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Hey there! You could call me Shadow :)

If there's anything I love dearly and take great pride and pains in, it's writing. Throw me in a room, and leave me with pen (a workable ballpoint pen would be nice, and a spare perhaps) and paper (fool scap, preferably!), and I wouldn't bother you or let anything bother me so long as I'm busy writing. I wouldn't even realise you'd left, especially if you revisited me hours later. My thoughts carry themselves away; sometimes I let them lead me so far I wonder how they got there. I promise you that anything I put up here is ORIGINAL, ie has been coaxed out of my brain, and nobody else's. Yes, when I put my heart to it, I become very detail-oriented, and I'd only be satisfied with the best I could give in the time allowed.

If there's anything else that can compare to writing, it'll be reading, and composing, and fantasising, and doing a few other random things.

I prefer using traditional, hassle-free, 'no fear of hiccups' methods, because the unpredictability and unreliability of technology has messed my life up in traumatising moments. Way too many times for comfort. Unfortunately, other options have been more or less sealed off. Then again, maybe it's not that bad. Without technology, there wouldn't be Naruto or lots of other wonderful things I'm besotted with...

Language and culture intrigue me, and if something catches my attention (even if it isn't cultural), I can spend hours researching, reading up and getting drawn into it. This sometimes hinders my work, and is part of the reason why I feel exhausted upon completion of whatever that is. 'Wind Shadows' and 'Beyond the Shadows' have ventured into territories I've been highly fascinated by; they got me knee deep in extensive research and back then I'd only just began writing again.

Sunrise, nature and sunset utterly thrill me, and I love including some element of nature in my stories whenever possible; hope my Pen Name at least gives you an indication of sorts about this. I love playing around with settings, contrasts and words, whenever possible...

On this note, reading Temari-no-Sabaku (currently .Temari. .Killer. Kunoichi)'s 'Rain in August' thus made me very aware of the similarities of her depiction of sunset to mine. I assure you, that this shocked me a LOT. In my review, I wrote 'I was starting to go maniacal thinking that coincidences were too much of a coincidence, when I realised that there are, really, only a few ways the sky can look as dusk nears, and I'd thus like to assure you that I never read this before publishing my story.'

I know it sounds ludicrous and insane, but I've never read his/her story until after I posted mine, and IF I'd intended to copy his/her story, don't you think I'd have made it a little less obvious? Goodness! It's giving me the creeps. All I can say, is that I'm glad our stories were different in most other aspects. And in case you're wondering, nobody pointed that out to me. It struck me when I was browsing stories and read his/hers. (See 'IMPORTANT' further below for more details.)

You may wonder why I'm so indignant about this. We once had a 'class project' to prepare for a major examination, and we compiled our work. I poured out my soul and everything that popped up in my mind doing up analysis and classification into themes (woah it was TONNES of work, and found out, when the compilations came, that most of it had been my work. I felt betrayed that nobody else had really bothered (; they were all occupied with more worthwhile things like studying for other subjects), yes, hurt if you must; it wasn't fair that you didn't get the credit you were due. this was made worse when I realised that due to a communication error, the notes had been passed on to the ENTIRE cohort a few days prior to our exam. I was very affected by that incident, and in no condition whatsoever to study, thinking about the ORIGINAL stuff and deductions, that would no longer be unique to me because they'd been shared with everybody else, as much as I love that subject. Elusive thoughts that I managed to catch before they fluttered out of grasp. It was difficult to smile at my teacher when I received my could've been better results, and hearing her say 'I thought you'd get --' I'm glad to say, though, that I've very much stopped blaming her for it (; how angry and how long can you stay angry at your teacher?), though I may not be able to forget it so easily. After all, she did mean well for the class, and she's given us notes for prose and all which SHE alone compiled, and she's through in her marking; that motivated me to continue submiting elaborate work. Thinking about it still saddens me, and I've never quite shared about this so openly online before.

Anyway, I'd really like to urge you to never harbour thoughts of plagarism, and to only claim credit you truly deserve. You might not think too much about it, but it harms the victim in ways that baffles time.

On to the next rambling paragraph, whenever I read stories on FanFiction.net, I'll usually leave reviews, just so the writer knows I found his/her story worth reading till the end; reading fabulous stories delights me.

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Formatting / Spelling... And Doc uploading...
If you're wondering about my spelling, I spell in the British way, except maybe in a few reviews and PMs so don't be surprised.

The formatting with certain artificial breaks (in terms of alignment) on my profile page and fanficts has been testing my patience. Are you experiencing the same thing? The title and artificial page breaks in my fanficts and on this page were intended to be centralised. I've tried realigning everything countless times but it doesn't always seem to work, so please do pardon me if alignment seems awry. (19 Oct 2009)

I must apologise to the poor people who had to read a whole chunk of italics when 'Shadows of the Night' was first posted. I must've pressed something I should NOT have while uploading the file; the bottom half of was completely in italics, and that was NOT intended. Worse still, I realised the stuff I edited was on the wrong doc (or so I thought), so I repeated the process only to realise that well, I could've used the original doc. Oh the agony! These problems have naturally, been resolved. Thanks for being patient with me!

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Disclaimer
Firstly, and most importantly, without Christ, I'd be nothing.

In case you missed the other disclaimers, I love the Naruto series, but all places, characters, the jutsus and equipment they use (unless otherwise mentioned) are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, not me.

Hopefully, another disclaimer will appear on this line soon. If permission is granted for me to use information for 'Wind Shadows', I'll get to acknowledge another person.

The only way I stand to benefit is by receiving reviews (they're priceless to me), and experience and growth I accumulate as a writer; this applies across my stories (and chapters).

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IMPORTANT!
Every word in my fanfictions has been painstakingly composed, typed, edited, re-read, formatted, thought through, checked through and extracted from my mind and every paragraph drew me in deeply in ways that imitating others' work probably wouldn't satisfy, and I'm very proud to say that I referred to nothing -- no other stories, fanfiction, pictures, nothing (well except the dictionary once in a while). The scene in my stories are thus impressions in my mind that I can still envision very clearly, and I'm certain I'll picture the exact scene each time I re-read MY fanfictions. Yes they're certainly, wholeheartedly, delightfully mine.

Any plot that I write out, I believe to be original, because I've never read anything like what I make myself think up before; I prefer attempting something original. Hence, should you ever come across anything similar to mine, whether posted before or after my respective fanfictions, please do send me a PM. Otherwise, I’d appreciate if the locations (especially those I thought up), descriptions, expressions (particularly those I've invented), plot (events and ideas), terms / names / species I cooked up, in my fanfictions remain mine alone; they took lots of time and effort on my part thinking, visualising and writing up.

Thanks!

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Interests

Characters/Relationships, etc, that I've developed an appreciation for...

Shikamaru.
Itachi.
Kakashi.

ShikaTema.
Hana.

Bonds between family members, whether of the same generation or different, free of improper relationships.

Kakashi and Shikamaru's relationship as sensei and student, and sometimes as comrades.
I always thought Kakashi's stepping in for Team Ten after Asuma's fall, although he really had no obligation to (he was slightly injured and probably could do with some rest), spoke volumes about his friendship with and mutual respect for Asuma, and his unselfishness. Besides, he really looks out for whoever he's been put in charge of, yet knows and respects them, and those under his leadership look up to him. I'm sure Shikamaru appreciates Kakashi very much. I think Kakashi's probably been looking out for Team Ten in Asuma's stead (hence the writing of 'Konoha’s Will of Fire'). I wish there were more of such ficts around; haven't seen very many; if you know of some good ones; I'd be grateful if you'd drop me a PM to let me know; thanks! :)

Crack ficts, occassionally.

Previously unconsidered, deeper (and much darker) aspects of the Naruto universe, like how much a shinobi (particularly Konoha shinobi, who strike me as rather different from other shinobi nations; again, this is explored in 'Konoha’s Will of Fire') would be able to withhold to protect their nation's interest, and the extent to which he (or she) would be able to hold out for Konoha. I'm sure many would willingly give up their lives, but when deprived of this option, and pushed to the edge, how much would it take to break them? This train of thought is a result of having read ficts like lrs-darkmuse's 'Such a Beautiful Boy', which explores how far a shinobi might go to ensure a mission's success; and some other fanficts exploring a different aspect, but of a similar nature, such as 'He Can Handle It' and 'The Nature of Interrogation' by whoeverIamloves-, which explores what might break a shinobi, literally. I may not approve of the themes suggested, but I cannot deny that reading such fanficts have gotten me thinking very deeply. Links are on the 'Favourite Stories' tab; read at your own discretion -- I'm not kidding about them being of a dark nature. (Oct 9, 2009)

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not very comfortable reading ficts (especially dark ones like the above mentioned) that don't involve recovery of some sort, and which deal with more depressing thoughts and topics, such as the literal value of a shinobi as a weapon. Much as it seems very possible given the line they're in, I prefer bits about shinobi picking themselves up, and gaining strength from and with each other, rather than entertain morbid thoughts alone. The way I see it, regardless of how terrible the situation gets, Konoha shinobi have inner strength that helps them stand up again, though, no doubt, they'll require lots of time and concern. Take Ibiki, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Tsunade, Asuma -- shinobi who have faced terrible things (including losing their loved ones) but lived on, drawing strength from their memories, mentors and comrades. I believe in holding on to hope and having faith when things get bad. If you're one for reading such ficts, though, kimi no vanilla has written some pretty believable, less optimistic and more disturbing (to me, at least) fanficts than that mentioned in the above paragraph. The same warning as the above paragraph applies. Two are in my 'Favourite Stories' tab, if you're interested. (Oct 10, 2009)

Other characters have caught my eye too, for having very distinct personalities. I'd love to try my hand at writing them someday.

On a side note, I don't write, and I refrain from reading yaoi or yuri.

It's usually the writing I go for, and of course I'll consider the pairing before I read; I usually browse the site for completed stories.

Depending on the genre, different aspects appeal to me. Characterisation, perspective and depth, flow of the story, the plot, the feel it gives, how much it makes you reflect...

Certain intricacies, or mechanics in various relationships (even if they aren't romance or canon) have gotten me interested, and I must say it's lovely seeing how people bring characters together in fanfictions. The rationale, the process, etc; another beauty of fanfiction! I rather enjoy musing (and, when possible, reading) about how various characters would behave when given the chance to interact.

Some Firsts for me on this site...
First review written for: lord of the land of fire's 'Invitation'
First person who added me to his/her 'Favourite Author' List: PGNarutoFan; her ShikaTema story, 'Sweetest Melody', lives up to its name.
First person who added me to her 'Author Alert' List: CaitlinIsATreehugger
First story dedicated to me: 'The Price of Passion' by Midnight Memories (She writes beautiful stories; do take a look!)
First Reviewer: InosBane (Another of my all-time, top favourite writers!)
First story published on FanFiction.net: 'Shadows of the Night'

Interestingly, I've recently noticed the above section on other writers' profile pages... I'm half-amused, half-flattered, because I didn't think anybody else would want it on their profile page. When I first posted it, I had just started writing and posting fanfictions, and besides holding my breath for reviews and wondering about how my first fanfiction would be received, I had limited options to keep my mind off it. This was the result -- the profile page got more developed. As time passed, it became my way of keeping track of things, and things got gradually added to the list. It's my little way of thanking the above people for providing that very first assurance in some form or another. If you really really really wanna use it, I suppose it's fine with me (I'm sure some of you probably feel the same way towards those who've done the same for you), but only from this tiny little 'Some Firsts for me on this site' section of my profile page, and nothing more from the remaining portions of the profile page or anything else I've posted (i.e. my fanficts), yeah? :) Thanks very much. (Please see the 'Profile' or 'IMPORTANT' sections ,above, if you're wondering why I'm so protective of the stuff I put up.)

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My Fanfictions
The following fanfictions can stand alone to a large extent, particularly the one shots.

Fanficts 1 to 5 involve Shikamaru and Temari.
Fanfict 6 involves Shikamaru.
Fanfict 7 involves Ino and Shikamaru.
Fanficts 8 and 9 involve Hana and Itachi.

A little background, i.e. what crossed my mind when writing them; for summaries and main characters see 'My Stories' tab...

In order of posting...
(1) Shadows of the Night (One shot; Complete)

(2) Wind Shadows (can be taken as a one shot for now; sequel to 'Shadows of the Night')
I'd hoped to be able to examine the relationship between Temari and her siblings, particularly after events in SotN, but since I haven't yet
been given permission to post those, this will have to remain a one shot about Temari's introspection.

(3) Beyond the Shadows (12 chapters; Complete)
This came about because I wondered about just what makes a Nara. Not much is known about what they do, but I'm sure there's a lot more
to them than merely being Konoha's shadow manipulators. This is the result :)

(4) Back to Back (One shot; Complete; mentioned in and inspired by Chapter 8 of 'BtS'; set before 'SotN')

(5) The Konoha-Suna Collaboration Scheme (One shot; Complete; mentioned in and related to Chapter 11 of 'BtS'; set after 'BtS')

(6) Konoha’s Will of Fire (One shot; Complete; set after Asuma's fall)
I'm sure Shikamaru intends to live on to protect what his sensei died for. Besides, he told Kurenai he's gotta become a cool adult, right? ;) In
this fict, two Jounin lend Shikamaru their support, as he continues sharpening his abilities, in preparation of the promise he intends to fulfill.
They do it not out of pity or obligation, but because he is their comrade :)

(7) Ino’s Smile (One shot; Complete; set after 'Konoha's Will of Fire')
Ino has struck me as a commonly misunderstood character. Since Shippuuden, I think she's changed drastically, and in this fict I speculate
about what may have caused this change. Of course, it's hard to step out of your own shadow without help, so she gets some in this fict. I do
hope she'll regain some of the cheerfulness and confidence she seems to have lost.

Written before 'KWoF', but posted after; can be taken as a sequel, because the events in this occur a day after that in 'KWoF'.

(8) Seeing Eye to Eye (One shot; Complete; set in the Rookie Nine's pre-Academy days)
I started on this with intentions of writing 'KI', but I realised that if Hana and Itachi knew each other, they'd have to have met somewhere.
Though I'd envisioned their first meeting rather differently ('KI' might give you an idea of what that might be), I decided that above all, I'd like
to think of them as friends, not merely someone else who shares a similarity, so this was written for them, and them alone :)

(9) Konoha’s Itachi (One shot; Complete; set some years after post-massacre)
The first thing that crossed my mind when I learnt about the truth of Itachi's actions some time back, was how he'd done so much for his little
brother, and he'd gone through with his act the whole time without a word to any one. All for Sasuke. In the same way, Hana seems to dote
on Kiba. If anything, I'm positively sure that Hana, more so than others, would understand an older sibling's love for a younger sibling.

This idea harrassed me when I was writing 'IS', so I promised myself I'd get it down.

If you read and liked them, please please leave a review, just so I know. Even if it's only a few words long, I'd be most grateful. Thanks so much! It's a wonderful source of encouragement, so you'd like to read more from me, please cheer me up by reviewing my fanfictions...

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Reviews
I make it a point to review most stories, especially those I enjoyed, even if it was written years ago. To me, that's the least I could do to thank the writer for writing that story. I'd surely appreciate if you like my stories enough to do the same for me.

The fact that reviewers were thoughtful enough to let me know they found my fanfictions worth reading always makes my day! Trust me, it's a morale booster. I'd like to know that even if my stories weren't superb, the reviewer found it worth his/her time.

I'm fortunate to have had extremely dedicated reviewers who show me their support in the most encouraging ways; besides sparing me their precious time to let me know what they thought of various chapters (no matter what, they always find ways to faithfully return to read and review the latest chapters), they'll respond to my questions in A/Ns, offer suggestions, constructive criticism, support me by waiting with me and for me; some even pick out their favourite parts and lines in chapters, and each time they do that, I can't help but smile at their sincerity. A few always inject humour and commentaries into their reviews, and it really warms my heart and makes me beam to see such reviews. I really feel blessed to have so many valuable reviewers. It is for them that I post; they really make the writing and posting process a wholesome, worthwhile, special experience. Thanks a million, my sweet reviewers, yes to every one of you! :D

Thanks also to those who've added me or my fanfictions to their Favourite or Alert lists, or both.

I apologise in advance to anonymous reviewers for not acknowledging your reviews in a Review Reply. Thank you so much for your feedback! I can only reply signed reviews, especially since, if I'm not wrong, the option for an anonymous reviewer to leave an email address is no longer available. Even when anonymous reviewers were allowed to list their emails down, I couldn't reply without keeping my email address private; I'm terribly sorry about that.

Story Requests
I don't take story requests because I know every story requires preparation and commitment, and I don't want to disappoint anybody by promising them anything I might not be able to deliver, especially not if they've high enough hopes in me to request fanfiction.

Current Status
On hiatus.

Note
The above format, titling, wording and content are also original, i.e. I'm unlikely to copy and paste stuff here, with the exception of links, so, please do NOT copy and paste ANYTHING from this profile page into your own. Exception: The 'Some Firsts for me on this site...' bit can be copied and pasted to your own profile pages so long as you don't claim to have thought it up ;)