Fantasy In Real Life #FantasyIRLTag: Part One

The UK release date for An Ember in the Ashes is June 4th and Harper Voyager came up with an amazing idea. They sent out these #FantasyIRL cards with the proofs, about issues in An Ember in the Ashes (and Fantasy in general) that coincides with what we deal with every day in real life.

I was going to post this all at once, but it would be a long post, So I'm splitting in two.

 If I want to save him, I can't let fear control me.

It's easy to let fear control your actions- it governs Laia's decisions from the outset in An Ember In the Ashes. And in reality, the pressures of modern life can be just as difficult to navigate.

We all have moments where we feel out of control of our own lives. What helps you regain control? 

I let fear control me at times, I let stupid little things control me at times because of worry and stress, I latch onto the littlest things. To regain control? I distract myself. Read. Write. Listen to music. I've never been one for a journal or diary, I started writing music in high school, and I used that as an outlet, I guess.

Have you ever been a victim of peer pressure or felt pushed into doing something you don't necessarily agree with? What advice would you give to someone in a similar situations? 

I know a lot of peer pressure comes from high school, I've never really felt it. My group of friends were awesome people, we didn't necessarily have a lot in common, but we liked the same music. My best friend was the total opposite of me. She smoked. I didn't. She drank. I didn't. That was okay, nobody pushed me into trying anything I didn't want to. So on that kind of peer pressure, I guess my advice is, is your friends try to push you into something you don't want to do, then they're not really your friends. Take a step back and walk away.

That's what I'm fighting for, I remind myself. Not ruler-ship. Not power. Freedom.

Elias struggles with the notion of freedom in An Ember in the Ashes- he desperately wants to make his own decisions, as we often do in reality.Modern life often means doing things we don't want t to do (as in fantasy). 

What do you do to keep yourself feeling positive during a difficult day?

Music's a saviour for me, it's relative, and it helps knowing that you can relate to it, and the lyrics.

Are there any songs/places/people that make you feel happy?

It's hard to pick songs, because that would be a long list. But, Bon Jovi, Queen, Better Than Ezra, Our Lady Peace, Paramore are the ones I usually go to.

What about you? What do you do to keep yourself feeling positive?