I read "Two Ghosts," and while it may be a good Alias-fic, it doesn't work as original fiction. Too often I literally can't tell what's going on, simply on the physical level, let alone interpret the emotional or psychological import of the actions, conversations, hallucinations, and/or memories.

The sentences are lovely, but that doesn't make a story.

Good essay by destina about fanfic writers and public critique.

Have you all read McTabby's Summary Executions? AJ Hall introduced me to them and my mind is still boggling.

Priceless HP fic summaries, including:

• Remus is speaking to Sirius **who isn't there--it's a monologue**.

• Prepare for serious depression and PSYCO PANSY!!! A sequeal is definite.

• It's an AU, no Voldemort, no normal characters.

• Remus Lupin is lonely. Mysterious Cliche Ckick X enters Hogwarts. Story takes place in sixth year circa 1976. Surprisingly low character distorion.

• Two duelists meet in the dead of night. On the battleground, they stand, awaiting the dance fever to overtake them.

• Ginny is very out of character again, of course, but I’ve added a bit of Harry, Ron and Hermione to make it more Hogwartsy and her new friends feature as well.

• Draco Malfoy is 17...nothing wrong with that, right? Well, there is. Apparently in his family there is a slight fluke, and in his 7th year at Hogwarts he finds himself being in heat, and every girl on him like a pack of dogs on a three legged cat... all except Hermione.

• "When you’re so lost you want to rip your organs out through your throat and smear them all over everyone around you, just so they know that you exist..."

• One of my better works, not really poetry but almost poetically written.

• I'm a published author so you know it's going to be good!

It's a scary, scary fanfic world out there.

Organ-smearing? Look, there should be no organ-smearing in Harry Potter. I feel fairly sure of that. Unless it's funny.

On the battleground, they stand, awaiting the dance fever to overtake them.

::snerk::

Yep, that's one of my favourites too, Tep. See the filk it inspired from one of the people who read McTabby's journal: Duelling Queen

I don't know if anyone else has been following HonorH's Official Buffy & Angel Fanfiction University, but here's a supporting document for the fic 'verse's Protectors of the Plot Continuum. It includes some of my favorite pet peeves.

This isn't right:

1.2. Causing the Scoobies to arrive in Los Angeles within an hour or so of leaving Sunnydale, or causing the Angel Investigations crew to arrive in Sunnydale within an hour or two of leaving L.A. (Sunnydale is in Northern California, Los Angeles in Southern California)

Sunnydale is demonstrably not in Northern California. It's most likely Santa Barbara in disguise. So about 2.5 hours north of LA.

You are correct.

They are incorrect, and should be corrected.

From Welcome to the Hellmouth

The front of the affluent Southern California school gleams darkly in the moonlight.

Well, to some people here, everything north of Santa Clarita is Northern California.