A Phoenix Torte would be hard to eat-just as you're about to take a bite, the bird comes back to life!

Damn, so close!

And then it would burn you alive, and be really spicy.

Quote from my good friend Julie.

My LiveJournal

I am made to sow the thistle for wheat, the nettle for a nourishing dainty:
I have planted a false oath in the earth, it has brought forth a Poison Tree:
I have chosen the serpent for a counsellor, and the dog
For a schoolmaster to my children:
I have blotted out from light and living the dove and nightingale,
And I have caused the earthworm to beg from door to door:
I have taught the thief a secret path into the house of the just:
I have taught pale Artifice to spread his nets upon the morning
My heavens are brass, my earth is iron, my moon a clod of clay,
My sun a pestilence burning at noon, and a vapour of death in night.

What is the price of Experience? Do men buy it for a song,
Or Wisdom for a dance in the street? No! it is bought with the price
Of all that a man hath -- his house, his wife, his children.
Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy,
And in the wither'd field where the farmer ploughs for bread in vain.

It is an easy thing to triumph in the summer's sun,
And in the vintage, and to sing on the waggon loaded with corn:
It is an easy thing to talk of patience to the afflicted,
To speak the laws of prudence to the houseless wanderer,
To listen to the hungry raven's cry in wintry season,
When the red blood is fill'd with wine and with the marrow of lambs:

It is an easy thing to laugh at wrathful elements;
To hear the dog howl at the wintry door, the ox in the slaughter-house moan;
To see a God on every wind and a blessing on every blast;
To hear sounds of Love in the thunderstorm that destroys our enemy's house;
To rejoice in the blight that covers his field, and the sickness that cuts off his children,
While our olive and vine sing and laugh round our door, and our children bring fruits and flowers.

Then the groan and the dolour are quite forgotten, and the slave grinding at the mill,

And the captive in chains, and the poor in the prison, and the soldier in the field
When the shatter'd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead:
It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity --
Thus would I sing and thus rejoice; but it is not so with me.

From the Wail of Enion, selection from the Four Zoas by William Blake

Pen Name: PhoenixTorte

Age: 24

Sexual Orientation: bisexual

Zodiac: Pisces

Chinese Zodiac: Dragon

Hobbies: Reading, drawing, writing, sewing, linguistics

Skills: sewing, drawing, cutting hair, writing stuff that doesn't look like a third grader wrote it

Employment: hairdresser, college student

Favorite Color: Purple, for the nonce

My Stories (News)

Stories are updated when I feel like it, which may not be often depending on mood and how school/work/life is going. Seeing as how I seem to go through these cycles of happy/creative/optimistic/take-on-the-world versus depressed/lackadaisical/pessimistic/don't-wanna-do-anything, I can't really help it too much.

Currently, I am on two WiPs.

How to Pay a Life Debt (Harry Potter) Ongoing

Harry owes Narcissa a life debt. But he didn't expect her to want him to pay it like this...

Garden of Tears (Skip Beat!) Hiatus

Kyouko has to work with both Ren and Sho for an upcoming movie. How will they get along in this twisted love triangle?! I'm sorry for not updating as much as I should, even though I've gotten so many great reviews, and almost ten thousand hits. I'll work harder! Expect about three or four more chapters before the conclusion. For right now, it is on hiatus until further notice. Things keep happening to push it back...sigh.

Best Fanfictions I have Read

Just a quick list, organized by pairings. See my community if you want to see other stories that I really liked.

No Main Pairings/Non-Slash

Stranger in an Unholy Land, sequel Stranger in the Promised Land by serpent-sorcerer

PART I: Days before his 6th year, Harry Potter is sucked into another universe by forces not of this world. Dazed and confused, Harry finds himself in a world where his parents are alive, where Voldemort has never fallen and he is Voldemort's key enforcer.

PART II: Harry Potter thought that he had found a way home but something went wrong. Now he finds himself trapped in another dimension, in which someone else was cursed with the famous scar, and Tom Riddle never became the Dark Lord.

Draco/Harry

He's a WHAT? by Ana-chan86

He could have been anything. A Goblin. An Orc. A Mountain Troll. Hell, he could have been the King of Dwarves, for all Harry cared. But NO, of all the magical creatures, Draco Malfoy had to be a VAMPIRE.

Hymn to Color by Lomonaaeren

Ignores DH. HPDM slash. Months after Draco cast a curse that took Harry's eyesight, Harry is still coming to terms with it. Draco just wanted forgiveness, which was probably the problem. Oneshot.

Inevitable as Tragedy by Lomonaaeren

Physical separation is possible for Harry and Draco. Mental separation is not.

Life From the Start , sequel Baby I Love You by LunaParvulus

A botched up de-aging potion and Harry suffers from the results. Now, Draco is hands full of one adorable Harry. What if Draco came to like Harry in his baby-state? Can both pretend nothing happened when Harry is back to normal?

Mona Lisa by Poseida Lunar

When Draco walked into the Great Hall one morning with a very unMalfoyish smile, Harry wondered what was going on. So the Potter decided to pay a little visit to the Slytherin... Smuts, Lemon, little fluff, attempts at being humorous.

Um, Whoops? by ManhattenWitch

The typical Harry Turns Into A Cat- hopefully with a twist. Pre-slash.

Who Shagged Harry Potter, Thwarted Plans, Draco's Not So Good Day by Maxfaith.

Pretty much anything that this guy does is great, and most of his oneshots are Harry/Draco. Check him out. Very graphic, but often super funny.

Harry/Severus

Catching the Snitch by The Jester Erebus

Harry really can't stand Professor Snape. So why does he feel this strange, forbidden attraction to him? This story takes place during Harry's 6th year, with Snape substituting for Slughorn. SLASH AND MATURE CONTENT! You have been warned!

The Perfect Death by Emily Waters

Severus Snape had been hoping to die a perfect Death. But then, Harry Potter has a better idea. Humor .

Harry/Voldemort/Tom

Abandon, sequel Reclaim by Batsutousai

Abandoned on the streets of London, 16 year old Harry Potter must find a way to survive. What's the Boy Who Lived to do?

My Little Kitten by BlueEyes White Dragon Sorcerer

A Potions Accident, how original! Pfft. Harry has a furry problem and is catnapped. Oneshot with deleted scenes.

Salir by Batsutousai

Thrown back in time by Lord Voldemort, Harry must adapt. Who should he befriend, and fall for, but the man who sent him back in time himself.

Soterios by Kamerreon

Harry has been curious about the true nature of the Dark Lord for months. He finally decides to sneak into a Death Eater meeting. Harry uncovers hidden secrets and wonders if the truth will let him love his greatest enemy.

Draco/Hermione

A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy by Countess of Abe

Draco loves his son more than anything in the world. So, when his ex-wife plans to take his son away, Draco asks the most unlikely person for help. Hermione must decide whether changing her entire life is worth helping the man she hates unconditionally.

Awesome Authors

Amanuensis

The stories are great, but watch out! Many of them are very mature or dark, sometimes at the same times. Lots of kink, though this author also does sweeter ones. Read her warnings. Recommended...Rituals and Traditions,(HP/DM) In Between, (HP/RL/SB), Learning from Orpheus, (HP/RL/SB/JP) In Spite, (SS/RL) The (Happy) Half-Blood Prince, (HP/SS) This Time, (HP/SB). These slash are actually pretty tame...for Amanuensis.