Luna Hinomura
Luna: Why hello there.
Baka: Oh! Heyo, hows are u?
Luna: All right. Did you wish to interview me?
Baka: You've got time? Sure!
Luna: Which of my fan-fics did you read?
Baka: um all three! (there were 3, right?)
Luna: Yah, but one of them stunk.
Baka: Which? (Messie was good)
Luna: The Koyuki one (Yah someone said it almost made them cry).
Baka: That was funny!
Luna: Really?
Baka: Oh yeah.
Luna: Heh. I also think the Electric Sheep one is too short, but oh well. I like Messie's story.
Baka: Yup. Messie was quite a character...and very unexplored...I enjoy writing for him.
Luna: Cool, but it's a "her".
Baka: Her? Because it's a ship?
Luna: Because the ship was based on Lorelei's personality.
Baka: So...
Luna: *shrug* It's just what another fanfiction author said to me.
Baka: Fair enough...I've always taken it as masculine tho'...falling for Lorelei and all...and the Otome Kairo's geared towards filling in it's missing pieces...So, ready to begin?
Luna: Sure.
Baka: First off, what can you tell me about yourself?
Luna: I'm American-born Chinese. Just turned 20. College student. Cell and Molecular Biology major. Female (duh). Is that enough?
Baka: Sure.
Baka: ok, onto the next question... What's the stupidest thing you've ever done?
Luna: I'd say too many to list, but I also have a certain amount of pride and am easily embarrassed. What seems "stupid" to me might be easily brushed off by someone else.
Baka: Fair enough.
Baka: What would you say is your greatest personal triumph?
Luna: Performing well in school and in Wushu.
Baka: Wushu?
Luna: I've been practicing Wushu for more than 5 years. It's a contemporary Chinese martial art. Not only is it a martial art, but also a performance art, and is occasionally used in movies. Jet Li was on the Beijing Wushu Team before he started making movies.
Baka: That's neat!
Luna: Thanx!
Baka: So are there levels of standing in Wushu?
Luna: Eh... it depends on the school.
Baka: Yours?
Luna: Currently, it's divided into "beginner" "intermediate" and "advanced". Your level does not depend on the amount of training, but on your level of ability.
Baka: Which rank are you, yourself?
Luna: Intermediate.
Baka: What are a few of your favorite things (food, movies, music, etc.) ?
Luna: Noodles, stir-fried or boiled. My favorite food is a Chinese dish called "Zha Jiang Mian"
Baka: And what exactly is this dish like?
Luna: It's like an Italian spagetti, in a way, except it has tofu and is made with salty bean paste instead of tomatoes.
Baka: Yum!
Luna: I like The Matrix, Fight Club, Ah! My Goddess, Tenchi-Muyo! in Love, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Iron Monkey, Shaolin Soccer...My favorite authors are Steven Brust and Amy Tan. Favorite music: Pop (foreign pop, too). I love Martial Arts, Math, Biology, Video games, anime, etc....
Baka: Regarding the biology, are you still in study, or have you graduated?
Luna: Currently undergrad, but I am involved in undergraduate research.
Baka: So, you seem to have strong ties with regards to your Chinese heritage, correct?
Luna: I do. I also study Traditional Chinese Painting.
Baka: That's really cool!
Luna: Thanks.
Baka: Do you idolize anyone?
Luna: Sure. My parents. My grandpa.
Baka: Okay, let's move into the next question section...What was your first encounter with SMJ like?
Luna: Hilarious. A friend brought it to a session of my high school's anime club. We laughed our asses off. Within a week I ordered the whole series on tape.
Baka: it seems to have that effect on viewers!
Luna: YAH!
Baka: Are there any characters you would say stand out in your opinion from the rest?
Luna: Tiger. More so than Lime in some ways.
Baka: How so?
Luna: Hm...she's more "human" than the others. Not because of her devotion to Faust, but because she seems to have a conscience and desire to do the right thing.
Baka: *nods in agreement*
Luna: Baiko stood out to me too, but that's 'cause I like that kind of character too. Hard and unmovable, with a kick-ass voice (Ai Orikasa!!)
Baka: How many times have you seen the SM series'?
Luna: Heh. Twice all the way through, like watching from ep 1 to ep 25. But I've seen some tapes more than once for episodes I liked. No wait. I probably watched it three times all the way through.
Baka: which episodes are the ones you liked, and therefore watched more of?
Luna: I liked the Marionette Contest one, and the one where Lime cries, and of course, the famous "chase scene". Hahaha. The Koyuki one where Lime loses her heart, and the one where Tiger dies.
Baka: Given the chance, what would you have made different in the original SMJ story?
Luna: Let me think...haha! One thing that annoyed me is that when they were introduced, Baiko says "I am Baiko" and Tamasaburo says "Her assistant, Tamasaburo" and then, the shogun becomes Tamasaburo while that helper guy is Baiko. It would have been cooler [with the Shogun] as Baiko!
Baka: LOL! Oh, yah, Baiko all the way!
Luna: ...And I would fix the stupid box cover so that Panta's hair covers the CORRECT eye. And I would arrange the order differently so that Otaru is on volume 7 and Panta is on Volume 6.
Baka: Heh, would you say you are a Perfectionist in any way?
Luna: I suppose.
Baka: What sort of SMJ Merchandise do you own?
Luna: Just the tapes, 7 Megumi Hayashibara CDs, and one Megumi Hayashibara VCD. Some of the CDs have SMJ songs on it.
Baka: Lets talk fanfic, now! What sort of things do you like to do to get in the mood for writing?
Luna: I read back over other stuff I've written.
Baka: Do you read fanfic yourself?
Luna: Sometimes.
Baka: Are there any specific stories out there you would highly recommend to others?
Luna: Hearts of Ice, Slayers Trilogy, Mr. T vs. The Slayers...
Baka: Loved *that* one!!
Luna: ..."There goes the neighborhood", "Hearts and Minds" too.
Baka: Have you ever written a fic you thought little of, only to have readers praise it?
Luna: That stupid Koyuki one.
Baka: What didn't you like about 'Lime Takes A Trip'?
Luna: It didn't convey the feeling that I wanted to convey to readers. It didn't seem descriptive enough.
Baka: Are there any plans for your future fanfiction writing?
Luna: Nope. I feel burned-out.
Baka: So, you're done with it, or just have no time to devote to it?
Luna: No, wait. I did have an idea of something to write. I just haven't put it on paper yet, and I still do some online roleplaying.
Baka: Much roleplaying?
Luna: Wha?
Baka: Do you involve yourself in a lot of roleplaying?
Luna: Sometimes.
Baka: What would you say inspired you to write fanfiction?
Luna: I enjoy it, and I thought people would be pleased with my results.
Baka: Are you more comfortable writing serious or humorous stories?
Luna: Serious. I can't write humor worth crap.
Baka: How long in estimate does it take you to write a full fanfic?
Luna: I used to write a chapter a day for "Ah! Megami-sama Muyo!"
Baka: What would you say are the most important traits a writer should have?
Luna: Good description, consistency, and a engaging storyline.
Baka: What is your stance on Yaoi/Yuri (guy+guy and girl+girl relationship) fics?
Luna: Not interested.
Baka: Well...that about dries up my question base....Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Luna: Well, back to the "good fanfiction author" part...I get annoyed when people complain that I've made a character in an anime act out of character in a fic. I feel that because this is my fic, and I am using their characters, I am justified in manipulating the characters to fit my fic. Of course, one must also manipulate the fic to fit the characters - People didn't like my Slayers fic because of that. Someday, I'll rewrite it more as a "spin-off" of Slayers than a fan-fic of Slayers, like how Frasier came from Cheers or Daria from Beavis & Butthead. And the deal that there are no Ah! My Goddess characterss in my Tenchi Muyo!/Ah! My Goddess fic...I'm not going to mix them in more.
Baka: Oh, and after asking all this of you...it's only fair: Do you have any questions to ask me?
Luna: What is the point of all this, and what are you going to do with the info?
Baka: LOL! Good one! Ok, first off, what is the point? Well, one point is to sort of try and put emphasis on fanworkers...Many may put heart and soul into their work, and never receive much of a comment back.
Luna: Ah I see. Well I do go through a thorough editing session.
Baka: Also, people are interesting, and I enjoy learning about them! Finally, I have the strange urge to reach out to other fans!
Luna: Hehe.
Baka: To answer the second question, transcripts/quotes are going to end up on my website when I finish the revamp.
Luna: Do you think I qualify as a author who puts my heart and soul into a fic?
Baka: From what I've read, it seems quite so...
Luna: Wow.
Baka: Those who write that way, breathe a sort of life into their work and I could almost feel for the Mesopotamia in "Mesopotamia's Story"
Luna: Wow. Thanks.
Baka: You're most welcome. Any more questions?
Luna: How many of my fics have you read?
Baka: Well...strictly the SMJ ones, heh...
Luna: I see. I often wish I could write longer, more engaging ones, but I like shortfics for SMJ.
Baka: But also being a Slayers fan, I may have to look out for your name!
Luna: Ack! No! No! No! I need to rewrite that entire story!
Baka: Okay, for now, I'll hold back. :)
Luna: Do you like prereading? I used to write my slayers fic not only for myself, but for a friend of mine who really really loved doing the prereading.
Baka: Prereading?
Luna: Y'know, reading it before it's published on the 'net?
Baka: As in proofreading, or teaser reading?
Luna: Reading it and giving feedback.
Baka: Can't say I've done it before, so I can't comment.
Luna: LOL!
Baka: Well, I'd like to thank you for sitting through this...And I hope to have more talks with you in the future!
Luna: You're welcome.