Clicks, Whistles, and the Author In Brief:

Vault Operator with a passion for writing. Fanfiction is a hobby of mine, but seeing as most fanfiction is crap, I write more often than I read. I'm ashamed to admit, I have few pieces in the archives, though the stories posted are edited, proofread, and critiqued to perfection. The goal of my collection is to provide fans with well-written, well-conceived fanfiction of the highest esteem. As such, this archive is FREE of all self-insertions, brainless fangirling, Mary Sues, and all other forms of character bastardization.

My preferred fandoms include (but are not limited to) Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, The Legend of Zelda, and Dead or Alive. I support canon-only pairings; I DO NOT support yaoi/yuri, so don't ask. Every story follows the same format—Author's Notes, Disclaimer, Title, Author, and Story Text. I advise all readers to AT LEAST glance through my Author's Notes, especially for my YST pieces. (Most readers ignore the Author's Notes, then wonder why they're confused by certain elements of the story.) And of course, comments/reviews are appreciated.

I archive my most recent updates, to keep authors informed of my literary progress. This is mostly for on-going stories, as my collection consists almost entirely of one-shots and/or drabbles. My job is very demanding, so updates are sporadic and inconsistent. If you have questions concerning a story, or wish to make a fanfiction request, my e-mail is boggy75@msn.com. Also, feel free to leave a reply in my LiveJournal, Tales of Egocentrism: Self-Possession at its Best.

The Plain Reality Network is an online collective of sorts hosted by me. Browse my shrines (and my fanfiction), gawk at my shameless self-promotion/egotism, or boost my traffic count by clicking the link. The network is updated... eventually, though I usually respond to e-mails within a 24-hour period.

Mindset, Pet Peeves, and General Rules of Thumb:

While I read very little, I review even less, though I promise to provide honest and accurate critiques when commenting. I'm exceptionally picky, and fall under the "elitism" category in terms of characterization, grammar, plotline, and narration. As I'm likely to nag, I only review stories of my choosing, and as such, I try to maintain a healthy balance of positive and negative remarks. Every author has strengths and weaknesses, including myself.

I follow and obey ALL CANON PAIRINGS. Any and all fanfiction written is based off a series' authentic source (i.e. Inuyasha fanfics are relevant to the MANGA universe, as the anime is inaccurate and based off Takahashi's original concept). I avoid all cliches (the more obnoxious ones, that is) and stereotypes in writing, whether it be characterization (i.e. Zelda as a tearful, moping princess) or prose (i.e. "they gazed into one another's eyes" and other such romantic garbage). Oh, and BTW, "creative license" does not equal "bastardizing original series beyond recognition." So please, if you intend on writing Mary Sue/non-canon fics, call them for what they are and stop hiding behind the "there's nothing creative about sticking to series canon" excuse. It's trite, it's ignorant, and it's COMPLETELY untrue.

And for clarification, I'd posted a mini-rant several months ago addressing my issues with American and Canadian spelling preferences. For the record, I've nothing against the Canadian usage in fanfiction. Granted, I'd never use Canadian grammar in my personal works, but it's not as though I hunt authors down for the sole purpose of henpecking their spelling. I reviewed an author's piece some time ago, and without thinking, commented on her "misspelling" of the word favorite (which she had written "favourite"). She responded negatively to this, seemingly insulted (from the defensive tone of her reply) that I was "unaware" she used an alternative spelling (or that I was somehow "attacking" her Canadian heritage, which was completely untrue). I later happened upon her user profile, in which she "informs" American authors of the differences between "our" spelling and "the rest of the world's" (which came across as pretty haughty and self-righteous, in my opinion). But I wouldn't have a problem with this, if it wasn't so ass-hat pretentious for an author to assume that the audience is reading user bios (as she assumed I SHOULD have read hers), if they choose to read and/or review your story (because I certainly don't EXPECT anyone to read mine). So for the future, don't be a dumbfuck (like the authoress above) when readers leave professional, thoughtful reviews. If you need to point out a discrepancy in their critique, get off your high-horse/cross first, and be civil. Because I doubt most readers are going out of their way to intentionally insult you (and therefore, there is no need to intentionally insult them back).

Hodge-podge, Miscellaneous, a.k.a. "The Whatnot":

According to Wikipedia, "FanFiction.net does not operate a screening or editorial board. Many users leave short reviews after reading stories. Most reviews are positive reviews. While reviews can be left by those without accounts, it is an option for all writers on the site to disallow 'anonymous reviews,' meaning reviews made by those who are not signed into an account."

...Yeah. So some of you may be wondering, "Boggy, what's your point?" Point is, I think it's cool that FFNet is set up to accept any and all user reviews (even if 85% of the reviews you see are pointless as fuck)but what I like even better is when a reader/viewer will e-mail me personally with regards to my story, because it means a user likes (or *gasp* hates) your story well enough to contact you in an interpersonal way. Now, I'm not discouraging reader reviews by any means (hell, authors love reader feedback, and don't let them tell you otherwise). But sometimes, it's nice when someone goes out of their way to e-mail you a little note and say, "Hey, awesome job."

I've received some such notes, from time to time, and while I love them and appreciate them, they're not posted onto the site so there's no record or way of logging the critique into your account. SOOOO, I'm taking advantage of all this wonderful user profile space and posting the wonderful e-mail reviews I've received for all my devoted readers to see.

My first e-mail is from a reader named "Abe Guy" who contacted me back in December of 2006 JUST to tell me how much he enjoyed my fic. (What's sad is that said fic is STILL in-progress and probably will be till Rapture. *gnashes teeth*) Here's what he had to say:

E-mail #1:

Assuming that you have opened this e-mail and are now reading it, my rather important message can now be read. It is really about your amazing Legends of Zelda fan fic, The Fires of Compromise. It is the best I have read. For variouse reasons that I am not going to type up due to a very stupid mistake that occured recently (lost everything I had type up and was about to send because this keyboard has its BACK shortcut right next to it's left arrow key). Cutting this short I ask you if you plan on continuing your story. In which I insist that you do.
Take care now and continue writing.

P.S sorry about how messy the whole thing is. Again it's because I made the stupid mistake of hitting the back key, which erased everything thing I typed and I'm way too annoyed to type it up all over again.

P.P.S I also have not sent an e-mail like this to anyone before, just the fact a lone tells you how great of a writer you are.

-- A
-- Friend--With
--A
--Computer

...Will post more as they come. :D

The Disclaimers, "This Is Not Mine Spiel," (and otherwise) Please Don't Sue Crap:

A friend of mine, Rogue Ronin, sent me a very interesting article some years ago regarding fanfiction. Considering this is a "fanfiction site," I thought I'd share. It reads:

Is Fanfiction Legal?

In the strictest sense, no. Because fanfic authors take characters and settings copyrighted by others and weave their own stories into those worlds, they're violating U.S. Title 17--which protects copyright holders.

But Rebecca Tushnet, a law professor who specializes in intellectual property issues, says, "In general, fanfiction qualifies as fair use. It adds new insights to the original material, isn't disseminated for profit and is much more likely to increase the value of the original than to impair it."

Some producers and professional writers feel honored that fans want to explore their stories. Others take a decidedly different view. Bestselling novelist Anne Rice says on her website: "I do not allow fanfiction...It upsets me terribly to even think about fanfiction with my characters. I advise my readers to write your own original stories with your own characters. It is absolutely essential that you repect my wishes."

It's all about knowing where you stand and being respectful says author and former fanfic writer Martha Wells. "I personally think that as long as you aren't using it to make money, and if the copyright holder hasn't indicated that they'd like you to cease and desist, then you're OK."

...In other words, writing is my HOBBY. I own nothing, take credit for nothing, and receive loyalties for nothing. So please don't sue. kthx.

"Kokoro no Tsukuri ga Chigau."
--Naraku (Volume 33, Chapter 325 of Inuyasha)

Forums I Frequent:
C2: Fics After MM Forum
Fan-works and Fan-culture@FanBBS

Updates:
08/10/2010 - FINALLY! AN UPDATE! Chapter 7 of "The Fires of Compromise" uploaded to the site! Yay!

11/11/2008 - New story, "The Buddy System," added. A birthday fic for my good friend and fellow author, Firestar9mm. Happy belated birthday!

10/04/2008 - New story, "Between Us Men," added. This is a prequel to my on-going fic, "The Fires of Compromise." It was originally a contest entry at Legends and Adventures for the 2008 Zelda Writing Contest. The story ranked Third out of a total of 49 eligible entries. Congratulations to the winners!

3/13/2008 - Uploaded Chapter 6 of "The Fires of Compromise."

11/02/2007 - HUGE update. "The Fires of Compromise" has undergone a technical revision. No plot changes. Chapter 5 uploaded as well.

10/16/2007 - I made some revisions to "Superhuman." Nothing major. Also, expect a HUGE update in the next few days.

01/28/2007 - Well, I've removed yet another story from the archive—"Childhood Bells." It is, simply put, an atrociously immature piece, demonstrating the virginity of my writing style (i.e. at the time). I have it saved, however, on my personal computer, as the concept itself is, I feel, worthy of, at the very least, a re-write. It's on the backburner of course, behind priority fics "The Fires of Compromise" and "An Analysis From Point A to Point B" (under revision). In time, this archive will showcase only the most refined and exceptional of my pieces.

01/26/2007 - I've revised portions of my user bio to clarify my stance on American and Canadian spelling preferences.

01/25/2007 - Finally! An Update! I removed an inferior story from the archives, "Misconceptions," but added a brand new story, "Superhuman," for the Dead or Alive series. Expect further "cleansing" of the archives in the weeks to follow.

06/18/2006 - Forgot to post last update! Ninth chapter added to "Tales of Brief Recognition." Fourth chapter added to "The Fires of Compromise." New story added to Favorite Stories—The Birth Of A Champion by RoseDemon. Highly recommended for fans of the Dead or Alive franchise.

02/28/2006 - Third chapter added to "The Fires of Compromise." Also, new story added to Favorite Stories—War of the Gerudo by Cavalyn. A must read!

01/17/2006 - Second chapter added to "The Fires of Compromise."

12/10/2005 - Revisions to “Tales of Brief Recognition.” "Tatami" replaced with "shouji." Many thanks to Banana Rum for the clarification/correction.

11/07/2005 - First chapter added to "The Fires of Compromise."

10/16/2005 - New story, "The Fires of Compromise," added. Follows storyline of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.