insaneladybug: (barneystockman)
The plushies are done! Yay! I finished the coat last week. Pictures can either be viewed on dA or on my Turtles site: https://sites.google.com/site/exittheflytmnt1987/baxter-plushie/barney-and-z

I also watched the DuckTales pilot, which Disney put up on their official XD YouTube channel. My feelings are mixed.

Life is like a hurricane ... )

Finished a fic I've been working on for close to a week and I'm thrilled with it! Probably will do a slice-of-life follow-up next and then hopefully the class reunion fic.

And I have an odd problem that I've had for many years. I don't know how to solve it. I get hooked on friendships that aren't actually in the shows and I fall in love with them so hard that I am way more invested in them than in most, if not all, canon relationships.

YGO: Marik and Mokuba. I read someone's fic that they'd written while Battle Ship was running. Marik learned the truth of everything and how he had been hurting innocent people and ended up trying to kill himself out of horror and guilt. Seto saved his life and while he was recovering, Mokuba made friends with him. I fell in love with the idea of the friendship and incorporated it into my fics.

Princess Tutu: Autor and Ahiru. Ahiru doesn't like him in the series and there's no indication she ever feels differently. In a cute sequel that most voice-actors participated in, Autor is friendly towards her but she doesn't reciprocate. I felt, however, that if she really saw that Autor was a good person behind his obnoxious behavior she would come to like him after all. That happened in my fics and their friendship really took off.

TMNT 87: Baxter and Michelangelo. I never intended that to happen, especially since Michelangelo was my least favorite Turtle. But I soon realized that he would be the most forgiving and the most willing to make friends. That developed naturally without me trying to force it and they are very close now. (Also, I think Michelangelo is my second favorite Turtle in the 1987 series now, behind Leonardo. How did that happen?!)

With all of these, the problem is the same: I love these relationships so much that there is a very real danger of crowding out actual, canon relationships in my desire to focus on them. Like Seto and Mokuba, for instance. I'd get so caught up in Marik having adventures with Mokuba and trying to help him that he would probably overstep his bounds and Seto would get crowded out, especially in role-plays. I think I was a little better with fics. With Autor and Ahiru, sometimes it was a little hard to get Fakir in there. But I really tried hard not to make the same mistakes as I did with Marik and Mokuba.

Same with Baxter and Michelangelo, I really try to have a balance between them and the other Turtles' interaction with Michelangelo. But it is hard. And I worry I don't always succeed and lean more towards Baxter and Michelangelo interaction/it looking like Michelangelo is closer to Baxter instead. It doesn't help that I see the 87 group more as friends than brothers, since they seem to see themselves as such, and that I have trouble getting into the Turtles' minds, usually, except for Michelangelo. Baxter is so much easier to write for and I have accepted that he's my favorite character. Writing for him and Michelangelo thrills me. It's just so cute and squeeful. An improbable and unlikely friendship to be sure, and yet somehow it seems to work.

With the Turtles, I think Donatello is the one I like writing with Michelangelo the most. I always had the impression that they were particularly close in other media, like the old movies and the Archie comics. I originally thought the 87 series didn't focus on them much, but I've been noticing nuggets of interaction on re-watches that make me really happy. But I still like writing Michelangelo interacting with Baxter the most. I don't know how to not feel that way.

I know a lot of people have similar problems with their fanon romantic ships, so I suppose I shouldn't feel too bad/guilty. But I don't want to crowd out important canon relationships, so the struggle to achieve a good balance will go on. Maybe part of me feels bad because I like something I made up with the characters more than the actual canon and I usually find it easier/more squeeful to write.
insaneladybug: (steve)
Apparently I had intended to take this quiz last May, but never got around to it.

Say Hello to Steve Drumm as our icon host today. I think I'm one of his only fans. Poor Steve. He's really an interesting character in his own right.

5 Favorite recurrent characters you love to write about and why in no particular order:
1. Hamilton Burger (Perry Mason). He’s my favorite character from the show. It was his friendship with Perry that made me sit up and take notice to begin with, and this past year I started paying a great deal of attention to him and realized what a wonderful, kind, honest person he is. He deserves more attention in the fandom, which I am more than happy to lavish on him.
2. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII and/or Kingdom Hearts). Sephiroth, when he’s sane, is intriguing, aloof, serious, and a good friend. I’ve picked up writing for him again in To Blossom As the Rose and found that I still have the touch.
3. Duke Devlin (Yu-Gi-Oh!). Duke is a character whose potential is rarely explored by fanfic writers. I detest how the anime murdered his introduction story; it’s so serious and dark in the manga and gives him so much depth. (And there are no cheerleaders!) I like writing for him with his manga backstory inserted in the anime events. It’s kind of sad; the manga-ka gave him such an awesome intro and then kind of forgot about him. He didn’t even develop an interesting sub-plot with Duke and his cynical views in Battle City. The anime, on the other hand, involved Duke in that and other adventures.
4. Lieutenant Schrank (West Side Story). Played by the incomparable Simon Oakland, Schrank is a world-weary policeman who has to put up with and try to stop the local teen gangs. Unlike the characters I generally write, Schrank uses slang and bad grammar, and probably realizes but doesn’t care. He’s another generally overlooked character, one I find fascinating to explore.
5. Yami Bakura/Thief King Bakura (Yu-Gi-Oh!). My first favorite character (not my favorite overall, but literally the first character who became a favorite). It’s a puzzle trying to separate his personality from that of Zorc’s, but I like to try. Things were simpler before we had Zorc to worry about. But Yami Bakura as I wrote him recently is a much darker character because of the Zorc mess. I still like putting him in humorous situations too, as I did years ago.

5 Recurrent characters you hate/don’t care to write about and why in no particular order:
1. Noa Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!). Like Crystal, he’s just never appealed to me. Worse, I’m not sure exactly why. It might go back to my dislike of child villains. Noa’s behavior seems ten times more disturbing because of his age. I’ve heard that the English dub mashed up at least some of the reasons behind what he did, though. I was told that in the original he wanted the others there in his virtual world so he wouldn’t be alone. Although even if it started that way, it seems his goals must have changed later. The way he treated everyone during his duel with Seto was just sadistic.
2. Vivian Wong (Yu-Gi-Oh!). I know she was supposed to be a parody of rabid fangirls, and hence annoying, and boy does she succeed. She is a stalking nightmare. I seethe when she abducts Solomon and deliberately injures his bad back to force Yugi to duel her, and insists on him being her love slave should she win. I shudder every time I see someone who wants her and Duke to pair up. Gosh, what a horrible fate for Duke!
3. Lilie (Princess Tutu). Now she is a sadistic little prick. She is always hoping for Ahiru to be miserable because she looks so cute when she’s miserable and Lilie wants to comfort her. She only showed genuine concern once, in episode 7. It says right on her official profile that what she loves is Ahiru’s failure and what she doesn’t like is Ahiru’s success. She is one messed-up nutcase.
4. Everyone on Gensomaden Saiyuki. Now, let me make it clear, I love them, but I don’t like writing for them. I can get their personalities alright, I think, but I can’t come up with anything decent to write about them. The one thing I tried to write, I didn’t like, and I’m not sure the recipient did either. I never have posted it anywhere.
5. … I can’t really think of anyone, unless I list another cast for a show I just haven’t been able to write for. Or unless I list Mr. Ishtar from Yu-Gi-Oh! He was vicious and cruel to Rishid, and I don’t know if he cared about Marik so much as he cared about just having a son to be an heir.

5 one-shot characters that I enjoyed writing about and why in no particular order.
1. Mignon Germaine (Perry Mason). From season 8’s The Fatal Fetish, she is a good friend of Hamilton’s. Her son works in his office as an assistant D.A. She is an aloof woman who cares deeply about her son and doesn’t want harm to come to him. Her bond with Hamilton is deep and strong and I just adore expanding on it.
2. Tony Ferano (The Monkees). From episode 25, Alias Micky Dolenz, he is the right-hand man of Baby Face Morales, the gangster lookalike of Micky’s. He has a wide range of hilarious expressions as he reacts to various nonsensical situations around him. Usually he is serious and cold, in fact, downright icy. He was a former policeman with Detroit, where he ran various illegal operations.
3. Baby Face Morales (The Monkees). Also from Alias Micky Dolenz. He has a hair-trigger temper and is very dangerous. Alternately, he can actually be oddly philosophical (in my stories). He and Tony have a bond of sorts, but it’s on-again off-again in between warring with each other.
4. Ruby (The Monkees). Yet still from Alias Micky Dolenz, Ruby is Baby Face’s girlfriend. Although seemingly ditzy in the episode, I generally write her as being smarter and more serious. She always worries about Baby Face and the chances he takes. She wishes he would leave crime behind and take her away somewhere to settle down.
5. Captain Caldwell (Perry Mason). From season 4’s The Misguided Missile, Captain Caldwell was an investigator from the inspector general’s office. He was killed by a nut while trying to solve a mystery surrounding the titular object. It was a very unnecessary and tragic death.

And a bonus, “David Tanaka” (Yu-Gi-Oh!). I put his name in quotations because it’s my invention. He doesn’t even have a canonical name. But he talks with Duke in his first episode and seems to be a close friend. In the English dub he’s the manager of Duke’s store.

5 characters I want to write about for future fics:
Would this refer to characters I haven’t ever written for? If so, I’m honestly not sure how to answer that. I think everyone I want to write for I’ve tried at least once.

Your favorite penned fiction and why (there can be two if there is a tie): Probably Lead Me Through the Fire for Yu-Gi-Oh! It developed Duke’s character a great deal, as well as that of the afore-mentioned David. It was very dark, included no magic or supernatural goings-on (well, except for something brief at the very end), and included a death that, try as I might, I haven’t been able to reverse in other fics and fully feel good about. I didn’t want the character dead, but it feels like it was so important that I can’t really change it. That doesn’t mean my sequel will remain unfinished, but it does mean I’m having trouble with it.

Also, The Case of the Broken Ties for Perry Mason. It is Hamilton’s and Paul’s story, as they work in desperation to reverse a spell that has caused everyone else to forget all or part of their memories. It develops Hamilton and Mignon’s friendship as well as the interaction between Hamilton and Paul. It’s amusing; while my favorite YGO fic has nothing supernatural for a generally supernatural series, this story is full of the supernatural for a series that always relied instead on logic.

Your least favorite penned fiction and why (there can be two if there is a tie): Probably Family Ties and Family Secrets, both Yu-Gi-Oh!. My mind was seriously messed up when I wrote those things. I don’t even agree with my portrayal of Mr. Ishtar anymore. I wish I could just remove them both. I only leave them there because people like them and I know how frustrating it is when something disappears that you like.

People’s favorite fiction of yours (by review count and positive postings): Probably still Frantic in Frisco, one of my old Yu-Gi-Oh! mysteries. 288 reviews. Good Heaven. I wish I could duplicate that feat someday.

People’s least favorite fiction of yours (by review count and negative postings): I have no idea.

If you are a member of Fanfiction.Net, how many people have you on their favorites’ list: … 660 (okay, my jaw is dropping now)

If you are a member of Fanfiction.Net, how many people have you on Author Alert: 283

Fanfic Meme

Jan. 1st, 2012 11:27 am
insaneladybug: (andy)
I'm probably going to cross-post this entry to LJ, at least. But I decided I wanted to try out using this journal for something. And play with my icons. This is Andy. (Well, actually, it's not; it's a doctor character Wesley Lau played on The Mod Squad, but I list him as Andy anyway. I can feel like I have a color picture of him.)

Year-End Fanfic Meme

Favorite:
It might be the one I’m working on now: The Case of the Broken Ties, for Perry Mason. It’s a plot concept I’ve been fascinated by for years. I’ve tried variations on it two previous times, for other fandoms. Ironically, both of those fics are unfinished. I don’t intend to let this fic suffer the same fate, however. I have the basic plot mapped out in my mind and some details on the computer. I've very excited to tell the whole story.

Best:
I really have no idea. Maybe the longest fic I’ve written to date, It’s Probably Me, for the Princess Tutu fandom. I worked so hard on it from last November through this past February. There’s still a couple of kinks I need to iron out and haven’t dragged myself to do so yet, but overall I think it’s a well-done piece.

Most underappreciated by the universe:
Everything I’ve written for West Side Story other than Language Barrier.

Most fun to write:
Gosh, I don’t know. Every fic should be fun to write or it isn’t worth it. And I’ve enjoyed each and every one.

Most intense fic:
I don’t know. Maybe It’s Probably Me and The Case of the Memento Mori Murderer. But The Case of the Macabre Mansion turned out very intense too. Those latter two are both Perry Mason.

Saddest fic:
Running on Empty, for West Side Story. Or it would have been, had I not suddenly changed gears two-thirds in and not been able to stop myself.

Perhaps I should list I've Been Standing Too Near, for The Monkees (more or less). It was a fic involving Baby Face Morales and his gang from episode 25, and it had character death. As it stands alone, I don't plan to write any kind of sequel or follow-up to it.

Funniest fic:
… Gosh, did I write any humor fics in the past year? I rarely write humor at all, albeit I can when I feel like it. You know, I think the closest I came was Ross, The Good Samaritan for The Patty Duke Show. And that was more just gentle family-friendly goodness, like the show. There’s nothing that funny.

Fic that shifted my own perception of the characters:
I think every fic I write helps my perception of the characters change at least somewhat. But perhaps especially my West Side Story fics for Schrank and Krupke. The Worth of Souls and Ripples in the Water have been the most effective to that end, I believe.

Hardest to do:
Probably those two fics, as well as maybe Game of Darkness for Kolchak: The Night Stalker and Yu-Gi-Oh!. (Now there's an odd crossover for you.)

Biggest disappointment:
That I changed Running on Empty from its intended bittersweet path. I still wonder if I shouldn’t write the original ending and put it up too.

Biggest surprise:
The immense positive response I got when I tested the plot idea for The Case of the Broken Ties in the Della-Perry Yahoo group. I didn’t think anyone would be that interested, considering the supernatural slant.

Most telling:
… Telling about what? My love for the characters? What certain characters are like? I hope my love for them comes through in every story. And I try to show their true personalities every time, often focusing on aspects people don’t know or think about much.

Now I believe The House of the Setting Sun, for The Monkees, is the most telling that I have a strange mind.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
I don’t think I ever try to predict how much I’m going to write.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Just about everything I did this year was something new. I would never have thought I’d be writing fics for Monk, West Side Story, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, or Perry Mason. Or that I would be writing an FF7 Western story crossed over with two rare Western movies. And since I had no idea about any of that, I didn’t have any idea about the specific characters I’d be writing for, either.

… You know, Simon Oakland is directly responsible for most of the new things I tried. Because of Kolchak, and realizing how much I liked Simon, I got story ideas for West Side Story and got back into Perry Mason. And without getting back into Perry Mason, that FF7 fic would not be happening.

Did you take any writing risks this year? (See above for unexpected pairings, etc.):
I wonder if that FF7 fic would be considered my biggest writing risk. It’s both a genre most people would never think of using with those characters and has characters from two Western movies most people probably don’t know exist (Smoke Signal and Two-Gun Lady).

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?
Finish everything I’m currently working on, but especially The Case of the Broken Ties and To Blossom As the Rose (the FF7 fic).

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