Is Real-Life Shipping Creepy?
July 27, 2016 § 4 Comments
Ksenia writes,
Hi Kathleen!
All the hugs to you for sharing your experiences of becoming a living legend with us :)))))
May I ask what your stance is on shipping real-life people? So many people degrade it as ‘yikes’, ‘gross’, ‘leave them alone’… But what I mean is the non-creepy, non-intrusive investment into the dynamics between the two single people (can be either or both celebrities and friends or acquaintances), being made incredibly happy by any interaction between the two people. All within a certain context of course, not without it, when it is not a delusional daydream but a half-baked reality at least. 😀
The Stages of the Ship
July 15, 2016 § 1 Comment
Avery writes,
I have a question. What do you think are the stages your OTP goes through before they get together? There will be angst, hatred, & realization but what do you think the stages are in order for them to come to a realization they love each other?
SO A LOT HAPPENED TODAY
July 7, 2016 § 1 Comment
Hi friends! If you’ve been in a cave or don’t follow me on social media, you might have missed that my book, The Fangirl Life: A Guide to All the Feels and Learning How to Deal, came out yesterday! If you haven’t ordered your copy, get on it!
I want to thank all fangirl friends who’ve been tweeting, and posting pics, and cheering for the book this week. I’m trying not to listen to Carl, the negative voice in my head, who’s telling me I’m annoying the hell out of everyone. I did something cool, Carl! So hush.
There’s been so much fun stuff during the promotion that I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Here are a few links.
I was interviewed by Penguin Random House’s Emily Hughes on the Beaks and Geeks podcast. Listen here.
Check out my interview with The Mary Sue!
Want to know “What Kind of Shipper Are You?” Take the quiz I wrote at Forever Young Adult, which is based on the book!
Want to know what fictional female characters I worship in literature? Read my article at Read It Forward!
I talked about my history of OTPs with the amazing Abby Norman on medium!
Geek Mom talked with me about what TV shows I’d “encourage” my children to watch.
EVENTS!
July 12th – GOOD MORNING WASHINGTON – This fangirl therapist is going to be talking with the anchor of my local news show about Shonda Rhimes shows and how to live like the star of your own TV show. SQUEE!
July 13th – EAST CITY BOOKSHOP – Next Wednesday, come play Fangirl Trivia with us at East City Bookshop in Washington, DC. I’ll be reading and signing books, and THERE WILL BE OTP CUPCAKES. RSVP here.
July 22nd – COMIC CON – I’ll be signing books at the Penguin Random House booth on Friday evening! More info soon!
July 23th – I’m going to be on a super fun lady BAMF panel that I can’t talk about just yet! More soon. Also an additional signing to follow.
More to come, including some fun giveaways! Thanks again to everyone for your support! I’ll be answering fangirl dilemmas again on the blog in a day or two!
Love,
Kathleen
Malec Attack
April 2, 2016 § 1 Comment
Malec shipper writes,
SO MY OTP JUST WENT CANON. It’s a bit difficult to explain but basically I’ve read this book series called The Mortal Instruments, and there’s a lot of ships. I finished the series one or two years ago. Now they’ve made a TV show out of it. I thought “Meh, it can’t be as good as the books.” So I didn’t watch it. A month later, I see something that I thought was an edit of Alec and Magnus kissing (Malec), so I was like, “Hmm, i should watch it.” I WATCHED 9 HOURS IN 26 HOURS, during these 26 hours I also had school. Anyways, there was an episode called “Malec” and apparently it wasn’t an edit. I now feel very unstable and feel like screaming at various times. The feels basically pound inside of my heart. What’s the best way to deal with this? Also, the series hasn’t finished yet, there will be more of it 6/4. A.K.A MORE OF THEM I CAN’T.
The Whisper Screams
March 30, 2016 § 1 Comment
Isabella writes,
Hello, I am a HUGE geek. I like to watch gamers on YouTube and whenever I find a new ship, I tend to internally scream. If I find a new nOtp, I visibly gag and do whisper screams. How do I stop myself from overreacting over ships?
Zootopi-ugh
March 24, 2016 § Leave a comment
Veronica writes,
It’s an overload of happiness; what’s not to love? But it’s so messy and emotional and hard to control. I don’t want to cut it out of my life; honestly, fangirling seems like one of the most beautiful things you can do (especially as a teenage girl). But is there some way to control it? HELPPPPPPP. PLEASE. Thank you so much. I hope your book flies off the shelves.
Real Life Ships
January 29, 2016 § Leave a comment
OTP Fangirl writes,
On the topic of shipping real life celebs, my question is at what point is it wrong or creepy to remain nostalgic and hopeful about a real life celeb couple that has broken up?
When a couple has been visibly together for a long time, naturally people build these lovely romantic narratives around them and how they are an “OTP”. But of course, many of these couples break up and inevitably I will see fans continue to post photos and even comment on the celebs’ social media that they should be back with their ex. Sometimes this happens years later and even after both celebs have visibly and happily moved on.
Why do you think people have such a hard time letting go of celeb couples who have broken up?
Death by OTP
January 4, 2016 § 2 Comments
Morgan writes,
My OTP is legit killing me. Every time they are alone together, one of them almost confesses their feelings, but then gets interrupted. I’ve tried reading fanfiction like I’ve done with my other OTPs, but all of them are set after the series had ended so I can’t read it without spoiling everything.
Everybody on the show knows that they are totally into each other. They stare as if they are the only two people in the galaxy. They get insanely jealous whenever the other one is in a relationship (which usually only lasts an episode), and they have no personal space whatsoever, but they still don’t let it go anywhere.
The worst part is that I know they will kiss in the last season, but I don’t want to binge the show so quickly that I don’t get to enjoy it. I can’t even begin to describe my feelings when they’re together. It’s like I want to cry, laugh, hug something, and die all at the same time. I just don’t know what to do! Please help!
Morgan, here’s what I want you to do.
Step 1. Buy a catburger.
Step 2. Live in that burger every time your OTP is on screen. The burger doth protect and sooth.
Addicts experience the highest high right before they take a drug. Lucky for us, we have safer, legal drugs. AKA OTP MAKEOUTS. This is why the moments before our ship sails into Canon City are the best ones. The feeliest of feels. So cherish them.
You’re doing exactly what you should be doing by not rushing your ship. By prolonging the end, you’re actually making yourself less tolerant to the feels (meaning you’ll have less of a hangover when you finish the show).
The arc of shipping is a lot like life when you think about it. We want to rush towards the best moments in our future, but we also want to stay still in the present when life is good. But time moves at its own pace.
There will be plenty of time for fic and AU headcanon when you finish the show. THESE MOMENTS, those prekiss moments, are the ones you’ll never be able to replicate. You can never unwatch a show, and experience that all over again. So live, dammit! Savor the moment. Squee like you’ve never squee-ed before. And above all, snuggle in the giant catburger we call life.
Mini Fangirl Dilemmas!
December 9, 2015 § Leave a comment
I get a lot of great questions from readers, but sometimes I don’t have time to answer them all. Here are a few mini questions with mini answers. But remember there are no small fangirl dilemmas. Only small fangirls. No really, some of us are short.
Q: I’m fangirling so hard on Troye Sivan, that I think I’m gonna die. It’s at the worst phase now because he is having a show in the country right next to mine. LITERALLY HOURS AWAY. And I feel like I have missed my shot and now my life is over. Btw is ‘Fangirl Therapy’ a book?
A: 
You will not die. Troye Sivan’s brain isn’t even done developing yet, and neither is yours. You will have more shots for more creys. Work hard so you can afford to catch a glimpse of your faves. YAS A BOOK!
Q: I’m the type of fangirl who just becomes overly obsessed. I’ll find an anime or book series or a ship that I really like and then it’s all I can think about. My grades are dropping because of this. I don’t want to tell me parents this because everything I obsess about is something they hate, so I’m in trouble all the time. What should I do?
A: You sound like a character in a YA book that people would root for. What would this character do to make us raise our fists in triumph? Do that.
Q: I hate it when other fangirls of the same fandom get into HUGE shipping wars.
A: As Ghandi said, be the shipper you wish to see in the world. Maybe the rest won’t follow, but you’ll be hella calmer about it. Learning you can’t control other people is what we call extreme adulting.
Q: Help me I am experiencing The Creys and my abdomen hurts so much from it I literally can’t move and my mum is concerned about me and I keep rolling to attempt and stop the pain it hurts to much what are some methods to stop them.
A: That’s not creys; it’s anxiety. If your tum is still hurting, talk to your doctor or a counselor.
Q: MY SHIP JUST SANK.
A: Choice 1- Climb on some floating debris and save yourself. Another vessel will come along and pick you up. Choice 2- Canon is only as real as you give it permission to be. Summon the fic and headcanon.
Q: If anonymous questions are welcomed, how come the Name field is required?
A: Who hurt you, sassmaster?
SCIENCE!
August 13, 2014 § Leave a comment
We interrupt your regularly scheduled creys to bring you some fangirl science.
Why mess with perfection, am I right? And for the psych folks. . .
Hairporn and subtext can power an armada of ships. Whereas angsty yelling is a more coveted but rarer vessel.
Fangirl Therapy 