Keeping in Touch

It's been a strange year for me in terms of my fandoms. This 2010 has been the year in which I've finally winnowed my fandoms down to pretty much a bare handful:

> the Takarazuka Kagekidan
> the film Inception
> the modern Doctor Who [to be specific, this would be from Nine till Eleven]
> the 2010 BBC miniseries Sherlock

And it's been so inspiring, particularly the whole Inception thing. I got in on that one on pretty much the ground floor and it's been a wild ride ever since. December will see the release of the DVD, so that will probably mean an explosion of fannishness. And of course there's also the fact that the fic exchanges are all going to start posting around the Christmas and New Year holidays. So you can bet I'm pretty excited about that.

I've had a lot of firsts with this fandom, and so I guess it's only fitting that I do something else for the first time this year. The thing about my fandoms is that the fans are scattered widely, all over the world. It's fun to meet them in cyberspace, but it's just as amazing to try and contact them for real.

So I'm going to try and kick off another first for me this year: send holiday postcards all over the world.

One of the Google April Fools' Day jokes: a Google search, run by postcard.

The nice thing is that when I asked around my fandoms lists for people who'd like to receive a postcard from me, a few of them "demanded" my own address, so that they could also send me something in return.

I'm looking forward to writing out my messages and mailing the postcards out. I really am. Not to mention I can't wait to deploy my beloved pens! THIS is why I collect pens - this is the very occasion I've been saving them up for. *grin*

"Harry Potter is the best hope we have. Trust him."

Since this post will contain some hits and some misses in the first part of the final film installment of the Harry Potter series, PLEASE EXPECT SPOILERS FOR BOTH. Fair warning, okay?

Together with my parents, my sister, and my partner, I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 last night. It was almost like a midnight screening, as the show started at about 10:30pm and ended just before 1:00am.

The first impressive thing I learned: the show was sold out. And this was a midnight screening, on a weekend, two whole days after the movie had opened. In hindsight, this was probably only to be expected. As the trailers advertise, it IS the beginning of the end, not only in-story but also for those who read the books. [At this point I'm not discriminating between the kids for whom the books were originally meant, and all the others - adults, families, parents, and readers - who fell in love with the books.]

The second impressive thing shows up as soon as the movie starts: the logos roll up in complete silence, and they are dark and grim, setting the tone for the whole film. Characters fall like flies, or reveal their hidden facets, and every single person in the film is pushed to their very limits. Voldemort plumbs the depths of evil, and of stupidity; the Malfoys and Bellatrix Lestrange find out what desperation is like; the Ministry of Magic falls to pieces.

Many commentators have already said their piece about the MoM sequences, and I can only add, "Damn right." There are SERIOUS World War II overtones in the story, from the puppet politician in charge to the security force with red armbands.

As for the good characters, well, just look at that film poster to begin with. Harry, Hermione, and Ron go on the run, abandoning families and friends and school and everyone who cares except for each other. This is not an idyll by any means. Things go horribly wrong before they start going right - and what little hope we have at the ending is squashed, hard, by the knowledge that the entirety of the Hogwarts sequences - including the climactic battle - is yet to come.

So many deaths. So many sacrifices. And we have to begin with the trio in flight.



Hits and misses after the jump:

Chronicle of fandom work

I think I've mentioned the idea of a fandom exchange here before, but having achieved something of a minor Crowning Moment of Awesome in my fandom life, I hope you don't mind if I take you through it again....

Fandom Gift Exchange Fest
When a participant signs up for one of these, he or she agrees to create a piece of fanfiction or fanart for someone else who has signed up for the fest. In return, the participant will also receive a piece of fanfiction or fanart from another participant. As the key word is EXCHANGE, participants who drop out or fail to turn in their pieces will not get any gifts.

To make sure that everyone gets a gift that they will like, each participant fills in a form that details what they like and don't like in fanfiction or fanart in that fandom. Usually the form will ask for preferred or vetoed pairings, some prompts, things that the participant likes and doesn't like, etc. The form thus serves as a sort of blueprint for the person who's creating a gift for them.

Many fests are anonymous and reveals are scheduled for after the time when the gifts have been posted, in order to increase anticipation, participation, and excitement. Also, I think it's really fun that way.

Some exchange fests are limited to one fandom only: every piece of fanfiction or fanart is keyed to characters/situations from that fandom. Crossovers are allowed as long as the main fandom is the featured exchange fest fandom.

On the other hand, some exchange fests are geared specifically towards crossovers of all kinds.

Fandom Big Bang Challenge
I'll take the definition here straight from the FAQs of the one I signed up for:

A big bang challenge is a collaborative project between authors and artists. Authors sign up to write long fanfiction within a predetermined time frame, and artists sign up to create art based on these stories.

The idea of the fandom big bang challenge apparently originated in a specific challenge that grew out of a specific branch of Harry Potter fandom.

Now back to the aforementioned very minor CMoA.

For all my years in various fandoms I'd never even heard of these terms until 2010. Since it turned out that people liked how I wrote in my current fandom, I decided, okay, to hell with it, never know till I try - and thus I signed up to write three stories: one for a one-fandom gift exchange fest, a crossover fandom gift exchange fest, and a fandom big bang challenge.

As of yesterday I've just turned in all the completed drafts to the three challenges.

And now I am keyed up for posting and reveals over the holidays.

You guys. Like I said. FIRST TIME EVER. And now I know I CAN DO THIS SORT OF THING. I took on three successive challenges and didn't flake out, didn't drop out, and didn't quit.

Each challenge had a specific word count: the first one I completed had to meet a minimum of 2000 words, the second a minimum of 1500 words, and the big bang had a minimum of 15,000 words. I'm happy to say I went over every one of those deadlines. [Wow, self, overcompensating much....]

I almost feel like I should have enough time to actually tackle National Novel Writing Month next, but, as I am grossly NOT prepared at all for that this year, I will wait until November 2011 for my next attempt. That will not stop me from mailing in a donation to the Office of Letters and Light, though!

Woo hoo!

Martin Freeman's Life Just Could Not Get Any Better

Because he's been cast as BILBO BAGGINS!

His already impressive resume of beloved roles gets EVEN LONGER: from Tim Canterbury in The Office (UK), to Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and most recently Dr. John Watson in Sherlock.


Martin Freeman on the right, as Arthur Dent in his bathrobe, pyjamas, and towel. [Still from, of course, H2G2.]

All shall love him and SQUEE!

And now I can really feel the winter creeping in

The final proof of cold weather arrived on my doorstep this morning.

I'm going to pay even LESS for my electricity bill this month than I did last month.

Pretty much the only electrical appliances getting a workout at my flat are the ref and the PC. I don't always use the overhead lights because I'm home during the daytime and I'm out at night. [Same applies for my partner.]

Oh I'm just glad I can save up some money.

BUT.

If the cold months are coming I wish I could spend some money and dress like THESE hot guys.


Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. I cannot wait for the second series and I really cannot wait to see the movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The cast will include Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hardy, and this gentleman.

*starry eyes*


Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, during his special appearance at the Doctor Who 2010 Proms. Here's a sample of the music they played during the concerts, with bonus badass dialogue:



*shivers and squees in equal measure*

Team Chocobo shenanigans

In the previous post I had to use stock photos of my newly-acquired chocobos because I hadn't yet gotten around to pinning them down for a proper photoshoot.

So today I have a bunch of lovely chocobo pics for you to look at. Chocobo picspam attack!

My nuker Chocobo. "Kweh?" *casts Thundaga* "Kweh!"

My healer Chocobo. "Kweh!" *casts Cure* "Kweh?"

Team Chocobo Mages, ready to rock.

Healer: Kweh? Wanna fight?

Nuker: Kweh! This means war!

PJ: Okay, guys, take three steps away from each other and turn around and cast - on my signal....

And now I've got these two cuties guarding my workstation at the office, which reminds me that I will probably want to take my camera to a shift one of these days in order to get a proper picture and give you an idea of where I work. [I happen to be pretty happy with my desktop wallpaper at the office, too.]

Yay for loot!

It's been a long time since I've done anything that could be considered as absolutely nerdy/geeky/otaku-ish.

So let me tell you, it is with no small amount of pride that I report my Saturday acquisitions.

My partner and I went to a shopping location called Greenhills to meet my family for dinner and drinks yesterday. We got to the area a bit early, though, and decided to kill some time by loitering around a series of boutiques in Shoppesville.

Now, one of the corridors in Shoppesville is devoted to toy and hobby shops. Star Wars memorabilia, die-cast cars, all sorts of collectibles.

As I was about to leave the last shop, I happened to look down at a box full of plushes near a display of table tennis gear.

And what should I find in the box but THESE:

Chocobo Black Mage, from the game Chocobo's Dungeon.

Chocobo White Mage, from the game Chocobo's Dungeon.

Chocobos are the iconic mascots of the Final Fantasy franchise. I had wanted a plush forever. And now, I'd found TWO.

I asked the salespeople for the prices - they quoted me a figure which they claimed was already a discount - I sighed, and smiled, and said, "I'll take them."

I think I'll buy these two adorable birdies some protective armor and then proudly display them at the office!

Dream Team!

Related posts:
Inception: Rapid Review, No Spoilers
Inception, in on the ground floor
Fandoms at Random: Inception Dreams

Went out to watch Despicable Me with my partner yesterday. Great film, but I wish I'd also had the chance to watch Inception again - only this time in an IMAX theater, at a very cheap price. As a consolation prize, I asked my partner to take photos of me next to one of the movie poster banners.


Me and some of the Dream Team. It looks like I'm literally butting heads with Ariadne!


A failed attempt at heart-hands and the only decent shot that included both Arthur and Eames. [It took me this long to figure out that Eames is wearing HORRIBLE pants? The plaid he's wearing in this poster doesn't even look good on him!]

Aah, Inception fandom, how can you be so amazing? Just in the last month or so I've gone and done so many fandom-related and fanfiction-related experiences.

I'm now in the thick of preparations for two fanfic exchanges - basically, you write a fanfic or create fanart for someone and someone else does the same for you. One of the exchanges is Inception-only, for slash pairings, and my entry is already in beta. And then I signed up for one that was for crossovers, so that means Inception crossed with a lot of other things. You can imagine how pleased I was when I found out that this exchange also includes Doctor Who [specifically Nine, Ten, and Eleven], and Sherlock!

I joined a fandom auction to help the victims of the Pakistan floods, and actually got bids! That was amazing.

Kink memes! Haha! Granted I write fills for oddball prompts, but it's amazingly fun and incredibly addictive. Gah.

And it's in this fandom where I've actually become an active beta reader; that is, I help other authors out with their work by looking their stories over for grammar and other possible trouble areas. I've been a beta for at least three or four people now and I also have multiple betas for my own work. I'm unreasonably happy about all this collaboration and general community spirit.

*dives into the deep end*

Music to scribble madly away to

Related posts:
New/Old Fandom and NaNoWriMo status report
"I want to know what it's like to live // I want to know what it's like to love"

This weekend's been an emotional roller-coaster guide. On Friday I received some long-awaited news regarding my English-teaching job, and went to bed giddy.

Yesterday was spent doing something rather odd in celebration: it has to do with my hair. Pictures or it didn't happen, of course, and I'll be doing that as soon as I get enough decent light.

And now today, well, I've been talking and bracing myself for it for the better part of three weeks or so. September 12! Today is Mizu Natsuki's graduation day from the Takarazuka Kagekidan. I will probably post some photos from her final night when they come out. [That will be a spectacularly T__T entry all around, I think.]

And so to the title of this post. The other thing I've been doing is writing away. Sure, it's just fan fiction. And yet there is still an undeniable rush of creation, of spinning and weaving, and knowing that people like the work afterwards.

When I write stuff I like to listen to two or three songs, non-stop, over and over again. Which means that I am really no different when it comes to the community of scribblers at large. The music serves to capture the "air" or the "spirit" where the story was conceived, and helps create a place of concentration for the writer to keep at it.

So here are my current songs to write to.


The opening theme to the Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations OVA, "Synchronicity". Performed by Makino Yui, otherwise known as Sakura's voice actress.


The ending theme, "Saigo no Kajitsu". Performed by Sakamoto Maaya.


This one's a bit of a blast from the past: the opening theme of the anime series Vandread, "Trust". Performed by Salia. This version is a fan-made composite that includes video from the opening and the ending of the series's final episode, set to the entirety of the song.

So, what are your favorite songs right now?

"I don't want [her] to go!" Banzai Mizu Natsuki!

Related Mizu Natsuki posts:
Fandoms at Random: Onstage Mizu Natsuki!
Video Post of Squeeing Doom!
Mizu Natsuki announces retirement.
This week's post o' fannish doom


Mizu Natsuki playing Der Tod, from the 2007 production of the musical Elisabeth, performed by the Snow Troupe [Yukigumi] of the Takarazuka Kagekidan.

I know, I know, I'm mixing up my fandoms again, but really, see if I care.

I don't want to go were the famous last words of the Tenth Doctor [David Tennant], and now I'm using them again to talk about the impending retirement of Mizu Natsuki, the current Top Star of Snow Troupe [Takarazuka Kagekidan].

Mizu's last bow on the Takarazuka stage will be on Sunday, 12 September, when the musical drama and revue Roget / Rock On! ends its run at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater. Her musumeyaku Top Star, Aihara Mika, will be among the actresses retiring with her.

I have to admit that I am now considering fading out of the fandom after Mizu goes.

Oh, not to say that I don't currently love any of the Takarazuka actresses; I still feel my troupe loyalty to Cosmos Troupe [Soragumi] and that means I am still a minor-league fan of its current Top Stars [Oozora Yuuhi and Nono Sumika]. See my review of their take on Casablanca here, for example. And I also have a lot of love for several other Sora stalwarts such as Ranju Tomu, Yuumi Hiro, Toki Irisu, Suzuna Saya, and Kotobuki Tsukasa.

But with Mizu's retirement I feel that it'll be okay to stop being an active part of the fandom, that is, the non-Japanese one. I'm pretty sure I've talked a lot about Mizu on this blog and that was mostly because she was the Top Star I supported, the one who was still in the company.

After Sunday, though, she'll be out of the Revue and out into a new life.

And I wish she didn't have to go, but truthfully, I'm glad she's retiring. I've been quite worried for her: working a lot, not looking very well in some photos [in fact there were days when I saw photos of her and wailed, "Oh, someone please feed her! She looks so wan!"], dealing with other Yukigumi retirements. So if this is her way to get rest, to recover from the last year in which she had been so busy, then I will feel happy for her instead.

But I'm going to be crying anyway as soon as I see her graduation photos.

Tai'shar Cairhien! WARNING: SPOILERS!

First-ever official book trailer for the fantasy series The Wheel of Time - and it's for the penultimate book in the series, Towers of Midnight.

Again, SPOILERS. /riversong


Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson - official book trailer.

[Although, if you really want to get technical about it, the voice-over is another version of the letter that a character reads near the end of the last book that Jordan completed before he died, which was Knife of Dreams.

"Burn me for a fool," was Mat Cauthon's response to the character's request, "I'll go."

And the dice tumbling in his head stopped with a crash.]

I realize this is the first time I've introduced the subject of WoT in this blog and some people may be surprised that I'm a fan of the books, to the extent that I went around for a long time associated with a name from the series:

NineMoons.

[Yeah, not a lot of people made that connection. Oh, well.]

Really looking forward to November of this year for Towers, and then December/January of 2011 when we celebrate the release of the final novel, A Memory of Light.

Fandoms at Random: The Starry Night

Related posts:

Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings
Fandoms at Random: The Eleventh Doctor

Our heroes in the Doctor Who Eleventh Doctor episode "Vincent and the Doctor": Amy Pond, the Doctor, and Vincent van Gogh.

One of my most favorite Doctor Who episodes of all time has to be "Vincent and the Doctor", where everyone's favorite Time Lord crosses paths with one of the greatest artists ever.

Admittedly, this is not an episode for people who are looking for out-and-out happy endings. Time traveling or not, there are certain things that the Doctor cannot change, and the tragedy of van Gogh's early demise is definitely one of those unhappy intersections.

Which means that a frame like THIS is gorgeous and tear-jerking at the same time:

Amy plays the muse to Vincent - with sunflowers.

And there's a very beautiful moment near the end where the Doctor delivers the following line. Note that Dr. Black is an expert on van Gogh, and that through the wonders of time travel is unwittingly standing next to his idol:

The Eleventh Doctor, to Dr. Black: I just wondered, between you and me, in a hundred words: Where do you think van Gogh rates in the history of art?

The answer, of course, is Dr. Black going into fanboy mode.

Sigh. If ONLY.

I know the reception of this particular episode has been pretty mixed, but count me firmly in the supporters' camp. There are just so many reasons why the art of van Gogh has retained its meaning and its beauty through the years, and the people behind this episode manage to describe many of these reasons so beautifully, in such heartbreaking fashion.

Vincent and the TARDIS, done in the painter's distinct post-Impressionist style.

Big props to the writer Richard Curtis [yes, THAT Curtis, the man responsible for the movies Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Love Actually], to the amazing Bill Nighy, and to the wonderful Tony Curran. And, of course, to our intrepid Doctor and to the spitfire companion Amy Pond.

Ideas for New Worlds 6?

This post comes as a response to [Conventions] Do You Want A New Worlds 6?


A wonderful wallpaper of all eleven versions of the Doctor, found at fanpop.com.

I think the paragraph that caught my attention was this:

While we gather enough people to make such an event possible, we should get the awareness ball rolling. Don't you want to have a convention for your geeky interests? Don't you want to be able to meet other people who enjoyed the original Star Trek series like you or perhaps who love the works of H.P. Lovecraft or Anne Rice? Don't you want to discuss how Lost ended with other Losties? Don't you want to be able to share a bottle of rum with a fellow Pirates of the Carribean lover? Don't you want to practice your spells with other Harry Potter fans?

[Um, please ignore the typo there or perhaps Captain Jack Sparrow will not mind that it is actually spelled "Caribbean".]

I have to admit that I have a fairly jaded view of some of the conventions held here in the Philippines because of two diametrically opposite reasons/problems/what-have-you:

1. Too exclusive.
2. Not exclusive enough.

Why are local cons too exclusive? Well, probably because of the accidents of sponsorship and the desires of the organizers: they might want to hold a comics convention that is open to everyone, but the sponsors might insist on exclusivity for their brand. And since the cons live and die on the sponsorships, the cons have some complying to do.

Why are local cons not exclusive enough? How would you feel if you said you were organizing a con for Western comics - and then a majority of the people in costume showed up as characters from everywhere else *except* Western comics? Note that there is no fault in this sort of set-up - but it does take away from the intentions of the con.

I think the problem is a lack of acknowledgment of fandom for what it really is: more than a marketing gimmick, more than an excuse to dress up, more than a motley assortment of people sharing interests that range from mildly exotic to I-have-no-idea-what-that-is strange.

Fandom is really just the same thing whether you're a Vilmanian/Sharonian/Noranian [this shows my age rather badly, doesn't it?], or an ardent follower of LOST/Harry Potter/Batman/Star Trek/Star Wars/Doctor Who, or a big fan of Take That/U2/Amanda Palmer, or even a massive mecha-head building Gundams and Gundam costumes.

Fandom is one: the collective energy of different types and groups of people who come together for the love of whatever it is they're fans of.

It's so simple and yet it's so complicated. And I really can't blame anyone who tried to organize a con to cater to all of these interests.

Being a member of at least one "obscure" fandom myself [read: I have only met a bare handful of fellow Filipinos in the Takarazuka Kagekidan fandom, and only one or two in the flesh!], I can appreciate how some fandoms will always be too small to be represented.

And being a member of a rapidly-growing fandom [hello, Inception!], I can also appreciate how some fandoms can quickly build to critical mass and hold there against all odds.

I love being a fan but analyzing it really takes the energy out of me. Gawd, where to even begin?

"I want to know what it's like to live // I want to know what it's like to love"

Song lyrics in the title are taken from the ending theme of the Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations OVA, さいごの果実 [Saigo no Kajitsu / Last Fruit]. This song is also my current ear worm.

If you haven't seen Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations yet, there may be spoilers here.


DVD cover.

I had a rather bad Saturday afternoon last weekend. Seriously, how is it possible to sleep when the ground-floor neighbors set up a karaoke machine right under my window - and were happily, drunkenly murdering a bunch of crap songs? Imagine cacophony up to eleven - or don't.

Since I'd come home with my partner expecting to sleep off the effects of the Friday night shift - but got THAT annoyance instead, there was nothing for it but to find another way to block the idiots out.

And that is how I came to watch the Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations OAV.

Having already read the whole series beforehand, I knew that this was the turning point of the whole story - the point where each character begins to divulge his/her/its secrets.

Sakura, Syaoran, Fai, and Kurogane arrive via Mokona-portal from a failed sortie in the land of Rekort. Princess Sakura has fallen unconscious, and Syaoran is injured. They are quickly introduced to the reason why the world they're now in is named "Acid Tokyo" - the rain is murderously acidic.

The Tsubasa characters are soon picked up by Kamui and his group, all from X/1999. The odd thing is that Kamui is in charge of who are actually the Dragons of Earth from the previous series. Additionally, the rival group is composed of the Dragons of Heaven - but they, in turn, are led by Fuuma.

Kamui and his group are watching over a safe cache of water underneath their headquarters. While the OVA reveals what Kamui is actually guarding, the rest of the series will eventually reveal the extreme importance of this reservoir - in fact, it provides that component of the main series's title, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles.

The third episode of the OVA begins the major mind screw of the series: why are there two Syaorans? Which one is real and which one is the clone? [Hint: it's in the eyes.] And not just that - we eventually get two Sakuras as well, as recapped in the next image.



In the overall context of TRC, I think Production I.G did a great job of animating this tale and telling the increasingly complicated story. The idea is that everything gets very strange from here - and they manage to weave that theme throughout the OVA episodes very well.

I felt quite a lot better after I'd finished watching the OVA - not the least because it had begun to rain hard outside [thankfully not as acidic as the one in the show], definitively silencing the karaoke wailers.

In short: if you're a CLAMP fan, you're definitely missing out if you haven't seen the three episodes of Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations yet. It really lives up to its title and contributes heavily to the set-up for the series finale.

Please, help spread the word.

Help_Pakistan: a fandom-driven auction to help the victims of the Pakistan floods.

Please do take the time to check out the offering threads. All proceeds will go to the charities helping the victims of the terrible floods in Pakistan.

I love being in my fandoms.

Because where else can you find these sorts of wonderful and handsome and beautiful people in amazing suits?!

TV Tropes links might be relevant here.

Dressed To Kill
Sharp Dressed Man
Hot Chick In A Badass Suit

Warning, pictures ahead!

DOCTOR WHO

Fifth Doctor Peter Davison and Tenth Doctor David Tennant, from the Children in Need Special "Time Crash".


Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith with Karen Gillan as Amy Pond.

SHERLOCK (2010 BBC)

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson.

TAKARAZUKA KAGEKIDAN

Former Top Star of Soragumi, Wao Youka.

INCEPTION

Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Enough said, really!

What do you mean we only get three 90-minute eps?!

...Or, yeah, I guess that's all we have for now since Moffat and Gatiss are, I don't know, getting ready for the next series of Doctor Who or something.

So, Sherlock! Thanks to some friends I was able to watch this mini-series over the course of one weekend.

Sherlock: [You've seen a] bit of trouble too, I bet.
John: Of course, yes. Enough for a lifetime, far too much.
Sherlock: Want to see some more?
John: Oh God, yes.



If you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes and the tales written by Conan Doyle [and all the others], you might want to check out this re-imagining of the classic cases, set in the 21st century. Dr. John Watson is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, who moves into a flat with the world's one and only "consulting detective", Sherlock Holmes - and the rest, as they say, is literary history.

There is a ton of details, in-jokes, references, and shout-outs in this all-too-brief show - thankfully we'll be seeing more episodes. Sometime in the future. We just don't quite know when yet.

And we will really be needing the next series of episodes because COME ON CLIFFHANGER ENDING what the heck?!

I'm really pleased with this whole idea of Sherlock Holmes enhancing his essential brilliance with modern technology. At some point I actually asked out loud, "How many mobile phones does he have?"

Benedict Cumberbatch nearly tried out to become the Eleventh Doctor, but he had a bit of a chat with David Tennant and decided not to do so - instead he's now Holmes himself. On the other hand, Matt Smith actually was turned down for the role of John Watson here, and Moffat promptly turned around and cast him as the Eleventh. Brilliant.

And how lovely to see Martin Freeman! The opening scene of the first episode is both something to make people wince and something to make people smile: he's PTSD-ing - in his pyjamas and a robe. Hello, Arthur Dent.

I really laughed out loud at the whole idea of Holmes wearing nicotine patches. He's still an addict, but he has to be much more discreet about it now there are *rules* to follow on the telly.

Anyway, this is incoherent but the message is: go, watch, and have fun. And afterwards come sit with us poor souls waiting on the continuation. Hopefully THAT comes soon.

Talking about fan fiction

Photo comes from this entry.

Funny how I talk so infrequently about fan fiction on this blog and yet I participate in fandoms by writing fan fiction.

All blog entries mentioning fan fiction. Yeah, there's not much.

Wikipedia sez:

Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. ... Fan fiction, therefore, is defined by being both related to its subject's canonical fictional universe and simultaneously existing outside the canon of that universe.

I have been reading and writing fan fiction for more than ten years and I ... don't much write about it. Prior to this blog post, I didn't even make a habit out of telling people that I consume this stuff.

And then I find out that people like Neil Gaiman and Matt Smith [yes, THAT ONE] write fan fiction. And that Gneil, at least, has no problems with people writing the stuff for his work; the same goes for, hmm, the last time I looked J. K. Rowling didn't mind so much, either....

I know that there are serious legal issues with this stuff; I know there are fandoms in which fan fiction is actually Not A Good Thing; there are authors who actively ban it; and yet the fans keep going, producing reams of stuff in the process.

Wish I knew why.

Informal straw poll time.

Fan fiction: yea or nay?

Do you write or read fan fiction?

If the answer to the above question is yes, what fandoms?

That's all. Thanks for your time, dears.

Fandoms at Random: Onstage Mizu Natsuki

Related Fandoms at Random posts:
Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings
Fandoms at Random: Inception Dreams
Fandoms at Random: The Eleventh Doctor

Related Mizu Natsuki posts:
Video Post of Squeeing Doom!
Mizu Natsuki announces retirement.
This week's post o' fannish doom

[Whew, that is a lot of links.]



Oh, Mizu Natsuki.

Beginning tomorrow, Friday the 13th in August of 2010, you will tread the floorboards at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater for your final month's stay in the Takarazuka Kagekidan.

I really wish I could fly to Tokyo right now and watch you in Roget / Rock On!

And I'm pretty sure that if I did get the chance to go and see you before you graduate, the first thing I'd be packing in my bag would be several boxes of tissues. I'm rather shamelessly admitting that no matter where I will be on September 12, I'll be crying for you.

***

Mizu Natsuki was one of the first Takarazuka actresses, or jennes, to catch my eye when I joined the fandom full time. This probably had something to do with the fact that among the first videos I saw on YouTube were several scenes from the 2001 Soragumi staging of The Rose of Versailles: Fersen and Marie Antoinette, in which Mizu and Ayaki Nao shared the roles of Oscar François de Jarjayes and André Grandier.

[I preferred Mizu to be Andre and Ayaki to be Oscar.]

After that, I was hooked on several 'Zuka topics: Wao, O-Hana, Soragumi in general, and Mizu.

In particular I love Mizu because of her face: she has the most amazing expressions. She really can play merry hell on your heartstrings and you'll be entranced all the way.

For me, Mizu is a sterling example of the compleat jenne. She can sing, she can dance, she can act. No one looks better when wielding swords and other weapons, and no one is more suited to wearing goofy glasses and making the audience cry with laughter. She can even do female roles, as when she appeared as one of Genji's ladies [yes, THAT Genji] in a 2000 play.

I had had some hopes that she would go on to become Top Star of Soragumi after Wao's graduation, but when it turned out that she then became the immensely popular Top of Yukigumi, I felt only happiness.

And have I mentioned that Mizu Natsuki is both amazingly beautiful and handsome?!

Yeah, color me infatuated, color me besotted, and color me heartbroken. I never even got to see her on the 'Zuka stage ever.



Banzai Mizu Natsuki!

Fandoms at Random: The Eleventh Doctor

Related post:
Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings



So it turns out that after watching the Tenth Doctor's swan song my partner and I immediately started in on the Eleventh's episodes. At this rate we'll be looking for new things to watch long before December gets here.

[Or perhaps I should amend that to, I'll be looking for new things to watch. Imagine my surprise when my partner told me he'd started watching the First Doctor's serials! He's planning to take in the whole thing!]

Anyway, we finished watching episode 06, "The Vampires of Venice", on Sunday. This is actually where the Eleventh Doctor's famous rallying cry of

Anywhere you want, any time you want. One condition: it has to be amazing!

comes from, although I think it's missing a few words - doesn't he say "Every star, every planet" at some point?

I gotta say, so far the monsters have been hit-or-miss. I mean, technicolored Daleks? Vampires who are not vampires because they're insecty-fish people? The real gem and epic scary has been brought, though, by none other than the Weeping Angels. Holy WHOA - the first time you see them actually move on camera is truly a crowning moment of horror. I cannot recommend the three Weeping Angels episodes [Ten: Blink; Eleven: The Time of Angels / Flesh and Blood] enough. This is the monster that the phrase "watching from behind the couch" was made for!

I really, really hope that there is a beastie in Neil Gaiman's Season 6 episode. I have such high expectations. I want to be even more scared of that monster than I have been of the Weeping Angels.

Those things make me relieved I'm now an atheist - I mean, imagine how it would be like if one were piously Roman Catholic, just as an example, and then watched the Weeping Angels - and then went to church! I think all those statues of saints and angels and deities would be paranoia fuel unleaded - and that's on top of the creepy "their eyes are following" vibe one already gets from them....

Wait, where was I?

Oh, yeah, the Eleventh Doctor's episodes. I have to say, I am really enjoying the dynamics between Eleven, Amy, and Rory. The whole "Uh, we are not HER BOYS" / "Yeah we are" / "Yeah we are" exchange had me in giggles, as did the hands-over-mouths "Stop talking, brain thinking, HUSH" sequence.

Looking forward to watching all the rest of the episodes and figuring out where the overall story goes!

This extra pic comes from the next episode, "Amy's Choice".



Aw, come on, they did that on purpose: how come Amy's wearing a proper poncho and the other two look like tablecloths? XD