Fanfic Break

Heheh. I've been taking a "fanfic break." That's where I focus on my fanfic for a little while. It's something that I don't have to take as seriously. It's easier and faster than what I've been writing lately, partially because a lot of the story and world is already set. 

Yes, it's my old Pokémon fanfic. I picked it up again because I was getting some good ideas.  And writing out the battle scenes has always been a great exercise for me. Something about them has always flowed smooth and natural, even if I have no idea where I'm going when I start. Plus I can weave a lot of my own tales/ideas in with my POV character. 

I usually try to write a chapter, or a story arc of the fanfic, before I go back to other writing. This arc ended up longer than expected though. Once again, I'll be lost when I return to my other stories.

The Ultimate Reason

A while ago, I was talking to someone about Beauty and the Beast.  I said it was one of my favorite Disney movies. She said she didn't like it, because she didn't buy that Beast could go from borderline abusive to prince charming. I said that "yeah, a lot of people won't change, or don't know how to. But some people do change." Especially when they're young. I've seen it. Though people can change for the worse too. The new movie kind of plays off this, when Belle tells Gaston "no one can change THAT much." So yes, there are limits to how much someone can change. 

But she wasn't buying any of that.

So finally I said, "well, I probably like it so much because I'm a hopeless sucker for animal people." 

She bought that.

Bobcat

It's amazing how differently people can experience the same thing. 

For example, Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride. Some people think it's hilarious, and others think it's scary. 

Huh.

Anime and Manga Update

Yu Gi Oh Millennium World

 

I like the Egypt theme (although I don't think there's much accurate Egyptian history in here XD) I was checking out volumes from the library. And at one point I realized that I'd accidentally skipped a volume. I couldn't even tell except for one tiny thing that confused me. Heh. I guess the plot had gotten dragged out enough that I couldn't even tell when I missed an entire volume. Though Yu Gi Oh was entertaining.

 

Skip Beat

 

So, a family friend gets really excited whenever she finds anime or manga at the thrift store where she helps. She always asks me if I want them. I've told her several times "saying you have a manga is like saying you have a movie. It could mean anything." But she's always so excited about it that eventually I just told her to read the backs and see if it sounded good. So she bought me volumes 1 + 2 of one series, and 3+ 4 of a different series. I started reading both. I didn't think I'd like this one. It started out with a girl wanting to get revenge on her boyfriend. She joins show-biz to upstage him. But she starts getting interested in acting, and I've ended up getting into the series.

 

Hana-Kimi

 

Continued from the previous post: This was the series where she gave me volumes 3 and 4. So I had to check out the first couple from the library. I've been enjoying this one a lot too! It's refreshing that the main characters are all nice. A jerk shows up sometimes, but despite the main character's unusual situation, she has some really good friends around her.  

Claymore

This feels like one of those manga that went on a lot longer than originally planned. It has steadily been changing track. Now it feels like an excuse to draw a lot of naked women monsters.

 

Bitter Virgin

Man, this one was pretty heavy. But it was good.  It has a perspective that's important to share.

 

Midori no Hibi

I would have liked this one more if it wasn't so pervy @_@ 

Code

This one kind of  left me on edge. It was bordering on kidnapping. The only thing that saved it was that the main character ended up liking the guy.

 

Angel Densetsu

Oh man, this poor guy breaks my heart. He's so sweet, but everyone's terrified of him because of his looks. And it doesn't help that he often jumps to the wrong conclusion and digs himself into holes. 

Over and Over

I think the first chapter of Evva's story is in good shape (it's a prologue, really). But the next chapter has always been annoying. I think I have it good, then I look at it again and it still feels flimsy.

I just redid it once more, adding more detail. I think it will help with the pacing, give more of Evva's character, and provide a stronger link to the prologue.

Chimpanzee

Familiar Faces

I've written a blog post in the past about how running into familiar actors in a new movie is like running into an old friend. (Sometimes at least)

But it also has a different side. If you run into a familiar actor, you're not meeting a new character. It kind of colors your impression of the new character. For better or worse. 

For example, I hate Professor Umbridge. Every time I see the actress somewhere else, I just cannot take her seriously. 

And watching the new Beauty and the Beast, I occasionally burst out laughing because I picture Beast as a certain crazy monkey (That's not really an example though, because I had no idea that the two were the same actor when I first saw them - he's really good at changing his voice).

That being said, some actors aren't recognizable in some roles. I've had many mind-blown instances where I realized that a character was played by an actor I knew, and I had no idea (sometimes for years).

Turning Red

When the trailers for Turning Red came out, I was disappointed. Especially since Pixar actually studied the red pandas I work with. 

They even gave them some Pixar gifts!

When I finally watched the movie, it was quirky and strange. Except I liked it. I think largely because Mei was 13 in the year 2002. I would have been 12 at that time. I could get a good feel for her and her friends. Although it was high school when I was in a group of goofy friends. We'd all get really excited about stuff (one of them even showed us the "boots and cats" beat-boxing). We weren't into boys and boy bands (at least not me, and no one else was very loud about it). But we were hyper about video games and Ghibli and Disney movies (I didn't start watching anime until I was in college). 

I probably would not have liked the movie when I was a teenager. I had little patience for that boy-crazy stuff then XD I would have found the movie more awkward than funny. 

But that was then.

It's fun to have a movie that shows how crazy girls can be. 

I like how Mei is so confidently weird. I wasn't confident about my weirdness when I was her age, but I grew into it. Not that I tried to hide my weirdness either XD But by high school, I had a bubble of weird friends around me which helped me build my confidence and embrace how I was different.

I like that everyone liked the panda when she first appeared - no angry mob appeared to chase her out. Though there was definitely some trouble after the party. 

I like how the jerk ended up as one of the besties. 

I like the dad. He's great. 

I like that Mei and her mom had a good relationship, even though Mei was trying too hard to be perfect. It wasn't one of those movies where the parent doesn't seem to care about the kid. The two of them loved being together. And yeah, it's good if you can be part of what's important to your family. But there are always limits. 

I like that the director said that she just made a movie about stuff she liked, and then filled out the themes and story around it (I've done that too).

The panda at the end was... too big. But I found the movie fun, goofy, and entertaining. I've already re-watched it.

Hey, it's not the first time I disliked a trailer and ended up liking a movie (Frozen).

YANovcon 2022

 I finally got to go back to the young adult novelist convention! I haven't been there since I started working at the zoo. I was always working while it happened. But I took off part of the day so I could go this year. 

It was nice to be back. I so rarely get to interact with the writing community lately.

I never know any of the writers or books when I walk into the convention. Mostly because I'm very bad at keeping up with new books - there's a million old ones I'm already trying to get through XD

But despite not knowing any of the stories, I still like to hear writers talk about the craft. The theme of the day was identity. Whether race, or gender, or health. 

One of the things they talked about was banned books. Many states will ban books if the heroes aren't the most typical gender or race. And it's heartbreaking to the writers. They're trying to help different people be understood and accepted, and then their books get banned. And they're obviously banned in the communities that need them the most. Apparently the publishers don't even help protect their own books. Some of the authors at the convention were part of a program that delivers those banned books to the places that need them. To give hope to any kids that are different, and to help anyone else understand them. Otherwise the cycle of hate is never going to break. 

One author was talking about her book with a magic school that had students that were actually diverse. "Unlike She-Who-Shall-Not-be-Named." Everyone laughed when she said that. It was a great line. Turn that author's own phrase against her (Yeah, I still like Harry Potter - I have to be able to separate the creator from the things they create. But it sucks when you expect better of someone - especially someone who wrote something that was a big part of your childhood. Why did she have to talk out against a group of people that already have enough thrown at them?).

And there was one small thing that one writer mentioned. I think through his publishing company, there were fact checkers that helped him make sure the historical information in his book was accurate. That was a relief to me. Even something thoroughly researched will benefit from many sets of eyes checking the data. And I worry about getting things right @_@

So far, whenever I've gone to this convention, I've limited myself to buying one book. but I always write down a bunch of others that I want to check out. 

This time I bought All the Impossible Things, by Lackey. I won't lie. The blurb about living with a petting zoo influenced my decision. I just finished reading it. I liked it. I haven't read enough YA lately, and I want more. Plus I love the Aldabra tortoise. We have a pair where I work. They're still young and will get HUGE. 

Then on the way out, one of the authors asked me if I wanted a free copy of her book. Teen Killers Club, by Sparks. She'd started to sign it to someone, and spelled it wrong. It was a book that I'd written down on my list, so I said yes! I jokingly said that if I messed up a signature, I'd draw a picture over it and pretend it was deliberate. So she drew this cute little leprechaun over the old name. I haven't read it yet, but I will soon.