I figured it was time I updated my information, though I highly doubt anyone reads these. I mean, seriously, just because I like to read the author’s bio doesn’t mean everyone else does, right?

I’ve used the name “Alyson Metallium” for a good many years now. Some “Old School” fans may remember back in the day when I was obsessed with Slayers, namely the Zelame pairing. Furious over the insane character bashing that was going on in regards to Amelia, I set about creating a webpage that was pro-Zelame as opposed to all the anti-Zelame pages out there, and history was made. Sort of.

So, here I am, eight years later and several fandoms down the road, and I still can’t finish a single multi-chaptered fic unless it’s a series of shorts. And even those don’t always get finished.

For the specs, here we go.

I’m thirty (in April!) years old, and I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English Writing (BA in BS I call it) with some vague notion of continuing on to gain my PhD in Literature. But that’s further down the road, and I may never go there. I find that having completed my Masters in Library Science Degree has decreased my desire for further schooling, though three years from now that could all change.

So instead, I turn my frightening ability to read between the lines and do insane character analysis to fanfic reading. There’s nothing I like better than a good story, though I have found a disturbing lack of stories involving several of my favorite alternate pairings. I also have pretty strict criteria for sticking with a fanfic to the end (or to the dropping point of the author).

1) Characterization. Nothing is more annoying than a character acting in a way that’s atypical for them. I can, however, accept OOCness if it has a good explanation in the body of the fic.

2) Grammar and spelling. Ok, I will give leeway when the wrong word is used but spelled correctly, because that means spell check was used and I can read over it. Beta Readers are a miracle, though. On the other hand, blatant “OMG, LIKE, LOL HE THEN SIAD” makes me want to ram my head into the computer monitor.

3) Prima Donna authors. Anyone who puts “review or I won’t update” anywhere in their story, be it beginning, end or summary gets put on my “won’t read EVER” list. Get over yourselves. Those authors who claim that constructive criticism that’s designed to help improve their writing is, instead, flaming and that the reviewers should “keep their opinion to themselves because they don’t want to hear it” are added under this category. You know I’m talking to you. All I have to say is, if you think someone saying, “Hey, this is where you went off track with the plot” is harsh, then wait until you take a creative writing class with your peers. Imagine reading your story out loud to them, and then having them critique your work right to your face. It’s brutal. Remember, I majored in this stuff, I’ve been through it multiple times and I’m not just blowing air out of my ass.

4) This is a new criteria that has shown up for me in the last few months, but I find it REALLY obnoxious and annoying when someone reviews a story with, "Hey, this was good! Check out my fics and leave a review!" This could probably go under my #3 criteria of Prima Donna Authors, but I decided to give it its own little number, as well. Seriously, it's just very, VERY annoying. And personally, while it can be frustrating, I like to hunt through the fics and find things that I want to read. If I'm TOLD to read something, I go into my "school" mode where basically I say "f-off!" because that takes the joy out of it. Again, get over it.

That’s pretty much all I can think of. And if anyone out there has read all the way to this area, here’s the two alt. pairings that need a LOT of love and some GOOD fics written about them.

Sasame x Himeno from the Pretear manga (notice I didn’t say anime, that’s a different monster all together)

Akira x Yuya from the Samurai Deeper Kyo manga (again, notice that I didn’t say anime for the same reason)

Yuya x Hotaru from the SDK manga again

Shinrei x Yuya from the SDK manga once again (what can I say, all three of these options can be sexy as Hell)

Mimiko x Zelman Clock from the Black Blood Brothers anime (I like Jirou x Mimiko, too, but ZxM can be . . . whooo)

Enishi x Kaoru (HOT HOT HOT STUFF! Sharkaria where are you??)

I challenge you! Think outside the box and don’t follow the trend. I love canon couples as much as anyone else, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes there’s chemistry between two characters that really deserves to be explored.

Alyson Metallium February 24, 2009

And here's some more random information about myself in case anyone is curious.

My You Tube Account. Currently several AMVs involving Ghost Hunt, Princess Tutu, and my horse and myself jumping jumps in a field. Go figure.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Unicorn879

My Life which is updated so sporadically I hate to even mention these links.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/zelamenomiko/ This is mostly random crap and occasional fangirling freak out.

My Attempted Art (updated even more sporadically than the journals)

http://alycat.deviantart.com My gallery of random pictures that I have drawn. I need to mess around with it more.

My Adult Fics (one so far with at least three others in the works, but I hope to add to it eventually):

http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/authors.php?no=1296769001

That is a link to my LEMONS. Or Lemon, as the case may be (the word "adult" is in there for a reason. And yes, I know that was a very "duuuuh" moment). You'll find the full ShinreixYuya dream lemon here, and hopefully I'll have more up sometime in the future.