The Fanfiction Interview Thread - Current Interview: Vehn

What are your regular writing tools (what kind of paper, pen, and/ or word processor)?

 

My notebook for quick notes of ideas that pop up throughout the day is Google Keep, which is synced across my phone, tablet, and laptop.

Actual writing is done in Google Docs, so I can write on whatever device I have handy. It's also easily sharable for beta-reading and has a great system for commentary.

 

SW species/culture/planet with best fashion?
I’ve been pondering this all day and there isn’t a particular group that stands out as “best” as a whole. There’s individual people who have great fashion, but I have a hard time choosing a specific entire group.

What real world culture/sub-culture's (alive or dead) fashion that you think would fit the Ryn?
In the scene where Ryn were first introduced they were described as wearing very colorful, often clashing colors and the women wore lots of jewelry, including nose-rings. I originally pictured something like the clothing you see in pictures of modern traditional Romani (http://tzigania.com/Store.Gallery.html). But in thinking about it, I could totally see that description of Ryn women could be interpreted as more Indian: https://palkhifashion.com/collections/chaniya-choli/ especially with its description of the jewelry: http://www.tajfashion.com/images/main/indian-jewlery-austin.jpg

Who is best dressed in PT?
As always, Queen Amidala and her handmaidens. I especially like the ombre colors in her lake dress from AotC and the orange handmaiden dresses. As for guys, Senator Organa has some really sharp looks.

Who is best dressed in OT?
Leia in Cloud City, and Han's standard ensemble is a favorite.

Who is best dressed in ST?
Rey's outfit in Rise of Skywalker was awesome. I loved how it was a combination of her outfit in TFA and a Jedi-esque tunic. The very best look, though, was Holdo. I love her “I don’t care what a brilliant general is supposed to look like” attitude.

Who is best dressed in the EU?
I always loved Corran Horn’s green Jedi ensemble:
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/a/a3/CorranHorn-NEGTC2.jpg

 

What now Legend non-jedi, non-sith Force tradition would you like to see in the new EU and why?

What, now Legend, non-humans species that have never gotten any real description would you like to know more about?

Which one/s of the new non-human races we have seen in ST and the NEU would you like to know more about?

Which background characters in ST deserve to get their story told?

 

What now Legend non-jedi, non-sith Force tradition would you like to see in the new EU and why?

What, now Legend, non-humans species that have never gotten any real description would you like to know more about?

It's been a while since I read Legends stuff, I tried to find some time this week to review stuff and answer these, but I didn't find anything that really stood out, sorry.


Which one/s of the new non-human races we have seen in ST and the NEU would you like to know more about?

In the novel Dark Disciple (Christie Golden's novelization of some unproduced Clone Wars scripts), there is a character who is a Mahran
(https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mahran), they're a blue-furred vulpine race. I'd like to see more about them. The Separatists nearly eradicated their species, though, so maybe in the new High Republic Era?

Which background characters in ST deserve to get their story told?

Maz, I need more stories about Maz Kanata. I don't need to know everything, they can leave her origins a mystery. But she's 1000 years old, and must have sooo many adventures.

 

The show I've most recently watched and loved was Picard, it's been fun to see Sir Patrick playing the character again. Seeing all the guest stars, getting to see where all these characters are 20 years down the road. I adore Elnor, the Romulan martial artist and his Way of Absolute Candor. I want to play an RPG character based on that concept, it would be awesome.

 

favourite parings in SW?

favourite parings in non-SW fandoms?

favourite crack parings? In any fandoms.

any parings (canon or fanon) that have great chemistry but should not get together? In any fandom.

 

favourite parings in SW?

I'm a fan of Finn/Poe, I'm kind of sad it didn't actually appear on screen. I'm kinda with Oscar Isaac, it was a great opportunity to bring a little more representation into SW film canon, and they chickened out.

(Sorry, totally forgot about this set of questions over the busy weekend. Working on the other three.)

 

Ok, here's the rest:

favourite parings in non-SW fandoms?

I'm mostly a fan of canon pairings, so favorite couples to watch/read:
Spock/Uhura in the Kelvin Star Trek timeline (new movies). Geralt/Yennifer in The Witcher (). Mal/Inara from Firefly.


favourite crack parings? In any fandoms.

Not really something I've spent a lot of time on.

However... (90's Anime fandom stuff follows, apologies if you have no idea what I'm talking about):

Once upon a time in my early forays into fanfic, I got a challenge to write a fantasy crossover between Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing.

So I started a story where the evil wizard Zechs kidnaps 5 princesses/ducal daughters from the Kingdom of the Moon. The 5 Gundam guys are heroes sent to rescue the princesses from the 5 dragons who were holding them captive.

Ami (Mercury), ended up befriending the dragon guarding her and when Quatre showed up, he was super relieved to not have to kill anything.

By the time Wufei arrived, Makoto (Jupiter) had slain her dragon herself. The pair spend the trip back home yelling at each other over gender roles and stereotypes.

Heero quickly dispatches his dragon, Minako (Venus) crushes on him hard the whole way back, he's too focused on "completing his mission" to care and blows her off.

I never completely developed Trowa & Rei (Mars).

However...

Duo spends the trip out thinking he's about to rescue the beautiful Queen's very hot teenage daughter. Fantasising about how she will undoubtedly be so super greatful and fall all over him. He defeats the dragon and discovers it's actually Chibi-usa, the princess' kid sister, a little brat who drives him insane the entire way back.

Anyway...


any parings (canon or fanon) that have great chemistry but should not get together? In any fandom.

I dunno, maybe some supervillain pairings? I'm sure there's a few that would get along beautifully, but would be such bad news for the world.

Or, something like Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony and any of the Warner kids from Animaniacs, I'm sure they would have an absolute blast, but the multiverse might come crumbling down around them.

 

We know that many of SW's non-humans can be described as a humanised version of an Earth animal (cats are really overrepresented) and I was wondering what Earth animal/s would you like to see being turned into SW's non-humans? And why?

 

Favourite non-human species and why?

Favourite SW culture and why?

What fictional culture would you like to see used as an inspiration in SW and how?

What real life culture would you like to see used as an inspiration in SW and how?

If you could change something in SW, what would it be?

What SF technology that have not appeared in SW would you like to see appear?

What kind of food pie do you prefer? Meat, chicken, cheese, ham & broccoli or something else?

 

Thank you for the kind introduction and this chance to connect with the community.

@devilinthedetails asks:
1. What is your favorite genre to write and why?
Folklore and Gothic fiction, which I see as sharing a low border wall of round stones pearled in sweet wet moss. Most are written as Short or Short-short fiction that eschews while delving. I like Natural Man placed in a world that he must to escape by relying what talents and skills he has to obtain key knowledge. When this world is the real world (upbraids himself slightly for signaling air quotes), it makes the story all the more compelling.

Once upon a time by A. A. Milne ranks at the very top of the fairy tale list. Algernon Blackwood's The Wendigo tops the gothic [horror] list.

I also dig tragic romances. My avatar icon is Orpheus and Eurydice.

2. Do you have any techniques for overcoming writer's block, and if so what are they?
Trail running has led to breakthroughs. Recently, I was dragging on about how to wrap up my Metellos series while sprinting a fast section of single track. Inspiration happened just like that (snaps his fingers) and I knew that I was… well, on the right path. It must've been wedged in the lethargy of my back brain.

I also type my first drafts as bullet lists. "This is where I am, and this is my goal. Down here is my destination point. I want to include this and this…" I then start scripting the points out, paring down the list as I move along. Many more bullet points are scrapped than kept, which—I think—makes for a more cohesive story. Bullets break blocks. Oddly esoterically yells 'Michael!' after this.

Reading is my real secret to block busting. I go and pick up the stuff that I enjoy and pause at points that I really like. Here—is it the attention the author pays to a setting? Or is it a thing that the protagonist is currently experiencing? Sometimes a new direction starts with this reflection.

If nothing else, I employ Ray Bradbury's technique of just writing words on a page. By hand in all caps.

3. Do you have any favorite pizza toppings, and if so what are they?
Sun-dried tomatoes.

4. What was the last book you read and did you enjoy it?
Setting aside the tech books I read for work, I read short stories. The most recent was The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins. It was enjoyable, but I don't know if it's all that memorable.

@Gamiel asks:
Favourite non-human species and why?
Calot. Fierce and fiercely devoted. Haz teeth. Lots and lots of teeth.

Favourite SW culture and why?
The Galactic Empire because they're the underdog. You see—leans forwards in his chair, emphasizing his points with a finger jabbing his palm—there is always an Imp who can't blast an escape pod or some foolhardy smuggler or [item:____]. Or there's a weapon or cool person who somehow locates and destroys some uber-supercritical piece of hardware. Or a fleet of ragtag ships confronts a seasoned and professional military and magically sows disarray into the ranks.

And Ewoks! Gosh. Even as a kid I could smell their foul stench.

It just doesn't make for a sellable story (laughs). By no means am I cheering on the Bad Guy. I will never revel in genocide. But the Galactic Empire is this shallow Hollywood creation that we are meant to accept. I can't reconcile that which I believe the Galactic Empire should be in order to be the galaxy-saturating entity that it is portrayed as being. Sinking a Super Star Destroyer with a single A-wing? Come on!

What fictional culture would you like to see used as an inspiration in SW and how?
Perhaps the Yautja could show Trandoshans a thing or three (unintentionally makes Predator Vision noises… poorly). From the bits and pieces that I've seen or read over the years, the Yautja might be as misunderstood and some of those items could be folded in if they haven't been already. #QyzenFess

What real life culture would you like to see used as an inspiration in SW and how?
There's one so near to my heart that I will hold back on it. Somehow, I don't think it would be appropriate or respectful to them.

Chuckles. You know, Luke Skywalker tossing his lightsaber over his shoulder was very indicative of the Gen X culture. But, whatever.

If you could change something in SW, what would it be?
Simple. The reliance on deus ex machina. It could reach a tipping point much like that as was seen in [Star Wars VII] if a new crop doesn't rise up and inject new creativity. Otherwise, all the professional stories will suffer in the collapse. It reminds me of what R. A. Salvatore said of his character Drizzt growing too powerful.

But hey—I liked Solo. Except for the end. Kira Nerys—I mean, Qi'ra—had to have something strong enough to pull her away from Han, didn't she? Couldn't have just been her decision solemente.

What SF technology that have not appeared in SW would you like to see appear?
Pulls on his chin—Is hyperspace a form of teleportation? The introduction of radical, non-SW Sci-Fi tech would skew the SW landscape unless it was the natural evolution in some culture. This is perhaps why I ducked out shortly after Chewbacca's death.

What kind of food pie do you prefer? Meat, chicken, cheese, ham & broccoli or something else?
I'm plant-based these days and don't go in much for pies. But I recall a pasty in Bury St. Edmunds that ranks as the best baked pastry. Flaky, buttery, with seasoned, savory ground beef inside. Mmm! They're tasty and expeditious.

Many thanks! It was fun answering your questions. I hope to see more!

 

What now Legend non-jedi, non-sith Force tradition would you like to see in the new EU and why?

What, now Legend, non-humans species that have never gotten any real description would you like to know more about?

Which one/s of the new non-human races we have seen in ST and the NEU would you like to know more about?

Which background characters in ST deserve to get their story told?

 

@Gamiel asks:
What now Legend non-jedi, non-sith Force tradition would you like to see in the new EU and why?
Bess Heiger's Jedi master was a Florn lamproid who I created in tribute to Judith and Garfield Reeves-Steven's fascinating character Dice Ibegon. Ibegon possesses an ability that she attributes to the Force. I would like to explore her time shifting as a sensitivity to nonlinear systems which grants all lamproids a measure of truthful—or non-probabilistic—prescience.

To that extent, much like Dice Ibegon does with Lak Sivrak, Master Sabio Melioken submerses Bess Heiger in the Force through a blood bond (called blood knowledge by Wonofor the droid). Melioken knew his physical death would come with the destruction of Despayre so he controversially mutated his padawan a short time before that took place.

What, now Legend, non-humans species that have never gotten any real description would you like to know more about?
The introduction and development of Bomo Greenbark made Nosaurians interesting. Although... there might be a tendency to associate their behaviors with Tolkien's dwarves, and I'd hate to see Nosaurians slotted into that type of companionship role. Bring on the Hoojibs.

Which one/s of the new non-human races we have seen in ST and the NEU would you like to know more about?
I cannot recall new non-human/ or non-humanoids from the ST besides the vexis that I care to know more about. To be fair, I've only seen these movies once apiece and I'm not well versed on NEU. @Findswoman has done some great stuff with the Lasat, but they would be cannon and not NEU, I believe.

Which background characters in ST deserve to get their story told?
Any of the Knights of Ren. That whole—thing—from the ST movies, seemed like: "Whoops! We forgot that we started this thread. Anyone have any ideas? Nah—just kill the lot of 'em."

 

favourite parings in SW?

favourite parings in non-SW fandoms?

favourite crack parings? In any fandoms.

any parings (canon or fanon) that have great chemistry but should not get together? In any fandom.

 

@Gamiel asked:
favourite parings in SW?
+ Obi-Wan and Satine. See Orpheus and Eurydice.

favourite parings in non-SW fandoms?
+ Aeryn Sun and John Crichton
+ Derfel and Ceinwyn
+ Stormy and Odd (no relation)
+ Nagasumi Michishio and Sun Seto

Chuckles—I make this squeaky noise when I give a thumbs up because of this show.​

Hat tip to @TheRynJedi for Animaniacs. It reminded me of the episode where all the pairs and groups were mixed up. Classic! That, and Polka Dot?.

favourite crack parings? In any fandoms.
If the Food Network's Chopped has a fandom, then Alex Guarnaschelli and Geoffrey Zakarian.

any parings (canon or fanon) that have great chemistry but should not get together? In any fandom.
Captain Archer and T'Pol. They were a much stronger partnership as crewmates than they would have been as lovers.

 

If you could only watch one TV show, one movie, and one book for the rest of your life, what would they be and why?

Do you participate in other fandoms? If so, what are they?

 

@mavjade asked:
If you could only watch one TV show, one movie, and one book for the rest of your life, what would they be and why?
I usually give hypothetical questions a sideways slip with the grace to make Gene Kelly look like a clogger rapping down Rocky Top. Hypos are the disposable camera in your face the minute you shovel in that final piece of frosted birthday cake, aren't they? But today is dollar coupon day! Let's rock.

For a TV show, I'd pick Long Way Round. Besides for Ewan McGregor saying "the rrroad of bOnes" a zillion times, it's an epic journey across Asia that inspires me to have a friendship as solid as that of Charley and Ewan. Plus, there are motorcycles.

(Oddly taps his fingertips together for a minute as he stares out at the duck pond. After a few quiet minutes, his gaze sharpens and his brain revs up again like a speeder running on pure Corellian 'shine.)

The Princess Bride tops my movie list. Wait.... Billy Wilder… Billy Wilder—too many there. Mall Rats? A Christmas Story? Tron? The Thin Man? (ohhh-Myrna) Maybe I'll default to The Princess Bride after all. Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line. Ha-ha-ha-ha-* thump.

Books. The Bible. Not for thumping, but for flipping. All those footnotes and cross references make for endless study. Also, it's relationship-building. Maybe our relationships are what defines us all. That works well enough for quantum mechanics.

Do you participate in other fandoms? If so, what are they?
No. I was active in the City of Heroes MMORPG (makes a sound like 'mmm-Orp-ahgig') and all that jazz; but I haven't participated in any others since CoH gave up the ghost. I'd be interested in a John Carter/ Barsoom fandom if one exists that's as strong as [the Force.Net]. I do love Old Mars and Old Venus stories and planetary fiction. That reminds me… Arabelle, David Levine (scribbles some notes on a Post-It). Is there anything as freeing as a library card‽

Thank you, @mavjade! This was fun!

 

We know that many of SW's non-humans can be described as a humanised version of an Earth animal (cats are really overrepresented) and I was wondering what Earth animal/s would you like to see being turned into SW's non-humans? And why?

 

@Gamiel asked:
We know that many of SW's non-humans can be described as a humanised version of an Earth animal (cats are really overrepresented) and I was wondering what Earth animal/s would you like to see being turned into SW's non-humans? And why?
Let's give Keichousaurus a spin. They lived a really long time ago when the Earth was very much alien to us, would be fairly unique to Star Wars, and Sauropterygia is one of those names that stuck when I was studying cladistic biogeography.

I could see K. starwarsi being a peaceful, but energetic species, of a planet similar to Bestine IV. Given their morphology, I doubt they'd be spacefaring.

 

@Oddly_Salacious Since no one has asked yet, how'd you come up with your username?

Do you find original or established characters easier to write and why?

Do you find dialogue or action or introspection easy to write?

When writing, do you need music in the background or complete quiet?

Favorite era of SW and why?

Favorite sweet snack?

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha asked:
Since no one has asked yet, how'd you come up with your username?
I like swivel chairs: it helps to jog the brain. Swish-swish-swish!

So, it’s coming up on twenty-five years since I was given my name. More correctly, it was once said of something I said or wrote. Someone reacted with: “That’s oddly salacious.” Yep, that’s me.

Do you find original or established characters easier to write and why?
Original. I don’t think I’ve written for an established character in my modern writing era. Wonofor probably comes the closest to an established character—HK-47. I looked through the source files in KOTOR to match his speech patterns to HK’s. If Wyojedi is still around in some form, I think I stole that idea from him.

Revan in Interlude was my favorite KOTOR playable version. As she follows a game template, how do you score that? (Swivels to the left) Established: My actions with Revan tend to follow the Light-side, but I can’t stand the Jedi or their choices. (Swivels right) So original? I try to kill the minimum number of folks possible and rely on stealth.

Most of my characters come alive in my mind. Ush, Bess, Edwin Chorus, that twerp Basmere, Cami’rytha… Cami has one of the largest backgrounds (his brother is killed in A Rough Cut which is not in the MB series). I don’t think Cami will get much airtime now because I’m wrapping up the Metellos series (of which MB is a part of). I loved his introduction in The Last Deep Breath. —If you knew him like I do…

Do you find dialogue or action or introspection easy to write?
My narration mode of choice is Third-Person Objective—or would be—so I tend to focus more on action or dialogue. But when I restarted my Star Wars fan fiction a little over a year ago, I decided to embed each story with a unique challenge. An introspective piece may happen.

My first story back, An Interlude for Revan, was written without a word of spoken dialogue—there is some telepathic or empathic exchanges—but I wanted to show the bond between Revan and Utinni. Talay was more dialogue driven. Shmi’s Prayer was the most difficult as I had to smash the Anglo-Saxon poetic style into my cranium to complete it (h/t @Findswoman for that challenge). Let’s see—Conventions explored diegesis. —Some of this info can be found in my index, so I’ll stop here.

When writing, do you need music in the background or complete quiet?
I prefer the quiet of early Saturday mornings to work on the narrative drafts. Each scene, character, or other aspects of the story are based around songs though. Flight to Safety was imagined to Five Millennia Later by Eric Serra. I choreographed Bess’s fight with Wonofor to Ballygunge by the Bombay Royale. Somewhere in my notes, I have the more dramatic theme songs for Helena and The Rough Cut. Listening to music is interwoven with my writing.

Favorite era of SW and why?
Inter-Sith Wars period: I find a new-newness in the galaxy here. For starters, the Hydian Way has been recently plotted. But mostly, I want to return to 2194 BBY and reunite with my character, Ush Mei-mei, who waits for me there patiently. Crossing the River of Time exacts its toll.

Favorite sweet snack?
Simple Truth™ Plant-based chocolate cookies!

Thanks for the questions, WarmNyota_SweetAyesha! I think it’s important for all writers to talk about their efforts every now and then.

 

Hi!

If you don't mind, I have a couple questions!

First: Swivel chairs are the best chairs, yeah?

Second: You mentioned listening to music while writing and basing components of your fics around songs. Do you have any favorite music? And do you have any favorite music for writing specifically?