Formerly Elyra 'Darkwynde' Halliwell

Alright, nobody really reads these things but I'm going to write a short one anyway. I'm a University student and at the moment I'm majoring in Psychology while minoring in anthropology. I'm applying to law school. I'm busy. Since I'm taking a full course load and trying to do extra-curriculars and volunteering as well as writing my own original stuff this means a lot of my stores are very infrequently updated. Some of them are on semi-permanent hiatus. As someone who truly hates to read unfinished stories (though I do so anyways) I understand that this is very frustrating. I'm sorry. I will try to finish at least a couple of them. I appreciate any comments you may have on my writing and I do try to respond to all reviews. If you want to send me a message, or even just say 'hi', I'll usually reply.

Hmmm... What else? I love happy endings but I don't always write (or read) them. I don't like every thread being tied up and finished in a neat little bow: life's messy. Perfection's a myth and flaws keep life interesting. I tend to enjoy complex characters and relationships. I'm not saying I don't like 'chick flicks' or the occasional romance but I don't particularly like 'sugar and spice and everything nice' cotton candy characters (girls or guys) or storylines. I also don't like when people overdose on angst or can never get there act together (like the writers did with Veronica and Logan on Veronica Mars). The story and the world can be as crazy as anything, but I like complex and believable characters and relationships - that's what makes a story interesting for me and keeps me coming back for more. I think cliches are frequently cliches for a reason but I like reading non-cliches or twists on cliches - that's what keeps em interesting.

Some of my favorite authors (currently) are: Anne Bishop (beautiful writing), C. E. Murphy, Charles De Lint, Diana Marcellas, O. R. Melling, Dorothy Parker (poems), W B Yeats, Kelley Armstrong (love, love, love), Ilona Andrews (love her characters! How they grow, change and continue is written fantastically well and actually contains both realism and continuity. Also one of the only authors I've ever read that has continued a series past a key turning point/climax (which actually delivered!) and kept it believable and interesting. She also hasn't introduced obviously false and pointless drama in an effort to keep something going which should have been resolved. Definitely a promising author combo).

Favorite Pairings:

Harry Potter: lily/james, or Sirius/Lily - i have a weak spot for padfoot. Harry/most characters, though I seriously dislike the Harry/Ginny pairing and the write has to be amazing for me to read it. I'm especially fond of Harry/Draco and well done Harry/Hermione; for BTVS croosovers: it's Harry/Faith, or Harry/Willow; for X-Men crossovers, then it's Harry/Rogue, for Supernatural crossovers Harry/Dean or Harry/Castiel; if it's really well done Harry/whoever I'll give it a go.

Dark Angel: Max/Alec, Max/Zack, Max/Zane and sometimes OCindy/transgenic and with Supernatural crossovers Max/Dean.

Tamora Pierce : Alanna/George, Daine/Numair, Kel/Dom, Kel/Neal, Kel/Joren but I'm really not a fan of Kel/Cleo. I liked Aly, but it was just complete where it was in the series. Anything added is just superflouous. She is my fave character however. I find as I'm older and re-reading the series that I love the protector of the small books the most and the songs of the lioness series the least. It used to be the opposite. It's funny how things change.

Gilmore Girls: Rory/Tristan, (if included in a fic, then Luke/Lorelai or Chris/Lorelai, those two pairings just have so much chemistry...), PDLD (Rory/Finn), Literati (Rory/Jess), and recently I've discovered a weakness for the Rogan (Rory/Logan) pairing even though I honestly despised his character, his introduction, his attitude and his relationship with Rory on the show, Lorelai/Alex (although I never see this done, which depresses me to no end), very occasionally Rory/Dave.

Pirates in the Caribbean: Jack/Elizabeth and occasionally Norrington/Elizabeth.

Stargate SG-1: Sam/Jack, Sam/Daniel, Sam/Mitchell (recently became a huge fan of this one. Go read Recovering the Satellites by Synecdochic. Look it up on google. Read it now. It is bloody awesome!), Sam/Ba'al, some Sam/Vala. Sam/John (Sheppard), Sam/Ronon, Sam/Evan. If it's well written Sam fiction that's not a big puddle of angst I'll read it. Exept for Sam/Pete or Sam/Fifth or Sam/Replicator (any replicator). I have limits.

Stargate SGA (this is very recent as in I will only really read one of the following pairings. period.): Ronon/Jen (Keller) (Awesome awesome pairing. i wish there were more fics out there with this pairing. Nika Dixon (on ffnet) is a fantastic writer for these two. She kept me really entertained), Sam/John, Sam/Ronon, Sam/Lorne, Jen/Evan, Jen/John.

X-Men: Romy (Rogue/Remy), Rogan (Rogue/Logan but only in the movie universe), Rogue/Jean, Rogue/Scott (Scott'scharacter just has sooo much unrealized potential), Rogue/Cody, Rogue/Kitty, Ryro (Rogue/John once again only in the movie universe...), Rogue/Angel, Rogue/Alex, Rogue/Piotr, Rogue/Ororo (rarely), Rogue/Erik (rarely), Rogue/Joseph (rarely), Rogue/Avalanche (rarely), Rogue with a very well done OC...basically a very big fan of Rogue. Rogue relationships, friendships, Rogue as a teacher... the whole deal. (for crossovers: Rogue/Faith (BTVS), Rogue/Willow (BTVS), Rogue/Harry (HP), Rogue/Sirius (HP)) The only Rogue pairing I seem to really have a problem with is Bobby (though I've recently relented a touch). I'll even read her with Kitty, but something about her and Bobby strikes me as off. I also like Kitty/Piotr (especially in the movieverse).

Sailor Moon: Serena/Darien, Serena/Seiya (though I AM a bigger fan of Darien...), Serena/Haruka(Amara), Serena/Andrew (romantic or friendship). Serena/Lita friendship stories, Serena/Rei friendship stories. Some Amy/Zoicite series have been highly entertaining as well.

Inuyasha: Sesshomaru/Kagome, Inuyasha/Kagome, Miroku/Kagome, (rarely) Kouga/Kagome (Is anyone else seeing a pattern here?)

Ouran Highschool Host Club: Kyouya/Haruhi, Hikaru/Haruhi, Kaoru/Haruhi, Hikaru/Haruhi/Kaoru

StarTrek 2009: Kirk/Spock, Kirk/McCoy. Kirk/Pike friendship/mentoring relationship.

StarTrek Voyager: Janeway/Paris, Janeway/Seven

StarTrek DS9: Jadzia/Bashir

Life With Derek (and I have no idea how this came about because I don't even watch the bloody show and my knowledge of the characters come salmost completely from fanfics...): Casey/Derek

House MD: House/Cameron, Wilson/Cameron, Chase/Cameron

Supernatural: I like crossovers or wee-chester fics. I also like some AU's. Crossover pairings I particularly enjoy include Harry/Dean (w/ HP), Faith/Dean (BTVS), Dean/Rogue (X-men - there is sooo much potential there), Dean/Sam (West Wing, and again with the potential), Dean/Chris (Charmed)... Crossover fiction with this world is just plain interesting, and Dean is a fun character to read.

West Wing: Sam/Ainsley, Sam/Josh, Sam/Will, and the occasional really well written Sam/Donna. I'm not gonna say I've never read a good one but Sam/Toby kind of freaks me out. There's a really good Sam/Daniel (Stargate sg-1) fic out there somewhere. Sam centric/focused stories are what really interest me in this world - he was really the character with the most integrity and the character I feel was stifled the most in terms of growth. It's nice to see some of the potential realized in fanfiction.

Charmed: I love Chris (my fave character) but dislike pairings on the show with him so I tend to enjoy reading him in crossover pairings (like Harry/Chris (HP) or Dean/Chris (supernatural)). For actual pairings I read with no crossover I tend to read Phoebe/Cole or Phoebe/Coop, though I'm not adverse to the occasional really well written and interesting Leo/Piper pairing. I'll also read Wyatt/Harry (HP) for crossover.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BTVS): Spike/Buffy (Spuffy), Faith/Lindsay (from Angel), Faith/Buffy, Willow/Oz (I loved Willow/Tara on the show but I just don't find any fanfics devoted to it particularly interesting).

Veronica Mars: Veronica/Logan (LoVe) (my latest obsession), occasionally Mac/Dick or Veronica/Dick (very rare) or Veronica/Lilly. I also really don't like Duncan.

Some sites people should check out: Elfwood, Deviant Art, Nuns with pens, Shadowscapes, Fictionalley, Randomleaves (SG-1 fanfiction among other shows/books)...

Quotes:

Congratulations! You have purchased an extremely fine device that would give you thousands of years of trouble-free service, except that you undoubtably will destroy it via some typical bonehead consumer maneuver. Which is why we ask you to PLEASE FOR GOD'S SAKE READ THIS OWNER'S MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU UNPACK THE DEVICE. YOU ALREADY UNPACKED IT, DIDN'T YOU? YOU UNPACKED IT AND PLUGGED IT IN AND TURNED IT ON AND FIDDLED WITH THE KNOBS, AND NOW YOUR CHILD, THE SAME CHILD WHO ONCE SHOVED A POLISH SAUSAGE INTO YOUR VIDEOCASSETTE RECORDER AND SET IT ON "FAST FORWARD", THIS CHILD ALSO IS FIDDLING WITH THE KNOBS, RIGHT? AND YOU'RE JUST NOW STARTING TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, RIGHT? WE MIGHT AS WELL JUST BREAK THESE DEVICES RIGHT AT THE FACTORY BEFORE WE SHIP THEM OUT, YOU KNOW THAT?
-- Dave Barry, "Read This First!"

"But even wizards have their own fanatics, those who study the Dark Magicks wanted to use their knowledge to bring themselves into Power, or alter the normal course of Nature or Time. Others used it for petty things, like maintaining your youth. To do that, you have to kill seventeen virgin girls and drink their blood." The wizard snorted derisively. "No matter if we are the bearers of Magick, we could not consider ourselves superior to the normal humankind. For God did not give us the gifts so that we could escape, from love, life, sorrow, pain and death. Our fundamentals are still those of a human, suffering from the same diseases and illnesses, suffering from the same emotions." His eyes twinkled gently in amusement. "And we are the kind of people who find it easier to become imbalance mentally."- fanfiction: Purpose, by: Firesword

The world seems to think there is a very clear line between good and evil. Here's a bit of news for you: the world is wrong.- some fanfiction, can't remember

After the war,
you thought you'd be a hero,
after all that you survived.
If hell was meant for heroes,
then surely you've arrived.
(Gary Moore, After the War)

The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian. - Dennis Wholey

Murphy's Law:

Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Everything takes longer than you expect.
And if anything can go wrong,
It will, at the worst possible moment.

That's Not My Job
By Author Unknown

This is a story told about four people named, Somebody, Everybody, Anybody and Nobody.

There was one important job to be done.

Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about it because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it. Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

You who are rich and whose troubles are few
May come around to see my point of view
What price the crown of a king on his throne
When you're chained in the dark all alone?

--Alan Parsons Project, The Cask of Amontillado

When the earth was young,
I witnessed the final battle of gods and titans.
Since both sides of this war were alas immortal,
No abiding casualties were possible.
Finally, however, the gods did triumph
With the aid of arcane powers
Only the earth did suffer
As mountains crumbed,
And the world held on pillars fell,
Torn apart by rings of fire,
Lit by the radiance of falling stars.

~ Apollodorus

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
- Mary Engle Frye

"Shini van nussa mes anima
Vermile et angui saviouri du.
Demoni et genst monoc occul ave
Et oncha tes etorai conpertu"

Translation:

"I pledge to you my dying soul,
Blood and tears are your salvation.
All evils now must turn away
And face their cruel damnation"
"Songs of the Shaman" -Gronston Magragoc

That's it. Now that I have sufficiently bored you all to death, either please read my stories (and review if you please), or read the news to check on progress updates.

News:

31/01/2012: Alright... I suck. If it makes anybody here feel any better I have the next chapter of Unconquerable Soul plotted out and finally have an idea of were I'm going with this fic. I also do intend to finish Dying Roses, Broken Dreams but can't remember what I originally intended. I also have an Stargate (sg-1)/Supernatural fic in my head that is hopefully a one-shot that I am valiantly resisting the urge to write down. The same can be said for an HP/Black Jewels chaptered fic which, while very well put together, would be unlikely to ever be finished. Admire my restraint. I'm writing original stuff which isn;t being posted and I'm applying to law school so that's just taking up time. Also, when I'm tired I'm more likely to read fanfic than write it. That said as soon as I get my applications in (by Wednesday, the deadline) I will try to write the next chapter and post it immediately. Sorry again for the long hiatus. Please be patient and review - it reminds/encourages me. Thanks to the people who have reviewed and added my stories to favorite/watch lists since I haven't updated - it encourages me and reminds me to update/write. I appreciate it. If I haven't replied to a review (and I know there's a couple that are the case) I also apologize as I'm generally very good about that - it probably got lost in the chaos but I really did appreciate it.

02/01/2010: I sincerely appologise for the lack of updates. I'm now in University and much much busier than I used to be. I'm taking a full course load and trying to keep up with extra-curriculars. I'm also working on original projects so it doesn't leave much time to write fanfic. I'm sorry but updates will be sporadic at best. The ones I'm focusing on finishing/working on have WIP written next to them in my profile 'News' section right below but I've forgotten where I'm going with most of these stories, which will make them take even longer. Worst of all I can't guarantee any will get finished. Do I intend to? Yes, I intend to finish at least one of them but intentions can mean very little. The best advice I have is to put me on an alert list. Real life has to come first. Thank you for your understanding, and I'll try to do what I can.

Challenge: To write a Lily and James fanfiction based along the lines of the movie: The Notebook. Yes, this would mean it's AU. If anyone wants to try this please let me know. I'd love to read it!

Fanfictions of the Month: Some Truths Hurt by jenwin23

Story of the Month: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

My Stories:

Dying Roses, Broken Dreams:WIP. Working on chapter 14. This is the one I'm working hardest to complete mainly because it's so close to being done and all of you readers have been so encouraging and so very patient. Summary: It's about if Max had realized she had feelings for Alec first and what would (might) have happened. It was written ebcause I got tired of Max being the bad guy all the time.

Where There is Darkness: WIP. Working on first chapter. For the past few years Harry has been destroying horcruxes...but times have changed. Voldemort has a new ally. Now Harry, Willow and the slayers will have to join forces or all will perish... BTVS crossover.

Webs of Glass: WIP. Prologue and first chapter currently up. Second chapter will be worked on and completed when I have time.

Unconquerable Soul: WIP. JAG/SG-1 crossover. Working on the second chap. Sam, the Admiral's niece, is on down time visiting her uncle. That's all shot to hell when she is targeted, her friends and the crew at JAG are going to have to pull together or she might not make it through this latest ordeal alive. Temporarily on hiatus.

Justice Vs. Right: SG-1/JAG crossover. Working on the third chap. Jack and Sam are drawn up on charges of fraternisation. There's evidence, lots of it...but they actually didn't do anything! On hiatus but will probably be discontinued.

Darkness and Light, The Lost Years:Being redone. (A dark angel/harry potter crossover set in the era of Lily and the Marauders, and later on in T.C.) Discontinued.

Winds of Time, Winds of Change: Being redone. (A DA/HP crossover the sequel to Darkness and Light, The Lost Years and set in Harry's era about 17-18 years after Freak Nation.) Discontinued.

From the Ashes, We Rise Again: Being redone. (an HP/elemental masters crossover idea set in Harry's time). Discontinued.

And We All Fall Down...: An idea I'm working on. Supernatural/Charms crossover- very odd. Discontinued.