The End of the Journey

Hello everyone! This blog will be my last one and I know how sad this might be for you but don’t cry! I don’t know about you, but for me, writing these blogs have been an experience. I never knew much about blogs, but I wasn't happy when I found out we had to start one. Later on, I started to appreciate them because I've learned so many things about fantasy that I never knew before. I've learned more about witches, vampires, different authors and more! I've also learned more about myself and why I like fantasy books more than any other types of books. I've found new books I can read and more people that like fantasy! The question I’d like to ask myself today and many of you is: why do you like to read fantasy fiction books?

My niece’s (she’s 4) answer to this is: “Reading? I can’t read.” She’s a funny little child, but seriously here’s a few peoples answer to why they like to read fantasy fiction.

Olivia said: “I like being transported somewhere I've never been before. It makes me dream and it makes me happy.”*

Jediraven said: “Fantasy novels are a way for me to escape from a job where I am forced to sit for 8 hours and pretend that I care about anything or anybody else. It's a way to feel important, a way to live vicariously through great characters and have adventures. It keeps my imagination alive, and makes me think as a Psychology major that perhaps crazy people are living the perfect life when that hallucinate or have delusions of grandeur. I would rather be a Stark of Winterfell, an Elf of Rivendell, onboard with the crew of the Serenity, traveling alongside Richard Cypher, or a melodramatic 3,000 year old vampire. I'll take Tamriel over Pennsylvania any day.”*

Brecht said: “I once saw a reporter ask that same question to a kid queuing to the get the (then) latest Harry Potter novel. His answer: "Have you looked at reality lately?"
I think that summarizes it beautifully. It allows you to dream and escape to a better place, a world as it should be rather than as it is. It charges my batteries and comforts me, amuses me, inspires me, touches me deeply, etc...Often when I talk with people who do not enjoy fantasy, they'll say things like "but that is so far-fetched, that is not how it would go in real life." I then stare at them blankly for a moment, wondering why they consider that an argument against fantasy. I get so sick of the real world so often, why would I want to read about it?”*

For the final one, I shall be giving my answer. I agree with Olivia, Jediraven, and Brecht. You do feel transported somewhere else, into your own world full of imagination. It does help escape everything in life; all the problems, all the stress and all the work. It feels nice to be relieved of all those things every once in a while, it’s like you’re pausing your life, taking a break from it. Also, I agree with Brecht about the fact that I get sick of the world, so why read about it?

Fantasy for me is like all in one. Some fantasy books are intriguing, some are romantic, some are the usual vampire or witch books and some are all of them together. They show a different way of living and it’s all very exciting to see different worlds. When reading fantasy books, I get very into it  and I start to imagine what the scenery looks like, what the people look like, their reactions and everything. I love that part because it’s like your creating your own story and it makes it much more exciting. Most of the time, I feel as though I've become a part of the characters. I laugh with them in their happy moments and I cry with them in their sad moments. I love that the books take me to another world and I love that the books capture me. It makes me want to read faster because I’m curious about the ending, while still wanting to read slower because I don’t want this experience to end.

This is my experience and I’d love to know yours! Leave your comments below and tell me why you like to read fantasy fiction books! As I said at the start of this blog, it’s my last one and I hope that during this journey you guys have learned as much as I did.

Farewell!

* - http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/869276-why-do-you-like-fantasy-novels

Fantasy vs. Reality

Ever wonder what it’s like to live in a fantasy world? Everything is perfect; you have a perfect life, a perfect family, a perfect friendship, a perfect relationship, and everything you've ever wanted in life. Living in a fantasy world would be amazing! Unfortunately, reality hits us and we realize that we’re not living in a fantasy world. There are problems we have to face and breakups we have to deal with. Although all the differences there are between the fantasy and the real world, there are similarities.

First off, there are the obvious differences between our worlds. There is no one that can cast spells, live immortally, be half human and half animal or transform into different things. Sorry girls, but there is no such thing as prince charming (unless you get lucky) that will sweep you away and make you live happily ever after. There will always be problems in a relationship, but that's what makes it stronger! There is never a perfect world or a perfect person. Everyone has their bad days and life won't always be the way we want it to. 

What I find similar between our worlds is when reading fantasy books, there is always the evil and the good. In our world, there are many scenarios that show that evil vs. good exists such as the bully and the victim or wars between two countries. The bully would be the evil one causing pain to the victim which is portrayed as the good one. Sometimes the victim finds a way to stop the bully, but sometimes they don’t. Additionally, when there is a war between two countries or more, there is always the good one and the evil one. The evil one would be the country attacking the good country because they want something such as the lands. The good country would be the one defending their country.

Another similarity is witches and no, I don’t mean the part where they cast spells or make potions. Usually in fantasy books, when a character wants revenge or when they want to harm someone, they go to a witch. The witch casts a spell or makes a potion, but as we all know, there is always consequences. I think it’s similar to our world because we do the same. We harm the people we don’t like or we want to get revenge, even if the other person doesn't deserve it. Our consequence is usually what we call “karma”. The world turns against us for doing something wrong. Another consequence is our parents finding out and getting grounded or punished in some other way.

All in all, these were some similarities I found between our world and the fantasy world and I’m sure there are plenty more out there! If there are any other similarities you can find, then comment down below!

Also, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! 

Creatures of the Fantasy World

There are books about witches, wizards, vampires and even about humans that might have some sort of super power. Although these supernaturals are interesting, a book is never complete without any fantastical creatures. Some creatures are used for good and protection, while others are used to harm. Some are even kept as pets! In this week’s blog, I’ve picked a few creatures from different books to talk about.

Dragons

White Dragon

Dragons are fascinating! They may look mean and vicious, but I think differently. I look at them like the protector and not the villain. Just as we would picture the dragons, they have wings and breathe fire. They also have scales and claws. Some have horns and some are known to be venomous. There are dragons that have more than one head, more than one tail, and more than two or four legs. They are carnivorous, so they eat rats, birds, snakes, or even humans¹.  They live in remote areas where it’s dark, damp and secluded, such as caves¹. They can be used as a method of transportation or to protect treasure. Dragons are seen in Harry Potter, Eragon, and a few different books.

Werewolves

Wolfman

From the books I’ve read, (other than Twilight) werewolves seem uncontrollable and mean. When they transform from human to wolf, it’s like their minds turned off all emotion. They attack whatever is nearby, whether it’s a friend or an enemy.

There are three types of werewolves:

1. The Shape shifter wolf: This type of werewolf is seen in Twilight. Like Jacob Black, the shape shifter wolf has the ability to change forms at any time. Sometimes, aggressive energy or anger may cause and unintentional transformation.  The only way to become a shape shifting werewolf is if you were born one².

2. The Wolfman: It is described as a combination of a man and a wolf. It has a human body, it stands on two legs, it is covered in wolf hair, and it has fangs and claws. Some believe that the wolfman is human and when the full moon rises, it becomes a wolfman. Over time it increases to every night, and eventually the body settles into a pure wolfman².

3. True Werewolf: It’s a human being that uncontrollably transforms into a wolf during a full moon. The werewolf when in wolf form has uncontrollable rage and hunger. They are driven to kill everyone and everything they encounter. They lose control of their minds, and when they wake up in human form, they don’t remember anything. To become a werewolf and assuming you survive, a werewolf must bite you².

Mermaids

Mermaids

I think mermaids are amazing! I would love to be able to swim underwater for a while to explore the sea. The legend of the mermaids came from Syria around 1000 B.C. where a Syrian goddess Atargatis dove into a lake to take form of a fish. The powers there wouldn’t allow her to give up her beauty, so only her bottom half became a fish and her top half stayed human. In some myths, mermaids would sing to men that were on ships or shores nearby. Their singing and beauty would hypnotize the men and lure them to sea. Once at sea, they would either drown or be eaten. Some say that the mermaids forgot or didn’t understand that humans couldn’t breathe underwater³.

In modern legends, mermaids are known as innocent and sweet and somewhat helpful to humans. We see these mermaids in a well known Disney movie “The Little Mermaid”.

Trolls

 

Troll

Trolls are monsters that came from Nordic fantasy. They aren’t very intelligent, they have rock like skin and they are tough ugly creatures. Even if trolls are hacked apart, they are known to have the power to regenerate (restore damaged tissue). The only way to stop them is by burning them. Trolls contain a powerful digestive acid in their stomach, so if a troll were to vomit on their victim, it would be an extremely painful attack. Some trolls are known to use clubs or large stones as weapons⁴.

Thestrals

Thestral

This creature is my favourite one of all! It’s why I saved the best for last! Thestrals are seen in the Harry Potter movies. They are a breed of winged horses with a skeletal body, a face with reptilian features, and wide, leathery wings that resemble a bat’s. They are known as omens of misfortune and aggression because they are only visible to those who have witnessed death or due to their grim, gaunt and ghostly appearance⁵.

Thestrals can be domesticated and mounted as a method of transportation. Once they’re trained, they are very diligent and will quickly carry their owners wherever they wish to go⁵.  

Although their appearance, Thestrals are very loyal if well treated.

So, these were a few creatures that I’ve found pretty interesting. There are many more creatures, some bigger, some smaller, and some scarier! You should always be careful when approaching a creature (not that they exist) because they may seem small and cute, but don’t let them fool you! They could be very dangerous.

If you’d like to find out which fantasy creature you are, click here to take a quiz!

1- http://www.draconika.com/what.php

2- http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/werewolves.html

3- http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/mermaid-mythology.html

4- http://www.mythcreatures.co.uk/beasts/troll.asp

5- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Thestral

Vampire Evolution

We all know that vampires don’t exist (or do they?), but where did the idea of blood sucking creatures come from? Sink your teeth into this week’s blog as we learn about vampires and their evolution (it’s not detailed, it’s just the basics)!

Vampires are portrayed in many different ways. Some say that vampires are human corpses that are said to have returned from their graves to harm the living. Others say that vampires are not human at all, but instead supernatural, possibly demonic creatures that do not take human form*. The vampires that we are most familiar with are the ones that we see in movies or read about in books. They are supernatural beings (usually more beautiful) that keep to themselves and drink blood from humans or animals and help protect others from the “bad” vampires. The “bad” vampires always like to cause trouble. When they want something, they will destroy everything in their path to reach whatever it is they want.Vampires started out as ugly creatures that sucked the blood out of people and now we see them as beautiful supernatural beings.

Vampires throughout the years

Dracula

• One of the first mythical vampires is the famous Dracula which was created by Bram Stoker in 1987. Stoker says that some of Dracula’s characteristics come from the Romanian prince Vlad III (1431-1476). Vlad wasn't a vampire and didn't drink blood, but he did many terrible things (i.e. murder thousands of his countrymen). His chosen last name “Dracula” translates to “son of the devil” or “son of the dragon”**.
• In 1931, Dracula was seen as a threatening, powerful, alluring and evil being**.
• During the Cold War era in 1958, Dracula’s motives were unimportant; he was a vicious troublemaker with an appetite for destruction. He had red eyes and huge fangs, often with blood hanging off them**.
• After the years went on, they've made movies that viewed vampires as dangerous creatures who were able to do whatever they pleased. They started incorporating love in a few movies where vampires would fall for each other.
• In 1998, the Blade movies began. Blade is half man, half vampire and he loves humans. He found it

  

  Edward Cullen 

  his duty to protect the humans from vampires***.
• Modern day vampires are still known as dangerous, but not as much. From the vampire books I've read they’re beautiful and try to stay away from humans. They live a normal life, but have much more life problems. There is always a bad vampire or something that comes in the way of their life to try and ruin it. It’s mostly because they want revenge, because they want something or simply just want to cause trouble.

As we can see, the vampire perspective has changed a lot throughout the years. They’re constantly changing because every author or director has their own view on things. I wonder how vampires will be perceived as in the future. Do you think they’ll be the same or do you think they’ll change? We’ll never know, they may not even exist at all. 

Did You Know?

There is an animal called a vampire bat. It lives on animal blood and drinks during the night. It doesn't harm the animal since the vampire bat only drinks a small amount. The only problem is that it can cause rabies*.

* http://www.livescience.com/24374-vampires-real-history.html

** http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96282132

*** http://www.cracked.com/funny-69-vampires/

The day I realized

Believe it or not, I used to dislike reading books. I would get bored of them too quickly and just gave up on them. My family used to always encourage me to read books, but I never listened to them. Ironically, when they stopped encouraging me, I started to read. At a young age, all we wanted to do was go outside and play! No one had the time to sit inside and read. It’s like doing homework in the summer. Now, everything has changed. Instead of going outside, I’d rather stay inside and read.  

My oldest brother was the one who always wanted me to read. Here’s a little funny story. Back in grade school, we got these Scholastic papers where we could order some items. I loved everything they sold, but one thing caught my eye the most. It was a pink box with feathers around it and inside was pencils, a mini notebook and other things. My oldest brother told me that he would buy it for me on one condition: I have to buy a book and read it. I dreaded the thought but I accepted. Once I got the book, I put it aside and never read it. My brother doesn't know this yet (shh, don’t tell him). I still have it on my bookshelf, sitting there, untouched. It was a book by Tony Di Terlizzi called Les Chroniques de Spiderwick : Le Secret de Lucinda.

I never discovered my passion for reading until the start of high school. My friends would tell me of the different books they read and it interested me. In my grade 9 English class, we had to read the first book of the Harry Potter series. I wasn't happy because at the time I hated Harry Potter, although I didn't even know what it was about (yes, I judged a book by its cover). I thought to myself that it shouldn't be that bad, so I’ll give it a try! Of course after reading it I fell in love. I decided to read the rest of the series. Also, I decided never to judge a book by its cover.

It was at that time I realized that I loved to read and get lost in books. Also, I loved fantasy because they were very creative and full of excitement. It may seem like a “nerdy” thing to do, but it’s not. Reading is much more than that. Not only is reading fun and exciting, it can teach you so much! It enhances your vocabulary, opens up your imagination and shows you the world in many different perspectives.

So, whenever you don’t want to try something because it seems boring, then try it! You’ll never know, it could probably be the best thing that ever happened to you. 

Who Wrote This?

There are millions of books around the world written my many different authors. Every author is different; from their writing style to the genres of books they write. To become an author, you must open your mind to all possibilities because everything is possible, especially when writing fantasy. You must be very creative and imaginative. I think authors are amazing because they dedicate so much time and thought in writing books and they come out amazing. We all complain when we have to write a 3-5 page essay, yet authors write books that can come up to 400 pages! I don’t know about you but that’s pretty fantastic. I’m going to talk to you guys about a few authors; they aren't my favourites, but they’re the first that came to my mind.

J. R. R. Tolkien

The first author I’m going to talk about it J. R. R. Tolkien! His full name was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. He was an English writer, a poet, a philologist and a university professor ¹. Many of you may know him by his famous books: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Although I didn't like the books much, I’m hoping the movies will be better!

C. S. Lewis 

The second author I’m going to talk about is C. S. Lewis. His full name is Clive Staples Lewis. He was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and one of the most influential writers. He was a tutor in English literature at Oxford University ². He wrote many books, but one of my favourites is The Chronicles of Narnia. It sold over 100 million books ²!

Rick Riordan

Next author I’m going to talk about is Rick Riordan. For fifteen years, he taught English and history. In 2002, Saint Mary’s Hall honoured him with the school’s first Master Teach Award ³. While teaching full time, he began writing mystery novels for grownups. He then turned to children’s fiction ³. One of his book series that I’d like to read is the Percy Jackson series. They seem very interesting!

Stephenie Meyer

The final author I’m going to write about is Stephenie Meyer. Yes, she is the one that wrote the Twilight series. I have to admit, I loved them when they first came out! She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in English ⁴. She got inspired to write the Twilight Saga from a dream she had. She said that the characters seemed so real and she couldn't get them out of her head ⁴. She started writing down the plot and finally made the first book of the series: Twilight!

These are a few authors that have written fantasy books! There are many more authors that wrote fantasy and that have amazing books. Hope you learned something new today, because I know I did!

1- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/656983.J_R_R_Tolkien

2- https://www.cslewis.com/us/about-cs-lewis

3- http://www.rickriordan.com/home.aspx

4- http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/bio.html

Quotes to live by

Quotes, quotes, quotes! You can find them everywhere, whether it’s in a book, a movie or a song. There are quotes about everything, such as, best friend quotes, humour quotes, art quotes, inspirational quotes and many more! People use quotes to describe how they feel or to put it as a caption under their picture. Some even write quotes to express themselves. I, personally, like quotes because they have so much meaning in them and can be interpreted in so many different ways!

I’m going to share with you guys some of my favourite quotes and some quotes that have inspired me!

•        “Just remember who you are... The world will try to change you into someone else. Don't let them. That's the best advice anyone can give you.” ― Cinda Williams Chima, The Warrior Heir ¹

It truly is the best advice anyone can give you! The world will try and make you like everyone else, but you have to challenge yourself to stay who you are. It’s always best to stay true to who you are. In the end, you can’t impress everyone because nobody‘s perfect. Don’t try and change yourself so others can notice you, because even if they did, you will not live a happy life. You will live your life pretending to be someone you’re not and you will lose the people that actually care about you. It’s always better to have a few close friends who like you for who you are, than to have a whole group of friends that like you for who you’re not.

• “You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.” ― Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games ²

This quote applies to so many fantasy books that I read. When the person who helped them, guided them and gave them all the answers is no longer there, life becomes hard. They don’t know what to do or where to go. They lose hope, but they have to try and regain it and continue life on their own.

This can also apply to many of us! When the person you look up to the most (whether it’s a family member, a friend or a celebrity) is gone, your life changes. There is no one to tell your secrets to, no one to help you through a hard time and no one to make you smile when you’re down. That’s when we have to become more independent and take everything that we've learned from that person and use it to help us continue our journey in life.

The picture is from here!

•  I always save the bests for last! This quote is my favourite one out of them all! It's 100% true and it describes us all. We all make bad choices sometimes, but it doesn't make us bad people. It's just that we all use our dark side every once in a while. We have the ability to choose between being good and bad and the one we choose shows who we truly are, that's what's most important!

To sum up, I love quotes! They can be your motto, something that you live by or just a sentence that you like. I have showed you guys a few of my favourite quotes. If any of you have some quotes that you would like to share, comment below! 

1- http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/fantasy-fiction

2- http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2792775-the-hunger-games