![]() Author has written 5 stories for Sailor Moon, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Yo! As I've been intermittently posting stories on this site for quite some time, it occurs that I should put something in this profile space. Name: Manwards ("Manny" to close friends) Our Special Little Place: A Sailor V Story (Complete) While I recall putting just as much effort into OSLP as I do with all of my stories - reading it over and over, changing words and moving paragraphs until I'm sure it's saying exactly what I want it to say - the end result, looking back at it now, is problematic. The story is simple and predictable, being little more than a "monster of the week" episode with a rather flimsy premise. It did, however, serve its purpose perfectly: the lessons I learned writing it, and the confidence I gained, allowed me to move on to a proper Sailormoon story... Sanctity (Complete) In particular I relished the chance to write a wedding scene, something not seen in the anime itself. Looking back on it recently, I wasn't sure about my decision to include so many references to minor characters from the series. However, a friend pointed out that we witness the wedding in the form of Usagi's dream. It being the most important day of her life, it makes perfect sense that every detail and every person would have been important to her. Usagi as a character is as much fun to write as she is to watch. The plot of Sanctity itself is little more than a slight evolution of OSLP, but it worked as a way to highlight the bond between Usagi and Mamoru and to show Usagi's strength of character and compassion to its fullest. Looking back on the story now, the only regret I have is using honourifics (such as -san) in the narrative itself, outside of the dialogue. As every character referred to every other character in a slightly different way, it made the perspective unnecessarily confusing. This is something I plan to address at some point. Otherwise, I remain very pleased with Sanctity, and as its many positive reviews outnumber feedback for my other stories fivefold, it is also my most popular. Sonic and the Tectonic Engine (Complete)As ideas for the "Pretty Soldier Anthology Series" stalled, I finally decided to focus elsewhere. Sonic the Hedgehog was the natural choice. As a hardcore Sonic fan since his birth back in 1991, I love the little guy more than is probably healthy and, much like Sanctity, wanted to tell a story that was essentially a vehicle for his best attributes. From the beginning, I wanted to focus primarily on Sonic and on action and adventure, rather than relying on the ballooning cast being introduced into the games. The plot for Tectonic slowly took shape, and following the disappointment of the dismal 15th anniversary game for the Xbox 360, I decided that if SEGA couldn't do him justice, I'd try to do it myself. The end result is a mix of platforming action and boss battles, the story itself moving swiftly along with the occasional chunk of exposition. Sonic takes centre stage, with Tails and Knuckles serving more minor roles, and Doctor Eggman is introduced as the primary villain. While I don't necessarily agree with Sonic Team and their habit of using Eggman as a plot device merely to introduce another, more powerful villain, writing this story did give me some insight as to why they do it. Like Sanctity, this story accomplished exactly what I wanted it to: it portrayed Sonic precisely as I see him. The epilogue, in particular, is something that I'm proud of in that respect. If somebody were to ask me how I viewed Sonic, what he meant to me, then I would simply point them there. I'm also happy with how the story itself turned out: while secondary to the action sequences, it stands against the formula currently employed in the games and ignores a lot of easy plot devices, the Chaos Emeralds chief among them. Unfortunately, in a contrast to Sanctity, Tectonic remains my most unpopular story, with less than a handful of readers. Readership is secondary to personal accomplishment in my eyes, but even so, I hope more will give it and its seemingly vapid premise the benefit of the doubt. Attractive Force (Complete) I enjoyed writing Attractive Force considerably, and my handling of several more characters and the mix of action, drama and exposition are things I'm pleased with. While there are still more fanfiction projects that I want to write, I am developing plans for my own original works, with one eye on publication at some point in the future. With my fanfiction stories getting more complex, and each one teaching me more about writing in general, I'm hopeful that these projects will have sufficiently "sharpened my teeth" for when I cut loose the safety net of an established universe and head for unknown waters. True Colours (In-Progress) For now, adios! |