ramblings
(Apparently posting things that aren't associated with writing in any way is becoming more and more common for me.)
I don't really have much to do at the moment, so I thought I would get some thoughts down and pollute your Friends Pages with my ramblings. There is some fic-related notes under one of the cuts, so if you've requested something/want to know the status of my (long overdue) Pokémon Big Bang fic/want to see what I have planned post-The Harder They Come... read on.
I put this under the first cut so you could avoid miscellaneous ramblings.
Let's start with requests.
After Thanksgiving Break, I took a nice long look at my fic request pile and thought "well, they've waited long enough..." And really, you have (especially all of you that requested fics three to four months ago on my formspring account). Working on The Harder They Come ate the fanfiction part of my life for months, and while that part of my life is still firmly lodged in my WIP's stomach, I really need to start working on people's requests.
That being said, I tried writing the first one on my list and meandered into working on an old half-written fic. That's both good and bad news. Writing magdalene (the fic's about Team Galactic's Jupiter, and religious allusions are gratuitously squeezed in though in my defense they really do treat Cyrus like a god) has temporarily made space on my palate for fics that aren't THTC, so hopefully I can get those out very soon regardless of the fact that finals start next week.
Now for The Harder They Come.
I've completed Act II, so that's currently getting beta'd. As for Act III, I'm working on that right now. Act II called for ~3000 words of narration-based-introduction-of-pokéworld-history and was therefore extremely long, so I'm trying to pull back my compulsion to detail every nuance of this verse while writing Act III. I'm trying to get back into the headspace for writing the emotion and freaking out if I'm taking Green too far too soon. Because of that (and RL), it's been taking me a while to crank this one out. If it makes it any better, it's the most eventful/detailed chapter I've written yet, so I hope it's worth the wait for you guys!
Bright side: Leaf returns! And thanks to some incredibly helpful talks with solarpillar on what some of my older renditions of Leaf have been lacking, I'm really hoping that I manage to write a really exceptional Leaf this time. I don't think it would be spoiling anything to say that Leaf is one of, if not the, character that undergoes the most development. I have big plans in store for her (and Silver... and Domino), so I hope she comes out well-written.
I may have to up the chapter count again depending on how long Act III turns out to be. Let's hope not.
So yeah. The Harder They Come remains one of my top priorities. I hope I continue to live up to all of your expectations. Thanks for all the support!
And now for kink meme fills.
I started filling for the kink meme! So if you see any fills with ridiculously long bursts of third person narration-based characterization, you'll know it's me.
All kidding aside though I'm really not kidding about being long-winded, pokanon has some really good prompts. I have all the ones I'm interested in bookmarked, so once my life has been cleared of prior commitments, I will definitely get on those.
For writing in general...
There's this app on my phone that allows me to write notes to myself, and it's filled with ideas. I'm not going to stop writing fic anytime soon.
So - just to clarify - here are my fanfic-related priorities:
1) Finish The Harder They Come
2) Write and finish fics for exchanges before Christmas
3) Write the fics people requested on my formspring
4) Fill some more requests on the kink meme
I watched the latest episodes of The Closer, House, MD and Glee today.
I felt best about The Closer, and it's all because of Mary McDonnell (who plays Captain Sharon Raydor - Brenda's nemesis). Ms. McDonnell continues to be as outstanding an actress as I remember, though she will always be President Laura Roslin in my heart of hearts. I hope they showcase her talent more, because she really is brilliant. I suppose there's time for her to take the spotlight when Major Crimes, the spin-off series, comes along. I love Kyra Sedgwick just as much, and I really am going to miss her at the end of the series. But I know Mary McDonnell can deliver. If there's any doubt, watch this scene from Battlestar Galactica.
The quality's a bit poor, but the intensity of the scene really carries through. This scene alone made me a devoted fan of Laura Roslin/Mary McDonnell... It just... agh. So good.
By the way, if any of you are looking for a good series to watch, I HIGHLY recommend Battlestar Galactica. At first glance it may look like it's a typical high octane action series, but it's really anything but. It touches upon so many concepts, but its treatment of the question of what makes someone truly human is key. I could ramble about BSG for hours and hours, but I'm just going to cut myself short and say that you guys should really watch it.
Is it me or is House getting a bit old? It seems to be more about the characters than the medicine now, and while that's to be expected of any series on primetime television, I think it's making the show lose its touch. Don't get me wrong: I love Hugh Laurie and think he's a brilliant actor, but I find myself wondering just how many situations the writers can force the good doctor into. Insane asylum? Check. Prison? Check. What's next - the afterlife? Not to mention that the show lost a little something when Lisa Edelstein left. I miss Cuddy, and it's not even because I particularly like her with House.
I think this can be said about any series after it gets too old (except Law and Order: SVU). The audience knows its fictional and that it's meant to entertain them, but after a while the thought that this many things happen to one character is just outrageous. I think Grey's Anatomy is going through the same process. I'm caught between wishing they'd just bow out gracefully and feeling terrible about the thought of not watching them anymore...
Glee... Glee is outrageous.
You know, it started off as this show with a lot of promise. I was still in high school at the time, so a lot of the show's irony and satire struck a chord in me, especially when it was about the administration's bureaucratic incompetence. The characters were just exaggerated enough to be funny and likable at the same time, the plot was fresh, and the songs were infectious.
Now it's just... over the top. That's all I can say to explain it. Outrageous doesn't even begin to cover it. Rachel trying to steal an election for Kurt? Puck sleeping with the adoptive mother of his child? Quinn going full-on into Black Swan psycho territory and wanting to have another baby because it's the only perfect thing she thinks she can have?
It kind of made me feel a bit melancholy.
Meh...
The first thing I did after watching Glee was put on some Vienna Teng. For some reason, "Shine" always makes me feel better when I'm down. Most of Vienna's songs do... She's just so talented. Her music is not only flawless melodically, but the lyrics sound like poetry. Better yet, I can even make sense of them!
(If you're feeling down too, listen to this song
It works every time. Promise.)
Speaking of music...
I downloaded the new Florence + The Machine album the other day. It has blown my mind.
That is all.
I really need to finish reading The Marriage Plot. Business is no excuse for making a good novel wait, especially when I have countless others just waiting for me on my nightstand (I am so looking forward to 1Q84).
Also, UP! user pic because I love that movie. Don't even get me started on my love for Disney/Pixar. I'll be here all night (and I really need to get some sleep - I have an early morning class tomorrow)...