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This will be the first fanfic I'm actually pushing myself to complete. I started it back in 2002, then when I grew up a little, it resurfaced and I jumped back into it. (I won't bore you with details, there's more in my profile about this. I ramble a LOT) I've decided to gather some gusto and post the prologue/first chapter on AFF. Title: Legacy Author: Synnøve Summary: Seven years after Ultimecia's defeat, a Galbadian-based syndicate is arranging total political control for reasons unknown. The new Headmaster of Balamb Garden and his team must weigh the outcomes as Seifer faces his impending execution. Rating: Adult+ (Abuse, Angst, CR, Death, D/A, Language, MiCD, NonCon, OC, Other, Rom, TF, Violence, WIP) Pairings: Hinted pairing between Squall/Quistis, Seifer/OC, Zell/Selphie, Zell/OC Feedback: Greatly desired, even more appreciated. URL: [Click here to read Legacy I: The Catalyst] Thanks for reading! - Synnøve

My handwriting is terrible. Seriously, I teach courses on deciphering it. I also tend to press pens very hard against the paper (to the point where I can't use pencils, because I'll break them), so the sheets in my notebooks end up curling like used parchment. I am also prone to mixing up languages, which means typos. I hate typos. All of this combines to make me vastly prefer typing to writing. I'm a very fast typist and a rabid editor, so typing will always be more efficient and satisfying to me than handwriting. Which is really only suitable for when a computer is unreachable or infeasible to keep around. EDIT: I had a typewriter once. Loved it, because it allowed me to type forcefully (I had to learn how to type gently when handling keyboards), but it was very unforgiving of mistakes.

Pen Name: Shadow Knight. Story link: What A Long, Strange Trip It Has Been. Review replies link: Review Replies for What A Long, Strange Trip It Has Been. Type of fic: FlashFic. Rating: Adult. Fandom: World Of Warcraft. Pairing: Jeddek/Auran. Yeah, it's official now. I'm shipping those two. Hard. Warnings: AFFO, ChallengeFic, M/M, NoSex (for now), OC, WIP.

Pen Name: BronxWench Story Link: Story: Yule Review Replies: Review Replies - AFF Prompt/Yule - AFF Community Forums Type of Fic: FlashFic Rating: Adult Fandom: Dragon Age: Origins Pairing: N/A Warnings: AFFO, ChallengeFic, Complete, NoSex

I doubt that I have anything original to offer, but I'll try. I've never found that I'm jealous in Mary Sues, but will freely admit to not liking them. My thing is that I need to read (and write) characters that are human. Mary Sue isn't a human so I treat her as a dangerous alien who is coming into my story-world to take over the planet and eat my favorite characters' brains. Perfect people set my teeth on edge; perfect characters do the same. So what's she hiding that has turned her into perfection (which, as I said before, is a characteristic of aliens)? By writing a Mary Sue, the author is demanding that I, as a reader for a connection with her and make her a friend so that she can seduce my written friends into offering up their brains. I am NOT going to be friends with someone who is hiding something big enough to make her non-human that I don't know about. "I'm Lord Voldemort's granddaughter, please don't hate me" is not a secret or a flaw - it's a plot point. There's not bit of humanity in that. Being painfully shy, with acne, brown hair, dishwater blue eyes, crap at Charms and Transfiguration class but a dab hand at dealing with bowtruckles, and Voldemort's granddaughter? I might buy it but I want more. I want humanity. I don't want my written friends to be in danger of losing their brains. The best way to achieve that it to draw someone that is average so I can identify with her. Yup, normal for the 'verse you're writing in. Not with purple hair, unless purple hair is common. Not with purple eyes unless are also shared by 1/4 of the population. She is allowed one or two things that she's utterly extraordinary at - why? Because we're all really, really good at something. We're also really crummy at others. Humans have acne and have to go to the bathroom and sometimes forget the air freshener. Mary Sue shoots rose-scented rainbows out of her ass. You have to create a balance of skills, a balance of friends, a balance of personality and physical traits (actually, I tend to err on the side of "mediocre at more than she's good at"). It's human. Aliens are good at everything - it's how they seduce you in to offering your brains. CMW