Sol Crafter's Blog, page 28

Fanfic: A dirty *dirty* little secret

Okay, so I totally read this==> Christie Gordon's post "Should a Published Author Let On About Their Fanfiction"  <== awhile back and it's something I've wondered for a long time. It's basically a question on whether a published author should admit to their fanfiction past or not.

On the one hand, you have your root fanbase of fanfic readers, which can really help you with your sales. On the other hand though, I would think you have to worry about litigation or what-not from the authors that are really not very fanfic friendly (hey JKR, LKH, AR, how ya ladies doing?)

So back in the day (it was a Wednesday, btw) I wrote a bunch of fanfic. I am still receiving story recs and faved author notifications from said stories. I have never been that big into fandom, being more of a lurker than anything else. I've read a whole lot, but I probably haven't given back as much as I should, considering all the enjoyment I get out of reading slash fanfic. I love crossovers, I have a fondness for mpreg, and there's this whole thing where I kind of like it where the bad guy wins.

Basically fanfiction is my dirty little secret. I love Methos, Harry Potter, Kal-El/Richard White, Iruka/Kakashi, Naruto/Gaara, Xander/Spike, Sheppard/McKay, and Robin/Superboy.  I was an old school Xander/Angel shipper back in the day, btw. Right now, Sherlock/Watson is pretty hot.

I have not written any fanfiction in a very long time, mostly because I don't currently have the time for it. Not when I just read some 500,000 word epic pile of crap, anyway. It just seems as though some fanfic authors feel the need to completely bloat out their stories past all recognition just so they can gloat that they have the longest story on TTH or FF. It's actually pretty painful, especially when I'm the stooge that's reading it and it starts out really good then just gets more and more ridiculous.

Though I'll always jump on a good Creature!fic, mostly because I can't help my curiousity. Which has ended up totally squicking me in the past.

Anyways, this was just a rambling admittance of the existence of fanfic. Not that I'm secretly hoarding any or anything, but that unlike the mythical unicorn, fanfiction really does exist. And some of it is pretty good (like a certain "Avatar: the Last Air Bender" epic that has been rocking a lot of peoples' worlds for awhile. Zuko is pretty bad ass, and I like how he keeps those Embers burning.)

Filed under: Journal, Real Life Tagged: fanfic

HUMBOLDT: my advice to all you colonists out there, 'cause people totally lie

So okay, though I come across as very sheltered and I tend to play that up, I have had a few adventurous escapades in my past. Not too adventurous, mind you, but just a little out there.

I thought I would offer some advice if you come to the decision to go to Humboldt. I'm not going to talk anything about share-cropping or farm maintenance or anything like that. Though you might find some helpful information if you know what you're looking for. And big dogs make the best pets.

Where to live: Garberville is a pretty cool area. Redway was a bit rough, but still acceptable. Shelter Cove… was awful. And that's what we're going to focus on now.

Shelter Cove is a very closed community, so there's a good chance you're going to rub people the wrong way without even doing anything. On top of that, the weather there is pretty detrimental if you want to get anything done. The ocean's right there, so it's always cold and foggy and when it's sunny and bright on the mountains and beyond, Shelter Cove is cold and miserable. Good chance for fungal growth.

It is like 40 minutes from Shelter Cove to Garberville, then another hour to anything approaching civilization. Also, Shelter Cove is run by a resort development committee or Red. What does that mean? They can pretty much charge you anything they want for electricity, gas, internet, etc, etc. You can go broke pretty quick if you decide to live in town there. And the grocery store is enough to break you.

First and last months rent, deposits for gas and electricity and garbage service, and deposits for whatever amount of property you want to get… it all adds up and you could end up spending $$$ just moving in. Then you find out that those 60 degree days don't last much more than a couple of weeks and the weather actually really sucks there. As in, snow on the mountain can cut off the pass and you're stuck there. Or fog and overriding damp can wreck your crops, like strawberry blight to the nth degree.

The land between Garberville and Shelter Cove gets a lot of sun and is really very beautiful, just so you know.

Plus, if you have any kids, they'll be making an HOUR long bus ride to Redway school. And if there's ever a day you get called to pick them up early… it's the most miserable thing ever. Especially considering you have to drive a two-lane road up a mountain that becomes a one-lane in some spots and has a treacherous drop off that will see you DEAD. For reals. And everyone drives like an asshole and they have no problem trying to ram their car/truck right into the back of your vehicle if you don't get out of the way.

I had to replace my brakes twice. And the ocean air rusts EVERYTHING.

Humboldt is a nice area if you're into that kind of thing. Hippies EVERYWHERE and hitchhiking seems to be the main mode of transportation for a lot of people. Nearly everyone is cash poor, but arrangements can be made for service and trade. And Garberville does have a coin laundry, which Shelter Cove does NOT.

Good luck. May your endeavors be prosperous.

And buy whatever equipment you need before you move there, otherwise the prices will kill you dead. Like whoa.

Filed under: Journal, Real Life, Things No One Told Me Tagged: Farming, Humboldt, RL, Shelter Cove

TV SHOW REVIEW: The Painter of the Wind [Korean]

TV Show: The Painter of the Wind

genre: k-drama, historical, girl-dressed-as-boy

Summary: This is a what-if story. In the novel Painter of the Wind by Lee Jeong-myeong, the Joseon-era painter Hyewon (Shin Yoon-bok) is portrayed as a woman disguised as a man, and that is the story the 2008 television show is portraying. And the fact that she's hiding as a boy has everything to do with all kinds of political intrigues.

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I probably shouldn't be posting this yet considering I'm only halfway through the show, but I would just like to say that Moon Geun-young does probably one of the best girl-dressed-as-a-boy roles ever in this show.

She really pulls off looking like a boy.  Not a mature boy, but a young boy that just happens to be tall for his age. Plus she has a very boyish voice, one that hasn't broken yet. Then on top of all that, she's also very exuberant and brash and that just reads "young boy" to me.

I loved "She's the Man" with Amanda Bynes, but honestly, I wouldn't have bought her as being a boy. In "Twelfth Night," though Imogen Stubbs does a superb job and I love this movie dearly, I still never would have mistaken her for a boy (maybe if she was only 14 like the original actors were in Shakespeare's plays.) And as anyone that's stalking me knows, I am desperately in love with "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" and Park Min Young, but I honestly think that in real life there's no way she could have passed as a boy–she's so incredibly pretty.

All of those women did superb performances, but in the end they just came out too womanly for their roles. There are just certain lines to the face that are just too female and they really start to come into focus in the early twenties as the face thins and matures.

But Moon Geun-young looks incredibly young and she has kind of chubby cheeks. She's simply adorable and totally makes me think of my little cousins. They all looked basically how she does in "The Painter of the Wind" right up until they were about 16 or 17. After that age they just basically morphed over night into men.

Moon Geun-young does an incredible job as Shin Yoon-bok. She seems like a young teenaged boy and that is basically the person Shin Yoon-bok is. She's very naive and there's a lot of things her upbringing as a boy keeps her from understanding.

The character of Shin Yoon-bok was written as being very young when her father started dressing her in boy's clothes. She was never able to learn how to be a girl before she was being forced to learn how to be a boy. Unlike in all the aforementioned shows, she was not a young woman dressing as a boy, still pining for the things she left behind. No, she was raised as a boy and to all intents and purposes her inner identity is as a boy.

I don't know if that even makes sense, but that's what I got from this show. It's been pretty serious so far with some cute moments and there's something so beautiful about the love between Shin Yoon-bok and the kisaeng Jeong Hyang (Moon Chae-won.) That relationship was so incredibly poignant, so it really makes me wonder why Moon Chae-won isn't top billed. Instead, in every article I've seen so far, she's always way down on the cast list, yet her character seemed important to me.

This show is really very charming. It probably wouldn't ever be one of my favorite shows, but it is one that I find myself really liking. So go check it out.

My rating: 4 stars

Filed under: Korean, Reviews, Television, TV Reviews Tagged: Joseon, kdrama, Painter of the Wind, TV show

MOVIE REVIEW: A Frozen Flower [Korean movie] mm

Movie: A Frozen Flower

Genre: mm, Korean, historical

Rated: R for graphic violence, sex

Director: Ha Yu

Writer: Ha Yu (screenplay)

Stars: Jin-mo Ju, Ji-hyo Song, In-seong Jo

IMDB says: A historical drama set in the Koryo dynasty and focused on the relationship between a king and his bodyguard.

HanCinema says: Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr  Synopsis:  In the end of Goryeo era politically manipulated by the Yuan Dynasty, the ambitious King of the Goryeo Dynasty organizes Kunryongwe. Hong Lim, the commander of Kunryongwe, captivates the King of Goryeo, and the Queen keeps her eyes on the relationship between Hong Lim and the King with a reluctant view. Meanwhile, the bilateral relation between Goryeo and the Yuan gets worse as Yuan demands to install the cousin of the King in the Crown Prince of Goryeo with ascribing it to no son the King has. The King refuses it resolutely, so the high-ranking officials of Goryeo, who are in submission to Yuan, are discontented with the king. One day, the King gives Hong Lim a covert yet unobjectionable order to sleep with the Queen instead of himself to protect the independence of Goryeo from the Yuan by making a son, the successor to Goryeo throne.

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So, okay, I watched this the other day and the only thing I can say is that the cinemetography is excellent, as is the camera work in every scene. I fell in love with the chracters and I desperately wanted them to have happiness in every regard. But given the nature of what they were doing and the time period when they were doing it in… well, there's no other way it could have gone, not with the tone the movie was taking.

I honestly wish the King and guard could have loved each other the same amount, then I really think things might have gone much differently.

The first half of this movie was incredible and left me breathless. Then things took a turn, and while everything remained just as beautiful camera wise, that's when the whole "tragedy" thing started taking place. And I was left stunned for a very long time and I just have to say that this movie deserves all kinds of awards.

My only wish? That things could have ended on a happier note. Though I guess some people could see the end segment as a kind of bittersweet ending with just a little more sweet than bitter.

My rating: 5 stars for cinematography. 3 1/2 stars for the story, mostly because the ending upset me (still a beautiful movie though.)

Filed under: Movie Reviews Tagged: gay, Korean, movie reviews, movies, reviews

#amwriting Or at least, I'm *trying* to write. Too bad the world keeps sucking me away :(

Bought the Blu Ray of "Kingdom of Heaven." It's such a great movie that I can't believe it didn't do any better in the theater. It must have looked truly awesome on the big screen. Beautiful scenery, an engaging story, and Orlando Bloom was incredibly hot in this movie; Liam Neeson wasn't too bad either for an old dude ^_^; Lots of sword action and the extended edition has a whole sidestory that is pretty fascinating too.

Anyways, badly trying to write, but I've been easily distracted for the last TWO MONTHS. It's the worst thing ever. No matter what I try to do, every little thing just creeps into my head and has me going "I'll get back to writing later." Which I don't until the next day and I'm totally behind on my word counts which makes me very very sad

I think what I honestly need is private work space. As it is, people are always trying to talk to me while I'm writing and telling me all kinds of stupid things that I don't really care about. But I just don't want to say anything because that would be rude, so I just kind of put up with it. Also, please stop making so much noise when you eat. There's no way I want to hear a constant stream of "Um, yum, um, nom, nom, nom" like all the time. So gross.

Now that I've gotten that bit of angst off my chest, here's a life update (or something like it):

Working on:

The Brand [HK] m/m sci-fi/fantasy.

Fiends [SC] m/m supernatural.

Hyacinth [HK] m/f contemporary.

Altredes [LB] m/f fantasy.

Also I'm working on some stuff for anthologies. I'll keep the world apprised of what's going on.

Filed under: Journal, Real Life Tagged: journal, RL, writing

RESEARCH: Joseon, gache, cloissone

For "The Brand," I've been forced to indulge in the horrors of research. Yeah, I know ~

Since I've been watching a lot of kdramas and movies that take place in the Joseon period, somehow the concubines have ended up wearing hanbok-inspired formal robes. A lot of the hairpieces and accessories feature cloissone decorations, as do some of the vases and statues.

I have also discovered a love for gache, or the Korean wigs mostly worn by gisaeng. Here's a video I found HERE.  I really wish the vidder had added citations, since some of the clips have perked my interest Honestly, I fell in love with the gisaeng look while watching Sungkyunkwan Scandal, a show I highly recommend.

I am desperately seeking a book of clothing through the ages, so if anyone knows of a good one, I would really appreciate it. Full-color illustrations so I can get a good visual idea of what I want to use. Or if someone knows a good website, that would be good too.

For the concubines: hanbok-inspired robes for formal occasions. They have regular clothes for the everyday.

For the nobles: doublets, jerkins, and breeches. The "hoity-toity" might wear hanbok, though I'm not a hundred percent on that.

Any help would be appreciated.

Filed under: Real Life, Research, Upcoming Projects, Writing Tagged: research, RL

What I'm watching on TV

Great shows I recommend:

Better Off Ted

Big Bang Theory

Dead Like Me

Pushing Daisies (I love Lee Pace, so that's a plus. But even though I really loved the first episodes, I didn't like it nearly as much later on.)

I'm currently watching "Better Off Ted" and just laughing and laughing. It's so ridiculously funny, everything made so extravagantly large that even the most ridiculous of things seems plausible.

I enjoy that sense of whimsy.

Filed under: Journal, Real Life Tagged: PB&J, watching TV

Upcoming covers

Here are some covers for what's coming up. Opinions, anyone?

 

 

 

ANTEROS [Sol Crafter]–mm contemporary

Metamorphosis Volume 01: HERMAPHRODITUS [Linnea Kingsley]–fantasy. genderbent

Metamorphosis Volume 02: ARES UNBOUND [Linnea Kingsley]–fantasy. genderbent

HYACINTH [Harper Kingsley]–contemporary romance. crossdressing

PSIREN'S CALL [Harper Kingsley]–superhero. some ff content

ALTREDES [Lisa Bailey]–contemporary fantasy. crossdressing

At some point, I may be looking for beta readers, you know, just as something to mention.

Filed under: Self-Publishing, Sneak Peeks, Upcoming Projects Tagged: book covers, ebooks, upcoming

Anyone want a copy of "Ersatz," available Friday or Saturday for purchase? mm romance

So, this little thing I've been working on, "Ersatz," will be available either Friday or Saturday for $0.99 purchase. It's a short piece, though it's wormed its way into my black little heart.

I'm looking to give away 10 free epub copies, so if anyone's interested, just leave a comment and I'll email you back.

ERSATZ

by Sol Crafter

"So, what's it like being in an ersatz homosexual relationship?"

"What?" His head whipped around so he could stare at Julie in surprise.

Cast of characters (just the mains, baby):

John–our MC. Comes across to others as the strong silent type, but since we're following this story with him, we get more of a view of the inner workings of his mind.

Charlie–can be somewhat goofy, he's a good guy and John's happy to call him his best friend and roommate.

Neidelmeyer–the friend that's always willing to mooch off the people around him.

Julie–the rather intrusive girlfriend of one of their friends.

One innocent question, and the lives of two friends are completely changed forever.

book cover: Ersatz, by Sol Crafter

Filed under: Discounts & Specials, Self-Publishing, Upcoming Projects Tagged: Ersatz, freebies, mm romance, short story, Sol Crafter

What's up buttercup?

It snowed here today, not enough to be serious, but it's supposed to be the start of more. Currently waiting for the children to come home and watching a cartoon they're not allowed to see.

I've been working on my fairy tales and dreaming up some new uses for old things. It's been going pretty good so far and I've been having a lot of fun.

"Adventure Time" is freaking me out, but I can't stop watching. Ice King hired a hitman to kill the hitman he hired to kill Finn and Jake. there's no way the kids could ever watch this show or even the commercials for it really, but I think it's kind of amusing. There's so much subtext that I can't imagine how anyone can justify letting their first or second grader watch this show.

Watched the Chinese "Sophie's Revenge." It was bright and cheerful and had plenty of humor. The whole 2 year thing was a little unlikely, but it's a common trope so I excused it. Beautiful sets and scenery, except maybe the main guy, but he had a sweet personality so that's something. Nothing really hardcore here, but it's a soft watch if that's what you're into. Rating: 3 stars

Trying to read "The Hive" by Bee Wilson. It's all about bees and people and how we used to believe some pretty crazy things about bees. It's the relationship of bees with honey and people with bees. I've not really had a chance to sit down and just read it, but I'm actually kind of looking forward to it.

Has anyone else seen this "Liberty's Kids" show? That's such a good idea. From what I can tell, it's a group of kids actually living in the time its set in, going through events in their own perspective. Much better than those ones where the kids have some magic thing that lets them go back in time and they just kind of go all over. Like no one's going to say anything when some Asian kid shows up or a girl is running around in a pair of pants. That's positively ludicrous. I would rather a more realistic approach to history so the kids don't end up thinking they had like jet packs and stuff in the 1800s. Rating: 4 stars

Watching "The Best of SNL commercials." They're always the best part of the show, amirite? The tattoo remover made me laugh because it's so true. I'm thinking about getting a pair of Mom Jeans. Why? Just because 

Filed under: Journal, Real Life, What's up buttercup? Tagged: reviews, RL