Welcome to Gaia! ::

The third one was way too predictable, and there were only two or three jokes that were actually pretty funny. They should have stopped there (actually, they should have stopped at two, but at least the creators would have still had a chance to walk away with their dignity had they left it at three).

And as further proof that things just tend to fall into place for me...my roommate helped me finally cement a role for a character who was kind of there to exist (he had a purpose; I just had a hard time grounding him into the story). He is now pretty much the royal advisor to a long-standing family, specifically "made" for that purpose.

It helped plug in a lot of plot holes, but it also explained how he knew a lot of things about certain characters when there was seemingly no reason to before, and it explains some of his abilities. The only thing that kind of sucks now is I have to re-write a key scene with him to fix some contradictions, but I think that is a relatively small price to pay compared to getting him a permanent place to be, and fixing a lot more than it broke.

I love my roommate. <3

New characters are a blessing and a curse. @_@ I recently came up with another one to add more depth to a side story to the main canon. I have her background and plot worked out. It is weaving it into the current plot that is going to take some work. >>

Also, I need to do more research on the French Revolution. The kind of political conflict they had is similar to the atmosphere one of my worlds is going to go through. Brother against brother, friend against friend, parent against child, and treachery on both sides with numerous "leaders" who only hold power for a relatively short time.

This will be so worth it if I can pull it off.

I am simultaneously working on two chapters of my fanfic. This is probably going to end up being at least nine chapters long. I have a tendency to do that. Three of the scenes are a bit difficult to write, but that is part of the challenge.

In any case, I am going to do my best to find the Batman Annual #19 comic, hopefully in one of the comic shops around here, because some online sites have insane shipping. I have an obsession with getting things that have to do with back story on favorite characters, and that one certainly provides. I have Batman #523-524, which takes place about ten years later (and is one of the better Scarecrow arcs, in my opinion, though Batman/Scarecrow: Year One remains on top for me).

I also want the Lego Batman game. Just watching this video made me giggle and squee. The scenes at 2:31, 2:37, and 2:43 on this video had me in hysterics (though, having the exact order of my favorite villains does not hurt either. ^^). So damn cute, yet still in-character! <3

N has learned to Photoshop. Also, I actually started to use my DeviantArt account: http://vnightmare.deviantart.com/

Go give me attention.

Also, I hate my life, and I hate my school. I have not gotten a good night's sleep in three days, and tomorrow will be another long one. One more week...

As for the Scarecrow/Ivy team-up that I intended to write...role-playing counts, right? XP

But I have been able to better focus on my original work. I may end up doing another fanfic, though. >>

I told my mom that I want a Wacom tablet. If that becomes my only Christmas gift (tight on funds, but who is not in this economy?), then so be it.

I do tend to treat fanfiction as practice. The way I see it: if I can make someone believe that the story could easily be a comic/TV episode/movie sequel/otherwise easily integrated in the canon world, then I have done my job. Which means if I can apply it to original works, I know I can captivate my audience.

I hold the same standard for other authors.

There is an author named Dr. Oranj on Fanfiction.net who wrote one of the best Scarecrow fics I have ever read ("To Walk with Fear," I think), and combined the most-known origins---Masters of Fear and Batman/Scarecrow: Year One---into a masterpiece that centered around both Crane and his OC, Caleb Wallace. Let me say this: I usually hate other people's OC's (and ones with Scarecrow tend to be thinly-veiled self-insert love interests...), but Caleb...I felt almost one with him, and he contrasted very nicely with Crane and in his own right added a bit of weight not only to the story, but to the canon itself. His presence actually made Jonathan's transformation into the Scarecrow hold a little more weight as their friendship grew, then shattered when Jonathan realized that his friend---even unwittingly---could be used against him by his enemies. And to master fear, you destroy the cause of it. The whole story blended the two origin stories together, and Caleb fit nicely "behind the scenes," so to speak. I really felt it could have been an alongside comic.

There is another author I like, Night Monkey. She writes VERY good comedy and is a master at taking the characters' traits, exaggerating them a little, and just having them play off each other. Poor Scarecrow is almost always the straight man. She even lampshaded it with a line that went something along the lines of, "And because Crane's name was blacklisted among every deity in existence..." I had one of those, "I laughed really hard and now I feel bad for laughing" kind of moments. Then again, the Joker was involved, so that could be why... The fic in question involved Crane and Joker sharing a hideout (Joker pretty much invited himself, and---as shown several times because of the aforementioned blacklisting---he is so unpredictable and dangerous that Crane could not simply kick him out. Or leave, because the Joker can find ANYONE in Gotham. Well, except Batman. XP). Their personalities are almost as opposite as Joker's and Batman's. Hilarity did ensue. XD

On the RP...good, because actually playing it out is simultaneously fun, captivating, and we have both reached a lot of good depths with both characters. Take-it-slow romance is also rewarding, and people should do it more often (seriously. In RP-time, it took months to work up to a mutual kiss---at least twice before, Ivy did it to get a reaction out of him [and they were admittedly amusing XD]; having Crane eventually reciprocate was like "Whoa!" all around). The build-up to it made it that much more satisfying when it happened. It also helps that we always have at least one other plot unrelated to the romance (schemes they pull, occasionally deviating to other rogues to play with their lives, playing with Batman himself as he tries to figure out what everyone is up to, etc.) to keep us busy. I could not do a "romance-only" role play, the same way I cannot read a "romance-only" story. It is a side dish, NOT the main course.

There was also this very good scene we had where Crane had to fake his death (long story), and Ivy helped him do it...by throwing him into a giant pitcher plant. And catching him off-guard and filming it so it looked real. XD It was kind of touching when he realized what she was up to, and that the plant was not eating him alive...

But I think what is more intriguing is having them learn about each other, and playing around with their emotional torques. Like, Ivy has a maternal side that the world rarely sees (very canon, as evidenced by the cartoon, the Harley Quinn graphic novel, and the No Man's Land series), whereas Crane, when he is not being an obsessive maniac about fear (and it consequently comes up. A lot), is very neat, reserved, and better able to appreciate the mind over the body (and we theorize that while he is not immune to her, he has a bit more resilience to her pheromones than the average male because love/lust is not really something he puts on high priority).

What is even more fun is the contrast: Ivy is a lot more emotional, whereas Crane is pretty stoic (aside from...well, you know. XP). So it got very interesting to see other emotions develop in him as their friendship/relationship progressed. And then their interests both conflict and work together: she is more natural, he is more scientific, but both are able to give insight on what the other is lacking. And when they shared small pieces of their pasts, they found a bit of common ground: they were both used and tormented by someone they should have, for all intents and purposes, been able to trust (Great Granny Keeny, Dr. Woodrue), and love/lust had some part in it (Jonathan was denied it, Ivy was experimented on without consent and made into the beautiful sexpot she is today). The best part? They both kept it vague, so there was no angst fest. Just a brief, "Yeah, something bad happened to me, but life sucks," kind of thing. It pays to have an RP partner with the same standards on everything.

[/tangent]

I caved and started writing another fic. It involves Jonathan's little sister who briefly appeared in Year One (and she looked about one or two, and he was in his early thirties. Yes, that is quite an age gap). Little sister, quite by accident, ends up his hostage. While I could play it for comedy, I am a lot better at drama, and it also gives me room to play around with the family tree a little and breathe a little life into some other characters who had minor/supporting roles. Like their mother.

Angie (had to name her; none was given) knows Karen as a loving and devoted mother, Jonathan just sees her as the tramp who left her infant son with her grandmother whom she had to know was off her rocker, and the core reason for some of his aviary punishments, judging by the "sooo like your mother" remark when he was punished for reading Ulysses (and about the only redeeming trait I can give Mary Keeny is that she did not want Jonathan to end up like his parents, who were both sexually irresponsible and abandoned their responsibilities. Her plan worked a little too well, since he often comes off as pretty asexual and minus a few rare instances, has little regard for other people). Some of the banter I wrote regarding that was fun to work out. Funny how they are both right and wrong, but what is life without shades of gray?

In any case, MAYBE I can get some sleep tonight if the stars are aligned juuuust right.

If I like something enough, I could probably write a book about it, and I have a bad habit of doing just that. >> You should see me go off about The Nightmare Before Christmas. XP I have so many theories, explanations for things, and arguments regarding elements of canon that it is amazing I can keep it all straight. And this is just a movie and some video games to go off of...and I am not even going to touch Goosebumps and all of my explanations/crack theories/insights regarding any of the living dummies/dolls. Especially when it was enough to cover over 80 pages of RP and STILL has more room to add onto it. XP

It probably goes without saying that when I get into something, I am thorough about it. [/obsessive]

Though, for your future reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarecrow_(comics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_Ivy_(comics)

There is also the Batman/Scarecrow: Year One comic that I mostly based the fic on, and will be pulling from in the next one too: [X]

Simply replace the numbers at the end to get to the next page. So the first page will be "001," the last page will be "096," etc.

A sadness warning is inevitable, but 12 - 16 (the last one had me in tears on the first read because it was very "DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! D:" though...you know what happens. XP), 24 - 27, 35, 49, 58-59, 61 (the picture is fine, but the text...god, you just cannot help but feel even a little sorry for him), 69, 86, and 89 are noteworthy.

If you would like, my RP partner also shared a site that has sixty-six episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, at least four of them involving Scarecrow or Ivy.

Trust me when I say it took months to find a good Batman RP partner. >> Most of the people I ran into either could not write at all, had VERY bad romance OC's (usually for the Joker [and sorry, but your bad OC cannot replace Harley Quinn], but I refuse to pair Jonathan with anyone but Ivy 1. because I am biased, 2. most romance OC's for him have a tendency to break my brain, and 3. my one exception aside, he is a character who simply works better single), were godmodders (whom I seem to attract like nobody's business...), or COULD write and create good OC's---as well as write the canons decently---but the RP died before it got very far. -_- My current partner really IS a diamond in the rough. <3

Finding a good RP partner can be a pain, but when you find a good one, it makes it all worth it.

There are only a few instances where shallow bits of love work for me. Disney movies tend to be the noted exception, and even then, my favorite ones have even a little effort involved with it: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beauty and the Beast, Treasure Planet, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

And thanks. <3 What I have so far is written in a notebook, but I will see about transcribing the first chapter or two later (I also need to name this thing. "Sibling Rivalry" is probably going to be a working title until I think of something better. XP Because...there is a lot more to it than simple bickering).

Well...yes, there are elements of Grey and Gray Morality in my works, if not flat-out Black and Gray Morality. Batman (the versions of it that I like, anyway---the cheesy 60's sitcom and Joel Schumaucher films, to me, only exist to be mocked. Then again, anything with Bat-Shark-Repellent and Batsuit nipples [and that one phrase can sum up just how bad the Schumaucher films are...] are pretty much asking for it) tends to be pretty dark to begin with, and my own original works follow a similar pattern. My love for Tim Burton films only fuels my interest in the dark and twisted.

What can I say when my first planned book focuses around a father and son who hate each other, are both prideful and selfish, and end up getting a lot of people hurt or killed because of how badly things escalated? Or when the second book focuses around a poor sap forced to endure nightmares and ends up learning about a monster underworld that is about to war with the hunters (and neither side is wholly right or wrong)? Or the third one centers around a world that has gone to Hell, and the only one who can do anything about it wants nothing to do with it (for very justified reasons)?

I would say the "lightest" story I have in the works is the one I mentioned in the plots thread, where the main character ends up with her face broken and has to deal with her self esteem issues. Even my realistic "Steadfast Tin Soldier" work has fallen into that. Then again, Hans Christian Anderson's stories are often pretty dark anyway, so this was bound to happen. Note how most have tragic endings, and often end badly for the protagonists.

The stars were in position. I have not felt this awake in about a week.

Some may argue otherwise that I put my obsessions to good use. XD In any case, the thought and effort I put into my chosen fandoms shows in my original work too. Forcing myself to think about things in a given canon is a good way to problem solve.

It is fine. As I said, I have a bad habit of writing books when I post. >>

Treasure Planet is amazing and seriously under-appreciated. And to each her own cup of tea. <3

I love older fairy tales. A lot of them are dark and twisted because they were used as cautionary tales to frighten children into obedience. Disney makes them work by making them a bit more family-friendly (though, still with some of the original nightmare fuel intact...). And to be fair, when Walt first started making movies, he was actually making them for adults. At the time, movie theaters were literally all-in-one reels: you saw cartoons, news reels, short films, etc. that would loop for that day. Anyone---even children---could go in. Thus, they had to be family-friendly. At the very least, a lot of films had a lot of story depth because adults would see them too.

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is my favorite Anderson story, and fairy tale in-general. A quick Google search will bring it up if you want to read it. It has a bittersweet ending.

I read a similar version, only the cart bumped a large rock, and the jolt forced the apple away.

Well, you cannot have a shadow without light, so perhaps you are the universe's lightness counterbalance to my darkness. XD

I love comedy too; I just have a hard time writing it (which is one reason why my comedian character is intentionally a bad one...).

Fanfiction is like any other genre of fiction: 90%-95% of it will always be garbage, with a few gems here and there. Some fandoms have it worse than others, though: I am willing to give a Batman fic a chance, since a lot of the fans generally seem to know what they are doing, but I would not touch The Nightmare Before Christmas fics with a nine-foot pole while wearing a hazmat suit and continuously spraying brain bleach, because the few gems are not worth wading through all the crap I have to go through to find them. To give you an idea, I can probably find two or three good Batman fics within the first ten pages, and I can probably find one good Nightmare fic within the first fifty. Complete waste of time and energy.

And even then, there are certain fics I refuse to read: I will not read slash, I hate "second gen" fics (read: kids of canon characters that usually just re-hash the chosen canon with said kids), I often avoid OC pairings (as mentioned, Scarecrow Sues often break my brain, and I am not even going to get started on some of the even worse ones I found in Nightmare Before Christmas and Goosebumps), and unless I trust the author, I avoid crack pairings like the plague.

It helps that Fanfiction.net now has a way of categorizing pairings. Literally, they now have drop-downs for characters in a fandom so you know at a glance which characters/pairings you will see, and authors will sometimes specify in the summary that the characters involved are NOT together, just both prominent in the fic. It also helps to differentiate stories that better follow the canon and which are just crack/for the lulz/the author simply did not care.

Despite it all, every story on my favorites list has been worth the find. Of course, most of them are Batman...

While I disagree with the switch and the "break them like a horse" philosophy, I think parents today need to be tougher on their kids. More than once, I have witnessed spoiled brats who seriously need an open-handed swat or two on their backsides. Also, kids are more resilient than people give them credit for. We got through Jim Henson, Goosebumps, and the the horrifying pictures in Alvin Schwartz's books. I disagree with this watered down, sugar-sweet crap that passes for children's entertainment. If I have kids, they are getting the old, uncut versions of fairy tales.

I kind of wish we had the old theaters these days. People might actually be able to stay informed and socialize more, and it sounds neat to get a mix of entertainment from just one sitting (if you have ever seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit, there is a scene with a such a newsreel towards the end).

The best comedy I can do is parody, and even then, I manage to stay even somewhat serious. Not that I do not have some comedy to break up all the darkness (you cannot have shadows without light, after all), it is just a lot more subdued. Even Nightmares and Regrets had some lighter notes (mostly in the end, obviously), despite the very heavy darkness lingering throughout most of it, and admittedly, I like writing cute as much as I like writing dark.

I wrote this one story where a five-year-old child wanted to surprise his mother with breakfast and flowers. She woke up a muddy child snuggling her (he went outside to get her a flower, it rained the night before, and he is the kind to play in the dirt...), a messy food tray, an even messier kitchen, and muddy footprints all over. She did not get mad at him, helped him clean up, and thanked him for thinking of her. It is one of my favorite stories. <3

Also, because I just noticed this and feel like a dolt:



Thanks. ^^

Though, I will add to it in that knowing the canon itself along with the characters that inhabit it is part of the secret, be it your own or someone else's. ;D