Contents: General Welcome/Name

My Reasons For Being Here

Quotations

Likes/Dislikes

Misc (Now includes quick reference for punctuation, spelling, and other aspects of the misuse of the English language).

Warnings/Disclaimers

A Note On Reviews

Attention: Reflections, Revelations will be undergoing quite a bit of overhauling and gutting. I will be removing it and carefully rewriting the "story" in order for it to be a proper piece of work.

My Current Goal: Eliminate the overuse of adverbs in my writing, as well as maintain a 'show, don't tell' style (Oct. 13th, 2008).

I have decided on a new manner of updating: Write and complete ch. one. Write and complete ch. two. Upload ch. one. Proceed work on ch. three, etc. Additionally, the picture was found on the website Meme Cats; I do not own the site or picture. I merely found it there, and was greatly amused by it. The phrase is "I am in your forums, posting in a grammatically accurate manner." Which is ironic, considering I do not frequent FF (dot) net's forums. Ah, yes, additionally, if you're interested in ZaDr (Zim and Dib romance), I recommend reading "Go the Distance", by Teya Yashitoda; c'est tres amusant!

There is an awesome new feature, here: spell-checking your profile. There is now no way to excuse yourself.

Just a quick note : if I've added a story to my alert list that is now or has been complete, don't worry, I'm not delusional or trying to convince the author to write a continuation. It just means that I had enough time to glance over the summary and first few sentences (if I'm lucky), found it interesting, and wanted to read it at a later date, when I have the time to fully enjoy the story.

General Welcome/Name

Greetings, and welcome to my profile. Feel free to read my work. My pen name is September's Nobara, which translates to September's Wild Rose (my name is not "Rose"-I only know someone by that name). Yes, I am aware that my user/pen name is not proper Japanese grammar.

My Reasons For Being Here

To be honest, I got sick of getting the message "This Author Does Not Accept Anonymous Reviews; Please Log In" for some of the best and worst written work-with few exceptions. Additionally, this is a good way to get feedback from those more talented than I am, and share my work with the people I know in real life, as well as from some other sites. Hm, am I the only one who sees the "not accepting anonymous reviews" message as a challenge?

Quotations

"Well that's... nothing new." ~ My ninth grade English teacher on me being, in his opinion, "spacey" (Rolls eyes). He really is very pleasant, just (all too) human, like the rest of us.

"Oh, it's pretty... (reads the title of the article) Romeo and Juliet, eh? More like 'kick-ass Romeo and Juliet'." ~ Mr. E. (same person as above), our Drama teacher, upon seeing an article about the new anime "Romeo X Juliet".

(This was during an exercise in theatre class where one uses different tactics-manners of speaking, tone of voice, etc.-to get what one's character wants. We were to take a slip of paper with one sentence on it, and say it in three different ways, using different "tactics" each time) Student "A": takes a slip of paper. "I'm as happy as a clam." (after the student has sat back down) Student "B": "Why'd a clam be happy? It's going to be eaten!" Mr. E.: "Oh, no; it's in the ocean, there, like (suddenly smiles in a vacant, dazedly happy manner, head to one side) "Bleeh". (returns to normal). Yeah. One of those "you had to be there" moments.

"If you are a banana slug, you will go after your prey!" ~ Again, who else? The drama teacher (talk about 'disassociations'!).

"...I believe that most people smart enough to read a novel are also tactful enough to find a gentler mode of expression than "This sucks." (Although most of us know that "I think this has a few problems" actually means "This sucks," don't we?)". ~ Stephen King, On Writing, pg. 216.

"It's "Phrank", with a "p h." ~ fellow theatre enthusiast, on the naming of one of the lawn gnomes in her collection; currently, I believe it resides in the theatre.

"Be the change you hope to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi (a lot of thanks goes to author Colonizedbagel for clearing up the rest of this quote).

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art." - Leonardo Da Vinci

From a website detailing Phillip Pullman (author of His Dark Materials):

"Q: What do you do about writer's block?

A: I don't believe in it. All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don't get plumber's block, and doctors don't get doctor's block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?"

"You're half a torso short of an E!" ~ my friend, "K", in reference to the (very tall-especially compared to me) drama teacher at our school, Mr. E.

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did, backwards and on high heels. — Anonymous

"Love is nowhere."~ ? The last word can be read "Now here" or "nowhere".

"Ignorance is not knowing something, but wanting to learn; stupidity, though, is not knowing something, and not wanting to learn."~ Ever so slightly paraphrased from my Geography teacher.

"To make a child cry was a sin without redemption..." ~"To Love A Lie", Chapter 14.

"Judge one not by their charms, but by their qualities." ~ Arbitrary Fortune Cookie I Once Had.

"We like to think we're so grown up... something like this makes us realize we're still just kids..." ~ Paraphrased slightly from "Kodomo no Omocha/Kodocha/Child's Toy", volume two, by Miho Obana.

"...And I was your anger, and you were my fear, and now that it's over, of course it's so clear that you were no angel, and I was no sin, but somehow I can't let it go...And maybe my intentions have been misunderstood-I know you feel so beautifully wronged..." ~ "Can't Let It Go", by the Goo Goo Dolls.

"...We accept the love we think we deserve." ~ Bill, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

"Most of our faults are more pardonable than the means we use to conceal them." ~ ? I'm not quite sure who this is from; it was on the whiteboard in my World History class one day. The teacher claims it's from a person of France.

"They need to stop killing him (laugh)." ~ My friend "J", in regards to (spoiler) after reading volume (insert spoiler number, here, please) of Trigun Maximum, and returning it to me.

"I have this theory," I said, "that everyone has a double in this world."

"They do," replied my friend, "K". "They live on the other side of the Gate in Amestris." ~ A conversation between a friend of mine and me.

"Instructions for a more "candid life":

1. Open mouth

2. Insert foot

Stir well, and enjoy!" ~ Me (to put one's foot in one's mouth is to say something stupid, usually it's unintentional).

"We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools." ~ Martin L. King, Jr.

"None of this is really happening. There is a man. With a typewriter. This is all part of his crazy imagination." ~ Marvel Comics character who consistently breaks the fourth wall (a theatre-based concept where the "fourth wall" is between the stage and the audience. To "break" this "wall" means to acknowledge one's existence as a fictitious character and/or be aware of-and, occasionally, address- the audience); his alter ego, I believe, is named Wade Wilson.

"Children, your performance was miserable. Your parents will all receive phone calls instructing them to love you less now." ~Ms. Bitters, of Invader Zim. The statement reminds me of a system we have at our school.

"Illusion is the first of all pleasures." ~ Oscar Wilde.

"Tonight, we dine, in hell! Tomorrow: I'm thinkin' Arby's!" ~ "K", again.

"It's the rule of Charlie Brown: if you're comfortable, you're doing it wrong." ~ "K", on performing as the title character in our school's production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

"You spell 'through' 't-h-r-u', and I'm with you on that, 'cause we spell it 'through'"-prounounce like 'thruff', in this case-"and that's trying to cheat at Scrabble." ~ Eddie Izzard, Dress to Kill.

"...The woman came out of a man's rib. Not from his feet to be walked on. Not from his head to be superior, but from the side to be equal." Not quite sure from whom this is; I saw it written in someone else's signature on an art site, and thought it to be quite neat.

"Stop pushing denim on me! Who do you think you are, Levi Strouss?" ~ Me, to my mother, who at the time was handing me two pairs of jeans.

Likes/Dislikes

Likes:

Well, this seems to be a running thing with many profiles, so I'll just get caught up in the Charibdis (Giant yawning thing in The Odyssey that created a whirlpool upon yawning) that it is. I enjoy music; c'est la vie.

Drawing

Knitting

English and Theatre Class (I am merely a prop. person).

Reading-Manga, The Dresden Files, drawing instruction manuals, "regular" novels, in addition to the novel/instruction manual, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation; webcomics-particularly: Megatokyo, Misfile, Red String; 9th Elsewhere, Questionable Content, Fainting Spells; Looking For Group. I've also found an interest in the website TVTropes.org.

Long-winded reviews and review responses (something more than just "OMG, lik, right moar!111one, etc. How I cringe on the inside, looking at that hypothetical "review"). It's fascinating to get a glimpse into the mind of a reviewer as they read my work.

J'aime les langues! (I like languages, for those of you who are unable to read French).

The process of learning (I'm currently teaching myself to play the guitar. I wish to extend this to learning violin, and relearning drums).

Dislikes:

Stories published without the use of spellcheck or a beta; please, at least dust off your dictionary. Thank you.

Anime fans who are happy when an antagonist character dies; that upsets me for some reason-it's as if they don't get that it could be someone they know and love who passes on next (not necessarily in anime/manga, though).

Over-done class clowning-when a classmate can't tell the difference between when it's time to be quiet, and when they can let loose.

People with no idea of the definition of "personal space".

Overly narcissistic people.

The irony of discrepancies, both in life, and in the profiles I've read.

The use of the term "gay" as a substitute for an adjective of negative connotation not having to do with joy or sexual orientation (this is one of my big issues).

Miscellaneous:

Name: Look up at the pen name, sweetie :) .

Age: Hmm, I'm old enough to remember video tapes, but read my writing, then judge for yourself how old I seem.

Handedness: Left (glares at smudges on the edge of said hand).

Beware: I am an English nerd, so I'll always remark on spelling, punctuation, and grammar, in addition to the content of the story. If I only make note of it (example: "You should get a proofreader for this." etc.), that means I'm too lazy to tally up every single one of the butchered words you used. However, I may, if time permits, list the words you used, and correct them. This is indeed an offer to proofread your work before you post it. Send me a message, and I'll do my very best!

I've wondered, from time to time, isn't it in one's own opinion whether or not a fanfiction character is "in character"? So, with that logic, who makes the definition as to what is or is not "in character" (aside from the obvious discrepancies of said character) for a fan made work? Oh, and have I mentioned pairings? I don't care about them: if you prefer Vash with Meryl, or Edward with Winry, that's fine, and if you prefer Vash with Wolfwood, or Edward with Roy, that's fine by me, too (granted, those are the two ends of the vast spectrum). Basically, if you read one of my stories that you dislike, see the section below, A Note on Reviews, for my viewpoint on responses. Another thing on the shonen-ai/shojo-ai versus heterosexual content: I watch the FMA series, and read what I can of the manga, and that's canon; the RoyEd, or other pairings that aren't considered canon take place in a semi-alternate world (think something like His Dark Materials-style alternate world) to me. On that note, why do I like yaoi, anyway? Mainly, I'm curious as to how the author is able to present it: is it already established, and the reader learns through the story what it was that attracted the two (bonus points for in character behavior, by the way), or will the author eventually lead up to the intended pairing? How did it all come together? For an exemplary story, read Returning Echoes, by Silkendreammaid.

Common Spelling and Punctuation Errors: A Checklist (Check for yourself if this matches up with your native spelling/punctuation by using a reliable resource).

A) 1. "They're" = "They are", as in, "They are going somewhere/They're going somewhere."

2. "Their" = Possessive; for example, "Their favorite color is red."

3. "There" = indicative of a place, for example, "Over there, I'm building a sandcastle."

B) 1. Apostrophes and their different uses (I think, in some countries, the uses differ; check a dictionary if you're/you are not sure): Possessive Apostrophes: Caren's clothes.

2. Plural Possessive: Showing possession for more than one; for example: "The girls' coats were hung in the back coat room."

3. "It's" versus "its":

I) It's is a contraction of it and is. For example: "It's not fair!" I cried, stomping my foot on the floor.

II) Its is possesive. For example: The cat began to eat its lunch.

Note about apostrophes: With some words, you will notice an apostrophe in them, like "can't" or "won't". This kind of apostrophe is used in what is usually referred to as a "contraction" (see section three, "It's versus its"), where one letter of a word is left out, like how the word 'twas is short for "it was". For a Shakespearian example, 'scape was short for "escape". For a modern example, "can't" is a contraction of "cannot". Additionally, there is a difference between lets and let's. Lets is used when something is permitted, as in "She lets the water run just a minute longer." Let's is used as a contraction of let and us. For example, "Let's just go, otherwise, we'll be late," I say, looking at my watch.

C) Where/We're/Were, and how they're used:

1. "Where are you going?"

2. "We're going out."

3. "Were you going to tell me you were going out?"

D) The use of "who" and "that":

I) When referring to a person, use "who", as in: "I can't stand a person who always complains, but never does anything about it," I say, crossing my arms.

II) When referring to an animal, inanimate object, etc., use "that", as in: "I'd prefer a chair that didn't have such an ornate design, you know," Carol remarks, tilting her head a bit.

Or: "My cat is always the one that jumps right on the bed and tries to sleep on your stomach," Rachel told me.

E) Too and to:

I) "Too" is an intensifier, for example: "That ice cream is too cold to eat right now," I say. "Why don't we let it thaw?" This version of the word is, at times, interchangeable with the word "also", as in, "I wanted to go, too/also."

II) "To", however, is transitive, for example: "I have to go to the store to buy some apples, what kind would you like?" Or, "Would you like to go with me?"

F) Than and then:

Than is used between choices, for example: She preferred the blue, rather than the red outfit.

Then is transitive, for example: If they didn't like it, then who was I to care?

Fa) Related to most of the above information, homophones are words that sound alike, but are not always spelled alike. Dictionaries and spellcheck are your friends.

Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation: Grammar is sentence structure; it's how you put your words together in a sentence. Spelling is something we've seen go down the drain lately. It's the way a writer organizes their letters to form a word recognized in a certain language. Punctuation pertains to commas, apostrophes, and other marks that assist the reader in comprehending the author's work. Unfortunately, all of these appear to be horribly misused by some 'authors' here.

Extra Notes: When another person in your story speaks, a new paragraph (press the "enter" key) is required. Additionally, indenting (the "Tab" button that is usually above caps lock on most keyboards) is likewise mandatory with the typical story or paper. Unfortunately, FF (dot) net seems to disregard this rule when a document is updated and posted (sighs in exasperation).

I'm neutral about the couples created within the world of fanfiction (there's a shock). I have no "Original True Pairing".

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own, any characters I write about. All characters and worlds belong to their respective creators (obviously, not me).

A Note On Reviews

I have no issue with homosexuality. In other words, Hateful remarks/"bashing"/"flaming" are not welcome, but constructive criticism is. All I'm saying is tell me why you dislike it in a respectful, mature manner. Additionally, since when has "constructive criticism" been considered flaming? Is it really so wrong to attempt to help someone become more understandable?

I won't supplicate for reviews, but it's nice to know what others think (with the exception of the above mention of "flaming").

Congratulations for having the patience to get through this verbose (and rather opinionated) profile; thank you very much, and I hope you enjoy what I post. If not, then that's your personal preference, and I respect that.

Good day, and "take care",

~September's Nobara