(no subject)

As we continue the endless mindnumbing battle that is the price of books in Canada in connection with the exchange rate, here's an article on the topic from the Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060627.wxrbooks27/BNStory/Business/

Highlights

- "Most publishers have already made pricing changes with new books, or reprints, that have been printed recently, reducing the difference between the U.S. and Canadian price to about 20 per cent. Book sellers say that markup is reasonable because of the higher costs of distributing books in Canada." Wait. WHA? I understand there's problems transporting books to rural areas, especially in the north, but we PRINT a lot of comics alone, never mind novels. The product is in the country already. ::grumbles::

- "Random House of Canada, for example, which distributes U.S. books in Canada, will give book stores an extra discount on its backlist U.S. books that are older than 12 months, allowing the retailer to reduce the selling cost to consumers" ... "Mr. McNally said the new policy means most Random House books on his stores' shelves -- about 10 per cent of his inventory -- will fall in price by about 20 per cent as of July 1. He'll put new stickers on each book to reflect the new price." How's this going to effect the profits the seller sees? It sounds like they're going to get burned if they lower the price and this one is up to the store.

-"Other publishers are making similar price-cutting moves. John Wiley & Sons Canada will move its Canadian pricing to a 20-per-cent premium over the U.S. dollar price on new U.S. books, reprints and the backlist, said Robert Harris, head of the company's trade division. Unlike Random House, Wiley will put price-change stickers on the backlist books in its warehouse, before they are shipped to stores." This sounds like a better idea.

The article also briefly discusses the effects of the higher doller on magazines.

DVD burner is going to have to wait until next month, for I am a cheap ass and I'm waiting for that GST Cut to go through. :P

Lunch break thoughts

So. Yeah. Royai.

I likes Roy/Riza. A lot of people in the Fullmetal Alchemist seem to. And heck, I love Riza as a character.

But, why does a lot of fandom degrade Riza to a quaint, submissive little Mary Sue that Roy controls at his whim?

It's kinda funny, because the end of fandom that hates Riza does so because they see her as perfect, flawless character. Uh. RIGHT.

Yes, she has this "I'm on a mission to protect someone" deal going on in her head. Most people assume that to be Roy, but I don't think that's been confirmed (unless I missed something in the flashback chapters). Personally, I want to know who and why she's doing this before passing judgement.

However, has anyone else noticed that the creator has been hinting that Riza has issues controlling her emotions? At times she seems to need anger managment class.

( Examples - Cut for spoilers )

The first two could be for humour's sake, but the last two seem more like the surface of a much more complex emotional problem. At the least, Riza is a bottler, hiding any emotions until they boil over. It should be noted that Riza haters use that last example on why Riza is a submissive character with no backbone that doesn't deserve to be that close to Roy. Then again, these are the same fans that call Winry a bitch, so my guess is the hate is because Winry and Riza keep Ed and Roy away from Mary Sues and each other.

On the other hand, I find this hinted at side of the character fascinating. While the anime played down Riza in general, in the manga it was very clear that her role on the battlefield was a sniper and it's hinted that she might be one of the top sharpshooters in the series, if not the best. Yes, a sniper with emotional outbursts. That's a LOT of room to explore with a character.

Oh. Yes. And this submissive deal, especially when suggested or flat out used in fic? In the case of Royai, didn't anyone else catch the "discipline" speech? ::coughs:: Yeah. In the case of non-con (which seems to float around a fair amount) I can't see her giving in so easy. The attacker would be full of holes and missing limbs if she had an outburst.