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FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

The following are, in no particular order, questions that I have either been asked on a regular basis, or imagine people might be curious as to their answers. I hope this helps people out. If you have a question that's not on this list, feel free to ask it and I'll answer to the best of my ability.

Why is your pen name Kenya Starflight?

Back when I was first starting to write fanfic, I had a difficult time coming up with alien-sounding names that didn't sound completely ridiculous, so often I would pick an already existing word or name and use it instead. (Names from other languages or of lesser-known mythological figures were favorites -- Zevul or Ghede, for example.) One of my first original characters was a Force-sensitive stormtrooper named Kenya Starflight -- I originally spelled the first name Quen'ia to be different, then decided it wasn't worth the bother. When I started hanging out in chat rooms and actually posting my stuff online, I first used the name LadyVader2000, but since "Lady Vader" names were way too common, I finally just swiped the stormtrooper's name and used it instead. (The trooper would eventually be renamed TK-259, aka Tuck, and make an appearance in my fanfic "Heir to the Ring.")

What made you decide to join DeviantArt?

I was first made aware of DeviantArt's existence through a newspaper article that praised the site for bringing attention and even employment opportunities to aspiring artists and graphic designers. I didn't think too much of it until people began sending me links to funny or just plain gorgeous fanart on the site, and I began hanging out more and more. Finally I got an account so I could comment and fave pictures I liked... and then found out I could upload my fanfic, doodles, and pictures of my clay sculptures too. Thus a Deviant was born...

Are you the same Kenya Starflight that wrote those Star Wars stories over on Fanfiction.net?

Heh... yup, that be me. In the Star Wars community I'm best known for my "Eye of the Storm" stories (where the Star Wars characters end up in an Earth city playing host to a Star Wars convention), my Reborn trilogy (where Darth Vader crash-lands near the Rebel base and loses his memory), and stories that explore the father/son relationship between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. That and finding ways to keep Vader from dying at the end of ROTJ... Besides Star Wars and Transformers, I've also done my Calvin and Hobbes fanfic "Reminisence" (which must be the most popular thing I've ever written) and am currently working on a Harry Potter fanfic, "Blessed Are the Geeks."

You write hardly any Star Wars stuff anymore. What made you switch over from the Star Wars fandom to Trans-fandom?

I haven't abandoned Star Wars entirely, though I'm sure it seems like it to those that watch me over on FFN. I still love the films (never been keen on the books and comics, though), but Transformers is a new interest that is bursting with possibilities, thanks to the many characters and many takes on the concept. I feel like I've sapped my Star Wars muse dry at this point, and looking back it seems I got stuck in the "let's see how many times we can redeem Darth Vader without killing him" rut somewhere along the way. I may someday run my Transformers muse into the ground as well, but until that day comes I intend on having as much fun as possible.

Where do you get your ideas?

From the rare, out-of-print book 1,001 TF Fanfic Ideas? Just kidding. I have no idea where most of my ideas come from -- I'll be somewhere completely mundane, such as at work or a family reunion or cleaning the bathroom, and suddenly I'll get hit with inspiration and have to run to my notebook or computer to jot the idea down before I lose it. Sometimes I can trace the source of my inspiration ("Ghost Jets" was inspired by an interview with Frank Welker over on the Allspark), but not always. Though one almost foolproof way to get me to write a story is to say "It's impossible to write a decent fanfic on <insert subject here>." Because apparently I can't resist a challenge...

How do you write your stories?

Because I have a long list of stories waiting to be written, ideas often have awhile to brew and take shape in my mind before I actually get to writing them. I never work from an outline -- I'll jot down notes, but I don't sit down and plan out a story ahead of time on paper. I like the story to surprise me as I go, and while it's gotten me into real trouble before (I'm still trying to write myself out of a corner on "Walk Like Men," it feels like), it hasn't let me down yet. I used to handwrite all my work out longhand before typing it out, but now I prefer to just handwrite notes and do the final fleshing out of the story on the computer. And I also like listening to music as I write -- often it unconsciously influences the writing itself.

How many stories do you normally work on at once, and how do you keep them all straight?

At any given moment I'll be working on anywhere from one to four stories at once, though three is the norm. To keep confusion to a minimum and ensure everything gets updated in a timely fashion, I try not to "bounce" from story to story -- I'll pick one, generally the one that's gone the longest without an update, and focus on writing a chapter of it. If I'm truly stuck or forget my flash drive (where I keep chapters in progress), I'll go ahead and switch over to another project for a short time. And sometimes a long story will be delayed for just a bit so I can write a one-shot that's either for a prize/request or that's just eating my brain and demanding to be written RIGHT NOW.

Why do you like crossovers so much?

I need a reason? Seriously, I enjoy the challenge of seeing how well two universes mesh together. Plus there are certain characters from different universes that I think would get along quite well if the could only meet somehow -- the Weasleys and the Lamborghinis, for example. Besides, I can't write anything normal, and crossovers is one way to ensure that.

Why haven't you updated <insert story title here> in forever?

There might be a few different reasons for lack of an update. If none of my stuff has been updated in awhile, it might be issues with real life, computer problems, or just plain writer's block. If other stories have been updated but not that one, it's most likely because that story's waiting its turn and I'll get to it eventually. Or it may be that the story's complete and no longer needs updates, though you'll usually know when a story's finished because I'll add an Author's Note to the end.

Are we ever going to see a sequel to <insert story title here>?

Sequels for anything -- books, movies, fanfic, etc. -- tend to be rather hit or miss, and while I've had success with sequels in the past, I also feel like I've bombed sequels before. Generally I won't write a sequel unless I have a VERY good idea of how said sequel will go and think I can pull it off decently.

Are you writing original fiction as well as fanfiction, and are you published anywhere besides on the Internet?

I'm currently working on an original story that might become a novel if I'm lucky, as well as some shorter original stories that I hope to publish in a magazine or such. I've had poetry published in an anthology before, poetry and prose published in newspapers, and I had non-fiction news articles and columns published in my high school's newspaper during my senior year. I submitted a short story to "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction" about a year ago, but it was rejected. I hope to have better luck with my next attempt...

Where did you get the idea for your OC, Glory?

When I first started getting into Transformers, I was curious as to how Transformers could reproduce and create children. The show did give an answer -- construct a body and go to Vector Sigma for a personality -- but that answer was boring, so I set about looking for another. After hearing many different theories (and scaring myself with "pregnant TF" fics -- eek!), I finally developed a theory of my own... and said theory came with a young Decepticon-created child who begged me to find her a family and a name. So I drafted Thundercracker into being an uncle for her. (Her original name was Delta, but I changed it to Glory for some reason -- no longer remember why.)

What, besides DeviantArt, are your favorite Internet haunts?

I post most of my fanfiction (except for some of the one-shots) on Fanfiction.net as well as on DeviantArt. I use Yahoo! for my e-mail, and I also frequent Yahoo! Answers for the fun of it and am a member of three Yahoo! Groups -- the Luke/Vader Writers (self-explanatory), Quillian Corner (which focuses mainly on Harry Potter, though they discuss other topics as well), and Tales of Wizards and Aliens (Harry Potter crossovers with a decidedly sci-fi bent). I use Meebo for chatting and IMing, role-play at Transformers Deadzone, have a PhotoBucket account, and love to browse through YouTube, Wikipedia, Teletraan-1, In Space No One Can Hear Starscream, Comics In Disguise, LilFormers, and Homestar Runner (though I'm seriously behind on keeping up with the site...). I used to have a blog at Blogspot, but I no longer update it. I don't frequent message boards, and I don't have accounts at MySpace, Facebook, or LiveJournal.

Why don't you write slash?

I have three reasons for not writing slash. First, I'm not fond of it. I'm not homophobic and I have nothing against those who do like to read and/or write it, it's just something I prefer not to read or write. Second, I'm not good at writing romance in general, so romance of any kind crops up rarely in my work. And third, slash is extremely common anyhow, and I'd rather write what I enjoy writing rather than following the crowd. So it's extremely unlikely that you'll find a slash story in my gallery.

Please write a fanfic about <insert character/situation here> or in the <insert fandom here> fandom!

I'm sorry, but I don't take requests. I already have enough ideas to keep me busy for awhile. If you're interested in a trade, however, we can work something out.

Why haven't you responded to my comment(s) on your work?

I try to respond to comments people leave on my work, as I feel it's the polite thing to do. If I don't respond to your comment, it's most likely because I wasn't notified of it for some reason (DA hiccups on occassion and fails to send out alerts from time to time). Also, I generally don't respond to spam.

Why do you do so many memes in your journal?

Because it's fun? I enjoy memes personally, though I know not everyone does. I try to balance out my journal so that there are plenty of "real" posts to read as well as memes. People are free to skip the meme journals if they wish, and I rarely tag people, as I feel it isn't fair to force someone to do a meme if they don't want to do it.

Are you ever going to update your blog again?

"Me, Myself, and Vader -- Discussions With a Sith" was a blog-based story that ran from May of 2005 to August of 2007, and was basically the story of my life, but with Star Wars characters added. At first it pretty closely followed my real life, then began to slowly deviate from that as more characters showed up, and soon it became less a journal of my life and more a self-insert fanfic. Finally things became too complex to handle, and I ran dry on inspiration. I felt bad about cutting it off, as a lot of people had started similar blogs and were using events from my blog to shape events of their own blogs, but in the end I felt it best to focus my energy on other projects. So in short, there's a slight chance I might go back and revamp and/or update the blog, but don't hold your breath.

Will you join my RPG?

I generally keep busy enough with my writing, the Deadzone RPG, and real life that feel I don't have time for another RPG. Thanks for asking, though.

Will you beta-read my story and give me advice on writing?

Sure! Send me a note and let me know what specifically you're looking for critique/advice on. I'm always happy to help a fellow writer.

Can I draw one of your original characters or include them in my fanfic?

The following people are allowed to write/draw my OCs without asking permission, as I trust them and in most cases they helped with the development of said characters, both in physical appearance and in personality:



Everyone else -- unless it's something I've requested, such as a trade or commission, please do NOT draw my characters or write them into your fanfic without asking permission first! And please respect my decision if the answer is "No."

How do I join your club, TFsandHumans?

Go to the club page (there's an icon you can click on at the bottom of this journal to get there) and send the club a note saying you want to join. You should be added to the member list within a week.

How can I contact you?

Just send me a note, or you can contact my e-mail address down in my profile. If you've never e-mailed me before, say you're from DeviantArt or something in the subject line so I know you're not a spammer.

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