Tag: asks

How do you feel about that Sidestory where Shikako was found cold and unconscious by her mum as a child? I find it interesting, since it’s one of the only glimpses where we can see how she’s initially affected by the nature and atmosphere of this new world that her mind/body’s trying to adapt to. There was this other reincarnation fic where, after completing the plot, the OC’s body stops working and suddenly refuses to accept whatever supernatural elements she has and starts dying. (1)

jacksgreysonLeave a comment
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I view that chapter more as Yoshino/Konoha’s interpretation of what is happening with Shikako into terms that they already know, a case that has precedents… Actually, I’m now wondering what if previous cases of chakra hypersensitivity were other reincarnated people who may or may not have been able to handle chakra as well. Because, that would be really cool? A little bit like Reincarnation Roulette…

(Maybe this is something for the Team Medic AU!AU, where Shikako researches her own diagnosed condition out of curiosity and discovers a mission/secret society spanning generations… the only other living person with hypersensitivity is in their eighties and couldn’t overcome it enough to become a shinobi, but they have been keeping records of what’s happening in the world to pass on to the next member of their unofficial club)

I do think it’s an issue more of mind over matter–her consciousness is confused by the existence of chakra (much less chakra coils and tenketsu points) that her brain can’t actively process it. Especially given that chakra is a mix of spiritual and physical energy, if half of that–her spirit/soul–doesn’t expect chakra, then it’s like a person’s immune system attacking itself.

I suppose I’d have to read the other reincarnation fic, but I’m not sure I like the idea of the OC’s body ceasing to function after completing the plot. Mostly as a story teller–it brushes into breaking the fourth wall without actually doing so? Because how would the gods/spirits/supernatural elements deem how much interference is enough interference?–but a little but in a morally outraged sense because that’s so unfair! To have to follow a set destiny and then get killed immediately after? I would be pissed off!

I can see how this would work in a time-traveling fic: travel back in time five years, and after five years when you converge with your departure your body just disappears. But for a self insert OC fic, I guess I can’t quite understand why that would be.

I mean… if you were born into a sickly body and pushed through all the plot points out of sheer desperation and determination and only after everything became peaceful your body gives up the ghost then… yes. I can see that. But if you’re in a healthy body that functions well enough through the plot points and then dies? It seems out of nowhere? The best kind of “plot twist” is one that has been hinted at in the very beginning. For example, in Sixth Sense (… spoilers…) it’s established pretty early on that Cole can see dead people. So Dr. Crowe being dead the entire time? That is both thrilling and believable.

A more believable “Shikako’s body breaking down post Madara/the plot” route would be if she somehow overreaches in battle. Like if she turns into shadows and kind of burns out–she can go back to her human form as a thin shell, but she’s mostly shadows inside and she can’t really use chakra because… she is chakra? OR!! (sort of like my Stories of Ancient Gods) if she were somehow “infected” with Kaguya’s genetics, or maybe bijuu chakra and her chakra coils are forever ruined.

So probably something that has an in-world cause, not some kind of fated deadline; that’s kind of against the style of DoS in which Shikako’s existence is one small change that snowballs out of control. She only rarely makes deliberate changes, and even that is more pulling on friendships she’s gradually built than any single moment of action.

(I hope I’m not coming off as dismissive, anon. It is an interesting idea, but I just don’t see it happening in canon DoS or even the recursive fic more grounded in DoS canon. Maybe something like Dreaming of Sunshine Switch by Lady Hallen: like Shikako’s body is kind of unstable in the canon universe and so her chakra is kind of like antimatter? Her existence is so discordant that it can’t sustain itself in the canon universe…

Or, like I said, a time travel fic in DoS–what if everyone fails to stop Madara/Kaguya/whoever so she uses sealing to go back in time and fix her own changes to the universe… So there’s still the same “complete the plot” deadline but the reason for her body turning on itself isn’t reliant on fate/omnipotent writer)

So do you think there would be a lot of expectation/pressure to get married and have kids for Shikako, and Konoha in general? Later in life, closer to 20s I mean.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Hm… I feel like for the kids who are clan heirs–rather than seconds–there would be some pressure to get married and have heirs. I mean, as we saw with Shikaku’s chapter of Sunshine Sidestories, there is still a very strong traditionalism–and even though that’s the generation before, I don’t think it would relax so much to allow no heirs whatsoever. In contrast, there is the possibility that heirs with seconds–such as Shikamaru with Shikako, Hana with Kiba, and Chiyako and Shino (who I am still unsure if he is the heir or not, but him being the older brother in a matrilineal clan is something that just resonates with me)–would be exempt from having children if their respective seconds have viable heirs instead (though given the seconds in question that’s kinda unlikely).

However, given that most of the kids are clan heirs and have been raised as such (with the understanding that they enjoy the benefits of the clan because they have duties to the clan) they probably also accept that having children eventually or preparing their heir is one of those duties. I mean, they don’t need to have children in their twenties, but I think if they’re nearing thirty and they’re not even married the elders of each respective clan would be worried…

I wonder about artificial insemination, though, because… like… does that exist in this future or not? Because if so, you’d think that canon!Sasuke would consider that to rebuild his clan? Or some of the more practical minded members of Konoha would want to revive such a powerful bloodline? And it’s not like Konoha as the forerunner of the health industry wouldn’t be able to figure it out?

Then again, given how Shippuden was basically “Uchiha melodrama almost destroys the world,” maybe a practical mind would want to prevent the revival of the Sharingan users.

Shikako as a Helen of Troy figure, as in she inadvertently triggers a massive war? Maybe she got successfully kidnapped or something??

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm……………

I’ll be honest, nothing’s really coming to mind, anon. Because Helen of Troy was such a minor character in her own war-inducing kidnapping that Shikako wouldn’t be a very large role in this?

Unless it’s a “Shikako escapes from being kidnapped” sort of thing–and when the cavalry comes to “rescue” her she’s just standing in front of smoking rubble and is like– “What took you so long?”

But I kinda feel like there’s already been a lot of recursive fanfic for that (as inspired by the Grass Chuunin Exams, when we weren’t yet sure who tried to kidnap her and how much they succeeded).

Sorry, anon, I’m just unsure what I’d do with this prompt…

(You’re probably a different anon, but since this is related I figured I ought to attach it to said Helen of Troy prompt)

That sounds like an absolutely adorable idea – Academy era / kid!fic of the Rookie Nine(/Ten). And all the others banding together to “rescue” Shikako from the teachers.

But, if I may, what about a DoS kid!fic version of the Odyssey? Shikako and the Rookie Ten braving the wild streets of Konoha and trying to get home. Overcoming the siren calls of dango vendors, escaping aggressive older genin through trickery, probably meeting Pakkun and thinking this is a human transformed into a dog (I dunno, it’s been a while since I studied the Odyssey so I don’t remember everything).

Overdramatized childhood adventures sound like they’d be fun to read. 🙂

Shikako as a Helen of Troy figure, as in she inadvertently triggers a massive war? Maybe she got successfully kidnapped or something??

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm……………

I’ll be honest, nothing’s really coming to mind, anon. Because Helen of Troy was such a minor character in her own war-inducing kidnapping that Shikako wouldn’t be a very large role in this?

Unless it’s a “Shikako escapes from being kidnapped” sort of thing–and when the cavalry comes to “rescue” her she’s just standing in front of smoking rubble and is like– “What took you so long?”

But I kinda feel like there’s already been a lot of recursive fanfic for that (as inspired by the Grass Chuunin Exams, when we weren’t yet sure who tried to kidnap her and how much they succeeded).

Sorry, anon, I’m just unsure what I’d do with this prompt…

Really love your Shikako/Gaara stuff :) On a world-building(ish) note, if I had to guess why Temari’s marriage was accepted by Suna despite causing inheritance problems I would say it had a little to do with Gaara’s approval, the fact the Konoha was the dominant power, and the fact the the Nara owned farms. A steady, fairly priced source of food has got to be pretty important in the desert even if only as a “for emergencies” option.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

1) Thanks, anon 🙂

2) Gaara’s approval and Konoha’s dominance I kinda figured, as well as Temari probably straight up saying she’d marry that lazy, sleepy-eyed weirdo and no group of heckling old men could tell her no. But I never considered that last one–the Nara owned farms–and that’s a fantastic point!

I guess I had been thinking about Temari and Shikamaru’s marriage as a political matter only on the most shallow of levels (I am a little bit ashamed; my sisters would laugh, I am always ranting about political ramifications whenever we watch movies that have princesses/princes getting married).

Because it’s canon (or at least DoS canon) that the clans have holdings/businesses outside of Konoha itself. And while the Nara might not necessarily have farms for foodstuffs, you know the Akimichi definitely do, and probably all three clans function as a single unit (you marry one of them, you marry all of them :P).

I guess given the importance of both Temari and Shikamaru to their respective villages, there would be massive bride price/dowry exchanges. Probably trade agreements, food from the Nara/Akimichi/Yamanaka and… hm… maybe considering those clans are pretty big in pharmaceuticals they’d get glassware from Suna (this is from PolarPanther’s Against the Odds Ch14, which is a fantastic HPxNaruto crossover fic and the only complaint I have is that updates are veeeeeeeery slow) which they probably have given their expertise in poisons. Or maybe they more directly trade for poisons (so that the Nara and Yamanaka can develop cures and sell them to the Konoha hospital).

And since there’s a steady exchange of food and other goods, it’ll need a steady supply of shinobi to deliver/protect that trade. Which, you know, Suna really would appreciate.

My headcanon for the Kazekage line thing was that it wasn’t actually law – the hat had passed through the family because they were actually the most powerful. However precedence combined with Gaara and siblings popularity made the elders worry that the people of Wind, if not the people of Suna, would demand the bloodline continue which could put them in a bind but gave them no legal standing to make demands about Shikadai.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

jacksgreysays:

[regarding the second Author’s Notes of Dreaming of S(elfishness)]

That does sound a lot more practical than what I understood of it. Like, I thought it was a weird monarchy-esque divine right sort of thing. Which is also why Gaara was made the jinchuuriki as opposed to a random baby–it wasn’t a “this is most convenient” + “if I can’t sacrifice my own child what right do I have to ask someone else to do so” like with Minato–because with Gaara it was planned. So they could have put it in a different baby, but I suppose only their bloodline is “strong enough”

And then Temari’s choice to marry Shikamaru and live in Konoha was kinda the equivalent of abdicating? Not that eldest child is first in line or anything but that between her and Kankurou, if anything should happen to Gaara, she’d be the best suited to be Kazekage, since she is more powerful than him. And then kinda in that line, her children–even one born into the Nara clan–would probably be stronger than any of Kankurou’s children?

Or something like that.

Part of me kind likes the idea that Sunagakure is designed more like a monarchy? Because the villages having different laws of succession just seems really interesting to me–the villages probably weren’t created the same way, you know? Like while Konoha was essentially a giant alliance of Fire Nation clans so as not to continuously kill each other, I kinda figure Kiri has always been more cutthroat. Because you have to be pretty damn fearsome to get multiple islands to listen to you rather than each individual island having their own mini-village. Or, in contrast, my headcanon for Uzushio is that it was basically like a university and each island had a specialty and the Uzumaki were basically the only ones who were generalist enough to be objective leaders.

With Suna I kind of imagine that it was originally an oasis that the Sabaku siblings’ ancestors controlled with a (literal) iron fist and that’s why they reign. Obey me and my descendants and you have access to our water. And then the village formed and even though the water disappeared by that point it just became obey me because I am powerful…

Sorry for ranting, anon. ~WORLD-BUILDING IS GREAT~

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Well it is canon that the Wind Daimyo and Suna haven’t exactly been on good terms–what if there’s a historical reason for that? Like, they’ve just never been on good terms as much as reluctantly cooperative terms. Maybe the Wind Daimyo’s Court was grown around a second oasis–one whose owners used business and trade rather than raw power to cultivate their control and eventually turn into the nobles. They’re not fully rivals–because merchants need protectors and soldiers need supplies–but they don’t particularly like each other. And as soon as the Daimyo could drop Suna and switch to a different, cheaper source of protection they did so–hence the economic struggles leading to the attack during the Konoha Chuunin Exams.

The Gaara thing was, well, Shukaku wasn’t transferred from jinchuuriki to jinchuuriki–he was sealed in some item (a giant kettle?) and then sealed into the not-yet-born Gaara through his mother’s womb (which… what). According to the Naruto wiki the Kazekage just wanted a jinchuuriki to make the village powerful and couldn’t use Temari and Kankurou because they weren’t compatible. I don’t know how he decided Gaara was, or if they just went ahead with it regardless, but :/

Konoha I feel like there’s not really an immediate equivalent that comes to mind because the hat wasn’t really limited to certain families. Like, the Yondaime was basically one step up from being a nameless orphan–as opposed to the many clans of Konoha who never had a member become Hokage. I mean, the Senju aren’t even one of the Noble clans of Konoha (Aburame, Akimichi, Hyuuga, and Uchiha) but they’ve had three Hokage while the others have had none.

But, yeah, for the others I totes agree. I also really like your Kumo idea that it’s a straight forward challenge for leadership, or, at the very least, it’s a very out in the open transition from leader to leader so theoretically other people could step up and make an attempt but probably don’t because there’s already an obvious contender in mind (apparently all of the Raikage are named A? And according to the wiki the Nidaime Raikage was the Shodaime’s guard… although the Yondaime was the Sandaime’s son so…). Iwa probably thinks the Sandaime has made a golem of himself which isn’t exactly a problem, since literally no one else is old enough to know what it’s like to not live under his rule, but it’s also very creepy.

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I always figured that it was just the current Hokage kinda pointing and being like–that one, that’s the one who get’s my job. Then again, after the Sandaime died, the council did try to make Jiraiya into Godaime (and only accepted his rejection when he threw Tsunade under the bus… in a kind way). And that sort of explains why Danzo didn’t just swoop in and take the hat for his own.

I also now headcanon that it was the Uchiha clan that were most vocal against Danzo being Hokage (despite or, maybe, because an Uchiha was Danzo’s teammate?) and so the massacre was revenge–in a dish best served cold kind of manner.

I wouldn’t say Suna has only one major bloodlimit–we probably just haven seen them due to the Konoha-centricity of canon–but it is probable that the Metal/Sand manipulation is the most outrightly powerful. I mean, arguably, the Byakugan isn’t an offensive bloodlimit–it’s just really good at seeing things. Even the non-Mangekyou versions of Sharingan are passive abilities–copying jutsu and seeing chakra and maaaybe augmenting genjutsu. Actually, except for the Senju’s Wood Release (which basically went extinct) the most offensive bloodlimit in Konoha is… the Akimichi Multi-Size ability, I think?

Anyway, the other bloodlimits of Suna are probably very passive or not all that helpful outside a desert. 

I kinda like the idea of Minato full on having basically popped out of nowhere. I mean, not literally, but him being total civilian stock and outstripping all of his peers not because he’s stronger or faster or has more chakra or a bloodlimit, but because he was such a goddamned genius and he worked hella hard. His claim to fame was the Hiraishin–which arguably anyone could use if the could just understand how the hell he did it. It’s not constrained by his bloodline or ridiculous amounts of chakra, just no one can figure it out. (Fingers still crossed for TenTen, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up).

And it also makes Orochimaru being passed up for Hokage all the more cutting–because basically the only thing different between Orochimaru and Minato is that Minato had a conscience.

1: love Dreaming of Selfishness. 2: I think the council was also trying avoid the shit show which would’ve been the debate over which position Shikadai would’ve inherited. He can’t be the Clan Head if he’s living in Suna and he can’t be Kazekage if he’s leading a clan in Konoha. If Gaara doesn’t have a kid then Shikadai has to abdicate /something/. I’d bet they were ok with Temari marrying bc they assumed that Gaara would also marry soon but he didn’t and now they have the succession problem.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

1) Thanks, byebyebriar! I’m glad you enjoyed. I was a little worried about it being too… I dunno… feelings vs politics, but then I was like. Nah, it’s literally titled Dreaming of S(elfishness), people know what they’re getting into. 😛

2) All of this totally makes sense. I just wonder how much of the reasoning changes with the existence of Shikako? Because technically she’d also be in line to become Nara Clan Head (even though she doesn’t want to) and even though Shikamaru didn’t have to abdicate in order to marry Temari (because the Nara elders learned their lesson the last time with Shikaku and Yoshino) Shikako’s children might still be in line for it. I mean if Shikako ended up having a kid that was purely Konoha stock and who didn’t have an alternate clan claim of their own then the elders might prefer that kid to be the next Clan Head over Shikadai. And the Suna council might think the same thing? Like, oh, since you also have a sister, then her children could be your heirs instead…

Then again, all of this is moot point because in the Dreaming of S(omething) series most everyone knows Shikako and Gaara have a relationship so… either couple would result in a half Nara half Sabaku child.

I just super enjoy how in the Gaara Hiden novel, straight up Kankurou passed the buck on getting married and having kids even though he’s older. That’s so in character for him? Nah, don’t feel like it, Gaara’s the Kazekage, make him do it.

My headcanon for the Kazekage line thing was that it wasn’t actually law – the hat had passed through the family because they were actually the most powerful. However precedence combined with Gaara and siblings popularity made the elders worry that the people of Wind, if not the people of Suna, would demand the bloodline continue which could put them in a bind but gave them no legal standing to make demands about Shikadai.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

[regarding the second Author’s Notes of Dreaming of S(elfishness)]

That does sound a lot more practical than what I understood of it. Like, I thought it was a weird monarchy-esque divine right sort of thing. Which is also why Gaara was made the jinchuuriki as opposed to a random baby–it wasn’t a “this is most convenient” + “if I can’t sacrifice my own child what right do I have to ask someone else to do so” like with Minato–because with Gaara it was planned. So they could have put it in a different baby, but I suppose only their bloodline is “strong enough”

And then Temari’s choice to marry Shikamaru and live in Konoha was kinda the equivalent of abdicating? Not that eldest child is first in line or anything but that between her and Kankurou, if anything should happen to Gaara, she’d be the best suited to be Kazekage, since she is more powerful than him. And then kinda in that line, her children–even one born into the Nara clan–would probably be stronger than any of Kankurou’s children?

Or something like that.

Part of me kind likes the idea that Sunagakure is designed more like a monarchy? Because the villages having different laws of succession just seems really interesting to me–the villages probably weren’t created the same way, you know? Like while Konoha was essentially a giant alliance of Fire Nation clans so as not to continuously kill each other, I kinda figure Kiri has always been more cutthroat. Because you have to be pretty damn fearsome to get multiple islands to listen to you rather than each individual island having their own mini-village. Or, in contrast, my headcanon for Uzushio is that it was basically like a university and each island had a specialty and the Uzumaki were basically the only ones who were generalist enough to be objective leaders.

With Suna I kind of imagine that it was originally an oasis that the Sabaku siblings’ ancestors controlled with a (literal) iron fist and that’s why they reign. Obey me and my descendants and you have access to our water. And then the village formed and even though the water disappeared by that point it just became obey me because I am powerful…

Sorry for ranting, anon. ~WORLD-BUILDING IS GREAT~

image

Well it is canon that the Wind Daimyo and Suna haven’t exactly been on good terms–what if there’s a historical reason for that? Like, they’ve just never been on good terms as much as reluctantly cooperative terms. Maybe the Wind Daimyo’s Court was grown around a second oasis–one whose owners used business and trade rather than raw power to cultivate their control and eventually turn into the nobles. They’re not fully rivals–because merchants need protectors and soldiers need supplies–but they don’t particularly like each other. And as soon as the Daimyo could drop Suna and switch to a different, cheaper source of protection they did so–hence the economic struggles leading to the attack during the Konoha Chuunin Exams.

The Gaara thing was, well, Shukaku wasn’t transferred from jinchuuriki to jinchuuriki–he was sealed in some item (a giant kettle?) and then sealed into the not-yet-born Gaara through his mother’s womb (which… what). According to the Naruto wiki the Kazekage just wanted a jinchuuriki to make the village powerful and couldn’t use Temari and Kankurou because they weren’t compatible. I don’t know how he decided Gaara was, or if they just went ahead with it regardless, but :/

Konoha I feel like there’s not really an immediate equivalent that comes to mind because the hat wasn’t really limited to certain families. Like, the Yondaime was basically one step up from being a nameless orphan–as opposed to the many clans of Konoha who never had a member become Hokage. I mean, the Senju aren’t even one of the Noble clans of Konoha (Aburame, Akimichi, Hyuuga, and Uchiha) but they’ve had three Hokage while the others have had none.

But, yeah, for the others I totes agree. I also really like your Kumo idea that it’s a straight forward challenge for leadership, or, at the very least, it’s a very out in the open transition from leader to leader so theoretically other people could step up and make an attempt but probably don’t because there’s already an obvious contender in mind (apparently all of the Raikage are named A? And according to the wiki the Nidaime Raikage was the Shodaime’s guard… although the Yondaime was the Sandaime’s son so…). Iwa probably thinks the Sandaime has made a golem of himself which isn’t exactly a problem, since literally no one else is old enough to know what it’s like to not live under his rule, but it’s also very creepy.