FanFic Ask Me Anything ~*~ Version 3.0 Daily Questions (See list on pg 164 or 1)

Do you play video games at all? If so, what do you think about the idea of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor?

 

I like fan fiction to be well balanced. I do prefer reading stories with original characters in them than canon, unless the canon character hasn't had a lot of screen time in a series or film, etc. The reason for that is because sometimes I come across a character that I would like to know more about and I like to find out what happens to characters if their story isn't fully resolved in official material, which unfortunately seems to happen a lot. I do not like slash at all, not because I have anything against it, but because the majority of such material I've come across is quite extreme in nature and does the LGBT community a disservice. I don't like original characters that are in relationships with popular canons in general (I know I've kinda broken that rule with Hilda, but I started writing LOTR fan fic with fresh eyes, and have not developed the same prejudices I have for it in Star Wars.) The main reason is because usually most original characters that are written for this purpose aren't usually well thought out, are usually unrealistically beautiful, etc and are Mary-Sues. Within Star Wars fandom, I've also come across a lot of instances where people are discriminatory against people if they don't write OCs in relationships with canons and try to force everyone to like their stories, even if they aren't that good. Smaller online communities are really bad at it. I hate this whole One true pairing idea, especially when people think that everyone should have the same view point that they do. I just don't like ships! I would prefer it if people concentrated on other aspects of writing because I find that more interesting to read.

I don't play computer games much. I used to play Star Wars: Battlegrounds years ago but I'm not really that into them and never have been. I was interested in them for a short time as a teenager and in my early twenties but I,ve grown out of them mostly. I find them too expensive and, in regards to PC games, it's not always easy to find games that are compatible with your system and can at times be too complicated to play. I also do not agree with some of the negative culture which has grown up around games such as Grand Theft Auto.

 

Which is your favorite non-Jedi/Sith Force tradition?

Which non-Jedi/Sith Force tradition would you like to see more of? They can be the same

 

I think Force Adept is my favourite because they don't need to be allied with any particular group, and given the destruction of the Jedi Order during the close of the Clone Wars, they are probably the most likely Force-senstive class you are likely to come across, though I would like to learn more about the others as I've not heard of most of them.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Force-based_organizations

 

I would not count Force adept as a tradition since it is the RPG:s catchall term for everybody with Force ability and some training who has not gotten a tradition class of their own. It is actually a bit funny, or sad, that nightsisters more or less have their own class while anybody who want to play a normal Dathomir witch only have Force adept, or a Force adept combo archetype, to chose from.

With that out of the way: which one of those other Force traditions would you like to know about the most?

 

I don't know since I have only heard of the Witches of Dathomir and the White Current. It's difficult to answer the question when I've not come across the others before.

 

Did you ever travel outside the UK? Where would you like to go to?

 

I'm slipping LOL Favorite munchy or sweet treat? (On a side note, do you like Shepherd's pie?)

 

Never had the money to do it, unfortunately. I would like to go to Scandinavian countries, Canada, New Zealand or Australia. I would probably consider going to another European country. When I was younger, I would have liked to have visited Egypt, Mexico, Brazil, India or one of the African countries which have open Savannah grassland or even the Congo (the rainforest, I'm talking about.] But those countries are too unstable because of terrorism, civil war or crime. It's sad, but that is how the world is these days (and probably in the past as well.)

I have a Welsh collie which is a rescue dog and a pair of chinchillas. I used to have a cocker spaniel when I was growing up, and then after we lost her, a border collie. I've had gerbils, hamsters, birds, tropical fish, mice and fire-bellied toads.

I'm not really supposed to eat sweet things, and I do like Shepherd's pie.

 

Labour, Tory, LibDem or Conservative?

 

I need to write the death of a major OC before Friday, but I'm procrastinating because I've grown attached to that OC and I don't want to do it. But the long-term plot demands it, and when I wrote the outline last year I thought I'd have no problem with it. Now I'm struggling to get started on that chapter. Have you ever needed to kill off a major OC that you've worked with for over a year like this? If so, did you have difficulty with it, and how did you overcome that difficulty? If you haven't done so, how do you think you would respond if you needed to?

 

What kind of mythological creature would you like to see in SW?

 

Apologies that the last few answers have been a bit sparse. I've had some problems with a few people on the twitter rp (happens, occasionally, but this week has been one of the worst.)

I don't really know any, apart from occasionally looking things up. I was never any good at languages at school - we did French and Spanish. Spanish I was hopeless at. I was a bit better at French (but never fluent in it.) Because I've not used it for a long time now, I've forgotten almost everything I was taught in it as well!

I do know a lot of latin, but that is related to terms used in science, particularity when it comes to anatomy and taxonomy, but I don't think that really counts,

Earlier this year, I had the notion of trying to translate The Wanderer, which is an Anglo-Saxon poem and one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I've ever come across. I wish people would pay more attention to that sort of literature if they are going to study English Literature instead of focusing on more popular and well known works like Jane Austin and Milton because the language is so beautiful. I would like the Wanderer and similar poems from that time to be put to music because I think it would make them more well known and appreciated more. I do not know if people know this (some may have worked it out, others may not have), I am pagan and I am interested in Nordic Mythology and Celtic, to some extent and it would be nice if some of these old poems were put to music so that we had a collection which more organized religions do. I'm not, however, part of any particular group because there is too much political infighting in certain organizations and between them and I do not the relevance of involving myself in it when there is so much prejudice anyway - we shouldn't be doing it between ourselves as well! However, if I was to join a group, it would have to be the OBOD because they are more flexible (even if most of the stuff is geared towards the Celtic side of things.) I do wish I knew more about certain languages though - Old Norse, Modern Scandinavian languages, German, Finnish, Welsh and Gaelic interest me most. I do wish that I was able to read novels in other languages - there is a fantasy series about dwarves which was written in German, which I have translated, but I think that the German would be better, as some of the English translation is strange in places (and perhaps, too simple in construction.)

 

One of Tolkien's legacies are that the races he had in LotR are now a-day the stable races of fantasy. The hobbits were the only race that had were not based on something from mythology or older stories. I was wondering which one of all the different interpretation of hobbits, or rather halflings as they are usually called because of copyright, is your favourites and which one do you leastlike?

Also you said that you had always been fascinated by the native americans so I would like to recommend a book if you have not read it: American Encounters: Natives and Newcomers from European Contact to Indian Removal, 1500-1850?

 

I've enjoyed answering these questions because it has given me a much needed distraction from other things. I've got to call it a day, though, as I am planning on doing NaNo and it will be starting soon.

I've not come across that book and thanks for the recommendation, My partner is currently doing some research into a Sioux pilot in the US Airforce during World War II. I think the book will come in useful in understanding some of his background. It is a subject which needs to be handled sensitively because of the history.

To be honest, I think copyright needs to be lightened up. I think it's sometimes abused too much when a company wants to make money and sue people. Have you heard of Homo floresiensis? It has been given the nick name of hobbit and academics wanting to lecture on it have a hard time doing it because of the copyright issue, which is silly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis

I have heard of them used in DnD, and the Pathfinder RPGs because I've played the games. Mary Gentle uses them in her Grunts! book, which I find amusing and it's one of my favourite portrayals of orcs and there is a halfling lady who is the lover of their leader. I have read Dennis Mckeirnan's work and although I liked some of his work, there is one story he did in particular which I don't think should have been published but that was because of the quality of the writing in it. It put me off reading his other books in that series, but I do like his Once Upon a .... series of books as they are quite nice. I don't think I have a preference for the portrayal of halflings.

There are way too many to choose from, so I leave it up to the creativity of the writer to decide.

I prefer writing when I'm in bed because our flat is so small it's the only place where I can spread things out and be comfortable. The flat we currently live in is way too small for our needs, but at it has the advantage of not being in the middle of a city with all the problems which come with it.

I usually only kill off minor characters or those which aren't important to the story, but whose death will have a major impact on one of the main characters. If I plan on killing off a major character, it is usually something that I've planned from the start and I write it first. I then go back to when they were alive to then tell their story. It is probably a bit of a cheats way of doing it. I am dreading doing the Battle of the Five Armies stuff because I've developed too much attachment to those dwarves now... Thanks, Peter Jackson...

Conservative and Tory are the same... Politically I support Labour because I am a socialist, but they have let down people a lot in recent years. They aren't the party that they used to be, at least not when you compare them to what they were like in the 1980's. I would be more of a Green Party person, if they were more prominent and had their policies up to date. They still consider Nuclear Power a major issue when there are other things which need sorting. UK politics is either stuck in the past too much, or seemingly corrupt, in my opinion, with socialism being misused to allow certain types of criminals to get away with serious crimes. (If you want to know what I mean by that, research the child abuse scandal which has recently been uncovered in Rotherham.) I really don't know which party I support these days because I have lost trust in all of them.

 

Fanon you have about something in SW?

I have to say that I am surprised that you did not mention Warhammer (or WH40k) since you mentioned the game earlier and they do have halflings. I admit that I quite like WH40k's ratlings myself

 

I've not done anything with Warhammer for a number of years now. The hobby is too expensive and I don't have room for the miniatures anymore.

As for fanon, I did spend a great deal of time developing Shistavanens in my writing. I sometimes wonder if a lot of the things you come across concerning them was something I initially started, but I can never be sure as no one has ever told me. There are some original planets that I've created too. But it has been quite a while since I delved into the Star Wars material and haven't done so since before uni.

 

Sadly, not. I did try at one point to learn music, but I think I needed more resources at home to make it work which my mother could never have afforded.

 

What non-Star Wars species would you like to se implanted into Star Wars?

I can fully understand that, personally I have only been reading the fluff and not actually played the game.

 

Have you ever stayed up all night for no reason other than you were simply too wide awake to go to bed? I did just that last night.

 

I love this interview! Your answers are very detailed and interesting.

Can you tell us what you're planning to write about for NaNo, or is it too much of a spoiler question?