Interview: mashimero
Name: mashimero
Team: Peace!
Let's talk about: mashimero!
1. How long have you been writing fan fiction and/or making fan art and/or whatever else (vids, knitted goods, pornographic gingerbread cookies)?
I've been drawing and making fanworks forever, ever since I was a kid and played my first Zelda game. Thankfully I never put any of those online. About three years ago I started making LJ icons, and that's what really started me on Photoshop and making bigger art pieces.
2. Have you participated or are you participating in any other fandoms?
I think my first fandom was Gundam Wing. Then I moved on to video game fandoms - Vagrant Story, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear - and somehow made the jump to Supernatural, SGA, and now, Doctor Who and Torchwood. I'm very mono-fannish though, so right now I'm only lurking in other fandoms.
3. What fanwork are you most proud of? Or, what is your favourite of your fanworks? (links, please!)
It changes a lot. Right now it's probably my John in Starfleet uniform manip. I also have a soft spot for any fic covers or illustrations I do. It's a lot of fun for me to try and capture the theme and mood of a fic visually, and really satisfying if I can pull it off.
4. As far as creative processes go, what type of writer/artist are you? Do you create an outline/find photo references/make maps, etc., or do you jump in and go with the flow?
A little of everything. With manips and composite art I like to fiddle with things and see what works and what doesn't. For drawings I try to work off a rough sketch and references, but things will usually change as I go along. I like it best when I can sit down and work on a piece start-to finish, although that rarely happens.
5. Where can interested readers/viewers find more of your work? (homepage, LJ fic index, etc.)
Kind of disorganized right now - finished works at mish_mashi, WIPs and rough sketches on my personal LJ, and I'm planning to make my Dreamwidth a complete collection of all my artwork. (PS can anyone tell me how to link directly to a DW account on LJ? I've been wondering about that)
6. Do you write original fiction (poetry, screenplays)? Do you create original art (comics, photographs, quilts, wedding cakes)? Care to share?
Not really. I do a lot of crafty things, but I work a little bit of fandom into most of it :)
7. How are you so awesome?
It really is osmosis. And possibly all that sugar I eat.
Let's talk about: SGA!
8. What do you enjoy most about SGA and/or SGA fandom?
Like others have said before, it's the potential that the show has, and the fandom's ability to take it and make it like a thousand times better. You know when you sometimes go back and re-read a fic you bookmarked a year ago, and then you find it's nowhere near as good as you remember it being? That doesn't happen with SGA fandom!
9. Why do you ship McKay/Sheppard? What draws you to the pairing, what do you like and dislike? Favourite scenes or episodes? Quotes? Screencaps? What other SGA pairings do you ship?
I don't think I can express this properly, but I'll give it a shot. More than anything, I think it's their friendship that really draws me in. John and Rodney get each other in a way that no one else does, and that's something really special. When they're together they don't have to pretend, they can be the dorky, twelve-year-old boys that they really are :)
I also like the occasional OT4, and kind of have a thing for fluffy Elizabeth/Radek and Ronon/Amelia.
10. Why did you choose to join Team Peace?
I like all kinds of McShep scenarios but the ones I love most are the little everyday moments between them.
11. C'mon, you know you wanna! Just a bit of squee about your Match fic? [good example: 'very proud of my second scene' / bad example: 'When Rodney kisses John after they find out the butler did it'.]
I think I managed to do a really expressive piece.
12. What are your 'tells'? How can a fic of yours be spotted in the wild? (again, go ahead and make origami out of the truth!)
Unfortunately I think my most obvious tell is that I have a horrible understanding of light and shadow. Oh, and I like to draw Rodney's belly a lot. I think it's cute!
Question from kassrachel: What's your favorite song?
Wow this is probably one of the worst questions to ask me. I could ramble on for forever about music, but let's cut it short and say that it changes with my mood and right now I've been listening to a lot of Muse.
Question from altyronsmaker: What are the best and worst 'thank yous' you've ever received?
I'm not sure about the best, but I really hate when people give mean sarcastic "thank yous".
Question from velocitygrass: Do you have any favorite McShep AU scenario to read/write/draw?
I love weird AUs. Somehow this fandom can make anything work. Genderswap and "aliens made them do it" scenarios are fun, and seeing/reading John and Rodney interacting with kids is always adorable. Or John and Rodney as kids.
Question from chkc: I think that you are a really talented artist! <3 What did you do to achieve such a level of skill? (Lots of practice? Reading tutorials? Or just, you know, natural brilliance. ;) ) Do you prefer/feel more comfortable with photomanipping or drawing by hand?
Thanks! I did read a lot of tutorials when I started making icons because Photoshop was new to me then. I've picked up some good techniques for colouring and using textures from those. I wouldn't say that drawing comes naturally to me, because it's usually a struggle for me to finish a piece. It's been a lot of practice, trial-and-error, and observation. My drawing style is kind of pieced-together from the various video games and anime/manga that I like. Getting into a TV fandom was a bit weird for me because I had to work with real source material instead of illustrations. I definitely feel more comfortable with photomanipping right now because it's more an issue of finding the right images and screencaps, instead of having to worry about lighting and perspective and all that.
Well, that was a lot more rambly than I thought it would be.
Team: Peace!
Let's talk about: mashimero!
1. How long have you been writing fan fiction and/or making fan art and/or whatever else (vids, knitted goods, pornographic gingerbread cookies)?
I've been drawing and making fanworks forever, ever since I was a kid and played my first Zelda game. Thankfully I never put any of those online. About three years ago I started making LJ icons, and that's what really started me on Photoshop and making bigger art pieces.
2. Have you participated or are you participating in any other fandoms?
I think my first fandom was Gundam Wing. Then I moved on to video game fandoms - Vagrant Story, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear - and somehow made the jump to Supernatural, SGA, and now, Doctor Who and Torchwood. I'm very mono-fannish though, so right now I'm only lurking in other fandoms.
3. What fanwork are you most proud of? Or, what is your favourite of your fanworks? (links, please!)
It changes a lot. Right now it's probably my John in Starfleet uniform manip. I also have a soft spot for any fic covers or illustrations I do. It's a lot of fun for me to try and capture the theme and mood of a fic visually, and really satisfying if I can pull it off.
4. As far as creative processes go, what type of writer/artist are you? Do you create an outline/find photo references/make maps, etc., or do you jump in and go with the flow?
A little of everything. With manips and composite art I like to fiddle with things and see what works and what doesn't. For drawings I try to work off a rough sketch and references, but things will usually change as I go along. I like it best when I can sit down and work on a piece start-to finish, although that rarely happens.
5. Where can interested readers/viewers find more of your work? (homepage, LJ fic index, etc.)
Kind of disorganized right now - finished works at mish_mashi, WIPs and rough sketches on my personal LJ, and I'm planning to make my Dreamwidth a complete collection of all my artwork. (PS can anyone tell me how to link directly to a DW account on LJ? I've been wondering about that)
6. Do you write original fiction (poetry, screenplays)? Do you create original art (comics, photographs, quilts, wedding cakes)? Care to share?
Not really. I do a lot of crafty things, but I work a little bit of fandom into most of it :)
7. How are you so awesome?
It really is osmosis. And possibly all that sugar I eat.
Let's talk about: SGA!
8. What do you enjoy most about SGA and/or SGA fandom?
Like others have said before, it's the potential that the show has, and the fandom's ability to take it and make it like a thousand times better. You know when you sometimes go back and re-read a fic you bookmarked a year ago, and then you find it's nowhere near as good as you remember it being? That doesn't happen with SGA fandom!
9. Why do you ship McKay/Sheppard? What draws you to the pairing, what do you like and dislike? Favourite scenes or episodes? Quotes? Screencaps? What other SGA pairings do you ship?
I don't think I can express this properly, but I'll give it a shot. More than anything, I think it's their friendship that really draws me in. John and Rodney get each other in a way that no one else does, and that's something really special. When they're together they don't have to pretend, they can be the dorky, twelve-year-old boys that they really are :)
I also like the occasional OT4, and kind of have a thing for fluffy Elizabeth/Radek and Ronon/Amelia.
10. Why did you choose to join Team Peace?
I like all kinds of McShep scenarios but the ones I love most are the little everyday moments between them.
11. C'mon, you know you wanna! Just a bit of squee about your Match fic? [good example: 'very proud of my second scene' / bad example: 'When Rodney kisses John after they find out the butler did it'.]
I think I managed to do a really expressive piece.
12. What are your 'tells'? How can a fic of yours be spotted in the wild? (again, go ahead and make origami out of the truth!)
Unfortunately I think my most obvious tell is that I have a horrible understanding of light and shadow. Oh, and I like to draw Rodney's belly a lot. I think it's cute!
Question from kassrachel: What's your favorite song?
Wow this is probably one of the worst questions to ask me. I could ramble on for forever about music, but let's cut it short and say that it changes with my mood and right now I've been listening to a lot of Muse.
Question from altyronsmaker: What are the best and worst 'thank yous' you've ever received?
I'm not sure about the best, but I really hate when people give mean sarcastic "thank yous".
Question from velocitygrass: Do you have any favorite McShep AU scenario to read/write/draw?
I love weird AUs. Somehow this fandom can make anything work. Genderswap and "aliens made them do it" scenarios are fun, and seeing/reading John and Rodney interacting with kids is always adorable. Or John and Rodney as kids.
Question from chkc: I think that you are a really talented artist! <3 What did you do to achieve such a level of skill? (Lots of practice? Reading tutorials? Or just, you know, natural brilliance. ;) ) Do you prefer/feel more comfortable with photomanipping or drawing by hand?
Thanks! I did read a lot of tutorials when I started making icons because Photoshop was new to me then. I've picked up some good techniques for colouring and using textures from those. I wouldn't say that drawing comes naturally to me, because it's usually a struggle for me to finish a piece. It's been a lot of practice, trial-and-error, and observation. My drawing style is kind of pieced-together from the various video games and anime/manga that I like. Getting into a TV fandom was a bit weird for me because I had to work with real source material instead of illustrations. I definitely feel more comfortable with photomanipping right now because it's more an issue of finding the right images and screencaps, instead of having to worry about lighting and perspective and all that.
Well, that was a lot more rambly than I thought it would be.