I'm basically a reader, occasionally reviewing as comments come to me. I've written a few nonsensical one-shots as well.

I enjoy crossovers and other things that answer the big "what if" and comedy (satire roxxors). I peruse the BtVS and TV crossover pages, but mostly enjoy Harry Potter. I especially like crossovers, but especially hate Severitus (whether mentor or "true father") and things too heavily based in book 6-7 canon (it sucks in every form). Harry Potter makes a good base for fanfiction, even though I'm not really a fan of HP canon. In book 4 JKR started believing her press and thought she was writing the next LoTR-esque epic. She wasn't. Her writing is fun and interesting, but not impressive (deus ex machina much; and the characterization, pul-lease, I've seen better on a 12-year-old's RP post). So I like seeing it done otherwise. If you want to recommend something (completed or active, please), feel free to PM me. I'm trying to get into more fandoms, too, but they generally aren't diverse enough to match my tastes.

I'm good with grammar and editing, and sometimes I'll leave reviews about editing problems I see in stories. If you happen to be here for that reason, be assured, I do know what I'm talking about, and I only ever do it if I think the story is good enough to ignore the mistakes in the first place. Also, I like teaching, which is what these reviews often resemble. Anyway, if you don't appreciate it, please tell me and I won't continue; if you do, tell me that too and I'm usually more than willing to offer further advice (if time allows; RL is unfortunately getting more complex the older I get).

Please read my fics, especially "The Talk" and "Getting the Best Truth Out". They aren't long, and hopefully the first will at least make you laugh.

Check out my favorites for good fics/authors. I weed them out periodically for dead fics, so they're usually good and current. I'm working on expanding my horizons, so hopefully I'll have a good variety.

I try to write, but I have too many ideas and no way to follow through with them all. I'm also wicked good at world-building, but weak on my plot planning. Maybe I'll do a series of idea-beginning things and hope someone picks them up. The ones I don't hold any hope for finishing myself, that is.

Current Pets:

A Charmed/HP Crossover - I actually have a good plot idea for this, I just never seem to have time to write it out.

An Alt Reality HP - I'm fond of this story as it becomes a character study on the people around him. I mean to bring realism into the cliches of the HP cast. My biggest trouble is it hinges on an OC romance to make Harry wake up and see people for who they are, which isn't the best type of story or everyone's cup of tea. If I end up writing it, I won't expect a lot of popularity. :/

Exile - Nothing in life is black and white. In this story (inspired by my aborted "Opposite Day"), everything seems the same as canon, but if you look deeper you find it's vastly different. Harry lives in a world of politics and intrigue, having to balance what is true with what everyone thinks. I've got this world really well built, but the plot needs better developed before I put anything out. (I'm also a bit daunted by the one-long-story-for-every-year thing HP fanfiction has become. Most that happens to us in life does not happen between 11-18. Though a lot of deluded people seem to think it does.)

For Buffy crossovers not here, try "Twisting the Hellmouth" (tthfanfic.com).

For a great parody summary of the 7th HP book, Potterdammerung Mega-spoilers

Short Discourses about issues in fanfiction:
(writing about it here helps me rant less in reviews; 'snot like anyone reads this, anyways)

Non-age-appropriate behavior. Seeing as Harry is fairly young in the HP series, people like to start him doing adult-like things really early. Please refrain. It doesn't make your story interesting, it just makes your plot devices stand out like a sore thumb.

"Zeppo" angst without understanding. God, does anyone in the BtVS community know what "Zeppo" means? Anyone? I'll give you a hint: it's not synonymous with zilch, nix, nada, or nothing. That's "zippo". Being a Marx brothers fan, I can attest to real-life working knowledge of who Zeppo really was, and what this implies. Starting with the Marx Brothers. No, not the communist, the comedians. They were brothers who predated the Stooges and worked as a team to bring stand-up like routines to black-and-white film. I find them funny, at least. The most famous brothers are Groucho, Harpo, and Chico. However, in earlier films, they also joined by their youngest brother, who went by Zeppo. Zeppo was usually the straight man, and the romantic lead, who helped the plot move while the others basically just screwed around getting themselves into ridiculous situations. After a few movies, however, he decided to move on to other things, and as he didn't have the character presence of the other three, he wasn't really missed as anyone could fill his role. This metaphor was quite intelligent, as well as sarcastic, in the so-titled episode "The Zeppo", implying he was a main character but easily cut without much fuss. The episode's content obviously disputes his interchangeability. Zeppo in no way, however, implies uselessness or non-existence. If you remember, as I said, Zeppo was the romantic lead, handsome, usually gentlemanly and charming, and important to the plot. Please use Wikipedia when you don't understand a reference that obviously points to something very specific.

Following canon because it's canon. You're not writing canon. That should be obvious. Besides, JKR's characterization of Harry is weak, at best, and he's the main character. Try to make the characters do what makes sense within your fic. If you wanna write HPGW, go for it, but you sure as hell need to beef up her character development so it makes sense. Being shallow doesn't fit Harry's profile, and dating a girl for no reason than "she's pretty, plays quidditch, and likes me" is not his thing. Which is why I avoid HPGW like the plague: people stick them together just because JKR did, but don't support the relationship in their own story development. It's boring for those of us with who require more than superficial emotional depth. People with an out-of-canon ship tend to put more work into it, 'cause they, if only subconsciously, feel the need to convince their audience of the pairing. You should always, in a romance, aim to convince your audience of the pairing. That's half the romance.

"Problems" in HP Canon I Can Forgive and Why:
- The Fidelis Charm - Why not just use someone who lives under it as Secret Keeper?
I think this one goes back to the more traditional concepts of magic, sacrifice and balance. "Fidelis" means "faithful". The whole root of the charm is having faith in your secret keeper-trusting someone else with it. I personally think the charm doesn't work if the secret keeper lives there because you aren't putting your security so completely in another's hands- a sacrifice, of sorts, for some of the strongest protections that can be cast. JKR's magic in HP is so easy, the possible complexity of this spell is actually a bit of a relief for me.
- The Weasley's in King's Cross - Why would knowledgeable wizards be so loud in a muggle train station about wizarding things? Shouldn't Molly know the platform number?
This never even made me blink in the story. I just assumed that there's a magical entrance to Platform 9 3/4 that the purebloods use. It's impractical to have all the students walking through muggle King's Cross, and can you imagine wizards like Lucius Malfoy doing it? Molly's a pureblood, so it follows she wouldn't always have used that entrance to the platform. Maybe it was Arthur's influence (the car, perhaps) that led to the Weasley's being there and so out of place (honestly, have you ever seen the Weasley family prove they can 'blend in' among muggles?). As for asking about the platform, haven't your parents ever asked you a question, pretending they forgot, so they could assure themselves you knew (or just a way of teasing)? That would work with a younger child, like Ron or Ginny, to keep them engaged and unaware you were testing them, whereas just telling them again and again they might block out. The older kids were undoubtedly rolling their eyes at this point. The meeting being a nefarious set up is not the only possibility, though it works if you want it to, I suppose.