A: In the words of two certain detectives, it’s elementary, really: The GMD Fanfic World is the realm of my Great Mouse Detective fanfics.
Q: Why is your fanfic world so different from everyone else’s?
A: Basically, there’s a new technology, Basil has a family (& he’s softer), Ratigan talks funny, Bartholomew’s alive, & everybody gets along...
Q: How do you interpret the GMD movie?
A: My interpretation of the GMD movie is not much different than the way you GMD fans interpret it...except Mouses Fiennes was behind “Ratigan’s” whole scheme, the Diamond Jubilee was Ratigan’s 17th birthday, & Mouses had brainwashed Ratigan into thinking that becoming the king of Mouse London would be his “big birthday present”...go ahead, laugh if you want to. (But there is something logical about my interpretation: my fanfic villain Archibald Jamison also wanted Ratigan, a boy, to dethrone the female queen for his own chauvinistic purposes...)
Q: What is the purpose of the New Technology?
A: If you think about it from the characters’ point-of-view, the purpose of the new technology is to, basically, make life a lot easier for the denizens of Mouse London. If you think about it from my point-of-view, the purpose is to give my GMD fanfics a bit of “exotic taste”, shall we say—it gives the stories originality. (Not to mention setting off the rest of my GMD sequel in motion, mostly for the Flavershams...)
Q: Why are you always putting rodential likenesses of celebrities like Prince into your works?
A: Well, a lot of fanfic writers usually base some of their characters on people they admire—in many cases, loved family members or favorite celebrities. For instance, my friend Reyelene based some of her fanfic characters on lots of people, ranging from her own grandmother to Scarlett O’Hara. I myself stick to the professed “tradition” of basing characters off admired individuals—for instance, my father is one of the main models for my character Leroy Ashworth. Sometimes I shape some of my characters directly in the likenesses of my other favorite people—i.e., Princess (Prince), Slick Willie (Morris Day), etc.
Q: Is there going to be a GMD sequel?
A: Well, there is one I do have in mind for Disney, called The Great Mouse Detective 2: A New Beginning.
Q: ...& do you actually plan on getting it made?
A: Yes. Yes, I do! ^_^ (Just as soon as I get a job there...)
Q: What’s with Ratigan talking in an American accent?
A: A lot of people don’t sit well with Ratigan’s new voice--& I guess I can understand. After all, the only reason I made Ratigan speak like Theo Huxtable was because I wanted to have a little experiment...unfortunately, judging by my readers’ reaction, it went horribly, horribly wrong. (laughs creepily)
Q: Why is Basil so “out-of-character”?
A: Oh, so you don’t like the way I made Basil? You absolutely can’t stand the greatest detective in all mousedom being saccharine & soft-hearted? Well, amigos, there’s five logical explanations for that: 1) before I saw GMD, I didn’t understand why everybody made Basil so arrogant & cold; 2) he’s cuter this way; 3) without Basil’s “transformation”, there wouldn’t be any of my fanfics; 4) I don’t recall thinking that emotion would actually get in the way of Basil’s career; 5) just look how he acts toward Olivia during the second half of the movie! But all GMD fans need not worry—Basil may be softer, but he’s still as Sherlockian as before...except he eats on cases.
Q: Why is your Fanfic World so...cheerful?
A: And by “cheerful”, you mean bright & bouncy, with everyone getting along real horrorshow? Well, I’m not one to make stories dark unless it is absolutely necessary—that means no gore, no sex, no rape, no physical violence, no child / spouse abuse, no hate crimes, no racism / species-ism, no cultural tension, & no swearing unless it is absolutely needed to enhance the plot. After all, I know better than to put transgressions like those listed above in a fanfic gratuitously. Who do you think I am, Quentin Tarentino?
Q: Your fanfic-writing style is impressive! What’s your secret?
A: Mainly I borrowed my techniques of fanfic-writing from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle & Eve Titus—for example, using alliteration, placing in some internal rhyming, using cute mouse puns...& we can’t forget the overall romantic feeling! ^_^
Q: Ratigan is 17 in your stories? That’s crazy!
A: Crazy, indeed. And you might say the same thing about my reasons for his age: a) he always looked so young to me, despite his sophisticated adult manner; b) the younger the age, the easier it’ll be for him to do more good deeds & reconcile with the many rodents he’s wronged! (gets strange looks from the large audience in front of her) Seriously, think about it for a second...
Q: Bill The Lizard’s a good guy? He always looked evil to me...
A: Hey, making all of Ratigan’s thugs mean & nasty wouldn’t be right. It’d just be one big case of negative stereotyping. I try to make my characters different than the way other people expect them to be, & if that requires making some of Ratigan’s minions good guys, then so be it.
Q: You’re saying Felicia didn’t eat Bartholomew?
A: You probably asked that question because you read a certain story of mine (most likely my sequel). And you’re probably gonna laugh your bums off at the answer I have: yes, Bartholomew is alive & kicking. As explained in my story “Alive”, Bartholomew managed to save himself by making Felicia throw him up (& just after the thugs started singing again). So that’s why you see him living & breathing in more than one of my post-GMD stories.
Q: Doesn’t anybody die in your stories (or the movie)?
A: Well, in the movie, someone does die...actually, more than one person. According to the story “After The Battle’s Over”, a lot of Rat Trap patrons died in the big brawl in the movie. And in other stories, there are character deaths—for example, Kevin Whitaker (“Darkest Deeds”), Marilyn Monreau (“Nightmares”), Karen Flaversham (“Ratigan’s Story”), etc.
Q: Where did you get the ideas for some of your stories?
A: Mostly in unusual places. My essay “You’re The Inspiration” can shed more light on my answer for you...
Q: Some of your stories are Alternate Fanfic Universe (AFU). What does that mean?
A: Basically, it means that the story has elements that I don’t normally use in my fanfics. For example, “Dr. Dawson’s Dream”, “When The Roads Are Smooth Again”, & “Unwanted Desire” involve homosexual relationships—Basil / Dawson, & Slick Willie / Jellybean. What makes them AFU is because in the real GMD Fanfic World, Basil is married to Victoria (& is uncomfortable with same-sex relationships), & Slick Willie is a genuine gigolo, constantly dating women (& only women). Also, AFU stories totally stray from my normal fanfic protocol—“Love Story” & “Against All Odds” feature Ratigan married (& not to Yasmin Muhammed), no new technology or Baker Street Family, & Ratigan still speaking in a British accent.
Q: Does Basil really have Asperger’s Syndrome?
A: Not necessarily (he acts the way he does because he’s based on Sherlock Holmes). But Basil could have A.S., & if he does, it might be easily-disguised...
Q: What’s that funny language that the Droogs speak?
A: That language is called Nadsat. It has roots in Russian & English, & you can find it spoken frequently in the book / movie A Clockwork Orange.
And, now, for some more personal questions...
Q: What have other people said about your sequel? How did you react?
A: In the “Reviews” section of the Library, you’ll find all the answers. Mostly I’ve gotten very horrorshow (a word meaning “good” or “great”) reviews, some were so-so, & a couple (actually three, two from the same bloke) were nasty. For the good reviews, I reacted with a smile, girly gushing, & a big cyber-hug / “thank you”; for the bad, I have tried to keep my cool, but there was one case when this guy “bashed” (at least I say so) my sequel, saying it wasn’t gonna get made. Now, I am not a girl who likes flames—so, naturally, I started yelling at him & arguing. I mean, the guy just may be wrong—my sequel does have a chance of getting made, right? Besides, as my character Princess says, “every girl’s gotta have a dream”.
Q: You actually LIKE the GMD DVD cover!?
A: Yes, I think it’s OK. Perhaps it might be a bit too cheery & colorful, but it’s not that bad, IMO. (ducks the torrents of rotten tomatoes thrown at her by the hard-hard-hard-core GMD fans) (nervously, from her hiding place) But if it makes you feel any better, I’m working on a redesign...
Q: Why do you call yourself “The Mouse Avenger”?
A: Partially because I love GMD. But there’s a deeper meaning to my cyber-name...you see, there’s a super-long story explaning certain events that happened as soon as I started watching GMD—unfortunately, I haven’t the time to jot everything down, plus it brings up bad memories for a lot of people I’m acquainted with. So, for their consideration, I won’t go into details here. Let’s just say that I got my name after a character-building experience... ;-)
Q: If anyone ever stole your characters or ideas, how would you react?
A: First of all, I wouldn’t sue. That’s my friend Irene’s thing. Instead, I’d start with a warning. However, should it happen again, I’d start getting ticked—then you’d have to worry about what I’d do next...Hopefully, we won’t have to go through all of that. (sweet grin)
Q: How long have you been a GMD fan?
A: For over a year & a half. (the audience laughs) No, seriously, it’s true--& there’s a certain essay that can explain everything to you about it.
Q: I noticed in the Music Room that you have other people’s songs in there. Aren’t you worried about facing legal issues?
A: That’s exactly what the Music Room Copyright & Disclaimer is for. I do not in any way intend to make a penny off of anybody else’s musical creations, be it in lyrics, melodies, or titles.
Q: Why are you so cocky?
A: What the--COCKY?! That is so...OK, it's true. I do have an ego problem, probably due to self-esteem issues. But I really am a nice kid. You just gotta try to find the girl behind the mask...
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