RELATING TO FICTIONAL CHARACTERS

Fictional stories exist in various forms with interactive media topping the list. We watch our superheroes battling against the villains who desire power to rule the world or a regular student who inspires his friends to make a difference in other people’s lives. After either watching the countless TV shows or reading them in books or newspapers, we tend to relate our lives to the fictional characters in those mediums. That, for most of us, is exciting and inspiring.

Over the last couple of months, I have finished countless anime shows and two real-life TV shows. Anime shows include Death Note, Full Metal Alchemist:Brotherhood, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Stein’s Gate, Cowboy Bebop, Ano Hana, Baccano, Ef-A Tale of Memories, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Garden of Words, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, 5 Centimeters Per Second and Parasyte. I have also finished most of the animated DC movies released after 2007 that revolves around Superman, Batman and the Justice League. Also, I am currently on the latest episodes of The CW’s Arrow and The Flash. Now, these shows have exposed me to a lot of characters whose lives have affected me in some aspect.

Characters from Death Note and Code Geass give perspectives of how powers were used by the main characters Yagami Light and Lelouch Lamperouge respectively in their attempts to rule the world. No other shows have matched the critical thinking skills than these ones. After finishing these shows, Code Geass helped me to realize that having brains was not enough. It was necessary to use powers for a noble cause. Well, unless you reach its final episode, you view Lelouch’s actions to be the same as Light’s actions and then bam, you would make sense about the sacrifices that was made till the last episode. I highly recommend watching these two shows as they completely blow your mind.

FMAB is all about the importance of having brothers by your side. The journey that two brothers take in order to cure the younger brother’s body with the use of alchemy is truly awe-inspiring. The short but intense battles that take place balance the flow of the show. Roy Mustang’s desire to dethrone King Bradley is nicely orchestrated.

Characters from Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Image Credits: http://static.minitokyo.net/ )

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Stein’s Gate are time-travel centered shows where the characters mess with time. This creates different timelines and the characters need to deal with the consequences of the Butterfly Effect. I highly rank Stein’s Gate as the best time travel show of all time. The lead protagonist Okabe Rintarou has to undo all of his actions in order to prevent both the deaths of his long-time friend Shiina Mayuri and his girlfriend Makise Kurisu. It teaches just how precious our relationships with other people are that when in times of crisis, we are in a dilemma to save a person at the cost of the other. In other words, it is all about preferences and hard choices. Are you ready to save your love for your long time friend or vice versa? Sometimes, we are left with a difficult question to name one person whom who we want to save between two persons whom we hold as the most important people of our lives. The show beautifully showcased the choice conundrum in terms of relationships and it made a lasting impression in my life.

Among all these shows, Ano Hana was the most emotional show that I had watched. It tells the story about six childhood friends who distanced themselves after one of them drowns in the river. It is set years after the incident happened when the ghost of the dead child roams until her promise is fulfilled. In case you are wondering if it is a ghost series, it is not. With just 11 episodes, the show has many eye watering moments. The desire to unite all of the distanced friends and share the ghost’s promise involves patience and belief that there is ghost among the friend circle. For most parts, the show reminded me how distanced our friend circle can get as we get older. It gave me chills about moving away from my friends and the lack of communication as a consequence. There are some friends whom I have not talked after high school. It is why I created a Viber group of over 30 friends where we communicate and stay in touch. For anyone who is moved by friendship stories and cannot handle serious emotions, this is a show worth watching. I am so obsessed with it that I can watch again and again. Just give four hours for it and you will become its huge fan.

I also loved the remaining shows equally. The point is that when we finish a show, we try to extrapolate the characters’ personalities into ourselves. We find that there is something missing in our lives or something that can fill the void. We take inspirations from them and move forward in our lives. Maybe we even long for the powers they have and pretend that they have effects in real lives. Maybe we even relate the difficult circumstances we once were in. Maybe the atmosphere that these characters are in bear some resemblance to our lives. In my case, I totally enjoy rumbling like Felicity Smoak, imagine processing my surroundings at a speed of attosecond just like Barry Allen does, try my best to think critically just as Light and Lelouch did, try not to time travel and not get into trouble like Rintarou and Makkoto Konno (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) and, not distance myself from my close friends just like Anohana portrayed. I don’t know why I involuntarily mimic the fictional characters from my favorite shows but one thing is certain-I am in love with it. In doing so I realize the power that these fictional characters can have in my life and it is awesome!

TALKING ABOUT ENGLISH SERIES

I have watched numerous English serials. Serials such as Castle, White Collar, Sherlock, The Simpsons, Prison Break, House MD, Lie To Me, HIMYM and Friends have been my favourites while some such as My Family, Undercover Boss, Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon remain my casual picks. Each of these serials and few others that have not crossed my mind right now have taught me various valuable lessons.

Some of these serials baffle my senses with ingenuity, some take me into the world of medicine, some lure me with a creative partnership between a fiction mystery writer and a detective, some showcase the inthinkable symbiosis between an FBI agent and an ex-con artist, some take off monotony from my life and take me to a laughter marathon. Each serial just takes my breath away. Both literally and figuratively.

There is so much to learn about the creative plots and suspense that gets built up as you watch their episodes. Moreover, the flavours each serial cook up is refreshing than ever. Different scenarios, different identities, different cases, different tensions that get built up between the protagonists. You name it. It’s all totally awesome. That is why I love to search the best series out there based on the reviews that they get or from my circle of serial addicts. It is synonymous to venturing to a new world.

A snapshot of ABC’s Castle.

Watching serials is a must. Movies are a short term entertainment that lasts from an hour to three. But serials are completely different. Most of these either last 20 minutes or 45 minutes. And if you are watching from the channels, the anticipation of a new episode really haunts you. Maybe a day. Maybe a week.

When you have a collection, either through your peer circles or from DVDs, marathon viewing is the best way to relieve those moments. You scrutinize every miniscule details and build up your own conclusion. You don’t get tired about losing the storyline even for a split second as you aren’t restricted to watching ads. You just need to wait few seconds, and not a day/a week, before you get on to the next episode. Just pause, rewind, fast forward(don’t do that please) and play. Your daily serial digest at your service.

I advise you to build a serial watching habit. Trust me, you will dwell your mind into infinite imaginative plots. And it’s more fruitful than scrolling your pages to read what your Facebook ‘friends’ are up to.

If you think that watching serials is a waste of time, I understand that you are referring to the boring trite family rows that get showcased in most of the Indian serials and mostly watched by your mother/spouse. It just means that you have not walked outside of the comfort zone. Basically you have been punished by the boredom. And that’s why watching serials produced by ABC, CBS, FOX, USA and BBC are better and cooler. It does not let your time go to waste.

So next time you think about ways to pass your time, watch any of the aforementioned great shows and you will thank me for the great advice. Let’s start a serial marathon!

CHAPTER THREE: THE CONFESSIONS

“Sarthak! Sarthak!” I yelled from the corner of the room as Satra went on a rampage destructing the thousand inventions that embellished the mansion of the popular scientist.

“Whyyyyyyyyyyy? Whyyyyyyy?” Sarthak cried endlessly as he was desperate to get answers from the friend who he had gone to ask for in the corridors of Gaurishankar house. The same friend who taught Sarthak the importance of getting serious at every tasks.

“Why you ask? How could you dare ask that question?” Sunil responded furiously as he became adamant to take control of the situation, “It shouldn’t bother ya guys a little bit. Whatever I am today, it’s all due to your invention of Mind control machine. You had guaranteed….”

“Enough with the crazy talks, Sunil!” I interrupted as I could not bear any more of the scenes unfolding right in front of my eyes.

“What do you know about the state I’m in, huh? All ya been caring about is that lousy girl that you had just seen and who got kidnapped immediately by that punk DK! You are a fool. Did you know that?” Sunil began to share the agony that he had long been left to suffer all these years.

“Stop calling her lousy!” I protested to my might despite being clung to the walls and tortured in broad daylight. Sarthak, on the other hand, was dragged ruthlessly as Sunil had carried him away to make him suffer when he initiated the destruction of Dumba’s Laboratory.

“Aaaarghhhhh….. Why? Why did you damage my property and put all the blames on my inventions?” Sarthak cried out. I laid down in cold heart crying as I searched for answers to the reason the blood gushed out of mine and Sarthak’s bodies.

Sarthak displays a fake smile in order to hide the agony that he faces with a friend who has lost his ethics

“Why is he doing all this?” I thought, searching for clues to link with the situation.

“You guys wanna know my secret. Then listen. After I graduated, I came back to Nepal. I thought that my country had given me a lot and it was my time to contribute to its development. I had a hectic time. The common problems that I faced in the government offices to register my company left me dumbfounded as it forced me to slowly give up on my dreams. But I was audaciously keeping tracks on the progress that was taking place despite the issues. I thought that I had done enough. However, the problems worsened.

“Deep down, I knew that someone was behind this. I started the investigation myself. I had no one left to rely on.

There’s a lot of mafia activity going on in the government. And the most surprising thing: one of our own men was in control of all these activities.

“But I didn’t know who it was. Then, your Mind Control Machine made news headlines and I thought that this was the only chance. My only chance to be face to face with the culprit. I purchased and started the session immediately.

“At the beginning, I felt that my mind was to its full potential. I gathered a lot of crucial information. Then right when I neared my target, the side effects appeared. And I have gone mad ever since. Ha ha haaa haaaaa.”

(Coldplay’s Life in Technicolour playing…)

“Hey, who’s this?” Sunil picked up his phone.

“Just finish off the business, you idiot,” the person in the phone directed.

“Ok,” Sunil paused for a moment, “Let’s move, you fools.”

* * *

“So, who wants to die first?” Sunil laughed with his gun loaded, as he took us to the edge of the Chilime hill.

“Sarthak, you stay back. This is my fight,” I bid farewell to the most genius man I’ve ever met, “Sayonara!”

“Just shoot it, you filthy soul!” I yelled at the masked man.