOT of fandoms (just take a look at my list on the right sidebar- and that's only the beginning!), so focus on the one's you're most obsessed with.

Step 4: The Google search
Search for similar shows/movies/books. For example...

Step 5: The "Recommended for you" section

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and most places you would get books/movies/TV shows will give you recommendations based on your watching/browsing history. Check out the shows it recommends.

Step 6: See what your friends are watching/reading

Ask your friends (this includes online friends) what fandoms they are in. Chances are, they watch something you might want to start watching.

Step 7: Look for crossovers

Fanfiction.net has a section specifically for crossovers. On other fanfiction websites, you can search the works in one fandom for other fandoms. See what fandom is often put in a crossover with your fandom. You might like it! 

Step 8: Investigate spin-offs

Many popular shows (and to a lesser extent, books and movies) have spin-offs. For example, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures are both crossovers of Doctor Who. Sometimes, spin-offs keep going even when the original is done.

Step 9: Look at various adaptations

If a book is popular enough, it will often be made into a movie or TV show. Arthur Conan Doyle's books about Sherlock Holmes have had many adaptations, including Sherlock and Elementary.

Step 10: See what else your favorite actors/writers are in

How many times have you watched a movie just because your favorite actor was in it? Yeah, probably a lot. For example, Broadchurch (which just started airing Season 2 on BBC America) has several actors from Doctor Who, including David Tennant, Arthur Darvill, and several other people who were minor characters in Doctor Who. You can also look at who writes your favorite shows and what else they write. Steven Moffat writes both Doctor Who and Sherlock (whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is for you to decide).

Finally, I provide you with some fandom recommendations.

If you like: Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk

You might like: The Avengers, Agent Carter

If you like: Doctor Who

You might like: Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Sherlock, Supernatural

If you like: Sherlock

You might like: Elementary, Agent Carter, Doctor Who, Supernatural

If you like: Star Wars

You might like: Star Trek, The Avengers, The Big Bang Theory, Doctor Who

If you like: American Idol

You might like: Sing Your Face Off, The Voice, Pitch Perfect

If you like: musicals and/or fantasy

You might like: Galavant

If you like: The Hunger Games

You might like: Divergent [note: read the books; the movies aren't that great]

If you like: Harry Potter, fantasy, Arthurian legend

You might like: Merlin

If you like: The Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon

You might like: Eragon

Fandom School (Lunch): How To Describe a Fandom

Greetings and welcome again to Fandom School! Sorry class is late, I got kinda busy. Anyway, onto today's topic.

If you're like me, you are in a lot of fandoms, and while some of your friends are in some of your fandoms, there are plenty of times people ask you "what's [insert fandom here] all about?". So for the synopsis-challenged, here are some descriptions of fandoms that you can use for explaining to your friends.

Avengers: a bunch of awesome superheroes (Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Thor) team up against Loki.

Big Bang Theory: a sitcom about a really smart but really annoying scientist (Sheldon Cooper), his roommate, his friends, and his girlfriend

Broadchurch: a murder mystery set in a small town where everybody has something to hide. There's a good deal of rivalry between the two detectives on the case.

Doctor Who: a man (well, technically an alien) travels through time and space in a blue box. His goal is to save the universe, but he also does all sorts of fun, weird stuff while he's at it

Galavant: a musical comedy about a hero who had his "true love" stolen from him by the king and is convinced to go back to being a hero and rescue a kingdom because it gives him a chance to get back at the king and possibly reclaim his true love.

Harry Potter: a boy named Harry learns that he is a wizard and that he is destined to defeat the dark lord Voldemort. With his new friends Ron and Hermione, he sets out to do just that.

How to Train Your Dragon: like any good Viking, Hiccup wants to kill dragons, but when he meets toothless, his whole world changes and he discovers that maybe dragons and Vikings don't have to fight each other.

Hunger Games: a dystopian novel/movie in which there are 12 districts that send two tributes each year to fight to the death in a televised horror known as The Hunger Games. When Katniss volunteers to go instead of her sister Prim, she has to survive the Games and maybe even try to change the oppressive government.

Les Misérables: a book/musical/movie set in 19th-century France that follows the story of several people in unfortunate circumstances- Valjean, who was imprisoned for 20 years for a minor offense and breaks parole to start a new life; Javert, the officer who is determined to find Valjean because he believes that criminals cannot ever be good; Fantine, a woman whose life is destroyed when a man impregnates her and then leaves her, forcing to resort to terrible things; and many other characters who go through difficult times. (Sorry the summary is so long- if you want a shorter one, just use the first part of the sentence.)

Lord of the Rings: In the Hobbit (written before the Lord of the Rings, not as a prequel), a young hobbit named Bilbo gets dragged into an adventure with a wizard named Gandalf and a band of dwarves to reclaim the lonely mountain and its gold from the evil dragon Smaug. On the way, Bilbo finds a ring. In the Lord of the Rings, we learn that this ring is evil, and Frodo (Bilbo's son) sets out with three other hobbits, a dwarf, an elf, two men, and Gandalf to throw the ring into Mordor and destroy the evil wizard Sauron.

Merlin: a young warlock named Merlin travels to Camelot, where magic is banned, and becomes a manservant to Prince Arthur. Merlin learns that it is his destiny to protect Arthur, even though Arthur is (at first) a total jerk. So, Merlin saves Arthur over and over again, all the time keeping his magic a secret. (For those who know Arthurian legend, it's like an AU of that- Merlin and Arthur are roughly the same age, and magic is banned in Camelot.)

Pitch Perfect: an all-female collegiate a cappella group called the Bellas struggles to do well and make it into the finals of the collegiate a cappella competition, and there are also tensions within the group as the leader Aubrey is resistant to any new ideas.

Sherlock: an eccentric genius becomes the world's only consulting detective, solving cases for Scotland Yard with the help of his trusty sidekick, John Watson. (There have been many adaptations of the original Arthur Conan Doyle books, including Elementary (a CBS show), Sherlock (a BBC show), and several movies.)

Star Trek: the crew of a spaceship called the Enterprise aims to "boldly go where no man has gone before". They encounter all sorts of adventures.

Star Wars: the Galactic Empire is terrible, and the Rebel Alliance has been formed against it. Just when it seems like the Rebels are going to be crushed, a young man called Luke Skywalker is trained to be a jedi master and defeat the Empire once and for all.

The Fault In Our Stars: this beautifully sad book/movie follows the story of two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, who fall in love. They know it won't last long, though, as Hazel has cancer and Augustus is a cancer survivor. They decide to make the most of the time they have.

The Princess Bride: this classic book/movie is a tale of true love and high adventure. Buttercup loses Westley, the love of her life, and is about to be wed to Prince Humperdinck, but everything changes when she is kidnapped and then is stolen from her original captors by a mysterious man in black.

Fandom School (4th period): Crossover Fanfiction

Hello and welcome again to Fandom School! We're back to fanfiction again, and now I'd like to talk about crossover fanfics.

First of all, what is a crossover? A crossover is a mash-up of two or more fandoms. You can combine just a few fandoms (Wholock, Superwholock, etc.), or you can go all out (for example, this fanfic). A crossover is not the same thing as an AU. For example, my fic The Once And Future Time Lord is a multi-fandom AU because while there are elements of Doctor Who, they are assumed to have always been there. A crossover takes the characters of one world and inserts them into another, while still retaining the memory of their original story (unless there's a memory loss trope or something). A multi-fandom AU takes one fandom and changes it so that it's part of another fandom. Fanfics where characters from one fandom are students at Hogwarts (like this fanfic) are a good example of this type of AU.

So now that you know what a crossover is, let's get to crossover fanfics. What should you keep in mind when writing them? Well besides the usual fanfiction tips, it's important to think about how your fandoms mesh. Wholock is a common crossover because the two fandoms are similar: eccentric genius outsmarts bad guys with the help of his friends. (They're also both set in the modern world.) However, if you wanted to combine the Avengers and My Little Pony, that would be a bit harder. (A quick google search reveals that fanfiction for this crossover does exist, and here's an example.)

There are a few other things to consider when writing crossover fanfics:

• How many fandoms are you including? Try to keep it to just a few fandoms, else you'll risk complicating your fanfic and seriously limiting your number of readers.
• How many characters are you including? Like fandoms, if you include too many your story will get cluttered.
• How do your characters meet? Are they old friends? Do they randomly happen to run into each other? Is there some sort of crisis that brings them together?
• How do the worlds connect? Have both universes co-exist, do the characters live in the same universe, or does something cause the universes to come together/the characters to be transported to each other?
• Are your characters interacting reasonably? Is any character monopolizing the story, or is any character just sort of... there (invisibility level: Mickey Smith)?
• How is canon affected? Is it canon divergence, or is canon altered to explain how the fandoms are connected?
• Make sure your characters stay in character. OOC characters are a common problem with crossovers. It is justifiable to change a character somewhat to make them fit in with the other fandom(s), but you need to make sure that the essence of his/her personality remains the same. You could intentionally make characters be OOC, but I wouldn't recommend it.

And now that I've given you advice, I'll share my own crossover fanfics:

Wholock (Doctor Who and Sherlock crossover)

• An Interesting Case
• This is my first Wholock story (and my first fanfiction). In this one, Sherlock is asked to interrogate a mysterious witness who proves to be just as interesting as the case itself, and they go on an adventure together.
• The Search For Father
• This is a story for all of you who were frustrated when we saw that Jenny (from "The Doctor's Daughter") was alive, only to never see her again. I mean seriously. She never even gets a spin-off show! So, I wrote a story in which she goes off looking for her dad and enlists the help of Sherlock Holmes.
• Call In The Expert
• "When the police are out of their depth, they consult me," Sherlock had said. But what about when Sherlock was out of his depth? What then? That's when it's time to ask an even greater genius for help. Sherlock must call in the expert.
• When Justice Is Treason
• The Master and Moriarty. A deadly duo. With the help of the Archangel network, they control all of England. So when the few people who know the truth try to stop them, it is treason. Will they succeed? Or will Prime Minister Harold Saxon and King Moriarty continue their reign of terror?
• You Matter
• Sometimes characters have things going pretty rough for them. And sometimes their friends and family can't console them. But what about if somebody totally different were to come in? This is how characters would take care of each other in a Wholock universe.
• On this blog: chapters 1 2 3

Other Crossovers

• Use The Force (or the Mind Palace)
• Remember the first time Luke used the Force? What did he actually see? What if he visited Sherlock's mind palace? Strange concept, I know, but the idea came into my head and wouldn't go away. (It's more of a series than a cohesive story.) Feel free to tell me what character you'd like to see next.
• On this blog: chapters 2 3
• You Are Not Alone: The Search For The Other Time Lords
• The Twelfth Doctor feels as though he is all alone, until his daughter Jenny comes to him, telling him that she has found a way to locate other Time Lords. She tells him that he is not the only one. Together, they go out to find the rest.
• Rating: G
• On this blog: chapters 1 2 3

And a few great crossover fanvids:

How To Choose Your Fandom

If you're reading this blog, you're probably in at least one fandom, but maybe you want more. If that's the case, read on to figure out which fandom may be best for you. First of all, consider the genre. Here are my fandoms, organized by genre, with a brief summary of each.

Fantasy
Merlin
Media form: TV
Key features: Arthurian legend, magic, destiny, sarcasm and cheek
Synopsis: (based off of Arthurian legend) Merlin, a young warlock (i.e., born with magic), travels to Camelot, where king Uther Pendragon has banned magic. Merlin becomes prince Arthur's manservant and discovers that it is his destiny to protect Arthur. He saves Arthur's life countless times, all the while hiding his magic.

Harry Potter
Media form: books, movies
Key features: magic, evil wizards and witches, good wizards and witches, fun and shenanigans but also serious stuff
Synopsis: Harry Potter, called "The Boy Who Lived" because the dark lord Voldemort was unable to kill him, finds out that he is a wizard and goes to Hogwarts, a school for wizards and witches. Voldemort keeps trying to regain power, and Harry, together with his friends Ron and Hermione, tries to stop him.

The Lord of the Rings
Media form: books, movies
Key features: adventure, battle, rings, dark lord, magic, danger, seriously lots of danger
Synopsis: Frodo Baggins takes the one ring of power (which is really evil) and goes on a quest to throw it into Mordor, so that it will be destroyed and the dark lord Sauron will be destroyed as well. Frodo travels with 3 other hobbits, 2 men, 1 dwarf, and 1 elf. They get into lots of trouble on the way, and it's quite the adventure.

Sci-Fi
Star Wars
Media form: movies
Key features: evil guy, not so evil guys, adventure, danger, battle, lightsabers, rebellion
Synopsis: Darth Vader is really evil and he's basically trying to take over the universe. He controls the empire (well technically, the emperor controls the empire, but we don't see much of the emperor), but there is a group of rebels who are determined to defeat him. Luke Skywalker is a major part of this rebellion.

Star Trek
Media form: TV, movies
Key features: lots of technology, exploration, adventure, warp speed, aliens
Synopsis: Captain Kirk is in charge of the Enterprise, a spaceship that can go warp speed (i.e., really fast). He and his crew travel around the universe and explore. They get into trouble and have adventures. It's fun.

Doctor Who
Media form: TV
Key features: wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, time travel, technology, aliens, exploration, adventure, danger, genius, saving the universe
Synopsis: The Doctor, a Time Lord, travels through time and space in his TARDIS. He typically travels with a companion (usually female), and together they have adventures. Except, it's not all fun and games; evil aliens inevitably show up, and then the Doctor has to do awesome genius stuff and save the universe.

The Avengers/Marvel/DC
Media form: comic books, movies
Key features: danger, fighting, superheroes, justice
Synopsis: (sorry for lumping them all in together, btw) superheroes (or awesome people with a technological advantage) fight against evil.

Dystopia
The Hunger Games
Media type: books, movies
Key features: revolution, fighting, oppression, social/political inequality, poverty, hunger
Synopsis: Every year, the Capitol shows its dominance over the 12 Districts by hosting the Hunger Games, where a boy and a girl are taken from each district to fight to the death, with only one survivor. Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take the place of her sister Prim in the Games, is intent on changing things and starts a rebellion.

Divergent
Media type: books, movies
Key features: revolution, fighting, oppression, division based on aptitude, being different, fear, hiding
Synopsis: (similar to The Hunger Games) Tris Prior takes the test to find out which faction (district, social class, group of people) she belongs in (Amity, for friendliness; Candor, for truthfulness; Dauntless, for bravery; Abnegation, for selflessness; or Erudite, for knowledge), and finds out that she belongs in both Dauntless and Abnegation, meaning that she is Divergent. Divergents are hunted and killed because they are unknown and therefore feared. Tris decides to start a revolution.

Modern (i.e., set in the modern-day world)
Sherlock
Media type: books, movies, TV
Key features: mysteries, solving crimes, genius, murder, "not our division"
Synopsis: (there are books and movies, but this focuses on BBC Sherlock) Sherlock Holmes is the world's only consulting detective. "When the police are out of their depth, they consult me." He solves crimes with the help of his trusty blogger, Doctor John Watson. In John's words, "We solve crimes. I blog about it. He forgets his pants."

The Big Bang Theory
Media type: TV
Key features: science, annoying characters, awkward social situations
Synopsis: Four young scientists - Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Rajesh - are friends and get into shenanigans. Penny, Leonard and Sheldon's next-door neighbor, doesn't know anything about science, but still interacts with the group in an amusing, clueless sort of way.

The Fault In Our Stars
Media type: book, movie
Key features: sadness, romance, cancer, enjoy life while you can
Synopsis: Two teenagers, Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster, fall in love with each other. However, they both have cancer, so they know they won't live much longer. They determine to make the most of their lives while they can.

Other
Les Misérables
Media type: book, musical, movie
Key features: France, revolution, historical fiction, sadness, lots of sadness
Synopsis: Short version - the French government is terrible, and bad things happen to people because of it, so a revolution is started. Long version - *insert several pages of synopsis* (sorry, it's really long what can I say)

The Princess Bride
Media type: book, movie
Key features: true love, high adventure, kidnapping, swordfighting
Synopsis: Buttercup works on a farm and falls in love with the farm-boy, Westley. Westley goes to America to seek his fortune and is murdered by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Buttercup is devastated vows never to love again. Prince Humperdinck thinks differently and orders her to marry him. Before this can happen, however, she is kidnapped by a criminal band consisting of Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo. They are defeated by a man in black, and then the story takes an interesting turn (sorry, not giving any more because I don't want to share any spoilers).

Disney
Media type: movies
Key features: fairy tales, old-fashioned, happily ever after
Synopsis: Disney makes lots of different movies. They are generally fairy tales with happy endings (usually the original fairy tales have rather gruesome endings).

Next, consider that you may want to choose a fandom by what the fandom is like.

Fandoms that are very active: Doctor Who, Sherlock, Merlin, Harry Potter

Fandoms that are not continuing (the book/movie/series/show is over): Merlin, The Fault In Our Stars, The Princess Bride

Fandoms that have long hiatuses: Sherlock, Doctor Who (sort of)

Fandoms that are popular on this blog: Sherlock, Doctor Who, Merlin, Harry Potter

Fandoms that are British: Sherlock, Doctor Who, Merlin, Harry Potter

Fandoms in which Steven Moffat writes the episodes: Sherlock, Doctor Who

And finally, consider fan names. Would you be happy calling yourself any of these terms?
Merlin - Merlinian (not commonly used)
Harry Potter - Potterhead
Star Trek - Trekkie
Doctor Who - Whovian
Sherlock - Sherlockian

Book Review: The Adventure of The Dying Detective

As you may have guessed from the title, this book for #reviewsdaytuesday is one of the original Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Well technically, it's a short story, but close enough. (If you're wondering why I didn't start with the first Sherlock Holmes book, A Study in Scarlet, it's because it's such an awesome novel that I'd need to spend more time on a book review to do it justice. And I picked this particular short story because I've read it recently and I like it.)

As this is not the first story, here's a brief summary of the Sherlock Holmes books.
For non-Sherlockians: Sherlock Holmes is a consulting detective, a genius who helps the police solve crimes. Dr. John Watson is an ex-army doctor who now writes books. They share a flat at 221B (at least at the beginning of the books) and solve crimes together.
For BBC Sherlock fans: The books are very similar to the TV series, except that they are set in the late 1800s/early 1900s. John writes books, not a blog. and John and Sherlock are older (possibly. See this forum discussion about their ages.) I should also point out that while Johnlock isn't canon in TV series (depending on how you interpret it), it's even more not canon in the books. John and Sherlock have a close platonic relationship, and they are not romantically involved.

Spoiler-free introduction: this story is set later in the series, and Sherlock is much older now. When Sherlock contracts a rare and difficult-to-cure disease, John wants to help him (he is a doctor, after all), but Sherlock refuses.

Okay, this is a mystery story, so there are major spoilers ahead. Read on only if you've read the story.

The Adventure of the Dying Detective

It sounds a bit like fanfiction, doesn't it? But this is actually a story Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. It's a great example of the way John Watson has come to really care about Sherlock over the time of their cases together. John's concern for Sherlock's well-being is clear and real, and he wants to do anything he can to help. When John goes to fetch Mr. Culverton Smith, it shows how much he trusts Sherlock's judgement. Rather than insist on having things his own way and tending to Sherlock himself (or getting other doctors who he knows are skilled), John chooses to listen to Sherlock and take his advice.

Of course, there's also Sherlock's side of the story. Sherlock comes up with a brilliant plan to foil Culverton. Sherlock often discovers and stops the schemes of criminals, and in this case, Sherlock develops a counter-scheme. Sherlock makes it appear that Culverton's plan has succeeded and gets Culverton to come over and gloat. If it hadn't been for Sherlock's plan, Culverton might have won, as somebody was bound to accidentally touch the box eventually. But by convincing Culverton that he was actually dying, Sherlock stopped that from happening.

What starts out as a very serious story changes to a humorous one as the reader realizes what Sherlock is up to. The whole thing would never have happened had it not been for Sherlock's great plan, John's compliance, and Culverton's gullibility.

I really enjoyed this story, and it's a great one to read if you're already familiar with the original books or BBC Sherlock. Even if you don't know the Sherlock stories that well, it's still fun to read.

Book Review- David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

And my post for today is late again. I really need to get back on schedule. Anyway, as it's #reviewsdaytuesday again, it's time for another book review.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

Every Christian knows the story of David and Goliath; a little shepherd boy defeated a big, scary giant with just a sling and a stone, showing us that with God's help, an underdog can win. Right? Wrong. Malcom Gladwell explains that David's victory isn't as surprising as it seems because he fought with unconventional methods. The author then goes on to explain how much of what we think of the way the world works and the way to succeed is not necessarily accurate. Sometimes the very things we view as disadvantages can work in our favor, and sometimes the things we consider to be our strengths can be our downfalls. This is a book about seeing the world, and our supposed advantages and disadvantages, differently.

I really enjoy reading thought-provoking books like this. A short, fluffy story is fine, but it's nice to read something that really digs into your brain and changes the way you see the world. This book has challenged me to re-examine many of my thoughts and ideas, and that's definitely a good thing. In this book, one of the ideas Gladwell talks about is the idea of "desirable difficulties", things which most people perceive as disadvantages that can actually be advantageous. For example, he says that people with Dyslexia can compensate in other way, and because of this and also the way that they think differently, they can often go on to become very successful in the world. Another thing Gladwell talks about is that there can be too much of a good thing. Power is no good if there is too much of it. Even too much money can be a disadvantage. 

This book changed my viewpoint forever, and it's changed for the better. It opened my mind and opened up my philosophical side. It also changed my understanding of the story of David and Goliath, making me remember that often books and stories can get misinterpreted and encouraging me to think carefully about how I read and interpret things. I would definitely read another book by this author, and I'd certainly recommend this book to you.

Book Review: 1984

Yep, it's #reviewsdaytuesday again. This week, the book is 1984 by George Orwell.

1984 

In this dystopian novel set in 1984 (hence the title), Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the Party in London, Oceania. The Party, led by the mysterious Big Brother, controls everything. They control the language so that words about political rebellion don't exist anymore, and they even change history (or at least, the records of it). The Party is always watching everyone through the telescreens, making sure nobody breaks the law. And what is the worst crime? The Newspeak (the language of the Party) word is "thoughtcrime", and it simply means thinking something that is wrong or illegal. Winston starts keeping a diary (it's illegal to even have a diary), and he writes about how he hates that the Party has banned free thought, sex, and individuality of any sort. He meets Julia, who is in love with him, and they start having an affair, in direct defiance of the Party. Eventually, they are noticed by O'Brien, a powerful Party member who Winston suspects is part of the Brotherhood, the secret organization to overthrow the Party.

OKAY MAJOR SPOILER ALERT NOW. DON'T READ ON UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE BOOK OR DON'T CARE ABOUT SPOILERS

It turns out that O'Brien is actually a member of the Thought Police; i.e., he is a spy for the Party. He takes Winston and Julia to be tortured. They are taken to the dreaded room 101, where they each have to confront their deepest fear. Winston is so afraid of the rats that he asks O'Brien to send the rats to attack Julia, not him. He has finally snapped, which is what O'Brien wanted all along. Winston is broken, and he returns to the world. He has given up rebelling and come to love Big Brother.

SPOILER ALERT OVER. YOU CAN READ ON IF YOU LIKE.

This is a really well-written book, but it's also really disturbing. I really hope our society never becomes like this. I would rather die than live in a place where individuality, creativity, and free thought are illegal. I know security matters, but I don't want to be watched every second. And when I do have sex, I want it to be for pleasure, not as just "my duty to the Party". And I most certainly don't want to have to consciously live in rebellion until I break. While it's not exactly the happiest book, it is thought-provoking, and it's worth reading.

70th Anniversary Of D-Day

Hello, dear readers. Today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day. For those of you who didn't pay attention in history class, it's the day the Allied powers stormed the beaches of Normandy. It marked a turning point in World War II. So, to remember D-Day and WWII, I have compiled a list of my favorite WWII movies/TV episodes.

1.  The Great Escape (1963)
This is probably my favorite WWII movie. In this one, the Germans think it would be a good idea to put all the prisoners who like to escape into one prison. Of course, that's a pretty stupid idea, as they soon plan a mass escape. Fun fact- this movie is actually based on a true story.

2.  WarGames
This comes in a close second. In this movie, a simulation machine is made to play out a global war situation, to help the US come up with a good strategy. A kid who is an expert computer hacker breaks into it. He doesn't know what it really is, so when the computer asks if he'd like to play a game, he says yes. The US and the Soviets see the display of this war and think it is real. Chaos ensues. Fun fact- 5 months and 4 days later, the program Able Archer was launched. Coincidence? I think not.

3.  The Book Thief
This is another great movie. A girl who is the daughter of Communists gets adopted by a German family so that she will be safer. Throughout the movie, the theme of books comes up. She is an avid reader and always needs new reading material. At the same time, she has to deal with all the struggles of living through WWII. Fun fact- this is based on a book. I really need to read the book.

4.  Let’s Kill Hitler
Just the title makes this episode of Doctor Who amazing. It comes from a line by Mels: "You've got a TARDIS, I've got a gun. What the hell, let's kill Hitler." While it's more about the Doctor and spoilers (sorry, you'll just have to watch it. I will reveal no more.) than Hitler, it is set in WWII. That's how we get this brilliant line.

Moffat must have had a lot of fun writing this line.

Also, check out this spoof video of Hitler's reaction to the episode.

5. Victory of the Daleks
Yup, another Doctor Who episode. This time, we visit the Allies. Churchill has got some new machines to help him in the war. He calls them ironsides, but the moment the Doctor sees them, he knows what they really are: Daleks. So then the Doctor, helped by Amy, has the rest of the episode to try and defeat the Daleks. Fun fact- Mark Gatiss (cowriter of the episode and cowriter of Sherlock) makes a cameo appearance as the spitfire pilot.

Yup, this one's got good quotes, too.

Gotta love Matt Smith.

So, that's the end of my list. I hope you liked it. Happy D-Day!

Book Review- The Fault In Our Stars

I was elated when I finally managed to get a hold of a copy of The Fault In Our Stars, and I was not disappointed as to its quality. So, here's my review:

The Fault in Our Stars

This book is about two teenagers with cancer. Hazel is a girl whose struggle with cancer is obvious and a part of her daily life. She meets Augustus and falls in love. However, she's afraid to be with him because she's feels that she's a "grenade" who will hurt everyone when she dies. She thinks it's almost better not to care, but she comes to realize that love is precious because it gives you an infinity in the limited time. Meanwhile, Augustus loves Hazel, but he doesn't want to tell her he's not as healthy as he looks. His cancer has come back. The two of them fight a battle, but they don't fight to defeat cancer, they fight to keep love and all the little things that make life meaningful for as long as they both love. And that is a worthy goal. 

This book was terribly sad because it was realistic. Life doesn't have fairy-tale endings. Bad things happen, and people get hurt. But in the meantime, they keep on living and breathing and loving. It's beautiful to see the way Hazel and Augustus think about the meaning of life and find meaning in their lives. This book shows that even if you didn't die for something special, you can still be an amazing person and have a life worth living. Even if the world doesn't remember you, there will still be the people whose lives you've touched, and that is beautiful. 

Book Review- The Mysterious Benedict Society

"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" That's the question asked by a strange ad in the newspaper. Many children respond, and they take a series of increasingly difficult and confusing tests. Only four children succeed, and they find that they were gathered together for a very important purpose: to go on a secret mission that will require every last bit of their intelligence, resourcefulness, and courage. They must stick together to face impossible odds and thwart the evil scheme of a genius who has been manipulating people for years. With the future of the world depending on them, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?

(Okay, so that was more of a synopsis than a review. But don't worry, I am going to actually review the book.)

The Mysterious Benedict Society

One of the things I really like about this book is the way the characters are portrayed, and the way they change throughout the story. The four children start off as fairly normal (apart from being gifted, of course), but as they face different challenges, they develop incredible strength of character. Each of them starts off with their own fears (for example, loneliness) and weaknesses (for example, nervousness), but they are forced to overcome these in order to succeed. The group also learns the importance of teamwork, and they find out that every person is essential to the mission, no matter how unhelpful they might seem.

I also really like the way this book tested my wits. Just as the children were trying to find the answers to the test questions and discover just what their enemy was up to, I too got to follow along and think about how to solve their problems. This book is really interesting, and it was nice to read something that not only kept my attention, but had me engaged as well.

Fandom School: Lunch

Hello, dear readers! You've been to two classes already (if you haven't, check out the two posts before under the label "Fandom School"), so now it's time for lunch. Who will you sit with?

The Whovians

Say hello, to the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey table over there! The Whovians are a friendly, welcoming bunch, but we are a bit eccentric, and don't ever say that Doctor Who is weird or makes no sense. If you do, you might get soniced! (And in this case, that's not a good thing.) Our table is, of course, TARDIS blue. And did I mention, we've got comfy chairs? (Okay, maybe you have no need of comfy chairs, but please, come anyway.)

The Sherlockians
Say hello to the book-loving, mystery-solving Sherlockians! We might seem a bit aloof or even sociopathic (though we aren't - see here), but if you work hard and aren't an idiot, we'll be happy to have you. Especially if you're entertaining; we're dangerous when bored. Our table looks like the wallpaper at 221B Baker Street. Be warned, if you draw smiley faces on the table, we will shoot them.

The Potterheads

Witch or wizard, muggle or "mudblood" or squib, you're welcome to sit at our table. Here's an exciting feature you'll only find here: our plates magically refill themselves, just like at the great hall. As for our table, its appearance is constantly being changed by magic to suit the fancy of those who sit there. If you come to join us, be warned that magic may be used around you, and people might apparate in without warning. But it's lots of fun. Come join us!

The Star Wars Fans

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... This table was created. Formed from a remnant of the exploded Death Star, it is where the Star Wars fans gather. Don't get on our nerves, or you might be challenged to a lightsaber duel. 

The Trekkies

Join us? That would be... highly illogical. But you're welcome to, anyway. We have lots of fun over here, and if you're lucky, you'll get to ride the Enterprise! Our table is the only non-circular table, and it's a replica of the Enterprise spaceship. 

The Frozen Fans

Watch out! Things can get a little cold here at this table made entirely out of ice. The talented Queen Elsa herself made it, and she visits here from time to time. Don't be surprized if someone asks "Do you wanna build a snow man?", but don't expect anyone to propose to you the day they meet you. We Frozen fans know how that turns out!

The Princess Bride Fans

Come join the group of friends who believe that, above all else, true love will prevail. Don't be surprised to hear "Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher." You should be very honored if you hear someone answer you with "as you wish", because what that really means is... Well, any fan can answer that one for you. This table has a picture of Buttercup and Westley kissing, because true love is amazing. And maybe one day, you won't mind the kissing so much. 

The Avengers Fans

You can only join us if you have a superpower or a cool suit. Well, actually, that's not true. You just have to like the Avengers. Take a picture of yourself with one of the Avengers who visit here from time to time, and that picture might be featured on the table. Pictures change every week. Come save the world with us!

The How to Train Your Dragon Fans

Come join us here and get the opportunity to raise your very own dragon! Hiccup and Toothless will teach you how. Also, get excited because they frequent this place. They love food! Watch out for the scorch marks on the table, though.

The Eragon Fans ¹
Kvetha, Fricai. Greetings, friend. Come join us. You may be wondering what separates us from the other fandoms. "Other fandoms have magic, dragons, elves, etc." That may be true. But do they have people like Eragon? Do they have dragons like Saphira? Do they have women as bold as Nasuada? I don't think so. You may like your fandom, but our characters are amazing. Our table is beautiful. It is made entirely of jewels, which store massive amounts of energy in case you need to cast a spell. So, come on. Eka aí fricai un Shur'tugal. I am a rider and a friend.

The Hunger Games Fans

No, you don't have to kill each other to eat here. However, you do have the option to go off-campus to the nearby forest and hunt for your food. Buy a Fandom School bow and arrow set, and be entered into a raffle to hunt with Katniss Everdeen! Have a good lunch, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

The Divergent Fans
No matter what faction you're from, you can come eat with us. Even if you're factionless, you're still allowed. (If you're wondering if why we're so selfless, it's because the leaders are Abnegation.) You should be careful of starting an argument here, though: the Dauntless can be short tempered, and you don't want to mess with them!

Loki's Army

Don't trust anyone here. We're all, lying, cheating, thieving tricksters. [Just kidding, I mean no offense to any of Loki's Army. I wouldn't want to incur your wrath.] Come here for fun and entertainment, but beware: you might get Loki'd!

The Big Bang Theorists (Okay, so I guess that's not the official fan name, but it should be.) Come join us. The table is nothing exciting, it looks like the cafeteria tables in Big Bang, but you might see Sheldon and his friends here, so that's exciting. If you join us, you'll experience a unique phenomenon: every day at exactly 12:00PM, we stand on our chairs and sing the theme song together. It's loads of fun!

The Les Misérables Fans No, we're not all miserable. We actually have lots of fun. Be warned, though: you might not hear any speaking at all. We love to sing! (If you are reading this aloud, please sing the Les Misérables section.)

The Kung Fu Panda Fans Come join us and eat with Po! You can come at any time of day; Po is always hungry. Or, if you prefer, skip eating all together, and train with the Furious Five. It's hard work, but it's totally awesome!

So who will you sit with? I'm a Whovian all the way, but I'd be happy at any of these tables. Join us next week as we head back to class and learn about the emotions and feelings of being in a fandom.

^{1. Personally, I think Eragon fans should be called Shur'tugal or Riders, but there's no official fan name.↩}

Book review- Divergent

If you follow me on Google+, you may have seen this funny stroke of luck. (And these posts came within a few hours of each other, too!)

And from that moment on, I read Divergent basically nonstop. I finished it in about 2 days (though part of that was because I stayed up late to read it. I just had to know what happened!) So, while I wait for the next one to be available (I'm only a hundred-something on the wait-list for that one), here's my book review for #reviewsdaytuesday.

Divergent

I'm sure many of you have read a story set in a dystopian society (for example, the Hunger Games). Veronica Roth does a particularly good job of writing one. 

The basic premise is that a long time ago, society was divided into 5 different factions: Abnegation, the selfless; Amity, the friendly; Candor, the truthful; Dauntless, the brave; and Erudite, the intelligent. People who don't fit into more than one group are called Divergent and are considered highly dangerous.

This book is really great at providing a story that is not only interesting and exciting, but also thought provoking. As we see that the factions have become corrupted over time (it is a dystopia, after all), the book makes you wonder if it's really wise to devote your life to one certain characteristic or quality. After reading this, I think we need to be a little bit of all the factions. We need to be Divergent. And maybe that's dangerous, but making a choice to be different like that is selfless, peaceful, honest, brave, and smart.

Book Review- Rise of the Time Lords: A Geek's Guide to Christianity

Hello, dear readers! Sorry this post is late. I normally write my posts ahead of time and schedule them, but I got a bit behind. Without further ado, here is today's book review for #reviewsdaytuesday.

Rise of the Time Lords: A Geek's Guide to Christianity

Are you a geek? A science-fiction lover? A Christian? A person who wants to learn about Christianity?
If you answered "yes" to one or more of those questions, this book might be for you. In this book, Michael Belote uses fandom references (e.g., Star Wars, Doctor Who) and general geeky things (e.g., the formation of a star, quantum physics) to explain Christianity. This will allow you to see the bible and religion in a way you never have before.

Some people say, "I don't get all this Christianity stuff. It's too strange." You might think the Trinity is boring and confusing, but when it's explained through Flatland and a Pringles can, suddenly, it seems a bit more interesting. Reading this book really made Christianity come alive for me, and besides, it's fun! You get to learn about cool geeky concepts and Christianity!

This is a must read for any Christian geek. If you read it, you will quickly find it is worth your while. It gives you a good working knowledge of God and the Bible, but not so much that it makes your head explode. It explains things in a way that makes sense to us and provides a fresh new perspective from all the theology books that give you facts and explanations, but none of the fun stuff we geeks adore.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to go read the book! Allons-y!