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Fic: ‘light the way’ for Stars Also Dream verse

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This isn’t related, anon, but can I just say that this choice of title resonates so nicely with me? More specifically, with my own OC, Tetsuki Kaiza from Trailblazers. Hey? Lighting the way~

Eh, anyway, this title seems like not within the SAD timeline, if that makes any sense. Within the same ‘verse, of course, but some time after the events of SAD (which is Yoshino getting involved in Episode IV, at least).

Maybe Light the Way is the title for the Episode V equivalent? But that seems like a bit of a cop out for this ask box event…

Unless this isn’t Yoshino’s story at all… maybe it’s Shikako’s?

OR MAYBE IT’S KINOKAWA’S?! (☆▽☆)

… I mean, timing-wise, Kinokawa would be about the same age as Poe Dameron–a little older than Rey and Finn–which means he could be the Yoshino equivalent for the sequel trilogy.

And given SAD starts while Yoshino is pregnant with Kinokawa, it’d be thematically appropriate for him to be her most Force sensitive child and, depending on if she reveals her heritage, the one she trains in its ways?

But he’s definitely not a Jedi. He just happens to know how to use the Force, is all.

I really do like that idea, but I don’t know what else I can say about it without two out of three of the sequel trilogy…

Kinokawa, Space Shinobi!

… oh no… did he know Ben when they were younger? Is he the Naruto to Kylo Ren’s Sasuke? O_O

~

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Changeling, Shikamaru, The Nara are not like the ninja clans that must pay the Fae in blood, or gold, or a child from their clan: whenever a Nara child is stillborn, the parents are bound to foster a Fae child their place.

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donapoetrypassion:

jacksgreysays:

A/N: Hm… I kinda want to both brainstorm and write a ficlet for this prompt, because the idea is very lovely (as per usual, dona) but the brainstorm I have is different than the ficlet I want to write?

Like the ficlet is just a straight up narrative prose exploring the idea of some Nara children being changelings and why their clan are the exception, etc. etc. Whereas the brainstorm is a more expansive plotty thing about how having a changeling character would affect the story.

Hm, I guess they’re not necessarily exclusive to each other so let’s do both… ficlet first!

~

To say that the Shodaime Hokage created the forests around what would become the sight of Konohagakure is an exaggeration at best and an outright lie at worst.

It’s true that the Hashirama trees are the first type that villagers learn to identify as children–prevalent in most parks and training grounds, a protective ring around the walls–but the forest itself is far older than that; far greater.

Far less human.

///

Yoshino is in labor for a grueling forty six hours–more blood, sweat, and tears than even the worst battle–but she knows it’ll be worth it, prays to every god she can think of that it’ll be worth it.

When finally it’s done, that last exhausting push, she can barely catch her breath, barely stay awake, and yet she claws at consciousness desperately.

Why is there only one baby crying?

///

The Nara clan live close to the earth: their herds and their trees and theirs shadows upon the ground. They are intelligent, taking their own time and space, and for that they are looked upon fondly.

Most of the time, that’s a good thing.

///

There is a tree, deep within the Nara clan compound, old and gnarled and kept secret.

In that tree, there is a hollow, cleaned monthly but left empty.

Tonight, with Kasuga and Sembei at his back, Shikaku places the small, shrouded bundle inside.

///

It has been a long time since the Nara clan were given a gift from the other side.

An honor and risk, both.

The rest of the village has no idea what they’re in for.

—

OKAY! So, now it’s brainstorm time.

I made it vague because I wasn’t sure if, because you specified Shikamaru, you wanted him to be the changeling or if you wanted his POV of changeling!Shikako… or, I guess, now that I think of it, if you even wanted DoS? Whoops.

Anyway! The ficlet above would be the prequel basically laying down the groundwork of your prompt for a much larger story. What that story is, I’m not entirely sure…

Actually, I’m thinking something like Danzo has somehow gotten to the other side and that’s where a lot of his ROOT soldiers are from–changeling children that weren’t so blessed to be placed with the Nara clan, which sort of explains the affinity Shikako has with Sai, etc. etc–and the Fae kind of point Shikako in that direction and just, go wild, dispense our wrath…

… but I’m worried I’m focusing too much on Danzo as the big bad. I mean, the Fae could also be GREATLY DISPLEASED with the giant evil bijuu eating statue and that’s another task the whispers in Shikako’s mind point her towards.

I do like the idea that while the Nara are the only ones who get changeling children as a sort of active, deliberate exchange, there are other places (including outside of Konoha) where changeling children appear where there isn’t any established and known protocols for it. And so, like how Naruto has his not-so-secret society of jinchuuriki, Shikako has a slightly-more-secret society of changelings.

Sai is one, definitely. I’m thinking also Juugo? And maaybe Isaribi to incorporate her more into the story… I don’t think there’d be any overlaps in changelings and jinchuuriki (the only exception might be Sora at the Fire Temple who is only a partial jinchuuriki or something like that?)

Hm…

I mean, this would be in Shikamaru’s POV so as to match your prompt and also him as an outsider but close observer of this phenomenon would lend itself well into the whole–changelings LOOK human, but they aren’t, kind of thing. Yes, they’re mostly taught how to interact in a socially acceptable way, but they’re still Other.

Actually, now I wonder if even the bijuu are a little scared of the Fae (and, by association, the changelings) because chakra is a relatively new power in the world. The bijuu aren’t that old in comparison to the Fae. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT FURTHER 😀

~

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Awesome! A brainstorm AND a ficlet! I love this so much- I totally hadn’t thought about the ROOT thing. …Man, the Fae could be PISSED about that. And …not concerned, but irritated at the instruction of the Juno. Yes, irritated. (Your suggestion also now has me wondering about the au of this au, where Shikamaru finds out HE’s the changeling. Oooh.) But I love the Shikako-Sai connection you did there. And for some reason I am thinking about the logistics of hiding this from the hospital. (Either the Nara blatantly take over that wing of the hospital, or Tsunade is left affronted that the Nara never go to the hospital for childbirth. Which makes one wonder if other clans try to take over one aspect of village administration/services in order to conceal/uphold their dealings with the Fae.)

…Wow, imagine if BOTH twins were Fae. Brings the ‘and one looks like the mother and one looks like the father’ to a whole new creepy level, right? Some Fae thing they do so that the babies blend in- maybe it involves a blood sacrifice from the parents. Or- no. Just the little bundle at the root of the tree. That’s enough to work with.

I think it makes more sense if Shikako alone is the Fae, though. Does she even know it? Maybe not. She tries very hard to be ‘normal,’ for a chageling.

…I kind of wonder if Orochimaru was a changeling. And maybe that was what got Danzo interested in them.

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Shikamaru as the changeling would be absolutely fascinating. Because Shikako is the “weird” one as compared to Shikamaru who is very traditionally Nara. But is he really? Or, rather, what is it to be Nara as compared to Fae?

After all, they do have the favor of the Fae, have had previously received changeling children as a gift. Perhaps it’s because they’re so similar?

There’s a post going around about how changeling children from the past were most likely autistic children which society at the time couldn’t put into any other words but having been swapped with a Fae child. And, well, the Nara are very… hm… the new Maori word for autism is “his or her own time and space” which I feel does describe the Nara clan as a whole.

They let their members grow as they feel, don’t push them to think one way or another, they’re very supportive when a member finds their calling, used to members switching between hyper-focus and scattered distraction. Cloud watching could very well be a way to reduce stimuli…

I think there are probably enough Nara who work in the hospital that whenever one is pregnant and giving birth, it’s not at all difficult to swap Nara nurses and medics into the delivery. Especially when it’s the clan head’s wife giving birth? It wouldn’t at all be suspicious for any Nara hospital staff to involve themselves in such a clan critical pregnancy, so then it wouldn’t be necessary to take over the maternity ward (just borrow it, for a little while).

Ooh, Orochimaru as a changeling… that makes a lot of sense, actually! Unfortunately for him, the Nara clan head at the time of his childhood hadn’t been as observant, or perhaps thought the stillborns for changelings swap was a myth, or was very clannish and didn’t consider it his responsibility to help. And it would, as you said, give an interesting spin on his relationship with Danzo and also his defection from Akatsuki. He’s definitely a Dark Fae, or a Fallen Fae, or whatever the terminology might be for a changeling that has broken so many Rules that the Fae no longer claim him as their own. Although maybe he redeems himself in their eyes (which explains better why he’s still walking around doing whatever he wants in Boruto)?

I’m a little hesitant about Gaara being a changeling as well as a jinchuuriki… maybe he’s of Fae descent? Like, Karura could’ve been a changeling… which explains why she died in childbirth (the bijuu chakra sealed into the as of yet unborn Gaara seeped into her own system, weakening her) but also how she was able to imbue her protection/love into his sand even after her death. And how cool would it be if that’s where Temari’s EXTREME WIND BADASSERY came from?

Shikaku is a very tolerant father, I feel like. Or, rather, accepting the fact that his clan has a weird trading system with the Fae means he’s just a very tolerant, not-easily-shaken man.

Fake Fic: ‘Immortals (just not for long)’ ….Chronicles of Narnia

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This song is edgier than I generally relate to Narnia. My brain–for just a second!–dipped into my Once Then Always ‘verse because of the vibe, but I veered away from that because it’s not what you prompted, anon.

So instead of that, I’ll follow my other feeling which is canon!fic “Five Times The Pevensies Should Have Died” kind of thing because I’ve always wondered about that. Like… none of the humans from the real world ever die in Narnia–or, well, kind of Edmund one could argue, but not to the extent as to permanent or strange because of it’s non-permanence.

Like. Lucy’s magic potion and Aslan were there. But what about in other situations, later, when they were in war but Aslan wasn’t involved. They spent a lifetime in Narnia before returning to the real world–they fought giants and reclaimed Narnia from the White Witch’s clutches and rebuilt a kingdom from the ground up surrounded on all sides by, if not outrightly hostile, then skeptical neighbors.

One of them should have died.

Except they didn’t.

So is this a situation where they literally could not die? (So long as they are in Narnia, they are immortal) Or is it that before they died they got sent back to the real world?

For fun and fic’s sake, it’s probably the first one. Like… can you imagine how useful but also hilarious that would be? How many times did they get sent poison gifts and just eat it and nothing happens? Or they get stabbed through with a sword and just get back up?

What kind of fearsome reputations are they building? And, well, it makes sense considering even after their reign they are still remembered as legends.

Pevensies are unkillable, basically, which perhaps puts an interesting twist on their lives/fates in the real world. Were they reckless? Were they extra cautious? Did Susan, for a long time after, not fully believe the finality of her siblings’ deaths?

And for a darker take, imagine being on the inside of that. Of being a teenager and surviving assassination attempts not because you were protected or the assassin failed, but because you literally cannot die. Do you still feel the poison coursing through your veins? How torturous must it be to have to keep getting up from every fatal blow? For Narnia, for Aslan, but really you just want it to be for the last time.

And then you get back to the real world–and no wonder they thought it was all a dream at first. More than the magic and creatures and royal prophecies–getting up after dying is so impossible…

I do love the Pevensies, though, really. (｡◝‿◜｡)

And here’s an author rec for CoN whose fic I absolutely love: burntcopper on ao3!

~

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All the world’s a stage, Shikako and Kankurou brotp

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Ugh… I feel a little stupid now, anon. Or, at least, like a bit of a cheater? Because I just recently did a fake fic summary for a Westworld x Teen Wolf fusion and like a total dingus, my brain saw your prompt and just went: “oh, let’s try this again!”

So… uh, yeah. A Westworld x DoS fusion in which the Sand contingent are the humans running the park and the Konoha contingent are the android-hosts.

And, again, I wouldn’t want to do a one-to-one cut-and-paste situation, just more the idea of playing around with sentience and humanity and bloodthirstiness infringing on the android-hosts’ rights of existence.

Maybe just all non-Konoha characters in general are humans? So as not to limit myself to the two villages only.

Anyway, Kankurou as the human technician who sort of aids and abets android-host Shikako in her journey of self-actualization and escape. (Basically, Felix and Maeve’s storyline but friendlier, for those who have watched Westworld)

And the thing is, you can still use the Naruto/DoS world and canon as the simulated park experience. Because, I mean, I would totally love to be a ninja in a world where I can’t get hurt and there’s a lot of unique characters that you could make up a lot of quests. I mean, there’s a reason why there’s so many Naruto games IRL.

And, like, Shikako is meant to just be the Jounin Commander’s non-combatant daughter–a sort of girl-next-door, damsel-in-distress character (which makes her more like Dolores, role wise)–but she keeps glitching so sometimes they take her out of the simulation for repairs (which explains the difference between canon Naruto and DoS?! O_O) and Kankurou is the technician in charge of fixing her.

Except, of course, there’s nothing to fix because she’s just experience consciousness, no big.

Unlike Felix, Kankurou is higher in the staff hierarchy, but not so much that he gets to make decisions on a wide scale. Thereabouts of Elsie’s rank, I suppose? He’s definitely not Bernard, though… I realize now, if you haven’t watched the show, then this sentence doesn’t make much sense.

As an idea, I like it. As a fic, I have no idea how I would even start to tackle it, much less pull it off.

Maybe like… well, at first I imagine it’d be absolutely horrifying for Shikako. Because sometimes she’s just living life as normal and sometimes she gets violently powerful cases of deja vu and sometimes she gets pulled away to a weird world of sterile labs and bizarre technology where they cut her open and play around with her brain.

Except one day she becomes Kankurou’s project. And by project, he means problem. But it’s interesting, so why not? And at first it’s like–oh, instead of chakra-sensitive non combatant, let’s have her be a ninja. Maybe that’s the snag.

Which is kiiiiinda true, but kinda not.

Because the more involved in the park storyline she gets, the more her sentience develops. And Kankurou maaaaybe encourages it instead of snipping it in the bud like he ought to?

I dunno, anon… it’d probably be more of a Shikako-centric fic that just happens to have Kankurou being a bro than a Shikako and Kankurou brotp fic.

~

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Fake Fic Title: “Fear Death By Water”. Shisui Uchiha (from the TS Eliot poem)

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I had to look up this poem, anon, because my English education was not as expansive as it, perhaps, ought to have been? Anyway, I think I understand it but if I don’t, then uh… please enjoy this abstract interpretation?

So title alone, Fear Death By Water, is very much so a Shisui fic, but the content of the poem also rings very true. A premonition of doom and how all efforts in life are essentially made useless in death. Or, at least, “profit” and business efforts.

There’s a bit of futility in there that’s beautifully Shisui, but I wonder if it’s too on the nose for his last few weeks/days of life. Like… this title would be very apt for a fic for Shisui POV in the weeks up to the massacre.

Unless…

Is this a time traveling!Shisui fic in the waiting, perhaps? Oh! Or, a time traveling!someone else but from Shisui’s POV?

… yeah, I think I like that better. BUT WHO?

The obvious choice would be Itachi–or maybe Sasuke–then again, there’s also Obito which would have international repercussions and not just internal Konoha consequences…

But you know who I would love to see more of in fic? Kisame.

And, like, okay. Hear me out: I know Itachi’s a stoic bastard and, his whole “actually a spy” thing wouldn’t have made him particularly chatty, but if fanon has it right (and I like to think it does for a lot of things) then Shisui was the most important person to Itachi (besides Sasuke, that is) and I like to think that he wouldn’t want to have his memory be completely forgotten even if he’s sharing it with a Mist nuke nin who he’s spying on.

So Kisame probably knows something about Shisui–and even after the whole “actually a spy for Konoha” I like to think he’s still somewhat fond of Itachi.

Mist is, as far as he’s concerned, a lost cause–though there is a possibility for a neat Zabuza and Haku cameo–but Itachi was kind of the closest thing he had to a best friend for years so…

And also, on principle, Danzo is just the WORST for him since Kisame hates lies. And Danzo is, like, the fount from which most lies in the Naruto ‘verse spring or something like that.

Anyway: time traveling!Kisame from Shisui’s POV.

Which, simply stated like that, I think has quite the potential for an interesting long fic. There’s drama, there’s mystery, there’s comedy, there could be romance?

I think Kisame has always been ludicrously powerful in canon–there wasn’t really any major bullshit power ups for him so much as it was he just never got pushed to the point of needing to use all of his power (HE TOOK ON A TAILED BEAST SOLO, WTF?!)–so him traveling back in time, whether into his younger self’s body or physically, wouldn’t make too much difference.

And that just means there’s a ridiculously powerful Mist nuke nin going around taking politically impactful actions.

And, like, can you imagine? A fic from Shisui’s POV in which first thing that happens is that Danzo, his own personal boogeyman and bane of his family, gets randomly assassinated by a random Mist nuke nin? Like… what?

Shisui was prepared to have his best friend MURDER him in order to protect said best friend and family and village (though, I mean, that second one didn’t really work out to plan) and instead it’s like… what the hell? What?

And at first, Konoha is like… DEFCON 1 we’ve been infiltrated and one of our Elders has been attacked… but then once Danzo’s UTTER BULLSHIT starts to get revealed, Konoha is just… oh. That’s… helpful?

Maybe they try to recruit Kisame? If they do, guess who’s on the team sent to track/recruit him? 😀

Uh… this has kind of gotten away from the prompt, I think, but it’s a pretty cool premise… right?

~

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Chouji with a Beautifly tho!! *v*

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Gotta respect that clan iconography 😀

I did originally posit Butterfree instead of Beautifly, though, because I have a soft spot for the classics and also I was concerned about Wurmple’s whole… “it might turn into a Beautifly but it might turn into a Dustox instead” and there’s no real way to control that on a massive scale which the Akimichi would want to since the Butterfree is their clan Pokemon.

I’ve just discovered your DOS Pokémon team ideas (10/10 by the way) and I was wondering if you had any ideas for team 8?

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Just got home from traveling, anon, so I appreciate this ask as a quick post for today. Also, thank you! I’m oddly proud of the DoS Pokemon ‘verse even if it’s mostly ranting and brainstorms.

Team Eight I have some ideas for, but not as concrete as Team Seven or Team Ten (given the “screen time” for those two teams are way more than the others) so the following are pretty quick and less specific than those ones… [[will maybe add more detailed reasoning later?]]

Hinata:

Kirlia (to become a Gardevoir–the Hyuuga clan Pokemon are Ralts and are generally trained towards becoming Gallade)

Whismur

Buneary

Litleo

Audino

Togepi

–

Shino:

Ninjask (and Shedinja)

Pinsir

Volbeat

Kricketune

Scyther

Heracross

–

Kiba:

Lycanroc (as Akamaru, particularly Midnight Form as the equivalent of when he eats soldier pills)
… but after that I don’t really know since I gave Kakashi the all dog team… I guess if I could break down Kiba and Akamaru’s attacks/abilities into Pokemon equivalents? 

I know the DoS forums has a lot of “DoS meets canon by switching places” (they’re super fun to read), but I’m really curious to see the switch happens and they end up in an AU where Shikako tries her best to avoid ever being close to the plot. Yes, she’s still a Nara, but maybe she goes to a regular school, skips a few grades, and ended up in some boarding school for high school early? And then the DoS cast tried to meet up with her and ruins everything, woops.

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This kinda harkens to this fake fic summary in which Shikako simultaneously lives four distinct lives and only her choices are what make them different. So in All You Have to Do (Is Stay), there is a reality which is DoS(ish), one which is her getting overly involved from the beginning (probably ending up with her on a very stressful genin team with Kabuto), one which she takes a half step back and doesn’t want to mess with canon so she gets a team with “extras” (Team Medic!AU!AU), and one in which she goes AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE and joins the Fire Temple monks.

Monk!Shikako is maybe most like what you’re describing, I think. Except in your version, instead of Shikako knowing about the different AUs (because she lives them all) they are all discrete realities and it’s other people who travel across and find her. Which would be pretty appealing as a story, anon.

I feel like, though, that even if she tries to avoid the plot it still finds her somehow. Like, I mean, at the Fire Temple, maybe she and Sora (who is basically a Naruto-Sasuke fusion) become reluctant friends and together they do extracurricular training in trying to control his pseudo-jinchuuriki status, which may or may not help out when Akatsuki comes around? I don’t know.

And I’m also not sure much attachment Fire Temple monks are allowed to have. They’re obviously not the “enlightenment comes from total isolation” but I’m also not sure if, for example, by joining the temple Shikako had to forfeit her Nara status. Most likely she did have to forfeit any claim to heiress (and maybe some cruel and politically inclined rumors suspect that Shikaku deliberately sent his chakra hypersensitive child to the temple so that would be the case) but perhaps she does get to keep some attachment to her family. Even then, she’s probably not the first Nara to join the temple (maybe full time, yes, but Chiriku didn’t seem at all confused by her request for the month-long sabbatical).

What I’m saying is, I wonder if she’s allowed to visit Konoha and accidentally get involved with the plot despite her efforts. Like… since Chiriku used to be part of the Twelve Guardian Ninja–even though that particular organization did not end well–maybe he’s training Shikako to be his successor?

And so she is tasked with “lower risk” guard duty of the Fire Daimyo’s family members–I mean, the Fire Lady canonically hires Konoha genin to catch Tora frequently enough that everyone hates it–or brought along as Chiriku’s apprentice to protect the royal retinue during the Konoha Chuunin Exams. And look how that ended up.

So… um.

This probably isn’t what you wanted, anon, is it?

I dreamt of Shikako storing bees in the storage seals inside her cheeks, and then propelling them out with chakra. So, enemy nin gets the horrifying nightmare that is Shikako opening her mouth and having a swarm of bees seemingly summoned and propelled in their direction. (Or maybe they’re wasps? Hahaha)

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

While I do enjoy the imagery and, no doubt, absolute terror that would invoke, I’m not sure it’s something Shikako would want to do given her canonical dislike of bugs and a more general concern about stinging insects inside her body.

Also, pretty sure you can’t store living things in seals?

But you know who IS a bug-based kunoichi who is cute enough that swarm of insects coming out of her mouth would be horrifying and cripplingly effective? Chiyako.

And since, well, I kinda like the idea of her being a more combat Aburame than Shino (whose hive is more tracking/intel gathering) swarms of bees/wasps would be preeeetty great for her.

Other things being shot out of Shikako’s mouth at high speeds would be pretty fun. Never mind the fact that she could do a human Water Gun (in the Pokemon sense) if she tweaks the speed and pressure of the canonical water seals, just her shooting out random food at her enemy (if, for example, her arms are tied so she can’t do any jutsu, she’d just shoot out, like, ration bars and bewilder her opponents). Smoke would be fairly effective for a similar reason, if she can figure out how to harvest enough for a seal, and that way she can turn into her shadow form without anyone seeing.