1000 Words

Angel to Eggnog

Hope everyone has a great New Years! =D

Promise of a Lifetime

Merry Christmas, everyone! 2011 is almost over. Make the most of it <3

Link

This update was brought by my sudden inspiration to write 5K in one day. I didn't realise that the last update was two years ago. High school really did bog me down, and I'm going to guess that university will do the same after I start in late February. Until them, I shall happily write away! I don't know which story I'll be updating next. Whichever goes, I guess.

First Time

Supernova

"We'll be in the right place at the right time eventually." GaaSaku.

I haven't written a oneshot like that in a while. Even Endless was something I'd written half of, then dug up again after several months to finish. I love oneshots and drabbles. So much freedom <3

This might be a good time to briefly brush over my views on pairings, haha. A lot of my stories are NaruSaku, and I love the couple. But I have nothing against other couples involving Naruto and Sakura. I believe in situational romance; i.e. if the right situation comes up, any pairing is possible (fandom realism-wise). I mainly write NaruSaku because they are a fun pair, and because canon has already set up some foundations for it. I've written NaruHina before, and if a good idea ever crosses my mind, I have nothing against writing SasuSaku. That's how I see pairings. In fact, I'm sometimes tempted to embark on a mini journey of writing oneshots/short chapters for all kinds of pairings, just to show that fanfiction can let most of these pairings be portrayed realistically. But I've got enough on my plate right now, so that reckless idea is on hold XD

Those are my fanfiction views. If someone asked me what I rooted for in canon, I would say NaruSaku. But if it doesn't happen, or by a small stretch NaruHina ends up being canon, I wouldn't throw much of a fuss. That's what fanfiction is for =D

Faith

EDIT: This chapter took over eight hours to show on the site for some reason so I was advised to reupload it, which I did even though it was already showing up by the time I woke up. Well, either way the second upload showed up right away. Yay!

Chapter 18

Finally! It's been a long, long wait and I've actually forgotten most of what had happened in the story, haha. At the moment, there will be two more chapters coming before I can call this story complete. Can't wait!

When It Hurts

I spent today sketching out where to take the next chapter of Blossom In My Eyes. Ironic how I finally begin planning in the story's last chapters when it's too late to do anything but adhere to the previous chapters that I've winged from chapter 1. Bah, writing this story was so much easier before I started developing higher standards of myself XD

Clueless

Whoop, hit 30 chapters! 8D I love having a story that I can update whenever I like, without having to think about anything except the oneshot I'm writing. No strings attached, haha.

Lately I've been back to picking at the in-progress fic I've had in the works for a couple of months now. I also pseudo-started another one to test the plot bunny. And I've got a semi-engaged plot bunny from a few months back that is also sitting on a half chapter. I'm starting to feel like I have a new generation of stories at my back, although only one of them is confirmed at this stage. I itch sometimes but I stubbornly won't post it until I finish Blossom (I seriously need motivation to do that; I love Blossom for being my first fanfiction writing experience and cringe whenever I think about how it's going to get butchered...)

I'm also starting to realise that I effectively have four in-progress fics going on at the same time. I mentally don't count Cherish and Memento because they're 'young'. Sometimes it feels like I'm juggling a lot more than that. But it sure is helpful to be able to switch to writing another story when you're stuck on one XD

Link

Finally have it up. Thank God I stopped to think about where I should take the plot, or this chapter would have been completely different. I was right at a plot junction there, and could so easily have messed it up like Blossom. Phew! XD

Selfish

I've now started to slowly pick at Blossom In My Eyes, and also had a quick burst of inspiration for the next chapter of Precious People. Stuck on Blossom again though, haha. This may take longer than I thought.

Link

Finally finished with it! Now that I got that chapter out, I'm really starting to feel like I'm getting back into fanfiction. I wonder how much has changed on the scene in a year and a half, because forums I once frequented have indeed gone quieter. Maybe we're all too enraptured by the epicness that is the latest chapters of the Naruto manga =D I actually loved writing this chapter, especially the last parts. Three years after joining FF.net, I'm relieved to see that I still like writing this much. Reviews and meeting new people are just a bonus - but damn, fanfiction is such fun business!

Exams
Are finally over! Whoop! Graduated, all exams done, completely done and dusted with high school. Just have to wait for exam results and then I'll be scouting out universities and courses. Time really flies, doesn't it?

So now I've got roughly four months of holiday break. Which means... I have time to write again! =D I am rather rusty though, so it may take me a bit longer to settle back into getting the words down. I promise there will definitely be updates coming as soon as I can get them out. It's been far too long and I do owe it to the ones who have stayed on and waited. Here's a quick rundown on the stories:

Precious People
As you can see by the progress meter, I've already started moving with it today. Roughly under halfway through the chapter, but I expect inspiration to flow more easily after a certain point. Having a bit of trouble envisioning fight scenes, though, and that slows me down.

Halcyon Days
Although it's the one story where I have literally planned out every chapter from start to finish, I currently seem to lack the inspiration to put it into words. I'm hoping that will change after I've satisfied plot bunnies. I've tried forcing out a paragraph or two, but it just doesn't work. Inspiration is a fickle thing.

Only Human
I did say it could possibly be the first story to be updated since my super long hiatus. That was before I realised I should get a better picture of the plot before posting new chapters and locking myself into situations where the story becomes shaped by whimsical decisions. I'm actually only 1500 words or so away from finishing the chapter, but I'll do the wise thing and slow down to concoct a plot first.

Blossom In My Eyes
Ah, Blossom. There's a reason why I left this fic last. A few days back, I had a crack at it while avoiding study. I found it unbelievably hard to pick up the story again. My writing style has changed so much, to the point where it's actually uncomfortable for me to write such an emotionally intense story. That, and as I touched on in the Only Human overview, I just winged the story as I went and it essentially has a pit of plot holes and has shot off in a direction I now find undesirable. I opened up the document with the determination of finishing the story and not abandoning it, but I will admit I had several moments where I actually felt I couldn't write the story anymore and seriously considered dropping it.

But ultimately, I have decided that will not happen XD There are a few reasons:
- it'd be unfair to the readers who actually want to see the story finished
- I want to see the story finished, because it's the first multichapter story I've written
- and because it's my first multichapter, I feel it's a reflection of what I started off as, and to complete it after all these trials would bring a ridiculously large sense of accomplishment
- I've actually come to the point where I may end up butchering the rest of the story with my attempts to write in my old style (I can't help it; my new writing style is so drastically different that putting it into an old story just... does. not. work.), I think it's still worth it! I'd learn not to make up stories on whims, without even coming up with a plot :L
- and the final reason...

... is because, as I've mentioned a few times before, I'm sure, I have another story in the works. I'm quite excited to put it up for a taste of something new, but of course that would cause my unfinished stories count to skyrocket. Therefore, I shan't put the new story on FF.net until I have finished one story, and the one most fitting would be Blossom.

So that's the rundown! I can only hope the updates aren't complete disappointments for the long waits!

Smile

Honey, I Love You is a brilliant and hilarious game with the right people. To the ones who said they'd try it out: go for it and hope you have fun!

I also worked a little bit on the next chapter of Only Human. With any luck, it might even be the first multichapter story to be updated because I'm on an inspiration drive. But alas, I shall not touch writing for the next three weeks. Or aim not to anyway. I say I've got exams and everything, and sure it's quite stressful, but I'm such a natural procrastinator that I can't help it. To be honest, writing again is what I'm looking forward to most at the end of the tunnel. I loved the rush of churning out thousands of words in a day, rereading it again after publishing it to find a billion typos, and months later cursing the terrible plot direction I winged <3

Reason

Just something quick that gave me a break from mindless studying. Does not help that I've yet again been hit by a plot bunny for another multichapter fic. Painstakingly staving it off for now x.x

Naruto question: Your thoughts on the Wave mission in fanfics?

Something every 'rewrite' author must have considered in the process of writing their story. I got stumped on it when I was writing Precious People. Years later, I still wonder if it was a good decision to invent an entirely new mission; some days I think it works, others I'm on the fence. So as readers and writers of this big fandom, what do you guys reckon? Pop into my profile and vote :)

Sweet Sixteen

He had started off as her when worst comes to worst, but she had always been his only.

My super duper important exams are right around the corner and I only just started studying! Can't wait for them to be over. I want to write so badly! D:

Hiya! Thought I'd drop by and give a quick update on what I've been doing lately. So here we go:

1) My final exams are fast approaching. They are in a month or so. I've been slacking off since my last exams finished, but you bet I'll be busy cramming! It's terrible that I'm losing my steam when the end of the tunnel is so near, but I'll survive. I've always been a last minute person XD

2) Lately, I've been picking at a new story while I still have the inspiration. It's quite fun because I find it different to everything I've written so far. If I do decide to put it up on FF.net, it most likely won't be up until after I've finished Blossom In My Eyes; if I don't put my foot down at some point, that story is never going to get finished - which would be tragic, since it's one of the first multichapter stories I've ever written and I'd really like to complete it, to tie up loose ends. Blossom is like a legacy of my old writing style and looking back amuses me, haha.

3) I did have time to make 700 words progress on Precious People. It's slow work at the moment.

4) On other stories, I'll admit I haven't touched them much. I rewrote what I had for chapter 6 of Halcyon Days, and then left it there. Only Human, I've occasionally looked over and adjusted what I already had, trying to figure out where to take it. Cherish and Memento haven't gone anywhere after posting the first chapters, and I imagine they will take a while to be updated ):

5) That's all for now! I will now hermit myself to convince myself to cram like a madwoman.

Indirect

Endless

Sometimes he makes her wonder why she is still here.

Belated update because I broke my router and didn't have internet for two weeks. I resisted buying a new router to stay focused during exam period and it paid off somewhat. I completely failed that maths test :L

Smell

Kakashi knows exactly how to deal with his cute little students :3

Also starting up requests. Check out the story (chapter 10) for some quick guidelines if anyone is interested.

Have I mentioned how screwed I am for my exams? x.x

Mustard

It's not easy being them, and even before they knew it, they had long been each other's silver lining.

I was supposed to be studying hard for exams when I wrote this XD I am so screwed... wish me luck!

Memento

Waking up with no idea who she is, Sakura doesn't know what to think of herself and those around her. Gradually, she learns to live again - but there are many things she does not know. The only thing she does, is that she wants to meet him.

Quite the belated post. School life made me stingy on time, and there are so many things on my to-do list x.x

Anyway, Memento has been in the works for a long time. All I can say is, I loved working on it and I hope you guys enjoy it too :)

I had a bit of a brainwave for another story. Which, considering how many in-progress fics I've got on my plate right now, isn't exactly the best news for my willpower XD I'm determined not to touch the idea until after I graduate, or at least until I finish Blossom In My Eyes. I have yet to actually finish a multichapter story. It's tragic ):

Doors Wide Open

Naruto doesn't need excuses around Sakura. He knows that when he knocks, she will let him in.

Just a quick oneshot I whipped up in the middle of the night. I think my writing style has changed a bit. A result of reading too much Sarah Dessen, perhaps? She's a brilliant young adult fiction author, by the way. Highly recommended :)

What?

Immediately thought of Sasuke when it comes to one-word responses XD

Parents

I missed writing NaruSaku <3

Thunder

Inspired by this work of art: http://nivalis70.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d3d6vci

I've put up a table of the prompts, recording which ones I've done and with which characters. It's below the progress bars (click on the big fat icon). If anyone is also doing the challenge and would like to download a clean template, I've also put up a download link. Again, I emphasise that it's a good writing exercise and is heaps fun :)

So. Who spies a prompt that I've ticked off on the table but haven't yet posted? ;D

Star

I quite like Hyuuga family fics <3

Months

Lee's bright ideas aren't so bright.

Insides

You learn something new every day.

I've written a few of these on bursts of inspiration so I'm putting them up one by one to avoid spamming inboxes, and to prolong my sporadic activeness on FF.net XD

There's a new poll on my profile page. Please pop in and vote when you have the time. The idea popped into my head this afternoon and I'm curious to know what others think of it. The results of past polls are also available on my profile page (look to the right for a quick link)

Snow

What can I say? I'm on a roll XD

Hours

I've been finding that writing from prompts is a great way to exercise your imagination. I've found that I can look at a prompt and usually come up with something in minutes. My thought process: hours... waiting... Kakashi...omg Team 7! So here is my first Team 7 fic <3 Writing Sasuke is always a challenge. I hope I did everyone (or most people's) favourite team justice!

I'm also adding a progress meter for Over the Rain. No word count for this one. It will just keep track of how many prompts have been completed. Hopefully we'll be seeing the meter reach over halfway, which would be a pretty good achievement for me XD

Summary: They live in an ugly yet beautiful world of laughter and tears, love and hate, themselves and everyone else, and they are all human. A collection of drabbles based on prompts from fanfic100. All characters.

Link

Over the Rain is a little project inspired by the fanfic100 challenge. I don't post on the community and I don't see it as a challenge. Rather, I'm just borrowing the prompts so I minimise chances of a writers block due to inspiration, and also to encourage me to think in more abstract ways. What better way to think beyond myself than to write something on a prompt like 'spade'? :P

Here is a link to the fanfic100 community. I reckon it's a good writing exercise. Try it out :)

Phew, I showed quite a lot of activity in 48 hours! 

Wrong

Because there are as many wrongs as there are rights and that's how it's supposed to be.

lookie i'm aliiiiveeeeee!

Precious People racked up 300,000 hits without me noticing! Phew, that's a great milestone for me and I can appreciate how far I've come from where I was when I started writing two years ago (that was yonks away, I was only fifteen!) So I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who have read my stories, dropped in a review or chatted with me over PM. And I've got big cuddles and cookies to those who have been patient with my absence. I can't wait to get back into writing because I miss it like hell.

So thanks, guys!

As I'm sure you all know, Japan's been hit hard by powerful earthquakes and tsunamis. A lot of natural disasters have been happening lately. What has happened in Japan has been devastating, with thousands dead, missing and suffering.

I've seen a lot of very meaningful and sincere concerns expressed, but at the same time I'm sad to see some very negative and insensitive comments. It's really disappointing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but at times like this I do wish that we can find more sensitivity and priority. It doesn't matter whether 'pray' is just a way to make us feel better without doing anything, or if Japan is receiving more attention than New Zealand and other countries who have suffered/may experience natural disasters, or if Japan is much-loved for its anime and manga culture. All disasters are terrible; the victims or scale of the disaster shouldn't affect our ability to empathise and help in whatever way we can.


Whether it is a thought, a donation or volunteer work, I believe it all counts. Believe me, it is certainly better than trending 'Pearl Harbor' on Twitter. I know that if I were to ever experience such a devastating tragedy, I would want to believe that there are people thinking of me. Of course, donations are more practical and I believe that, regardless of the affected country, we should try to help out in some way, big or small.

There are a lot of appeals circulating around. You can donate directly to the Japanese Red Cross, your national Red Cross, any legitimate organisation or appeal. Nothing is 'too little'. $1 from each individual in a developed country will amount to a lot at the end of the day. If you've already contributed, good on you! We shouldn't be divided over prejudice or obligation :)

I guess what I'm trying to say is: Think about those who are suffering, help out when you can, and remember that we all share this Earth.