Ahhh, time to get the profile written fresh!

So, I've been on now for seven years. In that time, two stories have been completed, both of them one chapter. Six more sit on the burner, trying to be written and then re-written.

Unfortunately, being a writer has never been the top priority in life - there have always been obligations such as work and school that have required my time and attention. Recently, though, I sat back down and realized just how much I like writing - when I can force myself to sit in front of the computer and write. (Having ADD sucks)

So, some who read this know me already, some do not. Let's set the record straight once more:

I am Vortex, psuedonym for a 25-year old living in Indiana. I work full-time as a manager for an IT company. The details are irrelevant. (Trust me, you'd be bored to tears)

What is relevant is that I have a great deal of interest in five things: Meteorology, anime, reading, writing, and computers. When I am not at work, I'm usually doing one of those five.

My anime collection is extensive, though I have slowed down on collecting series recently since there is not a lot of high-quality stuff hitting the mainstream at present (or so it seems to me). I am a fan of countless anime (don't ask me to list them all), and have close to 100 titles along with 20 manga series.

The Top 10 of anime (in no particular order) is:

1) Bleach
2) Naruto
3) Hellsing
4) Trigun
5) Ghost in the Shell
6) Witch Hunter Robin
7) Ah! My Goddess
8) Tenchi Muyo
9) Love Hina
10) Trinity Blood/Cowboy Bebop (tie)

So, why do I write? I write because I love to read. It helps that I have a very large library of books in my house. Favorite genres are sci-fi and fantasy, but I do enjoy non-fiction history as well and some good biographies. It's hard to nail down specific favorite authors - Mercedes Lackey is a good fantasy writer, David Weber is a great sci-fi writer, and Tom Clancy is a good fiction writer in general. There are more, but I don't want to bother with another list.

As a writer, I find that my style leans less in the direction of Lackey and more towards Weber/Clancy. I like to write events as they are and give insight into the characters' thoughts as well. This may make my writing a bit bland and dry and for that I apologize. I am also a Post-Series writer primarily; most of my ideas come after a series is over and seek to continue what was a great story whose ending remains to be told. Unfortunately, as we have seen from sequels such as Gundam SEED (Destiny), sometimes continuing a story requires new characters to drive that along. To that end, I have to occasionally introduce original characters into the story to continue it along. I am well aware of the discussion in fandoms over the use of OCs, particularly from a Mary Sue/Gary Stu angle, and I try to avoid the Mary Sue/Gary Stu aspect if it can be helped. All my OCs have their strengths and weaknesses - none is perfect.

As an author, I am always seeking ways to improve my writing and better myself. Thus, I welcome any and all commentary and request it for stories of mine that you read. Your feedback enables me to see through the eyes of you, the reader, and find and fix any flaws that I or my betas miss. Also, since my muse tends to frequent Florida a lot, it gives me a chance to put more comprehensive updates together and reconsider where my stories are going in the downtime.

For those of you seeking to contact me by instant messenger, here are my preferred means of communication:

AIM: ProjectVORTEX or gitsaramaki
MSN: projectvortex@

I am also a writer at with the pen name Vortex. Readers of legal age are welcome to view stories there.

Currently Being Written:

"Falling..."
Witch Hunter Robin post-series involving the familiar faces of STN-J and some new faces as well.
STATUS: Complete story overhaul. Chapter 1 complete. Chapter 2 in progress.
ESTIMATED POST DATE OF NEXT CHAPTER: October 28, 2009

"Lost Roads"
Avatar fic that takes place during Season 3 and carries past current episodes involving Katara being programmed by Princess Azula and the Dai Li, but for unknown reasons.
STATUS: Complete story overhaul. Chapter 1 complete. Chapter 2 in progress.
ESTIMATED POST DATE OF NEXT CHAPTER: October 24, 2009

"Digital MechWarriors: The Mercenary Chronicles"
Digimon/Mechwarrior fic which is a side story of Darklight02's "Digital Mechwarriors" series
STATUS: Complete story overhaul. Chapter 1 in progress.
ESTIMATED POST DATE OF NEXT CHAPTER: October 21, 2009

"Hidden Denial"
Post-Series Avatar fic involving a familiar foe and new challenges.
STATUS: Chapter 1 complete. Chapter 2 in progress.
ESTIMATED POST DATE OF NEXT CHAPTER: TBA

On the Drawing Board:

Angelic Layer PS fic - involving AI enhancements to the angels, among other things
Love Hina/Tenchi Muyo/Ah! My Goddess crossover - How many nice guys can you stuff into a universe before it explodes?
"Where Evil Lurks" - Chapter 7 currently in planning and development - Post-OVA/Movie Ah! My Goddess fic involving a marriage… and some demons trying to stop it.

Finished Works:

"Trouble at Hinata" -- Love Hina drabble
"Signs" -- Naruto drabble

Scrapyard:

"Sacred Time, Sacred Space" - Digimon future-fic combining seasons 1-3 of Digimon along with interesting future technology and timeline interactions

Good reading!