The Fangirl Crash
November 3, 2015 § Leave a comment
Amy writes,
After a fandom related event happens, I crash. Like a concert where I’ll be in the same room as my faves, or a convention where I’ll be seeing the people of my dreams “in the flesh.” The days leading up to the event are often very exciting, but on the day I can make myself ill. I’ve had situations where I literally feel like I’m going to be sick. When the thing actually happens I’m shaking and I feel like I’ve left my own body. And then when it’s over, it’s like all my emotion has bubbled over and I’m left crying in the car on the way home. Sometimes I’m upset for days, when nothing actually bad has happened. In fact something amazing has happened! I’ve seen a fave!
I have a big fandom-y thing coming up and I’d love my memories of it not to be tarnished by the weird depressed feeling I get for days after. If you have any idea what the hell is going on or any tips on how to cope with being me, that you be wonderful.
YouTuber Troubles
October 29, 2015 § Leave a comment
Anonymous Sufferer writes,
I’m a high school female and I just recently (2 weeks ago) fell in love with a YouTube star who has now become even more famous. He is so great in real life, not just singing heartless songs. I’m basically consumed by thoughts of him, and every time I get on the Internet I immediately go to Google to stare at pictures of him. Any advice on how to get my mind off him and actually get schoolwork done?
Blinking Cursor Syndrome
October 22, 2015 § Leave a comment
Lyra writes,
Please help me. I have Blinking Cursor Syndrome and I don’t know what to do with myself. No matter what I’m writing, it will always (and I mean ALWAYS) turn into a fanfiction mid-sentence. Even when I had a really good idea for a book that might become successful one day, it turned into my most recent fanfic. I also have a problem with trying to get into other types of fiction/fandoms. Since I am currently obsessed with Hetalia, it is hard for me to watch a movie, read a book, look at a comic, or watching a show, without applying the characters onto other characters in that fictional universe. Any advice for how to fix this obsession? I really need your help with this.
Harry Potter Death
October 13, 2015 § 3 Comments
Sad Fangirl writes,
I am reading the HP series and I am utterly heartbroken about the death of a certain character. Every time I think about the character, I get sad. Please help!!!
SUPERNATURAL EMERGENCY!
October 7, 2015 § 2 Comments
Megan writes,
So, there’s this show that I’m obsessed with, called Supernatural. October 7th, 2015 is the premier of season 11. But, I’ve seen the first half of season 10, just not the second half. The thing is, not only am I busy tomorrow night, when it’s on, but season 10 isn’t on Netflix yet. HELP. WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT THIS SITUATION?
The Jealous Fangirl
October 5, 2015 § 1 Comment
Julia writes,
I am addicted to this character called L Lawliet from the anime Death Note. I get jealous with people when they mention him and I get really sad when I don’t know something about him. When I think a lot about it, I get a “fangirl attack”. What should I do?
Hollywood Ships
October 2, 2015 § Leave a comment
Anonymous Fangirl writes,
I don’t see much on your blog regarding people who “fangirl” over the real life relationships of celebs. I’m thinking of people who are freaking out over Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner separating. Or people who never got over the fact that Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams broke up.
I admit I get a lot of enjoyment over watching a favorite celeb “falling in love” on social media or in the entertainment pages. They paint such lovely narratives holding hands while walking through New York City or pushing their shopping carts to the car after doing groceries or smiling serenely walking the red carpet.
Rationally, I know that all I’m seeing is the functional stuff i.e. the times when they are behaving themselves for the camera and paparazzi. I don’t see the arguments or the affairs or the long lonely days spent apart as people travel to film and work. But emotionally, those pictures are so lovely!
What advice do you have for fangirls who can’t help obsessing over real life celeb couples?
The Irrational Fangirl
September 30, 2015 § 2 Comments
If you’re a fangirl, you tend to learn towards the irrational. Don’t believe me? Have you ever had any of these thoughts?
I need [insert actress] to be in this episode or I’ll die.
Everyone should reblog this post on Tumblr.
Nobody understands this character the way I do.
If I don’t make it home for this episode, I’m going to lose it.
Sure, we joke about these extreme ways of thinking, but they take their toll. You get anxious when you miss a trailer, and you assume the worst when nobody reviews your fanfic in the first 15 minutes. So what do you do?
There’s a form of therapy called REBT that teaches us to change how we think about our thoughts. Sound confusing? Let’s break it down.
- Your fangirl thinking influences you more that what actually happens.
- So to be less crey, you have to change your thoughts.
How do you change your thinking? You practice your ABCs. Let’s look at an example.
A= Activating Event. Traffic is bad, and you might miss your favorite TV show.
B= Belief. I must watch this TV show live or I will die.
C= Consequence. I feel anxious! OH nOOOOO!
How do you change the consequence? You go back and examine the belief.
D= Dispute belief. Hmm. There were a lot of shows I never watched live, and I still enjoyed them.
and with that, we have
E! More Effective View. I like watching TV live, but I’ll be okay if I miss an episode or two.
When you can adjust your beliefs, you’ll feel less upset when the fangirl world doesn’t quite go your way.
So try it out! What irrational thoughts do you have about the way people act in your fandom or your fanfic? You can still enjoy your unicorn nature without sacrificing your sanity.
Marceline Vampire Queen
September 24, 2015 § 1 Comment
Maddy wrote to me, asking about her obsession with Marceline the Vampire Queen from Adventure Time:
It started with me constantly replaying songs and imagining her hidden in my closet, trapped in our world and unable to find a way back to Ooo. Now, I imagine her floating above me whenever I play her songs, I have fantasies of meeting her, and I’ve actually started to talk to her.
I’m being serious.
Fangirl Spotlight: Camilla!
September 1, 2015 § Leave a comment
YOU GUYS. I want to introduce you to one of my favorite people, and like a true fangirl, it’s someone I’ve never even met.
I was introduced to Cami through the Battlestar Galactica fandom (more specifically the Mary McDonnell hair division). Her kindness, enthusiasm, and artistic talents spoke to me. They said, “Squee!” Also, “This is someone you need to know.”
So when it came time for me to find an artist for The Fangirl Life, I knew that she was my constant for the book. Eventually, you’ll get a sneak peak of her 20 fantastic line drawings for it! But for now, I want to introduce her BAMFy self to readers.
K: What was the first thing you ever fangirled about?
Downton’s Carson and Hughes. “You know when you ship so hard it comes true. . .”
C: It was probably Sailor Moon. But madness started with X-Files. I’m still going strong, because there’s no cure. Once a phile, always a phile, even 20 years later! I’m sooooo excited for the revival and all the new people getting to know M&S. My little fangirl heart cannot contain such great joy!
K: Well, extra thanks for taking my emotional Twitter DMs while I’m watching it for the first time. How did you get started doing fanart? What makes a good request that you want to draw for someone?
C: I’ve drawn since forever. My kindergarten teachers still had my drawings on the walls years after I left. At first it was mostly Disney style. Then in elementary and middle school I started drawing images of Sailor Moon and Rayearth or other mangas, and portraits of favorite actors and actresses for my friends. That’s basically how it started.
“I love to experiment with styles.”
It’s hard to draw when your heart isn’t in it, so I tend to stick with the muse. An appealing project is something I can play with, where I can express my own ideas, when it’s not just about bringing to life someone else’s visual idea, but expanding on it.
K: And BAMF bless you for expanding on my crazy ideas in the book. Any other fan artists that you admire online?
C: Too many!!! There’s Nicole and Esther and Amelia and artistiq and. . .ugh so many great artists out there. I wanna hug them all!
K: Tell us about a new BAMF that you’ve been crying about.
Adama, Roslin, and Doc Cottle. “But I’m just really silly.”
C: I’m in the middle of an Agents of Shields binge watch, and right now I’m crying about Melinda May and her deadly kicks quite a lot from my comfy chair, eating chips in the dim light of my room, petting kitteh like a villain (or not, because it’s too hot to live right now). I’m probably never gonna start any kung-fu course over this, but watch me walk out in boots and a leather jacket (in November, when the temperature is acceptable!) because YES!
Otherwise you can always find me crying over Abby Griffin and Laura Roslin (for different reasons mostly but they both have unicorn hair).
K: Does your cat have a favorite TV show?
C: Kitteh watches me watch tv and that’s apparently entertaining enough.
K: Tell me about the strangest couple you’ve ever shipped.
C: I don’t even know how it happened. It was probably a (really good) fanfic I read, but Harrison and Nicole from Popular?!!! She’s my fav, being the villain of course, and they had a few touching moments when she donated bone marrow for him and he told her he was her family (since she was adopted and never felt like she belonged), and it could have been great! The devil and the good guy balancing each other out. . .alas.
K: Favorite genre of fanfic?
The 100’s Abby Griffin. “I mean. . .that didn’t improve. I’m still very silly.”
C: Flufffff!! Fluff is the hardest kind of fanfic to find without it feeling OOC or too cheesy for that BAMFy lady, so that’s where you know they’re good. It’s easier to concoct a tear-jerking plot than keeping your readers smiling like idiots at their screens for several thousand words!
K: You’re captured by ninjas and can choose 3 characters from fiction to team together to save you. Whom do you pick and why?
C: MELINDA MAY!!! And Sydney Bristow for obvious reasons. Then I think maybe Carol Peletier, because she would bring cookies too! I love cookies!
K: Carol is great with exploding diversions and cookies for sure. Okay, last question. Can you teach us any Italian fangirl words?
C: #stommale (for when you’re emotionally compromised)
#muoro (incorrect term to describe the act of dying)
#ansia (emotionally compromising state)
#novabbèciaoeh (for that time you can’t)
#ciaone (for that time you can’t even)
#maancheno (but what about no)
#vino! (alcoholic drink needed)
Thanks Cami! Cue me shouting, “Stommale!” for the rest of the week.
Fangirl Therapy 