I'm a 25-year-old woman from Pennsylvania who's currently in school to be a dental hygienist. (BTW, the job is a lot harder than you think it is. I used to think all these women learned to do was run a sharp point over people's teeth. Oooohhh, no. It's much more.) I sometimes also go by "Ally". I've been writing since I was nine, and I can get obsessive over certain movies, books, plays, and TV shows.

The three main fandoms that I love are Star Wars, The Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables, so I'm gonna say some of my opinions on all of them.

Star Wars. I heard that someone once said that in Star Wars, there's Darth Vader and then there's everyone else. I totally subscribe to that theory. I've been fascinated with the character ever since I saw The Phantom Menace and wondered how that sweet little boy could turn into one of the most famous villains of all time. The war between good and evil inside of him never gets old to me. In fact, it's extremely rare that I read fanfics where he's not one of the main characters. That being said, I love all the other characters of Star Wars, including Obi-Wan (unlike some other Vader fans who mercilessly bash him). He did the best in raising Anakin that he knew how. I'm not a huge fan of the Extended Universe, though. I've read several of those books, including the Thrawn and Hand of Thrawn series, and overall I'm disappointed at the lack of writing ability of these authors. I'm a moderate fan of Mara Jade, even though I don't think Timothy Zahn did the potential of her character justice. There is one EU author I'm a huge fan of and that's Matthew Stover (who turned the Revenge of the Sith novelization into one of the best books of all time). And one thing more, my absolute drop-dead all time favorite fanfic ever is from the Star Wars genre, and it's called "Force Bond" by Kitt (AKA KittandChips). It's a book-length series of fics in which Vader raised Luke, and I absolutely cannot say enough praise for it. Humor, drama, top-notch writing ability, it's just the most awesome fic I've ever read. Definitely check it out.

The Phantom of the Opera. Even though I was introduced to the mysterious musical genius through the 2004 Gerard Butler movie, my favorite version of Erik is Leroux's. As much as I love the 2004 movie (and even think Gerard is hot), the point of the Phantom is that he's supposed to be hideous! I can't stand the fangirls who only like POTO because 'Gerry's hot'. I also can't stand fics that make Raoul into a drunk wife-beater who's only using Christine as a trophy wife. It doesn't even make sense, since Christine is an opera singer with not a lot of money, so the aristocracy would be much more likely to shun Raoul for marrying her. And in canon, Raoul would never become a drunk or beat Christine. I'm not a fan of the boy, don't get me wrong, but keep him in character, please! I also don't like the fics where the author makes Erik a sweet, gentle, sane guy who would never hurt a flea. He's not a sociopath, but the Phantom is dark, obsessive, and crazy. Accept this fact or start writing about Raoul instead, it's that simple. Also, I'm not a fan of Susan Kay's novel since I'm against Satanism. But I am a huge fan of the ALW stage production. I love the Lon Chaney and Charles Dance versions, I think the Claude Raines and Herbert Lom versions are okay, and I think the people who made the Robert Englund and Argento versions should cover their heads with shame. Also, I have to give props to this story for introducing me to the wonderful world of musical theatre. If it wasn't for my random decision to go see a movie I knew nothing about in 2004, I would probably never have seen a Broadway show, and I wouldn't be a fan of my next obsession that I'm gonna talk about.

Les Miserables. My introduction to this fandom is different than the majority of people. I read the book first (after thinking I could never see the Broadway play), then listened to the soundtrack, then finally saw the show. I'm a huge fan of the Broadway version, but the book is still my favorite. I'm a rabid Eponine fan (but keep her in character, please!). My favorite actress to play her is Frances Ruffelle. Yes, her voice is rough and unpretty, but that's how she's described in the book! Also, Frances has Eponine's dreamy spaceyness down pat. As much as Lea Salonga's voice is amazing, Eponine's voice is just not supposed to be that pretty. When it comes to Les Mis, I love every single character in this story. The only exceptions are Cosette (who's completely boring) and Mabeuf (who I can't figure out why I hate). Besides them, I'm amazed at how even the minor characters are entertaining, especially when you read the book and find out all the details about them that they couldn't fit in the musical. Some characters I especially love are Thenardier, the Friends of the ABC, and Montparnasse. I even like Marius, especially in the novel where he has an interesting back story.

I also love The Scarlet Pimpernel, even though I visit this fandom much less than the others. I love the book, I've never seen the stage show, but I love the original soundtrack. I'm a Percy/Marguerite shipper, but Chauvelin by himself rocks my world.

I've recently gotten really into the TV show Monk. I finally admitted to myself about six months ago after being in denial for awhile, and after seeing several doctors and reading an informative book on the subject, that I have obsessive-compulsive disorder. After I got my symptoms to be on the functional level (and after hearing everyone compare me to "Monk"), I decided to check out this show, and now I'm obsessed! OCD aside, this show is hilarious, intelligent, has great writing, and has a great cast. I can't believe I missed it all these years! But I think the OCD aspect of the show makes it really strike home with me. The writers are pretty darn close to how OCD actually is, and I really love how they don't portray it as a joke even though they find the humor in the situation (hey, I like to laugh at myself too!). One thing, however, they get wrong is having Monk say "you'll thank me later" whenever he does one of his "rituals". People with OCD do not, I repeat, do not think they are being rational. I know this probably doesn't make sense to people who don't have OCD, but we do not think the odd things we do are logical. We do our "rituals" to try to shut off the anxiety that goes along with our catastrophic thinking, but we do not enjoy the "rituals". Usually, when we're doing a ritual (i.e. washing our hands), what we're thinking is, "Oh God, I can't believe I'm doing this again." So, any mention in the show of Mr. Monk believing what he's doing to be logical or finding his meticulous cleaning to be "soothing" is just not accurate. That being said (I just had to say it, it was bugging me!), 95 percent of the OCD portrayal is accurate. And by no means do you need to have OCD to enjoy this show, so anyone who hasn't seen this show but enjoys TV shows with intelligent writing, I highly recommend it.

One note to Monk/Natalie shippers: I'm not against this pairing; in fact, I can see it happening. But remember when you're writing a fic about them getting together not to forget about Monk's fear of germs and contact with other people. Don't think that "his love for Natalie will automatically trump his phobias and he'll have no problem kissing her". Believe me, I wish it worked that way! But it does not. To be realistic, he will have to conquer his fear of germs in of itself before he can have a romantic relationship with anyone. Yes I know he was married to Trudy, but that was when his fears weren't nearly as bad (remember that he got this bad because of her death). At this point in his life, he needs to conquer his fear first.

Another note on Monk: I just finished watching "Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist" and there's some glaring errors to me about dentistry. One was that if the writers knew enough to know that dentists have a numbering system for teeth, why didn't they bother to find out which tooth is which number instead of having the dentist tell Randy he was gonna work on #3 and then proceed to work on the entirely opposite side of the mouth of #3? The other error is that in one scene, the dentist comes out of a room with gloves on (having worked on a patient), takes one glove off, and then immediately tries to shake hands with Monk? Is he crazy? It's a cardinal rule that you always wash your hands after you take gloves off! I wouldn't have shaken hands with him either, Mr. Monk; don't worry. And what in the world was that assistant wearing?

Other entertainment bits that I love (in no particular order) are The Kite Runner, Heroes, Hey Arnold, Mythbusters, Smallville (the first 4 seasons), Spiderman, Batman Begins, Daria, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Roswell (the TV series), the Outer Limits, Sliders, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Invader Zim, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Spaceballs, the Lion King, Jane Eyre, Back to the Future, and anything that Pixar's done (especially A Bug's Life).

My favorite singers/bands are Evanescence, Savage Garden, Simon and Garfunkel, and Weird Al. I've been really into stuff from the '70s lately too.

Myers-Briggs Personality Type: I keep getting INTJ, but INTP sounds more right to me.

Me encanta también la lengua de español. (I've taken Spanish since 5th grade, and I love it.)

I'm also in LOOOVVEEE with music. I just cannot go a day without listening to it or singing it. Even if I've got a sore throat, I'll make an effort to sing just a little bit. I've been performing since I was five, and it's definitely one of my biggest passions.

I'm also very religious. I'm an English person (that used to be my major, and I read books on the origin of the English language for fun). I'm a goody-goody and a geek, and I'm proud!

Random Quotes

"No one has love greater than this, that someone should surrender his soul in behalf of his friends."--John 15:13

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."--Victor Hugo

"Illusions are art, for the feeling person, and it is by art that you live, if you do."--Elizabeth Bowen

"There is a way to be good again."--The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

"I love deadlines--I love the whooshing sound they make as they go by."--Douglas Adams

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."--Ambrose Redmoon