Welcome to CafeCliche's FictionPress account!

I'm Becky, a 20-year-old female college student.

As you can guess, writing is my primary passion. I write both fiction and poetry, and enjoy multi-chaptered fiction the most, because I'm a wordy ho. I work very hard at it, and I'm fairly confident about the finished product, but I hold no illusions that I'm the BEST WRITAH EVAH, or I can't improve.Well thought-out concrit is always welcome. In fact, most of the time, it's polished, placed on a shelf, and bragged about, so please, don't be shy. In fact, almost any review at all will be fawned over. I warn you, I'm a feedback-whore.

My LiveJournal page is ruffwriter, and I post a lot of writing there as well. If you drop me a line, I'd be happy to add you.

Multi-Chaptered Fiction

In Descending Order: Wealthy, young doctor Aidan Connors lost everything he owned when a violent riot caused a fire that razed his entire city. Stranded in the Back Wards, the slums of the city, Aidan is approached by a stranger, the eccentric Tobias Locke, who offers him work. Aidan almost balks at the offer, but agrees to listen out of obligation to provide for his teenage sister, Lily. He quickly learns, upon introduction to Tobias' unconventional crew, that working for Tobias will be more trouble than it's worth. But what's more slowly becoming apparent is that Lily is the one turning this job into something absolutely deadly. Complete. Warnings: violence, language, some mature themes.

Catalyst: At a military academy that harbors unusual students, Lanh and Tuyen are a rarity: they've managed to stay friends in a world where competition is highly encouraged, and trust is a rare occurrance. But their relationship is far from perfect; Lanh holds an important job in the military that he isn't allowed to speak of, but has changed his personality completely. Tuyen, on the other hand, is the last in their class to pass their final exam, and has to struggle for the privilege of remaining Lanh's friend. But when it turns out that one of them is considered a valuable commodity in two separate countries, the pair is not only forced to reevaluate the only world they know, but must also learn to think for themselves. Hiatus. Warnings: slash, violence, language, mature themes, and sadistic blondes.

The Imperial Guard: On a quiet, humid dawn late in July, the Myrrh Empire fell. Betrayed by one of her trusted soldiers, Empress Gwendolyn Doyle and her loyal followers were slaughtered in a bloody coup that subjugated Myrrh entirely to the neighboring Carmine Empire. Catalin Kasshen, heir to one of Myrrh's oldest noble families, has lived as a slave of Carmine's Emperor Anwar since the age of three, constantly forced to apologize for the actions of his cousin, Celeste, who gouged out the Emperor's eye in her last living moments. Bitter and cynical, Catalin has long given up any desire to fight back. But thanks to Celeste, he finds himself yanked into the role of a key player in the turbulent underground revolution, saddled with mismatched comrades-in-arms, a petulant heir to the throne, and a throng of insurgents who can't seem to decide if his skills match his cousin's, or if he's simply riding on her fame. Needless to say, his mood hasn't improved much. Ongoing. Warnings: homosexuality, heterosexuality, violence, language, character abuse, dark comedy, and snark.

One-Shots

Fill In the Blanks: New version uploaded, since the version written by 15-year-old me wasn't the best thing ever. Every year at the family New Year's party, Sam's stuck dealing with the same situation: the whispers, the giggles, the stares, and the inappropriate questions. But why is it such a big deal that a pretty girl like Sam wants to wear a dress? Complete.

Eight Minutes of Darkness: Follows both the best day in Stella's strained relationship with her father, and the worst. Complete.

Nylon and Brick: In World War II era England, many people weren't sure if each day would be their last. A young, poor man named Tom helps the wealthy class of London live like they've always wanted to... for the right price, of course. Written for the Original Fiction Ficathon. Complete.

Paradise: When Charlie Wilson became a high school writing teacher, she only thought she'd have to worry about the usual delinquents and troublemakers. Unfortunately for her, she teaches at an arts school. Complete.

Poetry

Siren: I'm probably the most proud of this one. Written as an experimental myth poem, it's gone through quite a few drafts since I wrote it last year, and it's coming along nicely.

Narcissus: The most political I'll ever get in a poem, but isn't necessarily political itself. I don't really know how to explain it without giving away the conceit, but I hope you enjoy it!

Hansel and Gretel: A different look at the fairy tale.

Next Door Neighbor: Dedicated to my former neighbor, David, who drowned in Cobbet's Pond when I was in grade school.

Scripture, Astroturf, and Thanksgiving Dinner: Some things never quite make it across the generation gap. Edited version uploaded.

Nighttime Jazz: Written when I was a sophomore in high school, when Mars was so close to Earth that one night.

Locking Up: One of the more personal poems I've written, when I was at a very transitional point in my life. I like this poem very much, and I want to do some things with it, so review if you have the time?

Ittadakimasu: In Kyoto, I had nothing but bad luck. An only slightly fictionalized account of my trip to Japan.

Four Seconds: The prologue to my upcoming reverse fairy tale.

Life Underwater: Written during a three-day period of rainfall, this poem was inspired by James Merrill's awesomely awesome poem Lost in Translation.

What else? I'm a hopeless geek, I'm allergic to condescension and bigotry, but I'm pretty friendly in general. And I can't wait to get settled in here again!

UPDATE 10/18/08: Hey guys! Chapter fifteen of IG is very nearly done, so look for it within the next few hours!