For those wondering about the avatar, it's Angel Salvia/Scarlett O'Hara from Wedding Peach, posing as Winter in the Four Seasons.

Simple profile

I'm a more-or-less normal graduate student attending university.

Yes, dear readers out there, I am in GRADUATE SCHOOL for public policy. This is honestly a life-and-death matter, so I apologize that my updates come out at a snail's pace.

But honestly, if I have to choose between getting a modest income with a slow fanfiction, and no income with a fast fanfiction, I take the former. You can't do much with a B.A. in political science alone.

There's not much else I can say without giving away too much. I like swimming for exercise and recreation (I swam competitively for ten years), and occasionally write essays for fun. I love reading, and am addicted to news. I'm studying to prepare for work in diplomatic services. If that doesn't work out, maybe I'll go sell my soul to the FBI or CIA; I've heard they're in desperate need for people who know foreign languages.

Oops, I've already said too much. Go stun-gun yourself.

Stories

"Dimensional Exchanges" - complete, and a success. There were many helpful comments and criticism given during the writing of this story. Thanks to one and all!

"Beyond Hearts and Minds" - SEQUEL to Dimensional Exchanges. Yes, readers, IT'S UP! It has been up for quite some time! At least four people had reviewed or e-mailed me that they want to see a sequel to it — after it had already begun. One person even began to write up her own sequel to DE, without even asking me. (Now that was a weird incident. The person, whose pen-name I will not disclose, posted her sequel well into a year of BH&M's first posting. The ever-watchful reader Enzeru no Yami alerted me to it, and after a quick PM, the story was immediately put down. So no harm was done... but it was interesting.)

I'm always open to comments or suggestions for this story, via review or e-mail.

Favorite manga and anime

Manga (preferred in the raw Japanese, but some English translations are okay): Detective Conan (what's it called in the dub? Case Closed?), Kodocha, Wedding Peach, Naruto, Ranma 1/2, Yakitate! Japan, Flame of Recca, Devil x Devil (a lesser known manga; anime-hyphen-source-dot-net has the full manga up online for viewing), Penguin Brothers, and GTO.

Anime: Bleach, Rurouni Kenshin (the OVA collection, 'Samurai X'), Death Note, Eyeshield 21. The Naruto anime was good for a while, but alas, the anime-makers have to slow down, and even at long periods of time provide children-friendly fillers because the manga artist has a DBZ-complex. Well, it's his work...

Favorite characters in manga and anime

Bishounen: Uchiha Sasuke and Sai in Naruto; Fuuma Yousuke and Pluie in Wedding Peach; Hayama Akito in Kodocha; Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryuu in Bleach; Yuki, Kyou, Hatsuharu and Akito (?) in Fruits Basket; Hibiki Ryouga and Konatsu (poor guy, he didn't show up in the anime) in Ranma 1/2; Miroku in Inuyasha; Kudou Shinichi in Detective Conan; the four Shiten'nou in Sailor Moon; Mikagami and Raiha in Flame of Recca.

Men who lack the youth or genetically-impossible beauty to be technical bishounen, but whom I consider cool nonetheless: Rock Lee, Hatake Kakashi, the Yondaime, Yakushi Kabuto, Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi in Naruto; Uragano in Wedding Peach; Hiko Seijuurou in Rurouni Kenshin; Shigure, Hatori and Ayame in Fruits Basket; Sagami Rei in Kodocha; Hanatorou in Bleach; Hiruma Youichi in Eyeshield 21.

Bishoujo: Sakura and Hinata in Naruto (even though Kishimoto's staff called Sakura 'uncute' in her initial sketch, she does have at least two admirers); Hanasaki Momoko in Wedding Peach; Akane and Ukyou in Ranma 1/2; Sango in Inuyasha; Sana in Kodocha.

Beautiful, powerful, and enigmatic women: Celeste/Hanasaki Sakura and Angel Salvia/Scarlett O'Hara in Wedding Peach; Tsunade in Naruto; Kikyou and Kagura in Inuyasha.

Favorite books

Usually, I like any book that has stood the test of time. Most books that professors bring into their literature classes, I end up enjoying. To be more modern, however...

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. The Harry Potter series, and the Inheritance Triology are my current curiosities.

For some reason, I didn't like reading LOTR. I don't care what the fantasy-fans tell me. A bunch of singing hobbits is not my thing. And the movies were the schlepping of the rings.

Favorite plays

Otello, Titus Andronicus, and Twelfth Night are my favorite plays from Shakespeare. The man was a genius. Even if he had stolen the plots of all his 37 plays from other sources save one, he made up for it writing the stories better than before.

Along with Shakespeare, any play by Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw is usually great.

The Odd Couple.

The Seven-Year Itch.

The Crucible.

Shippings? er, Favorite pairings

Okay, this is a strange area. My best friend also suggested that I put this up. I see no point to it, but he says it's fun for the readers. (If you can tell, he's a bigger anime-fanatic than I am.) I'm not one of those die-hard fans who berate the original authors for twisting characters into unexpected pairings. It's their characters, after all.

And the characters are, well, fictional. They're not real-life people who are setting doom upon themselves by hooking up with someone incompatible with them. Apparently, this empirical fact doesn't stop some readers from flaming fanfic stories because the pairings displayed do not suit their tastes.

So here are my humble preferences, for those curious enough to wonder...

'sweet' pairings:

Naruto and Hinata from Naruto.

Ishida and Orihime from Bleach. I know, I know. Orihime leans towards Ichigo in canon. But guys with glasses need a bit of loving, too.

Lee and Sakura from Naruto. Lee is too cute! I have yet to see long, elaborate fics on this pairing.

'intriguing' pairings:

Sasuke and Sakura from Naruto. Perhaps this combination goes up into the 'cute' category. But it just rocks the charts in terms of angst level. Sasuke is a combination of Hamlet and Faust after all. It's a greater challenge to write about the sasusaku pairing than the leesaku pairing. Even though there are tons of sasusaku fics out there, only a fraction of authors have succeeded in making believable ones.

Ichigo and Rukia from Bleach. Ahahahahaha! They bicker and fight so much over trivial things anyway! Rukia talks and acts like a guy, and Ichigo is too uptight yet does annoyingly well in almost anything he tries. Even if they don't hook up, they're great friends.

Draco and Hermione from Harry Potter. I know, it will never happen. Even J.K. Rowling denied the slightest possibility. Does this stop me from reading good stories on this pairing? No. As long as they're well-written. This probably is just a mutant that sprang out of my sasusaku fascination.

Hiruma Youichi and Anezaki Mamori from Eyeshield 21. Oh, Armageddon. The first time this picture crossed my mind, I dropped it immediately with a shudder, and never dared think of it again — until that one unexpected comment by the coach. I highly doubt whether Hiruma would take up anything as silly as romance, because his awesome demonic genius should remain intact. He gained a cute piece of blackmail material on Mamori, though. Which makes the possibility of them together more frightening... and hilarious.

'so unbelievable that I never find myself reading them' pairings:

almost any yaoi pairing. I'm not anti-gay or anti-yaoi — I totally respect those who prefer yaoi literature. But personally, two hot guys going at it doesn't turn me on. One pairing I particular have skepticism on is the pairing of Naruto and Sasuke in the Naruto series. (I'm drowning! 95 percent of Naruto fanfiction!) It's kind of cute, sure. But anything past a brother-relationship would be a storm. Even if they were gay, would they really put up with each other so?

(Then again, it's a low chance that Sasuke would tolerate Sakura if she makes her obsession so glaringly clear. As a girl, I know that the best way to snag a guy is to entertain him, subtly tempt him, and then step away so that he falls on his face.)

Actually, I am one of those few females who avoids yaoi, and LIKES yuri. So here is another category...

'yuri' pairings:

Sakura and Ino from Naruto. Great friends, better rivals.

Sakura and Hinata from Naruto. They barely know each other in the series (like Kakashi and Iruka), but their pairing would be cuter than Sakura and Ino. Hinata is just too adorable. And if by any chance Kishimoto-sensei is persuaded by yaoi fangirls — at gunpoint — that Naruto and Sasuke must hook up, then it's plausible that Sakura comforts Hinata in the aftershock. Sakura is practically a female Naruto when it comes to inner attitude. And she has more smarts than him.

Yoruichi and Soi Fon from Bleach.

Miaka and Yuu from Fushigi Yuugi. Now that is random. Especially when they are strictly best friends. But Yuu did admit that she was jealous and angry over Miaka with Tamahome. In turn, Miaka's loyalty to Yuu is admirable.

That's about it. If you've read to the end of this profile without skipping something in between, you probably have too much time on your hands.