I thought about something as I was flipping through some websites about the matter and not going to sleep like I should.
Apparently Shyamalan (the director) wants to show the four countries as being different ethnicities, more so than animated show does.
I am totally fine with this - I actually like the idea of visual contrast, since it builds upon the "eye color" thing the animated series had. And since it IS an adaptation, it makes sense for changes like these, as long as their done well.
If I was the director and I wanted to do this, which I might if I were the director, and for some reason I could only do a casting call for Aang's role in Texas...yeah, Noah Ringer might be great. He's (allegedly) really good at karate, and he could probably be trained to be really good at bagua/"airbending". And hey! The last airbender, right? Wouldn't it look really cool to have one Caucasian boy look visually isolated amidst a sea of people of other appearances in order to symbolize Aang's cultural isolation? You know, since his whole people just got genocide-d by the Fire Nation, and all.
Personally, as long as Noah Ringer was good (and I didn't see...Perris? was that his name? first), I would probably go with my above idea. Make the Air Nomads Caucasian. There are plenty of cool Caucasian actors out there you could grab for flashback appearances of the Air Nomad monks. It could work.
After that, I would probably cast people who either were or looked somewhat like they were Inuit. Yes, I understand that compared to other ethnicities, Inuit actors aren't overwhelming Hollywood like the Caucasians are, but there are probably some who would be interested. I'm sure that people with more similar likenesses to Katara than Nicola Peltz. Perhaps those of Southeast-Asian or South-Asian descent?
Considering the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom look fairly similar on the animated show, if Shyamalan wanted to increase the visual divide between the two, he could make one predominantly East-Asian (there are a lot of Japanese-American, Chinese-American, and Korean-American actors out there, you know) and the other...not. Maybe the Earth Kingdom could be more Chinese, and the Fire Nation could be more Phillipino. Or if Shyamalan wanted to go further, he could adapt one of them to be more Indian, as the idea of the avatar originates from India.
It is fantasy. I'm sure the fans of Avatar wouldn't mind it so much as completely whitewashing all the major roles.
Just a thought.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Speaking of animation...
Okay, so I know nobody reads this, but I need to rant a little bit about the controversy over The Last Airbender's recent casting choices for the lead roles of Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko.
And yes, I am on the side of the people who made Saving the World with Postage (AKA "Aang Ain't White"). For record's sake...Aang ain't white! (And neither is Katara...Sokka...or Zuko.)
Now, there are a lot of arguments going around on many different points, and I'm going to voice my opinion on a very, very, very small portion of them. I might rant again on another post later, since I may or may not be possibly interested in a future job in something that may or may not ever relate to something like this. (How's that for circle-speak?)
I shall be focusing on the issue of both racism and double-racism in the casting decisions and responses to them...and I'm going to first say that I am a super-extremely-pale Northern European-descent (and a bit o' Northern Italian, which ain't a tanned, dark-skinned area, by the way, but that's where I get my last name) female teenager. So yes, I am white. I also live in an area where a large percentage of my classmates are of Asian descent, with the majority being Chinese-Americans. My best friend growing up was Chinese-American, and her parents were immigrants. I spent a looot of time at her house and with her family eating real Chinese food, hearing Mandarin spoken left and right, going to Chinese culture festivals, hearing live Chinese music on traditional instruments (she played the...I want to say guzheng, but I'm not sure if that's right), sitting with her and staring in awe at her extra Chinese school homework (and Chinese writing on it) next to my just-for-fun reading books, and all that.
This is why I want to learn Mandarin more than anything, and I'd be fine going to China for study abroad even though Japan is probably my first choice (since I actually know some Japanese...but I think China is my second choice right now). If it weren't for the fact that my school didn't have a Mandarin program when I was choosing a foreign language to study (and assuming it would have worked with my schedule every year), I would be in my sixth year of studying it. Unfortunately, that's not how it worked out...instead, I studied Japanese, the only Asian language offered.
Anyway, enough about me:
Point that I shall respond to #1: why are you complaining about having white actors for the parts? That's racist! They should be judged on their acting ability, not their looks.
My response: wow, stop being naiive.
Actors are judged for their appearance all the time - not always their acting ability! This is especially true with child actors (who would be/should be playing the major roles of The Last Airbender, since the characters are children/teenagers). When the cast list for the first Harry Potter movie came out, nobody said anything about Daniel Radcliffe being a good actor. They said things like: "he looks exactly like Harry". Now, for The Last Airbender, I could give them credit if Noah Ringer actually was the best suited for the job for his martial arts, as apparently, he's a really good karate fighter. But that's a big "if" - what about this kid who not only looks quite a bit like Aang (and could be easily coached to act like him), but is also very good at martial arts? He even matches a lot of Aang's style with staff fighting (of course, this is to the eyes of an ignorant white girl.) He's even pretty much the right age! Other than the fact that his skin could be viewed as a bit too dark for Aang (which doesn't detract much from his visual match to the character) and that he doesn't have gray eyes (colored contacts?) he might as well BE AANG. And what about other boys who probably could have compared well, too?
Also - Jesse McCartney for Zuko. McCartney is not a very good actor, and...martial arts? Zuko has a TON of fighting scenes in Avatar, so what are they going to do for The Last Airbender? He was clearly just put in here for the pre-teen girls...
Similarly to Jackson Rathbone, who was quoted as saying that he could just tan himself and shave the sides of his head to look like Sokka. Okay, Sokka doesn't have as many martial arts roles, and I've heard good things about Rathbone's acting (he wasn't bad in Twilight)...BUT SERIOUSLY. Weren't there ANY good dark-skinned people who could do the same thing?
No idea about the girl who plays Katara, but she doesn't look like she could do convincing tai chi/"waterbending" and not look ridiculous. And again? Dark-skin? There wasn't another girl out there, maybe of South Asian descent if they couldn't find an Inuit girl who wanted to go into acting (as there are a lot more Indian-Americans than Native Alaskans just because India has such a large population and Alaska doesn't), who could act just as well as this girl? Seriously?
My main response: only tell me they were the best actors if you actually viewed the casting process and came to that conclusion on your own. You've only seen the final outcomes. Don't talk to me about the ones who were turned down being "not good actors" if you don't know who they even are.
Point that I shall respond to #2: but the voice actors are Caucasian! Why do you care if the people who portray them in the live action movie are also Caucasian? Acting ability is all that matters!
My response: there is a big difference between our sense of sight and sound.
Most animals rely mostly on one sense; not all senses are created equal. In the majority of humans, that dominant sense is that of sight. Only in people who have extremely impaired vision or blindness does another sense start to dominate the playing field (and yes, that sense usually is hearing).
When you watch Avatar: The Last Airbender, it matters less that "the voices sound Caucasian" because the appearances of the characters clearly are not. They a sort of fantasy amalgamation of various Asian cultures (not just East Asian) and Inuit cultures - there are probably more cultures influencing the world of Avatar, but the obvious ones are, well, Asian. If you see someone who is Asian and hear someone who is white, chances are you'll probably perceive the person as Asian more than white. Besides, I'd like to make the argument that an American accent from an Asian-American sounds an awful like an American accent from a European-American, and this is an American show. They're going to have, for the most part, American accents.
With live action, the actor needs to be able to match the physical appearance, too, because that's usually how people remember them. When you meet people, how do you remember them? Do you remember their voice or their appearance? Again, sight over sound. Live action actors can't rely on animators to make their appearance for them; they have to provide it themselves. That is why actors need to be able to match appearances, too, not just act.
Also: in the case of a brand-new screenplay being made into a movie, casting can be more lenient because there is no appearance to match. Unless someone's appearance is crucial to the script itself, such as if someone mentions them as having blonde hair in a line, the casting should be based on acting ability. However, in the case of Avatar being made into a movie, the characters already have preexisting appearances that people know about. This is the same thing for movies based off of people's lives - if somebody was going to make a movie about the life of, say, President Obama, you probably wouldn't want, say, Tom Hanks to play Obama in the movie. And why? "He doesn't look like Obama." That would be why.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and everyone else in the animated series already have appearances. People are going to say things like, "he doesn't look like Aang", if Noah Ringer doesn't match Aang's appearance. Guess what? They are. (I refer you back to the Saving the World with Postage blog.)
My main response: sight over sound. If a character has a preexisting appearance, then the actor's appearance needs to match. That's show biz, kid.
Point that I shall respond to #3: the character's look white - look at Aang's eyes! They are round and gray. That is definitely not Asian...they look white to me.
My response: you do know the eye color thing is a symbolic reference to the bending skills of the character, right?
And not all Asians have straight black hair, "olive" skin, and "squinting" dark brown eyes. Yes, quite a few Asians do, but not all. Not even all East Asians have those traits, and those are probably the Asians you're thinking of when you say that.
Round eyes are a stylistic trait generally put in with animation to show psychological immaturity and young age. Aang is a twelve-year-old boy during the show, so his eyes show his age and wonderment at his surroundings. His eyes are gray because the gray color represents the Air Nomads. Similarly, the Earth Nation has green eyes, the Water Tribe has blue eyes, and the Fire Nation has orange eyes. Wait - orange eyes? No humans have those, right? Obviously, Jesse McCartney can't be Zuko. He doesn't have the right eye color!
Also, the characters do look Asian (or Inuit, etc.). Cartoon characters don't look like real people with just their physical features; their clothes and surroundings show what sort of people they should be. Toph is introduced wearing Chinese-styled clothing. Toph might as well be Chinese. Similarly, Aang's surroundings at the Air Nomad temples, his style of dress, and his idealogy is very Tibetan/Nepalese. If Aang were from a real-life area, it would probably be from the Tibet/Nepal area of the Himalayas.
Not Texas.
My main response: the eye color is irrelevant, the eyes are stylistic and shown for children, and other physical cues show what "culture" the character is when the character is an unrealistic-looking cartoon.
Anyway, those are some points I wanted to address. This is nowhere near all I wanted to say, because I feel strongly about this, and I'm not exactly sure how to argue well. Or even how to end this post. But I want to refer people to this photo/screenshot essay from the Saving the World with Postage blog as a final comment, I guess, because it really lets the animated show speak for itself.
Avatar is a stunningly gorgeous piece of American animation. For its demographic, it has a well-crafted plot with compelling characters and a very imaginative alternate reality. It manages to appeal to minorities in the United States while appealing to the majority, it shows a vast array of people of different ethnicities from the world of Avatar, and managed to - get this - make a lot of money. Yes, white America (my family included), an American-made animated show with very blatant Asian influences managed to make a lot of money in America. And it did this while still maintaining a high level of quality!
I'd also like to point out that most, if not all, of the writing in the show is actual Chinese. That's pretty blatant. And awesome. Because written Chinese? It's really cool. You know, in my opinion, and all.
And I care about this because I was excited to see a well-imagined, well-written, well-animated, and well-acted piece of American animation that, you know, had a plot. And did well. And had Asian influences, especially those relating to Hayao Miyazaki, who is, you know, really amazing. I really like Avatar, and I don't have many complaints about it. I was excited for the movie. I'm not really excited anymore, because the all-white casting sort of ruins some of the main themes of the show, though I want to see how the movie pans out. I'm hesitant to hand over my money to watch it, though.
And yes, I am on the side of the people who made Saving the World with Postage (AKA "Aang Ain't White"). For record's sake...Aang ain't white! (And neither is Katara...Sokka...or Zuko.)
Now, there are a lot of arguments going around on many different points, and I'm going to voice my opinion on a very, very, very small portion of them. I might rant again on another post later, since I may or may not be possibly interested in a future job in something that may or may not ever relate to something like this. (How's that for circle-speak?)
I shall be focusing on the issue of both racism and double-racism in the casting decisions and responses to them...and I'm going to first say that I am a super-extremely-pale Northern European-descent (and a bit o' Northern Italian, which ain't a tanned, dark-skinned area, by the way, but that's where I get my last name) female teenager. So yes, I am white. I also live in an area where a large percentage of my classmates are of Asian descent, with the majority being Chinese-Americans. My best friend growing up was Chinese-American, and her parents were immigrants. I spent a looot of time at her house and with her family eating real Chinese food, hearing Mandarin spoken left and right, going to Chinese culture festivals, hearing live Chinese music on traditional instruments (she played the...I want to say guzheng, but I'm not sure if that's right), sitting with her and staring in awe at her extra Chinese school homework (and Chinese writing on it) next to my just-for-fun reading books, and all that.
This is why I want to learn Mandarin more than anything, and I'd be fine going to China for study abroad even though Japan is probably my first choice (since I actually know some Japanese...but I think China is my second choice right now). If it weren't for the fact that my school didn't have a Mandarin program when I was choosing a foreign language to study (and assuming it would have worked with my schedule every year), I would be in my sixth year of studying it. Unfortunately, that's not how it worked out...instead, I studied Japanese, the only Asian language offered.
Anyway, enough about me:
Point that I shall respond to #1: why are you complaining about having white actors for the parts? That's racist! They should be judged on their acting ability, not their looks.
My response: wow, stop being naiive.
Actors are judged for their appearance all the time - not always their acting ability! This is especially true with child actors (who would be/should be playing the major roles of The Last Airbender, since the characters are children/teenagers). When the cast list for the first Harry Potter movie came out, nobody said anything about Daniel Radcliffe being a good actor. They said things like: "he looks exactly like Harry". Now, for The Last Airbender, I could give them credit if Noah Ringer actually was the best suited for the job for his martial arts, as apparently, he's a really good karate fighter. But that's a big "if" - what about this kid who not only looks quite a bit like Aang (and could be easily coached to act like him), but is also very good at martial arts? He even matches a lot of Aang's style with staff fighting (of course, this is to the eyes of an ignorant white girl.) He's even pretty much the right age! Other than the fact that his skin could be viewed as a bit too dark for Aang (which doesn't detract much from his visual match to the character) and that he doesn't have gray eyes (colored contacts?) he might as well BE AANG. And what about other boys who probably could have compared well, too?
Also - Jesse McCartney for Zuko. McCartney is not a very good actor, and...martial arts? Zuko has a TON of fighting scenes in Avatar, so what are they going to do for The Last Airbender? He was clearly just put in here for the pre-teen girls...
Similarly to Jackson Rathbone, who was quoted as saying that he could just tan himself and shave the sides of his head to look like Sokka. Okay, Sokka doesn't have as many martial arts roles, and I've heard good things about Rathbone's acting (he wasn't bad in Twilight)...BUT SERIOUSLY. Weren't there ANY good dark-skinned people who could do the same thing?
No idea about the girl who plays Katara, but she doesn't look like she could do convincing tai chi/"waterbending" and not look ridiculous. And again? Dark-skin? There wasn't another girl out there, maybe of South Asian descent if they couldn't find an Inuit girl who wanted to go into acting (as there are a lot more Indian-Americans than Native Alaskans just because India has such a large population and Alaska doesn't), who could act just as well as this girl? Seriously?
My main response: only tell me they were the best actors if you actually viewed the casting process and came to that conclusion on your own. You've only seen the final outcomes. Don't talk to me about the ones who were turned down being "not good actors" if you don't know who they even are.
Point that I shall respond to #2: but the voice actors are Caucasian! Why do you care if the people who portray them in the live action movie are also Caucasian? Acting ability is all that matters!
My response: there is a big difference between our sense of sight and sound.
Most animals rely mostly on one sense; not all senses are created equal. In the majority of humans, that dominant sense is that of sight. Only in people who have extremely impaired vision or blindness does another sense start to dominate the playing field (and yes, that sense usually is hearing).
When you watch Avatar: The Last Airbender, it matters less that "the voices sound Caucasian" because the appearances of the characters clearly are not. They a sort of fantasy amalgamation of various Asian cultures (not just East Asian) and Inuit cultures - there are probably more cultures influencing the world of Avatar, but the obvious ones are, well, Asian. If you see someone who is Asian and hear someone who is white, chances are you'll probably perceive the person as Asian more than white. Besides, I'd like to make the argument that an American accent from an Asian-American sounds an awful like an American accent from a European-American, and this is an American show. They're going to have, for the most part, American accents.
With live action, the actor needs to be able to match the physical appearance, too, because that's usually how people remember them. When you meet people, how do you remember them? Do you remember their voice or their appearance? Again, sight over sound. Live action actors can't rely on animators to make their appearance for them; they have to provide it themselves. That is why actors need to be able to match appearances, too, not just act.
Also: in the case of a brand-new screenplay being made into a movie, casting can be more lenient because there is no appearance to match. Unless someone's appearance is crucial to the script itself, such as if someone mentions them as having blonde hair in a line, the casting should be based on acting ability. However, in the case of Avatar being made into a movie, the characters already have preexisting appearances that people know about. This is the same thing for movies based off of people's lives - if somebody was going to make a movie about the life of, say, President Obama, you probably wouldn't want, say, Tom Hanks to play Obama in the movie. And why? "He doesn't look like Obama." That would be why.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and everyone else in the animated series already have appearances. People are going to say things like, "he doesn't look like Aang", if Noah Ringer doesn't match Aang's appearance. Guess what? They are. (I refer you back to the Saving the World with Postage blog.)
My main response: sight over sound. If a character has a preexisting appearance, then the actor's appearance needs to match. That's show biz, kid.
Point that I shall respond to #3: the character's look white - look at Aang's eyes! They are round and gray. That is definitely not Asian...they look white to me.
My response: you do know the eye color thing is a symbolic reference to the bending skills of the character, right?
And not all Asians have straight black hair, "olive" skin, and "squinting" dark brown eyes. Yes, quite a few Asians do, but not all. Not even all East Asians have those traits, and those are probably the Asians you're thinking of when you say that.
Round eyes are a stylistic trait generally put in with animation to show psychological immaturity and young age. Aang is a twelve-year-old boy during the show, so his eyes show his age and wonderment at his surroundings. His eyes are gray because the gray color represents the Air Nomads. Similarly, the Earth Nation has green eyes, the Water Tribe has blue eyes, and the Fire Nation has orange eyes. Wait - orange eyes? No humans have those, right? Obviously, Jesse McCartney can't be Zuko. He doesn't have the right eye color!
Also, the characters do look Asian (or Inuit, etc.). Cartoon characters don't look like real people with just their physical features; their clothes and surroundings show what sort of people they should be. Toph is introduced wearing Chinese-styled clothing. Toph might as well be Chinese. Similarly, Aang's surroundings at the Air Nomad temples, his style of dress, and his idealogy is very Tibetan/Nepalese. If Aang were from a real-life area, it would probably be from the Tibet/Nepal area of the Himalayas.
Not Texas.
My main response: the eye color is irrelevant, the eyes are stylistic and shown for children, and other physical cues show what "culture" the character is when the character is an unrealistic-looking cartoon.
Anyway, those are some points I wanted to address. This is nowhere near all I wanted to say, because I feel strongly about this, and I'm not exactly sure how to argue well. Or even how to end this post. But I want to refer people to this photo/screenshot essay from the Saving the World with Postage blog as a final comment, I guess, because it really lets the animated show speak for itself.
Avatar is a stunningly gorgeous piece of American animation. For its demographic, it has a well-crafted plot with compelling characters and a very imaginative alternate reality. It manages to appeal to minorities in the United States while appealing to the majority, it shows a vast array of people of different ethnicities from the world of Avatar, and managed to - get this - make a lot of money. Yes, white America (my family included), an American-made animated show with very blatant Asian influences managed to make a lot of money in America. And it did this while still maintaining a high level of quality!
I'd also like to point out that most, if not all, of the writing in the show is actual Chinese. That's pretty blatant. And awesome. Because written Chinese? It's really cool. You know, in my opinion, and all.
And I care about this because I was excited to see a well-imagined, well-written, well-animated, and well-acted piece of American animation that, you know, had a plot. And did well. And had Asian influences, especially those relating to Hayao Miyazaki, who is, you know, really amazing. I really like Avatar, and I don't have many complaints about it. I was excited for the movie. I'm not really excited anymore, because the all-white casting sort of ruins some of the main themes of the show, though I want to see how the movie pans out. I'm hesitant to hand over my money to watch it, though.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I hate poetry. (And other things!)
Yeah, I'm writing something for my blog because I don't want to annotate another poem. I think AP English Literature has taught me that no, I don't really like poetry all that much. I mean, actually, I think it can be cool...but noooo, I don't like annotating six poems a night and then beating them to death the next day during class discussions and tests and whatnot.
Can we go back to novels now? Or can we please do a compromise and read a nice play? I didn't mind Hamlet quite as much (aside from all the nit-picky tests we had on it that I all failed). But the poetry? ANOTHER intensive poetry unit, with a third and maybe a fourth coming if that's much long it takes you to get us "AP ready"?
So yes, I hate poetry. I sort of dread when we do the poetry unit in Writer's Craft (AKA creative writing class).
Oh, and yes! I am FINALLY taking a creative writing class! Okay, so basically, nothing we've done yet is really all that new ("first thought" word vomit free-writing, which is the basic principle of NaNo, and microfictions, which we did in 10th grade a bit and I do all the time in Calliope club), but it's so much fun. I think I'll benefit a lot from it when we work on longer (short) pieces, because I think that's where I could use the most work. I think my microfictions and late-night-I-don't-know-any-better poems are better than my more substantial short stories. And novels, of course, but that goes without saying.
I'm still thinking of ways I can do a "Humanities final surpassing final project" for that class, but since he hasn't actually officially told us the specs for the project, it's feels somewhat pointless. I sat next to one of my friends on the bus during a band event who was in Humanities with me (and is now in my Writer's Craft class), and she said it couldn't be done.
Well, my oboe-playing friend, it CAN be done, and it WILL be done! I SWEAR IT!
(It's a BFS goal, and it's one of the ones I know I'm going to obsess over because it's not that painless but very time-consuming. But that's okay, because I will wow the class with my better-than-Fairy-Tale project, I know it.)
I'm thinking something that's sort of like a scrapbook, and where the ten pages of writing are crumpled up and you have to find them to piece together the story. I was thinking about calling it "Demon Book", and the demon book is a character/object in the story...and it eats people! And the project itself is going to be like a replica of the demon book from the story itself. It makes more sense in my head, and if it's physically more than ten pages, then I don't know if he'll let me do it.
Or I might do a short sequential-art-type thing in color, and that will be more amazing than Fairy Tale because...of...the pictures. I don't know, though, since Fairy Tale was a full-on 12k-word novella (I'M CALLING IT A NOVELLA, IT'S NOT A SHORT STORY. SHUT UP.) that took up 40 pages because it had 30 illustrations (plus a cover doodle and little pen doodle of a butterfly on the one two-page spread that didn't have an illustratin). And 26 of those illustrations were in color! So yeah.
...I just flipped through it, and I'm like, "wow, knowing me and my teacher's limits on the project, this is going to be hard to surpass," since I can't exactly go for volume. And volume was what made Fairy Tale...well...Fairy Tale. 100% A-grade work.
Heh.
We'll see.
Oh, and I think Wall-E should have gotten the nomination for Best Picture, not just Best Animation. But whatever, the Academy is made up of snobs who don't generally like animation...or "kids movies". I just hope it wins Best Animation (it totally deserves it) and Best Original Song ("Down to Earth"!). And if it got nominated for Best Score, I think it should win that, too, if not just for "Define Dancing".
Can we go back to novels now? Or can we please do a compromise and read a nice play? I didn't mind Hamlet quite as much (aside from all the nit-picky tests we had on it that I all failed). But the poetry? ANOTHER intensive poetry unit, with a third and maybe a fourth coming if that's much long it takes you to get us "AP ready"?
So yes, I hate poetry. I sort of dread when we do the poetry unit in Writer's Craft (AKA creative writing class).
Oh, and yes! I am FINALLY taking a creative writing class! Okay, so basically, nothing we've done yet is really all that new ("first thought" word vomit free-writing, which is the basic principle of NaNo, and microfictions, which we did in 10th grade a bit and I do all the time in Calliope club), but it's so much fun. I think I'll benefit a lot from it when we work on longer (short) pieces, because I think that's where I could use the most work. I think my microfictions and late-night-I-don't-know-any-better poems are better than my more substantial short stories. And novels, of course, but that goes without saying.
I'm still thinking of ways I can do a "Humanities final surpassing final project" for that class, but since he hasn't actually officially told us the specs for the project, it's feels somewhat pointless. I sat next to one of my friends on the bus during a band event who was in Humanities with me (and is now in my Writer's Craft class), and she said it couldn't be done.
Well, my oboe-playing friend, it CAN be done, and it WILL be done! I SWEAR IT!
(It's a BFS goal, and it's one of the ones I know I'm going to obsess over because it's not that painless but very time-consuming. But that's okay, because I will wow the class with my better-than-Fairy-Tale project, I know it.)
I'm thinking something that's sort of like a scrapbook, and where the ten pages of writing are crumpled up and you have to find them to piece together the story. I was thinking about calling it "Demon Book", and the demon book is a character/object in the story...and it eats people! And the project itself is going to be like a replica of the demon book from the story itself. It makes more sense in my head, and if it's physically more than ten pages, then I don't know if he'll let me do it.
Or I might do a short sequential-art-type thing in color, and that will be more amazing than Fairy Tale because...of...the pictures. I don't know, though, since Fairy Tale was a full-on 12k-word novella (I'M CALLING IT A NOVELLA, IT'S NOT A SHORT STORY. SHUT UP.) that took up 40 pages because it had 30 illustrations (plus a cover doodle and little pen doodle of a butterfly on the one two-page spread that didn't have an illustratin). And 26 of those illustrations were in color! So yeah.
...I just flipped through it, and I'm like, "wow, knowing me and my teacher's limits on the project, this is going to be hard to surpass," since I can't exactly go for volume. And volume was what made Fairy Tale...well...Fairy Tale. 100% A-grade work.
Heh.
We'll see.
Oh, and I think Wall-E should have gotten the nomination for Best Picture, not just Best Animation. But whatever, the Academy is made up of snobs who don't generally like animation...or "kids movies". I just hope it wins Best Animation (it totally deserves it) and Best Original Song ("Down to Earth"!). And if it got nominated for Best Score, I think it should win that, too, if not just for "Define Dancing".
Saturday, January 3, 2009
BFS 2009: Elucidation
Alright, so just so I know where I'm going with these...just a little more on my goals for this year, since it's a little early for a real update on them. :P (Only January 3!)
BIG:
Wish me luck? :)
BIG:
- Get into a regular exercise schedule: so I want to work out a lot, basically, so I don't get into the habit of being flabby, pudgy, and gross! I don't want to worry too much about the "weight loss mentality", since I'm not overweight, I just want muscle tone and stamina. So for this, I'm going to really try to make the effort to go to the gym at least twice or three times a week during the school year, and whenever my dad goes (six - seven days a week) during the summer. Also, no matter what, I want to get into the habit of doing crunches and pushups daily. I will start with ten crunches and ten pushups everyday during January, and then increase each month by five until I am doing fifty of each everyday! (At least, heh.) I figure I should at least do these, and work out at the gym...and then once I get better at running, I will run outside! I want to run outside, it seems really nice. Especially considered to a boring old treadmill in a YMCA basement. :)
- Better eating habits: just like the above goal, this has two parts to it for now. One of them is a repeat of what I did a few years with soda - I just stopped drinking it, even though I pretty much got a soda every time my family went out to dinner (sometimes once every week!). I'm going to do this with chocolate, because chocolate is a slippery slope "gateway" for me. Once I start eating chocolate, I can't stop. I will binge on chocolate, or move on to other snacks when I shouldn't be eating or should be eating something healthier. So for BFS, I will start by stopping...eating so much chocolate. I will allow myself to eat chocolate only one day a month. The other thing is snacking - sometimes I snack so much when I am home! I really should only eat during mealtimes. The only exception is I don't eat much for breakfast or lunch at school, so I usually eat when I get home. I will ONLY eat a small yogurt or a piece of fruit, though, and nothing until dinner after that. Hey...it's a start.
- Get into college! --> Graduate from high school! --> Go to college!: This one is pretty self-explanatory, don't you think? ;) I've already sent off my applications to all my schools (all twelve of them), with the exception of the payment to Eugene Lang College (of New School University), since they don't let you pay online (annoying...). So other than just sending off the midyear transcript report thing, I'm pretty much done on my end...it's just a waiting game until March/April. Then it's just a matter of waiting until graduation...then waiting until college itself! I can't wait! I'm so excited! :)
- Draft the second book in The Eleventh before high school graduation: I drafted the first book for NaNo this year, and I want to make progress on the series in a timely manner. Since I'll be a "second semester senior" starting in two weeks, I figure I might as well channel my senioritis into someting fun - the second book! I'll probably break it up into smaller-than-NaNo chunks, so I don't overwhelm myself...but who knows? I'll be starting this up in the second half of January, when finals are over.
- Watch a sunrise from a high vantage point: I've ALWAYS wanted to watch a sunrise from a good vantage point. I live on the west coast and I'm kind of a night owl, so I have two reasons to see plenty of nice sunsets...but there's something special about sunrises. So I want to see one. REALLY see one. I want to watch the sun come up!
- Do something "above and beyond" for my creative writing class final project: Last year during second semester, I had Humanities for my English elective class, and there was a creative final project assigned halfway through the course. Some people did the whole project the weekend before it was due (or the night before - it was due on a Wednesday for my class). I, on the other hand, started it about five weeks before (since I had Screnzy for the first four weeks) before the due date, and sort of outdid my entire class...I wrote a 12k-word novella incorporating the concepts we were assigned, but I didn't stop there. I then illustrated it! With color...pencils! 30 rather large illustrations (24 color + 6 graphite with color border for the concepts) plus a cover doodle. It was called Fairy Tale, and it earned me (I think) the only 100% grade in the class. So now I'm taking my school's intro to creative writing class, and I know there's some sort of final project involved...and I kind of want to outdo Fairy Tale. I don't know how (or if I'll be able to), but I want to do something "above and beyond" for this class, too, since Fairy Tale was basically the pride and joy of my junior year. I want something like that for senior year, too. :)
- Learn how to put on makeup: This is me being ashamed that I've never worn makeup...except for nail polish, and that's only a few times. I only have two colors! Anyway, I don't really know how to put on makeup, and I figure I really should know how (I'm almost 18 - I should be able to put on makeup). So one of these days I'll ask someone to help me out with the whole makeup thing...and I'll try to make myself wear it, too. You know. Actually put some effort into my appearance...sometimes...a little. I'm really bad at this...so it's a little scary, since I'm afraid I'll embarrass myself.
- Get driver's license: Another shameful thing. I should have done this over a year ago...I just got my permit in September (almost two years too late), and I've only had one lesson (out of four) and don't practice much. I REALLY SHOULD (borderline need) to get my license before I go to college...so that means practicing! I'm rather scared of driving, but I need to bite back my fears and do it. The more I drive, the better I'll get, and the less scared I'll be...so I'm going to try and practice at least three hours a week (like start out with half an hour six days a week, or something...)
- Get contact lenses: This is because I started wearing glasses full-time at the beginning of this school year, and most people wear contacts...I'd like to be able to look like I used to, without the glasses, if I choose to (without becoming "blind", heh). It's kind of a scary concept to poke my eyes (and I hate going to the optometrist for some reason - I always feel self-conscious or embarrassed and I don't know why), but I really should get contacts. It's fairly easy, since I've already told my mom I want contacts, and I think it's covered in our insurance. So I think we just need to call up the optometrist and order them...or something like that. The nice thing is that I think my mom will do much of the work of GETTING the contacts...I just need to, you know, figure out how to start wearing them. And then wear them. Except not on Mondays, since I have to get up extra early and can barely brush my teeth, let alone put in contacts!
Wish me luck? :)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2009: The Year of Big, Fun, Scary Adventures
Alright! So I have nine goals this year, three for each...word...?
And here they are, in their most basic form! (After about three minutes of "careful" deliberation.)
BIG:
Oh, and my overall goal is this:
In order to be a BFS Winner for 2009, I have to complete six goals, with at least one in each category. So it'll be a little harder than last year...but then again, some of them are fairly doable. Big-3, I'm looking at you. ;) Hopefully Fun-3 should work out for me, same for Scary-3. So I guess the 3's should be my basic ones in each category...funny how that worked out.
So yup.
Here's to a BIG, FUN, and SCARY 2009 full of many adventures! :)
And here they are, in their most basic form! (After about three minutes of "careful" deliberation.)
BIG:
- Get into a regular exercise schedule
- Better eating habits
- Get into college! --> Graduate from high school! --> Go to college!
- Draft the second book in The Eleventh before high school graduation
- Watch a sunrise from a high vantage point
- Do something "above and beyond" for my creative writing class final project
- Learn how to put on makeup
- Get driver's license
- Get contact lenses
Oh, and my overall goal is this:
In order to be a BFS Winner for 2009, I have to complete six goals, with at least one in each category. So it'll be a little harder than last year...but then again, some of them are fairly doable. Big-3, I'm looking at you. ;) Hopefully Fun-3 should work out for me, same for Scary-3. So I guess the 3's should be my basic ones in each category...funny how that worked out.
So yup.
Here's to a BIG, FUN, and SCARY 2009 full of many adventures! :)
Brainstorm for 2009...
Okay, so it is January 1, and I want to make some big, fun, and scary adventures for this year. I know it's going to be a year of BIG, FUN, and SCARY changes no matter what I do (and I can't wait), but I want to add in some of my own.
So I figure that I'd just use this for brainstorming/coming up with a list, since that is sort of what this blog has turned into...I think I blogged more about BFS during 2008 than about what I was writing (which was what I made this blog for originally)!
Anyway, so I'm going to take a few minutes and just brainstorm some things I've wanted to do, and then use that list to pick from for my "official" BFS goals for 2009. Alright...so here I go:
I'll do another post with an actual list.
...Later... :P
So I figure that I'd just use this for brainstorming/coming up with a list, since that is sort of what this blog has turned into...I think I blogged more about BFS during 2008 than about what I was writing (which was what I made this blog for originally)!
Anyway, so I'm going to take a few minutes and just brainstorm some things I've wanted to do, and then use that list to pick from for my "official" BFS goals for 2009. Alright...so here I go:
- Get into a regular exercise schedule
- Even if I don't go to the gym, at least do some crunches and pushups (or something) at home
- Be able to run a mile in under 9:00 (I've only done this once before in my whole life, and that was in seventh grade! And I don't run anymore...)
- Eliminate chocolate/"junk food" (but mainly chocolate) from my diet except for on my birthday, my mom's birthday, my dad's birthday, or my graduation day (hey, I did it with soda at the beginning of high school)
- Stop snacking when I am at home! Only eat three meals, and maybe a small afterschool snack (like a yogurt since they give me calcium/those bacteria that help your stomach)
- Draft the second book in The Eleventh before my graduation from high school!
- Learn how to put on makeup! It's so shameful - I'm almost 18, and I can only manage to put on nail polish. Speaking of which, I need to obtain some black nail polish. I can never find it, and I want some for band concerts!
- Get my driver's license and practice driving A LOT. I barely ever find time to practice, and I NEED to get my license before I leave for college. This is another shameful thing...I should probably practice everyday, but I need my parents, and that's a bit tough...so maybe at least 4 hours per week? I'm not sure about this, but I want to get my license in the summer at the very latest!
- Get into college and buy myself a sweatshirt as a present :)
- Graduate from high school! And then go to college in the fall! :)
- Learn how to be more composed - I laugh a lot, and I'm going to turn 18 this spring...I need to learn how to be more like an adult. And I'm going to start by learning how to stay composed even if I want to laugh uncontrollably.
- Sign up for a FUN class once I get to college. Something new and exciting!
- Take/assemble pictures of "my home", whatever I consider to be part of "my home", and put them into some sort of album (at least on my computer - I don't need to actually print it out, I just want it to be a "complete" album) to help me remember the good times when I go off to college
- Watch a sunrise from a high-up vantage point :) (no clue when/where I can do this, but I've always wanted to)
- Do something "above and beyond" for my Creative Writing final project, just like I did for my Humanities. In fact, I want to do something that "defeats" my Humanities final...even though there are more limitations on the Creative Writing one (so it will be harder)
- Spend a day with one of my best friends (who lives in Canada)! We've done this every single year since we met, and I don't want 2009 to be any different
- Go up to the city with my friends, either by car or by train. I've never done this...
- I want to take purikura pictures with my friends again! I've only done this once in America, and I have so much room in my sticker book for it...I want to fill it up with pictures of me and my friends so I can bring it with me to college (since it's tiny, so it won't be a big deal)
- Start writing in my 15th journal by the end of the year? Maybe? I'm nearing the end of my 9th, and I ended my 4th at the beginning of 2008...
- Move out of my house :)
- Buy a sweatshirt/other gear from my NEW SCHOOL! (Which may or may not actually be...you know...THE New School...University...EUGENE LANG! Ahahah wonderful name.)
- Get contacts...
- I suppose I should try to relearn Japanese? Since I couldn't take it this year...but I will DEFINITELY take a language this fall, even if it isn't more Japanese (I reallyreallyreally want to learn Mandarin)
- Even though I don't really draw much, I will draw every main character in The Eleventh...separately (no cheating with Clanae + Arach in the same picture, for example)
- Do some sort of...thing? To make my second semester fun. Like...I dunno! But something second-semester-y :)
- Write something not-short-story-like that could take place entirely in the real world AND present day (like for Screnzy or NaNo or something)
I'll do another post with an actual list.
...Later... :P
BFS 2008: THE RESULTS!
1. Two novel drafts - 2/2 - I did this one. And I didn't cheat. ;)
2. Script Frenzy '08 - Previously done.
3. Regular exercising (twice a week) - 15/100 workouts - This is that "epic fail" those thirteen-year-olds kept talking about.
4. Regular journaling (seven pages per week) - Oh, I did this one, and I did it SO WELL it makes me sort of not hate 2008 as much as I did.
5. Regular creative writing (one piece per week) - 43/50 pieces, 6/12 accompanying images - Once I realized I had five goals done, I sort of lost interest in this...meh. I only came up...a little...short. Oops. :P
6. One contest + one submission - Previously done.
7. More socializing - 39/40 events - EVERYONE IN THE PLANET canceled on me last minute, so my would-be 40th events all...never happened. Bleh. So close, too. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE GONE TO THAT CONCERT BACK IN DECEMBER.
8. "Progress" - Sshh, I already got this one...
9. More studying/earlier start on homework/"good grades" - I like to think that since January, I made significant progress. Or, at least, I got more sleep...either way, I think I did...a little...better. What the heck, I'll give myself this one. :P
10. Summer job - Previously failed.
Total:
- Not started: 0
- In Progress: 0
- Completed: 6
- Failed: 4
Overall goal: 5/10 goals by the end of 2008
This means I finished my overall goal - I got my five goals (plus a bonus sixth goal)! Hooray! I am very proud of myself for all of my finished goals: my novels, my journals, my script, my submissions, my grades (ish), and my progress on that personal problem. (So many p's.)
So yeah.
I didn't like 2008, but at least this thing went okay. I will post some big, fun, and scary adventures for myself to do in 2009 later today, when it isn't two in the morning and I have the brainpower to come up with something official. Because, you know, 2009 will be big, fun, and scary for me no matter what...
Since in 2009, I will graduate from high school and go to college (among other things). I have been looking forward to this for SO LONG, so I know it will be fun. Of course college is big! And, you know, it will be a little scary. Okay, maybe more than just a little - I have a bunch of things I'm worried about.
But I know it will be fun, too. And AMAZING, and something I've waited for. And hopefully, it will be something I feel like I have earned, a situation that might not work out "the best way" but one that I will MAKE into the best result possible.
Because even if I don't get into my first choice (Brown University - pretty sure I'm not getting in), or even the two that keep going head-to-head for "second choice" (Northwestern or NYU - they're like the same school, but in rather different locations!), I'll still be IN COLLEGE, bottom line. And that's what I really want...I just really want to go to college.
So yeah.
2009 = a big, fun, and scary year, no matter what list I make up in a few hours. :D
And you know what?
I couldn't be happier about it.
2. Script Frenzy '08 - Previously done.
3. Regular exercising (twice a week) - 15/100 workouts - This is that "epic fail" those thirteen-year-olds kept talking about.
4. Regular journaling (seven pages per week) - Oh, I did this one, and I did it SO WELL it makes me sort of not hate 2008 as much as I did.
5. Regular creative writing (one piece per week) - 43/50 pieces, 6/12 accompanying images - Once I realized I had five goals done, I sort of lost interest in this...meh. I only came up...a little...short. Oops. :P
6. One contest + one submission - Previously done.
7. More socializing - 39/40 events - EVERYONE IN THE PLANET canceled on me last minute, so my would-be 40th events all...never happened. Bleh. So close, too. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE GONE TO THAT CONCERT BACK IN DECEMBER.
8. "Progress" - Sshh, I already got this one...
9. More studying/earlier start on homework/"good grades" - I like to think that since January, I made significant progress. Or, at least, I got more sleep...either way, I think I did...a little...better. What the heck, I'll give myself this one. :P
10. Summer job - Previously failed.
Total:
- Not started: 0
- In Progress: 0
- Completed: 6
- Failed: 4
Overall goal: 5/10 goals by the end of 2008
This means I finished my overall goal - I got my five goals (plus a bonus sixth goal)! Hooray! I am very proud of myself for all of my finished goals: my novels, my journals, my script, my submissions, my grades (ish), and my progress on that personal problem. (So many p's.)
So yeah.
I didn't like 2008, but at least this thing went okay. I will post some big, fun, and scary adventures for myself to do in 2009 later today, when it isn't two in the morning and I have the brainpower to come up with something official. Because, you know, 2009 will be big, fun, and scary for me no matter what...
Since in 2009, I will graduate from high school and go to college (among other things). I have been looking forward to this for SO LONG, so I know it will be fun. Of course college is big! And, you know, it will be a little scary. Okay, maybe more than just a little - I have a bunch of things I'm worried about.
But I know it will be fun, too. And AMAZING, and something I've waited for. And hopefully, it will be something I feel like I have earned, a situation that might not work out "the best way" but one that I will MAKE into the best result possible.
Because even if I don't get into my first choice (Brown University - pretty sure I'm not getting in), or even the two that keep going head-to-head for "second choice" (Northwestern or NYU - they're like the same school, but in rather different locations!), I'll still be IN COLLEGE, bottom line. And that's what I really want...I just really want to go to college.
So yeah.
2009 = a big, fun, and scary year, no matter what list I make up in a few hours. :D
And you know what?
I couldn't be happier about it.
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