2003-04-29 - 11:43 a.m.

This is gacked from Seemag (www.livejournal.com/users/seemag) who gacked it from Lizbee who, I assume, gacked it from someone else. Ah, gotta love gacking if only `cause you get to use the word "gack".

Does anyone remember the Gack toy from Nickelodeon? My brother used to have some and I would spend hours playing with it since he didn't like it.

I've always thought that titles are very important. I'm not so good with summaries so I always try to draw in my readers (this is me being shallow and indulging in the idea that yes, I do have readers) with a very strong title. Usually I like shorter titles, but I occasionally I go for longer, more descriptive ones. Anyway, here are ten of my favorite titles from various fics and explanations of why I like the titles.

"Nothing so Dark as the Garden at Night"

This is the title of a fic in the process of being written right now. It's in the Utena fandom about Miki and his sister Kazue. I like this title simply because throughout the series there is a garden which is constantly being referred to as sunny. It is something the characters wish to return to but are unable because that same sunny garden no longer exists. Plus I like the idea of a garden that is frightening.

"Midnight Eternal"

This fic has had about six thousand name changes. I think the original name was "Come the Night" which I got from a song, or so I thought, until Seema pointed out it was very similar namewise to a fic she had just written. From there it became "Nightshade" and a thousand other things. I like darker titles. This title evolved from the phrase "burning the midnight oil". I wanted a title that could convey the hopelessness of the situation(s) in the story. Hopefully this story will be finished soon.

"Bleak"

I like this title for its simplicity. It describes an existance very suitably and fits the mood of the story. It also works well with the main character in the fic, Anthy Himemiya of the SKU fandom.

"Desert Dragon"

This title comes from the sentence "I am the desert dragon." I like it because the same description Jen (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) used as a powerful description can be turned around and be used to describe her (presumed) feelings about herself at the end of the movie.

"Valse Triste"

I got this title from a song by Sibelius. I was challenged to write a Hallowe'en story several years ago. I wanted the title to convey both a sense of either horror or sadness and to have to do with music because the story was about Jadzia Dax dealing with Joran. My orchestra happened to be playing this song at the time and it filled all of my title requirements at the time. The translation, for the curious, is "Sad Waltz". This story is also unfinished.

"The Beach"

To understand this title one has to understand this fic's fandom. The story belongs to the Sailormoon fandom and is about two of the outer soldiers, Neptune and Uranus, more specifically Uranus. The story is about questioning a destiny that is supposed to be solidified but comes undone. Then it fall to the importance of the beach to the character Uranus which is why I like the title so much. To one in the fandom, those two words express so much about a single character.

"Shining Monarch"

I like the imagery this title produces. Although it refers to royal leader, many people are reminded of butterflies which are also a very important symbol in the Utena fandom. Interestingly enough, this fic is sometimes referred to as "Radioactive Butterfly" by various people.

"Words"

I love this title for its simplicity. I love words because they are so versatile. I love exploring the meaning between words, between languages and this fic allows me to do that.

"Tragic"

Another unfinished Utena fic/poem/thing. I like the title because while it's simple it expresses so much.

And for my final title, one that I absolutely hate, just to be different:

"Reversal"

While it is simple, it doesn't express much. It suits the beginning of the story very well, but that's it. The fic that follows the title isn't much better unfortunately. Do yourself a favor and don't read this one...or really feel inclined to because you're a rabit BSSM or H/M fan then you may want to have a sponge and some soap ready to clean your eyes out when you're done.

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