Fanfiction is such an odd phenomenon, but when I think about it, I've been playing at this game for a long while.

As a child, I remember the disappointment and loss that came hand in hand with the satisfaction and joy of finishing a great book. I would attempt to keep the stories going, creating my own play fantasies about what would happen next, or what might have been if a key plot point been changed.

What is it about great characters that draws us to them, that makes us want to explore them in every way possible?

At worst, it's a bizarre form of voyeurism and exploitation (watching as we make the characters who fascinate us jump through hoops, experience pain, find true love, twisting their fates as we see fit). At best, it's social experimentation and advancement.

In ancient Greece the chorus in tragedies represented the people - society, the audience - and by viewing and participating in the tragedy taking place on stage it was believed the people could avoid personal tragedies of their own through the gained group knowledge and the vicarious experience of events/emotions.

I really like that idea. I believe we gain insight into ourselves, others, society, the human experience, etc., when we allow ourselves to explore alternate avenues of life, even if we only do it in our imaginations.

So thank you, FFN readers and writers, for exploring and expressing yourselves. It's intimidating and exciting. If you're on the fence about posting, please let me encourage you: Take the plunge! You never know what you'll find if you never try!

And special thanks to everyone who reviews. I don't do it enough as a reader, as a writer, I cannot express how valuable your feedback is, even if it's a simple "update soon."

My Stories:

The Doctor, The Desert, and Death

So, this was my first (and main) foray into fanfic author-dom. It started as a one-shot and grew from there...I have a direction for this, but I am largely at the mercy of the whims of the characters. It's really a good escape for me and a fun creative exercise. I wish I could say I update quickly, but updates have been pretty sporadic. I started the story in summer 2013, so it's been going on for at least a little while (about 2 years as I write this). That really seems surreal. Still, 30 chapters (as I write this) in 2 years...that's a little better than 1/month!

Synopsis: John is Harry is Master of Death. He gets shot and remembers his life as Harry Potter, realizes his sister is Death incarnate, becomes flatmates with Sherlock Holmes, and as he comes to terms with what all of this means, is faced with a madman consulting criminal who just may be able to deduce the existence of magic...

The Doctor, the Desert, and Death One Shots

Just what it says. It started with just one side-story that I thought wanted telling but that didn't quite fit in to the pacing and spacing of the chapters in DDD, so...this happened. And then I had 3 pages worth of story that I decided to disregard and go another direction from. So...that wound up here, too. And now I'm getting some suggestions for other one-shots, which will also wind up here as I get to them.

Thanks for taking a peek at my profile! Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions/ideas/prompts/questions.

-M.