Reading

[soc_puppet]

Someone please reassure me that I have not died and gone to reader's heaven, because right now this feels really close to paradise.
For starters, Mom recced this book to me, and I was kinda leery of it at first, but I read a couple of pages, and it is fucking hilarious. Well, it is in the right parts anyway.
See, it's this Sci-Fi thing (Ascending by James Alan Gardener) that's apparently the sequel to a previous book by the same author but you totally don't need to have read the previous one to understand what's going on here. The main character is an alien, and usually I get major culture shock from veering too far away from my species (it's one of the reasons that High Fantasies rarely hold my attention for long--it's too damn different! That, and they're not funny enough, and are always so Goddamn dismal, and there's hardly ever any kids in 'em and... yeah.) but I don't get that from this because everything is always related back to Terran stuff. It's also sometimes related to other cultures, so it seems less forced. And the people are _people_ in it. I love it.
Anyway, the main character is this chick from another planet where everyone's transparent. She's chronologically forty-nine-ish, physically twenty-ish, and mentally/emotionally seven-ish. It's fucking hilarious! It's such a perfect match for a kid's thought patterns--the idea that they're the center of the universe, that whatever they think is right must be so and anything else is wrong, that they are the bona fide Coolest Person Ever and everyone else should just be awed to be in their presence. (Also, it's this close to being shoujo-ai in some parts ^___^ <3, but hasn't quite made it yet and I only have *squints* seventy-ish pages to go, so I doubt it's gonna happen. But hey, it's there in Yuri-goggle value.)
And in this book the chick ('Oar' is her name) has to face adventures (because she's Beautiful (and Ugly People should be really glad that they'll never have to ^_~)) has to go do a bunch of adventure stuff and completely has ADHD coming out her ears and it's SO COOL.
Choice lines from within the last two pages (first one has potential spoiler, so whited out):
"Oar," Festina said, "you're a total fucking lunatic. Fortunately, that's exactly what we need."
"If a tree attempts to fall on you, [...] jump out of the way. Trees are famed for their slow reaction times." (quote Oar)
Anyway, that's what that's about. And I completely love it ^_^.
The other thing is, a lot of my favorite fic authors are being _reasonable_.
See, what usually happens is every now and then one author will post something, and it will be like a drink of fresh water for one very much dehydrated or living on recycled H2O for entirely too long. And then I don't check things for a length of time (up to a weekend, little as a night) and EVERYONE HAS FUCKING UPDATED WITH FIC and I ONLY HAVE A FUCKING HOUR IN WHICH TO READ IT ALL >_<. It's quite frustrating. (And the above book has much appropriate army/navy/whateveryoucallit swearing in it, so that's kind of affecting my speech/writing patterns, for those of you who are more familiar with me censoring myself) But today, I go checking for updates, and OMFG, there's maybe _two_. Two. Behold, the perfect number, and they're both the perfect length (short and possibly more coming, respectively) considering that I have other reading with which to occupy myself. More than that, it's from a couple of authors who usually don't get much out for a while.
Yeah. It's that good.
So I'm currently "suffering" from sheer orgasmic Reader's Bliss and do not wish to do anything to change this ^___^. Also? I want more, because I'm selfish that way, and it would keep things from changing for a while longer.
Also also? For a while now I'd had an answer plotted for if anyone asked if they could get me anything (like for my birthday, or gift-related, or something, not if I actually needed something badly). I would tell them I wanted "A subscription to Shonen Jump and a harem-army of Bishies." I no longer want this.
If anyone ever, ever gets the opportunity, I would still like a subscription to Shonen Jump, but now, instead of a harem-army of Bishies, I want a harem-army of hand picked Fan Fic Authors. (I don't really expect to do anything with the 'harem-army' end of the bargain, I just want a huge number of fic authors at my beck and call. In the case of Bishonen and Bishojo, they could partially take care of that aspect themselves, and I would totally not mind a bit ^_~ (so long as they did so *safely*). Plus, it would be really really cool just to be able to call them/it a harem-army.)
Last thing: I really, really, _really_ need to learn about sailing, because my brain is starting to composite characters. And I'm starting to like them. Lots. I also need a plot to go with them and lots and lots of factual information about sailing and pirates and stowaways and what-have-you that I can take advantage of and/or screw up royally. And names and stuff, but that can come later. Plot first. Possibly/probably with shoujo-ai/yuri overtones ^____^ <3.
And yeah, that's pretty much it for now.
Oooo, pretty Icarus plot bunnies... Yeah, I can fit that in there... *predatory smile*