Announcements:

There will be no new chapters posted until after September 1st due to school obligations.

Name: Marquis Black (not my real name, but I think we all know I'm not about to divulge that information)

Age: Eternal

Occupation: Teacher, and Independent Contractor in the fields of Law, Translation, Business Administration, Public Speaking, Education, Accounting, Political Science, and/or Journalism.

Short Notes: I am always glad to talk to my readers, as they often provide me with inspiration to keep writing. In order to contact me, please seek the Contact Information section at the bottom of the profile. Please note, however, that I am erratically online, so the best way to let me know whether or not you're adding me to an IM messenger would be to PM me via or leave it in a review.

MarquisBlack's Writing Notes

1. What is a harem?

A: Harem, linguistically speaking, is an English bastardization of the word harām, meaning "forbidden" in Arabic, referring to the practice of female seclusion. Historically speaking (more specifically, from a western perspective), harems were the process of 'collecting,' so to speak, wives by any man. More often than not, for obvious reasons, this tended to be men of power. Strictly speaking, it is a concept only capable of being implemented when speaking of Muslim households, yet the underlying practice can be found in any society that allowed polygyny. It should be noted, however, that not only wives were kept in certain harems, such as the Imperial Harem of the Ottoman Sultan, but also their female relatives and any other women of his household or who prickled their fancy (either to comply with Muslim law or for more personal purposes, or both). Loosely speaking, harems can be found anywhere, as was previously mentioned, where polygyny was permitted.

However, as European understanding of polygynist societies prior to the 19th century was very...limited, the word became associated with any society that permitted such associations, even though they had nothing to do with Middle Eastern culture -- one prominent example being China, whose "imperial harem" was actually the result of local concubinage systems dating at least as far back as the Zhou Dynasty. Moreover, Asian concubinage systems had little to do with "collecting" wives, and had incredible political and social consequences, as mentioned below.

Furthermore, it should be noted that harems, in respect to the Japanese point of view, do not necessarily refer to what has been described above. Rather, in that case, it refers to surrounding the main character (mostly) with a variety of potential partners. There is no guarantee, however, that said character will end with all or any of them.

Lastly, it should be pointed out that in several cultures, Harems served as powerful political tools, by which nations could be led towards prosperity or catastrophe. One cultural example of this would be the Chinese, where many political officials tended to be risen to their posts by way of a female relative in the Emperor's harem. One example of the latter would be that of King Zhou of Shang and Da Ji, for those who are familiar with Chinese history.

2. What is a harem in fanfiction?

A: A harem in fanfiction, typically, consists of the practice of putting more than two (in order to set a baseline between harems and bigamy) women or men in a steady, if not permanent, relationship with any character in the story, usually for the purposes of smut, though on rare occasions, as a logical plot point. Very few stories exist, proportionally speaking, whereby the harem serves as an intrinsic plot point without which the story would not work.

3. On Mixing Fandoms

As Fanfiction writers, we are often inspired by our imagination to conceive of "what if" scenarios involving characters from different fandoms, like: what if RDJ's Sherlock and BC's Sherlock joined forces? Or, who would win in a fight between Superman and Goku? These scenarios are fun to play around with, but, personally, I've begun to feel that stories where the mix of fandoms is done haphazardly are a bit...tiresome (the irony is not lost upon me, believe me *cough*Dark Wars*cough*). What do I mean by that? Consider the Naruto fandom's Western Empire storytype that made the rounds about a year ago (popularised by VFSnake and started by ChrisM2011). They are generally entertaining stories (though the ones I've read have been somewhat...simplistic in plot), but the way the different fandoms are mixed make following them somewhat hard. Besides the names spanning various cultures, there's also the fact that many of these have guest characters retain the powers of their original fandom, which kind of breaks the story's readability. Consider, for instance, having Son Goku retain his DBZ GT powers while throwing him into the Naruto-verse: what all, if anything, could possibly match him from the Naruto-verse? The man can fly, for crying out loud, and he can rework the entire geography of a region without breaking a sweat. Who could possibly compare?

And, as a result, why would there be any dramatic tension? Any fear of failure?

That's why I've come to appreciate more subtle integrations of multiple fandoms. Stories where the characters are more like templates than actual migrations between dimensions, or where access to their original abilities is either difficult, impossible, or restricted to them. It feels, in a way, like it honours the fandoms more that way.

I don't know, honestly. Just food for thought

4. On War

War should not be pretty. If you're writing war as this immensely heroic, glorious ordeal, you're writing it wrong. That's not to say that the people fighting them can't be heroic, but rather that their experiences are anything but enjoyable. There is a reason, after all, why so many soldiers and civilians suffer from PTSD long after the conflict is over. Writing war as anything short of brutal, grimy, and horrific disrespects the victims of real war.

Flame Warning

I will not deign myself to reply or tolerate flames made on the basis of "shipping" or made along the lines of "YOU SUCK, GO KILL YOURSELF!" Any review I do not deem as constructive criticism will be subsequently deleted. If you really don't like my story, I'm fine with that, but at least tell me why without being an insulting child.

Furthermore, I do not write "bash" stories. While it may seem like it at times (such as in Beginning of the Dark Wars), everything I've written is made with cold, calculated logic. Some of my stories may have Dumbledore "bashing", as most of you would describe it, but I do not consider it as such. The man is portrayed as manipulative, yes, but he's not evil, or mentally challenged-he's just misguided.

Lastly, to deter any questions or slanderous comments on my parentage and/or nationality, let me be clear that my parents were very much married when they had me, and that I'm Latin American.

Stories

The Dark Wars: Empire's Plight - Pairings: H/G, N/S, J/L, Hr/R - Summary: In 1981, Voldemort is defeated by baby Harry. What no one understands, however, is why, then, did the very much alive Potters flee into anonymity? It is now 1996, and the Potters have returned to the Magical World as the vanguard of a rising Empire. Armed with fanatic loyalty to the Crown and thousands of soldiers at their command, the Potters will brook no resistance to their orders, and yet at Hogwarts, Dumbledore schemes to return the balance of power to the status quo. How will these two powers deal with the other when they finally clash in the midst of a rising Dark Insurgency? Complete.

The Dark Wars: Empire's End - Pairings: H/G, N/S, J/L, Hr/R, Hannah/OC - Summary: The destruction of Fort Valour has left the Empire reeling from this daring attack. Yet, their indomitable will has not faltered. Spearheaded by the newly-promoted General Harry Potter, the Empire seeks the power promised by an abandoned military project to redeem its loss and crush its enemies. Unknown to the defiant Empire, however, dark forces conspire to bring the mighty Empire to its knees. Complete.

The Dark Wars: Empire's Rebirth - Pairings: H/G, H/OFC, Hr/R, J/L, N/S - Summary: The Empire has fallen--it's cities torn down and its armies scattered. Loyal generals have become warlords, and the Imperial Throne sits empty under their neglectful gaze. At last brought to light, the magical sectors of countries worldwide have risen up in rebellion, tearing the globe apart in strife and war, even as the mighty British Empire, the peacemaker, lies broken. Yet, a ray of hope remains, as whispers of an Imperial heir reaches the ears of Warlord Harry James Potter. But will the General-turned-Duke heed the call of loyalty, or will he choose the hedonistic life of a Warlord? Complete.

The Dark Wars: Empire's War - Pairings: H/G, N/S, Hr/R, J/L, R/T - Summary: Elizabeth III is Crowned. The British Empire has returned, and its mission is one of swift vengeance and brutal retribution. The armies of the Empire, long ago scattered, have come back together to form the mightiest war machine the world has ever known, backed by the terrible power of the Empire's ascendant Airfleet and driven by the near-religious fanaticism of its troops. Led by the Duke of Halifax, Harry James Potter, the Empire's greatest hero, the Imperial forces seem unstoppable. Yet, on the heels of the Empire's triumphant return, the Death Eaters have begun a plan set to destroy their natural enemy once and for all. And, in the arctic wastelands up north, a dark presence awaits the outcome of this global war, planning for the day when his name will once again be feared by all. Complete.

Emperor - Pairings: H/OC - Summary: Some men live their whole lives at peace and are content. Others are born with an unquenchable fire and change the world forever. Born into anonymity, crowned an Emperor, this is the story of Harry Potter's journey from humble beginnings, to a career as a renowned officer, and finally to his destiny as Henry I, First Emperor of the European Empire. In Progress.

Legacy of Uzushiogakure - Pairings: Unreleased - Summary: 15 years before Naruto begins, Uzushiogakure is destroyed by an alliance of fearful nations, seeking to destroy the nation of the powerful Seal Masters. 15 years later, a chance encounter leads the scattered remnants of the Uzumaki to Konoha, where the last Clan Head awaits. In Progress.

Sith'ari - Pairings: Unreleased - Summary: It all started with shooting stars, and would end with the rise of the Sith'ari - the perfect being of the Dark. Perfect strength. Perfect power. Perfect destiny. Imagine it? With the aid of a long-deceased Sith Lady as his mentor, Harry will become it. In Progress.

Forward Unto Dawn (Working Title) - Pairings: Unreleased - Summary: The Master Chief has been caught amidst the collapse of the colony of Meridian. For him and Blue Team, only court martial awaits; for the UNSC Fleet escorting them, a greater destiny awaits, as they stumble upon a massive, mysterious artefact of unknown origin. In Development.

Future Projects

Untitled Naruto Project 2 (Working Title) -- Planned to be a Ravages of Time/Naruto Crossover story. Ish. If done, will be done using the "Western Empire" trope floating around recently. Except not in the west. And not using a million other shows. Warning: Historical Harems will occur in this story (check above for what is meant by Historical Harem).

Untitled Naruto Project 3 (Tentatively: Fox Sage)(Working Title) -- Planned to be a straight Naruto story. Ish. If done, will be done using the NonKonoha!Naruto trope. Even better, will not be affiliated with any major village.

A Song of Gold, Steel, and Fire (Working Title) -- Planned to be a story involving the machinations of a Medici-like family based in Myr.

Disclaimers

General Disclaimers: I own nothing other than my OCs and the plot of my stories. This includes most of the speech incorporated into the Prologue of "Emperor." That was taken, almost word for word, from the introductory video of Napoleon: Total War (which also served as the inspiration for wanting to write that story). While the wording has been changed, I admit to having kept the spirit of it due to the fact that there was no better way to illustrate that scene (Great game, by the by). All recognisable materials belong to their original authors, and no profit has been made nor shall be directly derived from these works.

Also, in regards to the ownership of Richard Sharpe, I fully agree, and even uphold, that Bernard Cornwell is the legal owner of the 19th Century British soldier, Richard Sharpe, of the King's 95th Rifles. The Richard Sharpe of this story, though, is both in the modern era, in a different regiment, and holds a different attitude altogether than the British hero created by Bernard Cornwell, who is, incidentally, one of my favorite authors. The only similarities both men have is the name and being a Rifleman.

Audience Disclaimer: Stories written by Marquis Black are in no way expected to be taken as the personal dogma of the author at all times. While certainly some of the author's beliefs do at times bleed into the story, the vast majority of the time they are in fact not reflective of the author's personal opinions. Most of the time, the author simply wishes to explore certain subjects, and thus includes them to make the story more interesting and intellectual. Furthermore, it is not expected that everyone will like the stories, and so if the story is not your cup of tea, the author wishes you no ill and simply asks than you respect the fact that others actually do.

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