Hello, newcomer! I'm Angels-Protegee, aspiring author and diehard scribbler. Let me tell you about me:

I'm a cynical romantic (don't ask me how that happened), very much the optimist, a child of the 90's and proud of it (though the music was better a few decades beforehand), and have an addiction to chocolate and coffee. I still have trouble figuring out whether my hair is dark blonde or light brown, and it really is driving me crazy, for some stupid, neurotic reason. Neurosis isn't a tremendous part of my makeup, by the way, but it rears its head on occasion. I'm dangerously nearsighted, but I like glasses, so I don't complain about it too much. I don't always say a lot, but I have no trouble speaking up when I feel like it. I'm kinda bright, in the bookish sense of the word, but I cannot for the life of me find the easy solution to any problem whatsoever; I balance that out with a tendency to focus on finding SOME kind of solution as opposed to whining about the problem itself. I have a short temper, but I usually bounce back from a bad mood faster than the speed of sound. I curse a lot, but I try to keep it toned down unless I'm riled, and then it's F-bombs away. I'm an American, but very proud of my heritage (English, Irish, Norse, Scottish...I alphabetized them so as not to give one preference over the other. I do that often.) I'm young in years, but I either act much older or much younger. It just depends on my mood. I hated language arts in school - ironic, since writing is one of my favorite things - but it was easily one of my best subjects. I just couldn't stand having it rammed down my throat year after year! And it's ruined me! I'm cursed with seeing other people's grammatical errors, but not my own! That being said, I'm not a grammar Nazi. I'm more of a word rebel...after all, rules were made to be broken! I LOVE music. If I didn't have music, I'd go insane. I know, I know, everyone says that, but I've lived it. I've been on the verge of mental breakdown, and music was the only thing that saved my sanity. In as few more words as possible, I'm random, weird, an oddball, temperamental, funny, a good listener, a social idiot, and pretty much the person other people turn to for...whatever. And I'm still puzzled as to why...

I'm also a rabid, shameless phangirl! I got into Phantom of the Opera several years ago, and I haven't gone back since! I feel free to admit I've grown into the phandom, as far as some of my views regarding the story go, but that's the beauty of it! There's always room for growth and development! I'm a reformed Raoul-basher, though I still love to poke fun at him every now and then (and since I begun Condemnation, I've taken to cheering him on every chance I get!). I used to ship Erik and Christine, but...it just doesn't make sense to me anymore. I'm pro-Erik, but I'm not blind to the flaws in him in the slightest, and he's all wrong for Christine. And he needs a woman more mature and independent than Christine, an equal in a relationship. So, barring a few rare exceptions, I'm firmly an R/Cer and an E/OCer! Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

I would like to take the time to make this known: michellemybelle25 is my hero.

My Hobbies: writing anything from original novels to poetry, singing anything from Celine Dion to Bob Dylan, reading whatever book catches my eye, sewing my own clothes, watching movies until I know every line by heart, listening to music way too loud, taking on any roller coaster in sight

Favorite Movies: The Phantom of the Opera (2004...that's right, I said it!), The Lion King, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Princess Bride, X-Men, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Beauty and the Beast, Dirty Dancing, Sabrina (both versions!)

Favorite Singers/Bands: Bryan Adams, Garth Brooks, Celtic Woman, Fleetwood Mac, Sherrie Austin, Evanescence, Bob Dylan, Celine Dion, Lady Antebellum, George Strait, AC/DC

Favorite Songs: "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera, "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" by Bryan Adams, "The Red Strokes" by Garth Brooks, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John, "At the Beginning" by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis, "With Or Without You" by U2, "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls, "Break On Through" by the Doors, "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence, "Broken" by Seether and Amy Lee, "Hungry Eyes" by Eric Carmen (almost spelled that with a K instead of a C!)

Favorite Books: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Opera Macabre by Michelle Rodriguez

Here's a few quotes for good measure!

I may be mad, I may be blind, I may be viciously unkind, but I can still read what you're thinking - Annie Lennox ("Why")

Without music, life would be a mistake. - Friedrich Nietzsche

If my thought-dreams could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine - Bob Dylan ("It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)")

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. - Dr. Seuss

If I knew what I was doing, I'd be doing it right now - Keith Urban ("I'm In")

There is a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line. - Oscar Levant

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one - John Lennon ("Imagine")

A day without laughter is a day wasted. - Charlie Chaplin

So many books, so little time. - Frank Zappa

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying. - Oscar Wilde

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who's going to stop me. - Ayn Rand

Everything you can imagine is real. - Pablo Picasso

I reject your reality and substitute my own. - Adam Savage

You may be right, I may be crazy, but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for. - Billy Joel ("You May Be Right")

Writing Influences - This list will never stop growing, but as it stands so far, I can cite Jane Austen, Robin McKinley, Daphne du Maurier, Stephen King, Cornelia Funke, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, Michelle Rodriguez, Diane Warren (yes, songwriters count, too!), and most recently, Suzanne Collins. I'll check in on this list periodically to see how I've grown! :)

Works-In-Progress

"Echo of a Dream" - I know, this one has been stop-and-go from the beginning, but it's also been fighting me every step of the way. No, wait, fighting implies action, and this thing has yet to actually get up and move...I'm not giving up yet, though! I've still got some ideas that are too good to waste!

"Crazy Phangirl Dream" - This thing was meant to be open-ended, as I'll always have those stupid dreams. Unfortunately, that also makes updating an unpredictable process, at best.

"A Word From Baker Street" - It's here! Watson's advice column!

"Psychotherapy of an Opera Phantom" - The triumphant re-opening! Yippee!

"Eternal Flame" - It's SO good to be back with my two favorite people!

Coming Soon!

"To Love You More" - I've wanted to try my hand at an Erik/Meg pairing for a long time now, but this one is still a loooooong way into the future.

"Hand of the Devil" - a long Erik-in-Persia story, complete with the shah and...the daroga!

I've also got a gajillion and a half one-shots in mind, so there's plenty to keep me busy!