all made up with nowhere to go

# Strange Journey arrived on Tuesday. I have played approximately half an hour of it. Mum asked me if I liked my new game, and I was all ???? because half an hour isn't long enough to judge it by. I mean yeah, it's okay? I wasn't expecting the JP dub (but I do not mind it at all), and I don't know how to advance the plot from here, but my brain's been somewhat of an omelette lately.

# The remaining volumes of Sandman came in the post today, so I can get on and read the entire series now! I hope I still like it, because my interest in Neil Gaiman's writing has been slowly waning for about five years now. I haven't read any of his new books since The Ocean at the End of the Lane (and I wasn't very whelmed by that), so I don't know how revisiting this will go. Well, I hope. There's a lot about Sandman I like (and a lot I can't remember), and I owe it to that series for getting me reading Hellblazer which, as you probably already know, is my favourite comics series ever.

(One day I'll manage to complete my HB collection. I'm over halfway there, I reckon, but I couldn't say by how much. Also JEEZ COMICS ARE EXPENSIVE).

# I think the dentist is going to have to take a tooth out next time I go and, while it will stop me being in excruciating pain after I've eaten, I am not looking forward to that in the slightest.

# I've got nothing else. I'm going to attempt to watch quizzes and play Strange Journey at the same time...

I FINALLY HAVE THE HELLBLAZER TRADES I WANTED!

( pix )

I have literally wanted these books for eleven years. But for whatever reasons, DC held off from collecting them as trades till...pretty recently, I think. The most recent one (far right on the bottom pic) wasn't even published till January this year.

(Wikipedia still says on the HB main page that Jenkins' run lasted four years and was the longest one that remained uncollected. Obviously, that's no longer true, since I have most of it on my sofa now).

I don't know if Paul Jenkins fell out with DC, or if DC just thought nobody would buy them (since it's not the start or the finish of John's story, and I'd go as far as to say Jenkins is not a popular writer like Garth Ennis or Grant Morrison*). But whatever the reasoning was, while everything else got collected into trades, his stuff didn't. Me and hmpf were convinced at one point in time that they never would be. Sometimes it's nice to be wrong about something.

Anyway. I am very giddy right now.

I also now own over half of Hellblazer in trades. Now to get the other half! (Though I'm not in a rush for them. As long as they don't go out of print in the meantime).

~

I've been playing Nethack for the last couple of days. It's oddly addictive. I don't care about repeatedly dying because I'm rubbish at video games ANYWAY, and I'm used to this from my childhood because oh man no save points, no extra lives, no nothing.

I thought the ASCII graphics would annoy me, but I actually find them kind of charming, especially now I've played a bit more and got used to them.

I don't really have much to say about it. It's just a nice game to waste time on (probably to the horror of everyone who plays it "properly").

~

*YMMV, of course. I've gone off Garth Ennis as the years have gone by, and I swing back and forth on Grant Morrison all the time.

I have had fun unblocking the outlet pipe from the washing machine. I am not a huge person by any stretch of the imagination, but trying to squeeze myself into a small cupboard to reach a pipe at the back was NOT my idea of fun. Especially since it's against an outside wall, so it's cold as crap in there! And also damp! Yaaay funnnnnn!

Anyway. It is apparently blockage-free now, though I am side-eyeing this (I poured drain cleaner down there, so it should've worked, right?) If it overflows again next time I do washing I'm going to scream so loudly. SO. VERY. LOUDLY. You will hear me on other continents, I swear.

~

I thought about asking for a couple of Hellblazer trades for Xmas, since my collection is still woefully incomplete (if I could get my grabby hands on all of Paul Jenkins' run at once, I'd be so effin' happy). Except it's been ages since I actually bought any trades brand new, and I always forget how expensive they are*. I know there's reasons for the prices being the way they are but eeeuuuuggghhh why are all my hobbies so damn expensive.

(subject line, btw, is something I said to my mum earlier, and is 100% accurate).

*I did say to mum that it depends on the amount of issues collected as to whether I feel they're worth the price or not. For example Setting Sun, which contains about four issues, cost me the same price as The Gift, which has at least twice as many (and is a much thicker book).

~

Whoops. I have fallen into Maggie Stiefvater's tumblr again, even though I am still a bit mad at her because she copped out in The Raven King (I should've seen it coming, I SO should've). (Read the books, though! They are good teenagers being teenagers and having fun and there is magic! I still want my own set in spite of the copping out).

(OH. OH GOD. She is going to write a new trilogy in the Raven Cycle universe all about Ronan. WHAT DID I DO. WHY. I don't want more books about Ronan, but I realise that I'm in a very, very small minority. But I also know that I don't have to read them when they are eventually published).

*rubs hands together*

OK, so mr_gent asked me: tell me your thoughts on the new Hellblazer (or rather, "Constantine") NBC TV series?

Well let me tell you a thing. I have not seen it. My reaction to the trailer when it was upcoming (and holy fuck it was back in MAY???) is here. Basically, I was all, DO NOT WANT, although my reaction was less so than for the film (for a start at least the actor they chose looks like John).

I actually intended to watch at least one ep on the NBC wesbite this weekend in prep for this question (as they had the first five episodes up for over Thanksgiving), but I didn't get to it for a variety of reasons which included OH GOD I'M GOING TO HAVE TO USE WINDOWS because, for whatever reason, the actual video wouldn't load, so I presumed it was because I'm using Linux *shrugs*

So anyway, technological problems aside.

I am a bit leery about it, to be honest, but that's because I love the comics, and I am always wary of adaptations of things I love (see also: why I will not be listening to the Radio 4 production of Good Omens, for example). I'm sure it could be good but given the lead can't pick and accent and stick to it, nor hide the fact that he's very, very Welsh, well, I find that off-putting (that may sound like a stupid niggle but I am very picky about voices and, I suppose, I have very specific ideas about John's accent, given I've had nearly twenty years to think about it).

If it gets people interested enough to read the original comics (because I don't know if the reboot actually happened?) then that is freaking fantastic. We need more people in this fandom, for it is small and unloved! (I don't care how people get into a fandom, as long as they're there, and we're all having fun).

I feel like I am being really nitpicky about this, but Hellblazer is like the fandom of my heart (when it isn't Farscape). I don't know if I will ever watch it (apparently I was willing to, back in May, but I've slept since then).

I feel like I should've written more, but I honestly don't have a lot to say other than be all prissy about why it doesn't fit my personal ideals (which it doesn't, but hey ho. My personal ideals would probably be awful to someone else). I also feel like this has been really negative, and I didn't mean it to be but I am running on bad sleep.

~

I've still got dates open for this meme, so if you want to ask me a question (or questions!), even if you've already asked one, you can do so here!

(I can't access my Hellblazer icon at the moment, so I'll use my other blonde bastard one ;) )

Hmm, keep having niggles about writing Hellblazer fic, which I find hard enough anyway. Or I could do what I've been thinking about for the past few days, which is taking one of the stories I started that I know I'll never finish as fanfic, and turn it into something original (not like it hasn't been done, amirite).

I dare say this is playing on my mind a lot because I've been thinking about advertising the fan...thing...I wanted to run for John's 60th. Note the emphasis on the past tense.

I know Hellblazer fandom isn't, by and large, a fan-product oriented one (at least, that's never been my experience of it), so whatever happens, there's not going to be too much to deal with. But I kind of feel terrified by the two extreme outcomes - either nothing happens, or loads of people come up with all kinds of stuff.

I mean, it's a good idea, and I like it, but now I'm not that sure that I want to be in charge of it.

(And panicking at this stage is pointless. Nothing's going down until the end of April next year ANYWAY).

BLAH BLAH BLAH. I suppose my anxiety had to show itself somewhere *sigh*

Hmm. If only the majority of my works in progress weren't on the computer...

Misc notes from a Hellblazer fan:

~ I wish every other writer for the series would stop making me headdesk*. Azarello, Mina, and Milligan, I am looking at you. Especially you, Peter Milligan. I like you, man, but this recent turn of events better turn out to be some kind of ~tweest~ or...I'm gonna headdesk some more. (And seriously, dude, that is not what I've come to expect from your writing).

~ John is not the world's best muse, but I suppose that fits. Which ties in with my fannishness coming and going (although it does this for all fandoms, but it just feels more sporadic with Hellblazer).

~ I'm considering writing an AU of my HB AU. I'd apologise, but it's kind of my MO. I don't know how to do anything else. Well, I would, if I were in a mood to write at (which I'm not, right now).

~ I have a comatose cat on the bed beside me. This is unrelated, but I just thought I'd mention it.

~*~

*This where I repeat, ad nauseum, that I couldn't write a comic to save my life. I know it's not easy. ETC.

I need an "I am very very cold icon". BRR. DO NOT WANT.

On which note, it was minus 4°C when my brother picked me up this morning, and I happened to comment that this was warm for winter in some countries. To which he replied that he didn't want it, and they could have it back.

Also, overheard on the train on the way home (somewhat paraphrased, although the best bit is verbatim) -

Small boy: Can I have banana and peanut butter sandwiches for tea?
His mother: Yes, you can.
SB: So we need to get bananas and peanut butters!

(I love it when kids pluralise things wrong; it's adorable).

~*~

Crazy job at work is crazy. And that's all I really have to say about that.

(Although it's not as crazy as the job before, but that was more of a rather large pain in the arse).

~*~

Back to playing P3 again. I think I needed a break from it. Also I got stuck on Ring of Fates, which kind of explains that (although I did almost beat it. Short game is short! And I kind of want to be a Lilty when I grow up I can't believe I just said that Now I need to buy Echoes of Time...*sigh* And I do love the FFIX style graphics. Hee).

(Aw man, talking of stuff I need to buy (Strange Journey notwithstanding), Amazon keeps reccing me a complete boxset of Escaflowne for cheap. DO WANT. Although it makes me cry that I promised I wouldn't buy anything else till after Xmas - so that I can buy decent presents. WAH).

~*~

Dear Andy Diggle,

Please stop giving me nightmares and making my hands itch all day.

That is all, thanks,

Me x

PS. Not quite sure I like what you did with Golden Boy yet. Will need rereading, mainly because I wasn't concentrating very hard last night. Although I suppose it proves the pair of them are devious bastards, eh?