Hi y'all!

Stories in the process of updating:

Spirit of the Triage - a Naruto fanfiction. I expected to wake up in one of three places: the hospital, heaven, or hell. Imagine my surprise when I found myself slowly spinning on playground swings, seconds before the massacre of Uzushiogakure was to take place. A young Kushina, who is apparently my little sister, stared at me from across the playground. Male OC

I noticed how very few male OCs there are for Naruto and decided to write my own. I began it March 5th, 2016 and is finished as of December 20th, 2016 at over 340,000 words. The sequel I wrote will be added at the end of SOTT to total 101 chapters. Updates are...interesting. There is also a sidestory with some perspectives from other characters.

Current unposted (unfinished) projects:

Spirit's Rise - Originally, it was meant to be a fun rewrite of SOTT to compare my current skill to my teenage skill, however, the plot drastically changed and it evolved into a multi-fandom adventure. Currently, it contains nearly two thousand pages and it's not even half-finished.

To Make A Stone Heart - This story begins about a year before the Kyuubi Attack and follows a very young clan leader. It's my first attempt at writing a story whose plot centers almost entirely on the politics between people. Currently, it's nearly 400 pages long (~180,000 words) but I'm stuck so I haven't worked on it in a long time. I think I'm nearing the end though. I really enjoy rereading it every once in a while. It's one of those stories I've always wanted to read but have to write first.

I have other stories that I'm working on and ideas I'm kicking around, mostly in other fandoms, but those are my two biggest.

SOTT currently has over 900,000 views, but less than 2,000 reviews. Because I understand the frustration and discouragement when most people don't consider my stories worth reviewing, I do my best to review every story I read, whether I like it or not. I'm not perfect, but I do my best. I hope that more people join me and the many other writers on this site to bring up reviews and encourage a happy dialogue between writers and readers.

I post fanfiction here, but I also read it and I likewise know the sadness of abandoned stories. Because of that, I always complete stories before I begin posting them. If it's posted, it's completed, but it may not yet be published in its entirety. However, I make no promises about the update schedule. Just know that you will get the full story. Eventually.

I consider the following my legal disclaimer.

I do not own the works of fiction these stories are fan stories of. I do not intend any copyright infringement. Of the stories I’ve posted, some were written as academic exercises for various school assignments, and all were, ultimately, written to practice my skill as a writer and posted to receive feedback for it, not for monetary gain or to the detriment of anyone.

I write because I enjoy it, because it’s what I’m good at, and because it is how I prefer to interact with people. I gain no profit from the work I post here. I believe that fanfiction, in its purest form and written by honest people, is an academic discourse, although not in the traditional sense. In fanfiction, writers interact with the stories just like students do when they write essays in school over things like the themes used in a particular book. Whereas the latter is often done with formulas and deadlines and in exchange for grades, fanfiction is free, it is voluntary, it is creative, it is a celebration and appreciation of the hard work of the original authors.

Whether it’s done skillfully or not, fanfiction writers express their understanding of the characters of a particular story by changing the character's circumstances. They express their understanding of the original story's plot by tracing the cause and effect of each event and altering its course. Some particularly ambitious and dedicated writers even express that understanding by mimicking the original author’s style as they write their fanfiction. I believe fanfiction is the greatest compliment a fan can give. It says to the original author that their work is appreciated, that their characters are real and worthwhile, that the worlds they created are beautiful, that their stories are so much bigger than they could possibly understand. And I think the biggest compliment to the original author is that they inspired the next generation to write, inspired them to willingly engage with stories outside of traditional academia, in their free time, and make it a part of their lives.

I don’t want to be someone who just sits in front of the TV just watching someone else’s work play out in front of me. I don’t want to be that person who only spends their free time lying in bed consuming book after book. I want to immerse myself in these wonderful worlds I enjoy; I want to engage with them. I write fanfiction to be a part of the cultures I so eagerly consume. I write fanfiction because I don’t want to be one of those people who write endless commentaries and criticisms that no one outside of academia reads, I want to be someone who contributes to the fan culture that exists without detracting from the original work.

Dear authors of the beloved works we have written fanfiction about,

You have spoken to us in the language of stories, in the language of fictional worlds that exist only in our imaginations, in the language of people we can never meet but can hear their voices and the lessons they have to share all the same. Some of us love what you've said, some of us criticize it, some of us are talented, some of us can do nothing but try, but all of us fanfiction writers speak back to you in the language you spoke to us. As we form the words to speak back to you in, we come to understand how much time and effort, how much of your heart and soul you have poured into what you have shared with us. We write our fanfiction to tell you that your work has not gone unheard, that we understand what you have spoken, that we have learned the language you created and we want to reply to you in it.

We have come from many different backgrounds, from many different places, and brought many different experiences to the banquet you've laid out for us. We want to talk with you in this language you've taught us. Even though we know society criticizes us for such devotion, even though many would rather shut us up and force our heads back down, even though there are those among us who try to misrepresent us to you with their ignorance, anger, and selfishness, even though we're not perfect and have made many of our own mistakes, we've still spoken back and put forth our hard work, put at risk our heart and soul for the chance to speak back to you in the language you spoke to us. Of course, some of us are no better than the failing freshman who completely missed the point and some of us could very well stand beside you as authors of our own, but all of us have chosen to speak back in your language regardless of our talent and experience.

Sincerely,

emily4498

(I know this might not catch on, but add your name to the signature if you agree)

Contact me:

Although I'm too awkward and shy to ever reach out to the authors of stories I like, I know other people who aren't and would like to. For those of you who would like to reach out, you can message me on Discord and I'll be happy to chat. My username is emily4498#8546

If you're interested in me creating a Discord server for writers/people who enjoy reading my writing/fellow fans of fiction, please message me and let me know. I've had a little interest, however, it's not yet enough to warrant creating an entire server.

You can PM me through ffnet, but I only rarely check those messages and usually don't reply.