DMEB Interviews: Darthcleo

Hi, Sith Vixens! I got to interview Red Sith, who created the fanfic series I most adore on DMEB. (YAY!) Red was great; tolerant of my... absentia. In the words of Tarkin, "charming to the last".

Seiya: What's your name?
Red Sith: Just call me Red. ;) For the record, I'm married, and I live with my husband, my teenage daughter, six cats, a dog, and one grumpy geriatric pigeon.

Seiya: When did you start writing? Was there anyone who encouraged you in your writing?
Red Sith: I think I've always wanted to write. About six years ago I met a writer named Sheri online. She's the first person who encouraged me to put the stories in my head down on paper, and then wonder of wonders, when I did she actually liked them! I'll never forget that first timid attempt and the terrific feeling of getting a positive response. Since then I've joined a local writers group, and although they don't critique what I write, just being around other writers is encouraging, especially being around those who are making a living at it. But my best support and encouragement comes from my friend Melissa, who's one hell of a beta reader, and who's also quite good at reminding me that I won't get anything written if I don't keep my butt in the chair.

Seiya: When did you first see Maul?
Red Sith: I first caught a brief glimpse of Maul in the first trailer for The Phantom Menace when it was broadcast on Entertainment Tonight. I never did catch that trailer in the theater, but I did sneak in to Wing Commander just to see the second trailer.

Seiya: When did you first know that you *ahem* _LIKED_ him?
Red Sith: I have to admit, with Maul it wasn't love at first sight. ;) In fact, my husband, a Vader fan, was the initial Maul fan in our household. Before the movie opened, he brought home the Maul container (I call it a cookie jar) and I was more than a bit skeptical. But then I saw the movie for the first time and I was impressed with Maul's sheer physicality, and the lightsaber battle took my breath away. Then I saw the movie again and I was intrigued. After all, I've always had a soft spot for the bad guy, and there was just something so compelling about Maul. And *then* I found the DMEB and read some fanfic on the site, and let's just say I saw Maul in a *whole* new light.

Seiya: Have you ever had this sort of...heh...fondness for a movie character before? If so, which, if any, were not human?
Red Sith: Hmmm, by fondness do you mean something approaching my single-minded Maul obsessiveness? No, can't say that I have. Ok, I've liked other movie characters before, and I'll admit to a crush on Han Solo from the original Star Wars trilogy, and Kyle Reese from The Terminator. And let's not forget Fox Mulder and Alex Krycek from The X Files. But I've never seen a movie character before who so fascinated me that I'd spend every Saturday in the theater watching the same movie again and again. And no, I've never had this type of fondness for a character who wasn't exactly human.

Seiya: Is "Emily" your first attempt at a fanfic? If not, are there any others, and where can we get them?
Red Sith: "Emily" is not my first fanfic, although it is the first fanfic I've written in the Star Wars universe. I've written several X Files fanfics, as well as fanfics for Forever Knight, V, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Most of them were published in fanzines some time ago. If anyone wants to read them, you can get them by writing to me at theredsith@yahoo.com and asking nicely. Since "Emily" I've written a Sith Academy story called "Darth Maul Does The Classics," which can be found on Siubhan's most excellent site at http://www.siubhan.com/sithacademy.

Seiya: How'd you get the idea for "Emily"? Just wishful thinking? Or is there something more you aren't telling us?
Red Sith: Don't I wish! Actually, the spark of the idea for "Emily" came from a market listing seeking stories where fictional characters cross over into the real world. Well, the fictional character I was obsessing over was Maul, so I started thinking about how Maul would really react if he suddenly found himself in our world. While I was mulling over the idea, I saw the Maul poster display in Sam Goody's at our local mall, and I thought about how rude it was for Maul not only to be cut in half in the movie, but here his life-size poster was cut in half as well. Added to all this was my hatred for the way Maul died in the movie -- such an out-of-character moment for him to have just stood there without even making a defensive move -- and my overwhelming desire to change what happened so Maul wouldn't have to die, and the basic plot for "Emily" was born. At 19,000 words, the end product was much too long for the publication that gave me the original idea. I'm happy the DMEB gave it a home, and I want to thank everyone who took the time to send feedback.

Seiya: Do you ever wish you were in her place?
Red Sith: Trading places with Emily... hmmm... she gets beat up quite a bit over the course of the story, but then again, she gets to have Maul, too, and the possibility of having Maul all to myself... gee, now, let me think. ;)

Seiya: Do you plan to expand on the story- maybe to the point where Maul comes for her?
Red Sith: I've actually started the next part of the story, which is tentatively called "Through The Looking Glass," so you can probably tell by the title that this time Emily ends up in Maul's world. I hadn't planned on writing any more "Emily" stories after I finished the first one, but then the opening line of the epilogue kept playing through my head and I knew I wasn't done with her. And when I wrote Maul's part of the epilogue, I knew he wasn't quite done with her either. So the story will continue. Provided I keep my butt in the chair and my cats off the keyboard.

Seiya: Do you see Maul as only a Sithly character, or do you think that he could be compassionate?
Red Sith: I remember reading an article about Ray Park in which he was quoted as saying that at first it was difficult for him to figure out how to play Maul because the character had no compassion. Maybe that's true of the Maul we saw in Phantom Menace, but that's not true of the Maul I write about. I don't think of any character strictly in terms of all good or all bad. Well, except maybe Sidious. So yes, I think Maul is capable of compassion although I doubt he's been shown much in his lifetime. It doesn't make him any less Sithly, but rather a more three-dimensional character who's capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions, including compassion.

Seiya: Does your daughter or husband know about your Maul fetish? If so, what do they think of it?
Red Sith: It would be kind of hard to hide it from them since I'm surrounded by Maulchandise. My husband's all for it since it means that he's not the only one buying Maul stuff. Initially my daughter thought it was kind of strange for her mom to be acting like an obsessed teenager, but I think she's gotten used to it by now.

Seiya: What are you; Sith or Jedi?
Red Sith: Sadly, in real life I'm more Jedi than Sith. That's how I ended up with six cats. I'm such a sentimental sap.

Seiya: Would you rather Maul stay deceased or would you rather him return in Ep. 2?
Red Sith: Hmm, that's actually a hard one to answer. I hated the way Maul died in Episode 1, and in "Emily" I resurrected him from the dead. So no, I don't want him to stay deceased. And I'd love to see him on screen again. My only hesitation is at how Lucas would treat him in Episode 2, should he actually make an appearance. But it's probably all academic anyway since Lucas has said repeatedly that Maul is dead and won't be back. But at least he lives on in our fanfic.

Seiya: If Maul was a food, what would he be and why? (Personally, I think curry suits him nicely.)
Red Sith: A food, gee... I've always thought of Maul as spicy and exotic, so curry would be a good choice. I also remember a type of fudge my mom made when I was a kid, not overly sweet, rich and chocolatey, but made with cinnamon and other spices that gave it a spicy bite to go along with the sweet. That could be Maul as well.

Seiya: (Okay, so that last one wasn't obvious, but I thought it was a good one... ^^)
Red Sith: There you go!

Thus the interview went. I found Red to be an intelligent, witty and largely assertive woman. If I were you, DMEBers, I'd keep an eye on this lady- her talent is combustible.