the muse in December

[xparrot]

I wish I were in the habit of talking about my inspiration as a personified muse. Then I'd have somebody to blame for the current state of fangirl affairs. The dark December doldrums are never a good time for me writing-wise (or much else for that matter); usually if I manage to write anything at all it's by desperately grabbing at the brightest spark of inspiration that flares up, no matter how pointless or ridiculous.

...Which means that right now all I seem to be writing is fic for my silly kids' cartoons. It wouldn't be so bad it were for something like Avatar: TLA, a series that many on my flist appreciate as much as me, and that I'd have no compunctions about telling everyone else to watch (watch it!). Or RGB with its adult characters and adult following, for all it was geared toward children. Or Static Shock, one of the gayest (in the best way) cartoons of all time (Road to El Dorado levels, no lie.) But no, my hypothetical muse passes them by, and instead I am writing about series starring not-very-gay teen superheroes that I can't fairly rec to anyone who doesn't share my taste for ridiculous, not-very-well-plotted or -animated or -anything else action cartoons.

It wouldn't be so bad if I were writing total crack, or horribly brainbreaking smut, and having the satisfaction of knowing I was destroying childhoods (if not for my generation, for today's kids) and doing my part to fulfill Rule 34. But noooooo, my metaphoric muse demands quiet relationship pieces! G-rated cuddling! Classic hurt/comfort! Just because the writers of these shows don't take them seriously doesn't mean that you shouldn't! Just because you're twice the average age of the main heroes and most of their fans won't stop you from ficcing them! And who cares if most of the fandom agrees that Ben 10's primary canon 'ship is baseless and poorly conceived and executed, you are still going to find them one of your favorite het pairings of all time! (GWEN/KEVIN IS ADORABLE ~LALALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU~) Who cares that the Six + Rex smoosh-pairing-name is naturally SeX, that's hysterical but you still can't slash them because dude, mentor-father figure - so you shall only crave gen!

...Stupid nonexistent muse.

So far I have committed unnecessarily dramatic Generator Rex fic (one of those confusing-to-class stories in which the principal interaction is between a canonical het couple, but the core relationship focus is gen. And hey, at least Six and Holiday are more my age!):
The World You Save (4,674 words)

And ongoing Ben 10 fic (a more straightforward het+gen friendship & h/c story that I started last year and is really just a self-indulgent excuse for lots of cuddling):
Thaw (WiP, 13,070 words so far, 2/4 parts posted)

Comments

[snarkydame.livejournal.com]

Well you know, I'll probably read those stories anyway. And then I'll probably watch the show, because you're contagious like that. Just so you know. :P

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, well...we have similar enough tastes, you might enjoy 'em? :D

(the GenRex story technically has a ton of spoilers - considering it's only had 2 seasons quite a lot of stuff happens), but I'm not sure if any of them will make sense out of context. And the first ep I saw was one of those most recently aired, so~! ^^;)

[snarkydame.livejournal.com]

I have seen parts of a couple of Ben 10 eps, and I think I saw trailers for GenRex when it was first coming out? -- I think I might!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

GenRex is quite a lot shorter (it's only just started its 3rd season, so there's only about 40 half-hour eps total) and arguably more coherent/mature (sometimes; it's more erratic than Ben 10, tends to mood-jump wildly between totally goofy and somewhat more thoughtful explorations of its fairly dark universe), so you might want to start with that one? They are both absolutely kids' cartoons, so don't go into them expecting deep character development or complex plots, but they're fun, not to mention some of the only actual scifi on TV these days!

[alessandriana.livejournal.com]

And then I'll probably watch the show, because you're contagious like that.

Yeah, you're definitely not the only person this has happened to...

[snarkydame.livejournal.com]

I know, she's like an epidemic!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Ahahah oops? ^^;;;

[nijibug.livejournal.com]

Awww. If it's any consolation, while I was staying over at my uncle's house in China this summer, I watched a couple of episodes of Ben 10 with my younger cousin (dubbed in chinese of course). Probably not enough to get the fic but, uh, it was a really quality dub and I really liked it. :D

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hah, that's awesome! I know the show is super-popular among the under-10 crowd in most English-speaking countries (it's merchandised all over here and in the UK and NZ, anyway) but didn't know how far abroad it had gotten. (Really, it's not a great show or anything, but it's a lot of fun, and I think it's good for kids; it has solid values about friendship and family and on occasion surprisingly non-violent solutions to saving the universe...)

[stitcher2ficcer.livejournal.com]

Given the title, is the Ben-10 fic another of your inevitable hypothermia-themed fics? You seem to write one for almost every fandom you're into long term.... (Not that I'm complaining or criticizing; they're some of my favorites! ^__~ )

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

*laughs* You know me! Though technically only the first part's got any hypothermia; the thawing is more metaphorical otherwise...

[stitcher2ficcer.livejournal.com]

I am so tempted to read this; but like your friends above, I'm afraid it might infect me with the urge to watch the show... and I REALLY don't need that kind of distraction! But I do love your stories, and my recent reading has definitely left me craving more from you.... maybe I'll print this out to read on the plane next weekend.