I just found out how to change this profile page and now I'm realizing I have nothing intelligent to say. How unfortunate.

A little about myself:

I am a trumpet player at heart, but I have another passion for choral conducting. That means I know a lot about voices, even though I am not a singer. It also means that I've had to train myself to drop the band/choir rivalry that I had in high school :-(

I have an unreasonably strong hatred for koalas. I'm actually getting angry right now just thinking about them.

I tend to get emotionally involved in whatever I'm reading. I hope that's not the sign of a mental disorder. At any rate, that's the whole reason I started reading fanfiction a few months ago. Various books would depress me with their endings until I found a place where people just... well... change the endings.

I like happy endings. I'm one of those people who reads the last page of the book first, just in case. Frankly, the whole reason I read fanfiction is to read a story with a really great feel-good everyone's happy ending. If I know a story is not going to end well... it is not worth my time (no matter how well written it is)--this also refers to anything an author would consider 'bittersweet'. Not for me. One of my pet peeves is when author's let you think everything is going to be just dandy and then end up killing off one of the good guys in the end.

I have liked Phantom of the Opera ever since I saw the Wishbone version of it as a kid. Do you remember that show? With the little dog that advocates reading? But I digress. Anyway, I read the book and the ending depressed me. Thus began my fixation. In general, I much prefer Leroux and (sometimes) Kay to the musical/movie. The ALW Erik just disturbs me.

My other favorite book is Notre Dame de Paris (or The Hunchback of Notre Dame). I have loved that book ever since I was forced to read it in high school. Anyway, the ending of this one bummed me out as well. I liked Frollo a lot. I think he gets a bad break.

Well, I suppose that's enough about me. Here's a little about my stories

My Stories:

The Goblin Monk: Here is a story I am working on that combines my two favorite books--Phantom and Hunchback. Erik is the priest and the hunchback all rolled into one (I hated to do that, but I couldn't think of another way). Christine is (surprise) Esmeralda. This story is a little dark (my creepiest Erik yet) and is based solely on the books. No Disney musicals here, friends!

Dear Diary: This is a retelling, but hopefully a good one. It is excerpts from the diary of Christine (who is a good deal more cynical than she's generally made out to be) interlaced with events from the story. It doesn't end with the end of the book, either. You could almost say that just the beginning. It took me a year, a month, and seven days, but it's all finished now. Hurray for that! It was my first story so it feels good and sad to finish it, I think. HobbitChild has done a lovely drawing for this story. Go check it out! You can find it here.

Stockholm Syndrome: I think I'm walking the borderline of creepy and... something else... with this one. It's my attempt at a modern day story, only this one is from Erik's point of view.

Just Don't Ask: There is no excuse for any of this. I wrote it when I was supposed to be doing the dishes. It's short though, so go read it. You might find it mildly amusing, at any rate.

Daddy's Girl: Erik has a daughter... as he comforts her after a bad dream, he reflects on his life.

I Am My Father's Son: This time, Erik has a son. When he gets into a fight at the park, he turns to Erik for help.

Erik's Little Dividends: Vignettes about Erik's family. Erik has Christine... but now he has to learn how to share his life with their twin sons. And he's not happy about it.

Der Erlkönig: This is a story based off of the poem by Goethe (or you may recognize it as the song by Schubert). In case you are unfamiliar with it, I have posted the English translation below--

Who rides, so late, through night and wind?
It is the father with his child.
He holds the boy in the crook of his arm
He holds him safe, he keeps him warm.

"My son, why do you hide your face so anxiously?"
"Father, do you not see the Erlking?
The Erlking with crown and cloak?"
"My son, it's a wisp of fog."

"You lovely child, come, go with me!
Many a beautiful game I'll play with you;
Some colorful flowers are on the shore,
My mother has many golden robes."

"My father, my father, can't you hear,
What the Erlking quietly promised me?"
"Be calm, stay calm, my child;
The wind rustles through dry leaves."

"Do you want to come with me, fine lad?
My daughters should be waiting for you;
My daughters lead the nightly dances
And will rock and dance and sing you to sleep."

"My father, my father, can't you see there,
The Erlking's daughters in the gloomy place?"
"My son, my son, I see it well:
The old willows seem so gray."

"I love you, your beautiful form entices me;
And if you're not willing, I shall use force."
"My father, my father, he's grabbing me now!
The Erlking has wounded me!"

The father shudders; he rides swiftly,
He holds in his arms the moaning child.
Barely he arrives at the yard in urgency;
In his arms, the child was dead.

There you have it. That's all for now, friends, please read my stories. I hope you like them.