schneefink (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
schneefink) wrote2011-03-27 08:48 pm
schneefink) wrote2011-03-27 08:48 pm
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Ramblings on Dresden Files: Sue! and more fun
Despite a huge study workload, debate club, extra choir practices, lots of annoying organizing stuff, a fic to write, and a new Firefly DVD lying next to SGA season 1 (borrowed) and a bag with 50 One Piece mangas (borrowed) in my room, I have found the time to fall in love with Dresden Files.
I wish I remembered who recced the fics that got me started so I knew who to blame. That was last weekend. On monday I went to a library in the other end of the city, to get just one book. I ended up getting four of them, which I read in the next three days on train rides and from midnight to 2 am.
I read the first three books a few years ago and put them in the mental category of "enjoyable, look out for more in the library" and then forgot. This time I started with White Night and then read Dead Beat, Proven Guilty and Summer Knight (all they had on the shelf). Wheee! Especially in the later books there's this strong sense of a whole world behind it, the characters come alive, and awesome craziness happens. Sue!
(I still have not figured out what a polka suit is. Google shows me pictures of dotted bikinis.)
It's such a button-pushing series, and it doesn't even try to hide it. The scene where the Merlin sentences Molly to death, Morgan steps forward reluctantly and Harry begs him not to do this - mmm, that's the good stuff. Lots of h/c, which is usually not my favourite genre when overdone but here it works as adventure/friendship, both of which I love.
And the characters! Molly and Mouse (who is totally a character) and Murphy and Michael (huh, lots of M's) and Billy and Charity and Lea (must find the book where she tries to turn Harry into a hellhound!) and Meryl and Anna, who are dead :(, and Ebenezar and the Gatekeeper and Butters and Morgan and Marcone and Hendricks and Ramirez and of course Thomas! (It took me a while to figure out that "Toe-mass" is the way I'd pronounced his name instead of the English Thó-mas. Heh.) And they are all alive and fascinating and I want to know what happens to them. It's not even only that, since I'm thoroughly spoiled for nearly everything (as I didn't think I'd ever read all the books - yeah), but I want to read about them, I want to get to know them better. I don't want to think about bad things happening to them in the future. Everything after White Night currently counts as "future" to me, so - Thomas! Not even mentioning how they'll be affected by the events in Changes. Ow. Especially Harry's extended family.
As one does (...) I took a quick look around for fanfic and read through old squee posts (that was a lot of unexpected fun) and first thought, with some relief, that it's a very small fandom, so obviously the danger of losing much time were slim. Then I found the kinkmeme. *sigh* It's still small compared to SGA (but I guess most fandoms are). And strangely most of the fics seem to be Harry/Marcone slash. I can kind of, maybe, understand the appeal, but I'd much rather read more crazy adventures and friendship fic. On the other hand, that's the books. ^^ And funny AUs and crossover, those exist. Not very cracky compared to SGA, but again I guess this applies to most fandoms.
Unfortunately White Night is the most recent book they have at the library. I'll look for the others I haven't read yet and/or want to reread (it looks like I'll have to read Death Masks and Blood Rites in German, but better than nothing) and I'm thinking about buying the more recent books. But a) I already have a list of books I wanted to buy after the next exams, b) I like to have completed series at home and Dresden Files are twelve books and counting, c) surely I have enough self-control to wait for the library. Right? And d) UNIVERSITY means I should study. *looks at math textbooks* *cough* Right.
Since I had some difficulty finding fics I thought about doing a rec post, but that will have to wait for another time. *looks at math textbook again*
In conclusion, love the series, want more!
I wish I remembered who recced the fics that got me started so I knew who to blame. That was last weekend. On monday I went to a library in the other end of the city, to get just one book. I ended up getting four of them, which I read in the next three days on train rides and from midnight to 2 am.
I read the first three books a few years ago and put them in the mental category of "enjoyable, look out for more in the library" and then forgot. This time I started with White Night and then read Dead Beat, Proven Guilty and Summer Knight (all they had on the shelf). Wheee! Especially in the later books there's this strong sense of a whole world behind it, the characters come alive, and awesome craziness happens. Sue!
(I still have not figured out what a polka suit is. Google shows me pictures of dotted bikinis.)
It's such a button-pushing series, and it doesn't even try to hide it. The scene where the Merlin sentences Molly to death, Morgan steps forward reluctantly and Harry begs him not to do this - mmm, that's the good stuff. Lots of h/c, which is usually not my favourite genre when overdone but here it works as adventure/friendship, both of which I love.
And the characters! Molly and Mouse (who is totally a character) and Murphy and Michael (huh, lots of M's) and Billy and Charity and Lea (must find the book where she tries to turn Harry into a hellhound!) and Meryl and Anna, who are dead :(, and Ebenezar and the Gatekeeper and Butters and Morgan and Marcone and Hendricks and Ramirez and of course Thomas! (It took me a while to figure out that "Toe-mass" is the way I'd pronounced his name instead of the English Thó-mas. Heh.) And they are all alive and fascinating and I want to know what happens to them. It's not even only that, since I'm thoroughly spoiled for nearly everything (as I didn't think I'd ever read all the books - yeah), but I want to read about them, I want to get to know them better. I don't want to think about bad things happening to them in the future. Everything after White Night currently counts as "future" to me, so - Thomas! Not even mentioning how they'll be affected by the events in Changes. Ow. Especially Harry's extended family.
As one does (...) I took a quick look around for fanfic and read through old squee posts (that was a lot of unexpected fun) and first thought, with some relief, that it's a very small fandom, so obviously the danger of losing much time were slim. Then I found the kinkmeme. *sigh* It's still small compared to SGA (but I guess most fandoms are). And strangely most of the fics seem to be Harry/Marcone slash. I can kind of, maybe, understand the appeal, but I'd much rather read more crazy adventures and friendship fic. On the other hand, that's the books. ^^ And funny AUs and crossover, those exist. Not very cracky compared to SGA, but again I guess this applies to most fandoms.
Unfortunately White Night is the most recent book they have at the library. I'll look for the others I haven't read yet and/or want to reread (it looks like I'll have to read Death Masks and Blood Rites in German, but better than nothing) and I'm thinking about buying the more recent books. But a) I already have a list of books I wanted to buy after the next exams, b) I like to have completed series at home and Dresden Files are twelve books and counting, c) surely I have enough self-control to wait for the library. Right? And d) UNIVERSITY means I should study. *looks at math textbooks* *cough* Right.
Since I had some difficulty finding fics I thought about doing a rec post, but that will have to wait for another time. *looks at math textbook again*
In conclusion, love the series, want more!
no subject
I don't quite get the appeal of the Harry/Marcone monolith in the fandom, either. Which is not to say I think it's a bad pairing or anything, just ... why so MUCH of it? Some fandoms go for enemyslash pairings, though, and this seems to be one of them, and that's the pairing everybody latched onto. But, yeah ... Harry and Murphy and Thomas and Molly and Mouse and Michael and, well, ALL of them -- I love them so! It's a huge wonderful cast of wonderful characters, and I'm always dying to see what new horrors Butcher is planning to inflict on them in each new book. *g*
no subject
Another reason why I'm looking forward to the next book is that I can see the reactions live. Squee is contagious!
Harry/Marcone made a bit more sense to me when I thought about the alternatives. Most of the main characters have such a strong family-vibe that it's very difficult to imagine them in a relationship. Neither Elaine nor Susan are that popular - understandable, imo. And from what I've seen established relationships like Michael/Charity and Thomas/Justine (want!, but maybe because Justine is still a bit mysterious?) are always less popular to write about.
Of the main/recurring characters, Marcone is the exception to that. I think one advantage is also that it will never ever happen, so everyone knows and is happy with the fact that it's a clear fandom pairing. (While Harry/Murphy might, maybe?; it would be complicated to write about, their relationship will certainly progress - in whichever way - in the next book/s and writing it could seem disrespectful to the author, idk.)
And the most popular pairing in a fandom also produces the most fic which draws in new readers, which again contribute fic for this pairing. See also McShep.
Gen fandom is apparently always small :(
Fans are so mean to our beloved fictional characters! The more powerful the characters, the more I want to see a crack fic where they break out and fight back, like in "Sophie's World." But not Sue, too scary.
Anyway, I just want them to get a happy ending - eventually. First I want several more books! ^^
no subject
Hee! Yes, this! :) I think it's going to BREAK me if Butcher doesn't have a happy ending planned for them eventually ... though hopefully it'll be many books and many years to get there! (I think he's said on occasion that he has the series planned out to about 20 or 22 books, and he does have a definite ending in mind. IT HAD BETTER BE A HAPPY ONE, IS ALL I'M SAYIN'. *g*)
And I'm glad you liked my fic! :) Didn't you comment on at least one of them? Or not. I do appreciate comments but I'm also perfectly happy for people to read and lurk ... or tell me elsewhere, as you just did! The fic is there to be read, after all. :)
no subject
sureoptimistic :)