Luce's Fanfiction Blog:
November 2004 to January 2005
Luce's Fanfiction Blog:
November 2004 to January 2005
30 January 2005
I can't believe I'm honestly contemplating writing Part 3 of Korean Idol.
Am I bowing down to my reviewers' demands? Is this a bad thing? I
admit, at first it didn't even occur to me that Touya would be, erm, upset.
I guess I just figured that Hikaru would dismiss it as more 'Yon-sama'-induced
madness and never mention it again. But now, thanks to various comments, I
have visions of Touya bitch-slapping Yong-ha for making the moves on his
boyfriend. It doesn't help that we have scenes of Touya being er,
demanding, straight--well, direct--from the anime. And I was just
re-watching a couple of episodes today and my, does Obata-sensei draw such nice
bone structures...
28 January 2005
Hoyden's Academic Punk and Keeping Sweet Confessions Under His
Tongue. Due South fic, so very good. AP is an AU-ish with both
of them being English literature professors. And as academia is a sorta
kink of mine... I'm there, happy and touched.
I guess there're times when I do feel jealous of other writers. How come they write so well, and think of such good plots when I can't, etc. I like to think I can be generous, but it's difficult. Must work hard on own fic, then.
Aishuu has provided some extended feedback on All Strides. The exchange on lj went thus:
"I pinpointed why I like this story so much -
it's the "outside narrator" which I am very fond of. Discovering a character
through someone else's eyes is intriguing to me.
I wasn't sure if the story was about Yashirou or about Hikaru. There's the
element of Hikaru's magnetism which I think was well-displayed, particularly
through the use of Kuwabara (and I love your Kuwabara).
I was always a big fan of the NetGo world, and I like how you brought the
characters back in supporting roles.
The ending, while regretable (sic} too soon, was perfect. There's a hint that
Yashirou will be accepted by his parents, without coming out and saying it.
Subtle, but good.
I didn't have any problems with the plot, and your style is strong. *tries to
think* The only thing that bothered me, occassionally, was the sense that you
were merely marking time... a few of the scenes lacked the "spirit" of the main
piece. I think you didn't enjoy writing Yashirou and his parents as much as you
did everything else. *shrugs* They didn't drag, but it lacked the life of the
rest of the piece. Yashirou's problems with his parents just felt scripted
rather than real. It's a hard concept for me to explain, but I think
you'd understand what I'm getting at.
Really, really awesome piece though. Probably one of my fav Hikago now."
I replied thus:
"I wasn't sure if the story was about
Yashirou or about Hikaru.
Yeah, I wasn't sure either. Does it make the story better, or worse? I wanted to
write about Yashirou, but it seemed to me that I wouldn't be able to shake him
up a little unless he observed a (tiny) crisis of Hikaru's for himself, i.e. Sai
and Akira. At the back of my mind, I wanted to make the whole thing more, I
don't know, transformative? but at the same time I didn't want to overdo it.
Definitely something to take into account the next time I write.
About the ending too soon... opps, you've spotted my most guilt-inducing
weakness in this story. I liked it so much, but I had so much trouble with it,
and it made me wonder if I was over-writing it and dragging my own worries into
it instead of letting the story develop properly, so I, er, let it flow to a
quicker conclusion rather than a longer one. This is what happens when you
envisage a grand but cheesy conclusion when first starting the story, then had
to trash it halfway because it didn't fit, and then had to come up with a
workable ending. Gah.
was the sense that you were merely marking time... a few of the scenes lacked
the "spirit" of the main piece.
I was hoping that wasn't too obvious... guess that's what happens when you write
in installments and begin having trouble continuing. The grind, rather than
spontaneity, went into it.
I think you didn't enjoy writing Yashirou and his parents as much as you did
everything else. *shrugs* They didn't drag, but it lacked the life of the rest
of the piece. Yashirou's problems with his parents just felt scripted rather
than real. It's a hard concept for me to explain, but I think you'd understand
what I'm getting at.
It wasn't so much a case of not liking, as not knowing the best way of writing
such scenes. I really didn't think that problems would be solved by a shouting
match between Yashirou and his parents, but without an outright confrontation, I
think they're just 'forced' to replay the whole exchange--parents object,
offspring rebels, and so on. They are just arguing and both sides refuse to give
way (and can't give way), so they just rehearse the same arguments.
But you're right about those scenes; because I felt that the solution to
Yashirou's problems wouldn't really lie in convincing his parents, I tried to
get through the scenes as quickly as possible. That's why those scenes are kinda...
static. *feels a bit guilty*
Well, this is a long comment. I'd just like to say how much I appreciate you
taking the effort to tell me your views. Sometimes I don't really see my
weaknesses until someone points them out--probably because I'm too caught up in
my writing. It's actually a bit a relief to know exactly where I went amiss.
*feels sneaky using feedback as writing lessons* "
And then she said:
I think the story was more about Hikaru's
reflection on Yashirou, and it did work well. It might have actually been
stronger without the shonen ai influences (GASP! SHOCK!), but I liked it as is.
I think the less than direct focus works on this kind of thing...
I think the ending is fine. Cheesy would not work... life is about compromise.
This seemed like a reasonable one.
I think the reason the Yashirou/parents sparring didn't work for me is because I
didn't see any reason for him to love them. They didn't seem affectionate... it
might have been an idea to draw in some "non negative" memories/relationship.
Why did they let him start playing Go?
I don't think the things I pointed out were mistakes more than things I might
have done differently, personally. It's a strong story... a different
perspective just focuses on something else. We all bring personal experience
with us no one else has.
And finally I said this:
What, no shonen ai? Heresy!
Hm, I think I might disagree with you there. I think it is Yashirou's
story--whether it's simply Yashirou's narrative of Hikaru and Akira's trip, or
Yashirou's own realization of his goals in Go and life. Hikaru, I suspect, was
more preoccupied with Sai, Akira, and later with the alarming realization that
Yashirou might give up Go, rather than with himself.
I think the reason the Yashirou/parents sparring didn't work for me is
because I didn't see any reason for him to love them.
Ah, I guess this is where the personal experience influences one's perception. I
definitely thought that Yashirou's parents cared about him, and loved him very
much. Nothing else could explain why they were so insistent that he find an
alternative career path to Go. Because they did love him, they didn't stop him
from playing Go (though the passive resistence and nagging isn't, I think, the
best way to show your disapproval). I'm pretty sure that Yashirou knows it too,
which was why, one of the reasons he gives for wanting to leave Go, was that he
didn't want to make other people unhappy. The fic ended when Yashirou realizes
that he can't hide behind his parents' approval, and also that it is up to him
to persist despite disapproval. That his parents did give way, just a little, is
a direct result of this.
Weirdly, I think they are affectionate: his father comes to look for him when
Yashirou doesn't return on time; his mother doesn't immediately exclaim "that's
great!" when he wants to quit Go, but senses that there is something wrong. They
are there for him whatever their opinions--I wanted to make it sound like family
is more important than 'wrong' career choices and internal disagreement.
Wow, just realizing how much personal experience affects my writing of families.
^_^
Ooh, tired. Think I'll comment on the above exchange another day.
27 January 2005
Sometimes I don't realize just how good some of the HL fics are, until I
read them. I don't know if I'm exaggerating to say that the quality is
better than what commercial fiction is out there, because I hardly read any
contemporary fiction these days, but I will maintain that the good ones are
definitely far better at moving you than any old piece out there. Take
Three Days Down by Jane St. Clair, which manages the feat of building old,
dimmed horror, and soft, warm intimacy from, it seems to me, mere puffs of air.
Her writing isn't sparse as much as it is airy--and yet, it encompasses so much
and her Duncan and Methos drift towards one another on whispers and expectations
alone. 'Intricately crafted' is too heavy a description.
Cold Comfort, a short scene only--amazingly it has sex, which boggles me ever so slightly when I think about it, because the sex is the least obvious part of the fic. A recounting of gifts and how easily Duncan and Methos give themselves each other. Social Graces by MacGeorge is appropriately hilarious, English humour mixed with physical comedy, and watching Methos plan is an education all by itself. When After a Long Life by Sleeps with Coyotes is a slow dance, making you wonder and work to find out which pattern's being sketched, and when you finally get a bird's eye view, you've already overindulged in the careful play of outreaches and retreats, lost in the give and take exchanges that appear to be infinitely more simple and complex than you realise. She also wrote The Art of War, with our favourite old guy as the actual author.
I suppose the high of finding good fics to read never really wears off.
26 January 2005
Gawd. There're times when I wonder why I have this blog, AND an lj, and now
I know. It's for me to talk about lj. Actually, nothing very earthshaking: I got
a reply from Prufrock, author of Visiting Hours, which, while reminding
me that I want to do a fuller review of that, also hugely amused me. See, after
she finally posted Conflicts of Interest I sent her a bit of a comment
about it, as well as the longish comment I'd made earlier, here, about
On the Road, which I really do feel is excellent. My assumption is that she
liked the way I commented, and now she keeps an eye out for my comments, for why
else would she respond to my comment about Visiting Hours, which was
basically a "I like it, esp. this and this part" comment? Hm. It's true that
I've wondered once or twice, that for a person who vehemently argues for the
rightness of giving feedback, why she never responds to people who do. (Namely,
me.) Then I realised that with that many fans and commentators of her stories,
she'd end up spending more time answering comments instead of writing more
stories or dealing with RL.
I've just repeated the incident with Aishuu: i.e., I've pasted my previous squeeing of BB on lj--the relevant part--and I wonder what she'll think of it.
I've been reading a number of Neville/Draco fics, and I really like the part where Neville is in control. I guess it's all due to AJ Hall's fics that she could make Neville so right, but with sexual attractiveness. Fun.
23 January 2005
So, today, Aishuu finally updated chapter 4 of Brightly Burning.
Pru also updated Visiting Hours, her Conner fic.
Both fics have typos that are somewhat painful to read.
But other than that, I love how the stories develop. Aishuu, for example, works from how the Wakashijisen would go, seeing that Hikaru was going to be playing with Akira, and the buildup of tension was truly nail-biting. Some part of me doesn't want to admit that it's really good, but I'm the one squeeing and bouncing in my chair, so it's quite undeniable. I really like this story. I want the next chapter now.
Pru's story also builds up the story (to a cliff-hanger!) wherein Conner gets terribly jealous over Geoffrey getting a girlfriend, has a sleepover with Lois, and quarrel between Lex and Clark. I like it that Conner is even more of a teenager here. Good action so far--there's a lot of movement with Conner going from party to sneaking home, to Lois's place, to getting back home, and to school, where he quarrels with Geoffrey--all these help to anchor the story as Conner's story, and this avoids the potential for trite comparison with Lex or Clark. There is one part where I did feel was a little weak: when the bad week has been established, and Pru uses a paragraph (or two?) to emphasize that Conner has had and is having a bad week. It's actually a small section, only, but it didn't sit right, not when Conner's personality was so deftly developed with the earlier sections. Hm, will probably think of more in the next few days. This third chapter was very good in development--Pru's skill is getting more subtle, which makes me go "yes! yes!" because otherwise she can be rather journalistic (hah, pun)--of both setting and mood (and plot), and we don't only get Conner's thoughts (mainly in chapter 1) but also his actions. I'm starting not to worship blindly the adorable-ness of Conner, which is to Pru's credit too.
22 January 2005
Feeling really touched--and motivated--by the responses to All Strides.
Now have some scenarios whizzing in my head. Brainstorm ensues.
1) Shindou Masao talking about Go to his colleagues;
2) Mitani plays more Go, perhaps with Kaio?;
3) Shirikawa (Hikaru's Go teacher) recounting how Hikaru called out an old (but
excellent) hand in response to a problem he was showing the class;
4) Touya's popularity with the girls of Kaio Junior High (hee hee);
5) Hikaru meets his neighbour, Takada, who is/was a student at Kaio (he
identified Hikaru as an elementary school pupil at the first Kaio tournament);
6) Akari joins the Go club at her high school/university;
7) Yashirou meets Akari (okay, if this happened it would be a het romance fic,
of which I do not have the inclination for writing);
8) Hikaru joins a tournament and cries when he loses because he can't play
anymore (c/f Rui Nai Wei, the Chinese player in RL);
9) (speaking of crying) Akira reflects that he has never really cried since he
lost that game to Hikaru (aka Sai)--must check anime to see if this is true,
first;
10) Kaga, meet the Kaio Go Club. Kaio Go Club, meet Kaga;
11) Kishimoto meets ____ (but who?) and thinks of his times as an insei;
12) Akira dresses down a student (think Ochi), Hikaru observes;
13) Hikaru loves his goban;
14) Hikaru meets members of the Heian history reconstruction club;
15) Hikaru plays shogi;
16) Akira plays shogi.
21 January 2005
I want to write a story with this premise:
After being (sort of) rebuffed, the male character (who is, incidentally, a witch) says: “You might have enjoyed it. I was planning on being very nice to you.” (From Changeover, by Margaret Mahy.)
19 January 2005
Reading HP fics. Two made an impression. The first was the J.
Alfred Prufrock Arc, by Hanakai. Snape/Harry, terribly effective angst
that made my eyes tear. Hated the writer's use of the word 'impacted'. But
the heightening (or lowering) of Harry's spirits is quite convincing, and the
story has steady pacing for the most part. Her Snape is really nasty--chockful
of weaknesses, selfish, self-pitying, self-destructive, vindictive,
obstinate--yet strong at times I didn't expect. Work in progress, though: right
now, he's still trying to come to terms with the attraction to Harry.
The other one of note is The Veela Enigma, link here. Draco as part Veela, identifies Harry as his mate without realizing it, becomes melodramatic, clingy, a drama queen and possessive. A little too adorable--though I suspect the writer's view of what is adorable isn't mine--but not really cloying. What's quite interesting is the way that the story develops as it goes on--also a work in progress: it starts out, I think, as premise only (what if Draco were part Veela), and more like humour fic, which progresses to a decent mystery about Draco and Harry discovering Draco's real nature, interspersed with growing attraction, and works in a rather decent sub-plot with Voldemort's schemes too. I'm at pains to explain why this is so attractive to read. I mean, clingy Draco is rather OOC, as is Harry!indulgent lover. I suppose reading wuffy Harry/Draco is quite the turn-on, plus the perverse premise that Draco can't help feeling out of control and therefore become morose when Harry gets mad at him. It's Harry's reaction that's strangely OOC and yet believable at the same time. The making-out scenes are pretty hot, considering that they are making-out scenes and cuddling (and kissing) scenes. Hee. I'm having great fun.
18 January 2005
Prufrock has sequel to Conflicts of Interest. Starring Conner
Clark Luthor, aged 15, who loves both his parents, has special powers, adores
oranges and has a best friend who fears getting old. So very good.
15 January 2005
Wow, lj really did a number on itself. Imagine my surprise when I
surfed over this morning and found to my bemusement that it was down--nothing,
nothing at all except a meagre 'sorry, power failure' page. Is it bad that
I thought, drat those Malaysian engineers?
12 January 2005
It's strange that I'm getting challenged on my Raito
characterizations. I can't decide if it's because I interpreted Raito
slightly differently from other people, or if I don't fangirl him enough in fic,
or because my readers aren't too observant. Hm. In the meantime, getting
woefully behind on my pledge to update All Strides regularly, so did it just
now. Mostly conversation, which slightly disappoints me, to tell the
truth; I had hoped to get to the point of the conversation, not let it dominate
the entire installment. Ach, I guess that's the way it flows. I
really need to plan my fics, especially if they're going to be long fics, much
better.
Stupid me: I've been dating my entries "December 2005" for the last few entries. Talk about denial? Or time travel?
10 January 2005
So, I was saving Aishuu's Lessons on How to Make a Bishounen Snap,
and reading through it, when I came across these lines: "Watch the hands, my
father had told me when I was very young. Do they fiddle?" And I was
thinking, what the hell? No, the hands don't fiddle. They fidget.
I think that's what Aishuu meant, at least.
Just found a great line: I knew Shindou was lying, but pressing Shindou was a sure-fire way to send the bleach straight to his brain and see him go completely air-headed.
7 January 2005
Conflicts of Interest:
http://glitterati.illuminatedtext.com/12days/conflictsofinterest.html.
Also her (Pru's, I mean) On the Road, a Bruno and Boots fanfic starring
also characters from the Twinkie Squad. It's one of the more innovative
fandoms I've seen. And I hesitate to compare them like this, because I've
waited for the ending to Conflicts of Interest for months, and I love,
love it because it's the kind of fic that inspires declarations of love from out
of the blue. Yet On the Road is so lovely that it almost can't be
called sexy, because sexy would mean I was only concentrating on the smut but
it's just too beautiful and warm, like ripening fruit on a branch, to be called
smut. I think Pru had a couple of breakthroughs when she wrote Road: it
breaks from the slightly muggy consciousness of words here and there to tell it
just right--speaking words that aren't words that are showy but convey the mood
all the same. I love the way she describes Bruno's skin and the way he see
Boots and how his confusion spreads and ends and how he tells that the
boundaries of his and Boots's bodies. Excellent reading.
Hm. Come to think of it, this business of knowing when one person begins and where the other ends, with regard to partners and lovers, that is also appears in A Single Love, by Vera, though to a secondary relationship there. But the image make a very good point about how well you'd have to be connected to your partner, that state of being joined yet separate. Separate peace, as Bujold has it? Heart-warming in a sincere, desperate way, and very fine.
Great, I'm getting emotional on fanfic again.
I also read Vera's One Blue Stone, which is gorgeous. It's Harry Potter, but the word 'evocative' describes it best. The comparison of the desert and the forest is perfect.
3 January 2005
I wrote a Death Note fic on the first day of January. Those opening lines
just wouldn't leave my brain, so I wrote Ordinary.
Afterwards I posted it at a community, and to my pleased surprise most people
liked it. Except that it was pointed out to me that there're sections that just
don't make sense. Embarrassed, I decided this necessitated a re-write (re-edit).
Now that I have done so, what shall I do with it? I could update it on my
own lj, but what about the Death Note community?
Prufrock released her HnG fic. Slightly disappointing. Dunno, maybe I wanted more tension, or if not that, more insanity. I mean, Touya being weird is canon, in a we-won't-speak-of-it kind of way. He's a prodigy, and this makes him unlike others. But I don't think it makes him unable to hang out at Shibuya. But then I've always liked Touya too much. I baby him too much, which is why I've yet to write a story focusing on him.
Am watching the Hokuto episode/TV special now. I know it goes against good writing to constantly describe the characters' eyes as jewels. But I can't help it!!!! They look like jewels...
Shindou Hikaru's eyes widened until they appeared to be glowing emeralds, cut like pebbles; their greenness only intensified under the waving gold bangs.
31 December 2004
On Death Note fanfic: not that many out there. But I was seized by a
couple of ideas:
1) a crossover--Hikaru teaches them to play Go, or Raito drops in on Touya's Go Club to find Hikaru or Akira, or both, teaching. It should preferably feature Hikaru pointing at Raito and mistaking him for Ko Yong-ha;
2) docu-voice fic: Raito is a cliché.
And I've discovered that it's now up to chapter 51, whereas I'm on chapter 33. Drat. At least this explains why I don't get the part about them being chained.
30 December 2004
Nitpicking.
The news stations have been calling the tsunamis 'tidal waves' and it gets on my nerves because on the very first day the news broke they explained that 'tidal waves' refer to waves caused by tides and other weather phenomena; tsunamis are waves caused by earthquakes and other seismic activities. 'Killer waves' are a media invention.
Listening to news updates. Bad, bad news getting worse and worse.
29 December 2004
Reading Prufrock's stories, right now of various sorts on a medley on her lj,
makes me feel envious. I wish I could attain that level of fluency in
writing and communicating; unfortunately, the best I can do is bland reporting.
For lack of better structure my writings are often strictly chronological; and
my vocabulary decidedly banal. I suck at description--of people or of
places, and most damning of all, of emotions. I'm just bad at them.
I don't know how, or why, some writers--not just Pru, but also a number of
others on the various fandoms I'm in--are able to describe such a surfeit of
rich and layered emotions, when my emotional range may as well be ticked off a
list from the career counselling office. For example, just thinking my
inadequacy over makes me pout, when I imagine other people would have far more,
I don't know, alive descriptions. "Pouts some more.*
My characterization isn't that strong--I guess it's okay on broad strokes, but otherwise it's really somewhat forgettable. I can't claim to any great insight, either; I just think of a scene I'd like to have, and I write it (or towards it). Deft, solid plots make me happy, yet it'd probably be a fine day in hell when I manage to construct one. I can't say I can think of myself as a writer, strictly... I'm a dabbler, occasionally good, but mainly the only person I entertain is myself.
Thus ends self-lit-crit.
***
In the meantime, I'm reading Death Note, and it's really amusing. I was wondering why on earth L had panda eyes, when I realized that he doesn't sleep. Also, the 'couching tiger' posture? And when he started playing tennis with Raito I started having PoT crossover fantasies. L is intriguing.
Part of me kept thinking that there's something so familiar about the basic set-up of a Death Note(book), and being dim, the concept of Kiseki and/or Yama's book of records (Chinese mythology?) didn't even kick in until I was half-asleep and bruised my elbow when I hit it against the wall sitting up and exclaiming "it's all so obvious!"
I guess what's sorta new about the DN set-up is that a mortal gets hold of the Death Note in question. Though wasn't there a Liaozhai tale with a similar premise--only with a severely questionable plot and rather muggy moralistic overtones--or was that just my take on some Hong Kong scriptwriter's weird imaginings? Still, Sun Wukong did this too so maybe it isn't such a stretch. Other than the fact that he did it in reverse, and the then Sage-Equal-to-Heaven-to-be actually did have special powers, and disregard for legal limitations to boot? Ah, make it new. Seems like last century's exhortation works just as well in this one.
What's fun is the circling and plotting between Raito and L, and I'm waiting to see how or when or if Raito will snap, and finally stab everyone within range with a rusty penknife, and take off as though the hounds of hell are slobbering at his heels. What's amusing, too, is the awful spectre that many Japs I know have of 'the overly smart and quiet Japanese college student who turns out to be a serial killer, and he was such a good student, too'. The expectation is so high that I expect a cartoon chorus to appear after Raito's appearance with big pointers "This is a cliché" directed at his head. Japanese societal fault lines make manga so entertaining.
28 December 2004
Whilst moaning about how to complete All Strides, I was shocked by
the news about the tsunamis that hit multiple countries. Part of me
thought, huh, so you think terrorists are bad? Mother Nature says, try
this on for size! Which is undoubtedly terrible of me, but less moaning
about me and more sympathy for the victims. News reports are pretty bad, and
yet--yes, I'm cold-hearted--what good does my sympathy do? I'm better off
opening my wallet and thinking, ah, maybe I shouldn't buy that new jacket, even
though it's 50% off, when I can give the money to Red Cross. Or putting
off buying more manga and donating the money instead.
My mum has been repeating this line about how, even though we aren't wealthy, we should still try to give a little bit--our xinyi, which translates vaguely to "heart" and "meaning", basically referring to a token of sympathy and symbol of willingness to help. A part of me that is outraged at the lack of sufficient help thinks, what use is xinyi, which just sounds superficial and hypocritical? Helping should NOT be a matter of token sympathy or symbolic assistance; it should be real, meaningful help that changes matters for the better. Perhaps I'm too stupid. Someone who is wiser in these matters would advise me that "it's always the thought that counts"--and yet I would snarl at anyone who gives me that advice for my own life. I'm unmoved by 'thoughts' and tokens: I'm on one hand the idealist that wants to change the world, and on another the cynic who believes that human nature is forever foolishly optimistic and is therefore doom to failure and disappointment.
Eh. Then there is the evidence I see in my own life where, as it happens, "a little bit" can actually do a lot, and even xinyi can be a comforting presence. I'm outraged it isn't more.
26 December 2004
Maya's lj is still
the best. The girl can write. I mean, really write, so that really
good stuff comes out and you don't realise that it's that good--even if it's
just journal-entry-stuff about her trip to NY, just to give an example--until
you stop snickering and the buzz from all the laughing eases, and you think, my
god, I didn't even see that coming, it's that good. I think it's the way
she makes it sound so effortless, and I simply don't see the signs of effort--at
all--when the evidence of my senses (and my cleaned-up keyboard and monitor)
that tell me that the said effort and talent must exist, and that she is first
and foremost a minor deity for managing it in the first place.
25 December 2004
Ooh, Christmas!
I suppose it's wrong to begin an entry on Christmas day reflecting on how much I dislike Tezuka? Especially after I've read too many stories slashing him with Atobe. (How dare they put dearest Atobe-sama with that blockhead?!) It could be the after-effects of their match, but having Atobe with Tezuka just kills me silently on the inside. To put my favorite character in bed with my least favorite character! Grr, it burns. I dislike Tezuka even more than I dislike Wakato (of all the asinine behaviour!). He acts in a way I cannot warm to, or like, even after subtracting all the leeway I customarily give anime characters--especially teenage anime characters. (This is why I can tolerate Sanada and Kirihara.) Dunno why... maybe it's all the expectations they have of him. Ooh, buchou of Seigaku, he can't lose, he does his best for the team, he's so serious, and so forth. NO.
24 December 2004
It's a little mortifying, not to mention horrifying, how much more fic
I write when I'm at work, as opposed to being on leave and lazing about at home.
Does this mean I can only write while loafing in the office?!
Okay, maybe not that bad. I did manage to finish "Skipping Stones" at home (but fixed the typos at work). But "Korean Idol" most certainly, from start to finish, was written in office time. Weird.
Now. Should I write a sequel to "Korean Idol"? I don't know much about Korea at all, much less about the entertainment world and the Korean entertainment world. I don't think I really want to write Bae Yon-jun into the story, as writing Real People fic isn't my cup of tea. And lastly, how far do I want to take the joke (of Hikaru's er, fanboying)??
Must ponder. Meanwhile, back to work!
19 December 2004
So, I've been stuck on my fic All Strides since forever... or two
weeks ago, to be precise. The annoying thing is, the ending I had for it
now seems a bit too melodramatic and well, boring. (It is, really.)
This is a pity, and I really hope for it not to be abandoned just because it
isn't going anywhere. On second thought, this is a good reason to abandon
a fic. On third thought, I'm reluctant to throw up my hands altogether.
'tis the season of hope and goodwill, right?
So after bingeing a half dozen episodes of HnG on very little sleep, I decided that drastic measures have to be made to revitalize this story. I have finally committed the fiction-writing crime of the deus ex machina. Presenting: Kuwabara Honinbou, in his cackling glory!
8 December 2004
Had a fic-related epiphany and spent the night just thinking about it. It
seemed so great, until I tried to write it out, and then I got stuck. Fandom:
Harry Potter, and yes, I've never written it before. Never even considered
writing it. Source of inspiration was, oddly, a posting on mpreg and how
much the poster liked it. Well. I can't say I really like mpreg.
But having read a number of HP fics over the last two weeks, I guess the idea of
a fic was germinating. What's funny is that the pairing I had in mind is
Snape/Harry. Heh. Anyhow, I thought it might be fun to write a fic
from the viewpoint of a third character. That way, I'd be spared all the
technicalities about writing Harry Potter and Severus Snape first-hand.
Plus all the Voldemort-related fics (Voldemort wins, Voldemort defeated,
Voldemort possessing other people... all courtesy of painless_j's thematic list
on lj. So it's to be post Voldemort as well.)
Hence was born Darryl (should I use another name? Julian sounds good too) Potter-Snape. Not the product of mpreg. He calls Harry "Dad", but Snape "Professor". Fun.
It's also weird that I've figured out how to write Snape but not Harry. Snape is strict and formal; Harry: cheerful or depressed? Angry?
Also read Mine by Gillian, a "Snape is Harry's father" fic. I can't get over how cute it is that five-year-old Harry calls Snape "Daddy".
6 December 2004
Today I discovered that Ravenwood on lj had in fact changed her username to
alltrees, which explains why I couldn't find her fics before. Sigh. This
means I've missed like don't know how many of her fics since I stopped checking
her page. Drat.
Also, she's now not writing PoT fic. That's not interesting to me.
4 December 2004
Tankoban 26 of The Prince of Tennis. Is it wrong of me to focus
on the few snapshots of Atobe rather than on Fuji or Ryouma?
Fact: I'm lazy and I use Crtl+F more often than I should.
Fact: I'd rather read Atobe than Fuji.
This is how I ended up spending the night reading AtoJirou.
29 November 2004
Have bought RK. Whee!
Side-side note: Am I the only one who thinks that Jay Chou, with that haircut, looks like Heero Yuy? Or am I making too much of Heero (as usual)?
See, this is Heero:
And this is Jay: 
Remarkable resemblance, no?
All right, all right! I'm the only one who sees it! Grrr. Maybe it's the hair...
28 November 2004
Moment of truth.
Should I, or should I not, buy the entire dvd series of Ruronin Kenshin?
(Of course, I could say that of Mars, too, but with that I can wait until the price goes down to a level that is more bearable.)
With RK, I want to buy it. Like now. Or yesterday. Yesterday is good. I was going to buy it yesterday until I remembered that I had no money. Hence I had to hold off the decision. That was probably wise, as I came this close to busting next month's budget. And that would not have been good.
But. It's Kenshin. The voice of Suzukaze Mayo. Yes, it's true I already own the entire Kyoto arc on vcd (about 10 episodes worth, big deal, since the series is 94 eps), but I haven't seen those since my git of a cousin 'borrowed' them last year. It's safe to say that he isn't returning them, the little shit.
And the price is considered (in my estimation) rather bearable. The entire collection. dvds. I can't wait for the price to go down any further; I'm terrified they'll be sold out by then. Which on some levels is not an unreasonable fear, see: dvds from China, irregular distribution channels of.
I admit freely that I'm really buying too much anime and manga this year. And I swear at no time did I consider buying Inuyasha. Okay, only for a minute, but that's not a sin, is it? I want RK. I want overly guilt-ridden Kenshin who solves all moral problems by well, moralizing about them, coming up with some slick, zenny sentiments. I want Hiko-sama. I like Kaoru. I want to stare at Saitou. So what if the series was a craze five years ago? I want it, dammit.
27 November 2004
Trying to remember why I like watching Buffy, but hate the fanfic, yet don't
like watching Angel but love the fanfic. I think it's the Buffy/Spike.
But Xander/Spike is good. So good, when it's done right. It can be
angsty or wacky, but it usually contains great smut and tugs at my heartstrings.
Repossession by Lazuli Kat, unusually long, most sections were good and
the sex was hot. I had to suspend my belief when it turned out Xander was
the grandson of a god, and grit my teeth, but overall it was okay.
Hunger is much better, though angstier. A good backstory would be
good, but not necessary, and my god, even though I wrinkle my brow at the
Consort stuff, it's good and hot and heartstring-tugging.
24 November 2004
Sailor Mac's HnG fics, at
http://vs24.cedant.com/sailormac/stories-hn.html. I hate the sex
scenes. I really do. I've said before I dislike explicit smut in HnG
and this opinion has only been proven by her fics. The story is okay--some
parts pretty good--but this obsessing about sex (researching sex? what happened
to some sexy, if clumsy, teenagerish-fumbling experimentation?)--makes me go 'OOC'
when actually the story runs well enough without it. Sigh. I guess her fic,
her characterization.
Uck. I've actually been skipping all the smut. Just now, I found myself accidentally reading it, because of the *ugh-use-go-stones-in-sex* scene. Ick. "sheath"?! "manhood"?! Do any teenage boys use such words?
And the reference to Hikaru's cousin, the pop star? I certainly hope it's not Shuichi from Gravitation, on the basis of the family name Shindou, because by gods they are Not The Same. I shall scream. Sound the same, but very, very different otherwise.
23 November 2004
Aishuu's Five Ways to Make a Bishounen Snap, final chapter at long
last. Hilarious ending. That's right, hit Hikaru with a go-ke. It's
not like his brain is that important, anyway.
I wanna read the next part of Brightly Burning.
22 November 2004
A nice list of HnG fics
here. Quite
fun. I updated lj with the newest chapter of my Strides fic.
Ashamed to admit that it's somewhat stuck, partly because I can't decide if it's
to be Yashirou's story or a story from Yashirou's POV. Keep thinking of
fun snippets to write, but they don't connect at all, and don't really do much
except as a means for me to elucidate certain scenes. Grr.
17 November 2004
Have been reading lots and lots of HP fic. Slight overdose, I think.
Serves me right to look for 'childhood fics', which, to my fascinated horror (at
first), contained more than the usual array of Abused!Harry fics. Then I
got slightly irritated. There's only so much gratuitous torture and sexual
abuse I can take (of Harry), even if it's canon that his relatives don't treat
him right.
I just don't think it's that bad. Rape? Whip marks? Broken bones? Canon-wise, I don't think they're capable of it--the Dursleys, I mean--they are pretty nasty people, but so trivial. Their motivations in life, their view of life, all seem to be centered on stuff like getting ahead, being nosy and bullying. I just can't imagine Vernon Dursley being arsed enough to spend that much time and attention torturing young Harry when he could be boasting about himself to his family instead.
Then again, when I read the 'Voldemort wins' scenarios, especially the ones where Voldemort/Lucius/various Death Eaters go about attacking and torturing and raping Harry or Draco or other students, one of my reactions is puzzlement. Don't they have anything better to do, I wonder. Surely there're territories to be secured, boring administrative matters to take care off, or rebels to eliminate?
I guess I just don't understand spending all that time doing stuff over and over; no matter how much of a sadist (or madman?) you are, surely there're time for breaks to... I dunno, catch up on the paperwork, eat ten-course meals and buy big cars?
11 November 2004
This is no good. Maya has updated, and so has Sunhawk, and yet I can't
get hold of the new chapters! (Underwater Light and Ion,
respectively.) So evil. The only time I have a long weekend and I
can't read new fic?
This is the website to check, for the latter, evidently. Am going to
check it now.
Am reading Ion 13: Connections now. Hate Quatre's sister. People who spew the words "darling" (for strangers) and "pet" (for people) should not be allowed to live. Ditto condescending people. Even if it turns out that she has a nicer side and was in fact a spy for the side of the light once upon a time, she's still smarmy. I don't care if she turns out to have a heart of gold, had a traumatic past or lived in a dysfunctional family: that attitude just gets my back up. And argh. 'trial': the word to describe stuff that goes on in courts of law (instead of 'bullshit') is trial. Not 'trail.' Argh.
Love it. Love the Spacer's Bar. Hate Trowa and Quatre doing the plus-ing and minus-ing of 'Taking Care of Duo'. Don't really have a good way to explaining it. Just the way they seem to work in concert to reassure him while readjusting their relationship (Trowa and Quatre's, I mean.)
[later update from December]: Have read newest chapter of Underwater Light. So good, lovely little scenes. Er, bower-like? No. But a very deft handling of less is more, and excellent use of prior devices to build up the scene, such as Hermione and Ron, and after that Harry and Draco. And the war, and the suppressed (or maybe not that suppressed) anger towards Voldemort, towards everything. I shall be waiting with bated breath for the next chapter, longing for the end and hoping it doesn't come too soon.
9 November 2004
My sister's discovered that I write fanfiction. That is, she came across my
wip, Strides, and said it was interesting. Then she found that I
wrote it, and was surprised. Me, I was just relieved that there isn't any
Aki/Hika in the section she read. She's oblivious to the whole yaoi-slash
phenomena of fandom, and I wasn't about to enlighten her.
This is sorta weird. I mean, I've been reading yaoi into my anime fandoms since forever, and the horrible Mary Sues (Gary Stus, actually) I wrote as a teenager certainly contained quite a bit of m/m stuff. But she's always been the strictly het stories only! person. She gets that Touya and Hikaru are cute. She gets that the boys in PoT are cute. She gets that in SV, both Clark and Lex are cute. She just doesn't get the 'let's put them in bed together' side of the fandom. When I try to hint at the phenomena, she thinks I'm politicking about gay rights instead. Okay, I support gay rights. But they don't have much currency in fanfiction. Honest. Hey, I also have Gravitation, though after I told her (dismissively): "It's about rock music" she lost interest.
Now she's grumbling to me that she can't find any decent fanfiction. (And therefore she reads very little, and doesn't go near fandoms at all.) If she did, she'd come across the yaoi and slash more quickly. I'd love to introduce some good fics to her, but nearly all the ones I know are m/m. Sigh.
5 November 2004
Silverthunder's HnG fics. Lotsa fun. Going Under is a
suitably creepy, spooky fic, and the beginnings of a relationship between Hikaru
and Toya. The ghost story succeeds, and so does the characterization of
Touya in particular. Hikaru's growing horror is convincing, too.
Though I'm not sure about using the internet to research ghosts...
I've realized that I've been seeing snippets of her fics around, especially her other fic Right Moves, but finally get to read it in full. Great fun. I'm jealous of the way she can write Hikaru's voice. I can't manage it.
The other one is Conversations by Smuga, which I really, really love for the characterization of Kaga. Case in point:
"Hey Kaga, still spending all your time playing shougi? They must have a university club." Hikaru replied, looking quite happy. He wasn’t an easily intimidated kid anymore.
"Naw," said Kaga in an offhanded manner, "I’ve got an even worse habit these days."
"What’s that?" asked Akari. Drag racing? Martial arts? Anime?
"Solid state physics, specifically low temperature stuff. Even got an internship lined up in MIT this summer." One would think, the way Kaga said the words, that he’d been inducted into the Yakuza. But then, Kaga could probably make opening a pension plan look like a form of government subversion.
"That would be . . . quarks and such?" ventured Touya, and Akari was glad that at least one of them knew something of what Kaga was talking about.
"Elementary Particle physicists," Kaga scoffed, "they’re just a bunch of wankers. I’ll be studying hydrogen entanglement. It’s all theoretical, but it’ll pave the way for the quantum computer, and then everything, cryptography, modeling systems, biological simulations, they’re all going to change. And I’ll finally wipe that smug look off his face."
No one spoke, even Touya seemed at a loss.
"Shindou," said Kaga, coming back to earth, somewhat, "Remember back when I told you I had beaten that Touya Akira kid? It wasn’t exactly the truth, I’m pretty sure he let me win because he heard my father giving me a hard time, probably felt sorry for me. But if this whole quantum computer thing works out, we’ll have the lookahead ability, coupled with all the known go heuristics, to allow us to Kasparov any go master. Touya won’t stand a chance. I’m afraid you’re going to get squashed too, Shindou, and you too," he turned to Touya, "sorry, I didn’t catch your name."
"Waya," Touya said promptly, "Waya Yoshitaka."
3 November 2004
Why am I trying to write YnM fic?
“Touda?” Tsuzuki spluttered, trying to sit upright. “Touda!” he exclaimed again when the shikigami pounced harder and pressed him into the mattress. “Erm, Touda? You’re scaring me…” Any other words that Tsuzuki could have said froze in his throat when he finally met the shikigami’s eyes and saw the burning gaze there.
“SorRyu is not the only one who wants an accounting of that night, Master,” Touda said, his voice low and liquid.
“I…”
Touda lean down, close enough to see the individual striations in Tsuzuki’s irises. The colour of his eyes proclaimed their demonic origin—and Tsuzuki might try to deny it, but to Touda, it was the one thing that made serving this human acceptable. “I gave you what you want. Now give me what I want,” he whispered, his voice deliberately harsh.
1 November 2004
Vols. 3 and 4 of Tactics are really weird.