August 28 update: As I surmised, Candace Against the Universe and Lovetopia turned out to be very different, despite having a similar basic premise involving alien abduction. My plan to roll out more chapters once Lovetopia is completely written is still in place. See below (at the end of the "My Story Ideas" section) for the most up-to-date info on my writing progress.

This is the place where I talk all about me. What else were you expecting? Copy and paste junk? Yuck! But before I get to that, I might as well put up something useful, to make your time spent here worthwhile. I have a special treat. My good friend bilaterus has allowed me to exhibit an incisive commentary on what it takes to write a successful story. Below that, I'm working on a guide for becoming a better reviewer. The rest of my profile space explores all the boring things I chose to say about me in simple Q and A format. May you find whatever it is you came to my profile looking for.

Before you leave, be sure to give the appropriate response to my poll. It's impossibly important! Ssh, the show's starting!

The following is used with permission from an exchange of PM's with bilaterus. We were discussing the matter of story success - what it means, and how to tell if you've achieved it. I was asserting that one way to define story success is by laying out goals for a story that you hope for it to achieve; eg. number of reviews, favorites, follows, views, etc., then stretching to reach them. The following was his response. Items italicized in brackets [ ] are my insertions for when clarification is needed, since the quote already uses parenthesis in some parts.

"WARNING: giant essay follows.

"I've given the matter of story success some thought, actually. We must first talk about popularity, since it is an easy relatively objective property of a story (relatively objective in that we can tell whether something is popular or not almost unambiguously). In an ideal world, popularity is directly proportional to the quality of the fic. We know that's not the case, of course. Still, there seems to be some quantity we can call 'success' which is some idea of how well constructed and well-received a story is, and this is what people are aiming for when popularity is something that's likely to be out of reach (it merits a mention that while a popular fic is almost always considered successful, some successful fics are not popular).

"The problem with the number of views, favourites, etc, is as you've observed: longer fics are going to rack them up simply by virtue of being on the front page of the feed for more time, garnering more exposure. Further, the author of a particular fic has an effect on those statistics. Popular or well established authors have followers and a recognised name, so more will see or read the story (and, conversely, a person with poor reputation will have their stories avoided). Even within the PnF fandom, people and stories belong to (often more than one of such) sub-fandoms like phinbella or original flavour, which we can define in such a way that people in those sub-fandoms will only really read stories of that sub-fandom. A less trivial trend is that the number of people in the fandom as a whole has dropped drastically: one only needs to sort short fics by number of favourites to see one-shots from early on in the fandom with well over 100 favourites.

"In conclusion, a periodical, phinbella-y story by a popular author is going to gain a record number of views, favourites, or reviews, and an original flavour one-shot by an unknown author (sound familiar?) will be lucky to be reviewed at all, even if these two fics are of roughly equal quality.

"Of course, the problem with these statistics is that they measure popularity, and while popularity correlates positively with quality, we're experienced enough to tell we're in an area where that correlation is very loose. Well, I say that assuming we do have some relatively objective measure of quality and that we're not, say, unjustly biased against fic premises we don't like, both non-trivial assumptions, but let's stick with it for now. The important thing is that these measures are not sufficient for measuring the success of a story (which we're taking to mean 'of good quality' and 'well-received').

"So here's the new idea: we look not at the numbers, but at ratios. For example, if we look at the rate of reviews or favourites per chapter, then we can remove (some of) the bias towards longer fics. This simple idea helps with longer fics that seem to have a large number of reviews, and is easy to check at a glance. We could look at the average review length - in principle, if a story is very good, people will leave a longer review - which is an attractive idea because the review number then becomes irrelevant. These are the main two measures I use. Based on these, Phineas and the Beanstalk and DEPS [Doof's (Evil) Phinbella Story, co-written by bilaterus and Blythehasfreckles] are successes, as well as things like TATA [Time and Time Again, written by Secret Agent G] and Enough [written by Lilly-Belle], and one-shots like Rhyme Time [written by Loony Loomy]. Possibly one could look at ratios involving views and reviews/favourites, but since the number of views of others' fics is not public it's not quite as easy to compare them.

"Of course, those two I use are not perfect and have their drawbacks. Notably, the rate of reviews/favourites per chapter does not account for author bias and naturally fluctuates over time as to what the expected number of reviews per chapter should be. Average review length can be inflated by, say, guests posting story suggestions or other irrelevant things, which happens especially on one-shot series fics where people take suggestions. But taken as rough indicators rather than absolutes they can be useful."

Tips for becoming a better reviewer

Why try to leave better reviews? Sometimes writing them can seem arduous, but it's in your favor to do so. Why? The theory of reciprocation. Doing something nice for others incites them to do something nice back. It's just a theory, but there may be some truth to it. I find that a simple way to interest people in your own work is by taking an interest in theirs. If you are interested in receiving more reviews yourself, try giving a few more. It's not that it's karma, or anything like that; leaving reviews lets people know who you are, what you like, and that you're there. Nontrivial variables if you're interested in getting a higher number of reviews, I'd say. Plus, chances are the people who write the kinds of stories you like are the people who would like the kinds of stories you like to write. And who knows but that you might just wind up making a new friend while you're at it? And just as flaming will result in people disliking you, saying nice things can make them happy. So happy, perhaps, that they may just leave you a review saying nice things one day.

Becoming a better reviewer, as you can see, is not merely an act of virtue. It is a strategy to attract more reviews for yourself. But the single greatest purpose of reviews is, first and foremost, to help the author become a better writer. Try to keep that in mind. I'm not saying I'm the world's greatest reviewer, either. We're all learning, we all have things we can improve on. I hope that what I say here can help you generate your own ideas to become a better reviewer. Here are some tips I've learned, and there are certainly more out there to discover.

1. Describe something the author did well, then point out something they could improve on. It doesn't sound like flaming when you show them the positives as well as the negatives. Most of us are good at pointing out either the one or the other. Try doing a bit of both.

2. Be specific. If a story was good, what was good about it? If not, why? Try to pinpoint exactly where and when you felt that way about it. Tell the author why. For example, "this character's line when she said... was poignant because it captured some emotion effectively" or "that character seemed a little OOC when he did this (describe a moment in the story), because we know from the canon he usually does this (describe the moment you are referring to) in a given situation" or whatever. One way to tell if you are being specific is when you use the word "because". We have all left generic reviews that go something like, "good job" or "I liked it", and we leave it at that. Those are nice, but they aren't really helpful because they aren't specific. You can't really even call them "reviews", they're more like "comments" - like the kind you'd leave for youtube videos or facebook posts.

3. The difference between a comment and an actual review is story analysis. This can be anything from evaluating how reading the story affected you emotionally, to breaking the story down and interpreting it's meaning, to judging its creativity or entertainment value as a story. Look up the definition of "review" in a dictionary sometime and you'll see what I mean. Perhaps you might want to take it a step further and read professional literary reviews. There are plenty of them out there for books, movies, music, and all kinds of things; there are probably even some that deal with fandoms you are familiar with. You can learn from how experts handle the process of reviewing to incorporate into your own reviews.

4. Having trouble thinking of how to be more specific? Try looking for parts that grabbed you. Think of a story as a musician, and the reader (you) as a guitar. When did you feel like a string being plucked? It could be in a happy or sad way, a good or bad way, but if you can locate the paragraph or even the sentence where you felt that, that is where you should focus on reviewing. That is where you will be able to find something to get specific about most easily. If a story was unable to affect you in such a way at all, then try to figure out why.

5. The following is a quote from Platyman, a reader who knows quite a bit about leaving good reviews:

"I'm quite cautious about leaving reviews. Fanfic is written mostly for the writer's pleasure, and no one has to read it. I only tend to review writers if I like enjoy [their] work and I believe that they have similar tastes in fanfiction to me, and thus want to write the same sort of thing that I want to read. Someone who is writing a fanfic that is a wholly out of character mess that only mirrors their own obsessions is not going to change tack or magically get better just because I told them so. They will just become irritated and defensive. Fanfic is self-indulgent by nature, so you can't really criticize it. It was not necessarily created to try an entertain you. Just be thankful for the good stuff and try to make it better if you can." (In review to chapter 6, Doof's (Evil) Phinbella Story, co-written by bilaterus and Blythehasfreckles)

Wise words to take to heart when considering the purpose of reviewing.

6. It's easy to give good reviews to good stories. It's harder to write them for bad ones. What I mean is, poorly written stories - stories that might have, for example, poor grammar, spelling mistakes, simple or uninteresting plots, etc. - are tough to give praise to. That is no excuse to put someone down for their writing. It may be that the author is a little kid who is still learning and maturing, which is why his or her spelling is sloppy. Or maybe they are not fluent in the language they are trying to tell an engaging story in. You never know. It isn't fair to them that there are mistakes and errors when they might be trying their hardest, not while they are still learning. This is where reviews can become teaching moments rather than descend to an invective of internet insults. Sometimes, though, you might feel like it's not your place to leave constructive criticism. Like the saying goes, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." So let's all cut back on the flames, okay? But on the other hand, be honest, too. It doesn't help the writer improve if you tell them something is good without meaning it.

Once I have more time, be ready for more tips for becoming a better reviewer!

What led me to Fanfiction.net?

I first became interested in fanfiction when I was getting tired of waiting for new episodes of Phineas and Ferb to air. I figured that reading fanfics would be the perfect way to deal with the waiting, since rewatching old episodes on Netflix for the thousandth time wasn't enough to appease my obsession. I guess I assumed that fan-made episodes would be popular and common, and be up to the standards of the show, but I was very wrong. Yeah, there is some of what I was looking for, but not much. So it became my goal to contribute stories that could be easily translated into real episodes, including the humor, creativity, and the entertainment value emphasized so much in the actual show. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the creative genius or the high-class sense of humor that Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh do, but I write my best and a few people have liked my stuff. If nothing else, I'm at least doing something to "seize the day" and writing stories has turned out to be pretty fun.

What kinds of stories do I enjoy reading?

To me, a good PandF fanfic is one that emphasizes creativity, humor, and getting out and doing something, like the show. Although it is a kid's show, it is still highly intelligent, so a fanfic's writing must be intelligent as well. All characters should be portrayed "in character" as much as possible. OC's I have a hard time with because I don't know much about them if they aren't from the show. Especially if they play a major role, it is really hard to pull off as the story usually becomes too different from the show and is not as easy to follow. I like it better when they play minor roles and are used only when necessary; for example, being used as a link to move the plot forward, or like when a random guy has a funny one-liner, mimicking the show's notorious use of irony. A good fanfic also should follow the same basic format as the show. You know what I'm talking about, I mean the cycles that are a basic part of every episode but are never the exact same twice. Examples include Candace's attempts to bust, a Doofenshmirtz plot, etc. If the story is about a break in the cycle, (such as Phineas and Ferb getting busted or discovering Agent P's secret identity) it should be done in a creative way. Basically, if it would make a good episode, I will probably like the fanfic.

Aside from "like a real episode" type fanfics, I occasionally enjoy action/adventure, mystery, suspense, and humor. I do not however particularly enjoy romance, neither do I officially endorse any shipping pairs. Mature and darker themes rarely entice me, because I love the show just the way it is: light-hearted, exuberant, and clean. I spend little time outside the PandF section.

What were the ideas behind the stories I have written?

Note: This section will contain spoilers if you haven't read my various stories and are planning to. I don't know how likely that is but you never know, so here's the warning just in case. Heed only if you really think spoilers to my nonprofessional stories are actually that big of a deal.

Phineas and the Beanstalk, published 4/23/2013

About halfway through season 2 of the show was when I first decided I wanted to write my own fan-made episode of Phineas and Ferb. I wrote it out, drew the pictures, and made a short little comic strip out of it. When I showed it to my brothers (who also like the show) they told me it was bad and then when the episode "Phineas and Ferb-Busters" aired, it basically took my idea and made it ten times funnier. So I naturally threw it away, I wish I hadn't now but it's whatever. I didn't attempt another original episode until early 2013, when I found this site and decided to try my hand once again.

For some reason, the story of Jack and the Beanstalk stuck in my head as a good base. I worked for weeks brainstorming ideas for a twist on this well known fable, then weeks more shaping the dialogue into the style of each individual character in the show. The process took around two months from start to finish, producing a 4,000 word, one chapter story that, if converted to cartoon format, would probably fit between a 10-15 minute time-slot. What was unique about this story is that I wrote it in script format to really try to provide the feeling that it was an actual episode (I didn't know at the time that script format was frowned upon on this site). It was a lot of work. I wouldn't have written another story had it not been for the awesome reviews I received, inviting me to make more.

The best part of this story was a stroke of inspiration when I thought to combine the well known chant "Fe, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!" with a hilarious quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "How'd you know 'e's a king?--Cause 'e hasn't got [edited] all over him!" The resulting fusion drove the formation of the rest of the story so that the following would be the climax:

"The noise starts crashing louder and louder as the earthquakes become more violent. Then a loud voice calls out,

(Loud voice): Fe, fi, fo, fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman!

The kids look up to see a giant Cyclops standing 50 feet above them, peering down with his one large eye.

Phineas yells up: How'd you know Ferb was from England?

The Cyclops stoops down to take a closer look at the kids.

Cyclops: Well, for one, 'e hasn't got slick all over him[!]"

Here, Phineas asks an altered question to make the answer pertinent, and I left it there for the reader to (hopefully) recognize the quote and draw on it's new humorous application. I also wanted to avoid the swear word used in Monty Python, so I replaced it with the cleaner word "slick" which sounds very similar. This dialogue became the foundation around which I built the rest of the story.

The Mouth of Sauron Parody, published in the Lord of the Rings section, 5/21/2013

While out driving late one night drive with my brothers, we were in a joking mood and began making fun of memorable quotes from our favorite movies and TV shows, including Phineas and Ferb. It is a common pastime of ours, I don't remember when we started the silly habit. Anyway, somehow we ended up quoting parts of the Mouth of Sauron scene from the extended version of Peter Jackson's Return of the King and just went nuts. Pretty much every line that we made fun of I later converted into story format to publish. If you read this story, you'll quickly deduce it must have been an interesting conversation. If I was laughing any harder, I would have needed to pull over to make sure we didn't crash.

Can Summer Last Forever? published 6/16/2013, completed 8/23/2013

I consider this story to be my best work on this site. The beginnings of this story actually come from a dream I had in back middle school. (No, I don't mean that I fell asleep in school and had this dream, I was simply middle school age.) I dreamed that terrorists blew up my school during summer vacation, and I had mixed feelings about the bombing because I was secretly glad the terrorists made summer last longer. There was also the part of saving my crush's life and getting her to like me afterwards, it was a cool dream.

So fast forward a few years, I was wondering one day if the show Phineas and Ferb was ever to end, what would the final episode be like? Would it be the last day of summer? What would Phineas and Ferb do with their last opportunity to make the best day ever? It hit me that they wouldn't want summer to end, so they would pay Buford to bomb the schools or something to make summer last longer. Yeah, bad idea, totally out of character; plus, I couldn't write a story about bombings, what if it motivated someone to actually bomb their school in real life? (Please don't.) But I knew I was on to something.

Suppose, on the other hand, that Doofenshmirtz was the one who somehow postponed the first day of school, that would be fine because he is an evil scientist. But I still wanted a nonviolent way to get rid of school. The simplest choice was sending the school to another dimension. The story grew from there. While Phineas and Ferb are building their biggest project ever, it would be crazy for them to suddenly learn that their school had been sent to another dimension and summer just got extended. Would they choose to have a longer summer, or would they realize the importance of learning and bring the schools back? How would other people react to learning their vacation just became longer? The biggest question underlying them all is, what's the deal with the show - is their summer ever going to actually end? They're past 170 projects by my count, even if some of them occurred on the same day! Not that I want the show to end, I love the show. That's why I was thinking about all this in the first place, because as much as I hate the thought, the inevitable truth is that all TV shows have an end (except something like the Simpsons or Pokemon, which somehow keep churning out more seasons). This story is simply a possible ending that I hope is a worthy one for such a great show.

The first big snag I ran into with a story like this was deciding on a project that was bigger and crazier than anything the boys had ever done. Out of lack of creativity on my part, I chose to have them build a whole amusement park that would virtually combine all their projects, from the rollercoaster on, into one Big Idea. Then to make it special or cool or something, I made it fly. Not that original, but it worked. Threw in some drama, threw in some action, threw in some mystery, and I had a story. It was the second longest story I have written. Tallying up to at least 42,000 words over 23 chapters, it's practically a short novel.

Another problem this story has is the fact that some characters are either OOC or I improvised their personality in spots I wasn't sure about. Also, there are a lot of characters who are technically OC's, several of which play a significant part in the story. This of course was breaking two of my rules about a good fanfic. However, I treated them as new to the show and the reader to try to minimize the confusion that sometimes comes with additional characters. They were all necessary for the plot to unfold as I wanted, but I hated writing about them, which I assumed would lead to most readers hating to read about them. So I kept their roles to the bare minimum, and if I did it again, I would probably take one out entirely.

In fact, at one point in the writing, I almost decided to go back and redo several chapters, because I wasn't liking the way my original ending was turning out after all. Now, with everything I write I am somewhat of a perfectionist and wait quite some time before posting something, in order to catch all the errors I can and also to change anything I later decide I don't like. This results in me usually keeping four to six chapters ahead in what I have written to what I have actually posted on this site. So I was so close to revising my ending with something entirely different that I almost discarded all the chapters I hadn't posted yet and restarted the ending from scratch. Luckily I thought of a way to alter what I had rather than dispose of everything. That's why, for those who have read this story, the quelling of the uprising on Phineas and Ferb's amusement park seemed so anticlimactic. I originally hadn't planned it to be that way (it was supposed to be an epic battle like the Robot Riot), but it was taking away from the real climax, the moment Phineas realizes his park has endangered the city. I also struggled to make the rebellion that occurs believable in the first place, but it didn't seem like too much of a stretch. Just unlikely. But what about Phineas and Ferb isn't unlikely or impossible?

I still have the alternate ending which shortens the story considerably and makes it more believable. However, the trade-off is that it takes away a bit from the story's epic scale; and because it isn't as interesting, that is ultimately why I went with the less realistic version. It may not be quite as believable, but it makes a much better story. Being the perfectionist that I am, in my opinion the first two or three chapters of Can Summer Last Forever? are flawless. But, as the story progressed, following up the strong beginning I became more and more rushed to meet my updating schedule and finish the story on time; and it kind of shows, especially towards the end. That's a lesson learned, to give myself all the time I need to produce the best work I can.

There are also some parts of this story I am quite proud of. I think some of my best comedic moments come from this story. The random conversations between Baljeet and Buford are great. I had a fair few chances to make fun of Candace, which is something I enjoy. I thought I was a genius to have Linda be out of town for the day and ruin Candace's last chance for a bust, then to have it later revealed that Candace could still pull her bust off, yet she fails as usual. Ever since My Sweet Ride I've been waiting for an episode with an action-packed car chase. Phineas' introductory speech during the unveiling of his and Ferb's project was important for me to get right, and I was inspired by the words of the Declaration of Independence to use as its base. Last, but not least, the Doofenshmirtz plot was probably the most creative aspect of the story. I borrowed a trick from renowned author Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code) where the first chapter involves a mysterious death, really setting the tone for mystery and suspense. But, alas, to keep the rating K-plus, (that way it has more of the feel of the show) I toned it down from what looked like a murder into merely a brainwashing. Doof might be evil, but can anyone actually see him killing someone? Other-dimension Doof, maybe; but not the one we know and love.

But all things considered, this will probably always be the story I'm most proud of.

Sleepovers, published 9/4/2013, completed 9/22/2013

I actually began writing this story before I wrote Can Summer Last Forever?, but put it on the back-burner when I chose to work on the epic instead. I believe the idea for this story hit me while watching "Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the Second Dimension," when Candace mentions sleepovers to her alternate self, and I thought that would be a great episode idea. In an episode of Jimmy Neutron, Jimmy creates the ultimate sleepover machine but it eventually turns evil by malfunction. I took that idea and changed it slightly, having Phineas and Ferb create a vending machine that turns evil. This is referencing the line from the song sung by Doofenshmirtz and his other dimensional self, when they say, "Do you collect coins?" "Yeah, just in case/Vending machines become the dominant race!" Borrowing heavily from the script in the Jimmy Neutron episode, I submitted this story as a PandF take on it. The ending was inspired by the recent PandF episode Thanks But No Thanks, but where Norm is seeking Doofenshmirtz's approval in the form of the words "thank you." When the episode Face Your Fears aired, I felt a sense of pride in being the first to make an episode where vending machines returned.

The Quote Phineas and Ferb Game, in progress

Remember what I said earlier, how my brothers and I play a game where we throw around memorable quotes from our favorite movies and TV shows? That was the basis behind this crazy fanfic. Usually there is some sort of logical connection between different quotes, but even if it seems completely random it still makes us laugh like crazy. This "story" is intended to be funny, not serious at all.

In Praise of Romance, published 10/11/2013, completed 12/17/2013

The first time I heard of fan fiction was right after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. When everything was said and done, there were quite a few unhappy fans because of one little detail: Harry and Hermione did not end up together. Thousands turned out their own versions to the ending of Rowling's series, effectively launching the dedicated ship "HMS Harmony" from port. I personally didn't care very much about the love lives of fictional characters at the time, so I was moderately perplexed by the amount of buzz people were making about this vaunted shipping pair. Thus my first encounter with fan fiction left me thinking that it was basically a last resort available to love-starved nerds seeking to experience romance vicariously through the eyes of fictional characters because they were incapable of finding it in real life.

Maybe that sounded a little mean. It probably was. I was young and immature at the time (and still am, I'm told) and my judgment was harsh. But it is a fact that fan fiction is very romance-heavy. As someone who is decidedly not a fan of romance, this story was a satirical way to make fun of all the fluffy, cheesy stories that abound on this site. Without really asking them, it asks the questions, why is romance so popular on fan fiction? What's so great about romance, anyway? Why all the drama? The tension? How do we feel when reading romance, and why do we like to feel that way? And why when writing do people sometimes completely change the natures of the characters to achieve the desired outcome? But at the same time, it was also supposed to be funny. I wasn't making a satire out of romance to mock it, I was searching to distinguish between what is good and what is excessive.

From the reviews my story received, I discerned that all the satire and questions that I hid in my story were missed by most of my readers. To them, from what I gathered, it was just a comedic take on the typical love story. And while it is, it is also more than that. Or, at least, it was intended to be. But I hid the satire and my personal musings too well, it seems, so most readers took it at face value. Which is fine, because it proves once again that people just like to be entertained by stories with happy endings and I can feel good that I made some stranger's day. I should have known that few people would attempt to pick apart the story and look for deeper, hidden or symbolic meanings. Only world famous writers can expect effort like that from their audiences; we at FFN are not professional so we don't treat each other's stories like they were done by a professional when we read them. I myself often skim or skip paragraphs when I am bored, can guess what is coming, am unimpressed by spelling and grammar errors, or run into a wall of fluffy kissing and feelings and whatnot that make me gag.

By the time I figured all this out, about halfway through writing the story, I realized that to get my true feelings across, I would have to spell it out and ruin the story. Instead, I decided to just keep it the way everyone wanted it to be: a comedic take on the typical love story. And that is what it now is. Romance isn't that bad. It doesn't fascinate me in the slightest, so about the time most stories on this site turn lovey-dovey is when I stop reading them; but they are appealing to most people on this site. Well, the purpose of FFN is to allow all of us to unleash our fantasies freely. For some people, that includes the HMS Harmony. That is what writing this story taught me. If you think that's really boring, then you're like me. And, like me, you're probably wondering, why did he even bother to write it then? Perhaps that will be the question I ask in the sequel. And to keep beating the dead horse, if you didn't read between the lines there, that was me being ironic. Because, like, why if I'm wondering whether it was worth it to write it in the first place would I be considering to write a sequel? If you noticed that discrepancy before I had to say it, then you were probably able to discern the satire in this story. If you were too lazy to bother or just plain were lost by my back-and-forth style of explaining, then here's the answer: because it's fan-fiction. Despite my ostensible resistance to romance, perhaps deep inside me there is one who yearns for it still. But I think not, I think I was just using the most popular genre as a way to gain glory and recognition on this site. Do you believe that?

PandF HISHE's, published 11/9/2013, updated 10/14/2014

Not a lot to say here, this fanfic pretty much speaks for itself. If you're familiar with the website "how it should have ended dot com" or their youtube videos you'll recognize I follow a similar format to HISHE. Their videos are typically parodies of famous movies in which there may be a simpler or more reasonable resolution to the storyline. I'm considering making such shorts for every special extended episode.

Kick It Up A Knotch!, in progress

This is all I really wanted to find on FFN, short stories that could pass for real episodes. Kick It Up A Knotch! is where I compile my original, "fan-made" episodes for all to see. While it's short now, I see this story growing one chapter at a time to becoming dozens of chapters long, more if I can keep the new ideas coming. Phineas and the Beanstalk would have been the first chapter if I had the vision back when I debuted on this site to keep all my stories together. Sleepovers would be another although I'd have to shorten it to fit in into an episode-length time slot. This is something that will never be complete. Unfortunately I am a meticulously slow writer, every little detail has to be perfect before I post so at best I might be only updating once a month. Still, what I hope I become best remembered for on this site is this and Can Summer Last Forever?

As far as actually answering my question of where do I get my ideas for this story? Well, this story is much more varied and open-ended than anything else I have written so my ideas come from all over the place, there wouldn't be enough room to write them all here, and even if I did go through all that work, most likely no one would care to read about it anyways. Suffice it to say that about half of the basic overview of the storylines are planned, the other half comes on the fly as I try to keep character consistency, and when it comes to many of the finer details, I come up with them virtually on the spot as I write.

Hopefully the humor in these is of similar caliber to the humor from the show. I write my best for all of them. My greatest strength in my opinion is the Doof plots, probably because they are based off my favorite aspect from the show. My toughest challenge is usually Candace's attempts to bust her brothers. I just have a hard time getting into the mind of a teenage girl since I'm a boy and she's really hard for me to write. I often end up adding her part in each story at the end of the writing process once the boys' and Doof Perry's plots are taken care of. That'll change in a coming chapter, though, which will be focused mainly on Candace's plot.

Under Absolute Despotism, published 7/2/2014; completed 12/12/2014

I have always wanted to write a story involving time travel. Under Absolute Despotism considers the possibility of using time travel to change the future, but with a twist. While going back in time to kill an influential or prominent person from the future has been a time travel staple since The Terminator, this raises that archetype to the highest stakes by having the target be a future President of the United States. My favorite thing about this piece so far was letting the reader follow the red herring that seemed to assert Phineas as the future president then pull the rug out from under them in revealing that it's actually Isabella. In fact, the idea that formed this whole story began when the thought crossed my mind that the only way that Phineas will ever find out about Isabella's crush is for someone to spell it out for him, and that role seemed perfectly primed for a person from the future to play. With a little creativity and brainstorming, the plot pieces fell into place, and all that was left was to wait until July 4 to release. Of course, I procrastinated writing, so I wasn't ready to publish more than the first two chapters for the holiday. Oh well.

There were essentially three main ideas that drove this story's formation. The first being a consideration of what might occur under the circumstances someone from the future told Phineas he and Isabella were to be married in the distant future, the second big idea I had going into this story comes from the PandF fanfiction staple of giving Perry the ability to speak. There are some times when I find that annoying, but I have also seen other times when it has been entertaining enough. I wanted to write a story where it was supposed to be a lot of fun to have everyone's favorite platypus talk. Well, I didn't quite accomplish that, exactly, since it is PJ who talks. However, PJ, as my first real OC, is based off Perry as a character, so it's close. In fact, PJ is Perry's son, although it is revealed in Chapter 6 that he's really more of a clone than a biological son. Still, they are very similar in a lot of ways. The biggest difference really between PJ and Perry is PJ's temper. He can get really angry at times; particularly when he is called an animal, or practically any subhuman derivation thereof. (Perry, on the other hand, is always cool, collected, and professional.) In fact, in his own time PJ is often treated quite poorly by humans, and the story points to some mild hints where this mistreatment is similar to that of ethnic minorities - for example, blacks in the US. PJ also has a bit of a big mouth. He can get a little carried away when taunting someone, and he also is prone to letting slip or outright telling people secrets that they probably shouldn't know, as he did when telling Phineas and Isabella they would be married or nearly blurting out his relationship to Perry. But PJ does have a great capacity to care for people just like Perry does; it is just harder for him since he has spent most of his life as a loner.

Finally, the third idea was the result of a particular desire I've had for some time to use an antagonist that has never been seen before. Doof is almost always the villain; or if not him than his 2nd Dimension counterpart. How fresh would it be to utilize someone different? My first instinct was Rodney. He isn't seen too often. But upon probing deeper, inspiration struck and I settled on little Suzy. In the canon we know her as a precocious toddler with a sweet, innocent facade around her family and a darker side lurking just under the surface. In my mind, it is not a big stretch for her to end up evil when she grows up. I'm actually a little surprised she isn't seen in fanfiction more. She has quite a bit of character potential. Well, it made for an interesting twist. And I can brag that I was the first (that I know of) to use her as the main antagonist.

One thing about Despotism that sets it apart from my other stories is the radical new storytelling model I decided to test out when I wrote it. My thought process there begins with an observation on fanfiction. Customarily, stories are updated one chapter at a time as they are written by the author. This is different from the way professional writers publish where the whole book comes out at once, and the reader has the entire thing right there in his or her hands from the get-go. What I see in fanfiction is really more like a TV series, which has episodes that are aired over periods of time. Think of TV shows that have a continuous narrative that you watch. Their episodes are sort of like their own individual stories themselves, with each story being a small piece of the overarching greater story taking place throughout the show. I thought it would be fun to approach Despotism the same way. Every chapter, every update, is its own short-story, with its own beginning, middle, climax, and ending. Together they tell the fuller story of everything that is happening, as well. This leads to having considerably longer chapters, but I believe it is worth it when you consider how artistic and richly entertaining the story becomes. And the results show that this experiment has worked pretty well. Despotism is the most successful story I have written thus far, all things considered. Even with chapters whose lengths could be intimidating. But length doesn't matter as much when the reader becomes fully engaged in the story, and Despotism ought to be able to pull you in enough for that to take effect.

Can Summer Last Forever? The Alternate Ending, published 6/2/2015

I need not say much here because, for an alternate ending, this piece didn't have all that much new material. If you're still reading this, then you remember I mentioned I had an alternate ending back when I was discussing the original story. Well, when the series finale to Phineas and Ferb was announced, I was motivated to finally get around to making the alternate ending like I'd always wanted.

In my view, the biggest weaknesses with the original ending to Can Summer Last Forever? are, 1) the uprising on the boys' ship was quelled anticlimactically, 2) the OC's are not interesting, 3) Phineas' moment of convenient forgetfulness when he accidentally breaks the steering controls is not only OOC but just plain dumb, considering how smart he is, and was a cheap shot at raising the stakes of the plot, and 4) the last chapter, where all the side-plots are tied together and resolved, was erratically paced. Since it had been about two years since writing the original, my writing skills had increased to the point that I wanted to take another shot at it.

Thus, the Alternate Ending was my attempt at fixing those problems. The rebellion and the battle for the Make Summer Last Forever get much more treatment and a sense of scope, so that as it is quelled, it is neither anticlimactic nor does it take away from the real climax. As for the OC's, I still don't like the idea of resorting to them. I suppose, in all fiction, fan-made and professional, every character is technically an original character. From Zues and the Greek Gods in ancient storytelling to modern novels and movies, every work of fiction has to include OC's, they just don't get called that outside FFN. Still, as I've said before, OC's in fanfiction do take away from the feeling of the source material, so that it feels distinct from the canon, and adds the writer's own unique stamp to the work, for good or ill. Since I prefer to read stories that are as closely related to the show as possible, OC's will always be hard for me to swallow, even if they're my own. I just did the best I could with the ones in this alternate ending to let them fill a possible niche in the PandF universe and play the necessary parts I wanted in my story. If I could have done without OC's, I would have; but there are just so many problems that come up if, for example, Doofenshmirtz was behind the riots and rebellion. It conflicts with his own evil scheme, plus it doesn't even makes sense if Heinz was trying to make the ship kids-only, he's an adult! Someone else had to do it, so an OC was needed.

The main OC, Tommy, at least served one other purpose towards the end, when he fixed the problem of the original ending where Phineas broke the steering, by instead being the one who breaks it. The fourth weakness the alternate ending mended was just a matter of revising the final chapter and adding more detail to even it out. So, while it goes a long way in fixing the problems of the original, the alternate ending ended up having some issues of its own. It ended up being even longer than the original, which was already very long and had received its share of complaints because of it. The OC's, as I already mentioned, go against my personal philosophy when it comes to fanfiction and were therefore an unpalatable, albeit necessary evil. All other imperfections in it are attributable to my weakness in writing, but I did the best I could.

While it's not perfect, I am still proud of my story. Can Summer Last Forever? and Under Absolute Despotism were challenging stories to write and brought me a lot of satisfaction in accomplishing them. I'm still sad my favorite show has come to an end, but with my alternate ending, I hope I gave it a sufficient send-off. Now I just have to decide if it's worth keeping the endings separate or if I should fully replace the old one after giving it some time.

Monika Enters Terrestrial Actuality, published 3/15/2018, completed 3/19/2018

The workload at school necessitated that I take a break from fanfiction for a while, but after I played Doki Doki Literature Club, inspiration struck, and I just had to write this story. I had read a few DDLC fanfics, enough to realize the sorts of things I would want to read in a DDLC fic, then sat down and wrote exactly what I had on my mind. There are a lot of stories centered on Monika x OC's, the thing is, in almost all of them she's the ideal girlfriend. The perfect fantasy for all those, to quote myself, "love-starved nerds (weebs?) seeking to experience romance vicariously through the eyes of fictional characters because they [a]re incapable of finding it in real life." I use the term "fictional" loosely here, because I suspect not a few of these Monika-centric fics are self-inserts. But what do I know? Anyways, META is my answer to why you probably shouldn't want her to be your waifu if you're in the "Monika best girl" camp. Even if I'm a member of that camp myself, and even if I did add a little bit of shameless self-insert fantasizing of my own in there.

I wanted to write horror because it's one of the few genres I'd never tried, and I modeled my writing philosophy in it after Yuri's line in DDLC about how horror stories make one see things from a new point of view. I thought to myself, Monika x OC's are so common, how could I maybe scare the DDLC community enough to think twice every time they read/write one? This was the result.

It felt a little weird to be writing for a different fandom than PandF, but it wasn't like I hadn't done that before with LotR. No, the more drastic change was in writing my first M-rated story. I feel a little guilty writing something so dark, it goes against my religious upbringing. However, to give the terrifying storyline in DDLC a run for its money, some of the things in META had to be the way they were. Graphic depictions of murder, rape, and a demonic summoning are the sorts of extremes you have to use in fiction to have a chance of scaring somebody. Still, I'd argue that these things do have a place in art and the media; bad things happen, and we need to be able to talk about them to protect ourselves and maybe prevent bad things from happening in the future. A DDLC fic suits this purpose far better than the kinds of PandF stories I prefer, and I am glad I got to express myself in a new and different way. I guess I'm not as against writing darker stuff as I used to be. Just don't expect any storylines this dark to show up in my PandF stories!

A Gulf of Civil Horror, published 7/2/2018; completed 2/17/2020

It took me three years to make up my mind, but I finally did it! The sequel to Under Absolute Despotism needed to sit and simmer inside me for a while before I decided to tackle it. Why was I on the fence for so long? Because it takes place so far in the future, it feels like it takes place in a different world. A world Phineas and Ferb grew up in, changed, and were changed by. They aren't safely making the most of every summer day, assisted by a little Mysterious Force magic every now and again to help them keep out of trouble, anymore. They are adults, and must deal accordingly with more mature issues. You will probably know by now I prefer not changing the style of the show so drastically in my stories, hence, the fence-sitting. But the longer the sequel fomented in my head, the more compelled I felt to finish PJ's story. And so I did.

Now then, where do I begin? A Gulf of Civil Horror's inception had already taken shape clear back when I was still writing Under Absolute Despotism. At that time, I already knew a few things about where I wanted to take the sequel. First, the Conspirium. Inspiration for the Conspirium comes from a collection of fictional works I have read, as well as some nonfictional ones, I would say. Stories with a penchant for massive conspiracies are commonplace, so I don't think I need to elaborate on how the Conspirium are my own version of the "Illuminati" or what have you. What I'd rather focus on is how my other OC, The King, a.k.a. Kyle Konig, came into being.

It started with Despotism's themes revolving around the Fourth of July and the Declaration of Independence, which was itself written largely as a public declaration of King George's abuses of power towards the colonies. It did not take much imagination for me to create a character with the purpose of recreating the straw man of an evil king to demonstrate the righteousness of democracy and freedom to combat him, quite in the spirit of '76. Thus, The King's early concept was that of a villain who wanted to overthrow democracy in America and become king, in a sense establishing the same conflict that was had during the American Revolution but in reverse. I should take a moment to say that I love my country and I believe the US Constitution is one of the greatest documents ever written, so this is a topic that is personally significant and meaningful beyond the ability to convey in words. Since I felt inadequate in expressing my feelings of gratitude for the freedoms I have in words, I attempted to do so in story form.

Returning to The King, you'll remember that he first appeared in the epilogue of Despotism. In the context of how I wanted that character to fill this gap of being antithetical to everything America and the Declaration of Independence stood for, he also served the purpose of fulling the leadership role of the Conspirium and giving the reader a sense of how this treasonous group extended beyond just Suzy. Even back then, I had these plans for Suzy, who had already proven to be a diabolical threat herself, to still be subservient to this person who was even more ambitious and cold-blooded than she was. Not only that, it was for those reasons that she admired him and craved his approval. They understood that their mutually beneficial relationship, their combination of strengths, would be their means toward accomplishing their goals. Such an intimate relationship, I thought, needed to be, well, intimate, for it to work, with neither party plotting to one day double-cross the other. And so I decided while I was still writing Despotism that their relationship needed to involve romance at some level. At first, I was more inclined to put them as lovers, but when I got serious about writing Gulf, I decided I was too uncomfortable with implying any amorous activity in a Phineas and Ferb fanfiction. Thus, it evolved into Suzy holding an unrequited love for him, and that fact became her ultimate source of loyalty to The King and the Conspirium.

That was as much development as I had for The King at the time I finished Despotism. As there was a lot of time for me to think and imagine and synthesize between finishing it and starting on the sequel, I had developed his motivation significantly when I began researching the Newburgh Conspiracy with the intent to link his drive to be king with that historical uprising, which had a chance of actually resulting in the fledgling nation setting up a king instead of a democracy, had things gone slightly differently. I spent approximately a year and a half researching off-and-on before beginning writing the prologue. Researching the Newburgh Conspiracy drove ideas for how The King fit in, and I eventually settled on the historical figures I did when I saw that, with a bit of delusion, a character in The King's point of view could feel denied by such a history and legacy. It made for a fun conspiracy to write, but when the story is all said and done, I have to admit that the historical characters of John Armstrong and Horatio Gates were still patriots at the end of the day. For all their misgivings and disagreements with George Washington, that doesn't make them bad people, or traitors. In reality, they were still fighting for the same freedom and independence. To be clear, there is no historical evidence of any secret society trying to set up General Gates as king.

Another main idea that drove this story as a result of it being, first and foremost, about time travel, was the link that welds the present to and with the future. If Despotism focused on ways the present and the past co-define one another, Gulf does the same in regards to how the present connects to the future. Perhaps, one might say, how the present determines the future. At its core, Gulf's main theme and conflict orbits around the idea of whether or not our actions are the result of the choices we make of our own free will. In multiple instances, PJ contends with the interloping of past, present, and future. As the story progresses, it is proposed that the future is already as known and set in stone as the past. This disrupts the delicate nature of cause and effect that we are all used to and throws into question whether our individual choices really have any power to produce change at all. In essence, is there free will? Or are we resigned to a predestined future? After all, if there is no free will, there is no freedom. If there is no freedom, the entire basis for democracy's legitimacy is overturned. Yet if the contrary is true, if our choices actually do affect our environment, if we truly are agents of free will able to act according to the "dictates of our own conscious," then democracy is legitimized and freedom becomes every bit the fundamental human right the Declaration proclaims it to be. Gulf's existence then is almost a sort of philosophical treatise that continues very logically on the themes presented in its predecessor.

For such a truth to be realized, PJ needed to go through quite the refiner's fire. After all, a conspiracy to overthrow the US is a great leap in maturity of subject matter from the show. Thus, in centralizing the story on PJ and having it take place so far in the future, I purposefully distanced the story from what Phineas and Ferb, and indeed most of my PandF fanfics, feel like. The content is more serious and deals with aspects of humanity that simply aren't found in kid's shows these days. Writing META before Gulf mentally prepared me for the change in tone the story would be making. Then I could put PJ into more brutal situations that required making harder choices. And I did my darnedest to keep him struggling. I think my favorite part in the story is the point when he gets double-crossed by his "new friends" in the future and has the time machine he's been searching so desperately for blow up in his face. That was a plot point I had planned out well in advance as I really liked the concept of good people fighting good people for what they thought was the best future based on their personal circumstances. It calls into question just what human nature seems to find so necessary about one's own "original" timeline. Frequently in time travel stories, the distinction between good and bad timelines is clear, as is the one between the good and bad guys trying to bring about their preferential timeline. I really liked twisting that around so that the intentions for both parties were good, even if which timeline is "preferential" seems clear to us. I also feel like the lesson PJ learned from that scene was one of his big turning points as his arc progressed. I'll leave it to the reader to interpret for themselves how that particular moment drove his arc.

I suppose the last topic I feel compelled to mention here is where I found inspiration in this story from one other source in pop culture. That source would be the Marvel movie Thor: Ragnarok. Actually, this movie was what made me make up my mind about writing Gulf. I had been amassing much of the structure for at least the first half of the story in my mind in the months leading up to the date Ragnarok was released, and as I sat in my seat at the end of the movie, waiting for the usual post-credits scene every Marvel movie has, it hit me that structurally, Ragnarok followed almost the same pattern as what I envisioned for Gulf, beat for beat. Act One started with an action scene in which the hero beat up some bad guys, took out a threat, and went home to see a lot of changes had happened, leading up to the need to go stop an evil villainess bent on world domination, of sorts. In Act Two, the hero gets stranded in a faraway place and has to overcome many arduous and taxing fights and revelations in order to make it back home in time to save everyone he cares about. And of course, the final epic battle between good and evil in Act Three, etc. etc., and the similarities break down as you go from there. But Ragnarok was such a great flick, I knew Gulf would do well, and I finally had the motivation I needed to seriously turn my attention towards bringing it to life.

These points barely begin to scratch the surface of everything I could talk about in a story as vast as this one turned out to be, but I am content to end here. A Gulf of Civil Horror was easily the most difficult story I have attempted to date, taking almost two years to write. I spent about six months on the prologue alone, as writing historical fiction presented a unique challenge that I had never tried before. My only regret is that the Phineas and Ferb fandom has shrunk to such a small size now that I didn't get to share such a big story with but a few people. In the end, though, as a wise man once said, "Fanfiction is self-indulgent," and the important thing is that I am happy I wrote it. The only thing that makes me happier is hearing when the people who read it had as much of a blast as I did writing it.

The Snap - Phineas and Ferb Edition, published 7/21/2018

Did you know I'm also a huge Marvel fan? Particularly of the MCU, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You've probably heard of it. Hopefully it goes without saying that this short little one-shot has no bearing on my fics, my headcanon, or really anything else in general. Now, I considered flipping a coin for each and every character and writing about their fates. Then I was too lazy to do even that, and just made something up. Yeah, this may or may not have been a diversionary tactic while I was procrastinating when I was supposed to be writing Gulf. Even so, I don't know what got into me. The deaths had no rhyme or reason; if anything, my propensity leaned towards killing all my favorite characters from the show. Posting it was one of the top five most impetuous things I have done in conducting myself on this site. Maybe that's why I had to do it. I am a meticulous writer, a cautious editor, and a discreet publisher. Writing something in five or ten minutes, and then posting it without exhaustive editing, is something I have never done, until this. And if I wanted to say I've tried everything to improve as a writer, now I am one step closer. Still, I probably won't be posting anything quite so impulsive again.

In Praise of Romance II: Lovetopia - published 8/27/2020

Current progress: Writing Chapter 9 of (approx.) 12. Word count sum: ~59k.

(This section of my profile will be updated soon)

My future story ideas:

(At least the ones I am not keeping top secret)

1. Phineas and Candace are actually in a "Truman Show" reality (for those who don't know, it's a movie from the '90s with Jim Carrey). They don't know it, but the whole world is watching their lives unfold on television through secret hidden cameras, and everyone they know (family, friends, platypuses, even Ferb) are all actors duping them into thinking that it is real life. This story's purpose is to explain how on earth building all that stuff when you're 10/11 is possible - and the simple answer is because Phineas and Ferb have everything handed to them so that the show can retain it's popularity in the "real" world. That's how they never seem to need funding for their projects. Still in the brainstorming process on this one, I need some good ideas for Doofenshmirtz's part in all this...

2. A cool action story showcasing Candace's potential. She obviously has the potential to be great like her brothers, she kicks butt in the second dimension. There's more to her than even she knows, she just needs the right push to unlock it.

3. An obligatory ATSD sequel - I have a pretty good idea that I don't think has been done before, so the details are still top secret. If the show is actually going to have an ATSD sequel in the future, hopefully I can get this out first before it becomes obsolete.

4. Avatar: The Last Airbender/Pokemon crossover. As the final showdown to determine the next Fire Lord approaches, Azula and Zuko begin searching for the legendary dragon Pokemon to give them the upper hand. Lightning and fire, truth and ideals, black and white, yin and yang, good and evil. Let the final battle begin! Mostly ATLA universe but with the addition of Zekrom and Reshiram.

5. Don't know if I want to do this one but here's the idea: Because of Isabella's Jewish heritage, her parents won't allow her to marry Phineas unless he converts. Out of respect to Judaism I'm probably never going to actually publish this because I wouldn't want to accidentally misrepresent a religion I don't know much about (plus I hate writing romance/drama). Pretty sure that people would eat up a story like this if it was done right, though. Or at least they would, if Ferbella wasn't the big thing now. Hey, wait! There's an easy solution! Write the story, then change Phineas' name to Ferb's in every instance that it appears! Viola, Ferbella!

(this section of my profile will be updated soon)

In no particular order or organization, here is some stuff I am a fan of:

Pokemon

--Zapdos and Typhlosion are my favorites. Typhlosion will always have a spot in my heart as Cyndaquil was my first starter in the days of Gold/Silver. Why is Zapdos my all-time favorite? Couldn't tell you. He just is (yeah he's a he, not an it)

--In fact, I've been an avid fan of competitive battling since Gen III. I was actually decent in Gen IV, but then I took a two-year spiritual hiatus from all things technological, and jumping back in mid-Gen V was tough. I've never been as good since, but it's still fun

Yu-Gi-Oh!

--Seto Kaiba and Blue Eyes White Dragon are too cool and so perfectly capture my real life personality

Dragon Ball Z

--Cell, Piccolo, and of course Goku; I'm an action guy, and nothing bar nothing has better flat out action than DBZ

Phineas and Ferb

--Dr. Doofenshmirtz (only reason I first began watching the show until I learned what exceptional entertainment it was)

--Best one-liner: "When it comes to havoc, nobody wreaks like me!" (Flop Stars)

--All-time favorite episode moment: "If a squirrel breaks wind [in your backyard] we'll have it on film. Fifi, none of these cameras seem to be working." "Actually, I think camera number eight is working fine." [A squirrel is shown, and breaks wind before the camera.] (Leave the Busting to Us)

Doki Doki Literature Club

--Monatsayuri best girl. Seriously, I can't pick one. Do you think they've outlawed polygamy in the DDLC universe? Now I know how Brock feels...

--Also, the OST has become one of my new favorite things to listen to while studying/writing

Rick and Morty

Harry Potter

The Lord of the Rings

--Aragorn, he's like the Master Chief of Middle Earth

Avatar: The Last Airbender

--Sokka, comedy; Cumbustion Man, my all-time favorite villain; sweet action and epic storytelling; Azula too, she's cute, but so freakin' evil!

Legend of Korra

The Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

--Although it's a little disturbing to think about the meaning, you have to admit it's a masterpiece judging only by its oral format alone

Chronicles of Narnia

The Bible

--Nothing I can say can convey my reverence for the word of God

The Book of Mormon

--Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Bible consists of two parts: the Old Testament, or the testimony of Christ written by ancient prophets; and the New Testament, the testimony of Christ given by the Apostles. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, the testimony of those living in North America 2,000 years ago who also knew of Christ's ministry and teachings. Visit to learn more

Sherlock Holmes

--I try to apply Holmes' method of deduction whenever feasible, achieving moderate degrees of success

2001: A Space Odyssey

--Always inspires me to be an astronaut, I dream of the potential for mankind to gain dominion of the cosmos

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Star Wars

War of the Worlds

Jurassic Park

--Dinosaurs are cool no matter which way you slice it. One of the rare cases where the movie is (debateably) better than the book

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

--Ambigrams became my new favorite art form after reading that

The Declaration of Independence and US Constitution

--No greater beauty of words and ideals have been so seamlessly intertwined with the blessings of Providence for the benefit of man

The Dictionary

Soccer (football outside America)

--I fear the United States will never win the World Cup, but nevertheless definitely the greatest sport in the world

I would probably be a fan of plenty of other things too, I just don't have time to get into everything that's out there.

In summer 2019, I (finally?) discovered the joy of anime, thanks to a couple of pushes by pressures exerted in multiple directions. Here are my favorites so far:

Konosuba

--Your first is always the best, right? Technically I'd watched other anime before - Pokemon, DBZ, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Punch Man, etc. - but Konosuba was the anime that truly baptized me into the ways of the weeb. I'm scared to admit that I might actually like Konosuba slightly more than PandF now. Boo, no, I'm a traitor!

Isekai Quartet

--Back when I was a young padawan weeb, I thought this was the continuation of Konosuba, my new favorite show I had just discovered. Instead, it lead me to discover three other fantastic shows!

Re:Zero

--What a binge watch that was! Wildest rollercoaster of a ride I've experienced since my first Dan Brown book, Angels and Demons! I'm really tempted to read the LN's (light novels) because the anime has left me wondering some really provocative questions about the Witch of Envy's purposes and motives for cursing Subaru with Return By Death.

Overlord

--One of the smartest stories I've ever seen, especially when it comes to world-building. Like, holy cow, I think JRR Tolkien's record was just broken.

Saga of Tanya the Evil

--My least favorite of the Isekai Quartet starlets but still it was a very entertaining anime. I found the animation itself mesmerizing, the similarities to real military battles from WW1/2 were especially fun for a history buff, and Tanya's story seems to me like an allegory of Lucifer's Fall from Heaven, so it's not exactly a dumb action show either.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War

--A good friend told me this was the "best romcom anime of all time," and if something is the all-time best, even in a genre I'm normally tepid about, I feel inclined to check it out. And I have to say, he's got a point.

Steins;Gate and Steins;Gate 0

--Another very smart story to go with Love is War and Overlord. Very tempted to get the VN's (visual novels) on Steam at some point.

Dr. Stone

--The anime for every scientist out there!

Hensuki: Would You Fall In Love With a Pervert, as Long as She's a Cutie?

--Almost as funny as Konosuba, at times.

Oresuki: Are You the Only One Who Loves Me?

--As funny as Konosuba, at times.

Rising of the Shield Hero

--I actually really liked it. The usual criticisms it receives are valid, and many of the action scenes are really badly produced, but I have been a sucker for morally righteous heroes with shields who go the extra mile to solve problems at their sources instead of only treating the symptoms ever since MCU Captain America. Plus, I had a raccoon stuffed animal when I was little, and raccoons were therefore always one of my favorite animals, so a cute 2D raccoon girl redhead is, like, all of my kryptonites combined into one ultimate being of kawaiiness!

The Hero is Overpowered But Overly Cautious

--Also almost as funny as Konosuba, at times.

Kemono Michi: Rise Up!

--Written by the same author as Konosuba, so you know this one was destined to be funny!

Seton Academy

--I'm seeing a pattern here; anything that's almost as funny as Konosuba, I'll watch!

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

--A masterpiece in character-driven storytelling that is rightfully compared to Avatar: The Last Airbender as one of the greatest animated shows ever.

My Hero Academia

--I actually wasn't digging this show much at first, but I stuck with it, and every season ended up being exponentially better than the previous one.

Attack on Titan

--Another crazy rollercoaster ride of mysteries and action sequences. Luckily I had already learned the hard way from Re:Zero, Overlord, and Steins;Gate how to emotionally handle these anime rollercoasters and to not get too attached to characters, because they're probably all going to die at some point. (Er, spoiler alert? Maybe?) It feels like another pretty smart anime so far, if you ignore the problems with the law of conservation of energy and mass that the titans run into.

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

--Another pretty funny yet simultaneously adorable show!