I mostly read stories rather than write them, but I do write, nevertheless.

Fan fiction is pretty awesome, in my opinion. Many times, I find myself sucked into some story, be it a book or a comic or a television series, and once it creeps far enough under my skin, that's it--I'll remember it forever (or a long time, at least). Of course, they rarely encompass everything my imagination could have hoped would develop, and while nothing ever really seems to end, there are often long intervals of inactivity--where original authors are still working on the next release, or the works themselves merely sit collecting dust as they wait for new artists to resurrect them. Sometimes the things we consider canon take unexpected turns that one may dislike, or it becomes so easy to imagine ten or twenty different turns of events that it's really a shame that the original story only went so far.

This is why we read and write.

FanFiction.net is by no means an exhaustive collection of all things good, and certain fandoms are much more thoroughly-explored on other websites--but the magnitude of material that pours into this site is substantial nonetheless. That said, the methods I use to skim for any gems in the muck of the more crowded sections occasionally lead me to overlook things that I probably love very much, so if you're reading this and you think there's a story I might like, shoot me a pm because I'm thrilled to check it out.

Overall, I enjoy stories that include romance and comedy but which aren't necessarily defined by those elements. Perhaps "comedy" is not the word... Rather, instances of natural humor do wonders for my sense of immersion. Angst is okay at times, but long stories with no bright spots in sight have a habit of wearing on me, and I'm neutral toward most of the other genres, as they seem more reflective of style and setting and often tend to incorporate some measure of angst and/or romance simply as a symptom of having characters to begin with.

As far as romance goes, I look for sexuality, and within that, I mostly prefer male/male slash fiction (mostly being the operative word, there). I think that sex and intimacy (as themes) are as infectious as they are because they are so noticeably absent, disappointing, or otherwise misrepresented in popular entertainment. I am more likely to spend hours pouring over plot threads that present some more meaningful connection between Death Note's L and Raito than I am to suffer insomnia over the details of how Torchwood's Jack goes about shagging Ianto--and it's not just because Torchwood is so camp. In any story that just houses sex as another elephant in the room, such overt repression serves as a gasoline, dousing our imaginations with fire until it would really be something of a surprise if we didn't seek and proffer all that fluff and smut we propagate as readily as we do. Since so many series' express sensuality as though their producers considered it something to be tackled rather than embraced, the more thoughtful--and frankly, realistic scenarios that occasionally find their roots in fan fiction are worlds more satisfying than anything you'd ever see in the original work.

So yeah... Huge dork, I know.

Anyhoo! I like stories with intricate plots as well as those without. Character studies are wonderful... I like it when peoples' characters feel particularly in character, but also those who've strayed so far off the beaten path that the fics stand out as unique, regardless of the fandoms that inspired them to write it in the first place. Typically, I find it difficult to enjoy original characters, however, depending on the implementation, it's certainly not impossible. What else...? Hmm, first-times and confessions never seem to get old for me. :D

Pairings I Like (in no particular order):

Jack/Ianto (Torchwood)
Jak/Dax (Jak & Daxter)
Kyouya/Haruhi (Hostobu)
Kyouya/Tamaki (Hostobu)
Tamaki/Haruhi (Hostobu)
Takashi/Haruhi (Hostobu)
Hitachiincest (Hostobu)
L/Raito (Death Note)
Hagu/Shuuji (Hachikuro)
Tucker/Reed (ST:ENT)
T'Pol/Reed (ST:ENT)
T'Pol/Phlox (ST:ENT)
Doctor/Seven (ST:VOY)
Janeway/Q (ST:VOY)
Janeway/Tuvok (ST:VOY)
Jackson/Mitchell (SG:SG1)
McKay/Sheppard (SGA)
Jin/Fuu (Samurai Champloo)
Saki/Madarame (Genshiken)

Themes I Like:

Pon farr
Aliens made them do it
Confession
First time
Locked together in a small space
Build-up of sexual tension that results in some sort of confrontation
Best friends turned lovers
Incest
Don't ask don't tell
Near-death experiences
Injured person and caretaker turned lovers
Role reversals
Truth or dare
Prank victims turned lovers (lol)
Overcoming fears and phobias