Hi anon, thanks for the prompt. It is a pretty spot on quote for Shikako–and I think even SQ uses it during the Grass Chuunin Exam arc, or at least something near enough to it.
I do think that I myself have already used a similar line in Dreaming of S(hade): “To burn so brightly means to burn out faster.”
So I suppose I’ve already filled your prompt?
Although… actually, you never specified this was a prompt for a DoS fic… so maybe I haven’t?
[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~
I… Hm… I don’t… But how…
Anon, this prompt was so bewildering that I literally had to stare at my computer screen for five minutes trying get my brain to restart. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this idea–it is somehow both hilarious and adorable–but my brain isn’t really suited to writing crack and at first that’s all I could think of? But now that I’ve given it some time, I think I know where I want to go with this…
I mean, it’ll still be pretty cracky. But, you know, delicately painted with some melodrama, because let’s be real–I do love me some melodrama.
edit: filled in series “You and Me and Baby (Makes Fifteen)”
Oh, dear sweet angel of an anon. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can fill this prompt. It’s an interesting idea to be sure, but I have a bit of… conflict of interest, I guess you could say.
I already have a series for an SI!OC also in the Sannin/Sakumo generation. It’s called (In)Difference and it’s about Kiyoshi Utsugi–the kunoichi on the same team as Dan Katou (aka, Tsunade’s beau) and Kunugi Mokume (some random ninja who had a full name, is approximately the right age, and was possibly crying when Dan died). And… she’s kind of Kakashi’s mother.
I haven’t written much for it, and not even very recently either, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable in diverting my era-specific attentions away from that series. I mean, arguably, since Sakumo’s kunoichi teammate isn’t my character, she very well could have been a Shikako reborn. But that kind of takes away from my story. And I sort of also have plans for Sakumo’s genin teammates. Unfortunate plans.
So… thanks for the prompt, anon, but I don’t think I’ll be filling this one. I’d be more than happy to help you brainstorm the idea if you want to take a stab at it yourself–similar to the back and forth collaboration I have with @kuipernebula for Team Medic–but I’m afraid I can’t commit to anything more than that.
Thanks! I’m not entirely sure where the story is headed, but I like the journey so far. 😄
Oh, right! I forgot about that scene…
Hm… I guess, deer anon (pun intended), my hesitance kind of has to do with the fact that the deer summons are (mostly) such blank canvases. Except for Heijomaru (and Gemmei the scholarly doe, and Nagaoka the excitable fawn) anything I come up with would be just that–me coming up with it. And I… I don’t quite know how to articulate it but it’s almost as if–at least with recursive fanfiction–I want to interpret and modify and analyze more than I want to create.
Like, my recursive fanfiction and brainstorms are discussions about DoS in story form. In Dreaming of S(omething) is “how would a GaaraxShikako relationship work?” and figuring out the practicalities–they are from different villages? well, just make her the ambassador–and the emotions–how do they show affection, how do they fight, what do they even like about each other–and apparently, a lot of Kankurou.
Contrast with Down Every Road (though I only have installment of that so far) and even Hail To The Queen. The former being “how would a Shikasuke relationship work?” and the latter “how would Shikako be Hokage?” So far, neither of these things have happened–I certainly can’t say where Silver Queen may lead–and so those ficlets are discussion on how could they have happened. A tiny canon divergence that is arguably in character but which has far-reaching consequences.
If I were to write a deer summon ficlet as of now? I’d probably try to do something about Heijomaru and Sembei-obaasan when they were both younger (which… I mean… I do have Gambling Away The Past…) but I’d still hesitate because they are still such unknowns.
And I know this sounds odd because, hey, I’ve written a NetsuixShikako ficlet and we know nearly nothing about Netsui and we’ll likely never see her again (though I hope to, because even without shipping goggles, Shikako having a self-proclaimed nemesis from Kumo sounds hilarious) but even that wasn’t so much a Netsui-character story as much as it was a “how would a Kumo nin and a Konoha nin possibly get together? would they have to hide their feelings for each other? when would they even have the opportunity to see each other much less fall in love?”
So I guess, deer anon, what I’m trying to say is, I’ll see if I can put some deer summoning shenanigans in Gambling Away The Past since it is entirely AU (or, rather, Alternate Timeline) and it wouldn’t necessarily contradict with anything Silver Queen might be planning to do. And hopefully when we get more content something will spring forth from my mind.
Although, I mean, that’s not to say I haven’t already come up with at least three different deer summons OCs and a vague sense of their personalities and abilities (here’s a hint: one of them is a pyromaniac. yes, that’s right, a pyromaniacal deer). I just. I dunno what I would have them do? Maybe I need a brainstorm partner for this? This feels like at least a two person job, deer anon.
OMG, anon! (ノ*゜▽゜*)
I’m so happy you like my writing! And even my fairy story which isn’t related to a fandom at all 🙂 Like, don’t get me wrong, I’m also glad when people like my fanfiction but the original fiction are always so much closer to my heart.
I made this blog as a way to practice my writing every day so I’m glad that other people are getting something out of it.
Ooh! This is an absolutely adorable idea, anon! I’m not sure how I’d do this, but it’s a wonderful prompt. Though I’ll probably wait until after we see a little more interaction between Shikako and the deer summons since so far all we’ve seen is Heijomaru. Like, I don’t know how much of it is his personality versus his (lack of) affection for Shikako–maybe he’s comparing her to Sembei-obaasan and finds her wanting, or maybe he’s just really reserved. And so I don’t really know how other deer summons feel about her. Though hopefully we’ll get to see that soon…
If you do dark red for Youbirin… is that not too close to Sakura’s pink and red ensemble? I mean the “canon Youbirin” which Silver Queen based the characters on was admittedly dorky looking but if you want to salvage his turquoise and orange vibe? Or maybe not orange since that’s Naruto’s color… but turquoise? Or… hm… that’s still a little close to the blue, isn’t it?
I mean… what you could do is what’s the spirit behind Rin’s outift. It’s dark colors, mostly, except for the white skirt/apron thing. Well… maybe the apron thing is supposed to act as scrubs? Like how surgeons wear green to contrast with blood… Like the Nohara clan aren’t combat strong, they wear dark colors so they won’t be noticed in battle, but they’ll wear white if it makes them better healers even if that puts them at risk.
So maybe it’s be best to go with dark purple and blue for him, with a white something. Probably not a full on lab coat like with the Medic Corps uniform SQ made for Sakura in this picture but still something that shows the Nohara sensibility to be medics before combat shinobi.
Yes, that exactly! Like–Youbirin probably either explicit or implicitly lords his clan kid status above his teammates (oh, you don’t know how to do this already? when it’s something not taught in the Academy… a shortcut for starting campfires or something) and it’s this foundation that keeps him ahead of them…
At first.
And while Sakura doesn’t get her point-blank super strength until after Tsunade comes back (which means after the Chuunin Exam / Sound Invasion and thus after Youbirin loses his mentor) she does have perfect chakra control which canon!Sasuke got jealous of during the Wave arc. And while I’m unsure how soon you want Jiro to get his chain lightning, Youbirin basically grew up with Jiro as his minion–as his inferior–so any hint that Jiro might at all be better than him, no matter how insignificant would be grating.
So this inferiority complex is already the reason why he gets pushed towards Kabuto… if he does get the summoning contract I think it should be for a different reason. Like having realized his mentor was a traitor to Konoha and that he might have–even minimally, even unwittingly–added to that is what pushes him to temporarily take leave.
And so he retreats to his clan–some of whom are basically like, you can just go back into the Medic Corps where it’s safe, tons of Nohara are there, there is honor in this–some of them even bring up the last time a Nohara was a field/combat medic–Youbirin’s very namesake–and she died!
But maybe someone–the Nohara that has a summoning contract, maybe–is like. There is no shame in making a mistake, but not trying to correct that mistake? That is shameful. And maybe Youbirin brings up how even if he were to go back, he’s so behind, and that Nohara is like… if that is actually your concern and not just some excuse then you can sign this scroll. Insert-creature-here will decide if you are worthy.
… Yeah? Maybe? I don’t want to hijack the plot or anything…
JackSGreyson Says 