Things you may or may not care about:

I've just turned sixteen!

I own an enormous Dodge Ram truck, who I have christened "Tinker Tank", shortened to "Tank." But I can't drive it (without mom in the front seat) until holy-knows-when(gr). (On a side note, Tank can be found in Gravity, my OC/Jin story.)

I love to write. I started this account so I could vent a little, find my writing style, and play out a few plot ideas that I will probably later combine into an original story. I also love photography; it and writing are two of my few passions.

I can be trusted to give honest advice. But I will never flame you. You have my word.

I'm usually openminded, but I'm not a fan of yaoi. I cringe at it, honestly. Guys go with girls in my book. No exceptions. Ew.

I'm notorious for promising to update within a week, and actually posting several months after that. I'm not really consistent, so I apologize for it. :D

I'm the manager of a community called The Sieve. We need some suscribers, people! Go check it out! There's three of us running the thing-Wolf-Maiden Mitsuki, DR.Peppergrl, and yours truly.

And we only add decent, non-Mary Sue stories from any catagory. If you have a story you would like us to add PM me. I'll check it out and add it, if it's good enough.

Some notes...

-My profile picture is pretty dang funny, don't you agree?

-Reviews are cherished. I eventually get around to replying to all of them, and if you have a question, or, better yet, constructive criticism, do not hesitate to ask or advise!

-But please, please no nitpicking. Seriously. I try to be diplomatic, but it gets pretty danged annoying when you call me out on things I have to look up to know what you're talking about. If I made a grammar or spelling error, I'm sorry. I take good advice, not unnecessary advice.

-Talk with me on livejournal here: http://dot-your-iz.livejournal.com/ I also post excerpts from my stories there, if the story has alot of reviewers.

The Perfect OC

There are a few key points I want to have in all of my OC's- character traits that makes them humans, not Mary Sues.

1. People are vain. They are! If you insult their looks they will probably bite your head off.

2. People are not perfect. They make mistakes, do stupid things, and blush quite a bit if embarrassed.

3. People have stupid moments. Often.

4. People cry if sad or angry, or if they're PMSing. Scratch that- If they're in pain. They cry. They do not scream dramatically. I have seen shows of pain worded in that exact format.

"And, upon feeling the agony coursing through her veins, the Mary- Sue (I'm not calling the OC out on her author's poor writing) howled dramatically, so that every hot, canon male in the area dropped what they were doing and instantly ran to her aid."

Not even kidding, guys. X_X

5. People cannot kill monsters millions of times stronger than them with their pinky fingers. So if a girl is getting mugged by a bunch of thugs (hey that rhymed), and unless the story is about karate, she cannot go all ninja on them and send them running.

6. Alot of people are not emo and mopey and dress like punks all the time. If in an epic story, they do not have time for it.

7. People do not fall in love with canon characters in the first chapter. Be freakin' realistic, people...!

8. Cliches. Oh, how I hate them. You know what I'm talking about. The "emo-goth-punk-rebel-princess-angel-unicorn-half demon foreign exchange student from America that just so happens to land herself in Meiou High or Yusuke's middle school. And, consequently, wins over the hearts of every canon male in Yu Yu Hakusho.

Sometimes, cliches work for some stories. But not usually. I'm not saying anything against foreign exchange student OCs, as long as they're written well. If you have one, and you've written it as a non Mary-Sue, then props to you!

9. Make sense. Please. Do not have someone sobbing their hearts out in one paragraph and skipping happily through a field of daisies in the next.

10. GRAMMAR!! PLEASE KNOW HOW TO SPELL AND PUNCTUATE SENTENCES CORRECTLY BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT POSTING!!

(Yes, that is a pet peeve of mine.)

11. EXTREME DESCRIPTION.

You all know the type. The writer that goes into EXTREME detail about what his/her character looks like, what he/she is wearing, yadda yadda yadda. For example ('Cause I'm bored and feel like making fun of a stereotype:)

"Little, petite, jet-black haired Miko (whose name, like, totally means "PRIESTESS!!" IN JAPANESE LIKE OMG FORESHADOWING) tiptoed daintily up the black, wrought-iron staircase, while trailing a delicate, tiny, black nail polished, bone-white hand on the railing, and danced over the threshold of her pink and black painted room, where she would then close the heavy oaken door behind her, cast herself onto her black and white checkered bedspread, and stare dreamily at the ceiling, because she was at loss for what else to do and feeling slightly angsty."

Well. That's an eyesore, isn't it? Not to mention a single sentence. -insert gag here-

In essence, if you think you're a down to earth kind of person, try to base your character off of yourself. Be brutally honest- give them all the flaws you have and, if necessary, more. Don't give them too many good traits. Refer to point two. And what with their flaws- don't glorify them! Not everyone can be an angsty emo tard like Cloud Strife or a wannabe vampire like Vincent Valentine! (Don't kill me- it works for them...! GAHH!! -dodges flying carving knives-)

Learn. Write. And feel free to ask for advice, or to give me advice. There is no such thing as a perfect writer... you can always get better. And that applies to me as well, don't we all know it?

Guidelines for playing Tyson Chicken Rocks...

There are only a few rules you can tell your friends...

(1)You cannot talk while the cards are in play.

(2)You can talk only after someone says "times",

(3)But if they say "cards in play", you have to shut it.

(4)Every person gets four cards. The object of the game is to get rid of your cards. If you do, you win. (If you win, you get to create a rule, which I'll explain later.)

(5)To play TCR, you deal four cards to every person, and put the rest of the deck in the middle of your group. You take one card off the deck, and flip it over so the face is showing. You go around in a circle (counter or clockwise, doesn't matter) for your turns.

(6)On your turn, you can put down a card of the same suit, of the same number, on top of the card that is in the middle. If the card you draw does not correspond with the card that is down, either by number or suit, then you have a chance to either draw from the middle deck and play the card you get, or let the next person go.

Now, remember the emphasis I put onto "If you win, you get to create a rule"? Now, I will explain that. ;D

If you win, you can place a "rule" on a card -any card. (Other than the cards that have rules already.)

One of my personal favorites was "on 2's, you have to high-five my friend's face. (One time, my friend's last card was a 2. He had to slap himself to win. It was priceless.)

But the rule can be anything. Slapping people, giving them cards, saying a tongue twister... absolutely anything. It doesn't even have to be "on a card", per se. A particularly tricky one would require someone holding their last card to do something that you've conjured up, lest they be penalized. This is particularly evil as it keeps them from winning right when they think they are about to win the entire round. ;D

The rule-making is what makes TCR so addictive. In every "round" the rules add on themselves. If you put down a card that has a rule, and you don't do what the rule tells you to, you get a penalty, which consists of a single card.

TCR is a mind game. You have been warned.

Now, here are the rules that aren't usually ones you tell new players, but I have to tell you guys, so you can antagonize your friends. But don't tell them about THESE rules, until they break them (and of course after you penalize them). =D

On Aces, the order in which someone goes is reversed. If the person before you puts down an Ace, DO NOT GO. You will get a penalty. Remember, the object of the game is to get rid of your cards, so that is a VERY BAD THING. lol

If you put down a 7, you have to say "Have a nice day."

If you put down a 4, you have to say "Tyson Chicken rocks."

If you put down a double (which means if the person before you puts down, say, a "2", then you put down a 2 immediately after him), then you have to rap your knuckles on the table (or ground, whatever) once. Furthermore, if you play a triple (both people before you put down 2's, and you immediately add yours to the pile) then you have to knock twice. Same goes for quadruples, except you have to rap three times.

...and that's it. I know it looks like alot to remember, but once you start playing, YOU WILL NEVER FORGET. Now, go tell the world. Spread the love of TCR.

~XTX

Alright, here's information on my stories, starting with the most popular one... Against the Grain. (Which is COMPLETED!! Man, I feel so liberated. :D)

Against the Grain

Meaning behind the name:

Against the Grain is a story about overcoming the odds, and boundaries between two incredibly different races. Demon, and human. So... Against the Grain.

Official Quote:

These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which, as they kiss, consume.

Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, scene 6

The Songs

All of the songs named below have been subject of intense, logical scrutiny by yours truly. These songs, their lyrics, all fit the characters, and the parts of Iris that they are said to. Hope you can listen to them!

Official Story Theme Song: Sanctuary by Utada Hikaru. The English version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwdEGgvpvx4

Official Reina Theme Song: All Around Me by Flyleaf. The acoustic version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Paby902xpX4

Official Kurama Theme Song: All We Are by One Republic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWkvH8HrGGY&feature=PlayList&p=F018E03181829771&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6

Official Ryo Theme Song: Don't be There by Switchfoot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmTQojZJE5c

Official Karasu Theme Song: X Y U by the Smashing Pumpkins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhvrvVGh2hY

The Official ATG Playlist...

All of these songs are the songs that I've listened to... to break the vicious bouts of writer's block that I've been subject to. They may not fit your story, but I hope you'll listen to the songs, and even if you don't like their genres, I hope you'll like them anyway! But you'll have to find the lyrics/ audio clips for yourselves- it's just too much for me to put here.

Blue Blue Heart, Gravity, Sway, Drive, Sorry - Bic Runga

In the End, Faint, What I've Done, In Pieces- Linkin Park

All Around Me, Fully Alive, Cassie- Flyleaf

Decode, Fences, Hallelujah- Paramore

All Fall Down, Mercy, Prodigal, Tyrant- One Republic

My Inspirational Playlist:

Denali, Paramore, Linkin Park, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Goo Goo Dolls, Flyleaf, Gackt, Final Fantasy 7 Original (a/n Advent Children) Soundtracks, Nickleback, Three Days Grace, Switchfoot, Josh Groban, Radiohead, Lord of the Rings Soundtracks, Nirvana, Common Curtis, Three Doors Down, Smashing Pumpkins, Sarah McLachlan, The Used, Bic Runga, One Republic.

Against the Grain's sequel: With the Tide

With the Tide

Official WTT quote: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. We must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.” -William Shakespeare

Whew! Well, looks like I finally finished that monster up there (otherwise known as Against the Grain,) and here is the sequel!

I can't say much about it, though I wish I could, so I'm just going to say this:

WTT is the continuation of Reina and Kurama's story. Finally, after much procrastination on Reina's part, she and Kurama are in a semi-relationship. But that is not the end of it, I assure you. Throw in another OC, a giant plot twist (or two), and you have the next installment of this trilogy.

Hopefully, it'll be as well received as Against the Grain, which totaled 640 reviews, in 30 chapters. (GO AWESOME REVIEWERS!!)

I really, really, really hope you guys like this one, and I can't wait to see the feedback.

Peace!

The Songs of With the Tide...

Official Story theme song: So I Thought by Flyleaf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTjs0BuUILE&feature=related

Official Reina theme song: Misguided Ghosts by Paramore http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBZVGXb_dTA

Official Kurama theme song: In Her Eyes by Josh Groban http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SdL_xRO8T8 (forgive the random whales, I have no idea what they're doing in that video... O_o)

Updates:

And here's the updates section! You know the drill, I will bold all of the chapters I've finished, try to put estimates on when the upcoming chapter will be finished, and... that's it. Just a little something to keep you entertained between updates.

And if you friend me on livejournal, you will find excerpts from the next chapter there (usually).

Prelude

Mundane Again

Realization

Shocker

Taboo

Prime Blackmail

The Hoax

Here it Comes

Asking for It

Unexpected

Renounce

A State of Mind

Making Sense

Calm Before the Storm

Never Ends

An Attempt at Normalcy

Lingering Goodbyes

Hope Against Hope

Cruel Intentions

First Impressions

Gone Again

Refund

Cloak and Dagger

Uncertain Connections

On My Mind

Turning Back

Hey, Stranger

Some Time Ahead

Epilogue: After the Fact

Extended Epilogue: Keeping the Silence

Into the Miasma

Looking Back

Waiting

Discovery

Bad

Not Again

An Old Friend

Until Then

Waiting

On My End

Blackout

News

All's Well

One at a Time

The Indwelt

Safe

The Search

Collision Course

Without a Trace

Impulsive Action

That Place

Epilogue: Never Knew You

Information on Instinct!

Instinct

Well... I saw what a hit that Iris had become, and decided to write another Yu Yu Hakusho fanfiction, one that was based on romance, to see if I could pull it off in a non-sappy way.

Hiei is a very hard character to write, and you never really see him showing any form of affection -to anyone. Except maybe Yukina, but she's his sister, so that doesn't count.

So... check out the chapter list, quote, theme songs... and enjoy! _

Official Quote:

"This hurts me more than it hurts you." -Unknown

The Songs...

Enjoy!

Story Theme Song: Hold Your Breath by Denali. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgk3ERyFLv4&feature=related

Ari's Theme: Hey by Bic Runga. (Couldn't find it, check out iTunes. Sorry :D)

Hiei's Theme: Sympathy by the Goo Goo Dolls. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uMcSC-4y9I&feature=PlayList&p=7F7DA45849CD68C5&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=61

Updates...

Prelude

Prologue 1: It's Coming

Prologue 2: Roomate

Cause and Effect

The Enigma

Choice

Resigned

Hello, Goodbye

Hell's Threshold

Questions

Remember When?

The New Generation

Masochist

New Home

Not Quite

And here is information on my latest story for Yu Yu Hakusho: Gravity!

Gravity

Who doesn't love Jin? Honestly. So I decided to write a Jin/OC fic for him. All of the stories I have written so far are for YYH, and they are all OC/canon. And all of the OC's, so far, have been dubbed non-Mary Sues. So I decided to try it again, and I hope you like it.

I named this story Gravity because Jin seems to evade that particular law of nature all the time. :3

Official Quote:

"There is gravity in wisdom, but no particular wisdom in gravity." -Josh Billings

The Songs...

Story Theme Song: Gravity by Bic Runga. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcmg9hKWgEg

Cassie's Theme: You File by Denali. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY2oLuIZSI0

Jin's Theme: Gravity by Sara Bareilees. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNadd2CCcds

Updates...

Prelude

Normal Day

From the Sky

What to Do

Morning Blues

Mingle

Open Your Eyes

The Passing of Time

A Rare Occurence

The Thaw

Guest

Immunity

Not Happening

Countdown

Cured Now

Suddenly Strange

Goodbye

More Secrets

The Army

Area 51

Innoculations

Friend and Foe

Mind over Matter

The End