djin7
in
mcshep_war
Team Interview(s): Reddwarfer & Djin7!
Name: reddwarfer (Leila) and djin7 (D.J.).
Team: War!
Let's talk about: reddwarfer and djin7!
1. How long have you been writing fan fiction and/or making fan art and/or whatever else (vids, knitted goods, pornographic gingerbread cookies)?
Leila: In mid 2004, I realised the internet was more than just a place to read email and access my college's blackboard acct. It was then I discovered Harry Potter fandom and began writing astoundingly bad HP fanfiction. I like to think I've improved over the years and gained many fandoms along the way.
D.J.: Fic? Since my BtVS (Buffy) days, late '90's. Pornographic gingerbread… possibly since the mid 80's? (that decade's kinda hazy, if you get my drift.)
2. Have you participated or are you participating in any other fandoms?
Leila: I am currently in more fandoms than I can handle. Although, most of them are small or for dying/dead fandoms. Harry Potter, SGA, TeniPuri and FMA are the larger ones. I'm also involved in Wild Adapter, Saiyuki, Bus Gamer, Honeycomb, Stigma, Silent Hill, Loveless, Peacemaker Kurogane, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Red Dwarf (and Psych, Death Note, X-Files and other things very rarely)
D.J.: Without even knowing it, many times in my youth I sampled the phenomena (who knew they were called 'fandoms'? I always called it 'stalking'.) I have concrete evidence I am/was involved actively in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist, and now SGA. Nothing I do can ever erase it all, I fear. *hides*
(Leila isn't going to mention it in her list, but I have concrete evidence she whored about in the Twifandom, oh yes she did, no matter how much I begged her not to!)
(I admit nothing.)
3. What fanwork are you most proud of? Or, what is your favourite of your fanworks? (links, please!)
Leila: I think the story I love most (and am most proud of is All Of Your Tomorrows Shine. It was my baby for so long and, even three years later, I still love it. (Which is so, so rare) It said everything I ever wanted to say about that ship (ZukaFuji) and those characters.
D.J.: I'm most proud of my administrative work in fandom. It's damned good; I'm a fandom administrator hero! (snarry_games). I write infrequently, but I'm always proud when I manage to finish something and post it. This year, so far it's 'Sleeping Dogs' (Gen fic f. Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy & Severus Snape).
(Leila: She's really proud of all the times she's saved my ass as my beta and made my fic ten thousand times better for touching it.)
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?
Leila: My process is weird. I tend to imagine scenes in my head (usually during a shower). Edit dialogue, plot as I see fit, and re-imagine the scene until I like it. Then, when my brain is a constant flow of the story, and I can no longer concentrate on anything else, I sit at the computer, turn on some music, and write. Sometimes, I think about ideas right before I go to bed and then I dream about them. Other times, I procrastinate until I'm a two days before my deadline, whine at djin7 for an hour or so while she bitches at me for waiting so long, and then come up with a fantastically complicated plot, and write for four days straight whilst begging extensions from very kind and patient mods.
D.J.: My creative process is directly related to how fast I'm driving and what song I'm listening to. This is when the bunny hits hard. Then it's off to the races! [read:/weeks of agonizing over a title, which is Top Priority]
5. Where can interested readers/viewers find more of your work? (homepage, LJ fic index, etc.)
Leila: Ninety-nine percent of what I've written is in my memories Here. What little hasn't been added, can be found using my tags.
D.J.: I store most of my fic here at the Archive at the End of the Universe. I try to keep it up-to-date in that biennial way. *shifty* Also, my LJ: My Fic.
6. Do you write original fiction (poetry, screenplays)? Do you create original art (comics, photographs, quilts, wedding cakes)? Care to share?
Leila: I write original fiction and poetry and I'm never sharing ever. I've been asked to submit things for publishing before, but I've never liked anything enough to send it out. This, actually, is something my mum nags me about incessantly. Especially the poetry (no one's ever going to read ever.)
D.J.: I don't wanna share - it's my ball!
7. How are you so awesome?
Leila: It's the minions. They make anyone seem awesome.
D.J.: It's genetics, I'm afraid. Don't hate me because I rock so hard.
Let's talk about: SGA!
8. What do you enjoy most about SGA and/or SGA fandom?
Leila: I love the show because of Rodney. I don't think I'd have watched it if it weren't for him.
As for fandom, I love it because everyone seems fairly literate (and SANE). (It seems a trivial thing, but considering some of my other fandoms... Let's just say it's not something I take for granted anymore.)
D.J.: It's a TV fandom, which gives the best head. Er, what I mean is characterizations and canon are more thoroughly defined, and therefore better handled on a fandom level. Boy, that sounds WAY more serious than I normally care for. The fic doesn't suck. There. That's better.
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?
Leila: I love McShep because I have a thing for emotionally stunted people. And since they both qualify, it's twice as nice. I love how they interact and the obvious chemistry they have. I basically like anytime Rodney's on screen. He makes the show. I have a hard on for Doppelganger (and Vegas). Though, it may be because I have a not-so-secret desire for John/Rodney/John dp porn.
D.J.: Is this a rhetorical question?
I can give a favourite quote (from Season 3, Episode 16, "The Ark") :
Rodney McKay: I figured it would be nice if we were all together as we burn up.
John Sheppard: McKay.
Rodney McKay: I'm sorry, I mean as we get rescued. I always get those two confused.
I don't really 'ship' anything else, but I will sometimes read John Sheppard getting some from various characters I find interesting. (Or, at least somewhat interesting, compared to Rodney, male or female) Also, Rodney/Atlantis.
10. Why did you choose to join Team War?
Leila: I chose Team War because I live with an angst stick permanently lodged up my ass. (Though, I don't read it nearly as often as I write it…) Honestly, I can't write fluff to save my soul. I'm going to defer to djin7 on this one. As I'm sure she has lots to say about my propensity for hurting the characters she loves so much.
D.J.: Leila made me. (Also, yes. She's particularly mean to my Harry, the h0r)
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'.]
Leila: SQUEEE!!! Well, the idea we have is made of awesome. And we kinda came up with it before we even picked our prompt/genre thingy. I adore writing Rodney, because his dialogue is a blast to do. He doesn't so much talk as he splurts. I adore it.
And I'm getting a chance to write with djin7 again without having to think or type about Ron!Cock, which is beyond awesome.
D.J.: I love our idea, and I hope it works and we don't descend to the pit of angst!Hell, because she can do that, you know. Have to keep a sharp eye.
(Leila: I always start out with the intentions of writing a happy ending. Always. They just seem to frequently end with misery and despair. Or what I call just barely hopeful endings.)
(D.J.: Further to that, as her beta, coaxing out a happy ending from her is like pulling teeth, so I get even by making her write Ron!Cock)
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!)
Leila: I have a few tells. One, I write a lot of references in my fics. To literature or pop culture or Red Dwarf and stuff like that. I mention gaming a bit, especially when writing about guys. I really do try not to end sentences with prepositions, even in fanfic. I also tend to write stuff that seems like it's going to have a happy end, but then attempts to rip your heart out. (I've done that a few times.) Um. I like to write characters who stay together, despite what's best for them. Completely dysfunctional sorta-happy-but not really endings.
D.J.: I like circles. The end is at the beginning. I open at the close. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. A snake eating its own tail. Round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows! Er...what am I talking about, again? Oh, yeah, right. I like circles...
INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS ASKED BY OTHERS:
For reddwarfer:
Question from taste_is_sweet:
Q. You're in a lot of fandoms! What would you say the original canon of your fandoms have in common that make them all appeal to you? Do you find yourself looking for similar things in terms of themes/plots/settings/characters?
Leila: My canons all tend to have seriously fucked up people, who still try despite it. They're not perfect, but they still try to do the right thing. I also tend to gravitate toward emotionally stunted people. Or sociopaths. I adore them. As for characters, djin7 likes the heroes and I like the assholes who love the heroes. She's the Harry to my Snape. She's the Buffy to my Spike. She's the John to my Rodney. She's the Ed to my Roy. That's just how it is.
Question from Busaikko:
Q. Heh. I don't know where I first met you (do you recall? it was ages and ages ago) but I associate you with unusual and enemy pairings in HP (and also 'so wrong it's right' pairings g*). What differences do you find between writing pairings where in canon they *hate each other (or have major obstacles to get over) and writing McShep? What is easier and what is more difficult, or are these just apples and oranges I'm asking about?
Leila: We met in Harry Potter...ages ago. Remus/Sirius? I don't find as many differences as you'd think, really. The hurdles are not worse in my other pairings, just different.
Snarry (the pairing I wrote most) had a combative relationship, a lot of which was made worse by both of them being so emotionally retarded it wasn't funny. McShep has its own obstacles. Both Rodney and John have more baggage than an airport and they have the constant war, life or death scenarios, and the US regs with which to contend.
Plus, their relationship has hardly been free of contention or friction. So, I don't really see it as all that different. It's all about them dealing with crap and admitting stuff they'd rather not admit. Because, in the end, having the emotional range of a teaspoon isn't good for any relationship, no matter where the couple starts.
Honestly, I would have a harder time writing a fic in which a couple had relatively few problems at all. Happy, fluffy fic is my Achilles heel.
For djin7:
Question from almostnever
Q. I noticed you're into HP, particularly Harry/Severus. Do you see any commonalities between your favorite characters or pairings in other fandoms, vs. your favorite characters or pairings in SGA?
D.J.: Absolutely. It's pathetic, really. I have Hero!Worship syndrome, and so I ship the heroes of all my fandoms with the person that will challenge them to be even BETTER heroes (BATTLE!). I'm sure there's a name for it. Probably Jungian. Anyways, I digress - I ship Buffy/Spike, Harry/Snape, Ed/Roy, and John/Rodney. If that's not a blinking red light leading the way to my psyche and all the terror it contains, I don't know what is.
Happy birthday, reddwarfer!!
Team: War!
Let's talk about: reddwarfer and djin7!
1. How long have you been writing fan fiction and/or making fan art and/or whatever else (vids, knitted goods, pornographic gingerbread cookies)?
Leila: In mid 2004, I realised the internet was more than just a place to read email and access my college's blackboard acct. It was then I discovered Harry Potter fandom and began writing astoundingly bad HP fanfiction. I like to think I've improved over the years and gained many fandoms along the way.
D.J.: Fic? Since my BtVS (Buffy) days, late '90's. Pornographic gingerbread… possibly since the mid 80's? (that decade's kinda hazy, if you get my drift.)
2. Have you participated or are you participating in any other fandoms?
Leila: I am currently in more fandoms than I can handle. Although, most of them are small or for dying/dead fandoms. Harry Potter, SGA, TeniPuri and FMA are the larger ones. I'm also involved in Wild Adapter, Saiyuki, Bus Gamer, Honeycomb, Stigma, Silent Hill, Loveless, Peacemaker Kurogane, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Red Dwarf (and Psych, Death Note, X-Files and other things very rarely)
D.J.: Without even knowing it, many times in my youth I sampled the phenomena (who knew they were called 'fandoms'? I always called it 'stalking'.) I have concrete evidence I am/was involved actively in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Fullmetal Alchemist, and now SGA. Nothing I do can ever erase it all, I fear. *hides*
(Leila isn't going to mention it in her list, but I have concrete evidence she whored about in the Twifandom, oh yes she did, no matter how much I begged her not to!)
(I admit nothing.)
3. What fanwork are you most proud of? Or, what is your favourite of your fanworks? (links, please!)
Leila: I think the story I love most (and am most proud of is All Of Your Tomorrows Shine. It was my baby for so long and, even three years later, I still love it. (Which is so, so rare) It said everything I ever wanted to say about that ship (ZukaFuji) and those characters.
D.J.: I'm most proud of my administrative work in fandom. It's damned good; I'm a fandom administrator hero! (snarry_games). I write infrequently, but I'm always proud when I manage to finish something and post it. This year, so far it's 'Sleeping Dogs' (Gen fic f. Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy & Severus Snape).
(Leila: She's really proud of all the times she's saved my ass as my beta and made my fic ten thousand times better for touching it.)
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?
Leila: My process is weird. I tend to imagine scenes in my head (usually during a shower). Edit dialogue, plot as I see fit, and re-imagine the scene until I like it. Then, when my brain is a constant flow of the story, and I can no longer concentrate on anything else, I sit at the computer, turn on some music, and write. Sometimes, I think about ideas right before I go to bed and then I dream about them. Other times, I procrastinate until I'm a two days before my deadline, whine at djin7 for an hour or so while she bitches at me for waiting so long, and then come up with a fantastically complicated plot, and write for four days straight whilst begging extensions from very kind and patient mods.
D.J.: My creative process is directly related to how fast I'm driving and what song I'm listening to. This is when the bunny hits hard. Then it's off to the races! [read:/weeks of agonizing over a title, which is Top Priority]
5. Where can interested readers/viewers find more of your work? (homepage, LJ fic index, etc.)
Leila: Ninety-nine percent of what I've written is in my memories Here. What little hasn't been added, can be found using my tags.
D.J.: I store most of my fic here at the Archive at the End of the Universe. I try to keep it up-to-date in that biennial way. *shifty* Also, my LJ: My Fic.
6. Do you write original fiction (poetry, screenplays)? Do you create original art (comics, photographs, quilts, wedding cakes)? Care to share?
Leila: I write original fiction and poetry and I'm never sharing ever. I've been asked to submit things for publishing before, but I've never liked anything enough to send it out. This, actually, is something my mum nags me about incessantly. Especially the poetry (no one's ever going to read ever.)
D.J.: I don't wanna share - it's my ball!
7. How are you so awesome?
Leila: It's the minions. They make anyone seem awesome.
D.J.: It's genetics, I'm afraid. Don't hate me because I rock so hard.
Let's talk about: SGA!
8. What do you enjoy most about SGA and/or SGA fandom?
Leila: I love the show because of Rodney. I don't think I'd have watched it if it weren't for him.
As for fandom, I love it because everyone seems fairly literate (and SANE). (It seems a trivial thing, but considering some of my other fandoms... Let's just say it's not something I take for granted anymore.)
D.J.: It's a TV fandom, which gives the best head. Er, what I mean is characterizations and canon are more thoroughly defined, and therefore better handled on a fandom level. Boy, that sounds WAY more serious than I normally care for. The fic doesn't suck. There. That's better.
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?
Leila: I love McShep because I have a thing for emotionally stunted people. And since they both qualify, it's twice as nice. I love how they interact and the obvious chemistry they have. I basically like anytime Rodney's on screen. He makes the show. I have a hard on for Doppelganger (and Vegas). Though, it may be because I have a not-so-secret desire for John/Rodney/John dp porn.
D.J.: Is this a rhetorical question?
I can give a favourite quote (from Season 3, Episode 16, "The Ark") :
Rodney McKay: I figured it would be nice if we were all together as we burn up.
John Sheppard: McKay.
Rodney McKay: I'm sorry, I mean as we get rescued. I always get those two confused.
I don't really 'ship' anything else, but I will sometimes read John Sheppard getting some from various characters I find interesting. (Or, at least somewhat interesting, compared to Rodney, male or female) Also, Rodney/Atlantis.
10. Why did you choose to join Team War?
Leila: I chose Team War because I live with an angst stick permanently lodged up my ass. (Though, I don't read it nearly as often as I write it…) Honestly, I can't write fluff to save my soul. I'm going to defer to djin7 on this one. As I'm sure she has lots to say about my propensity for hurting the characters she loves so much.
D.J.: Leila made me. (Also, yes. She's particularly mean to my Harry, the h0r)
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'.]
Leila: SQUEEE!!! Well, the idea we have is made of awesome. And we kinda came up with it before we even picked our prompt/genre thingy. I adore writing Rodney, because his dialogue is a blast to do. He doesn't so much talk as he splurts. I adore it.
And I'm getting a chance to write with djin7 again without having to think or type about Ron!Cock, which is beyond awesome.
D.J.: I love our idea, and I hope it works and we don't descend to the pit of angst!Hell, because she can do that, you know. Have to keep a sharp eye.
(Leila: I always start out with the intentions of writing a happy ending. Always. They just seem to frequently end with misery and despair. Or what I call just barely hopeful endings.)
(D.J.: Further to that, as her beta, coaxing out a happy ending from her is like pulling teeth, so I get even by making her write Ron!Cock)
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!)
Leila: I have a few tells. One, I write a lot of references in my fics. To literature or pop culture or Red Dwarf and stuff like that. I mention gaming a bit, especially when writing about guys. I really do try not to end sentences with prepositions, even in fanfic. I also tend to write stuff that seems like it's going to have a happy end, but then attempts to rip your heart out. (I've done that a few times.) Um. I like to write characters who stay together, despite what's best for them. Completely dysfunctional sorta-happy-but not really endings.
D.J.: I like circles. The end is at the beginning. I open at the close. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. A snake eating its own tail. Round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows! Er...what am I talking about, again? Oh, yeah, right. I like circles...
INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS ASKED BY OTHERS:
For reddwarfer:
Question from taste_is_sweet:
Q. You're in a lot of fandoms! What would you say the original canon of your fandoms have in common that make them all appeal to you? Do you find yourself looking for similar things in terms of themes/plots/settings/characters?
Leila: My canons all tend to have seriously fucked up people, who still try despite it. They're not perfect, but they still try to do the right thing. I also tend to gravitate toward emotionally stunted people. Or sociopaths. I adore them. As for characters, djin7 likes the heroes and I like the assholes who love the heroes. She's the Harry to my Snape. She's the Buffy to my Spike. She's the John to my Rodney. She's the Ed to my Roy. That's just how it is.
Question from Busaikko:
Q. Heh. I don't know where I first met you (do you recall? it was ages and ages ago) but I associate you with unusual and enemy pairings in HP (and also 'so wrong it's right' pairings g*). What differences do you find between writing pairings where in canon they *hate each other (or have major obstacles to get over) and writing McShep? What is easier and what is more difficult, or are these just apples and oranges I'm asking about?
Leila: We met in Harry Potter...ages ago. Remus/Sirius? I don't find as many differences as you'd think, really. The hurdles are not worse in my other pairings, just different.
Snarry (the pairing I wrote most) had a combative relationship, a lot of which was made worse by both of them being so emotionally retarded it wasn't funny. McShep has its own obstacles. Both Rodney and John have more baggage than an airport and they have the constant war, life or death scenarios, and the US regs with which to contend.
Plus, their relationship has hardly been free of contention or friction. So, I don't really see it as all that different. It's all about them dealing with crap and admitting stuff they'd rather not admit. Because, in the end, having the emotional range of a teaspoon isn't good for any relationship, no matter where the couple starts.
Honestly, I would have a harder time writing a fic in which a couple had relatively few problems at all. Happy, fluffy fic is my Achilles heel.
For djin7:
Question from almostnever
Q. I noticed you're into HP, particularly Harry/Severus. Do you see any commonalities between your favorite characters or pairings in other fandoms, vs. your favorite characters or pairings in SGA?
D.J.: Absolutely. It's pathetic, really. I have Hero!Worship syndrome, and so I ship the heroes of all my fandoms with the person that will challenge them to be even BETTER heroes (BATTLE!). I'm sure there's a name for it. Probably Jungian. Anyways, I digress - I ship Buffy/Spike, Harry/Snape, Ed/Roy, and John/Rodney. If that's not a blinking red light leading the way to my psyche and all the terror it contains, I don't know what is.
Happy birthday, reddwarfer!!