Ask Fowl

Ask Fowl is a column devoted to answering your fan-fiction and Artemis Fowl related questions.

It's simple, you send your questions in, and then someone from our not-so-expert panel will do the best that they can to answer them. So, if you want to see your question answered, send it in to the editor.

What color are Juliet's eyes? I've seen blue and green. It's kinda simplistic, but hey.

Submitted by Dim Aldebaran.

Answered by Gus

Green? You're thinking about her eyeshadow. Juliet has blue eyes.

Juliet's eye colour is remarked in passing, unlike the references to her hair colour.

This is the passage, from Artemis Fowl (page 115 for the British edition; page 161 for the American edition):

Juliet was still in the doorway, watching him with those enormous blue eyes.

 

Is there any possibility of copyright breach in fanfiction?

Submitted by Jangrafess

Answered by Annoying Schizoid

Fanfiction writing is generally not considered an infringement on the international copyright law, as fanfic authors almost never make any profit from writing fanfiction.

But just in case, it is extremely important to protect yourself from being accused of copyright infringement by including a disclaimer somewhere on your fiction saying that no profit is being gained and giving all credit for whatever intellectual property you're "borrowing" to the original creator. In our case, we would just have to say, "rights to the Artemis Fowl series belong to Eoin Colfer and associated publishing companies." Actually, most people just write, "Don't own. Don't sue." It's as simple as that.

And if you're an Artemis Fowl fanfiction writer, I wouldn't be too worried.  The author, Colfer, seems to have a very pleasant attitude towards fanfiction and even encourages it.  He's even reviewed a fanfic in the past, and seems to enjoy the thought of young people venturing into the world of fiction writing.  The same goes for the author of another popular fantasy series, J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter), though authors generally tend to stay away from fanfiction.

However, there are certain authors/publishers that do not have such a cheery outlook on fanfiction.  One such author, for example, is Anne Rice, who has made it very clear that no fanfiction will be permitted for any of her works.  Good news is that she's the only really popular author who has a problem with it.  Anti-fanfiction writers and publishing companies are in the minority as long as the fanfiction writer isn't making any profit, but you should still look out for them.

 

How do I really know if my character is a Sue or not?

Submitted by Anordir

Answered by Brightness

It's difficult to identify Sues at times. The popular litmus tests can't always be relied on. It's better to watch out for certain danger signs, such as:

1. Your character possesses a lot of unique traits and abilities that are unusual.
2. Faults that are either nonexistent or heavily romanticized (e.g. depression, eating disorders, illnesses, a temper, and so on.)
3. The character is central to the story. She causes most of the action and a scene can't pass by without her. Even when she's not in the scene, the other characters still talk or think about her.
4. Your attachment to the character can be a major sign. It's normal for authors to be attached to their characters, but if you react to a criticism to your character as if you were being personally insulted, then it's possible your character could be a Sue.
5. A canon character removed too far from their original personality and role in canon.
6. The character's similarity to you. This can vary on the situation. For example, I could write a story about Juliet being mistaken as dumb adeptly, since that's a position I deal with a lot. But if Juliet cuts off her hair, begins wearing ties, and writes articles about Sues, then the similarity has gone too far.
7. Huge monologues about the character describing her lifestyle, feelings, fashion style, etc.

However, these should only be taken as a guideline since characters that would ordinarily be Sues can be written adequately by skilled authors. The most effective way to determine whether or not your character is a Sue is to get a beta reader.

 

How do DNA cannons work?

Submitted by refloc

Answered by Gus

To put it simply, they don't.

To refresh your memory, a DNA cannon is a weapon that scans an intruder's DNA and incapacitates him if his DNA is not authorized. The system can be programmed to include only a handful of authorized people, or to exclude a whole species.

A DNA cannon consists of two main parts: the scanner and the weapon. The scanner remotely detects an intruder's DNA and scans it. This is not possible with any known or speculated technology. DNA must be physically obtained and then analyzed. Furthermore, analysis of DNA is a fairly slow process. The cannons fire at a rate of approximately 600 rounds a minute. It is impossible to analyze DNA at that speed.

The main weapon of a DNA cannon is an interesting topic to examine. The actual projectile is described as a radioactive, orange, gel-like plasma that is electrically charged. Presumably, small amounts of the projectile are fired at the target or targets. Already, there are several contradictions and problems.

Firstly, anything radioactive is highly dangerous. This would not be a good way to harmlessly disable an intruder. Secondly, plasma is not a gel. Plasma is actually ionized gas - gas that has at least one extra or missing electron.

There are several more problems with the main weapon of a DNA cannon, but we can already see that it is highly unlikely for a DNA cannon to exist.

 

Can you offer an explanation as to why A/H - a ship which has and will have no real basis in canon - is the most popular ship?

Submitted anonymously

Answered by Annoying Schizoid

The most likely reason why people love the Artemis/Holly pairing so much is because the possibility of that pairing is alluring. Even though A/H is not canon, its fans ship it because Artemis and Holly make an interesting combination.

Their personalities are very different, and yet they still have a lot in common. In some ways, this makes them an ideal couple because they complement each other. For instance, what Artemis lacks in cheerfulness Holly makes up for with her spunky attitude, and when Holly is low on scathing, haughty remarks, Artemis has got her back. In other words, opposites attract, and if any two characters in AF have polar personalities, it's Artemis with his colder than cold demeanor and Holly, who can only be described as "fiery", from her determination to her red-hot hair. But besides that, everyone likes a little friction in a couple, and there's more than enough of that between Holly and our little Arty. Their unique personalities make confrontations between the two very interesting indeed.

One more thing that brings these two together in so many of our imaginations is the similar positions they have in the series as a whole.  Artemis and Holly are each important characters in their respective settings--literary diplomats, of sorts, delivering the stories of both the humans and the fairies to us readers.  The "Best of Both Worlds", if you will.  Not only are they the two main characters, but they also make a great team in the books.  When you look at it that way, the jump from camaraderie to romance doesn't seem far at all.

Another factor that might make A/H such an attractive pairing is the circumstances surrounding these two characters. They start out as enemies and work out their relationship from hostility to friendship, slowly but surely, throughout the books. They now have a mutual respect and understanding for each other, despite all of their differences and moral disagreements. In addition, there is a large division between the two that every A/H shipper must acknowledge: species. Holly is an elf. Artemis is a human. The two are so different, from two completely different worlds, and yet if they can forge a friendship despite all odds, then why not a possibility of something more? This "Romeo and Juliet" situation appeals to the romantic in many of us, I think.

But maybe, the reason so many ship A/H is as simple as putting our two favorite characters of opposite gender together and calling them a couple. Well, either way, Artemis/Holly is just a very appealing possibility to many AF romance fans, canon or not.

 

Does what Colfer says in interviews count as canon? Would the AF movie(s) count as canon?

Submitted by Anordir

Answered by Brightness

Movie canon should not be taken as authentic. In the translation from book to screen scriptwriters and directors will take out details and contradict areas of the original work. Sometimes they'll even change a character's personality to make them more appealing to the general crowd. Movies aren't necessarily bad, but they can only give you the basic gist of what occurred in the book. If you really want to learn about the canon, it's best to enjoy the experience as the author intended and pick up the book. If you must use movie canon, it's usually best that you specify when you do so.

Interviews can be considered canon, since authors are essentially God over what occurs with their characters. Anything they say in interviews (even if they are answering questions in the role of their characters, like in The Artemis Fowl Files and the poster Ten Things You Didn't Know About Artemis Fowl) or their books counts as the canon for that particular series.