Okay ladies (and gentlemen) it has come to my attention (and to a lot of other people's) that the writing quality has taken a nose-dive on this site. Everywhere I turn there are trolls and people who seem not to care in the slightest about their plots, characters, grammar or spelling. What has happened to us? Seriously, if you need help there are those of us who can beta or critique. If you are only here to troll please understand that there are those of us out there who LIKE our reading material, thank you very much. I am one of those people, and know you run the risk of me ripping you a new one if you happen to take out one of my authors. As for those of you who just post a half-hearted fic that will be relegated to anonymity in the archives - don't you want to be remembered? Don't you want honest reviews? What happened to putting your heart into your work? If writing is a chore why do it? Those of us who read want a real effort, a real story. There was some real talent here on fanfic when I first started reading - there still is every once in a while. But having one or two excellent stories a week to read is a far cry from having 3 or 4 a day. Please think about this, and think about the following rant - there are more over on the BPS forum (and all very pertinent information for authors who wish to excel rather than just be.

I am a proud member of Critics United. http://forum.fanfiction.net/forum/Critics_United/78623/

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

PET PEEVES RANT:

1) Biggest pet peeve ever: I really, really hate stories that are monotone and lacking in any kind of character development or scenery enhancement. It's your freaking story - use your freaking imagination and paint us readers a freaking picture with your words!!!!! This whole Yami and Yugi walked together. Yugi said "blah", Yami responded, "blah" They walked away and met up with...ARG!!!!!! *head desk head desk head desk* Where's the emotion, where's the flow, for fuck's sake where are they and what are they thinking!!! *is now shaking* Yeah, okay, so I stole all the emotion from that story. XD

2) Spelling tenses and grammar - okay, so none of us are an encyclopedia, or a walking dictionary. And I accept that I make these mistakes as well. But to have a story that starts out with: I wuz waking to teh store and hppend to se my freind Yami stiting on his car...uh...yeah - not! Please note that MSWord turns an improperly spelled definitely into defiantly (massive pet peeve). All I'm asking for as a reader is that the author try, just freaking try to keep their spelling and grammar on par with my 12 year old son's level. ^^; Which means watch your: their/they're/there, to/two/too, staring vs. starring, and a multitude of other simple mistakes. And if you start in the past tense please be sure that you stick with telling the story in the past tense!

3) Lemons - Oh yeah, where do I start with that? Um...everyone has to start somewhere? Okay, I'll go with that. But please note that a lemon is a tool used to enhance emotions in a story - hell even a good PWP is more about the emotions than the freaking sex. If you don't know, ask, if you can't ask - or research - please stop right there and consider. I will so back right out of a story that has something to the effect of: He pushed his * into his *hole and started...*groans and pounds head on desk* Really, really?! What was that? What it was was something that made me want to run for the nearest garbage can and toss up my lunch.

4) Character rape and Stockholm Syndrome - Okay yes, most of us have stories that contain parts of one or the other. Neither of these is a laughing matter, this is not something that a person just wakes up from the next day and is fine. Nor do they find themselves immediately in love with their rapist or their kidnapper. No, I'm not an expert, but I have seen what rape can do to a person. I have sat through some pretty intense nights with a friend who would wake up screaming. If I write on this there is a reason for me to go back through these memories and drag them back out into the open. Case in point AoM - very heavy with the sexual torture, mental and physical torture. Yes, it was a request, and yes, I went there. But I went there knowing about some of what happens, and as a type of therapy for what I was going through at the time. I'd much rather torture characters on a page and warn people off than to take a trip with the sole intention of killing someone for their part in my father's murder. It was either use what I know to draw these emotions off of me, or explode and take someone else along with me. But please don't treat this topic lightly. And if it's there please warn, there are a lot of people who don't want to read it.

5) Starting (and not finishing) a whole bunch of stories: Come on people - outline, outline, outline! Give yourself something to remember and let these stories be heard past that spur of the moment plot bunny take over. Really, it will give you something to do on a day where you're bored off your ass and have time to devote to a story. Yes, I have two of them that are unfinished, but they (well one, since my old comp took the outline to WSHB and I'm currently redoing it from memory) have outlines to them, ready and waiting for me to find time to write. Please don't just give us this awesome first chapter and then let it die, and then do it again. That just makes me cry!

6) Character bashing - Every character has their own weak and strong points. To bash one of them just for being who they are in the series never made any sense to me. There are always reasons behind the reasons given for a person to act the way they do in RL. I've always divided the world into two parts - assholes and non-assholes - and on any given day you can catch an asshole not acting like an asshole, or vice versa. Bashing, to me, takes the level of the story down. Even Akunadin has a reason for being an asshole in my stories - jealousy mostly, but a deep-seated jealousy that you find in RL.

7) Flamers and trolls - YOU are the reason for some of my fav authors packing their bags and abandoning their stories. Seriously - get a freaking life you smarmy, insignificant little worms. You are the lowest of the low, and I despise you with every creative molecule in my body...and I'm quite certain you'll have to get a dictionary to even understand what I just said to you. So feel free, and don't whine to me when I ignore your dumb ass. You're not worth my time past my pointing out what I am accusing you of. NOTE: I am not talking about reviewers who leave constructive criticism but rather their obnoxious counterparts who review a fic with the intention of being an asshole.

8) Which brings me to my last point: Plagiarists!!! Um - NO! DO NOT TAKE!!! Most authors do not mind a story based off of theirs (either sequel or prequel, or even a similarity) so long as credit is given where it is due. But when you take a story and try to take credit for you you are only fooling yourself. This is stuff that will get a straight 4.0 student kicked out of college. Do not ever assume to take someone else's work. It's not yours! And if I find someone doing that I will hunt them down and sic a bunch of pissed off authors and readers on them. So just do yourself a favor and work with your own material. Understood? Yeah, I thought so.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The stories you see below are a progression of 3 years worth of work. I did not write these all in one sitting, but rather took them down for a while. Now that I have decided to repost I will try to put them back up in the order that they were written. I will not, however, be putting my very first writing attempt back up. That one sucked entirely too much to ever see the light of day unless I decide to re-write it completely. My second attempt (Impossible Standards) will be back up in its entirety, as will Fleeing the Shadows. Angel of Mine will be heavily edited for this site - if you wish to read it unedited it is over on Adultfanfiction - for it is way too violent to be back up here again. Mistaken Assumptions will also be back up in its entirety - as will the two stories I am currently working on (To Hell and Back, and What Should Have Been). If you have any questions please feel free to PM me. I don't bite...hard. ^^

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

And as a last note: No, no one took the stories down other than me personally. I was trying to make a point at the time. It was made, now they will go back up. Thank you for understanding. :)

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

C'ya on the flip side!

- tavi