Thursday, January 26, 2006

I didn't know this happened to anyone else

Nanasawa cries to music

(From yesterday's Megatokyo. Yes, I did read it yesterday. Meant to comment on it, too, but here we are.)

When I read this comic I was sort of surprised. You see, for the longest time--I first remember commenting about it when I was working at Willis Music (horrible website here) in Lexington--I have had a thing where I cry when I sing along to music. I don't remember it happening when I sang karaoke in Japan. Really, it seems to happen when I'm by myself and really enjoying the music. And it does happen when I just listen to music, too. I've cried to Battlecry songs.

Nikki, one of my co-workers at Willis, told me that it was probably the vibration of the sound in my nasal passages causing me to tear up.

I ran with this idea later in college in a story that blew chunks. It was never posted online because it was so horrible. I was reacting to the pressure to produce art by writing about different artists and their reactions to the pressure to produce art. I had a painter who killed himself, and his final work was his apartment, bathed in his own blood. I had his lover, who I think was a musician. I don't remember what happened to him. There was a writer, too, and she became a journalist. And then there was the singer. She cried whenever she sang and became famous for it, but one day her nose was broken in an accident, and after the reconstructive surgery she didn't cry when she sang anymore. The illusion was broken and she fell from favor.

The story doesn't really sound all that bad in paraphrase, but trust me when I tell you that I wrote it horribly. It sucked. Stories are half about concept and half about execution. Whenever I have one, I seem to always half-ass the other.

Someday, when I get them both right, I might actually publish something.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, someone still reads megatokyo too! I say that in all jest, mainly 'cause most of my webcomic guru friends prefer the old megatokyo over what it has turned into. Sometimes Fred gets a little sappy with things, but as an experiment in storytelling its still very entertaining. And, I must admit, I have been known to like shoujo manga now and then. And you're right, it does sound pretty interesting when you paraphrase like it. Someday, once you work out the kinks in the story, I'd like to read it.

-Hyper

Heather Meadows said...

I'd have to totally rewrite it, because I lost it in the fire. But maybe a total rewrite would be best!

And yeah, I still read Megatokyo...somehow I can't stop myself :P

Anonymous said...

Awesome! A new project for ya!

Yeah, for similar reasons, I cannot stop reading Megatokyo. Its kinda like watching a traffic accident in progress, you know its horrid but for some reason you can't stop watching. Well, not that bad, but it was the best analogy I can think of right now.

-hyper

Heather Meadows said...

For me, it's more like this:

I was reading something I enjoyed. It was funny and not too serious and poked fun at itself when it got too serious.

Then it changed into something that was serious.

I didn't want to like it after that. It helped that the art had problems. I could focus on the fact that the art wasn't perfect and not on the fact that the story was growing on me.

But because the story was growing on me, I couldn't actually stop reading. Even when there were five zillion Dead Piro Days in a row.

I have to grudgingly admit that there is a good story to Megatokyo, and that keeps me hooked, even though it's for completely different reasons than when I first started reading the series :>

Anonymous said...

I said my previous reply in all jest, 'cause really I wouldn't be reading it if it were THAT bad. I still read for similar reasons, I just couldn't put it that eloquently I guess ^^; What I really like is the character development of some of the characters. I really like what he's doing with Kimiko's character, and how she's dealing with the changes of becoming an idol overnight can bring. I really hate what he's done with Largo, though, I can't see him as the same Largo. He wussified him, like the way they wussified Squall in FF8. Piro himself is just kinda making me mad, he needs to grow a spine. What ever happened to strong willed male characters?

-Hyper

Heather Meadows said...

Consider: One of Piro's greatest influences is Akamatsu Ken :>