The avatar does not belong to me. This beautiful piece was drawn by ZombieBlinky. Thank you ZB! I really appreciate it!

I DON"T OWN YU-GI-OH! In fact, I don't own shit! Not even our house (as the mortgage company so often reminds me - bastards!)

Well, I guess this is where I give you the rundown on all my stories.

Coming up

What Should Have Been:

Yugi Motou, an aspiring historical writer with an unpleasant reality. The character in his first ever novel is based upon his enchantment with an old Egyptian fairy tale of the Nameless Pharaoh. Walking home from his classes, this twenty-first century story-teller suddenly ends up in the land of his tales with no memory of how he came to be there, his sudden presence foretold in legends that spoke of death and destruction. In the midst of all the chaos he comes face to face with the true to life version of his idol and after time he realizes that he is falling head over heels for the arrogant, deviously handsome royal. Even with their love and a little help from higher powers, will it be enough to save them from a future that has already been written?

In Progress

Mistaken Assumptions

Yugi is the only surviving member of the Hyksos royalty. No one ever expected this shy, quiet young prince to become king - he was destined for a different fate, courtesy of his father. But sometimes fate has a way of disregarding plans of people. His kingdom in shambles, problems coming at him from every direction the new sovereign tries to put the pieces back together - only to find himself the target of one of his world's most feared warriors - the Pharaoh of Egypt. What happens when everyone assumes that they know everything they need to about a situation?

Finished:

Fleeing the Shadows:

Done as a reader request, it seemed to grow and grow and grow. My god that one was a monster to finish. It brought me face to face with a lot of painful feelings that I had buried in the back of my mind. I am glad that one is done and I probably won't do a rewrite on it even though I'm not happy with the ending.

Angel of Mine:

A collaboration with fellow AFF writer Catti. AoM was one of my most violent fics. It took all the pain and rage that I had for certain people in the medical community and aimed it at Yugi's tormentors. It was a creative way of venting what I couldn't express when my father died of unnecessary complications to a simple surgery. I look back on this one and realize that if Catti hadn't come to me with this story I would have found other, rather gory ways of expressing my hatred and sorrow. For that I thank Catti from the bottom of my heart.

Impossible Standards:

This one was by far my favorite to write. And to all those who expressed their love of this story I thank you very much. Someone once said you write what you know. And that is the honest truth. There is a little bit of me and all of my friends wrapped up in this VERY long tale. And to me, just to watch this one become the success it was, well, I'm very proud of it. It is in need of a rewrite, there are some things I would change about the grammar and punctuation. But I'll leave it be.

For Me:

This is, by far, the strangest tale I've spawned. It came from a debate with a friend and was my first attempt at writing. Personally I think it sucked, but I doubt I'll take it down. It will remain as just that, a first attempt. Something to look back on and laugh.

Whispers of the Heart:

A reviewer requested one-shot that seemed to take on a life of its own. I think that one took me a day or so it spawned itself so nicely.

Mirrored Image:

Have you ever seen all the different types of porn available on the internet. Hell, we even get it in our email. This sharp-toothed little plot bunny was the result of an encounter with an ad for different type of toys that a co-worker was looking at. Gah! I'm glad it died before it had a chance to spawn.

The plot bunnies are going to take over the world! So I might as well add to them. grins One thing you will come to learn from my stories is that I love a flawed hero - or heros in this case. No one escapes my keyboard with their sanity completely intact - whether it be Yugi's battered soul in AoM or Atemu's rather overly egotistical self in MA, each of them has flaws that they need to deal with before they can move on. I just don't know if I can hold to a hero that is completely perfect in every way. To me its a little unrealistic and over the top. But I do promise a semi-happy ending in those stories, cause I can't bear to read ones that end on a tragic note, so why should I subject others to what I can't deal with.

As Moony has always said if life gives you lemons - read them and drool!

THISTHINGISPISSINGMEOFFSOHERESALINE

ADVICE: Okay ladies (and gentlemen)...it has come to my attention recently that some people seem to look up to me for some reason.. O.O; Odd, cause I really ain't any better than anyone else on here but yet I've gotten PMs and other emails asking for writing advice. Okay...so here it goes - my lame attempt at trying to further another generation of authors (all selfish advice too cause I love to read and the more good stories out there the better my day).

1. Put yourself in your character's shoes - how would you react, what would you think, what would you do?! All questions that you need to think about when writing, cause all too often there is absolutely no realism in fanfiction (yeah, yeah I know, but still). Would YOU really forgive someone only moments after they raped you? I mean seriously?! Fanfic or not. Is there a chance you could fall for your attacker over time when no other option is presented...yes, in RL its called Stockholm syndrome. Would you start bawling anytime you come up against an obstacle, person or otherwise? Or would you lash out at others for no reason? Just ask yourself this (and keep the ego in check please), if something like that happened to me, what would I do? And keep that thought throughout the whole story.

2. The devil is in the details. I understand that too much detail will turn the readers off, but not enough will have them wondering WTF?! Is there a reason a character acted the way they did? What are their thoughts? Do they have an inflection to their tone when they're speaking? And for god's sake what are they doing, and where are they? You don't have to outline each and every single item of wherever they are, but if you are seeing this scene (and yes they are scenes, just like in the movies - only in your head) then us readers want to see what you're seeing. This whole monotone: Yugi said this, and Atemu said that, they walked away...sorry, it doesn't work so well. You have a plot, you have imagination, use it. Not trying to be harsh, I just don't know any other way to put it.

3. Lemons...uh, what to say about that...I know that everyone's got to start somewhere. I did too. But guys, seriously, you need to have someone look over your work or something. Betas aren't hard to find on here. Let me put it this way, yes, it's hard to imagine something that you've never personally done before. Trust me I know that. When I first started writing I got (waaay too much) info from a couple of friends of mine who are gay. Let's just say that I don't think I've ever blushed so hard in my life!! I've since been scarred for life and can't seem to look either of them in the eyes anymore, nor can I seem to keep certain words from appearing in the lemons that I do. (coughs) But yeah, anyways, seriously, a lemon is to create a mood for the reader, not to show off what you do, or don't know. Between couples (or more) there is foreplay and the constant need for physical contact, not just sex. I mean seriously, do you think the couples that you know in real life just fuck and get it over with?! I can assure you that there's more to it than that, there's a mental connection as well as the physical...okay and again too much info - I'm so getting off this topic!

4. Spelling, grammar and tense. Watch your errors guys. I know that you won't be able to pick out each and every little error in a chap (that's what a beta's for), but here's a list of the ones that bug the shit out of me when they're constantly coming up: definitely/defiantly (which is of course what MS word will turn an improperly spelled definitely into), scrape(ing)/scrap(ping), lose/loose, too/to/two, break/brake, and of course the ones I'm famous for fucking up their/they're and your/you're. Watch your commas (another one I'm good at forgetting). They show ownership or are an abbreviation for two words put together. And please watch your tense - past vs present. So many people switch between the two and it gets confusing from a reader's standpoint. I write in past tense - as if the story has already happened. Some people can write in present tense and pull it off spectacularly. Just don't switch between the two of them. That just makes it hard to read.

5. Outline - come on guys, give your stories a chance to survive this spur of the moment plot bunny takeover. Jot down a quick outline of what you want the plot to be that way you're not scrambling to come up with more than a chapter or two. These stories deserve a chance to be thought out fully if you are going to post. I understand that RL happens and that sometimes people give up, but come on, if you're never going to finish anything then why start it? Every author on this site has had a hard time with certain chapters, but a lot refuse to quit and guess what - the story comes back around to them. Don't give up. Please, you never know what you're capable of until you try it. Consider this one my pep talk. If it gets too difficult or you need help consider joining one of the forums, that's what they're there for. But don't just give up without a fight - these are your works, your imagination, fight to keep it from falling by the wayside. If nothing else, this is how I do it...I work backwards from the ending. By the time a story goes up my ending is already a foregone conclusion in my mind. It is just a suggestion though.

6. Always, always keep in mind that everyone makes mistakes. And that those that flame are not worth the time you waste worrying over them. Don't let these people distract you from giving a little piece of yourself to your stories - whether it be your heart, mind, soul, or whatever you want to call it. There are some people in the world that are not happy unless they can take something from another person. And they only win if you let them. These are your stories, your escape from whatever RL has in store for you, but most importantly, and what we all seem to forget about in RL, your imagination. RL takes a toll on that enough as it is, don't lose it to some dickweed who's having a bad day and wants to take it out on someone else. YOU are worth more than that.

And there we go, there's my lame contribution to the next generation. And now on to something else:

STILLPISSINGMEOFFSOHERESANOTHERLINE

(snorts) Just took this quiz that I found on Natoya's profile! (ROFL) It told me that I was a seme masquarading as a uke! Hahahaha! Its funny, try it!

You are a Chibi Seme!

You are the seme in disguise. Able to fit in and get along with uke and seme alike, you are able to get close to the uke on their level before exerting your dominance. This makes you at times manipulative and able to fool others about your true seme nature. Because of your harmless appearance, it takes the flamboyantly gay Flaming Uke to match wits and really bring out your aggressive side to expose you for the seme that you are.

Most compatible with: Flaming Uke, Badass Uke
Least compatible with: Dramatic Uke

ANDYETAGAINPISSINGMEOFFWITHTHISDELETINGLINESSOHERESANOTHERLINE

Special thanks go out to:

Moondalian: Even though I'm not always able to be on (sorry) I always look forward to our chats! You're the greatest! I consider you an honorary member of the family. But it means you'll have to put up with all the chaos and weirdness. laughs

Dragonlady222: I am honored to have met you! Love ya to death! You are a riot! We will meet again - we just need to figure a time and place.

Catti: You're always there to give me a shove in the right direction. You're so awesome.

Zombieblinky: Sorry I haven't seen you in a while. I miss our chats something fierce!

ObsidianJade: I'm glad to know you are still part of the living. I was afraid something had happened when we lost touch. Looking forward to more chats with you!

Natoya, Hikari-and-Yami, CrazyAboutYugi, AlwaysYouAibou, YamiYugi: You guys are great! chuckles Definitely enjoy the latenight chats

It was awesome to be able to find friends on here and each of you has touched my heart. Thank you.

To those of you who have reviewed my stories, I thank you very much. I know it may not seem like a lot, but sometimes it was your words that kept me going when RL was being a bitch. So thank you.

YETAGAINWITHTHISBULLSHITLINE

Repost this if you believe homophobia is wrong:

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.

I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.

I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.

We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.

I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.

I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.

I am one of the lucky ones, I guess. I survived the attack that left me in a coma for three weeks, and in another year I will probably be able to walk again.

I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.

We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.

I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.

I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.

I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.

I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.

I am the man who died when the paramedics stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.

I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn’t have to always deal with society hating me.

I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.

I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love

Come on people, we can't let those with narrow minds, little imagination and even less respect for the different people of this world rule over our creative majority! It is time to think beyond gender, race and sexual orientation. We are all people are we not? There is enough to disagree on without adding these small differences to the mix.

ANDLASTLYWITHONEMOREOFTHESEISSUPPOSEDTOBEALINE

LAST NOTE (and a pet peeve):

To all those who flame stories for no reason other than you don't like it. EXCUSE YOU?! I have a major problem with flamers! You are the primary cause of my favorite writers falling out of love with their stories. Have you ever heard the phrase "if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say it"?! Do us all a favor and SHUT THE FUCK UP! The polite thing to do if you don't like something would be to say nothing and press that little "back" button. Or if you must say something, then for gods' sake BE NICE and BE CONSTRUCTIVE! If you are having a bad day don't take it out on someone else's writing. You are the worst of the lot and I doubt very seriously you would like it if someone did the same to you. Don't be a fucking hypocrite and use your fucking brain for once in your miserable little life.

Thank you so very much for being the one cause that keeps a lot of my favs from completing their works. I always kind of chuckled at the people stupid enough to flame my stories. Now I'm downright pissed. I've been looking for reasons why people would abandon their works and I know this is not the only reason. But damn it you add to it! Very much so.

Kindly remember that most of the people writing here are fledgling authors. They make mistakes. Everyone is allowed that. But when you flame someone also remember that you could be dampening the spirits of someone who could be the next best-selling author. Maybe not, but do you really want to take that chance?! I'd rather you not. I read those stories too asshole!

And now you are warned - the next time someone calls it quits due to blatant flames, I will have something to say about it. And I'm not a nice person when riled. You don't want to end up as a character in a one-shot and have me pissed off at you. So at least think first before you flame someone.

Lets give our support to those who are courageous enough to tell us their tales.

End of discussion.

C'ya on the flip-side! -Tavi