I know I promised fandom-related subjects, but I need to get this bitchrant out. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW YOU WANNA HEAR ME RIP TWILIGHT APART.



"At least they're reading..."

What the hell does that mean? As someone who works in a bookstore, I hear this moronic statement at least once a day. The more I hear it, the more impatient I get, and sooner or later I'm going to freak out on someone who says it.

I am an avid reader. I do not look down on reading. What I DO look down on is the idea that reading, and reading anything at all for that matter, is intellectually superior and more morally acceptable than other activities. I work in a bookstore. I own thousands of books. I have a BA in literature. However.

I am also an avid video game player, and this activity is often counter-acted against reading. "At least they're reading..." is often followed by a variation of "...and not playing video games all day." I have played hundreds of video games. I have studied them so extensively I might as well have a degree in certain series. Arrogant as it may seem, I am fairly confident in the idea that this has not lessened my intelligence nor my judgement.

My main point here is this : Reading books is in no way superior to playing video games, or even watching TV in some instances. It depends on the content and how it affects your way of thinking, not the medium. Someone can be just as affected in a negative way by reading a novel as they can be by playing a game. They can also be affected in a positive way in both instances.

****

Examples:

1. Negative effects.

At this point I am going to bitch about the Twilight phenomena, as it is a prime example of what I despise about the comment "At least they are reading.".

Though I myself find it impossible to judge just how affected kids are by playing violent video games, it is safe to say that the majority of video game players do not go out there and shoot people for fun. And those that DO, do not do it because someone in a video game did it. Regardless of what many so-called experts claim, there is no evidence to that. The average video game player is perfectly able to distinguish between game and reality. They understand that what may be acceptable in-game is not acceptable in the real world.

However, the majority of young girls who read "Twilight" find Edward Cullen to be an amazing and idealistic boyfriend. Because of the way the books are written, it is easy for one to overlook the fact that he is cruel and exceptionally abusive. And he is controlling and emotionally manipulative. Girls who read these books and see this as acceptable ARE likely to go out and seek a boyfriend such as Edward, whereas a Grand Theft Auto player is unlikely to go out and kill someone for their car.

I have read the first book in the series and I was horrified at how abusive he was, and two years later, when it became all the rage, I was even more horrified to see just how many girls desperately wished for a boyfriend just like him. Hearing twelve-year-old girls obsessively talking about how they want, no, need a boyfriend like Edward is very unsettling.

As someone who has had such a boyfriend, a boyfriend so similar that the book had an eerie sense of deja-vu sans vampirism, I can honestly say that this is far more likely to fuck you up than playing Halo.


2. Positive effects.

On the beneficial level, playing a strategy game like FF Tactics is FAR more intellectually challenging than reading most books out there. Playing a video game does not encourage stupidity and violence, just as reading a book does not automatically make one smarter and give one a greater ability to judge. In fact, in my experience as a literature major, as a bookseller, and as a hardcore gamer, the result is quite the opposite.

****


"At least they're reading" is an interesting statement, as it is often used to describe ANY sort of reading, be it comics, philosophy, or romance novels. It does not matter. It just seems to be ingrained in the heads of most parents, and indeed most people, that reading anything at all is preferable and safer than playing a video game. Meanwhile video games are all lumped into one category such that playing "Animal Town" is just as stupidity- and violence-inducing as Grand Theft Auto is.

Indeed, books can be MORE dangerous, as they have the surprising ability to insinuate themselves into one's own philosophy. Read too much of one particular writer or thinker and you will understand. I have witnessed a fellow student suffer a nervous breakdown and end up in an asylum after reading every bit of Kierkagaard that has been translated into English. But as of yet, I have never met a person who follows the ideals and mindset of Sephiroth.

Perhaps it is something to do with the idea that with reading, one is an observer, while with playing a game, one is actively engaged. At first glance, this would seem to have the opposite effected, but upon closer examination it does make quire a bit of sense. As an observer, one is more likely to want to experience what one is observing. As an active participant, one is able to not only release these desires, but witness the consequences. In Halo, your murdering someone can result in your own death. In the "Twilight" saga, the abusive relationship relation ends in, what is it, "this small but perfect piece of forever"? How delusional can you get?

People have this strange idea that just because something is a book, it is good for you, and because something is a video game, it is bad for you. I have met many people who have been led astray in dangerous ways by books, but I suppose because it is only about girls drawn into abusive relationships and not boys robbing banks, it doesn't matter. After all, at least they're reading.



END BITCHRANT OMG I HATE EVERYTHING SOMETIMES.

Yea. Really haven't been on LJ much for almost a week now. Haven't been ONLINE much. Real life is kind of beating me down at the moment. Lot of different reasons, none of which are particularly interesting. Just shit like I got my school bill and I'm, uhm, completely screwed. I started work and am only getting a few hours a week for some reason. I got my report card and the professor I hate gave me a lower grade than is possible considering my average in that class. I have some stomach bug thing. Char and I went out and got attacked my mysterious flying cow crap. BLAH BLAH BLAH. Just a lot of dumb little things that, when they add up, really put me in one helluva bad mood. I've been trying to get my sleep schedule back to normal for work purposes, so that's the main thing cutting into my internet time. That and I've just been being avoidant. So sorry about neglecting comments and friends list and purg and all of that. I haven't written a fic in two months. I don't know wtf is wrong with me.


NON-PERSONAL NEWS.
I GOT MY HALLELUJAH FIGURINE. She had put my address down wrong, so it got sent back to her. It had to be sent twice....but he's here now, so I'm happy. My Haro broke, on the other hand. And I think it's really broken this time, so I'm kind of upset about that. I've heard that other peoples' broke early on too, so there's likely a glitch in them or something. I can't exactly return it and wait for a new one though. So ;_; my cute Haro.....

Uhmmmmm Hallelujah is the fucking sexiest man ever. He's a BEAST. <3 WATCH THIS EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT GUNDAM IS. He's the guy who starts stripping. I can't believe someone made this. Holy crap.

And all the characters dance in character, which is totally bizarre. Like if you asked the five of them to street-dance, that's probably how they would do it....THANK YOU pandatchi, I CAN'T STOP WATCHING IT NOW.


( Episode Updates. Spoilers for CG, Persona TS, Nabari no Ou, and TTGL )

I've been following the campaigns from pretty much day one and I just purposely avoided mentioning it here because I DO NOT WANT POLITICAL DRAMA BUT.......











WHAT THE FUCK, BARACK OBAMA?





...I'm a democrat, so I'll definitely vote for him because ultra-conservatives enrage me BUT HE'S SUCH AN ASSHOLE.

SO. FUCKING. ANNOYED.

CG R2 Episode 8 finally started to redeem the series, as it's finally moving in a direction that ISN'T A REPEAT OF SEASON ONE. I actually decided that if this episode bored me as much as 1-7 did, I was going to just drop it. Still don't have much hope for it, but I'll give it a few more episodes now at least to see where it's going. Though now it looks like they're going to team up with China and pwn Britannia and I really can't see how interesting that will be, even if it is finally new material.

Still confused about VV being a boy. Especially because he's naked in the credits and I wasn't aware CLAMP drew naked males.

I know how a couple of people on my FList feel about it already, but has anyone else just been completely disappointed in R2? I looked it up on AAN and was shocked to see that pretty much everyone gave it a flat-out ten, though I'm guessing most of those reviews are from stubborn CG loyalists. I just feel like I shouldn't have to wait until a series is a third over before we start seeing something that wasn't a rehash of the first season. That and Britannia became the hardcore generic bad guy, and I really don't like series with such an obvious baddie with no redeemable qualities whatsoever (unless it's a Dark Lord situation, but in a show with a political enemy, it's really kind of....lame). They were bad enough in season 1, but now the king is giving speeches about how there are no morals, no truth or justice, and everything is power and crushing those weaker than them? Talk about bad dictatorship tactics. Actually, the politics in this show really make no sense whatsoever. If a governor like Nunnally really DID make that statement she did in episode 7 without discussing it with her superiors, she would have been kicked out of office so fast she probably wouldn't have even finished her speech. That's like one of the state senators randomly deciding that their state is a separate nation and everyone being cool with it. WHAT. Yea she may be royalty but she still has to go through some sort of process with these things. She can't just do whatever she wants and still hold her office.

I guess if I'm watching a show with politics, I like them to be realistic. And the fact that this huge nation that owns half the world repeatedly leaves momentous decisions in the hands of TEENAGERS is kind of....absurd? In episode 8, I really think Guilford and the others should have been able to over-ride Suzaku and shoot the hell out of everyone. And I'm inclined to believe that if that happened IRL, most countries WOULD do that. Or just say "WTF nice parlor trick, asshole. Everyone has 2 minutes to remove their masks and reveal the true Zero or die."

And who the hell is Kaguya? I would smack that bitch one if I were Kallen or CC. I HATE that anime stereotype character.

Up until episode 8, I was giving this show a 4/5 out of 10 maybe (4 because of the expectations I had for it, 5 without any pre-requisites). Now it's a 5/6 out of 10. All said, I'm still watching it. XD Must be all the sexy guys. Or maybe I'm just really friggin bored.

Yea my one and only het fic EVERRR. Might as well be called "Why Pika is perpetually pissed off at having been born female." Also at least vaguely goes into why I am attracted to yaoi on a much deeper level than "omg hot", as Cat is very aware that her lover's real lover is a boy half his age and someone as immortal and perfect as she is not. PIKA IS ANGRY PERSON

If you are looking for my usual style, you probably won't find it here. This is very different from most of my work, especially after the first two "chapters" when it really falls into stream-of-consciousness. I'm almost hesitant to say this a fanfic at all.

Isaak x Caterina. Cat POV. 5000 words. Somewhere between T and M. Not explicit by any means, but it's a darkfic, and it may upset/enrage some readers.

FF.Net Link

( Sheol )

Wrote this little bit earlier today:

"So I accidently deleted over 200 photos of Boston at night and Cape Cod. SHIT. I forgot to empty my camara before I went to Canterbury yesterday, but I really thought I had already put the photos on my computer, so I just manually deleted them.

...And they weren't on my computer. shit shit shit fuck damn shit. All the Cape Cod graveyard photos came out awesome and I lost them all. WHY AM I SO FRICKING STUPID? I deleted them to take photos of sheep and fog and htu4iwut e;lfket 2iu4jv l gjr e;io4. For crying out loud I'd sit there and take 40 pictures of the same damn tree at different angles because I THOUGHT I HAD THE SPACE. But does Aerin check these things first? Does Aerin take the precaution to empty her camara onto her computer BEFORE she goes somewhere where she knows she'll take 200 photos? No. Aerin's a moron. <-completely enraged at herself.

Oh I AM SO ANGRY. I deleted some of the best photos I've ever taken. Photos of old New England graveyards are my little obsession. AHHHHHHH!

Screw my humanitarian epistle for class. I'm going to write some pr0n!"


And this was the result...okay, so it isn't quite pr0n, but I am rather fond of it to be honest.

Cain is trying to understand the attraction in Dietrich. The beginning of the hatred and wariness between them. References to Cain x Isaak, Cain x Dietrich, and Isaak x Dietrich, but it's more just...weird. With hints of Isaak retribution if you can find them.
PG13ish for implications. The whole fic is an implication. Approx. 400 words.
Cain POV!

I will probably friends-lock it tomorrow.

( The Reek of Innocence )

( Quick cut because school-religious raving is not for everyone )

In other news, I finally got this damn thing finished. I ended up having multiple versions, never happy with any one of them, and combined them all. I'm satisfied. Not ecstatic, but satisfied. And this one took a rather violent turn at the end which surprised me. Mmm don't you love when the characters act of their own volition?

I think this fic caused me some difficulty because it does work with one of the major issues of writing about Isaak. I've long had this idea of him, but never really attempted to discuss it in detail. In a way, Isaak really SHOULD be kept as a man of mystery, and I felt as if I were betraying something, even if it were just my fanon-Isaak, by writing this. At any rate, I've been meaning to write this for a while now and it's finally done. I've never heard of this idea before and it probably makes no sense, but I like it.

Though I am kicking myself over that last sentence. I feel it could be better.

About 3000 words.
William x Isaak shounen-ai (or, uhm, more than that...)
William POV
William discovers the secret of Isaak's bloodline. Seeing as Isaak is never clearly defined, not even in the notes Yoshida left, I’ve taken some liberty on the idea.
Canon = William and Isaak attending university together. Fanon = just about everything else.

Honestly, as it is five pages, it might be easier to go here to read it:
FF.Net Link - Rituals and Masquerades

But I also managed to cram it under a cut, so you can read it here if you wish.

( Rituals and Masquerades )

I promised nicocoer links to some TB download sites over a week ago. I've been searching and all I can find are dubs or incompletes (a lot of sites have the first 8 or so and that's all). Does anyone know of a site that has the COMPLETE series in subtitles?

For some reason I can't make an LJ-cut say more than one word unless I _. Does anyone know what the deal is?

And now for some ( Kaori_Yuki_babble )


Been looking for new manga series to follow. Most of the ones I have either finished recently or have only one or two more books to go (except Trinity Blood, which takes ages between each volume). Are there any other crazy epic!manga out there that I've been missing? I could say in style of TB or Kaori Yuki, but I know that isn't likely to happen.


Everything under this cut is mindless bitching towards various things (eBayers, TB fandom, Newtype, furniture industry, my room, etc etc). Don't read it unless you're bored?
( Notes_To_Stupid )

Video link didn't work. But basically there is a new kind of tattoo on the market. It's a protein-based ink that disintegrates and dissolves into your blood when hit with a painless laser. It's a removably tatt.

I've heard about these but I didn't think they'd ever be available to the public. Guess I am a tatt purist because this really fricking pisses me off.

Tattoos lose all meaning if you know you can just take it off like that when you get sick of it. People have been getting them all these years knowing it's something they will have forever, so they are usually careful to pick something that is relevant enough for them so they will WANT it forever. If you know you can get rid of it, you're not going to be as careful with what you get, and therefore it doesn't mean as much.

And there is just the coolness factor. I like the way people stare at me when they ask if mine are real and I say yes. In another year or two they're going to assume I got shitastic fake ones instead. Now people who aren't honestly commited/brave enough to get real ones will be getting those, and the general public is going to figure everyone has them. Ugh.




Michael's tattoo in Angel Sanctuary looks increasingly attractive, by the by.

And if the RCO symbol (basically Cain's back) wasn't so blatantly Satanic I would have it by now, too. Which kind of confuses me, seeing as the RCO isn't Satanic in the least. They're arguably Zionists.

OKAY EVERYONE LET'S GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY.


LJ IS STOOPID.
( Smutfic:_Why_Teenage_Pregnancy_Rates_Have_Fallen. )