Time-Wasting Projects

[sub_divided]

Everything I've written recently: it's worse, but I've liked it better. You don't have to tell me whether that's true or not, because I'm not actually asking for sympathy here. What I want to know is, isn't that a contradiction? To think something's better and, at the same time, worse?


AU For Death Note:
Ever read a Regency Novel? They're generally set in an exaggerated Victorian England, but with magic and Society balls. The best part about Regency novels is that they're not based on actual historical fact, but on other Regency Novels, and around and around in circles. I've got this Death Note Regency fic planned out that sort-of mirrors the manga storyline, but shorter and without any sort of police (HA!). A terrible idea, I know.

Raito --> rich dillentante, from an English family of army officers. Purifies mostly the upper aristocracy with an aim towards "cutting the fluff" prior to his planned Imperialist Reign of Conquest. Disguises said aim with the deaths of petty criminals. In other words, more evil. Thinks of himself as an idealist, though, out for order in disorderly times. Very charming.
L --> freelance spy, peasant, most recently of France. Arrives at the London docks after recieving a large sum from a certain corrupt and fearful aristocrat. Head of a network of spies that's been around since the French Revolution. Uses underhanded methods, works outside of the law, is ruthless.
Misa --> social climber who originally set her sights on Raito for his family connections, only to later fall in love. Raito's mother supports the match and is always setting up social events with her.
Ryuk and his Death Note --> unchanged. No Rem.

Raito/L/Raito. Raito and L move though various societal strata, butting heads and exchanging ideas and... other things. Raito has an Evil Plot, L's not a nice guy either, you're almost unsure about which one to root for. Each chapter told from the POV of a different character, until finally it all ends the only way it can- in death.

AU for Naruto:
Ok, unlike the DN one I actually do want to do this. Set in the Balkans at the beginning of the 19th century, after Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire but before Romanian. Also before the failed Serbian independece bid of 1828. A time of (severe historical oversimplification ahead!) revolution, anti-Turkish sentiments, and nationalistic fever. It's the end of the "heroic age", when entire villages fled up into the mountains to escape unbearably high taxes and banditry was the most noble proffession there was. A time of anarchy, lawlessness, roads that aren't kept up, and casual brutality. Think Eastern European Robin Hood, but with revolutionaries.

Naruto --> orphan from a village completely decimated by the Janniseries (Ottoman hereditary warrior caste, elite soldiers well known for their cruelty). Now he's a member of the most feared bandit group in Serbia. He has political views calling for the overthrow of the Ottomans after hearing a speech given by a wandering English intellectual, but is himself completely ignorant and illeterate, with no formal education to speak of. Agressive idealist.
Shikamaru --> leader of the bandit group, he has absolutely no political views and refuses to allow any group member to become a revolutionary. Genius, taught himself to read.
Sasuke --> On his way to join up with the Ottoman army, he was accidentally captured by Naruto's bandit group, who are unsure about what, exactly, they ought to do with him. He's wisely kept his mouth shut about where he was going, and now lives with them until such time as they move to another mountain and he can't give away their location anymore. After his family was killed in the most cruel Turkish reprisal to date (he was 7), he was taken in by intellectuals and was actually on his way to betray them when he was captured. Very educated, aloof, and cultered guy. He's looking for a man, namely...
Itachi --> Sasuke's older brother who was behind the cruel Turkish reprisal. A victim of the child levy (whereby promising young men were kidnaped by the Turkish army for service), he abandonned his own family and personally volunteered for the assignment in order to rise through the army's ranks.

Yeah, basically the fic would be SasuNaru, with Naruto the ignorant idealist butting heads with Sasuke the insufferable bastard. Er, I mean jaded, educated bastard with a heart of gold. NOT just a demonification of the Ottoman empire, which really wasn't that bad. As Sasuke will tell Naruto, in practically every case Ottoman military action was in response to the horrific violence of the revolutionaries. Atrocities on both sides. Despite what it might sound like, this would be light on historical accuracy.

EDIT BECAUSE I'M A LIAR:
Ok, I do (somewhat) care about historical accuracy, and I've just realized that while not officially recognized until the treaty of Berlin (1978?), Serbia was actually the first of the Balkan states to achieve functional independencee, in the form of militant territorial control. So I'm making them all Albanian, which is perfect because:

1. It pushes the timeline back to the late 19th century, which almost matches what I think of as Naruto's.
2. The Albanians have clans, sort of like in Naruto.
3. I can ignore religion (well, I was going to anyway, but this way it's easier).
4. There is a long and noble tradition of Albanian brigandage.



********************
And! Recently thanks to rianax I was bitten with the fst bug. There is actually already a fan soundtrack for Death Note, but it has Evanescense songs in it and I thought, surely I could do better? So, without further ado I present to you my version of the



Death Note Fan Soundtrack
It has a heavy heavy metal vibe. Mostly chronicals the many mental states of Raito, in roughly chronilogical order. Do me a favor and, if you have heard of this series at all, listen to it in order at least once? All are zips nope, them down.

01.Longview by Greenday.
Raito is bored. Ho hum, ho ho hum.
02. Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones.
Enter Ryuk and the Death Note, with a choice...
03. Ready to Die by Andrew WK.
Desicion Made. Killing Spree!
04. Epiphany by Bad Religion.
Raito has a purpose, for he realizes that This World is Rotten.
05. A Day in the Life by the Beatles.
Meanwhile for most it's life as usual, although something sinister is on the horizon. Namely...
06. Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones.
Raito's further descent into complete sociopathology.
07. Iron Man by Black Sabath.
Further further descent. This is as low as it goes.
08. Immigrant Song by Lead Zepplin.
Enter L!
09. Mortal Kombat (Dance Version) by Moby.
Yes, they're fighting now.
10. Break Me Shake Me by Savage Garden.
The fight starts to get personal, which is when...
11.Karma Police by Radiohead.
Raito and Misa are captured.
12. Gibberish by Spock's Beard.
You think some weird things when you're under solitary confinement.

And I ran out of music (not to mention webspace). Leave a comment if you take anything?
EDIT! You can go here for more music.