SOPA

I am a fangirl. I make fan art. I write fan fiction. I quote, I post, and I tell everyone about things I like, on Facebook, Instagram, Wattpad and my blog. It's part of being a fan. We love something so much, that we want to make it ours, and we want to show others. We say "look, I love this character so much, that I drew him" or "here, I love this couple so much that I wrote about them being together" Right now, that's fine, as long as you don't sell it. But right now, there is a bill that is being written, that will make all of that go away. It will make it illegal to be a fan.

When I heard about this, I thought "it can't be true" because, why would they punish the fans, who love things so much, that they get others to love them too? Why would they do that? But then I did some research. I found out, it's true. It would make things like Wattpad, Devianart, Fanfiction.net illegal, it would make it illegal to post pictures of favorite characters. You could end up in jail for five years for posting anything like that.

Not only will it take away public fan art and fan fiction, but it will also force several websites, such as Etsy, Flikr, Vimeo, Tumblr, Pintrest, Wikepedia, Facebook, Twiter, YouTube and countless others to over censor or even shut down. Blogs and Wiki's could be shut down as well. Music covers could become illegal. You could be arrested for uploading a video of you singing your favorite song.

Blogs and other websites like this will be blocked from search engines, and you can be fined if anyone makes a copyright infringement complaint against your website. If someone even posts a coment with a link, not you, someone else, you and your website, youtube chanel, blog or anyother social media site will be fined or even jailed.

Because of the censorship that SOPA will bring, it will make freedom of speech impossible on the internet, and, wait, isn't freedom of Speech part of the First Amendment? It's not 'Freedom of speech so long as you don't mention anything copyrighted' it's freedom of speech. And SOPA is taking that away. So don't let SOPA (or PIPA) Take away out rights as people or as Fans.
Don't Break The Internet.
                                           Bri π
(I may have gotten somethings wrong while I did research, so look it up too, and see what you think of it)

Mt Tenth Grade Reading List... Thus Far

So today we had our anual "search for educational materials" day, in which my mother handed about twelve books to each of my sisters to be their school reading lists. I was handed four.
My reading list this year is rather short (mostly because I've already read most of the tenth grade reading list that high schools recomend) so my reading list consist of:
1. The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe by Edgar Allen Poe
2. Night by Elie Wiesel
3. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
4. Watership Down by Richard Adams
 There's only one book that I don't really care much for (I'm sure it's obvious) but I'm also going to take a British literature class after my first semester, so I will have more to read,  I just hope it's more interesting than American literature (Puritans... *shivers*)
Also, I have to do a study guide on, wait for it..... *drumrooooooooollllllllllllllllll* Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing! Yes, I am in fact doing a study guide on a book I read in the second grade. But it's because I'm supposed to be helping my sisters with their study guides, so I ended up with the easiest book. (The others where To Kill a Mockingbird, which I have read, and Number the Stars, which I have also read)
But I am also going to be studying Latin, anatomy, speech, computer science, art, poetry and Spanish (another blech) along with my core subjects. I'm most excited about doing science, cause I didn't do much science last year, but this year I get to do EARTH SCIENCE!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!
Thanks for listening to me talk about my school work, I'm sure you don't care, but I do! So enjoy the rest of your summer, and Bye! Bri π

What Tae Kwon Do Means to Me

Here I sit, staring at two pages of nothing, trying to draw inspiration. On the wall there are my past belts sitting on the rack, an empty space waiting for my last colored belt. On the floor next to my bed lies my bag, my recommended belt poking out of the top, almost yelling at me that it wants to retire. And of course there’s my poster with a quote that I don’t really get and a fist smashing a board. But none of those things are really helping me right now, as I try to explain what the past eight years of my life mean to me. It’s almost like trying to explain the color blue or the smell of lemons. But I guess I’ll have to give it a go.

I started Tae Kwon Do when I was about seven, a tiny little thing with long brown hair, big blue eyes, and an obsession with ninjas. I had tried a couple different sports, gymnastics and tumbling, when one day I decided that I wanted to do Karate. I told my parents, and they looked into it. They then came back to me with a big negatory, as Karate was apparently too expensive. They instead acquired a membership at the local YMCA, and shoved me into the Tae Kwon Do class.

That first class was terrifying. There were a bunch of people in big white uniforms with all kinds of colored belts, I felt very out of place being in my colorful t-shirt and shorts. I was quite nervous, I didn’t know what I was doing at first, my kicks were wobbly, my fist wrong, my stances off, but in that first class, after I had gotten over my initial fear, I discovered something inside of me that had finally been satisfied.

At my first testing, I felt the same fear I had felt at the first class all over again, this time slightly different. It was strange and new, I was unsure what to expect.  I showed what I had learned, broke my board, finished my forms, and answered questions. One of the questions I was asked was ‘why do you do Tae Kwon Do?” what an easy question, I thought. “Because Karate is too expensive” I answered seriously. Everyone laughed, although I wasn’t sure why, as it wasn’t a joke. Even though I didn’t exactly answer the question, I still got my yellow belt.

It all went up hill from there. I passed every testing, I was going up in rank very fast, my kicks where better, my uniform snapped (mostly), and I was loving it. About the time I got my brown belt, that’s when we moved schools, and Action Martial Arts opened up. It was also the time I first plateaued.

After years of going up in rank very quickly, I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to test. I was just stuck, not learning anything new, but not ready to move on either. I was getting kind of bored. After about ten months, I did get to my red belt, vowing that I wouldn’t get stuck again. But I did. I just couldn’t understand it, why wasn’t I able to do everything I was supposed to?

Again it took me a year to reach the next belt, and then I broke my toe. Breaking my toe left me unable to do it, and I got kind of lazy. I didn’t want to go back to Tae Kwon Do. I was tired of doing the same things. My mother did not like this attitude, and after a long talk and a motherly shove, I went back. 

I was rather rusty, I didn’t remember what I was supposed to know, and it frustrated me. But I kept at it, and eventually, after a really long time, I tested again and I got my red tipped belt. In keeping with the trend I had set for myself, I plateaued again. I still couldn’t figure out why though. I would watch enviously as people who I had started with, and people who started after me, got their black belts. I just couldn’t comprehend how they could be doing better than me. This time it took me two years but I eventually reached Recommended Black Belt.

After this, I was wary, afraid of plateauing, after remembering how I had had to claw at a completely vertical cliff face until I had finally reached the edge, only to find an even taller cliff the top. Looking at the belts on the wall, thinking I just have one more, just one more and your there. You can tell people you’ve done it. But I was too scared to really try.

 I found other things to occupy my time, so I wouldn’t have to face the Cliff, I was too scared to show that I was afraid of failing, I would cover up fact that I was filled with self-doubt behind a wide smile, I hid the voices in my head that said, ‘you can’t do it, you will never do it, you will fall and you won’t be able to get back up.’ The sad thing was that I believed them.

I have always had problems with self-doubt and self-esteem. There has always been a part of me saying that I am a failure, that I suck, that I can’t do that. It got especially bad about three years ago, and hasn’t really gotten any better since. I ignored it, trying to keep myself from giving up, trying to stand up to the bully like I’ve always been told to do. But it is hard to stand up to a bully when the bully is you.

So here I sit, my inner bully informing me that this entire thing is a terrible idea and that I should just give up and be done with the whole thing. But I keep going. One of the tenants of Tae Kwon Do is an indomitable spirit, right? Like the quote above the window says; ‘Perseverance: strength lies not in never falling, but rising every time we fall.’ It reminds me that as I climb my cliff, if I do fall, which I will, I just have to get up, wipe off the dust, and get right back to climbing.

As my essay comes to a close, I want to answer the question I never finished. Why do I do Tae Kwon Do? I do it because it is something that I love. It is something that even through all the hard things in my life has always been a constant. I do it because, someone told me it was cool, and I want to keep doing it for them. I do it because I have made it mine. I do Tae Kwon Do, because it is totally and 100% me

So, now for the real question: what does Tae Kwon Do mean to me?  It means courtesy, learning to be kind and gentle when you are angry. It means integrity, to keep strong in honesty and to stand firm in what you believe. It means persevering, climbing the cliff even when I am afraid. It means self-control, which is not only keeping yourself from doing the wrong things but also to keep doing the right ones. It means indomitable spirit, standing in the rain and facing your giants. It means doing something someone important to me would be proud of.  It means proving to the world, and to myself, that I am capable of anything.

Book Review: Love Evolution by Michelle Mankin Rated: PG-13

Nineteen year old Avery Jones can play Guitar better than anyone. She and her brothers musical duo is amazing. After her brothers death, Avery doesn't know what to do. So she lookes for somewhere new to work as a guitarist. Brutal Strength, a hugely popular rock band, is looking for a new lead guitarist, after their previous one dropped out. As a fan of the band, Avery thinks she's struck gold, until she discovers the Band won't hire a female artist. So what does Avery do? She disguises herself as a man, and joins the group anyway.

Love Evolution was... interesting. It's an adaption of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and in at the first page I found it rather cliche, but it does get a little better. The clicheness of it actually adds to the entertainment, but hey, it's based on Shakespeare.  I quite like the lead character, no matter how many times I want to smack her. She does pretty well in her attempt to be a man, no matter how ridiculous it is.

The book has references to drugs, and (Oh No!) Mobsters who threaten little girls. Some people get drunk, some people kiss, a lot, some people kiss, and then freak out because the person the kissed was allegedly a man. Some crude humor, as well as a few mentions of Doing the Do, which no one does actually do, as the main couple are a dude and another "dude" (but not really)there is also a bit of mild swearing

In all I found Love Evolution utterly cliche and entertaining. I would recommend it to people who enjoy Shakespeare and rock and roll. It is not for people who don't find cliche's entertaining, or who don't much care for Shakespeare (I am one of those people)Thanks for reading, Bri π
Rated PG-13 for Mild swearing, drugs, alcohol, intimacy, and for being ridiculous.

Things I Plan to Do While at Camp.

So, camp is in two days. Super excited! Since camp is so close, I have compiled a list of things I plan to do while I'm at camp. Enjoy!
1. When I'm drawing, and people come up to me to ask if I drew that, I will throw the sketchbook and scream, "Holy crap! I'm possesed!"
2. Whenever someone asks a dumb question I will hand them a piece of paper and say "Here's your sign"
3.  If anyone comes up to me while I'm alone and says something to me, I will act suprised and say "you can see me?!"
4. Make hundreds upon hundreds of fandom references including that of, (but not limited too): Portal, THG, TMI, Percy Jackson, Divergent, Doctor Who, FMA, InuYasha, Psych, The Nightmare before Christmas, Avatar, Harry Potter, The Princess Bride,
5. Sing. Loudly.
6. Run around like a ninja/spy, making random hand gestures.
7. Yell things in Latin, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, and any other language I can think of.
8. Practice TKD (this is not so much Funny as Practical. Although it will be entertaining to see everyone else's expressions as they realize, I AM a ninja)
9. Show of my vast knowledge of useless facts and trivia.
10. Quote things, repeatedly.
So there you have it, things that I plan to do, while at camp. Hopefully I don't get in trouble. ;)
Bri π

Camp Hyperness

Hello dear people of the internet! How are you? Quite well I hope!
I am also quite well, and I am also tinged blue.
Yes, the color run was Saturday morning, and it is Monday afternoon. I'm quite colorful.
Also, I'm actually going to camp this year! Hurray!! I missed camp last year, but not this year!
I don't know what else to say, but I am really hyper, if you couldn't tell.
I mean, you would be hyper two if you had to wait a whole week 'till camp! 
I'm so excited!!!!
And als osad, because I can't take my nano with me. So sad :(
I mean, what will i do with out my music?
And I just got new music, (Britt Nicole, if your wondering. sadly not Lindsey Stirling. Yet)
And I want to listen to it! Glarg, I need music, I go a bit crazy with out it, although I go crazy with out books too.  But I can take books with me! So I'm good in that department. Just not in the music department. It'll be my first year at senior high camp,  Glarg I hate being a freshman again, I don't get first pick of any of the classes. :/ But at least I get to go to my preferred camp, apposed to the one I don't want to go to.
Also, I am almost done with the picture I've been working on for a week, It just needs a bit of cleaning and also to fix a couple of buildings that look funny.
I'm still hyper.
BookWyrms it soday, but there's only going to be five of us, sadly. everyone else is at camp. :(
But hey atleast I finagled (is that the proper use of the word) my other cousin into coming!
So, yeah, five. And all of them family. me, three of my cousins, and my sister.
Bye! Bri π

Color Running.

Tomorrow, I shall be running in the color run. It's quite exciting. And colorful.
For those of you who don't know, the color run is a 5K in which the runners are bombarded with powered dye through out the race. The shirts you wear can be set to keep the dye in, and also possibly your hair, if I do it right. If I do it wrong, well, Who knows what will happen to my hair.
So, we have our shirts, which we decorated today (I only made two fandom references this time.) along with lots of other things to wear and be colored. I even have a tutu. Yes, a tutu. I look like I'm from the eighties. It's pretty ridiculous.
So, I have been working on the same piece for a week now. It's kind of driving me nuts. The background is giving me lots of problems.
First, I had no windows in any of the buildings, and apparently, steampunk cities still have windows, contrary to my belief.
Second, I gave them windows, and the windows look strange, and unwindow like.
Third. I'm not even half way done with the background. (ehhhhhh)
But, at least my girl looks kick butt (sort of) And she has awesome hair.
It's only been,  what, three weeks? a month? and out of the seventeen books I got at the RT book convention, I have exactly, six left. Yeah...
If I hadn't read The Fault in our Stars and Elsewhere, I would have gotten more done... But I really like the ones I've read thus far! Lets see, I read Ink, Crewl, Ashes of Twilight, Soulbound, Level 2, Nobody, The Tenth Life of Mr. Whiskers, Firelight. And there where a couple that I had already read, like Bloodlines (amazing!!!) Delirium, and The Name of the Star. So, I guess I've actually only read eight. Still, thats a lot of books for three weeks/a month. And not including TFiOS and Elsewhere. Along with quite a few random manga's (is it manga's or just manga?) I found at the library.
I like books :3
Oh, by the way, I have a typewriter! It's pretty awesome, and it goes ding when there's stuff. Ok not really, it goes ding when I hit the button to many times. The point is it goes 'Ding!' And also, I have two desks in my room. It's a bit crowded in here now, but also quite cozy, albeit, slightly dificult to make my bed.
 And on that bombshell, it's time to say goodnight!
Bri π