Wow

Wow. Just wow. I haven't made a post since June, and I haven't made a legitimate post (meaning one that isn't like a sentence long) since May. I'm sorry about this, it's just that I've been busy. Doing what, you ask? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING PRODUCTIVE EXCEPT FOR LAY AROUND ON MY BED AND WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS! It may not be over yet, but the summer of 2015 has been a waste for me. I've done almost none of the things I wanted to do this summer, which includes writing on here. I'm truly disappointed in myself.

One of the main reasons I haven't posted in forever is because I've been suffering from writer's block...kinda. My problem is not so much that I don't have ideas, it's that those ideas aren't worth posting. First, I was going to write about my favorite songs of the 2010s decade so far. I scrapped that idea because it was essentially this huge rant (I call it that because I can't think of a better word) about why I love the song "Paradise" by Coldplay, and it just wasn't very good (the post, not the song. I love the song, but I haven't listened to it in a while. It might be because I got sick of it, but give me a month or two and I'll listen to it and love it just as I did the first time. I'm weird like that.) I do, however, like this concept of my favorite songs of the decade. I might do it some other time.

Another post I wanted to write was a rant about how I've lost interest in The Hunger Games series. Basically, it was about how I used to be obsessed with it, but now the last movie is coming out in a few months and I just don't care anymore. It's not that I hate The Hunger Games as much as the fact that I've, as I mentioned before, lost interest. I didn't post this because I didn't think it was a strong enough idea to base an entire post about. I could've briefly mentioned it in a post like this and it would be for the better. Also, Quidditch_Turtle had just written a post about this same series and I didn't want to sound like a copycat.

So, what have I been into lately? I've developed an obsession with watching So You Think You Can Dance videos on YouTube. I know that the show's in the middle of a season right now, but they're doing this "Stage vs. Street" thing where they have teams (Stage being contemporary, jazz, ballroom, and tap dancers and Street being hip-hop) and the idea just doesn't appeal to me. I prefer the old format and I love going back, watching my favorite routines from past seasons, and discovering new ones. I might make a post about it someday.

For us at the Brick Wall, school starts on September 1 and we're getting ready to go back. I know a lot of people disagree with me, but I actually like school and I've missed seeing my classmates every day. I actually cried on the last day of school last year because I didn't want to leave. I"m excited to meet new teachers and friends, try new things, and prepare myself for the future. We're probably not going to post very often during the school year, but we'll try to post whenever we can.

 I know that this post was really pointless and not about anything in particular, but it felt necessary. I just wanted to say that I'm not dead, I've just been lazy. I'll post whenever I feel like it, and have a nice day.

not_luna_lovegood (aka Looney)

Fandom Friday 7.17.15

Hello everyone! This is Quidditch_Turtle, writing to you from the desk of The Brick Wall. As I (and everyone else at The Brick Wall) mentioned in previous posts, it's been a while since we've all posted. For this post, I'd like to do an update on one of my other Fandom Friday posts from way-back-when. I had created a list of books that I wanted to read and titled it my "Book Bucket List." Quite some time has passed since then, which means that I've had the chance to read a lot of the books on that list. Here's the list, also including additional comments about my reading journey.



1. Divergent Trilogy
    Veronica Roth


I started and finished Divergent in March 2015, and finished Insurgent in April. Then I had to read a different book for a project in school, but I picked the series up again with Allegiant and finished that in the end of May.

2. The Hobbit/ The Lord of the Rings
    J.R.R. Tolkien

I read The Hobbit in the end of 2014, and enjoyed the writing style of J.R.R. Tolkien a lot, but I'm not really into the whole "hard-core fantasy" aspect of the series. Therefore, I didn't continue to read the actual LOTR series.

(I apologize for all of the white space; the pictures are tough to work with...)

3. Between Shades of Gray
    Ruta Sepetys

My cousin had recommended this novel to
me a while back when she had to read it for school. I still haven't read it.








4. The Book Thief
    Markus Zusak

I bought it! It's sitting on my dresser! But I still need to read it!...






(I apologize for all of the white space; the pictures are tough to work with...)



5. Series of Unfortunate Events
    Lemony Snicket

I am actually currently reading this series right now! I'm about half-way finished with the 5th book, The Austere Academy. I'm really enjoying it so far, but it is starting to get a little repetitive. Anyway, I'm hoping to finish the series by the end of the summer.






6. The Fault in our Stars
    John Green

I read an excerpt of this on my Kindle once, but I wasn't really that interested. This book is short enough, though, where it might be one of those "I-Don't-Have-Anything-Else-To-Read-So-I'll-Read-This" sort of thing.








7. The Giver
    Lois Lowry

I read this book at the beginning of September 2014, and enjoyed it! I have MANY mixed feelings about the ending, however...Those of you who have also read this know what I'm talking about...Recently, I saw the movie adaptation, and liked it, but it was sooooooooooooo different from the book; it was just weird.






8. Wonder
    R.J. Palacio

We did a chart-thing on this book/author at school once, and I think the author's inspiration for writing the book is a really good story, but I don't know if I'd actually read the book anymore.






9. If I Stay & Where She Went
    Gayle Forman

I received both of these books as a birthday gift, and started reading If I Stay in October 2014. I finished it in about 2 weeks, and started the next one, Where She Went. I never finished this, however, because I felt like there was too much swearing in the book (those of you who have ever read a Gayle Forman piece know what I'm talking about). **SPOILER FOR IF I STAY DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED IF I STAY**I would have really liked to know what happened between Adam and Mia, though.

10. Percy Jackson series
      Rick Riordan

Again, haven't read it, but it's a rainy day series.

11. Artemis Fowl
     Eoin Colfer

Haven't read it, rainy day, yadda yadda yadda...

12. The Westing Game
      Ellen Raskin

I like mysteries, but I haven't read this one either...

13. Charlie St. Cloud
      Ben Sherwood

I don't even know why these are on here; there are SO many other books that I want to read more than these next few... Oh well, people change, so Book Bucket Lists change. I'm just going to list the next few books (Haven't read any of them, btw).

14. Homefront
      Doris Gwaltney

15. In a Heartbeat
      Loretta Ellsworth

16. (Last One) Ways to Live Forever
      Sally Nicholls

Whew, that was a long one! Maybe I'll do an updated Book Bucket List sometime in the future, since this is from almost a year ago...anyway, see ya soon!

~Quidditch_Turtle (:

Guess Who's Back...(:

That's right, we're back! Quidditch_Turtle here with your first Fandom Friday post in a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, (just one more, I promise) REALLY long time! Aaah, it feels good to be posting again! Anyway, let's get right to it. Even though me and my co-hosts here at the Brick Wall pretty much live and breath fandoms, Fandom Friday is probably one of the hardest days to write about (speaking for all of us). But, since there are some very exciting things going on in one specific fandom of which I am a part, I decided to do sort of like a discussion of current events. Also, I am forewarning you readers that there will be spoilers in this post about a certain trilogy that is very popular right now. If you so choose to continue reading, please scroll at your own risk. Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to this Tumblr post that applies to our discussion today.

The fandom I have been referencing in the previous part of this post is The Hunger Games fandom. If you are not familiar with this trilogy, here is the summary on the back of The Hunger Games, the first novel of the series:

"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed."

-The Hunger Games, by: Suzanne Collins

If you're still not familiar with this series, I would suggest that you stop reading this post because it would be completely boring and irrelevant. If you are in the middle of reading/watching the series, or in other words have not finished Mockingjay (or any of the other books, really), I hIGHLY ADVISE YOU LEAVE THIS POST AND NOT READ ANY FURTHER BECAUSE YES, IT DOES CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERS THAT I WOULD BE MAJORLY UPSET TO REVEAL TO YOU. Anyway, on with the show-

Lately there's been a lot of commotion regarding the release of Mockinjay Part 2, after the many different reactions from Mockinjay Part 1's release back in November 2014. I thought Part 1 was fairly well executed in terms of book-to-movie accuracy, but I'm one of those weird people who's opinion is usually way different from the majority of others. For example, I know that almost everyone in THG fandom thought that Mockingjay was "the worst book ever", they "hated it", thinks "it should be shunned from the face of the earth"...etc. Like I said before, I am weird, and thought that Mockingjay was actually a decent book. Definitely not my favorite, but definitely one of my favorites (if that makes any sense...). I'm getting the vibe that, for some odd reason, fanpeople are WAY more excited for the release of the Mockingjay movie(s) than they were for the book. Don't know why, but I guess that's just the way society works these days.

Back on the topic of the movie, Part 1 was actually banned in Thailand because of the government's fear of arising rebellions caused by inspiration of the movie. Thai citizens protested the ban of the movie anyway, and using the three-finger salute is a crime that could get you arrested there. Based on my knowledge of this, I'm guessing that Part 2 will also not be available to view in the country; so, if you're planning on visiting Thailand and you would really love to see Mockingjay Part 2, I would suggest doing both at separate times.

In preparation for the movie, Mockingjay propaganda, such as movie posters featuring the infamous three-finger salute, have spread throughout the world and are being displayed in 18 countries around the world in the following locations:

Sydney, Australia

Melbourne, Australia

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Toronto, Cananda

Bogota, Colombia

San Salvador, El Salvador

Helsinki, Finland

Paris, France

Munich, Germany

Milan, Italy

Tokyo, Japan

Mexico City, Mexico

Managua, Nicaragua

Moscow, Russia

Madrid, Spain

Stockholm, Sweden

London, England (United Kingdom)

Birmingham, England (United Kingdom)

Los Angeles, California (United States)

New York City, New York (United States)

Montevideo, Uruaguay

The hands featured in the 6 official posters belong to both males and females of ages ranging from 8-80, and of all religions and races. They encourage fans from around the world to put aside all differences and come together as one body (in other words, to "Unite").

This poster is located in Munich, Germany

Many wonder what the three-finger salute actually means; some believe it is an act of defiance, like the Capitol morphs it to be in the books and movies. But really, its a gesture meaning thanks, meaning admiration, or to say goodbye to someone you love. So next time you see the salute being used or use it yourself, remember its real meaning of respect and honor.

Social media users have been including the hashtag "Unite" with posts in reference to the Districts coming together in rebellion against their "beloved" Capitol, as well as updating fans on the progression of the movie. 

The image above is one of the Mockingjay Pt. 2 movie posters, giving fans a hint of the outcome of the Districts' rebellion. Notice in the corner of the poster that written in red "spray paint" (as graffiti), is "#Unite", and next to that, the phrase "Revolution.pn". The phrase is actually a web address (If you don't want to know what will happen when you visit the website, don't read the next few sentences) that brings you to a website that "recruits" rebels, and all you do is type your first and last name and email. I'm not really sure what they do with that information, because I just did it a couple minutes previous to typing this. Click on the button labeled "Unite", and it will take you to the official Mockingjay Part 2 teaser trailer on YouTube. Another page mimics the official website of the Capitol. Here you can explore different specials airing on CapitolTV, read about heroes from seven of the twelve Districts (according to the Capitol), and explore more about the Capitol's own view of how it runs Panem. Only, there happens to be a glitch- when you get to the website, it seems like a normal site hosted by the Capitol itself. After a couple of seconds, however, the page blacks out and appears to be taken over by the rebels! You might also notice that when you first get to the website, the background image is a statue of President Snow, sitting in an apparent "throne" between statues of Peeta Mellark and Johanna Mason in their "hijacked by the Capitol" forms. Once the page is liberated by the rebels, you'll notice that the background is the same as the poster shown above, and that Peeta and Johanna are no longer standing among President Snow (hint, hint). I would recommend that you go check out both websites, because it further brings to life the intensity and epic-ness of the Revolution and the idea of the Mockingjay by creating a sort of interactive experience that fans can take part in.

Click here to join the Revolution.

Click here to explore the realm of the Capitol.

The grand opening of an interactive tour into the world of The Hunger Games was held on July 1st, 2015 at Discovery Times Square in New York City, USA. The Hunger Games: The Exhibition offers fans the experience of a lifetime when they see the Hunger Games like never before. Here is the summary of the event at its website (click here to visit website):

"The Hunger Games: The Exhibition celebrates the blockbuster The Hunger Games franchise and Katniss’s epic journey like never before. This dynamic exploration of the art, science, pageantry and history of the world of Panem features iconic costumes, props, and set recreations that highlight the technological wizardry and amazing artistry that brought this world to life. High-tech, hands-on interactives let you dive into exciting behind-the-scenes content, engage deeply with the world of the films, and discover a whole new side of the stories that took the world by storm."

-The Hunger Games: The Exhibition, "About the Exhibition".

I apologize for the lengthy post, but I really enjoy talking about my favorite fandoms and book series. Hopefully you enjoyed this, and don't be afraid to share your comments with us! Unite, join the Revolution, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

~Quidditch_Turtle

Doglover's Favorite 5 Songs of June

Hey everyone! This is doglover. I couldn't think of anything else to post, so I'm doing my favorite 5 songs of June 2015!

Here we go:

5. Ella Henderson - Ghost

This song is back in the Top 5 because I'm hearing it more lately on the radio, it's just a really incredible song. 

4. David Guetta and Nicki Minaj - Hey Mama

This song is catchy at moments and just plain upbeat.

3. Sam Smith - Lay Me Down

This was in previous months, so same reason. 

2. Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do

This was in 50 Shades of Grey, and still plays today on the radio, it's a pretty and cool song.

1. Wiz Khalifa - See You Again

This is a great song with many great parts (mostly the singing, not the rapping) It's also a great song to dedicate to Paul Walkers memory in Furious 7 (I didn't see it, however)

Well, there you have it. I'll see you in July

Doglover

Dog-lover presents... Commonly Overplayed Songs in Today's Music

Hey hey hey! It's doglover, and I am here to kick off the start of the summer days program, so next month, I will have Travel Tuesdays. My first Music Mondays is focused on commonly overplayed songs, and I'm talking about INSANELY overplayed, like it is all I ever hear on the radio (this is pop and rock, so there is no country) Also, this doesn't mean I don't like the songs, I just think they're played a lot & this is my opinion, some of you out there might not agree. 

Here are 10-15 commonly overplayed songs:

1. Taylor Swift - Blank Space

2. Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud

3. Sam Smith ~ any songs that are hits (I like them though)

4. Jason DeRulo - Want To Want Me

5. Shaggy - I Need Your Love

6. Taylor Swift - Style

7. Fall Out Boy - Light Em Up

8. Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do (my favorite song)

9. Mark Ronson (w/ Bruno Mars) - Uptown Funk

10. Echosmith - Bright (another song I love)

Well, there you have it, again, this is my theory, you might have a different list. I'll see you next Monday, June 29 with another post that I don't know about yet. See you there

Dog-lover

Yet another random post

This has been yet another random post. This is the last random post of today. Goodbye.

not_luna_lovegood (aka Looney)

Another random post

This has been another random post. I am doing these for a reason which I will  not share now. Goodbye.

not_luna_lovegood (aka Looney)