I really like these ideas for making history a bit more interesting to people who don't realize exactly what they're missing out on.

What I spent an ungodly amount of time doing tonight rather than, I don't know, writing my applications for grad school...

You're trying to summarize 900 pages in 255 characters. 

Fantastic. 

Okay, I usually, as a writer of fanfiction, tend to try to be pretty cool about people reading it. I get that a lot of people are jerks don't have the time or inclination to review, or rather more like my general reaction when I don't leave reviews, they get distracted. I mean, as an author who asks for reviews, I try to be as good as I can for leaving them for other people.

But what drives me up a fucking wall is on ff.net when people put your story on story alert but don't review it. First of all, but putting it on alert, you're already logged in and it would only take a few minutes more to even type out a "well done." I can deal with this, sometimes, but when a story has seven alerts, 151 hits, and no reviews it irks me greatly. We worked hard to offer you some enjoyment and a good reading experience, is it so hard to leave that feedback? Really? 

*Huffs* That being said...

... Okay listening to Remember Me by Josh Groban was a really, really bad plan today.

I went to go see the revival tour of West Side Story this weekend. We saw it Saturday night and yesterday I ended up randomly crying in the middle of the day just thinking about it. First of all, West Side Story, being based off Romeo and Juliet (But the only version of that freaking story I can stand) is inherently tragic. 

That's followed by how much the play means to me personally. It was my grandpa's favorite play, and this is the grandpa I can credit with a lot/all of my appreciation for music. When I was a little kid he would always play show tunes or jazz in the car and it was a lot of my exposure to that. My parents listened to musicals too of course but the association between parents and musicals wasn't as strong as it was between my grandpa and musicals. He was also the one to take me and my brother to my first real big play, the Phantom of the Opera. I still have the program and the ticket from that play actually. But his favorite was West Side Story. We had a chance to go see a college production of West Side Story with him, when I was younger but I'd never seen a professional performance of it before. This last year on my 21st birthday "Maria" ended up coming up on shuffle while I was reading between classes and I ended up just sitting there and crying upon hearing it because my grandpa never got to see either my 18th birthday, nor now my 21st which is when you're really really an adult as you can pretty much do everything at that point. After he died I didn't listen to West Side Story for a really long time, and actually took that moment for me to go back through it and listen to it again.

So that's a lot of personal baggage I'm bringing to this play in the first place. Actually, the night before we went I had another dream about grandpa so that alone says something. Especially since, as I said, I had never seen a professional run of the play. The college one was fantastic, don't get me wrong, but it's not quite the same. 

Now, the revival of the play. 

I have to say, I adored the changes they made here. Even from the moment you see the curtain which has the names of the Jets and Sharks carved into a brick wall you know it's different. The original play, and the 1961 movie certainly shook Broadway and Hollywood with it's subject matter, but it was still... limited in some ways by the time. The revival makes the gangs more menacing, the love story more charged, and the sets grittier. It really updated the play to appeal even more to people today. Which is saying a lot since the original is such a classic as it is. 

I loved what they did with the sets, and with the costumes and the updated choreography. They color coded the two gangs purple and orange which made things quite interesting visually when they were facing off against each other. Plus, the Spanish put in for the Sharks made that feel a lot more realistic and interesting to see the interplay of the languages, as Anita would constantly be admonishing people to speak English in America.

That was certainly one of the more amazing plays I've ever seen, even if the seats we were in were perfectly placed to give me vertigo getting to and from them.  

So, I've just been thinking in general (I think it was brought on by a lack of well written smut in the CATs fandom) about the place of sex in stories/fiction/movies/TV shows. It's interesting because in a lot of ways I feel it's a taboo subject in our culture (or at least a sorta generally disliked one in public discourse) but at the same time we seem so utterly fascinated by it.

There are so many places I could go with these, and for that matter I'm sure so many people have gone there in the past. This is pretty informal but after going to the MLA convention this weekend and attending no less than nine panels I've been feeling rather quite in the mood for exploring issues. ((The MLA is *the* convention of the English academic profession. Usually it's in New York, Boston, Chicago, basically anywhere but here. This year it was not only on the East Coast, but actually at Seattle. I think the number I heard was 4,000 people attending? Anyway, there were people from France, the best known Oscar Wilde scholar was there, there were people from all over the world who were experts in their field. It was... quite the place to be.))

Alright, so, sex in fiction. I'm sure it's simple to say that in a lot of ways it's over done. Maybe I'm alone in thinking that, but on occasion I feel like you really didn't need to deal with the sex there. There are two levels here: First of all the idea that to be in love, to be romantic, there must be sex as well. I think that's perfectly valid in a lot of cases but I think there are plenty of cases where love doesn't have to be sexual, or even soul mates don't have to be sexual, but so often get boiled down to that. It's easy to do I suppose but I feel like it leaves something complex out. 

The second way in which I sometimes feel like sex is overdone is how often it's chosen to show the actual sex scene itself, in writing and in film. Specifically, I'm looking at you, Joss Wheadon. I feel like there are quite a few moments where either he really didn't need to show the sex, or else it goes on a little long. I just, I feel like there are enough moments where honestly certain sex scenes could be cut. What's especially interesting is in Firefly (Which I just rewatched) Zoe and Wash, the married couple, are never shown to have sex whereas Mal and Inara are (with separate people of course, never each other) often are. Now, Zoe and Wash reference sex, and they are shown in the afterglow, which honestly is an entirely more effective scene anyway. Not entirely sure where I'm going, but it just seems like sometimes rather than showing the /sex/ there are other ways to approach it that might be more effective? There's something about the way Wheadon films sex scenes that actually make me feel vaguely uncomfortable and I'm not entirely sure why but I don't enjoy watching them and he has so very many of them.

Now, so I've said there are certain times when the sex scene doesn't seem to actually advance the plot or be really, to me at least, worthwhile to watch/actually any reason to show it except to possibly go "oooh look we have sex!" But there are other times when I think it is oh so important in terms of plot and character and themes to show these actual sex scenes. For example, I was rewatching the new version of Brideshead Revisited (It has Emma Thompson in it, not Jeremy Irons) and honestly the moment when Charles and Julia meet again after like, four years, and then just about transition from "hello" into having sex, that's a particular scene that really does need to be shown. The way they react to each other, the pent up passion and all that, makes for a good sex scene that advances the story and plot. That's honestly a scene I don't mind at all even though some other sex scenes make me roll my eyes. I feel like for a sex scene to be really worthwhile, it should express something about the characters, and their relationship.

So then I started thinking in terms of my own writing. Now, as I said, I tend to roll my eyes at quite a few sex scenes, and honestly I've never felt entirely comfortable with writing them (Though the point of that is to practice, right? >.>). Not to mention, while writing with someone else, the thought of full blown smut feels about ten shades of awkward (Though muses have been pushing that limit quite a bit lately. It's like... muses... dears...). But the more I think about it, I think most of these scenes can happily be skipped over. But there's a couple I almost regret skipping over because in many ways, as I said, I feel like the way characters treat sex, and each other during sex, can actually be so relevant to their characters as well as their relationship. Which is what really good smut fanfiction deals with as well as of course all other mediums, but of course online fanfiction smut is what I'm more familiar with. XD I don't know, I've just been wondering more about the place of sex in fiction in general, what goes into a good scene, and various things of that sort. And how often the most beautiful and sometimes tragic love stories don't even need that sexual element. 

Also, finally got some books read. It's always nice to read and feel accomplished at the end of it. Got through Korda's 700 page biography on T E Lawrence, Hero. It was excellently done, especially considering how very conterversial Lawrence often is. Got through 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as well. It was interesting for being such a male book, and very much a linking of fantastic adventures rather than dealing with any real character development or relationships. (Though Ned kept calling Conseil "Little cabbage" which cracked me up while confusing the crap out of me. Where the hell did that come from?)

Went to see the new Muppets Movie with my parents last night as an "end to Thanksgiving" sort of deal. Is it just me or are kid's movies getting more bizarre? I mean, the Muppets always sorta were, but the Muppets plus Puss in Boots has me wondering... 

Also watched Sarah's Key this break. ... When I told dad I didn't think I could handle Downfall I sorta meant I didn't want to watch a French film about WWII either that night. >.> It was a stunning movie but holy hell. I almost wish Sarah's story hadn't ended that way, and I noticed once she grew up the agency of the story was taken away from her as the rest of the story was told by people around her whereas when she was trying to find her brother the entire story was told with her voice. Another thing I enjoyed about it was that it dealt with actual French guilt. So many times when dealing with WWII you hear it was all the Germans, and only the Germans. However, as soon as you get closer to a lot of the events and the countries, you start to notice how often it's not just the Germans deporting people or acting as guards are any other number of horrible events (Romania for instance has some of the most horrifying, mind boggling events of the entire war... done by Romanians not German soldiers). This movie actually brought that up by pointing out one awful event was not done by the Germans but by the French themselves. Of course it then gives a name and sympathetic story to a French soldier it does not to the Germans but we'll leave that alone for now. 

And now to completely switch gears also watched the first two High School Musicals. Well, sorta rewatched. I watched the first one ages ago and fast forwarded through most of the songs and actually had only seen clips/read fics of the second one. I have to say... I actually enjoyed them. The first one is actually a decent (though rather rosy, pastel colored view of high school) film, if you take out the majority of the songs and most of the choreography. I'm sorry, no high school boy would do most of those dance moves. But, despite the lack of most darker social clicks (Even the "grunge"/skateboard kids were pastel colored) and a distinct lack of sympathy for the Evans, it was a nice story about being who you wanted to be, damn what other's say, and liking who you want to like. It's not a /bad/ message to send kids, even though there was the whole deal with them not kissing until the end of the second movie that feels off actually having seen high school relationships. They are not quite that cutesy. 

I really did enjoy the second one. I actually only ever watched /any/ of these films because I shipped Ryan and Chad and that only got so much worse after seeing the entirety of the movie. They're the two characters I actually like in all the films so pairing them is sorta wonderful. I really enjoy Chad's character though, and he seems to grow in more subtle ways than Troy's mood swings. 

In really happy news: New Once tonight! Finally! Two weeks felt like too long >.> I want this show out on DVD. 

I like writing, I like writing a lot.

So why is it so damn hard to write papers some days? I know the clock is ticking and--is that a shiny new icon over there? >.> My attention span goes to hell. 

That moment when you're reading a fanfiction for an old fandom and realize suddenly, "Oh, THAT'S where I knew this actor from!" That actor being the other that was bothering you all week for not figuring out what you've seen them in. Thank you brain.

I feel like I might have too many things to be writing right now. 

On the plus side, registration worked like it was supposed to! That's always really exciting since most quarters it does not go smoothly ((But that tends to be the quarters I'm taking history classes...))

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/14/ya-authors-gay-characters 

This is really, really, not okay guys. 

BOUGHT TICKETS FOR WEST SIDE STORY IN JAN.

WEST SIDE STORY!

Now, to get tickets for Beauty and the Beast and CATS.

Since I tend to think of Veteran's Day as more of the end of WWI, I decided it might be a good time to finally pick up Hero by Michael Korda, the biography of TE Lawrence that came out last year to quite a bit of acclaim.

It's interesting as a historian, that there are certain topics that I know a lot about, and I've read quite a few books about Lawrence and the Arab Revolt. I mean, a lot of them. Pretty much any that come across my path. So reading another one feels almost comforting, like yes, these are facts and characters I know and am comfortable with. And yet each different telling of the tale brings up different new and interesting facts and points. This particular book is written very well so that's been helping.

I feel like as a historian, sometimes we say very strange things though. Like, people if they get past asking me "so what are you going to do with that degree?" will ask me "so what do you research?" I have some pretty varied time periods, but what's interesting is something I'll find myself saying something like, "Well, I really love World War One." And then I have to pause. I don't love WWI it was one of the worst events in human history. I don't even want to say it's fascinating because it feels like that belittles the horror of what happened. More soldiers died in WWI than in WWII, though WWII had a higher body count due to other reasons. Some countries, like Serbia, were hit worse in the first world war though. But, I keep coming back to the time period to research it. So in some ways I love learning about it, not the actual events.

I don't know, I've been realizing this quarter I really like History majors and Historians more than English majors and that entire culture. Lit Criticism is just something that frustrates me more than I find it enjoyable. But I adore the discipline of history. I want to call myself a historian. Which, even without a PhD in history, or hell, even a BA in history, you can call yourself a historian I feel to a degree. It's simply a way of thinking, of looking at the world. But I still think it's rather specific. 

But a lot of people in my English classes annoy me. Actually, I want to snarl at one of my teachers this quarter. I made a statement about the historical context of a piece and she spent five minutes basically slapping me down for using historical context. Something about how that could lead to one reading, but she wanted us just to look at the words. I'm sorry, but how could you understand any writer without knowing the world they came from? No matter what, our culture affects who we are just a little. Just a lot usually. 

The other problem I have is what feels like a complete lack of sympathy in some of my classmates. When we read things that I find personally rather tragic, other kids in the class tend to be "Oh, I found that funny..." And I sit there going, say what? Sure, to each their opinion but... what? 

So, somehow I ended up rewatching clips of Van Helsing and it got my thinking. 

The scene where Dracula dresses up all fancy to dance with the heroine of the story is the only scene of the film that's really stuck with me ((well, and Dracula's ponytail but that's a thing not a scene)) and it made me start listing off how many scenes like that one I've found. 

It should be it's own TV Trope. Though I would have no idea what to call it or where to start looking for it. 

But there's this scene where the villain ends up dancing (or watching a dance) with the hero(ine). Labyrinth with David Bowe for instance, the afore mentioned Van Helsing. Frollo in the Hunchback of Notre Dame is dealing with a dance. Or, rather, it's just this general pairing of villains with the hero(ine) in stories. Disney's Aladdin I'm lookin' at you for this too. 

Or it doesn't even have to be the villain... it's more of those in opposition.

Oh, there's the trope title: The Waltz of Opposition. 

Because then you have things like "Waltz of Evita and Che" out of Evita which I think is my favorite song of that musical. You have the song title "Waltz of Treachery" out of Les Mis, even if that's a song I like less.

But while thinking about how often I've seen this, it's also interesting to note how often I use something like this in my own writing. If not the literal dance than the Villain/Hero(ine) pairing. It shows up a lot. But I can't listen to songs like "The Riddle" without imagining a very epic waltz of some kind. Occasionally a tango... Hm, another example to add to this list might well be "El Tango de Roxanne." 

Or in the very first novel I ever managed to finish, a waltz style dance actually featured heavily in the plot. I mean, massively. Though I think that was as much inspired by like the first five minutes of the Haunted Mansion movie. You know, when it looked for a second like it might have an interesting plot? 

I mean, historically we have events like Carnival in Venice and even Mardi Gras. 

Oh, I find inspiration in the strangest places sometimes... 

Starting to inch toward organization and competing paperwork. So much paperwork for a double major, what the hell... Okay, not oodles of it but enough that it's' enough to make me bang my head into the table. I should get everything finished up by Thursday though, I hope. 

Then I need to worry about applying... Which once again I find myself not wanting to do... Hn. Must figure that out. And write a cover letter. And probably get some more letters of Rec as well.

Still, I feel like I want more organization in my life. I don't know, maybe it's cos I live with a messy roomy and while that's normally not a problem I want to take folders to every single piece of paper I have and redo a bookcase or something.

I'm really excited to be able to start working on D Verse ((Ie: Born to Fight and Live, the D stands for Dystopian Verse)). I've always loved dystopian fiction in all it's different forms and so turning my own hand ((With Meadow's help of course)) to the genre is really quite exciting. I like the world we've created for it and I hope the story lives up to that as we go through it. I think we'll pull it off pretty alright through. 

100,000 words in thirty days? This should be no issue... Really. 

Since, you know, suddenly we're dealing with a bloody dystopian world. Lots of backstory! Lots of world building!

I really do not enjoy being in pain all day, I really don't. Body, please stop hating me...

That being said, I'm starting to get jittery. I thought I got mostly over this last week but this appears not to be the case. I want to go, I want to see, I want to do something dramatic, learn something new. Apparently traveling for a month makes this urge worse rather than sating it. Damnation.

I'm also sort of getting to that point where... as much as I love and adore college... I want my own house that's not college housing, I want a job that gets me an income I can do stuff with. It's like I'm starting to want to just... It's not that I think you can't live or be part of the real world in college, but somedays I almost want to be done with it. I mean, I have been going to school for a long time... But this is a bad time to start thinking that since I'm applying for graduate schools for another freaking 5-7 years of school... 

I found a set of four Star Trek glasses today for really cheap due to the packaging being pretty much dead. Also, Scotty has a large crack in him but I'm not sure if that was from before or transit. I'm assuming from packaging defeats before, but these are more decorative than anything so he'll just be on a shelf looking pretty. But I now have a McCoy glass on my desk and it's making my night just that much better.

And by that much, I do mean a great deal. 

God, why are graduate schools so expensive? Graduate TA you're my only hope...

Mistoffelees is being annoying again. Aran Island Verse and D Verse are splitting a Nightwish CD between them and it's like... we're not working on either of you right now, shut up. I still can't believe he wants a story set in a Dystopian future... seriously? With magic no less?