Hi! I'm the Silver-Tongued Lion. I don't write myself, due to being very bad at it, but I do read a lot of fanfiction. My main fandoms include Harry Potter, Avatar: The Last Airbender, X-Men: First Class, Les Miserables, Rise of the Guardians... screw it, I just do whatever I feel like at the moment. Hmmm. I guess I should be saying a little something about myself? I'm an easy-going person who doesn't care for much with quite a bad memory. XD

What you'll find here on my profile are my personal favourites, and not without good reason. I mean it. When reading a fanfiction, I usually prefer the ones that don't stray too far from canon. It just manages to highlight in amazing, glorious technicolour (also in HD and 3-D!) the author's skill in creating a world and characters so vivid that it still feels familiar to the reader while not being too boring or overused.

Arc of Sacrifices
Fandom: Harry Potter. Okay, let me be honest. This story is intense. If you have a liking for main characters getting tortured and having to work super hard to get their happy endings, this is the fic for you. It is notorious for its many plot twists, worldbuilding, what-if scenarios, and actually likable OCs. The author, Lightning on the Wave, uses age old cliches in the HP fandom (Harry being sorted into Slytherin, evil!Dumblebore) and uses them well without making things seem dry and uninteresting.

Oh God Not Again!
Fandom: Harry Potter. Tired of all those Peggy Sue fics in which a damaged, hurt Harry goes back in time with all his memories to save the wizarding world from destruction? Need a break from all that angst? Try this fic! It uses the Peggy Sue concept, only that instead of saving the world, Harry is more interested in screwing around and having fun. Hilarious and witty.

Gilded Green
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender. This story focuses on the minor character Lu Ten, who died during the 600 Day Siege of Ba Sing Se in canon. Here, instead of dying, Lu Ten is brainwashed by the Dai Li. I don't understand how there aren't any more fanfics centering on this issue. It's because of Lu Ten's death that we have so much of canon today, anyway. Characters are mostly OCs, but don't let that scare you away. The OCs are interesting and flawed and very human, despite being Dai Li. This fic needs more love. Sadly though, the author has not posted the sequel in over two years. This fic is still good as a stand alone, and is definitely worth the read. (In fact, if the sequels do not divulge from canon, this will officially be my headcanon.)

Letters From the Past
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Set post-canon, this fic reads just like an actual episode of Avatar. It features a young Aang, Kuzon, and Bumi pre-iceberg, and also the OC Amihan. I like it because of how in-character everybody is and how this is quite plausible even in canon. Try this fic if you're looking for something good set post-series. Also, the OC Ryou is quite lovable and very fun to read about.

Four Nations
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender fusion Hetalia: Axis Powers. Based on the concept of each nation having an an anthropomorphic personification of its own, this fic blends the history of Avatar with tragedy, heartbreak and hope. The interpretation of the Fire Nation is particularly gut-wrenching, as is the Water Tribe(s), the Earth Kingdom, and...you know what? Screw it. This fic will make you tearbend, guys. Even if you don't know Hetalia, it's an excellent read.

Morality Chain
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender. This wonderful fic is an For Want of a Nail AU in which Zuko and Azula love each other, and have a less screwed up relationship. It focuses mainly on Azula. She is thankfully still the Azula we know and love, with the exception that she does genuinely care for her friends and family. Expect manipulation and tons of protective rage from Azula, as she is not someone you want to piss off. In fact, this fic is a lot like how I'd imagine the actual Book Two: Earth would go like in Avatar if Zuko and Azula were on the same side. Very good read, but sadly remains unfinished as of yet.

Shadow of the Dragon King
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender. This prequel fic of Zuko's banishment is awesome in how it manages to both originate from a single event and yet be so much more due to the world it takes place in. Noble families are fleshed out well, as is the political intrigue and deliciously human OCs. Fan favourite is Shun, who is a silent bodyguard type with a side of trauma, loyalty and general awesomeness just the way I like it. Read it, you'll never regret it. Despite its length, this fic never ceases to keep me glued to the screen.

Zastruga
Fandom: Rise of the Guardians. It's authors like these that make me love the internet and all its glorious fanfiction when all those terrible ones stand in the way again. This fic plays out rather like the actual movie, but with Jack being raised by Pitch instead of spending 300 years all alone. Refreshingly does not feature an evil!Jack, only a conflicted one, and is quite close to canon. So close in fact, that it seems like something the creators could have made themselves. The occasional typo is distracting but forgivable, due to the sheer quality of the writing in general.

Beneath a Sanguine Moon
Fandom: Rise of the Guardians. Also by the author of Zastruga, this story is a fusion between Rise of the Guardians and the Hunger Games. Told from Jack's point of view, uses the present tense and first person just like Katniss in the original books. Also follows the line and order of the RotG movie. Set during the 71st Hunger Games.

Half A Millennium

Fandom: Hetalia: Axis Powers. This fic is up here due to the sheer history in it, which is a staple if you're reading any Hetalia fanfic, but rarely do you find anything regarding the East Asians. Specifically China and Japan, but also Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The West is also a major player in this fic. The author makes good use of both Real Life events and canon personalities to great effect, as there is always a valid reason for a nation going OOC. Ultimately, very educational for those familiar with East Asian relations and not alike.

Personal Pet Peeves in Fanfiction
This is Exactly What is Says on the Tin, guys. Sometimes the line is pretty blurry, and I might be able to withstand some of these annoyances more than others, but overall, I still can't take them. Here goes:

1. Demonizing of Characters, OOCness
Well, I'm no special snowflake when it comes to this, but here we are. While it's not a sin in fanfiction to make a good guy go bad or vice versa (it's fanfiction), there has to be a good explanation or justification for it. On TV Tropes, the demonizing of canonically 'good' characters is called Ron the Death Eater for reasons obvious to a Potterhead deep in the jungles of fanfiction. The opposite would be Draco in Leather Pants, also for obvious reasons. Not only does this Out of Character-ness ruin an already established character, but it makes the readers cringe and blanch in their seats.

2. Bashing of Ships
Look guys, most likely anyone who's part of any fandom (provided it's big enough) will know this. It isn't wrong to prefer one ship over the other, but come on! Have some class! Just because that ship does not agree with yours, does not mean that it's stupid or worth beating everyone else up for. Often when bashing ships, characters will be unbelievably OOC to the point of hilarity. Overall, it does not make for an enjoyable read to anyone with a decent amount of respect for the fandom and is frankly sickening to watch.

3. Poor Formating
This is a major turn-off for me. Not only does is blatantly show off the author's inexperience, but it makes reading difficult and unappealing due to constantly having to adjust views to read the bloody thing. Lines of dialogue should have spaces between them, paragraphs should not be more than a few lines long, or it's too much of an eyesore for the reader. Make your mind up whether you want the formating to have your text in the middle or the side or wherever really. Add dividers of some sort when showing different scenes or author's notes, or else readers will find the story confusing and the writing will just look sloppy.

4. Incohrec, Punctayshen and Speling
Come on, guys. These are the most basic of things. I know that a few slip-ups here and there are inevitable, but if I always have to be mentally spell-checking something in every paragraph I read, you know there's something wrong. In dialogue, the double inverted comas (") are used at the begining and the end, while single inverted comas (') are used for phrases or words. 'It's' means 'it is' while 'its' is possesive, meaning belonging to something. 'There' refers to a place while 'their' is used again, as a possesive noun, but for a group. Theses are common mistakes, but can be avoided.

5. Romanticizing Abuse
Abuse is a serious matter that should not be taken lightly. So it always irks me whenever I see a relationship clearly potrayed as abusive and yet treated as if it were a normal, healthy relationship. Sorry Twilight fans, but this is exactly what's happening with Edward and Bella. It not only creates a false image of what relationships should be like, but also makes hackles rise. However, if the Unreliable Narrator is used skillfully with this, the story would already be much more interesting.

Things I Love In F(an)fiction
Much like the example above, this is what it is. Let us begin, young grasshoppers.

1. Messed Up Characters
And I mean, messed up in the head. Doesn't have to be psychotic, as they can be those disillusioned characters that truly believe what they are doing is right, or those who are still subtly influenced by their past traumas without it being overly dramatic. Also love Psychopathic Manchildren, as their 'innocence' totally intensifies their cruelty.

2. Interconnected Plot
These are awesome, period. By interconnected I mean that they make use of every single character whether canon or OC/plot point skillfully and make you go 'OHHH!' at every plot twist. The stories that make you feel like something is going to happen, but what you can't tell. Intelligent usage of Chekov's Gun is welcome, because I love attention to detail, it just fleshes things out all the more.

3. Vitriolic Best Buds Relationships
These are incredibly hard to write, as it requires just the right amount of insults and injury and denial of feelings and the fluff to mix well. I just think it's adorable. Like 'I appreciate you but I'd rather get hit by a car/plane/monkey on a unicycle than admit it' kind of relationship. Can come off as terrifyingly dysfunctional if handled wrongly.