(Sorry this took so long, anon, I saw your ask and then spent the entire day at work pondering it and now there’s a huge rant so… enjoy?)
I’m most fond of them BroTP’ing it up as well, anon. Their dynamic is very… hm… buddy cop? Well, no, it’s more like…
I don’t know, anon. Whatever their dynamic is I love it as is, and while I prefer platonic friendship to romance I guess the thought experiment of a ship would be interesting to do, so let’s go?
Shikako/Kankurou as a ship outside of setting or potential fic brainstorming, I think…
For some reason my thought process goes like:
Wouldn’t a Shikako/Kankurou ship just be like the Shikako/Kiba ship (pre-Land of the Moon arc)?
NO!
Why not?
Well…
On the surface, I suppose the Shikako and Kankurou dynamic and the Shikako and Kiba dynamic do look pretty similar. There’s witty banter and respectful acknowledgement of badassery tempered with mutual teasing… but it’s the difference between someone seeing a heretofore unseen side of a childhood friend versus learning a new acquaintance without any prior bias.
I feel like Land of the Moon and Lost Child arcs really convey this. Like, Kiba is not only surprised but almost perturbed by Shikako’s more recent actions. They legit have a philosophical discussion about what the right thing to do is and you can almost feel the way Kiba has to revise his opinions of Shikako. No longer is she the girl who was the tree for their school play, now she’s the girl who will single-handedly reverse a coup.
Whereas, if Kankurou were to witness the same thing he wouldn’t find it strange at all. That’s just part of who she is, as far as he’s concerned. If anything, that would add to what he knows about her, might even help explain some her idiosyncrasies. Like. All powerful shinobi have quirks and while no doubt Shikako tries to embody polite normal Konoha girl, I’m pretty sure everyone who talks to her more than once realizes how weird she is–and I say this in the kindest, fondest way possible–that girl is a weirdo.
Knowing what Shikako’s oh shit/fuck you button is is probably a huge relief to Kankurou because he knows it exists–she blew off a guy’s head!–and at least it’s something that he can avoid. Contrast with Kiba who, having grown up knowing her as Shikamaru’s shy sister, probably never even thought she’d have one.
Anyway. That’s my instinctive answer to that.
Thinking more on it, especially on Shikako’s end, I do think she appreciates that non-expectant aspect of their relationship. She doesn’t have to censor herself around Kankurou, weirdly enough. With fellow Konohans, they’ve known her forever; she’s always been around to help them and be a listening ear (it’s one of the many reasons she’s been so stressed lately) and it’s something she feels obligated to maintain.
Even with Gaara she feels obligated to generate an aura of compassion, as a sort of teach by example thing, while with Temari she thinks she needs to maintain that position of strength she established early on.
Kankurou? She can be snarky. She can have stage fright. When she tries to play the polite professional, he snorts and prods at her to just be herself. Yeah, he’ll challenge her to a theater battle, but he’ll be the first one to clap for her. Challenger and hype man both, constantly and simultaneously impressed and amused and I think there’s something comfortable yet exciting about a relationship like that.
Now as for how I would write a Shikako/Kankurou ship? Hm… in a canon DoS setting this would be another one of those that happens post canon events. There are only a few ships that I can see even possibly happening pre-canon (Gaara, Sasuke, Kiba, Ino) but even those would have to be carefully guided and cultivated toward that.
Erm, so yeah. Shikako/Kankurou would be post-canon events. It’d probably be… for some reason, my brain thinks it should NOT just be a tweaked version of Dreaming of S(omething). I think I’d want to do more of a… the semi-canon AU in which Shikako accidentally becomes a TV star
Well, basically, it’s while she’s doing research on the ruins of the Gelel shrine except with less Indiana Jones style shenanigans? I just want it to be like she’s on a sabbatical in Sand and Kankurou is playing tour guide and he’s helping her through her PTSD and what-do-I-do-now-that-my-life-goal-to-survive-Akatsuki-has-been-completed quarter life crisis but he’s doing so either unintentionally or, more likely, purposefully but subtly.
They both kind of explore who they are outside of being shinobi–he’s a huge Theater Nerd and she’s a huge Regular Nerd and they tease each other for it but they also accept each other and it’s fun and relaxing. (I’m having feels over the idea of these teenaged walking weapons of mass destruction striving to be well adjusted human beings.)
In a more definitively AU setting?
…
… OH! A Parks & Rec AU where Konoha people are the Department of Parks and Recreation and Suna people are a different department in the same ambiguously massive city. Maybe they’re something like the Department of Cultural Affairs?
Anyway, that means Konoha are all still tree-huggers as per canon, and there’s a bit of competition between the two groups, but there’s also future collaborations (open air theaters anyone? The equivalent of Shakespeare in the Park?) And that means the other villages can also be mentioned and hated other departments. (WHICH VILLAGE IS THE DMV?)
Kakashi as Ron Swanson who doesn’t do any work because authority is there to laugh at not respect. Shikako as Leslie Knope who only sleeps three hours a day because she has SO MANY PROJECT IDEAS. Ino as Donna Meagle who runs a far more profitable real estate agency but still works in the department to hang out with her friends. Um, I can’t think of the others right now but it’s not like it has to be a one to one swapping crossover anyway.
At first their departments are antagonistic–fighting over budget, stealing each other’s supply of paper clips, the ongoing war to prank the other department which PISSES THE CUSTODIANS OFF SO MUCH. And then they begin to work together–tentative collaboration on cultural events held in parks, etc–and then that becomes alliance against the other departments, etc. etc.
I suppose this AU setting doesn’t necessarily need to be Shikako/Kankurou, but I do think that this AU would fit that particular ship quite well 😀
*gasp* HE WOULD BE THE DMV. -_-
And all those poor ROOT members can’t even comprehend the idea of having fun. At work? Or having friends. AT WORK? They don’t have names, just numbers corresponding to their windows. T_T
Sai gets forcibly adopted into the Parks & Rec Department.
Yessssss… Rock is definitely Department of Planning and Zoning, still don’t know what Cloud might be, but I have the feeling that Mist is the Department of Health and Vital Records. Which sounds impressive but it’s emphasis on Records and the entire system is a shambles (a deliberate last fuck you from the Uzushio group who had been laid off maybe?) or they’re stuck with the unenviable task of digitizing EVERYTHING which is just the worst thing ever.
(Sorry this took so long, anon, I saw your ask and then spent the entire day at work pondering it and now there’s a huge rant so… enjoy?)
I’m most fond of them BroTP’ing it up as well, anon. Their dynamic is very… hm… buddy cop? Well, no, it’s more like…
I don’t know, anon. Whatever their dynamic is I love it as is, and while I prefer platonic friendship to romance I guess the thought experiment of a ship would be interesting to do, so let’s go?
Shikako/Kankurou as a ship outside of setting or potential fic brainstorming, I think…
For some reason my thought process goes like:
Wouldn’t a Shikako/Kankurou ship just be like the Shikako/Kiba ship (pre-Land of the Moon arc)?
NO!
Why not?
Well…
On the surface, I suppose the Shikako and Kankurou dynamic and the Shikako and Kiba dynamic do look pretty similar. There’s witty banter and respectful acknowledgement of badassery tempered with mutual teasing… but it’s the difference between someone seeing a heretofore unseen side of a childhood friend versus learning a new acquaintance without any prior bias.
I feel like Land of the Moon and Lost Child arcs really convey this. Like, Kiba is not only surprised but almost perturbed by Shikako’s more recent actions. They legit have a philosophical discussion about what the right thing to do is and you can almost feel the way Kiba has to revise his opinions of Shikako. No longer is she the girl who was the tree for their school play, now she’s the girl who will single-handedly reverse a coup.
Whereas, if Kankurou were to witness the same thing he wouldn’t find it strange at all. That’s just part of who she is, as far as he’s concerned. If anything, that would add to what he knows about her, might even help explain some her idiosyncrasies. Like. All powerful shinobi have quirks and while no doubt Shikako tries to embody polite normal Konoha girl, I’m pretty sure everyone who talks to her more than once realizes how weird she is–and I say this in the kindest, fondest way possible–that girl is a weirdo.
Knowing what Shikako’s oh shit/fuck you button is is probably a huge relief to Kankurou because he knows it exists–she blew off a guy’s head!–and at least it’s something that he can avoid. Contrast with Kiba who, having grown up knowing her as Shikamaru’s shy sister, probably never even thought she’d have one.
Anyway. That’s my instinctive answer to that.
Thinking more on it, especially on Shikako’s end, I do think she appreciates that non-expectant aspect of their relationship. She doesn’t have to censor herself around Kankurou, weirdly enough. With fellow Konohans, they’ve known her forever; she’s always been around to help them and be a listening ear (it’s one of the many reasons she’s been so stressed lately) and it’s something she feels obligated to maintain.
Even with Gaara she feels obligated to generate an aura of compassion, as a sort of teach by example thing, while with Temari she thinks she needs to maintain that position of strength she established early on.
Kankurou? She can be snarky. She can have stage fright. When she tries to play the polite professional, he snorts and prods at her to just be herself. Yeah, he’ll challenge her to a theater battle, but he’ll be the first one to clap for her. Challenger and hype man both, constantly and simultaneously impressed and amused and I think there’s something comfortable yet exciting about a relationship like that.
Now as for how I would write a Shikako/Kankurou ship? Hm… in a canon DoS setting this would be another one of those that happens post canon events. There are only a few ships that I can see even possibly happening pre-canon (Gaara, Sasuke, Kiba, Ino) but even those would have to be carefully guided and cultivated toward that.
Erm, so yeah. Shikako/Kankurou would be post-canon events. It’d probably be… for some reason, my brain thinks it should NOT just be a tweaked version of Dreaming of S(omething). I think I’d want to do more of a… the semi-canon AU in which Shikako accidentally becomes a TV star
Well, basically, it’s while she’s doing research on the ruins of the Gelel shrine except with less Indiana Jones style shenanigans? I just want it to be like she’s on a sabbatical in Sand and Kankurou is playing tour guide and he’s helping her through her PTSD and what-do-I-do-now-that-my-life-goal-to-survive-Akatsuki-has-been-completed quarter life crisis but he’s doing so either unintentionally or, more likely, purposefully but subtly.
They both kind of explore who they are outside of being shinobi–he’s a huge Theater Nerd and she’s a huge Regular Nerd and they tease each other for it but they also accept each other and it’s fun and relaxing. (I’m having feels over the idea of these teenaged walking weapons of mass destruction striving to be well adjusted human beings.)
In a more definitively AU setting?
…
… OH! A Parks & Rec AU where Konoha people are the Department of Parks and Recreation and Suna people are a different department in the same ambiguously massive city. Maybe they’re something like the Department of Cultural Affairs?
Anyway, that means Konoha are all still tree-huggers as per canon, and there’s a bit of competition between the two groups, but there’s also future collaborations (open air theaters anyone? The equivalent of Shakespeare in the Park?) And that means the other villages can also be mentioned and hated other departments. (WHICH VILLAGE IS THE DMV?)
Kakashi as Ron Swanson who doesn’t do any work because authority is there to laugh at not respect. Shikako as Leslie Knope who only sleeps three hours a day because she has SO MANY PROJECT IDEAS. Ino as Donna Meagle who runs a far more profitable real estate agency but still works in the department to hang out with her friends. Um, I can’t think of the others right now but it’s not like it has to be a one to one swapping crossover anyway.
At first their departments are antagonistic–fighting over budget, stealing each other’s supply of paper clips, the ongoing war to prank the other department which PISSES THE CUSTODIANS OFF SO MUCH. And then they begin to work together–tentative collaboration on cultural events held in parks, etc–and then that becomes alliance against the other departments, etc. etc.
I suppose this AU setting doesn’t necessarily need to be Shikako/Kankurou, but I do think that this AU would fit that particular ship quite well 😀
*gasp* HE WOULD BE THE DMV. -_-
And all those poor ROOT members can’t even comprehend the idea of having fun. At work? Or having friends. AT WORK? They don’t have names, just numbers corresponding to their windows. T_T
Sai gets forcibly adopted into the Parks & Rec Department.
(Sorry this took so long, anon, I saw your ask and then spent the entire day at work pondering it and now there’s a huge rant so… enjoy?)
I’m most fond of them BroTP’ing it up as well, anon. Their dynamic is very… hm… buddy cop? Well, no, it’s more like…
I don’t know, anon. Whatever their dynamic is I love it as is, and while I prefer platonic friendship to romance I guess the thought experiment of a ship would be interesting to do, so let’s go?
Shikako/Kankurou as a ship outside of setting or potential fic brainstorming, I think…
For some reason my thought process goes like:
Wouldn’t a Shikako/Kankurou ship just be like the Shikako/Kiba ship (pre-Land of the Moon arc)?
NO!
Why not?
Well…
On the surface, I suppose the Shikako and Kankurou dynamic and the Shikako and Kiba dynamic do look pretty similar. There’s witty banter and respectful acknowledgement of badassery tempered with mutual teasing… but it’s the difference between someone seeing a heretofore unseen side of a childhood friend versus learning a new acquaintance without any prior bias.
I feel like Land of the Moon and Lost Child arcs really convey this. Like, Kiba is not only surprised but almost perturbed by Shikako’s more recent actions. They legit have a philosophical discussion about what the right thing to do is and you can almost feel the way Kiba has to revise his opinions of Shikako. No longer is she the girl who was the tree for their school play, now she’s the girl who will single-handedly reverse a coup.
Whereas, if Kankurou were to witness the same thing he wouldn’t find it strange at all. That’s just part of who she is, as far as he’s concerned. If anything, that would add to what he knows about her, might even help explain some her idiosyncrasies. Like. All powerful shinobi have quirks and while no doubt Shikako tries to embody polite normal Konoha girl, I’m pretty sure everyone who talks to her more than once realizes how weird she is–and I say this in the kindest, fondest way possible–that girl is a weirdo.
Knowing what Shikako’s oh shit/fuck you button is is probably a huge relief to Kankurou because he knows it exists–she blew off a guy’s head!–and at least it’s something that he can avoid. Contrast with Kiba who, having grown up knowing her as Shikamaru’s shy sister, probably never even thought she’d have one.
Anyway. That’s my instinctive answer to that.
Thinking more on it, especially on Shikako’s end, I do think she appreciates that non-expectant aspect of their relationship. She doesn’t have to censor herself around Kankurou, weirdly enough. With fellow Konohans, they’ve known her forever; she’s always been around to help them and be a listening ear (it’s one of the many reasons she’s been so stressed lately) and it’s something she feels obligated to maintain.
Even with Gaara she feels obligated to generate an aura of compassion, as a sort of teach by example thing, while with Temari she thinks she needs to maintain that position of strength she established early on.
Kankurou? She can be snarky. She can have stage fright. When she tries to play the polite professional, he snorts and prods at her to just be herself. Yeah, he’ll challenge her to a theater battle, but he’ll be the first one to clap for her. Challenger and hype man both, constantly and simultaneously impressed and amused and I think there’s something comfortable yet exciting about a relationship like that.
Now as for how I would write a Shikako/Kankurou ship? Hm… in a canon DoS setting this would be another one of those that happens post canon events. There are only a few ships that I can see even possibly happening pre-canon (Gaara, Sasuke, Kiba, Ino) but even those would have to be carefully guided and cultivated toward that.
Erm, so yeah. Shikako/Kankurou would be post-canon events. It’d probably be… for some reason, my brain thinks it should NOT just be a tweaked version of Dreaming of S(omething). I think I’d want to do more of a… the semi-canon AU in which Shikako accidentally becomes a TV star
Well, basically, it’s while she’s doing research on the ruins of the Gelel shrine except with less Indiana Jones style shenanigans? I just want it to be like she’s on a sabbatical in Sand and Kankurou is playing tour guide and he’s helping her through her PTSD and what-do-I-do-now-that-my-life-goal-to-survive-Akatsuki-has-been-completed quarter life crisis but he’s doing so either unintentionally or, more likely, purposefully but subtly.
They both kind of explore who they are outside of being shinobi–he’s a huge Theater Nerd and she’s a huge Regular Nerd and they tease each other for it but they also accept each other and it’s fun and relaxing. (I’m having feels over the idea of these teenaged walking weapons of mass destruction striving to be well adjusted human beings.)
In a more definitively AU setting?
…
… OH! A Parks & Rec AU where Konoha people are the Department of Parks and Recreation and Suna people are a different department in the same ambiguously massive city. Maybe they’re something like the Department of Cultural Affairs?
Anyway, that means Konoha are all still tree-huggers as per canon, and there’s a bit of competition between the two groups, but there’s also future collaborations (open air theaters anyone? The equivalent of Shakespeare in the Park?) And that means the other villages can also be mentioned and hated other departments. (WHICH VILLAGE IS THE DMV?)
Kakashi as Ron Swanson who doesn’t do any work because authority is there to laugh at not respect. Shikako as Leslie Knope who only sleeps three hours a day because she has SO MANY PROJECT IDEAS. Ino as Donna Meagle who runs a far more profitable real estate agency but still works in the department to hang out with her friends. Um, I can’t think of the others right now but it’s not like it has to be a one to one swapping crossover anyway.
At first their departments are antagonistic–fighting over budget, stealing each other’s supply of paper clips, the ongoing war to prank the other department which PISSES THE CUSTODIANS OFF SO MUCH. And then they begin to work together–tentative collaboration on cultural events held in parks, etc–and then that becomes alliance against the other departments, etc. etc.
I suppose this AU setting doesn’t necessarily need to be Shikako/Kankurou, but I do think that this AU would fit that particular ship quite well 😀
Oh reeeeeeaaaaaally? Sounds like fun, anon, thanks for letting me know. I’ll check it out!
Well, my head canon regarding Shikako and Kankurou’s relationship is greatly based on their canonical theater war during the Land of the Moon arc. And how, even though Shikako would really very much like not to be on stage, she somehow ends up there and how hilarious Kankurou finds it.
Shikako is very accepting of Kankurou’s not-so-Inner Theater Nerd. It’s not as if others discourage him or anything–because the Puppet Corps are a key part of Suna’s culture and military–but I wonder how many support his passion outside of battle puppets.
And, also, all the weird shit that happens to Shikako is very good source material for his future play.
I think, given Killer Bee, that rap already exists in Lightning Country to some extent that Shikako wouldn’t be the one to come up with rap musicals. Especially with… okay, don’t get me wrong, I love Hamilton, but I don’t think Shikako would bring that into the Naruto world even if she knew it (seeing as how the timing of when SQ began the story doesn’t match up)?
It’s very much so based in Our World, and even though it has seen success internationally, Hamilton is still the story about the American Revolution and that’s very… Hamilton is sensational, but it’s not a story that can easily be told in the Naruto World. And if rap originates from Lightning Country, then surely there are already (or at least the foundation for) epic stories told in rap form? Shikako doesn’t really need to be involved in the process.
I love Galavant, too! It’s fantastic, isn’t it? Galavant, I think, would be easier for her to “translate” in the Naruto World, but I have to wonder if she even would? Or, rather, if she would be more involved than telling someone else about the idea and then passing the responsibility onto that person instead.
All we have in canon to base this on is that time she told Sai about Sailor Moon, and it was very much so a one to one kind of experience. I myself have expounded on that idea with Dreaming of S(tories) in that she performs impromptu shadow puppet shows for the kids of Sand and one of the stories is a remake of Little Red Riding Hood called Akako and the Wolf. But that’s still a very small informal experience. Anything bigger, as seen with the theater battle against Kankurou, and she doesn’t feel comfortable.
Sorry, @kristinaxx0, I didn’t mean to rain on your parade per se. I suppose if you mean produce in the same way film producers invest in the idea and have the director take over, then yes I can definitely see Shikako doing that (especially if it’s Sai because she supports him doing anything that isn’t ROOT).
Oh reeeeeeaaaaaally? Sounds like fun, anon, thanks for letting me know. I’ll check it out!
Well, my head canon regarding Shikako and Kankurou’s relationship is greatly based on their canonical theater war during the Land of the Moon arc. And how, even though Shikako would really very much like not to be on stage, she somehow ends up there and how hilarious Kankurou finds it.
Shikako is very accepting of Kankurou’s not-so-Inner Theater Nerd. It’s not as if others discourage him or anything–because the Puppet Corps are a key part of Suna’s culture and military–but I wonder how many support his passion outside of battle puppets.
And, also, all the weird shit that happens to Shikako is very good source material for his future play.
Oh, perhaps not, anon… I respond to all the asks I get, even with a short answer, so if it’s not in the pokemon tag then probably tumblr ate it?
But yes! Shinobi are like Rangers (the trainer class) in that they’re a more wildlife capable version of police officers. I guess the equivalent would be the Royal Candian Mounted Police vs the more urban police department for specific cities. (I say this with the barest of knowledge that the Vancouver Police Department is different from Mounties).
Uh, I guess a more useful comparison is that the currently extinct Konoha Military Police is what Officer Jenny is, while the general shinobi forces are what Rangers are? KMP focuses on the towns and human-only crimes. The shinobi-rangers are the ones that deal with non-urban areas and anything involving Pokemon. Which is nearly everything in this fusion world…
Shinobi are also the only one who are allowed a full team of six Pokemon (normal citizens only get two–which is why even kids before they graduate from the Academy have Pokemon from their family, etc).
I do like the idea that each team member is specialized for different scenarios, but I also think that uh… Teams (as in with three genin and a jounin) are also specialized as per canon. Obviously Team Eight are trackers/hunters, and Team Gai are bodyguards. I think Team Ten is meant to be like… infiltration/siege/fortress-breakers? And then there’s Team Seven which are, historically, the heavy-hitter frontline fighters.
I mean, obviously, different Teams can do different missions–as in canon–but I think the types of Pokemon that the Teams have do reflect a specialization of their own.
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.
This one is the last of the Ask Box Advent Calendar Event (for 2016), and what an interesting way to end it, anon. 🙂
Let’s see… I guess a Haku/Shikako/Gaara could be done two different ways. A “canon DoS” version and… I have this AU idea but I don’t know if I’ll be able to articulate it well.
So the “canon DoS” version would probably just be me tweaking Dreaming of S(omething). Where Shikako is the ambassador from Konoha and Haku is the ambassador from Kiri, and together they’re two fish out of somewhat literal water.
Fabulously deadly and beautiful fish that Gaara just kind of cannot function around because. Okay. One pretty long-and-dark-haired badass who sees the good in a former weaponized jinchuuriki is just barely manageable, but two? O_O That poor boy.
Gaara is a very competent Kazekage, okay, capable of wrangling the council and proving himself to his people. He’s no longer a thing to be afraid of, but a person that loves his village and who his village loves in turn.
But it’s very obvious that when both of the ambassadors are around that he gets all tongue-tied and flustered and the shy, sweet child that he used to be becomes prevalent due to the extreme crush he has on both Haku and Shikako.
Kankurou has not gone a day without laughing to the point of tears.
Shikako’s mostly oblivious, but I feel like Haku is savvy enough to know what’s going on. I do, however, think he’s enough of a trickster to not react so that someone else will make the first move. He is flattered and interested and amused and quite patient enough to see how the other two parts of this potential triad proceed.
So not too different from Dreaming of S(omething), but there would be a slight shift in the dynamics between Shikako and Gaara to accommodate Haku. (*dreamy sigh* They’d make such a beautiful tableau, wouldn’t they?)
The AU idea that comes to mind is a little…
Basically, spies. Or rather undercover bodyguards? But also spies? Benevolent mercenaries?
I’ll admit, part of it is influenced by the way my family and I binge watched the Netflix series Travelers (which I… tentatively recommend. It has potential, but the series was definitely made with a second season in mind so there isn’t enough to say I love it.) But only very loosely influenced since this AU is minus the main gimmick of the show (the time traveling, body snatching aspects of it), and more about the badass agents being undercover and an ultimate authority telling them to protect a person without questioning the reason why.
And, probably, when that ultimate authority tells them to kill that person instead they rebel.
So Agent Yuki and Agent Nara have both met each other before, and though their respective countries had sent them on missions that were originally at cross-purposes, they got along quite well. This time, thankfully, they are both assigned to protect Wind Country’s Prime Minister’s youngest son while being undercover and it’s kind of just like… I know who you are and you know who I am so let’s just vouch for each other and we’ll protect him together.
And the dynamic is much the same despite the AU setting–Gaara is a blushing, awkward mess around these two beautiful badasses (though he doesn’t know the extent of their badassery) and Shikako is too focussed on the job to realize anyone’s emotions much less her own while Haku sees all and is amused.
Neither Agents Yuki or Nara think to wonder why they were assigned to protect the Wind Country’s Prime Minister’s youngest son until, a couple of months into the mission, they receive counter orders to kill him.
Then there’s some misunderstandings–in which Agents Yuki and Nara fight, thinking the other will follow through on their new orders, only to realize that neither of them want to kill Gaara. And some cover breaking–because there’s no way Shikako can have a subtle fight (and Haku is, for all his soft touch in social matters, an agent on par with her). And some sleuthing–as the trio try to figure out what the hell is going on. And some confessions of feelings because high energy action means emotions are just erupting everywhere.
I have the feeling that Gaara in this world is a primary school teacher. And that Kankurou, while not an Agent, is involved in “The Game” as possibly an analyst or an informant or something like that and is the one who got both Agents Yuki and Nara assigned to protect his brother.
I feel like this would work best if it just kind of happened accidentally. Like…
So with the impending birth of the third Nara child, Shikako moves out of her childhood bedroom. And, see, technically she only moves to the downstairs room, but maybe she doesn’t totally unpack the boxes. Maybe it’s just more like storage and a place to sleep since she’s going on missions and training trips more and more frequently.
And then, as resident mad scientist, she realizes she probably oughtn’t experiment with her more destructive seals in the house with an untrained baby. Also, she loves her new sibling, but baby Nara is not the sleepiest of babies and also a very loud crier.
Thus, she gets a lab/workshop.
Because the Clan Head’s house–while not ostentatious–is pretty much in the center of the Nara Clan compound and not exactly the best place to be experimenting with field seals. And it’s not as if the Nara are unfamiliar with having lab/workshops away from the main part of the compound. Maybe for feels, the lab/workshop is a gift from Shikaku (and it was once her uncle’s, because Ikoma also had a penchant for somewhat destructive experimentation).
And it’s a fairly out of the way lab/workshop–for somewhat obvious reasons–and it’s also kind of big. Not ludicrously so, but it’s medium warehouse size. She doesn’t need much in the way of equipment and such–unlike the other labs which are specialized medicine–so this workshop is mostly empty. She gets a desk, sets up a blast area. Maybe she puts a futon in for those times that she just kinda gets into a groove and doesn’t want to make the trip back home for sleep when she’s just going to come back.
And I don’t know if this is fanon or canon, but doesn’t Naruto live in a really shitty apartment? Probably one that had been subsidized by the Sandaime in his poor attempt to do right by him, except hey guess what? Sandaime is dead now and Tsunade doesn’t know about all the little projects he was doing and Naruto disappears for three years. That apartment? The landlord probably isn’t going to maintain that for Naruto.
So when Naruto comes back from the time skip–no apartment, probably. And it just kind of makes the most sense for him to crash at Shikako’s workshop for a bit? It’s habitable and she’s not always there, really, and there’s more than enough space. Plus, I think he’d prefer to live at the workshop than impose directly on her family.
Maybe Sasuke feels left out. Or maybe there’s some legit renovation going on in the Uchiha district and he needs a place to stay, too. Or maybe they just invite him after a team dinner and it’s an extended sleepover that basically never ends.
Sasuke brings in furniture and such, better appliances and cookware and stuff, but Naruto is the one to make everything homey what with house plants and wall art and such. Shikako looks up one day and realizes her workshop has become an actual home.
Kakashi does show up like the stray cat he is. It’s one of his favorite places to hide from Tsunade-sama (and Sakura, now that she’s basically become Team Seven’s personal physician what with the Sharingan miracle cure and all) and there’s a couple of dog bods in a corner for whichever of his summons want to hang out in the people world.
It’s not really squatting, since the Nara Clan own the workshop and they’re not likely to argue with what the clan head’s daughter is up to especially since she’s producing more and more seals (and no one has to worry about her dying of malnutrition with her team living with her and feeding her).
Sorry this is late, anon, the past week has not been particularly conducive to rest much less writing so…
Background lore for witches!verse… you mean like worldbuilding?
The way I see it, magical communities are kind of like minorities/ethnic groups. Magicians gather together and there are cultural differences but it’s not two separate worlds/governments as it is in the HP series.
To that end, separate magical communities from separate countries would develop differently (but not too far astray) so Temari and Shikako have different styles of magic.
For the most part, though, consider learning magic like how language works. Mostly from parents, yes, but there’s probably some “clubs” or special classes. (So Sakura, as the muggleborn equivalent, does have access to magical education).
While the magical community isn’t separate, it is mostly a secret. Or… it is now. Modern magical communities believe in discretion and protecting themselves, but they don’t isolate themselves completely (as per having an annual deer petting zoo/sleigh rides that even non-magical people can appreciate).
Now for more interesting world building!
The summon realm is a separate plane but it is, simultaneously, overlapping with the real world. Magicians–generally witches, though occasionally a wizard will also have enough magic to do so–can form a bond with specific summon who will help them control/amplify their abilities.
The Nara, as an entrenched clan, have a partnership with the deer. Shikako can make Heijomaru tangible and, with a little more power, he can do the same to the rest of the herd. Conversely, there have been a few years where different members of the clan are assigned to different deer (multiple magicians to one deer if need be) but having someone powerful enough to make Heijomaru tangible is a fairly rare thing.
Temari’s family, on the other hand, are not tied to any one summon line. They’re a big believer in throwing their children in the deep end (even though the swimming analogy doesn’t really apply to desert scions). And Kamatari, being an former warrior summon, found Temari a worthy witch.
Unsurprisingly, Temari is a wind witch–she travels often and wherever the wind may blow–whereas Shikako is more grounded in this AU than canon DoS (being an earth witch). That’s definitely something I’d bank more on in this AU–their opposing elemental leanings and that not-quite conflict between their differing styles and philosophies of magic.
Shikako has so many friends and is so involved with the magical community, whereas Temari is polite but not friendly and while she picks up different kinds of magics often it’s a more self-serving gathering.
But I do think, at heart, Shikako would want to travel too–and I suppose that’s what this AU endgame would be. Shikako’s community acknowledging her desires and releasing her from any obligations, though with some misunderstandings in which Temari is possibly accused of trying to charm her away from home.
JackSGreyson Says 