Why hello there!

So... I'm new, but hey, given that this is the 'Welcome Mat' that's likely obvious...

Interesting thing, I was actually referred here by someone considering to join the forum... HAHA, wow... Figures I'd be sucked in first.

Ironically, she's the one who's heading for 'Author' as a set career goal. I love to write, but if it ends up in my professional life, it's going to be in the form of script writing; I'm more of an artist at heart, and spend a lot of time either drawing by hand or modeling figures in 3D programs. My dream? Make a 3D film or game that rivals even the best in both quality of art and story... It's hard to find something that balances the two these days, but oh when you do...

In any case. I spend a lot of time writing FanFiction sad to say... Nothing wrong with fanfiction of course, just that I have a feeling that simply saying the word deters a number of people from even touching what I've written! ACK. I have a few original things on the drawing board so to speak, along with small one-shots to get them started... But for the most part, in terms of recent work, I have definitely gotten far too into my current fanfiction than can be healthy.

What started as a response to a friend's challenge of 'It's impossible to write a good gender-flipped fanfiction' (In other words, a fanfiction that takes one of the characters and.. Well... Flips the gender.) has grown into a still in progress novel of plus THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND WORDS.

I keep staring at this monster going... '...I love you but... Hoh boy, you are getting big.'

This sucker isn't even half done... I keep surprising myself, but so far the only reviews given have been... Positive. I keep waiting for flames but.. Either I'm really good, or I have the worst luck ever when it comes to getting decent criticism.

Hence why I'm here! To get my writing improved (more than it has over the years... I'll admit that it's done that much at least)!

In any case, it's nice to meet you!

- Usagi

Welcome to YWS!

That was quite the intro post! I enjoyed it greatly, and, judging from it, I can't wait to see you around the site.

I've always dreamed of combining the best of video games and stories myself. After all, a video game is sort of the ultimate storytelling vehicle. The game player gets to be in the game, which is something even the best authors can't accomplish. Well, I suppose the game player isn't technically in the game either, but the player still has a direct hand in where the story's going to go... sort of. You probably get what I mean.

300,000 words? That is one huge novel. Might even be approaching 18th-century French Revolution Era manuscript status (think Count of Monte Cristo). And I thought my longest (215,000) was long. Sheesh! Quite an accomplishment there, so keep at it

What sorts of genres do you write (fan fiction or otherwise)? And what's the story behind your username? Your favorite color? The airborne speed of a laden swallow?

Welcome welcome!

Rachael

I think I got what you meant. xD

Ohhh yea it's huge. I keep shaking my head... Will definitely keep at it though!

Anyways. From what I can tell looking at what I write, it tends to lean toward a more action/adventure range... But the fanfic I'm writing doesn't really have much 'action' to it outside of exaggeration in terms of the source, so I can't be sure. Ironically, it started with a single relationship in mind... I honestly can't pin down the genre anymore; I tend to try and mix and match to create a balance of sorts.

Usagi is my usual nickname; I got it because I constantly wear a rabbit-eared pilot hat... And rabbit is 'Usagi' in Japanese. The 'squared' was tacked on when Usagi proved to be a constantly used name in most forums and sites I joined; rather than sticking a '2' at the end I ended up putting 'squared' there... And it stuck.

Favorite colour? Green.

And that depends... Is it an African swallow?!

Hi Usagi! Welcome to YWS!

YWS is a great place to express anything creative you love. Technically, this website is only for aspiring writers, but (after learning some of YWS history) things must've gradually changed and now YWS welcomes a bunch more things! In the Art & Photography section, you can post some of your drawing/paintings/etc. and photos you have taken. Also, if you like songwriting, there is a section where your lyrics can be edited/reviewed. You can post scripts to the "Scripts" area and poetry and writing, of course.

Here on YWS, your are encouraged to review even more than post! Sometimes we have Reviewing Sundays where posting any new works is banned for 24 hours completely and you have to review! In fact, it's great, because sometimes this pushes you one step closer to recieving badges (which is a whole other thing).

Once you've "settled in", perhaps check out the more leisurely areas of YWS, like the Chat Room or the Interactive Stories.

I hope you enjoy it here!

Lavvi