Sunday, December 17, 2006

I've Come A Long Way...

...A very long way indeed. To come this way, I had to stay up way later than I should have on school nights, and had to edit and re-edit a lot of dialogue over and over. But nothing compares to the sense of accomplishment I got when I finished that little four-chapter fanfic- NOTHING. Let me give a bit of background here. It's been how many years?...(checks profile) OK. More than a year ago, I didn't have an account on Fanfiction.net or on here. Really, the only site I frequented that allowed contact with other human beings was Neopets, which doesn't really allow for much self-expression. I had a mind full of story ideas, and baby, I'll bet Cthulhu* himself was chewing my leg to coerce me into putting those ideas on paper (or in Rich-Text Format. He's not very picky). So, sometime in late '05, I decided to get myself an account on FF.net. But where to start? The first story is the first step, and I knew it'd have to be something interesting. I'd written a few things before that (I tended to sort of let stories die without finishing them, unfortunately), but nothing seemed great enough for the First Story. I started thumbing through Tokyo Mew Mew vol. 4, randomly seeking ideas. And then there was one page that suddenly struck me. I think it was fate, to be honest. As I gazed at that page, which featured a couple of panels that focused on the background characters- Ichigo's classmates- something really hit me. I started wondering how the story looked from their perspective, how Ichigo and Masaya's relationship might seem to others. Armed with my new perception, I looked through some other chapters, as Cthulhu got ready to gnaw. Somewhere along the line, Potechi seemed to surface in my mind. She was originally named Yoko, and her personality was a little different. I toyed around with a lot of different endings for the story, unsatisfied with any of them. In most other cases, I would have just given up and left the story to gather dust. But for some reason...well, I guess Potechi wouldn't let me go. I kept trying, and kept typing. Before long, she became herself- and through it all, I'm confident to say, she has kept on being herself. On the 20th of November, 2005, my FF.net account launched. And three days after that, the simply-titled "Potechi" became my first submission. But it didn't stop there. Before long, I realised that there was a little more to the story. And so, I began working with a new, multi-chapter fic, which I codenamed "Stolen Dreams". My Tokyo Mew Mew fanfics, more than anything else I write, are a learning experience. A lot- if not all- of my feelings on writing, both in terms of original fiction and fan fiction, have evolved from what I learned during "Stolen Dreams". From them, I started to figure out just what I'm good at, what I can do, what my style is. I've gotten a better idea of who I am. I've learned even more from the prequel to Stolen Dreams, the first chapter of which has just launched as I type this. I was originally planning to release said prequel as "Runaway Tamarin" at the beginning of summer. But I looked over it and thought "it still needs some work." So, Cthulhu continued to gnaw away, and I typed. And typed. And typed. That feeling I got when I realised "It's finished"- I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world. When I looked over some of the early chapters of Stolen Dreams the other day, I cringed. I don't even want to look over "Potechi". I wasn't really much of an author back then. My main intention with this new story, now retitled "I Gain Nothing", was to write something I would still be able to read a year later- to write something I could be PROUD of. And now, I'm proud of it. I've poured my heart into it, learned from it, and finally feel like I can share it with others. Enjoy, everyone. Enjoy. *Cthulhu is a dark, ancient, evil supernatural being who featured prominently in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. I generally represent the part of me that feels compelled to write as a miniature Cthulhu in a straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt (Why, you ask? Well, why not?), chewing on my leg or foot in an effort to make me write. And when this mysterious thing (I call him Vida) starts chewing on me, I have no choice but to stay up till three in the morning to keep typing.

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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Things to come

Well, I finally did it. I finally uploaded one of my four-panel comics about the Catalysts! It's viewable in the Fan Comics section, for those interested. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first picture relating to Stolen Dreams that I've ever released. I actually have a bunch of random drawings of the OCs lying around, but I doubt that I'll ever get around to scanning and cleaning those...I also have a load of scripts for more 4-panel comics, but I haven't drawn most of them yet because I'm lazy. If you found this profile by reading the comic, I'll explain. 'Stolen Dreams' was a Tokyo Mew Mew fanfic series that I was working on earlier this year (it should be fairly simple to find it on Fanfiction.net). It was one of my most popular stories so far, and in recent weeks, I've been working on its prequel (tentatively titled Runaway Tamarin). Of course, lazy bum that I am, Runaway Tamarin is still not done. Still, I'm implementing some interesting new features in it, so keep your eyes peeled. ^_^ In other news, I've also been working on ideas for a fantasy novel and a manga. Details are still sketchy for both of them, but I'll try to keep everyone posted. When I remember.

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Monday, July 10, 2006

Gone Fishing

Well, not fishing. But I'm going on a holiday, since it's summer and whatnot. I will be back eventually. Maybe. At any rate, don't expect a fast reply to anything, since I won't be here to be checking the messages. I will reply to any messages when I return.

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Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Soumen Days...

I've been a little bit busy lately. I've been working on a plan for a fantasy novel, concept art for a manga I'm thinking of drawing, writing multiple fanfics at once, and the dreaded schoolwork and banjo lessons. That may sound like an easy day to some of you, but I'm not used to having so much to do in one day. And so, I sometimes must recall a particular scene from volume 8 of the Fruits Basket manga, my old 'instruction manual to life.' (For some reason, the scene in question wasn't in the anime...) (By the way, 'soumen' is a type of thin noodle.) Basically, in the chapter in which the scene occurs, parent-teacher conferences are coming near and Tohru is becoming nervous about her future. Shigure gives a little speech to calm her down, saying that if she ever feels too hectic, to take a break, perhaps by eating some soumen. The chapter closes with Tohru's voice-over remarking "Whenever I'm anxious, let's all eat soumen together, in a place that feels like home." I am a supporter of hard work over innate abilities. No matter what skills you may have, if you don't try your very best, you'll never improve. But, at the same time, it's important to take a break every now and then. Hence, a 'soumen break.' What constitutes a 'soumen break' for me varies greatly. Up until a few days ago, I'd just drink a can of Dr. Pepper and watch episodes of 'Magic Knight Rayearth.' But recently, I finished watching the second season, so I'm currently a bit soumen-less, so to speak. Fortunately, my birthday is approaching, which means a fair amount of new stuff to be watching. Huzzah!

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