News Items:

Thursday, October 28, 2010 - Profile and FAQ updated. Blind's Sequel "Fidelis" is posted.
Saturday, May 15, 2010 - Writing Tips Section Added
Monday, November 30, 2009 - Profile and FAQ updated.
Saturday, January 19, 2008 - Blind related note again: concepts for the permanent curse seal are available for viewing now (and have been for a while...(coughs)): http:///deviation/68520252/
Sunday, July 8, 2007 - Another note in relation to Blind--here's the link to my picture of Sakura's brother, Kanaye: http:///deviation/59369052/
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - This is in relation to Blind, chapter 17. Here is the link to the "Emo Royalty" picture I mentioned: http:///deviation/38060443/

Frequently Asked Questions - Some of the same recurring questions keep coming up in my reviews, so I'm answering them here.

General/Miscellaneous

Q: Will you read my story?
A: No promises. I'd like to, but I don't always have the time--now that I'm done Blind, I'm turning my attention to school more than before. The most concrete answer you'll get is: maybe.

Q: When do you update?
A: I update every Wednesday.

Q: Why can't you update sooner?
A: Because I don't want to? I like to read each review, bask in the praise, digest the constructive criticism, have a good cry over the flames (okay, not that last one). And then have a break from the fanfiction scene for the rest of the week before going through it again.

Q: You have lots of chapters written but haven't posted them yet. Why?
A: I like to get people's thoughts and ideas. Sometimes I have whacked out spelling mistakes that a group effort usually finds. When I'm done a chapter I won't be changing anything major, unless someone finds a plot hole.

Blind

Q: When will Blind's sequel come out?
A: It's up!

Q: How do you pronounce Kanaye?
A: Kah-nah-ay.

Q: In Blind, how old are Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto?
A: Naruto and Sasuke start out at sixteen, Sakura is seventeen. (Apparently, they count different in Japan, so this is subject to change.)

Q: How long is Blind going to be?
A: Blind is seventy-two chapters long, with a bonus chapter of extras. (Extras is posted, with some data-loss errors.)

Q: When are you going to be done?
A: I finished Blind on March 16, 2009. Last chapter was uploaded on June 17th, 2009.

Q: Lemon? Plz?
A: No.

Q: Are you going to pair Itachi and Nariko together?
A: Good gods, NO! The relationship between them is strictly of the sibling sort. Where are you guys pulling this from? I don't recall EVER writing anything that sounded vaguely romantic between Nariko and Itachi. And seeing as Itachi is blatantly sleeping with Konan, this question really confuses me. If anything, I thought the side pairing of ItaKonan would be pretty damn obvious.

Information for Blind: A reviewer asked me to re-outline the arcs that I had planned out for the story, so I did. But I thought it only fair that I put it here too for all to see. The information will change as I progress through the arcs, so you'll be able to see what's in-progress and what's written pretty much in stone.

Hospital Arc (1) - Covers the introductions of the scenario, hospital healing love, much. :3 (Chapters 1 - 11)
Training Arc (2) - Divided into two parts : 1) Sasuke becoming accustomed to his blindness 2) Sasuke thinking and working with the idea of his chakra senses. (Chapters 12 - 26)
Mission Arc (3) - In a nutshell: the portion since they left Konoha to when they returned. (Chapters 27 - 37)
Pre-Chuunin Exam Arc (4) - Sakura's family issues, and Nariko getting hit with reality. Includes some training, birthday parties, Graduation, and New Year's. Kanpai! (Chapters 38 - 49)
Actual Chuunin Exam Arc (5) - Covers all Chuunin Exam events. From Written Test to the departing of participants. (Chapters 50 - 60)
Revenge Arc (6) - Epic plot twists with both angsty and happy endings at the same time. (61- 71)
Epilogue and Extras (7?) - An epilogue with an ending that will suggest a sequel. Extras includes bloopers, deleted scenes and segments, explanation of symbolism, etc. (72 & 73 respectively)

Writing Tips

Some people have asked me about tips about writing. So I thought I'd share. :)

1) Try to avoid using the verb "to be". Instead of saying "she was walking down the path", say "she walked down the path". Instead of "I am sleeping in a cold, damp place", try "I sleep in a cold, damp place." The verb "to be" is an overused verb when we speak. If you can eliminate as many "am"s, "are"s, "is"s, and "was"s, your writing will become much more powerful. It's not always possible to get rid of all of those words, but the more you can get rid of, the better.

2) Try not to use words that modify adjectives. For example: very, really, super, so, etc. Instead of saying "The water was very hot", try using a word that describes the hot water. "The water was scalding." Even just saying "The water was hot" makes the writing more powerful.

3) Using vague words like thing and stuff, should be avoided. "It" is also one to be avoided, but it's okay in smaller quantities.

4) Try and use poetic words. Use a thesaurus. Microsoft Word Thesaurus is okay, but there are some online ones that are better, and a Roget Thesaurus is one of the best.

5) Avoid using the same words to start each sentence. "It blah blah blah. It blah blah blah. It blah blah blah." Gets boring fast. Try mixing up your clauses a bit.

6) When using dialogue, don't always use "said" when when you want your readers to hear the character speak a certain way. Use other words: growled, whispered, muttered, whimpered. The thesaurus is a good place to look. You can throw a clause in too. For example: "Don't talk to me like that," she put the plate on the table, "I don't like it." If you want a person to pay special attention to the dialogue and not so much what the people are doing, only use said. "Look over there," she said,"An avalanche." The word "said" becomes invisible to the reader and the eyes travel over it without registering it. It becomes more of a tag, just to let the reader mentally know who is speaking.

7) Don't use exclamation marks. The writing tone becomes cheesy and over-dramatic when you use them. If you must use them, use one every 500 words, as a rule of thumb.

8) Show people what happens in the dialogue. Don't tell them. Instead of saying "he was absolutely terrified!"(very bad sentence), use words that instill fear, or make the character act in ways that show he is scared. Make him fidget, make him tremble, or not look people in the eyes. Don't tell us what a character is feeling, but instead what he does so that we can see how he feels.

Random Stuff about Me

Name: 'Sidian' works. :3
Age: 22
Gender: Female

If you want to see my art, click on the homepage above.

Things I don't tend to read, but will makes exceptions to: High School fics, OC-centric fics, vampire fics, tragedy (angst good, tragedy bad), long-winded stories that are purely random, song fics. I also don't tend to read fanfics that are made from books, movies, and TV shows--mostly because I find it hard to visualize.

Current List of Favourite People (in no particular order):
1. Uchiha Sasuke from Naruto
2. Vincent Valentine from FFVII
3. Achmed the Snake from Symphony of Ages
4. Haseo from .Hack//
5. Kratos Aurion from Tales of Symphonia
6. Souma Yuki from Fruits Basket
7. Zero from Vampire Knight
8. Byakuga from Bleach
9. Ulquiorra from Bleach
10. Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter
11. Lex Luther from Smallville
12. John Druitt from Sanctuary
13. Zuko from Avatar
14. Roxas from KH
15. Axel from KH
16. Riku from KH
17. Xion from KH (congrats for being the first girl on this list)
18. Arthur from Merlin

Pairings Section

Games:

.Hack//G.U.: Liked Couples: HaseoxAtoli, KuhnxPi, YataxPi (I suppose), BoxAina (because I can)
Disliked Couples: HaseoxAlkaid, HaseoxShino

Final Fantasy VII: Liked Couples: CloudxTifa, RenoxTifa, YuffiexReno, VincentxLucrecia, ZackxAeryth
Disliked Couples: CloudxAeryth, VincentxYuffie

Final Fantasy X, X-2: Liked Couples: TidusxYuna, RikkuxGippal, PainexBarelai
Disliked Couples: Anyone with Seymour (makes digusted face), RikkuxAuron, RikkuxTidus

Kingdom Hearts: Liked Couples: RoxasxXion, SoraxKairi, RikuxKairi, RoxasxNaminé, RikuxNaminé
Disliked Couples: RikuxXion, AxelxXion

Legend of Zelda: Liked Couples: LinkxMalon, LinkxIlia, AnjuxKafei
Disliked Couples: ZeLink or RutoxLink, ImpaxGanondorf, NabooruxGanonorf, LinkxMidna, LinkxNavi, LinkxSaria

Tales of Symphonia: Liked Couples: LloydxColette, KratosxAnna, ZelosxSheena, GenisxPresea, EmilxMarta
Disliked Couples: LloydxSheena, or KratosxRaine

TV Shows:

Avatar, the Last Airbender: Liked Couples: KataraxAang, TophxAang, ZukoxMai, SokkaxYue, SokkaxTy Lee, SokkaxSuki
Disliked Couples: KataraxZuko, SokkaxToph

Stargate: Liked Couples: SG-1: JackxSam, DanielxSarah Atlantis: MckayxWeir, TeylaxShepperd
Disliked Couples: SG-1: DanielxVala, DanielxSam Atlantis: WeirxShepperd

Anime/Manga:

Bleach: Liked Couples: IchigoxRukia, HitsugayaxHinamori, GinxMatsumoto, ByakuyaxHisana, ShunsuixNanao, UraharaxYoruichi, TatsukixIshida (because I can), JintaxUruru, ChadxOrihime, IkkakuxMizuho (crack instances only), ShuuheixSoi Fon (again, because I can)
Disliked Couples: IchigoxOrihime, UlquiorraxOrihime, IshidaxOrihime, GrimmjawxOrihime, RenjixRukia, KiraxHinamori

Escaflowne: Liked Couples: VanxHitomi, AllenxMillerna, AllenxMarlene, One-sided MerlexVan, YukarixAmono, and Folken with
either Naria or Aria
Disliked Couples: Two way VanxMerle, AllenxHitomi, AmonoxHitomi, DrydenxMillerna

Fruits Basket: Liked Couples: YukixTohru, ShigurexMii, One sided UoxKyo, KyoxKagura, HitorixKana, HaruxRin, HiroxKisa and I suppose a little of KyoxTohru
Disliked Couples: KyoxTohru (haha, only a little though.) ShigurexAkito, YukixMatchi

Karin/Chibi Vampire: Liked Couples: KentaxKarin (obviously), RenxHinata (from the manga)
Disliked Couples: Haven't run into anything strange yet.

Naruto: Liked Couples: SasuSaku, NaruHina, ShikaTem, ShikaIno, SaiIno (I'm flexible with Ino and Shikamaru's relationships), NejiTen, KakaAnko, AsumaKurenai, SuiKa
Disliked Couples: NaruSaku. LeeSaku, LeeTen (I like Lee, really, but neither of them just seem to go perfectly with him :/), SasuHina, KakaSaku, SasuIno, SasuTem, SasuKa

Ouran High: Liked Couples: HikaruxHaruhi, KaoruxHaruhi, KyoyaxRenge (for randomness' sake :3)
Disliked Couples: TamakixHaruhi, KyoyaxHaruhi, HunnyxHaruhi, MorixHaruhi, Hitachiin TwinsxAnyone-except-Haruhi

Shaman King:Liked Couples: YohxAnna, HorohoroxTamao, RenxPirika, LysergxJeanne, HaoxMacchi, HaoxMari
Disliked Couples: HaoxAnna, YohxTamao

Vampire Knight: Liked Couples: YuukixZero, RukaxKain, YorixAidou, SenrixRima
Disliked Couples: YuukixKaname

I don't tend to read crack pairings, ie. RauruxRuto, SeymourxLulu, DrydenxHitomi, etc. You get the point. I don't mind OCs, as long as they don't majorly conflict with any of the above couples. And I absolutely refuse to read anything yaoi, yuri, or incest. I apologize if I've offended anyone, but I do not feel comfortable reading these kinds of fics. I'm not homophobic, I just do not agree with the homosexual way of life. There is a difference between being afraid and not seeing eye to eye with someone. I can respect homosexuals as people, just like I can respect atheists even though I'm religious.

And that's all I can think of. If I come up with more, I'll post them too.