Friday, October 16, 2015

Random Friday: Fangirling

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I’m pretty sure we all know: I’m a fangirl. I have been since before I knew what a fangirl is. (For anyone who doesn’t know, a definition:

It’s almost scary how accurate this is.)

This week’s Random Fridays theme, as you probably guessed, is fangirling. And I totally could list all the things I fangirl over, or talk about the latest objects of my obsession . . . but the former might be kind of long and as for the latter, there’s only so much I can say about Beastly Bones without giving away spoilers. (The train station scene, though!) So, instead, I decided to list some of the things I do because I’m a fangirl.
  1. Obsessively rereading books. More accurately, certain sections of books. This is why I keep my already-read library books in stacks by my bed: if I have a few minutes before bed, I can reach down, grab one of them, and reread my favorite chapters, or whatever random chapter the book opens to. Occasionally, depending where the chapter is located and how much time I have, I end up reading a little bit more than that favorite section . . . like, to the end of the book.
  2. Checking the library website every day once new books come out to see if said new books are available to request. Depending how long I’ve been waiting for said new book, discovery that it’s available may or may not be accompanied by triumphant squealing, fistpumping, or jumping up and down. (Actually getting the new book will definitely be accompanied by one of those things- quietly. Though the one librarian who’s actually seen me do it seemed happy I was so excited.)
  3. Telling the entire internet when I get a new book. Or I’m reading an especially awesome part of a book. Or when I finish a book. Ok, “entire internet” is a stretch- it’s really just Goodreads, the TPS forum, and Whitehall Castle forums, but still. The world must know I am excited.

  4. Soundtrack stories. I’ve mentioned this a few times at least, but when I listen to music, I almost always try to fit it in with a story I’ve read or I’m writing. Sometimes my soundtracks are a bit of a stretch . . . but others I’m super happy with. (For example: Flyleaf’s “Tiny Heart” is basically Heartless from Prince Aethelbald’s point of view, and anyone who tries to convince me that “Antigravity” by Starset is not basically Kaladin’s soundtrack- especially in the last part of Words of Radiance- is facing a hopeless task.)
  5. Use quotes, phrases, and references from my fandoms in conversation. This mostly means I say things like “dragon’s teeth” and “blitherated beetles” and “oh, stars!” and “storming” a fair bit. Occasionally I manage to work in a longer quote . . . for example, “I think you exploded!” if someone (mostly my sister) sneezes especially hard. Or using examples from books to prove a point.

  6. Look for excuses to dress like characters. Which is why I always wear my Lorien cape on September 22nd, as long as it’s not impractical, and why I dressed up when I went to see The Hobbt: An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, even though it was after the premiers for either. But occasionally I’ll do it other days too- for example, wearing all black and one of my Misting vials when I want to feel Vin-ish.
  7. Fanfiction. Ok, I don’t actually write a whole lot of it, except in preparation for the Tales of Goldstone Wood fanfiction contest and similar. But I daydream it a lot, in as much vivid detail as I do my actual novels, and occasionally said daydreams turn into something else- for example, Between Two Worlds started out as a Wingfeather Saga-Tales of Goldstone Wood crossover daydream. (Between Two Worlds is, in all honesty, a very fangirly book in some ways- Kately and her sister, like my own sister and me, spend a fair bit of their conversations referencing favorite books and movies and such, causing much bewilderment to certain other characters.)
How do you show you’re a fangirl? Please tell me in the comments, or make a Random Fridays post of your own. Just remember to add your blog post to the link-up on Awkwordly Emma and link back to that blog.
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)      

8 comments:

  1. Being a rather inexpressive guy, I can't really say most people would consider me 'fangirl-ish', but I definitely do 1 and 2 quite a bit, and can sympathize with the rest ('specially 6).

    Also, that Antigravity song really does fit Kaladin.

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    1. Heh. Yeah, there are fewer fanguys than fangirls . . . doesn't mean you love the stuff any less than we do; it just means you handle it more calmly. xD

      THANK YOU.

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  2. I can agree with pretty much every single one of these. Except for 2...our library is very slow, and has very little selection... :( (But they do have Heartless!!! :D)
    I also rant about differences between books, and movies based off of the books, and often find songs that fit a certain character. Then I go, "OHMYGOOODNESS! Mom, listen to this!" When she stares at me like I'm crazy, I remember that she knows next to nothing about my fandoms. ;)

    “I think you exploded!”

    Eeeee, yes! XD *realizes something*
    My little sister and brother have been sick, and I haven't said that to either of them... o_O
    *lurks, holding a box of tissues, for just the right moment to spring quote*

    I've been seeking a reason/opportunity to say this for a while:
    "I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!"
    Alas, it's been several weeks, and still no opportunity...*wishes, for once, that younger sibling will disagree vehemently about something*

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    1. Ouch. :P Hopefully they improve soon . . .
      I tend not to rant about book-movie differences . . . though there are exceptions. :P Also, yes! Another person who soundtracks stories!

      Heh. Good luck finding quote opportunities!

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  3. I'm training my little brother to be a fanboy. He's very much into Focus on the Family's Narnia audio drama, and has listened to every one (except for the last battle) at least three times. I also have him saying "Did you explode? I think you exploded!"
    I am very proud of him.

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  4. I dressed up for all three of the Hobbit movies, even though it was well after the premier. I intend to do so for the next Star Wars movie as well. :D
    I also keep a very large stack of books next to my bed for the same reason as you... only the stack also goes under my bed, under my dresser, under my vanity, in my bookshelf, and stacked three layers thick in my closet. @_@
    I used to write fanfiction a lot as a way of expressing my fangirlism, but now I focus on character analisis and save writing for my own stories. And now I tend to fangirl over my own characters too- which may be a sign that I'm self-absorbed, or it may just mean I love the storires for the sake of the stories. ;)

    Applying soundtracks to stories applies to me too.

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    1. Coolness. :D I probably won't see the next Star Wars in theaters, but if I do, I'll try to dress up.
      My goodness. That's a lot of books. (I do have two bookshelves full, though, so who I am I to talk?)
      I think it's the latter. I shall hope it's the latter, because I do it too.

      Coolness. :D

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