Alias': The Justice, Mercanuis, and Brogramn

Age: 23
Social Status: Single White Nerd 8P
Astral Sign: Leo (so I'm passionate and creative)
Status: A nobody with some success online.

Hobbies/Passions:

Video Games:
Final Fantasy Series, Lunar Series, Soul Calibur, Guilty Gear X and XX, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, etc., etc. Practically the only genres I haven't spent any time on are Strategy and Sports. I recently entered a city fighting tournament, and I took 3rd, so my skills are L33T! They should be, as I've been playing since I was three years old. I take a lot of my inspiration from the RPG's I play.

I played WoW, but it quickly became a mog rush to see who can get the best gear first. Don't get me wrong, it was plenty of fun, but I soon found myself in just a dungeon crawler instead of an RPG. I wanted to be swept away by WoW, and what I found was a world desecrated by a bunch of FPS players. Most of them have the sexual maturity of a 4th grader and the vocabulary of an educated donkey. I wanted to find another place. And wouldn't ya know it? The place I was looking for was back in FFXI.

So, I'm back on there, and as of now, I'm better than ever. If you care to play with me, this is my bio.

Mercanuis (Hume Male)
Jobs: Monk 15, Thief 35, Warrior 35, Dark Knight 56, Samurai 75
Server: Kujata
Linkshell(s): BravedDawn (An RPLS. Putting the "Role-playing" back in "Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game")
Allegiance: The Republic of Bastok (I just find their turmoil the most interesting and developed)

Anime/Cartoons:
I collect both Anime and Manga, I practically have to beat myself into submission so I don't spend all my money on collecting.

Current Favorites: (In no particular order...)
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (If you're a serious otaku, this is a must see, no exaggeration...)
Shakugan no Shana
Naruto
MAR (Marchen Awakens Romance)
Eureka 7
Karin
Buso Renkin (Newest from the creator of Rurouni Kenshin)
Fate/Stay Night (Think Final Fantasy Tactics meets Street Fighter. I love it)

One that doesn't fit the others but is worthy of attention is called Neotopia. This is a beautiful story, and reminds me of the legendary pictures of Hiyazaki-sensei.

I still look at cartoons as viable entertainment, even for adults. Anime is more adult-oriented, but still has something for the kids. When I'm looking for ideas about how to handle an intimate or dramatic moment, I look to my anime. Luckily, I have about 10k worth of material to look at, so I'm never far from inspiration.

Couples: Having little experience with the opposite sex, I'm surprised I turned out so obsessed with romance. Love is something we all at one point or another are looking for. Even people who don't care about characters hooking up will look at two characters and think, if for only a moment 'Now those two I could see together.'

Mimi/Joe Kido (Digimon)
Misty/Ash Ketchem (Pokemon)
Joey Wheeler/Mai Valentine (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Keitaro Urashimia/Naru Narusegawa (Love Hina) (Of course that's a given)
Lafiel Gabrielis/Jinto Suyn Rauk Hyde (Crest of the Stars)
Lina Inverse/Goury Gabriev (The Slayers) (Another given, fans of the series know that already)
Shinji Kendo/Asuka Soryu Langley (Neon Genesis Evangaelion)
Ranma Saotome/Ukyo Kuonji (Ranma 1/2)
Keiichi Morisato/Belldandy (Oh My Goddess!)
Inu-Yasha/Kagome Hiragushi (Inu-Yasha)
Nadia/Jean Roucle Raltique (Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water) (Given again)
Philios Hans Troyden/Nayladalia the XXVIII (Neotopia)
Jenny Wakeman/Brad (My Life as a Teenage Robot)
Robin/Starfire (Teen Titans)
Naruto Uzumaki/Sakura Haruno (Naruto)
Kiba Inuzuka/Hinata Hyuga (Naruto)

Songs that tell you who I am:

"Change the World" by V6
"How About You" by Staind
"Jaded (These Years)" by Mest

I listen to a lot of New Found Glory, Bowling for Soup, Staind, Goo Goo Dolls, and Dave Matthews Band.

Some of My Playlist that I Use When I Write:

"Everybody Hurts, What's the Frequency Kennith?" by R.E.M.
"Closure, The Red" by Chevelle
"Letting the Cables Sleep, Glycerine" by Bush
"Crush, The Space Between," by Dave Matthews Band
"Broadway, Here is Gone, Black Balloon"by Goo Goo Dolls
"Falls On Me, Too Far Away" by Fuel
"My Friends Over You, Failures Not Flattering, All Downhill From Here" by New Found Glory
"Zoe Jane, Price to Play, So Far Away, Everything Changes" by Staind
"Sing For the Moment, Never Enough, You Don't Know" by Eminem
"Patiently Waiting, Many Men" by 50 Cent
"Somewhere Only We Know" by Keene
"Summer of 69" by Brian Adams
"Walking in Memphis" John Cohn
"One More Time" by Daft Punk
"Blue Water" from Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
"Cruel Angel's Thesis" from Neon Genesis Evangaelion
"Oh Wind," from The Record of Lodoss War
"No Need for Promises" from The Vision of Escaflowne
"Through the Night" from Outlaw Star
"Just Communication" from Gundam Wing
"Himitsu Kichi, Taiyou no Manaka He, Sakura, Shonen Heart" from Eureka Seven
"Lost Cause" from Beck
"Wind, Rocks, No Boy No Cry, Yellow Moon," from Naruto
"From Yesterday" from 30 Seconds to Mars
"No Reason, The Hell Song" from Sum 41

You know what's weird? I just started listening to rap/hip-hop, and I actually am really getting into it. My mom bought some CD's for herself and bought me the Encore CD by Eminem. Now I listen to a lot of the hip-hop station in my neighborhood. Why? I guess I like it because it something to keep my racing brain occupied. Some of the songs are really good too. Oh well.

Books: Oddly enough, I have been picking up books lately (How come there's no pictures?). The ones I do pick up on mostly on politics. Some of them are fun, some get me riled up, and some get me scared to death.

Movies: I watch a lot of movies, just because they are good to get your mind off things for a couple of hours.

Recomended Movies:
"The Last Samurai" (My current favorite)
"Kill Bill"
"Blood: The Last Vampire"
"Ninja Scroll"
"The Majestic"
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
"Mystery Men" (Movie I've seen the most: 13 times)
"Pleasantville"
"Liar Liar"
"The Rundown"
"Collaterial"
"Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind"
"Sin City" (MARV! "That's one fine looking coat you're wearing..." Breaks Someone's Face)

Quotient Quotables:

(Why not start with my own), Keep the Passion of Anime Alive Forever (KPAAF)

"Legends are usually bad news. There's not a whole lot of difference between heroes and madmen."
-Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

"Have you ever seen her this happy?"
"Dude, I didn't know Raven even did happy."
-Cyborg and Beast Boy from Teen Titans

"There will always be hard times, but as long as where together, we can always get through it."
-Keitaro Urashimia from Love Hina

"Starfire your sister was interesting, but she could never take your place. No one could ever take your place."
-Robin from Teen Titans

"If you were to die, I would be sad. Isn't that enough?"
-Lafiel from Crest of the Stars

"To be forgotten is worse than death."
-Freya from FFIX

"I might not be able to cast anything above a light spell for a couple days."
"...Oh, that time of the month."
"CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT THIS!"
-Lina and Goury from The Slayers

"You're fast, but you can't dodge these. Breast Missiles! Huh, why didn't they work?"
"Um, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY!"
-Skuld and Sigel from Oh My Goddess!

"But think about it. What exactly does your little finger do...?"
-Yuko from XXXholic

"There is no coincidence. All there is, is Hitsuzen"
-Yuko from XXXholic

"I hate you! You're a murderer and a liar!"
SLAP
"Nadia...please don't say such sad things..."
-Nadia and Captain Nemo from Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

"I must be allergic to criticism..."
-Negi from Negima!

"Friendship is a tool I use to get what I want. What is a "friend" to you?"
-Toya "Scoop" Yuguyo from Imadoki

"...Just a slip of the tongue your highness, ahehheh. It's just, you're so pretty and kind and... ..."
"Humph, of all the Shipper Brigade to get, I get stuck with the adolescent, horny, daydreaming..."
-Nalyn and Philios from Neotopia

"War is no reason to stop a friendship..."
-Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid

"I learned something that day. Half of everything I was told was an utter and complete lie. The other half was a conveniently construed lie."

"Then, where is the truth?"
"Its hidden in between the lies"
-'Snake' and Tara from MGS 3: Snake Eater

Advice for fellow/inspiring writers:

1) Treat your audience like intelligent creatures.

Sounds like an obvious pointer, but you'd be surprised how many people seem to forget this. When reading a story, a common mistake is to not add details or explain their character's reasoning. By doing this, one can get over two of the most common flaws in any story: lack of detail/depth and the prevention of plot-holes. By explaining your plot points out in the story, your reader will better understand what you're trying to present.

Of course, you don't need to explain every little detail abound in your story. Too many details lessens the impact of your real intentions. Also, keeping some information to yourself can add tension and controversy to your fiction. The key is to find a balance and to know when its ok to leave some details out. If you write your stories in a way where the reader can easily deduce a character's reasoning or intentions, you're doing your job.

2) Never bend or break to other people

I learned this one the hard way. I used to bend to the slightest complaint of a reviewer. However, what I was doing wasn't a work of my own anymore. A story should be your idea and yours alone. If people have a problem with it, try to explain yourself to them, but never change things just for them.

Upcoming Projects:

Konichiwa! Kara Kiwa Seken: (Greetings! From the Edge of the World)

I wrote a small preview for this next huge project in Sono, but since then this has had a major overhaul. Some elements will remain the same, but expect a completely different storyline.

Our Final Embrace?

I made mention of this in my last story. This is the first of a number of one-shots I'm making. This one is going into the Karin section. The story starts after the final episode of the animated series. Now that the problem with the vampire hunters has been solved, the Marker family starts to return to a normal life. Karin too, begins to get back to her daily schedule, a weight lifted off her shoulders now that she's being honest with herself. However, Karin's (awesome) grandmother, Elda Marker, now has something on her mind for her grand-daughter. And what does this 'something' have to do with Kenta?