Allow me to introduce myself. My name is April Violet. My friends call me Letti. I’m a 30-something woman living in a big city. While I’ve been relatively successful in my career, I haven’t had much success with anything else. Here is a brief list of areas I haven’t been successful in: Dating, getting my driver’s license, Tiktok dances, and catching the attention of Henry Cavill. Henry if you are reading this…I love you. Despite it all, I have become a human library for all things pop culture and fandom. It has not only become my career but is fully integrated into my way of life. Thanks to the great people at Fandom Spotlite, I will be chronicling my life and giving out advice in a segment I am calling, ” Life According to Fandom.” This column will be equal parts satire, embarrassing truths, and honest advice. I don’t proclaim to be an expert in life, but I am an expert in Fandom.
As I mentioned in my wordy introduction, I am not the greatest at dating. I have spent much of my life chasing career success. My horse-like tunnel vision to achieve recognition from my peers didn’t allow for much of anything else. I’ve had a handful of causal flings in my twenties, followed by one or two attempts at a serious relationship.
Recently, I have been casting my net in the waters of dating, hoping to find the elusive fish in the sea just for me. When I pulled my net I found myself with a few options. Each suitor has their weaknesses and strengths but what they all have in common is big…hearts.👀 Plus they are hot as hell. As I get to know them, I find it hard to make a decision. A girl has options! This has never happened to me. As I ponder what to do with my choices, I wanted to share some Fandom examples of characters who had options and what they did to decide.
Jan-Di – Boys Over Flowers
K-Dramas (Korean Dramas) are known for taking real-life situations and exaggerating them to extreme levels. Boys over Flowers is the Korean adaptation of the popular manga of the same name. The main protagonist is Jan-Di, a poor girl with either the worse luck imaginable or the best luck in the world. Depends on how you look at it. Jan-Di finds herself through a series of odd events accepted into a school for Korea’s elite. There she catches the attention of F4, the most popular and good-looking guys in school. The drama has Jan-Di in a love triangle between two of the four, Jun-Pyo and Ji-Hu, technically she has chemistry with all four.
Jan-Di finds it difficult to choose between the pretty boys because they are all pretty great. Also, one of them has a witch for a mom who will stop at nothing to keep her son from loving Jan-Di. In the end, Jan-Di chooses Jun-Pyo as the one she will marry. However, she remains close to the other three men. When you think about it, Jan-Di ended up in a win-win-win-win situation. Not all of us are lucky, but if you can find a way to have it all, DO THAT! As long as you aren’t hurting anyone and there is great communication, things will be ok.
Peter Parker – Spider-Man
Now dig on this! Peter Parker has always been lucky with the ladies. Today, we are going to focus on the Raimi Trilogy of Spider-Man films. Peter is a seemingly nerdy dude…who is also poor…I’m sensing a theme. Anyways, his circumstances don’t hinder him from being the object of affection of many beautiful ladies. Yes, his heart has Mary Jane’s initials carved into it but it didn’t stop him from trying his luck with some other women. There was Betty Brant from the Daily Bugle, neighbor/daughter of the landlord Ursula Ditkovich, and friend Gwen Stacy. Before you start yelling, I totally agree the correct choice is Ursula.
Peter found it easier to deal with supervillains than untangle the web of his love life, though both often crossed paths. In the end, Parker followed his heart and ended up with his first love, M.J. Having several options can be fun, but when it comes to love this is serious business. Trust your heart and you won’t need to ride on the wings of a hero.
Carrie Bradshaw – Sex and the City
If there is one character that knows about options, it is Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. The New York writer not only had her fair share of options for lovers but a small fortune of options when it came to shoes. One day I will have both problems… Similarly, Carrie chronicled her life in NYC as a single gal looking for love, fashion, and the bagel in her column in the New York Observer. The glamorous Bradshaw had great taste in fashion but questionable taste in men.
The writer found herself- for six seasons and two films, and now a reboot- weighing out her options: Mr. Big or Aiden. Aiden provided Carrie with romance and the simple life, but Mr. Big offered intense sexual chemistry and all the luxury money could buy. Fans of the show will say that it was always going to be Mr. Big because she cheated on Aiden with him. Still, many hoped that Carrie would see that Aiden was the right choice. I say when in doubt, go with the rich guy.
In all seriousness, you are the one who truly decides what qualities are important to you when it comes to love. Whether it be the one you loved all along, the one with deep pockets, or you choose them all, just do whatever makes you happy.
As for myself, I’m still trying to decide which option is best for me. Until then I’ll keep following my fandom and I hope you will keep following yours.
See you next time.
