The "Shadows" universe: from my mind to your screen

The Shadows you see today is much different from the one I originally imagined. When I first got the idea, it was only going to be around ten chapters, and a basic story about two people forced into an arranged marriage for political reasons. Shadows was meant to be about two people acclimating themselves to a relationship when neither one had any idea what a romantic relationship entailed.

And then I started writing it. Even in the first chapter, the story began to change. Hanabi mentioned something about ninja, and I got to thinking. Wouldn't it be fun to play around with a ninja universe outside of Naruto canon? Around a year ago, I discovered the manga series Tail of the Moon, and thinking back on it, I saw a way to create a new universe similar to canon, but different (since I am so frustrated with canon, I doubt I'll ever write anything resembling it again). A new world began to take shape in my mind, and Shadows as you know it was born.

After that major plot revision, the story began to write itself. Gaara and Hinata grabbed onto this new information and ran with it, creating an entirely new story for themselves with mirrors to canon, but with twists I was so excited about! One such twist turned out to be they knew each other as children, which led me to write Sunshine since I couldn't quite work that much information into Shadows. Then the plot twists really started pouring in, and it was all I could do to keep up! Essentially, the story wrote itself, and that made me all the more eager to explore this new universe.

Fortunately, even after I finished telling Gaara and Hinata's story, Itachi and Temari were willing to cooperate and have their story told. I hinted at a lot of events in Shadows that I was unable to follow through on - things which connected the two and turned them into the characters we eventually met in Shadows. I've always adored Itachi, and though I can't stand her in canon, Temari's bitter attitude has always been fun to explore and expand upon in my writing. Thus was born Light and Dark - the prequel to Shadows. I took only a slight break to write Dawn a sequel to Shadows which I felt tied up the universe quite nicely. (Though I will say there might be an additional sequel on the way - more on that later, though!)

Even more so than Gaara and Hinata's story, I think, I'm excited to write Itachi and Temari's. I get to explore more of the ninja universe I created, the shadowy underworld where the village's protectors are like the wind - unseen save for their effects on the whole. I'm also excited to expand on this universe's version of the infamous Uchiha massacre, and its effects on Itachi's psyche and his interactions with others, particularly Temari. I've also very much enjoyed diving into Temari's past and the difficult childhood she and her siblings shared - and the botched mission which turned her into the embittered, ice-hearted, brutally efficient ninja we see in Light and Dark. Though filled with action, it's also a love story, one I'm very much having fun fleshing out (ahem, no pun intended!). Their growing bond makes me so excited for future events in both Light and Dark and possible future stories in this universe.

Some people may have noticed the slight crossover I put in Chapter Ten: Gift Horse . I introduced the characters of Shiki Senri and Rima, who some might recognize from the manga series Vampire Knight by Hino Matsuri. Shiki and Rima were not only my favorite characters in VK, they were also my favorite pairing. Since the series recently ended, I wanted to do a little something to tip my hat to them, so I worked them into Light and Dark (though obviously as humans).

More tips of the hat are to follow, though not in quite as large a way. Kanae's character's name was inspired by the character of the same name in another of my favorite manga, Skip*Beat! (by Nakamura Yoshiki.) Ditto her husband, Yukahito. You'll also see two more characters from Skip*Beat!, who are familiar in name and looks, if not personality: Hizuri Kuon and Kyoko (they'll become important later, though their last name has already shown up as one of the party holders Temari listed to Matsuri in Chapter Twelve: Spiral ). Inspiritation for another couple's names lie with the manga Dengeki Daisy, the Kurebeyashi. Though the correct name would be Kurosaki, if I were going directly from the manga, I decided to go with Teru's last name for the couple, just to shake things up. Normally, I don't do crossover-type things, but in this case, I couldn't help myself.

For now, Light and Dark is still ongoing, and I can promise a lot more excitement coming before the story is over. The twists, turns, ups, and downs are really exciting to me, and I look forward to sharing them with you!

In the meantime, stay tuned to my blog for further news on the possible Shadows sequel I mentioned earlier. I'll post more about it here if it really does develop into something concrete - and I really hope it does!

Until then, thanks for reading this post, and I hope you enjoy exploring my Shadows universe as much as I do! :)

Current/Upcoming projects (February 10, 2013)

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted anything here. My only excuse is that life has been crazy with various family members going through various health problems, not to mention the pressures  of real life...

But anyway! I wanted to post something to give you all some idea of where I am in my writing life (the whole point of this blog, in the first place, after all), and what you all can look forward to in the near future from me!

Current Works

Shadows: Hyuuga Hinata has felt like a failure her entire life. But when her father sends her away to marry a man she's never met, rumored to be a murderous monster, she finally has a chance to make a difference ... and rediscover her forgotten past. :Gaara x Hinata, Neji x Tenten, Itachi x Temari:
Fandom: Naruto
Status: In-Progress
Newest Chapter: Chapter 26: Subterfuge
Next Chapter: Chapter 27: Machinations (approx. post date between 2/14/2013 & 2/17/2013)

Sunshine: After a few too-short days in Konoha, Sabaku Gaara's life is irrevocably changed by the sunlight breaking through his darkness: Hyuuga Hinata. :Prequel to "Shadows":
Fandom: Naruto
Status: Complete

The Panda Princess: Written for NejiTen Day. As a ninja, Tenten logically knows there's no such thing as a real-life fairytale ending. But when has illogic ever been an issue for her, especially when Team Gai in general and Hyuuga Neji in particular are involved? :NejiTen fluff and cuteness:

Fandom: Naruto

Status: Complete

 

Coming Soon

 

Dark and Light: :Prequel to "Shadows": When Uchiha Itachi leaves his village and everything he's ever known behind, it's to follow his duty to another village, which he's sure he can never call home. Sabaku Temari finds something familiar about Suna's newest ninja, but who is he - and why does he drive her crazy at every turn? :Itachi x Temari:

Fandom: Naruto

Status: In-Progress; Multi-Chapter; Coming Soon

 

Fairy Tales: Once upon a time, there was a fairy prince and a lonely girl who were destined to meet again as the top actors in a kingdom called showbiz, where they just might find their happily-ever-after - eventually. :Ren x Kyoko:

Fandom: Skip*Beat!

Status: In-Progress; Multi-Chapter; Coming Soon

 

Steel Dragons: Tenten has been an orphan for as long as she can remember. But an undercover mission with Hyuuga Neji in the Land of Jewels just might help her find her heritage - and a destiny beyond anything she ever imagined. :Neji x Tenten:

Fandom: Naruto

Status: In-Progress; Multi-Chapter; Coming Soon

 

 

That's all for now, but I hope to see you again in the future for these stories, and future blog posts!

Behind-the-Scenes - Renewed - Fact or Fiction? Part 1

As promised, here's the first part of my "Behind the Scenes" extras for my story Renewed. Below you'll find a series of fact or fiction questions/answers for the story. I wanted to do something like this since I was writing a story taking place during something that actually happened. Granted, I did take some liberties while writing, so I wanted to be able to make it clear what's what. So here's the "Fact or Fiction?" section for chapters 1 & 2!

Chapter One :

1.) "And you're going to be on the maiden voyage of the biggest, safest ship in the world." -Kankuro
This is partly fact and partly fiction. At the time of its maiden voyage, Titanic was actually considered the safest ship afloat, despite its massive size. I almost had Kankuro use the phrase, "The unsinkable Titanic!" here, but I knew that would be a cheat. The Titanic was not called "unsinkable" until, ironically, after it sank.

2.) Temari peeked up at the clock hanging on the wall just inside the door, halfway surprised to see it there, as she stepped foot on the Titanic for the first time. -Temari, upon first boarding
This is probably a work of fiction. Most of the pictures we have of Titanic are of first class, and even those are rare, so not much is known about the second-class boarding area. We know for sure there were clocks in first class, so I decided to stretch it a teeny bit and hope there was at least one in second class, as well.

3.) As she walked, she inhaled the myriad scents that indicated the sheer newness of the Titanic: fresh paint that still looked slick and wet, newly cut and polished wood from the floor beneath her feet, and the crispness of freshly laundered sheets on the beds in each room. -Temari, as she tried to find her second class cabin
This is pure fact. On the morning of her departure, some crews got there extra early to complete small details to Titanic, including a fresh coat of paint on some of the walls. So as she sailed, I would imagine there were "warning: fresh paint" signs on some of the walls warning crews and passengers to be careful where they put their hands!

4.) The first thing Temari saw was the sink -- she would have running water! The second was the bunk bed sitting against the wall. -Temari, once reaching her second-class cabin
The first is definitely true. Titanic had running water in her first- and second-class staterooms, as well in the common bathrooms in third class. The bunk beds are a little bit of fiction, actually. There were bunk beds in second class cabins, but I don't know for sure that two people who didn't book passage together would have been put in the same room. There's not a way to know for sure. So this is probably a work of fiction on my part.

5.) "We'd best get to the rail!" she cried. "We'll miss the launch!" -Tenten
This part was almost very different. In my original draft for this chapter, Temari and Tenten went up and toured a bit of first class before going back down to second class for the departure of the ship. Since it was Titanic's maiden voyage, second class passengers were allowed to go up to first class to take a short tour before they left the dock. But ultimately the scene slowed down the flow of the story too much, and I wound up just leaving them in second class. Sorry, girls!

6.) The New York vs. the Titanic
This is also fact. As Titanic was leaving port, her wake caused the moored New York to break free of her ropes and float out into the water. She came within a few feet of actually striking Titanic, and many passengers viewed this as a very bad omen. In reality, Titanic's departure was delayed an hour while New York was towed back to shore, but for the purposes of my story, I only had them delayed half an hour.

Chapter Two

1.) "It's a good thing Titanic was late, or we might not have made it in time." - Sasuke
This is fact. Thanks to her near miss with the New York, Titanic was delayed in her arrival at Cherbourg, France, her next stop. Some people made it onto the ship who might not have otherwise, and still others were still so late arriving at the dock they missed the ship altogether.

2.) His family, being the only first-class one to board at Cherbourg, would be one of the first to make their way from land to the floating city. -Itachi
This is entirely fiction. There were several first-class passengers to board at Cherbourg, most noteably "Molly" Brown and John Jacob Astor and his wife, Madeleine. But I wanted the Uchiha alone on the boat as they went across to board Titanic, so I made them the only first class passengers, with the aforementioned having all boarded back at Southampton, Titanic's original departure point.

3.) "The evening meal has already been served," the steward guiding them said as the lift gates rattled open. "But a repast will be offered in the staterooms of all those who wish it after the Titanic is once more under way." - Titanic steward
This is probably fiction. In those days, the evening meal was served later, rather than earlier, so it's highly likely Titanic passengers wouldn't have had their meal until after she departed Cherbourg. But I could find no record of this, so I fudged things a little and made the meal be served beforehand, with the option for people to enjoy the meal in the rooms after Titanic departed.

4.) "I heard some crew members in the hall earlier saying that Captain Smith is going to take the ship through some practice turns to test maneuverability before we get to Queenstown." -Sasuke
This is fact. Between Cherbourg and Queenstown, Ireland, Captain Smith did some practice turns in the ship since the original sea trials were not allowed to go entirely according to plan when it was first launched since the weather wasn't quite permitting.

5.) "How many people would you say were on board?" -Itachi "Passengers?" -Sasuke "And crew." -Itachi "Around two thousand or so, I guess. Well, as soon as we finish picking up passengers at Queenstown, and the last few who are going to get off do so. Why?" -Sasuke "From what I remember last night, and recounting today, there aren't enough lifeboats on board for everyone." -Itachi
This is also fact. Titanic proudly stated she could carry up to 2,500 passengers, plus 600 crewmembers, easily. Final count (approximately) of the number of people aboard that night was around 2,300. Titanic was not at her full capicity on her maiden (and only) voyage, but still there were not nearly enough life boats aboard.

6.) "This ship is built to be unsinkable." -Sasuke
This was a moment of weakness for me. As stated above, Titanic was not actually referred to as "unsinkable" until after she sank. The term was first coined by the press, and then it took off like wildfire. But I couldn't resist having someone aboard say it, and I figured the mechanically-minded Sasuke was the perfect person to utter the line.

7.) The vibration from the ship's engines was a little more noticeable here as a slight tremor in the deck beneath Itachi's feet, but for the most part it seemed as smooth sailing below as it was above. -Itachi
This is hard to determine as fact or fiction. Vibration from the engines were noted by several people from first, second, and third class in all the research material I read, but it was noted in varying degrees, so it was hard to tell what class felt the most vibrations. I decided approximate location in relation to the engines would be the determining factor and deduced first would feel the least, second slightly more, and third the most.

----

And that's all for now! If you have questions about anything else you noticed in the first two chapters, drop me a line and I'll answer it as best I can.

For the record, the research material I used for these chapters, and the entire fic, are listed below. I recommend all three books if you're interested in learning more about the ship, or just seeing some stunning images of Titanic.

The Discovery of the Titanic by Dr. Robert D. Ballard (Includes a fold-out section with blueprints of the ship as well as a diagram of the pieces found at the bottom of the Atlantic, as well as amazing images and the story of the ship's discovery. Most interesting is a practically moment-by-moment timeline of the ship's conception, building, sinking, and discovery at the back of the book.)

Ghosts of the Abyss: A Journey into the Heart of the Titanic by Don Lynch and Ken Marschall with an introduction by James Cameron (This book has never-before-seen images of the inside of the ship, both before and after her sinking, as well as diagrams and more blueprints, as well as absolutely breathtaking paintings and still shots.)

The Complete Titanic: From the Ship's Earliest Blueprints to the Epic Film by Stephen J. Spignesi (I also got a huge amount of information from this book. It has cargo manifests, menu from all three classes, more blueprints, partial transcripts from the hearings conducted by the U.S. and England after the sinking, and much, much more. It's over 400 pages long, but definitely worth a look!)

See you all again soon with Fact or Fiction Part 2!

~bastet (fyd)

Current/Upcoming works (June 21, 2012)

Since I've recently started branching out (way out) into fanfiction for a number of different fandoms, all at the same time, I decided to make a blog to keep things straight for myself and for my readers. This way I can give you all a more updated timeline of updates and postings than I can at the end of a chapter/story update on fanfiction.net.

Current Projects (Naruto):

Labyrinth - Chapter 21, Unveiling, is currently in the hands of my wonderful beta. She and I are still in the process of doing hard-core edits to the fic as a whole, rearranging the order of some scenes and organizing/finalizing our timeline (let's face it, there's a lot to keep track of in this story!), but you should be able to expect an update for chapter 21 around the end of June/beginning of July. Lots of juicy stuff in store for you and our intrepid heroes/heroines ahead!

Renewed - Chapter 8, Hide and Seek, is completely written and currently in the editing process. We're getting so close to finally learning Temari's secrets -- and, of course, the fateful night of April 14! I'm hoping to get the update up sometime this weekend: Saturday, Sunday at the latest.

Upcoming Projects (Naruto):

Understanding (working title): A ficlet taking place in my Labyrinth universe, before the actual events of the story. A background fic on how Kakashi and Tenten met, and a glimpse at their life before coming (or, in one case, returning) to Konoha. I'm hoping to have it up sometime in early July.

Perfection (working title): A Neji birthday fic. Don't want to say too much for fear of giving it away, but this is definitely going to be a happy, fluff-filled piece! (NejiTen, naturally) Expected to be up sometime on July 3rd.

Sweet Dreams: A late Itachi birthday fic. Semi-canon, with a twist. Again, don't want to say too much for fear of giving too much away. (ItaMari) Expected to be up sometime in late June/early July.

Intertwined (working title): After being sent to the country to "recuperate" after stress from his job and home situation leaves Uchiha Itachi ill, he meets the most unlikely thing in his world: the one woman on the face of the planet who can distract him from his carefully ordered life and believe the impossible is possible. Faced with the choice of leaving his old life forever to be with Temari or leaving her behind for the comfort of the familiar, Itachi's life will never be the same. (ItaMari, NejiTen, GaaHina / SasuHina) Expected to be up sometime in mid/late July. (Multi-chapter)

Current Projects (Vampire Knight):

Model Perfect - First VK fic. My take on how Shiki and Rima met and got started in the modeling business. Mostly friendship, but with a hint of romance toward the end. (Shima) Complete.

Midday Snack - Can kind of be seen as a sequel to Model Perfect, but is also good as a standalone. Senri comes over after a particularly hard time with his mother, and Rima quietly goes about helping him in the best ways she can. Another kid!fic with lots of friendship and slight hints of more. (Shima) Complete.

Upcoming Projects (Vampire Knight):

Stand (working title): Post Ridou story arc. Senri and Rima have a lot to talk about, to forgive, to try to forget. Slight angst, a heavy dose of romance, and just a dash of friendship for flavor. (Shima) Expected to be up somewhere between Wed., June 27, and Sat., June 30. (Oneshot)

Forgive and Forget: Something of a speculative piece from Akatsuki's point of view. Why, oh why, does he keep pining after a girl who doesn't even realize he exists, not in that way? (Kain x Ruka) Expected to be up sometime around early/mid July. (Oneshot)

Stuck (working title): After leaving Japan - and his best friend - behind for several years to pursue a college education in America, Kiryuu Zero returns to find his worst fears confirmed: by saying nothing before he left, Yuuki did not wait for him. Will his inaction make him lose Yuuki to the darkly mysterious Kuran Kaname and leave him resigned to "best friend" forever, or can he take that next step and win her back, even though she was never really his to begin with? Non-canon, all human. (Zero/Yuuki, Kaname/Yuuki, Shima, and Kain x Ruka) First chapter planned to be up somewhere in mid/late July. (Multi-chapter)

That's all for now, but expect further updates on posting dates, extras, and links! Thanks for reading!

~bastet (fyd)

Introduction

Hello, decatbastet (also known as fyd818) here.

So I've gone and done it. I've finally created a blog.

I know, I'm sooo behind the times. But honestly, I haven't been remotely tempted to do a blog -- until now. And it's not even like I decided I'm so important I have to have a blog (I know, I'm really not). I just decided I needed a place for, well... (See below)

I am involved in a number of different fandoms, and as such, I have a lot of stories. Some of them are works in progress, some of them are complete, some of them are upcoming ... well, you get the idea. I decided I wanted to be able to have a place online where I could keep my readers updated on what's going on, what I'm working on, upcoming projects, update schedules, etc. Plus I wanted a place to be able to post behind-the-scenes things (fun facts, previews, extras, etc.).

This is the best place to keep up with what's up with my writing world. Plus, like I said above, you'll get all sorts of fun extra stuff here -- deleted scenes that didn't make it into the fic, fun facts about my fics (especially watch for a massive special coming up about this for Renewed), and even previews for upcoming fics and the next chapters of my works-in-progress! Also, if I'm taking a hiatus or won't be posting for a while for some reason, I'll let you all know here.

So thanks for checking out Work in Progress, and I'll see you all next post!

~bastet (fyd)