Ramblings and Musings of the Insane, Philosophical Ladybug

Recently I saw this quiz turn up on Tumblr. It looked familiar and I thought I remembered randomly taking it the last time it popped up. I finally found that. Apparently I never posted it anywhere. I don't post quizzes on Tumblr and I couldn't find it here. So I touched it up a bit and here you go.

A:Your current OTP. Rumbelle (at least up through season 3A) and Duke/Serenity. Also, I still love Seto/Tea.
B:A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind. Seto/Tea. I used to scoff at it, and then when talking to someone about how unlikely it seemed, I got the urge to see if it could work after all.
C:A pairing you wish you shipped, but just can't. Yugi/Tea. I feel so guilty to not be able to ship it, when Yugi has such a big crush on her, but I just can't. It's Seto/Tea all the way for me.
D:What was the first thing you ever contributed to a fandom? Oh gosh, I don't know. My Gomer Pyle website, maybe? I think that came even before my All Dogs Go to Heaven website.
E:Have you added anything stupid/cracky/hilarious to your fandom, if so, what? Too many things to name them all. Silly fics about Internet lingo and Sephiroth, Cloud, and Zack being confused.... Pictures of Lieutenant Anderson ordering from Pizza Hut....
F:What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom? What fandom was it? The Monkees, probably. I'm still in it. I don't leave fandoms except in very rare cases. I do sometimes stop submitting new things for fandoms, though. I still occasionally write Monkees fics, but I haven't done anything for Gomer Pyle in years and years.
G:What was your first fandom? If by fandom we mean connecting with other fans, that would be Balto/All Dogs Go to Heaven.
H:Do you prefer real-life TV shows or animated TV shows? Depends on the show. I don't really actively prefer one over the other.
I:Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why? No.
J:Name a fandom you didn’t care/think about until you saw it all over tumblr. Marvel Cinematic Universe. I still haven't seen any films in it other than Captain America, but the GIF sets I see floating around make me curious.
K:How do you feel about the other people in your current fandom(s). Basically, they're nice people. Every fandom has its screwballs, though.
L:Your favorite fanartist/author gives you one request, what do you ask for? ... Honestly, that would depend on what fandom they're my favorite in. I would adore for someone to draw me Ginger and Lou or Snakes art. I love drawing it myself, but it's even more fun when others join in. But if this is pairing specific, I would love fanart or fics for any of my favorite ships. Duke/Serenity could especially use more art.
M:A person who got you into a fandom and what fandom they pulled you in to. I'm usually the person pulling people into fandoms. And usually it's more than one person who gets me into a fandom, since it generally takes me a while to want to try something new when I'm busy with what I've got.
N:Your favorite fandom (for the people; not the thing you fangirl over). Good question.
O:Choose a song at random, what ship does it remind you of? Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen). It reminds me of Rumbelle. However, I usually associate it with Ginger and Lou friendship (or Ginger's life in specific) more than anything romantic.
P:Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas). Why does it have to be an AU idea? It's generally more fun to just write in the canon-established verse, unless said canon-established verse has become a disaster and impossible to work with, like Once Upon a Time is now. I have an AU for Once that picks up at season 3B and has Belle save Rumpel a la Beauty and the Beast. It then continues from there with slice-of-life stuff and Neal still very much alive. Maybe one of these days I'll actually write something more for it.
Q:A ship you’ve abandoned and why. When I think something works, I don't tend to abandon it even if I stop being involved in fanworks for it.
R:A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships. ::shrug.:: .... Peter Howard/Nancy Drew, from The Ghostwriter's Cruise episode of the 1970s show. They could have had a lot of fun interaction, if given the chance. And May-December romance for the win. The 1970s Nancy Drew series seemed to be in favor of such things more than once (although nothing ever got serious in any of the cases).
S:What's a headcanon you have? ... For what? I have dozens and dozens of headcanons for many shows. They don't often involve romance, though. Let's see.... I decided to write Lieutenant Schrank from West Side Story as having been married, but then divorced. It wasn't a friendly divorce. Mr. Wye from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. had a similar fate. I believe those are the only canonically single characters I've chosen to portray as having been married before.
T:What are your favorite male/male ships or female/female ships? Don't have any. I absolutely adore platonic life partners, though. Ginger and Lou from The Rockford Files would be in that category.
U:What are your favorite male/female ships? Rumbelle, Duke/Serenity, Seto/Tea, Nephrite/Naru.
V:Do you have any 3-way ships? If so, what? No.
W:5 favorite characters from 5 different fandoms. Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold, Duke Devlin, Oscar Goldman, Hamilton Burger, The Virginian
X:3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms. Rumbelle, Duke/Serenity, Nephrite/Naru
Y:A fandom you’re in but have no ships from. The great majority of them. It's rare when I do have a ship.
Z:What's a ship that you want to ship publicly, but everyone on tumblr hates it so you keep your mouth shut about it? I dunno.

Some morons graffitied our brick wall! Dad called the police and the officer took a picture for their files. And a group's going to be around to clean it off. But seriously, ugh. Things like that make me all the angrier at street gangs and all the more understanding of Lieutenant Schrank's frustrations.

And as much as I love West Side Story and feel that the gang members shouldn't be villainized, I also don't think they should be hailed as heroes. I find it concerning when I read about kids who wanted to be Jets or Sharks after seeing the production. Seeing it should make them realize how stupid being in a gang is. Gangs don't respect other people's property when they plaster graffiti everywhere (or do any number of other asinine things). No, the streets are not theirs alone. No, someone's brick wall isn't theirs at all! They have no right.

We were gone most of yesterday. We discovered that the biggest free-standing F.Y.E. to us is gone, due to their lease being bought out by another company that charged them too much. And they have no hope of relocating unless the economy situation gets better; it's just too expensive for them everywhere.

I'm rather heartbroken that it's gone. That means the only F.Y.E. near us is the dinky, more expensive one in the mall. We'll hardly ever be able to visit a free-standing one again. And F.Y.E. had the best selection of Sonic and Mario and anime merchandise! The mall version is just too small to have much of that at all. And being in the mall means that what they do have is mostly several dollars more than in their free-standing stores.

All we're getting in its place is a Dick's Sporting Goods store. That is not a good trade. There's sports stores everywhere. (And it doesn't help that I hate sports.) But there was only one store like F.Y.E., and that's the one F.Y.E. replaced.

Why, why, why did Dick's have to buy F.Y.E.'s lease?! There's even a perfectly good and vacant building right next to them! Why couldn't Dick's have taken that? Then they could have moved in and F.Y.E. could have stayed!

I am quite giddy and squeeful about something I found while out and about, though. We went to the Jo-Ann's Fabric store in that shopping area. It's so much bigger and better than one we visited last week. I found a couple of possibilities for the skin color and fabric for the plushie I'm going to make, but then Mom found something even better: a cloth doll already sewn and ready to be customized into whatever character you want! And it's 18 inches, which is so much bigger than I thought I'd be able to make if I sewed it all myself! I saw those at Jo-Ann's before, but all memory of them had fled my mind when I decided to embark on this challenge. It was only $7.99, too! Of course I snapped it right up.

It feels lovely and soft, perfect for gentle cuddling. It says it's for decorative use and isn't a toy, but I wouldn't be using it as a toy. And I imagine Setsunakou's plushies are really meant for decorative purposes too, and they've held up extremely well under my loving.

So, now all I have to do is make the clothing and figure out what to do about the hair. I don't want to lazily glue hair on; I want this to be lasting. Does anyone have tips or ideas for what to do about hair?! And also what materials I could use for hair? I don't really want something simple like yarn. I want something more real. Medium brown and a bit curly, too. I know there's doll hair at Jo-Ann's, but it looks very complicated to work with. I'd rather have something already attached to a backing, and then I would just need to sew it all in place.

I was sure a doll community was spotlighted recently on LJ. Was that doll-making or dolls in general? I thought it was the former. I would really like to talk to other people about what I specifically want, rather than just reading generic doll hair articles online.

Making the face, luckily, should not be a problem at all. So all I'm concerned about is the hair, really. The clothing I should be able to figure out fairly easily.

And as a parting, something a bit uncanny and eerie. I first started wanting this plush last August after I had a dream where I was watching The Ballad of Josie and holding said plush. And in the dream, the plush was about 18 inches. I was thinking how amazing that would be, to have one that big. I'd never be able to order one that size. I had no thoughts of making it myself at that time, or at all until a few weeks ago.

And now the doll I found to customize really is 18 inches. Wow. Seriously, I believe that dreams can and sometimes do foretell the future, but even about something as overall insignificant as making a plushie?

Also, I think maybe I'll be able to write my June theme set after all. I completed the first one, and I didn't feel drained! I'm thrilled. Maybe all it took was a little determination to not let those worn-out feelings take over.

I have some thoughts on the recent My Little Pony series, but I'll post that later. Today it's this.

First off! What is your pen name?
Lucky_Ladybug

Any previous pen names?
I don't think a pen name should be changed. Once it/you are established, you're known by that. Why change it and suddenly make it hard for people to find you/know it's you?

Of course, when it comes to various social networks and the like, I sometimes will use various names. But to post stories, I always prefer Lucky_Ladybug. And I include that as my LJ name too, so that people will hopefully know the insane one is me.

And what does your pen name mean?
It's the name of an old and silly but cute song covered by many people, but specifically Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons. It's pretty straightforward, isn't it? It's a ladybug who is lucky.

Any alternate nicknames or pen names?
insaneladybug, of course. Usually used on journals. And always with the "Lucky_Ladybug" attached where it gives the name of the poster.

What fandom(s) do you write for currently?
Perry Mason, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Monkees, West Side Story.

And what pairings do you write for it?
None, unless they're canon, such as Tony/Maria for West Side Story.

Why?
Why not? Not everything has to be about romance, after all. Try branching out more. Platonic/gen stuff is great, too. And there's a serious lack of it in many fandoms.

What are some current projects of yours?
The Case of the Spectral Stalker, my current Perry Mason mystery. (The one I'm still quibbling about. Now I'm concerned I may lose some of my audience if I do the happier, albeit crazier, ending. And yes, I know the author should be happy first and foremost, but I won't be happy if I lose my audience, either.)

Lullaby of Silence, my three-way crossover with Perry, The Monkees, and Kolchak.

And a Kolchak oneshot concerning a mysterious, healing cloth.

EDIT: And of course, To Blossom As the Rose, the FF7 crossover with the two Westerns. I haven't forgotten about it. I know what should happen next chapter; the problem is fitting it in amid all my other projects.

Do you ever think your OTP will reach a happy ending?
My current OTP ... Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold and Belle from Once Upon a Time ... yes, I certainly hope they will. The whole point is to bring back the happy endings, and they deserve one, too.

If you ever had to kill one of them off, who would you choose and why?
Why would I want to do that? Gah, they've been going through enough already.

... Although, I can't deny that I really hope that in the climax, Mr. Gold will be seriously injured stopping Regina/saving Belle, and then Belle will have to make like her animated counterpart and save his life with her true love.

Will your OTP ever have kids?
... That would be interesting, wouldn't it.

What do you see them doing post-canon?
I want them to stay in Storybrooke, as I've seen some post-canon stories portray. I think they have a better chance for happiness there than in fairytale land. Actually, it seems like that's the case for quite a few characters.

(Plus, I really really love Mr. Gold's character design and personality.)

If a character has multiple 'appearances', which one(s) do you use in fic?
The one I like best, baby. The question should really be, what if I like elements of multiple versions?

For Perry, I will always write about the classic TV series. No ifs, ands, or buts. The characterization is incredible and develops in ways it never did in other versions.

Sailor Moon is what I have a problem with. I think the good guys are better in the manga and the bad guys are better in the anime. The girls spend way too much time cooing over guys in the anime. And Rei is so mean, oh gosh. I've really come to love Sailor Jupiter and appreciate her awesomeness, but it's so annoying when she suddenly goes squeeing after yet another guy who reminds her of her old flame.

I just don't think I can bring my conflicting feelings on the different versions of Sailor Moon together, since it requires either abandoning one element or the other, or else smooshing everything together. I do the latter for YGO, but it's different since I really only like a couple of things better in the manga and can easily insert them into anime canon. For Sailor Moon, the problem is much broader and I just don't know how to deal with it. I don't think I will ever really be able to write for Sailor Moon because of it. I just can't decide how to unite what I like about the different verses. And since the fanfic category is pretty much dead anyway, I'd rather concentrate on current projects.

How do characters sound in your head?
Like they should. Perry is Raymond Burr's voice, Hamilton is William Talman's, etc. etc. (Unless I've been watching too much of something else and when I try to concentrate, someone else's voice is in my head, i.e., hearing Robert Carlyle's voice for Hamilton when I'm trying to channel William. Gah.)

Have you ever written/wanted to write crack fic (e.g. singing in a karaoke bar) for your fandoms?
No. Not unless everyone is in character. What's funny about it if it could be absolutely anyone? It's only funny if you can recognize the voices and personalities of the characters and you're watching them react to silly situations.

On Dreamwidth.

http://insaneladybug.dreamwidth.org/560.html

I have a long post I plan to write up, discussing various things, but among all the things I needed to get done today, that was what had to be dropped. I'll work on it this week sometime.

I will say that I can hardly believe it's Christmas Day already. It feels like this holiday season just flew by. I wasn't ready for it to reach its climax and be over. I'll be soaking up this day and the week bridging Christmas and New Year's, trying to prolong the holiday season a little bit longer.

This year's Christmas fic is for West Side Story, a sadly dead fandom much of the time. If anyone's interested, reviews are loved! http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7663848/1/

Kim had an excellent idea of taking a 30-Day fandom meme, splitting it in half, and doing a bunch of the questions all at once. I was particularly interested in this meme, so I've taken the first half of it. I'll probably take the second half when she posts it.


01 – Your favorite all-time fandom(s)

Gosh, I’m not sure. I met a lot of my dear friends through my YGO writing, but I try to stay away from the fandom in general. There’s a lot of awesome people, yet there’s also a lot of scary, immature people, and sometimes they’re more prominent.

Princess Tutu has a really good fandom. The fans are mature, agree to disagree, and engage in deep and fun discussions.

When it comes to specific shows, Tutu and YGO both top the list. And I love classic TV shows, but it isn’t always easy to find good fanbases for them. The Perry Mason fanbase is very active, however, which I’m thrilled about.

02 – Your current fandom

Perry Mason. The characters are old friends to me, after spending more than a decade observing their adventures, and I finally realized how fiercely loyal I am to them.

03 – First fandom, the one that made you the fangirl you are today

Gosh, I don’t know. I’ve always been incredibly loyal to shows and characters I love. I suppose my first fandom was probably Fox’s Peter Pan and the Pirates, when I was four. (And it seriously hurts that most people don’t even know what I’m talking about and are only familiar with the Disney version! Fox’s characters were so much better and more three-dimensional.)

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? would probably fall under that first fandom category too. I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic for it again lately, probably because we’re nearing the 20-year anniversary of its debut. (Gosh, I feel old.) Detective shows rule. It was the detective element that made me determined to see the show when it first came out. I thrilled at the picture of the cool guys in fedoras in the TV Guide.

04 –First, current, or favorite fandom crush

First would be … oh, Heavens, I don’t know. It depends on which show came first. But my early crushes were Mr. Rogers (there we go with that older men thing), Chuck, Captain Hook (from the Fox version), and Sean Altman.

Current would be Simon Oakland and William Talman. My favorite of Simon’s characters is presently the controversial Lieutenant Schrank. For William, it’s always been Hamilton Burger.

Overall favorite…. I can’t be expected to pick just one.

05 – Your fandom secret

I … don’t think I have one that I haven’t already revealed.

06 –Favorite song that brings fangirl tears to your eyes

I can’t think of one, honestly. I have lots of favorite songs, and sometimes I do cry over some, but I don’t think I’ve fangirled said songs or their artists. Oh, except maybe some of the Full Moon wo Sagashite songs. They are absolutely phenomenal. And when I remember key scenes in the anime when they were played, I do sometimes tear up.

07 – Your OTP(s)

As most people know, I am not a romantic kind of person. Give me a good friendship any day and that’s what I’ll squee over.

Nevertheless, romantically I do love Seto/Téa (from YGO) and Fakir/Ahiru (from Princess Tutu). Their interactions are highly intriguing. I just wish there had been more canonical interaction for Seto and Téa.

08 – A fandom that you thought you wouldn’t get sucked into, but ended up getting sucked into anyway

Probably Perry Mason. I did my homework when it was on back in the day. But secretly, instead of reading, I was watching it more and more as I became deeply interested in the characters. I looked forward each night to pretending to read while watching it instead. (I was very prideful and unwilling to admit I was nuts over a show my parents were watching. It’s only been the last few weeks that I’ve wound down and let my interest really show.)

09 – One of your favorite characters

It seems it should be someone I haven’t talked about much before. I get tired of rehashing and I’m sure people get tired of reading me rehashing.

So let’s see … let’s go for someone completely unexpected. Knuckles, from Sonic the Hedgehog! Sonic was my first favorite until Knuckles came along. I was there right from the beginning, with the introduction of Sonic 3. I didn’t get to play the game unless I was at Toys R Us or a friend’s house, but I loved it and the character all the same. I had the Archie comic where Knuckles made his debut and was thrilled. To this day it’s sometimes hard to imagine Knuckles having a different speech pattern than he had in that comic (which was that of a streetwise tough guy), although I love Dan Green’s interpretation for Sonic X and some of the games.

And exactly why was it that Knuckles appealed to me over Sonic? I’m not fully sure, but I think his mysteriousness had a lot to do with it. And I was intrigued by his and Sonic’s interaction. And I loved that he was an antagonist who turned to Sonic’s side when he realized he had been tricked. Knuckles is also more serious than the happy-go-lucky Sonic, and of course, everyone knows how much I love serious characters.

Also, let's say Hamilton Burger. I've talked a lot about why I love him at the Perry blog, so I don't want to rehash too much here. But I really admire him for his strong sense of justice, as previously mentioned here. He and Perry may sometimes have different ideas on how to achieve justice, but in the end, since they both want the same thing, they cooperate. Plus, I love his hilarious expressions and comments. And the way his character clearly develops through the seasons, starting with being closer to the frustrated antagonist of the books and expanding right away to be so much more than that. Even when he and Perry clash in season 1, it's obvious from a lot of episodes that they are growing close. And it becomes more that way season by season.

10 – Your favorite scene or moment from one of your favorite fandoms

Gosh, just one scene or moment?

Well, I discovered a new favorite Perry Mason scene last night. I was watching The Golden Oranges and Perry is trying to prove that a dog didn’t bite someone. Mr. Burger overhears the court case and comes in to see what’s going on. His expressions are priceless. At the end he goes over to Perry and asks, “Is business really that bad?” LOL. And I have determined that season 6 just may be my favorite season. Mr. Burger is so different from season 1, so relaxed and openly friendly with Perry in, it seems, most of the episodes.

11 – The fan art, fan fiction, cover song, cosplay, etc. that you’ve made that you’re most proud of

I still say Lead Me Through the Fire is some of my best work, and certainly my favorite long fic.

I am also really proud of all of my non-fiction work lately. I co-run the Simon tribute blog and I have my own Perry blog, and I try to make each post on both very mature and intelligent and professional (while still keeping a casual air at times). And I know this doesn't belong on this meme, but I love the articles I’ve been writing for money (which I don’t have the option to share, as I’m ghostwriting for the time being). I was given the highest rating possible for an amateur writer when I submitted my writing sample to the site.

12 – Your favorite fanartist or fanfiction writer

I don’t have one. All of my friends, let’s say.

13 – The best cosplayers of your fandom that you’ve seen; the ones you consider to be real-life versions of your favorite characters, OTP, etc.

There are cosplayers I can think of who are favorites, but I don’t have their links (and usually not their names) handy. I love Puchiko’s Autor, pictured on Cosplaylab.com. And there are some incredible Sailor Moon cosplayers out there.

14 – A group of characters from one of your fandoms you’d love to hang out with for a day

The Sailor Senshi, on a day when they’d just be hanging out at the mall and not fighting demons.

15 –Your favorite collectible/merchandise from your fandom that you most cherish, or one that you wished you owned

Just one favorite piece of merchandise? I can’t quite think of one piece I cherish above all else; my favorite material object isn’t from a fandom at all. (Well, I guess technically it could be; it’s a Holly Hawk Hobby quilt. Yeah, when I was little I couldn't say Hobby and Hawk stuck instead.)

First and foremost: Does anyone have links to the very old Phoenix Wrong parodies? They were so hilarious. I'm not too interested in the newer ones that have been coming out; they're largely dirty all the way through, compared to the old ones being mostly clean, if not completely. I used to laugh at almost every clip, but in the recent ones I'm lucky to find one thing to laugh at.

My order arrived yesterday! At last I was able to read two more Kolchak Moonstone graphic novel stories I've been interested in for some time: Lambs to the Slaughter and Eve of Terror. I may review them on Amazon later. For now, I just want to say that according to the Moonstone canon, it looks like Tony is (or was) married. There was a kid killed in a drug-related shooting and Kolchak did an article on it. Tony praises his work but then becomes emotionally pained. Kolchak realizes why and says he's sorry for bringing it up. Tony says "Not your fault ... my boy ... went the same way." It was heart-breaking; he looked so down-trodden. He and Kolchak have a quiet moment and then Kolchak says they should go out for a drink like the old days. Tony says in the old days, Kolchak insisted Tony pay. Kolchak says he still does. It was a wonderful friendship scene. And it's begging to have something done with it. It's the first thing from Moonstone that I've really wanted to bring into my TV show canon, or at least tentatively experiment with. There's a ficlet I'm thinking of writing. I'm thinking along the lines Crystal suggested, that the son's death dissolved the marriage, because it really does seem like Tony is a bachelor by the time of the movies/TV series. Maybe I'll try it as a disconnected piece and then decide if I want to incorporate it into my full canon.

I also got a West Side Story book and the first Phoenix Wright manga (a real manga, with cases!). The West Side Story book I've been eagerly devouring as I skip around in it (I rarely read books like that straight through). It gives character summaries and it was very fair, and I think kind, to Schrank, which I was thrilled by. But it seems to mostly focus on the Broadway production, with little being said about the movie version by comparison. And a lot of what is said about the movie version leans more towards the negative, at least from what I've read. I also want to get another book, one that does focus more on the movie version, and even tells how Simon Oakland ended up part of the cast. (One of the co-directors was Robert Wise, and he specifically wanted Simon after directing him in I Want to Live!)

The Phoenix Wright manga is very interesting. It plays out like a combination of Detective Conan and Perry Mason. When characters are introduced, they seem to use the same format as Detective Conan, with a blurb showing their name, age, and occupation. And the trials are filled with intensity (and kooky witnesses, as per the games). They even have Winston Payne as the first prosecutor encountered! And everyone looks IC. Phoenix is wonderful as the straight man with sardonic comments, Maya is her typical ditzy self, and Larry is nuts over his latest girl. LOL. Miles has not appeared, but he is thought about, and Phoenix comments that he hasn't seen Miles in a while. That's usually a signal that something exciting is planned, and I know for certain that Miles will be in volume 2. And I learned of the manga's existence shortly before that volume will release in America! If it comes out on time, it will be out in less a week. I hope I can get it right away! Even if B&N has it in stock on time, I cringe to think of buying it there. It's $10.99, and I'm sure they won't offer a discount (unless by some miracle I get a rare 10% coupon). On Amazon, it's only $8.79, but I'd have to wait to buy other things with it and get free shipping. Oh, Borders, why wouldn't anyone help you stay afloat?!

And I watched an amazing Wild Wild West episode. I've been devouring episodes lately, and it was a show Mom liked and watched back when it was on, so I'm having a ball sharing my new love of it with her. It's just what I love: friendship and adventure and mystery and crook-fighting and hurt/comfort! And the romance level isn't high enough to get on my nerves. It's just perfect, as far as I'm concerned. The steampunk angle is just the icing on the cake, too. I just love Western stuff and steampunk adds a whole new level of awesome to it.

The episode I saw was The Night of the Death Masks. The whole ghost town angle, and the wax dummies that keep popping up with the masks, were so creepy! And it was heart-breaking when the crooks manipulated things so Jim thought Arte was the crook due to Arte being forced into a disguise while unconscious. They have a gunfight and Arte ends up thinking he shot and killed Jim when he comes over closer.

Well, the whole episode was extremely plunnie-inducing. It would make such an intense role-play or fic. I think I might write a blurb of Schrank and Krupke having gotten into a gunfight like that, with the end result being Krupke thinking he's shot Schrank. I don't know yet whether he really would have or not.

I could do a whole rant on the difficulties of using the website the past week, but I let off my steam in Wordpad while I couldn't post, so I won't bother.

Since regaining use of the site, I have been playing musical icons. I'm more into my live-action fandoms right now, so I wanted the icons to reflect that. I added this one here, of Perry Mason and Hamilton Burger, and a couple more of Lieutenant Schrank. I also added a beautiful icon of Sailor Mercury that I snagged a while back, in anticipation of the revival of Sailor Moon in North America at last! Merchandise is coming in (Hot Topic has shirts!) and the manga starts arriving in September. And this time, we're getting Sailor V! I hope we get figures, dolls, and the anime too!

I've never been fully sure why I always gravitate to Mercury. I feel like I should feel I relate the most to Hotaru, after that quiz result I got that said "You are weak physically but mature mentally. An outcast, slightly morbid." Also, she has very pale skin and likes to wear black. But instead I seem to feel that I relate the best to Mercury. I'm certainly like her in a lot of ways, but one huge difference is that she loves math. It's always been my least favorite subject.

(Maybe I relate more to Mercury because her life is so ... relatively normal compared to poor Hotaru's? And I just can't begin to grasp all the pain and suffering Hotaru went through?)

All the Borders and Waldenbooks are folding. No one was willing to help them continue to stay afloat. I need to get hold of some things at their liquidation sale. And I also need to procure a couple of things on Amazon.

I knew there was still danger it would happen, so I can't say I'm terribly surprised, but I also don't think it's fully sunk in yet. I am seriously cringing, however, to imagine a world where the only big physical retail bookstore is Barnes and Noble, where you have to pay full-price, or nearly so, for almost everything. With little exception, the books I have bought for years have been from Borders. I only bought from other places when Borders just didn't have something. I may have to buy mostly from Amazon in the future. But that would be a pain, as I buy from them in bundles so I don't have to pay S&H costs. And I don't often have $25 lying around that I can use for books.

Poor Borders.

I worked a bit on my Perry Mason fic yesterday. I think it will probably be multi-chapter. And I thought of a great twist, as right now the plot looks pretty cut and dried. It won't be in the finished version! Also, I am very pleased that so far the characters' voices have been coming to me. I guess after watching off and on for thirteen years, it shouldn't be so much of a surprise. But out of everything I like there's only a small percentage that I actually have ideas to write for, and sometimes I start writing for something and realize that it's just not working out, so it always feels like a triumph when it comes together.

I've been working on a cute, short West Side Story fic. I'm hoping to have it up on Monday.

Also on Monday, I think Crystal and I will be ready to unveil one part of the project we've been working on. We've been putting a great deal of thought and effort into this, and I'm excited.

I don't think I ever quite realized how fiercely loyal I am to the cast of the classic Perry Mason until the other day when I attempted, out of utter curiosity, to watch a clip or two of The New Perry Mason from the seventies. I found the theme sequence completely dull, except for having some of the writing on book bindings. And I just couldn't wrap my mind around the actors playing Perry and Mr. Burger. They were fine as far as their acting went; I just couldn't comprehend them as those characters. The only episode of that show that I want to see is the one with Simon ... and of course I haven't been able to find it.

I also have no interest in the TV movies from the eighties and nineties. True, the original cast was present ... about two-fifths of it! Everyone else, sadly, was dead. They had to bring in someone to play Paul Drake's son (also named Paul), and I thought they said in-canon that Paul was dead. And sacrilege, in one of the movies they had someone else play Hamilton Burger! I can't picture Raymond Burr's Perry interacting with another man's Mr. Burger; that character was brought to life by William Talman. I have to admit, I'm morbidly curious to see how that went, but I'm sure I would groan and moan and find it not the same at all.

So I concluded that I am fiercely loyal to the cast as it was on the classic show, during the golden seasons: Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman, and Ray Collins. I'm curious about portrayals prior to this era, in movies and on the radio, but I doubt they had the same amazing qualities as the TV show. The original books kind of portrayed the characters as two (or one) dimensional archetypes, from what I've heard. It was the TV show cast that really fleshed them out over the years. And there was just such an amazing chemistry between Perry and Mr. Burger; I am endlessly fascinated by their interaction. I doubt the books had that, especially since the author detested Mr. Burger. He made Mr. Burger basically the stereotypical prosecuting attorney with an axe to grind. William Talman, by contrast, made the character so human.

I've somewhat wanted to write at least one fanfic, especially since it seems no one has tried to explore Mr. Burger or his relationship with Perry, but I've never had any ideas. An idea did just pop into my mind a short time ago, which would pretty much be an update of one of my standard ideas done over for the Perry Mason fandom. It would involve Mr. Burger being found dead ... or at least, everyone thinks it's Mr. Burger. In actuality, he would be on the run and trying to get back to Los Angeles from somewhere else. I have no idea who would want him dead (probably plenty of crooks) or how anything would pan out. And I doubt I would actually write it. But I wanted to get a record of it down so I wouldn't forget.

I also did have a vague thought of writing an AU for Misguided Missile where Caldwell is not the one to die, but I really doubt that would get written. I just don't care for AUs and in general find them a waste of time to write, since my mind is occupied with thinking "This isn't the way it really was and I'll never be able to fully enjoy writing this because of that knowledge." Plus, since the trial was a court-martial, Mr. Burger wouldn't be around.

Meanwhile, instead of pondering on these things, I need to get back to other topics, such as chapter 5 of the Kolchak fic and chapter 3 of the Schrank fic.

http://westsidestory.livejournal.com/73023.html If anyone wants to look. There will probably be more later.

I've had a fic idea that would go a little more into Schrank's backstory and some of the kids he had tried to mentor. He would end up having to deal with some of them in the present. I'm tinkering with the idea in a role-play, and it looks like I might end up using a combination of an idea of mine and Crystal's where someone is out to get him. In the fic, it would be one of those kids, in his twenties now and bitter over some imagined grievance he believed Schrank was responsible for. I scrawled down a bunch of notes and musings for the story and I have a good idea of how a lot of it goes.

Now I'm wondering whether I should combine this idea with one where Schrank is contacted by a hate group (and is disgusted when they want him to join them) or whether the two fics should be separate. One of the things this hateful kid is doing is spreading rumors that Schrank is racist, and since there already were rumors like that, he only makes it worse. So the hate group could contact him as a result of that. That would probably make that part be just one scene, though, instead of a full-length story. But I don't know how a full-length story with the idea would work, since from a Route 66 episode it looks like it's the FBI that handles hate groups. Maybe if some delinquent kids from his beat got involved, however, Schrank would be involved with trying to bring the group down.

... But I'm kind of liking the idea of the hate group contacting him because of what this guy has been saying instead of any other reason (as it would be if the hate group idea was a full-length fic). That would really make Schrank furious and add more tension to the story.

And I finished the multi-part fic yesterday. I think. It really did turn into a vignette series.