First of all, I am not a writer, but I am an avid reader! So don't expect any works of my own.
Now that's that out in the open...
After lurking around the site in a creepy stalker mode for over two years without leaving a single review or even a favourite or a follow (yes, I was THAT despicable), I finally decided to emerge from the shadows and give all the amazing people that coloured my life with their writing credit where due!
This profile is essentially useless, unless you find it helpful to have a selected list of works and authors whom I find incredibly talented, compiled based on criteria given below. That's the second reason to come out clean. I personally have found a lot of amazing pieces through digging around "Favourite Stories" and "Favourite Authors" of authors I liked. Thought someone might enjoy my selection, so here goes.
The criteria of works assembled is as follows:
I have a particular fascination with "villain/heroine" troupe (and oh well, who hasn't), but, unlike the majority of fellow readers, I do tend to gravitate towards the darker edge thereof, meaning that while I am not averse to redemption, if beautifully made, I do so much enjoy the villains remaining in their modus operandi till the end. It just fascinates me - a villainous character, capable of unnamed horrors and violence, to be subjected to an emotion towards another. the poetry of that being played out is endless. I do realize that if such is to be painted true to the character, it's not going to be fluffy. It simply can't. If a creature comfortable in its evil ways and longing for dominance wants something, it is much more likely to play out as obsession rather then love. Hence, expect a lot of darkfics here. You have been warned!
That being said, however, I am not a connoisseur of smut. That has nothing to do with modesty or shying away from certain imagery (being a 30something married woman with two kids will take that out of ya), but I do find it somehow tasteless. So don't go lookin' for juicy stories here, there ain't many. Then again, several writers that managed to pull that off with brilliance do deserve a standing ovation for their ability.
I just loooooooooooooooove oneshots. Don't get me wrong, epic stories with 20something chapters are charming and captivating and keep you on the edge of your seat, but the majority of them do get dropped somewhere mid-way and never bring me the closure I so desperately seek. They also tend to distract me with too much plot, supporting characters and other matters that frankly don't hold my interest. While oneshots do allow for much more creative writing and usage of words I find particularly appealing. There is a certain je ne sais quoi to them that just makes my heart go boom, allowing for less plot and more character (yay to that!). And those quotes!
I generally dislike AUs. The reason I am in fanfiction is that I want to see the characters I so love in their natural habitat, but with a twist. Hence, "AU/AH" "CoffeShop AU" will probably never make it to my list and that has nothing to do writing of the author or other. It's just not my cup of tea. Same goes for Crossovers - I never understood their appeal and probably never will.
Particular fandoms/pairings I ship and thus, read:
Klaus and Caroline from The Vampire Diaries - this was the fandom that brought me to fanfiction in the first place and still remains the top of the list. It's been years since I have watched TVD (and to be honest, I no longer have the nerve for that teenage drama, I haven't even watched anything after Klaus essentially left the show), but their pairing continues to hold a special place in my heart. I have never watched the Originals, because I find that version of Klaus lame. Klaroline of the early TVD seasons is the very embodiment of the troupe I so favor, as Klaus is a classic powerful and power-hungry villain, but with a soft spot to selected individuals like his family and Caroline. There are many authors that have given me goosebumps with their fantastic work and captured their chemistry and character so well that frankly show writers have nothing on them. I will write each and every one of them a personal message, but before I get to that, please know that Requiem of Fire by cupcakemolotov is just awesome.
Jareth and Sarah from the Labyrinth - another classic. Old, magical being captivated and bested by a mere mortal girl. What could go wrong? Well... everything :) I find this pairing particularly appealing because - um, David Bowie, anyone?! But aside from that, the mythical and mystical nuances do play their part. And I have been sooooo blessed with the content I found here! It's just such a shame that most of the fantastic authors no longer write and it just makes me so sad. Subtilior is one of those. Her writing is just... Well... You'd have to read it for yourself. And although Erlkonig is generally considered to be her masterpiece, I am a sucker for Advent. Jareth in Advent is the Jareth that I believe to be the truest of them all.
Sylar and Claire from Heroes - the funny thing is that I NEVER watched the show. Literally. Never. But I just adore the pairing through fanfiction. I am aware that they are not canon, never were and obviously, never will be. Yes, I have seen the most important episodes/scenes (like pass/fail, etc.), but the dynamic of the duo found here contains so many amazing stories that I can't even... Works by BlueWhitney are especially grand. Again, such a shame there is no activity on her profile anymore *sigh*. Her oneshot He and She is amazing. "He admires her moxie" - Pure gold.
Loki and Jane from Thor - to be frank, I was never even aware Lokane was a thing until this particular oneshot The Hypocrite. I still consider it to be one of the best pieces of writing out here. It breaks my heart that the author is never to be seen again. But each and every sentence in this treasure of a piece just makes my heart swell and butterflies in my stomach burst. Through this particular oneshot I have found that beautiful fandom and remain committed to it ever since.
Kylo Ren and Rey from Star Wars - I am an avid SW fan since 5 years old. I am so in love with the entire universe that there is literally nothing I would change, hence I don't read much fanfiction on this topic. But these two (and the Episode IX) just break my heart. Sadly, I have not been able to find Reylo fics quite to my liking, but blueenvelopes writes good and mature stuff that kept me engaged for countless nights. To this day I am not sure whether I like her work or her author's notes more. If you love SW, go check her out.
Aside from the abovelisted, I have some "odd one out" pairings that I do enjoy reading. Among them are Sarek and Amanda from Star Trek (never watched anything aside from the J.J. Abrams movies) and Vision and Scarlet Witch from MCU (Paul Bettany, ah). I also recently hurled myself into Dragon Age fandom for the sake of a single writer's huge talent (I'm looking at you, SolainRhyo), so let's see how that goes.
So, if anything seen above is to your liking, welcome to my humble abode! Hope you enjoy!
Do drop me a line in case you believe there are some stories out there that fit the criteria above and are not on my list. I would really appreciate that!
English is NOT my native language (I don't even live in an English-speaking country, for that matter), so apologies if anything is out of place.