Thank you for taking the time to read my profile. I’ve been lurking on ff.net for quite a while and finally decided it was far passed time to make my presence known.

I grew up in Ohio and recently relocated to California for my dream job. I’m a voracious reader, I have a master’s in rehabilitation counseling and I’m addicted to lattes and mochas.

I’ve been an avid Phantom fan since 1990 when I read a condensed version of the story in my seventh grade English class. I’ve read Leroux and Kay countless times and I’ve seen the musical ten times. When I discovered fan fiction two years ago, my obsession raged to even greater heights. I’ve finally discovered a way for Erik and Christine to have their happy ending.

I’m a believer in happy endings. I refuse to read anything that ends in tragedy—even if the author insists the ending is bittersweet. No thank you. There’s enough tragedy in the world and I view reading as my escape. If I want tragedy and pain, I can just reread Leroux or listen to the musical. Don’t misunderstand, I love Leroux, Kay and ALW, but my romantic’s heart yearns for the happy ending that is denied to Erik in all of those versions.

Erik’s character has always intrigued and fascinated me. He’s so complex and multifaceted. He’s intense, tender, ruthless, tormented, intelligent, romantic, enigmatic…such an interesting mixture of rage, gentleness and despair. When all those layers were stripped away, all that remained was the desire to be loved and accepted for himself. How could I resist the temptation to find him a happy ending?

When I’m reading fan fiction, I prefer Erik to look like Leroux’s depiction. I prefer the full mask. While I’ll occasionally read a fic that includes a sexy Gerik, that persona doesn’t really make much sense to me. The severity of Erik’s disfigurement forced him to hide from the world to spare himself from the fear, ridicule and scorn of most people. Sexy Gerik—the tormented recluse—doesn’t really work for me.

I only read stories with an E/C pairing. I’ve tried to be open minded, because I know I’m limiting myself and passing up the opportunity to read fics by some excellent authors, but I just can’t get into Erik/other woman pairings.

Christine…I don’t really care what she looks like, but in anything I read/write, she won’t be a simpering vaporish child—incapable of making up her mind. I like to see a few facets of her character remaining while the author develops her into a more interesting character.

As for Raoul…as a naive twelve-year-old, I hated him…loathed him with every fiber of my being. It was so black and white to me—Erik deserved Christine and Raoul didn’t. A few years ago, I reread Leroux after not having done so for quite a while. I was finally able to see Raoul from a different perspective. He was just an innocent boy who was swept along on a tide of events far beyond his understanding—confused by Christine’s mixed signals but yet still trying to play the dashing hero. I still don’t like him.

I’ve written several chapters of an AU E/C story that I’ll post when I find the courage. In the meantime, feel free to check out my favorites where you’ll be able to find all the best—at least in my humble opinion—completed E/C stories. I will never add a story to my favorites until it’s completed, because it drives me utterly mad to be totally into a story only to discover the author abandoned it.