~~Welcome/Introduction:~~
Hello everyone, and welcome to my profile.
I would like to take the time to thank those of you who might have happened across one of the works of fan-fiction I have written. Whether you reviewed, or read it and moved on to the next story, you are the reason that I write, and I am grateful. When I first entered into the world of fan-fiction, I had only ever attempted original short stories and poetry; as such my listeners were most often my friends and family, who were more concerned with boosting my confidence, than correcting my mistakes. This site was the first of many fan-fiction sites I would come to join, and it's community will always have the most to do with any improvement and growth I have made over the years. Their encouragement, but even more importantly, constructive criticism, acted as major influence in my writing and my desire to continue growing as an author.
I have had the privilege of meeting many wonderful people, and fellow authors on this site. And to them I extend my deepest thanks and respect. It's never easy to do what we as story-tellers do, but likewise it is rarely ever that which is easiest, that makes life so worthwhile. For me writing is certainly one of those things that makes living worthwhile, and being able to entertain others with my ideas is something I hope to always continue doing.
But to those of you who might be interested in learning a bit more about the person behind the words, (God have mercy on your souls. Ha ha!) I have created this profile to give those reading a better understanding of just who I am. I will also use this page to keep track of my works in progress, future projects in the realm of fan-fiction, and list those pieces of fan-fiction which have been completed. So if you'd prefer a brief synopsis on what I am currently up to, I'd suggest scrolling down to the bottom of the page. Those of you who are here to sate your curiosity, be careful what you wish for, and read on.
Mwahaha!
~~General/About Me:~~
I often get questions asking me about the meaning behind my screen name, so I think I'll start with explaining a little bit on that. Raptured Night, as many seem to think, is not in fact a religious based screen name, nor does it have any gothic, emo, or punk/ect. influences in it's creation. Rather it is a testament for my love of the night-time; I have always found the times after sun-set to be breath-takingly ethereal. So when it came to choosing an onlinename for myself, I wanted something that captured these feelings accurately. And as the word rapture also happens to mean a state of euphoria, it seemed a perfect combination. Thus the name Raptured Night came into being, and has since been used on many of the sites and forums I like to frequent.
My real name however, is not so well known online, but was given to me by my Da who happened to hear it used in a grocery store, of all places. Chanda often mispronounced, misspelled, and just generally misunderstood (I think he had a bit of foresight concerning me on the last one. Ha ha!), I later discovered to be a Hindi word meaning moon. Which is really a rather interesting coincidence, given that my mother's name also means moon; Diana being the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. Regardless that is my name, and for all that it does sometimes confuse people, I like it.
My family --from what I know on my Da's side-- are of Irish descendants that migrated to America sometime in the past. I do have some kin that still live and hail from different parts of Ireland, but I've never met them myself. I also have some Cherokee blood in me, from both my mother and father's sides of the family. I was born a southern girl on the month of March, 1988 and I have since been raised to be a southern woman. Having lived in the mountains of North Carolina most of my life, I am something of a traditionalist in my beliefs. Family and heritage is very important to me, as are the values and morals I have been raised and taught to keep.
I am a person of strong convictions, and I can be very passionate when it comes to debating them. However I can also be open minded to the endless possibilities, of a universe just as endless and incomprehensible. There is an Irish saying that goes, "It is the greatest of fools, that confuses their opinions for truth."
In life I have discovered there to be countless opinions, which can make the truth obscure and difficult to find. It is for that reason I have always made a point to question and consider every piece of information that comes my way; I love knowledge, and learning knew things, and I feel that only through understanding how little I truly know, can I ever hope to grow as an intellectual --and as a person. So while I will step outside my comfort zone, I have always asked that whomever I might find challenging me to do so, will be willing to do so them self.
"Talk sense to a fool, and he will call you foolish," ~Euripides 480-406 B.C.
I am a prideful individual, and since being strong-willed is as inherent a trait in my mother's side of the family, as being sarcastic is in my Da's, my personality can be off putting I suppose. My father once told me that I would sooner break off my own arm, than let anyone use it to hold me back in life. And as this happened to be mentioned during one of our occasional arguments growing up, the frustration in his voice when he said it at the time has always amused me greatly. And like-wise served as a reminder of both the importance and dangers of too much pride --combined with a smart-mouth.
"Many a time a man's mouth, broke his nose," ~Irish Proverb (While I may not be a man, I think the point is still very clear.)
I do have a deep respectfor those possessing intellect and wit, and I feel one of the most amusing and entertaining ways of revealing it is through the art of sarcasm. A viewpoint very much shared by my Da's side of the family. Which was why growing up I learned fast to either have a sense of humor, or have a great deal of psychological insecurities resulting in future years of expensive therapy. Naturally I chose the former, over the latter. Ha ha!
I would like to think I am a patient person; I feel it is important for a person to know them self, so that they might be able to accept and even laugh at the insults that are true, while easily dismissing the ones that are false. I've never cared for a great deal of dramatics or irrationality, so when angry I tend to be more quiet and controlled, than loud and destructive. But by nature I can enjoy a bit of a competitive debate/disagreement, so more often than not I'm mistaken for being angry, when really I'm just being obnoxious --or passionate depending upon your opinion. Ha ha!
My styles tend to vary, and quite honestly I have no certain trend or fashion I choose to follow. I'm far more content choosing the ones that I like, and avoiding the ones that I don't. Today it seems that so many are concerned with fitting in, or standing out, and they forget to be themselves in all of it. There is no greater tragedy than the loss of oneself, especially for something as trivial as the opinions of others.
In the time that I have lived so far, I have been blessed: by my faith, by my family, and by the knowledge each of those has brought to me. It is because of this, that I can accept all that I am, and all that I'm not. But most importantly, it is because of this that I will always endeavor to move forwards, towards that which I should be.
~~Hobbies/Likes:~~
William Shakespeare said it best when he said, "We know what we are, but not what we may be."
I have often liked to think of my interests as a reflection; both of what I am now, and what I am becoming. In that way they could be considered pieces of myself now, and pieces of a puzzle that will make-up my future.
I love history and philosophy, to me they seem to go together like knowledge and wisdom --they compliment each other well. To understand history is to understand yourself better. At least I would like to think so. I once heard someone say, "That history helps you to better understand who you are, by reminding you of what you have been, and where you have come from." As a Christian and believer in the teachings of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I believe that we are all connected in this world, so that made excellent sense to me.
But as history is a record of the past, philosophy is an idea of what is, what could be, and what should be. Philosophy gives a deeper meaning to the things we sometimes believe are without meaning. It invokes thought in ways only it can, which is why it is a favorite interest of mine. Another of my interests is psychology, as the human mind still remains a mystery in many ways, despite our advances in technology. I can not say if I will make my interest in psychology into a career as of yet, but I will say that I wouldn't mind aspiring to become a psychologist one day.
Along with psychology, history, and philosophy, I also hold a deep interest in foreign cultures. I love learning about different customs, and different languages. It is only when one exceeds the boundaries of what they can understand, and venture into what they do not, that anything of real value can be gained. I hope that one day I can speak many different languages, and know about many different cultures, so that I can pass that knowledge on to my own children. In the hopes that they can grow further from it, and pass it on as well.
Mythology is another interest I have; I find it truly fascinating to learn about ideals of what could be, and see just how much it has influenced our world today --even if only subtly. I also love reading --ever since I read through my first book at the age of two, and discovered a magic that is all too real, in a world where magic is so often thought to be nonexistent, and very hard to find --I knew that literature would always play a very important role in my life. It is as much a part of me as anything else, and I myself am now an aspiring author who hopes one day to have her own stories published.
Few things would make me happier than to think that my own work was bringing to people the same magic that the works of Lord Byron, Shakespeare, Gaston Leroux, Nancy Springer, Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, and even Dr. Seuss, has for me. It is also because of my love for literature, that I am seriously considering a carreer as a professor of English literature.
I have a fondness for art, and while I myself am far from being called an artist I do like to draw on occasion. I do best with landscapes, but I also enjoy drawing anime, and people. But perhaps one of my greatest passions would have to do with martial arts. Currently I am a red-belt in Tae Kwon Do, and I also have studied a touch of Iaido, which is a form that focuses solely upon the art of the sword.
My younger brother has already achieved the rank of black-belt, but I do hope to join him among those ranks one day soon. I also like most animes (yes I am something of an otaku, for those of you that know what that particular term means), and role-playing which I find to be not only great fun, and a way of relieving stress, but also an excellent way to improve on my writing skills. I currently run one role-play forums of my own.
~~Pet Peeves/Dislikes:~~
Coming Soon
~~Favorite Quotes/Proverbs:~~
"A wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he wants to say something."
"Respect is earned not given."
"In a perfect world no one would ever say I keep it real, because in a perfect world it's understood that they actually will."
"Fear makes the wolf bigger than he really is."
"Many a time a man's mouth, broke his nose," ~Irish Proverb
"It is the greatest of fools, that confuses their opinions for truth," ~Irish Proverb
"Talk sense to a fool, and he will call you foolish," ~Euripides 480-406 B.C.
"We know what we are, but not what we may be," ~William Shakespeare
"Beware of the anger of a patient man," ~Irish Proverb
"When I was born into this world, I shed tears of confusion and fear. When I leave it, you can be sure I won't do the same," ~Me
"The true difference between idealism and realism, is that realism is not about belief, but understanding. While idealism is about understanding, that all things first began with a belief. That is why realism is so often favored; we would rather accept what has already been accepted, than risk believing in what has not yet been proved to be real." ~Me
"Ironic isn't it? How when one loses fear of death and wishes to embrace it, death suddenly finds it is afraid of you and runs away," ~Me
"We're all dying; it's unavoidable, but if life has no purpose then we're already dead," ~Kiba from Wolf's Rain
"How silly and pointless a thing it is, to fear the inevitable. We all have to die sometime, I think I'd rather worry myself over how I meet death, than when I may," ~Me
"It requires more courage to suffer than to die," ~Napoleon Bonaparte
"We are all born ignorant, but you grew into your stupidity quite well," ~Me
"There is a reason why so many great leaders in this world die early deaths. And that reason is because they all find themselves walking off of a cliff at some point in life, just so they can take a few pesky followers with them," ~Me
"There are two ways to be sexually secure: the first is to be confident and open in your sexuality, the second it to be secure in your holding cell so you can't molest any more nice people," ~Me
"I don't like to burn things, I like to burn people --they fight back," ~Me
~~Fanfiction Projects: ~~
Completed:
Promise:
This is my first attempt at fan-fiction based poetry, written a few years back. It's based on one of my favorite Dragonball Z characters. And on the plus side, it actually rhymes. Ha ha! A look at Piccolo's feelings about Gohan's growing respect and admiration for him, set in the Saiyan Saga timeline. (Not a yaoi)
The Price:
Another attempt to delve into the mind of my most favorite namekian Piccolo-sama. It's my second fanfiction based poem, and it explores Piccolo's feelings right after the Frieza Saga. How he might have felt suddenly finding himself with the Z warriors. Check it out, and feel free to review even if it is old.
Works In Progress:
Beyond Redemption:
A very original romance/angst based fic about none other than Orochimaru-sama. It's still a work in progress but it's definitely worth a good read. Has lots of action both romantic/fight wise. It's a Oro/OFC so give it a read. I am currently in the process of revamping some of the older chapters, while trying to get the newest one out.
Upcoming Fanfiction Projects:
Sins of The Father:
My revamped attempt at my very first fan-fiction story, Silence is Loud When All You Can Hear Is Your Heart.Not only have I improved it's plot-line, but the original character in it. So keep your eyes open, if you like Dragonball Z fan-fiction.
I have many other ideas, but at the moment all of them are too unorganized for me to begin working on. So for now that's all I can tell you, thanks for reading my profile.
Sincerely Yours,
~Raptured Night
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