tj_dragonblade | Pimping, and Meme-age

(dons feather boa, tugs pimp-hat low over eyes and taps Obscenely Large Gemstone-headed cane for attention)

The Vault is currently hosting a fanfic contest that is open to all anime fandoms. The theme is songs and lyrics and how they inspire fics. The idea is not to write a songfic or to somehow insert the song and/or lyrics into the fic; the idea is to tell the story that the lyrics bring to mind, to share the images inspired by the song.

Now me personally, I find that most of my fics are born of musical inspiration as it is; and I can't help speculating on fic possibilities for a good half of the songs that I hear on a daily basis. And I know I'm not the only one. So check out the link above, fellow audiophiles and musical immersionists; and see if it strikes your fancy!

(ditches obnoxious Pimp gear)

And now, for a meme, stolen from Zalia and various others:

Pick 5 fandoms and do this for each of them
1. The character you first fell in love with:
2. The character you never expected to love as much as you do now:
3. The character everyone else loves that you don't:
4. The character you love that everyone else hates:
5. The character you used to love but don't any longer:
6. The character you thought you'd love but didn't:

I will be stealing Rune's version for posting later, as it varies slightly from this.

Really, there are only two fandoms that I've explored in any depth. Thusly, I may fudge a bit. ^_^

Gundam Wing
1. The character you first fell in love with: ...While Duo was the early favorite, I wouldn't say I ever fell in love with him. That...would have to be Wufei.

2. The character you never expected to love as much as you do now: Trowa. First impression pegged him as rather...well, dull. It took the enthusiasm of a couple friends to open my eyes to his potential.

3. The character everyone else loves that you don't: Ehm...Heero? Not that I don't love him, by this point; but it took me a very long time to gain an appreciation for the character.

4. The character you love that everyone else hates: Well, I don't have any particular dislike for Relena, or Dorothy... (tries to think of who else gets the hate-mail) Ahh. Wufei, I guess. Even though he's well-loved in the circles I've traveled. He *does* get targeted for a lot of unwarranted bashing in various other corners of the fandom...

5. The character you used to love but don't any longer: ...Feh. There's no one that I particularly dislike, really...I guess this would be Duo. Seeing as how he began as my favorite pilot and eventually fell to third...

6. The character you thought you'd love but didn't: Zechs. The friend who got me into GW raved on and on about him; and certainly he *is* pretty. But...he's awfully dull, I find. There's nothing beyond the prettiness to hold my attention.

Saiyuki
1. The character you first fell in love with: Nn. Hakkai. *Hakkai*. ^_^ And I have since fallen in love with Kougaiji, as well.

2. The character you never expected to love as much as you do now: ...Nii. When I first saw this slouchy bunny-wielding mad-scientist type, I expected him to be *interesting*, sure; but I had no idea he'd become such an addiction. ^^;

3. The character everyone else loves that you don't: Ahhh...Homura. He seems quite popular. And it's not that I dislike him, really. It's just that...well, if his story had spanned maybe six episodes instead of dragging out across the entire fricking season, I might have a greater fondness for him.

4. The character you love that everyone else hates: ...I guess this would be Nii. No character seems particularly universally hated, in my experience thus far; but Nii does tend to garner extremely polarized opinions. And I'm definitely on the 'Love 'im' end of the spectrum.

5. The character you used to love but don't any longer: ...I haven't been around long enough for anyone to have fallen into disinterest...

6. The character you thought you'd love but didn't: ...buh. Everyone that I initially expected to like, I like. And I can't think of any character that I particularly dislike thus far, either.

Saiyuki GaidenOkay, so it's not *exactly* its own fandom, but...
1. The character you first fell in love with: Mmm...probably Kenren. Though it's a very *very* close tie with Tenpou.

2. The character you never expected to love as much as you do now: Goujun. I had no idea he would capture the imagination as much as he has.

3. The character everyone else loves that you don't: ...can't think of any...

4. The character you love that everyone else hates: Again, can't think of any. Unless Konzen counts as 'everyone'; then I could say Kanzeon... ^^

5. The character you used to love but don't any longer: See answer under Saiyuki

6. The character you thought you'd love but didn't: I did expect to be a little more interested in Nataku's story; but Goujun and all his possibilities sort of sidetracked me a little. ^^;

Ahh, why not...may as well dig back a few years while I'm at it...

X-Men
1. The character you first fell in love with: Wolverine. C'mon, man, Wolvie is just plain cool. Though I've never had quite the same love for him that I've developed for Gambit and Nightcrawler.

2. The character you never expected to love as much as you do now: Gambit. He creeped me out at first, between the red eyes and being painted as a traitor in the storyline I first saw. And then I got to know him better, and voila. I found myself suitably smitten.

3. The character everyone else loves that you don't: Cyclops. (makes face) Gah. Something about the man that just irks the hell out of me. So staunchly righteous and quietly holier-than-thou and so bloody *anal*--his only saving grace, as far as I'm concerned, is that Kirby Morrow did his voice in the Evolution series. Pheh. Jean really doesn't do a whole lot for me, either; but I'll take her over Scott. Any day.

4. The character you love that everyone else hates: ...Good question. (scratches head) See, not really immersed in the fandom. Don't really know the climate of who's-hated-and-who's-not.

5. The character you used to love but don't any longer: Mmm...Rogue, perhaps? She was a favorite back in the early 90's when I got hooked on the animated series. But by this point, having found my niche in slashing, female characters are simply of less interest to me in general.

6. The character you thought you'd love but didn't: ...Hard to say. There are still characters from the old days that don't get much exposure but that I think I'd like, if given the chance. And then again, given the forty-year-plus span that these characters have had, and the growth and development inherent in such a span, it's entirely possible that I might love a character now and still find him/her stilted and cheesy looking back through the old comics. Which has happened, with just about everyone. Even my beloved Sparky. Though at the same time, there is just as much proof in those old books for why I love him. And then there's the fact that sometimes the more current incarnations don't always hold true to established canon, either. Evolution!Kurt is adorable as all get-out, and definitely a favorite in his own right; but he's not entirely in character with the Nightcrawler established through years of comics, either. I need to read Excalibur. And I need to quit rambling on and jumping from thought to thought without explanation, too. >_<

DS9
1. The character you first fell in love with: Bashir. (flushes) And it was entirely because of the big eyes and the baby-face and the soft pretty voice, I'm afraid. This was my late-teenage years, also, btw; so this is a particularly embarrassing obsession to look back on, full of Mary-Suing of the worst kind. Thankfully, my private journal was the only place ever subjected to it...

2. The character you never expected to love as much as you do now: Garak. Ahhh, Garak. How can anyone not love Garak? He's so unassuming at the outset; but it quickly becomes obvious that he's so much more than he lets on, and the enigma builds from there. And all that smarmy charm, and the dangerously-innocent grin...hee. Still love Garak, even years later.

3. The character everyone else loves that you don't: ...Meh. That's the thing with DS9--all the characters were so vibrant, and so interesting. Ummm...Odo & Quark, maybe. There were wildly popular, to be sure, but they fell nearer the bottom when I bothered to rank favorites. And Worf, when he came on.

4. The character you love that everyone else hates: Hee. Bashir, again. Don't know really how long that dislike of him lasted, but he was bashed horribly in the Starlog opinion columns for the first couple of years.

5. The character you used to love but don't any longer: (shrug) I still don't dislike anyone, though Kira is somewhat less of a favorite than she used to be somehow...

6. The character you thought you'd love but didn't: ...Meh. Worf. I do love Worf, don't get me wrong. On TNG, he was a definite favorite. But when he came onboard DS9...somehow, next to everyone else and all the character vibrancy and diversity already there, he just seemed very...bland, in comparison.

Hugs go out to Brad and Alias, who both seem to be needing them...