1. What exactly is this?

This is the Fushigi Yuugi fanfiction spotlight, hosted by the Fushigi Yuugi Fanzine "The Quill." This is a place where good fanfics are highlighted each month.

2. Who's running it?

Well, the fanfic spotlight is written by Kristi Brownfield (email: kouji@genkiland.com). Kristi has been on the internet since 1994. She first watched Fushigi Yuugi in 1996. Kristi and her partner and crime started one of the earlier Fushigi Yuugi webpages, The Shrine to the Almighty Chicken of Doom. The Shrine to the Almighty Chicken of Doom hosts the Fushigi Yuugi Fanfiction Archive, which Kristi has run since 1998. She also write Fushigi Yuugi fanfics herself.

3. What gives you the authority to judge fanfics?

Nobody. These reviews are my opinions only. They are not paid for, nor do they represent the opinions of the entire staff of the Fushigi Yuugi fanzine "The Quill." Think of me as something akin to a literary critic. The fanfics that I highlight are ones that I think are good and like. You are perfectly able to disagree with me, or even to send suggestions to me.

4. So what makes a fic "good"?

I judge fics according to this criteria (in no particular order):

1. mechanics (spelling, grammar, sentence structure)
2. characterization (are the characters believable?)
3. plot (is the plot well constructed? is it believable?)
4. flow (is the fanfic choppy, or does it flow smoothly from one scene to the next?)
5. gut instinct (how does this fanfic make me feel after reading it?)

Okay, that was the Not-FAQ. ^_-

This month, the Quill decided to feature fandom, and what it does to Fushigi Yuugi. So, instead of the usual fanfic spotlight, where I would highlight a fanfic, the Quill's editors thought it might be more interesting to highlight people behind the fanfics: the writers.

So, in last month's issue, we took a call for votes. The votes would be names of writers that the Quill's readers would like me to interview. And we had a tie: Jill James, and Ritz (Rita) Chen.

Jill James came onto the scene around June of 1998, with her fanfic "Forever," featuring Byakko shichiseishi Tatara. Since then, she has written five other fanfics: "Blessings," "Mercy's Gift," "A Man and His Miko," "Heaven's Will," and "Last Night" which can be found at her webpage.

Rita (Ritz) Chen introduced her first fanfic on 12/26/1997, "Fushigi Yuugi New Year's Countdown." Since then she has become a valued part of the fanfiction community. Her contributions, such as the massive self inclusion series "Fun ... Our Way" and its unfinished sequel "RnR" have delighted both participants, as well as the average reader. However, Ritz's largest contribution is not in her large store of FY fanfics but the A-anou~ : Fushigi Yuugi Fanfiction Contest, currently in the judging stage of its second year. But, you can visit Ritz at her webpage.

JJ = Jill James.
RC = Ritz Chen.

Q: What appeals to you most when you read fanfiction?

RC: A lot of things appeal to me when I read fanfiction but I suppose the biggest things I like are the development of characters and plot and the general mood of the whole fic. The characters have to feel realistic with faults and flaws to them and the plot has to be believable. The mood of the fic is generally what draws me in. If it's supposed to be heart wrenching and I'm laughing my head off, I know there's something wrong. ^.~ And of course, new ideas and plots in fanfics are always very nice to read about. However, an old idea/plot that is written well is just as good. ^__^

JJ: Good writing. I love terse prose, characters that stay in character, and edge-of-your-seat pacing. Doesn't explain why I write the way I do, does it? ^^;;

Q: How would you compare FY fanfiction to other anime, or American based fanfiction?

RC: Hmm...FY fanfiction is more diverse, I think. I believe that you can get away with more in FY fandom than let's say, Slam Dunk. In SD fandom, you won't believe how picky some people can get about portrayals of their favorite characters. (i.e. If say, Rukawa was portrayed as a player in a fic, most of his fans would howl, send flames, and boycott the fic. ^^;;;) However, in FY fandom, people generally seem more tolerant to new ideas. I think it's because that almost anything is conceivable because the plot of FY is so jam-packed with so many different scenes and events. In FY, I've had the pleasure of reading a broad range of fics and I find that just lovely. Oh, but there is one thing about FY fandom that it has more than others. *grins* We have more self-inclusions and self-insertions than most animes. (I admit, I'm guilty of that myself. ^.~) With so many bishounen in FY, I realize that it's just too tempting to write yourself and your friends in but depending on the fics, the results can either be brilliant or disastrous. In this case, it really depends on how good the author is. ^o^

JJ: Most FY fan fics are written by women. I know that there are notable exceptions, but I have noticed that many women are attracted to anime about relationships and a character's inner life. There is plenty of fodder in FY for that sort of literary expression.

Q: Does a particular genre of fanfiction, for example, slash, angst, humor, appeal to you, and why?

RC: Hmm...well, I've been writing a lot of slash Slam Dunk recently. *laughs* I suppose you can say that's what appeals to me most. I like slash because I think that a love that withstands and challenges the harsh rules of society is very beautiful and powerful. I also like slash because it proves that love is more important than someone's physical appearance and that it really gives people the bravery and courage to stand up for what they believe in. (Besides, most of the slash writers out there are very admirable. Heaven knows most of them get more flames than most non-slash writers and the fact that they still continue writing after being dissed or threatened is very nice to know. ^__^ I myself have been flamed 3 times. I've been called an idiot in one, told to wash my brain out with soap in the other, and then the last one dissed my name as well as flaming me. *laughs and then sighs* It's sad, don't you think?) However, humor appeals greatly to me too. Humor that is witty and well-written always helps brighten my day and gets me very "genki". ^^

JJ: I favor romance and humor, but I enjoy them all the more with a bit of angst thrown in. Like real life, adversity allows me to appreciate the good times a little more.

Q: What motivates you to write fanfiction?

RC: *laughs* Just about everything. ^^ When I hear a good song on the radio that gives me an idea for a fic, I sit down and write it. Or when I read an excellent fic by another author, that usually motivates me to work on my own stuff. And of course, when I get fanmail asking me to write more or continue writing, it always helps motivate me. ^__^ Actually, fanmail is probably the biggest motivational factor...*laughs* Without them, I'm sure I'd just slack off. ^^

JJ: A rich fantasy life. FY brought back a part of myself that I thought had disappeared in adulthood: The Dreamer. While I watched FY, and for many months thereafter, I floated a bit between heaven and earth, one foot in the Universe of the 4 Gods, and one in my everyday world. Then the stories just sort of spilled out from there into here. Had to write them. But I must say that I was very inspired by the wonderful fics archived at Priya and Kristi's former FY fic page.

Q: What characters do you use the most when you write fanfiction, and why?

RC: I tend to use characters I have a firm grasp of when writing fanfiction. For example, most of my fanfics are centered around the Suzaku Seishi. Why? Simply because I know their characters the best and I can easily anticipate what each is going to say next. I tend to write about Nuriko the most but contrary to what most people believe, it's not because he's my favorite character. (Not totally anyways. ^^) I write about him the most because I understand and can his portray his character the best. Also, I like using characters where I can easily develop different sides to them...^^ For example, Tasuki is nice to use because you can develop the caring, softer side of the bandit that we know he has but tries to hide. ^.~

JJ: I think that I haven't played favorites. I just wrote about the character who was in my head at the time. Another thing: stories rarely end up the way that I first envision them. The nearest was perhaps "Heaven's Will", with maybe "A Man and His Miko" a close second.

The relationship between fanfiction, its reader, and its writer is a close one. "What the author puts down is what they've been dreaming about. So writing and reading a fic is a very intimate thing. We authors reveal far more about ourselves that we might wish, or even know, in our writing," as Jill James said. The best way to get to know a writer is by reading their fanfics.

Lastly, email the writers. Let them know that you care. They'll appreciate it. Take it from me, another writer.