Luce's Fanfiction Blog: January to August 2006
Luce's Fanfiction Blog: January to August 2006
13 December 2007
Well... I'm writing my fifthmus fic and yeah, I'm annoyed. Of course, it's because I'm stuck (and also, I'm massively pissed off at my dad so there's this searing load of discontent, but...) but it's also fronted by--and mixed up--a realization that my view of characters really seems to be quite narrow. My brain doesn't seem to be able to encompass other ways of seeing a character. It seems as though that once I've made up my mind that [character A] is like that, he's cursed to be like that for always, to me. I'm trying to write this person in a way that fits into the fifthmus request, but my perception gets in the way. Like a splinter in the eye. To me, there is no way [character A] can be like that. But he has to be like that in order for the fic to come out.
Damn it!
Maybe I'm better off throwing in the towel on this fic, and starting a totally different one. There's another request that doesn't throw me off. But I don't want to write that, I want to write about [character A]! Just not in the way my requester wants.
*subsides to kick walls*
Not to be all 'I told you so' and all, but this demonstrates just why I suck so much at writing according to requests. It's terrible to be faced with your own inadequacy. Try as I might, I can't bring myself to write [character A] that way. I just can't. I... I don't bend that way!
Damn it.
Have read Maya aka Sarah's chapters 6 and 7 of Drop Dead Gorgeous. Am thrilled. I love that that plot is moving ahead. I love the dialogue. I love her Harry. Even more, her Draco. And Ron and Hermione and even Katie. I enjoy her writing a lot. It's refreshing, for one thing, and always brings a new perspective into things, terribly witty without taking itself too seriously (something that's always put my back up regarding AJ Hall's writing). It's always substantial too, despite the seeming lightness, and that builds up the narrative without being cloying. I'm horribly gleeful that she's getting published, because the thought of owning a book (all three! more to come in the future too!) that contains that sort of writing makes me lightheaded with joy. Soon (well, in 2009) I'll have that!lovely!writing! In my hands! With a cover and all. I want so much of it, I feel quite ashamed that I'm hardly working at my own fics. But why work when you can stare at another in admiration, right?
1 December 2007
I will start by saying: contemporary writers --> do not thrill me. (The chief failing, to me, of literary fiction is that they are excruciatingly not funny. Yes, they are very serious and insightful and worldly yet spiritual or what-have-you. They do not excite me. They have negative humour points--never mind black humour. I'd even go for slapstick but alas, serious writers are too high-minded for that either. You know humour is lacking because reviewers of serious books usually highlight the (one) instance of humour, and hold it up as a sign of the writer's genius. Please note: there is only one (1) joke, or amusing description, in the whole book. Don't believe? Read any serious review of a 'literary book'. Yeah. Does that not make you lose hope in the human race?
By the way, read Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. Shockingly dated. I should say, stupidly dated. So stupidly dated that it goes to my 'give-away' stack which includes books such as 'Word 95 for Dummies'. Not impressed with story; found it a yawning bore. Stylistically, yeah, it has style... but it's like trying to dress a scarecrow. And, you know, a process of A --> B event --> C event --> ad nauseum --> final conclusion, does not a gripping tale make. I should mention that the writer also wrote a doorstep of a book entitled The Baroque Cycle (I read up to part 3). The story didn't engage me. It was a book strung together by quasi-philosophical, quasi-historical, and quasi-psychological discussions. The characters were somewhat interesting, but I felt as though I was a teleprompter: now this actor comes on, sez a witty thing (or not), next comes another actor, doing his thing. Maybe I should give up all pretensions of being known for literary taste; clearly I like books that are not so... literary and hi-brow?
I had more fun reading Mrs Polifax and the Second Thief. Good tale. I love mysteries.
Yeah. I think I shall never again read a book which has been described as 'great contemporary fiction'. My heart's not in them. They don't like me, I don't like them.
4 October 2007
Good god, has been long since I updated this thing. Oh well, am not going to catch up previous months, shall draw line over them and start here again instead.
Recently read Other Ways, a Vor fic set in universe of A Deeper Season. Miles/Gregor, on honeymoon. Of course, what honeymoon is complete without planetary troubles, exes from hell and being separated? I like the direction this universe is taking--and that perfectly good plotlines come without quoting Cordelia. Um. Yes, I do like Cordelia a lot, but she's almost too Betan for me, if that even makes sense. I'm probably one of those being dragging kicking and screaming into her vision of equality.
Desynchronization chapter 4 is good, but I'm really starting to wonder where the plot is. I mean, it's all very well to have fun scenes of Ogata and Sai interacting, but y'know, that can also happen while the plot is happening. In fact, character interaction is almost always more fun when something dire is happening. Or maybe I overthink this too much, just because I like plot. But while I love the way Ontogensis writes Sai, the premise of this fic kept staying with me, like a giant neon sticker. I call this fic 'Ogata finds Sai'--but why is it Ogata and not anyone else? If the identity of the finder is supposed to be random, then how come Sai is there to be found. There should not be two (unresolved variables) in one story. Think of it as triangulating a... a point? You can't have a free-standing pivot. You need at least two to get a story moving and ideally, three, to give the plotline/premise a trajectory.
I'm projecting. Also, when you consider how little math I know... just really, really dangerous.
Also I finished a shortfic fic last month. My 31_days fic, which I'm sort of proud of and yet rather embarrassed by. I mean, all these essentially non-connected scenes, pushed into some sort of order by me. There are good parts that I'm proud of, but mostly I'm bewildered: apparently, it takes me one hour to write about 800 words, but another hour to edit and post it.
Blind_Go, which was also last month, was pretty unexciting. A few good fics, the authors of which I will be totally unsurprised by when they are revealed. But a good majority are just um. More than in previous times. I don't feel bad about my entry at all. It sits comfortably among the great mediocrity. But it does have a sequel, which may lift it from the doldrums, so I'll write it when time permits and see.
Read this comment about Lee Ang yesterday (review about Lust, Caution) which said that Lee Ang has been making the same movie all his life: about characters fighting for personal freedom against societal expectations. Ok, it sounds trite when I summarize it like that. But I've always felt that it was true. Sometimes people are compelled to write/make the same thing over and over again. Repetition. Not to turn out identical stuff, but to explore again and again the possibilities of differences, to see where the boundaries lie and what they really are like. I think no one is immune from this urge. Occasionally they go into a sideline, say, from exploring identity to exploring food, but ultimately they will still revert. The lesser talented turn into total bores, always going on and on about the same thing. But the best of the lot (not that I'm automatically including Lee Ang in this group, mind, but as a general statement, and not that I'm saying he's undeserving of it, but- never mind) always create miracles from it.
Shakespeare's characters are those constantly in search of what is real and graspable and finding that it isn't, and while he writes other types of characters well--not to mention that language!--the impetus of his plays (and what is actually good about them) is this constant thread. On a lesser front, Bujold's characters are always characters who refuse to be stupid in the face of overwhelming odds, while Mahy's are teenagers who must learn to accept themselves. Anita Desai writes about coming to terms with the changes in the world, while Toni Morrison writes about coming to terms with the past.
(Possibly I'm already descending into facile theorizing.)
On the fandom front some people write the story of first times over and over again, others hot kinky sex, and yet more the married-and-settled-down bits.
On a personal front, I write about settled-down bit most of all. There's something powerful about the idea--for me, I mean--that settling down enables you to build a foundation for the things that you really, really want: the big things, like changing the world or finding ultimate happiness.
Given this theory, I think writers of mysteries are the most mysterious of all. Each book purports to 'find the truth' but what is the continual path a mystery writer is treading? I dunno. Maybe that's why I think mysteries and detective stories are so fascinating--you can't pin these things down.
15 September 2007
Did I mention Training Kakashi yet? Oops. How remiss of me. It's this great Iruka/Kakashi fic by Rie (ranty_rie) which does go into a bit of overlong angst about Iruka, but the development of the backstories regarding him, Kakashi and even Ibiki was good, and fleshed out the relationships very well. Her Midori is good too, so good that I didn't even realise at first that she's an original character. The whole thing takes place in the timeskip, which fits well.
Nekokoban wrote All Come to Ash, a Shonen Omyouji/Tactics crossover. Yip. It fits well. I love it. There should be more crossovers with Tactics. I mean, Kantarou and Haruka are an unbeatable team, and with so much of the supernatural in manga series, it'd be fun.
20 August 2007
The Road Less Travelled, Scoradh's post-DH fic, featuring the children. I love so much the idea that Dudley had a son who's in Hogwarts. And there's a sequel to And I Am in Acadia. Really, really good, adore it. Though I'm wondering how it's going to be continued. I mean, just the first fic itself was excellent, but when there's a sequel, it feels like the shock quotient has been halved. Perhaps because a longer fic--via sequels--stretches out the characters: you get more character development, and motives, etc, but the initial pace of the story is lost... changed?
1 August 2007
Was talking about Caught In A Ladder with Ai Ling today. Honestly, I never thought that it would be so objectionable. So the characterization of Ogata is, well, villain-y. I don't really need any further justification for it, just like I don't need justification for ninja!Hikaru fics. Frankly, so long as the rest of it rings true and it has internal logic, it'll do. I ended up doing this long justification on why I liked it--gah, what a waste of time.
Anyway, I read In Which L Discovers Who Sai Really Is, which is frankly hilarious. L is such a great character--I hate it that so many fics just write him into sex scenes or relationships--he should be put to work investigating all the great mysterious of life, like: who is Sai? Which he gets totally wrong in this fic, but it doesn't matter. The crack with thinking it's Light is good enough.
31 July 2007
Read the sequel to And I Am in Acadia. Fantastic. I admit, the concept of Hikaru as a serial killer is rather... not right. He's just not that kind of person--even if you argue that he was possessed by an evil!Sai... well, they say serial killers develop the propensity from a really young age, whereas twelve... isn't. But anyway, as a concept for an AU fic, it's pretty cool. And the writing is strong, evoking the right amount of suspense and intensity--the sex scene between him and Touya works as metaphor for the struggle between passion and conscience, and between madness and sanity--with Go providing all the highlights. That was a masterstroke.
30 July 2007
Issue 4 of Imaginary Beasts up. I admit, I didn't want to see it. 'cos that'd mean facing the reality that mine was up there. But I submitted it, and it's there... sigh. I guess it's true--I wrote original fic. No, I wrote original fic... AND submitted it for public consumption. Well, as public as a web-magazine can be. I also mailed my entry for GP--but let's not talk about that.
Let's talk about Of Girls, Movies and Not-Dates. Which is a lovely interpretation on Hikaru dating Akari (complete with jealous!Akira)--and finding Akari has a boyfriend and it was all his imagination. Hee. Relationship fics tend to be a tad intense... I like the fact that this isn't--it had a youthful feel, like the way youngsters play the dating game. Nice.
8 July 2007
8 July 2007
On a discussion about Lee/Gaara, as opposed to Naruto/Gaara: It's not the brand of loneliness that makes me like Lee/Gaara.
(Actually, I have a huge soft spot for Naruto/Gaara too... so maybe conflict of interest? ^_^ I like Naruto/Gaara simply because I think they'd be really interesting together--the jinchuuriki thing aside, they have different temperaments and deal with problems in their own ways, but both of them want to be acknowledged by the people in their lives and have an actual justification for their existence. Yet one is homicidal and one is... blond. The contrast is what makes the pairing exciting for me.
For Lee/Gaara, though, I'd have to say that the credit (almost) all goes to Lee. Because Lee is the one person who most visibly does not give up. He self-justifies too, in all the exaggerated challenges he and Gai get into, but he doesn't let himself lose hope, or become discouraged despite his internal struggles. And his determination just hits you... more fiercely, because he's not obviously superhuman, like having a bloodline limit. Gaara recognizes that on some level, I think, and it's something he wants to understand (when he doesn't want to destroy it, heh): like, "why is this puny human challenging me?" Lee shakes up Gaara's peace. Naruto may be the one to kick sense into Gaara, but Lee is the one who made Gaara realize that there was something inside him to be kicked.
And that is why I love Lee/Gaara.
26 June 2007
Read Pru's Telephone, a Naruto fic, and totally loved it. I've nearly forgotten what a pleasure it is to read one of her funny fics. And today Triste's Hikago fic, Secret, which was good and gave me more insight about Hikaru and Sai, which is just one of the many pleasures of reading a good Hikago fic.
And fanart (Naruto)! Such lovely things they can be. Just when I started to think that fandom is filled with self-centered, jealous, small-minded, narcissistic people--I know, I hang around the wrong segment of fandom, instead of where I should be (my f-list)--anyway, just when I start to feel cynical, I'm always surprised and delighted by the number of talented, generous-minded people that form such a lovely part of fandom (and the internet). There is hope in this world! *nods* A tad melodramatic, but the sentiment stands.
And I was writing my crossover fic today at work, and for the life of me, I could not remember McGongall's name... I think it's a bad sign when you can't remember your canon characters' names. Gah. I should re-read HBP. It's good preparation for Deathly Hallows, after all.
25 June 2007
Personal front: gots new job, starts next month. I'm a bit nervous. Just sent them my acceptance of appointment letter. But whenever I start to feel unsure, I just remind myself: do I really want to remain at my current company? The answer to that is a consistent no, so I might as well go for something new. And the fact is that I was ready to change jobs six months ago. The sticking point was that I didn't want to give the impression that I couldn't do this job--hurts my pride, I guess--or that I was doing it incompetently, so I dug in and sort of/somewhat proved that, hey, I can so do this job! So much so that recruiters called me to offer me a job. So having proven that I'm not a loser or a wuss, yeah, I started looking for a job. Interviews are sort of interesting, as it's refreshing to be in a position where I could actually offer the company something, i.e., my experience and expertise (meagre though they are), instead of being a total newbie, i.e., fresh grad, who could only offer "I'm willing to learn!" I now know what they mean about bargaining from a position of power, though I'm still too easily intimidated.
17 June 2007
So yesterday I saw this rather strange post of Aja's, where she compained about the decreasing number of fics in Hikago fandom... which is pretty weird, 'cos blind_go ended only last month. And then it turns out that she thinks blind_go has cause people to write fewer fics, 'cos apparently they save it up for blind_go, and what they've saved up is not to her tastes, so that equals fewer fics.
Logic is not my strength, so I won't bother going into how that doesn't sound, er, logical. Except that instinctively, to me, it doesn't. But what do my opinions matter, right?
Though I must say that my initial, unworthy reaction was: what does she know? She likes Tezuka/Ryouma fic, for god's sake. But then I realized this was unjust to the rest of Tezuka/Ryouma fans. I wanted to laugh it off. Except that she dissed blind_go, and I refuse to let that go without a mention of the fact that I disagreed.
Why the pointed disenchantment with blind_go, I dunno. I mean, there are plenty of reasons why people haven't been writing fic that is to her taste. Maybe they like other pairings. Or other plotlines? Akira/Hikaru might be the perfect pairing, but it is fun to write other stuff, too.
14 June 2007
Owari's Starstruck. Mmm. She wrote about the insei featured at the end of the manga. Specifically, one of them, Shouji. I'm so, so over the moon by her fic, because Shouji's crush on Hikaru is adorable and Hikaru himself is all kinds of wonderful. He's mature, and nice. And polite. And considerate. That's so cool.
I'm feeling horribly juvenile and immature now, thinking of the juvenile and immature way I write Hikaru. It seems like no matter how old I write him, he's still the rather annoying person who shouts and is not very formal. Drat. I gotta write him as a mature person.
Monnie has resumed writing PoT fic. So wonderful. I really like her writing. Sure, sometimes it's longer than it has to be, and the style is a bit convulated, but she writes so well that she just sucks you in. I'm following her Hiyoshi/Mari fic and it's really great. I like the warm, humourous, yet accute edge her Mari's point-of-view has, and I love the way Monnie write about the Hyotei team: dry, ironic, with crack-ly tones.
13 June 2007
I keep re-reading Maldoror's Gaara/Lee fics. I'm pretty sure this isn't healthy... I can't help it! If my sister has really gone and bought me my ebook I'm pretty sure those fics are going to be first ones I upload on it. Maybe just one chapter... no! It's late, and it's a work day tomorrow.
Ai_ling and Chaineddove's Isumi/Le Ping fic, Crossing Boundaries, first chapter. I like it for Le Ping. Oooh, we need more Le Ping fics. He's such a fantastic character--I mean, we already know quite a lot of him, for all that he only appears for such a short time in the series. He's from Yunnan, same place as Yang Hai, is playful, looks like pint-size Waya, and a really good Go player. Whee! And imagine him growing up to be like Waya...
4 June 2007
Posted my blind_go fic, The Stone-Capturing Game, complete with missing scene. I must admit, that was a relief. I'd been feeling twitchy about the missing scene. What I didn't like about it was that it was basically a two-man show: just Hikaru and Akira. Limited in tone. Must try and do better.
I also posted Territorial Speech, my Touya/Ko Yeong-ha fic, chapter 1. Despite not having resolved the plot... gah. I'm really too hasty.
27 May 2007
Blind_go reveals! Aishuu wrote the mangaka fic. Whoa. I'm very impressed--and yay smut!--by the way she develops the concept. Hikaru and Akira and the rest of Hikago characters as mangaka (now with real manga!). I sort of wish I'd thought of it, except I'm not familiar enough with various manga to think of it. *pouts*
14 May 2007
I am in love with A Different Perspective, a Naruto humour fic by Book of Changes (indramh), because the idea of Naruto with accounting skills, cooking talent, and common sense is just so... compelling. And I love Kakashi's POV, and the way she writes Iruka. And when the entire fic takes a weird--some might say ridiculous--left turn into cybernetic implants and science fiction, I just sit there saying "WTF!" but I still read on. It's that funny.
28 April 2007
So of late I've been enjoying Maya's Drop Dead Gorgeous and its prequel, The Way We Get By, and splendid fics they are. I particularly love the partnership between Draco and Harry--Maya writes both POVs with equal facility, and while Draco's is endlessly enjoyable, Harry's is that little bit angsty that makes me sad for him. I also love the way Maya has been able to weave in the past (and without resorting to flashback that often tend to be distracting), bringing the reader rapidly into an incident of the part so that it accounts for the present. Better than exposition, though I admit there are times when it can be distracting--but this is a mechanical problem and can be solved with editing--the presentation is fabulous.
Anyway, this is a Harry!Veela fic and Maya is clearly having fun with the cliches, but still writes the pairing (or pairing-to-be: Draco deems himself in love with Katie Bell but has been dumped in the recent chapter) with tenderness. Well, the sort of tenderness where you only hurt the ones you love, heh. But she also writes with gorgeous, wonderfully memorable lines that make me sad that I can't use them in RL, and the internal consistency is terrific. Love, love, love.
Which sort of makes it odd that I read a rant on fanficrants the other day about someone protesting Draco being dumped by Katie because this allows for Draco/Harry, and for some reason this makes it disappointing. I don't know if I could see it that way, because when I started reading Drop Dead Gorgeous, I hadn't noted the pairing and a part of me was disappointed that it wasn't a Draco/Harry pairing (which was my mistake, yah). But anyway, I was reading from the assumption that Draco could really marry Katie and Harry would die of heartbreak--and it still didn't seem like Katie was all that in love with Draco. I could be simply projecting, of course. Still, the thought that Katie could want to marry Draco boggled the mind.
The ranter, in his rant, overstated things remarkably by saying it was questionable that Katie could give up Draco, the knight in shining armor. Lots of other commentators chimmed in that some women aren't interested in K in SA, and it all got into a big argument. I was amused, and a little puzzled. Apparently no one questioned the part about Draco being likened to a KSA. Because Draco is no knight, shiny armor or not, yeah? I mean, Harry thinks the world of him, but Harry is a little nuts. The rest of the world (rightly) thinks that Draco, as the son of a Death Eater and someone bearing the Dark Mark (not to mention being a Slytherin, etc.), is pretty awful and avoid him.
Oh, well. I still like him, anyway.
6 April 2007
I guess I should be sulking a little, because Aja's post on '5 things in Hikago' looks terribly exciting, but I feel sort of left out. But that's actually because I hadn't bothered to participate. It's weird feeling this apathetic. I keep thinking as I read the comments, "well, I've done that. I've even written it!" but it's like a totally different fandom to me. When I made the decision to participate in fandom, I thought I'd get more of a sense of involvement out of it. I mean, it's happened now and then, but usually at times when I was on LJ five hours a day, which is simply unsustainable. So naturally I left some of it go, and now the Hikago fandom seems unfamiliar to me.
I guess it shouldn't matter, and I should just concentrate on the stuff that does concern me--like writing?
Well, I would say I feel discouraged, except that I'm reading Naruto fics by Maldoror at the same time, and I'm too delighted by them to feel down. Chicken Soup for the Demonic Soul: ehehehe. The tone here sort of reminds of her earlier GW fic--wry and precise. Lee/Gaara, and Lee is just perfect. I wish she wrote more of this pairing: I've grown quite in love with it.
It's also a bit sad that I've gone exploring the fandom so long after it's started--it's like Hikago: I entered it just as it ended. Soon after I bought the dvd for the Hokuto Cup special, I mean. Huh. I'm just late to everything, aren't ? How droll.
4 April 2007
I started another blog on wordpress.com the other day, using luce4, purely out of frustration. I think I intended to rant about some RL thing, and I didn't want to rant on LJ. Now I think it's turned into my knitting blog...
Not reading much fic--I think my self-imposed ban on LJ-at-work is making me distant from fandom. But I can't do anything about that--I simply don't have much time outside of work, and must prioritize. I guess that's why some people drift out of fandom once they start working. Like Monnie.
Not having been on LJ much--and maybe it's my apathy, but I haven't seen much doings in the Hikago fandom lately. Or the PoT one, for that matter--though this could be me disregarding all posts as white noise. Ditto for Death Note--I'm getting very, very sick of yaoi in Death Note, especially the L/Raito (or Light). I sorta blame Pru, even though her Death Note fic, Office Politics, is one of the best I've read. What's unfortunate is that Pru's fic has become the model for which every angsty yaoi relationship is based--and it doesn't make sense. It made sense, if in a cracked-out manner when Pru wrote it--because DN was still a WIP then. Now, knowing what we know of canon--rather more justification is needed. Or at least, less of the melancholy till-death-do-us-part and more of the mutual outwitting AND a dose of crack. I mean, this is a series where till-death-do-us-part really does have Deep and Significant Meaning! Yet I just see a lot of sappy romances that make me... grr.
Side note: have edited Next to NetGo. Gah, I seriously need to proofread my stuff before posting it in the first place--that'd have saved me a lot of trouble.
18 March 2007
Ack. No doubt it's terribly boastful of me, but I have er, four fics in the brain. Just enumerating them for clarity: one, blind_go fic--argh. First I needed a title, then I started to wonder if 5000 words is enough for it, and then I realized that even if it were, would I be able to write it in time for Hikago Day??? Two is my crossover fic, the one that's been sitting on my computer for more than two years already. I'm panicking because it feels as though I getting away from the mood of writing this one, and I don't want to lose it. Three is original fic. Enough said. Okay, maybe not. One moment I think I should just let it go, and another moment, I'm wondering if my obsession with linear narrative is stifling my ability to just sit down, and get it out. Four is... hey. There is no Four. Whew.
10 March 2007
So after finally finishing Next to NetGo, I realized that I'd have to update ff.net, and connect the chapters on LJ, AND gather everything in one file for geocities. Gah. It's so tiring, and annoying when I want to write, instead. Besides, having to re-read the chapters just makes me feel... it's not good enough! I suddenly feel as though I don't want to post them. In fact, I should just delete them all. Maybe start over. I mean, there are some good bits, and I did like a few scenes, and I like that I was able to put in my last scene, but argh. Why on earth did I write an omake? That I couldn't take out? It's just... it's just a big owie all through.
8 March 2007
What Passing BellsA Deeper Season--better worked out, that is, and the little bits of canon lines don't grit as much. Too bad there's no Mark, though. I asked about it, and was sad to hear that the authors aren't too fond of Mark.
Blind Go challenge 3 is up, deadline on Hikago Day, and it's a longfic. Eek. I signed up, though I don't know what to write.
24 February 2007
So after reading Muri's The Will of Stone, her Hikago fic set in Naruto-verse, I developed the urge to read more Naruto fics. (I've watched Naruto on and off over the past two years, but never much urge to read the fics.) Luckily, on my f-list there's Maldoror, a stupendous writer who specializes in writing about... well, dangerous men. Make that lethally dangerous men.
I first came across her in the Gundam Wing fandom--see what I mean about lethally dangerous men?--where she was also able to make me see the lovable side of homicidal Heero. Oh, Heeeero....
But yeah. Naruto. Whose canon is pretty much entirely made up of lethal, dangerous, and often homicidal characters. Yet with crack. And lovability.
What's amazing about Mal is the delightful leap in the quality of her writing, which went from 'ooh, nice' to 'damn good' and then a further elevation to "WOW". And she wrote Diplomatic Relations, which is this great fic that retains her distinctive style, but with much more skilful execution, plotting, and well-seasoned with good humour, humour, and frankness.
(Excuse the gibbering. I finished it only two days ago, and I'm still assimilating it.)
I love the way she gets into the heads of Lee and Gaara--unobstructively, cleanly, and without sacrificing objectivity. It's a good and firm authorial stance to have, one that I've always admired. She brings out their characters well. I mean, yes, these are her interpretations of canon and canon characters, but what is essential about fiction--and fanfiction--is the ability of the writer to present the events in a way that is not only believable, but where I want to believe that it's believable. It's world-building, in a way.
Characterization is solid and insightful, but more than that, she weaves in the details about Naruto-verse very well, using the canon information, and extrapolating on it, to build the picture of a viable society and a working civilization--an impression I didn't quite get from the anime, unfortunately, which dampened my enjoyment of the very few fics I did read--but that's another story.
So, Diplomatic Relations is long, really long (I spent an afternoon reading it). But I didn't feel it was overly long--like most good stories, I felt it was too short, even after hours had passed. Also read Missing, if you like DR, for her interpretation of Gaara, and then read Kindred, the sequel that takes place a couple of years after DR.
They are very good. I don't feel the need to say more than that.
Mal is writing One Piece fics at the moment, which makes me sad, 'cos I want to read more Naruto fics by her.
22 February 2007
So Mousapelli wrote an awesome Hikago fic, and (of course I recced it) applause goes out in the Hikago segment of LJ, and Aja recs it too, very enthusiastically--only she mis-spells Mousapelli's name. Hm. And heh. But Mousepelli's Laying Stones is really, really marvellous, so we'll concentrate on that. I'm in awe of the way she makes Hikaru and Akira's relationship so easy, and have a lovely flow and ebb, always ending in a re-affirmation of their commitment to each other without being maudlin. And the way she weaves the igo terms in the narrative--not to mention the way she has them talk about their relationship in terms of igo--just perfect.
Muri, who is an utter genius when it comes to looking at Hikago and stripping it to its bare essentials and writing brilliant fic for it, wrote The Will of Stone, which is set in Naruto-verse. It is wonderful. It fits so well, without being in the least awkward or extraneous, that I can believe that all of it can truly take place in Naruto-verse. I love the way she works in the story of how Hikaru became a prodigy, and and his rivalry with Touya, and the exams. Oh, man. Admiration and worship are coming out of my ears, and I have to restrain myself from spamming her to urge to beg her to please please write more.
Hikago fandom? You are such a pleasure to be in.
In other news, I've just written a prequel of sorts to Green Path. As comment fic, because the comment inspired me. And I'm sort of satisfied with it. And I'm wondering why I can't just write like that all the time??? This one went smoothly, even if it was pretty short. Gah.
21 February 2007
Yeah, so I posted my newest chapter of Next to NetGo, and I can't help feeling pissed off by one of the reviews I got. I mean, I already feel apologetic that this chapter's been so much delayed, but having someone point it out is worse. Worse, to say that it is "too late and too short" is like... Grrr. I was planning to write the next chapter, but I felt spiteful enough not to. Which is terrible and unfair of me. Und what do you mean, you won't feel satisfied until I update again and again? There's only one more chapter left. I can't update again and 'again', okay!
I get people who ask me to update. I really, really do, and am sort of flattered (they want to read more!) or maybe insulted (what, is this one so terrible?). But yeah, it's all understandable. But to say you're dissatisfied when I have updated, with my one update, is like... grr. Well, I'm displeased with you, too!
The crossover fic I've been meaning to write--that, I'm happier with. 'cos let's face it, it's a weird crossover fic. Initial D/Spirited Away is a strange combination, but I sort of like it. When I made notes for it, I'm sure there was this weird grin on my face. (Kristin recced it! That makes me really happy.)
7 February 2007
Rant on Viewfinder fic:
Okay, first I was resigned, and now I’m just angry. I cannot believe how bad the fics on the ayano community have become. Shitty spelling, tenses and set-ups aside, they are getting comments that actually (1) praise and (2) I assume, condone the shittiness, and (3) letting people think that this ‘standard’ of fic is actually readable. They suck. They suck big time. They suck shitloads. They are on par with the stuff that is sporked on deletrius. Ugh in double measure.
I mean, I never did want to write Viewfinder fic for the very simple reason that I have not seen it in my life, except for a few scans and from Pru’s introduction a couple of years back (three years?). I did write it, but only because it was asking to written, and I made up all the details I didn’t know. It was a way of satisfying an itch, and I don’t kid myself that it’s anything earth-shattering or even, something really good, like Harukami’s (I think it was her?). It’s just a narrative sequence. (I posted a section once, then felt too uncomfortable about that, on account of not actually having seen the canon material.)
But now? What the hell. I deeply, deeply wish I could just tell the idiots who posted that their fics are horrible and makes me want to deface them with spray paint. I can definitely do better than this. Is the community turning into some stupid version of ff.net, where you get positive reviews no matter what? Ok, then I’ll post mine. At least even if I get positive reviews (which I doubt, because it doesn’t have sex, which is what the recently posted dreck all contain), I’d have the satisfaction of knowing it’s a nod—however oblivious--to decent spelling, tenses and story set-up.
6 February 2007
According to Plan, by xparrot. It’s a Smallville/Static Shock, and I sort of bounce excitedly whenever I see that it’s updated. ‘cos it’s great. I love the way she writes, the way she re-writes the subtle twists of Smallville, and weave Static Shock into it. It reads really well, and it’s got delightful pacing.
The sequel to A Deeper Season, the AU Vorkosigan fic featuring Gregor/Miles, has been posted. What Passing Bells, I hope, will go on to resolve how Gregor and Miles will reveal their relationship to the Barrayan public. Just a couple of chapters up so far, 2 of 18. Ivan narrates, which is totally delightful. I want to read about him being mature and yet being lazy, being sneaky yet loyal, and rising to the occasion when the needs calls for it. I want to see how he regards Miles and Gregor’s relationship from his end. I’m not quite gibbering as I was the last time, but yeah, sitting on my hands now and then, and having to restrain myself from sending pleading messages to please please please update…
Yeah, I’m pathetic.
5 February 2007
Have been following this fic, Shattered, about Eiji being stalked by Fuji (PoT), the ex-boyfriend from hell. I refused to rec it because in the first chapter, the author notes that she didn’t know if Kyoto had a university. The overall tone was maybe Kyoto wasn’t large enough to have a university.
I just about punched my computer. Kyoto University is one of the top universities in Japan. And the city itself has dozens of universities and colleges. And if she didn’t know this, why couldn’t she just find out? Huh? Huh?
But I kept reading, because Atobe comes into the picture. (Eiji ends up working at his company after he graduates.) I love her Atobe—I generally love any favourable depiction of Atobe—although now I wondering why, exactly, does Fuji want to stalk Eiji? I think there were some hints here and there that he does so not just because he’s a huge bastard, but because he’s got an agenda of his own. At least it engages my curiosity to think so. Fuji purely as an abusive boyfriend is quite… one-dimensional. Oh, and clue to Fuji: if you have to ‘manipulate’ someone to do your bidding through violence, you automatically go from ‘user’ (never mind ‘genius’) to ‘human louse’.
But let’s talk Atobe. I’ve read a couple of nice Atobe/Jirou fics in the last few weeks, and while they were entertaining… I don’t like it that they seemed to be apologists for Atobe’s big-headed behaviour. It’s okay to be totally arrogant, especially if you have the skills and money to back it up. It might not be universally likeable, but he’s fifteen, and boys are idiots at fifteen, so that’s fine, yah? I think it’s weird when people write him as though he’s secretly a humble person, ‘cos he is not.
20 January 2007
Maya's Drop Dead Gorgeous, chapter 3. Oof. I love the way I can't actually anticipate how she's writing this, but enjoying everything she's written because I trust her to bring me to an interesting conclusion, and trust her to bring splendiferous enjoyment on the way there. Speaking of journeys, one thing that really struck me about her writing now is the way she weaves in the past events. It's done so seamlessly that I'm right into the past when I find myself looking over my own shoulder, so as to speak. It's a tactic that should be disruptive, because the thread of the narrative seems to disappear, yet I don't feel alienated--I just feel compelled to go on reading... incidentally, again trusting that she'll do right by the story. I dunno, is this good or bad? I just know that I didn't mind it at first, and now as I'm getting into the rhythm of the narrative, find myself actually anticipating the effect.
Also, Maya replied to my comment. I'm still perplexed by this. She has hundreds of fans and readers, all of whom leave her lots and lots of comments, and many of whom know her personally. Mine was just a plain, boring attempt not to sound too stupid, and a bit of a comment on how I liked her flashbacks. And I got a reply. Why? It's very nice of her, yes. Maybe she's just bored. Or maybe her new year resolution is to reply to every comment. Yeah. Most likely.
Aishuu's Schizophrenia. Um, words still sort of fail me when I try to describe how much by surprise--shock--it took me upon the first reading. This one made me remember why her fics grabbed my attention the first time I read them--the GW one and Brightly Burning--and why it (along with Muri's fics) made me want to try writing fanfics for myself. It's something that I haven't thought of, for a long time... this sounds like I'm disparaging her recent fics. But I admit that her recent fics haven't had this verve--or maybe it's because I haven't been reading as closely as I should. Huh, now that I think of it, there was a meme on LJ about the writers that inspired you, and I, um, left out Aishuu, because of this reason. But I shouldn't have, because wow, Schizophrenia made me green with envy.
I have a half idea for a sequel. Aishuu did say I was welcome to write it, as she wants to go on to other things. I'm, like struck dumb, with nervousness. Half of it is because I can't do justice to the excellence of Schziophrenia, and the other is that I... I can't do this. I'm too stupid at this. I can't write a sequel! How could I have imagined that I could sort of cobble stuff together the way I usually do, and dump it as a 'sequel'? I mean, it's one thing when I'm mangling my own stuff--it's foolhardy to attempt to do that to another person's fic. It's a good fic. My sequel would only be a poor cousin.
I'm not being modest. I started trying to storyboard it, and realized it wouldn't work. It would take it in a different direction, and what's worse, it'd take it in a direction that I usually do--drama about Touya, when it should be about Hikaru. I'm sort of mentally berating myself here. See? It's good to think before you respond on LJ, woman!
18 January 2007
I REGRET UPGRADING INTERNET EXPLORER, because it now sucks. It used to be pretty nice--I actually liked it a lot. Now it just infuriates me by informing that I have no internet connection just because it can't download a page. Are you completely stupid? Die die die!
Note to self: download another web browser.
I am also taken aback by the reaction to Living Together. What do you mean, people like it? That's insane! It's terrible. It's got a lame set-up, some padding and pat ending. Even Muri said she likes it. Is she seeing something I'm not? I'm a bit ashamed of this fic, actually. It had an okay set-up at first, but it was terribly out of character and the more I edited it, the less I liked it. And the tacked-on ending was... ugh. What's going on?
I mean, okay, a few people liked Backing You, which I accept, because for all its banality, it had cuteness, and cuteness is likeable, yah? And the idea of dropping a stone down Hikaru's shirt had its fun angle. So it's only the reaction to Living Together that really confused me.
As I said to Muri, if only I hadn't rashly promised to post my second fic so soon (after I posted Backing You), I wouldn't have posted it at all. I had assumed that all I needed was time, and I could revise it to something better. But that didn't happen. The ending occurred to me suddenly, so I just tacked it in. Good god. I must do better than this.
Now that I think of it, it was probably fortuitous that I didn't take part in Blind_Go this round, after all. Because these two fics would undoubtedly pale by comparison.
10 January 2007
Read Additive Personality by Jei, and I enjoyed it tremendously. I love the way Heero is portrayed, and the way his thoughts, decisions and hesitations come across.
It's a beautiful surprise to come across someone who can write Heero like this.
5 January 2007
Huang Shu Jun--I'll always love you. It still surprises me how satisfying your songs are, for me, but yeah, eternal love. So, if you could see your way to getting off your ass and releasing another album, I'd be very happy. Let that be my wish for 2007?
Aishuu made a reference to my feedback rant the other day... the one about how people didn't really want concrit? She linked it here, which isn't really the best idea because once I clean up this page and put the 2006 entries in earlier entries, it can't be here anymore.
On the other hand, re-reading my entries made me realize I haven't caught up on that GW fic I was following before Christmas.
2 January 2007
So, new year. I'm still a bit dazed, actually--going on a family thing was such an exhausting business. I may never get the sound of the bad karaoke out of my mind.
Blind_go entries... whoa. I'm sort of astonished that some people were put off by the word limit--I mean, you could connect the five slots for a 5000-word fic, right. Though if you have a 10,000 word fic, that might not work. So, yeah.
Very nice fics this time round--I adored the zombies fic Evening on the Ground, oh so much. Which is surprising, considering my basic antipathy to supernatural/horror stuff. But the last scene grabbed me: the one of Hikaru summoning magic via the Go board, and the whole thing came together right then--holed up in the Go Institute, fighting off zombies with other pros. Wonder if there will be a sequel after the identities are unveiled?
Schizophrenia, a chilling AU of what might-have-been if Hikaru thought Sai was a sign of mental illness. The horror is gut-wrenching. It's a fic I want to hate, but I can't because it's so well written.
In an odd way, this is a little similar to one of my unfinisheds. Just a little, mind--because I went for suspense rather than outright horror, and the setup is different. At least Hikaru gets to play Go? But I guess the scaryness made me think of this. Huh, maybe I should dust that off and find an ending for it.
Loved the Akiko fics. Finally, she gets some deserved attention other than the 'little woman' nonsense. Rivalry is the one I like most, because it doesn't exaggerate, and it is well handled.