Boredom - bought Star Trek books and my love for fanfic - several different fandoms discussed
Warning: This post took on a rambling life of its own, but I do talk from the heart and I do ask questions on fanfic and slash I'd love to hear your pov on and also - I do have something to say about two Star Trek books. But still - read at your own risk. I'd skip it and wait for my next post of story if I were you. Now what does that say about me and this post?? I'm a weirdo that's what. And it is the wee hours of the morning...
I haven't read any new Star Trek books since I found fanfic. (I do keep a scaled down selection of books I really enjoyed, unfortunately, mostly TNG) Fanfic was instantly superor in a number of ways - A: unless I bought a zine and I only did it once and regretted it as it wasn't half as good as the stuff I read free online. B: Fanfic explors boundaries forbidden to publishing authors who must have everything remain canon in the end result. There will be no last romances or changes, boring. C: After a while the books in any series of the Star Treks inevitably read like a formula - the characters a,b,c of the starship or station such and such face peril or possible war if aliens who the fuck cares since I (and or my writing partner - amazing how two wriiters can be just as bad if not worse than one) made them up strictly for this book and they are LAME, continue their actions - will so and so save the day?? And yes, they will, and the story will be inevitably boring and everything will wrap up so nothing changes precious canon.
Not all publshed novels were like that - I rather enjoyed Peter David's hardback TNG novels and there are a few OLD TOS novels that were good. But something was always missing....and I found out what it was in the wonderful, wonderful discovery of fanic:
You can do whatever you want with the characters. Kill them off, marry them off, and best of all - slash them!!! Ooooh the daring day I first read a slash fic. I was horrified - and then terribly intruiged - overwhelmed with curiosity - I am a very curious person - I tried it - and hey - that was even better than all the het fanfic combined I'd read so far!!
That's when I realized - damn it, THAT's what was always missing even from the best books. I read a lot of Star Wars novels and I really wanted Han to rescue Luke from certain situations and vice versa not for Luke to save himself and never even know Han was nearby - I didn't really want him to fall for the girl of the week- why?? Ohhhh!! I'd say Han/Luke was my first favorite pairing and I'd love to read a really good fanfic, but don't think I've ever come close. Too bad. And by the time I discovered slash and wrote it - I was over my Star Wars phase and onto X-Files - then I thought of Star Trek - and I was no Krk/Spock gal...no, McCoy was always my favorte, followe very closely by Spock. The day I was welcomed to the Spock/McCoy group on yahoo was one of my fondest memories. Ahhh, my people! I was also welcomed by X-Files slashers, but I've lost interest since then in that fandom - happens when the show ends horrifically and the authors just drop from sight - me included, I'm just as guilty there. Yet not the same with Star Trek - an enduring love there. And Harry Potter - actually I can't remember which was the first slash fic I read - HP or XF?? Doesn't matter - HP and ST endure so far. ( Actually, with the last two or three books the best HP fic is pretty much dead, but rarely I find a good one so I don't give up all hope there). How does ST keep going - don't tell me the latest movie because that's only opened even more doors and new fans, but it was still going pretty strong and I think the first slash or fanfic ever written, right??
So...anyway, after that ramble is ANYONE still reading? My main point of my post was that I bought the book of the new Star Trek movie - interesting little scenes left out - unexplained little things suddenly making more sense (Kirk's car ride for intance) and more insight as the author tries to fill in plot holes or totally different scenes. Heck, especially the last one - the dog? I think that one was best left out along with some others. And I have to admit the movie is a little better - or maybe that I like both equally (young Kirk and brother scene soooo shouldn't have been left out) - so if you haven't read that novelization - I'm probably the last fan not to, though, do so!!!!
And then...after rereading and rereading and other good totally un star trek related books, etc. (Craig Ferguson's American on Purpose is GREAT - so is Kathy Griffin's bio - both made me LAUGH!!) - I got bored. I like to read in the tub as I soak my really painful body and I need to read!! If ONLY I could have my laptop in there and read fanfic I'd be the happiest person on Earth and I'd probably never come out of the bathroom except for food. Anyway - I needed book so I decided to try a new Star Trek book just one more time - maybe there's a new author that actually is good or daring. I bought Daid Mack's Mirror Universe - The Sorrows of Empire. Has anyone else read this?? Is it as good as the first two chapters?? And how come het in fanfic makes me gag, but I kinda like Spock an Marlena together?? Is it only because I KNOW McCoy isn't going to get together with him so she's not too bad a substitute?? Or is it only because of Mary Sues? Nah, because I don't want Uhura to have Spock no matter how well written and I don't like Scully/Mulder anymore and I used to like it - that I think is the result of the last few seasons of the show, though.
Anyway - only read two chapters read of this MU book (I cannot resist MU - it is sooo cool) and the first page is GRIPPING. Man, I only hope it doesn't disappoint too much later. I'm ready for violence and sorrow and deaths of characters - just so long as it is not boring.
And before you point out the obvious - print out something to read...
I've printed out fanfic before - but found it only worthwhile if it is long and a favorite - then I accidentally left those out to be seen and I know...I just know...read by the wrong people. So I tossed them out from embarassment. *sigh* Big waste of paper - tree huggers - you can hate me, feel free.
And that's after I'd already got caught as a college student reading/writing fanfic at home and my mother read something I'd only half read and she read some and ever since - my parents assume the worst of me. (Turned out it wasn't even a good fic for me, kinkier than I usually like them so double embarrassment...) Ugh. I shouldn't care. I'm 30 now. Who cares what I like? It doesn't hurt ANYONE. Oh, and my father once hacked his way onto my website when he knew I had one with my own writing up, but wouldn't share my address or let him look at it - and he read some of what I wrote. God, do I have the nosiest of all parents?? I was outraged by that, by the way. I have no idea how much he read or what he read, he doesn't like any of the fandoms I do - he's VERY limited so he said he didn't read much - he just thought I had some talent writing. Didn't matter to me - his blatent snooping and then crowing about it still pisses me off.
Hmmm...I'm rambling yet again. I think I should go work on my reboot fic and forget this. Anyhow - feel free to comment. I do let most of the embarassement roll off my back now and I've made slashy jokes and it is just an open secret with my parents now, but it doesn't make it totally okay. Now outside my parents I NEVER want my extended family knowing - that's why they don't know of this blog -or god help me, I hope not. I refuse to tell. And one astute male cousin said - if you aren't talking about it, it must be slash - I brushed him off and haven't spoken about writing since. I only pray he never found my stories or connected them with me. Jeez. Am I the only one semi-in the closet?? I don't even write sex scenes much at all - hell, if that's one complaint I've gotten a few times - it's that. I'm inhibited by being in the closet. Sorry, readers, sometimes I've written sex, but you'll never get me too graphic. And actually, it doesn't interest me as much as romance and intimacy - which I think I do write... So pwpers will never want to read my work and that's okay, I avoid anything that has a warning of pwp usually. LOL!
What I like to read, I like to try to write, long fic where things happen and romance is a big part of it. And angst. Man do I love angst. I do have an odd fetish for reading rape fics, though - rape comfort fics preferably, though - where there is healing or hope of healing and some revenge. Ohhh, revenge fics are nice - someone is rape, comforted and either they or their loved one gets REVENGE. Still rambling. I'll shut up now.
/rambling mess of a post
That'll teach me to write at three in the morning. No it won't - I always write at three in the morning.