My writing style. Am I too wordy? Are my descriptions lacking, or too detailed? Is the pacing too slow/too fast? Don't worry about being hard hitting. I honestly want to improve myself, and if I can't take criticism, heck, how can I move forward?

That said, if there are things I do well, you can let me know. :P I feel my style has already shifted during this story, by the way. Has it, or am I imagining things?

If anyone wants to discuss style in general, an author you think writes well, etc, please do. Any recommendations? I for one enjoy Terry Pratchett. He is an excellent author, and someone to study.

I like your style as it is. It fits the story, and it's evolved enough to be a consistent, solid voice. It's got a kind of sparse quality to it, even though it's "wordy" enough to have descriptions, and feelings, and feel like a story. Makes for a good read. (And yes, it has changed since you started. It's more mature now, and, like I said, solid.

The pacing is fine as well. Not too fast, not too slow, at least for the multichapter epic-style fic that you're writing. It wouldn't be appropriate for a oneshot, but this isn't a oneshot.

When reading fanfiction, I'm open to pretty much any style: wordy, sparse, comic, angsty, crack, mixed. One of the things I most enjoy about fic is that you can have so many different styles, which don't really seem to see print otherwise. When reading "real" fiction, however, I tend to steer clear of styles that don't contribute to solid storytelling, be it by being too random or spontaneous, or by being too wordy and convoluted. I'm not a fan of the Victorian novel, for instance. I also don't care much for drama or angst, so read more genre fiction than literary fiction, even by current or recent writers.

I completely agree with you about Pratchett. There are a number of things about his writing that I've seen done better by others, but the sum of the whole is enjoyable and smooths over whatever faults there are. I definitely admire him and his ability to interweave plots, create puns, and satirize on multiple levels all at the same time, and wouldn't mind being compared to him someday.

Another writer I really greatly admire is Niel Gaiman. His is a wordier style, but wordier in a way that creates darker, angstier stories and a sense of the surreal. There's still humour, though, and similar kinds of social commentary to Pratchett but on a deeper level.

Neil Gaiman...the only book I've read my him was co-written with Terry Pratchett, ironically! I'm betting you've read it: Good Omens. Do you have any specific book recommendations by him? I admit I've shied away from his stuff based on a few descriptions of books written by him. They sounded too creepy for me, believe it or not.

About Terry Pratchett, though. Have you read "Wee Free Men"? I think it's one of his very best books, and, though I'm guessing here, perhaps a little closer to Neil Gaiman's kind of writing. Maybe, lol. But that, and the Vimes novels (Thud, um....The Fifth Elephant, Feet of Clay) are all great. Of course, I may have gotten into the characters and am overlooking negative things here, but meh. I like his stuff. The Rincewind novels, not quite as much. I think the first couple aren't as well done as his later stuff, personally. He's matured over time, I guess.

Speaking of which, thanks for the compliments on my writing! I still feel I could get much better, lol. I rather dislike very wordy stuff (I know many people like this, but I hated The Count of Montecristo!). Speaking of which, I guess that's Victorian era writing...right? So, if that's what you're talking about, I completely understand. So flowery! Blarg! That's something I'm always afraid of in my own stuff. I think the less clear a scene is, or the more difficult it is emotionally the more wordy it becomes. And then I go through massive amounts of editing, and half the time make it longer...

Then I hear about people who write things once through and that's it. I'm like...wah? How? lol. That happens once in a blue moon for me, a scene that's so clear I just write it down, edits are minimal. Keh. Very rarely. Oh well. To each his own! Or perhaps with practice I'll be able to do that more often.

It sounds like you're interesting in becoming a professional writer, perhaps? As you mentioned being compared to Pratchett some day...:D

Actually...is Sherlock Holmes considered Victorian? I rather like Sherlock Holmes. :P

Yes, you're wordy, but in a pleasant way. Particullary, I prefer long fics, but independently to that, you're the best writer I saw until know. I convince myself of that when I read the first talk between Dan and Clockwork. The reasons of Clockwork to did what he did was so indisputables, so conclusives that I fall in love with Clockwork so much more than before ;P -yes, I love him, little less than Vlad but still.

You have a good balance between situations and feelings. My favorites keep being Dan and Vlad. Dan because it's like a addict whom is in the way of heal, he manages to realize that he was empty and that's why he did so much damage -girl, you really need to read more fics to see that few things are cooller than that!! The situation is clear: Dan rape Sam and the consecuences change all's life. But above all that are the thinks and the feelings everyone has. And Vlad because he keep being cold, manipulator and is looking for take what doesn't belong to him. But in other way, he's a lonely person who needs a lot of love, a family. I think that's what he begin to feel when Dan stay with him, and that scare him. In this story there is not goods and bad guys like a Disney picture, there are persons who have good and bad things, in some cases more of one of both sides but that's how real persons are. I believe a story is good when the readers can identify with the characters and you are doing a good work in here.

Of course there are always things that like to ones and dislike to others. For example, I believe the beging is a little... soft. The talk between Sam and Vlad was strange for that idea of both knowing about knowing that Vlad is half ghost -funny that 'I know you know that I knew' or something like that, I don't remember clearly, but illogic because Sam and Plasmius talk in the show.

There is three things I want to criticize: Nathaniel, I told you before, he needs to grow up. He can't be a baby anymore. And he needs to develope some of his powers, he's not always wearing his bracelet; how would Danny react if he see him like a ghost? Or disapearing? XD You can do a lot with him!!

Second, the others characters. I still think that you should confront Dan with Jazz. And with Tucker. Both are important, very important in his life. And I think you really should get together those two even if is not the principal couple. And the dream in my life: a confrontation between Vlad and Clockwork, and I'm not saying that they should fight, just talk. With their personality and your way to write, my God, would be memorable.

And third, yes, you must go on with the story. In all senses. If you keep dealying so much in update, you must begin to clear the plots, and the story have many of them so it would be a hard work.

Man, this is so large as always!! I'm boring you, right? Ok, I'm leaving, I'm leaving.

But not before this: Update!!! You're taking too much time!! TT_TT

Ah, yes, Good Omens… One of my favourite books. As for introductory Gaiman readings, try his short story collections, Smoke and Mirrors, and Fragile Things. They're not quite as dark and creepy overall as his novels and graphic novels are, but still give a very good feel for his style and tastes. Stardust would probably also be a good one, based on the movie adaptation he cowrote, but I haven't read the book itself. Yet.

Yes, I've read Wee Free Men. I'm not so much a fan of the Aching novels as I am of the Wizards, Watch, and Witches books, but I do like them. The Aching books are sweeter and more child oriented, I find. Also, in terms of style and not content, I think you're probably right. They're closer to Gaiman's work than the rest of the Discworld canon. I'm finding these days that I'm better able to step back and think critically about books—never used to be good at that—and, thinking with a writer's brain, there are bits and pieces here and there that stand out as kind of clunky. For instance, the books past Night Watch I've had a lot harder time getting involved in than the ones before, until the second time around. For me, the beauty of Pratchett is how he's good at everything but the way he integrates everything and builds the world and story are brilliant. ^^ I've never cared for the Rincewind books, not even the later ones like Lost Continent, though they're definitely better written. The early stuff, yes, he was trying to feel his way a little. I'm reading the Bromeliad Trilogy right now, some of his earliest stuff, and it's clunkier than Color of Magic. I can see him trying to figure out the humour and satire, but not quite getting it all the time.

Yes, I'd definitely count Count of Monte Cristo as a Victorian novel. Sherlock Holmes, not so much. Those books were largely written after Victoria's death, so while they retain some of the stylistic and plot elements, and certainly the vocabulary, they're also slightly more modern. Don't worry, you're definitely not going Victorian.

Eheheh… when it comes to fanfic, that's actually me. I edit in spurts as I'm writing, but by the time I'm done a chapter or oneshot, it's done and postable. I guess I just have a really clear picture of the scenes, or ingrained style, or something. I edit my original stuff massively, and yes, to answer your question, I am planning on having "writer" somewhere in my career portfolio. I'm working on a sci-fi novel right now.

Hey E-Dantes! Thanks for all the comments! And thank you for the insight into the first few chapters. You know, I think I got stuck on that little interchange between Vlad and Sam, the "I know you know" thing. I probably needed to nix it. Perhaps I'll go back someday and fix that up. I've actually done a lot of edits, mostly tiny things, though the very first chapter has actually changed quite a bit from when I first posted. Actually, Esme Phantom mentioned "ninja edits" in another post...which I forgot to comment on there, but I do a whole lot of that, lol. So maybe I'll fix it sometime. :D

Nathaniel: yes you're right! I think I basically left him out of the last chapter, another "ninja edit" I might make later. But he'll be in the following chapters...and not as a teeny tiny infant. :) Also, great thoughts on his ability to go ghost, particularly in front of Danny.

lol...things will happen with the other characters...but not quite yet. :) You're right, there are certain things that need to happen, and I'm looking forward to a few of them. :D About Vlad and Clockwork...hum. Also, about Tucker and Jazz, they aren't really the focus and though it could be fun to write them as a couple...I dunno. Maybe. It would be extremely subtle though, even if I did include it.

I love long comments! Thanks!

Eep. And yes, I should be able to update fairly soon, now that I'm finally back on track...

Awesome! I think sci-fi is actually my favorite genre. :D Good luck with your novel. Just based on your comments, you sound like you've got a good head on your shoulders when it comes to writing. I confess I have a book idea I'd love to write someday....in like 10 years, though! Or maybe when I'm fifty. :D One or the other. Fanfiction has been a wonderful learning tool, as well as just really fun, though. Fanfiction rocks!!

You know, it's actually surprising I've read Terry Pratchett, since he's not a sci-fi writer. (I have family members to thank...) But thanks for bringing up the witches, they're wonderful, and the Watch. (I loved Carpe Jugulum, which is probably the closest thing I've read to a vampire novel, except Bram Stoker's Dracula.). I agree, these sets of books are his best stuff, though I still think Wee Free Men, on its own, is one of his best books. Speaking of Terry Pratchett: I actually had an interesting experience several months back. I re-read "Going Postal". Have you read it? I loved it the first time around, but it wasn't nearly as good the second time. Many of his books aren't like that, but this one seems to be a one time book for me. Meh.

So you recommend Smoke and Mirrors, and Fragile Things. I'll have to drop by a half price books (or perhaps mooch around a Borders or something, reading in the store...ever done that before? lol...but if I really like something I will buy it there....)

Um, so I'm not going Victorian. Phew. History is not my strong point! I think of the Victorian era as lasting mid to late 1800s. Specific dates are gonzo, though. *hangs head* It just never stuck for me. Ironically, if I wanted to learn and looked it up now, it probably would stick. But back in high school, which is the last place I had a European history course, I could care less.

Arg! So you're one of those write it once types, huh? But not so much, since you do edit as you go. It's great that you can do things with less re-writing like that, though. I need to look up your profile and see what you're writing, by the way. Sometime...I admit I've been staying away from Danny Phantom fanfiction! I'm not sure why. It's just hard to read and write it at the same time. I find it easier to do one or the other, and I really want to write more than read...

But I'm getting a list of stuff to read now, at this point. lol...I'll read it...sometime...:D

Er hey...I was thinking of asking more about your novel, but I didn't want to step on your toes. I know it's good to keep the material close, and you're unlikely to want to discuss it anyway. But if you don't mind, I'd love to hear about it. :D And if you do, that's fine. How far along are you?

For me, fantasy actually is, and the sort of book that is both at the same time, like the Pern series or coming-of-age time travel novels. I used to read a lot of those. I should probably be reading more SF though, because I'm a self-respecting geek, lol.

Thanks for the compliment about my head! I'd like to think I do too—I've grown up immersed in the written word and took a lot of language-oriented classes in university. It's like I've been heading in this direction all my life, with where I lived, how I was raised, what I read, what I study…. So thanks. :)

Why wait so long before starting to write? Do you think your writing's not quite good enough yet? Are you too busy irl?

I came upon Pratchett on my own, actually, or at least, thanks to a job in a library. He struck me as exactly the sort of light, comic, satirical fantasy that I enjoy reading, and I turned out to be right. Heh, though again, Carpe Jugulum is one of my lesser favourites. I've never been able to pinpoint exactly why, but I think Agnes has a large part to play. I've never liked her all that much. As for Going Postal, yes, I've read it. (For the record, I've read everything by him except Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, The Carpet People, the Discworld addendum stuff like the Almanac, and the first two Science of Discworlds.) I actually with Going Postal that I enjoyed it a little more the second time—odd how we have such differing opinions, isn't it?

No, you're not Victorian. There are particular kinds of vocabulary, prose rhythm, and sentence constructions that characterize the period, and you definitely don't fall into that. Also, Victorian lit tends to wander around in plot a lot more: there'll be side plots and side plots of side plots, because they got paid by the word or the page. You've got the right dates for it though, and I'm not good with specifics either. Technically, I think it runs from the 1820s to 1901, when Victoria died and Edward ascended.

lol Yeah, I am, though like you said, I do edit as I go. However, I also tend not to plan stuff out much ahead of time. I get an idea and run with it, so a bunch of my fics could do with some plot help. ^^; You've got the edge on me there. I haven't found it that hard to read and write at the same time, either, but I can see how that is. Too many plots and ideas washing over you, getting confused with your own. I hope you like what you see when you get to my fics, though.

As for my novel, sure, I can give you the basics, if you'd like, but I think I'll do it by PM so it's a bit more private. ^^

Okay, apologies from the very beginning here: I'm tired, and this will ramble, probably a lot...

Meep.

Hello! First, I'm feeling guilty for being away from this for a while...again. I figured I'd respond to this particular post because it deals with why I haven't pursued the whole "professional writer" thing like you. Basically....I really, really want to make a career writing music. That's what I got my degree in (music composition), and that's what I love. As of August 27, I'll be heading to another school for a full load of classes in the "SRT", or Sound Recording Technologies major. A.K.A. I'll be learning how to be an audio/mixing/recording engineer.

Last semester, ironically, I learned that I really, really don't want to do that for a living. But being able to mix my own stuff more effectively, and improve on my knowledge of microphone recording techniques makes it worthwhile to go for at least another semester here. And, lucky me, the head of the school totally understands that I very well may drop out.

So....basically, writing a book is something I've thought of as later in life for me, you know? The picture in my mind is one in which I've got a solid career in music, I can work from home, and even take it easy for a while- at that point, I might try to develop that book idea. :D

Aaand the point I'm trying to make, when it boils down to it, is that I'm...making an excuse for my slow update. Speaking of which though, I've revamped, re-written, and now have a solid chapter to post....(after I go over it again, one more time, for editing, because I'm a freak like that.) That said, it's split up, so the next chapter will be the second half of this chapter, and, um....don't kill me when you get to the end of this chapter. Yeah. Oo But! I should be able to post in the next couple of days. :D

The delay, in part, this time though, is music related. A man, currently a director at a video game company, got a hold of one of my demo CDs a long while back, looked me up, I scored the music to a short film he did...and earlier this week I started work on another short film for him. He really liked what I did last time, and has already talked about sending this new film off to several different film festivals once I've finished the music.

It's actually a pretty good film. It's very sweet, in a way. Very touching. And it has a very powerful message.

But it's a tearjerker. It makes me cry, a lot. I've been depressed for a week. _ It's so sad! It's about two people, very much in love, who are living in post apocalyptic conditions. They run out of water, and...die. Waaahhh!! But it's powerful, because they're so strong to the very end, they're calm and sweet, respectful- they make a point of living life as fully as they can, even in that horrible situation. And that makes it even sadder for me. But bittersweet too.

Sniffle. You've got to watch a film many times over to write music for it, right? Well...stink. But I'm going to a very good job on this! It's a really wonderful opportunity for me. I really owe the director, though...I really think he thinks I can do a good job, which is a wonderful feeling, you know?

Arg...I'm tangenting....not a word, I know. :P

On sadness, have you seen Wall-E? I think this short film was influencing me, but...oh my goodness, it made me so sad! And I loooove Pixar! But Wall-E was so pathetic, soooooo pathetic. I just couldn't get over that one thing. And few other things, but really, it was basically him. (And the lack of really cool robots, as I'm a robot lover and was expecting lots more eye candy and lots lets trash...ick.)

Lalala. But! If anyone needs to cheer themselves up (and they've got some money to spend, lol) go see Kung Fu Panda. Thank Kung Fu Panda for getting me going again on Catalyst, because I did shut down for a few days after seeing Wall-E (I'm pathetic. R rated movies? Hahaha! Not for me, 95% of the time. Yeah, I'm not under 18...that's just how I am.)

I absolutely love martial arts too, and there are a few really awesome fight scenes in Kung Fu Panda! I was very pleasantly surprised. Plus it's pretty funny most of the time. But yeah....the escape the bad guy makes....my favourite part of the film! I almost want to go see it again, just to see that five minute sequence on the big screen. (Meep. That's so bad of me.)

Ohhhhh man, I've responded to...nothing you said here, I think. Thanks for the compliment on my ability with plot...that's a whole other discussion though, actually. But I'm hoping the readers will like the next few chapters. Lots of plot. :P Bwaha. Ha.

Speaking of which, I have it sitting here, waiting to be edited. I need to turn in fairly soon, and should at least get a start on it, so....laters. I guess I just wanted to post somewhere on this forum to give a heads up! And apologize for dropping off the face of the earth, again, and being so slow with the update...again.

On that note though, the chapter after this should be faster, because the plot for it is already worked out to Nth degree. And part of the chapter after that too, actually. (Still not quite sure how it'll split up yet...) You know, I counted and i have about nine and a half pages of notes....just notes on these two chapters. Not writing. lol! Heehee.

You'll probably see why, maybe, I think, when I post it. oO

Okayyyy.....this time I'm really going away. :D

Later!

DPC

No need for apologies. I understand tired and excited rambling, I understand random disappearances, and I understand slow updates. :)

Sorry. I just have this habit of encouraging people, especially when I see talent or potential, and assume (wrongly, I know) that everyone's got the same attitude towards writing as me. By all means pursue composition! I've always thought that would be a fun job, and it sounds like you've made a great start with that commission! It's great having that sort of confidence put in you, isn't it?

That movie sounds interesting but definitely very sad. I wonder if it'll make it to the film festival here? I'll have to keep an eye out for it next time 'round.

No, I haven't seen Wall*E yet. I've been putting off movies in favour of finishing my novel, but I definitely plan to see it at some point. I think you're the only person I know who's seen it who hasn't liked it, though. I understand the "cool robot" thing, even if I don't require guns, transformations, or disguises to make a robot cool. Then again, maybe you don't either and I should be wary…. I haven't seen Kung Fu Panda either, and don't actually plan to. It doesn't look like the kind of movie that would interest me, somehow. I tend to steer clear of movies with toilet humour in their trailers. I've had more than enough bad experiences with those sorts of movies.

I look forward to your next update! Sounds like it's going to be a good one!

lol! About Kung Fu Panda...I admit there are fat jokes. But toilet humour...nope, I can't think of any, actually! Like I said, I was very pleasantly surprised by this film, and what made it for me was the martial arts. There was a lot of it, which surprised me. Plus the bad guy was cool, actually. And...yeah. It made me laugh, not excessively, but it was still funny. I think the review on Rotten Tomatoes that convinced me to go said something along the lines of "there were no pop culture references, none." Yeah.

Eh, I skipped to the end of your comment, didn't I? Back to the top...yay, I'm glad at least a few people out there understand about slow updates and stuff. :D And I think it's great you encourage people to write (and thanks for the compliment about potential!). Honestly, fanfiction is kind of practice for me, I admit. Before I write a real novel, I think I'd like to write a few, eh...fan novels first, I guess. A few hundred thousand words under the belt, for confidence...lol. Plus I've just always had age fifty or so as the time in my life for novel writing. I might skip a decade or two though, who knows. But not right now. :D It's wonderful you're pursuing your calling right now though, and I shall do the same!

Um, this might be ramble, but...martial arts and robots are two things I really, really like. Heh. So, a little more on Kung Fu Panda, since it actually did one other thing surprisingly well. I've studied a little Kung Fu, and a decent amount of Tai Chi, so I know little about them. Tai Chi particularly is very meditative- if I had to recommend a martial art to study that would be it, hands down by the way! But this movie didn't ignore the (dare I say) religious aspects imbued in Kung Fu and Tai Chi. There's a theme about inner peace running through, and they do a decent job of showing a wise old man who truly seems to embody the principles behind this stuff. So...yeah. It was still a goofy film, and ultimately the plot was a little thin, particularly at the end, but it had many great things about it. And a few great fight scenes. Did I mention that already? :P And it doesn't have any gross out/boy humour moments that I can remember. (Yeah...I'm not a fan of that stuff either!)

Okay....robots! I'm...a fan. Have you read any Isaac Asimov? I love the three laws, because they represent a fundamental difference between the robotic mind and the human mind. It's finite, something programmed, something designed. I like the idea of dealing with these thinking machines, powerful creatures who perhaps surpass human intelligence in many ways...yet they're limited in others. Working out how they are different, all the wonkiness therein....it's just imagination candy, I guess. Sticking to the logic puzzles, thinking about how they would work, even with human level intelligence- what would go wrong, what strange logic loop could mean an unanticipated catastrophe?

Meh. In Wall-E there was no true robot eye candy- they were mostly maintenance, cleaning things, and very stereotypical to boot. They weren't the focus of the film at all, which is fine. It's just not what I was hoping for. Wall-E himself? He's human. Yeah, he has a robot body, but essentially he's human. There is no grappling with an alien, robotic mind, you know?

So...I wouldn't call it a robot film. "I Robot"? That's a robot film. Transformers? I didn't care for it much...but it does have some robot eye candy, I guess. The robots though, were again essentially "human"- no alien thought patterns, no difficulty grasping emotions. That's actually my gripe with "I, Robot"- Sonny has emotions, no questions asked. How? Why? Eh...

I recommend "I, Robot"- the compilation of short stories by Asimov. I liked the movie too, but the book (which has nothing to do with the movie, by the way) deals with the robotic mind more of the time.

Eh, I'm not describing this very well at all. Yeah...

Let's put it this way. I really liked the first Matrix movie. But then they made AIs completely human- they even went clubbing, they had children, they were emotional. They were virtual humans. Meh. It wasn't quite as interesting for me any more. But Agent Smith, first movie? He was very intriguing.

Yay for rambles!

I need to get back to editing. Laters!

Fat jokes tend to be pretty high up on my Do Not Want list as well, though. I see it as being disrespectful and appealing to the baser side of human nature. But it does sound like it might be an interesting film, fat jokes notwithstanding. Not quite interesting enough to see in theatres, but maybe some I'd suggest for the next family get-together, whenever that'll be.

Fanfic started out as just something fun for me, but it quickly became a practice ground, where I'd challenge myself to do something different with each story. I definitely picked up confidence about my writing through people reading and reviewing my stories, and believe that you can learn as much about writing from reading and writing fanfiction as you can from a degree—maybe more. There are certainly a greater concentration of things not to do in a story on fanfiction sites than bookstores and libraries.

I've read I Robot and the first four Foundation books. I think his books are interesting, but not quite enough to keep me reading them. The plot of Foundation started falling apart and getting messy in book three. :( I definitely like the Laws of Robotics, though. So simple, yet poignant and completely logical. (Also, made for some interesting outcomes in the I Robot stories.) I like the idea of robots too, but I don't have the reasons really set beyond "they look cool and do cool stuff", unlike you. I don't think I'm as into playing with alien or robotic minds as you. I like my characters to be human, even though I know that it's not really possible if they're non-human. C.J. Cherryh has a series of sci-fi novels about humans being stranded on a world of very alien humanoids and how both species deal with and learn to work with the other. Can't remember the titles, but I think you'd likely enjoy it.

lol...fat jokes. I guess I take a different approach. I've got fat/overweight people in my life, and they laughed too. There's just something funny there, when presented right. Besides, the movie had a really great message about what's important and what's not. And Po being fat wasn't what mattered- for one, he didn't lose an ounce during the film. That wasn't the point- or was the point, in a way.

Yeah, same thing- about fanfic. I'm definitely trying to improve my writing with Catalyst.

This is kind of funny- I read all of the robot novels ("The Caves of Steel", "The Naked Sun", er....and I forget the rest). I had the same reaction. Though in my case they got too out there for me- the concepts, though I could see how his train of thought had progressed, were a tad icky for me. But there's some great stuff in there, great rationalization, logic- the creation of the Zero-th law, for one, which appears in the movie. I've never read the Foundation series- mostly because of the lack of robots, and the fact that Asimov's writing in and of itself isn't enough for me. Not right now, anyway. Maybe someday.

This is so funny. I've already read Foreigner, which is what you're talking about, I'm almost certain. You hit the button! It's one of my favourite books! The series kind of goes downhill after that though. I think I read, maybe, two more after it? But yeah, C.J. Cherryh is amazing sometimes. It's awesome that you know her! I've been trying to get my friend to read her for a very long time. Which books do you like most by her, by the way?

Okay...something just popped into my head, I had to jot it down.

Have you ever seen MegasXLR? It's a cartoon series, and the main character is fat. It's just, I remembered a hilarious comment from him! He ends up fighting his evil double in one episode from an alternate universe (this series is a spoof of everything, specifically big robot cartoons), and his double has slimmed down, buffed up.

He's like: "Man, you're going to pay for making me skinny!" Or something like that. It was just...lol. It was funny.

You know, it's funky how many likes we share. We just have good taste, I guess. :P

I haven't even heard of that show, but it sounds kind of interesting. I'm all for spoofs and parodies. They're one of my favourite styles/genres, period.

Yeah. I think, though, that anyone "geeky" has very similar tastes to begin with—superpowers, magic, pseudo-medieval, paranormal/occult, robots, futuristic technologies, etc. They're just always there, you know? I've run into a lot of people online who share my tastes. More than I've met in reality, I think.

I laugh too, but it's more a cultural prescribed, reflexive sort of laugh, with hints of schadenfreude, rather than one of genuine enjoyment. I prefer to enjoy my laughs. *shrugs* Tasteful fat jokes are better. I can't stand movies like The Nutty Professor, where it goes way, way overboard.

I'd recommend Foundation itself, for ideas and quality of writing. It starts getting a bit wilder, randomer, more abstract after that, but the first one's good for seeing how a society can be run by math and a machine giving minimal interference. I completely agree with you about the concepts in his later novels. In Foundation, he started getting into the history of the galaxy, the search for Earth, the hijacking of the machine's ordering of society, and so on, and further away from the core idea, which was only really good for that one book anyway. (And no, Asimov's writing was probably sparklingly brilliant for its time, but is no longer engaging for a modern audience. I've read other sci-fi authors of the 50s and 60s and they're all pretty dry like that.)

Yes! Foreigner! That's the one! XD It's the only one of her books I've read though. I liked it, but not enough to continue with the series or branch out into her other books. The series I have read extensively include the Pern, Xanth, Redwall, and Discworld novels, though the latter's the only one I still follow. I've dabbled in other stuff, obviously, but those were the biggies for me. (Of course, LOTR and Hitchiker's Guide are pretty much givens, I think.)

lol! I laugh, and I don't think it's cultural. I honestly don't.

Don't get me wrong, I hate physical humor. The Three Stooges? Not my cup of tea. And the really grotesque stuff, where you're sitting there wishing you could wipe clean the image you just saw...

Let's see if I can describe when "fat" humour is genuinely funny. Okay, I never read this, so it could be awful, but my friend was telling me about a LOTR parody she read years ago. The hobbits in it are very, very fat. So fat, in fact, that in one scene Merry and Pippin get "captured" by the orcs because they start rolling down a hill, and they're so round they literally can't stop themselves. And they're proud of their weight- it's the proper figure for a hobbit.

I'm sorry, but...that image is funny! It's just so completely ludicrous, I suppose.

Meh, I give up. lol....I guess delivery and setting, all that stuff is very important too. Comedy is complicated.

Moving on! The Foundation series is currently within my view (when I turn my head left, anyway). The books have been sitting around for a while- my friend (same one) got them for me a few years back at Half Price Books when I was going through my Asimov robots obsession. I'll probably read the first one, at least, one of these days.

C.J. Cherryh is an unusual writer in that her style changes dramatically depending on the genre. She can do hard science fiction, softer sci-fi, and fantasy. And they're all very different. In fact, I think if you had samples of certain books you wouldn't guess it was the same writer.

I find her difficult to get into. Her sci-fi is the style I like best, but that's just me. My mom loves her stuff. I did read part of a series of books about magicians, with a ghost in it, by her. The first book is called "Rusulka", or maybe "Rusalka"- can't remember the spelling! It's a name for a particular kind of Russian ghost, and I remember (vaguely) the books being good for the creepy factor. But not overly creepy, or grotesque. I think.

I used to read Xanth! In fact, there are a few books wandering around here that have the bigger words marked in them- I was home schooled for a year, and my mom used those books to help build my vocabulary. It's been a long time though. Is he still writing those books? I think his stuff was my first introduction to anything remotely racy, actually. lol. It's feels weird writing that down.

I've never read Redwall. My friend (lol, same one) has the entire series, and actually got one book signed by the author. But I may finally get around to it. Or read another series by him that my mom recommends highly. Something about talking animals always throws me off. (Narnia was saved because it had humans in it- and I was very small when I read them, and they're just charming.) But yeah, there's a series about a boy who is stuck, with his dog, on a cursed pirate ship, written by the Redwall author. I was thinking about picking the first in that series up...sometime. :P

Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy is on the top of the list? lol, I didn't know. But I guess it is, if I think about it. I've read the first couple in the series, but after that the books got too cynical for me. But there's some hilarious stuff in them. Gotta love Marvin- he's so depressed he can get another computer to commit suicide. It sounds horrible, but it's actually so very funny. But after a while...yeah. Too cynical.

You know...I've got a possible interesting revelation for you. I'm actually named after a character from Lord of the Rings. Okay...they don't directly appear in LOTR, but they do appear in the Silmarilian. Which I probably misspelled. But yeah! Also, my nick name, though not on purpose and of no relation to my given name, also appears in LOTR, though it crops up a lot more in "The Hobbit".

lol. Maybe you'd like a chance to guess? Or not. You could be completely uninterested. But suffice to say, my name is extremely rare and, at the same time, pretty much unavailable to use online! I have to be such-and-such003, not just such-and-such. lol!

Ironically, like I said before, I kind of prefer sci-fi to fantasy! But my name, in my opinion, is still very cool. :D

Arg...I feel like I'm still spazzing. Spazzinating.

I am the spazzinator.

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