Sarcasm is an adjusted stress reaction.

So a K-pop band releases an album, and you buy that.

Then you find that they've released the same album plus some of their old songs in Japanese, and you hesitate, but it has a Madonna cover, so you set out to buy that. Then you fail at buying it, but get it anyway.

Then you find that they have an English album set for release in late 2012, and you set your watch for that, even though it's produced by will.i.am, and you actually listened to Cheryl Cole's album and know what that portends.

In conclusion, aside from the many ways Korean entertainment companies exploit their artists, the apparent refusal to give them holidays EVER is really bad for your wallet.

ALSO, switching country and medium, J-drama SPEC is apparently up for an American remake. piecesofalice is in China at the moment, so our side-eye is international. Reasons why this won't end well:

- SPEC seems to be part of the wider universe of Tsutsumi Yukihiko's eccentric brilliant woman with superpowers/repressed angsty man with a past universe, ie, Keizoku, Trick, Keizoku 2: SPEC.
- Oh yeah, it's also a sequel to Keizoku.
- Seriously, how can you replace that cast? Everyone is perfect.
- But the cast will inevitably be replaced mostly by white people.
- Even though Ryo Kase speaks better English than, well, me, and should totally reprise the role of Sebumi. Even though it would mean sacrificing his luxurious hipster locks. Again.
- I can't even imagine how it would work without the Japanese context.
- "Quirky" shows get cancelled really fast in America.
- It would probably wind up with Fringe's place in the schedule, and much as we like to joke that SPEC and Fringe exist in the same universe, that's kind of ... glib.
- The best case scenario is that the original series gets an official DVD release in the English-speaking world, with professional subtitles and stuff. (Though I have to say, the new subs are amazing in that suddenly it ALL MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE! I mean, aside from the stuff that isn't meant to make sense, like why do the angels of death have vuvezulas, and why are Sebumi's teeth numbered?)
- After a while I start to worry that I sound like Sherlock fandom freaking out because Lucy Liu is wearing a jumper, and Martin Freeman invented jumpers, and how dare people remake a classic story that has been in the public domain for years? But then I remember it's slightly different.

We, with selvage, started playing the fancasting game, but we got as far as Jasika Nicole for Toma Saya and Sonja Sohn for a genderswapped Tsuda, and then selvage and I got distracted casting AtLA from Asian dramas. Which mostly involved Ryunosuke Kamiki as the world's bishiest Zuko and Tsutomu Yamazaki as Iroh. Then we got stuck on Ozai, because I kind of like Cha Seung-won -- THAT MAN IS IN HIS FORTIES, BTW -- for Ozai, but I'm not sure if it's acceptable to cross nationalities for one family, and also piecesofalice might return from China and punch me if I spend too long staring at her future husband.

And then I went to bed, and my subconscious switched streams entirely:

The Hunger Game of Thrones: you win or you get mauled to death by direwolf muttations. Nobody suggest that to King Joffrey, because he would actually think it was a good idea.

Use and Abuse of Power in Avatar: the Last Airbender. This was linked -- with approval -- by Racebending's Tumblr, of all places! And naturally I went along to read it, because it's an interesting discussion, especially in light of Korra, and I figured if Racebending were linking it, it probably wasn't declaring Korra a white supremacist.

Things I have learnt:

- parsing a show made for eight year olds is really, really hard
- European philosophy gives good and non-problematic grounds for dismissing a concept steeped in Asian cultures
- having a really big army means you're really popular and thus justified to conquer places

Then I had to hit the back button, but naturally I have stewed over it ever since (overnight), and now I share the brainpain with all of you!

If an episode gets leaked and no one watches it, is it really a leak?

Frankly, if Nick is going to do this to themselves, why, I am practically obligated to complete the circle and watch it!

( SPOILERS! ALL THE SPOILERS! )

Good news, everyone!  The long wait is over.  On account of how Korra can walk and chew gum at the same time, she has at least been proclaimed a Mary Sue!  Did we have some kind of betting pool for this, or was it just taken as a given that it would happen before the series aired?

So my doctor says I have to lose 20 kilos, and since he's unexpectedly fat-friendly and anti-BMI (and because I've been in denial about being pre-diabetic for a couple of years now), I'm ... doing that.  Weight.  Losing.  Thing.

( All weight-related posts will go under a cut. )

Accordingly, my plans for today are:

- walk to the shops, buy groceries for dinner, tomorrow's lunch
- write words
- tidy embarrassingly messy room

So far the writing of words has not proceeded according to plan.  By way of experiment, I downloaded Ommwriter, which provides a low-distraction interface, ambient music and soothing keyboard sounds while you write.  It sounds wanky, but it actually works for me. 

Well, sort of.  I sat down to write a chapter of a novelly-type thing (the world really does need a contemporary Australian boarding school novel.  Or at least, the pre-teen girl part of the world does.  It's like Malory Towers, but with a social networking policy!) and instead produced 500 words of the Mai/Zuko AU future-fic.  Words which I'm pleased with, mind, and they have kissing, but it's not what I was intending.  Sometimes I find that particular projects work best in different settings -- short fics go in GoogleDocs, some stories demand to be handwritten (at least at first), apparently the future-fic AU appreciates ambient music, and a boarding school setting calls for Scrivener.  (I think it's all the planning options.  I bet JKR's problems with maths would have been resolved if she'd had Scrivener.)

I was looking over the nominations at rarewomen, and it sort of struck me that Avatar fandom is kind of well-off, in that I don't think there are any named female characters who are badly ignored by fandom.  Kya, maybe -- you don't see much Kya fic -- but for everyone else, if you said, "Hey, I really want a fic about Yugoda," or Kanna, or Song, or On-Ji, I've seen some around.  I mean, their representation in fic is more or less proportionate to their appearances in the show, but they're not actively ignored by fandom.

...okay, I can't think of a single fic about the Herbalist from "The Blue Spirit".  So there's that.

"Iroh is basically one of the best parental figures in fiction.  Agree?  Y/Y"
"He's like a fireball throwing Atticus Finch."
"If only To Kill a Mockingbird had more fireball throwing in it.  I guess we can just be satisfied that it had plenty of flaming sharks."

Thank you, AV Club commenters.

On the whole I think it was a bad move to drink lots of wine and read the reviews for Mai-bashing fic on FF.net.

I checked my phone after court this morning, and I had two emails:  one LOVELY AND MAGNIFICENT FIC about Zuko and Azula that terajk wrote FOR ME!  And my White Lotus assignment.  I have to admit that I spent a couple of hours going, "I have to write what now?" but now I think I have an idea, so that's all right.

Anyway, I noticed a couple of people writing to their White Lotus recipient, and I'm ... well, I had dumplings for lunch, and then I bought more dumplings for dinner, but between the city and home I started feeling dizzy, so I'm just trying to settle before I inflict more gyoza on my body.  What the hey.

Dear White Lotus creator,

(I thought that since Yuletide has goats, White Lotus could have turtleducks, but then I felt a bit silly.  So I put "writer", but then I thought, what if I've been assigned to someone who is primarily an artist or a vidder?  I have a headache.)

I can't actually remember quite what my requests were, so bear with me here.  I think I asked for Toph/Azula, Ursa/Piandao, and probably something involving Mai.  Or I may have rambled aimlessly.  Something about Zuko and Azula being international jewel thief ninjas comes to mind?  (The jewel thief bit is optional!  But Azula totally needs to become the new Blue Spirit, y/y?) 

Anyway, I like lady characters, the Fire Nation, parents and kids, sibling relationships, banter, adventures and romance.  I don't like stories where Azula has been sent to prison instead of receiving any kind of mental health care, or where she's irredeemably evil.  I don't enjoy rape or non-con.

Ship-wise, here is a handy breakdown of why I like Azula/Toph. 

I don't think I've ever written about why I like Ursa/Piandao, but it basically comes down to the fact that I like second chances and mature love stories, and Piandao seems like a good fit for Ursa -- from the same culture, but something of an outsider, badass but honourable, an artist and philosopher as well as a warrior.  Also, handsome.  LEGITIMATE REASON IS LEGITIMATE.

So, uh, yes.  Go forth and ... do stuff.  I think I'm on the verge of being hungry again.