Ramblings and Musings of the Insane, Philosophical Ladybug

Sometimes I really hate FF.net. I've been holding off on posting chapter 15 because I was waiting to see if a couple of my other regulars would comment on 14. Tonight I finally decided to put up 15 and see if they would review both chapters. And FF.net decides it would be the perfect night to have a processing error. Stupid, stupid thing.

I actually have the entire story done, I believe. I realized the epilogue didn't resolve enough stuff by a long shot, so I inserted another chapter after 15. Now, after a burst of insomnia yesterday that resulted in some more material, I think it's done. I've transferred it to WordPerfect in preparation for printing. It's 211 pages! (Double-sided, of course.) That's even more than I thought. I only have enough sheet protectors because I had a few left over from something else, in addition to the two packages bought Wednesday.

I also think I know what the next story will be, but I'm not totally sure. I believe that the fandom will accept it, but I'm not sure I have enough of an idea about the plot to propel it forward to the end. So I'm debating what to do. The idea keeps poking me, so I'll have to start it, but I don't think I want to say anything about its plot until I see if I can get chapter 1 out of it. Since I think The Broken Ties is done, I may try starting the new possibility tonight or in the morning. And meanwhile wait for FF.net to stop screwing up again.

Sometimes I wish I could still get inspired by theme comms. 31_days is continuing its seeming tradition of featuring amazing, incredible prompts for February. I just adore their line-up for next month, but I'm just not inspired. I can't think of any fics to match the prompts. I had an idle thought of taking out another 10_hurt_comfort claim, as they're the only prompts halfway inspiring me right now, but I just can't see my way clear to writing fics for all of them. It's really quite aggravating and discouraging. I remember the thrill of being inspired by prompts, getting a clear image for a scene in a fic, and then being able to write an entire fic based on that. I miss that.

And I was thinking about the ratio of shows I like/have liked per major network. Assuming the major ones are CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX, CBS has always been my favorite. In the past, so many shows I watched were CBS: The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., M*A*S*H, Perry Mason, Touched By An Angel, I Love Lucy (I think), My Three Sons.... And so many shows I've been getting hooked on in the past year are also CBS: The Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii 5-O (old version), The Mod Squad, The Dick Van Dyke Show (I think), Have-Gun Will Travel, Gunsmoke.... And I watch A Gifted Man and The Twilight Zone.

On ABC, I can't even quite think of anything other than The Patty Duke Show. And the new shows Once Upon a Time and Pan Am. Oh, and I find that they aired The Outer Limits and Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

NBC has The Monkees and Get Smart. And Dragnet (both versions). And Ironside. And Bonanza. And Riverboat.

I think the only FOX show I've ever really liked is The X-Files.

Then there's syndicated shows from Ziv, which MGM owns the rights to now. Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt.... And Mike Hammer is syndicated too, but not by Ziv. And ... haha, it aired on CBS.

I'm amused that my love of CBS's awesome shows has continued to the present day. So many, many wonderful series. The other networks had some good ones too.

I also have a hang-up on what to do with my latest Amazon giftcard. I would like to use some of it to buy one of the Columbia House Perry Mason tapes with episodes from the later seasons I love. They only released a handful from seasons 7 8 and 9. All the tapes are out of print and very rare in new condition. I do not want used video tapes. (I would make an exception if a fan offered some to me and they were in excellent condition, but otherwise I want them new.)

Right now on Amazon, there's one tape I want for $14.95 and another for $11.75. The problem is, each tape has two episodes. Each tape has one episode I really really want, and also has one episode I already have in some format. And the episode I want most, which is on the more expensive tape, comes with an episode I have uncut. The episode I want second most comes with one I have in a cut syndicated format (which I recorded off the TV, of course). Amazon also tells me there's only one of them from that seller. I don't know if that means the seller with the more expensive tape has several copies of it or not, since that listing doesn't say there's just one.

Logically, I should get the cheaper one. I'd get an episode I love, along with the uncut version of another I like. And there's supposedly only one copy.

But I can't get away from wanting the other episode more. But it seems so impractical to buy it, at least at the price for which it's being offered, when I have the uncut of the other episode on it.

I wish I could get both tapes, but I can only get one. And I can't choose. Gah.

What makes a strong female character? Well, people obviously disagree, but I was extremely spooked one time when someone somewhere made the comment that Buena Girl from Mucha Lucha is one such character, and a good role model. I can't stand that show, it's so freakin' crude, but I did try it a few times, sometimes out of boredom while waiting for YGO. Anyway, I really don't find any of the main characters likable, and I don't think Buena Girl is a good role model at all. XD; She's so self-righteous all the time, looking down on anyone who doesn't feel as strongly about masked wrestling as she does. And if I remember right, she's one of those characters who physically attacks other people over small and stupid things when she's upset. I have never found that appealing in a character, male or female. It's why I have such a low opinion of Kaoru from Rurouni Kenshin, and of Amy Rose from Sonic X. Do people think that to be a strong character, a woman has to beat up male characters even when they don't deserve it? I think it's pathetic. It's one thing to be a good fighter, triumphing over people who obviously mean you harm, but it's quite another to go berserk when someone doesn't mean to do anything wrong.

Actually, that's not the only reason I dislike Amy, but it is a big one. XD; Another reason is because of her incessant swooning over Sonic. She's like a scary fangirl! And I'll never forget the time she tried to "rescue" him, but she wouldn't untie him and instead she dragged him up some stairs, causing him to hit his head on each one! .___. Pathetic, pathetic.... I know it was all played for laughs, it always is, but possessive idiots like Amy just scare and annoy me to no end. If I ever met someone like her in real life (and I have met some online), I'd want to get as far away from her as possible.

Anyway, back on topic. What makes a strong female character? They have to face their problems, they have to stand up for themselves, they have to stick to their beliefs, they have to recognize that they're not the greatest thing in the universe. . . . They can do all of that without resorting to losing their sanity just because someone innocently and inadventantly made a comment that they didn't like. For Heaven's sake, grow up! Reacting the way Kaoru and Amy tend to do is not only annoying and unnecessary, it's immature. And it makes me not have much (if any) respect for them. I honestly don't find it funny at all. XD; I keep thinking of the poor guys who aren't meaning to say anything wrong and then they're suddenly clobbered.

On another, less controversial subject, I'm bringing back one of my minor doppelganger characters: Aballach's secretary. Right now I'm trying to give her a Welsh name. I had selected Blodwyn (which means "white flower") and then I also wanted Glyn ("from the glen"), but in my head I keep calling her Bronwen, and I really don't want to name her that because it means "fair-breasted". .___.; Then there's Branwyn, which means "beautiful raven" (and that makes me think of Rue from Princess Tutu XD), but I don't want to name her that because I picture her with long and flowing white hair, like Kisara. Ravens, of course, are black. Of course, I guess her name could be Branwyn anyway, and Blodwyn is some sort of alias. XD

I've seen the first four episodes of Detective Conan, BTW, and I like it! I'm not too keen on the whole body-shrinking thing, but eh, since it only happened to him and a girl, and since it's science-related and has nothing to do with magic, I'll overlook it. XD (Well, not that I wouldn't overlook it if it was magic-related, but I'd probably frown on it even more, at any rate.) It's really nice to have an anime that doesn't have any magic, for a change. And the mysteries aren't kiddie stuff, either. Some of them are DARK! I mean, check out episode 3, with the music idol and the guy who was apparently murdered in her room. This is a very mature show, really. I think I'm going to be nuts about it. XD

I'd actually kinda prefer it if the Junior Detectives weren't around. ^^; Maybe they'll grow on me, but right now they seem like unnecessary baggage meant to lighten the show up. And I feel that Ran's father already lightens it up fine. XD More than that seems like overkill. Those kids don't really know what they're doing, and Conan ends up having to look out for all of them! It gets in the way of the mystery.

I'm anxious to see the new Superman movie. XD I read a couple of articles on it when I was at Borders and it seems like it'll be cool! I prefer Batman over Superman, really, since Batman has to catch crooks using his technology and his brains, as opposed to superpowers, but eh. XD I liked the first Superman movie, from the seventies, and wow, I think the new guy really looks a lot like Christopher Reeve's version!

I don't know why it is, but lately, for some reason, I've been even more opposed to magic powers than usual. It just doesn't impress me a whole lot, and I'm afraid it's probably starting to come out in the RPs I do. XD; (Baby Face, for instance, is getting highly frustrated at the thought of having to rely on people with magic powers to stop the doppelganger Mafia. Though, I do honestly think that's how he'd feel about it.) Lots of people go out of their way giving characters the most amazing and impossible powers there could be, but I'm more impressed if someone can solve a problem without needing to rely on magic. I liked this one episode of Winx Club that's on the tape Aubrie made for me, where they're in a realm without magic and they have to figure out how to get out of a life-or-death situation by using their smarts and skills alone. And I know I do have characters that use magic (Runihura, for instance), but on the other hand, while the doppelgangers have knowledge of magic, they don't use it too much. XD Well, some don't, anyway. **thinks of Apollo and his spells.** I've found that when I have a character who does use magic, if their name isn't Runihura, the extent of magic they will probably be able to do is simply to blast people.

... Maybe one reason why I don't care for magic too much is that sometimes it seems like if a character can use it, that's all they'll ever use to solve a problem and they'll never develop any other skills they might have. XD I'm glad that Yaminah has other fighting skills, such as using a sword.

Speaking of the tape Aubrie made for me, I found the episode that got cut off before the end because of the tape running out, and it looks like it's a Sonic X Valentine's episode where Amy is going nuts again trying to get Sonic to be hers, so I don't think I'll mind that it got cut off. LOL.

I also don't know why it is that I'm feeling so opinionated today. XD But eh.