Hello Internet (sound familiar?)! I posted my 2014 Summer
Reading List a week ago and it really did help a lot. The thing is, with every
book I finish, I end up either feeling “Meh. I’ve seen better. But, it’s okay,
I guess.” Or (most of the time) I’ll end up curling in the corner spiraling
into depression because it’s over.
There is no in-between.
And this usually
happens Every. Single. Time.
And that leads us to this. I made some kind of meter that’ll
measure just how deep you are into the dangerous waters of a fandom. Before I
start this, please be reminded that I am perfectly sane and that I don’t need
mental assistance and that all of this is perfectly
normal (I think). =)
1. Stepping into the Shore
Ahh. The first stage. These are those moments
when you’re prepped up on your favorite reading position in your comfy little
corner of reading. You take a deep breath as the first chapter begins. First,
you’ll probably go “Oh, the main character’s some kind of criminal. Psh, that’s
a bit cliché.”
2. Ankle-Deep
This is the time when you start getting
into the story. You still put the book down to eat and go to the bathroom for a
pee break, but you’re slowly getting hooked to the story. “Oh, he’s a criminal
mastermind who’s twelve years old!
And he has.. what’s this? A butler!”
3. Knee-Deep
Nope, no more pee breaks. You start
bringing the book to the table. You begin to notice the author’s writing style
and you start to slowly get attached to the characters. Turn baaack! Turn back
while you still can! “She punched him?
Ugh, how could she! He’s an amazing person who happens to have a little bit of
attitude problem! He’s a misunderstood soul!”
4. Thigh-Deep
This is it. No more turning back. “Welcome
to the fandom, buddy!” A shark greets in that evil tone sharks have. There are
the times when you start to read the book more closely. You’re oblivious to
what’s happening outside of the book (Psh, who cares if there’s an earthquake?
The little fairy needs to find away to escape from the huge manor!).
5. Waters up to your Waist
This is when the real symptoms begin. You find yourself daydreaming about what might
happen next, you have to use force to push yourself to put the book down and
eat, you stay up late at night to read until your mom finally closes the
lights. You’re in the fandom, and the fangir/fanboy life is starting to grow on
you.
6. Just a Little Bit More
Drowning… slowly but surely drowning into
the fandom. You didn’t choose the fangirl/fanboy life, it chose you. You try to
scout friends to read the book too and join the fandom. You go to websites
about the fandom, you start joining roleplays, and everything is starting to
eat you alive.
7. Deep, Deep, into the Fandom Waters
Congratulations buddy! You’re officially deep
into the Fandom waters. When the book/series ends, you start to spiral into
depression. It’ll take about a week or two for recovery, plus a few days to
swim back to the shore of reality. After that, you pick up a new book and then start
from the first stage once again.
Aaaand that’s iiit! I had absolute fun while writing this
and for those of you who didn’t notice the book references I used was from the
first book of the Artemis Fowl Series. =D
So, how deep are you in the waters of your fandoms? Share it
down on the comments below and together we will face those dangerous waters and
swim back to shore just for the fun of it. =)
The Sempiternal Reader,
Andrea
