Stop! Self-awareness time!

I was reading this fantastic post in which toft talks about Mercedes Lackey's books and I realized why I have so little patience for -- well, I'll put it in toft's words:

7) I love that all of the books that I've read so far punch my talented-outcast-child-is-rescued-from-family-and-excels-at-school narrative kink right in the kidneys and throw it down the stairs. In a good way.

Now I read this post after watching the first three Harry Potter movies with Mom (one last night, two today) and even though I've seen them before and read the books and wrote fanfic, damn it, it struck me really hard how much of an idiot Harry is a lot of the time and how things just fall in his lap. Sometimes literally.

And don't get me wrong, I love the first four Harry Potter books a lot. (The movies not as much and the last three not nearly as much, but the first four, particularly three and four, SO MUCH LOVE.) And I also love the Mercedes Lackey books I've read, which isn't very many, I'll admit, but I read the Arrows trilogy and then BY THE SWORD which has KEROWYN I'LL KICK YOUR GODDAMN ASS AND YOU'LL LIKE IT who is my hero, so obviously I'm a fan of that one, too.

But frequently these talented-outcast-child-rescued-from-family-and-excels-at-[fill in the blank] narratives really bug me. While reading toft's post I finally figured out why, even though it is really obvious if you know me at all: Basically every awesome thing I have ever done is because I am trying to live up to the awesomeness of my family. No, really, they've set the bar high and it just keeps getting pushed higher. Even though I don't directly follow in anyone's footsteps, what I do is done so I can be as awesome as my family. So of course I don't grok that narrative the way some others might.

Not very awesome that it took me that long to figure it out, but whatever.

(By the way, as we're watching Harry Potter, Mom turns to me and says she doesn't understand why people threw such a fit over Harry Potter being satanic or whatever, nothing they did magically seemed all that bad and I said I thought it was just the idea of ~magic in the first place that was so horrible. She scoffed and said that was ridiculous, kids should grow up with magical stories and reading stories about magic doesn't make them bad Christians. Oh, Mom, you are the best conservative, Christian mother ever! [Though obviously conservative doesn't apply to Christian in that sentence.] Oh, speaking of conservatives, I am not adjusting well to being back in a small town in a red state. Today some guy came around talking about politicians because we're running up on the November election and ads and calls and door to door is going wild. Anyway, dude told me politician is a Democrat and liberal in [these ways], but still conservative, too, in [these ways] and is pro life. I don't think he expected me to say, well, those liberal things are really good, but the pro life thing is generally a deal breaker for me. Too liberal for the liberals here, what?)

~*~

Sons of Anarchy comes back this week! I think I will liveblog it, because OMG FINALLY. J and I were talking the other night and he said the adverts make it look like it's going to be very soap opera-y and the season finale was very much a soap opera. I laughed and said even if it is, if I kept watching after [that thing with Gemma last season], I'll give them a season of being a soap opera before I quit them.

The Vampire Diaries comes back, too, but I rarely talk about that here. Maybe that will change this season. Because [THINGS! THINGS WHICH ARE SPOILERS!]

~*~

I am tired, but I am waiting on a thing and I pulled up my werewolfbigbang, which I keep thinking I won't finish, but the first draft isn't due until later this month, so maybe I will finish. I'm writing a sequel to "wolf woman wild," but I keep wanting to write some ridiculous crossover (er, even more ridiculous than "wolf woman wild" which has BtVS, Angel, Fast and the Furious series, and Ginger Snaps) about a wolf pack that contains characters from BtVS, Fast and the Furious series, Sons of Anarchy, Harry Potter, etc. I do not need to set aside the sequel and write 10k of a ridiculous crossover. I don't.

(Dude, Sons of Anarchy basically is a werewolf pack without being werewolves. And how awesome would it be to have Oz and Faith, Letty and Dom and Mia, Jax and Opie and Donna and Tara, Remus and Sirius, Clay and Gemma all in a wolf pack together? Hell, let's really make it ridiculous and throw in Sam and Dean and John and Mary Winchester and, GOD, Ellen and Jo Harvelle, because obviously after Race Wars, Jesse runs off and becomes Ash. Hell, Chad Lindberg himself brings together Fast and the Furious, Supernatural, and Sons of Anarchy. If I really wanted to go wild, I know I could work in Velma and Daphne.

Good grief, I'm actually considering this.)

~*~

THING is done, so I can go to bed! Except now I'm thinking about the damn ridiculous crossover.

ETA: It has taken me five billion edits to get the coding right, even though I swear I was using the same coding I'd been using since I started crossposting from DW. WHAT THE HELL?

I waited until late morning to buy it. No midnight party for me. Book five was my favorite party, I worked at a bookstore then, and got to do the face painting, and my friends J and M were running the photography, and everyone dressed up, and it was just awesome. (Which is kind of sad, because OotP is my least favorite book.)

Last time, thestalkycop called me when she got hers (since she's in England and all) and read to me from it while I was waiting for it to be midnight.

This time, I walked into the store and walked out two seconds later with my three reserved copies. (One for me, two for my mom, one reading copy and one saving copy. I also need to order her British editions tomorrow.) I had pretty much decided if I couldn't be in England with Sarah, I wasn't going to deal with hordes of people. Very much the right decision.

I spent a relaxing few hours reading in the sun outside on the porch swing. Good times.

( There are spoilers, of course. )

So now I avoid all the wank which is sure to follow because the HP fandom is so big and split into so many factions.

I'm watching Buffy season four/Angel season one, and I'm going to bed soon. More later, likely.

I've managed to spend enough time on the computer today to write a little of my spn_50states challenge, backup this account, and start using semagic (again. I used it for a long time a number of years ago, but then it started not posting for me and not saving drafts and I quit. I missed it, though, and have it back again. We'll see how long it works for me this time).

spn_50states: It has become a ridiculous (and ridiculously exciting) crossover. I don't know why I decided to do it this way, but I am enjoying the challenge and the character interaction. Of course, this means no one will want to read it (between the crossover and the Jo hatred in fandom, plus the lack of Sam & Dean and especially Sam/Dean) but I am having fun writing it, at least. (I'm writing about Hawaii, so of course I'm writing a Supernatural/Blue Crush crossover where the two main characters are Lena and Jo, with the possibility of Lena/Jo. Anne Marie/Eden is a given, of course.)

LJ Wank: I don't have much to say about this. I'll stay here, I love my layout here, and all my stories are backed up elsewhere (and now my journal is backed up, too), but I may do accounts at other places, too, just in case. My big thing is, the reason I'm here is the community, so if you all go elsewhere, I will go there, I'll just stay here, too.

HP: I don't even know if I'm going to get the book tonight. I always wanted to be with thestalkycop in England for the last one, and as that obviously didn't happen, I'm not all that excited about a midnight release. Not to mention I don't intend to read it tonight anyway, and I'm having bad side effects to a new medicine, so I'm dizzy and, right after I take it, exhausted. As I take it at night, that doesn't bode well to staying awake for the release or to driving home after.

Of course, just when I decide I'll wait for tomorrow, I then want it right now. Who knows what I'll do.

I'm going to go lay down for awhile again, see if this current bout of dizziness will pass.

Edited to Add: Okay, so just in case, I'm also escritoireazul at insanejournal and greatestjournal. I think IJ is probably the better choice; I've used GJ before and was not impressed. Like I said, though, where fandom goes, I will follow. I was a part of fandom long before LJ and I'll continue to be whether it, as a whole, stays here or not.

Crap Harry Potter starts Friday and I have no one to go see it with because my Harry-Potter-reading sister moved away. I curse you, sis, how dare you make me go to the movies by myself! It is ALL about ME don't you know!

Of course, I could wait and go Saturday after I pick up J. at the airport. He's seen the others, he can see this one as well. Plus, you know, he did dress as Hagrid once, at least I'm not making him do it for the movie. (I should really find and scan the pictures, he looked more perfect than I expected, mostly thanks to my manager at the time, D., who was magic with make-up and wigs. The bitchiest gay man I've ever worked with, but magic anyway.)

But one more good thing, though not about Tuesday: I am holiday shopping this weekend in St. Louis. YAY! I love holiday shopping. I need holiday icons. I need to write down my list instead of leaving it on the computer. I need to remember I don't buy for my whole family anymore, because we draw names. I need to figure out what the hell the San Diego family wants. crimson_keys, I am STILL WAITING for the suggestion list! Did you not see what I said to my other sister above? If not, let me repeat: It is ALL about ME so give me YOUR HOLIDAY LISTS RIGHT NOW PLEASE!

It is possible I should not have had the second diet Dr. Pepper before bed. Ahem.

I use my Seth Green icon because he is gorgeous. And Jez looked much like that at dinner. (Secret message to Sarah.)

I am having a bad day, most of which isn't worth talking about here, but some of which was exacerbated by problems ordering items from my main supplier. I ask for weatherstrip lubricant, she has no idea what it is--I finally pull it up, what's it called? Weatherstrip lubricant. Gah, people. You're supposed to know more than I do!

I have a sneaking suspicion there is an Oz/Bill/Gambit story waiting in my inbox, maybe two little ones. I am excited, but won't read it until after the gym. I myself have handwritten a little over two pages on one, and want to finish it before I read anything. I am feeling the love, though, feeling it baby.

Today felt like Friday when I woke up (from a dream about story plotting with Sarah, in person, which was nasty to wake up and realize she's back across an ocean again). It's almost over, thank god, and the real Friday should be fun. More fun, at least, but anything would.

Tomorrow night I think my brother-in-law, D., and I are going to have a cheesy horror/sci fi movie marathon with beer and either pizza or chinese. Depends on if we watch The Lost Boys or not. I plan to spend this weekend writing fanfic and catching up on emails I owe people.

Have just had triple chocolate birthday cake and laughter with the guys at work. Feel slightly better. Have less than half an hour of work, then gym, then a diet dr pepper and chicken for dinner.

AND THEN OZ/BILL/GAMBIT STORIES OH YES!

Is anyone else taking all the rants about ( small spoiler for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince )

I? Really enjoyed the book. I'm putting together my thoughts on it now, and I do have some nitpicks with it, but I thought it was an interesting read. Falls to third on my list, after PoA and GoF. A long sight better than OotP, in my opinion.

Fanfic Author Appreciation Week

Fanfic Author Appreciation Week: You post a fave author for each day, March 6 through the 13. Tell why you picked them, give some links to their fic, say why you love them, their work, why they need more appreciation, and just wax poetic about your favorite authors for the entire week.

Yeah, I got busy Tuesday and Wednesday and so missed my posts, but I'm catching up. I may continued to do this rec thing until I simply run out of new people to rec, because it has been much fun.

For day three I want to rec Victoria P. (musesfool). I'm sure she's been recced up and down and everyone on my flist already reads her work, but just in case you don't. I love her writing and she's the one who brought or helped bring me into a couple fandoms (and has me considering more), so I thought it only fitting.

Victoria's website is Achromatic. She writes in tons of fandoms and is probably one of the most prolific writers I steadily read. She is definitely one of the few I will follow into fandoms I don't actively participate in, even to the point where I'm not familiar with the source.

I don't even know where to start with my favorite stories. I first read Victoria in the X-Men Movie fandom, but I also love her Harry Potter stories and Lord of the Rings and Firefly and on and on and on. So instead of going through and explaining each fandom and detailing all the stories I like, I'm going to pick a couple from each. I think. This may change as I write, but who knows.

Harry Potter:

Breviary (multiple)
The Intimate Art of the Close Shave (Remus/Sirius)
Nothing Like the Sun (Hermione)
Older and Far Away (Remus/Xander) (My current favorite.)

X-Men:

32 Flavors (Jean, Rogue) (The first Victoria P. story I ever read.)
Bikini Kill (Rogue/Logan)
The Soiled Dove (alternate universe noir)

Lord of the Rings:

(I love her Éowyn, just to let you know ahead of time.)

Beguile The Melancholy
Blood Remembers
Bulls Eye
Clean, Cold Steel
In Bloom (Still my favorite.)

All right, shutting up now.