30 June 2003
This has not been a good day. RL is frustrating.
A Deeper Season, Part 4. Clex. Love Clex. There's been a nice spate of stories with young adult Clark and adorable Lex. Or as adorable as he can get while still wearing that shark grin, anyway. A Figure in Hiding is good AU. Is it just me, or is it that all these LJ people write incredibly well?
Time and Chance shaping up in a good way, can't wait for the next installment.
And Kouri and co. updated! Next chapter of With Friends Like These. Crawford takes off, Schuldig is in charge.
25 June 2003
Well. . . I was all prepared for a mini fic-drought while the rest of the
world assimilates OoP and I admit, I'm terrified that some of those WIPs I've
been reading will never get completed now. It's sort of true; I haven't seen
evidence of very much activity on the fic-front--and my mailing lists show an
appalling (in both senses) amount of speculation on OoP.
I'm bewildered by the amount of Remus/Sirus angst.
However, did get the next installment of Changing Allegiances. Not that it's lousy, but it's not exactly my favourite story. (Where are you, Warped Mirrors, Rebuilding, Ties that Bind???). Am taking a break (RL).
23 June 2003
Time and Chance: nice, but I'm still pepped about OoP.
Have been re-reading throughout the weekend; it's still sufficiently new that its magical (no pun intended) lure hasn't worn off: whenever I begin reading it I keep hoping that the next page will bring a new surprise. Ah, the pleasures you can find in a book!!
Anyway, I think there won't be so much HP fanfic for a while, since everyone will be reading and absorbing OoP.
Read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Whoo! Whoo!
Don't worry, no spoilers, though I'll admit that some of the speculations
made over the last three years (in fanfic and in on-line discussions) did come
to life--in a matter of speaking.
I just want to know, though: what's the deal with "Harry's head span round." Twice!
(Gearing up for second reading.)
20 June 2003
Pet Peeve part II:
"Cloth", as in "He slid his hand under the cloth of Subaru's shirt." Arghh. "Cloth", again, is a technical term for the material used in clothes, as in "cloth mill". Get that, you cloths, I mean, clods? It should be "He slid his hand under the fabric of Subaru's shirt."
The first time I came across this odd thing, I though maybe the writer's first lang. wasn't English, and hence was confused by the nuances. But this has happened so many times, across so many fandoms that I just couldn't assume that. It's jarring to find a technical term right in the middle of everyday language. Like the "naked" and "nude" thing.
18 June 2003
Lay Me Down by Chicklet. Sweet, serious Clex, from Lex's
POV. Did I mention that the next chapter of Time and Chance will be
posted on 21 June? How can I read Clex when there's OoP waiting?
17 June 2003 (late
edition)
Also read With Friends Like These, Chapters 13 and 14. Nagi is
getting cuter and smarter. Yay, Nagi!
Has been a good day. Nonetheless, I want to get into a couple of my pet peeves about fanfiction.
1) The use of the word “cum” and its derivations, “cumming”, etc. What an ugly word. Really, I would rather the technical term or another euphemism was used, rather than be subjected to this word. It looks ugly, doesn’t add anything to the action or description (‘cos I know exactly what the writer’s referring to), and isn’t even a real word. It’s simply jarring. And frankly, whenever I see the word “cumming”, I start to have highly inappropriate images involving the poet. Please, people, stop!
2) The difference between “nude” and “naked”, and between “clothed” and “dressed”. The confusion between the two sets of words are very common, which is why I refer to them together. Firstly, “nude” is technical jargon from art. Therefore, unless you’re referring to a nude painting, a nude sculpture, etc., “naked” is the right word, viz., ‘He was naked in the bathroom’, NOT ‘He was nude in the bathroom’. Secondly, “clothed” may seem to refer to clothes (being on the body), but it is mainly used in an impersonal form, i.e., to cover with a cloth/ clothes, as in ‘The statues were clothed in drapes’, or ‘The winner was clothed in glory’. “Dressed” is the appropriate word to describe actual people who are wearing clothes. Therefore, it should be, ‘He was fully dressed’, NOT ‘He was fully clothed’, and ‘He was getting dressed, NOT ‘He was getting clothed.'
3) And please, it's "straitjacket" NOT "straightjacket"! The dictionary's s'pposed to accept both, but straightjacket just sounds like it's better employed to turn gays 'back to normal'.
17 June 2003
Fic-that-made-me-splutter of the day: Just Pie by Livia, which
describes Clark as: "Mild-mannered student by day, super pimp daddy by
night." Laughing in my seat while I read this.
As the Night the Day, by Dana and Alax, on the SSA. Seriously good. Clark is so much more mature here than on TV, though Lex is much more sinister--really goes out of his way to be calculating. Sex scenes are hot. Lots of introspection and Lex is really too manipulative and control-freaky for his own good. But when he meets Clark. . . then the big Love. . . could actually feel my eyes blurring. . . turning into fanfic emotional lump.
A Deeper Season, parts 1 to 3, by nifra_idril, on her livejournal, is also very good. Days like this makes life so enjoyable.
13 June 2003
Underwater Light, chapter 13. Oh. My. When's the next part coming?
More to the point, I hadn't expected Draco to fall into Harry's arms, or that two of them would declare True Lurve, but then I didn't expect what a blow his rejection would be to Harry, too. Nice development there of Harry's feelings, strong but not overwritten, though I must say that Harry's reasoning and psyche work in truly odd ways.
I have a minor quibble, though. The description of past and present events don't seem to be clearly delineated, e.g., the fight outside Dumbledore's office, the Young Order meetings. Is that deliberate, I wonder? Still, I must give extra points for not submerging the whole angsty experience in bathos; have seen stories where that happens—Harry moans and suffers (inwardly) for nearly five chapters when precious nothing else happens, this, in a world where Voldemort is still at large—and have had to stop reading merely to wipe all that saccharine goo from my mouse.
Here, it’s so much better written, and smoothly, too, almost effortless, and that’s a mark of good craftsmanship. I like the pacing of the events later, too; dramatic but restrained, adding to the horror at the end.
A superb end to my Friday and I really want the next chapter.
12 June 2003
Fanfic of Spirited Away here.
Lovely stories, enjoyable. There are really, lots of talented writers out
there.
MadamHydra's web site. Discovered that she has two new chapters of a new fanfic, and no updates on the dozen or so stories she started three years ago. Arg. I don't know. It's pretty annoying. She has talent but the stories don't get finished. Although I have to say that the content of her stories are rather disturbing. She does have an uncanny sense of the division between a person's psyche and er, personality (for lack of better terms), and how those affect each person's behaviour. But there's so much UST and damage. Too much to be healthy, surely; not that I don't enjoy the stories, but I'm thinking that my favourite Duo and Heero can't surely live--or continue to survive--after what she's put them through, at least not unless their universe changes drastically. And I like my fanfiction to contain the people I'm familiar with, or at least knowledge that there's development (as distinct from change, which is simply the opposite of inertia, whereas development always offers hope.)
11 June 2003
Depressed. In dire need of happyfic.
You know it's not a good time when even the long-awaited new installment of Warped Mirrors at GWfanfic doesn't elicit anything more enthusiastic than a 'oh, good'. Still, it is. A 'oh, good', that is, but with a cheerier tone, and an exclamation point. I've been following Warped Mirrors since it started, more than a year ago (I think) and I love the self-insertion. It's deftly written, with good histories for each pilot, and the characterization isn't too bad, considering that except for a few rare episodes, the pilots and their banter seem to be manipulated like puppets. High action is good, though.
Kouri and Karasu recommended Western Stars (at ff.net, too. . .). I just wonder: do they troll through ff.net looking for depressed!Harry and abused!Harry stories? 'cause this is the second such recommendation. Hope it's not a trend.
Yesterday: read newest chapter of Time and Chance. Clark can't be dead! That. . . would be too cruel.
5 June 2003
It's June already (surprise, nervous). How did that happen?
Anyway, read two lovely long stories today. Two Halves by Dolimir. A bit sappy at the end, I think, esp. when Clark and Lex started 'telegraphing' messages to each other. Not that that's bad, considering the premise of the story, but I could go for a slightly more restrained exchange of looks, without the looks being interpreted for me.
Sunhawk's Expectations, of the Ion arc, was lovely and satisfying. Peace and contentment doesn't come so easily for Duo, but he does get it and I loved it that he was growing throughout the story. Must read again.
28 May 2003
Am listening to Machi Didi, the album cover by Machi Didi, the newest rap group in Taiwan. If I’m not wrong, the song is sung (rapped?) by the 12-year-old Andrew—just that fact and the lyrics of the song make me squee. Especially when he drawls “I’m still a kid. . .” (in Mandarin). Is it uncool to call a 12-year-old rapper cute? ‘Cos I’ve seen the album cover, and he looks like everybody’s favorite younger brother.
Or maybe it's just me.
Workplace: Boss just said I’d have to put justified right margins for my letters. “Sure,” I say. But it looks so anal! Why can’t I have a jagged right margin?
Found myself reading snippet of String Theory. Good, and left me panting for more. More!
Yesterday, found a web site for posting original fiction, Questionable Reality, signed up, then decided to start writing. Huh, I think it’ll be a while before I post anything.
21 May 2003
Ah, Eroica. Not the Beethoven. Of With Love from Eroica fanfiction.
I’ve always loved Eroica. In this century and age, the idea of a gay
international art thief who is also an English peer, AND in love with a
repressed, but not disinterested German Earl (who is also a Nato major) sounds
like an incredible luxury, isn’t it? How did Dorian put it? The
sadistically wonderful combination of a rose vine and wire ropes? I've
just read Entanglements, together with its attendant sequels, by
Kadorienne and the Duchess. Features an original character Portia. Delightfully
campy, full of Beautiful People, reminiscent of the decadent 60s and 70s.
Complete with the backdrop of the Cold War and all the skullduggery and violence
of that age. Fluffy, yet also unsentimental (it's that rose vine and wire rope
image that's inspired so many Eroica writers--beautifully).
20 May 2003 (late
edition)
You know, I'm not one of those people who think that everything written by a
certain author is good, just because I like one of her stories (though it has
happened). Sometimes, I just like certain stories and I hate the other,
long-running spiel that the author is doing. Bonne & Von, for example have
been written two marathon WK and Escaflowne fanfics that I just can't get
into, and don't like. But I love their Petshop of Horrors stories, and
often wished there was more. And their Saiyuki stories (only prologues so
far) are so strong. Then I just read Resurrection, a Trigun story,
which is excellent, even if I don't quite get the lyrics. Don't connect with
songfics very well. But Resurrection is good. I've always liked Vash, and
the way they describe him. . . lovely.
20 May 2003
Three very different SV fics (in order of length): Spandex by
Gunbunny, A Very Luthor Wedding by Ellison Wonderland, and While the
Tempest Hurled by RivkaT. Spandex reminded me of all the spandex
discussions of Heero on GW, ranging from why!spandex to sexy!spandex. Though my
guess is that in Clark’s case it’s mostly why!spandex and
ohsoembarrassing-and-gay!spandex. At least Heero wore black. Blue and red. . .
well. . . Yup, it’s embarrassing when it’s someone you know zipping about
town in an outfit like that.
A Very Luthor Wedding, a what-if meets truth-at-the-bottom-of-a-bottle of Lex and Clark, not to mention humiliating Lionel. For example:
Lionel Luthor had spent the night on the balcony. Nobody had bothered to take him inside. Ah, how sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child.
Ah, lovely booze.
While the Tempest Hurled is a harshly acidic (referring to plot events, not writing) rendition of an alien invasion. Reality is brutal, hard to accept, overseen through Lex’s incisive gaze, and the rebellion is directed with all the ruthlessness and drive that a Lex Luthor could muster, yet not without actual compassion for the living. Hm, that description seems heavy. Oh, well. I think it does express my emotional state while reading it. It’s a well stabbed-out story and can this woman write!
19 May 2003
Ah, yes, I should mention Altville at here
, and AU fic where Clark is Julian Luthor and Lex is Alexander Kent. (Sounds
confusing.) Nice, steady progression that I’ve been reading. It’s more
adorable than anything at the moment, and I like reading other people’s
comments a lot.
17 May 2003
New chapter of Time and Chance, whereby Clark and Lex have an
argument. Eh, the dynamics of their relationship, or least the
interpretation given, is so warped. Waiting for actual plot development.
New chapter of The First Death: my, my. Are Tatsumi and Muraki finally getting along? Is the world coming to an end? And where are Tsuzuki and Hisoka?
Also new chapter of Where Will You Go?, which seems to throw up some very nice interactions between the characters, not to mention between Oriya and Muraki. Yay, kick his ass, Oriya!
15 May 2003
Have watched Matrix: Reloaded. It's not that I don't like it (I
do), it's just that I didn't really need that many special effects to show how
cool the fighting scenes were. I was weaned on Hong Kong action films; I
understand action-speak very well (a blur of fists and kicks, some nifty camera
work, and I'm convinced that the hero is well nigh superhuman, really).
Therefore, to convince me that Neo is really such a fantastic fighter, etc., I
don't need that many instances of bullet time (or whatever new name they'll come
up for it). Once you've managed to stop bullets in mid-air, everything
else is a piece of cake, isn't it? Really, I'd rather more attention was
spent on exposition of the Matrix, Zion, the other members of the team, and
overall storytelling. I think one reviewer said it best: it's the
relationships that humanizes the whole movie, otherwise it's just be another
overloaded special effects gallery.
On a different note, I'd just like to state for the record that the sight of Neo aka Keanu Reeves, in his long black robe and black shades, "doing the Superman thing", is far creepier than most vampires I've seen onscreen. (But yes, it's cool-looking.) I'm so glad Matrix is science fiction and not fantasy-horror.
14 May 2003
New taboo: angel fics. You know, the kind peopled with individuals who have
fluffy feathery white wings or black leathery ones. No more angel fics. I was
reluctant to institute this taboo because I love Harakumi's Tenshigakuen fics
and Clamp's Wish (the only exceptions I'll allow). But enough is enough. The
amount of drivel that can be attached to overly romanticised concepts of
avian-like people who are kind, beautiful and special (read: naive, slashable
and bland) who don't even have the decency to possess a spine or a personality
is rivaled only by the scads of whiskery, faint chicken scratches that passes
for the fanart of these so-called heavenly beings.
(I'm not even protesting the bastardisation of Christian imagery--but then I'm an atheist.)
The imaginary portrayals of their supposed hellish counterparts is even worse. Especially if they are 'pretty'.
What brought this on? Nothing in particular. That is, no particularly bad fics. I read one X/TB fic yesterday, and it had angels. It wasn't particularly bad. Well, the characterisation of Subaru was naively angelic. Erk. I could accept a naive, stupid Subaru, but as an angel? Not even the end of the world kind. Still, it wasn't a bad story. But. . . it got me thinking of all the other angel fics that also weren't bad, or overly corny, or overly sweet. . . just a waste of time. Plus, most of the time, it's so one-dimensional. I mean, whether you think of angels as avenging beings with flaming swords, etc., or fluffy, protective cherubs, there's a whole religious angel, I mean angle, isn't there? All those smitting and religious prejudice (my god is bigger than your god) are an intrinsic part of religion, aren't they? Let's have some good old religious hatred. After all, what do you think the rivalry in X is about?
I think Harakumi brings out some of that in her fics, which is why she is exempt from my self-imposed taboo. (And the fact that her Raphael is so sexy.) She doesn't elaborate on it, which is not a problem at all, but she doesn't pretend that it doesn't happen. And that helps me to emphathise with the angels, even the fallen in hell.
Huh, I'm justifying the fics I read based on my own philosophy; has it sunk in yet that I'm obsessed with fanfiction?
11 May 2003
Re-read Somewhere I Have Never Travelled. Then Gladly Beyond.
Whew. Good, good beyond description. Jenn's Clark is so believable that I
can almost imagine that the canon Clark acting exactly like that.
Other SV fics: chapter 16 of Time and Chance, interesting, fun to read, though not much on plot development yet. Though Lex did get to see the spaceship, after all. Oh yes, the Kents need his help to hide that spaceship better. Much, much better than a storm cellar.
On other fics: Kouri and Karasu's With Friends Like These, chapters 11 and 12. Good WK fics are hard to come by, especially those that have likeable Schuldig and Aya. I think it's hard to portray them without being overly clichéd. And by the way, where's the next part of Ties That Bind? I really need it.
And oh yes, chapter 7 of Nukume Nori, an X/TB story by Leareth, who writes great X/TB and Yami no Matsuei stories. I like this chapter; in the original series Subaru needed Seishirou's help to stop the Q2 dial girls. This time, well, things turn out differently, to say the least.
9 May 2003
Oh my god I just read a mindblowing fic called Gladly Beyond, Jenn's
sequel to heart-breaking-and-amazing Somewhere I have Never Travelled.
And it's a series! With a prequel! Of Somewhere! With two MORE sequels!
It's obvious I'm bubbling over with glee.
Serious, anyone who at all loves Superman and Lex Luther (even without SV) has to read Somewhere and Gladly Beyond. The characterization of Lex and Clark is spot on: Clark understands Lex so well that you can believe that he's superhuman in Lex-speak, too. Clark is so real, even post-Superman, that decency staying intact despite all he's been through. Love it, will re-read it again tonight. web site here.
8 May 2003
I wonder why so many HP fics use the excuse that a wizard might get de-wanded,
and therefore Hogwarts students need self-defense or martial arts
training. It's good reasoning; any sensible person would agree with
it. But let's face it, the wizarding world is not sensible. A world
where people fly around on broomsticks isn't sensible; it's fantastic,
old-fashioned and even a little clumsy. That's part of the charm for me,
though.
Is it just me, or does the world have different taste from me? After hearing raves about the second X-Men movie, I went to watch it. As promised, the younger generation were quite interesting, but Jean Grey was about as responsive as a plastic doll, Cyclops was bland, bland, bland, Storm was rather sleep-walky and Wolverine. . . okay, he's cool in that unwashed, overly hirsute, and violent manner that I'm sure passes for sex appeal. I don't know: I do think he's cool, but it could be the special effects talking. And for him, it's all me, me, me, me and my crush on Jean.
Nightcrawler was okay but rather naive. Magneto was cool in that I'm-a-evil-human-hating-mutant kind of way. You wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley (or anywhere else), but here was a guy with Serious Agenda. I kept wondering if something was up with him and Mystique, then worried that I was violating DC canon. Ah, well. Lady Deathstrike was boring. The fight between her and Wolverine was boring. The way she died was boring. Wolverine really deserved a fight worthy of his claws, not a bunch of girly nails.
6 May 2003
Dreamt that I had gotten hold of Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix. Was just reading the first line when I woke up. Darn!
Ah, well, I suspect whatever I dreamt up wouldn't be as good as the actual
book. I have a very banal imagination.
Seriously, all this HP fic-bingeing has once again fired my anxiety (yea, anxiety) for the next book.
Stepped into Harukumi's (she of Tenshigakuen fics) livejournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/harukami/ with some rather strange snippets. I really do prefer to Tenshigakuen fics, though the Good Omens fics seem interesting too.
Of a more cheering note, Clampesque Fanfiction has a Yami no Matsuei has a really promising story The First Death, wherein Muraki is killed by Hisoka and becomes a Shinigami himself. Meanwhile, his brother Saki returns. On part 5 now, and the interplay of the characters and their quirks are well done.
2 May 2003
Read Draco Malfoy the Amazing Bouncing . . . Rat? and nearly
spluttered my lunch onto my keyboard. By Maya, and it’s incredibly hilarious.
Love D. Malfoy. Basically, he gets turned into a rat, adopted by Ron and
becomes the caffeine-addicted drama queen of Gryfindor House. The whole tale’s
full of one-liners and scenes like this:
'Consider this,' he [Draco] told them brightly. 'I get turned into a rat. Tra la la. Who should little Draco suspect? After all, I was in a room filled with my minions, love slaves and - oh, yes - deadly enemies. Hm, this is a tricky one.'
'Maybe the Slytherins just felt as if they had to get rid of you,' Hermione suggested. 'I feel such empathy.'
Malfoy pursed that curling mouth, apparently considering this. 'Nah,' he concluded. 'We Slytherins are a sweet and simple folk. Why mess around with Transfiguration when perfectly good homicide is an option?'
Actually, the more he spoke the better homicide sounded to Hermione.
Malfoy leaned back in his chair, stretching luxuriously. Every female in the common room leaned in to get a closer look.
Hermione glanced over at Ginny in shocked reproach. Ginny shrugged. Honestly, redheads were such vixens.
'So I'm going to be hanging around here for a bit,' Malfoy concluded happily. 'Bringing a little ray of sunlight into your lives. Ornamenting this tasteless common room. And plotting to capture and torture one of your kind.'
Now that I think about it, his outbursts remind me of the time Gerald in Chef! said (yelled, rather) “I should be allowed the sight of his blood outside his body!” Though Malfoy is so much prettier looking. I think one of the things that make Maya’s Draco so extraordinary is that she can make prettiness in a man sound so appealing (heh). And of course, that cute little stuck up nose of his.
There’s of course her other wonderful work-in-process, Underwater Light, which features a mopey, low-self-esteem Harry (whose wit gets sharper under D’s influence) and a sarcastic, over-dramatic, slightly bitter Draco. I've gushed about it before. Mmmm.
26 April 2003
Another busy weekend flies by, and back to Monday. Did I mention that I hate
my job? It keeps me clothed and fed, and feeds my internet addiction, but I hate
it just the same.
OK, back to fanfics. Read Playing House at SSA and belatedly realised that lots of people get a vicarious thrill from describing Lex’s residence, or Lex ‘n Clark’s place, or both. Then again, if I had Lex’s money, I would let my imagination run riot too.
New chapter of Time and Chance, yay! Good exposition, but it only makes me nervous wondering when the next shoe’s going to drop. Other fandoms: new chapter of Before I Wake: finally, there’s some plot action! That’s it, Subaru, make Seishirou suffer!
25 April 2003
Word of the day: anomie
Main Entry: an·o·mie /'a-n&-mE/
Variant(s): also an·o·my
Function: noun
Etymology: French anomie, from Middle French, from Greek anomia
lawlessness, from anomos lawless, from a- + nomos law, from nemein
to distribute
Date: 1933
: social instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values; also
: personal unrest, alienation, and uncertainty that comes from a lack of purpose
or ideals
The above from Merriam-Webster online
Excellent word, anomie. Can’t think why I haven’t seen it before today (on The Globe and Mail), since it seems to characterize roughly 80% of my life.
Enough of RL, I want to go back to fanfics. Or original fics. I want to read the next chapter of Ties That Bind, Kouri and Karasu’s original story, aka further adventures of Nicky’s kids. Hm. That made it sound tackier than it is; I’m just not a wordsmith. But it really is a good story, and I’m in withdrawal ‘cos they didn’t post a new chapter last week. I need at least one chapter to keep the symptoms at bay (the constant--and audible-- speculation on What Happens Next is starting to unnerve the people around me).
Ficblog material of the day: Sacrifices of a Hero by Philtre. (Have to go back and italize all the fic titles. Some day.) Back to fic: humorous, and giggle-inducing. Why can’t there be more of such interludes? When a Strawberry is Pushed Into a Mountain is likeable. I like college!Clark. Especially when it’s Clark growing less-mopey, getting more responsible, growing into this relationship with Lex (that last part could be misinterpreted in so many wonderful ways, btw).
24 April 2003
Have been reviewing some HP fics. Unless it's funny, most HP fics are angsty.
I wonder why. Is it because there's so much death in the books? I
mean, I know people have criticized the HP books for being derivative, etc.,
that it follows in the tradition of English boarding school stories. But one
difference, I think, is that the backstory of the series is disastrous and
strewed with dead bodies. And of course Harry's own background is just
waiting for a suitably affecting interpretation. Or maybe all these
writers are just projecting their angst (healthily) into poor Harry and Draco
(and Hermione, and Ron, and Snape. . .)
Oh, yes. Before I forget: the Mary Sue Litmus Test and Too Good to be True: One Hundred Years of Mary Sue (ah, academia.) Not that HP fics are Mary Sues, unless you count the "A new student goes to Hogwarts. . .". I just needed a place to stash this link until I re-work my links page.
21 April 2003
Has been, gosh, five days since I last updated, courtesy of a work crisis and a
long weekend. Was binge-reading fics on Sunday night, a very stupid thing to do,
because it undid all my efforts to catch up on my sleep over the weekend.
Chapter 13 of Time and Chance, yes! Unfortunately (yes, I'm never content), it was mostly filler material, Clark and Lex angsting on how important they are to each other, etc., how they'll work towards a brighter future, etc. Not bad, but I want plot. All 34 chapters of Never Alone, Never Again, a HP story where the levels of depression, death, angst, etc., were rivaled only by the writer's propensity to include replies to her pen-pals at the beginning or end of each chapter. You know, I wouldn't have read all 34 chapters unless the story was good (it's ongoing and at FF.net, too; where's my halo), but the lengthy replies to fan-mail are really annoying. Verily, a reason for not sending feedback.
Checked on one of my other email accounts. . . recently, have been getting a plathora of junk mail promising to do amazing (their word, not mine) things for erm, a certain part of my anatomy. Evidently, size is all-important these days. Hm. I wonder how these merchants (if that's what they are) wonder how they could be sure that I'd be satisfied with the results. But never mind. . .
18 April 2003
Read Children of the Storm. It's good; lived up to my
expectations. Though maybe the extra evil big sister smacked a little of
deus ex machina. I was expecting Molly to be "The young serpent also
has poisoned fangs", but it was big sister #2. I loved it when all
the troops--Ramses, Cyrus, Selim and all the others--looked to Amelia for
leadership.
Like Amelia, I had a feeling of dread when Ramses's children starting talking.
16 April 2003
It's funny that a blood drive could give you the fuzzy-wuzzies. Blood drive
near office. I was in a crappy mood but went. Afterwards the nurse let me feel
my pint. Stating the obvious, I said, "It's warm."
She: "It came out of your body."
Me (feeling sorry for myself): "But I feel cold."
She: "But inside, it's warm."
Thus proving that I'm still a living human being and there is hope in the world! Hm, sounds like a potential story. Think Lex could give blood?
Eh. By the way, is there any way I can get Dayspring (other than feedback, encouragement, death threats, etc.) to give up the next chapter (and the next, and the next. . .) of Time and Chance? Rhetorical question. It's growing on me.
15 April 2003
Finally got round to reading Two Voices. I did mention how
much I love Clex, right? Pru (Prufrock) and Jenn's Sparks is
good, but not as strong as I thought it should be. Is it because it's a
collaboration? The cracks in narrative voice are a little obvious; some
parts are clearly Pru's (whose writing-and brand of Clex angst-is quite
distinctive), some are Jenn's, and they don't gell very well. I think.
14 April 2003
Am exhausted. And it's only Monday. I don't think I can make it
until the end of this week. Well, until Thursday. Thank god for Good
Fridays, even if I'm an atheist. Must. Have. Chocolate.
My theory on why there isn't so much bdsm in SV slash. It's not really necessary, is it? On the one hand, you have alien farmboy with superpowers who goes weak-kneed at the sight of bald billionaire who wears purple. Then you have incredibly rich, possibly evil, control-freak, blackmailer and make-people-disappear, sexy, scientific genius, who happens to have a soft spot for alien farmboy, and you think, bdsm is so overrated in the SV universe. Why get off on bedroom power games when you have the entire world to play with? Not to mention all those fantasies about having the man of steel at your feet. Hm. Nice picture there.
13 April 2003 (late
night edition)
Chapter 12 of Time and Chance, yay! Usually I'm cautious about reading mpreg
fics, because they are sappy and gives me the impression that the mpreg is just
a prop to (1) build up the picture of the perfect (and sorta normal) American
family, (2) to indulge in lurid descriptions of the experience of pregnancy, (3)
to show how cutsy or smart the kids are, and (more rarely) (4) propagate Clark's
species. But I really like this series. Maybe because it's unabashedly bitter,
and the picture of the perfect family is very far away. And what I like that it
shows that it's a pregnancy no one is happy with, that in a way, the so-called
new life growing inside may not be that benign and finally, just how alien
(excuse the pun) it is to have something growing inside you.
Lex did call it a 'monster', though he called it a 'baby' too, which I thought was rather premature, since it's still smaller than a grapefruit at chapter 10. And who knows, 'monster' may not be that inaccurate a word--even if it's nobody's fault (well, maybe Clark's). I'm sure the monster didn't ask to be born a monster. I find the idea that Lex and the monster/baby are in a fight for survival to be interesting. I want a good fight, honestly. I love this line:
The thing inside him may be an alien, but he had mutant powers of his own, and if it wanted to get into some kind of X-Men death battle, then bring it on!
I did twitch a little at Clark's speech to his parents when they found out about his and Lex's relationship. Too much justification, I think. Clark was trying to make his parents understand, so. . . still made me twitch, like it shouldn't be there.
I really, really hope it doesn't get sappy.
13 April 2003
Was wondering why so many people outside were carrying coconut fronds. Then
realised that it was Palm Sunday. Huh. To think that I could have
been been in Italy for Easter. (Re: aborted holiday plans.) Damn
you, Bush. Damn you.
Things I've done over the weekend: gave my Why Marriage Sucks speech. Gave advice on home renovation. Read The Shipping News, after buying it for a song at a used bookstore. Love bookstores. It re-occurs to me that I'm reading significantly less fiction. . . well, commercial fiction than I used to, oh, all of three years ago. Know that I'm missing out on some good stories. Sort of. It's hard to get excited about books that feature huge amounts of het fiction now. Oh no, it sounds like my reading tastes have been warped by slash.
Well, not really. Am going to buy Children of the Storm. Ramses trumps Indiana Jones. I love the relationship between Emerson and Amelia. I don't know why, but reading Elizabeth Peters always gets me writing.
11 April 2003
I hate babies.
Not the way you'd think, though. But, I swear, if I have to read one more story where endearments of "baby" or "babe" are used, I'll scream.
I don't know why, but I have a pathological hatred of this tag. I don't mind sickly sappy names like "sweetie", "darling", "bunny", even if they do give me toothache, but I cannot like a name that compares me to a mewling infant. Anyway, isn't it totally ridiculous that an adult would call, or agreed to be called "babe"? Don't they have any dignity left? Think of Lex Luthor, or for that matter, Clark Kent, being called "baby". Cringe.
Btw: Absolutely no disparagement of story Maybe, Baby, which has the cutest Lex ever.
8 April 2003
Have been to www.gwaddiction.com,
which has grown bigger over the years. Love the GW fandom, have been since I
watched the series. It's the anime-cute teenagers, I swear. And the
fact that the story moves so rapidly that there's scope for all kinds of
stories. And I've read so many of them, some good, some bad, a few really
good. Chasing the Crown (more than 40 chapters) is the kind of story that
can actually stand on its own.
5 April 2003
Okay, has been a lousy week.
On the upside, there're happy fics. Happy Clex fics. I don't precisely dislike huge amounts of pain, suffering, bitterness, hatred, whatever, in the stories I read, but I do love Clex fics, so I'll take them anyway I can. And when there's quality writing, it's a bonus. Take, for example, something like:
But similarly, life creates moments in which, by ignoring all times but now and all places but here, you can hold unearthly perfection in your hands. Then, you can drink deeply of the grace that will sustain you through the long droughts of everyday uncertainty.
That stupid blush, those absurd lashes, that silly grin, the whole
glorious package that was Clark Kent came together right then, and created such
a moment for me. I pulled Clark into my arms with all my desperate strength.
(Setting the Rules, by ShimmyGloss)