It'll happen when it's ready, and there's no real timeline for that <3
I just keep reading, or writing, or just dreaming. Being creative is something I don't really know how NOT to do it, but playing with characters that didn't pop out of my own head is something I've only started to feel comfortable with in this fandom. Hopefully, I'll feel comfortable in other spaces, too, eventually!
(I started off reading in fansite forums, then on livejournal, neopets forums and did briefly to a couple myspace roleplays, and then jumped to ffnet I haven't looked back since. Endless fic sites. Maybe not always creating, but the reading never stopped. I became ravenous for HP fic, at one point, for example, and went through the entire ffnet archive as it stood at the time before needing to find other sites. Which I did, and then those started getting closed down but now somehow there are fb groups dedicated to those old sites so I can still find copies of those stories? The internet is wild.
OOooh, now I wanna know what other books you've read, cos that does align with my genre taste and I'm always looking for new things to read. ^^ )
OK, you want to talk books? You'll br getting books!! ^^
As a typical German kid, I grew up with the brothers Grimm's fairy tales, but I only got their symbolism and hidden meanings later on when I had some formal education under my belt from going to grammar school and university (where I studied English and German literature and linguistics). For that genre xi can recommend Angela Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber', in which she re-imagines and re-writes a bunch of fairy tales with a bit more... ah, balance where gender bias and outcome is concerned.
I went on to devour mostly fantasy books in my teenage years, which remains my favourite genre. I still love everything by Tamora Pierce, especially the Tortall and the Magic Circle series. The Song of the Lioness quartet is still close to my heart.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's 'Mists of Avalon' was equally formative - the Arthurian legend re-told from a female (and supposedly villainess's) perspective? Yes, please! Her early work about the fall of Atlantis, 'Web of Light/Web of Darkness', is also one I read and re-read constantly in my teenage years, followed by her Darkover series, which is more science-fantasy than science fiction (which I also like, but I miss the fantasy element in pure, classical science fiction literature). Her re-imagination of the story of ancient Troy, 'Firebrand', and the re-telling of Mozart's opera 'Magic Flute', called 'Night's Daughter', are among my favourites from that era, too.
I don't have to mention 'The Lord of the Rings' (which I first read when I was 15, I think) and affiliate Tolkien works, do I? ;-)
During that time, I also loved to read Michael Ende, whose 'Neverending Story' was made into a movie, but I highly recommend reading the novel!
Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is still one of the most inventive, funny, philosophical, cheeky, rich piece of fantasy literature ever written, with a ton of references and allusions to history, science, religion etc. woven into it. I aas so vedy sad when we lost him and his brilliant mind that worked a little bit different from everybody else's (except maybe Douglas Adams's, whose works I also adore). And I'm still such a sucker for every bit of intertextuality, hidden references, symbolism and satire I come across, either in literature or well-made TV or film (storytelling in all its forms, I guess).
Vampires, werewolves, fairies, a bit of horror? Sure, bring it! I don't know if you've read Barbara Hambly's 'Those Who Hunt the Night' (and the sequel 'Travelling With the Dead'), but that's still among the top three of my list of vampire novels. And written for adults to boot (even though yes, I also read the Twilight series and got reasonably entertained by it). Read the Hambly novel(s) and you'll know why Ysidro, the Spanish nobleman from Tudor times looking for a human companion to solve a series of murders threatening his own kind, is hands down my favourite vampire character ever created! (You'll find traces of Harry in him: a bit of arrogance and absolute trust in his own abilities, a hidden sense of humour, tenacity, loyalty, sense of style and a bit hung up on manners). :-)
When it comes to fairies, I absolutely adore the verse Melissa Marr created in her four part 'Wicked Lovely' series, stories set in the different fairy courts and showcasing the "real" side to fairies, how cruel and uncompromising they can be, very much in line with the original Irish/Celtic/British fairy myths and legends. Her style of writing is exactly what I love to read and her storytelling is much better than other fantasy stuff written for young adults (which is often too clichéd where romance/developing relationships are concerned and characters aren't much better developed than basic stereotypes).
I did enjoy Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter Chronicles, though. At least she's inventive, fast-paced and playful and fleshes out her characters nicely.
I also don't have to mention the Harry Potter franchise, do I? I guess that's what we were all weaned on (despite already having been 21 when the first book was published, yikes!).
Magic realism, a dash of philosophy, history and modern topics like preserving nature and how societies (could) work mixed together? Always. Beginning with Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' (again, read, then watch, although the TV adaptation is really good!) to basically everything by Gabriel García Marqués. Also native American works and stories, their trickster myths, the "post-colonial" view on things, e.g. nicely mashed in 'Green Grass, Running Water' by Thomas King.
I also have been known for enjoying some Umberto Eco once, 'The Name of the Rose' and 'Foucault's Pendulum', although you need a bit of stamina and an interest in history, language, philosophy etc. for both, they aren't at all easy on the brain. X-) (No comparison to the book, but I love Sean Connery, who's also dearly missed, in 'The Name of the Rose' movie, it's so atmospheric and suspenseful.)
So, that's a basic overview and run-down of my literary education/background. Would love a word if you tackled one (or more) of the these! :-)
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Dagonet (AgentDagonet) on Chapter 7 Wed 11 Nov 2020 11:05PM UTC
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