slr2moons

I've been under an extreme amount of stress for the past two weeks, mostly due to work, frustration with my continuing weight gain, money, and home ownership problems. But if I type everything out here it will just make me feel worse, so let me instead tell you about something more positive and uplifting.

Since the stress kicked in, I've felt this urge to read fanfiction. I've punted aside my various published fiction to-read lists, and aside from one exception, it's been fanfic all the way.

I'm not sure how many fics I've read, but it's been a lot. I'd estimate the word count to be over 700k--so far. I'm actually finishing up a fantastic 100k original m/m romance and angst fest story today. For my own amusement and to share any fics you yourself might want to try, here is the list of what I've read in this binge so far. Reconstructed from memory in three sections: fics already on or to be added to my recs page, fics I decided not to rec after reading, and fics I'm in the middle of and/or have yet to decide to rec or not:

( Surprisingly long list of varied fandoms and fic styles. I'll read almost anything. )

I think I know WHY I had this urge to binge on fanfic in a way I haven't in a couple of years. It's because fanfic, unlike prose, can give me exactly what I want, and it's relatively easy to track down.

Take all those Brienne/Jamie fics up there. That ship will NEVER happen in the show, and I'd be amazed if it does in the books. Hence, fanfic can give me what I want: a reverse beauty and the beast story, which almost never happens in professional media. (If you know of any, please LMK. M/M or F/F works, too!)

Now take a look at that Sherlock fic. That story emotionally wrung me out like a limp washrag and left me to dry. GUH. Can a pro author write something like that and have it published? Maybe. I've never found one like it. (If you know of any--any style ship--please LMK.)

And then, of course you have the most basic appeal of fanfiction: seeing my favorite characters doing things and being put in situations that could never happen in their actual canons. Yes, Sherlock canon certainly had fun with the gay misconceptions, and yes dark things happened in SoIaF/GoT--and gay and asexual people exist, though they aren't allowed to be too badass--and the great big yes: I couldn't love the characters and want to read fic about them if their canons didn't exist in the first place.

Maybe it's the short word count? Though the HP fic (~400k) disproves that.

In the end, I don't really know. I just wanted to read fic, like comfort food. So I did. C:

Feel free to share your own opinion on why you like to read fanfic, if you do. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

I know, it's been 3 weeks since my last post, and I'm doing a short book review instead of something personal. The IRL post is coming, I just want to get this book one done while it's on my mind, otherwise it won't happen.

Little Known Facts, by Christine Sneed.

I found out about this book through the Powells.com Daily Dose email, which is a daily email (heh) that features a customer's blurb about why they like a particular book they've read, and the official publisher's info beneath it. I always read these, and have amassed quite a list of books to try.

This book is set in modern Hollywood, and that is what grabbed my interest. I am fascinated by the movie-making process, likely due to my own interest in making animation films back in my teens and 20s. While I've lost that ambition, I'm still fascinated by what goes on backstage. (I love real movie commentaries, ones about creating the film, not just the actors cracking jokes about the surface and trading insults.)

This book is about the family and friends of a fictional huge Hollywood actor named Renn Ivins, an equivalent of Robert Redford or Harrison Ford. The first ex-wife pediatrician Lucy, the aimless trust fund son Will/Billy, the daughter Anna in her residency for family practice, Renn's current 30 years younger girlfriend Elise, Will's current girlfriend Danielle, Renn's second ex-wife Melinda, and a propmaster/wannabe filmmaker named Jim.

Every chapter is written from a different point of view, sometimes even switching to first person for a certain character, then back to third. I wonder about that, but if the character was demanding first person, it's understandable.

The book was indeed interesting, and I did not have to force myself to read it, but one thing really stands out to me:

Every story is about romantic relationships, except one. Characters fall in love--or at least have sex--while being with someone else. Breakups happen, new SOs are found, marriage is talked about and proposed, casual sex happens, not so casual sex happens, worried phone calls to snoop on lovers or discuss relationship problems, etc etc etc. By the end of the book, even the level-headed mom is caught up with endorphins about college friend turned wonderful boyfriend.

The single exception to the entire book being about romantic relationships is the propmaster/wannabe filmmaker. He gets one short chapter, and then a brief scene later in a Renn chapter.

Also of note is that Will does figure out what to do with his life, at least for the foreseeable future, and it has nothing to do with his new girlfriend. He arrived at the idea on his own.

This almost universal focus on love (or at least sex) for almost every character strikes me as odd. Why limit the story in such a way? Many interesting plot twists could be weaved around jobs, or bad luck, or even a character finding a book that changed their life, but instead it's all love affairs. Why, Ms. Sneed?

Or am I the odd one for not recognizing that love affairs are the most important, all-encompassing thing in everyone's life? *sigh* I just hope Jim the propmaster/wannabe filmmaker and Will the no-longer-aimless son are successful in their career pursuits. Good for them!

In light of what I observed about hometown friends from my 2012 retrospective post, and because I was feeling worse about life by the minute, I decided to be pro-active and called up a friend I haven't spoken to in months.

It was wonderful! X3 I love my friends, particularly the ones who have seen my at my worst and like me anyway. *hugs for everyone*

On a manga-esque note, I realized 2012 was The Year of Shounen Manga. Thanks to needing to catch up to the digital version of English Shonen Jump magazine, I had to marathon a LOT of shounen manga. I don't recall the exact numbers for all of the series, but here's a guesstimate: (OMG Chrome recognizes "guesstimate" as a word!)

Bakuman - 150 chapters
Bleach - 150 chapters
Naruto - 80 chapters
Nura - 180 chapters (the whole thing up to January '12...)
One Piece - 55 chapters
Toriko - 170 chapters (the whole thing up to January '12...)

And the above is why I haven't really tried any new webcomics this year. (Note: Chrome does NOT recognize "webcomic" as a word.) I've been so busy doing manga homework! Next on my list of webcomics to start is Gunnerkreigg Court. I read the hard copy of vol 1 last year (in the middle of all that shounen) and want to catch up. I'm still making my way through all those digital Jumps from last year, mostly because I DIDN'T keep up with reading every week, and am still in June '12 for Bleach, Nura, and One Piece. At least I've stayed caught up with Naruto and Toriko.

Though now I have to catch up to Nisekoi and Blue Exorcist, both of which started in digital Jump a few months ago...at chapter 50. *headdesk*

So far for 2012, I am doing better with reading less fic, more manga and comics, and working on my original manga, too. HEY YOU GUYS! I FIXED A PLOT HOLE AND FOUND MY FOCUS!! PLOTTING IS SO MUCH EASIER NOW!!! XD

TODAY IS A WONDERFUL DAY! BEHOLD MY CAPSLOCK OF JOY!!!

VIZ RESCUED THE LOVELESS MANGA! VOL 9 IS OUT TODAY! THE 2-IN-1 REPRINT OF EARLY VOLS STARTS NEXT MONTH! WITH COLOR PAGES AND NEW CONTENT!!! AND NO MORE CRAPPY TOKYOPOP SCANS!

MY FAVE YA AUTHOR, SARAH REES BRENNAN, IS COMING BACK TO PORTLAND, AT MY FAVE BOOKSTORE!!!!

AAAAGHHHHHH!!!! XD XD XD

*is goo*

I just finished yet another audiobook in the massive string I burn through while I work. I listened to the Great Reveal at the End twice, and hell if I know why the female lead hated the male lead so. *scratches head*

Maybe I'm just not old and world-wise enough to get it yet.

Also, it's rather odd to read a book where there's no mystery to solve, no dashing adventure or agonizing romance, no quest, no fighting, no point at all. Just...life, in all its boring progression.

I kept waiting for something to happen. I suppose it did, what with the Great Reveal at the End, but all I get out of it is my icon and subject up there.

No wonder I prefer speculative fiction.

So. Guess who is coming down with Con Crud after all? This sucks. Claymore is due on Monday, so that's all I'm lettering until it's done. 5 pages left, including the current one. At least the end is in sight, and nothing harder than yellow left. Wheeee.

I think I'm going to listen to some straight-up fantasy next. Give me a good quest any day, with some lovely UST to spice things up. Yay!

I post so little these days. It's not that I've abandoned LJ for Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr like so many have--because I don't post at any of those places, either. I just don't feel the need to talk as much as I once did. I guess.

Kakashi-the-kitten is at the vet, being removed from the gene pool and tagged for tracking by Big Brother. I'm grateful for both, as he's been really rambunctious the past few weeks, and keeps attempting to escape through the front door whenever I come home. With no more testosterone in his system, he should calm done somewhat and stop running me and Spicer-kitty ragged. And if he ever DOES escape, then I'll have a much better chance of recovering him with that microchip under his skin.

Anyway, Natsume 12 and Skip 28 are both done, except for corrections. At the moment, I'm wrapping up Clay 20, then I'll be officially without work until Naruto 59 or Skip 29 arrives, whichever happens first. With all four titles caught up to the Japanese release, and me being backup for Naruto anyway, it's probably going to be feast or famine in regards to my workload. Famine like now, with only one title, feast like a few weeks ago, with all four at once. The upcoming months will be most interesting.

I find it ironic that the one holiday season I won't be visiting the hometown in TX is the one where I will barely have any work to interfere. Of course. Also just watch: since I won't have to worry about weather interfering with my flights, it WON'T freeze or snow or otherwise grow nasty this holiday season. Never fails!

( Fannish concerns, ala Big Bang art, Yuletide fic, and meeting fellow writers IRL OMG! Also shopping and reading. )

Look, I actually managed to write an update. Yay!

Anyone else remember when that song was all over the radio? XD

Today I finished a prose novel, Dog Day by Alicia Gimenez-Bartlet, translated from Spanish by Nicholas Caistor.

I can tell the book was written by a European. I can't pin it down to specific examples--aside from the obvious cracks about uber-violent gun-toting crazy cowboy Americans--but the feel and pacing of the novel make it obvious to me.

( The short review continues, along with more grumbling and spoilers, behind the cut. )

 On the evening of July 21st, 2007, I was inside my then-local Barnes & Noble bookstore, excitedly waiting for the final Harry Potter book, along with about 300 other people. To help pass the time, I I decided to try a manga I'd been hearing about for several years. I plucked One Piece vol 1 off the shelf, found a chair, and gave it a try. You can read about my Potterocalypse day in its dedicated post, but I'll quote the most important snippet here:

"And I have a guilty secret: I wanted to finish One Piece, rather than start Harry."

That day, OP sank its claws into me and made me want MOAR. Very early this morning, almost four years after I tried volume 1 in that packed bookstore, I finished chapter 590. I am as caught up with the series as it is possible to legally be in English. I closed the back cover on 56 collected volumes and the 12 latest issues of English Shonen Jump magazine to do it.

I can't really believe that I've finally caught up at last. I've been running after Luffy for so long, I'm kind of at a loss. *baffled expression* I do know it will be fun being able to read four of the five regular titles in SJ: Bleach, Naruto, Psyren, and now One Piece.

As for the events of the massive epic that is OP, I can only marvel at Oda-sensei's talent. He is a genius, that's the best wa to describe it. It takes such talent to write a story for kids that keeps a book-critical adult like me reading for over 10,500 pages. His art is so unique, the story so unpredictable. It's clear Oda-sensei loves drawing manga, and it shows. I feel honored that I can read it.

And chapter 574...Oda-sensei, you ripped my heart out along with Luffy's. *cries*