Project time :Db

[soc_puppet]

So, uh, I don't know if anyone remembers me mentioning seeing copies of The Da Vinci Code on the library discard shelf and my subsequent intent to take a copy and use it as rat litter, but. I finally got around to doing so. And I have photographic evidence!



A picture of the copy I nabbed. See it in all its hardcover lack of glory! It didn't have the title on the front, for which I was somewhat disappointed, but does well just the same.


Pages of the book in question, ripped quite nicely from the cover. Guys, it's gratifyingly easy to rip pages from hardcover books. Don't do it to books you like!


My darling Conan expresses his opinion of the book ♥ See, there's already a spot right up by the title there! What a good boy~


What I have not, to the best of my knowledge, mentioned here (yet) is my intent to make anime goods out of chocolate and sell them at Anime Iowa. I have completed the first of these today, and am more-or-less pleased with the results.



The Chocolate Note, in its complete glory. I'm really going to have to find a way to streamline the process so I can make them faster.
The lettering was done in white chocolate with a paintbrush (paint-free); the pages are white chocolate, and the cover is dark chocolate.


This picture is just for size reference, really. I have no idea if I got the size right, but am hoping it's roughly as it should be.


Future projects include me ripping a copy of Twilight into pieces (because general opinion of people I respect seems to be that it's not worth reading and not because I've read it myself) to turn into a sculpture of the head of a girl which I will call Mary-Sue and hopefully be able to enter in the library's next "Turn a discarded book into art!" fund raiser thing, and various other anime goods made of chocolate, including (but not limited to) chocolate Mokona Modokis, Pai Cho (sp?) tiles, marshmallow Rabi hammers with painted chocolate stripes (etc), and hopefully a chocolate Panda!Genma-and-Girl!Ranma sculpture set that I may or may not auction off. Mmmm, chocolate....

Comments

[soc_puppet]

That's about what I've been hearing. Thus far I've been able to quash the masochistic urge to read it and find out if it really _is_ that bad, but it may only be a matter of time...

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

WELL. I wouldn't say that it's bad? Just really...er...pointless. Y'know? Kind of stupid and clichéd. Kind of mediocre at best. mm.

it's a kind of small katamari. a kind of small and lousy katamari, yes.

It's really made for indulging in Mary Sue fantasies. The whole book is one, and I think it encourages the girls reading it to think of them, too. I think that's the real appeal... Almost no one talks about the story. They talk about the boys and how they'd love to go out with them...

[soc_puppet]

...Pardon me, distracted by hilaritizing katamari comment. *ahem*

That sounds... Well. Far too much like something I'd've indulged in during junior high, only to re-read at a later date and find out it was actually awful.

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

|D Well, yes..it kind of does. The whole thing really reads like a weird fanfic or something. Written by a 15-yr-old.

I mean, I love YA fantasy. Much more than adult fantasy. But uh. This felt like it was written BY 15-yr-olds, not FOR them, if you catch my drift.

[soc_puppet]

Remembering some of my own work from when I was fifteen, I can certainly understand the feeling ¬_¬ Oy.

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

|D Y-yeah. ogod my stuff was so bad. why did I start writing before puberty?

[soc_puppet]

I. I kinda still remember some of my stuff from sixth grade. It is near painful to think about D: ...On the plus side, it means I can tell that I've gotten better? I don't even want to think about some of my early fanfics...

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

Two horribly painful words: Fushigi Yuugi. Everything relating to that fandom that I created was horrible and all memory of them need to die. Are self-inserts more or less pathetic when all the characters think you're a weird fangirl and try to ditch you throughout?

[soc_puppet]

The first I ever wrote was for Pokémon, from the monsters' POV, and was terribly implausible with a side order of very OOC =_= Looking back, the best I can probably say is that they were creative. Less. Much, much less. Also, what does it say that I found writing self-inserts to boring to finish writing but more than interesting enough to read?

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

...th-the sad thing is, I could probably happily read that. I think they were my attempt at comedy. ALSO, I never wrote a real self-insert, but I daydreamed them all the time. They were terribly ADD and jumped all over the place. Much more fun than ficcing. I can see writing a self-insert getting boring.

[soc_puppet]

I wonder if I still have any of those around...? Nah, I probably threw 'em out in my last room cleaning. Thinking about it, they were -much- less embarrassing than my Gundam Wing fanfics, which I still don't want to think about. Hell, I still daydream self-inserts all the time. But yeah, it's hard to stay plausible even in my head before it gets way too meta and tedious and stuff. The most I can usually get away with is a game of Mao, and even then the scenarios I have for getting the characters to play with me are weak at best.

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

O-oh GW fic. I feel so grateful that I never watched that show at that age. (I still haven't, but that is entirely beside the point.) Oh man, mine were epic. I would add bits or delete bits or change bits at will. It was an ever changing epic. Only way I never got bored. It was a huge conglomeration of awesome. That would only be considered awesome by me. But that's the fun of it.

[soc_puppet]

I am now mortally terrified to watch it again, or read any of its fic. Because association, and yeah. I have no idea. On the plus side, the fandom also got me through/over most of my bad fanfic habits, and without most of them even reaching the internet. See, now I'm tempted. I wanna make it a challenge! The "Write a Self-Insert, But Get It Right!" challenge! Where, uh. You have to indulge in your self-insert writing, but you have to make it actually work somehow. Or something.

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

I know how that is. FY is the same way with me. I came out a better writer! Th-though unfortunately, they did see the internet. Just ff.net, though. Man, I would so, so, so do that. N-not that I'm a sucker for fic challenges or anything. Of course not. ...man, now you've got my mind started.

[soc_puppet]

I think only two of mine saw the internet? And I don't want to know if the site they were on is still there. I feel weird enough about the Takahashi-fic I've got on FF.net. I should totally make a challenge comm for that. Even if we were the only two people to participate, I should so do it. *begins pondering possible rules*

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

I dunno! I figured that, since I liked reading fanfiction, maybe someone else would like reading mine. And that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The odd thing is, I did get some good reviews and comments--and only on my worst work, I'll have you know. XD ...*dutifully opens notepad and starts listing ideas* ;o;

[soc_puppet]

That's about what I figured when I started thinking about posting my own :3 And... wow, it's been so long since I thought about it, I'd forgotten. And I had a total of one review per chapter/fic (all from the same person), plus one extra from a friend when she actually -liked- what I wrote.

Tentative rules so far:

1) You must insert yourself into the universe of a fandom. It can be in part of a fic you've already written, or as its own fic, you just have to be there.
2) The self you insert can be as true or false to reality as you like, as long as you don't god-mode all to hell. Due to the nature of self-insert, intimate knowledge of the cast/universe is permitted, as is exaggeration of abilities. Solving each and every problem posed by the series is a bit much, however.
3) The story must have a plot outside the appearance of you/your avatar.
4) You go home at the end of the story. Is it forever? Who knows! Do you take anyone with you? Maybe, but they'll have to have a way back. Do you get to keep any powers or abilities acquired while traversing fandom-worlds? Stop asking me these things! It's your fic and your you! Just go write it already! You just have to be home at the end.

Thoughts/suggestions/etc?

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

orz One of my friends dared me to write a Death Note/xxxHolic fic once. So I did it. Just to make her laugh. And to date, that's the one that's been best received. I. I feel unhappy about that. I MEAN, none of them were good but guuuys I didn't even WANT to write that one. sob sob.

Would the plot have to be big? I know I typically only write one-shots. :< Also, do you want to make rules on character interaction? At least, characters must have conversations or mention at least one other character/event from their own canon. Tie it back to the original, yeah?

[soc_puppet]

X3 See, I've never had that problem writing crack crossovers. I've always wanted to write them. But I do still get reviews for some of my older pieces that I am 99.9% likely to never pick up again, and always feel torn between horrible, amused and hateful when I read something like "PLEAZ UPDATE SOON!!1!" for one of them.

Definitely no huge plot requirement. It could be as simple as running into bizarre trouble on the way to the store or something. And that sounds like an excellent idea, actually. *is more and more regretting actually thinking about this challenge, but hell, in for a penny...* ...Also, would subjecting challeng-ees to most of these rules be going to far?

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

Oh, I always want to write them. I just rarely, if ever, write down my ideas. XD And I feel the same way with those reviews. I always want to tell the nice reviewers "I LOVE YOU FOR BEING SO NICE, BUT YOU HAVE TERRIBLE TASTE." But that, of course, would be rude.

I kind of love that list. It might be a little hard, though. Part of the fun of self-inserts is getting to be a dork, I think. Then again, if we're asking for good ones...

[soc_puppet]

Of course, there are some that I deliberately resist writing for my own reasons, but often the ability to pull off the crossover in question is motivation enough for me :3 I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL, OMG.

Ditto :O I was thinking more along the lines of "guidelines", because there are obviously some rules that would be difficult to follow depending on the form your self-insert takes (e.g., if you visit the characters' universe or if they visit yours, etc), but yeah, good self-inserts would be great. *shrug?*

[polysamachan.livejournal.com]

|D Usually, I just think it all out, plan it all out, get really psyched--and then just never write it. I'm lazy like that! The fun part is making them up.

Yeaaah...It does sound good. Like. TRY TO FOLLOW THESE but if you don't, we won't lynch you.

[soc_puppet]

Mmmm, lazy.

I'll add that to my (very tentative) rules list, then. *...cannot think of what else to say, is BRAINDEAD*