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BOOYAH 50K! \o/ I passed the line something like thirty seconds before we crossed from 11/29 to 11/30, it was kind of awesome. XD NOW I HAVE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS TO: a) be proud of myself and b) write more. ... well, more than twenty-four hours since the story's so not done (we're getting there! 30K more words at the most, I think), but regardless of that -- yay! I was worried I wouldn't this year, which would've been disappointing considering my strong start, but I made it. :D
On a semi-related note -- and hell, on a fandom note -- I've got a question. Why is the kick-ass servant always a guy? I mean, yeah, we've got our share of slavishly-devoted maids alongside her hapless master, possibly one of many vying for his lukewarm attentions, and maybe they were possibly cool in the past! But never in the present-day of the series.*
* I acknowledge that I am TOTALLY GENERALIZING here. Not all maid-series are harem, but enough of them are that they set my teeth on edge. ... not that, to be honest, it takes a lot with harem series; I don't care if it's boy-focused or girl-focused, harem shows DRIVE ME INSANE and not in any good way. :\
This is mostly because I've been actually close-reading the two volumes of Black Butler I bought ... a month ago? Two months ago? Either way -- that, alongside rereading volumes of Godchild for the fics I wrote, and then Hellsing popping up at a disturbingly regular rate in my gmail sponsored links, it's just. The cool servant is always a guy. Why can't it be a girl -- and not a SEXY girl, not a girl whose bosoms are falling out of her shirt, but decently-pretty (or maybe cute) in the way 99% of animanga characters are, who gets to occasionally flip out and kill people and make embarrassingly subtextual declarations of devotion to her master (male or female, I don't care)?
... or does this sort of thing exist, and I just. Not know about it? o_oa
It's just -- I like the concept, so much, of a seemingly innocuous servant having a great deal of emotional power and/or physical power over the master; I like the weird yes-no-what balance of it. I like the idea of a demon-girl who isn't primarily designed to be sexy-appealing or cute-appealing, but just sort of -- is there, dressed normally for whatever time period, and maybe occasionally has the seals on her power released so she can FLIP OUT LIKE NINJA AND KILL THINGS. And rather than be cute or sexy, she could just look effing BAD ASS instead.
This ... this may have to be next year's NaNo project. :|b
(When you consider that a huge driving force of certain characterizations in this year's NaNo is based on another thing I always like to see but never find -- that is to say, absolutely loving/devoted AND COMPLETELY PLATONIC male-female friendships -- I. Think I could maybe do it? Good thing I've got a year to think up the plot, hahahaha.)
WHICH IS NOT TO SAY THAT I DON'T LIKE WHAT THERE IS. Frankly, the hugest saving grace Hellsing had for me was the push-pull-is-isn't relationship that Integra and Alucard had (keeping in mind that I only saw the anime, yonks and yonks ago). I have this gigantic semi-secret fangirl crush on Godchild/Count Cain in all its gloomy, atmospheric, ultimately doomed glory, and a lot of that is the Cain/Riff balance. Black Butler is totally making me giggle and I think I kind of want to be Sebastian when I grow up. Only, you know, less with the shota because I'm not into that. Maybe a grownup guy instead.
(Though I have already told one of my coworkers I'd be a ninja when I grew up; she promised she'd be my pirate rival. :Db)
It's just. These are the things I think about, which may or may not be my contribution to ANYTHING other than. Killing time while waiting for my food to heat.
On a semi-related note -- and hell, on a fandom note -- I've got a question. Why is the kick-ass servant always a guy? I mean, yeah, we've got our share of slavishly-devoted maids alongside her hapless master, possibly one of many vying for his lukewarm attentions, and maybe they were possibly cool in the past! But never in the present-day of the series.*
* I acknowledge that I am TOTALLY GENERALIZING here. Not all maid-series are harem, but enough of them are that they set my teeth on edge. ... not that, to be honest, it takes a lot with harem series; I don't care if it's boy-focused or girl-focused, harem shows DRIVE ME INSANE and not in any good way. :\
This is mostly because I've been actually close-reading the two volumes of Black Butler I bought ... a month ago? Two months ago? Either way -- that, alongside rereading volumes of Godchild for the fics I wrote, and then Hellsing popping up at a disturbingly regular rate in my gmail sponsored links, it's just. The cool servant is always a guy. Why can't it be a girl -- and not a SEXY girl, not a girl whose bosoms are falling out of her shirt, but decently-pretty (or maybe cute) in the way 99% of animanga characters are, who gets to occasionally flip out and kill people and make embarrassingly subtextual declarations of devotion to her master (male or female, I don't care)?
... or does this sort of thing exist, and I just. Not know about it? o_oa
It's just -- I like the concept, so much, of a seemingly innocuous servant having a great deal of emotional power and/or physical power over the master; I like the weird yes-no-what balance of it. I like the idea of a demon-girl who isn't primarily designed to be sexy-appealing or cute-appealing, but just sort of -- is there, dressed normally for whatever time period, and maybe occasionally has the seals on her power released so she can FLIP OUT LIKE NINJA AND KILL THINGS. And rather than be cute or sexy, she could just look effing BAD ASS instead.
This ... this may have to be next year's NaNo project. :|b
(When you consider that a huge driving force of certain characterizations in this year's NaNo is based on another thing I always like to see but never find -- that is to say, absolutely loving/devoted AND COMPLETELY PLATONIC male-female friendships -- I. Think I could maybe do it? Good thing I've got a year to think up the plot, hahahaha.)
WHICH IS NOT TO SAY THAT I DON'T LIKE WHAT THERE IS. Frankly, the hugest saving grace Hellsing had for me was the push-pull-is-isn't relationship that Integra and Alucard had (keeping in mind that I only saw the anime, yonks and yonks ago). I have this gigantic semi-secret fangirl crush on Godchild/Count Cain in all its gloomy, atmospheric, ultimately doomed glory, and a lot of that is the Cain/Riff balance. Black Butler is totally making me giggle and I think I kind of want to be Sebastian when I grow up. Only, you know, less with the shota because I'm not into that. Maybe a grownup guy instead.
(Though I have already told one of my coworkers I'd be a ninja when I grew up; she promised she'd be my pirate rival. :Db)
It's just. These are the things I think about, which may or may not be my contribution to ANYTHING other than. Killing time while waiting for my food to heat.