Team Interviews: rache
Name: wickedwords, aka Rachael Sabotini (or just rache)
Team: Peace!
Let's talk about: wickedwords, Rachael, and rache!
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 first started writing fanfic on a Mac SE, and the first story I wrote was during season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation (It featured Worf/Riker). So I'd guess it was 1988, given that both of those premiered in 1987. I attended Koon-ut-cali-con in 1989, and started vidding in 1992. And I joined Fanlore, the OTW's fandom wiki, in 2008.
Wow, that's a lot of dates. Good thing I started young.
2. Have you participated or are you participating in any other fandoms?
Oh, wow. Gosh, I have a huge long history of live action fandoms and a couple of book fandoms, plus I'm into vidding fandom and metafandom fandom. I tend not to do anime or RPS, though I have had moments where I've played in both of those categories.
3. What fanwork are you most proud of? Or, what is your favourite of your fanworks? (links, please!)
I think "The Spare" is my most popular story in SGA fandom, while one of my early stories in Highlander, "Masque", a fusion of Highlander and Masque of the Red Death, still makes me happy. I'd warn people off most of my early stuff, though. It took me probably ten years before I knew what I was doing.
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?
I'm more the organic jump-in-and-go-with-the-flow type. At some point I get frustrated with myself and how slowly it's going, and then I'll make. that. outline. When I finally have it, I can see the focus of the story, and from then on, it's rockin'. I'm still struggling with that turmoil for my McShep Match story, and it's making me crazy.
5. Where can interested readers/viewers find more of your work? (homepage, LJ fic index, etc.)
I've kept a personal archive of my fiction since 1997, located here: http://mediafans.org/rachael/
Unfortunately, after all that time, I'm kinda lazy about updates, so the latest stuff is accessible via the LJ fiction tag here: http://wickedwords.livejournal.com/tag/fiction
*cough* It's also possible that I might have a stray story on the yuletide archive as well.
(Psst, the vids are up on our Clucking Belles vid site, and the streaming versions of stress is up on Bam Vid Vault here)
6. Do you write original fiction (poetry, screenplays)? Do you create original art (comics, photographs, quilts, wedding cakes)?
I'm not very original, though I'm very meta and transformative. I like having forms to follow, which is why I like challenges. I am all about the puzzle and the pattern and getting pieces to fit. (I like assembling furniture too.)
7. taste_is_sweet asked: Why are your words so wicked?
Because a lot of my words have a sharp bite to them, even the humorous ones. Plus it's a lot of fun being wicked.
8. altyronsmaker asked: What is the worst thing you've ever done in the name of fandom?
Worst thing I have ever done in the name of fandom. Wow. Okay. How about I go with the wicked view of worst?
Many years ago, I went to the midwinter festival at a swingers club was just to see what it was like, in part because my curiosity had been poked by so many fan stories.
At the time, I was occasionally helping out with the National Leather Association newsletter plus I had some friends connected with Kinky Couples and the Pandora pan-sexual society, so it wasn't like I was walking in completely blind. Course, I know my eyes were as big as saucers when I went, and my heart was hammering even though I went to the estate as part of a small group. First thing I remember was a lovely woman with a loud, braying laugh who was dressed in a thin scarf and nothing else other than some nice welts from a whip. She welcomed us, and pointed out where the major features of the place, then left us to enjoy the event. Since the place was humid and warm, I stripped down to pretty much nothing, and wandered around the place watching the scenes that people had set up: public flogging and caning areas, the bloodplay room, the massage room, the room where the tantric yoga group was giving instruction, something called the fireplace room (which was really just a whole lot of mattress on the floor around a firepit), the maze area, a garden, three hot tubs, and all sort of cool stuff. The really funny thing was as I was coming out of one of the hot tubs, I ran into this guy wearing a collar, harness, whose leash was held by this very nice brunette. I recognize him right away, smiled and yelled 'Hi!'; he immediately grinned a 'Hi!' right back.
The smiles kinda faded over the thirty seconds or so it took us to remember that we know each other from work, and that in the Monday meeting, we'd be looking at each other and thinking 'I know what you look like naked.' Then we both laughed, and he introduced me to his girlfriend/mistress, and we had a great time.
It was surreal but fun. And like I said, my fannish curiosity lead me into it.
Let's talk about: SGA!
9. What do you enjoy most about SGA and/or SGA fandom?
As far as the show goes, I loved that it was so meta about itself and about science fiction overall. Not every episode had it, but there at the beginning, everyone seemed very aware that they were the "B" team, and that was its main strength for me.
The other thing I loved was fandom related: how many people came into the fandom from other places. We were "the sadder but wiser" fandom right from the start, and that feeling gave us a lot of freedom to play.
10. 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?
The early meta about "the slacker and the president of the chess team are going to save the world" defined their relationship for me. I identified with those images and ideas; the characters were human and flawed. I loved that they were human-scale, not the big hero figures that destiny signed up on day one. Plus their relationship was so tight! I loved their banter and camaraderie, and how they came to rely on each other. Their friendship was awesome, and I loved watching it on-screen.
Not to mention that the actors were pretty good lookin' too. I liked that they had some miles on them, some wear. Again, it was something I could relate to and it made me happy that neither John nor Rodney were made out of Teflon. You could see that things would stick to them, and that they brought some damage to the table. That is irresistible to me.
11. Why did you choose to join Team Peace?
I'm an angst fan, and have written a lot of emotional pain and hurt/comfort in my fannish career, and I decided I wanted something a little less OTT than what I usually write. I can't guarantee that I stuck with that idea--I am who I am, and it just kinda leaks out--but this time I promise a happy ending.
12. 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'.]
The format of the story is a little different for me, so that's always exciting, but the content is pretty much my usual. It might be a little dry, but I hope people still like it.
13. 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!)
Hmm. Well, I like to break people. I guess it's the sadist in me, but I like to break the characters I like the most, and I like to have fun playing with my readers too. So I write a lot of angst, h/c, and crack!fic. There tends to be some description--things seldom happen in white rooms--and there's usually dialogue. I tend to show people's faces and actions, rather than describing internal emotional processes, so it's a little external at times. Plus I love run-on clauses.
14. kassrachel asked: What's your favorite SGA vid?
The one where John Sheppard is Rodney's irish girl, which is how I think of the song. It's really Lim's My Brilliant Idea.
15. velocitygrass asked: What is your favorite McShep cliché?
I really love stories that psychologically twist the knife just a bit, and power games thrill me. So Slave stories are good fun for me, as is the whole set quasi-consensual cliches: Amnesia, Aliens Make Them Do It, Bartering Body for Survival, Fuck-or-Die. Those are pretty much golden as far as I am concerned, and adding hurt/comfort to any of those doubles my fun.
Team: Peace!
Let's talk about: wickedwords, Rachael, and rache!
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 first started writing fanfic on a Mac SE, and the first story I wrote was during season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation (It featured Worf/Riker). So I'd guess it was 1988, given that both of those premiered in 1987. I attended Koon-ut-cali-con in 1989, and started vidding in 1992. And I joined Fanlore, the OTW's fandom wiki, in 2008.
Wow, that's a lot of dates. Good thing I started young.
2. Have you participated or are you participating in any other fandoms?
Oh, wow. Gosh, I have a huge long history of live action fandoms and a couple of book fandoms, plus I'm into vidding fandom and metafandom fandom. I tend not to do anime or RPS, though I have had moments where I've played in both of those categories.
3. What fanwork are you most proud of? Or, what is your favourite of your fanworks? (links, please!)
I think "The Spare" is my most popular story in SGA fandom, while one of my early stories in Highlander, "Masque", a fusion of Highlander and Masque of the Red Death, still makes me happy. I'd warn people off most of my early stuff, though. It took me probably ten years before I knew what I was doing.
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?
I'm more the organic jump-in-and-go-with-the-flow type. At some point I get frustrated with myself and how slowly it's going, and then I'll make. that. outline. When I finally have it, I can see the focus of the story, and from then on, it's rockin'. I'm still struggling with that turmoil for my McShep Match story, and it's making me crazy.
5. Where can interested readers/viewers find more of your work? (homepage, LJ fic index, etc.)
I've kept a personal archive of my fiction since 1997, located here: http://mediafans.org/rachael/
Unfortunately, after all that time, I'm kinda lazy about updates, so the latest stuff is accessible via the LJ fiction tag here: http://wickedwords.livejournal.com/tag/fiction
*cough* It's also possible that I might have a stray story on the yuletide archive as well.
(Psst, the vids are up on our Clucking Belles vid site, and the streaming versions of stress is up on Bam Vid Vault here)
6. Do you write original fiction (poetry, screenplays)? Do you create original art (comics, photographs, quilts, wedding cakes)?
I'm not very original, though I'm very meta and transformative. I like having forms to follow, which is why I like challenges. I am all about the puzzle and the pattern and getting pieces to fit. (I like assembling furniture too.)
7. taste_is_sweet asked: Why are your words so wicked?
Because a lot of my words have a sharp bite to them, even the humorous ones. Plus it's a lot of fun being wicked.
8. altyronsmaker asked: What is the worst thing you've ever done in the name of fandom?
Worst thing I have ever done in the name of fandom. Wow. Okay. How about I go with the wicked view of worst?
Many years ago, I went to the midwinter festival at a swingers club was just to see what it was like, in part because my curiosity had been poked by so many fan stories.
At the time, I was occasionally helping out with the National Leather Association newsletter plus I had some friends connected with Kinky Couples and the Pandora pan-sexual society, so it wasn't like I was walking in completely blind. Course, I know my eyes were as big as saucers when I went, and my heart was hammering even though I went to the estate as part of a small group. First thing I remember was a lovely woman with a loud, braying laugh who was dressed in a thin scarf and nothing else other than some nice welts from a whip. She welcomed us, and pointed out where the major features of the place, then left us to enjoy the event. Since the place was humid and warm, I stripped down to pretty much nothing, and wandered around the place watching the scenes that people had set up: public flogging and caning areas, the bloodplay room, the massage room, the room where the tantric yoga group was giving instruction, something called the fireplace room (which was really just a whole lot of mattress on the floor around a firepit), the maze area, a garden, three hot tubs, and all sort of cool stuff. The really funny thing was as I was coming out of one of the hot tubs, I ran into this guy wearing a collar, harness, whose leash was held by this very nice brunette. I recognize him right away, smiled and yelled 'Hi!'; he immediately grinned a 'Hi!' right back.
The smiles kinda faded over the thirty seconds or so it took us to remember that we know each other from work, and that in the Monday meeting, we'd be looking at each other and thinking 'I know what you look like naked.' Then we both laughed, and he introduced me to his girlfriend/mistress, and we had a great time.
It was surreal but fun. And like I said, my fannish curiosity lead me into it.
Let's talk about: SGA!
9. What do you enjoy most about SGA and/or SGA fandom?
As far as the show goes, I loved that it was so meta about itself and about science fiction overall. Not every episode had it, but there at the beginning, everyone seemed very aware that they were the "B" team, and that was its main strength for me.
The other thing I loved was fandom related: how many people came into the fandom from other places. We were "the sadder but wiser" fandom right from the start, and that feeling gave us a lot of freedom to play.
10. 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?
The early meta about "the slacker and the president of the chess team are going to save the world" defined their relationship for me. I identified with those images and ideas; the characters were human and flawed. I loved that they were human-scale, not the big hero figures that destiny signed up on day one. Plus their relationship was so tight! I loved their banter and camaraderie, and how they came to rely on each other. Their friendship was awesome, and I loved watching it on-screen.
Not to mention that the actors were pretty good lookin' too. I liked that they had some miles on them, some wear. Again, it was something I could relate to and it made me happy that neither John nor Rodney were made out of Teflon. You could see that things would stick to them, and that they brought some damage to the table. That is irresistible to me.
11. Why did you choose to join Team Peace?
I'm an angst fan, and have written a lot of emotional pain and hurt/comfort in my fannish career, and I decided I wanted something a little less OTT than what I usually write. I can't guarantee that I stuck with that idea--I am who I am, and it just kinda leaks out--but this time I promise a happy ending.
12. 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'.]
The format of the story is a little different for me, so that's always exciting, but the content is pretty much my usual. It might be a little dry, but I hope people still like it.
13. 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!)
Hmm. Well, I like to break people. I guess it's the sadist in me, but I like to break the characters I like the most, and I like to have fun playing with my readers too. So I write a lot of angst, h/c, and crack!fic. There tends to be some description--things seldom happen in white rooms--and there's usually dialogue. I tend to show people's faces and actions, rather than describing internal emotional processes, so it's a little external at times. Plus I love run-on clauses.
14. kassrachel asked: What's your favorite SGA vid?
The one where John Sheppard is Rodney's irish girl, which is how I think of the song. It's really Lim's My Brilliant Idea.
15. velocitygrass asked: What is your favorite McShep cliché?
I really love stories that psychologically twist the knife just a bit, and power games thrill me. So Slave stories are good fun for me, as is the whole set quasi-consensual cliches: Amnesia, Aliens Make Them Do It, Bartering Body for Survival, Fuck-or-Die. Those are pretty much golden as far as I am concerned, and adding hurt/comfort to any of those doubles my fun.