pieces of a picture

AHAHAHA WHAT. Apparently I lied. I was about to close the word doc for the fic but then I noticed the tab bar on the side wasn't at the bottom and I scrolled down and wtf there was a whole extra chapter that I hadn't factored in. Well, no, I'm lying again - now that I see it, I think I decided at the beginning not to include it because it introduced some OCs and I hated them, plus it was about to take the story in a new direction. I'm going to post it anyway because it's pretty long and there were some funny moments, but I won't cry if no one reads it.

Title: NARUTO AND SAKURA'S DOMESTIC ADVENTURES! Close Quarters, chapter SUPER SPECIAL BONUS
Series: Naruto
Length: 9109 words.
Character/pairing: Naruto/Sakura, Konoha ensemble.
Rating/warnings: Set about two years from current canon, so just speculation for future events. Rated M for lingerie?!
Summary: Her house, as she'd expected, was gone.

( Sakura had, quite obviously, never been involved in something of this magnitude before )

Okay, I promise that is it from me. My eyes are so tired they're about to close so I'm going to bed. If you did end up reading it, let me know what you think, and if not, maybe next time, eh?

♥

We have an ad campaign here in Australia for the responsible service of alcohol, complete with dodgy acting and the awesome slogan "No more, it's the law!" That was just a segue into how there's finally no more of this fic - here we have it, the end of an era those long hard weeks of work in November. Like everything else I start, I honestly wish I could finish this. Fifty thousand of nothing is still nothing, however, and so I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Maybe now that I've purged this story from the dark recesses of my soul, I'll be able to write stuff again.

Maybe. ¬_¬

Title: NARUTO AND SAKURA'S DOMESTIC ADVENTURES! Close Quarters, chapter seven THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE FOLKS
Series: Naruto
Length: 6384 words.
Character/pairing: Naruto/Sakura, Konoha ensemble.
Rating/warnings: Set about two years from current canon, so just speculation for future events. Rated M for lingerie?!
Summary: Her house, as she'd expected, was gone.

( The compulsion to yawn burned at the back of her throat and she tensed her jaw )

Again, I wish I could have written more, but my brain went the way of Toriyama-kun's, unfortunately. But, if all goes to plan, I should be able to start a new fic very soon.

Wish me luck, guys~! ♥

I just watched a show with my housemate that involved a man called Gordon Ramsey, and now my life seems about 23948209348 times better than the poor sods in his kitchen. THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE.

Also, INOINOINOINOINO.

Title: NARUTO AND SAKURA'S DOMESTIC ADVENTURES! Close Quarters, chapter six
Series: Naruto
Length: 5657 words.
Character/pairing: Naruto/Sakura, Konoha ensemble.
Rating/warnings: Set about two years from current canon, so just speculation for future events. Rated M for lingerie?!
Summary: Her house, as she'd expected, was gone.

( She didn’t remember having any dreams, ramen-filled or otherwise )

Also I love Shikamaru. But mainly Ino.

INO. INOINOINOINOINO.

I love her so much. ♥

Title: NARUTO AND SAKURA'S DOMESTIC ADVENTURES! Close Quarters, chapter five
Series: Naruto
Length: 6793 words.
Character/pairing: Naruto/Sakura, Konoha ensemble.
Rating/warnings: Set about two years from current canon, so just speculation for future events. Rated M for lingerie?!
Summary: Her house, as she'd expected, was gone.

( Sakura woke the next day oddly refreshed )

And now I have to go to bed. I'll post the last two chapters tomorrow, and hopefully rid myself of this blasted ennui!

And another! The sooner the better! Like ripping off a band-aid!

Title: NARUTO AND SAKURA'S DOMESTIC ADVENTURES! Close Quarters, chapter four
Series: Naruto
Length: 5893 words.
Character/pairing: Naruto/Sakura, Konoha ensemble.
Rating/warnings: Set about two years from current canon, so just speculation for future events. Rated M for lingerie?!
Summary: Her house, as she'd expected, was gone.

( “I can assure you, Sakura, that a few weeks living with Naruto will not leave you wanting to tear off his clothes” )

I really really really like cup ramen.

/random

I really hate where I am as a 'writer' at the moment. The laziness that has always ruled every other aspect of my life has finally slithered in and taken control of my creativity, and now whenever I do get a rare stab of inspiration, I can't bring myself to lift a pencil or otherwise commit to anything because I know I'll never finish it/I won't be satisfied with it anyway. I keep second-guessing myself and it's trapping me in this cycle of inactivity.

So, yet another attempt to get me out of this funk. Let's see if I can finally just get these damn chapters out of the way - I'm sick of them hanging over my head. I'm unhappy with most of this one, a lot of Sakura's thoughts are very messy and muddled, but I'm too over this story to care at this point. Also it's nearly midnight and I have to work tomorrow. RARGH!

Title: NARUTO AND SAKURA'S DOMESTIC ADVENTURES! Close Quarters, chapter three
Series: Naruto
Length: 4899 words.
Character/pairing: Naruto/Sakura, Konoha ensemble.
Rating/warnings: Set about two years from current canon, so just speculation for future events. Rated M for lingerie?!
Summary: Her house, as she'd expected, was gone.

( The best thing to do, Sakura decided, would be to skip town )

And I don't know why I spelt mum as 'mom' - it just felt more natural in that setting. Go figure.

I think I've lost count of the number of entries here that start with, "So I was talking to Molly and she challenged me to write a fic..." because that's pretty much the only writing I get done now. Impromptu stuff can be fun, but I really wish I could sit down and apply myself to something, to create a plot and follow it through. Instead I keep churning out random stuff like this, and when I saw random, I actually mean it.

To give you fair warning, Molly and I were discussing the likelihood of Lin being a sex god under the guise of an emotionally-stunted xenophobe. The result? YES WE THINK HE JUST MIGHT BE.

Me: Mmmm sex god Lin
Molly: ;D I wouldn't say no to that
Molly: HE'S TALL
Me: SO TALL
Me: I so want to write a crack fic now
Me: About Lin being a sex god
Molly: You'd never do it though
Molly: WHY EVEN TEASE ME?!
Molly: TEASE
Me: I'M SORRY
Me: Will you be going to bed soon? :(
Me: Because I could whip you something up now
Molly: Oh please
Molly: WHIP AWAY
Me: OKAY

So I did.

Title: Open Doors
Series: Ghost Hunt
Length: 1473 words, oneshot.
Character/pairing: Mai, Lin, Naru.
Rating/warnings: UTTER CRACK. I'd rate it PG for leading dialogue, but there's actually nothing of a lemony nature. Written in less than half an hour, so I seriously doubt all the spelling/grammar is awesome, although I did check it quickly when I coded it.
Summary: Nope, that was definitely Lin, but as she’d never heard him before.

( Mai let herself into the SPR office )

*whistles innocently*

Second part of seven. Every time I code one of these chapters, I'm struck by the overwhelming urge to keep writing this story, but then I remember how it was going nowhere and...yeah. *sighs*

Title: NARUTO AND SAKURA'S DOMESTIC ADVENTURES! Close Quarters, chapter two
Series: Naruto
Length: 3484 words.
Character/pairing: Naruto/Sakura, Konoha ensemble.
Rating/warnings: Set about two years from current canon, so just speculation for future events. Rated M for lingerie?!
Summary: Her house, as she'd expected, was gone.

( Sakura rolled her eyes )

I think this is the last fic in my TBC folder, and I wish very much that I'd been able to do more with the idea. But when you hit chapter eight of a story and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAS HAPPENED it's a pretty clear indicator that you're doing something wrong. *sighs*

Feel free to rip this stuff apart - it's pretty much the most recent thing I've worked on, so it's going to be a good example of my current writing style. That said, I never got around to the editing stage, so expect some crappiness. When I write, I generally run with an idea, and if I don't know what word to use in a sentence, rather than pausing and interrupting the flow of thought, I just type ________ and keep going. When I coded this chapter I filled in the _______s pretty quickly and so there may be some less-than-awesome choices.

BUT HOLY SHIT BEK, STOP TRYING TO JUSTIFY STUFF!

Sorry!

Title: NARUTO AND SAKURA'S DOMESTIC ADVENTURES! Close Quarters, chapter one
Series: Naruto
Length: 5162 words.
Character/pairing: Naruto/Sakura, Konoha ensemble.
Rating/warnings: Set about two years from current canon, so just speculation for future events. Rated M for lingerie?!
Summary: Her house, as she'd expected, was gone.

( Tsunade took the moment of confused silence that followed the comment to dump a load of paperwork in Sakura’s arms )

I think I've mentioned before that the only writing I do now is stuff quickly cobbled together in response to challenges set by nushi_akubi. I was procrastinating today, unwilling to start cleaning my room, when she announced that she wanted some Kabuto/Sakura, and she wanted it NOW. Obligingly, I threw this together, and while it's not Kabuto/Sakura, it does have both characters in it...so...yeah. Anyway, I dashed this out in about 20 mins, so don't expect much - it's part of my new plan, to post everything I write, regardless of quality. Growing as a writer, and all that. (And I wanted to show that I'm not all talk. Just mostly.)

Title: Untitled
Series: Naruto
Length: 1304 words.
Character/pairing: None, just Sakura and Kabuto. And then Naruto and Sai, in a lame attempt to tie things up.
Rating/warnings: Vague allusions to manga stuff with Orochimaru?
Summary: An unexpected meeting, the expected result.

( As best she could tell, they were alone )

Sorry, it wasn't a complete chapter in the last document - again I've tricked myself! I did, however, find a random Shikamaru part. I can't remember if I was planning to change POV but...well, maybe I was.

Just a couple more fics to purge from my writing folder, and then that fresh start I keep harping on about will be mine for the taking. ♥

Title: Caught Up
Series: Naruto
Length: 748 words, chapter five of five completed chapters, who knows how long the fic would have been.
Character/pairing: Shikamaru/Ino.
Rating/warnings: File created in July, 2006. Ouch.
Summary: Temari gives Ino an opportunity to prove herself and they make a wager between themselves. The terms: make jounin in three months. The prize: Shikamaru. What's a girl to do?

( If there was one thing in life Ino hated, it was Temari )

and that random Shikamaru part - maybe this was for another story? I think it was related somehow to this one. *shrugs* 1837 words, anyway.

( Shikamaru was annoyed )

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest~ and that's all she wrote. :)

Title: Caught Up
Series: Naruto
Length: 4731 words, chapter three of five completed chapters, who knows how long the fic would have been.
Character/pairing: Shikamaru/Ino.
Rating/warnings: File created in July, 2006. Ouch.
Summary: Temari gives Ino an opportunity to prove herself and they make a wager between themselves. The terms: make jounin in three months. The prize: Shikamaru. What's a girl to do?

( She wanted to go back in time and hold her stupid mouth shut )

and in an attempt to save your f-list, here's the next part!

( What had she been thinking? )

THE OOC, IT BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURNS!

Title: Caught Up
Series: Naruto
Length: 7681 words, chapter two of five completed chapters, who knows how long the fic would have been.
Character/pairing: Shikamaru/Ino.
Rating/warnings: File created in July, 2006. Ouch.
Summary: Temari gives Ino an opportunity to prove herself and they make a wager between themselves. The terms: make jounin in three months. The prize: Shikamaru. What's a girl to do?

( Three years later )

I really hope I've improved. ;_______________;

I skimmed through this as I was coding it for lj, and I have to say, it does smack of immaturity. I don't think I've improved much as a writer since I started this story, but the whole "wah wah Ino is jealous wah Temari is a bitch" plot device is pretty poor and the fact that I can recognise it has to be a good thing.

Title: Caught Up
Series: Naruto
Length: 4229 words, chapter one of five completed chapters, who knows how long the fic would have been.
Character/pairing: Shikamaru/Ino.
Rating/warnings: File created 19 June, 2006. Ouch.
Summary: Temari gives Ino an opportunity to prove herself and they make a wager between themselves. The terms: make jounin in three months. The prize: Shikamaru. What's a girl to do?

( There was a spider on her ceiling )

Various readers included glance_inward, darkenedsakura, nushi_akubi, icarust and blackestfaery. I think.

IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, OKAY?!

Apparently I lied - it wasn't quite a complete chapter in my document called 'chaptertwo', so sorry about that. But there were a few funny lines from Toph - I love that girl! - and while I didn't manage to get to the ROAD TRIP part of KATARA AND ROKU ROAD TRIP, at least there's some Katara and Roku.

And sorry sureasdawn, this is it from me. I can't find any more Avatar ficlets in my not-posted folder. From now on it's all Naruto. ;____________;

Title: The Eighth Circle
Series: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Length: 3562 words, chapter two of two completed parts, would have been about 12 chapters as a full fic.
Character/pairing: Aang/Katara, Gaang, ROKU.
Rating/warnings: Season three spoilers but pre-DoBS.
Summary: Love is a battlefield? I dunno.

( Aang's heartbeat was a comfortable constant, always steady and measured )

WAH COME BACK SOON AVATAR I MISS YOU SO SO SO MUCH~

Anyone who followed my NaNo progress may remember that my original plan was an Avatar fic that involved a KATARA AND ROKU ROAD TRIP that I never properly explained. Now I can't really remember what it would have entailed, but I did find the two chapters I managed to complete before I threw in the towel, and since I'm doing the whole 'must vomit up everything I've ever written thing' I thought I might as well add these to the list.

It was written just after 3.06 or whatever the one with Hamma was (3.08?!) so spoilers until that point, but it comes quite clearly before DoBS since it's been jossed by it. SADFACE. And it will have some very awkward phrasing in it, remember that this is unedited NaNo writing, so I was trying to push stuff out without worrying about spelling and grammar. Enjoy!

Title: The Eighth Circle
Series: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Length: 5982 words, chapter one of two completed parts, would have been about 12 chapters as a full fic.
Character/pairing: Aang/Katara, which is surprisingly noticeable from this first chapter - usually I drag pairings out FOREVER before anything happens. Rest of the Gaang is here as well.
Rating/warnings: Season three spoilers but pre-DoBS.
Summary: Love is a battlefield? I dunno.

( Until this point, Katara had only been listening with one ear )

HAY YOU GUYS DON'T CHANGE THE CHANNEL - THIS ONE'S COMPLETE! For srs, when I was going through my fic folder to look for incomplete stuff to brush off and archive here, I managed to unearth an actual oneshot that was actually complete. I even remember writing it - nushi_akubi, bless her beautiful soul - and I were looking at some awesome scans from the 2008 Naruto manga calendar, and we couldn't get over the randomness that was this picture. "WTF GIANT KOI!" we said, laughing uncontrollably. "Now that's funny!"

The conversation turned to how useless I've been lately with writing something/anything/shopping lists, and Molly challenged me to write a fic that involved Naruto riding a giant koi. And oh, I had twenty minutes.

This is that fic.

Title: Rare Creatures
Series: Naruto
Length: 1084 words, which is pretty much a drabble by my wordy, wordy standards.
Character/pairing: Naruto, Sakura, Sai. And LOL WTF GIANT KOI!
Rating/warnings: No warnings, except that I wrote it in a rush.
Summary: Naruto is a special boy.

( Sakura rolled her eyes )

Okay, I promise that's it for tonight. Next up, I have some Avatar fic to get out of my system, and then more Naruto, I guess. Sorry again! ;______________;

I have no idea where I was going with this, but I'm pretty sure it was a prompt response to one of the VM comms. Sorry again for the spam, everyone, but it's all for a worthy cause. The sooner I clear out my snippets folder, the sooner I can turn over my new leaf as a writer. ♥

Title: Untitled
Series: Veronica Mars
Length: 1684 words, I don't remember much but it would have been a one-shot.
Character/pairing: Dick, Veronica, Logan.
Rating/warnings: File created on the 5th of July 2007. Oh, and it's post 2.22.
Summary: Um...Dick is naked? I can't remember why. And I wish I could, I like the Dick-voice I have going here. :(

( He'd taken to sleeping in his car a lot )

Yeah, I liked the tone there. But alas, WTF?

To the anonymous commenter who wanted more of that Neji/Tenten fic I was thinking about, have at.

Title: An Honourable Deception
Series: Naruto
Length: 4066 words, second and last written chapter of who-knows-how-many. :(
Character/pairing: Would have been Neji/Tenten, has Izumo and Kotetsu and an OC.
Rating/warnings: Last touched (according to windows) on the 7th of March, 2006. Wowzers.
Summary: Tenten finally gets a mission that will test her skills as a ninja! The only problem is, it's going to test her patience as well. In a far off country where everyone's an enemy, how's she going to cope pretending to be married...to Neji?

( Tenten's mouth hung open once more in that unattractive manner )

I can't remember if anyone beta-ed this, but if you did, let me know. ♥

As outlined in this post over at princess_dexter, I'm going to be taking down most of my incomplete stories from my ff.net account and archiving them here, where they'll be clearly marked as ABANDONED and won't raise anyone's hopes. You're more than welcome to read these attempts at longfics, but you have been warned: they will never be updated.


Title: Desiderata
Series: Witch Hunter Robin
Length: 3890 words, chapter one of who-knows-what-it-could-have-been.
Character/pairing: Would have been Sakaki/Karasuma, but has the rest of the STN-J hanging around.
Rating/warnings: Originally posted on the 6th of October, 2004. I WAS VERY YOUNG.
Summary: POST SERIES. The past resurfaces as the STNJ team struggle to face new adversaries and some very old friends. Power awakens and destiny will not be denied.


( Sakaki Haruto ran after the witch )

The thanks for beta-ing this (way back in the day!) went out to azileath, zinthos and misora. AND I STILL LOVE YOU GUYS! <3