Update 04/02/13: With the movie out, I had so many hits and favorites and even reviews over the past few days, that had me going back to my notes and half written chapters and got me motivated to write again. Thanks for your enthusiasm - hopefully I'll have a new chapter ready soon!

Hi there! I'm Alkyon. I've been an avid reader of practically anything that falls into my hands ever since I remember myself but only got interested in creative writing rather recently. Actually, I discovered fan fiction about two years ago, after reading the Host, which was quite a surprise for me since I usually don't like this type of books. But in this case I somehow couldn't stop thinking about it, and eventually got here and started reading one story after the other. I was impressed with how well written some of these stories were (as well as with how bad some others were, but let's not elaborate on that). Soon I thought to try to write something on my own, even though I had never written stuff like that before. I had some scenes in my mind that I wanted to put in words. I know it's not much and I'm definitely not meant to be a writer, but, to my surprise, I do enjoy the process and have fun learning about writing. I'm not sure if this will become a long term hobby of mine, but it seems that I'll be around for a while...

If you are here because of a review of mine, I'd like to say that I always try to give an honest and thought-out review. I think it is much more useful to actually point out things that I (personally) thought didn't work out so well rather than just saying "it's great." Of course, I also point out things that I particularly liked in the story. I basically try to review in the way I'd like to be reviewed. If something didn't work out so well, I try to locate the problem and give suggestions. Not that I know much about writing myself, but I try to help if possible. In any case, keep in mind that it is well meant and, after all, it's only an opinion!

I should say that being out of character is probably the greatest pet peeve of mine concerning fan fiction. We are all here reading & writing stories about characters we like. What's the point of making them completely different? I understand some OOC-ness in the case of a prequel or some AU stories in which some events that affected the characters haven't happened. I understand it in the case of a parody or a "what if" scenario. But other than that, I find that most OOC stories are simply examples of poor writing. I know it's impossible to be 100% in-character, but I think that one should at least make an effort to do the characters justice, don't you agree?

About myself - I don't have much to say. I'm female, like the majority in this fandom (if not in FF), but unlike most users I'm in my early 30s. I'm not a native English speaker and writing in English is quite hard for me, but at the same time it's challenging (and at least I'm learning something in the process!) Like I said earlier, I'm not a big fan of OOC stories, so I always try to keep my stories in character. I also prefer giving myself enough time to make the best of the story I work on, rather than publishing a rushed version. Because of this, plus the fact that my free time is practically nonexistent, I cannot make any promises about when I'll be updating. I'd like to thank though everyone who has reviewed/added to Favorites/Alerts any of my stories - I really appreciate it and has given me a lot of encouragement.

At the same time, I would like to stress that constructive criticism is more than welcome. I am not experienced in this type of writing and I unavoidably face the same problems every beginner does. So don't be afraid to give me feedback. I do appreciate it.

Here's a few things about my stories:

Taking a day off: This is a short Wanda/Ian fluffy story, practically something I wanted to read after finishing the book: some small scenes of their life together. I was initially planning to have a couple chapters more, but I finally decided to keep it as an one-shot. I'm sorry if anybody was waiting for an update, but I think some of the scenes that I had in mind to add will make it somehow in my next stories, so keep an eye for them! :)

Unexpected News: This is a story (one of the many) about Wanda getting pregnant. I know it's probably the biggest cliche in this fandom, but to be honest I haven't found a story that deals with this storyline in the way I would expect Wanda to act. She's a very emotional character who over thinks everything and tends to be melodramatic. This is why I decided to write this story and give my perspective on this scenario, trying to stay true to her character.

Update (July 2012): Wow, it's been 2 years since my last update! What can I say besides I'm very, very sorry? I never forgot the story and I will finish it eventually - that I can say for sure. I hope it will be soon, but if you check my profile every now and then you probably already know you shouldn't trust me about what "soon" means! In my defense, I've had several big changes in my life over the past year that kept me more than busy! (hint: check my avatar!) I'll get back to writing eventually. Please bear with me a little longer.

Have Heart, My Dear: My latest story, again about Ian & Wanda, that is supposed to take place sometime in between the other two stories. I really like exploring how their relationship evolves. In this story, a song triggers a rather emotional discussion about what they have been through. The version posted here is edited, without any lyrics and adult material. If you are interested in the original, you may find it here.

The inspiring song is "Run" by Snow Patrol. You can find a really beautiful Ian/Wanda video with this song as background music here. Also, a few people have asked me about the interview I mention in my A/N. You'll find it here.

Finally, this story is also available in Portuguese (I'm honored!), translated by Garota Anonima. You may read it here.

Concerning my next projects, I do have some ideas, but due to lack of spare time I'm not sure when I'll manage to work on them. Like I said above, I really like exploring the relationship of Ian and Wanda as a relationship between a human and an alien and this will always be a recurrent theme. I think it's interesting to study the effect of their different nature on their relationship - in a way, to study what truly means to be human. This is also what I enjoyed most in the book, although it wasn't developed as much as I wanted it to.

Update (July 2012): I currently work on a multi-chaptered story that will be a sort of a sequel to the Host. Actually it picks up where "Unexpected News" is supposed to finish. I plan to publish it after it's finished (and after Unexpected News is done), but here's a tentative title and summary - if nothing else to keep me motivated!

Heart and Soul. Adventure is not over for the last group of Humans on planet Earth. Wanda gave them a powerful weapon by teaching them how to extract the Souls from their bodies. How will they use it? Will they manage to get their world back? A Host sequel, full of challenges and, of course, love!

Rated: probably T - Adventure - Chapters: 30 or more - Wanderer/ Wanda & Ian O.

Okay, it seems that I had quite a few things to say. Thanks for visiting my profile. Feedback/opinions/comments are always welcome.