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And then everything changed

Donnerstag, 21. Dezember 2017

#Readmyowndamnbookschallenge End of the Year Update

I'm proud to say that I only bought one book since the last update and the author signed it, so I think that's allowed. But the pile of unread books in my room is still pretty big. In the last months I managed to read three books. Here they are:


Peter Kurth - Isadora Duncan

This is a huge biography of the dancer Isadora Duncan and I have to admit, I didn't read the entire thing, yet - that's pretty much impossible. But I did read quite a bit and it was interesting. Isadora Duncan definitely had a spectacular life. She's only in her early adult years at the point of the book I'm at, but she already lived in San Fancisca, Chicago, New York, London, Munic, St. Petersburg, somewhere in Italy and several other places I forgot. Isadora and her family came from nothing, literally almost starving to death and it was just her incredible talend which kept them alive. First she struggled to get jobs or got some which weren't paid. It's sad to think that in the creative field when you're starting out, it's still the same after all these centuries. You still don't get paid often times, just with "exposure" which is ridicolous. But soon she swept everyone away with her extraordinary dancing and became famous.

Biographies are often very technical about the famous person's profession. Like biographies about musicians will include a lot of detailed musical description which is always a bit hard to understand and also boring for me. With dancing it's different. I know a lot more about dancing than about music, as I've been dancing on and off since I was six years old and have consumed numerous dance movies etc. So I actually found the technical stuff in this book fascinating. Also I totally agree with Isadora's opinion that classical ballet is unnatural because the body is not designed to do the things ballet requires. She broke free from these restrictions and created her own dance which was based on the old Greeks. Her whole family was obsessed with Ancient Greece and I love that this is also a big part of the book. For dance fans this biography is a great read!

Marian Keyes - Sushi for Beginners

This is a rather untypical book for me to read. I'm not so much into contemporary stuff, but as I've been having a really tough time with Fantasy lately (I just couldn't get into it at all) I chose to read this book, which was waiting to be read on my booksshelf anyway. It's about a group of (mostly) women who start a new women's magazine in Dublin. They try to create something fabolous in a not so fabolous place. As journalism is a passion of mine and women's magazines have been in my thoughts a lot this year (while thinking about my own future) this was right up my sleeve. I was a bit disappointed though that the magazine itself is rather a plot device and the novel actually tells private the stories of the women working on it and their friends. I'm still not sure what the main story of this book was, which is never a good thing.

With that said, it was still an entertaining and very pleasant read. It felt good to finally read something I can find myself in. Of the three main characters, I really liked the editor in chief, Lisa. First she's introduced as this heartless career person but the author did a nice job in showing that she's just human and has her own vulnerabilities. Her strength in difficult times was truly inspiring and something to look up to.

Teri Terry - Mind Games

I've been a fan of Teri Terry since her Slated trilogy, which are still the best dystopia YA books you can find. When I saw that Teri Terry will be coming to the bookfair, of course I had to meet her, buy a book and have it signed. The lady selling the books recommended this own to me (though there are still many more books by Teri Terry I haven't read) and because it's a standalone I took it. It did not disappoint. Mind Games is set in a future where society mostly takes place in virtual worlds. The protagonist refuses first to take part in this even if it makes her a social outcast with no future, until she's sucked into the evil plans and problems of several evil groups.

This book was very well plotted. Just like in Slated Teri Terry managed to show that neither side of a fight (neither the government nor the rebels) are per se the good ones. It was thrilling and all the plotlines actually came together in the end. When I first started reading it, I had trouble sleeping and had nightmares, so I paused it for a while. Don't get me wrong. Mind Games is not horror, not at all! It's not scary but I was alone at home and the whole not-knowing-what's-real thing freaks me out anyway. Once my boyfriend was back from vacation I continued it and had no problems with it anymore. It's not Fantasy at all, but rather Sci Fi but it helped me to get into the genres again.


What I'm reading now: Marc Elsberg - Zero

After Mind Games I really wanted to use the Sci Fi momentum and go further in this direction. My Mum gave me this book months ago, so I decided why not give it a try. And it's fantastic! It's not Sci Fi but a thriller about technology and not only touches it many important topics and trends of our time and makes you think but also is it extremly well built! As I'm not through with it, yet, I'm not gonna say any more right now, but I can't stop reading it.

Montag, 11. Dezember 2017

Why can't we behave like people on vacation all the time?

I've had wonderful four weeks of vacation full of fun, love, family, adventures, new experiences, and living worryfree for once. Isn't that the best thing about vacations? That we can - far away from all our every struggles and tasks - finally be our very best, easy going, fun self? That's why we meet new people on vacation, because that's the time we are peoples' persons. While in everyday life we're so annoyed and stressed, always running towards the next appointment, deadline or goal, that we don't even notice the people around us most of the time.



Now that I'm back home, I miss that vacation feeling. I miss talking about everything and nothing, about philosophy and the future and at the same time about cake and clothes. I miss going out to eat or to see a movie. I miss trying out new things because there's the oppurtunity and hey, we're on vacation! I understand that the way our society is built, people have to work in order earn money in order to save money in order to spend money (for example on a vacation). In everyday life there are always a million things to do, no matter if for you this includes working, studying or taking care of the kids. There's never enough time or money. On vacation we eat out all the time, while in everyday life this habit would just be too expensive and also: do you really wanna go out into the cold, dark night to eat or rather fix something up in your kitchen, then cuddle on the couch and watch The Walking Dead? Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker of cuddling + food + a good (or bad but enjoyable) tv show. But once in a while, I'd like to have a nice dinner in a restaurant, to really talk, to watch the stars. Not only on vacation.



So, even if we can't live each and every day as carelessly as our vacation-alter-egos do, I think we can still try to include some of the vacation feeling into our everyday life. Even if it's something small like taking your time to sip your first cup of coffee and read the newspaper in the morning or taking a long walk (preferably through a beautiful snow landscape). Life's so much more than work. It's so much more than checking of an endless To Do List and waiting for the next vacation to arrive. All that stuff is pointless, if we don't enjoy ourself - not only once in a while but on a regular basis. If we can find a way to incorperate the vacation spirit into our everyday lives, not only will we become better, less grumpy versions of ourselves, but we will also find something that in the long run makes all the difference: not extatic joy - but contentment.


Dienstag, 7. November 2017

Life never follows your plan

When I was 15 or 16 I did an internship at a magazine which is why I was away from home for a whole month. I spent my nights talking to the girl I shared a room with and telling her about all my fabulous plans I had for my life. At some point she said: You know, sometimes plans don't work out like that. Obviously back then I was too ignorant to believe her because what did she know? She was a teen just like me. I thought that I had it all figured out. Turns out, she was absolutely right. Except you can replace the "sometimes" with "never": Plans never work out like that. Because life doesn't give a shit about your plans.



I don't even remember what my Master Plan as a teen exactly consisted of but I'm pretty sure it included studying journalism in Munich and coming home only for Christmas via an adventurous mini-road-trip with cool new friends, listening to Driving Home for Christmas. Well, that didn't work out. I didn't study in Munich and dindn't study journalism but European Studies, then Sociology and Politcs, then Creative Writing, then Literature. I'm trained to work in a publishing house, not a newspaper. I'm light years away from where I thought I'd be when I was 16.



And here's the secret: I'm kind of okay with that. So, my dreams didn't come true but instead I did and experienced and discovered so many other, exiting things I never even thought about before. I became a better version of myself. I tried out so many jobs and hobbies, I lost count. I fell in love. I got engaged. I traveled a lot. I work in a hairsalon at the moment and I love it.



I still like planing but ever since I graduated High School I've given up on pretending that I know where my life will lead me. Because I was wrong so many times, it would be crazy to still believe in it. Instead I follow the path that unfolds in front of me, even though I have no clue where it's leading. I don't think that I have it all figured out anymore because on most days I feel utterly lost. And that's absolutely acceptable. So when life doesn't follow your plan (again), put on a smile and your big girl boots and then put one foot in front of the other until you find something new to walk towards. It'll be fine. I promise.



Here's a beautiful song which really nails my philosophy:



And also, just because it's November and I mentioned it:



PS: I'll be on vacation till December, so I won't be posting for the next few weeks. Have a wonderful November!


Mittwoch, 1. November 2017

Carrie Bradshaw's Boyfriends from Best to Worst

I've been re-watching Sex and the City and was reminded of all the guys Carrie went out with, out of which she had serious relationships with very few (only four to be specific). Carrie definitely had some shitty partners but she also had some great ones. So here is my ranking of Carrie Bradshaw's Boyfriends from Best to Worst.

1. Aleksandr Petrovsky



Alexandr was the only one of Carrie's boyfriends and dates who I envied her for a bit. Let's be honest mostly the girls' guys weren't that impressive (many of them were garbage in fact) but Alexandr was one of the very few men on the show who I admired. He was just so sexy, romantic, creative. He was an artist without being too neurotic. He was fun to watch and so passionate. And he really gave Carrie everything. He gave her the world. The only thing he denied her were children (because of his age) but he made up for it by showering her in love and romantic gestures and offering her a glamorous life. To this day, I haven't watched the last two episodes of the show because I cannot bear watching Carrie leave Alexandr for Big.


2. Aidan Shaw



Aidan wasn't so shabby either, in fact he was pretty perfect. He was handsome and kind and sexy. He had a dog and he wasn't afraid of commitment. His only problem was that he fell in love with the wrong women because he was far too good for Carrie. She hurt him and really messed him up (twice!) and she proved again and again that she doesn't deserve him. I like that they show Aidan going on to fall in love with another women, marry and have a kid because he really deserved to be happy.


3. Jack Burger



Oh, Jack Burger was terrible. At first he was kind of intriguing, cute, funny and interesting but then he turned out to have so, so many problems. Burger was the worst version of a writer, the very cliché of a neurotic artist who will never find happyness because he sabotages himself. He just couldn't stand that Carrie was more successful than him. He felt like such a poor, tragic, misunderstood writer, that he forgot to notice that his self-pity was freaking everyone out (including himself). He really did Carrie a favor, when he dumped her.

4. Mr. Big



But not even Burger was as aweful as Big. I know, he's supposed to be Carries one true love, but come on! Those two were never meant for each other because all they did was destroy each other, while in this case Carrie was truly the victim. But she kept running back to him again and again. Big was Carrie's drug which will one day kill her. He was arrogant and condescending and at many, many times a downright asshole. More importantly, he was not willing to commit to the smallest things. He was obsessed with his freedom though he was already in his 40s. He was like a small kid, never willing to grow up and it annoyed me so much. Plus, he wasn't even that good looking.

It really upsets me that women watch this show dreaming of meeting someone like him, when this is actually the worst that could happen to them. If they want stability they should look for Aidan-types and if the want adventure they should look for Alexandr-types and if they want a whiny writer they can give Burger a try. But if they see a Big-type they should run the other way as fast as they can. I realize that this is an unpopular opinion but for me Big was really the worst. Carrie ended up with him because she's addicted to misery, not because he's her Happy End.

Dienstag, 24. Oktober 2017

Six Songs By Female Musicians To Feel Like A Badass

Usually I'm no fan of female musicians. I prefer hard guitars and sexy male voices. However this wasn't always the case. When I was 14 I was a huge fan of Britney Spears and (to a lesser dregree) Christina Aguilera. My Dad used to ask me why there was always a woman crying in my room, but it was just Xtina. Then something happened: pop was replaced by monotonous electronic beats and a sweet and weak female voice which always sounded the same. But I am happy to say that pop is back, real pop, ballads, happy melodies, great feelings, all the good stuff. Luckily musicians like Beyoncé, Demi Lovato and Kesha are leaving the boring stuff of the past decade behind and are releasing beautiful pop songs again. Here are my Top Six Songs By Strong Women which you should listen to when you want to feel like a badass and celebrate that you're a women.

1. Kesha - Rainbow



Apparantly this was the song that got Kesha through all the shit she had to go through. She wrote it in rehab and played and sang it every day. It gave her strength and it has the same effect on me. Just listen to it, it's gorgeous!

2. Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry



Okay, well this is not the most sophisticated song out there but it's so much fun! Women shouldn't be ashamed of having fun and living their best lives. I listen to this often in the morning to pump me up and put me in a good mood for the day.

3. Beyonce - Run The World (Girls)



I know that this song is rather old, but I just discovered it for me some days ago. Before I always thought it to be a bit too hectic and I wasn't a big Beyonce fan anyway but the latter has changed since Lemonade (the visual album is still the best thing out there!). Now I've watched two documentaries about Beyonce's Four and I'm impressed by how much work and dedication went into this song and video. Also, obviously it's really time for girls to rule. She's seriously the queen of R'n'B.


4. Kesha - Bastards



Another song from Kesha's new album which I love. The message is simple but true: Don't let the bastards bring you down.

5. Kesha - Praying



I promise, this is going to be the last Kesha song! I just think her new album is such an incredible piece of art and I love how she left her fake persona behind her and finds back to her spirituality in this song. I didn't care for it the first time I listened to it, but now it has grown on me.


6. Demi Lovato - Confident



This is probably also a bit older but still perfect. It's ridicolous that there's still this expectation of women to be timid and humble. We've been humble for centuries, now it's time to shine! As a pretty confident person (most of the time) I know that confidence is often mistaken for arrogance. Demi sings about how there's abolutely nothing wrong with being confident.

Dienstag, 17. Oktober 2017

My Bookfair Adventures (Frankfurter Buchmesse 2017)

Last week I spent four days at Germany's biggest bookfair and it was such an amazing experience! In the past I have either only visited for one totally stressful day or have worked at the fair as a representative of the publishing house I worked for. This year I was lucky enough to have four free days and a blogger pass to enter the fair for free.



Bookfairs are seriously one of my favorite things on Earth. They are like the world's largest book shop but with authors walking around, millions of like-minded booklovers waiting to meet you and fun and educational events. It's every reader's and writer's magic place. And as I am both (plus having worked and planning to work again in the publishing industry) I enjoyed it a lot.



Because I experienced so much during these four amazing days, I'm going to divide my adventures into themes to not overwhelm you too much (though I still feel utterly overwhelmed in a good way).



Networking


I only have one semester left before I get my Master's degree and will finish my studies once and for all. Then what? So many people ask me that and I have no clue. What I do have are several vague ideas and as many of them revolve around books, I set out to check out the industry and what's in it for me. And let me tell you, there are so many possibilities!



I went to two networking events, getting to know many people from the industry (both people just starting out like me as well as top notch employees, CEOs and other important people). I collected their contact info and will definitely connect with them. It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies though. The book industry is a tough business, especially if you want to be an editor (in that case good luck - you're gonna need it!). Luckily I'm more interested in marketing and that's an easier career to get in. It's still tough but I'll find my way, wherever it may lead me.


Writing


As you may know, I'm not only a passionate reader but also a writer, working on a youth novel at the moment. I'm unpublished so far (well except a short story I won a contest with), so I'm one of the millions of writers who are looking to be published. I went to lectures on writing (which were amazing!) and also on marketing yourself or your book through social media.



The problem is that everyone is a writer nowadays. Classical publishing houses take almost no new authors at all. The chances to be published the traditional way are really, really bad, which I was told again and again at the bookfair. However there are other ways. Many say that traditional publishing is a dying breed anyway and the way to go is to self-publish. Obviously there are many disadventages to taking this route: having to market entirely on your own and being overlooked in the massive amount of self-published books out there are the most important ones. Which is why I will still try to find a publishing house to take on my novel. In the end, I believe that the best thing you can do to get published is to write the very best book you could possibly write. That's what I'm focusing on right now. Improving my writing, making my novel better, finishing it. We'll see how it'll progress after that.


Blogging


I also attended a blogger event which was really interesting because they discussed many exciting topics and trends in the blogging world and also I met like-minded bloggers and You Tubers. I think it's amazing that everyone can start a blog or a You Tube channel. My goal is to start and establish a German blog solely about writing and reading and after the bookfair I am so motivated!



Fun Stuff


Of course it wasn't all networking and attending lectures at the bookfair, I also did some things purely because they're fun (but the other stuff was fun, too). Most notably I met my favorite YA author Teri Terry! Her trilogy "Slated" is the best thing out there. Seriously, forget about "The Hunger Games", "Slated" is the best YA distopia I have ever read. I bought another book by her ("Mind Games") and so far it's also amazing. She really knows how to write YA literature.



Also I attended a reading of my favourite German adult Sci Fi author, Andreas Brandhorst. I've only read one book by him so far but it's one of the best books I've ever read, particularily in the Sci Fi genre. His other books were too hard Sci Fi for me, but his new one is right up my alley, so I'm definitely gonna give it a try. He was reading and being interviewed together with Germany's most succesful fantasy author, Wolfgang Hohlbein, who I haven't read anything by yet but my Mum likes his work and she doesn't even like fantasy, so it sounds like it might be up my sleeve. His new book sounds great, too.



Also I met some old and new friends, as well as a famous German You Tuber and of course I spent numerous hours browsing books and being amazed by literature. It's truly magical what a good book can do to you and I'm so grateful for books, reading them as well as writing them. I brought home from the bookfair new contacts, wisdom, lots of inspiration and motivation and so much reading material in form of magazines, extracts and more.


Dienstag, 10. Oktober 2017

Love is Easy - Relationships are Hard

You know those people who give up when there's the slightest difficulty in their relationship with the argument that love is supposed to be easy? Well, they're mixing two different things. Yes, love is easy. Falling and staying in love pretty much happens all by itself. Love is still one of the greatest mysteries out there but we do know that being in love requires zero effort on our part. In fact, your consious mind might not even have a say in who you love.



Being in a relationship on the other hand is an entirely different story. Just because you love someone and that person loves you back, it doesn't mean that you're going to live happily ever after. Because you're still two different people, each one bringing their own problems, traumas, opinions and ways of living into the relationship and they are going to clash. You're going to spend a lot of time with each other and there will be problems. To date I don't know of a single relationship without any problems. That's just a myth.



So if your're running into some difficulties in your relationship, it doesn't nessecarily mean that you're not loving each other or that he's not the one. That's no reason to thrown in the towel. I see and hear of so many people who give up a relationship because of minor stuff and it's so sad because they're giving up their chance at a great partnership for their idea of what a relationship is supposed to look like. I say, screw what it's supposed to look like. If you're in love with each other (and if you're not consistently treating each other like shit), you have a good chance of making it. It won't be easy but it will be worth it. It may still not work out in the end but it just as well could be the very thing that makes your life magical.


Dienstag, 3. Oktober 2017

The Pros and Cons of Social Media

On Monday I watched The Circle in the movie theater. I went with my Mum who obviously belongs to a totally different generation than me. While I didn't grow up with the Internet, it (as well as Social Media) defined my teenage days and to an even greater extend my adult days so far. My Mum on the other hand works with technology and apps but privately she doesn't even have a Facebook account. So, while she is quick to spot the dangers of Social Media, I can relate more to The Circle's protagonist Mae.



In short the movie is about a Social Media firm called The Circle which starts to take over all aspects of life until you can't participate in the society anymore if you're not on Social Media (your life may actually be in danger if you choose to stay of it - and your basic civil rights might be paused). Of course the book was a million times better (especially since the ending felt a lot more real and shocking) but the movie is still pretty good. I think The Circle by Dave Eggers should be mandatory reading for all middle schoolers. But if you won't bother to read it, at least watch the movie.

The whole discussion about the pros and cons of Social Media is more important than ever. I can think of so many examples of people being (at least mentally) harmed because of something that was posted on Social Media. A You Tuber who got death threats for posting a video about her abortion. Everyone freaking out because of a single emoji a musician posted beneath another musician's Instagram pic. My friend reporting faschist propaganda on Facebook to the athourities several times always without any results. In general, the whole hypocracy of Facebook's rules where posting a single tit will get you blocked immidiately but hate and racism and threats will stay online.

Still I think that it's not all bad. In contrary, Social Media is amazing in so many ways. It helps you to connect with friends as well as to further your business and career. It gives you inspiration and it enables you to spread your thoughts. Many important topics have gained awereness solely through the power of Social Media. Transparency, which is the main issue in The Circle, in itself is not bad at all. I think we could all use some more transperency, especially when it comes to politics. So much is so fake nowadays that people crave transparency which is why bloggers, You Tubers and Social Media celebrities who are vulnerable and authentic go viral.

I think the thing we have to realize is that the Internet is no Wild West, it's no No Man's Land. Whatever laws your country has, they also have to be applied to the Internet. Human Rights have to be accepted also in the virtual worlds. Because behind most user names are real people (well except sometimes there are just Social Media bots) and they have rights and duties, no matter if they act in the real world or in the Internet. It's not that hard to persecute Internet criminals. Everyone can be tracked down. The problem is not with Social Media it's with the way we treat each other. Hate is never okay - neither offline nor online.

So yes, I think The Circle resonates very much with our time and it's essential to be aware of the dangers of Social Media and to stop it from taking over lives. But I still believe that Social Media can be a wonderful tool to better the world if we do it right.

Dienstag, 26. September 2017

Stop being a grumpy asshole and have a good laugh #5

Life is tough and times are hard ... I know the drill. So here are some pictures and memes which make me laugh - I hope they'll put a smile on your face, too.
















Freitag, 15. September 2017

My Favourite Blogs

I'm not only a blogger but I also love reading other people's blogs. This was my main reason to join the blogger community in the first place. I follow probably more than 100 blogs, but there are a few of which I rarely skip a post, because I like them so much. Here are six of my favourite blogs in no particular order:



Cole Nemeth

Reading Cole's posts feels like listening to a good friend. I like that she's approachable both though her stories which are those of a mother, creative person and dreamer as well as through actually communicating with her readers. I love that her blog is her little space where she can brag and think and write about everything that's important to her, no matter if that's art, her family, movies or beard competitions. I think too many bloggers only think about what people want to read, without even considering what they enjoy writing about. But in the end a true and simple blog like Cole's trumps every overstyled and constructed one any time.

Gala Darling

Gala has one of the most magical blogs out there. She's a witch, a fabolous woman and the author of "Radical Self Love". She's all about improving yourself in ways that feel true to you. Through her blog I got more into spirituality and rituals which help you through life. But I'm also very thankful that she doen's preach that one way of praying or meditating or whatever which will make everything better but always keeps in mind that not everything is for everyone and that some of that stuff might be nothing but bullshit.

Edenland

Eden has a very personal blog, where she posts mostly sad stories about people she lost and struggles she faces. If you want a blog which will make you happy, this is probably the wrong place. What I love about Eden's posts is that they are real and raw and vulnerable. Also they are extremely well written. She's such a skilled writer, I'm always in awe of the beauty of her words.

The Blogess

This is another blog which deals with tough topics like health issues (both physical and psychological) but which goes at it from a completely different angle. While Jenny's stories are often about dealing with anxiety and other struggles, they are the funniest posts I've ever read. I never skip a post of hers because they are garantued to make me laugh. She's a hilarious author and it inspires me how she uses humor to get through some tough shit. That's how you do it!

BeLoveLive

Liz is one part of an awesome blogger couple who live in Sweden. She writes about her experiences, her marriage, her vacations and her job and she always manages to make every mundane thing sound absolutely fascinating and inspiring. I love her mantra of slow life, of taking your time and really enjoying every moment.

A Beer for the Shower

Last but not least, here is a blog with little words and many drawings and cartoons. The little comics Brandon and Bryan post are always funny and cheer me up. Also I enjoy how they don't care about political correctness and don't shy away from difficult topics - always in good humor of course.

Dienstag, 5. September 2017

re-publish: Problems = challenges = the start of something amazing

It's only Tuesday and I already feel like at the end of an extremely stressful week. And last week wasn't much better. So instead of posting something new, I'm going to re-publish a post from a year ago which I keep thinking about and which still feels true:

There are times when it seems like every day a new problem arises and your entire life is nothing but problem solving.



I keep thinking about a quote from The Marian movie (which is fantastic by the way) based on a book by Andy Weir. The hero Mark Watney is stranded by himself on Mars and has to find a way to survive on a planet which is deadly in so many ways. The way he makes his disastrous situation work is truly inspiring. Yes, Mark Watney is my idol (regardless of the fact that he is fictional).

At the end of the movie he tells his students:

“At some point, everything’s gonna go south on you and you’re going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem and you solve the next one, and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to go home.”
(Mark Watney, The Martian)
This is very much the essence of life. Life will always be full of problems and you will have to solve one problem after the next in order to move forward. The trick is to not let the problems cloud your entire life. Because if you look close enough, amongst all these problems you can see moments of pure magic: hours spent with your lover watching the night sky, afternoons laughing and drinking coffee with your friends, an inspiring book, a mind blowing movie, the wind which blows though your hair when you stand on a bridge in your home town, bright flowers, bonfires, hikes through the forest, hot chocolate with marshmallows, a beautiful dream. Those are the moments we are living for.

Problems are also challenges. They are a chance to grow and to fight through the storm in order to come out of it as a stronger version of yourself. Problems ask for new ways of thinking, for creative solutions and for change. And yes, change is terrifying, but it can also be the start of something amazing.

Dienstag, 29. August 2017

My Ultimate Ranking of Game of Thrones Main Characters Season 7

Season 7 of Game of Thrones is already over after only seven episodes. Before I start my ranking of the main characters in this season, I have to start by saying that it's pretty obvious that this season wasn't nearly as good as the previous ones.

I mean, of course it was interesting and exciting plot-wise but it was at times really terribly told. The one thing that always set Game of Thrones apart from other fantasy shows was that it was simply a very well told story. It was coherent and logical and thorough and still breathtaking. In this season they lost this professional way of storytelling which makes me kind of sad. I get that there are no more books to base it on and apparently storytelling without a book to work with is pretty hard. Still I think that it was a wrong decision to make only seven episodes for this season. That would have been absolutely fine if they were well made but unfortunately the quality suffered from it. There were so many illogical, pointless and rushed plotlines which could have been avoided if they just slowed it down a bit and took their time doing it right instead of rushing to the final season without a second thought. In my opinion they should have better used the money they spent on extravagant special effects (the dead ice bear was seriously so unnessecary!) on a couple more episodes.

With that said, it's still an interesting show and there are still some characters alive which I care for, so let's get to it!

***SPOILER WARNING***

Characters I Love


1. Sansa Stark


I'm a total fan of the Lady of Winterfell! I adore her storyline more than any other. All the shit she had to go through from Joffrey over Ramsey till Littlefinger made her a strong women who won't let anyone break her down. She proved this in the finale episode of season 7. When she was waiting for Arya (seemingly to have her killed) I already braced myself for defending Sansa against the haters, whatever she will do. But then she instead had Littlefinger killed and showed everyone that noone plays games with her anymore. Sansa won't take any shit from men anymore.

It really moved me that she stood up not only for herself but also for her family including Arya who treats her like shit most of the time. But Sansa is a true Stark, loyal to her pack. I loved seeing her rule over Winterfell and I'm kind of sad that Jon is about to return. I think that Sansa is smarter and more capable of ruling than most of the other characters. She definitely is a better leader than Jon because she actually cares about her people and doesn't sail of to fall in love with a foreign queen. Winterfell belongs to Sansa - both legally because she is the oldest surviving Stark and because she deserves it most. I was so annyoed by Jon permanently dismissing her opinion though she was right every time but it made me happy to see the Northern Lords wanting her as their leader.

2. Jaime Lannister


Wonderful, handsame, loving Jamie who once threw a kid out of a window for the women he loves, his sister Cercei. Ever since then Jaime's love for Cercei has been the only thing he cares about in the world. He proved again and again and again that he would do everything for her. Until the final episode of season 7. Jaime left Cercei to fight with Danaerys and Jon against the White Walkes in the North. I admit that I was shocked by this betrayal, especially because he believes Cercei to be pregnant.

It's very uncharacteristic for Jaime to abandon her like this. Watching this scene I wondered: Why? It can't be because Jaime doesn't want to break their oath because as loyal as he is to his family, he's not a very honorable man towards anyone else. So either he betrayed her because he is truly afraid of the White Walkers or because of Tyrion. Wouldn't be the first time he betrayed his sister for his brother and it was obvious during the last couple episodes that he still loves Tyrion very much. Jaime is not okay with Cercei's way of basically declaring war against most of Westeros but what did he expect? In conclusion, I can't quite go along with Jaime's decision to go North but I still think that he's a perfectly built character and I'm looking forward to seeing where his journey will lead. There has to be a reason, he's still alive. He will play a role in the end game, even if this role will be killing Cercei.

3. Jon Targaryen


I can now officially call him Jon Targaryen because there's no doubt anymore that Jon is not Ed Stark's son and that he isn't a bastard. The first I have expected for a while, the second was rather suprising. Plus, he's sleeping with Danaerys now, so what the hell will this turn into? A happy family? Fights and death? Definitely some confusion.

I'm changing my mind about Jon all the time. I loved him most in season 4 when he defended the wall gainst the wildlings full hero-mode on, but got more and more annoyed by his grumpy and self-destructive manners till the end of season 6. This season however I have falled in love with Jon all over again. It was so sexy how he threatened Littlefinger and when he told Danaerys that she can't tell him what to do, I was pretty much head over heels. Not entirely sure what to make out of the whole Jon + Dany thing, especially because I have always disliked Danaerys, but this will obviosly be a major thing in the next season, possible even the one thing this show is really about, so I guess I have to go with it. I hope we see more of this confident Jon in the future.

Still I think that he's a pretty awful leader. There's a reason he was stabbed by his brothers from the Night's Watch. In season 7 he did the same again, teaming up with people who have nothing to do with his people, the Northerners, who he couldn't care about less. I guess Jon just wants to save everyone from the White Walkers, but he is far from loyal to his people or his family for that matter. The only way of teaching him the concept of loyality is apparantely being Danaerys and sleeping with him. Let's talk about him denying Cercei's wish to not bend the knee before Danaerys. This was so stupid! It was also very unlike Jon, as he has said again and again that the only thing that matters is defeating the White Walkers in whatever way possible. Seems that now he cares more about seducing Danaerys. Well, love makes smart people stupid and it wouldn't suprise me if Jon was to die for his love just like his pseudo-brother Robb Stark did back in season 3.

4. Euron Greyjoy


It's kind of embarrassing how much I enjoy Euron Greyjoy. I loved the first half of this season because those episodes showed Euron being the badass he is! Destroying his sister's fleet and flirting with Cercei with his rough sailor's charme. Hell, yes! Give me more of this! I was so sad that he wasn't featured in the middle episodes of this season and glad to see him back in the finale one. Obviously Euron didn't flee like a coward but was in on Cercei's secret evil plan. He makes being evil look so sexy.

Characters I Like


5. Tyrion Lannister


It's very hard not to like Tyrion. He's the only character who isn't making terrible decisions and being a terrible human at times. Tyrion is smart and kind and he actually wants the best for Westeros, which is why I still want him to sit on the Iron Throne more than anyone else. (Though I know that this is very improbable.) Let's be honest, Danaerys would be totally lost without Tyrion. He's the only character you can actually look up to.

His scenes in the finale episode were so emotional, I almost cried. Seriously Jaime and him communicating with glares. He knows that Jaime still loves him despite the fact that Tyrion killed their father and that's why he would never do anything to harm him. It broke my heart watching Tyrion and Jaime leading opposed armies in that one episode. Then there was the scene which showed Tyrion talking with Cercei alone. Sure, it was totally stupid of him to believe her (another uncharacteristic developement) but come one, how he practically begged for forgiveness for indirectly killing Cercei's children was so beautiful. It proved that reagardless of all the shit he suffered from the hands of his family, especially Cercei, he still feels like he belongs to them and doesn't want to harm them. He still wants nothing more than to be accepted and loved by Cercei (who is 50% of the family he has left), though it's ridicolous to think that this will ever happen. At least now that Jaime is coming to join him, we'll hopefully see some brotherly love coming our way.


5. Cercei Lannister


Yes, I like Cercei and I doubt that there's anything she could do to make me stop liking her. We all know that at this point she's going crazy. She has lost all her children and now all she wants is power and she would do anything to get it. And damn, is she good at it! She won more battles so far than Danaerys and her lie in the finale episode was brutal but absolutely genius. She has always been mean but now she is mean and incredibly smart. She's terrifying in a good way.

That scene with Tyrion was so good! She played her part so well, I even believed her though it spoke against everything I knew about her. During this talk she showed herself vulnerable and afraid and human. It was all fake but it almost made me cry. When she decided not to kill Tyrion, it touched me so much. We then found out that she didn't kill him because this would have ruined her plan but in that moment I was awestruck. The only reason I could think of for her to spare him was that she knew that Jaime would hate her for it and she couldn't stand that. But as we also found out later, Jaime hates her anyway. Still at least she didn't kill Jaime but let him go. I was so relieved. Jaime is truly the only person in the entire world who loves her, if she had him killed, this would mean that there is no turning around for her. In the scene where Cercei told everyone that she will support the fight against the White Walkers she was for a brief moment the women Jaime always knew she could be. But sadly that women is long gone. Cercei's journey will probably only go downhill from here on but I'm still exited to watch her fight.

Characters I'm Neutral Towards


6. Littlefinger


Wow, Littlefinger's death was such an awesome scene! Still, I'm a bit sad. I didn't exactly like Littlefinger but I respected him. He was a self-made man who came to enorm power with nothing but his wit. He was so smart and for years and years he always was the one in control, always playing everyone else. Well in season 7 he failed both because he made Sansa into an even better player at the game than he is and because he didn't count in the literal know-it-all Bran. That whole storyline with Littlefinger setting up a fight between Sansa and Arya was so terrible, I felt uncomfortable watching it. Which is why I cheered when the two sisters in the end teamed up to end Littlefinger instead. Still I think that he never got enough credit. I also think that he did love Sansa, he just loved playing the game a bit more.

7. Sam Tarly


Well, I really don't care about Sam. I've found him and Gilly a cute couple in the past but now that he's talking over her, not listening to her and then taking credit for her discovery, they don't seem so perfect anymore. I'm not sure what Sam's personality really is and to be honest most times he feels like a simple plot device. His function was to reveal the secret of Jon's parents being married and therefore him being the legitimate heir of the Iron Throne and apparently to heal Jorah for whatever reason. Now that he did these things, I wonder why he is still there. It might be that he will be of help in the wars to come because of his education (there has to be a reason he came back to Winterfell) but it's just as possible that he'll die soon.


Characters I Hate


8. Bran Stark


Seriously, what the hell? Okay Bran became the Three Eyed Raven and is now apparently not human anymore, which just means that he's no fun to watch. (Though he was never much fun to watch, even before he went all psycho.) He basically has no personality. I know that he's going to be a major player in the last season because he is pretty much the most powerful being there is at this point, but still he's so annoying. Why didn't he use his power to do any good? So far all he did was help condem Littlefinger, but he could do so much bigger things with his abilities.

9. Danaerys Targaryen


I hated Danaerys from the very start and I'm still no fan of her. I just can't stand the way she talks and the emotionless decisions she makes. So far I was able to simply ignore her storyline but now that she's in Westeros I can't anymore. She for once doesn't get the last place in my ranking though and the only reason for this is Jon. Jon has already made Danaerys so so much better. Her face softened and I loved that at last there's someone who is brave enough to stand up against her (and seduce her). I couldn't care less about watching Danaerys live and now love, but if it means I can watch a naked Jon, I'm gonna take it.


10. Arya Stark


Ugh, Arya is simply the worst. Okay she did stand by Sansa's side in the finale episode, so she kind of redeemed herself after all the crap she pulled before but I still think she's aweful. I never cared much about her but now she just annoys me so much. That whole Bravos story line was so boring and for what? I have expected something epic coming out of this but I was disappointed. Sure she did kill the Freys but since then all she did was be creepy and give Sansa shit about stuff that wasn't her fault. The things she said to Sansa made me so mad. She's so unempathetic. I wouldn't mind if she died soon, not at all. Her psychopath personality is simply so terrible.

So here it, is my Ultimate Ranking of Game of Thones Main Characters Season 7. Who's your favorite and least favorite character?