Hi!

Thank you for reading my stories.

Like everyone else, I appreciate reviews, but especially if you added my story to your favorites or C2, I'd like to know what you liked (or didn't like) about it.

Probably my favorite out of my own fics right now are Heads I Win, Tails You Lose and How to Say Goodbye.

I tend to use characters I like as objects of humor, so if I mock them I don't mean to bash . . . it's actually a sign of affection.

Update: 3/11/11:

Hi, everyone. I haven't been very inspired to write Bleach stuff recently. I think that's because I just haven't been enjoying the manga recently.

So, I don't think I'll be doing any more Bleach stuff any time soon. Maybe if I get excited about the manga again, or if I get really into the new Bleach Rock Musical. ; )

Thanks for all of your reviews and support, and your awesome writing!

- at-kb

Fanfiction isn't serious business, but here's a list of some things that bug me, personally. Food for thought, maybe?

1. Calling anyone a "broken doll." To me, this is reducing the vastness of human emotion to a vastly over-used cliche. What does it even really mean? Is it like when I would brush my Barbies' hair too hard and accidentally pull off their heads? By the way, "broken angel" also falls under this category. Really, it's so cheesy - just don't call anyone an angel unless they're actually an angel or you're intentionally imitating florid prose of a particular style, like Poe's or something.

2. Summaries that are like, "What if Ichigo [did x thing]? How would he feel? What would Ichigo do?" Look, if you tell me that Ichigo did x, I'll automatically wonder how he would feel and what he would do. That's kind of the point. So, you're more likely to make me interested in your story if you use your summary to tell me a bit more about it.

3. It's "fazed." As in, "Ichigo was not fazed by the enormous Menos Grande that appeared before him." Not "phased." "Phasing" is what Shadowcat does. Just saying.

4. Fantasy AUs in which the first ten or more paragraphs of the story are just outlining the very complex details of the fantasy world's political system, history for the last 100 years, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fantasy AUs as a genre, and worldbuilding is good to have and all, but I just get bored fast. I think it's okay to gradually introduce the details of your world, while at the same time getting the action moving so that I actually have a plot to read and a reason to be interested in the worldbuilding details.

5. Use of the word "such." It should be used like this: "I refuse to believe such a thing!" Not "I refuse to believe such!" Basically, it has to be "such an idea," "such orders," "such ridiculous assertions," etc. It's incorrect to just use "such" on its own, as in "I had never even imagined such," or "I would never obey such," or "How could he believe such?"

6. When characters who are supposed to be cool are egregiously rude to other characters for no real reason and we're supposed to think it's awesome instead of douchey. I don't care if the waiter spilled water on you or some girl flirted with you, Super!Powerful!Harry, that finely-crafted put-down isn't impressive, it makes you look like a jackass.

7. I wish I didn't live in a world when I had to type this, but the word "kidnapped" has two "p"s. I hate my life.

8. Stories that somehow have no conflict. I don't mean fights or something like that, but protagonists need something to struggle against during their story. That's . . . what makes it a story. If your story is about Person A and Person B meeting, immediately falling in love, having many perfect dates, getting married in a perfect wedding, and then having fifteen babies all named like Mary Sues, then . . . that's not really a story? Because there's no conflict. I mean I know we all want to see our favorite ships gloriously validated in 50,000 shining words, but you have to throw a couple of obstacles in your characters' way or else the story is boring. If the characters haven't overcome any obstacles or developed in any way as characters, there's no satisfaction in the happy ending because nothing has been achieved.