amatyultare (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
amatyultare) wrote2008-03-16 07:47 pm
amatyultare) wrote2008-03-16 07:47 pm
Entry tags:
there's a blind man searching for a shadow of doubt
Hey, all. It's been a while. Not a whole lot to report? Microdyne goes as it goes. There's a whole complicated thing which has resulted me in switching to customer service. Not because I was doing badly in tech support, but because...well, this customer service contract uses the same people as the tech support contract I am (was) on, but most of the people HATE this customer service contract. So the 'assistant manager' for it is leaving, and I've been tapped to replace her. It means a lot more work, but whatever....it'll keep me busy, which makes the days go by a LOT more quickly and smoothly.
Still stuck on my second Peace Corps essay. Argh!
I did actually write something else, though.
WARNING, SHOJO GEEKINESS AHEAD.
I've been behind, but today I picked up Fruits Basket 17 (actually, I still count as behind since volume 18 is out already). I was a little sad that I already knew the big revelation from this volume....but the moments of absolute adorableness between Kyo and Tohru kind of made up for it. The whapping with the scarf? And the paper flower? I squee-ed. Also, I still love Hanajima. She's probably my favorite character.
But anyway. The last chapter in volume 17 got me thinking again about Shigure's motivations. They are still sort of unclear, yes? And I realized I had a theory. And instead of simply blathering on about this theory, I decided to write a short fanfic explicating it. It was originally going to be a conversation between Shigure and Ayame, where Shigure basically came clean about what he's really after. But even if that was in-character for Shigure (doubtful), I realized about two sentences in that I wouldn't be able to write something like that with any kind of grace. So I went a little understated, while still being sort of painfully obvious.
It's rather terrible, but I am attached to my idea of Shigure's motivation, so I figured I would post it anyway. No actual spoilers, as such, but will make marginally more sense after reading volume 17. Critique is more than welcome, as always.
Plots
“Please, Sensei! You should have SOME idea of where this series is heading! The first draft of your new book is due NEXT WEEK! Please tell me you know what you’re GOING to write, at least!” Mitchan implored Shigure, moving her hands distractedly as if to physically condense the writer’s amorphous thoughts into a coherent plot.
“Hmm...” drawing it out as she stared at him breathlessly, “...nope, not really!”
“NOOOOOO!” Shigure noticed amusedly that Mitchan seemed about two seconds away from beating her head against the floor in despair. Or perhaps just bursting into tears? Yes, here she went.
“Now, now,” he interjected just as the first tears started erupting from her bloodshot, slightly crazed eyes. “I was just teasing you. Of course I know what’s going to happen.”
“Really?” A sniffle, a look of wary hope. “What?”
“Well, I ended the last book with the evil feudal lord holding the townsfolk prisoner, right? With the help of the village girl who is secretly in love with him? And the lone samurai finding out and pledging to free them from captivity.”
“Ye-es....”
“Well, the village girl will secretly form an alliance with the samurai and help him free everyone. The book will end with a confrontation between her and the feudal lord.”
“But why would she betray the man she loves? Does she start hating him because of how terrible he is to her?” This was the Mitchan that Shigure liked most, the editor who would get captivated by a story immediately, even after being on the verge of panic seconds before.
“Oh, no, she loves him as much as ever,” he said lightly. “That’s the whole point; when everyone is trapped by him, he can take her presence for granted. She wants him to appreciate her presence...and to understand that she stays with him by choice, not because she’s compelled.”
Mitchan actually looked starry-eyed. “How cruel, yet romantic!” she burbled, missing Shigure’s momentarily narrowed eyes in her relief. “So how does the samurai free the townspeople? They were in the lord’s impregnable fortress, after all.”
“Oh,” carelessly, “I have no idea about that part.”
“SENSEIIIII! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME!”
Shigure sipped his tea, and pretended to ignore her, and smiled secretly to himself. Was he that cruel? Well, perhaps. But to move the plot the way you wanted, sometimes you had to torture your characters a bit.
It was a lesson he had learned long before he became a writer.
Still stuck on my second Peace Corps essay. Argh!
I did actually write something else, though.
WARNING, SHOJO GEEKINESS AHEAD.
I've been behind, but today I picked up Fruits Basket 17 (actually, I still count as behind since volume 18 is out already). I was a little sad that I already knew the big revelation from this volume....but the moments of absolute adorableness between Kyo and Tohru kind of made up for it. The whapping with the scarf? And the paper flower? I squee-ed. Also, I still love Hanajima. She's probably my favorite character.
But anyway. The last chapter in volume 17 got me thinking again about Shigure's motivations. They are still sort of unclear, yes? And I realized I had a theory. And instead of simply blathering on about this theory, I decided to write a short fanfic explicating it. It was originally going to be a conversation between Shigure and Ayame, where Shigure basically came clean about what he's really after. But even if that was in-character for Shigure (doubtful), I realized about two sentences in that I wouldn't be able to write something like that with any kind of grace. So I went a little understated, while still being sort of painfully obvious.
It's rather terrible, but I am attached to my idea of Shigure's motivation, so I figured I would post it anyway. No actual spoilers, as such, but will make marginally more sense after reading volume 17. Critique is more than welcome, as always.
“Please, Sensei! You should have SOME idea of where this series is heading! The first draft of your new book is due NEXT WEEK! Please tell me you know what you’re GOING to write, at least!” Mitchan implored Shigure, moving her hands distractedly as if to physically condense the writer’s amorphous thoughts into a coherent plot.
“Hmm...” drawing it out as she stared at him breathlessly, “...nope, not really!”
“NOOOOOO!” Shigure noticed amusedly that Mitchan seemed about two seconds away from beating her head against the floor in despair. Or perhaps just bursting into tears? Yes, here she went.
“Now, now,” he interjected just as the first tears started erupting from her bloodshot, slightly crazed eyes. “I was just teasing you. Of course I know what’s going to happen.”
“Really?” A sniffle, a look of wary hope. “What?”
“Well, I ended the last book with the evil feudal lord holding the townsfolk prisoner, right? With the help of the village girl who is secretly in love with him? And the lone samurai finding out and pledging to free them from captivity.”
“Ye-es....”
“Well, the village girl will secretly form an alliance with the samurai and help him free everyone. The book will end with a confrontation between her and the feudal lord.”
“But why would she betray the man she loves? Does she start hating him because of how terrible he is to her?” This was the Mitchan that Shigure liked most, the editor who would get captivated by a story immediately, even after being on the verge of panic seconds before.
“Oh, no, she loves him as much as ever,” he said lightly. “That’s the whole point; when everyone is trapped by him, he can take her presence for granted. She wants him to appreciate her presence...and to understand that she stays with him by choice, not because she’s compelled.”
Mitchan actually looked starry-eyed. “How cruel, yet romantic!” she burbled, missing Shigure’s momentarily narrowed eyes in her relief. “So how does the samurai free the townspeople? They were in the lord’s impregnable fortress, after all.”
“Oh,” carelessly, “I have no idea about that part.”
“SENSEIIIII! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME!”
Shigure sipped his tea, and pretended to ignore her, and smiled secretly to himself. Was he that cruel? Well, perhaps. But to move the plot the way you wanted, sometimes you had to torture your characters a bit.
It was a lesson he had learned long before he became a writer.