Tag: asks

Tbh someone crushing on Shikako would probably be v scared/intimidated. I’ve experienced crushing on smart, witty, confident, sometimes reserved girls and they scare the bejeezus outta me.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

I totally get you, anon, all of my crushes were so vastly competent that I kind of just… O_O Even the ones I could manage to string a few words together in front of I was so keenly aware of how out of my league they were I basically shut down or ran meaninglesschatter.exe until they walked away confused. I’d say annoyed, but all of my crushes were ridiculously kind as well so I think they just looked at me oddly and then walked away rather than got annoyed at me.

Feelings are hard, anon. And this is without the understandably frightening ability to blow up people with a touch.

So, I’m looking back at your pkmn brainstorms (I find myself coming back n reading them cause the AU is super awesome), and I’m just imagining the Chunin Exams as a Pkmn battle tournament and it’s hilarious to me for whatever reason? like we just go from brutal death fights to pkmn battling. I mean, it’s still emotional as ever, but the ninjas kinda take a step back. (Maybe it incorporates trainer trials? Like, pokeathlon stuff? Haha)

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

Thanks! AU/fusions are so much fun, aren’t they?

I think trainers/shinobi in this world do still have to be highly capable physically. If they are still law enforcement/wildlife rangers/first responders etc. then the trainers themselves have to be strong/fast/smart enough to get to the location to unleash their Pokemon and direct them.

So in the anime, there’s a lot where Fighting-type trainers are often literally training alongside their Pokemon–they both do the same kata / training regiments (if with different sized weights or etc)–and the few human psychics do the same with their Psychic-types if I remember correctly. Even in competitions, coordinators have to be as dolled up as their Pokemon–no slackers in competitions!

I always had a… not a headcanon, but an idea of sorts… that there are probably different kinds of Pokemon battles. Obviously there’s the two-v-two and group battles etc, but I kind of thought–for the less AoE elemental Pokemon that it’d be interesting if there were battles where trainers did actually fight alongside their Pokemon. So it would be Pokemon+trainer versus Pokemon+trainer and not only are the trainers taking the same risk as their Pokemon, there’s a bit of strategy, too, because do you focus on the Pokemon or on the opposing trainer? Do you have your Pokemon protect you? What skills do they have to augment yours? Etc. etc.

So the shinobi-trainers would be a little more active than the anime or game counterparts, but not full out punching Pokemon in the face (then again I’m pretty sure Ash has done that at least once in the anime…) Going with the first responders idea, the people still need to be the one to drive the machinery there and operate the tools or guide the dogs on what to look for etc.

Anyway, so yes. Chuunin Exams would be kind of like Pokeathlon and normal battle tournaments and Naruto canon. Everyone knows that they’re using their Pokemon, but it’s how creative you are or how well trained your Pokemon are is what pushes you over the top.

Like, oh, I don’t know, everyone knows Arcanine are very fast and their flames are very powerful, but can you imagine training an Arcanine to jump and–at the precise moment–emit enough flames to extend their jump so it’s as if they’re flying. A flying Arcanine! Who would expect that? Giant fluffy fire monster just diving down from the sky.

Also, I’m not saying that the AU fusion would be “grittier” than the canon Pokemon world, but there are some instances of actual death in the games so it’s not like brutal death fights to Pokemon battling is necessarily such a huge steps. For the Chuunin Exams (especially the tournament which was open to the public) they would stop at the point of “fainting” but in some of the really bad battles, you know there are some Pokemon and human deaths going on.

… sorry, that’s a morbid point to end on…

Oh, yeah, definitely. It’s a sign of something TERRIBLY WRONG when a trainer’s Pokemon dies. Like… either they’re so inexperienced or incompetent that they cannot discern their Pokemon’s limits OR that trainer is terribly outclassed. Ratata vs Legendary kind of outclassed–one hit kills, kind of thing where no amount of revives/potions/PokeCenter treatments will save them.

It’s why only the shinobi-trainers are licensed to have more than two Pokemon because having a full team of six is so much responsibility and requires so much ability from the trainers themselves. They have to understand each of their team member’s limits, have to be able to make the quick decision to recall or keep them on the field. Know which ones to swap in, which ones to keep in reserve. They’re not allowed to run away, is the thing, so they have to be able to manage their team enough to get the job done without lethal consequences.

That being said, I don’t think the move “Self-Destruct” is actually a Pokemon blowing themselves up so much as it is them essentially releasing the majority of their energy in one huge burst and immediately fainting. They still have the bare minimum to still be alive, but if they aren’t immediately recalled (and healed within a few hours) they do have a very real chance of dying.

So, I’m looking back at your pkmn brainstorms (I find myself coming back n reading them cause the AU is super awesome), and I’m just imagining the Chunin Exams as a Pkmn battle tournament and it’s hilarious to me for whatever reason? like we just go from brutal death fights to pkmn battling. I mean, it’s still emotional as ever, but the ninjas kinda take a step back. (Maybe it incorporates trainer trials? Like, pokeathlon stuff? Haha)

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Thanks! AU/fusions are so much fun, aren’t they?

I think trainers/shinobi in this world do still have to be highly capable physically. If they are still law enforcement/wildlife rangers/first responders etc. then the trainers themselves have to be strong/fast/smart enough to get to the location to unleash their Pokemon and direct them.

So in the anime, there’s a lot where Fighting-type trainers are often literally training alongside their Pokemon–they both do the same kata / training regiments (if with different sized weights or etc)–and the few human psychics do the same with their Psychic-types if I remember correctly. Even in competitions, coordinators have to be as dolled up as their Pokemon–no slackers in competitions!

I always had a… not a headcanon, but an idea of sorts… that there are probably different kinds of Pokemon battles. Obviously there’s the two-v-two and group battles etc, but I kind of thought–for the less AoE elemental Pokemon that it’d be interesting if there were battles where trainers did actually fight alongside their Pokemon. So it would be Pokemon+trainer versus Pokemon+trainer and not only are the trainers taking the same risk as their Pokemon, there’s a bit of strategy, too, because do you focus on the Pokemon or on the opposing trainer? Do you have your Pokemon protect you? What skills do they have to augment yours? Etc. etc.

So the shinobi-trainers would be a little more active than the anime or game counterparts, but not full out punching Pokemon in the face (then again I’m pretty sure Ash has done that at least once in the anime…) Going with the first responders idea, the people still need to be the one to drive the machinery there and operate the tools or guide the dogs on what to look for etc.

Anyway, so yes. Chuunin Exams would be kind of like Pokeathlon and normal battle tournaments and Naruto canon. Everyone knows that they’re using their Pokemon, but it’s how creative you are or how well trained your Pokemon are is what pushes you over the top.

Like, oh, I don’t know, everyone knows Arcanine are very fast and their flames are very powerful, but can you imagine training an Arcanine to jump and–at the precise moment–emit enough flames to extend their jump so it’s as if they’re flying. A flying Arcanine! Who would expect that? Giant fluffy fire monster just diving down from the sky.

Also, I’m not saying that the AU fusion would be “grittier” than the canon Pokemon world, but there are some instances of actual death in the games so it’s not like brutal death fights to Pokemon battling is necessarily such a huge steps. For the Chuunin Exams (especially the tournament which was open to the public) they would stop at the point of “fainting” but in some of the really bad battles, you know there are some Pokemon and human deaths going on.

… sorry, that’s a morbid point to end on…

Hello, and Happy New Year! Thank you for sharing you fabulous work with us! ♥ ♥

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Happy New Year to you, too! I’ve not yet hit midnight where I am, but my timezone is near to last so almost everyone gets to 2017 before me.

I’m happy that I am part of this community, fellow fans that like to get involved in my silly events and followers who stay on despite my ramblings and rants.

I hope 2017 is a wonderful year for all of us: I hope we are all safe and happy, that his year is full of action and heroism and plenty of creativity.

Happy New Year! 😀

Your Shino/Kako brainstorm made me melt, hoooly hecckk <3<33333

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

Melt? I don’t know if I really contributed much to make someone melt, anon, but I suppose I’ll take your word on it.

I think a Shino/Shikako ship would be interesting to read because it would have… ah. Well, this is a benefit to me but I realize it might not be for others, but it basically has the aspects of what I like about DarcyxElizabeth Bennet without the cringing misunderstandings and biases.

Shino, like Darcy, is an eloquent man, intelligent and kind, but not exactly the suavest or most charming person (especially in comparison to his friends). Shikako, like Elizabeth Bennet, is a free-wheeling spirit, loyal to her family (and teammates) and absolutely cutthroat when the occasion calls for it; she’s not necessarily the most graceful in traditional social niceties, but she’s good with people when she wants to be.

So imagine the same meeting of two minds except, instead of in a weird back and forth pining/disgust melodrama it’s founded on mutual respect. 🙂

🙂 Sounds good, anon.

I think Shikako really needs a confidante, too, and part of me thinks that of the Konoha Twelve/Thirteen the most likely one would be Shino. It used to be Ino, but that was before the whole Sasuke Retrieval Arc leading to Orochimaru inside her head thing. (Before Shikako broke her).

You can still see remnants of that possibility–between Ino and Shikako, that is–in the post Land of Moon Arc especially, and the emotional depth of that scene is all the more poignant to me because of that. The almost could have been just T_T I mourn for it.

Shino, I think, would be a different kind of confidante. Not that he’s all robotic logic (as proven with the absolutely adorable relationship he has with his younger sister) but there’s a different foundation for the trust and truth that would be between them. Shikako might have, in a different time, told Ino the truth in a moment of emotional vulnerability. Shikako would tell Shino in a moment of vital strategy.

Most likely? If she ever did go against Danzo and needed a touchstone of sorts. With her family and her teammates and certain other allies, she would want to have some plausible deniability (like with the post Tsukuyomi–researching the names and faces and times of death of the Massacre just to see if she could find the incongruity and use that to bring up the suspicious circumstances). But if push comes to shove and she were to try to act on information that has no outside evidence (that she has access to, anyway) then I think she’d trust Shino with it.

Team Ten and Seven are both too close to home–she broke them or she changed them or she has far too much on them. Team Gai simply isn’t plugged in enough to be a touchstone–Lee’s family is very small, TenTen is an orphan, and Neji is a Branch member… if ever Danzo were to try to poach ROOT candidates it would be from their team. There’d hardly be any resistance. Team Eight’s a little… she and Kiba are essentially having a philosophical debate, and he would (at least initially) react poorly to the “I know a version of the future reveal” much less the “reincarnated from a different world where your lives are a manga.” Hinata is unsealed and against Danzo would be the only proof of why having the Caged Bird Seal has any benefit at all.

Shino’s family (at least his father) has experience with Danzo’s treacherous ways. And maybe Shino doesn’t know everything, but there’s no way that he hasn’t been at least obliquely warned against Danzo.

If it weren’t a strategic nightmare, I’d want to see Shikako, Shino, and Sai go on a mission together out of Fire country. After the per usual Lucky Seven twist, in which Shino notices maybe an exchange between the other two regarding their dancing around the matter of ROOT, or he notices something about Sai only, the three of them go back to Konoha. Shino requests to speak with Shikako about it, and she agrees and in the relative safety of the Aburame family home, she obliquely brings up the idea of ROOT and references Danzo.

A few more meetings and maybe one more strategically-a-nightmare Sensory Squad mission, this is the set up for a canon DoS Shino/Shikako ship.

The Temari/Shikako stuff was really intriguing! Both the canon based one and the witchcraft AU. I wondered if you had opinions on other rare!pairs? (Unusual pairs? Crack pairs? I dunno what to call them) in DOS. Like… Sakura/Shikako or Shino/Shikako.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Thanks!

From what I understand there’s a difference between rare-pairs and crack pairs. Rare-pairs are arguably believable but less popular ships (so Sakura/Shikako and Shino/Shikako both of them being Shikako’s friends, but not being particularly common, would be rare-pairs) whereas crack pairs are quite random.

Even something where it’s highly unlikely or there’s a significant age difference or “enemies to lovers” could still be considered a rare-pair so long as there’s some kind of foundation for the ship. Toki/Shikako, Aoba/Shikako, Netsui/Shikako are examples of such that I’ve written or mentioned before that I can confidently say would count as rare-pairs.

Crack pairs would be like… I suppose technically Deidara/Shikako is a crack pair seeing as how they’ve not even met each other yet in canon and, on top of that, Shikako knows that he’s part of the Big Bad Organization. So it’s a crack pair in that there’s no believable canonical foundation for it, but it’s fairly popular so even if it weren’t cracky it may be popular enough to not count as rare-pair.

Another crack pair that isn’t villain/Shikako I suppose might be… Tsunade/Shikako? Or… well… no, I suppose technically that might be a rare-pair since they have met and don’t actively hate each other (and I have seen Naruto/Jiraiya fic so the age difference isn’t entirely out of the question for some people).

Ah. If I had pursued a more romantic take on SemiPhenomenal Nearly Cosmic, then Tobirama/Shikako would be a crack pair. Like, I had to create a specific AU for them to even meet much less possibly fall in love and get together.

I guess what makes a crack pair in my opinion is the number/breadth of changes needed to make a ship possible. Whereas rare pairs are the popularity of a ship within the fandom. Crack pairs may be rare pairs, but not all rare pairs are crack pairs.

All that being said, I guess it does depend on which rare-pairs you’d like me to talk about? I’ve already discussed briefly on my opinion of Sakura/Shikako here (although, I’ll admit, that was a long time ago and my fleet of ships is vast and ever-changing) and I think it’s mostly the same as before.

I think it would be interesting to see a Sakura/Shikako ship, especially given how much Shikako has changed Sakura’s life just by simply existing. And it’s a fairly guilt-free change (as opposed to the guilt she feels over Ino and her brother).

This DoS!Sakura is vastly different from canon Sakura because so much of her formative experiences are different. Being a part of Team Seven (and a fractured Team Seven at that) is so integral to canon Sakura’s character that DoS!Sakura MUST be different.

Softer, probably, less jaded and tired. She’s learned different lessons, in less heartbreaking ways, but she’s probably learned more of them from being at a distance. I wonder if, because she is not so focused on her teammates like canon Sakura, that she observes more in other people. Or if, unconfined by the role of Team Seven, she might grow beyond the narrow shape left behind for her and become more than the second coming of Tsunade (though that is certainly not a bad thing).

I think it depends on what happens to Sakura in DoS, on what Silver Queen may want to do with her character. Part of me is fairly sure she’ll be on Team Anko with Yakumo and Isaribi (at the very least for a future Chuunin Exam if not permanently) and given these teammates and teacher, Sakura would be the least… traumatized. No murderous split personality, no horrific childhood of being experimented on. And no doubt Sakura will learn how to support her teammates, how to traverse and converse such interactions–recognize the pitfalls and avoid them, or help her teammates recover when they have been triggered.

There are many ships that I don’t see beginning until after everything in canon has settled–not just because the plot points, but also the age thing–and that holds true for Sakura/Shikako. Which is good because, I think, the more DoS!Sakura grows apart from canon!Sakura, the better a Sakura/Shikako ship would work. Especially on Shikako’s part–further distancing Sakura the person from Sakura the character.

They’d be a very academic couple, that’s for sure, on the forefront of medicine and fuinjutsu (and, frequently, a combination of both). And this current as of yet unnamed arc about Kakashi’s Sharingan will probably be the first of many medical miracles they perform together. I like the idea that Sakura would keep Shikako a little more grounded in Konoha but at the same time, when Shikako does go on research trips, Sakura goes with her and continues Tsunade’s legacy of traveling miracle medic. Minus the wanton drinking/gambling/destruction, of course.

… So I guess it’s a bit like what a Jiraiya/Tsunade ship could have been, had the Sannin not splintered apart and picked up the world’s worst habits and attitude problems. All of their potential with far fewer of their problems. They have problems of their own.

Let’s see, as for a Shino/Shikako ship… that boy would have to make the first move. Shikako is oblivious when it comes to other people’s opinions of her, and given how difficult Shino is to read (almost literally given that most of his face is hidden constantly) there’s no way she’ll figure it out unless he makes it absolutely clear that he is romantically attracted to her and if she were amenable he would be interested in pursuing a relationship with her to see how they socialize together.

And even then it may take her a moment to parse his statement and a few days to consider his proposal (which he gives her because of course Shino is a big believer in taking one’s time to make big decisions).

I don’t really see them getting romantically involved with each other in DoS quite yet–but maybe, given an exciting mission or two, it depends. For example, with Kiba I might be able to see something happening within the fic only because she’s had way more “screen time” with him than with Shino. Otherwise, this would be another ship for a post canon timeline.

I do wonder about the matter of the kikaichu, though. Because… that’s a pretty big aspect of who Shino is and it’s not like Shikako can/will tell him to change, but at the same time it’s been repeatedly mentioned in DoS that Shikako (while she can put a brave face on for the sake of work and not being an asshole) does not like bugs. I don’t even know what a good analogy for this would be… It would be like someone with icthyophobia trying to have a relationship with a marine biologist? I dunno…

If that issue could be resolved, I can see how a Shino/Shikako ship might appeal. His logical way of thinking and innate kindness is something that Shikako would appreciate more than passion and charming words. Mutual respect and, along with that, faith in each other’s abilities and strength.

I think, if they were in a relationship, Shino is one of the few people that Shikako would consider telling at least some part of the truth. Whether she just does a “I know a version of the future” or a full “I’m reincarnated from a world where all of this is fiction” well…

There’s a sense of solidity and steadiness to Shino that Shikako can depend on, whereas Shino could probably benefit from having a bit more chaos in his life.

NejiKako is so good for the soul.<3 (Can we make some crazy shipping names for these DOS ships akin to the Pokemon fandom's ship names? Like, Sweet Sunshine for NaruKako, etc etc (that was so bad, i'm so bad at this haha))

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

image

😀 Thanks! My multi-shipping heart greatly appreciates the exercise, so…

I both do and don’t enjoy particularly flowery ship names–because on the one hand, it’s a nice way to describe your ship and it tends to also create and easy aspect that explains why shippers would ship such a thing. But on the other, unless you have a massive glossary explaining which is which, it’s really freaking hard to figure out what ship you are reading and for some people who are not multi-shippers, that can be a disaster. I mean, even as a multi-shipper, I like to know going into a story what I’m reading you know? Yu-Gi-Oh was so difficult for me to navigate, I swear to god.

That being said, I always figured that the “Sunshine” moniker was for Naruto. (And I kind of assume that Shikako is Stars and Sasuke is Moon just to complete the set of celestial bodies). So “Caged Sunshine” would translate to me as more of a Neji/Naruto ship? And “Sweet Sunshine” would be… Anko/Naruto?

I guess for this story, I’d want something that not only reflects the Shikako/Neji ship but also the fact that it’s Hana’s POV? Maybe some kind of scent/smell pun…

edit: Ooh, just spotted it now! @the-grand-gemini​ suggested “Hide and Seek” I think I’m going to tweak it a bit and make it “Hiding and Seeking.” Thanks for the suggestion 😀

Ooh, okay. See I always interpreted the title as Shikako’s POV of Naruto (the series) which is about Naruto the character, so “Sunshine” is Naruto and “Dreaming” is Shikako. So with Neji as the “Caged Bird” I’d probably do something like: 

“Caged Sunshine” is Neji/Naruto because what a relationship between them would be built on is, most likely, the whole “we both of seals and our lives suck but Naruto has remained optimistic/determined and Neji wants to do the same” so the Cage is in reference to their seals and the Sunshine is, yes, reference to Naruto but also the change Naruto’s Therapy-no-jutsu had in Neji’s life.

Shikako/Neji I’d flip it around and do “Dreams of Flight” or something like that since, as I interpret a Shikako/Neji relationship, it would be about the both of them ‘breaking free’ of expectations and oppression. I don’t think there would ever be a Shikako/Neji relationship where, unless Neji specifically asked her not to for some reason, Shikako wouldn’t eventually work on trying to remove the Caged Bird seal. It’s less about accepting the hand they’ve been dealt and more about saying, “no, fuck you, I’m not going to follow your rules.”

So Dreams is reference to Shikako, but also to the hope that Neji would have to change his fate, and Flight is both a freedom thing and about how a relationship between the two of them is more… I don’t know how to say this… verb-y? than some of my interpretations for other ships. Like there’s a sense of, they’re both going to achieve great heights together, or they’re going to plummet to the ground.

This is way more thought than I put into some of my other titles. If I could retroactively rename Dreaming of S(omething) without it being a total pain of tag hunting, I probably would. I mean I hadn’t consciously acknowledged this is what I do, but now that I think of it, I suppose this explains the more recent series like “Waking Up Starstruck” (Naruto/Shikako) and “Stars Also Dream” (Yoshino-centric but with the theme that Yoshino is more like her daughter, or vice versa, than anyone realizes).

Rockstar!AU thoughts: If Shikako has any musical inclination, it’s something classical/doesn’t mesh well with the Sand Trio/that she does solely as a hobby and isn’t looking at professionally. Admittedly, I’m in love with Lindsey Stirling’s ‘Shadows’ so this might influence this headcanon. (Or she plays Smooth Criminal on traditional instruments.) XD

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

I don’t mean to cast aspersions on Silver Queen in even the most roundabout way, but I always assumed that–as a character–Shikako would view extensive musical training as impractical. Like, sure, she can read music and maybe she has some minimal training (in both canon DoS due to kunoichi classes, and in the rockstar!AU, because I feel like most parents at some point try to get their children to play an instrument for a few years and if it sticks then they continue and if it doesn’t they let it go) but, as you said, it’s at most a hobby for her.

I don’t know of many instruments that haven’t been adopted into indie/alternative rock, though. I know of several pop songs that have violin now, if not also piano or cello or banjo or ukulele. Hehe, I just had the thought that what if she played something like trombone or tuba.

I think of the twins, Shikamaru has more musical talent. He also probably doesn’t do it as more than a hobby, but if needed he could just break out a guitar and do a quick acoustic cover of a popular song with little prompting. Shikako is more interested in translating notes into their exact frequencies and playing around with crystals.

For the rockstar!Shikaara I really love the fact that Shikako has a “What did you do this time?” song. Now imagine since Shikako and Gaara met before the Sand Trio hit it big and started touring then the press probably doesn’t know about her. Because Gaara is a private person, Temari too. Kankuro can pretend he’s not but those who really know him are few. So it’s a huge shock when this unknown girl slips into the band area just before a big show in their home town and isn’t thrown out. (1/2)

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

I don’t know if that’d be the title, necessarily, because despite all appearances the Sand Trio are actually a kid friendly band. They have a surprisingly big pre-teen and teen following…

But that’s probably what it amounts to, yes. 🙂 

It probably is a very “no means no” and “anti-stalking” and “consent is not only beautiful but mandatory” kind of song without being a straight PSA. Which is a breath of fresh air in comparison to all the skeevy rape-y songs going around.

“Brothers, Sisters, Brutality” is a Temari song! I pulled it from the conversation the Nara twins had with her post Sasuke Retrieval. Good eye, anon! 😀

So is “Quality of Mercy” because, arguably, that decision to let the Sand Siblings go was a conversation between Temari and Shikako.

I haven’t really thought of lyrics for the songs, but I do have a general idea of what they might sound like. “Spark Boom Pow” is Kankurou’s and terribly catchy, I guess it’s a little bit like:

jacksgreysays:

image

“Always You” is hilariously misleading and romantic sounding if it were metaphors, but since Kankurou means it absolutely literally it really is a “Shikako what have you done?” song. Probably something like:

When the ground breaks,
and the sky opens up,
amongst all the noise,
it’s always you.

Then the earth shakes,
and the stars come to life,
sword through the chest,
it’s always you.

Doesn’t it sound like a really beautiful way to explain falling in love? But y’all know what I’m talking about here. 😀

Yep, Shikako and Gaara’s relationship really comes out of nowhere for the media. Like, first of all, tabloids mostly were keeping their eyes on the other two members of the Sand Trio–they never even suspected Gaara of dating someone. Second of all, Shikako is an unknown. She’s not a celebrity at all–outside of academia, that is–so it’s just like… whaaa?

I do think, though that’s they’d be a pretty careful about that sort of thing? Like, they’re not really a PDA kind of couple, and they always make sure Shikako has backstage passes and such, so on the surface reporters just think she’s a particularly devoted fan.

I more like the idea that it’s not the tabloids that out it but a fan who accidentally does so? Or it’s, like the relationship, out of nowhere. Like they’re getting interviewed and the interviewer asks about inspirations for their songs and their answers kind of accumulate into the idea that it’s the same individual for each of them.

And maybe some enterprising and devoted fan–not maliciously–pieces together from the different songs that, oh, the person they’re singing about would be this this and this characteristics. And another fan goes like, hey I’m looking through my pictures of the concert and I mostly focused on the foreground which was a selfie with Kankurou but now that I examine the background I notice that there’s this woman sitting rather close to Gaara.

And then it just starts pouring in–other fans are like, oh hey she’s in here, too! And then someone, probably an undergrad student in one of the classes she TAs for, is like. Hey, I think I know who this is–it’s Shikako Nara, etc. etc.

And THAT’S when the tabloids swoop in. And obviously they play on the whole “WHICH OF THE SAND TRIO IS SHE DATING? IS SHE DATING ALL OF THEM?” Because tabloids are awful.

And then people show up to her university. Non-students are trying to sit in on her lectures/discussion sections/labs and campus security has to basically assign her a bodyguard (her classes end up having perfect attendance without the threat of pop quizzes, though, so that’s nice. It’s less nice that most of the questions she’s fielding are about the Sand Trio and not, you know, curricula related).

Her friends are pretty good at helping her dodge paparazzi–swapping outfits with her or just getting in the way or giving her an escape route. At one point, Naruto takes all of his clothes off as a distraction. Sasuke just breaks their cameras. Kakashi, being somehow more and less subtle, just slouches around her strategically so any shot of her is obscured by his lanky body. Seriously, every shot he’s just there… somehow.

Shikamaru really does not appreciate these hordes of paparazzi harassing his sister while she does something simple like take a breather from all the research and rumors and get a fucking cup of coffee with him. He punches a paparazzo in the face.

The Yamanaka clan–along with being very PR savvy and already spreading word to stop stories about Shikako–has many members that are lawyers. Which is good for keeping one Nara twin out of jail and protecting the other with an entire MOUNTAIN of restraining orders. The Akimichi, consummate businesspeople, begin smothering the life out of the more venomous/less classy tabloids by getting advertisers to retract their deals and messing with their finances.

The Nara take care of their own, of course, and while I’m pretty sure they’re more into pharmaceuticals than private security, no doubt they have a decent amount of pull in certain areas, too.

And despite being musicians, the Sand Trio are very highly connected. They don’t like the way some of the tabloids have been talking about their muse.

Spark Boom Pow!
And the world goes crazy,
head turns hazy.
Spark Boom Pow!
Give a little push,
flip the ambush.
Spark Boom Pow!

And then a huge drum solo, which is why the club remix is very popular. His songs are mostly hook lines and repetitive beats, and it translates over to hiphop easiest.

Temari’s songs are a little more Bastille-y. Like, there’s definitely a story being told here and it’s in the format of a conversation and it just happens to in the medium of rock music. “BSB” plays a lot with the siblings harmonizing–even Kankurou who doesn’t so much sing as he does shout rhythmically–and each of them have different lyrics during the chorus. “QoM” is almost entirely Temari’s vocals–there’s one verse where Gaara joins in–and it has a vibe like this cover of Florence + The Machine’s Heartlines except swap Mike and Aleka’s roles around.

I feel like Sand Trio probably isn’t the name they chose, but that’s what their early fans called them and then it kind of just stuck when they became famous. It was probably something long and grandiose like “Scions of the Desert in Triplicate” so it’s just easier to refer to them as the Sand Trio. 😛

So, in Pokéani lore (not sure about the games), there’s Aura, and apparently that is what makes Pokémon moves work? Would Shikako be able to sense it, the way she can sense Natural Chakra (there’s a feeling that it’s there; she’s good at spotting trainers ahead of time, because of the refined nature of their teams’ aura, and she’s trying to figure out how it works basically without a teacher)?

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jacksgreysays:

jacksgreysays:

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Ooh, yeah. Aura powers! I know Lucario is the Aura Pokemon and that humans can have it too? (Or, at the very least, Ash has some) and it’s game canon that some people have psychic abilities which might be based on aura…

I like your idea, anon! From now on, the equivalent of natural chakra is aura! 😀

So obviously, Orochimaru is someone trying to experiment on people/Pokemon for aura. Which–and, I might be wrong on this, but is Ash supposedly the reincarnation of mythical aura user of the past?–kind of works with his original reason of wanting immortality to meet his parents’ reincarnations? Like, aura is linked with reincarnation somehow?

I don’t think Akatsuki have many natural chakra users, but the whole Kaguya/Zetsu thing definitely did. Ooh, maybe aura abilities was more common in the past but something sealed it away. Psychics now are kind of like the mutated version of aura that managed to sneak out of the seal–so Akatsuki is trying to break the seal but so as to keep all of the aura to themselves??

Shikako probably has the closest thing to real aura powers of any human alive now, whereas Naruto and Sasuke’s abilities are both activated because of Kyuubi or whatever Orochimaru’s Curse Seal equivalent is in this world.

Obviously, Team Seven is like the Ash of this world. Just split up that boy’s luck three ways. And, hey, you know what? A lot of Legendaries come in sets of three.

I was considering linking the Nara clan to Xerneas somehow, but that seems almost too grand for them? I mean maybe a looooooooooooong time ago to the point where it’s just a “oh, probably it was just a particularly powerful Sawsbuck and the story has been exaggerated over time” (lol, nope).

So maybe Shikako gets to meet or temporarily partner up with Xerneas, but no way does she actually ever catch it. And probably same thing with Sasuke and Yveltal. OR, maybe there’s a bit of a switch around where somehow Shikako ends up with Yveltal, Sasuke ends up with Zygarde, and Naruto ends up with Xerneas? Temporarily, of course.

I feel like that’s the way with a lot of Legendaries, anon, but I get what you’re saying. Of the XYZ Legendaries, I think Xerneas is the most elusive/skittish of people. Given that Yveltal’s whole schtick is, when it wakes up, it absorbs the life force of everyone around it, it would have to seek out said life forces to absorb. With Xerneas I figure it’d be cool to just make another forest uninterrupted and then go back to sleep. And then there’s Zygarde which is some kind of walking science experiment, so…

Maybe the forest that the Nara live in/cultivate was the one that Xerneas made millennia ago. There might be one tree in particular that is more special than the others, but the Nara have been protecting the entire forest so there’s no real way to figure out which one it is. And the Nara teach their children about how their forest is a gift from a might deer legendary (which, given it hasn’t been seen in literal millennia) might very well have been assumed to be an exaggeratedly powerful Sawsbuck.

With this in mind, I’m actually really fond of the swap-around version. Because if Zygarde is being experimented on by Orochimaru (and maybe the Curse Seal is having Zygarde cells injected into you?) then there’s Sasuke’s connection there. And Shikako probably was first on sight to Yveltal’s awakening–and because she does have aura and affinity for Dark Pokemon, maybe Yveltal kinda just: hey, a little meat puppet, cool.

And even though Naruto wants to fight and rescue her, Kakashi knows when they are in over their heads and rushes back to Konoha League to warn them/inform the Nara that Shikako’s been taken?

And Yoshino is crying and Shikamaru is raging and Shikaku just sits there stony faced, calmly listening. At the end of it, the boys of Team Seven carved out at the idea that they’ve left one of their own behind, Shikaku stands up and tells them to follow him.

They go to Sembei-obaasan, the oldest living member of the Nara clan who has all the oral history and tells them about the Life Pokemon that wakes up every millennium and can defeat the Destruction Pokemon. It’s a long shot, but Naruto will take it–he goes into the forest and searches for the Xerneas tree.

And it’s probably one of those Philosopher’s Stone type deals where you can’t get the power if you want it for yourself, but if you want it for a pure selfless reason you can have it? And Naruto just wants to save his friends. HE IS WORTHY.

Something like that, I think.

Yeah, that sounds about right. I guess I’m not really sure just how Legendaries are viewed in the Pokemon world. Like, which ones are religious versus which ones are cryptozoology. And given that it’s literally been a thousand years since Xerneas and Yveltal have been awake I kind of feel like that’s a lot of time for people to forget or “rationalize” Xerneas.

Like, the Nara clan has a lot of clan myths, one of which includes Xerneas, but as science rises a lot of it’s been written off as overblown exaggerations and such. They do have a shrine, yeah, and there’s a statue of a Xerneas, but it’s ambiguous enough that it also just looks like a particularly majestic Sawsbuck. And, well, given Xerneas is a Legendary deer that turns into a tree and Sawbuck are Grass-type deer whose antlers are tree like, the conflation can be explained away.

If there were any similar Uchiha clan myths of Yveltal, they were lost before Sasuke could hear them as more than a bedtime story better left forgotten. Although I do think the Uchiha clan patron Legendary might be the Lunar duo Cresselia and Darkrai–given the whole moon/dream theme with the Sharingan? Hrm, I dunno…

I do think not all Legendaries are universally known. Certain Legendaries are only known by certain Leagues, some by certain clans, etc. Xerneas is definitely only known by the Nara, I think.

(Thanks, anon!)