Refusal to the call

Have you ever experience the feeling when you don't want to do or go something that you have to go do? For the hero's journey, this is called The Refusal To The Call. To be better explained, the refusal to the call is when the hero is reluctant to take on the journey because of fears and insecurities that have surfaced from the call to adventure. In a more modern explanation, the hero doesn't want to go do the journey that leads to their destiny. For example, in the movie The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey, Bilbo Baggins talks to the one and only Gandalf the Grey, who is trying to persuade him to come to the kingdom of Erebor with the rest of the dwarfs but he refuses saying that "we don't want any adventures here thank you." If you have read the book, watch the movie or just guessing by the name of the film, he does later decide that he does want to go on the adventure. Like I said in my example, Bilbo was scared to go, but later found the courage to leave. In my personal connection, I remember when I was five, I went on my very first vacation without  my mom. I remember when she told me, I didn't want to go at all because I was afraid of leaving my mom. After a couple of days, I was perfectly fine with going with my dad and grandparents and ended up having a amazing time. In the end, if you're called on for an adventure, don't be scared and just for it! Below, that's a picture of me on the Ireland trip in 2008 hanging with some swans.

Approach To The Inmost Cave

Have you ever felt nervous before a certain event such as a test, speaking in front of a class or anything else? This is called the approach to the inmost cave in the hero's journey. A better explanation of what the approach to the inmost cave would be that hero must make the preparations needed to approach the dark place the leads to the journey's heart, or better known as the central conflict. So in this, the hero reviews all of his or her training, maps or knowledge. For example, when I have a dance competition, I review my dance and corrections given in the past. Another example of the approach to the inmost cave would be in The Maze Runner By: James Dashner. Near the end of the story, the gladers grab all of their weapons and water to fight their way out of the torturous maze and the slimly creatures that live in it. We see here that they're getting ready to enter into the ordeal of the journey. Above, I included a fan-made edit of the what the gladers went through everyday and the struggles they faced. They had many reasons to wanted to leave the glade like the grievers or being boxed in, not being able to leave. But if you do, there's a great chance that you will die. In conclusion, the approach to the inmost cave is your preparation for the the ordeal so make sure you have the skills that are needed to fight your "grievers"

The Shapeshifter

When you first here the word, Shape shiftier, what do you first think of? An animal or person changing into something else? A shape turning into something else? Well, a shape shifter acts to bring uncertainty and tension into a story, by changing appearance, mood, or behaviour. In a romance, the hero and heroine can both be shape shifters or someone they never expected, such as the shadow or the mentor. In one of the book series that I read, The Maze Runner By: James Dashner, the shape shifter would be a character by the name of Teresa. During the first book, she comes up in "the box" just like everyone else, but the difference between her and the gladers, she's the only girl. Already using common knowledge, you would be able to guess that she would be the shape shifter and be with her love, Thomas, the protagonist,  in which I don't agree on. Thominho is the ship to go with. Anyways, when we're introduced to her, she is very quiet and considered to be very weird because of her weird she says for no reason like "WICKED is good or everything is going to change". As we get farther into the book, her personality starts to change. She becomes more adventurous when she fights creatures in the book called grievers with the rest of the gladers to defend their lives and slowly but surely, Thomas starts to fall in love with her. As we get on in the series, we start to find out secrets like, don't worry, I won't spoil it. To find out about her, you'll have to read the series yourself. 

What Does Classic Mean To You?

The other day, I was sorting some books for my mother when I found her favourite book when she was a kid, Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I showed it to her and asked her why she liked the book so much and she told me that the book had only been published when she was 9, but now, this book would be considered a classic. That answer got me thinking about what really is a classic. In my opinion, a classic is a novel, movie, play or anything along those lines that was made before you born and became very popular overtime. Some examples of some classics to me would be Cinderella, because of how much recognition she has had since the 1950s and how many people look up to her. Another example of a classic would be the movie Jurassic Park, made in 1993. Many girls and boys adore the movie because of the spectacular special effects they had in the 90's to make the dinosaurs actually come to life. To me, a classic is anything that has been around for years and hasn't been forgotten.

Never Always Sometimes

In the book I'm reading now, Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid, and in my book there are two protagonists, Dave and Julia. Both Julia and Dave are in their last year of school and have stayed to baking cupcakes and watching a good movie rather than go out to a raging party. Many people have mistaken them as a couple because on how close they are. The twist is, Dave likes Julia and he doesn't want to ruin the friendship. As for Julia, she has no clue about Dave liking her and she just thinks Dave is still her "best friend." Dave doesn't know what to do. Should he tell her about how he feels? Or keep it to himself? As for Julia, how does she feel about Dave? Have they been missing out on love, or will their friendship be ruined forever?

Harry Potter and The Philsopher's Stone

The book that I read this October is the one and only Harry Potter and The Philsopher's Stone. I've read the other 6 books but when I was reading the series, I wasn't very interested in the first book and skipped over it. At the beginning, it was kinda boring because all they talk about is when Harry was being taken from Godric's Hallow. Knowing that I liked the other 6 books, I wanted to push through the the parts I didn't find interesting and kept going. By the last few chapters of the book, I was at the "nose in the book at 2:00am because the chapter before left you on a cliffhanger" stage, which I only do when the book is very interesting and I just can't wait to happen out next. Overall, it was amazing book that I wished I didn't skip over when I read the series because I thought it was going to be "boring" which it definitely wasn't. I have a little introduction to the book but I won't spoil anything. Don't worry. 

Harry Potter. If you're wizard or witch, you know exactly who I'm talking about. But, if you're a human or "muggle," you would think that's just a boy's name and nothing else. Harry Potter is one of the most famous wizards of all time, because when he was just a baby, he managed to kill Voldemort, the darkest wizard of all time. The catch is, Harry doesn't even know that he's famous. He just thinks that he's plain old Harry Potter. But that's all about to change.

My Quote

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.

–Author Unknown

This quote has become truer and truer the older I get. In my spare time, rather than swimming and dancing, reading has always been a favourite. When I read, I find that I block out the sounds and activity going on around me. It almost feels like I've been sucked into the book and are a part of the story, living with the characters. I like to pretend that I am right there in the action with the characters. For example, when I read The Maze Runner, I imagined that I was right there with the gladers fighting those disgusting, slimy grievers to get them out of the glade. The thing I dislike about getting really into a book is when the grim reaper (the author) decides that they have to kill off a character that everyone likes. When that moment happens to me, my heart shatters. People may tell you that the character is “fictional” and, “you shouldn't cry over someone who doesn't exist” but to me, they DO exist. I live through the pages with them and then having this character leave feels like a friend or family member has left my life. Take my word of advice, if someone tells you not to be sad about a character because “they’re not real”, don’t listen to them. Just mourn with some ice cream while re-reading the happy moments.