Rachel answers: Either “Voltron” or “The Last Unicorn”, I can’t remember which came first! And no, I had no idea what anime was at the time. I couldn’t have been more than five years old. (So one of my earliest memories was swooning over Sven!)

HRH: Was there something specific that prompted your interest in anime?

Rachel: I stopped watching “Voltron” partway through the series. The last episode I saw as a kid was the one where Princess Romelle, who had been thrown into the Pit of Skulls by Lotor, found the heretofore missing Sven. Then I stopped watching. About eleven years later “Voltron” came back on the TV and I just HAD to find out what happened. My parents frowned upon cartoons so I had to lot of sneaking around. ^__^ And I got hooked.

HRH: What's your current favorite anime movie/series (or both)?

Rachel: Well, “The Last Unicorn” is still one of my favorite movies, but I don’t know if it really counts as anime since it was co-produced by an American company. I have to go with “Gundam Wing.” I’ve seen some good anime over the course of the past four years, but that’s the one that’s stuck with me.

HRH: What's your all-time favorite anime movie/series (or both)?

Rachel: TLU again, or Gundam Wing, if TLU doesn’t count. I love the blend of character development and action.

HUNK: And who's the Hunk-iest anime guy around / Who's the hottest anime babe around? (And what anime series are they from?)

Rachel: Hahaha! Oh, Hunk-sweetie, you know I love you, right? But when it comes to looks, ah… I don’t have a favorite! Tomahome from “Fushigi Yuugi” is very tasty (I love men with blue hair!) but his personality doesn’t quite click with me. Sven from “Voltron” is also beautiful, and so are Sozo Sagara and Shinomori Aoshi (wow, plethora of blue/black-haired men whose names begin with S!) from “Rurouni Kenshin.”

HRH: What anime character do you relate to or consider yourself most like (and what series are they from)? What is it about him/her that you relate to/consider like you?

Rachel: Trowa Barton from “Gundam Wing” with Akizuki Meiko from “Marmalade Boy” finishing a close second. I’m not exactly sure what it is that draws me to Trowa. I just have such an easy time getting inside his head. Maybe it’s partly because we’re both quiet individuals who like to work behind the scenes, but who can be influential and eloquent in our own ways. He’s a loner who, I think more than anything, longs to be not alone. I’m that way, too. As for Meiko, she’s an aspiring novelist who gets tremendous flack from her parents. (But she chose the wrong man! Meiko, how COULD you?? Miwa Satoshi encouraged you to write, cheered you up, he had blue hair, his name began with an S, and he was your age. >__<)

HRH: Who's your favorite anime hero (and what series are they from)? Why?

Rachel: Trowa Barton. See above. Hmm. Durnit, I just want to bake brownies for the boy, give his forehead a kiss, and tuck him into bed. ^__^ He believes in a greater good, and he has those wicked cool moves. He’s a yummy bundle of contradictions. The entire time he’s going on about how independent he is, there’s something just below the surface that’s crying out for companionship and understanding. He’s a little arrogant and likes to show off, but he labors under the belief that he’s not worth much as a person. There’s more, but I doubt you want a novel as a response to this question!

HRH: Who's your favorite anime villain (and what series are they from)? Why?

Rachel: I tend not to like villains, not because I’m a goody-goody or anything but because most anime villains (or at least the ones I’ve seen) simply don’t interest me. I know “Voltron"’s Lotor has a sizeable fan club, but I can’t stand the guy. Yeah, he’s pretty, but in my opinion, he has no redeeming qualities. His goals are fairly one-dimensional; he wants to kill his father and marry/enslave Allura (I think the line between marriage and enslavement is somewhat blurred for him). He’s unimaginative. He tries the same plan again and again and it never works. He’s brutal and incredibly cruel. We know he’s guilty of murder, and keeping and abusing slaves. He’s probably guilty of rape. As little as I like Keith and as tired as I get of Voltron always winning, there’s no way I’m going to root for this guy! Haggar’s a little more interesting, because she seems to have that deeply buried good green-haired side and one has to wonder what the HELL happened to make her the blue prune she is today. (And she’s a cat woman. That’s a redeemable quality. Even if she sic’d the cat on my Lance.)

At the moment my favorite anime villain is Saito Hajime from “Rurouni Kenshin.” He’s just….COOL. Villain may actually be the wrong label for Saito. Antagonist is more appropriate. Ten years prior to the series’ opening he and the hero, Himura Kenshin, fought on opposing sides and were bitter rivals. Saito still bears a grudge, although at the moment he’s willing to let it wait because there are more urgent matters to attend to. After the fall of the shogunate, Saito becomes a police captain in Tokyo and about a quarter of the way through the series finds himself working alongside Kenshin, his former enemy. Well, maybe not former. I get the impression Saito’s only biding his time and waiting for Kenshin to let his guard down. Remember how he got his attention in the first place: he almost _murdered_ Sanosuke (considering how much I love Sano, that was a very dark deed!) just to show Kenshin what he was capable of. A little later he almost killed Kenshin in an attempt to get him riled enough to fight their common enemy, Shishio. He’s not a _nice_ guy. And yet he _is_ on the side of good and honor-bound to protect the innocent from the truly villainous, fairly two-dimensional Shishio. I also think it’s very cool that he’s married. For one thing the looks on Kenshin’s and Misao’s face when he lets that slip is priceless. For another… it shows that he has a life apart from his dark deeds and his duties as a policeman. We never meet Tokio, but the fact that she exist, I think, adds to his character because it begs the questions, What kind of woman married him? Does she know what he did ten years ago? Is she as fierce as he is? Is this a happy marriage? I get the impression that Mr. and Mrs. Saito are a fairly functional couple, since he obviously trusts her and doesn’t seem afraid to involve her in his affairs (he sent her that boy Shishio wanted to kill, for safekeeping). Anyway, I love Saito’s unpredictability. I love the fact that while you’re _pretty_ sure he’s there to help you can never been _too_ certain he isn’t just waiting for the moment when your guard is down. Come to think of it, quite a number of “Rurouni Kenshin” villains were more than just cookie-cutter baddies. But only Saito really lasted. And Saito has sex appeal, although he’s not a bishonen. Shinomori Aoshi was cool (and so handsome and well-dressed!) but at his darkest he got a little dim-witted and somehow I knew almost from the start that he’d turn out good. Even when he sided with Shishio I knew Kenshin was going to talk him (or beat him) out of it somehow. (I do love Aoshi, though. After Sano, he’s my favorite RK man.)

I think that in order for a villain to be truly interesting there has to be some small measure of goodness in him. Either that or his villainy has to be _really_ well-reasoned out. The reverse is true as well. I have no interest in heroes who are _purely_ good. Give me one with a dark streak, with a bit of conflict. When it comes to good and evil I prefer my lines somewhat blurry.

HRH: Who's your favorite anime character of all time (and what series are they from) Why?

Rachel: Didn’t I answer that one? It’s still Trowa.

HRH: Is there any one anime that really made an impact on you? Which anime, and what was the impact?

Rachel: I haven’t seen very many anime, so that’s a hard question to answer. I love the films by Miyazaki Hayao, such as “Mononoke Hime”, “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds“, “Tonari No Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” He’s such a marvelous storyteller, his characters are always believable, and he never talks down to his audience. I’ve always loved animations, but lately Disney has been a real letdown, so Miyazaki’s helped restore my faith in the genre. His heroines are always real girls, not the Disney Playboy Bunnies.

“Grave of the Fireflies” (I forget the director, I think it was produced by Studio Ghibli) was…incredible. Beautiful and terrible and haunting and frighteningly real. It’s the story of an orphaned boy and his younger sister toward the end of WWII. It’s very, very sad (yes, I cried and it takes a LOT to get me to cry during movies) and it really made me begin to view war in a different light. I’ve been thinking about that movie a lot lately, since moving to Japan and since September 11th.

HRH: Do you collect anime stuff? (Like videos, DVD's, toys books, etc.) What kinds of things and from which anime(s)?

Rachel: I have a small collection of doujinshi, manga, action figures, and some plushies. Mostly from “Gundam Wing”, “Hana Yori Dango”, and “Rurouni Kenshin”. I’m poor! I just graduated from college! I can’t afford the cool toys!

HRH: Is writing/drawing a hobby for you, or is it something that you would like to pursue (or are pursuing) professionally?

Rachel: It is a hobby currently, but it is something that I would like to pursue professionally. My fantasy is to have my own magazine or newspaper column where I critique stuff (movies, theater, politics, travel--anything!) and write novels on the side. I’ve been writing since I was six years old. (I still have my first “book”. It’s a popup book about nature.) I think it’s what I do best and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

HRH: Do you have a favorite (published) author? If so, who and what is it that you enjoy about their writing?

Rachel: I’m a Shakespeare snob, but I guess that’s too easy an answer. I love Peter S. Beagle with all my heart. He’s a fantasy writer, although he’s also done journal articles and non-fiction. His most famous book is (surprise, surprise) “The Last Unicorn”. His other fantasy works include “A Fine and Private Place”, “The Innkeeper’s Song”, “Giant Bones”, “The Folk of the Air”, “The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche”, and “Tamsin”.

I love his characters. All are fully fleshed and have a unique voice that is recognizable from the moment they begin talking. From whiny teenage girl to mythical beast, somehow he manages to bring all his novels’ inhabitants to life. His prose are fantastic, too. They read like poetry--not surprising since he’s also a songwriter--and his images are so unusual, and yet so appropriate… He’s funny, too. I think it’s his writing style that has influenced my own the most.

HRH: Do you have a favorite artist? If so, who and what is it that you enjoy about their artwork?

Rachel: I don’t, actually. At the moment I’m fascinated with Japanese art (no surprise there). After a year in Europe I guess I was a bit tired of the Italians, French, German, and the rest. I love the sparseness of Japanese prints and paintings, the way they evoke stories and emotions without cluttering the canvas. I’m from New York City and when I’m in Manhattan and need to relax, I like to go to the Asian wing of the Museum of Art and just wander.

HRH: What's your favorite book or series of books?

Rachel: “The Last Unicorn” by Peter Beagle. You’ve heard me gush about that already, so I’ll give you some others. I love “Cat’s Eye” by Margaret Atwood (she’s another one whose prose read like poetry and whose imagery never fails to floor me); “Dangerous Angels” by Francesca Lia Block (my slam-bam-jam hipster-slinkster LA goddess); “The Prydain Chronicles” by Lloyd Alexander (childhood favorite--his heroines always kicked ass); “A Separate Peace” by John Knowles (I sobbed for two hours after reading it--I still tear up when I think about it--and I have resolved to name my future son Finny); “The Pillow Book” by Sei Shonagon (an 11th century court lady’s diary--sometimes funny, sometimes incredibly beautiful, often an illustration of just how snooty those upper classers were). I’m sure there are more, but I can’t remember them right now. Ooh, and of course, quite a few of Shakespeare’s plays.

HRH: What's your favorite movie?

Rachel: “Casablanca.” I’m very harsh on movies, but that one is perfect. Yes, I mean that. Other favorites are “Shakespeare in Love”, “The Princess Bride”, “Chasing Amy”, “Last of the Mohicans”, “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Singin’ in the Rain”, “Strictly Ballroom”, “West Side Story”. (You’d think I was a romantic or something. ^__^ )

HRH: What's your favorite TV show (non-anime/cartoon)?

Rachel: ER, at the moment. The writing’s really good, the characters well-developed. I don’t watch much TV, but when I do I also hone in for “Friends” (my God a sitcom that’s actually funny), “The Simpsons”, reruns of “Seinfeld”, and sometimes (when I’m with certain friends) “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (the first few seasons were kind of lame, but it’s gotten good and James Marsters is scrumptious).

HRH: We don't want to pry into anyone's personal/real life, but we'd really love to hear more about you - is there anything you'd like to share with us? We'd love it if you'd tell us a little bit about yourself...

There are lots of things you could tell us about yourself, like...

Are you a student? What are you studying?

Rachel: It’s funny; I still think of myself as a student, despite the fact that I graduated from Smith College in May with a BA in English Language and Literature. I’m a student of the world! Okay, that was really cheesy…

HRH: What's your profession? (Job title?)

Rachel: Oh my god, I can finally answer this one! I’m an Assistant Language Teacher. I work at three different junior high schools in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. I’ll only be here until next August, but it’s a REAL JOB. Wow. O_o I never thought I’d become a teacher. I’m not loving it (teaching, I mean) but it’s really exciting living here sometimes.

HRH: Outside of anime what kinds of interests/hobbies do you have?

Rachel: Well, I really do love to write: fan fiction, original stuff, letters, journals, critiques. I’m also an avid reader, baker, hiker, and traveler. I’ve studied six languages, but I can only speak English. I’m from New York City and love it passionately, but I want to move to the west coast. I lived in Scotland for one year and did some traveling around Europe. I think I already mentioned that I’m living in Japan currently. I have two cats, whom I love with all my heart (and miss terribly, as they’re both in NYC!) I love music--almost all kinds! (Sarah McLachlan’s “Surfacing” is in my CD player at the moment, but I also adore The Beatles (I‘m a John girl), Cowboy Junkies, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, the Dixie Chicks, Simon and Garfunkel, and U2 (goodness, look at all the New Yorkers!), as well as show tunes and classical guys. American politics makes me sick at the moment. I hate the rain but I love the snow. I can’t imagine not living on the seacoast. I have green eyes and brown hair. I can touch my nose with my tongue.

HRH: We know that you've written fan fics about the series Voltron, are there any other series that you write fics about?

Rachel: At this moment I have 37 “Gundam Wing” fan fics to my name and more are on the way (if I’d get off-line and write them). I’ve also done one songfilk for “Marmalade Boy”, and I’m working on a “Hana Yori Dango” story. Heh. I also have an idea for a “Rurouni Kenshin” story since I love Sagara Sanosuke and want to give him a chance to save the day without any help from Kenshin.

HRH: Same question as above, as it pertains to fan art.

Rachel: Again, lots of Gundam Wing fan art. Nothing else… yet. I don’t have a scanner here so you’re safe for the moment.

HUNK: What's your favorite snack/drink to have when you're writing/drawing?

Rachel: I’m addicted to tea (all kinds--green, black, herbal, chai) in a major way. I’m frequently seen sipping from a massive mug. The best snacks are the kind you make yourself (I love baking and I make _really_ good brownies) but I don’t have an oven in Japan! Sadness. Hehe. When I’m really on a role (roll?) and don’t have work or class the next day, I consume massive quantities of coke (the soda) to stay awake. I love the stuff but it’s so baaaaad for me! Hey, Hunkable, if you were a real guy I’d bake for you any day. ^__~

HRH: What about writing/drawing do you find the most challenging? Why?

Rachel: I’m easily distracted. Like, I have a fanfic half finished, but I’m answering this questionnaire. Earlier today I meant to get a lot of writing done, but I wound up rereading a story (not a fic, a real story!) I’d written when I was fifteen. Then I spent a lot of time reading the liner notes to my new CD. I’m a procrastinator.

HRH: What about writing/drawing do you find the most fun? Why?

Rachel: I love to act, but I’m rather shy. Writing is a stage on which I’m not at all afraid to set foot. I love my characters (I can’t write about people I don’t love in some small way at least) and I enjoy watching their lives unfold. It’s completely a creative process. I love being able to create something that’s therapeutic for me and that other people find enjoyable.

HRH: Where do you find your inspiration?

Rachel: All around me. Sometimes I’ll be walking home from work or riding the bus or just staring out the window and I’ll see something that moves me in a certain way and I’ll have to translate that emotion into prose… somehow. It might be afternoon sunlight shining through colored glass, or a bulky sweater, or the way trees look in the winter. It’s hard to explain. I don’t write about those specific things--just the feeling I get. I always feel like writing after I travel. (When I first got to Japan I was so wired I wrote four and a half stories in two weeks!) My stories speak for me a lot of the time. My parents and some of my friends won’t read my stories--because they’re about an animated series or because they’re fantasy or for whatever reason--and I take that as a very harsh rejection. But I know there are people who read what I write and they respond--and that inspires me, too.

Of course some of my stuff is just silly. Sometimes I just want to give myself and the people who read my stuff a laugh. Sometimes I write parody. In fact, most of my stories I consider subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) comments on certain trends in the fandom, people at large…etc.

HRH: What was it that made you want to write fanfics and/or draw fanart?

Rachel: For “Voltron” is was because I thought Sven and Romelle got a rather raw deal, both in the series itself and among the fans. There just weren’t very many series about them specifically and I felt there should have been a lot more to their story. So…I wrote it myself. I’ve sort of moved away from the “Voltron” fandom, in part because I think I’ve done well by Sven and Romelle, and in part because I’m tired of being told what I should and should not write. If I ever finish that “Hana Yori Dango” story and that “Rurouni Kenshin” story it’ll be because the final episode of the series was SO lame I just had to rewrite it.

For “Gundam Wing” there was a little more closure in the series itself (they achieved world peace--woohoo!) but I was really drawn to the characters and spent a long time wondering how they would all adapt to a new era. Would they become friends? They were all quite young--the eldest surviving main character was only about 19--so they all had a great deal left to experience. I wanted to see how they’d do, so I began writing. I have two story arcs I’m currently at work on. The first, “Blind Side of the Heart” is fairly action-oriented and political. It’s largely about the war’s aftermath. The other, “The Angels Quartet” & “After Angels” is more about the relationships between the characters as they grow older and try to navigate a relatively peaceful world. Some of them fall in love (writing about Trowa and Quatre--two young men--as a romantic couple--which makes perfect sense, in my opinion--has really changed my way of thinking on quite a few levels), some of them fall on hard times. I consider all my stories to be character studies.

HRH: As a writer, who (or what) influences your work? Why?

Rachel: See #24. Hehe. Opposition helps, too. Seriously. There is SO much in-fighting going on in the “Gundam Wing” fandom. There’s yaoi vs. het, the Relena-haters vs. the Relena-lovers. Now, I write about homosexual couples and heterosexual couples, in the same story more often than not, and I’ve been accused of all kinds of horrible things. I don’t think my accusers realize that knocking my love of Duo + Hilde will only make me want to write more, and telling me that Trowa and Quatre are absolutely not homosexual will only induce me to continue to write about their experiences as a couple. The fact that family and friends won’t read my stories has only strengthened my resolve to write. (Although I wonder how it would be if I actually received encouragement from those people!) I guess part of me believes that if I just write enough and really hone my skills someday someone will notice. Meantime, I do have my fans and cohorts. **waves**

That’s kind of what happened in the “Voltron” fandom, too. Romelle and Lance got a lot of flack from the fans, so of course I was drawn to them. That didn’t exactly work because the overwhelming majority of “Voltron” fans seem to like either Keith/Allura stories or Lotor/Allura stories. In “Gundam Wing” the fans seem more diverse. I don’t know about the fans of my other series--“Marmalade Boy”, “Hana Yori Dango”, and “Rurouni Kenshin” because I have not joined them. But if I do…of course I’ll have to defend the underdog.

HRH: There are so many different writing techniques, maybe you start with an outline, or maybe you just start writing and see where the story goes. Would you tell us a little bit about your writing technique/style?

Rachel: Sometimes I start with an outline. My current pride and joy didn’t have anything. One day I heard a song, thought of two characters and decided to put them in the same room and watch them hash it out. The story (“Stars Overhead”, if anyone’s interested) took some awfully surprising turns, but I’m so proud of it. Sometimes an outline helps. Sometimes it’s a hindrance, oddly enough. It depends on the story and what kind of mood I’m in. Most of the time I just like to sit down and let words happen. (That’s how I wrote almost all college essays, too. Outlines? What were those? My professors had no idea.)

HRH: Likewise, many writers just have characters "appear" - some spend months creating their characters. How do you develop characters?

Rachel: You’re talking about original fiction now, right? Characters come from the same source as my other inspiration--observations, impressions, feelings. Sometimes they’re based on people I know, or glimpses of people I know. Sometimes I create a situation and find I NEED a certain kind of character to help it work. Sometimes I just want to write about a person who has the guts to do something I wish _I_ could do. I have one character--Mr. Julian Knight, my muse--who showed up in a dream once when I was thirteen, and refuses to leave. One of my favorite characters (the star of this looooong political/epic fantasy thing) evolved from stories I used to tell my brothers and friends when I was eleven. (He began life as a blatant steal from Tolkien and Lloyd Alexander but he’s become his own man, I’m happy to say, and I do plan on writing his story…some day.) I guess in that instance you could say I spent a long time creating the character! But certain aspects of his personality have not changed in twelve years. Usually I just create people on the spot. I love making up characters--more than anything, almost.

HRH: As an artist, who (or what) influences your work? Why?

Rachel: Writer’s block. Seriously. When I can’t write it helps to try to convey ideas using a different part of my brain. I love portraiture best, so my characters influence me, too. Many of many pictures are attempts at conveying emotion, although some are more successful than others. Some are just silly, but that’s on purpose. ^__^

HRH: Likewise, there are many ways an artist creates. Would you tell us a little bit about your artistic technique/style?

Rachel: I don’t really consider myself a visual artist. My pictures just sort of…happen. I like to draw for people. Umm…I don’t really have a technique. I just sit down with a pencil, my sketch pad, some music, and a vague idea, and sometimes all of that becomes a picture.

I _cannot_ make my figures look anime. I learned how to draw from watching Disney flicks, so all my people look like Disney characters, no matter how large I make their eyes. >__<

HRH: Does your real life, or do your real life experiences, affect your writing/drawing? How?

Rachel: Yes, absolutely. It’s where I get my inspiration.

HRH: If you could offer one piece of advice to new fan fic writers and/or fan art artists, what would that advice be?

Rachel: Can I quote a passage from Francesca Lia Block’s book ‘Baby Be-Bop’? : “Think about the word destroy… Do you know what it is? De-story. Destroy. Destory. You see. And restore. That’s re-story. Do you know that only two things have been proven to help survivors of the Holocaust? Massage is one. Telling their story is another. Being touched and touching. Telling your story is touching. It sets you free” (pg. 476).

My writing has saved me in many ways. It’s my talent, the thing I can turn to when I’m feeling letdown. It’s the outlet for my frustration, my anger, fear, and happiness as well. Maybe that sounds a little pretentious. It’s true, though.

So I guess my message to new fan fic writers and artists is: WRITE/DRAW NO MATTER WHAT. (Well, unless you’re going to bash certain characters and ideas. That’s not cool.) Fan fic writing is practice and practice is good. So don’t give up!

As for Rachel's site, I have been there before and I am quite impressed with the simple layout (compared to me whom I cannot stick with one! -_-*) I never got a chance to read all of her fics, but I was quite entertained by "Ariel" and very please that I am not the only one who thinks Pidge should get some attention from the members of the opposite gender ;) One of the things I really like about Rachel is her art. Very creative, humourous, lighthearted & cute! I do that stuff too but I rather like the dark flavor to it! ^_^ Keep on sketching Rachel, And I'll surf by to your site more often! Peace baby! -- LCD

I'm generally entertained by her works, they can be both amusing and serious.

Although I've never actually finished her epic Thick as Space, Cold as Blood, I have to admit I was quite intrigued by it. It was the first multi-part Voltron story I'd ever seen based on characters that, until then, I had just dismissed as background filler. Rachel took those characters that people like me had so simply looked over, and was giving them a life all their own. That's one of the greatest aspects of fandom I think, taking a part of a story that had great potential, and fulfilling that potential when the main show or writer has missed it. -- Turbo

I respect anybody who still remembers the Smurfs, those pictures cracked me up. I imagined the Lotor Smurf talking Smurf. What about Zarkon and Lotor as Doctor Evil and Mini-Me, that was really funny. :)

She's also got good characters, I really enjoyed Isis, Lance (in a post-Allura timeline) and Juno... and the fact that Eric is a fox.

Her fanfics are very easy to read in the sense that her characters seem to be comfortable saying their lines and acting their script. Sven and Romelle's interactions didn't seem hokey at all... there are some grammatical loops to get over (heck, everybody's prone to that), but the idea is transmitted very well. There's description of Romelle is particularly interesting; in which she has an appearance that conveys a worldly sadness, very beautiful at the same time the observer hopes Allura can never have for herself. That's really a nice combination of words, don'tcha think? If she's the same Rachel of the Lame Voltron page (which I'd seen even before Daughters), she's really good. That concept of Haggar attracted to auras is something new, as opposed to giving her just bit parts in most fanfics. Comparable to the best fiction writers in Voltron fandom. -- Neogorbash