'A written word is the choicest of relics. It is something at once more intimate with us and more universal than any other work of art. It is the work of art nearest to life itself. It may be translated into every language, and not only be read but actually breathed from the human lips; - not be represented on canvas or marble only, but carved out of the breath of life itself.' Henry David Thoreau

'Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it.' Jesse Stuart

Update - 20 October 2012
No new story updates or anything, unfortunately. Just fixing up my profile a little bit. Sorry, guys.

Stories that I plan/hope to update in the future:
Rattle the Chains
Within this Nightmare
Snapshots
With the Flow
Power of the Pack
Of Love and Roses
Preservation
Kindred Spirits

On (temporary/permanent) hiatus:
Not Who You Think You Are
The Orb of Destiny
On Wings of the Phoenix
Unreal
Operation: TWINS
Operation: ROMANCE
Step By Step
Just Step Brothers
Under the Spell
Overcoming Chaos

Uncertain:
Dreams of the Heart
So Far Down
Ties that Bind
Settlement
Reassurance's Embrace
Covert Operations
Connecting

Note: Some stories under the "On hiatus" section may or may not be updated on this site if (if) I ever decide to continue writing them. If you're still interested in them, send me a PM to let me know, then make a connection with me using the DocX feature. That way, if I write more chapters for them and don't post them up, I'll send them to you.

About the Author
Name: Usami
Birthday: October 13 (presents are always welcome)
Signs: My Western sign is Libra, and my Chinese sign is a Fire Rabbit (I'll let you figure out what that means)
Other: I'm a Filipina-American with a BA in Psychology and a Minor in Family Studies, am a Catholic Christian, and have lived in the US for a majority of my life. I love anime/manga, cartoons, comics, video games, movies, music, reading, writing fanfiction, learning about different religions and cultures, and in general just hanging around.

I'm a bit shy and can sometimes appear rather distant, but it's only because I have a hard time opening up to people. When you get me talking, though...I can talk. Most of the time, I have my head up in the clouds, and I have a hard time coming back down to Earth. I'm a bit weird and sometimes don't make a lot of sense, but I'm trying to be the best 'me' I can be.

More Places to Find Me
My LiveJournal
My Tumblr

About Writing
I've been writing fanfiction since I was in the eighth grade. Living in Taiwan and not understanding the language, I spent most of my time indulging in my new Dragonball Z obsession by learning about the series and reading fanfiction. At one point, I decided that I could write better stories than some of the stuff I was reading, so I gave it a shot. And thus, an author was born.

Looking back now, I realize that my old stories were just as bad as the ones I was trying to show up, but I'd like to think that I've improved since then.

It wasn't until much later that I discovered FF. net, when I was looking for some interesting YuGiOh fanfics sometime after coming back to the States. I found an awesome story here one day, but when I tried to find it again I discovered it was on a different page. I realized that people were adding more stories to the site daily. After a while of simple curiosity, I finally registered, and I've been a member ever since.

Obviously I don't own any of the series I write about. I might have developed the plots and thrown in an original character or two, but for the most part the works belong to their original creators. I'm just a simple fan who enjoys them by using them in stories.

I love to write thoughtful and emotional pieces that really gets into a character's head. I also like to try and find something different that hasn't been done, or try to do something in a unique way that really makes people think. I have difficulty, though, with physical descriptions, and a dialogue with more than two characters can be challenging for me. I dabble a bit in romances, but admittedly that's still something I'm working on.

It's not really hard for an idea to spark; a particular episode or scene in the series, another story I've read, something I've seen in a forum, or heard other fans talking about, a song I hear, a game I play...anything I hear, see, do, or think can become an interesting story for me to write. The downside to being so easily inspired is that it can just as easily be lost. It's hard to write without inspiration, so don't be surprised when a story goes for a long time without any updates.

Another reason that it's sometimes hard for me to update is because I have a bit of trouble coming up with the right words. Now, I don't mean to sound egotistical or anything, but sometimes people tell me that they can envision my story in their head, like an episode from the show. Truthfully, that's not an accident. I do my best to play the events in the story out in my head first, and I do my best to imagine what it would be like as an episode. Then I'll go write it out. Unfortunately, moving from picture to words takes a while, and sometimes it's difficult for me to make the transition, and the stories don't get updated as often as anyone would like them to. So please, bear with me.

About Reading and Reviewing
I love to read other people's works. I mostly look for stories about my favorite characters, but I'll read anything that catches my eye. I especially like stories that really make me stop and think, things that get me to see new things. But really, I'm not too picky when it comes to reading other people's stories, as long as it's well written and interests me.

I'm notoriously bad at reviewing, though. I usually feel like I don't have anything constructive to say, so I sometimes just don't review at all. I do review occasionally, but it depends. So if I don't review your story, please don't take it personally.

About Favorites
Obviously I have favorite pairings and characters. I'm only human, after all. I have characters I love, characters I like, and characters I don't like; I have OTPs and pairings I think shouldn't exist. Still, I try to be open to things, because I know there are people out there who like what I don't. I respect that people have opinions that differ from my own, so I try to understand what appeals to them. I may still not agree, but I try to see where they're coming from. Who knows? I may even end up changing my mind and like what I didn't before, if someone can give me good reasons to. It's fun looking at the 'what if's and seeing things in a whole new light.

That's about it, I guess...If there is anything else you'd like to know about me, feel free to PM me. Otherwise, enjoy the stories!