I Really Need To Stop Doing This

I honestly don't know why I do this to myself. Maybe it's because I'm a writer, and thus have an inexorable drive to make up stories out of thin air. Maybe it's just because I subscribe to the old mantra: if one is good, two must be even better, right?

Either way, I really probably should stop doing this. But I can't. And thus...

I am probably doomed to continue making weird, unlikely crossovers.

For those who don't know, a crossover is basically a fusion of two stories. Some crossovers happen naturally--when the stories are similar (i.e. Star Trek and Star Wars) or when they take place in the same universe (Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit). But then there are those crossovers that... don't.

Those are the types of crossovers I like to create.

You know, I once mapped out a very long, complex crossover of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the Horatio Hornblower series. I never wrote any of it down, of course, and now I couldn't tell you who was who or what was what. But at the time I was in love with my ideas and though they were the best thing since sliced cheese.

Then there's the thing I've been playing with recently.

You see, my sister and I recently been watching two shows: one with my mom, and one with my dad. Those two shows happen to be Downton Abbey and Agents of SHIELD, respectively. We're two episodes into Agents of SHIELD and two seasons into Downton Abbey, but I really like both.

The trouble is that now my urge to crossover is starting in.

My sister doesn't want to discuss these crossover ideas with me, despite having seen both shows. I'm a little torn myself over whether these ideas are genius or just nutty. And even if I did write them down it would largely be for my benefit and mine alone.

But I am sure of one thing. I am not going to repeat the mistake I made with My Little Pony and the Hornblower series. This time, I am at least going to write my ideas down, if only so that I can look back at them later and laugh at myself.

I haven't quite gotten the details all worked out yet, as it were. But you can be sure that as soon as I do, I'll post them, and you can laugh as much as you want.

(Assuming you watch both shows and get all the parallels. I don't know, I might be the only one.)

A Friendly PSA: Introverts, Extroverts, Ambiverts

So I've been thinking lately, and I've decided that it's about time I had a blog post about introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts. (I bet you've never heard about that last one. Well. What else am I here for?) If only because I am an introvert, and the matter has been keeping my attention lately.

And so: a friendly PSA.


#1: Introverts

Introverts are, quite simply, people who draw energy from being alone. Like most things, this is a spectrum; some introverts absolutely hate to be around other people; others don't mind social interaction, and might even like it, but will need a recharge period afterward.

Introverts are often misunderstood or misconstrued as snobs, 'weirdos', or recluses. The reality is we like people as much as the next; we just run out of energy and need to recharge by being alone.

Notes: I am an introvert. I've been known to have trouble interacting with people, because I'd often rather read or write something than talk to someone. Awkward chatting situations abound for me. I have been known to ecstatically dance around the house after visitors leave--not because I'm glad they're gone, but because the house is finally quiet and I can go read something now.

#2: Extroverts

Extroverts are people who draw energy and recharge by being around people. Again, there is a spectrum here, and it varies.

Extroverts tend to be better-liked than introverts, at least initially, because most extroverts can actually carry on a conversation with people they don't know.

Notes: I'm... not exactly sure what to say here, since I'm not an extrovert. So I'll just point out that neither extroverts nor introverts are more important or better. They both have things to contribute.

#3: Ambiverts

Ah, yes. Ambiverts. This side of the spectrum is the side that's almost never talked about, and I'm not sure why. It's very interesting.

Ambiverts are people who display traits of both introverts and extroverts. They enjoy social interaction, much more than most introverts do, but they need a solitary recharge period as well. Because they display traits of both, they may sometimes be pidgeon-holed into one of the other categories.

Notes: My sister is most likely an ambivert, leaning toward the introvert side of the spectrum. She loves spending time with her friends, but doesn't like spending time with people she doesn't know well. And sometimes, she just wants to be on her own.

And Now: A Conversation Between an Introvert, an Extrovert, and an Ambivert

Extrovert: Hi! How are you doing?

Introvert: Um... hi. I'm good.

[Silence.]

Introvert: Oh, um, how are you doing?

Extrovert: Good. What are you reading there?

Introvert: Oh, um, Lord of the Rings. [Looks back down at book.] It's really good...

Extrovert: Hi there, Ambivert!

Ambivert: Hi! Did you like the school assignments this week?

Extrovert: Not really, but I...

Introvert: [Quietly gets up and walks away]

[10-15 minutes later]

Ambivert: [Walks over and sits down next to Introvert]

[Silence]


...And that (hopefully) sums up the differences between introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts. Of course, I'm far from an authority on the subject. If you'd like to know more, I'd encourage you to research it. It's really a fascinating subject.

Questions? Comments? Critiques? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section.

And that's all for now!

If Magneto Can Manipulate Electromagnetism, All the X-Men are Screwed

Please pardon my language, but I think I do have a point here.

Electromagnetism is defined as the ideas that

1. A changing electrical field creates a magnetic field, and
2. A changing magnetic field creates an electrical field

The logical conclusion, then, is that Magneto can control electromagnetism, and thus, electricity.

That may not sound like much, initially. But apparently, electromagnetism as a force is 10³⁶x stronger than Earth's gravitational pull. (That's 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times stronger, in case you were curious.)

Just sit back and think about that one for a minute. 

Being able to control metal and magnetism alone is pretty darn hard to stop. If someone, anyone, could control magnetism and electricity? And the force, as a whole, of electromagnetism?

I mean, that's Forge and Surge you've taken out right there, and there are probably even more X-Men dependent enough on electricity to be incapacitated. Not to mention all the power just there at his fingertips.  

So, yes. Stan Lee? Everybody else at Marvel responsible for Magneto?

Congratulations. You, my friends, have created a monster.

Warriors: Bramblestar's Storm

*Warning: The following post contains spoilers. You have been warned.*

So I recently (well, sort of recently) finished Bramblestar's Storm, the latest in the (long, long) line of Warriors books. While it certainly wasn't my favorite in the Warriors series, it was pretty good overall, though I had a few small problems and one major bone to pick with the ending.

So here we go with the review.

***

Bramblestar's Storm: The Good

• The plot was good. Warriors has always been a survival story--that's pretty much the baseline setting--but the titular storm in this book brought the 'survival' part to a whole new level. Much of the book dealt with the cats being forced to find a new (temporary) home, deal with loss of territory, etc. 
• I appreciated the new characters. For one thing, they were all well-defined, with personalities different enough that I could easily tell them apart. Frankie/Stormpaw, in particular, was a favorite of mine. 
• The aftermath of the battle in The Last Hope was shown and discussed. I was disappointed that Hazeltail got killed off (she was one of my favorite background characters), but I did appreciate the follow-up. 

Bramblestar's Storm: The Bad

• The 'prophecy' Cloudstar gave to Firestar (who then gave it to Bramblestar) was totally useless. Because there was a prophecy involved, I kept expecting a boss-level villain to pop out at the end to be fought. The actual answer to the prophecy--Bramblestar's bond with his sister remaining strong despite Clan differences--was an issue that had already been discussed. Frankly, it was anti-climactic and made the prophecy seem needlessly confusing, vague, and distinctly unhelpful. 
• I'm not sure what the writers intended for the Bramblestar/Squirrelflight/Jessy love-triangle, but whatever it was, they didn't do it right. I'm not a fan of love triangles in general, but there is a right way to do them. The triangle in this book seemed vague and oddly paced. The writers spent a lot of time setting up Jessy's involvement in the Clan. Then Bramblestar went on a few quasi-romantic dinner dates walks with Jessy... and then he decided that he wasn't in love with her after all; he wanted to be with Squirrelflight? Huh? When did you ever say you were in love with Jessy in the first place? And hadn't you made up with Squirrelflight already, when you made her your deputy at the end of The Last Hope?
  Like I said. Confusing. 
• This is probably the biggest spoiler of them all, so skip this whole point if you don't want to hear it.
  *
  *
  *
  Alright, so the reveal at the very end that Squirrelflight really can have kits?
  I hated that.
  If you want a happy couple with a romantic happy ending, there are plenty of those to go around in Warriors. In my opinion, it was interesting and different to have a character who was barren. I was perfectly ready and willing to see Squirrelflight as a happy grandmother with no kittens of her own, who helped raise her adopted grandkits and nieces and nephews and such. Why do we need to bend and rewrite things that have already happened, just so we can have another happy ending?
  And it goes beyond that.
  What are you trying to say here, author? That no matter how much you're in love, it's not a real marriage unless you have kids? I'm sure that's not what was intended, but it kind of came across that way. Because even though there are hundreds of mother characters in Warriors, we couldn't let Squirrelflight represent those who are barren.
  That disappoints me. 

***

Bramblestar's Storm: The Conclusion

Well, I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, It was pretty enjoyable in general. It was definitely better than Yellowfang's Secret, a previous Warriors Super Edition. I even enjoyed it more than Tallstar's Revenge, the Super Edition before this. But it wasn't the best Warriors book ever, and the aforementioned 'twist' at the end left a bad taste in my mouth. So I'm giving this one  three stars out of five:

***

And that concludes this review! 

My Halloween post is coming... soon... so stay tuned! Bye now!