Hello to all...

Alternate Account: Mikami Yuriko

Below are the laws that all authors should live by; old and young alike. Such laws have been put into glorious words so that the fallible human mind may fathom by my good friend and amazing author kissy-chan!

Check out her profile: kissychan

The Thirteen Commandments of Fanfiction

1. Thou shalt not write Mary-Sue or Gary-Stu stories. EVER.
2. Thou shalt not write self-inserts. Please see Commandment #1.
3. Thou shalt learn how to use spell check.
4. Thou shalt learn how to use proper grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
5. Thou shalt not write stories without the disclaimer, lest ye get sued.
6. Thou shalt not write stories using other FFNet authors' characters without their permission.
7. Thou shalt not write songfics, unless thou art Meat Loaf or Peter Frampton.
8. Thou shalt not write in chatspeak, even if thou hath written the fic from your cell-phone.
9. Thou shalt not write one word or one sentence chapters.
10. Thou shalt not write authors notes that are more than 1/3 the length of the chapter.
11. Thou shalt not write AU unless you label it as AU. (Alternate Universe, for those who are not in the know. Yeah, YOU.)
12. Thou shalt not change a character's personality from how its Glorious Creator intended it.
13. Thou shalt read the book/play the game, before writing about it. ALL of it. And watching the movie/cutscenes doesn't count.

Anti Mary Sue/Gary Stu:

For those who don't know whether their character is a Mary Sue/Gary Stu and want to test it, click here: Mary Sue Test

My Writing Style: What to expect

At times, I get PMs or reviews that ask why or how I come up with my ideas. Well, the following points will give my readers some insight. I hope you give it a chance and read through what I have to say.

RELIGIOUS THEMES: Many of my stories will feature an element of the belief in the Divine. I appreciate all kinds of faith and respect them all. Aside from that, I like to pay homage to them and their way of life. Also, religious themes may also mean mythology; ancient religions.

CULTURAL/POLITICAL THEMES: Our core values taught by our parents are what shape us as grown and mature individuals; our beliefs in terms of politics and culture. These are what define us as individuals and as societies. They are those that define our lives and how we view it. I like to express these thoughts and situations in my fics. I like to explore different scenarios and attempt to fit it in the characters of the game.

SUPERNATURAL THEMES: I am a fan of the occult. I like to toy with the ideas based on the supernatural and spiritual side. However, I won’t ever do werewolves or vampires. Those areas are just too saturated; too clichéd for my tastes.

SEMI-AU & AU: This means that a lot of my stories will be featured in an alternate universe or a similar and yet different world. I like to explore and not just write based on the very small and confined structure of the game’s main plot.

CRACK PAIRING: Again, I love to explore the possibilities of different characters getting together. However, I do have strict rules about crack pairings. I think most characters can fall for another character provided that the author makes the situation conducive (without being predictable, cheap or convenient), with enough character development and plot justification.

NON-CON LEMON: Many of my stories will have non con. Why? Because the theme selected for that fic warrants it. Abuse, in any form or shape is a central theme in my stories. This sort of traumatic experience (mental or physical) makes or breaks a character. And that is crucial to the development of my storyline. It shows how the character suffers and (most probably) emerges as victorious in her/his struggles. And well, that is the essence of life. We all suffer in our own versions of Hell, but we still live and attempt to find happiness.

DARK FICS: Similarly from the previous point, many of my stories are about suffering, angst and drama. Life isn’t always about sugar, rainbows and moonbeams. We’d like to think so, but it isn’t. I believe that suffering is a way to happiness. Suffering makes our blessings all the more meaningful. So, the characters in my story shall find that out too. Besides, at times, tragedy is warranted. It exudes such profound and deep emotions and feelings otherwise impossible in a happily-ever-after setting.

M-RATED: Many of my stories are M-rated. So, not for children or the faint of heart. I think that sensual love is an expression of pure love. And since most of my stories are based on Romance/Drama, this is warranted. However, I will only write lemons but never smut. The latter takes the sheer intimacy, purity and love in the act; it’s aimless and pointless. I consider the latter as distasteful so, I will never ever write smut.

IC-OOC: Okay let's be honest here. Up to a certain degree, OOC is expected in fanfiction. That means that a character may seem OOC at first glance but it isn’t so. The story’s situation may force a character into reacting in a certain way that would’ve been otherwise impossible in the game. But this is still feasible due to character development and plot justification. However, aimless and nonsensical OOC is ridiculous and not to be counted as normal OOC. Authors who completely change a character's personality and totally disregard the character's original thought-pattern are just...well, atrocious! An author must know how to lead a character and anticipate the flow and trend of his personality; know the most likely growth patterns of the character and explore. This is tricky, but is possible.

FLAMES: Nope. None of this. This is utter trash. If you have something to say about my writing, furnish it in a way that is legible and logical. When readers dismiss a fic when they “feel that it’s not going to work out” when they actually hadn’t even read the whole thing, not only is unfair to the author who put the effort into writing the fic, but is totally prejudicial and shows gross immaturity. Respect others and others will respect you.

CRITICISM: Oh yes, I prefer to have these. Cons-crits are always welcome. Voice your concerns in an educated manner. List evidence, quotes or lines from the story. Ask for clarification from the author.

Conclusion:

After writing all that, I dare conclude that fanfiction is for fun. It’s for pure, good and clean fun. We, as authors and readers alike should never forget that. It isn’t a competition. It isn’t always about rating a story; how good or bad the story was. It’s about the freedom of expression through educated writing. In the end of the day, no one gets more satisfaction in writing the fic than the author himself.

Secondly, although fanfiction is fun, like all things in this world, it exists within the context of regulations and structure. That is, we must respect the language in which we choose to write the story. If it’s in English, we must uphold its regulations and format. We owe the language that much at least.

It need not be the most accurate of English or the most polished and articulate, but a certain amount of effort should be given by the author in his/her creation.

Third, when you (as a reader) are displeased with the story or are in some way offended, see who you are dealing with before attacking your opponent. If the author seems competent and professional, then appeal through a curt and civil review.

That is more than enough. There’s no need for hate mails and all that. Honestly, that’s childish and it’s…well, funny.

A person who blindly flames without proper reason or justification for a piece of work that has been properly written is showing nothing but his stupidity, immaturity and the lack of parental guidance and love. A disrespectful person is a product of a dysfunctional family. And for that, they have my pity…

Lastly, fanfiction is all about the exploration of the unknown. Authors and readers shouldn’t be afraid to explore, think outside the box or leave the conventional ideas. They should be able to create their own worlds; their own universe. They should dare to stretch the boundaries of their known realities.

After all, if all authors and readers stick only to one genre of stories or storyline, then, the world of fanfiction will be festering with diseases that result from plot inbreeding and subsequently, will slowly die…

Inspired FANART:

Who Am I?

Inspired by "Forsaken"; a new interpretation to the persona of Cielo
Done by: Lotus Devil

OrangePInk-DDSAT-HarleyArgilla

Inspired by our convo; crack pairing but eh, we all have our moments..
Done by: Marureenu

Significance of Orange + Green

Dedicated to me!
Done by: Marureenu

BETA READING:

I always believe that in order to really learn about and/or appreciate literature, one should experience both sides of the mirror. That is, in order to really attempt to master the English language, one should not merely be an author but a reader as well; and vice versa.

So, I'm giving this a shot.
I'm currently beta-ing for the following FF NET users:

Nano78

Roaming Shadow 213

Shashaymin

FORMER ALPHA READER:

Ah, I believe that I've taught everything I can to this cute little waif. The rest is up to her.

black rose97