Guess I need to write a profile. I just started reading Manga and watching Anime in January (2017). Although there were a couple I watched when I was in grade school – Star Blazers and Warriors of the Wind.

Vampire Knight was the first I watched/read and was hooked – must have watched it dozens of times that first month. Next was Ouran High School Host Club. I fell in love with the Anime. Still haven’t read the Manga, but will soon. It was this series that brought me to Fan Fiction. I’ve also read/watched Fruits Basket and watched SOA. Currently watching FullMetal Alchemist.

I started reading stories in March (2017) and can’t put my phone down. It’s totally addicting. I overwhelmingly read OHSHC and am currently only writing for it.

I like all the pairings within the context of the right story. I will admit there are some I want to read more than others. Kyoya/Harhui, Kyoya/Tamaki, Mori/Harhui. I also like to dust off some of the more minor characters – Kasanoda and Nekozawa are the main ones. I don’t really care for OC stories, where the OC is in the primary pairing. I like a really hot lemon, but don’t think I could ever write one. Just don’t think I could pull it off.

Story Requests:

I’d really like to read a long, detailed, complex, fleshed out, thought through, and well-constructed story of Haruhi x Hosts starting in high school and going through college and adulthood. There are several out there that are one-shot lemon orgies (and are damn good) and others touching on a time period and usually involve the group dynamic degrading until she is with just one host (which are good also). But, they just aren’t what I’m hoping for. Any takers?

Story Ideas:

I’m currently kicking around an idea for an Akito Ootori story. It will have all the others, but he’ll play a primary role. I’m looking for stories that have him in them. I want to see what’s out there to avoid writing up someone else’s story. I’ve found all the ones with his name in the description, but if you know of any, please PM me the titles.

Editing

I’VE NEVER STOPPED READING A STORY BECAUSE OF GRAMMAR. Please don’t be discouraged. These are just some helpful hints. Feel free to tell me to take a flying leap, but hopefully they will help someone.

One of the things that I noticed right away when I started reading all the stories was the lack of editing in some stories. Sometimes it was small things (typos, wrong word usage, etc.) and sometimes it was more glaring issues like incomplete sentences, punctuation and formatting around dialog, and errors that changed the meaning of the sentence. I had to learn how to read around them. That’s pretty hard for someone who used to edit technical documents for the government.

So then I thought I’d become a Beta and offer to help. I looked up the requirements and I needed to publish 5 stories or 6k words. That turned me off – it was intimidating. I’ve never written a story. Just reviewed other people’s documents, and they weren’t stories, but dry, technical papers (no dialog, no descriptions, no imagery).

I kept reading and finally came up with an idea that wasn’t too stupid. That’s where “The Last Straw” comes from. So, I’ve started to publish that and have had surprisingly good reviews. Hope I can keep that up.

So…until I get rolling as a Beta, or just for your general reference, I’ve put some rules/guidelines below on how to fix the most common mistakes I’ve seen in these stories.

Please know that I’m just trying to help and am not saying that the stories aren’t good. I’ve read some REALLY GOOD ones here and some I’ve read a dozen times or more. Stories are easier to read when grammar and punctuation are correct and, therefore, not noticeable.

Re-read. Most of the crazy mistakes could be found by simply re-reading your chapters. Take a few minutes to read them out loud and see if you are really saying what you want. My first chapter, I read it at least 6 times, I had someone else read it, and I read it after I put it up and still didn’t see that I’d used the wrong word in a sentence. Very frustrating. Try reading dialog out loud and doing voices. You’ll catch more mistakes that way and I found it to be a good way for me to make sure I was keeping in character.

Know how to use: To, Too, and Two. Use too when you want to indicate that something is less or more than something else. Those pants were too big. He threw the ball too far for his teammates to catch. Use to when describing an action of going somewhere. We are going to the store. He brought the strawberry up to her mouth. And Two = 2

Know how to use: There, Their, and They’re. There is a location. We hung the sign up over there. Their is possessive. I really liked their cosplays. Their brownies were excellent. I couldn’t handle their bullying any more. They’re is a contraction for they are. If you aren’t sure if this one is right, use the two words in the sentence to see if they work. They’re going to be the death of me. I was going to ride home with the soccer team, but they’re already gone.

When to use I or me: This gets almost everyone at some time. The wrong usage can sound right and vis versa. To know for sure, remove the other person’s name and read it like you are just talking about yourself. Tom and I are going to the store. (I am going to the store.) She completely panicked when she saw Tom and I at the window. (she saw I at the window – WRONG) (she saw me at the window.) Once you know the trick and start paying attention you’ll notice characters in movies and TV shows saying the wrong thing all the time. Makes me crazy, especially when the character speaking is supposed to be a genius…Spencer in Criminal Minds or Bones in Bones.

Punctuation around dialog. There are many guides on the Internet. Print out your favorite and keep it next to your laptop. I still screw it up all the time. The correct way just doesn’t look right to me. One of the big things to keep in mind – only one speaker per paragraph. If the speaking switches, make a new paragraph.

Here are some other pairs of words that seem to get mixed up:

Threw/Through – He threw the ball. She walked through the garden.

Clam/Calm – They ate clams for dinner. He was surprisingly calm after the accident.

By/Buy/Bye – Come by the house. Let’s buy dinner. Good-bye

Breathe/Breath – He took a deep breath before diving into the pond. She found it hard to breathe after his passionate kiss.

If I’ve overstepped by putting this up, please let me know. I came here to enjoy the stories and maybe make some friends if I’m lucky. I don’t want to come off as a b*h or a crazy person. I just want to help.