My Stories and Ideas:

The Cost of Living -- Naruto; Pairing(s): Naruto/Fū; My response to pudgypudge's Jiongu challenge. Follow Naruto as he is trained by S-Class missing-nin Kakuzu in the arts of being a ninja and bounty hunter as he quests for vengeance against Konoha. Possessing a new mindset and skills, thrown headlong into the Chūnin Exams with his fellow Jinchūriki, and with Akatsuki pulling the strings from the shadows, does Naruto have what it takes to survive the challenges thrown at him? Status: Multi-chapter, completed

The Line -- Naruto; Pairing(s): Naruto/Ino; 10-year-old Yamanaka Ino attempts her first Shintenshin on an unsuspecting Naruto, but finds that she is trapped in his body, and he in hers. With this strange mishap, both learn unknown things about the other and grow closer as a result. A story of how strangers become friends and then turn into something more by crossing that metaphorical line. Status: Short story, completed

Devil's Advocate -- Naruto; Pairing(s): Ino/Naruto, Tenten/Naruto; A twist of fate brings Zetsu into Naruto's life, who learns through experience that things are not as black and white as they appear. With so many different lessons to be learned in life, Zetsu teaches Naruto that differing ideologies each have their own flaws. Trained in both philosophy and botany, how does Naruto's perception of himself, those around him, and the world change under the tutelage of Zetsu? Status: Multi-chapter, completed

Inner Demons -- Naruto; Pairing(s): TBA; The relationships among and between the Bijū and their Jinchūriki are far more complex than anyone imagined. Utakata - Jinchūriki to the Six-Tails - discovers Madara's secret plot and decides that the only way to save himself and free Yagura from the Uchiha's control is to find the other demon containers and persuade them to join his fight, starting with the Kyūbi. The result grants Naruto access to abilities he's never known, and everyone else a support system they've lacked their entire lives. Status: Multi-chapter, in-progress

Checkmate -- Naruto; sequel to The Cost of Living; Pairing(s): None; In a world where Pein's idea of peace continues to live on and be supported by Naruto, Kakuzu wonders what his next move should be. When his teaching abilities are tested one more time, he finally comes up with the answer. Status: One-shot, completed

Blitzkrieg -- Naruto; sequel to The Cost of Living and Checkmate; Pairing(s): Naruto/Fū; After Kakuzu's life-changing decision in Checkmate, the world is open to the taking. Naruto recruits the remaining members of Akatsuki together for one final, lightning-fast push to bring everyone under the umbrella of Pein's ideal. Status: One-shot, completed

The Drawing Board -- Naruto; Story musings and plot bunnies that I can't get out of my head and write down in my free time. Updates will be very sporadic and disconnected, and all stories are up for adoption. Status: In-progress

Hide and Seek -- Naruto; Pairing(s): Shino/Fū; Shino likes to solve puzzles, especially ones which have the effect on his kikai that she does. Fū just wants someone who's willing to play with her, for as long as it lasts. Status: One-shot, completed

Journey of Legends -- Pokemon; Future-fic; Pairing(s): Ash/Misty, Brock/Erika; Ash Ketchum is challenged to confront and capture the Legendary Pokemon of each region. He departs on the journey, armed with years of experience, a large arsenal of Pokemon, and his two best friends by his side. But with the strain of the mental and physical tests presented by some of the Legendaries, and a mysterious coalition actively working against him, will Ash succeed in his quest? Status: Multi-chapter, on (temporary) hiatus

Indebted -- Pokemon; Side-story to Journey of Legends; Pairing(s): One-sided Sabrina/Ash, hinted Misty/Ash, Erika/Brock; Sabrina has long considered herself indebted to Ash Ketchum for rescuing her from herself all those years ago. The only problem has been trying to find a way to repay such a high debt. The story of how Sabrina finds the easiest way to do so: by giving him Gengar and Misty. Status: One-shot, completed

Insecurities -- Pokemon; Pairing(s): Ash/Anabel; Even the best of people have their weaknesses. Some just happen to be a bit more buried than others. When Ash is confronted by the realization that he might not be able to measure up to the high standards of the Battle Frontier's Brains, Anabel is there to help him through his own insecurities. Status: One-shot, completed

Incognito -- Pokemon; Pairing(s): Ash/Misty; The best things are often disguised from view. When Ash discovers that Misty is working for Team Aqua, he does everything in his power to understand what's happened to his best friend, and how he can help her. The process reveals things about both trainers that Ash wasn't even aware of, despite how obvious they seemed. Team Aqua!Misty/Team Magma!Ash, inspired by a picture on DeviantArt. Status: Short story, completed

Occupational Hazards -- Pokemon; Pairing(s): None; As if roaming the world to complete the PokeDex and beating Gym Leaders to become the Champion wasn't enough, getting to the Gym Leaders is enough of a pain. A more realistic look at the protagonists' journeys through the 8 gyms of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos, and how they would handle the puzzles presented in the games. Status: Unconnected one-shots, pending

Personal Policies:

1) Reviewing: Review if you like what you see, review if you see something I can improve upon, but please be respectful; I am a human, and I have feelings. I post stories because I like the challenge and hobby of writing, and if other people like it, too...well, kudos to me, I suppose! I appreciate all reviews I get about my writing and attempt to respond to answer any and all questions or comments my readers have ASAP...as long as it doesn't spoil the story, of course. Feel free to leave your pen-name with any constructive criticism; I like having the opportunity to respond to these reviews and explain my point-of-view, and I'm always very civil about it.

2) Updates: Wandering this site for years, I have developed a lot of respect for a decent amount of the authors on this site. I understand how difficult it is to keep a schedule and plug away at a story while keeping a personal life and a job and/or school. That said, I will NEVER hold my stories ransom for review counts, nor will I promise an update schedule on anything. When I get free time, I try to write.

3) Advice: People have recently started asking for my opinion on things. I'm more surprised than anything else, but I tried to answer to the best of my abilities, and honestly. That said, the one thing I'd like to suggest to everyone is to proofread your stories. Write it out, wait a day or two, then come back and read through it to edit it. Bad spelling/grammar is the biggest turn-off to reading a story, in my opinion, and just taking a little extra time to look it over could mean a huge difference in what people think.

Fanart: (remove spaces)

Devil's Advocate - First Contact by Jakinabox: http :// www. /art/Devils-Advocate-First-Contact-602860737