The Fanfiction Interview Thread - Current Interview: Vehn

I have not answered all the questions below but I'll do the ones I missed later, when I got more time.

Oh, that's a good one but I don't think I have a good answer. I'm a bit of focus butterfly (you know: fluttering from flower to flower instead of staying at one) so I don’t have any favourites, just one or two that I really like right now or is focusing on. Right now I can’t say that I have any species that I’m focusing on.

Make the question a bit more focused (like favourite/s in one of the movie trilogies or book/comic series) and I might be able to give you an better answer.

Marvel (even if I find myself unintrested in more or less all that has been published the last decade or so with some exceptions - mostly AU:s and standalones); Disney's Duckburg-verse; Warhamer 40k; Age of Sigmar; Neotech Edge; The Lovecraftian mythos; My Little Pony; He-Man and the Masters of the Universe;

I have a bachelor in history but right now I'm studying to become an archivist (something that I hope lead to more job opportunities)

For the jokes sake would I say a pussyhat but I think a cat-sized version of Hux's hat would fit better

I'm a really big fan of the aesthetics of the TotJ-era, and like the optimism and “we can make this work feeling” of YJK-era

The YJK books was my first real exposure to SW and I when it comes down to it would I prorobly say that those are my favourit characters, no offence to fans of NJO and later works but I dislike what happened to them there

I'm a person that more often than not just get one or two scenes in his head more often than I get a full story, sometime I get a longer story idea but in those cases I usually only make the simplest plotting about what should happen and just see where the writing takes me, usually with me realising a bit in that I need to add something that explains what's going on or that the character the main characters are on the way to should not be at home because of how she thinks and earlier established events. I often find myself thinking of stuff that will happen later in the story instead of focusing on the parts that I need to write right now

At the same time I have a tendency to overthink my worldbuilding regarding what’s going on so (in my mind) characters act realistically for their environment and (when presenting in SW) and each planet gets some descriptions that make it unique. I probably spend more time around the worldbuilding of my fanfic works than actually writing the story, often to a point way beyond the original creators (I can give a good explanation to why, in MLP:FiM Applejack should be the local gentry and have not money problems, based on things established in the show and how historical society/government works).

 

If possible would I use one of the already established felinoids and expand on them in some way.

If not so would I have them quadruped, either similar to gorillas, or tchuukthai, or have them being centauriform as something that make them different.

Autom, before it becomes to dark. I like it when it's not to warm and before it becomes to dark.

It depends, sometime I want music sometime not. When I have music I prefer to have music that's just instrumental or is in a language that I don't know. I tried studding Russian for a while and while I was not able to learn anything but the letters and some simple words did I find out about lots of interesting Russian music, and then the tube of you have given me some new suggestions.

Here are some of the songs I have been using:

 

Okay let's try this again:
Favourite Legends non-human and why? or, if too broad, favourite non-human from pre-sequel trilogy?

Most interesting ancient SW non-human in your opinion and why (i.e, Gree, Kwa, Rakata, Esh-kha, Celestials, or something else)?

And followup questions:
Favourite depiction of MOTU (80s original, New adventures, 200x series, MVCreations, or DC comics (or something else I probably haven't heard about because I've been out of it for a while ) and why?

Do you have plans to someday write/publish a book about worldbuilding in fictional universes or something? I will buy it.

Have you looked into the Hellboy comic series? It has Lovecraftian written all over it (the movies on the other hand are meh..)

 

I really like the revwien. They are clearly un-humanoid, and not something that makes you go a "oh, a space [Earth plant/animal]", and you (or at least I) are not certain if they are plant, fungus, water-animal based, or some kind of combination jut by their looks. That they were used to demonstrate a non-Jedi Force tradition in the WEG RPG:s, where the Force tradition was notably not just the Jedi ways with new names and some other weapon instead of a lightsabre is also a +.

I would say the gree or the kwa.

The gree because they are so alien from our perspective (both in mind and body) and are a good example of a precursor that once was mighty but now are decaying and imploding, but still around. As they were originally presented (if I remember right) do we not even know how mighty they once were, for all we know could they have been only a bit more advanced than GFFA standard, or even below GFFA standard at their hight of their power (beside some of their super tech), instead of being more advanced on all planes compared to “now” GFFA – it would be a fun story idea if somebody tried to find some of their lost super tech and found out that while their tech was super compared to everybody else when the gree was big shots so is it now not that special.

When it comes to the kwa is it that I like their design and the whole "they diapered because they mutated/evolved into smart animals" thing (I have a fan theory that it was their stargate system that's behind it).

I have problems with the Rakata, and no real thought about the Esh-kha, or Celestials (even if I think some authors and fans overuse the "the Celestials was behind it " explanation, instead of things just being natural or using some other group).

The 80's comics - mostly because I got my hands on them. I have seen short parts of the 80's cartoon but not any full episode (probably should do it, I like the G1 MLP and to my understanding had many of the episodes good stories, even if the animations are so-so by todays standard).

I saw some episodes of the 0X series and liked what I saw but it was on a channel I did not have. I’m a bit so-so about some of the decisions they made (introducing a “King Greyskull” for example, the Skeletor is not an conqueror from another world) but that’s just small stuff.

The DC comic that I have seen is a bit to bloody and dark for how I want my He-Man.

No real thoughts about the other stuff.

I actually have been thinking of creating a blog about it

Yes. Own three ow the Library editions. I actually liked the Hellboy movies (beside some decisions), or at least the two first, have not been able to see the third one jet.

 

It's to quiet here, we need more questioners. Do @Chyntuck @Findswoman @Iron_lord @Juliet316 @anakincol @Anedon and/or @Ewok Poet have any questions for me?

 

When did you start writing fanfic?

 

@Gamiel

Have you written any 40k Fan fics or just star wars?

If you have is there any I could read in English?(as I do not understand Swedish)

 

I know I made up stuff for a long time but I'm not certain when I put pen to paper. Logging in to my old (so old and unused) fanfic.net account I see that my oldest published fic is from 2009.

I have written one 40k fic, that I have published (I have begun many fics but not got them to a level I find publishable), you can find it here (it's in English).

 

Thanks @Gamiel

 

I'd like to add a few questions, if that's acceptable.

You mentioned above that you are studying to be an archivist. What does that involve, and what job/career path would you like to achieve when your studies are complete?

We've seen dozens (if not hundreds) of non-human races introduced in the Star Wars universe over the years. What two would you like to see be given more development, and how should this be done? Are there any races you plan to develop in your own writing?

You said you were considering starting a podcast about world-building. Do you have any ideas for specific topics you would cover? (Also, if you do start such a podcast, would you please post an announcement here on the boards or PM me with details? I would be interested in a podcast on this subject.)

 

It involves learning how to sort and classify; studying the ethical discussions around archives and who/what gets preserved and who/what gets left out or have a tendency to be sorted out when archives need to be culled; learning what kind of materials that work best for archiving and what need to be removed (plastic, things with glue, metal things); how to treat non paper/book items that are part of archives; the historical and current discussion about how central archives should sort or not sort others archives that have been sent in; the problems with archiving electronic information; and such.

What I can be after finishing my studies is an archivist, for any kind of archive (theoretically), but I can probably use this education to become a librarian or work in a museum (if I’m lucky). As for now do I not have any special archive, or similar, that I'm hoping to work in.

I need more time to think about this, will return later.

More a blog than a podcast, even if I have played with the idea of a podcast also. I don’t know right now if there is anything special I would like to focus on.

If I ever did it would I likely mention it here on the social thread.

Should ad that this concept is something I think I have stolen from Ken Hite, whose exelent podcast - Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff - I recommend for all here, they talk about RPG:s, world building, storytelling, and how to write.

 

What was your first experience with Star Wars?
What do you think the Star Wars franchise (books, movies, television series) does well? What do you wish they would change, or what could be improved upon?

 

As one who is all for non-humanoid non-humans and think they should be given a bigger presence in SW do I feel a bit bad about answering duros and hergelic.

The reason is that both those species are established as being among the older space faring species, with both having their own interstellar regions when humanity (or at least the inter species group that humanity was part of) made contact with them. And the duros have been established as being among the most trailblazing in the GFFA when it comes to exploring space and ship building. With all that said so have neither of them really have any big presence in the lore outside of those mentions – I think there is one ship type that has the duros as its creator and less then five to the hergelic’s name; we have no stories where we have our main characters on a world or ship where the duros or hergelic are in majority; no cultural differences between planets/areas of space (beside the point below for the duros); etcetera.

(I know the nemoidians are duros/near-duros, but they are very different from what has been written about the duros (or at least what has been written about the TF is, what we saw in the movie could be fit to work with what had been established about the duros) and I think that you could do lots of different stuff while still keeping with the established things about the duros).

I think this could be done by writing up some of the core elements about them and what marks them out from humans (beside their looks) and build from there. Regarding the duros do I have this established fanon that “The Duros’ government is not a megacorporation but a cartel made up by many different corporations of different size and specialization but all have something to do with living or travelling in space” and that could be developed on with the each corporation having its own culture and ways of doing stuff but still being part of the greater whole – like how each of USA’s states has it own culture and such but is still part of the USA and think of themselves as such.

For the hergelic would I likely first establish some planets they have colonised (or spacestation they built) and then work out from how they have had to adopt to that environment and how that have effected them to get a base for their culture and then build from that.

I would say a translation of the old Gambler's World comic was my first experience, but that was not something I consciously know was Star Wars (it was published in an anthology comic together with other adventure stuff, some realistic other fantastic). My first conscious SW experience was probably the Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary* book, that I think I brought more because I recognised some of the SW stuff from background pop-culture and I'm a visual person and it had pretty pictures; or it was Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers* that I brought because of the really cool cover (the YJK books cover are still among some of the best SW covers).
* tanslated version

Will do this later.

With some thinking do I realise that I would say that the short movie Sagan om Karl Bertil Jonssons Julafton is my favorite holiday movie. Here is the intro:

 

People can ask more question if you want to.

 

What compromise have you made with the Star Wars canon and why? For example, the change of Boba Fett from Jaster Mereel (Moran 1996) to a clone (Lucas 2002) added to my displeasure with Lucas's direction for the franchise; but the [single-] character-as-clone storyline was accepted more than I had hoped by fandom—especially in the advent of The Clone Wars series—and Mereel was altogether retconned.

 

Lots. I think the main ones are ignoring most post-YJK stuff and much stuff developed regarding the Jedi. The first one because I really don’t like the way things developed for the Republic or for the YJK characters. The later because much established lore about the Jedi (at least when it comes to Legends, I have not been keeping up with the current canon stuff) try to fit in things that are only there because of video game mechanics, or was created by people that (to me) feels like they have no real idea about how religious orders work or what kind of training or teachings that go into the bringing up of a person with that kind of role that a Jedi has – I don’t have this problem with Luke’s teachings since he is starting from scrats and is using elements from different ages of Jedi knowledge.

Beside stuff I have fanon retconned (which is mostly WotC's Force traditions and some things established about some planets and species) do I mostly deal with it by just ignoring the things I don’t like, I don’t try to create an explanation why the established canon is true but not actually what it seems, or by having people in ‘verse pointing out the things I dislike as stupid and something that would never happen.

Something I have realised from rather early into my deeper following of Star Wars is that for a long time was there no intention of there being an all-consuming constant canon in which everything fits together (I mean before the Jaster Mereel backstory did the Marvel comics have a completly different backstory for Boba Fett), instead there was many different canons that sometime referred to each other sometime went against each other. And while I do think that some of the work by authors and info book creators to bind those things together are well done do I personally think that they should not have done it, since more often than not they create just as many, if not more, problems as they fix. Nor should that they have attempted to tie in TCW canon into it when it was rather obvious that Lucas did not care about established canon as anything more than something he could mine for ideas and completely ignored anything established outside of the movies and earlier TCW episodes whenever he wanted.

Right now would I say TV-series* and, based on the amount of comics being published, comics** - even if I miss the more whimsical stuff from the old comic strips.
* Admit not having seen any of the TV-series, basing this on hearsay
** Have only read some of them, and the latest I read was published 1-3 years ago.

Something they could improve upon is vidoe games since there are not that many coming out, nor in different genres.

I have not read any of the new books but I would say that if they want to expand on the IP should they make more of them, possibly in genres that we have not seen that much of like political thrillers.

Regarding the movies do I belong to the group that think that they shot themself in the foot with the new trilogy, the new actors are great and their characters at least interesting but they were disserved by the story and the worldbuilding in the movies. I think Rogue One was overall great (even if they should have given some of the MC's a possible way out for future stories insted of visibly killing them all off) but have not seen Han Solo (which I should, I have the DVD but I just have not put it in the player)

 

I've got one! And it's a big question, maybe too big:

If you got to do whatever you wanted with Luke Skywalker's "new Jedi order" in terms of the teachings / philosophy / practices / responsibilities / objectives / etc., what would the post-ROTJ Luke-wrought Jedi look like?

 

Apologies if this has already been asked, but, was there something specific that led to your interest in worldbuilding? Or has it always been something you're interested in?

 

Do you use flashbacks at all, and if so, what for--to give back story, give supplemental details for what's currently going on?

Do you like to switch POVs or do you tend to stick to a single POV?

Have you ever written from a teen and younger person's POV? If so, what were the challenges?

For alien OCs, is it hard to come up with outlooks and mindsets that are not "human?"

 

Oh dear, this is a hard one. I belong to the group that think that the PT ordo was not really doing it wrong seen from the society/-ies they existed in and what they were, they needed some reforms most likely but so do all groups that have existed for some times. At the same time don’t I see Luke creating a new order following the same model as the old one, among other things is there a great need for Jedis (if for nothing else that with both the old order and the Sith (and their Force using underlings) gone are the likely lots of mystical threats that are seeing their chance to return) so he can’t take the time the old order did. I think something similar to what we actually saw in the Legends could work, but probably started earlier, and with a bit longer selection of candidates regarding personality and political/philosophical thinkings so they are fitting for the Jedi missions as wuxia-lawmen-diplomats for/with the Republic (no offence to Kyle Katarn but what I have seen of him ain’t he really the diplomatic sort).

As I grow up with the JYK books do I think they should use the coverals we see the kids have in that book instead of the traditional samurai-ish garbs as a way to show a new begining.

I don't know but I think it comes from me reading lots of RPG material talking about world building at a relatively young age, where they talked about what you actual needed for societies to work and that not even cave dwelling orcs exist in a vacuum but needs food, water, fire and somewhere to put their manure.

Oh, I can't say I do. I have authors I recommend but not any one I can trully say is a favourite (ignoring Chris Claremont for X-Men )

No.

I don't think I have used flashbacks in any of my fics. Yet.

I switch POV:s. I was first exposed to the concept that you could switch POV and that different POV:s would give different information to the readers in a Modesty Blaise book and it blow my mind that you could do that.

Parts of mine (in badly need of an update) fic Watering the Jade Lotus are from teenagers POV, but those are not teenagers with semi-modern mindset but teenagers brought up on discipline, duty and honour. This makes it easier for me to write them I admit.

Yes. The problems are first of how alien their mindset are (if it is not already mentioned anywhere) and in which ways, and the then how to describe it. For an mindset that's human but stille a bit aline to most of us do I recommend the Leaphorn and Chee Navajo Tribal Police books by Tony Hillerman

 

What is your favorite comedic moment in the Star Wars canon, including Legends?

If you could change only one thing in the entire SW canon and Legends, what would it be?

 

So you said you enjoy MLP. What are your favourite episode, character and song? Also do you watch the MLP Analasysts?

 

Don't know; Meggan, and this one



For FiM would I say: don't know; Twilight or Applejack (even if I admit more liking them for their concepts than how they sometime are on the show); and the only song I really remember is from the second Equestria Girls movie:

No. What is that?

 

Its a community of youtubers "analysing" the series: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WebVideo/MLPAnalysis