• ♪: 「桜」／河口恭吾

I’ve been frightfully neglectful of the blog again, and I’m not nearly as sorry as I should be, I suppose. I’ve been frittering my time away with frivolities. And photography, not that I am any good at it, nor am I actually improving, but it’s fun. Thinking about, and trying to fulfil, Project 365, on the other hand, is not nearly so much fun. But I’m just starting out, so I don’t want to give up yet! Maybe when I have left the double digit days behind…

( &etc… ♥ )

• ♪: 「四季歌」／黃耀明

My foray into slashing Holmes and Watson isn’t going as well as I had hoped. I haven’t managed to overcome my initial aversions yet. I’m currently reading 『Decoding the Subtext』, but I find myself disagreeing with parts of it, and I’m not convinced yet. If anything, I now want even more to buy those thick, large annotated volumes I was admiring earlier in the year. Soon, perhaps.

But I did rediscover the page of FANDORIN SLASH HERE! HERE! HERE! I’d misplaced earlier when the URL changed. AHHHHH AKSJDFA;LSD. Zurov x Fandorin fic here I come! ← Despite having read 「Scarlet Sash」 multiple more times I’m more than happy to re-read it and 「Diversions」 again. It’s not like I have much else in the same vein to read, sadly…

• ♪: 「テルーの唄」／手島葵

I’m currently delving into the world of Sherlock Holmes and slash so writing here will likely suffer in favour of spending more time exploring. The blame lies entirely with the movie, and I know just yesterday I was (I think) alluding to how unimaginable slash and Sherlock Holmes in the same sentence was for me. But, well, curiosity… and you know how it goes.

I have absolutely no problems with slashy MOVIE-VERSE Holmes and Watson, but book-verse Holmes and Watson is a little… squicky and wrong still. I feel sure I can convince myself otherwise in a few days, though. Maybe. I’m just not used to thinking slashy thoughts about the great detective stories. But then I started off reading Agatha Christie before I ever read Holmes, and I’m not sure there is anyone who would want or think to slash Miss Marple or Poirot. If Rule 34 does indeed apply in this instance, I’d rather not know about it.

But I absolutely ADORE Fandorin slash to the tune of ZUROV x FANDORIN, despite the woeful lack of anything resembling a fandom in the English-speaking internets. It’s something like slashing James Bond, ugh. I have no idea why I do, masochism perhaps?

• ♪: 「ボクの背中には羽がある」／ＫｉｎＫｉ　Ｋｉｄｓ

It occurred to me the other day, again, that it is strange how Antonio has two surnames following the Spanish naming convention, but IVAN HAS NO PATRONYMIC??? What is this, seriously. The spelling for his surname is debatable, but considering it was given in katakana, it’s a matter of translation and not Himaruya’s fault, I don’t think. I reject the horribly cliched Ivan Ivanovich (Ivanov), lol. Thankfully we’re saved from the Ivanov since a surname is provided, haha. But without a patronymic, how do we refer to him? Well, apart from Russia and, ahem, Mother Russia, AHAHAHA.

I like having the human names, and I’m definitely not one of those with a rabid hatred of them, because assuming the countries (or nations, if you’re being pedantic, but considering the kanji used is 国, it doesn’t specifically mean nations, so I’m afraid I don’t understand where the insistence comes from ) interact with normal humans, and don’t live in their own separate plane of existence, it’s only natural to assume they would have aliases that hide their true identity. I mean, imagine: “O HAI, I’M ENGLAND. LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTRY.” to some random person who is not the Queen, the Prime Minister, or insert name of some other important personage. Very good, yes?

( &etc… ♥ )

• ♪: 「Don't Come Home Too Soon」／Del Amitri

My fingers are so cold they’re losing dexterity, but I have the sudden urge to watch 『Sherlock Holmes』, not that these two things are in any way related. Unfortunately I deleted the files after getting no more than halfway through. It was too much Hollywood action for me and the venerable British institution that is Sherlock Holmes. I suppose the movie wasn’t bad, unless you watch it with certain pre-conceived notions, in which case you’d be very disappointed, and THERE WAS A PART I LIKED VERY, VERY MUCH but… it was more Indiana Jones than Sherlock Holmes. I don’t remember Sherlock Holmes ever fighting that much. In the grand tradition of detective stories, they just don’t fight. (Whether they possess fighting skills or not is beside the question. )

( &etc… ♥ )