Disclaimer: Harry Potter remains the original creation and work of J.K. Rowling, and she owns all of it. I own none of it, and make no money off of it in any way.

If you're reading this, welcome! I don't have a whole lot posted here yet, but if you've read any of it, I hope you enjoyed it!

All of the "CotR" stories were written for the Colors of the Rainbow challenge, a series of 18 prompts themed around various colors, which can be found here: https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/44309/162031297/1/

Favorite Fandom for fanfictions: As my writings and favorite stories would probably indicate, Harry Potter, though I'm also partial to Teen Titans and Naruto. In general, I tend to prefer fandoms with universes that I thoroughly enjoy, but where I was unsatisfied with how the story developed in some fashion... I love Firefly/Serenity, for instance, but haven't delved much into its fanfiction because I like how the canon went, and haven't felt the need to dig deeper yet.

Thoughts on Harry Potter characters: Since so many authors who write about Harry Potter in some fashion do this, I figured I might as well follow suit!

Hermione Granger: One of my favorites, an incredibly versatile character you can do just about anything with, short of making her actually stupid. My favorite versions of Hermione are ones who take pride in their intelligence. I can enjoy her partnered with Harry, or just as a best friend/sister, so long as she's treated well. Dark Hermione stories are equally enjoyable.

Ronald Weasley: As presented, not a fan. Nobody is perfect, but Ron's tendency to let his jealousy get in the way, to everyone else's detriment, is too strong for me to ignore. I can handle a Ron who's treated well, so long as either his more jealous incidents are addressed (Ron realizes what he did and/or grows up), or the story starts early enough that they never happened. A character with great potential (you don't need to be a genius or chosen by fate to be a hero and a good man), but that wasn't treated well enough by the story to be worthy of the accolades he received.

Ginny Weasley: Like Ron, I don't think she was treated as well by the canon as she should have been. A passionite, sarcastic woman who can hold her own and doesn't take shit from anyone? Sounds like a perfect pairing for Harry. So why did she get so little dialogue? As written, it looks like Harry went for her because she was kinda pretty and available, and they both deserve a lot more than that.

Fred George Weasley: Pranksters. A lot of people love them, and I don't deny that they have good hearts, but the difference between pranking and bullying someone is a pretty fine line, and far too often pranksters like to blame their victims for not having a sense of humor. I want to like them, but I can't actually bring myself to like anyone who regularly humiliates other people for their own amusement.

Arthur Weasley: A good man. Naive, and his knowledge about the muggle world is laughable, but it's hard to blame him for that... the books started off as children's books, and in a book for kids, "what is the purpose of a rubber duck" is a great question for laughs. When the story turned more serious, Arthur's lack of knowledge became sad rather than amusing, but I think his competence is simply a victim of the story's changing tone.

Molly Weasley: An overbearing self-righteous harpy that gets away with it because the protagonist never had a family and the other adults are so incompetent at times that any form of concern for the children is a welcome sight. Her behaviour in book 5, ordering Sirius around in his own house, is indicative of her nature. The jokes about her using a love potion on Arthur... without more context, it's hard to judge, especially because Rowling is so very cavalier about mind control and love potions. I want to condemn her for doing this, but if it really is acceptable in Wizarding society (which is implied, though never overtly stated), then that condemnation must be aimed at the society as a whole. It still speaks very poorly of her. Almost certainly my least favorite character.

Albus Dumbledore: Manipulative schemer? Kindly Grandfather? Signs of both are regularly given. Rowling clearly wants him to be the kindly mentor we can all trust and believe in, but there are too many things he did that are questionable. Whether or not Harry was physically abused, he grew up in an emotionally abusive household, denied all knowledge of family and heritage, solely because of Albus Dumbledore. In the fifth book, he simulatneously claims he wanted Harry to have a normal childhood, and that he knew he was condemning Harry to "ten long, dark, and difficult years". Is that what he considers a normal childhood? The various happenings at Hogwarts, the protections for the philosopher's stone... his actions aren't beyond explanation, especially because we really don't know much about what the Hogwarts wards actually do, but they're suspicious enough that I feel they either need to be addressed, or you have to cast Albus in the role of either the manipulative schemer or an aged wizard past his prime that's lost touch with reality.

Severus Snape: One of the more complicated characters, and one that can easily go either way, good or evil. What happened to him growing up was terrible, and he suffered greatly while still serving the light. He also bullied children without need or remorse, and engaged in no small number of terrible acts in his own right. Whether or not he's evil, he's not a nice person, and his actions toward Harry in particular were certainly unjustified at least in the beginning... the details, though, can vary wildly. We don't see enough details of his classroom to know whether he's truly a terrible teacher, or whether he was simply unable to control himself in Harry's presence.

Sirius Black: A tragic figure, and an immature brat who was never punished for his misdeeds, so never learned to grow up. I know, I can almost hear the howling about the years he spent in Azkaban... but that was almost worse. He knew he was innocent, and so clung go that. He committed attempted murder while he was a student, and was never punished. Worse, everyone acts like Snape has no good reason to hate the Marauders, despite the fact that not only did the start the conflict and out-number them on every occasion, they almost killed him. I don't deny that Sirius loves Harry, or that he means well. I also don't deny how horrible the Black family was, or how impressive it was that Sirius was able to get away from that. His lack of maturity was also not entirely his fault; from the moment he escaped Azkaban he was effectively still held prisoner, so was never able to interact with people in a way that would let him realize what he was doing.
...however, none of these make him evil or unforgivable, and he certainly didn't deserve to die.

Remus Lupin: A character I want to respect, but he really needed to get over the werewolf thing. Yes, society hates them, but really, wanting to abandon your wife and child? He got better in the end, and for the most part I like him, but he definitely needs someone around to smack some sense into him on occasion. (Luckily for him, his friends were happy to oblige).

Draco Malfoy: A spoiled brat, certainly, but one whose outlook is not his fault. I've read stories and studies from real life, of people growing up in prejudiced homes or areas, and the struggle that people have faced trying to overcome such beliefs, and it's not easy. Draco as written never really got a chance, partially because events turned so dramatically against him, but as horrible as he was at the beginning, there is absolutely room for him to realize the error of his ways and grow into a good man. Or he can stay evil and bigoted the rest of his life. Either way, if written well, he makes a great character.

Luna Lovegood: Leaving the best for last, I can't help but love this character, and any well-written story with Luna will always be one I love. I've only ever read one story with Luna that made me dislike her, and that story was one where Luna was barely recognizable anyways (it was a character with her name and description, but no aspect of her personality or behavior bore any resemblance to the original, nor was she quirky, clever, or strange in any meaningful way.)

Thoughts on pairings in Harry Potter:

--Ginny Harry: Similar to Ron Hermione, but not quite so severe. I think the two of them could be very good together, but the way they were brought together in the 6th book was a travesty, and the way Harry's feelings were describe just scream "potion" or some other form of magical manipulation.

--Hermione Harry: A great pairing, when handled well. I prefer a Hermione who's not ashamed of herself, or who is willing to be playful, as opposed to the "goody two-shoes" approach, but as long as she stays confident and willing to stand up to herself and others just about any approach can work.

--Luna Harry: I love this pairing. If I have a "one true pairing", this would be it. A story has to work very hard in order for me to dislike this pairing, and in many ways I think Luna would be a perfect partner for Harry. Both outcasts in many ways, both unusual, but Luna's much better about not caring what others think. If Harry really does want a "normal" life, Luna is (ironically) probably his best bet.

--Nymphadora Tonks Harry: This one can work well, and Tonks is a fun character to see more of. There's a bit of an age gap, but only because of how young Harry is. As long as that's addressed or handled well, this pairing usually works out nicely.

--Other Harry: Not many of the other female characters got enough screentime to be easily considered, but there's a lot of room for exploring other personalities and opportunities. Harry's written as a bit of an "everyman" character, so he can conceivably pair well with anyone.

--Ron Hermione: A pairing that should never have happened, as written. A well written Ron can possibly be a good foil for Hermione, and I"ve seen a few stories where they get along and present a good couple, but it requires at least one of them to be modified significantly. (Notable mention for a Ron/Hermione pairing I enjoyed, "To Fight the Coming Darkness" in my favorites list, which had a less jealous version of Ron, and a Hermione much more willing to relax and be playful.)

--Draco Hermione: One that can work well, if Draco is developed properly. You don't overcome being raised as a bigot in a single night, so stories that throw these two together immediately lose my interest pretty quickly... but if Draco is given a reason to change, and can learn to hold his tongue, these two can be very sweet together.
--Dark Draco Hermione: Of course, if Hermione goes dark, this can be enjoyable in a very different way. My personal favorite along these lines is "Lady of the Lake" in my favorite stories section.

--Snape Hermione: Oh boy, this one. Controverial, certainly, but you'll see a few of these on my favorites list. "Old enough to be her father", but Hermione is certainly mature for her age. For this to work well, you have to have a story that starts well after she's out of school, or that is able to slowly develop their relationship. Simply ignoring the age difference is a bad idea, as is doing anything before Hermione comes of age, but for the stories that take their time and build it up properly, it can be thoroughly enjoyable.