Life, Books, Cats

I like AUs, specifically the "for want of a nail" or "makes a different decision" types.  They're probably 90% of what I write, even couting the ten million little snippets of things no one will ever see.  They're kind of why I got into fanfic in the first place, and they're one of my favorite things to read.  My mind has naturally gone to "what ifs" long before I ever got the idea to share them with other living beings.

They are much easier in Star Wars.  In SW, I start with a weird little head idea, like "Luke and Vader are talking on the phone!"  followed by "why?"  "how?" and "I really don't think they call them phones in the GFFA."  I focus on a few characters- what's Luke up to?  Vader?  Chewie?  Han and Leia?  They'd better get together.  I don't write stuff where Han and Leia don't eventually get together... And since I write and read mostly OT, it's a nice, short time zone.

So far, I have gotten ravenous angry plot bunnies for two comics AUs.  Both of them, for reasons only my subconcious knows, are Marvel, which is not even my favorite company and which has almost all of the few extant characters in any of my fandoms I actively hate.  The one that's currently biting the most started as a tiny teensy little couple of paragraphs I posted on here a while back.  And I meant for it to stay kind of tiny.

But first I had to flesh out some of the supporting characters.  Billy, Teddy, Tommy, might as well throw in the rest of the YA while I'm at it, but that means filling in the human side of the political climate, and then what's everybody else up to?  I might as well throw in a few more mutants to be fleshed out some, but not too many more, just the ones who'll have lines...

Yeah, right.  I'm now getting together an alternate backstory for Psylocke (Sammy, I'm giving her your hair) who by the way will not even appear.  Also the relationship count has expanded to pretty much every couple I've ever shipped ever a little in the MU ever, even though I still can't write romance to save my life, and also I think Professor X might kind of be evil now.

Maybe this is the problem with having such a big universe, with so many writers, many of whom disagree with each other about the characters so strenously?  Would Star Wars be this difficult if I ever got into the EU?  Aren't I thanking my lucky stars I never got into the EU? 

Anyway, this is basically a vent post, but any/all advice is welcome, etc.

Tuesday: Bring a Friend day at the stable.  I got to teach Daddy how to ride Case.  Have I talked about Case?  Bigbig pretty horse, former showjumper, and several tons of attitude.  He is basically a cat in big bay horse format, and spent most of the time before riding thumping his feet against the stall door to protest the entire idea.  (his feet are fine, btw.  Silly boy.)  He is my silly boy (though the stable owns him, not me) and I lovelovelove him though I kind of doubt the feeling is mutual.  Daddy sort of got him to trot when the instruction ran alongside yelling, which is about what I did my first time on him a few weeks back.  He's kind of learning to respect me, though.

Wednesday (today): Comics!  DC is putting out three books I was willing to venture into a crown for.  Marvel says that one of my favorite characters had an OOC adulterous relationship with someone I don't care about.  DC wins this week, which is good, because they were seriously losing ground.  Anyway, I got Generation Lost, Booster Gold, and Birds of Prey.  Good times.  Good writing.

Future: We're actually setting up stuff for Europe- we've got tickets, we've got reservations, etc, and I continue to be nervous.  Venice, Paris, London, and then two weeks in Scotland.

Oh, and today was mom's birthday.  Happy birthday, Mom!

I was never one of those people who liked villains.  I was much more interested in Cinderella than the stepmother, Snow White than the Queen, heck, even Aurora than Maleficent, and /nobody/, I have learned, prefers Aurora to Maleficent.  Actually, I think for a while there I actively disliked her.  It's probably because, at a point in the middle of the movie, she refers to herself as "the Mistress of All Evil," and that made me blink even when I was little.  Surely even evil people thought that they were good, right? 

Basically, even when they're awesome, completely one dimensional villains never quite did it for me.  I enjoyed watching them, but no more than any other character.  I celebrated when they were defeated. 

And then came Zuko.

Ah, Zuko.  But even with him, I rooted for him to become good.  I didn't just enjoy watching him be evil.  The same went for Vader, who was the first villain whose mind I really tried to get inside.  It was mostly because of Luke, I think.  Because, at the end of RotJ for the first time, I did not think that Vader was going to save Luke.  I thought that maybe Luke would survive, but I just kind of winced when Luke went "father..." in that rasping voice, because I knew that there was no way Vader was going to save him, and it made me want to cry. 

So, I liked Vader, but, again, I wanted to see him redeemed.  That was the point of the character.  RotS made me actually cry, but RotJ is the one that makes me squinch my eyes up to this day.

And then came comics.

I read DC for the heroes, but when I do read Marvel, it's for the villains.  And not just Deadpool, either.  But the thing about Marvel?  I kind of want Magneto, especially, to win when I read it.  It's the combination of a too horrific and tied into the real world to make light of it backstory and the fact that any population that willingly puts the Green Goblin in a position of power kind of can die and I won't really care.  And, of course, the old XMen cartoon...  most of the heroes get on my nerves from time to time and the civilians actively annoy me.  I tend to root for the guy with the decent voice actor.  I'm sorry.  It's how I roll.  I'd like Wolverine if he used his claws to do anything but reflect light.  I'd like Storm if she never talked.  I'd-  sweet meepits, this is getting off topic. 

Anyway.  DC wise, like I said, I root for the heroes.  But I also really enjoy watching the villains.  And that hit me today with a few panels of Sinestro.

I don't want him to win.  I want the Green Lanterns to win, and espicially Guy Gardner.  But Sinestro lately can sit in a cell awaiting execution, and smirk at Hal Jordan and say "I've won," and the thing is you believe him.  He has absolutely nothing, and I can still totally buy that he has the upper hand.

Also Hal's "confused and upset and VERY confused" face is adorable.  *pats him*