Saturday, June 13, 2015

10 Reasons Why Being a Fangirl is Awesome // guest post

Hey everyone! Today is an exciting day, because we have my buddy, Olivia, over to visit! She's written us this brilliantly accurate (and not to mention hilarious) list of the perks of being a fangirl. Thanks so much, Olivia! 

  • Fangirling is fun! I mean, who doesn't love the idea of defending Camelot beside Merlin, solving cases alongside Sherlock, protecting Storybrooke with Hook and Emma, or carrying the Ring safely to Mordor with Frodo and Sam? Good stories are basically the best ever, and fangirling just takes our appreciation to the next level.
  • It forces you to examine WHY you appreciate your obsessions instead of just...obsessing over them.
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  • Fangirling makes you a better writer! The more good characters you watch, the more good characters you'll create; the more plot twists you see, the more you'll be able to use in your own work. The more trauma you suffer at the hands of a fictional person, the better you'll understand how to inflict such pain on your victims elicit such powerful emotion in your readers. Also, the potential for vocabulary growth is endless!
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  • You meet awesome people who love the same things you do (and everyone loves new friends, right??)
I actually loved this so much. Bradley being a goofball and Colin being as adorable as always makes me smile so much. :') 
  • Sometimes being able to identify with a fictional character can be cathartic instead of totally destroying. (Key word being sometimes.) Maybe you feel like Sherlock sometimes, with one thousand and four ideas swirling around inside your brain all the time. Or when you see Merlin forced to keep his secret again...and again...and again...you realize, "hey. I know what that feels like."
  • Fangirling helps you to empathize more with other people. (if you can have sympathy for Loki...you can try to understand that mean person who keeps eating your cookies at work EVEN THOUGH they are CLEARLY LABELED with your name.*)
Robin Hood BBC: Will GIF: BEST EVER!

*although to be honest, if this happened to me I'd probably just cry
  • It can be very entertaining/inspiring. Bored? Go read some fanfiction! Or write fanfiction! or draw! Or laugh yourself silly over your gif collection! The possibilities are endless, and when you're feeling like you have nooo ideas at all...it's okay to borrow someone else's characters for a while, just to keep those writing muscles in good condition. (I'll tell you a secret -- I've written fanfiction before. Not a lot of it, and not publicly...but when I get the urge to write, and I have no ideas, it's a great way to satisfy myself without being endlessly frustrated by my total lack of original ideas. Or any ideas at all, really.)
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  • Watching Netflix gives you the opportunity to drink lots of tea. Which is ALWAYS a good thing. (are you up for a sad episode? You'll probably want a soothing Orange Pekoe. Is it time for some excitement? Let's try the new mint tea hidden at the back! Is it a season finale? ....better get the whole teapot ready.)
  • It helps you deal with disappointments in life. (like those....*cough* ...season finales...)
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  • Mostly, I love fangirling because it gives me a chance to slip out of my own shoes and step into someone else's for a change. I like being able to escape the mundane routine of school, and work, and life in general, and go somewhere exciting! I like the emotional rush I get when my favourite characters overcome something big, and when I'm having a bad day, I like being able to experience someone else's world instead of my own; to reassure myself that yeah, there are still happy endings.*
*this does not apply when watching British television. There are no happy endings on BBC.

**kidding. Kind of.



Hannah, thank you SO MUCH for letting me guest-post on your blog! I loved putting this post together and getting to look more closely at why I love throwing myself off emotional cliffs being a fangirl so much.


Are you a fangirl (or fanboy)? What do you think of my list? Agree/disagree completely, or are you somewhere in the middle? Let's chat!



Olivia is an 18-year-old fangirl and capital-R Romantic who loves small towns, stacks of books, and enormous cups of tea. She is also enamored with British television (although for the life of her, she couldn't tell you why!) She asks too many questions, would prefer to go barefoot anywhere (and everywhere!) and would someday love to visit Wales.
Olivia keeps a little blog down at the cwtch, and would be tickled pink if you stopped by to say hello!

22 comments:

  1. Okay this is my own blog but I must comment and say that the GIFs in this post make my life better.

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    1. Hahaha I was so happy to get a chance to use up my favorites!! I had to get rid of one from Mulan, though, and that was super sad.

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  2. Awesome post! Definitely loved the Merlin GIF! <3

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  3. Yesss to all of these. Fangirling is one of my favorite hobbies. Watching Netflix also gives me an opportunity to knit, which is also great.
    Oh, and BBC really doesn't do happy endings, unless the series is based on a book which has a happy ending. Then there's Merlin...

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    1. WE WILL NOT TALK ABOUT MERLIN. *curls up into a little ball*
      Seriously, though, it's so cool that you love to knit! Now I really want to learn how so I can be as awesome as you. :)

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  4. (*waves hands in the air*) Ooohh-Ooohh!!! Me-me-me!! I'm a fangirl!! These are awesome points to a fantastic post! <3

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  5. People don't understand that fangirling is a hobby in life. (But then it kills me every time. I have to eat ice cream to deal with it. It's healthy, okay? XD )

    xoxo Morning

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    1. Of course it's healthy! It's, um....preparing you to deal with emotional situations! Right?! Haha. Thanks for commenting, Morning!

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  6. I wouldn't consider myself a fangirl, although I do really like pretty much all of the things/stories that you mentioned and try to get to know as much as possible about them. So yeah, I guess you could call me a fangirl, just a fangirl on a busy schedule.

    The gifs in the post made it super fun to read!

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    1. Hannah, you definitely qualify as a fangirl! ;) welcome to the club!

      Glad you liked the gifs!

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  7. I love this! All these reasons are so true. I love being a fangirl. Even if it does mean my heart gets ripped out of my chest several times. But I do love meeting new people who love the same things as me :)

    Also, these GIFs are amazing! I might have to steal them...

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    1. Felicity, you're so right. I don't know why we do it to ourselves...seriously, I don't. :p so much trauma over fictional characters....but now I've met all of you lovely people! And that is definitely a plus. :)

      Yay, so happy you liked the gifs!! Steal away!

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  8. Haha great guest post, Olivia! And the gifs are on point! :)

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    1. Thank you, Hannah!! :D so happy you enjoyed it! :)

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  9. This post was beautiful! It described my life and those gifs were just perfect. *stops typing for a minute because I'm unable to even* IDK, this was just so relatable! And the Merlin and Robin Hood gifs were FABULOUS! And yes! I love how many friends I've made just from being a fangirl. (-:

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    1. Yay, someone noticed the Robin Hood gif!! I was pretty proud of myself for sneaking that one in. :D It makes me so happy that you can relate!! I AM NOT ALONE.

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  10. Oh my GOSH this was perfect. You killed it, Olivia!

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  11. OLIVIAAAA. ahem. I'm was so stoked to see your guest post over here! You're brilliant. Gah. These GIFs made me VERY HAPPY so thank you. (Especially Westley! *melts*) Okay, so the actual content. Thank you for saying that fangirling makes you a better writer!! I couldn't agree more. It's so super important to examine characters and what makes you swoon/melt/cry over them. <3 "it's okay to borrow someone else's characters for a while, just to keep those writing muscles in good condition." < YES YES YES SO MUCH YES. I feel like a lot of writers feel bad for "wasting time" with fanfiction, but really it's just like you said -- sort of like playing someone else's song on an instrument, it can only improve your talent and warm you up. (: Me and Katie actually just did a podcast about that topic. hehe. So yes -- I LOVE EVERY BIT OF THIS. *continues fangirling with great joy*

    love,
    abbie

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  12. Haha, what a fun list. It's the best when you meet someone who loves the same things you do and you can fangirl together! Instant connection!

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