Currently: chasing dreams and tired of running.

I hope that you smile often, unbidden, genuine. I hope that you're happy with the life you're living and that you carry no regrets with you, even though that kind of thing is maybe only possible in dreams and well-wishes. I hope you laugh a lot and have friends to hug and that you feel peace in God's presence and love. I hope that life treats you well, and if it doesn't, I hope that you are strong and supported in it.

Feel free to message me, but understand that I generally lack the time and energy to respond. (But you'll considerably brighten my day!)

[an edited letter]

When I began writing, I was an adolescent who didn't handle harsh words well. Maybe I still don't. At fourteen, maybe fifteen, I wrote an open letter that I left here on my profile for many years. Though it hasn't been many years, it's been a lifetime since then, and finally I've brought myself to rewrite this letter. Many people told me how the letter touched them, but the world has changed, I have changed, and the things I want to say to you have, naturally, also changed.

Thank you. Thanks, particularly, to the you who has been brought to this corner of the internet—not only to my stories, but even here to my profile. I'm grateful and blessed to have you as a reader.

Sorry. I am not a good writer. I do (in maybe unwarranted pride) believe that I write well, but I am not good at writing. I am a sometimes writer, and writing is very low indeed on my list in life. I'm sorry for any disappointment this brings you. I wish I could give you more, but every day I choose other things, and I do not regret it.

When you speak, please remember. Remember that there is a girl sitting on the other side of the screen. Remember that she hurts and bleeds the same way you would, laughs and dreams the way you might. Remember that when you aim to fire; remember that when you raise to cut. What does it cost you to hurt somebody? What does it cost you to be kind? If you are to hurt another, choose to do so knowing the weight of your action, please. Remember this not just for me, but for any you may cross paths with, please.

You know you owe me nothing; please understand that I, too, owe you nothing. Though we have no duty to each other, and the internet is vast and full of other roads, and anonymity sparks cruelty, I believe in our capacity to give of ourselves in this space.

So I wish (perhaps in vain) that these words--mine and yours--would build bridges between us. Believe me when I say that I know full well the power of words. Some of you say you've laughed, cried, hated... So too, have I laughed and cried. You've told me you care; you've told me you're moved and comforted; you've blessed me and encouraged me. You've told me to go kill myself; you've told me I'm worthless and will not amount to anything; you've cursed me and hurt me. You've brought me high and you've cut me low, and you will do it again.

Be kind, if you can, please.

-L

N - A Casket Full of Victory
It's easier to break than mend. And so, for everything she learned to heal, Sakura learned a thousand times to end.
Kishimoto's Sakura had so much criminally untapped potential. This one's because girls are main characters too, and if you're weak now all it means is that you have room for growth, and the world may be full of darkness but it is also full of light.

N - Break the Sky
The first thing Uzumaki Naruto taught the world was that glass ceilings are fragile, and limits are only for the fools who believe in them.
Adventures into the gritty side of being an underage killer, an exploration of the (perceived) limitations of gender, and a bildungsroman told in a crazy world. There are some things I like about this, and some things I can barely stand to read; in a way, BtS shows the ways in which my writing has developed. Hiatus without future direction.

N - Failure
Team 7 didn’t pass the bell test. It was the best thing that ever happened to Naruto.
Frankly, this is an amusing indulgence in a ridiculously powerful Naruto paired with an unbelievably tolerant Hokage. As I grew up, this one grew further and further from my heart — though its premise will, perhaps, always be powerful to me: we can turn our failures into success. What seems hopeless now may not always be, as long as you persevere. I will not be continuing this, but you can shoot me a message if you want to try.

N - Hide and Seek
When he is young, Naruto learns that sometimes you don’t want to be found. A legend is born. Powerful!Naruto
This is a fun, relatively less meaningful one-shot. I do not plan on continuing this story, and it is welcome to a good home. Please let me know if it sparks a story in you.