Ender's Game Touched My Heart Again

Published 1985

Thanks to a cousin's recommendation, I read Ender's Game during high school. It is one of my top favorite sci-fi books!  I love the book because of how humane the hero Ender Wiggins is throughout the story even when trained to be a brilliant killer.

I am glad I did not reread Ender's Game before watching the movie so the emotions could hit me. By forgetting details such as Ender's isolation, I re-experienced the story's beautiful and painful message. 

Some people say that once you read one military sci-fi, you can't enjoy another one because it's too similar. Well, I could not enjoy Starship Troopers because Ender's Game is different by surpassing military.

The actor, Asa Butterfield, was perfect for to play Ender. He had very expressive eyes. I forgot he played Mordred in BBC's Merlin. As Mordred, he has few lines, but his expressions dominate the scene.

I speak of beauty and emotions, but there is action too. The zero-gravity battle room scenes had the wonder, action, and strategy I had hoped for! The music captures the wonder of it too.

I watched the movie with a group. Some of them now want to read the book. For one of them, that was her first time a movie motivated her to read the story. Their reactions touched my heart even more. I want to reread Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.

Reading Stats

Here's a flyer based on 2011 reading stats:

Currently when I am waiting, I read The Riders for pleasure and a taste of elegant writing. I am also slowly reading through an old art history book on the Baroque era for personal art research. Yesterday I started reading a software book to expand my computer skills.

You don't need a purpose to read though. Reading can be just to fill time. I read some of the software book during a meal and while waiting for the computer to load. You can read for a purpose, pleasure, or a sense of accomplishment.

BuzzFeed collected 12 scientific benefits to reading: 

1. Reading can help prevent Alzheimer's. 
2. Reading is a source of new information. Learning and retaining information will help your mind remember as you age.
3. Reading leads to a more involved and cultured life.
4. Reading is a stress-reliever. 6 minutes of reading can reduce your stress by 68%.
5. Reading can give you insight on your own experiences.
6. Reading enhances your memory by exercising it.
7. Women are attracted to intelligence.
8. Reading helps you recognize patterns and improve your analytic thinking.
9. Reading adds to your vocabulary, which makes you look good for interviews and promotions.
10. Reading can improve and influence your own writing.
11. Reading can help you connect with other people and cultures.
12. People who read are more likely to succeed in their careers and in life.

Because They Struggle

I have been posting more on my art Facebook page than on this blog. Lately my thoughts have showed up in my art. One recurring thought is the 80s X-men cartoon show.

I even dressed as Jubilee this month. I'll post a picture when I get one from a friend.

X-men love triangle

One reason I remember the show is because of the drama like the love triangle with Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Cyclops. Whenever Wolverine was enraged from it, I thought "Ah! He loves her! But he might kill Cyclops!" Wolverine and Jean Grey were then my favorite two from the show. However, the love drama was not the only reason for liking those two characters the most. I felt they struggled most.

When I think of Jean Grey, I remember her as vulnerable. She often reached her limit quickly. Thankfully she could make a force field for protection or keep the threat away long enough. For the love triangle, Jean's vulnerability increases her appeal. Is the reliable boy scout or the unstable tough guy a better match for her?

Then we find out she has untapped massive power, but it is still out of her control.

Jean Grey's alter ego Phoenix

This stronger and more passionate side of Jean is a better match for Wolverine, but maybe he'll lead her further down towards destruction.

Wolverine's ability is instant healing, however, limited to only physical wounds. This scar-less warrior carries emotional trauma that his mind and soul cannot handle.

Jean and Wolverine's struggle with their ability and emotions keep these evolved forms human. Both need to stay human to be good forces. Sabretooth is a foil to Wolverine by being a more primitive mutant who threatens mankind.

Sabretooth vs. Wolverine

While I thought over Wolverine's healing limitations, I came up with this design:

"Wolverine at the Bar"

Tea Party and Manga

Shirt.Woot customers can vote for
my entry "Tea Party v.2."

I entered a Shirt.Woot contest for the third consecutive time. The theme was kawaii (cutesy and adorable).

I 'm skipping out on the next weekly contest. Whew! I tried some new techniques such as fading out the side of a scene on a shirt and alternating warm and cool colors in main areas.

I guess I got really into the tea party scene, especially after reading manga about cafes and bakeries. 

Cafe/Dessert manga has become one of my guilty pleasures. After reading about takoyaki at a New Year festival, I tried some at Genki Living. Takoyaki is like a ball of bread with octopus bits and veggies. I would order it again. :)

Takoyaki

This type of manga genre can be very simple, but I think it makes the attitudes more pure and heart-warming. The heroines usually want to create happy moments for others and have strong determination. I stopped reading Kitchen Princess when the plot got complicated and tragic.

Kitchen Princess

Maleficent

I started entering ShirtWoot!'s weekly derby contest for shirt designs. For the theme text-as-art, I drew Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty:

If you're a ShirtWoot customer,
then you can vote for my entry "Beware."

I find female villains in fairy tales interesting especially if they are not the evil (step)mother. Evil mothers feel threatened by their daugther's outshining youth. The less wrinkled face reminds the evil mother that she is closer to then end of her life. Evil female authority feel just as threatened by young princesses.

In the fairy tales, Maleficent's character is not invited to the new princess' introduction either because she was old and forgotten or the king didn't have enough matching plates. This sorceress is insulted not because she cared to see the princess, but because Maleficent's existence was not acknowledged for the future the princess represents. If she was forgotten while she lived, then she will be forgotten when she is gone. If she has no place in the kingdom's new reign, then get rid of it by killing off the princess. Or at least be remembered longer for trying to do so.

A poem by Dylan Thomas comes to mind:

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Vote For My Shark!

Hey guys, my first shirt design on Threadless is open for votes for 7 days! Please help me by voting and sharing my shark design. Click HERE for the link.

The rain makes the shark related to more than the summer season. I also chose 2 shirt types and shirt colors for "Rain Swimmer":

Thank you! :)

Divergent Isn't Much of a Dystopia

I've mentioned Divergent by Veronica Roth, but barely read it. The book series is labeled "The new/next The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins." There are similarities, but the dystopic society in Divergent isn't as developed as in The Hunger Games. There will be spoilers in this post to explain why I think Divergent is a weak dystopia. I try to be vague.

Immediate Reaction

The beginning of Divergent felt slow and for a younger audience than The Hunger Games. I also saw a big flaw in the dystopic society. Dystopic societies are false utopias because they have flaws and usually have false intentions from rulers, but the society is typically united as a whole even if the citizens do not believe the government's proclamations.

Single belief broadcast everywhere in Equilibrium.

The dystopic society in the movie Equilibrium concluded that emotion caused war so emotion was eliminated with sedatives. They united under this envisioned utopia. Violence is used only on those who oppose.

In Divergent, separation from different races, religions, and politics is proclaimed as a cause of war. So for peace they decide to unite by values. However, they remain separated by dividing into factions with different single values. For example, the Dauntless faction live brave, but they have the aggression that Amity faction forbids. This society does not share the same vision and the new arrangement does not sound too different from before. The difference is that you live with people of same expressed thinking. You're still part of the same nation as those who are different..

Shirt design of The Hunger Games districts.

Districts in The Hunger Games have unique cultures as a result of their different production and climates. They all have the same rules from the same ruler. If one district disobeys, then all are punished. The districts are united from the same ruler and on-going punishment. To keep them from uniting into a force against the ruler, they are physically separated from each other. The government forces two children from each district to fight each other annually.

Divergent doesn't have a single ruler figure. One faction has the society's government positions as their contribution.

Factions in Divergent see each other in public areas such as school so anyone can notice the obvious differences. As different as different countries. The devoted members despise the other factions. "We are right. Those guys are arrogant. And these guys are actually ruled by greed." The factions automatically fight each other. They don't even pretend to work towards the same goal, which is peace.

The curious ones observe and consider leaving their own faction. At age 16, everyone chooses which faction to live the rest of their life. Although choosing another faction is felt as betrayal and "Faction before family" is taught to those who change, the choice has too much freedom for a dystopic society. Someone else choosing for you or rigged test results is more dystopic.

But I Still Got Hooked

The concept of living under one value and denying yourself the rest is interesting. The freedom to choose another faction isn't dystopic, but it's interesting too.

Left to right the factions are Dauntless, Erudite,
Candor, Selfless, and Amity.

The main character, Beatrice "Tris," may seem more passive than other heroines because she was raised to be selfless, but she has attitude. She has the teen problems of not meeting family and society expectations.

I was hooked after Tris made her choice. I enjoyed her reactions to new experiences such as running for fun. The author Veronica Roth gave a good description for that example. The story became thrill action militaristic adventure now that she had to pass the initiation for the faction to accept her. This part is the majority of the book. The teen interactions reminded me of the military sci-fi Insignia.

Another problem I had though was that Tris separated herself from everyone with the label Divergent. Even after agreeing with the boy Four that we should have all the values not choose one and put down others. I felt like I was hearing, "I'm special. Who else is one of the special people like me?" instead of "We are all human. Humans cannot live limited by one value. We are all those values." Hopefully she learns in another book.

Then I Lost Interest

After the initiation, the story changed quickly. The evil mastermind and the evil plan appeared. I thought they were weak. A peer during initiation is a stronger antagonist. I lost interest in reading the rest especially as certain characters died. Their deaths were weak scenes. One event was too close to one in Mockingjay, the 3rd book of The Hunger Games.

I had hoped that these events were a simulation. That would explain the quick weak turns. That was the only way I'd be pleased, but the weak events were not a simulation. It was a short section left but I still wasn't eager to read it.

I don't know if the next book Insurgent has a thrill ride too, but I'll stop at Divergent. I'd recommend Divergent for its teen identity struggles, trials, and "What if.." concept, but not as a dystopia. I'll probably see the movie in March 2014 with friends.