3/17/02: I'm afraid there won't be a fanfic update this month-- I could offer reasons, but none of them are very good, so let's suffice it to say that I've been suffering from a nasty case of Writer's Block the past few weeks, and for that I apologize. With any luck I'll have a new chapter ready in time for next month.

But on a slightly more encouraging note, In the Line of Fire is only one chapter away from completion, two at most, and The Perfect Warrior should really start going places once I can actually buckle down and write it. Chapters one through seven were basically character development and setting up the backbone of the story, and with chapter eight I hope to start getting into the real heart of the story-- the part I've wanted to tell since I first sat down to write The Perfect Warrior.

Finally, many thanks to Thomas at tfenet.com for his gracious offer to host this website. Geocities was complaining about my bandwidth usage (very odd, since this site doesn't use much at all), and it was becoming increasingly difficult to host a free site on there anyway, so I was grateful for the opportunity to switch. On the plus side for you readers, no more annoying ads in the right-hand corner and no more site outages due to excessive bandwidth usage (Geocities can kiss my butt). All the links and everything should be working, but if you find one that's broken, please please please let me know.

There's plenty more I'd like to ramble on about, but I'm tired and I want to go to bed. (No, I didn't have a little drink about an hour ago that went right to my head.)

Until next month...

2/13/02: Look upon my site, and marvel at the speed with which I update-- twice in the span of two weeks. Then repeat to yourself, "the author will continue this frantic pace of updates well into the future. Every two weeks, there will be a new installment of fanfiction goodness for my reading enjoyment." Then fall out of your chair laughing at the sheer absurdity of that statement.

Seriously, though, the only reason I managed to update so quickly this time is that this month's update-- Chapter 7 of In the Line of Fire-- has been mostly done for a while now. It has a couple of fight scenes in it, which have always been kinda difficult for me to write, and so I had to rewrite large sections of the chapter two or three times before I finally thought it was worthy of release. So anyway, hope y'all enjoy it.

Oh, and I finally got a new poll up. It's a poll about my own fics, and I'm curious about the results-- the question is, "who is your favorite original character in one of my stories?" I realize, of course, that most people read fanfics because they want to read about the characters they already know-- Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Shampoo, etc. But I've also tried to put in some good original characters, such as Ruby in the Perfect Warrior and Hiroshi in In the Line of Fire, and I'd like to hear your opinion on them, partly because I'm curious but more importantly because I think it might teach me a bit about what I'm doing right and wrong in my writing. So take the poll-- don't make me send the All-Nite Hired Goon Squad after you. ^_^

One final thing-- like I promised, I have a mailing list available for anyone who cares to join. If you sign up, you'll get an e-mail whenever I update this site, which means those of you who regularly visit the page won't have to check it over and over again in hopes of an update. To sign up, just follow the link at the bottom of the "What's New" section. If you have trouble signing up, just let me know and I'll see what I can do.

1/31/02: Well, this was not my idea of a great January update. My ideal update would have been to post new chapters to both The Perfect Warrior and In the Line of Fire about three weeks ago, and I actually worked very hard to achieve that goal. I finished rough drafts of both chapters about the fifth of this month, but I rushed so much that they were pretty lousy quality, and my prereader found a lot wrong with them.

I don't know why, but it's a lot harder to get motivated to edit fics than it is to get motivated to write them in the first place. So as a result, I barely managed to finish editing one of the chapters-- Chapter 7 of TPW, which is now available for your perusal. The next chapter of ITLOF was even worse off than TPW, so that'll be the update for February. Hopefully within three weeks or less.

I also have one other very short, very odd oneshot posted that's a Ranma/Starcraft crossover. I know that sounds weird but, well, I've playing way too much Starcraft recently. You probably won't understand it unless you've played through most of the Starcraft campaigns and are relatively familiar with the game. Anyway, it's called The Awakening. Czech it out.

Random Notes:

With regard to Chapter 7 of The Perfect Warrior-- it picks up right from the end of Chapter 6, so if you've forgotten what happened in Chapter 6 you might find it beneficial to go back and read the last couple scenes before starting in on 7. Just a suggestion, though.

I wanted to get a new poll up, but I was kinda rushing this evening, so I didn't have the time to think of a good one. Maybe next time. Sorry, all you crazy spammers out there. *cough cough*

This month has convinced me that I really should get some sort of update notification going. By February I'll probably have a mailing list up and running to notify anybody who cares to sign up about webpage updates.

One last thing: everyone who's old enough should go see Black Hawk Down. Seriously, that is probably the best war movie I've ever seen. Simply amazing. Now I feel the need to go read the book. ^_^

12/12/01: Sorry this update is a bit late. Why didn't anybody tell me that monthly updates are supposed to come once a month?

I realize that actual fanfic updates have been even scarcer than web page updates recently. Schoolwork is one reason, obviously. Another reason is current events-- when we're involved in a War on Terrorism, it's hard for me to get motivated to write fanfics about (1) war and (2) organized crime, or essentially terrorism. Still, life (and the world of fanfiction) goes on. I would like to complete all my fanfics, despite everything that's happened, and I know I have at least a few loyal readers who I don't want to disappoint.

Speaking of readers, something else that's hurt me lately is feedback. Reader feedback- defined as e-mail, poll responses, Guestbook signings, etc. seems to have hit a new low. There are exceptions, of course (you know who you are), and I admit I'm not the greatest person in responding to reader feedback-- generally, if I can't think of anything to say, I don't respond. Sometimes I'm just plain lazy, and there really is no excuse for that when you get as little feedback as I do.

The whole reader response bit is all right, I suppose, and I can't blame individual readers for it, nor would I try to. I have some great readers out there, and in the end, I can't blame anybody but myself. Part of me wonders if I'm doing something wrong, or if my writing seems inferior, or what. I honestly don't think that's the case, though, and I think my biggest problem right now is that I haven't been updating my two primary fics (The Perfect Warrior and In the Line of Fire) enough recently.

Therefore: once this semester is over, exams are through, etc. and I finally have a couple weeks off over Winter Break, I'm going to try break out of my recent funk as far as those two fics are concerned, and I'm going to set myself a goal (as insane as it sounds): finish the next chapter for BOTH of them over Winter Break. Crazy, you say? Maybe so-- luckily, I'm crazy enough to try it (after exams this week, I may be crazy in the clinical sense of the word, but that's not the point). I tend to be a slow writer, but I'm going to do what I can to update both In the Line of Fire and The Perfect Warrior in early January, around the time Winter Break ends. I really can't say what my chances of finishing are (well, okay, I can- small).

Still, I'm going to give it everything I can. I think I need to do for me, for my readers, and for my fanfiction. And even if I don't finish both of them, there will be something up in January. I don't know what yet, I don't know how good it will be, but there will be new fanfiction, even if I have to employ monkeys on typewriters to create it for me.

Wish me luck. Oh and, by the way, have a great Christmas, or a great Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrate. Also, be sure to root for NC State University in the Tangerine Bowl on December 20th. Watch ESPN, maybe you'll see me- I'll be in the stands somewhere.^_^ Ya! Go Pack! W00T!

10/24/01: Well, it's that time of the month again... no, not THAT time of the month. It's time for me to once again pretend I've updated the site!

Actually, this time there IS an update- a fairly large one, too. Unfortunately, there's still no new chapters of The Perfect Warrior or In the Line of Fire- I'll get to that in a second. I'd rather concentrate on what I have updated before I get into excuses.

Regular visitors may recall that in my last "update", I mentioned that I was working on a short story for my Fiction Writing class. That story is now posted on the site for your reading enjoyment, in a new section titled "Original Stories". I have a few other original stories that I might post, too, if I get around to revising them, but for now there's only one story in that section, titled Chasing the Iris. I'm fairly pleased with it, and it got a positive response in my class, so I figure y'all might be interested in taking a look at it.

Also, a few months ago I mentioned that I was working on a joint project with a friend of mine. He and I have now started a web page for our joint effort titled 'Neers In Black. ('Neers, by the way, is short for Engineers. For a further explanation, you'll have to visit the page.) So anyway we've got this joint writing company thing going, and we've actually got part of a fic posted. Check it out by clicking here.

You'll also notice that the "Create Your Own Fanfic" section has disappeared. That has also relocated to the new 'Neers in Black Page. Which, if I haven't mentioned, yet, is located here. That URL would be http://www.geocities.com/neers_in_black/index.html, by the way, which you can reach by clicking here. Anyway, the Create Your Own Fanfic bit was really a dual idea that we came up with and wrote together, so that's why it's moved. Oh, and we've created a second mad lib, too, in which we tried to correct some of the problems of the first one- namely, the length. This new one is only fifteen blanks, so hopefully it's less troublesome to create. You can reach the new fanfic generator by going to this page. That would be the new 'Neers in Black page.

Linking is fun. Sorry, sorry... anyway, moving on: I have gotten some work done recently on both of my major fics, and while it may still be a while before they come out, I am working on both of them. Part of me would like to ditch The Perfect Warrior until I finish In the Line of Fire, but I'm suppressing that urge and unless I get a large amount of feedback suggesting otherwise, I will continue to alternate between the two fics.

About the surveys: thanks to everyone who responded to the last two. I don't know what I'm going to do about keeping readers informed of updates: I'm leaning towards a mailing list, but I'm not sure if my regular readership is large enough to justify one. Maybe in a couple of months I'll put one together- or maybe I'll think of a better way than the What's New section to keep readers appraised of the status of my various projects onsite, but right now I'm leaning towards a mailing list.

I've put a new survey up, and again I'd like your feedback about something. The question is, ironically, "Should I keep putting up surveys?" That's right: I want your opinion on the surveys. Do you like them? Are they annoying? Do you think they're useless? Let me know, and be as brutally honest as you want, confident in the knowledge that if you flame me I'll track you down and send a squad of hired goons to kick your ass. ^_^ As usual, comments can be posted on the results page.

That's it for now... hope ya enjoy the update. Oh, and be sure to visit the 'Neers in Black page. Heh heh.

8/24/01: Phew... barely managed to make my goal of once-a-month updates. Thanks to everyone who signed my guestbook; it was you folks who got me writing again. Unfortunately, with the recent onset of the fall semester and the various hassles that accompanied it, I haven't had the chance to put together an update until now.

Today's update is Chapter 6 of In the Line of Fire. If you haven't noticed by now, the past few months I've been alternating updates of The Perfect Warrior and In the Line of Fire, which to me seems to be the best way to be fair to fans of both series. Thus, I will probably continue this alternating of fics until such time as one of them, probably In the Line of Fire, is completed, at which time I'll concentrate my efforts on finishing the other one.

There's one problem, though. With the start of the fall semester, my free time has suddenly become much more limited than it was in the summer, and while I would like to keep the once-a-month pace of updates going, there's a good chance it won't happen. To spare readers the hassle of checking the page all the time for updates, I've come up with some possible ideas that would make it easier for readers to keep up with the page with as little hassle as possible. These include (1)starting a mailing list on wich I could inform readers when an update occurs, (2)registering the page with Netmind, or (3)creating a new "Project Status" section on the site that lets readers know how close each new chapter is to completion. Or makybe none of these options is worth it, and I should just keep things the way they are. This is where I want your feedback- go down to the Survey section, and tell me what you think is the best option(s). After a couple weeks, I'll implement the option with the most votes. If you think you have a better idea, or just want to chip in your two cents, post a comment on the results page of the survey below the bar graph.

I also added a second new poll, just because the first one struck me as too serious to add by itself. So the second new poll asks the question, "Besides Ranma 1/2, what is your favorite anime series?" I'm curious about the results, and you should be, too. ^_^ Take the survey, let your opinion be know to the world, and once again, feel free to post your two cents on the results section.

In addition to being lax on this most recent update, I haven't gotten the chance to respond properly to a couple guestbook entries that I wanted to as well as some recent e-mail. I generally pride myself on my response time to feedback I receive, so I apologize. Please don't take it as a personal insult; I've just been dealing with a bad case of life lately. If you sent me something to which you were expecting a response and I still haven't gotten in touch with you within a few days, e-mail me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

On a more positive note: the counter rolled past 10,000 a couple days ago! Yay!! Thanks to everyone who has visited this site and supported this little hobby of mine; despite my occasional lapses I truly enjoy writing fanfiction and I hope to continue doing so well into the future.

7/24/01: As you can tell by the change at the top of the page, I've been working on the site a little bit. I'm mostly experimenting, brushing up on HTML, that kind of stuff. I'm only halfway pleased with the above table, but it'll probably stay until I think of something better.

I've also done a minor overhaul of the links page... improved navigation, adding some links, and taking out some dead ones. I also added a section specifically for sites that link back to this page, so if I've missed any let me know and I'll put 'em up there.

Among the links I've added is The Stubborn One's Page, which is a page of stories and works that are written by a good friend of mine (who also happens to be my prereader). It's all original work, no fanfiction (yet), but it's worth checking out. He and I are also working together on a Ranma fic, and we'll probably have at least one chapter of it posted before too long. I'm not going to say exactly what it is yet, but it's an action/drama with hints of comedy, and it takes place within the military. Watch for it.

I've been fighting some serious writer's block lately... hard to say which will I'll finish first, either Chapter 7 of The Perfect Warrior or Chapter 6 of In the Line of Fire. I'm doing what I can, but it's slow going. If you want to help me get my groove back, so to speak, then sign the Guestbook I just added. Very little gets me writing faster than hearing from readers who are actually enjoying the stories. Or if you haven't read the stories, but just want to sign the guestbook and say "hi," that's fine too. ^_^

Meanwhile, thanks to everyone who's responded to the surveys so far. The "Who should Ranma marry?" poll has been up for a few weeks now, so I'd like to replace it, but I'm coming up rather short on ideas. So if you have a fanfic-related or Ranma-related question that you'd like to see me put up in the survey section, let me know. If it's a good one, you may see it posted with the next update.

That's about it for now... I apologize for the lack of new fanfic stuff. Next time I'll have something- promise. In the meantime, check out what's here, check out the guestbook, or check out some of the many excellent pages on the Links page. There's more than enough there to keep you occupied until the next update. ^_^

7/2/01: A couple things this time- first, Chapter 6 of The Perfect Warrior is finally out. It should have been out over a week earlier, except that it took me longer to edit the chapter than it took me to write the entire last half, which is something that sucks and I hope never happens again.

Also, you may notice that the Revision Pending beside Chapters 4 and 5 have been taken down. Several times I've said I'm going to make edits, but I never actually have, so I've decided that I'm not going to go back and do edits on previous chapters until I've totally finished the fic (unless there is a glaring problem that really bugs me and I feel it HAS to be fixed). There are still parts of the story I'm not entirely pleased with, but they can wait. I doubt anybody was waiting on the edge of their seat for the revisions, anyway.

On a lighter note: in my continuing quest to entertain bored people, there is a cool new feature on the site... I am pleased to present Taliesin's Crossover Fanfic Generator. If you've heard of "Mad Libs", then you know how it works, and if you haven't, it's easy to understand. By simply filling in a few blanks, you can quickly and easily write your own hilarious fanfic! Click here and check it out.

Oh, and there's a new poll up. This one is more entertaining than the last one, and I've set it so you can post your comments on the results page. The question is, "Who Should Win Ranma's Hand in Marriage?" Akane? Ukyou? Maybe you always thought Kuno deserved to win? Or maybe someone else entirely? Take the survey and let your opinion be known.

6/8/01: Argh, so much to say, so much to talk about... where to begin? I'll start by saying that the crisis that hit me at the end of last semester is over, and I am finally writing again. As a matter of fact, I've been writing quite a bit more than usual- ah, the joys of summer. So the gist of it is, at-least-once-a-month updates to the site should once again become a fact of life.

Now, onto the good stuff: Chapter 5 of In the Line of Fire is written and posted. I'd really like to have In the Line of Fire finished by the end of summer, but as of right now I'd only give that about a forty percent chance of happening. Still, ya never know.

For you Mermaid Chronicles fans, I've posted not one, but two teasers in an effort to prove that I am actually still working on that story. The teasers are rough, and the names of the stories may change, but both will probably get written out in due time. How fast depends on the reader response, I suppose. *wink nudge cough*

Perfect Warrior fans, of which I know there are at least nine, I apologize. Let's just put it like this: I know how the story begins. I know how the story ends. I just don't know what happens in the middle!! I haven't forgotten you, and I will post an update soon- even if it kills me. Truth be told, TPW is probably my favorite story... and one reason writing it is taking so much longer is because I turn into an obsessive perfectionist when I write it- more so than when I write my other stories. Like I said, I will post an update soon- even if it kills me.

Web page news- In an attempt to generate more reader feedback and make the page slightly more entertaining (at least for very bored people), I've added a poll section, underneath the fanfics and above the links. Check it out- right now, the poll question is "What continuing fanfic should I spend the most time working on?" and I will take the results into account over the next few months as I write. I'll change the poll occasionally, maybe putting up some broad questions about fanfics or anime in general in addition to reader-feedback questions and then sharing the results. Also plan to have a Guestbook soon, once I get back into the groove of regular updates.

Other things on my list to do this summer: learn to do frames in HTML so that I can make the web page easier to navigate. Also, flesh out the Ranma/Kenshin crossover that's been brewing in my head for a while. And I hope to have another oneshot finished soon- a rather interesting and unique (if I do say so myself) view of just what's going on inside Kasumi's head.

That's about it for this update... enjoy the fics, and take the poll. And if you haven't yet, go to the movies and see "Shrek". That movie rocks. Eddie Murphy, in particularly, kicks ass (no pun intended ^_^).

4/2/01: Sorry, folks... this will probably be my last update for a couple of months. Due to a rather severe case of real life, I am forced to take a short sabbatical from the world of fanfiction, most likely lasting until the end of the Spring semester. Hopefully by then, I'll have my life back under control enough such that I can write again.

When I do update again, big things will be in store... Chapter 6 of The Perfect Warrior, in which Shampoo and Ranma come into their own as Amazon warriors, and Chapter 5 of In the Line of Fire, in which we finally find out some specifics about just what happened all those years ago. Harder to say with The Mermaid Chronicles... I have a few ideas and a possible teaser, but nothing concrete yet. We'll see... I will, however, probably have the web page upgraded by then.

"Then" will probably be mid-June or so... I apologize to my readers out there; especially those of you to whom I promised quicker updates than what I have been delivering. I appreciate the support of everybody who's e-mailed me or supported me otherwise in this hobby, but for now I have to concentrate on other things (as much as I may not want to). Hopefully this short break will give me the chance to overcome my stress-induced Writer's Block, and when I do come back, regular updates should be a common occurrence.

Domo arigato, ja ne, hasta luego, and auf wiedersehen... until next time, and thank you all. I promise I'll keep this little "break" as short as possible.

3/24/01: Well, it took me longer than I had expected, but I finished Chapter 4 of In the Line of Fire. The tone of the chapter is different than previous chapters, and marks a turning point between previous chapters and the rest of the fic. I hope you enjoy it, and any comments or suggestions are always welcome.

I also put up a new oneshot; actually, it's a spamfic that's my first attempt at humor (you have been warned). It's one of those fics where how funny it is is directly proportional to how much caffeine you have consumed recently. Read at your own risk.

As far as my other fanfics, I've been doing some work on The Perfect Warrior, and will be making some revisions very soon. The changes will most likely not affect the plot, but they will affect the fic's mood and style, and I'm pretty sure that fans of the story will approve of them.

Among the couple new links, one is the site of a good friend of mine who has recently started out in the wide world of fanfic writing, and in the constant search for reader feedback, has requested that I plug his site on my page, which I am more than willing to do. His page is listed under "Fanfics" as Ashes of the Phoenix. Drop by sometime and let him know what you think.

All right... one final note before I quit rambling; I'd like to thank everybody who voted for In the Line of Fire in the most recent Ranma Fanfiction Awards. Thanks to you, it got 2nd place in the Continuing Series category! ::Dances around happily::

Now onto your (sort of) regularly scheduled fanfiction.

3/2/01: Welcome to my web site, Version 2.0. I've streamlined the page, and cut out a lot of it. The image gallery is gone, for multiple reasons: first, it got very little traffic, and second, there was really nothing there to distinguish it from the 17 zillion other Ranma image galleries that already exist. Instead, I've listed some good image galleries in the links section.

Meanwhile, the fanfics have been moved to the main page. I've stripped off the Author's Notes, except for fics that are finished already- I felt that they were a detriment rather than a help for fics that are still in progress.

The links page has been reorganized and expanded. And, as you may have noticed, I'm still using ultra-basic HTML. I use Microsoft Notepad as my HTML editor, and I'm not really inclined to take the time to learn a more advanced web page design program. For now, I'd rather spend that time writing.

In fanfic news, Chapter 4 of In the Line of Fire is nearing completion- I hope to have it posted here within a week or two. (I've noticed something interesting the past few weeks- the more schoolwork I have to do, the more motivated I am to write fanfiction. I think it's some unwritten Murphy's Law of Fanfiction or something. Anyway...) I have made some minor revisions to Finding a Path and A Love Immortal, but nothing major. With any luck, I'll have a more substantial update (in terms of new fanfic chapters) next time.

2/24/01: Chapter 3 of In the Line of Fire is now online. Chapter 4 is mostly written and will hopefully not be far behind. For those of you waiting for updates on other fics, they probably won't be coming for a while... I do hope to get to them in the near future, but right now I'm focusing most of my energies on In the Line of Fire. I may even get as far as finishing that fic (estimated final length: 8-10 chapters) before I turn my attention to other projects. Of course, there's always the off-chance that I could get inspired and finish one of my other fics within a few weeks, but that's rather unlikely.

2/11/01: Hello to my vast audience out there. *coughcough* Anyway, I had originally planned to update this page more often than once every three weeks but Writer's Block and real life sometimes (actually, frequently) have other plans.

I have one new fic posted... a short angsty-type fic that I wrote one day in Math class in an attempt to vent some depression. In other words, my usual lighthearted comedic style. For those of you waiting for an update to one of my continuing fics, Chapter 3 of In the Line of Fire is coming along slowly but surely, and Chapter 6 of The Perfect Warrior is half-written, on hold while I try to figure out just what the hell I'm trying to accomplish with that fic. In my own opinion, Chapters 4 and 5 were not up to par with the previous parts and you may see some revisions of those before you see any future parts. Ideas for future stories in The Mermaid Chronicles are brewing, and it's only a matter of time before at least one of them gets written out.

On another note, I added a few images to the Ranma, Ranma/Akane, and Group image galleries. Also added two fanfiction links and a second Japanese language link.

1/22/01: Welcome to Version 1.0 of my web site. Gaze in rapt wonder at the shrine to ultra-basic HTML that is Taliesin's Ranma 1/2 Depot.

Anyway... After 6 months of posting to web-based fanfic archives, I finally got a home page of my own. So far, I've got a fanfics section, a small image gallery, and of course the requisite collection of links. All will be refined and expanded as time permits.