Two Trailers

This post is about the new Mockingjay Part 1 Teaser Trailer and the first Hobbit Battle of Five Armies Trailer.

So, The Mockingjay trailer first. It was great. I loved the trailers that came before this one (the ones with President Snow), but it was nice to see a regular trailer. I love Katniss' line at the end. I am really excited for this movie, even though Mockingjay was my least favourite of The Hunger Games books. The movies have been getting better so far (in my opinion). We'll see if the trend continues. The reason that the Mockingjay book wasn't my favourite was because it was a bit to slow and a bit to fast at different times. It just seemed a bit off. That's something that can be easily fixed in a movie.

And now I'll talk about the Hobbit trailer. It is one of my favourite trailers of all time if not my absolute favourite. I watched it five times in a row without stopping and have watched it at least five times more since then. I'm really bad at doing trailer analyzing things, so I'll leave that to other people who are much smarter and have better vision. I loved that they used Pippin's song. That was one of my favourite parts of The Lord of the Rings. I am so, so excited to see the last movie in this trilogy. I know it will be my favourite movie of this year (not that I'm really seeing that many). But it is so awesome I can't even really function.

Characters That Everyone Hates for no Reason

I love my fandoms, but one thing that will forever annoy me is when many people in a fandom hate a certain character for no reason (or for some stupid reason)  Here's a list of some of these characters, why they are hated by the fandom and why I think that they don't deserve all the hate they get. These are just a few examples. There are tons more. I wanted to include Gale on this list, but since I haven't read the Hunger Games for a long time I can't really write about him.

• Martha Jones (Doctor Who): 

Why do people hate Martha? She's smart, kind and brave. What's not to like?

From what I've seen, people hate her because she had a crush on the Doctor. SERIOUSLY??? The only reason this bothers people is because the Doctor didn't like her back. Everyone loves Rose even though she too liked the Doctor. Both women liked the Doctor, but only one is hated for it because her crush wasn't returned. And, okay, I can understand disliking a character if they continue to like someone else even when it's obvious that their feelings aren't returned (cough, Severus Snape), but Martha didn't do that. When she realized the Doctor would never like her, she was okay with that. She moved on.

Another reason people dislike Martha Jones is because she wasn't really anything special. Most of the other companions did something amazing or spectacular that proved they were beyond ordinary. This reason to hate Martha is even stupider than the first. If you hate a character because they aren't perfect or extrodinary, then I don't want to talk to you. And, anyway, this argument is just plain wrong. If anything, Martha is one of the most amazing companions. She was a doctor. She saved the world. She's badass.

So shut up.

• Ginny Weasley (Harry Potter):

Ginny is not one of my all time favourite character, but I still get very angry when people say they hate her.

One reason some people seem to dislike her is that she wasn't in the movies. This reason is totally stupid. Ignore the movies. Pay attention to book Ginny.

Another reason people might hate her is because she had a crush on Harry Potter. This is the same as for Martha Jones. I've noticed that people tend to hate girl characters who fall in love with boys who aren't interested in them, but they never hate boys who fall in love with girls who aren't interested in them. Ginny had every right to have a crush on Harry. So did half the girls in London. What matters about Ginny is that she brave and loyal and fierce and hilarious and she's really nice to Luna Lovegood.

• Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)

If I met Ron in real life I would be friends with him. That said, it really annoys me when people hate Ron..

The main reason people seem to hate him is because they ship Hermione with someone else. Dramione shippers particularly seem to hate him. Some people seem to think he doesn't deserve Hermione. But something they seem to be forgetting is that Hermione loves Ron. And is Ron doesn't deserve Hermione, than Draco definitely doesn't. I've seen some Dramione shippers say that Ron isn't intelligent enough for Hermione. This is stupid mainly for three reasons: 1. Ron IS intelligent. 2. Draco is not more intelligent than Ron. 3. Intelligence is not the only factor determining whether two people will fall in love.

Some people hate Ron because he's a bit silly. Or because he gets into arguments with both Harry and Hermione a lot. There is nothing wrong with liking to joke around. Sometimes Ron goes a bit far and hurts people's feelings, but many other characters do that and they are not hated as Ron is. And even the best of friends argue sometimes. Harry, Ron and Hermione's friendship is so strong. Despite everything they've had to go through, they remain friends.

Ron is brave, funny, intelligent, and loyal. If you think Ron is a bad person, get out.

• Piper McLean (Percy Jackson)

Some people automatically hate Piper because she is a daughter of Aphrodite. If this is the case, then I think they are interpreting the Heroes of Olympus series wrong. One of the main lessons in the series is that we are not defined by who we are related to.

I've heard some people say that they don't like Piper because she is too obsessed with Jason. Some people have this problem with Annabeth too. Again, people only dislike this in girls. Leo obsessing over random girls who he's not even dating? That's fine. Piper thinking about the boy she likes and wondering if he likes her back? Nope. It's totally normal for Piper to think about Jason a lot. He's her boy friend and her best friend. She might think about Jason more than some other characters think of their boyfriends, but there's nothing wrong with that. She is not obsessed with him. Seriously.

Some people say they dislike Piper because she's weak or useless. Neither of those things are true. How can people say Piper is weak. SHE KILLED A FREAKING GODESS. SHE BROUGHT JASON BACK FROM THE DEAD. And she is NOT useless. She may not be the most powerful of the seven demigods. But that is no reason to hate her. And, anyway, not every character has to be extremely badass. People are starting to think that if a character doesn't fight really well and isn't stereotypically boyish then she is weak and the book is sexist. A strong female character means a well written character, not necessarily a stereotypically boyish character.

Doctor Who: Best Episodes of Each Actor

This post is kind of random. I'm going to list all the main characters in Doctor Who and the three episodes that I think are their best episodes. So, as an example, I liked Rose Tyler in the episode Dalek. I think that this episode shows the most of her personality. While it might not be my favourite episode that Rose Tyler is in, I think it is the episode that most defines her.

Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston):

1. Bad Wolf/ The Parting of the Ways
2. Father's Day
3. Boom Town

Rose Tyler (Billie Piper):

1. Dalek
2. Bad Wolf/ The Parting of the Ways
3. Army of Ghosts/ Doomsday

Tenth Doctor (David Tennant):

1. The End of Time
2. The Doctor's Daughter
3. Utopia/ The Sound of Drums/ Last of the Time :Lords

Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman):

1. Utopia/ The Sound of Drums/ Last of the Tim Lords
2. Smith and Jones
3. Human Nature/ The Family of Blood

Donna Noble (Catherine Tate):

1. Turn Left
2. Partners in Crime
3. Planet of the Ood

River Song (Alex Kingston):

1. The Time of Angels/ Flesh and Stone
2. Let's Kill Hitler
3. Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead

Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith):

1. The Eleventh Hour
2. The Doctor's Wife
3. Nightmare in Silver

Amy Pond (Karen Gillan):

1. The Girl Who Waited
2. The Angels Take Manhattan
3. Amy's Choice

Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill):

1. The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang
2. The Girl Who Waited
3. A Good Man Goes to War

Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman):

1. The Rings of Akhaten
2. The Day of the Doctor
3. The Name of the Doctor

Ten Things I Want to See in Doctor Who Series Eight

1. The thing I am hoping for most in series 8 is that Clara and the Doctor don't have a romantic relationship. I'm a little tired of that, honestly. Plus, I really like their friendship.
2. New companions! Or at least one. I like it when their are multiple companions at the same time, and I want some new well developed characters.
3. I really want The Master to come back. He is by far my favourite Doctor Who villain. I love John Simm, but I wouldn't mind a new actor either. And what about a female master???
4. Sequel episode for The Girl in the Fireplace. Please? Not everything in that episode was explained and it's one of my favourites.
5. A Matt Smith appearance. It's not likely to happen in series 8, but maybe in another anniversary special?
6. Some new and interesting time lord characters (and also time ladies).
7. More of the War Doctor. He should have more than one episode.
8. River Song. I really, really want River to come back.
9. At least one really scary episode. There haven't really been any recently, with the exception of The Angels Take Manhattan.
10. More gay/lesbian relationships.

Watch this video to find out more about the episodes in series 8. Actually, just check out all the Doctor Who videos on that channel.

Merlin

I have recently started watching a new TV show called Merlin. I'm almost finished with the second season. It's about Merlin (obviously) and Arthur Pendragon and all the characters are really awesome and I'm kind of obsessed. I have been watching at least one episode every day.

Here is my current list of fandoms:

• The Lord of the Rings
• Harry Potter
• Percy Jackson
• Sherlock
• The Mortal Instruments
• The Hunger Games
• Divergent
• Merlin
• Doctor Who
• The Inheritance Cycle (does this have a fandom?)
• Ender's Game (not sure this has a fandom)
• The Fault in Our Stars
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (this is a fandom, right?)
• Vampire Academy

And here are some books I'm obsessed with that don't have fandoms:

• Keys to the Kingdom
• The Raven Cycle
• The Lunar Chronicles
• Legend
• The Book Thief
• Graceling 

My Thoughts: Animagi and Patronuses

Something I noticed in the Harry Potter books (and I'm sure pretty much everyone else noticed it too) is that the idea of a patronus and the idea of an animagus seem very similar. This post covers some of my ideas about the patronus charm and a person's animagus form and the similarities and differences between the two. Some of this is just guessing.

A patronus is the glowing animal that is created when a person casts the patronus charm. It is different for every person. Each wizard has their own unique patronus and it can change if something emotional happens in their life. For instance, Nymphadora Tonks' patronus changed to the form of Remus Lupin's patronus when she fell in love with him. Another example is that after his twin brother Fred died, George Weasley was unable to cast a patronus.

A patronus is made of a person's happy memories. That is perhaps why most dark wizards can not cast one; they do not have any happy memories. Severus Snape was able to cast a patronus because he loved Lily Potter. Dolores Umbridge was perhaps able to cast a patronus because she did not believe herself to be evil and had good memories. Casting a corporeal patronus requires great magical skill. It supposedly takes less skill to cast a non-corporeal patronus. However, while I think skill and having happy memories obviously plays a role in whether someone is able to cast a patronus or not, there are other factors that determine whether someone can cast a patronus. Perhaps confidence plays a role. Harry was able to cast a patronus in Prisoner of Azcaban because he knew he could. It also might have something to do with how well a person can concentrate on a specific happy memory. Perhaps a non-corporeal patronus indicates that a wizard is not concentrating enough.

Something that confuses me is that Hermione Granger had quite a bit of trouble casting a patronus. This is odd, since she is a very skilled witch and obviously has many happy memories. Perhaps it was because she did not have enough confidence in her abilities. Or maybe it was difficult for her to focus on one specific happy memory.

An animagus is a wizard who can turn into an animal at will (though they do not get to decide which animal they turn into). In their animagus form, a person is still them self. It is, however, unclear whether or not the nature of their particular animal has any affect on their personality. It is difficult to become an animagus and takes great magical skill. Even so, I believe that theoretically, if he or she tried hard enough, any wizard or witch could become an animagus (unlike in the case of a patronus which not every one can conjure). The form an animagus takes is possibly an animal that represents that person's soul.

It is never stated that a persons animagus form can change. I suppose that would depend on whether or not a person's soul can change. My guess is that, if it is possible, the change wouldn't happen as easily as with a patronus.

The obvious difference between a person in their animagus form and a person casting the patronus charm is that the person in animagus form is the animal and the animal created by the patronus charm is made up of a person's happy memories and not the person himself. Therefore, it is my belief that a persons animagus form and a person's patronus can be but are not necessarily the same. In all the instances where we know what form the patronus of an animagus takes, the patronus and animagus have been the same.

Sexism in Doctor Who Article

READ THIS ARTICLE. JUST READ IT. THE WHOLE THING.