Another month, another late newsletter :) Registrations for Project A-kon are as in as they're going to get, so they're going to be mailed off in the next day or so. The mailing list is pretty quiet lately -- maybe people have finals coming up or something....don't know what the excuse is for those of us with regular jobs :)

I know, I promised a Review / Counterreview this month, but alas, the muse was not with me -- big project at work sucking up all my mental energy...I'm really going to need the release of Project A-kon. Also, Brian Randall, author of "Process of Elimination," is currently revising the story, and has had it taken down from anywhere it was posted. So until it comes back, we'll have filler fanfiction -- This month is a nice little Flame of Recca character study by Deanna.

(insert usual begging for submissions for next time here)

Enjoy the issue!

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ARRIVAL

Story by Throkda Jones
Artwork by Hotwire

by Kyle

Churches and Character Shrines. What's the Difference???

Here is one question that really gets my goat: What's the difference between character churches and character shrines. I do admit that this may seem kind of ambiguous but a difference does exist.

A shrine if one must know is a web page created by a fan devoted to one character of a particular series. Shrines are often a good source of basic info, trivia, screen captures, sound bytes , and video clips. These web sites are a great place for writers to look up info or for people to get a bit more insight on their favorite characters. Chris Jones' Pixy Misa Shrine is a good example of what I'm talking about.

A church is a web site for fans of a particular character to gather and discuss what they like about their favorite character, sort of part club part chat room. A church is usually given a name that is a vague description or catch phrase of the character the site is built around. Members of a church often call themselves priests or knights *shudder* with "keeper of", "wielder of", or "guardian of" (insert object) in their title. On the other hand these sites sometimes have decent fanfic links or archives.

The difference between shrines and churches is what the keepers of these places do. Shrines are usually maintained by one person to act as a info page. Churches members are everything from fanfic writers, fan artists, web surfers, to screaming otaku. This in itself is fine the problem with churches is what too many fanatic otaku with too much time on their hands and a lot of computer experience can do. Last year there was a problem when members from one church decided to turn cyber terrorists. This group decided to strike with direct flame wars, server crashes, and even virus bombs on people online whose writing they didn't like. Among those struck where fanfic authors Hung Nguyen (repeatedly), 'Shade' (refuses to keep a web page anymore), and even Gregg Sharpe (who will now delete any e-mail with an attached file on sight). Liking a character is one thing, but come on people these are just fictitious characters "PLEASE GET A LIFE". This message is brought to you by the Please, Please Get a Life Foundation ... and remember, if you have trouble distinguishing fact from fiction, get a job in advertising.

Thank you and good ni...what's that banging.... oh s**t the Knights must know I'm writing this. I've got to go my Louisville is in the closet and by the sound of those hinges breaking I'm gonna need it, what a time to have my tazer in the shop.

Interview with a Vamp.....er, Fanfic Author

by Hotwire
http://www.chainlightningstudios.com/

Apparently Hotwire's idea sprang from this: when he was interviewed by "Doublemint"

Q: Tell us about yourself.

Well, my name is Lee Webb. I was born in January of 1977 and hail from Dallas Texas, US of A. As a self-proclaimed 'semi-professional wiseass' I tend to avoid being serious unless I have to. Life can only drag you down if you let it-- So, in order to remain sane in the face of the insanity I choose to laugh in the face of the insanity. I love reading and, am currently working on reading everything Robert A. Heinlein, Stephen King, and Elmore Leonard ever wrote. I am a movie buff, a player of RPGs (computer game and paper / dice). I obsess over Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and for fun tend to sneak lines from the show into my fics. I draw a bit--not enough to ever do anything with, but it's fun and people seem to like it, and if all that didn't eat up enough of my time I am also an aspiring novelist.

Q: What got you started writing Fan fiction?

Ah, thereby hangs a tale ^_^

*Ahem* in the beginning... I used to be a really big fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 back when it was on Comedy Central. Eventually they moved to the Sci-fi channel and since I couldn't get that station I had to do without... until a year or so later when I started discovering MSTings on the internet. Eventually I found SVAM and instantly became hooked on it. About a year or so ago I discovered Evangelion, and because I was so completely addicted to the story I started looking for everything I could related to it.

Now, bear with me because this all ties together *grin* while reading some MSTings of a few Eva fics, I began noticing how many of them used really bad self-insertions. I’d been playing around with writing for years, and I came up with an idea to ditch some of the cliché's that pop up with ACCs and try and make a good one or two. This was basically the start of Moonlight Sonata. I finally finished it sometime around December of 99 and posted it on RAAC and the EML.

That was gonna be the end of it, but the epilogue had this little scene with Asuka and Shinji that kept nagging at the back of my mind, and after awhile I sat down and started writing what eventually branched out to Wake. That's basically how it started, and I’ve been having a blast ever since.

Q: Where do you get the ideas for your stories

It’s kinda hard to answer that without saying ‘everywhere’. For example: Together We Stand came about after I read someone post a question on IOW’s message board asking why there weren’t any Shinji / Hikari fics out there. I got to thinking about it, and decided I’d take a swing at the idea since it didn't look like anyone had done that. (I found out later that there were two-- one called 'H.I.' and another called ‘the party’ but at the time I didn't know about either)

Moonlight Sonata’s story is right above this, but Wake’s elements mostly came from the fact that it seemed most people were portraying post third impact as either some type of jungle or a desert wasteland. I got to thinking, and I couldn't see any reason for that-- especialy since you can see buildings in the background during the final scenes of EoE. It seemed to me that the landscape would be more like that of The Stand than most fic’s portrayed.

Beyond that I’m working on a Cowboy Bebop yarn that was inspired by a dream, so I guess there is no one answer to that question.

Q: How do you deal with the writer's block?

I find that-- for me-- the best way to deal with it is to have two or more projects going at once. If I get stuck at one it's usually because I’m overthinking the scene or am trying to force the story to do something that it doesn't want to do. So I pull a switch and move to the next project for a bit. Once I come back to the first one, I --9 times out of 10-- have worked the stress out and have a fresher perspective. Doing this also helps my production rate, and the only side effects I’ve noticed is that most of my fics have ties to the others I was working on.

Q: How do you clean up a story for final release?

My writing style can best be described with a word that Mark Waid coined for a character of his. The word is ‘single synapse theory’. The shorthand version of the definition is-- ‘Thought to deed in one electric leap, without pause to ponder the consequences’. In my case it’s thought to word processor as fast as my meager typing skills can manage, but the basic idea is the same.

While this works fine as far as storytelling goes, it’s hell on the spellchecker.

Once I finish a basic spell check I turn the story loose on my prereaders. They go over it and point out all the horrific grammar and spelling errors that I missed (I seem to spell minute as minuet a lot ^_^) once it finishes that round. I go over it again to reword things and make sure it’s how I want it. then I post away.

Q: What’s your favorite part about writing?

I’d have to say that it’s doing dialogue. I took three years of theater arts, and while I don’t know if that has too much to do with it or not, but I can usually ‘hear’ the characters say the things they do as I write it. In fact that usually how I can tell if I need to rewrite a scene--by picturing the character saying the line and checking to see if it sounds right. Some of the characters have totally different speech patterns-- for example a little trick I use when doing Rei’s dialogue is not to use contractions. I use "do not" instead of "don’t" and so on. With Shinji I have him pause a lot as he searches for the right word. Touji’s English voice is macho and kinda whiney at the same time, so I try to make his dialogue match that. Its a little harder to do if you only watch the subs, but that's my technique.

Q: What is your least favorite part about writing?

The only thing I can think of is the fact that my grammar and spelling are so horrendous. To make a long story short my high school days were something between nightmarish and torturous, and definitely not as productive as they should have been. I ended up missing out on some things that I needed to learn. Fortunately it is never too late to study, and I am catching up... but it’s slow going. Without my pre-readers I’d be more than a little bit lost. Its very frustrating to have a story to tell and not have all the tools you need to properly tell it. Fortunately, all I seem to be lacking are some of the mechanics.

Q: What, if anything has most impacted your writing style?

Joining the EFML has definitely had the greatest impact. The help I’ve gotten from the other authors there has been absolutely invaluable, and I’ve learned in leaps and bounds from the discussions and CC that have gone back and forth there. Lara did a real good thing when she decided to make that list, and I hope that others are getting as much useful feedback as I am.

Q: What other fics do you read?

I haven’t really gotten into many non Eva fics mind you, but-- in no particular order-- here are nine of my top ten... The One I Love Is goes down as the definitive Asuka/ Shinji/ Rei romantic triangle... Higher Learning is also up there in the list... I can't forget Variations on a Theme... Gospel of Malachel was one of the major inspirations for Moonlight Sonata-- it showed me that is was possible to create a good ACC... Eva R because it’s just so well executed... Evanjellydonut is a classic; I hope it keeps going... Pages is definitely one of my favorites... Shinji the Casanova was just plain hilarious... and while some people didn’t seem to care for the original ending, I really enjoyed Ascent of the Fallen.

Q: What is your favorite fanfiction?

Children of an Elder God. My 'ats off to th' duke on that one. Not only do they have a really interesting take on the Eva and Culthu mythos; the characters are nothing short or a joy to read. Just the way the use Gendou is priceless--that card game, for example, sent me rolling to the floor in laughter. Its also great to see a fic that blends the line between the science fiction and fantasy genres so seamlessly.

Q: The fanfic you love to hate? Why?

Neon Exodus Evangelion. Don’t get me wrong--the story is good, the writing is excellent, and some of the ideas they use are impressive. BUT...then there's DJ Croft. Self insertion is ninety nine times out of a hundred evil, and DJ does nothing to help that percentage. I hope that the writers intended him to be an ironic avatar of SI cliches-- I really do because they are highly talented over there at Eyrie, and I'd hate to think they did that otherwise. I think of DJ as a good example of what not to do with an Author Created Character. If they had spent less time with stroking DJ's considerable ego, the story would have been much better. *sigh* hopefully they will stop using the God-child author avatars in the future.

Q: Favorite character in NGE? Why?

Shinji wins by a landslide. As to why, I could go on for quite a while... but lets suffice it to say that I can identify with his feelings of isolation. I never really came out of my own shell until a year or so after high school. Had it not been for meeting a young lady around then I would probably still be a wallflower. (just a quick plug for TWS, Never underestimate how much impact a relationship can have on someone. ^_^)

Q: When you see the newest crop of fics what do you like/prefer compared to the old?

Geez... that’s kinda hard to answer, because I only got into the whole fanfic thing about a year ago. In a sense, most of them are new to me. I think that since the Evafic community has grown so much that there is a much better base for CC and prereading than there was. Once the rest of the DVD's and End of Evangelion make their appearance on the market we'll no doubt see another major batch of fanfics... ask me again then and I'll have a better answer ^_^

Q: What do wish would come back/be more prevalent?

Variations on a Theme. Some people have complained about it's length, but since I happen to like a good epic every now and then, I enjoyed it right off. It has it's flaws-- don’t get me wrong-- but it's a great story.

Q: Any last words for the reader?

Well I'd like them to keep in mind that Wake and Moonlight Sonata were done with very little CC, so grammar and spelling errors are running rampant. Once TWS is done I'll try and go back to fix some of them, but bear in mind the fact that if it's there, it's because I overlooked it by accident.

I enjoy writing too much to stop there, so keep an eye out for some non Eva projects and other bells and whistles to pop up on my site. Other than that all I can think to say is thanks to everyone who has read my work, a huge thanks to everyone who's written back to let me know they liked it, and an enormous thanks to everyone who's helped in the CC and editing departments. You are all legends in my book.

Remember y'all, I never made any great claims on my sanity ^_^

Fan Art!

Miko Fancel, by Deanna

The solution to last month's Anime No-No's can be found here and here.

Cryptic Dub Lines

Last Month's Line:

HELLO, MY NAME IS KEN.  WHAT I'M ABOUT TO DO MIGHT
FEEL A LITTLE STRANGE AT FIRST....

— KEN, FIST OF THE NORTH STAR

And this month's cryptogram:

H AWL'C QHP LMV!  H UWGP W QWCP VHCU CBNYHJU CVHLJ!

— JUHLPJFWL FMJJ SNPPL

Hint: "Y" = "K"

Anime No-No's

There are basically three rules:

For a more detailed account of how to play, as well as a few strategic tips, please see http://www.nonogram.com/.

I've got a more challenging puzzle for you this month. Enjoy!

A print-friendly version of the puzzle can be found here.

Anime No-No #3

Summary: Flame of Recca fanfic- Koganei & Ganko, the youngest of the Uruha, secretly think about how good the other one has it.

“Koganei no baka!” exclaimed Ganko, clutching the salvaged pieces of her Uruha Barbie to herself. “Raiha said play nice!”

“You’re such a kid,” I scoffed. “I’m only having fun.”

“Don’t hurt my dolls!” She tried unsuccessfully to reattach Uruha Barbie’s head.

“They’re not real. Even with your madougu, they’re not alive.”

“Are too!”

“Are not! They act like they’re alive… but it’s just you.”

“You don’t know anything! They’re my friends!” said Ganko, and there were tears in her eyes. “But you’re not my friend!”

“Like I’d want to be friends with a crybaby like you,” I scoffed again. “I’m leaving… I’m going to go have fun by myself.” I picked up my Kougan Anki and left the room angrily. Just because I was closer to Ganko’s age than any of the other Uruha didn’t make me her babysitter…

I made sure to slam the door behind myself.

As soon as the door had shut, though, my expression softened somewhat. I didn’t want to admit it to myself… but I was envious of Ganko-chan. Ganko had it good. Ganko was a girl… girls could cry. It was okay for her to show weakness… she was little, she had lost her mother. But me? I had to be strong… I had to pretend I didn’t care, that being here was just as good as being with my family. When my family was still alive.

Ganko had her dolls. Even though they weren’t for real, they were her friends… she got to pretend. They kept her from being lonely. She played with them… they played back. All _I _ had was my Rubix cube. I had solved it a hundred times, yet never tired of it… but it still, it wasn’t the same as having a real friend. Kurei was my big brother, but Kurei was always busy doing whatever he spent his time doing. Raiha was nice to me, but what interest would Raiha have in a kid like me?

So I tried to be strong. I tried to show the others that even though I wasn’t as old as they were, I was still smart. I was capable of doing anything they could do. Often times, they would seem to forget that I was still just a kid, when they would send me on a mission. If I didn’t get my results, I’d be reprimanded as harshly and punished as severely as any other member of the Uruha. But when it came to the day-to-day relationships between me and the others, there was always an invisible chasm separating me from them. Anecdotes would trail off into silence if I got too close. Conversations punctuated with smirks and raucous laughter would turn out to be about the weather by the time I was close enough to hear. And yet I kept up the charade. Because even though I’m little… I’m strong. And smart. And just as much Uruha as they were. But I had more to prove.

It was hard… it was really hard, pretending to be an adult. Sure, it was fun. The Kougan Anki was cool. There was a satisfying sense of power behind being able to reduce grown men into terrified babies. Not to mention how neat it was, having a secret life as part of a real-life assassin group. I’ve watched Weiss and Kenshin and all those shows… it’s really cool being in a real assassin organization. But secretly… I yearned to be an ordinary kid… play like a kid… goof off in a treehouse, watch cartoons while eating cocoa-frosted cereal, play Little League. I scoffed at those who participated in such activities, but only because I was secretly jealous. It’s hard, growing up too fast.

My eyes fell guiltily on the handkerchief kept wrapped around my wrist.

There was a certain stigma attached to being labeled “the kid who was attempting suicide when he came here”. Being so weak as to not want to face life anymore… I had tried to overcome that, to put it in the past, but they still remembered that day when I showed up at the mansion to get my wounds tended to. I remembered how horribly lonely I had been when Kurei had found me. I had been tired of everything. I had lost everyone I loved, and everyone who had loved me back… no one could fathom my misery. It had been the first time I’d ever stolen anything… that knife. And Kurei had stopped me. And I had gone home with him… where else did I have to go?

 And I was happy, right? Being here was just as good as being with my family, right? Only I had a new family now, a bigger family… one who could count on me to do anything they asked. I had my own room and I earned my keep. I had the coolest toy in the world-the Kougan Anki-and was probably the strongest, smartest, most capable kid my age in Japan right now.

So why wasn’t I the happiest?

Ganko has it good….

I hesitated, and then walked back towards the room.

Barbie’s head just wasn’t going on right. I couldn’t make it fit. Stupid Koganei… why’d he have to be so mean to me?

Koganei is so lucky… he doesn’t know how difficult it is to be me. He’s got it good. He lost his family, too, but he never cries. He’s strong. I’m not. My madougu helps me pretend, though. I know Reiran’s not really my Mom… but it makes me happy to pretend that she is. And I know that my dolls, my stuffed animals, my mannequins… they’re all my friends, even though they’re not alive. But they keep me from getting lonely.

Koganei never gets lonely.

I’m Uruha, but I’ve never had a mission. Which is probably a good thing… I don’t want to hurt people. I don’t like getting hurt… how can I hurt someone else? And yet… if they asked me to, I would. I’d probably cry afterwards, though, because I’d feel sorry for them.

Koganei never cries.

Koganei’s right. He calls me a baby. I am a baby. It’s hard, though. Koganei’s a big kid… even though he’s younger than the others, they accept him. We’re both Uruha, but he’s moreso than I am. He gets to laugh and joke and talk with them, but somehow, their conversations always seem to change abruptly whenever I’m too near. Why can’t I hear what they’re really saying? Is it so bad that I want to be a part of them? Don’t they think I’m a person, too? Then why do they treat me so differently? Is it so horrible to be young?

But I can’t be one of them. Not yet. And so I’m stuck in my little make-believe world until they think I’m old enough to be one of them. Koganei has real friends… I just have my dolls. Kurei likes Koganei. Kurei likes me, too. He saved me and let me make my dolls come alive. He got Reiran for me from the store window. But he’s too busy to play with me. Kurei calls Koganei into his office all the time, though. For missions and stuff. But I’m sure they have fun when I’m not around… I know Kurei’s really important, and he’s too busy to play with me. But he’s not too busy to spend time with Koganei. He likes Koganei better. Koganei’s older, and he’s a boy, so I guess that’s why.

Raiha’s nice, too. He’s always looking out for me and Koganei, telling us to play nicely. Sometimes, he’ll play Parcheesi with us, but not often. Because he’s important, too. And he’s always busy. I wonder what he does… I wish he could play more games with me.

See? I’m such a kid. None of the others want to play games. Koganei tells me how stupid I am because I always want to play. He says that’s not how things work for big people. Big people don’t play. How boring, I think. If I didn’t play… I’d start thinking about how sad I was. How much I missed my real Mom. And then I’d cry. And then Koganei would see me, and he’d make fun of me, and be mean and call me names like cry-baby. And he’d be right… and so I would cry even more.

Because as much as I want to be big like him, I can’t be. I’m too weak. I wish I was strong like him… I’d be so happy!

Koganei has it good…

I heard a knock on the door.

“Come in!” I called, wiping my face on my sleeve. I sent Reiran over to see who it was.

Koganei had come back, and he had a bored look on his face.

“Hey, Ganko. Not that I care, but I was wondering if you wanted to go down to the tv room and watch ‘Anastasia’ or something. I was going to watch ‘The Evil Dead’, but was wondering if you wanted to watch an animated movie or something.”

“That would be good!” I said, jumping up. “I don’t want to watch a scary movie… they scare me.”

“You’re such a kid,” he said, as we walked together down the hallway.

“So are you,” I returned.

“Not as much as you are…”

“Are too…”