Fiction

Fiction as a genre of writing has evolved considerably. Whole volumes of books are being released every single year. But writing a successful fictional novel is not easy. You must have a good concept to start with, a healthy imagination and, I guess most importantly, a knack for writing. These are bare essentials of being a good fiction writer. Now, if you have all of this, good! But what sometimes bores me when I read fiction is when the writer lets his imagination soar, he doesn't control it and off it goes to outer space which ends up with it being completely absurd and far fetched.
I am a huge fan of fictional writing and movies and whatnot. It helps you reach a higher realm where the ordinary stupid people are generally absent. Science fiction is a one kind of fiction where imagination of the writer does escape to outer space.

Us science fiction writers take science and technology to a higher altitude altogether. But getting to this altitude is a task in itself and one may wonder if these heights could be scaled...

No famous person has said this, but the one who has, is indeed great (sadly, it is not me, either). But this statement is true. These sci-fi people make some weird machinery or technology or idea up and make a story about it. This can serve to be motivation for budding scientists and inventors, but it can also end up like a string theory paradox. You know it can be there, but you can't prove it to be. People have died trying to make stuff read in books.
Science fiction shows like Doctor Who, Star Trek, etc. are shows, where the concept of SCIENCE fiction is overshadowed by the plot and story (offense intended Whovians, Trekkers, alike). When you make a Science fiction show, you must have your science stuff predefined, in my opinion. I learnt about the anatomy and biology of the Doctor(s) much after their troubled past and sociopathic tendencies. Even I find this a little wrong when I say this, for it is finally a show meant for entertainment and enjoyment and not necessarily education. When sci-fi shows are made, the science and complexity behind the ideas and bodies of characters is considered as trivia.
The entertainment factor is a must, you can't deny that. There can't be people as technical and critical like me everywhere. There will be people with a less critical point of view for "Science Fiction" shows. The producers in the end, have to make profits by their show. That is criterion number one. But, let me tell you, as pure entertainment and fun, these shows are not at all bad... I just find them not upto the mark of SCIENCE fiction shows.
The BBC show, Sherlock, cannot be considered as a fictional series. But the reason why I like that so much is that the science behind his investigations is so concrete and wonderful it leaves me amazed! It is crime investigation show, true, and most crime investigation shows do have concrete science backing their plot, but now the entertainment factor comes into play. The actors and the dialogues and the plot is immaculate and perfectly cogent. I can keep on ranting about the greatness of "Sherlock", but know this, it indeed is great and to match the intellectual level of Sherlock Holmes would indeed be an achievement!
Now onto out-of-this-world fictions! The finest book I have read so far on this genre is JRR Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'. It is a book which was almost never boring. Now that is an achievement. I tip my hat to you, Tolkien. Tolkien's Hobbit has a great story. It is a pure literary work, by the way. He has incorporated all those weird species of people we have been hearing of since kindergarten. Dwarves, elves, goblins, orcs, Wizards(notice the capital 'W'). All these species of bipedals thrive in a place known as Middle Earth. They have their conflicts, their rivalries, old scores, resentments, etc. What I believe is Tolkien has managed to encompass our modern day society with its internal rife and speculation into this place called Middle Earth and has depicted everything precisely.
Lord of the Rings is a classy fiction novel which I have come to love to bits, for it is a pure literary and fictional novel. Tolkien has a healthy imagination and great command over his words which always manages to captivate me.
Another thing I really liked about LOTR is that Tolkien published this book called the "History of Middle Earth". Now because of this book, you get to know the backstories of all the clans and tribes of Middle Earth. Now that is what I would like from writers all across. Whenever you make up a character with demons within, problems or fears, always try to give a brief description of how they actually originated. Tolkien just doled out a huge book for it all, but one need not go to such a great extent for this.
So what I basically want to say is, give a reason for everything you write. Don't just add stuff to your story just because you wanted to. Characters who don't have much importance, and are quickly cast aside are remembered by people. Dobey from Harry Potter, well, he made an appearance in 'Chamber of Secrets' book and directly at the end in the 'Deathly Hallows' book. But what I especially liked about that was, Rowling gave him an honourable hero's death. People actually went out of their way on making posts honouring Dobey and all that on Tumblr, Facebook, etc. The Head Counsellor of Hephaestus Cabin, Charles Beckendorf from the Percy Jackson books was also given a hero's death. Same applies for Silena Beauregard, Michael Yew, etc. What I am trying to say is, don't just ignore the rather unimportant characters in your story. People tend to remember those particular characters, so honour your readers by remembering them yourself, budding writers!
And if you have an idea for a story, don't hesitate to try. You might crash and burn completely, disproportionately wrecked. Then, you now at least know how to not write a good story and work upon that. If your language is good, grammar upto the mark with a slightly strange story which people IN GENERAL don't like, don't really worry. There will be those stranger, unusual people like you who will like those stories and try to magnify your fanbase. You just have to be consistent. And always avoid stupid mistakes, please, that is a must. It all works in the end, you just have to work on it. You must be a spider, weaving new stuff as you go along; and you must, you fucking must know how each and every thread in your web dances! If you do, then great! You are good to go! I will be looking out for your next book!
If it is good, I will recommend! If it is bad, I will demolish it completely with a scathing review! All the best!

Villains: Pure and Perceived

For me, the antagonist defines the movie. The protagonist is more or less the same in character. Good, strong, always follows the rules, brave and all that. Nowadays the heroes of the movies are shown having inner demons and their dark side... But so far, none of them has ever really explored it well enough. It is always like the "Dark Side" is more of an annoying little bug than an influencing factor in the protagonists actions. The role of the protagonist now becomes boring. It has become cliched now. The background, the backstories change, but the underlying idea, the concept remains constant. This guy will fight for what is good, laughing in the face of death while protecting what he loves the most and yada-yada-yada.

The antagonists, the villain, yes... These are the charismatic guys. You could say that villains are pretty much the same, too. All they want is to destroy and ravage whatever is there of civilization for their personal gains and cause people agony. In a way, this is true. Antagonists do show regular gradation in their ideals, but there will always be exceptions, for evil knows no bounds. 

There are two main kinds of villains: Pure and Perceived (the title says it). 

I will start with the less complicated kind of villain - the perceived ones. 

The perceived villains are the most common and the most predictable ones. There is a reason why they are called "perceived" villains. That is because they are not really evil people. They are the ones who are scorned and want revenge. So basically, a perceived villain is a villain who has his intentions influenced by his sentiment. There are too many examples of such kind of villains. Bollywood prefers such villains for it is ruled by excessive display of unnecessary emotion. 

It mostly follows the sentiment of love. Two people fight over something (mostly a girl), one of them gets it, the other gets angry and feels that he has been wronged and yearns for the destruction of his rival and thus obtain said "object". My verdict over such a plot? BORING. This is such a cliched and redundant and repetitive plot... God, my disgust for it must be easily conveyed by the tautology used in the previous sentence. It might be considered as an egregious generalization of the protagonist-antagonist relationship, but it does happen! A villain should be inspired. He should have a clear idea of what he is going to do. Doing evil should be considered as a science which requires study and research. So while planning evil, your head should be boss and not your heart! The root cause of doing evil should not come out of baser emotions, but from higher thoughts and ideas of destruction! I might come out as a sadist here, but what I believe, if there is a villain who desires for destruction for lives, he should not act on instinct and emotion. He must scheme well to assure it. Sigh... I hope filmmakers henceforth do make such villains, because seriously guys, it gets boring...
Now come the more dreaded and most unpredictable kind of villains - the pure ones. These guys do evil because they like to. No other motive in play. Brilliant, isn't it? Do evil because you feel like it... One might consider this to be completely irrational and illogical behaviour, but aren't we always told to do stuff which we like? Why should one require an incentive to pursue a hobby? When we do stuff we like, we can reach the pinnacle of success in that particular field.
I am most inspired by such criminal minds, especially this brilliant man called Prof. James Moriarty. I watch the BBC show "Sherlock" rather obsessively just because of this guy. He acts true to his title of supervillain. What he does in the show is cause evil because he wants to. He doesn't expect anything in return, but just enjoys seeing the world in pandemonium. Now that is classy. You might consider him to be a sadist of the highest order, but it is not the case. He is a simple and brilliant guy, he only does stuff because he wants to. Nothing, not even pain and torture can stop him. But for such brilliant operations and schemes, you do need inspiration. What motivates Jim Moriarty is boredom. He needs distractions otherwise he is left at the mercy of his uncontrollable and self-destructive mind which will consume him. And as a distraction, he chooses the path of crime. This engages his mind very well and thus he excels in it. He is prepared to go to any lengths to complete his operation. Willing to undergo pain and torture just to see his plans completed. Now that is dedication at its finest! Yes, he is a lonely guy with no one around him and is unloved and all that, BUT he is really good at his job, and isn't that enough compensation?
Another one of these pure criminals is The Joker. Another brilliant man. He, too, kills people because he finds it fun. There is a major difference between Jim and The Joker. The Joker simply does things, with no warning and no prior notice whereas Jim plans and schemes to ensure maximum damage. Both of these guys have their own ways of ensuring authenticity to their plans. Jim keeps an eye on everyone in his network to make sure that he has no squealers in his midst. The Joker on the other hand, does not plan much. He simply calls him men, tells them his plans and go. It might be possible for a cop to go undercover into The Joker's camp but the Joker has no sane men with him. All his inmates are mentally unfit people. They have this factor of unpredictability and dangerousness which he finds perfect for crime. He himself is a schizophrenic and experiences all this, and so he knows what really goes on in the minds of such people.
The Joker, like Moriarty, is a loner, but he had a social life, unlike Jim. Although he did lose it, he has been in society and knows its pressure points. He knows what makes people weak, what people fear. The great thing about such villains is that they are above this hoopla. People simply have nothing to threaten them with. They have no pressure points, pain and torture is all fun and games for them. It makes them stronger. Pure villains only desire for anarchy and mayhem. That is all.
There is always a grey zone between two contrasting ideas, kind of like a transition zone. It does not have many occupants in it, but there are a few notable ones. Most prominent among them is Bane and Ra's Al Ghul, both from the Batman trilogy (yes, I am a fan of Batman). The thing about these guys is that they are driven by emotion, not for another person, but for an ideal. Bane and Ra's Al Ghul both want the destruction of Gotham City because it is a breeding ground of suffering and injustice (gotta love the way Ra's Al Ghul says this in Batman Begins). There is greed and corruption bubbling under the seemingly tranquil surface of Gotham.
Such people are CONSIDERED villains, mind you. If you see from their point of view, they are actually helping mankind, but they will destroy many innocent lives in the process. They don't long for mayhem, they want peace and happiness but opt for a more aggressive and violent path - kind of like extremists. If you weigh up the pros and cons of their ideas, the cons outweigh the pros, yes, but it does have pros! If they had got their way, would it have been better? One is left to wonder...
The reason why I love a good villain is that they teach me stuff. Something you do out of goodness might be considered wrong by others. You learn how different people think and react to different situations; and these villains generally have a really far fetched reaction, so you are able to imagine the worst-case scenario, too. You get to know stuff because of them. What I find most wonderful is that pure villains are able to withstand pain and suffering. They don't really care too much that they are being beaten up or abused.

You always feel pain, it is always there, but you don't have to fear it! 

You live through the pain and go on, relishing whatever gets thrown in your way... Because staying alive is so boring, isn't it?! It is just staying... 

Schooltime Crime

One of the most exhilarating experience I have ever had in school is of successfully carrying out an elaborate prank. Of course, you are bound to face the music later, but who cares? Another great feeling post-crime is of surviving the yelling you have received. It will be derogatory, insulting and shameful, but you survived it without begging for mercy or bawling. Yeah, that feels amazing and you get invigorated to do more shit!
But to be a successful master villain in school, first off, you should recognize your mentality. You shouldn't be prejudiced while making mischief. Your intentions should be pure. You do such stuff just because you like it and find it fun. Revenge and all that stupid sentimentality should stay away from making mischief, otherwise, it gets boring and once your only objective for mischief gets fulfilled, you lose your edge and drive for mischief. So first principle, make mischief because you enjoy it, not because you want to prove something to people or something...
Next, never make mischief if you want to score popularity points. You will end up making a fool out of yourself and, more importantly, you will endanger the plan. I can't emphasize enough on this point because it is the case so many times! These guys want to be a part of the operation just to be 'one of the mischievous people'. Firstly, we 'mischievous people' don't really care about what others think of us. Secondly, such people are the worst when it comes to stealth and flying under the radar. They act tough, but apply a little pressure and they begin to squeal, and expose everyone. Remember the Joker at such times. You need to know the squealers and the weak and throw them out of the plan. Acting nonchalant, ignoring disgusted looks and being good with words is what is required to be a good mischief maker. Guys who come in for popularity generally lack all of these because they don't realize it's importance and consider mischief to be child's play.
One guy alone is never dangerous. But get some like-minded people together and they become a force to reckon with. Another criterion for mischief is to have eager participants. No two guys are alike, so more the guys, more the diversity, and thus, more the unpredictability. But correctly choosing your friends for mischief is vital. Being unpopular yourself works great for carrying out mischief, believe me, I have learnt this from experience. Unpopular guys work best for mischief too. They don't give too many fucks about what others think of them and are always ready to get onto the field. A well-liked guy is also good to have in your team, because people will not suspect him too much, so he can work. Now come the schemers. Schemers are important people, they initiate the plan. But you need to know your schemers well. The smart guys in your class will most probably end up being schemers. But you need to decide whether they work or not. Smart but weak-minded schemers can be bullied to get information out. If the discipline incharge of the class catches him, he will squeal and spoil everything and expose everyone. A schemer if caught, is the most dangerous thing that can happen, even worse if he is weak. I am a schemer and also get on the field, but not all are as stoic or dense like me, so caution is a must.
That is the preparation, now comes the execution. Mischief consists of elaborate plans to make fun of people or just keep taunting people until they go nuts.
I am an expert when it comes to taunting people, by the way. Teasing people, is an art, and making them really angry is success. There are certain rules when it comes to taunting, they are:
1. Pick the right opportunity. Whenever you get the chance, you begin. Not attracting too much attention is key here. If you get too much attention, people WILL realize that you are going to start a riot. Some people attract attention on purpose which feeds their craving for attention, but endangers the plan.
2. Whenever you taunt, you NEVER, NEVER target a person's handicap. If a guy has a leg problem, you don't call him lame. It is wrong, and really, it is not his fault that he has some defect. But, if people have said or done something stupid, you target it and make them pay for it. That becomes their weakness which you pound against. If a person has a some sort of weird habit, you make fun of that. One very important thing while taunting is never forget any piece of stupid thing done. You recycle stuff and make the guy remember his age-old stupidity. Keeping an account of everything is important and you should make your target suffer for everything stupid they have done.
When it comes to elaborate plans, the details should not be given to everyone. One person must know all. That is the best way to ensure secrecy.
Now for the counterattack your targets will come up with. The most clichéd response people have is inflicting physical injury. Now if the taunter is hit, he should never hit back. That is the price you must pay. But you can always avoid it. Running away from these angry people and taunting while you are at it is the best solution really. It angers them even more and you enjoy it more. The taunter should never go on the offensive. If hit, he should take it and continue with his plan. If you hit back, you give the guy opposing more stuff on you to complain. If he complains, it starts with you teasing him hitting, and you hitting back and the balance is not in your favor. Then you go down. There are not many people who can take hits from people quietly, but that is why they are not top-grade mischief makers. I myself have great resilience when it comes to being hit, for I have had ample experience dealing with it from my big sis, so, almost all in favor for me.
When it comes to mischief, I am completely clueless about girls. I have no idea how they will react to it. And I seriously doubt they can even handle jokes... Well at least most of them. I have no experience dealing with them, and I am not even bothering to obtain some. There are some guys who play pranks on girls, but what I have seen so far, that they (girls) generally end up despising them.
I have known just one female good mischief maker, but that is all. I was really surprised when I realized that, though... I never expected it and I am not easily surprised... There are different, smarter  people around, aren't there?
Now the more intriguing part: dealing with the discipline enforcers. Every school has this idea of Council of Students. These guys are the pawns of the teachers, in simple words. Although, there are some who aren't... But limited in number. But yes, pawns in general. All you have to do is get them on your good side or your neutral side. Getting them to hate you is a bad idea for they have more power than you (at the cost of freedom, anyway). I am good friends with the Council of my school, so they usually don't bother my plans too much. But yes you must be wary to a certain degree.
The school is like the government. If we make mischief, they must control it. And obviously, they will have their own "spies". These spies are the infamous snitches who babble everything they know to the teachers or the person in-charge of discipline. Snitches are not easy to identify, yes, but there are always patterns emerging; common characteristics showing themselves. A snitch is generally a person of slightly more than average intellect and is social. These snitches will listen to your conversations and plans, and even contribute to it. Now remember, their contributions are generally very stupid and worthless, but they do that just to show that they are taking part. Snitches NEVER come in on the field. NEVER. They are scared of the teachers and live in their fear. These are some of the characteristics of snitches. Remember, there is always a snitch in a class. You must always be wary of them. Even the peons and maids of the school can also turn out to be spies, but they will only see you doing stuff, they won't know the plans and details of the prank. 

The greatest hindrance to a budding mind is sentiment. It greatly attenuates the potency of a marauding heart and mind. To carry out mischief and go unnoticed, you must keep such stuff out. Entertaining sentiment does no good. It leads to partiality and favouring people over other which is a cardinal sin. A mischief maker never discriminates. Every person in the class should be a potential target. Sentiment discourages such thinking and leads to bullshit like favouritism and rife in the operation. It is not easy, yes, I know, but you must prioritize. Do you want to be in the good books of people or do you want the thrill of mischief? The choice is yours...

A very important aspect of a mischief maker is not harbouring grudges. If someone hits you too hard considering what you have done to him, you shouldn't banish him from your mind. Forgive him. That is the best thing you can do. See, people have conscience. They realize when they have overreacted. They do realize their mistakes, and believe it or not, they themselves might participate in mischief, The target becomes the offender. What a changeover! 

For all budding mischief makers, there are is no end to mischief. You can trouble people to no end, that is fine. But remember, being nice to people when you are off the high of the drive is very important. You need friends. They are going to be your helpers and fellowmen during times of action. 

All people have their understanding of order. People do not panic when things go according to plan. Some regular guy is teased, he breaks down, nobody bats an eye. But if one of those "popular" guys takes a beating, then suddenly everybody loses their minds. Upset the existing order and everything becomes chaos. Aim for that. Never discriminate. Sentiment is alright as long as it helps you, by the way. If it gives you new ideas and points of view, do not completely disregard it. And finally, for all mischief makers: Introduce a little anarchy...

The Social Network

First off, this is not a review or even remotely related to the movie 'The Social Network', although it might seem otherwise, considering the title. This piece of writing is based on the social network of school which we have thrived and lived in.
For a person with a mathematically inclined and scientific mind, society has never failed to amaze me. My misanthropic tendencies also sometimes cloud my ability to judge society which is populated with these slow and lesser people who always seem to drive me crazy.
Society entertains some really stupid and irrational notions which I have come to detest. One of these is the idea of popularity. Everyone who has been to school must have dealt with this idea of popularity. There are the popular guys and girls, and then there are those unpopular people. Now before I go down with the criteria society entertains for popularity, I just wonder, is there a unit for popularity by which we can measure and compare this abstract concept? Not currently there isn't, but what if we tried to have one? But the problem which arises now is that popularity is an abstract concept which differs for different people, which sucks, really. The unpredictability society offers is invigorating and infuriating, too. Even though minds of the people in society are lesser than mine, I can't really predict what goes on in there. It's foolishness and craving to please people varies from person to person. Someone might give a particular opinion or view just to impress his or her peers while some other guy might give an answer just to avoid unwanted attention. Someone else might give a completely radical point of view which is not acceptable or ridiculed by others, yet he/she does it out of pure defiance or indifference. One can completely disregard such research, considering the fact that there is utter, utter randomness and inconsistence, but... isn't that what science is all about, deciphering order from chaos?
Now onto school's idea of popularity. After consulting with one who is considered popular, yet shares common views, I have realized that a person is considered popular if he/she manages to grab people's attention. Now the media used to grab attention are the points of differentiation between people who are actually popular and those who just WANT to be popular - the attention seekers is the terminology.
Being popular generally requires you to be bold, and you should be able to voice your thoughts and views ably in class as well as in your social circle. At times, people resort to being excessively rude at the expense of being funny to their fellow peers. Making fun and completely ridiculing one person just for the sake of scoring brownie points in society is something people do to get popular. Those people who actually earn their popularity by making their presence felt are those who really are popular. They become popular on their own merit and mind.
Another thing which is omnipresent in society is GOSSIP. People, in general, love to gossip. I never really understood why people gossip. You pick a person and bitch about him. That is the definition of gossip. That is all. You waste your precious time talking about and obsessing over a particular person, getting nowhere. Yet, some people love to gossip. Especially those who are popular. They must know every piece of dirt on some person and every single thing happening in and around them. No particular reason for it, just ENTERTAINMENT, they say. Gossiping is the most unproductive activity, according to me, but people are also considered popular BECAUSE they know stuff. Well, I respect knowledge, but not such bullshit knowledge.
Another shitty notion society of all kinds entertains is of discrimination. In school, there will always be discrimination between the cool and the nerdy and the unpopular. School practices this at a lesser level than actual society, but it is always there. Some guys are literally treated as untouchables. I know this guy who is cool to hang out with, but is unclean, at times, is shunned by almost everyone in our school. People don't even give him a chance. Roughest kind of treatment, he receives. I mean, people talk about eliminating inequality in society but school itself, the foundation of one's thoughts, is the breeding ground of discrimination. A recluse in school is considered to be an idiot and a person with no life. Why is that? You don't even know what goes on in his/her head, yet people jump to conclusions. This can ruin the person's mind. Yet people continue. And let me tell you, these are not sadists or mischief makers at play here. They are smarter people. These are insecure wannabes. You just have to ignore these retards and march on your own drummer.
'The Social Network' of schools, however undesirable at times, is always there. It will NEVER cease to be. You just have to fight it on your OWN. Complaining to teachers and parents will make you weak. Always remember, you are not alone, there are others like you. If there are popular guys, there will be unpopular guys. Make your own friends and don't give a fuck about what those other guys think of you. It is all on your ability to not give a fuck, and let me tell you, it works, and these 'unpopular' guys are the least prejudiced people. The vibe with them is of least tension and of pure fun. Do that, and you will be able to say a nice long 'fuck you' to the Network.