Tag: brainstorm

Hello! I’m prompting for DoS!Canon. The score is Ludovico Einauldi’s Primavera. The other score is the 23 minute Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack. Thank you! Hope you have fun writing this!

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

So given these two songs/soundtracks are very, hm, traditionally instrumental (and, also, the fact that I’ve been reading a lot of Hikaru no Go fic lately), I’m getting a distinctly Tobirama Senju’s ghost–whether literally or figuratively–through Shikako’s life?

And also, you mentioned in our messages the idea of arch-nemesis soulmarks and how, in DoS, Shikako’s arch-nemesis would be Danzo and I kind of…

Let me try to articulate this properly.

The idea of legacies and rivals that aren’t necessarily pre-determined by fate, but marked by fate. So there’s the grander “Will of Fire” being an actual, physical mark on someone–an intangible optimism and determination passed from Hashirama to Hiruzen to Naruto–versus the more intimate mark of Dan on Tsunade to make the Medic Corps, to train Shizune, and be the kind of Hokage that he might have been.

But it’s not always what people expect.

For example, Danzo had Tobirama’s mark and thought that meant he would be Sandaime–literal inheritor/successor of the Nidaime–which is what drove is megalomaniacal desperation for the hat. Maybe instead it was supposed to be Danzo supporting Hiruzen the same way Tobirama supported his brother (the way Hiruzen actually though was happening), or maybe it was his destruction of the Uchiha clan (which a younger, more war-minded Tobirama had wanted once upon a time).

So the possibility that someone else might have the same mark isn’t necessarily a bad thing–after all, people have different goals in life perhaps different goals went to different inheritors–but it’s not very common and much less so a legacy mark from someone who died long before you were born.

Shikako having Tobirama Senju’s legacy mark is, of course, very unusual. And yet. Consider what she’s done so far: she’s a fuinjutsu master in the making, a community leader of sorts, she wields his legendary sword, she’s brokered peace with the Uchiha (sort of, in the sense that she’s prevented Sasuke from defecting) and is slated to rebuild the KMP, she’ll definitely support the next few Hokages in a way that Tobirama would have wanted (the way Danzo should have), so it’s not completely out of left field.

Obviously most everything else is the same except some people have legacy marks connecting them to people who have passed away. For example, most clan heirs are born with the mark of their clan just because that’s how it works–a continuation of the clan leadership all through the generations (which helps in the rare occasions when clan heads don’t have children because then the elders can just look for the child with the clan symbol on it and know that they’re going to be the next clan head). But not all legacy marks are there from birth: some people probably have multiple legacy marks and it’s not unusual for them to develop more as they grow.

I don’t know how the clash should go.

Danzo doesn’t immediately see her as a threat, but there must be a point where he starts to.

Unless the marks are hidden? I mean, I don’t think there’s any actual taboo surrounding legacy marks (why would there be? it’s not something private, necessarily, nor is it something to be ashamed of) but tactically it might be dangerous to so outrightly have certain legacy marks–killing the person with the Will of Fire mark would pretty easily cut the ideal line of Hokage succession.

And anyway, I enjoy the idea that Tobirama’s legacy mark is very understated. Like… given that Tobirama’s fanon summons are snow leopards, maybe it’s a few leopard spot on the forehead. It kind of just looks like bruises, really, easily hidden by bangs or headbands or BANDAGES (-_-).

So maybe it’s just that unless it’s something very obvious or very personal, people don’t necessarily know who the legacy marks are from. And unless the mark is very obviously a a symbol or a picture or a word maybe no one even knows it is a legacy mark.

Danzo knows what his is, of course, Tobirama was his sensei. But as far as Shikako and her family are concerned she just has an awkwardly placed birthmark. It’s hard to report legacy marks if they’re so ambiguous, so Danzo just doesn’t hear about the Jounin Commander’s daughter also having Tobirama Senju’s legacy mark. (And probably Danzo has been hiding his for so long that no one except people of an age with him remember what it looks like anyway).

And maybe there’s a hint of self-fulfilling prophecy in this as well.

People can share legacy marks without any conflicts–but it’s not until one party MAKES it a rivalry that it becomes one. Maybe fate decided that Danzo wasn’t properly fulfilling Tobirama’s legacy (or only fulfilling the most twisted versions of it) and so it gave Shikako the same legacy mark to correct that. If Danzo had just done it properly, there would be no need for that. Or if he had bowed out and accepted that he was already fulfilling it, then there would be no clash.

Sorry, I’m not sure if I’m conveying the idea fully or if I’m just going around in circles.

So, well, except for a few weird birthmarks on her forehead, Shikako’s life in this strange world would pretty much be the same as canon DoS. Her legacy mark wouldn’t become relevant until Danzo makes it so and given we haven’t yet seen a in person Shikako vs Danzo interaction (only his Big Brother-esque monitoring of her research on the Uchiha post-Tsukuyomi and, of course, his attempted kidnapping after the Land of Hot Springs) it could still be easily slotted into a canon plotline.

There’s just something about the Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack in particular that makes me think it would be a good battle not between different ideologies but rival executions of the same ideology. That one ideology–in this case, Tobirama Senju’s–can be so twisted in one direction but still technically be the same as the original.

~

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I’ve been really loving “It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning” by We Were Promised Jetpacks and “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons lately. I feel like there’s a thematic link there (obvious in the song titles), but the songs themselves are quite different. Do you think you can do anything with them (together) as a prompt?

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

I love both of these songs, lionheadbookends! I never really thought to compare them even though, as you said, their titles are similar. I suppose it’s because of when I encountered the songs (years apart, that is) and again, as you said, the feel of them is quite different; but I’ve given them both another listen with the lyrics in mind and I think I’ve got the link.

Thunder by Imagine Dragons is more easily understood as a song–not that simplicity of meaning makes it less musically entertaining–but as a piece of literature it’s fairly straightforward. An age old story of a kid from a (small) town who doesn’t quite fit, who is going to leave and make it big even though no one really believes in them. It’s almost the same idea behind a hero’s  journey–an internal call to action that differentiates the protagonist from the others in their hometown who are satisfied to stay behind.

In Thunder, it’s the vocalist vs the rest of his town/the world, but in a way it’s also the vocalist vs his own determination–can he keep going and achieve his dreams despite all the negativity trying to bring him down.

It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning by We Were Promised Jetpacks is more difficult to parse. Frankly, I’m still not sure how many people are involved in the story. There’s definitely at least two people: the vocalist and whoever the vocalist is going to guide home. That person is probably also the person whose body was black and blue. But there is probably a third person who is threatening to punch out the vocalists lights.

So as a narrative, this song might be about two teenagers dating and one of them has an abusive parent. Unless it really is just about two people in a rather disastrous relationship. But regardless it’s not really about the story so much as it is about the feeling: there’s chaos and violence and fear and at some point the vocalist decides to leave not out of an actual desire to do so but out of necessity, out of survival and desperation. And on top of that, the vocalist is not entirely sure if outside is more dangerous–it’s night and there’s a storm, no guarantee of safety, but at least it’s not where he is now about to get beaten. Bleak, yes, in comparison to Thunder which is uplifting.

In Thunder, the thunder and lightning is a good thing–a goal to be reached, to become so great that you change the sky, everyone looks up to see you, everyone listens; no one can beat you down. In It’s Thunder and Lightning, the thunder and lightning is neutral–force of nature which the vocalist decides is a better fate than the closer, human violence.

Ultimately what connects these songs, besides their titles, is the theme of leaving a toxic place–maybe to follow one’s dream towards a bright future, or maybe just to escape, braving the unknown to get away from the known danger. Moving on to bigger if not necessarily better things because to stay is to stagnate, be victimized, and die.

But you’re not here for an essay analyzing these two songs, you’re here for what I can make from the analysis as a prompt.

—

Frankly, lionheadbookends, whenever I see lightning (or thunder) my brain immediately goes to Tetsuki because she’s… well, she’s it for me. Maybe also Kiyoshi Utsugi–who has Lightning natured chakra as well–but given her specific circumstances it’s hard to apply prompts as easily to her.

Tetsuki is my go to OC–my everywoman, if you will–and this prompt could not be more suited to her. But it’s a very different side to her than I normally explore because it’s, well, less fun?

For me and for her, I think.

Because except for her “first life” that is, Trailblazers in KHR, Tetsuki doesn’t really have a toxic home life either because a) her families are kind if not loving or b) she has no home/family.

In her first life, Tetsuki’s parents were neglectful if not outrightly emotionally abusive. They might have possibly also been physically abusive earlier on–leading to Ryohei and Tetsuki taking up martial arts–but nothing that continued for long.

Were I to ever write Trailblazers properly, there would be a scene where, for the first time since the mafia madness started, Tetsuki’s parents came home (they travel a lot, mostly, hardly ever in Namimori which is why she can get away with so much but also where the neglect comes from) and suddenly the badass, cool senpai who will throw herself into this world of Flames and danger is just a teenaged girl who trembles whenever her parents raise their voices.

There would then be a point where–primarily the Sasagawas, but also the rest of the Family–remind her that she isn’t what they say she is, that she’s more than just a burden or an incompetent or whatever they say of her. And she leaves, probably to live with the Sasagawas properly (whose parents have always been quietly preparing for this day, pretty much have everything but the paperwork done to make her their third child) or, depending on the timeline, to a full-time member of Vongola.

So while it’s similar to the prompt idea, unfortunately, that’s not quite enough.

For this prompt I would probably go with a Viridescent–though I’m not yet sure what fandom would best house this particular episode–in which Tetsuki has the memories of her previous lives but none of the powers.

Which isn’t a combination I’ve yet done, I think. I’ve done powers and memories (Externality, Multiphenomenal, the Power Rangers Viridescent). I’ve done limited powers and limited memories (Iron Will). I’ve done powers but no memories (Deuteranomaly). But I haven’t done no power with memories.

I think I might have tried something like that previously in Big Hero 6 but I’ve put myself off of that fandom, unfortunately, and it wasn’t very good to begin with…

Because here’s the thing. In a new world where she has the memories but none of the powers, then that really brings the validity of the memories into question. If she could just randomly manifest lightning in her hand, that’s close enough to proof for the rest of the odd things in her life. But if she only has the memories and no way to prove it than what is inside her own mind, then there’s no way to tell if maybe it’s all just a delusion.

… which perhaps means it’s an Inception fic?

Hrm… but unless she encounters the characters, there’s not much point in her being in Inception given that it’s basically “the real world” but with mental espionage. And considering that, the memories themselves would give her powers as related to everyone else because she would have the best security ever if not also thorough forges or intricately physics-breaking architecture.

Ah, shit, that actually sounds pretty cool though.

So perhaps the fill to your prompt would be the “prologue” to this Inception Viridescent: like, Tetsuki is born in a “normal world” to awful parents who are, perhaps, so similar to her original, awful parents that it puts the rest of her memories into doubt. Maybe there never were any reincarnations or any fantastic powers, maybe it was just a desperate, over imaginative dream of a girl in a terrible situation.

Maybe she tries to run, tries to go to Namimori only to find it doesn’t exist. Maybe her grandmother was actually named Hisae Kaiza, but she passed long ago and certainly wasn’t a calligraphy/magic teacher. Gotham may very well exist, but there’s nothing on the level of the superheroes she knows (Nolan’verse Batman might very well be a real thing, given all of it is ~science~ and, possibly, Ra’s al Ghul’s “immortality” is him doing a pre-PASIV mind restructuring such that his consciousness gets passed onto a newer, younger body).

As far as she can find, none of her memories are real, and yet… she’d rather try to scrape out an existence out there, which may never be as good as the lives she remembers, than go back home which she knows for certain is worse.

And then maybe it gets worse. Maybe she is snatched–this is an awful world, but a lone teenage runaway who thinks she’s more powerful than she actually is will not survive long–and gets experimented on (there’s a new technology and different countries/companies are eager to be the first ones to crack it). She’s a fascinating subject, but hard to break, and so  they get her addicted to Somnacin thinking that will let them control her.

Maybe she escapes anyway, learns of extraction (and inception), of weaponizing dreaming and imagination, and turns her weakness into her strength.

I’m not saying she eventually ends up as Saito’s on-call secret keeper (extractors learn to fear the shadow of this mogul, the one whose mind can’t be broken into) but that is one way of getting her to interact with the characters. Maybe instead of him being “the tourist” it’s her.

Or maybe she’s just another professional dreamer in the world of Inception, dreaming of worlds and lives that probably don’t exist.

~

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can I prompt some of that foundation of yesterday outsider pov?

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

A/N: So… I know I just did a Into Thin Air ficlet which is, of course, set in FFVII but… the problem is anon, I haven’t actually played FFVII?

And like, that’s mostly the reason why Into Thin Air kind of rehashes the same ideas and is VERY VAGUE, because I don’t know the timeline in enough detail to make things specific (which is why Unto The Climate is easier for me since I’m more familiar with Naruto canon and it’s only Windy–and Kaguya/Jenova–who is from FFVII).

And given Foundation of Yesterday is primarily set in FFVII with Naruto characters being summoned/awakened there, that explains why the brainstorm was just a brainstorm and not a ficlet. And then there’s the whole… set up of it…. Although, to be fair, that was more of me stream-of-consciousness coming up with the idea as it came to me as opposed to attempting to write it so, what the hell, it’s the ask box advent calendar, I’ll give it a shot!

~

Foundation of Yesterday, Prologue (2017-12-15)

The Shichidaime Hokage goes missing without a trace. The Elemental Nations begin to freak out: it’s been decades since the world was so close to destruction, but that their primary defender has gone is alarming.

It is only the beginning.

—

Kaguya is uncovered from her icy prison and experimented on, the foolish mortals playing at gods, but their folly shall be her triumph.

Her first two sons were traitors, but her third? Oh, she’s certain Sephiroth will do her proud.

—

There is an unstoppable countdown, jinchuuriki disappearing despite everyone’s best efforts as if chakra itself were reclaiming them.

Shikako and Sasuke have not stopped searching for Naruto but their hope is steadily dwindling.

They are running out of miracles.

—

Vincent knows his eyes are unnerving–unnatural, demonic–but Lucrecia is the first to ever say she loves them.

Too bad she loves science more.

But honestly, the cursed existence that follows after his death isn’t entirely her fault.

—

“It’s time to sleep,” Gaara tells his children, a bewildering, solemn statement from the only remaining jinchuuriki. It’s the last clue they get before he, too, disappears.

For Shikako, it’s also the last straw.

—

When Yuffie is six, father gives her a necklace, the pendant a dark stone with shining green flecks–a family heirloom: if she protects it, it will protect her in turn.

Obviously just a superstition, Yuffie thinks years later as her homeland is conquered and destroyed.

Not quite.

—

The loss of the jinchuuriki is never solved, and though sad, time marches on. Children grow up, take their own place as heroes and leaders, and eventually it becomes just another tale to tell.

They never think to connect it to the vanishing Shikabane-hime.

—

Where a Strife walks, trouble follows, names well earned. They are living, breathing natural disasters, bringers of storms and change.

It’s not a coincidence that they end up in Nibelheim.

—

The Planet works in mysterious ways.

~

A/N: … hrm… this is probably overly referential to the brainstorm, but it just didn’t want to flow :/ Hopefully it’s still a fun read, though, anon!

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I love your pkmn headcanon where growlithes are abundant in konoha b/c it’s the land of /fire/, aha. the uchiha police prob used a lot of arcanines and growlithes too! so, team7 is probably even weirder now because it’s shikako who is the one with a growlithe.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Land of Fire just thematically makes more sense if it’s because there’s an abundance of Fire types. I mean, I’m definitely not going by the traditional generations, so I might as well have some sort of organization. Which isn’t to say that other types can’t be found in different countries (especially near villages which deliberately cultivate different types) but naturally the types correspond.

Here’s the thing about the Growlithe and Arcanine, though, is that I’m still not entirely sure how to resolve the issue of Inuzuka’s ninken? Like. I already gave Kakashi the all dog team, and having all of an Inuzuka’s team be dogs kind of reduces the strong bond they have with their ninken equivalent. But I also don’t want the Inuzuka to only have ONE Pokemon (except for Hana, who would have three).

Hm… I don’t think I’d restrict the Inuzuka’s ninken to a specific species, so maybe some of them do have Growlithe/Arcanine?

But I digress–your question was about whether or not the Uchiha (and specifically, the Uchiha in the KMP) would also have Growithe/Arcanine. And I think yes, but it would be a “lesser Uchiha” kind of thing because they are so common. The Talonflame flocks are specifically bred–they’ve got pedigrees and such–to have a Growlith would be kind of like adopting a mutt. (Which, I mean, is MY dream to do, but beneath a Noble Clan).

So as the sons of the clan head, neither Itachi or Sasuke would have had a Growlithe, but some of the other Uchiha would have. Like Shisui, probably, given Arcanine are known for their high speeds (and majestic manes) and maaaybe Obito–though I do prefer the idea of him with a Cyndaquil, instead.

I have a feeling that Uchiha who did join the KMP probably all had a Salamence or a Haxorus–as a unifying species amongst the police officers, but also because it kind of contributes to how frightening and alienating the Uchiha became to the rest of the village. Like, these massive armored dragons? O_O

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The future KMP would probably benefit from having Growlithes and Arcanines instead.

~

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How would tetsuki in the bnha universe look like (tho idk if u read/watched it) (could be a prompt or u just rambling. I dont mind either way)

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Unfortunately, anon, I haven’t watched/read BNHA but I think I have enough of an understanding to fill this prompt (whether as a ficlet or a brainstorm) so I’ll try my best not to to mess it up too badly.

Tetsuki is no stranger to the hero/vigilante lifestyle–and I’m not just talking about Deuteranomaly. She is originally (yes, even before Trailblazers) a secondary character from my original series Counterclockwise.

Counterclockwise does mainly follow Leanne Peridot’s not-so-kind travels through time, but “before” that happens she was the fifth member of a team of teenaged vigilantes, one of whom is Tetsuki Kaiza, aka Thunderbolt (who I then co-opted for my crazy continuous reincarnations through fandoms series, the poor dear).

Given what I understand of the world of BNHA and what I’ve written in the world Counterclockwise… they’re not ENTIRELY incompatible. Or, rather, if Tetsuki were in the BNHA world, she would have a fairly similar background as in Counterclockwise.

Because the thing is, even without Counterclockwise, I would want Tetsuki to be an older, near burnt out pro hero who has been told to take some time off and recuperate from the godawful mission that caused half of her team to die/go missing. And, of course, they’re hoping she’ll find an apprentice/sidekick to pass along her techniques but mostly they just don’t want to her burn out completely or, worse, go evil.

Obviously, they want her to take on Denki Kaminari as her temporary student, given his Electrification quirk, and maybe she does help train him or give him some tips (honestly, he needs to learn how to increase his capacity, that one hour short circuit bullshit is going to get him killed) but the thing is:

Thunderbolt’s quirk has nothing to do with electricity.

Probably in the BNHA world Tetsuki’s parents have pretty mild/less showy quirks–one of them has psychometry and the other has augmentation/negation or something like that–so it’s very surprising that her quirk is so powerful and multifunctional (yes, she is known for the electricity, but she’s also been seen doing things like casting illusions or forming barriers and such… though most believe that’s her using electricity at such an high level of intricacy that it manipulates light waves or neurons or the electromagnetic charge between atoms?)

Turns out her quirk is simply Remembering.

Given this would be a Viridescent ficlet were I to write it (and I am leaning towards doing so because this is a pretty cool idea, though I should probably learn more about BNHA before attempting it)… I am leaning towards this being one of her lives where she doesn’t remember everything immediately.

More like Externality in that sense (where she remember things gradually or unlocks memories as she needs them in times of stress). Instead of as in Multiphenomenal and that Power Rangers!Viridescent where she just knows pretty much right away, or the opposite with Iron Will and Deuteranomaly where she never really remembers but only has Very Strong Feelings/Hunches about certain things.

Which would give her story in BNHA an interesting progression because it’s assumed, that she’s at the top of her game–ridiculously powerful, an alumni (if UA isn’t a new thing, I’m not sure) who is giving out pointers to the next generation–and it turns out hey, she’s only used her “real quirk” to Remember her previous lives’ abilities but none of the life lessons or friendships or the fact that she’s destined to die before age 25.

And guess how old she is now.

I mean, the main part of it will be her recovering from losing half her team (and Remembering all the other people she’s been close to) and realizing that being close to people isn’t entirely a curse. So her lessons to Denki become less reluctant and she starts to give out pointers to the other students (and hopefully mitigates some of the frustratingly persistent sexism that is shounen series’ handling of female characters ie LET THEM FIGHT) and she becomes kind of like a TA at the school.

And then, like in Counterpoise canon, she goes supernova to protect everyone.

Or maybe, in line with this post about the lessons BNHA teaches, she doesn’t go supernova to protect everyone. Maybe she considers that but is instead convinced to maintain a barrier around the school–which ought to be easier except so much power is needed. And she doesn’t tell anyone, but it’s too much power–it’s draining her too much–and when the crisis is over, it turns out that even though she was able to maintain it her body couldn’t handle it. And so she still ends up dying, but not in a huge flashy way that glorifies self-harm.

~

A/N: Ask Box Advent Calendar is on!

jacksgreysonLeave a comment
https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103874873/stream?client_id=N2eHz8D7GtXSl6fTtcGHdSJiS74xqOUI?plead=please-dont-download-this-or-our-lawyers-wont-let-us-host-audio

Landsailor (feat. Glen Phillips) by Vienna Teng

Landsailor
Landsailor, sail on time
Rain or shine, I know you can
Cloudraker
Cloudraker, share your finds
All your wonders at my demand

Lightbringer
Tamer of night
Blossom of hours unleashed
Make me a lawbender
All equalized
Saved from the chill and heat
Your power flows through me transformed
Here’s where I was born

Landsailor
Deepwinter strawberry
Endless summer, ever spring
A vast preserve
Aisle after aisle in reach
Every commoner made a king

Earthbreaker
Noble and prized
Feed me beyond my means
Hello worldmaker
Never denied
Build all my wildest dreams
But there’s a storm outside your door
And I’m a child no more

Headless and faceless
Tireless and seamless behind these walls
This is my progress
When you don’t notice my lines at all
I split the world open
Delve ever deeper in my alchemic arts
I crack the ciphers to free up your mind, your life, your heart

Oh landsailor I’m your landsailor
In the bed that we’ve made in the bed that we’ve made
May every nail be shown may every nail be shown
Great lifebringer great lifebringer
The price that we pay the price that we pay
Time that you made it known time that you made it known
I want to be your bride in full oh be my bride in full
Shield my eyes no more shield your eyes no more
Oh I am altered now for good altered now for good
Shield these eyes no more shield these eyes no more

@to-someplace-else: listen to “Landsailor” by Vienna Teng, A:tLA verse.

~

Hm… this one is difficult. Don’t get me wrong, I love Vienna Teng and this song, but as a prompt this seems kind of… too on the nose. Like. This seems like it would be more suited to a… what’s it called when artists do a soundboard-y kind of music video? Almost like an anime opening sequence but not really? Well, whatever that is called. And then it’s just a matter of assigning different “titles” to each of the Gaang and doing little vignettes on them as related to their little bit of verse.

And while I love sticking Tetsuki into pretty much anything, I don’t think even an abstract of this would work so well for an Iron Will ficlet. Like, she doesn’t know she’s out of place and she’s way too anti-social to be working behind the scenes for the Gaang in the way that this song expresses during bridge. Maybe a different SI!OC–one who knows what’s at stake and is keeping an eye on the Gaang to make sure they succeed?

I’d say this is an Uncle Iroh song, but that seems almost too unbalanced. Is it a Mai who can see the future and knows that her friend will fail–must fail, for the good of the world–but wants to make sure she’s not so utterly destroyed in the process? Is this a Lu Ten lives but must pretend to be dead in order to ensure his father isn’t assassinated by his uncle and the Gaang succeed!AU?

Actually, that last one sounds pretty fun. And, like, can you imagine Lu Ten partnering up with June who is initially annoyed by him and then it turns into reluctantly fond? And how cool would that be in the Iron Will ‘verse, too? An entire B-sides to that series… which would make it the C-sides of the Gaang’s adventures? I dunno.

And while he is also a (self-)exiled Fire Nation prince, Lu Ten’s story would be different. He doesn’t have Iroh to guide him, no ship and navy crew to ferry him where he wants to go. But maybe he’s not entirely alone after the attempted assassination cover up (because headcanon that Ozai had Lu Ten killed and had it covered up because he was in battle and thus plausibly deniable as KIA): 

Maybe one or two of his squad mates also go MIA because even though Lu Ten’s a poncy prince, he’s still their friend. And maybe an enemy earth bender who sees the Fire Nation crown prince and thinks this is a premium opportunity to take him hostage and ransom back except then Lu Ten’s “death” is made official even though “what the hell, there’s no body” and earth bender realizes that Fire Nation internal politics is ~awful~. And then they stumble into June who’s originally on the weirdly well-paying hunt for “unnamed Fire Nation army defectors” and she’s just like, “you’re incompetent and obvious, I guess I’ll stick around because if you’re really the prince then you can pay me more and if you can’t then at least I’ll be on hand to collect the bounty instead of some other hunter.” Do they eventually get a swamp bender? Maybe.

Basically, Lu Ten builds his own crew of outsiders to help fight against FIre Nation tyranny.

 And in the end, even if he does get reunited with his father, he decides not to officially “come back to life” because he enjoys traveling around and having adventures with his friends than staying at home and being Fire Lord. Maybe he and his friends are the first officers of the United Forces?

Sorry, to-someplace-else, I think I’ve managed to turn this beautiful, uplifting song into “Lu Ten and Friends’ Adventures”

(Also, Ask Box Advent Calendar is on!)

sakako with the CUTE, ROUND, SQUISHY ROWLET AS HER PARTNER. UGHHHH THAT’S JUST TOO ADORABLE. and then someone laughs and gets a pounding KICK to the face courtesy of the rowlet (the anime shows them to have really strong legs). I know it’d be a lot of work, but do you think they’ll name their pokés? Or maybe, it’s unconventional, but Shikako does it anyway, and sakako catches on?

jacksgreysonLeave a comment
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Heck yeah, Rowlet is so cute!

Some of them might have names? I’m not sure. If they were to be named, I was considering having them be named after certain jutsu/techniques/significant items? But then I thought that might be confusing distinguishing between the Pokemon and the things.

In world/game it makes sense for people to name their Pokemon–because otherwise it’s just like calling your cat and dog Cat and Dog (or, maybe, by their specific breed. Which is kinda what Kakashi does with his anyway?)–but outside of that, it would get pretty difficult as you said.

~

I love the idea that Sakako can see the Phantumps as the children they used to be! Like, there were a lot of post about Phantumps during Halloween (for good reason) but one of them was absolutely heartwarming and wrenching at the idea that the Phantumps try to go back to their family. And so it’s just kind of like… this used to be my older brother, but now he’s a Phantump. We still love him, and we’re glad he’s come back, but he isn’t the same (for obvious reasons).

I wonder if, maybe, Sakako being able to see who they used to be helps with that? Like, maybe not all, if any, Phantumps retain memories of their past lives and so there’s no real way to tell which Phantump used to be which kid. But Sakako can match up Phantump with missing children posters and reunite families…

… which sort of goes with the idea that Sakako is frightening to shinobi (she can CONTROL PHANTUMPS/TREVENANTS?!?!) but considered similar to a priest/priestess as a spiritual authority to civilians.

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Skiddo is also absolutely adorable!

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Unfortunately as another Grass ungulate, it is rather too close to Deerling/Sawsbuck, and thus kind of redundant…

Unless this is Nagaoka? And the Nara clan herds aren’t just Deerling/Sawsbuck. Or maybe Sembei-obaasan just has a lot of ungulate Pokemon and is sort of like a Professor in that she is the expert in training hoofed animals like this. So instead of Shikako signing the summoning scroll, she and her Deerling go do a training montage with Sembei-obaasan.

I love my Misdreavus (in Sun), and I wasn’t expecting to–I’d never used them before, but I caught one and ran with it, and … she’s so sweet and giggly and a POWERHOUSE in battles. And I was wondering if there are any ghost types of plot-ish significance in your DoS!Pokémon AU?

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Misdreavus are absolutely adorable!

Young Shikako in the Arm in Arm ‘verse is searching for Ghost type Pokemon–perhaps in order to understand her existence–but instead finds her Growlithe in the Haunted Mansion… after that, she kind of lets the idea go. Until she gets a Sableye and whatever the Gelel equivalent incident happens.

Then again, just because Sableye is her only Ghost type, doesn’t mean she doesn’t encounter others before or after then (she just doesn’t catch them). Such as whatever the Land of Birds, Kisuke Maboroshi, and chameleon castle incident equivalents are. Probably Sasuke’s Cubone turns into an Alolan Marowak (Fire and Ghost type instead of classic Ground type seems more Sasuke’s style).

Although… if Sakako were in this ‘verse you know she’d have an all/majority Ghost type team. And I actually quite like the idea of Misdreavus/Mismagius being one of her older team members. Hm, let’s see… Sakako’s Pokemon line up would most likely be:

Rowlet/Dartrix/Decidueye – Grass and Ghost

as a compromise between the Uchiha Talonflame and the Nara Sawsbuck? After all, Itachi probably decimated the Uchiha’s original Talonflame flock so the Uchiha 2.0′s clan Pokemon would be something different

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Misdreavus/Mismagius – Ghost

Misdreavus came to Sakako very early on in her childhood with no preamble or anything. They make each other happy and no one had the heart to separate them (although, why would they?) They’ve been together ever since

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Snorunt/Froslass – Ice and Ghost

Snorunt was actually a gift from Sakako’s Mum, from her research trip to Land of Snow to explore some old ruins. Honestly had no idea it would end up a Ghost type.

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Honedge – Steel and Ghost

Sakako isn’t yet a master swordswoman, but she’ll get there eventually.

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Litwick – Ghost and Fire

Actually a preference she gets from the Nara side of the family. Shikamaru isn’t the only clan member to have one of this species–Kasuga has a Chandelure.

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Duskull – Ghost

Her most recent Pokemon. It’s not the reason why she has The Reaper as a nickname, but this little guy floating at her shoulder certainly doesn’t hurt matters. And also, “A glare from its single scarlet eye makes even burly grown-ups freeze in utter fear.” ~Sharingan~

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Sakako’s Ghost team! 😀

(I was considering her having a Phantump–but that didn’t really match her too well and she already has a Grass type–and she doesn’t need to have one in order to encounter a lot of them. A sad amount of them, really.

Where her parents were constantly spotted with Absol, she’s probably frequently seen with wild Phantumps.)

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A/N: Ask Box Advent Calendar is on!

I loved your AYWtM drabbles! I decided to go through your AYWtM tag again, and in your first brainstorm you mentioned thinking of a HP/Narnia crossover with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville as the kings and queen of Narnia. Do you have anything more on that?

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Hey to-someplace-else! I did actually do a little bit more on that a few days later, though I failed to link it from the original post, but considering it’s been almost two years since I posted those I could definitely touch back on the idea.

I think maybe the main problem–besides not having a firm enough idea of when in the HP timeline to do it–is that a few months later the Descendants x Narnia crossover idea struck me and overall that one feels more cohesive.

Don’t get me wrong, I will always be very pleased with the “just Harry” and “Harry the Just” connection, but as an adventure or, maybe, as a set of character developments, it works better with Descendants. Or, perhaps, the four Lost Kids of Descendants “need” the character developments from a Narnia crossover than the four HP kids do.

Like, the HP series is far from perfect, but the personal growth that the Golden Trio and Neville (which is it’s own sticking point, Neville being the odd man out, that the Descendants version doesn’t have) have over the course of it is one of things that I wouldn’t want alter too much. A Golden Trio+Neville (the Golden Quartet?) come back from ruling Narnia in their first or second year would be vastly different from canon and have almost too many butterfly effects that would render the HP series unrecognizable.

Unless for some reason they decided to keep it secret, but then the story would be about those small moments in which the Golden Quartet do decide to utilize what they learned and it doesn’t make much sense for them to do that? Like, given their Gryffindor natures, the only one who would be vaguely subtle about it might be Hermione, but even then she canonically held Rita Skeeter captive in a jar as a fourteen year old–no way would a grown queen version of her used to warfare not want to immediately hunt down and destroy Voldemort and his Death Eaters immediately.

… although now that I say this… what if it’s NOT the Golden Quartet who went? That is, what if it’s not a bunch of brash Gryffindors who would immediately enact justice upon returning, no matter their situation upon returning?

What if it’s a bunch of Slytherins? And Narnia-prophecy wise it would work better: Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Millicent or Daphne. There wouldn’t really be an odd man out like with the Golden Trio + Neville because except for Pansy’s sycophancy towards Draco (which may very well be a reputation thing) they’re all fairly individualistic. And upon coming back it would make sense that they keep quiet about it because while Voldemort might be evil, the Death Eaters are their parents. The Slytherins would be highly aware of the “real world” and societal limitations on them that a Golden Quartet wouldn’t.

But then that edges a bit into what I like about Once Then Always in that four kids of villains can become heroes. And whereas in the HP series it would just butterfly effect in different ways, in Descendants it would add an additional layer.

Although I suppose something similar could be done if the Hogwarts Founders were the Digory and Polly equivalents? But even then there’s not much need for a crossover with The Chronicles of Narnia–the HP ‘verse has more than enough material to do something similar…

Sorry that’s pretty much all I’ve got for this particular thread, to-someplace-else.

~

Ask Box Advent Calendar is on!

“No Shadows (Without something to cast them)” … I swear I had a pithier title when I thought the concept up (it’s spiraling from the musing on eeveelutions, but you don’t need to keep it to that universe). The idea that … you know, shadows don’t exist unless something else does? I swear I had a, like, three-word title for it right up until I started typing it out.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

No worries, anon, I get you. Like, yes, shadows require light, but JUST light alone won’t lead to a shadow. There needs to be an object for the light to be blocked by…

Unfortunately… I’m not sure what else you’re looking for with this prompt? Obviously it’s a Nara focused story, but not necessarily in the Arm in Arm ‘verse?

… this title very much reminds me of “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” – Abraham Lincoln.

Or, rather, the DoS Switch variant of it “Family is like a tree and life is like a shadow.”

So along with your title suggestion, that would mean no family, no shadows?

Which would be a story about… how a lone Nara dies, but the pack survives kind of vibe? Or maybe extended further out–the Nara clan alone would die without the Akimichi and Yamanaka as allies? Or EVEN further out in which the Nara are in every department of Konoha’s administration contributing to the village as a whole because the strength of the village means the strength of the clan?

… I think that’s too far out.

Maybe a nice “behind the scenes” Nara members, supporting the main family as best they can (even when they cause irritation headaches that Kofuku-oba would have sworn she stopped having after Shikaku settled down).

But would anything ever be as sweet and heartening as Silver Queen’s own Sunshine Sidestory Chapter 21?

Eh, the clan is big enough, I can do other members and their tales. Tails? Heeeeeey deer herders. Or how the Nara clan changed over time?

Like, I don’t know if this is fanon or my own headcanon, but I claim that the ANY alliance was originally the Akimichi as landowners/nobles and the Nara and Yamanaka as their servants which then became allies then friends. So that journey of clan politics?

I’m floundering, anon, sorry.