Look, no one's shy, Listen, Talk to me. [PM or something].

Yo.

About me: I can't stress when I need to and spaz when I shouldn't. Grammar, English and all things having to do with a language are my weakest subjects. I find this site an awesome place to experiment on different aspects of writing plot-wise, style-wise, character studies, etc. The freedom's amazing: the background is already given to you, the author, who can take it, pick a direction, and ...run. Whenever I can't find good fics out there, I read my own out of pure enjoyment. I'm not sure whether this constitutes as normal behavior.

Oh god, between that neon green and the bold print, I think my profile page is one of the biggest eyesores ever to grace this site. Good luck reading it.

Quotes

Stress- the confusion created when one's mind overrides the body's basic desire to choke the hell out of somebody who desperately deserves it.- on my cup.

Like...staying in a bathroom and refusing to come out and stare at the toilet lovingly while stroking the bathtub kinda fetish?- Sushi

It's an incredibly bohemian unconventional play and the song involves all of the main charactors under a big sheet moving up and down (well, the drag queen comes out for a little solo) and the background dancers doing some very uh, sexual modern dancing... so yeah... sadly, I know all the words to it... - Martha, on RENT.

In the beginning, the Lord created chocolate and saw that it was good. Then the Lord separated the light from the dark, and it was better. -Chocolate Calender- Thursday December 21, Anonymous.

ATTENTION:
ALIENS ARE COMING TO ABDUCT ALL THE GOOD LOOKING AND SEXY PEOPLE.
YOU WILL BE SAFE.
I'M JUST HERE TO SAY GOODBYE -email

THANKS FOR REVIEWING!!

So I won't get sued- I don't own anything I write (it would be so cool though, I could be so rich!!), except for the plot variations

The Blackest Hour Before Dawn... Sakura Haruno can't figure out what's wrong with herself. Kakashi Hatake can't figure out how to fix himself. Both are struggling to redefine themselves and after the chunin exams and after he comes back to reclaim the title as her sensei, can they create it? An identity? Can both find comfort in one another that neither knows they need as they live in an unforgiving world? Can they accept each other? Is it love? (slow romance.)

Loosing interest in all Sakura romances... I used to be such a fan. Pity... Inspired by a story called on this site called: Another Wolf- that won't update. Discontinued.

Well, the basic story was that Kakashi is suppose to be a teacher, leader, mentor, and shrink to Sakura to slowly heal him and her. At first Kakashi felt only guilt toward his student and Sakura felt only awkwardness, both realizing that they don't know each other at all and can't even hold a decent conversation while having lunch together, but the therapy sessions placed a close bond between them. Then he starts taking her out on missions with him, they start out as C and B ranks, then she begins assisting him on more and more A rank missions. Because of her abusive parents, Sakura moves in with Kakashi. A tentative friendship forms, a true one, not mentorship or obligation driven. Somewhere on the way, I guess when Sakura is fifteen years old, Kakashi was mortally wounded in a skirmish, trying to protect his female student, Sakura panics as she heals him and cries over his body when he fell into a brief unconcious state. Both make it back to Konoha, marking a turning point, beginning a minor romantic relationship. Warning: this story was suppose to contain pedophilia. ...no lemon.

FireStorm... Uzumaki Naruto isn't stupid, never has been, really. So nobody really knows much about him other than he's loud, the dead-last, and wants to be Hokage: all true, to an extent, of course. But all he really wants, needs, is respect from the villagers, looks of appreciation, it's not too much to ask for, he hopes. But after the chunin exams, chaos breaks loose, people start dying, and he's forced to play his hand and show his abilities. Now the council forced upon him the honorable position of the Godaime, and against his will and power, he agrees. Rule a ninja village? Trapped in a village where he is hated all his life? He thought no, but that's going to be harder now. Sound is looming in the north, and he realizes... He has a village to protect- Konohakagure.

Inspired by another story on this sight that hasn't updated in about four years: Transition Anchor gave the reader a sort of distanced view of Naruto's personality and I got so awed by that fanfic that I'm trying to use it's similar writing style to create FireStorm. Well, I can't compare to that brilliant piece, but I'm trying, really, and it's hard and so far I'm managing an experimental style that so obscure that headlights aren't able to penetrate the... obsurity. Total: Nine Chapters. Finished!

Chakra and Magic... Four ninjas, Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, and Hinata, were chosen by Tsunade to represent Konohakagure, and to an extent, all of the Ninja Countries, to the outside world and the Magical communities. There's no trust between the two groups. Everyone's eyes are glued to these four ninjas, who came from a continent that hasn't had outside influence in over a hundred years. There are secrets and alliances behind the curtains as more information is revealed about both sides. At the same time, the ninjas have to deal with a group of overly curious students. Their mission: guard Hogwarts and one Harry Potter. Features Voldemort, Death Eaters, The Order, Umbridge and more! Harry Potter - Naruto Crossover.

Inspired by a story on fanfiction called: Stranded, a beautiful piece of work that won't update (...!) and it's gone too. (It's not the one by HarbringerLady.) This story will have random posts and will not have any sort of fabulous grammar, but please tell me if the mistakes are too much to bear. Cliche, I know, couldn't help it. Wish me luck! There will not be a sequel. Total: Seven Chapters. Finished! Beta-ed!

Twenty Facts... The lives, moments, and secrets between Merlin and Arthur and the rest of the people in Camelot. Arthur/Merlin. One-shot. Slash.

From the TV show called (surprise surprise) Merlin (2008) (shown on BBC Television along with Dr. Who) that so far only has one season. The show itself is campy with B-rated effects and bad acting but it makes up in originality and good characters (also the fact that slash seems to just simmer underneath the proverbial stove, heh heh). Reminiscent of the LJ format of Twenty Truths. An homage to the Merthur fandom, or Merlin/Arthur, or Arthur/Merlin... whatever you call it. One-Shot.

Tales of a Wanderer... He was in an alien realm, surrounded by trees, rings, Malfoy-like elves, and castle kingdoms. Harry Potter doesn’t know how he got here or how to get out. There’s a war going on and he’s determined to stay out of it, until it drags him in. Forget about the old world of Hogwarts and Voldemort, he has to survive. Harry Potter - Lord of the Rings Crossover.

Due to popular demand, there will be no romance. Sporadic Updates- since the story is experimental. Hear hear- Experimental. Seriously, I never expected that many reviews on the First Chapter. It's suppose to be a couple chapters of mini-drabbles. But hey... um, que sera sera? Will be concentrating more on character growth and eloquence and not so much on plot: you have been warned. Total: Six Chapters. Finished!

The Lexicon: Plotting Snorkacks... All of my plot bunny ideas that won't leave concerning the world of Harry Potter. Maybe I'll finally have some peace. Will include any genre, AU, Slash, Het, Xover, Dark, etc, etc, etc. Specific warnings are inside.

Feel free to use these ideas, just don't forget to tell me and credit me. The chapters are standalones, but the universe might get familiar after a while, since my thoughts on the HP-verse, or how I think JK Rowling should've done it, (seriously, she got lazy in the end, the seventh book was a complete joke,) in regards to culture and magical theory are mostly solid. I write these one shots because I feel like someone must write them and I'm feeling utter bewilderment that the idea hasn't been stretched, poked, and inspected by other authors on this site.

Chapter 1- From the Mold... People loose their morality for the sake of war. For most, it's not a matter of how or why, but when. For Harry, it was the day Hermione was killed. He never agreed with the views of the Light Side but he had obeyed them... no more. His beliefs changed from drastic to radical. What happened? What are the circumstances? What next? Warnings: Gore, Death, Dark, Morality Issues, Intentional bad Latin, Long ramblings, Slight-OCs, AU, Slight spoiler for the sixth book.

Experimental Style- First Person Point of View. The results are iffy at best. I got the idea from one of Rorschach's Blot's many stories.

Chapter 2- The Dog and the Owl... Sirius Black meets Hedwig in the Owlery in Harry Potter's third year and witnesses the result of reincanation. Warnings: Ramblings, Dog slobber affection.

I like this one. Modified from an old one-shot. Saw only a few other fics with this idea and it really should be a plot device that can be expanded upon, like Lily/Hedwig forcing Harry to study, or guiding him through his homework by hooting encouragingly or showing him the correct pages in the texts that are worthwhile to read. In this way, maybe Harry won't start off so incompetent.

Chapter 3- Wordless Disaster... Harry James Potter, now Hadrian Corvus Black, says good-bye to his twin, Ethan Oliver Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Prophecy Child, the Chosen One, who is going off to defeat Voldemort. Warnings: Sarcasm, Stupidity, Arrogance, Slight Out of Charcter.

Cliche. It is a "Who is the Boy-Who-Lived" fic, meaning that it mightbe a "Wrong Boy-Who-Lived" fic. It features a good-intentioned but "For the Greater Good" Dumbledore. There is not much love for Lily or James Potter, who are alive, in case you haven't figured it out.

Chapter 4- False Love... Harry James Potter becomes paranoid the moment he finds an activated love charm underneath his pillow. Circumstances and fated occurences kept leading him on till he realizes that his very drink has been laced since the beginning of school. Desperate, he looks for help. Warnings: Diverging from sixth year, very obvious hints.

I found similar fics that explored this idea but never one that displayed the actual process of discovery. I believe that this is very probable in canon. Author's Note contains spoilers for a five-page one-shot if you can call that spoilers because I think the answer and the hints are very obvious obvious like dancing on top of a piano, playing a bad tune on a harmonica, singing, "Hello! I am the answer to the plot. See me! Hear me!" -I epically fail at mystery stories.-

Chapter 5- The Eyes of a Child... With one of their own petrified, the Hufflepuffs take drastic action on who they perceive to be the guilty Heir of Slytherin, Harry James Potter. Inadvertently, they punish him with Harry's greatest fear. Ron is helpless, but he must try to do all that he can to save his best friend from the mob. Told from Ron’s point of view. Warnings: AU, implied child abuse, Bullying, First Person point of view, an attempt made to try to speak like a twelve year old.

Sometimes, reading canon, I wished that Ron was just a tad smarter. I was not asking for much at all Ron could've evolved from a dumb, comedic Gryffindor into a dumb, comedic Gryffindor with a sense of Pureblood customs and culture because, oh, I don't know, because he's a pureblood who has been living in a magical household his entire life? Ron's character is disappointing. I also thought that after the Philosopher's Stone arc, chess and strategy would play a big part in his life and ultimately be one of the key elements that will defeat Voldemort and his followers. But... no, in the seventh book he just... no.

Chapter 6- Nothing was ever normal for Luna Lovegood: trying to talk a young Dark Lord from killing Hogwarts students was not normal in the slightest. Pairing- Implied Luna/Tom. Warnings: AU, Second Person Point of View, Underage Implied Romance

I'll say it straight out, I'm not happy how this story turned out. I guess my first try at a sort of sub-genre called obsessive, dark love has failed. It was a challenge to make Tom-evil but not Voldemort-evil but still retaining a small part of Voldemort-sadism. The original inspiration of this story actually stems from the Weasleys and their Numerology superstitions. I mean, just think about it. Bill, Charlie, and Percy represent 1,2,3, the Trio, if you can think of it like that. The number 4: you usually degrade that into Honorable Mention or some similar lame award. But Fred and George are twins so even if they are 4,5, twin magic, I assume, is powerful because they share, magically, the same brain and magic core. Ron was the unlucky 6, which I guess accounts for his inbecility. Ginny, however, is 7th, a lucky number, and she is the first born female so that doubles her luck. This is an epistolary story, meaning that writing letters are rather big in the plot and that in order to get the full idea, the reader has to read between the lines.

Chapter 7- Before the Chamber of Secrets, there was blackmail-induced-tutoring. Before Mad-Eye Moody, there was Amadeus, before Professor McGonagall, there was Minnie, and before Lord Voldemort, there was Tom.. Warnings: Snark, Experimental Style (semi-script writing), Present Tenses mashing into Past Tenses, obscure Magical knowledge that's only touched upon, twisted companionships.

Ever tried imagining those three as Hogwarts students? (Ever tried imagining Fluffy as a newborn?) I honestly think that's how they were. Moody would be brilliant but jumpy. Riddle would be thrilled at Moody's pedigree and yes he would still take advantage of the knowledge of a Gryffindor through blackmail. I would imagine that he's rather loquacious and erudite before he evolves into the dark and alluring persona. As for McGonagall, poor McGonagall, she has to put up with him, but I would think that she's used to humoring Riddle's ambitions. And about Krum's partial self-transfiguration in the Second Task? Let's say that magical knowledge has evolved since Pre-canon.

Chapter 8- Reverse discrimination in the Second Generation: the Potter kids try to change the world and make a life for themselves. Meanwhile, Harry Potter slowly learns the skeletons in the new Potter family. Minor appearances made by the Tonks and the Malfoys. Warnings: Childhood Neglect, Mild Golden Trio Bashing, Weasley Light Bashing, Multiple POVs bolded for your convenience, mild slash and threesome mentioned (like, once or twice).

I wish that this was the epilogue. Rowling's epilogue brought closure and all, the Brady family epilogue. I'm happy for canon Harry. But this story is my epilogue. Anybody offering to beta? Anyone? No?

Chapter 9- It’s not the scar, it’s not a connection, and it’s not the Dark Lord that’s giving him visions. Harry Potter is a Seer. From Third to Fifth Year. Warnings: Sort of ambiguous, zoophilia mentioned (I swear you’ll miss it if you blink).

Featuring a Harry who isn’t quite a lazy ass-tard! A salute to both A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel! Let's see if you can catch them. This is a pretty popular short, I'm surprised by its reception, considering that it was one of the easiest ideas to churn out.

Chapter 10- Harry James Potter's stay at Azkaban. Warnings: Dark, slight OOC, Harry-sent-to-Azkaban-plotline, bad (BAD!!) grammar.

In the future of this plot idea: Harry is a neutral power who delves into soul magic and mortality. Regarding the Wizarding World, Dumbledore's intentions, or his friends' loyalties- I have no clue.

Chapter 11- In which Severus Snape discovers George and Fred Weasley’s innate talent at Potions and sees potential apprentices. Warnings: AU, Slight spoilers, Definitely Epilogue Non-Compliant, Bad Grammar.

In my head, if the twins could make their own original joke products, they can comprehend Potion theory. Snape is a bit too hasty in picking them up as apprentices, but I think he's desperate enough to find someone(s) to teach. The twins have no idea what they're getting into though. This plot bunny was more centered around relationships- learning that the world is made up of different people and the Hell-Is-Other-People idea can be turned around if one can work with those said other people. I tried not to make it OOC.

Chapter 12- For twelve years, Remus must remain with his sire and his pack. Remus was determined to remain aloof until circumstances forced him otherwise. Fenrir / Remus. Warnings: Dark, Slash, semi-OOC, dubious consent, mature content.

Actually, this might be called blatant rape. I can say that I wasn't going for non-consent when I was writing this but with the personalities of the two men, it's rather inevitable. Ehh... I feel a bit dirty writing this.

Chapter 13- Harry Potter was dead. The only thing in this body is a one-half to the seventh power soul of Tom Riddle. Warnings: AU, OOC, self-reflection, sociopathy, slight dislike for Ron and Dumbledore, no real plot, slight hint of sexual content.

In a way, this might make sense. In canon, I never got over how Harry was a one-dimensional character with a hero complex. He might be the type to internalize everything: but there comes a time where you think that the internalizing wasn't done on purpose by Rowling.

Chapter 14- No Potion Master worth his salt would ever die from a snake bite. Warnings: AU, Slight spoilers, Ocs, Definitely Epilogue Non-Compliant, Bad Grammar

The premise has a similar feel to Chapter 11, but I hope that it can stand on it's own in terms of originality.

Chapter 15 - How the enmity between Severus Snape and the remaining Marauders disappears with not the looming threat over Wizarding Britain but a teenager's perplexing school-boy crush.

The challenges of toeing the line between just terrible and actually terrible. I was going to add a part where Harry learns pureblood culture, saves Snape from Nagini, and still tries to court the man post-Voldemort - but that nudges the story into actually terrible.

1985... Regression can't be stopped. What do you do if you know that you're going to die (get vaporized) again? What happens when they finally catch you? Winston stumbles through life in a haze. Eventual minor O'Brien/Winston. Slash. Sexual content mentioned.

Combining Chuck Palahniuk's style with the beautiful style of George Orwell is like pouring Vinegar, Rose Water, and Sugar together and expecting it to taste good. I tried to find my footing in this piece of fiction and ended up in the back of a bus- it was a bumpy ride. This is written more for my own amusement because I honestly don't think anyone really reads 1984 fanfiction. Heh, imagine if I write a Heart of Darkness fanfic, I will die a little inside (The Horror! The Horror!). This twisted fic contains really atrocious grammar, strange metaphors, connections through words and ideas, symbolisms, philosophy on the human metaphysical aspect and... stuff. Total: Twelve Chapters. Finished!

Chasing Dominic... Post-movie. It’s over. Dom Cobb didn’t wake up. Ariadne prepares for the challenge to bring him back out, seeing that she is the only one who can. In Limbo, she finds the many faces of Dom Cobb and the many faces of herself. Eventual Cobb/Ariadne.

This is probably going to be an overused plot idea. Oh well, I did it anyways. Didn't really understand Page's acting, it might be too subtle for me or she's one of those 'mellow' actors, which is fine, I'm like that sometimes. It does mean that I have to try to infer Ariadne's personality from other times Page was on TV and because I'm lazy, I watch Cisco commercials. Of course, there's always those guest star appearances on Late Night, Juno, not to mention Hard Candy. Errrr. Anyways. I actually like Eames/Arthur better (Eames/Ariadne is OOC but would be interesting), but I don't think I can do their personalities much justice. I don't own Inception, if I did, there would be a totally kickass sequel. Finished! Beta-ed!

Inside the Konoha Library... Naruto-based one-shots and plot bunnies. Will include any genre... Specific warnings are inside.

Again, feel free to use the ideas; when you do: inform me and credit me, please.

Chakra 1- In Medias Res... Naruto and Sasuke get kidnapped by Zabuza and have to find their way back through the treacherous route to Konoha. (No pairings.) Warnings: language, molestation, mild OOC, minor Sakura-bashing

Where Sasuke and Naruto learns the harsh realities of the world outside of their little Konoha bubble and learn to grow. Odysseus cliche.

Chakra 2- Best Friends... Naruto never bonded with Sasuke over the mission at Wave. Therefore, Sasuke’s closest ‘friend’ is Kakashi. Warnings: language, mild OOC.

So what if Sasuke's only close person was Kakashi?

Chakra 3- With the Intent to Kill... Team Seven kills Hatake Kakashi in the genin test. Nobody saw this coming. Warnings: language, mild OOC, character death that’s not taken seriously.

I fully embraced Black Humor in this chapter, sort of surreal reactions to the rather unfortunate event. It's like watching the news and learning that last night, the US President died by tripping into a puddle, knocking his head against the concrete, and drowning because he was out cold. The scene of the Team Seven genin test was taken from another fic on this site; I don't remember which fic though.

Chakra 4- The Network... Naruto and Jiraiya failed to bring Tsunade back, so Jiraiya was picked as Hokage. Well, someone has to take up the mantle of the Spymaster. Warnings: language, OOC, minor changes to the canon timeline, fairly judicious use of italics.

The idea, given by nobody 102,took off on its own. It might be different from what he/she was envisioning. It's kind of sad. Separated-parts-format. I wanted to explore the bond between Naruto and his father figures. I had other ideas on the back burner: 1. Kakashi throws a bitch fit when he realized that Naruto is going on a three year long training trip with Jiraiya (also given by nobody 102). 2. Iruka and Mizuki (reluctantly) becomes Naruto's guardians but after the death of Iruka, the relationship between Mizuki and Naruto become increasingly twisted, as it is revealed that Mizuki was once a student of Orochimaru's and is now Konoha's coroner (the anti-Hunter-nin.) Where Mizuki is featured as an intense Byronic Hero.

Chakra 5- Meet Konoha... Like some before him, Naruto is the personification of Konoha. Warnings: AU, unbetaed.

I thought it was an original idea until Hetalia came out. Damn it.

Chakra 6- L'Appel du Vide... This world is not nice. The people in it might make up for the pain. We'll see. SI OC.

The imagined plot would've contained forensic sciences, child rearing schools of thought, and the possible death of the SI at the Chunin Exam Invasion.

Aftermath... As Watson chases after the shadow of Holmes, he inadvertently brings forth feelings for the man that he never knew existed. Watson/Holmes. Warnings: Slash, no page breaks, follows movie plot post Game of Shadows

The slash goggles were not on. Really. The strange dynamic between the two of them seriously differs from the books: so much that I was pretty shocked at how needy Holmes was. To each director his own. What I mean to say is that I am capable of pairing the men up in this 'universe' but not in the original Strand Magazine. Total Chapters: 3. Finished.

That Eloquent Silence... For every sentence that Stiles says, there are stories behind his pauses that are fueled by the wandering mind that he over-thinks as he fights the pull of the water and of his own history. Alternative Pool Scene: S02E04.

The show is so bad. But as a horror-comedy, like what it is intended for, it's laughable in a good way. I watched the first two seasons cringing in my chair and thought that if anything, there was a running gag that Derek was gay for Scott and that Stiles was never going to get any. I think that this show needs more Bro-Sass (not to be mistaken for as homoerotic undertones) between Stiles and Derek.

Where Do We Go From Here... In a world where Stiles Stilinski is a girl, she's neck deep: breaking and entering, an epic car chase with guys, guns, and Kate Argent, a blood thirsty Alpha, burning fires, cops and sirens, and a final confrontation to a six year old hate crime. And werewolves. It's always about werewolves. Warnings: violence, past statutory rape, torture.

Hindsight 20/20: I should have applied Rule 63 to every single character. There is also no way in hell am I ever going to pair a 16 year old girl with a man in his mid-twenties: this male-female friendship even if everyone else thinks otherwise.

Like Lead into the Sea... Sequel to "Where Do We Go From Here" (Female Stiles) AU of Season 2. As she runs from Kanimas and hunters, she tries to establish some modicum of order back into her life while trying to survive from... whatever this is : creating uneasy alliances with monsters trying to fight monsters controlled by monsters. Trying to get people to work with you is like pulling teeth.

There was a lot more drama and issues that needed to be addressed than what I had foreseen when I first starting writing.

I Will Show You Fear In A Handful Of Dust... Currently, there are two people in the world that Stiles Stilinski cares for, whom act as anchors to control some of his more destructive tendencies. Because of Gerard Argent: one betrayed him and the other is near death. There is only so much abuse he can take before he loses himself. Sterek. Warnings: teenage (unplanned) pregnancy, parental neglect, mentions of knotting and suicide, implied (soul) mates, violence, implied killing off-scene.

I don't know where people got the idea that Stiles is any sort of 'pack-mom' material; if anything, it's Scott who is pack-mom. Stiles is a piece of work; a perfect foil to Scott's morals and heroism -- while Stiles is of the mentality of "Don't like it, get rid of it" and "Kill the Kanima," Scott is trying to pull him back and save everyone.

The Amell Madness... A collection of short stories (not of chronological order), detailing the (mis)adventures of the grey warden, Hero of Ferelden, before, during, and after the Blight. An in-depth look at the bro-ships between party members.

While playing the game (2nd play through), I named her Justine Amell - but decided to lampshade her first name completely in the fanfic - and ragequitted after I realized that I accidentally romanced Alistair again. And its not really like I could break up with him - it's like kicking a puppy. In my head canon, the family has always been a little off in a way that there was always a correlation between the amount of sass and survival instinct in an Amell family member.

Looks Godward, Past the Shades where Blind Men Grope... Where the Hero of Ferelden suddenly finds herself with new titles - most notably the Herald of Andraste - and with all the people who vowed to serve the Inquisition. Amell/Cullen

Even though I understand that Bioware's canon is to have the Warden sacrifice him/herself to defeat the Archdemon of the Fifth Blight, having the Warden Commander play the Inquisitor makes slightly more sense to me - more on a character interaction basis, offering a more nuanced look to how returning friends/rivals change or stay true to their personalities. Continued on Archive of Our Own under "Past the Shades where Blind Men Grope."

Callbacks to History... It somehow missed the attention of the Galaxy that Humanity's giant fighting robots weren't a myth and that the Jaeger Program was, in fact, alive and well. Featuring an obliviously awesome Humanity and everyone else asking, "What made you think that was a good idea?!"

This fic doesn't embody the "Humanity, Fuck Yeah" and "Alternate First Contact" genres for Mass Effect where Systems Alliance ends up curb stomping their enemies - man, I love those tags - but its something close.

So I finally got an AO3 account which means I can finally bookmark stories. So if you want to find me there, my name is Laysan_albatross.

There, I've posted some old fics and all of the fics of my latest interest (Teen Wolf, of all things - I think I'm regressing.)

My tastes of reading material?? Good fiction. It can be general fiction; astounding romance; stories where romance is in the back corner and doesn't inevitably take over the entire plot: I'm fine with most. I think what gets to me is the prose, if something sounds remarkably beautiful, it can be a perfect sentence in a twenty-something chapter piece of work; but if it echoes, if I repeatedly turn it over in my mind, taste it on my tongue, send shivers down my back (I'm not kidding, this happens) and bring out some emotional response inside me: I'll call it a keeper.