Can someone say Evil Underdogs?

Last week, I wrote about my interest in kind people. One of my favorite tropes kind people have in story arcs are the "underdog" tropes, because for some reason they're never expected to be the "great Big" of the story (unless it's Superman, he's kind and always the "great Big"). I get so much gratification when they get to bask in the deserved spotlight and shock everyone once they're on top of the overall game. I get the same gratification when it comes to villains as well (or basically to anyone that gives a "screw you!" to people that never believe in their capability). That's why my favorite villains as of right now are:

The Penguin and The Riddler!

Unlike my dear friend Jackie, I love villains that are more humanized. The more relatable they are, the scarier they are. That's not to say that the Joker's Krazy didn't scar me with nightmares (because it STILL does), but I find the characters that can pass by as regular people to be tons more intimidating. The crazy thing about these two villains in particular is the fact that they're not necessarily special. Their backstories are like many villains; bullied and unappreciated to the point of insanity. And that alone is frightening to me! I've been mean to people; people have been mean to me! All these guys have is their wit, determination, and their uncharming looks! I'm witty and determined (and the comparisons stop there because I am definitely charming)! But they really don't have any super-powers or flamboyant gadgets. It's just a business man and an enigmaphile (probably not a word, I'll live with it) using their assets to get ahead in life. 

To be fair, I didn't really consider them as my favorite anything until I watched their backstories unfold in the new TV show of Gotham (2014). They just seemed so... average. The Penguin should really be called the cockroach because he keeps getting squashed and trampled on by everyone, but he still manages to pick himself and try to get ahead. And The Riddler is so sweet right now, it's exciting to him played out that way when you know what he will inevitably turn into. 

They're selfish and seek revenge and power, like most of us would be if we were wronged. I think my interest in villains come from the contradiction they bring to my heroes. They're the polar opposites that I can still turn into, and they expose the thin line between the selfish and the humble, the greedy and the kind, and the realistic and the ideal.

-E

If There Is A Superhero, There Is A Villain.

He is the definition of a villain...to me at least. He is manipulative, smart, and sadistic—a mastermind. Although we don’t exactly know his origins and there has always been ambiguity concerning his origins, I believe, the ambiguity simply makes this character more appealing as a villain. He has been portrayed by many actors and has been a prominent character in the Batman franchise. My favorite portrayal is done by Heath Ledger. I think he really captured how messed up this villain is. To tell you the truth, I thought he was frightening. I still remember watching The Dark Knight for the first time and then being afraid to go to bed. From what I have watcher since I was little, the joker usually tends to be a bit of a jokester—hence the name. But, that wasn’t the case in The Dark Knight. His character is dark. He is a great contrast to Batman. I think what Christopher Nolan was aiming to do was to create a comparison between the two characters. Both Batman and the Joker are characters that have become people who are trying to do “justice”; however, one character opted to become evil and use his power the wrong way. I think both characters have power over the people of Gotham and both of them aren’t really liked by the people. They are opposites. They both have the same amount of power but one of them uses it to help people while the other one tries to hurt people. I was talking about this with Esther and she pointed out that the Jokers unpredictable. Maybe, that is his on-going joke. He is man that will cause pain without letting anyone know. For example, in the opening scenes of The Dark Knight with all the men who are wearing clown masks. They were told to kill one another off without knowing that no one would get to share the win…how sick? The Joker is constantly changing and manipulating people. He uses people to get what his want. The scariest part about this villain is that he is human. He is someone that was at first human. He is someone that turned evil. If that doesn’t scare you, then I don’t know. I think any person turning evil and killing people is a villain.

Till Next Time, 

Jax

Favorite Superhero

Something that I've come to terms with is that I like kind people. I'm attracted to kind people, in whatever types of relationships I build up on. I think most people are good, but for the most part, we’re also pretty selfish, too. And that's definitely not a bad thing at all! I’m pretty sure it’s an evolutionary benefit that allows us to make sure that we and those closest to us are safe and provided for. Nonetheless, it makes it kind of hard for us to be compassionate towards others if it means that we need to make ourselves vulnerable. That’s why my favorite superhero is The Flash. Not only is he willing to help others, but he also does it even when it most threatens his life and his lifelong desires.

(Spoiler alert for The Flash Season 1 season finale!) 
A friend and I were talking the other day and she mentioned that she didn't like nice superheroes because they're "safe","predictable", and "boring". As she said that, I couldn't help but think the complete opposite. I think it's easy to take on the role of a vigilante or an anti-hero and consider justice and mercy to be at your judgement; it's harder to save someone otherwise. If I had a choice between saving my mother and saving the people of the city I'm in, I honestly wouldn't think twice on it because my mother has literally dealt with my crap and I would save her in a heartbeat. Mr. Barry Allen, 2nd incarnation of The Flash, just did the opposite in the show's season finale. I mean... who does that?? What kind of humble person does one need to be to give up their primary caregiver (and my personal inspiration/mentor/guide/teacher/etc.) for the sake of others? Others that have done nothing for me and will probably never ever hold any value in my heart? That's crazy-people stuff! He has to deal with the guilt, the burden, the misery, the unhappiness, and the pain of it all for a bunch of people that won't ever know about the things he does for them on the regular. And that's something that we would expect from others, but to decide for ourselves something so sacrificial is highly unlikely, amirite? 

We've learned a lot about psychology's topic on bystander apathy, and it's true: we'll depend on others to make the first step because the truth is that we all get scared. So I give it up for those that find the courage to do what's right every. single. time. Those decisions are hard, but I'm glad there are heroes like The Flash that find it in them to do just that every. single. time. Not to mention he does it all under the "comic relief" trope, which is really cool, in my opinion. He and all the kind, humble people like him are the real MVP's and I'm proud to call this "safe", "predictable", and "boring" peep my hero. 

-E 

(Ps, sorry for the late post. I'll try my best not to make it a habit.)  

How Can I Choose One?!

Q: Who is your favorite superhero?

Make note, I do not read comic books although I wish I had the time/money for them. The knowledge I have of the following superheroes comes from my love of watching the animated series/movies, and the individual research I do.

First of all, I love superheroes. I love both Marvel and DC--although I do like Marvel a tad bit more. This week's question was really hard because I like a lot of superheroes. They tend to be pretty awesome and dynamic characters. It ended up coming down to two for me. One from Marvel: Thor. One from DC: Batman.

BATMAN.
He has been one of my favorite superheroes of all time. Batman has been one of the superheroes that I grew up watching movies of. I was born in a time where I was able to watch George Clooney and Christian Bale portray him. I, like most of society, did not like Clooney's portrayal of this character. I did, however, love Bale's. I think Bale captured Batman as I always envisioned him to be. I used to watch the animated series when I was young. At the time, I used to think Batman was a man who had no special super-power yet was protecting Gotham City. I viewed it as being the best type of
heroic. Risking your life for strangers because you find that that is the right thing to do, how freakin cool is that?! As I grew older, though, Batman became a very complex character. I began to understand why he protects Gotham. His parents were murdered in front of him. Now if that doesn't sound scary, I don't know what else can be. This man took a moment so scarring in his life and turned it into a reason to protect the city. The reason this character is so complex, to me, is because he gives off an image of being an asshole to society. He fits the billionaire man stereotype: pretentious asshole. Bruce Wayne is the billionaire asshole of Gotham. Though Wayne may spend his money carelessly in the eyes of the Gotham citizens, Batman spends it on gadgets to protect the city. This man is a hero regardless of not having any superpower.

THOR.
This superhero has become a recent favorite of mine. I will say that a good part of my attraction to Thor comes from the actor who plays him, Chris Hemsworth. I think the casting director was spot on when choosing the actor to play Thor. I like this superhero because, I believe, he is a proper superhero. He is a God. He is Son of Odin and Asgardian God of Thunder, for crying out loud! He has the special powers and super strength. This is someone to not be messed with. His character is a protector of realms. As for this hero, I like the portrayal in the comics. Once again, I have not read the comics, but I have read about him online. Thor (from the comics) appears to be more human, well not technically. He just understands the way Earth works. At a point in his life, in order to be taught humility, Odin sent him to Earth as a mortal. In that time, Thor went under the name of Donald Blake. He was a surgeon. While working at a hospital, Blake meets nurse Jane Foster. Although I do like how they portrayed Jane and Thor in the films. I wish to see more of Thor in the upcoming years. I think he is a great character that many people don't know about or enough of.

BONUS.
I do wish I could write more about other characters in Marvel and DC but I don't want to bore you with a long blog post. I just have to say that I love the X-Men, Avengers, and the Flash. Also, Peggy Carter--even though she isn't technically a superhero.

Till Next Time,

Jax

The One That Started It All

People call me Jackie--all thanks to my mother. I am from California. I met Esther while in college. Ever since that one morning that she moved in we have been inseparable. Our other roommate was alright (Just kidding, Jo). So, about this blog, it sort of just happened. It doesn’t really have a theme. It will be a lifestyle type of blog. Esther and I will write about things that interest us in life. We are just two girls trying to do something productive while procrastinating really important things. Hopefully this blog will be capable of capturing who we are without making us appear like pretentious college students. Throughout our blogging time we will be answering questions like the one Esther has written today.

-Jax

So obviously I’ll be the funny one of the two.

My name is Esther, and I’m from Hawaii. Lol that’s the most interesting topic about me so I might as well get it out of the way. Jackie and I were once roommates and she hasn’t stopped bothering me ever since. I can’t blame her, though; I’m pretty amazing.

The truth is I don’t know squat about anything, so most of what I’ll be writing here will probably be BS. I apologize in advance. But hopefully it’ll be fun.

-E

As for our first post, we’ll be talking about our first crush.

Alright, let’s take a trip down memory lane…

Esther

Ok, so OFFICIALLY my first crush was a boy in fifth grade. His name was Christopher. My friends and I had begun to discover the wonders of celebrity heartthrobs about a year earlier but it was only then when “crushes” began to apply to our snotty-nosed peers. My best friend began having a thing for a cousin of mine and pretty soon “love” was in the air and I was suffocating from the lack thereof of it in my life. As we walked by one of the classrooms we saw Chris doing something nice, probably watering some plants or something. My brilliant plan hatched right then and there and I decided to LIE. You know, like a liar. I pointed him out to my best friend and said “I like Christopher. He’s really nice. And cute.” She looked at me really surprised (which made sense because Chris and I hardly ever talked so how would I know if he was nice or not). Anyways, she teased me about him every time we passed him since then and every time I had to pretend I was in love and shy and all that good stuff. I still think she might think I really liked him. Which, don’t get me wrong he WAS a nice guy, but I didn’t like him.

My first real crush is a longer story, but that’s for another time.

Jackie

...I can’t really say that it was a crush, since I probably didn’t know what a crush was at the time, but I did find some weird attraction to this kid named Ricky. He was this kid that just seemed cool. When you are in first grade, everything is cool and this boy was cool to me. He was quiet and had spiky black hair. From what I can remember, he also liked the same things I liked: pokemon and oreos--it was a match made in elementary school heaven. Around this time is when the whole cooties thing became a thing, so this crush was crushed within a few months. After the cootie thing died, I never looked at Ricky the same way. In my mind, Ricky was a cootie filled boy that was up to no good. So much for a first crush, right?