Rufus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
badass_tiger) wrote2015-10-16 10:38 am
badass_tiger) wrote2015-10-16 10:38 am
Entry tags:
Participant/Character Interviews
From the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
extreme_bigbang community. I'd feel dumb about reserving a spot because I don't think anyone would care about reading my answers, but they look like fun so I'll do them here.
Participant Questions
1. How did you first get into fandom?
Oh one of the first shows I actually got seriously into was the Monster Allergy cartoon (so obscure I have to link it haha). I was trying to see if I could find the episodes online to watch, when I came across fanfiction.net. I had a friend who was wise in the ways of fandom and when I told her about it, she introduced me to Livejournal, which is where the fandom action was back then. I believe my first actual fandom that I participated in was Danny Phantom though. There were quite a few Muslims in that fandom as I recall, which was strange, but hugely exciting.
2. 100,000 words: have you ever written that much before? In a year? For a single work?
Probably not. The Supernatural fandom, which I was in before my current main fandom, was rife with inspirations, the characters being many and varied and the sort who can be displaced into lots of different settings and plots, so I was almost always writing something for it while I was there. It's possible I did write that much in a year back then (the longest fic I ever wrote was for the Gabriel Big Bang, which came up to 30k), but I've never kept track.
Discworld is a harder fandom to write for and I don't think I've written 50k words for it altogether in three years, though not for lack of inspiration. But ever since the Idfic Big Bang (which I unfortunately had to drop out of ... I really loved doing that and I still feel guilty about having to leave), I've decided to lower my inhibitions and just write what I want, even if I only publish it to my Dreamwidth for fear of serious people on AO3 laughing at me. I'm not that good a writer anyway, so I may as well just post privately until I have teh skillz (and confidence).
3. What made you decide to sign up for the Extreme Big Bang?
A bit of a whim, haha. Signing up for challenges motivates me to write, and I've actually written all my longest works for challenges. Of course, it doesn't always work, but hopefully it will this one more time!
4. What would you like to share about the story/art you'll be writing/creating?
Well I'm still not 100% sure what I want to write yet. Either it'll be about Vetinari, or I'll write something original. If I'm writing about Vetinari, I have two ideas: either finally writing down in story form my lengthy life-long headcanon for him (look, it's been three years and I've only ever put down a little of it), or a lot of AUs about him and Drumknott (possibly in a similar style to my fic The Mirror). If I do an original piece, I'll probably put up a story I've only just started working on, about a girl who gets coerced into helping a snooty prince, which draws rather an unfortunate amount of inspiration from The Chronicles of Chrestomanci.
5. Do you have a favorite fic/art you've written/created? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
Generally speaking, whenever I publish something, I'll start hating it about three minutes later, so not really. Well, Solace is alright, and Three Dates is not so bad, but honestly.
6. How do you title your works?
Generally speaking, by pulling some words out of the air, or even out of the story, on occasion.
7. What's one thing you've learned while being in fandom?
Nothing brings girls together like gay porn.
8. Where do you see your fannish self in five years?
Probably still crying over Discworld, and possibly anymore Lemony Snicket books if they happen.
9. What's your favorite pudding/dessert?
Apple crumble.
10. Last movie you saw in theaters - what was it and would you recommend?
Man from UNCLE. Sure, it's pretty good. It wasn't magnificent story-telling by any means, but it's pretty enjoyable.
11. On a scale of Bob Ross to Boondock Saints, how much do you swear?
I actually have no idea what this means.
12. How much time do you spend writing/creating art in an average week?
My default state of being is trying to create, I can tell you that.
13. What's a recent epiphany you've had (fannish or otherwise)?
Oh my God I have an assignment due in two weeks.
14. Favorite one-off episode of any series.
Aaaahh this is hard. I'll go with Phineas and Ferb's Oh, There You Are Perry.
15. Do you have a plan for tackling your word count, or are you just winging it?
If I'm doing the AU thing, I think it'd be easier to split them up into a few things. I'm mostly winging it though.
16. If you were on a Desert Island, what would your book and your luxury item be?
Asking the real questions, eh? Maybe Pratchett's Going Postal, aaaand ... a solar powered fan?
17. Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write/create art? Has writing fanfic/creating art for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
I'm the sort of person who turns her nose up at fanon. I guess it's fine to prefer fanon over canon, but I find it very strange. It hasn't affected me personally, but writing fanfiction has given me insight to the minds of both people who ship it and who don't.
18. AUs: love them or hate them? Why?
Aww man AUs are great. It can be very interesting to place characters in different settings and see how they would turn out differently or react differently, but what's the most interesting is how they act the same, of course! I do think there's a line, and there's some AUs that aren't going to work with certain characters, but I'm honestly always up for a good AU.
19. What's a trope you'd like to see trending in fandom? In professional fiction?
Hmm ... how about more secretaries that aren't mere supporting characters or silly young women for bad men to have affairs with/innocent men to be seduced by?
20. Is there a fandom author/artist whose style you admire?
Hahahahahahahaha no
21. Where do your ideas come from?
When it comes to fanfiction, usually just my own head, since even normal everyday prompts are hard to squeeze my OTP into, let alone prompt blogs and whatnots.
When it comes to original stuff, usually reading something that makes me think, 'Wait, what's that other character's story?' or 'Okay, that side plot would make a pretty rocking story by itself'. I confess I'm quite bad at original stuff, which is why even my original stuff is usually just fanfiction too far removed from its canon to be justified as fanfiction.
22. Least favorite “main character” of a show
Can't say fairer than Nate Ford from Leverage. He's alright, but I really don't see what Sophie sees in him.
23. If you could shadow any character for a day, maybe pick their brain a little, who would it be and why?
Why, Vetinari, of course. Isn't he perfectly wonderful? Why wouldn't he be the one I choose?
24. Do you prefer writing/creating art for closed or open canons? Solo stories/art or series?
Doesn't really make a difference to me, though if by 'solo' you mean do I like collabs: theoretically, I would if the other person knew me very well and had a solid grasp of English. Unfortunately, it's hard enough to find people of the second kind, let alone the first.
25. What story/art has the most impact to you, so much that you remember it all the time?
V's art is pretty great when they put their mind to it, if that's what you mean.
Character Questions
1. What is your character's family like?
Oh, is this headcanon territory already? Well Vetinari has Madam and it would seem that he doesn't have any other family, whatever happened to them. If you ask me, I'm fine with his parents being dead. I liked that WMG about him having a brother but it didn't stick with me.
2. Irritating habits--bites fingernails, leaves shoes in the middle of the floor, turns the car engine off with the radio on the highest volume, clears throat all the time...
Vetinari? Never.
3. Eating habits--granola cruncher, junk-food junkie? adores waffles? vegetarian except for steak once a month?
He doesn't eat much, but one can surmise he likes cake from Making Money.
4. What is your character's perfect romantic date?
Aww. I think he just likes quiet nights in, or even a quiet coach ride out.
5. Does your character think redemption is possible? If so, can anyone be redeemed, or are there only certain circumstances that can be? If not, why does your character think nothing can redeem itself?
That's a question very appropriate to his character. I'd hazard that there are sins that can't be forgiven, but sometimes, people are useful, and Vetinari is very good with people.
6. What is the thing that has frightened your character most? Does your character think there is anything out there that's scarier than that? What Does your character think that would be?
Vetinari ... frightened ... He must feel at least a bit of apprehension whenever things go wonky in Ankh-Morpork, right? That is his whole world, right? But perhaps the worst might be when things went so wrong, he got knocked out and put in prison with little control of the situation at all. And things could have definitely been worse.
7. If your character were to gain an obscenely large sum of money (via an inheritance) what would your character do?
Presumably exactly what he's done with it in canon.
8. What does your character do when you are bored?
What, when I'm bored? Probably put me somewhere he can't see me until I cheer up.
9. What's the most beautiful thing your character has ever seen?
Awwww. Ankh-Morpork when he has it running as he wants it.
10. What time of day is your character's favourite?
Oh, I know this one! The time before a winter's dawn.
11. What is your character's favourite food? What is your character's least favourite food?
Hm, I don't know. Vetinari hasn't shown preference for certain kinds of foods in canon. One would imagine he is not overly fond of sweet foods, but he seems to like cake well enough.
12. What is your character's favourite drink?
Probably some seriously fancy-ass tea.
13. What is your character's fondest childhood memory?
Well I guess he wasn't that young during the time, but possibly Lady Margolotta?
14. What is your character's worst childhood memory?
Probably the whole Glorious Revolution thing. That would be awful for anyone.
15. Does your character have a tattoo? If so why did your character get it?
Oh no.
16. Ever risked something important or made a sacrifice for someone else? Would your character do it again?
I suppose that as an assassin, Vetinari has to take a lot of risks, but he'd never take a risk without thought. I don't know the extent he went to during the Glorious Revolution, but it was an event that impacted him greatly anyhow.
17. Does your character have any phobias or fears? Do your character know why?
If he did, he probably overcame them by sheer willpower.
18. Anything idiosyncratic or otherwise interesting? (E.g., plays the concertina and sings sea shanties in dives.)
He hates mimes, likes dogs, and makes silly puns in the middle of formal conversation.
19. Does your character have a nickname? What is it, and where did your character get it?
I doubt he'd put up with one, though he lets people call him by his first name.
20. Who was your character's best friend when they were growing up?
Poor thing, I doubt he had one. Perhaps he had a pet.
21. What is something your character had to learn that they hated?
Hm, I don't know. Maybe he did have to learn how much he loved Ankh-Morpork and how much he hated seeing it come to ruins in the hands of inadequate rulers.
22. Does your character tend to save or spend their money? Why?
He doesn't really use money for himself.
23. What hobbies does your character have?
He does the crossword and other newspaper games sometimes.
24. Who is your character's closest friend? Describe them and how your character relates to them.
Hmm ... Rufus Drumknott. He's a nice young man, rather prim and proper. He does seem like a middle-class person thrust into an upper-class environment and doing his best to act appropriately, which is quite well, but certainly Vetinari makes good use of Drumknott's experience as a layman. I don't know if I entirely know what makes him so dear to Vetinari, but he seems to have gone to pains to become comfortable around Vetinari and to know him, which must be rare, more still because he does it out of genuine affection for him rather than any ulterior motive.
25. Who is your character's worst enemy? Describe them and why your character doesn't get along with them.
Sam Vimes, clearly, though it is not so much that Vetinari does not get along with Vimes as Vimes doesn't get along with him.
extreme_bigbang community. I'd feel dumb about reserving a spot because I don't think anyone would care about reading my answers, but they look like fun so I'll do them here.Participant Questions
1. How did you first get into fandom?
Oh one of the first shows I actually got seriously into was the Monster Allergy cartoon (so obscure I have to link it haha). I was trying to see if I could find the episodes online to watch, when I came across fanfiction.net. I had a friend who was wise in the ways of fandom and when I told her about it, she introduced me to Livejournal, which is where the fandom action was back then. I believe my first actual fandom that I participated in was Danny Phantom though. There were quite a few Muslims in that fandom as I recall, which was strange, but hugely exciting.
2. 100,000 words: have you ever written that much before? In a year? For a single work?
Probably not. The Supernatural fandom, which I was in before my current main fandom, was rife with inspirations, the characters being many and varied and the sort who can be displaced into lots of different settings and plots, so I was almost always writing something for it while I was there. It's possible I did write that much in a year back then (the longest fic I ever wrote was for the Gabriel Big Bang, which came up to 30k), but I've never kept track.
Discworld is a harder fandom to write for and I don't think I've written 50k words for it altogether in three years, though not for lack of inspiration. But ever since the Idfic Big Bang (which I unfortunately had to drop out of ... I really loved doing that and I still feel guilty about having to leave), I've decided to lower my inhibitions and just write what I want, even if I only publish it to my Dreamwidth for fear of serious people on AO3 laughing at me. I'm not that good a writer anyway, so I may as well just post privately until I have teh skillz (and confidence).
3. What made you decide to sign up for the Extreme Big Bang?
A bit of a whim, haha. Signing up for challenges motivates me to write, and I've actually written all my longest works for challenges. Of course, it doesn't always work, but hopefully it will this one more time!
4. What would you like to share about the story/art you'll be writing/creating?
Well I'm still not 100% sure what I want to write yet. Either it'll be about Vetinari, or I'll write something original. If I'm writing about Vetinari, I have two ideas: either finally writing down in story form my lengthy life-long headcanon for him (look, it's been three years and I've only ever put down a little of it), or a lot of AUs about him and Drumknott (possibly in a similar style to my fic The Mirror). If I do an original piece, I'll probably put up a story I've only just started working on, about a girl who gets coerced into helping a snooty prince, which draws rather an unfortunate amount of inspiration from The Chronicles of Chrestomanci.
5. Do you have a favorite fic/art you've written/created? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
Generally speaking, whenever I publish something, I'll start hating it about three minutes later, so not really. Well, Solace is alright, and Three Dates is not so bad, but honestly.
6. How do you title your works?
Generally speaking, by pulling some words out of the air, or even out of the story, on occasion.
7. What's one thing you've learned while being in fandom?
Nothing brings girls together like gay porn.
8. Where do you see your fannish self in five years?
Probably still crying over Discworld, and possibly anymore Lemony Snicket books if they happen.
9. What's your favorite pudding/dessert?
Apple crumble.
10. Last movie you saw in theaters - what was it and would you recommend?
Man from UNCLE. Sure, it's pretty good. It wasn't magnificent story-telling by any means, but it's pretty enjoyable.
11. On a scale of Bob Ross to Boondock Saints, how much do you swear?
I actually have no idea what this means.
12. How much time do you spend writing/creating art in an average week?
My default state of being is trying to create, I can tell you that.
13. What's a recent epiphany you've had (fannish or otherwise)?
Oh my God I have an assignment due in two weeks.
14. Favorite one-off episode of any series.
Aaaahh this is hard. I'll go with Phineas and Ferb's Oh, There You Are Perry.
15. Do you have a plan for tackling your word count, or are you just winging it?
If I'm doing the AU thing, I think it'd be easier to split them up into a few things. I'm mostly winging it though.
16. If you were on a Desert Island, what would your book and your luxury item be?
Asking the real questions, eh? Maybe Pratchett's Going Postal, aaaand ... a solar powered fan?
17. Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write/create art? Has writing fanfic/creating art for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
I'm the sort of person who turns her nose up at fanon. I guess it's fine to prefer fanon over canon, but I find it very strange. It hasn't affected me personally, but writing fanfiction has given me insight to the minds of both people who ship it and who don't.
18. AUs: love them or hate them? Why?
Aww man AUs are great. It can be very interesting to place characters in different settings and see how they would turn out differently or react differently, but what's the most interesting is how they act the same, of course! I do think there's a line, and there's some AUs that aren't going to work with certain characters, but I'm honestly always up for a good AU.
19. What's a trope you'd like to see trending in fandom? In professional fiction?
Hmm ... how about more secretaries that aren't mere supporting characters or silly young women for bad men to have affairs with/innocent men to be seduced by?
20. Is there a fandom author/artist whose style you admire?
Hahahahahahahaha no
21. Where do your ideas come from?
When it comes to fanfiction, usually just my own head, since even normal everyday prompts are hard to squeeze my OTP into, let alone prompt blogs and whatnots.
When it comes to original stuff, usually reading something that makes me think, 'Wait, what's that other character's story?' or 'Okay, that side plot would make a pretty rocking story by itself'. I confess I'm quite bad at original stuff, which is why even my original stuff is usually just fanfiction too far removed from its canon to be justified as fanfiction.
22. Least favorite “main character” of a show
Can't say fairer than Nate Ford from Leverage. He's alright, but I really don't see what Sophie sees in him.
23. If you could shadow any character for a day, maybe pick their brain a little, who would it be and why?
Why, Vetinari, of course. Isn't he perfectly wonderful? Why wouldn't he be the one I choose?
24. Do you prefer writing/creating art for closed or open canons? Solo stories/art or series?
Doesn't really make a difference to me, though if by 'solo' you mean do I like collabs: theoretically, I would if the other person knew me very well and had a solid grasp of English. Unfortunately, it's hard enough to find people of the second kind, let alone the first.
25. What story/art has the most impact to you, so much that you remember it all the time?
V's art is pretty great when they put their mind to it, if that's what you mean.
Character Questions
1. What is your character's family like?
Oh, is this headcanon territory already? Well Vetinari has Madam and it would seem that he doesn't have any other family, whatever happened to them. If you ask me, I'm fine with his parents being dead. I liked that WMG about him having a brother but it didn't stick with me.
2. Irritating habits--bites fingernails, leaves shoes in the middle of the floor, turns the car engine off with the radio on the highest volume, clears throat all the time...
Vetinari? Never.
3. Eating habits--granola cruncher, junk-food junkie? adores waffles? vegetarian except for steak once a month?
He doesn't eat much, but one can surmise he likes cake from Making Money.
4. What is your character's perfect romantic date?
Aww. I think he just likes quiet nights in, or even a quiet coach ride out.
5. Does your character think redemption is possible? If so, can anyone be redeemed, or are there only certain circumstances that can be? If not, why does your character think nothing can redeem itself?
That's a question very appropriate to his character. I'd hazard that there are sins that can't be forgiven, but sometimes, people are useful, and Vetinari is very good with people.
6. What is the thing that has frightened your character most? Does your character think there is anything out there that's scarier than that? What Does your character think that would be?
Vetinari ... frightened ... He must feel at least a bit of apprehension whenever things go wonky in Ankh-Morpork, right? That is his whole world, right? But perhaps the worst might be when things went so wrong, he got knocked out and put in prison with little control of the situation at all. And things could have definitely been worse.
7. If your character were to gain an obscenely large sum of money (via an inheritance) what would your character do?
Presumably exactly what he's done with it in canon.
8. What does your character do when you are bored?
What, when I'm bored? Probably put me somewhere he can't see me until I cheer up.
9. What's the most beautiful thing your character has ever seen?
Awwww. Ankh-Morpork when he has it running as he wants it.
10. What time of day is your character's favourite?
Oh, I know this one! The time before a winter's dawn.
11. What is your character's favourite food? What is your character's least favourite food?
Hm, I don't know. Vetinari hasn't shown preference for certain kinds of foods in canon. One would imagine he is not overly fond of sweet foods, but he seems to like cake well enough.
12. What is your character's favourite drink?
Probably some seriously fancy-ass tea.
13. What is your character's fondest childhood memory?
Well I guess he wasn't that young during the time, but possibly Lady Margolotta?
14. What is your character's worst childhood memory?
Probably the whole Glorious Revolution thing. That would be awful for anyone.
15. Does your character have a tattoo? If so why did your character get it?
Oh no.
16. Ever risked something important or made a sacrifice for someone else? Would your character do it again?
I suppose that as an assassin, Vetinari has to take a lot of risks, but he'd never take a risk without thought. I don't know the extent he went to during the Glorious Revolution, but it was an event that impacted him greatly anyhow.
17. Does your character have any phobias or fears? Do your character know why?
If he did, he probably overcame them by sheer willpower.
18. Anything idiosyncratic or otherwise interesting? (E.g., plays the concertina and sings sea shanties in dives.)
He hates mimes, likes dogs, and makes silly puns in the middle of formal conversation.
19. Does your character have a nickname? What is it, and where did your character get it?
I doubt he'd put up with one, though he lets people call him by his first name.
20. Who was your character's best friend when they were growing up?
Poor thing, I doubt he had one. Perhaps he had a pet.
21. What is something your character had to learn that they hated?
Hm, I don't know. Maybe he did have to learn how much he loved Ankh-Morpork and how much he hated seeing it come to ruins in the hands of inadequate rulers.
22. Does your character tend to save or spend their money? Why?
He doesn't really use money for himself.
23. What hobbies does your character have?
He does the crossword and other newspaper games sometimes.
24. Who is your character's closest friend? Describe them and how your character relates to them.
Hmm ... Rufus Drumknott. He's a nice young man, rather prim and proper. He does seem like a middle-class person thrust into an upper-class environment and doing his best to act appropriately, which is quite well, but certainly Vetinari makes good use of Drumknott's experience as a layman. I don't know if I entirely know what makes him so dear to Vetinari, but he seems to have gone to pains to become comfortable around Vetinari and to know him, which must be rare, more still because he does it out of genuine affection for him rather than any ulterior motive.
25. Who is your character's worst enemy? Describe them and why your character doesn't get along with them.
Sam Vimes, clearly, though it is not so much that Vetinari does not get along with Vimes as Vimes doesn't get along with him.