Wait, you mean I have to have a profile set?

Well, poo.

What do I put in these things? They remind me of those cursed 'let's go around the table, introduce ourselves, and tell us about yourself' exercises.

I hate those.

I'm a native Floridian (sane variety, thankyouverymuch) and I'm disabled. So I have time available to read or write fanfiction. I like to take popular characters - depending on the winds of change - and put them in situations that would just knock us over juuuuust to see how they would get out of it or not.

Like say, Harry Potter having to figure out how in the world he'd going to explain to Dumbledore that the Westboro Baptist Church is at the gates. Or Jean-Luc Picard having to deal with Southern sweet tea (and I like my own, thank you, no lemon) or The Doctor wondering why the TARDIS is intent on getting back issues of the Kerblam! catalogs or Reepicheep and Puss in Boots going where everybody knows your name, or...

Well, you get the point. I don't want to reveal more since I might actually want to use those as plot points in the future. Hmm... maybe Reepicheep should find Ron Weasley.

If you're here, looking for something to read, I sincerely hope that you are entertained and have a sense of completion and satisfaction after finishing a story.

If that's not the case, then constructive criticism is always welcome even if I can be a little stubborn. I treasure and value all my readership.

I use the pen name JB Steele on other works, but it's all me. The Reverend John Beatty Steele is not me, as the clergyman was called home in 1884 and I'm still scribbling stuff as of 2021. In fact, I'm pretty sure I wasn't doing that before 1884. If that's actually the case, maybe that would explain some of my aches and pains.

Also, JBSteele on AO3 is me. As it turns out, I was lurking about reading on FFN before I decided to put digital pen to backlit paper and didn't see the point in changing my username from polarbear20000. It's probably evident, but I figured well, I should probably mention it.

In the meantime, onward! Further up and further in!

Update 23 November 2020 - I am still safe from COVID-19. My natural grumpy hermit tendencies are still helping in that regard. Did you know that wearing glasses with face masks are a pain in the rear if you have a skull the size of mine?

Update 24 February, 2021 - A thought has struck. As I am not in the habit of using author notes within the text of my stories, I would rather place it here.

This is not something that I had thought of in the past. A reviewer made a note about one of the stories I've been posting on had a certain amount of followers versus a quite lower comparative number of reviews, and wanted to send me a very kind acknowledgement of the work I've been putting into the story to date. I had not even thought as much about reviews to this point as I was distracted by the actual writing. Please don't get me wrong, I appreciate every review I've been given. However, I'm not writing with the goal to collect a certain amount of reviews - I'm writing to tell a story. With any luck, that story will entertain the reader. Begging for reviews simply isn't my thing.

Having said that, I will admit that I find myself in an anticipatory state of mind when I notice that there is a new review that I haven't seen. At that point, I am quite curious.
The collection of readers that I have amassed to this point, and those in the future, are and will be appreciated greatly.

Along that line, with the thoughts that I tend to write stories requiring a "M" tag that doesn't always show up in searches unless specifically 'search all,' I ask that you add me to your favorite stories if you like my stories. Thank you!

Update 25 March, 2021 - I have gotten my first COVID vaccine shot, waiting for the time for the second. I really don't wanna sound like I'm whining (okay, I am whining, let's be honest) but damn that shot smarts like the dickens!

Captain's Log, Supplementary Update 19 July, 2021 - I got that second shot a week after the first and yep it ached.

-=- About Guest Reviews -=-

I cannot reply to guest reviews, and there apparently is a confusing trend starting with one- or two-letter reviews that make absolutely no sense to me. It's very perplexing. If there are readers doing this, I suppose I should thank you for caring enough to go through the process for 'reviewing,' but please, please, please -- make it a real review with actual words and thoughts behind them. Your favorite fanfiction writer (and not just me, mind) will only improve their craft with proper reviews.

== LONG FORM FANFICS ==

Phantasms of Reality

I'm stuck on Phantasms of Reality, so I may have to backtrack a bit. I have not forgotten it. I suppose I could add a chapter or so while I was working on Potters Echoes, but I feel like I wouldn't do it the justice I otherwise would. Besides, I want to see what happens myself. I left it with a Ravenclaw Draco, which suggests all kinds of things. This is written as a Harmony story.

Potters Echoes To Time Unbending

This is the one that I'm working on right now - it's got a hold on me that I need to get loose from. The only way to do that is to write the damn thing. Well, that and embarrass the hell out of the characters. This is my contribution to The Jily Meets Harmony Challenge.

Like Tenfold Shields

Dragons. Mothering Dragons. Something needs to be done and there's a dragon that knows what needs to be done. Get in her way and get squished.

== ONE-SHOT FANFICS ==

Waiting

She will wait for him, as long as it takes.

Fudge Gets Told Off

Well, the title says it all, really.

Penny Has Problems

It came to me one day. What if Penelope Clearwater had a very odd day?

Run, Harry!

Harry's in trouble with Hermione. He's done it now. Ron is no help.

Ooops

It's Ron's turn to reap the whirlwind to pay a painful price. Harry's got other ideas and besides it's all Ron's fault anyway.

Dan and Emma Need a Drink

The Grangers try to make sense of it all.

An Owl's Delivery

Nobody messes with Hedwig in my stories. Even Voldemort.

Marauders Voltron Force

I grew up in the 80's. The Voltron Lions fit with the Gryffindor crew alllll too well.

From the Sea of Unconsciousness

I know all too well what Harry's feeling here, waking up in a hospital bed.

Neville's Had Enough

Even the most even-tempered among us gets to the point where they've had enough. It looks like Neville's just reached his.

Thoughts Before

Ginny is thinking before and as Arthur escorts her down the aisle.

Thoughts from a Still Night

This is something that Ron might have been thinking in one of my AU stories, maybe.

Benighted Walks Under The Mid-Day Sun

Senior Auror Potter has gotten involved in something he never expected. A one-shot written in two parts. How? Different POVs.

Deep Into That Darkness Peering

She has awoken in darkness, and she doesn't know how she got there.

Clark's Decision

Clark Kent agonizes over a decision about a promotion. What does he tell Perry … and why?

All-Star Pickup Game

Superman teams up with another speedy guy to take on a well-known duo in a game of basketball.

== OTHER ==

The Obligatory Challenges List

I figured I might as well.

Social Media Harry Potter Writing Prompt Stories and Things

Occasionally, I see writing prompt posts on various social media sites that catch my eye. When that happens, I have to write them out. Sometimes I can't post replies since those posts have been archived by the time I find them, so I do it here. This is added to sporadically.

== PLANNED ==

I've decided at some point I want to take a crack at the Reptilia28 Don't Fear The Reaper challenge. Yes, I know it's been done ad nauseam. No, I don't plan on following the challenge quite to the letter. Yes, it probably will be AU mature. No, it's going to be a while before I start writing it. Yes, I've started the plotting out. These responses are one of my guilty pleasure fanfic reads. Don't judge me. ;)

Also, I'm going to take a crack at a Doctor Who fanfic. I haven't decided which Doctor.

Also, I'm going to take a crack at a Star Trek fanfic. Maybe a type of HP crossover. I haven't decided.

I hope that you enjoy the works that I put up here, along with the fandoms that I write for and enjoy myself. I have an AO3 account under my pen name, and are mirroring my fanfics there. I write as JB Steele using photons, e-ink, and paper - you can look those up in whatever your favorite ebook retailer may be - but the FFN username is "polarbear20000." What can I say. I like polar bears. I don't want to meet a polar bear for dinner, you understand.

A pet peeve (we all have at least one) is spelling. I can't really explain it - I will be reading this story or that story (or watching the evening news or flipping through the newspaper) and encounter a spelling error. It jumps out at me and it's like that irritating itch that you just can't scratch. By the time that my mind cancels the General Quarters call, I've lost the momentum of whatever I've been doing. It's irritating. Know what's more irritating? Finding it in something I've written. Then it's 'all hands, beat to quarters!' I rarely use computerized spell-checkers after a certain point since I'm gonna be poring over what I've written anyway. Anyone else want to chime in on this point?