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DEATH NOTE fans should check out this link to my journal entry regarding Nia and the effects of Albinism: [link]

Also, please see [link] for my essay on Death Note as a Gothic Detective story. The article contains entire series spoilers and can be downloaded in PDF format.

1,000 KIRIBAN: Won by Ariel-D [link] ! She requested either a fanfic, or a picture of Artemis Entreri's new sword from her fanfiction series. I think she's getting the sword.

Next KIRIBAN: See this [link] journal entry for details. NOTE: This kiriban is on hiatus, partially because no one tagged the 4,000 one, and partially because I don't have time to do one since I shamefully haven't finished the first one yet.

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January 17th, 2008:

Just a really quick update . . .

I didn't catch a cold, turns out. I caught the FLU. -__- Only, I also got a flu shot this year, so I only have . . . like 1/4 of a flu??? I don't know. All I know is I got about 4 hours sleep last night and my eyes have large, dark bags around them. Kinda like Gaara or L. I guess I'm trying to practice Gaara's insomnia in an attempt to work on writing his character.

I want to thank everyone for faving my stuff. I don't say that often enough in these journals. I now get more feedback on DA than I do on fanfiction.net, and that's something I really, really appreciate. I wish I could give out even 1/2 the wonderful comments I receive.

I've discovered that when you're sick, pics of your favourite anime characters as adults . . . without shirts . . . . are really, really nice to look at. I refuse to fave pics of shirtless characters if they look like they're . . . 12 or something. That's wrong. Now, if they DO look like they're in their twenties, well, then . . . . that's free picking. I mean . . . . heck, yes! [link] [link]

Help me, I turn into a fangirl when I'm ill.


January 13th, 2008:

Happy New Year everybody! I hope everyone had a good holiday/Christmas. I received a whole lot of cool presents that I really adore. I can't remember most of them right now, because they've been integrated into my previous stash of clothes/presents/practical things.

I ended up being a little sick over Christmas. Turns out I pulled all my abdominal muscles shovelling snow. I hate snow. Hate, hate, hate. Especially now. Anyway, at least I know I don't have anything life threatening or something like that. I do feel lethargic right now, though, which suggests I also am fighting a cold . . . it's an excellent way to start a new semester!

Recently, asked me if I could write a new Death Note story for her birthday. I didn't have time to write a new story - and didn't really have a good idea - but I did edit up and tweak an old story that I've never posted before. It's called "Final Justice," and I've posted it here at DA and at my fanfiction.net account! I hope everyone likes it.

SPOILERS FOR NARUTO: SHIPPUUDEN BELOW (brief but major - you have been warned) The end of the spoilers is noted with a tag.

So, I've started trying to write Naruto fanfiction. I'm having the same trouble I always have when I move to a different fandom in terms of writing - I need time to sink into the characters' heads. I know what they say but not how they say it. I find each character needs a unique narrative style, and I haven't quite found one yet for my new set of leads. I will tell you, though, that if I do complete the stories, they will likely revolve around Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, and will most likely utilize Gaara as the protagonist/narrative voice. Gaara's interesting to write, because he's so undefined as a person. He hardly knows who *he* is, even after the ~3 years pass during the time-skip. Additionally, once Shukaku is ripped from him in Shippuuden, he's forced to not only look at himself as a person, but as a ninja as well. In writing his character, then, I'm forced to constantly reevaluate him, because that's what he himself would be doing. The narrative comes alive in ways that it normally doesn't with characters, in that while normal people change slowly, Gaara is engaged in such an intentional act of self-study/revision that the changes and growth in his person are really tangible. It's beautiful to write.

I've also hit upon a really unique situation that I've never quite been in before with a fandom. I'm face to face with a set of characters who are young, possibly in romantic relationships, and who likely will "hook up" when they're older with characters that are not main characters in the series. and I have been trying to come up with a set of Naruto OCs that would fit the bill. It's really difficult to create believable OCs. Or, perhaps that's the wrong thing to say. I've never ever had trouble creating believable OCs. The thing I fear is writing an OC into a story and have the story bashed because it has an OC as a romantic interest. There's a really interesting interplay in fandoms between OCs and so-called Mary Sues, to the point that OCs can be called Mary Sues just because the person reading the story doesn't like a different character "involved" with their favourite character.

This will be a challenge, and one I'd definitely like to explore. If the OC situation pans out, I would, feasibly, like to create some Naruto shorts that explore Gaara in a "friend" relationship with another person his age (after the point in the manga where he decides to listen to Naruto's advice, of course). I think he's a great character with which to try and study human relationships, especially since before he can even consider a romantic relationship, he'd first have to master friendship in general. I think this can only be accomplished by introducing an OC into the story, simply because the Konoha ninja are rarely at Sunagakure, and even if Gaara were friends with them, he wouldn't see them often enough to allow him to work on establishing any sort of social skills or ties. It's logical to assume that he would interact with and grow to know people in his own village, and it's logical to think that if he ever did develop any sort of relationship with someone, that person would likely be from Suna. I mean, he's the Kazekage. He's stuck in the village until he dies or retires. And by that I don't mean he can't go on trips - but he can't move somewhere else.

And on a total aside, I also like the idea of being able to again explore family ties in a new fandom. Family ties as a theme is something I've been fascinated with and have touched on in multiple fandoms, and I'm looking forward to being able to study the dynamics of the Gaara-Temari-Kankuro household in greater detail.

END SHIPPUUDEN SPOILERS

Anyway, I'm going to try and keep caught up with DA stuff more so than I was last term. The classes this term look really easy (I only have 5 papers to write the entire term . . . it seems like so little compared to last term . . . @_@ ) so I should have lots of spare time. My Children's Lit. class is also awesome, because we're reading books like The Secret Garden and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. It'll be fun to study them from an academic perspective.

Before I go, I want to throw out the "question of the day" to everyone. For those of you who read/watch Naruto:

1) Who is your favourite character? And who, if any person, do you seem them paired up with at the end of the series/when they grow up/etc.? This can be either who *you* want them paired up with, or who you logically see them paired up with.

For me, I like Gaara and Shikamaru, and I see the latter eventually ending up with Temari (eventually, not at any point during the show, although the mangaka is dropping tantalizing hints about how they are growing to respect each other). For the former, I'd love to see him eventually work into a relationship with someone from Suna, but I suspect it wouldn't happen for years and years. I also suspect the person would be similar in temperment to Hinata, but perhaps a bit more confident. It would certainly have to be someone that is a) compassionate and b) nonjudgemental. (I would ship Gaara/Hinata if they actually had *met* before and talked to each other. I think it would work once Hinata grows up a little and grows in confidence, but the series leaves no real room for it to happen.)

Ciao!

~dhJ

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Gift Art for my Fanfiction and Fiction, or Just Because:

[link] by for her 1,000 kiriban

[link] by for the story Tears in Heaven [link]

[link] by as a general gift art

[link] by for the story Something Near the Truth [link]

[link] by for the story Quintessence [link]

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Friends and people I watch:

<-- My sister!



Clubs I watch: