I started reading and writing fanfiction in early 2002. I actually started in the anime genre, specifically in the Fushigi Yuugi, then moved into X-Files, Earth 2, and some other small sci-fi fandoms. I never posted any of those stories, however, because I didn't feel certain enough of my ability. In retrospect I'm very glad that I didn't post any of them, since I now recognize many of the major blunders I was making without even knowing it at the time.
I discovered the Harry Potter fandom in December of 2002. I had read the books, but I suppose I hadn't expected there to be so much associated fanfiction about them. I had been immediately attracted to the dynamic between Slytherins and Gryffindors, mostly because I am a sucker for love that defies the strictures of the society in which it is based, as evidenced by the fact that Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite stories of all time. I read through a great many stories on fanfiction.net, then moved on to fic archives and in February of 2003 I had the killer plot bunny from Hell, which wound up turning into my first published fanfiction, the Draco/Hermione story The Fires of Beltane. FoB turned into a 190,000 word, 42 chapter monster, which I wrote in six weeks. I sometimes cringe now to know how many mistakes it contains, but I'm still rather fond of it, since it was my first HP work, and it has won several awards over the years. I mention it only because this fic actually laid the foundation for everything that I love about Severus in general, and the Snape/Lupin ship in particular.
I was working on another D/Hr story and a sequel to FoB when Order of the Phoenix was published. This book had a profound impact on my writing; first, it made my entire little fanfiction universe irredeemably AU, which rather put a damper on my writing, but oddly enough it also introduced me to the possibilities of writing slash in HP.
As a fan of anime and Trek, I was no stranger to slash. But I hadn't really thought about it in the context of HP very much, because I was heavily ensconced in the Draco/Hermione fandom. Yet Severus Snape was without question my favorite character in the entire series, and I yearned for a suitable partner for him, of which there were none of the female persuasion. About this time I discovered the Snape Fuh-Q-Fest, and I claimed a challenge, "Snape receives a child." The bunny seemed to spring to life fully formed, and turned into my first Severus/Remus fic, Life Debt, which contained Alpha!Remus and misunderstood!spy!Severus. It is probably one of the "darkest" fics I have ever written, but I so enjoyed the dynamic between Severus and Remus that it immediately became my new OTP.
Not long after Life Debt was finished I was introduced to livejournal by one of the D/Hr shippers, and I found the wondrous bastion of slash and the SS/RL fandom. I also found Master and the Wolf Fuh-Q-Fest, where I read a certain fic that ended up impressing me deeply - more about which I shall discuss very soon.
During the months following the Snape Fuh-Q-Fest I wrote a large number of fics, both long and short, and enjoyed exploring the dynamics of Severus and Remus in various forms. My great attraction, however, was to Alpha!Remus and snarky!Severus, so I tended to write mostly in that vein, and the fics of mine which people seemed to like best were in that genre.
November of 2003 was when I discovered the joys of LJ roleplaying, and I joined Beyond Hogwarts, and was cast as Remus Lupin, much to my immense happiness. The Severus player and I ended up shipping them in game, and it was very exciting creating a dynamic between the characters with another writer. When BH ended, two other HP writers and I came up with the concept which turned into The Leaky, an off-beat roleplaying game which was conceived mostly because a certain writer that the three of us admired had mentioned she might be interested in joining an RP again. Which brings us back around into a rather interesting circle.
Remember the fic I mentioned above as having impressed me? Well, the impact it made on me was very profound, and I set about reading all the SS/RL fics I could find by that same author. I loved her style and characterization, and she seemed to share a liking for some of the same interactions between Severus and Remus that I had. Her name? Oh, for those who haven't figured it out, it was someone called McKay, who was the writer that The Leaky was conceived to attract, and the fic was For Life. She and I ended up playing Severus and Remus at the game, and forged a very strong friendship, so much so that we have ended up writing well over a MILLION words of RP and fic together since September, 2004.
So... where am I now? I have written over 60 SS/RL fics one-shot fics, 2 SS/RL novels, several collaborations with McKay, plus an incomplete novel that I keep meaning to finish. HBP, despite the rather depressing implications at the end, hasn't put a damper on my enthusiasm for Severus/Remus at all. In reality all that it has done has made me more determined to find ways to explain the 'ship in the context of canon! I am planning to continue writing, and in particular there is the project Time of Storms, which McKay and I are cowriting. It is a serial set immediate post-HBP, and is an account of Severus and Remus' motivations both during and after the book, plus their continuing saga in light of the new canon. McKay and I also write Remus and Severus (the same ones which we began at the now-defunct The Leaky) at Snark N Bark, where we are joined by several other writers (most of them quite familiar to Snupin fans!) in a variety of roles. I also plan to continue with other fic writing, both individual and collaborative as the bunnies bite, and most assuredly it will almost all be SS/RL.
I am very fond of the SS/RL community; I believe that our ship is sailing strong, and I find the people on it to be among the very best in fandom! Thank you so much for reading my fics, for all the reviews, and for the support you all have given me over the last two years. I'm very grateful, and I look forward to more years to come!
Well, that's enough about me. I will, however, if you don't mind, leave you with some pointers to my favorite fics, both my own and those of others.
My favorite fics by others:
Drawing Down the Moon by McKay
If He Tries Anything by Pocketwitch
New York Minute (link is to Part I) by Ellid
My favorite of my own fics: