Also see original fiction at:

http://www.fictionpress.info/happywanderer2

Updates: January 16 2017

You will find below the status of my stories and some other thoughts on them, like where they came from. I used to put them in Author's Notes but then realized that habit is kind of annoying so I'll use this space instead.

A Different Sort - This story continues its long hiatus. I need to finish an original story with the OC in that one first. Very sorry.

The idea of folks who work together as a team through many lives is not a new one, but it is still intriguing. My main interest is to write original fiction about Tomoe/Caroline and her family, but I was stuck for story ideas. To get myself going I decided to write something about the group after they had been together awhile. I was reading Peacemaker Kurogane at the time and a book about Thomas Glover, so things just fell together.

Aftermath- Is complete.

This was my first Naruto fanfic. The Sand sibs intrigued my from the start and actually prevented me from giving up on the series. For some reason the Fourth Kazekage interests me too and I can't quite see him as a villain. So this was an attempt to put another spin on what happened.

Gifts of the Kazekage - Working on the final puppet, i.e. Shanshouo. This may take a while, it is getting long. I had to divide it into three. The second part is up. The angsty bit is done, next there will be butt kicking.

I read somewhere that Kankuro inherited the puppets, but I wondered, how could he? Sasori was gone before he was born and I could not see him doing anything to help the Sand Village. When Kankuro sees Chiyo in the Shippuden arc I thought he looked surprised and maybe a little scared, which was weird, given the character. It was then revealed that she had been living in seclusion for many years. So I started to think, just how did he get them? And how did he learn to use them? Baki is not a puppeteer, Chiyo was out of the picture, and so was his father.

Just the Way Dogs Are - Is complete. I am amazed by and grateful for all the hits and comments, someone out there loves their yaoi. There is no more to come for that story, but Lessons of the Toad Sage is a sort of sequel.

This was my first attempt at a guy on guy pairing. It came about as sort of a challenge; a bunch of us were talking and somehow got on the topic of bad sex scenes in movies, books, and manga. One thing led to another and this challenge was issued: create some smut minus some of the more annoying trappings. That is, refrain from the use of all those words that end in -ing, pulsing, throbbing...you get the picture, and (this was the hard part) keep mentions of anatomy to a minimum (actual terms or nicknames). I tried first with a straight sex scene (non-fanfiction) and failed utterly. Then I checked out some pairings on this site as research (yeah...research, that's my story and I'm sticking to it) and came across the KibaXKanukuro pairings. Many were perfect examples of what I was supposed to avoid. I was also watching all those nasty filler episodes at the end of the first story arc so the whole 'repaying a favour' thing was in my head too. Then I got thinking, if Akamaru and Kiba are supposed to be inseparable, just where is he while Kiba is having all this wild sex (with just about everyone in the series it seems)? The first chapter was my response to the challenge. The second chapter was not supposed to be a pairing, I was trying to write a story sans Sand sibs and the idea of Akamaru and a paternity suit just tickled my fancy. Next thing I know the puppet master is back and smut soon followed.

Used Paradise for Sale - Is complete and still my favorite.

I know this guy who is a huge Lord of the Rings fan and has been for many years. He has read the series so many times that he has to periodically replace his copies of the books. The series does get rereleased quite a bit so it is pretty easy to get something a little different each time. He has gotten in the habit of selling or donating his used copies before buying new ones. So I wondered, what does Kakashi do with his books once they wear out? I had also just finished the chapter in Gifts of the Kazekage where Kankuro runs into Jiraiya, so one thing led to another...

Date Night - Is complete.

Not really sure where this came, but it is pretty funny, if I do say so myself.

Lessons from the Toad Sage - Is complete.

The 'new and improved' Naruto is just as annoying as the old one. With Jiraiya as a teacher, he should be much more clever and devious. I don't know why, but I see similarities between Jiraiya and Kankuro. The kabuki connection is obvious, but they also both have rather flamboyant fighting styles. Well, half the cast does, but there is a theatrical connection between them that the others don't have and they both seem like pranksters (evil pranksters!). I don't think that Jiraiya and Kankuro ever meet in the series but they did in one of my stories and Kankuro was not happy about the results of the meeting. At one point he thinks something like 'if I ever meet that guy again...'

Hero's Mask-Is complete

Bunraku hood and kabuki paint? There is a connection between the two, but it just seemed a bit much. I wanted to write a story of how it came about; for some reason I like to portray Kankuro as a kid...rambunctious and always in trouble. The story's structure is a little different...a bunch of us were talking about the nature of story telling. What makes a good one etc. etc., but also where is the best place to tell one? Around a camp fire, in a bar, reading a book to a group, or even in bed? One of the best epic stories ever, the Cooley Cattle Raids, starts out as a discussion in bed. Thus the odd first chapter, it is a feeble attempt at homage. The audience for Kankuro's story is unusal, but I had to have a character who was not overly familiar with past events to ask the question and the creation of OC's is my reaction to all the really, really bad filler. Unfortunate but true.

I have had a couple of people ask 1) who was the jinchuuriki he hated, and 2) who fell asleep during one of Kankuro's stories. The reviewers who posed these questions did not leave a signed review so I could not reply. So...1) well Gaara of course, when they were young, and 2) read Lessons from the Toad Sage to find out. :)

Family Matters- Is complete.

I hate writer's block! I was about 200 words away from finishing a chapter of 'Gifts' and I got so stuck. I read somewhere that you should just write to get rid of a block, so I did and this is what came out. So cute and fluffy that it almost scares me. But the Puppet Master got some swearing in, got to torment Shikamaru, and did some flirting, so it's all good.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie-Is complete.

If you read 'Lessons from the Toad Sage' then you just knew this was coming. Right?

Memorial-Is complete.

Just like the description says, I wondered what happened to the puppets used in the fight between Chiyo, Sakura, and Sasori. How could they leave something that valuable just lying around? I find the differences in Sasori's and Chiyo's puppets in the fight and the ones Kankuro 'inherited' from him interesting and the contrast in the two characters is also interesting. Some of that curiousity ended up here too. I am toying with the idea of using my OC, Miri in a longer story. She is border line Mary Sue material; she passed the litmus test, but I am still hesitant. However, if I do say so myself, she is far more interesting than some of the characters that have showed up in recent filler episodes and Naruto movies. Any thoughts, anyone?

Springs of Suna-Chapter 9 is up.

I got some writing done during my wanderings of the month of June 2009, which was both good and bad. Good because I started three or four new stories and bad because I did not finish 'Gifts of the Kazekage' which is the one thing I wanted to get done while I was away. This story came about after I spent I couple of days in a kayak, in torrential rain, trying to work. While I was sitting and waiting for things to clear up I got to thinking: where does Suna get their water? They are in the desert after all and are a permanent settlement rather than something nomadic. Therefore they would need a reliable source of clean water. Then I remembered that Ebizo and Chiyo were sitting around a pool, fishing, the first time we saw them. One thing led to another and...well, read the story. Kankuro and Kiba doing shinobi stuff this time...mostly.

Return to the Land of Snow-Is complete.

My OC's have run amuck. This is what happens when I watch too much bad filler...and bad anime-based movies. I have been trying to get into Bleach, but the anime seems to be mostly filler and that last Naruto movie was just bad. So. Very. Bad. I sort of liked the Land of Snow movie and would have liked it more if there had been a Sand sibling in it. And since Masashi Kishimoto is unlikely to revisit Koyuki-sama, I figured that I'd just have to do it myself.

Changeling-Fourth chapter is up.

Little bit nervous about this one. A cross-over and an OC in one story, this could go very bad, very fast. I'm still pretty new to Bleach and aside from the excessive amount of filler in the anime, I'm enjoying it and like the whole Shinigami concept. Invasive species issues are a hot topic at work. This was on my mind when I came up for the idea. Plus I thought it would be interesting to throw the puppet master at some Shinigami and watch what happens.

Chunin Exams-Second chapter up

Yeah, I know I should not be starting something new until I finish something, but the muse has been bugging me with this for some time. I liked how Hero's Mask turned out and thought that I might try the set up again. And I wondered how everyone ended up advancing while Naruto was away.