The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory. - Anon.

FantomoDrako means 'PhantomDragon' in Esperanto.

18th Jul, 2022 - Still wondering if sticking around here to post new or updated fics is worth it. It really isn't. Readers don't speak up here anymore, they just assume you know their thoughts about your work. Get annoyed when you don't update because it feels like there's no interest and no point. Get mad when you ask for reviews/feedback or you won't post any more. Fair, holding the next chapter ransom is kind of rude. But also fair to want that acknowledgement - to know that the time and effort you put in was not wasted or just for you alone despite sharing it here with others.

I will post new things if they are directly related to a work already posted here. Otherwise, I will only post updates to ongoing fics that are posted here. For more, and new fics, I shall post them elsewhere, where the readers are more appreciative.

I know I am only a tiny fish in a very big pond. But if anyone reading this wants me to post all my stuff here then you'll need to make it worth my while. It's a lot of effort for almost no return and I'm tired of it. It's very discouraging.

Feel free to check for progress updates whenever you like! If you have any questions or you'd like some writer's advice, please don't hesitate to PM me! Happy to help younger/newer writers, even if this isn't the best platform to encourage them.

Name: Linda

Gender: Female

Age: Not a child.

Lives: In my imagination where I frolic with the hordes of plot bunnies. They're fluffy but vicious.

Likes: Reading, drawing, writing, fantasy, dragons, wolves, foxes, anime, cartoons, video games, true friends, listening to music, working on my online game

Dislikes: Bugs, especially spiders. Mean/rude people (manners cost nothing!), good stories that never get finished, commonly mistaken words (see below)

NOTE: For anyone awaiting updates, I am sorry. I only write when the inspiration or motivation hits me. Sadly, that happens no where near as often as I would like, but I've been working hard on writing bits and pieces here and there. Better than nothing, right?

Having said that: I'm a human being, not a machine - I write for fun when I can, not because people yell at me to. The more you yell, the less I want to write.

Story Updates:

In progress:

Murky Waters - working on 24th chapter - 0/6 pages (The Legend of Zelda 1986, Zelda II: Adventure of Link (Linked Universe later))

Dark Refrain - working on 19th chapter - 0/6 pages (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Harry Potter)

Times and Trials - working on M chapter - 2 1/4/? pages (Seven Deadly Sins)

Underneath Innocence - working on 3rd chapter - 2/? pages (Seven Deadly Sins) Waiting to hear from co-author

Phantoms, Powers and Prophecies - working on 12th chapter- 3 3/4/12 pages (Danny Phantom, Harry Potter)

Clichés - working on 3rd chapter - 2/7 pages (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Cleansing Rain - working on 8th chapter - 0/10 pages (Ranma 1/2)

Beyond the Sea - working on 6th chapter - 2 1/2/5 pages (Fullmetal Alchemist) Writer's Block

Blanka Ardezo - working on 5th chapter - 4/6 pages (Danny Phantom)

Hidden Depths - working on 3rd chapter - 4 1/2/9 pages - (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Spark of the Soul - working on 4th chapter - 0 1/4/6 pages (Astro Boy)

Behind the Doors in the Zone - 3 oneshots done (Danny Phantom - may include random crossovers)

Fox Food - working on 5th chapter - 6 1/4/10 pages (Naruto) Co-authored by inukagome15 Writer's Block

Law of the Jungle - working on 2nd chapter - 7 1/2/11 pages (Doctor Who) Hiatus

Black, White and Shades of Grey - have yet to start 3rd chapter 0/4 pages (Soul Eater) Discontinued

The Dark Behind the Shadows - 8 3/4/8 pages (Vexx) I'm turning this into a two-shot by request!

Digging Deeper - working on 8th chapter - 4 3/4/12 pages (Ranma 1/2, InuYasha) Writer's Block

Tek Ma'tek - working on 2nd chapter - 2 1/4/7 pages (Ratchet and Clank, Stargate: SG-1) Hiatus

Opposing Forces - working on 3rd chapter - /? pages (This story is posted on XTAIGAX's account!) (Astro Boy) Currently with XTAIGAX

Sinister Schemes - ATTENTION!! This story is on permanent hiatus and is up for adoption. PM or e-mail me if you would like to adopt it. (InuYasha)

NOTE: The page counts are based on the number of pages in Microsoft Word. I have a rough guess of how many pages the average chapter of a story has. I will aim to reach that average or over. I post my progress here in the hopes to placate some of my more impatient readers, and I update it whenever necessary.

Open: If you'd like someone to bounce ideas off, or you'd like some advice, I'm open. Also, if you have a story idea but can't put it all together yourself, I'll be your co-author if the story catches my interest. Just make sure I know what fandom you're working with as I might not be familiar with it and therefore cannot help out. (Most of the ones I know are listed on my beta profile.)

Fan Art: I'd love to draw fan art for any story! Sadly, I suck at drawing people, so that really limits me...I'm pretty good with animals, though. (Yes, this includes Mobians for any Sonic fans reading this!)

I also love receiving fan art! If you feel like drawing something from one of my stories, by all means, go right ahead! Just send me a link so I know.

Commonly mistaken words I see everywhere: (~ will mean 'instead of')

Defiantly ~ definitely = Defiantly means you are doing something in a defiant manner. Definitely means you are very sure of something. This is a very common mistake and I always shake my head at how many defiant people are out there doing things defiantly for no reason whatsoever.

Chock ~ choke = Chock, outside of Australian slang (i.e chock full means full to capacity), is an object used to stop a wheel from turning or the act of placing an object near the wheel to stop it turning a certain way. Choke is what you do when something gets stuck in your throat or someone strangles you. I see so many writers having their characters 'chocking' and it leaves me scratching my head. Where are they getting all the wheels from and why are they stopping them from turning?

Weary ~ wary = Weary means you are tired, worn out. Wary means you are cautious and alert. So many writers put weary instead of wary and I'm left to wonder why these tired characters are roaming around doing the things they do.

Shack ~ shake = Shack is a little building. Shake can either be a type of drink or a body movement that can involve just the head or the entire body. I don't know why characters keep shacking their heads.

Waste ~ waist = Waste is human refuse, garbage or a missed chance/potential (i.e what a waste). Waist is that area of a person's body regarding the hips and stomach that many like to hug/cling to. Seeing so many people writing about characters hugging wastes that are better left in the bin or flushed down the toilet is terrifying and disgusting.

Aloud ~ allowed = Aloud is when you can hear something; "Teddy bears are cute," he said, speaking his thoughts aloud. Allowed is when you have permission or not for something; they were not allowed out after dark. I've seen so many characters looking for permission that just start being noisy instead.

Cleaver ~ clever = Cleaver is a large sharp knife commonly used by butchers to cleave the meat they work with; the cleaver was swung down, resulting in a muffled thwack as it sheared through the large cut of meat. Clever is what you can an intelligent person; when she solved the riddle she proved that she was just as clever as them. The amount of supposedly intelligent people running around with large knives is, quite frankly, alarming.

Scar ~ scare = Scar is an injury, not always physical, that heals but leaves a mark; he looked thoughtfully at the scar on his arm from his misadventure. Scare is what you do to frighten someone; she jumped out from behind a corner, giving her friend a good scare. For some reason people are accumulating a lot of scarring in frightening situations, despite nobody hurting them (including themselves). Self-harm is bad.

Since/sense/scents/cents = Since is a timing and expectation word; I'll only need to bring drinks to the party since my friend will bring snacks. Sense is an intuitive word; even though he was smiling, she could sense that something wasn't right. (Or one of my faves: You don't have the common sense God gave a sparrow.) Scents is the word for what you can smell; she walked into the candle store and was hit by many different scents all mixed together. Cents is a currency word for some countries; a single sandwich for eight dollars and fifty cents was far too expensive. Since and sense get mixed up the most and it always makes me wince as it changes the whole meaning of the sentence.

Too/to/two = Too is a word for comparisons of sorts, along with being an extra request; the sun is too bright to look at, give me a pair of sunglasses too. To is a word that bridges other words and points the way; it was hot on the road to the city. Two is nothing more than a number; the number two is 2.

Your/you're = Your is a word for property; is that your bike? You're is the compound word for 'you are', so if you use it then make sure the line makes sense if you say 'you are'; So that is your bike, but do you know where you're going?

Where/were/we're = Where is a place word; where are you going? Were is a past tense word; we were planning to go there. We're is the compound word for 'we are', so if you use it then make sure the line makes sense if you say 'we are'; We're going to go down to where the others were going to meet up.

There/their/they're = There is a placement word; I'll be over there if you need me. Their is a claiming word; I always did like their garden. They're is the compound word for 'they are', so if you use it then make sure the line makes sense if you say 'they are'; if that's all you've got, they're going to beat you easily.

Its/it's = Its is a possessive word; the dog was cute, but its collar was missing. It's is the compound word for 'it is', so if you use it then make sure the line makes sense if you say 'it is'; It's not my fault the dog slipped out of its collar.

Then/than = Then is a kind of bridging word; I'm going to the kitchen then I'll go to the store. Than is a comparison word; I would rather wear a blue shirt than a brown one.

Trail/trial = Trail is a path; let's follow this trail! Trial is an ordeal of sorts and not restricted to a courtroom; the mage would not give up his treasure unless the adventurer completed a deadly trial. The amount of times I've seen Sirius Black go off walking somewhere instead of attending court is hilarious.

Fury/furry = Fury is anger; she stomped down the corridor in a fury. Furry is something covered in fur; the kitten was furry and soft. I have seen both of these words confused so, so often. It turns cute critters bald and angry, while those meant to be angry instead spontaneously sprout fur. Shenanigans.

Prey/pray = Prey is what you are to a predator - food; running from the angry woman felt like they were prey escaping from a snarling monster. Pray is what you do as a gesture, usually religious in nature as you technically pray to a higher power; it was dark and the noises she could hear were spooky, so she sat down to pray that the lights came back on soon.

Die/dye = Die is what you do when you stop being alive; "You're going to die!" came the furious shout. Dye is the stuff you use to change the colour of something such as hair or fabric; He wanted streaks in his hair, so he went to buy some dye he could use. The amount of injured characters I see that suddenly decide to use dye for whatever reason leaves me baffled. Where do they get the dye from? Why do they suddenly have the time to do such a thing?

By/buy/bye = By is a claiming word; the food was cooked by his best friend. Buy is what you do when you exchange money for things; she was going to the store to buy a loaf of bread. Bye is a word for the opposite of a greeting, a short form of goodbye; "I'm going now. Bye!" she shouted, waving to her friend.

Through/threw/thru = Through is a word of passing/motion, not just physically; He could not begin to imagine what his friend was going through. Threw is an action, the motion of throwing something, like a tantrum or an object; She threw the shiny rock as far as she could, slipping away as the monsters followed it. Thru is a slang word invented for driving signs to save text space, most typically used for the Drive Thru - the little lane at some food places one can use to avoid getting out of their car. The amount of times I've seen people throwing things or using very specific slang in a completely inappropriate setting makes ME want to throw things.

CHARACTER BASHING - A Rant by Fantomo

Okay, so, I've seen a good bit of this happening in fan fiction. I've seen it most prominently myself (among the few fandoms I scroll through) in the Harry Potter and Ranma 1/2 sections.

I do not approve of senseless character bashing, no matter what character you target. Every character in every series has their good points and their bad points. And yes, sometimes it's fun to twist canon events that can actually be viewed in a different light, concerning actions taken, into something darker and more twisted regarding certain individuals.

I know Manipulative!Dumbledore is a favourite for that in the Harry Potter fandom. Sometimes it's done really well and I enjoy the story. But I see so many bashing the Weasleys - particularly Ron, Ginny and Molly; mostly Ron. He has his bad points, of course, but that makes him a relatable character and one of the more fleshed out characters in the HP world. I can see where people could gain a dislike of him, but the overt bashing I see, along with other members of his family and others such as Dumbledore and Hermione, is terrible. Because of this people see these characters as one dimensional cardboard cutouts.

Dumbledore is an old, old man that made a lot of stupid mistakes concerning a number of things, the biggest of which is Harry. It is fun to see these mistakes pushed under Dumbledore's nose where he is forced to acknowledge all the harm, intentional or otherwise, that's he's done - especially to Harry. It's also nice to see him try and atone for these mistakes, especially when trying to re-establish a genuine friendly (mentor or grandfatherly) bond with Harry. These mistakes, however, can easily be twisted into much darker machinations on Dumbledore's part - it really isn't a stretch from canon for some things and sometimes it's fun to see writers explore such things. But I've seen so many go down the same path and the results were not fun to read. I am so sick to death of seeing Dumbledore think/say "For the Greater Good". If you're going to twist things at least put forth some real effort so people stop seeing carbon copy stories about Manipulative!Dumbledore. It's just the same old bashing at that point.

I've seen a number of stories where the Weasleys, particularly Molly, Ron and Ginny, are getting paid to hang out/spend time with Harry. This payment often comes from Harry's own vault or the ancestral Potter family vault. This payment also often includes Dumbledore, who tends to pay himself from Potter funds for 'being the boy's magical guardian' or some such reason and is usually the one to forward payments to the Weasleys. This is clear defamation of the characters and, while I have seen it done to good effect, mostly it comes down to the writer giving the readers all the reasons about the place to hate those characters. I do find it funny that while the Weaselys are often a target for bashing, the twins - Fred and George - are often vindicated and not included in the bash-fest. In fact they often end up joining Harry in disliking the rest of their family. It becomes a horrible sight to see when the writer's hate for certain characters infects the story to such a degree that all the characters they do like end up joining in the bashing in-story.

I'm not a big fan of Ron or Dumbledore, I will admit that. I can see why people dislike them, but I can also see their good points and I do not like seeing them mindlessly bashed. I don't mind reading stories where they're not portrayed in the best light if they're well written, but there are those out there that only have fan fiction instead of most of the canon to work from and they get the wrong idea, thinking that these characters truly are that bad. It's sad to see.

It's just as bad in the Ranma 1/2 fandom and I know there are readers/writers there that have only fan fiction as their sources of knowledge. I've seen it written in reviews etc. They see the bashing and the bad traits ramped up to the max and think that's simply how things are, since it's more common than you think, and go on to spread that belief.

Again this leads to characters becoming one dimensional - the same limited traits repeated over and over. The biggest victim of this bashing in the Ranma 1/2 fandom is Akane Tendo, followed by Genma, Ryoga and several others to a lesser degree.

Genma I can understand to a degree - he really is a dreadful person. But he does have his good points and he really does care for Ranma in his own way. He needs a comeuppance and it's always fun to see his deeds catch up to him, but there are limits. So many writers reduce him and Soun Tendo to the same few lines and actions - play shogi, cry about stuff, harp on Ranma and devise dumb schemes to get Ranma and Akane married. Both characters actually do more than this in the manga and anime, but in fan fiction it's all too easy to shove them into their little role boxes and it makes me disappointed to see it over and over.

Same with Ryoga - he's not a saint, but he's generally a good person. I see so much hate piled on him and while some of it is deserved, rightfully so, much is not. He is often reduced to the role of scapegoat where he becomes comic relief only; a plot device simply to annoy Ranma, such as his P-chan form being doted on endlessly by Akane, or twisted beyond recognition into a maniacal killer. He's usually shouting things like 'Prepare to die!' at Ranma, yes, and he got close to doing major damage during the training for the Hiryu Shoten Ha, but even then he never went the distance. A good enough shot to the right place and Ranma would've been gone in one blow (or crippled with attacks to weak points) but Ryoga didn't do that. He often helps Ranma and has hung around Ranma as a pal more than once. Ryoga has gone out of his way to help/defend Ranma; even seeking Ranma out for help himself and it annoys me when people ignore all of that. Ryoga Hibiki is one of the most complex characters in Ranma 1/2 and I hate seeing that potential trampled because someone wants a token enemy to toss at Ranma.

Then there's Akane. Bashed as an irredeemable violent brute that swings a mallet created by anger-fuelled ki. Akane has only used a mallet a small handful of times (in both the manga AND anime); most of the time she simply punches and kicks. Nor can she use ki like that - that is pure fanon even though a number of people in the fandom take it as gospel. It's just ye age olde anime/manga ability of hammer-space where characters, mostly female, seem to pull things out of thin air. She's violent, yes, but not without reasons. She definitely has a problem with jumping to conclusions and wild accusations, but she's a nice girl that is genuinely compassionate. People also call her useless when it comes to martial arts. She's not in the same league as a number of the others (Cologne, Happosai, Ranma and Ryoga to name the main ones) but she isn't a bad martial artist in her own right - she just lacks drive. When she has the drive you can see her skills shine through (Ryugenzawa and the fake Tendo sisters to name some). I hate seeing all of her good traits narrowed down (or completely obliterated) for plot convenience while her bad traits are boosted to ridiculous degrees. I'm not a big fan of Akane, but it's unfair to the character and there are some great stories out there with her featured.

I see people put 'character name bashing' in their story summaries and it makes me sick. I would not like to be friends with such an unfair and shallow person. Whether you are writing a story that bashes characters, intentionally or not, or you are reviewing a story and praise the bashing aspect I implore you to take a step back and evaluate what kind of person you really are.

There are ways to make a character a worse person than canon that readers will dislike without bashing them - I've seen it done. Don't bash for the sake of bashing. Be a smart writer and use that character's potential and that of the characters around them to achieve the effect you're going for in a constructive way.

Writers, step up your game.