Tag: naruto

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

jacksgreysonLeave a comment
image

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


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

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

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


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

Can I have some Shikako/Neiji?? (I’ll try to be general) umm.. how about them just being intimidating together? With their genius, and long hair and (probably) great legs.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment
image

Thanks! The actual culmination to a relationship is still key scenes away, but here are a few more snippets from this ‘verse that I can squeeze into my thirty minute break:

jacksgreysays:

Ooh, okay, so let’s see
 there’s a specific direction I want to go for this, and it’s not necessarily Shikako/Neji as much as it is building a foundation for the ship.

So it’s canon!DoS ‘verse and playing up on the Sensor Squad thing–because I think this would be the most likely way Shikako and Neji end up on a team together. And for some reason, I kind of want it to be from Hana’s POV.

Like, Hana wants to make the jump from chuunin to jounin (and *fingers crossed* become the jounin sensei for Hanabi, Chiyako, and Ranmaru) and the best way to do that (outside of wartime, that is) is to prove you can handle leadership in really bizarre missions.

And, well. Tsume knows which set of people has the most bizarre missions.

It makes sense, I think, because Neji and Shikako are both part of the newest crop of the Sensory Squad and even though Shikako is higher ranked than Hana, the age difference and lack of experience means she wouldn’t chafe under Hana as team leader. (And, probably, not being in charge is a relief to her).

It’s also not as if Neji has a set team to run with (not like Team Eight) and for a complete sensor team you would want a Hyuuga, an Inuzuka, and a chakra sensor of some sort. So maybe not only is the Sensor Squad a roster for individuals, but there are also semi-permanent teams so that for those who weren’t on a genin team together they can develop rapport.

Anyway here’s a little of what I’ve got for that:

What a mess they must look like, the three of them standing around awkwardly, uncertain. Well, perhaps not Neji–Hyuuga’s don’t really do awkward so much as displeased, perhaps the heiress is closest but even that’s more shy than ungainly–but she and Shikako definitely carry his share.

Zou, bored, head butts her thigh, and Hana shakes herself out of it. She’s going to be a jounin, she can’t be deterred by such a minor thing.

As if sensing Hana’s resolve, Shikako’s posture straightens out as well, the three of them now standing less like a group of children told to play nice together and more like a proper team.

“We’re a little too familiar with each other to need introductions,” Hana starts, “but we don’t exactly know how each other works, and I know better than to suggest sparring.”

Against the Hyuuga prodigy, there’s exactly one way a taijutsu-only spar would work. But given the scale of Shikako’s other abilities and Hana’s own Haimaru-bolstered attacks, there’s no other option that wouldn’t end up someone hospitalized. Which isn’t exactly the best way to get the Jounin Commander’s attention–good attention, anyway.

“What are you suggesting then?” Neji asks, almost bracing himself. Well, his jounin-sensei was Gai, he’s probably had to deal with a lot of non-sparring exercises.

Hana smiles, all teeth, and brings out a bright red ball. She can feel the slight breeze of Mitaru’s tail wagging, can hear the way Sanji shifts onto all fours.

“Let’s play a game.”

—

For most people, the Haimaru Brothers are identical. And, well, that’s not exactly a surprise–they are from the same litter, after all, and most people don’t have the benefit of a Inuzuka’s keen sense of smell. Even then, sometimes Hana’s mum gets them mixed up, though usually she’ll cover that up by picking up two by the scruff of their necks and having Kuromaru pick up the third just to remind them that in comparison to the Alphas, they are still just puppies. Kiba and Akamaru don’t particularly care about differentiating them, they just start annoying whichever one is closest.

But the Haimaru Brothers have been Hana’s partners for years: she raised them since they were actually puppies, and named them all. (Granted, she was four at the time and not terribly prepared for the responsibility, so it’s no surprise that they ended up with the names they did.)

Mitaru is the excitable one, easily distracted, but the best sniffer because of it. Sanji is an old soul in a young body, calm and logical and, if she’s going to be honest, kind of lazy. Oh, he won’t shirk his duties, but he’s definitely the kind of dog who would rather lounge in a sunbeam than run around in the grass. Zou is the most aggressive, usually the one who joins a fight first, and the one who gets into the most trouble with Kuromaru and mum.

(Yes, they’re all named three.)

Some of their personalities are reflected in their bodies: Zou has a bulkier front to better support his attacks. Mitaru is leaner, faster than his brothers, constantly moving around. Sanji
 could probably stand to lose a few pounds, but his fur is always the neatest so at least there’s that. But those are all such minute differences that to even the Byakugan the Haimaru brothers look identical. She’s not sure how they fare chakra-wise, but most chakra sensors’ focus on differences in human chakra signatures, not animals.

So for her new team’s introductory exercise, they’re going to play a game called Three Dog Monte.


 and I would continue, except it is approaching midnight and I have to get up early in the morning :/ Clearly I’d follow through with a Hana POV of how Shikako and Neji kind of blossom into a terrifying set of shinobi with long hair and (literal) killer legs, while she remains oblivious to the fact that she, too, also falls under that categorization. And she kinda watches fondly and amused at how Shikako and Neji (maybe literally) dance around each other and their feelings.

Anyway, if you like it, anon, let me know? I might have time to write more of it tomorrow *fingers crossed* schedule permitting.

If ever Hana had doubts about the rumors surrounding Shikako’s tendency for strange missions, they would be soundly corrected after they receive their first mission.

“Catching Tora the cat?” Shikako asks incredulously. Beside her, Neji not so stealthily shudders–ah, even prodigies hate that cat.

Her partners growl at the name, but settle down easily enough with quick pats to the head.

“That’s D-rank,” Neji says, with a tone less scornful and almost hopeful, “Shouldn’t a genin team be doing this?”

Hana sighs, she had the same reaction, “Normally, yes,” she says, because she is team captain and she can’t complain about missions–that’d be setting a poor example, “Except normally Tora the cat isn’t in the Forest of Death.”

Shikako flinches, laughs nervously to cover it up and says, unconvincingly, “Ah, yeah. Fond memories about that place.”

Neji actually turns his head to look at her, which is the Hyuuga equivalent of staring open-mouthed in astonishment.

It’s definitely a reference to the Chuunin Exams last year, but considering those Exams included an invasion, the resurrection of two Hokage, the death of another, and a jinchuuriki Hana’s not surprised that she doesn’t know that particular story.

“Let’s get a move on,” Hana says instead, “The sooner we find that damn cat the better.”

—

Of course, Tora has somehow embedded itself into a colony of giant tigers.

Three exploded trees later, the sudden appearance of a hippopotamus, and a literal rendition of catching a tiger by it’s tail, Team Hana presents a grumpy Tora to the Fire Daimyo’s wife.

Shikako is covered in mud, two of the Haimaru brothers have bald patches, and Neji’s shirt sports four greenish stains of questionable origins. But the Fire Lady is suitably impressed and pleased by the unspoiled condition of her beloved beleaguered cat.

Hana waits until the Fire Lady has left and immediately bursts out laughing. After a moment, Shikako joins in and Neji, maybe, has a smile curling on the side of his mouth. Well, even if this mission didn’t earn her experience toward jounin status, she can definitely say she’s having fun.

—

Weekly training sessions are put into place–not including missions, of course–and so every Thursday Team Hana gets together and plays far more games than a pair of chuunin and a special jounin probably ought to.

She confesses as much to her teammates, she doesn’t want to make it seem like she’s patronizing them, but a lot of her ideas for team building do revolve around what a trio of genin might like.

“I enjoy it,” Shikako reassures her, “Kakashi-sensei and I made a game when I first joined the Sensory Squad to help me hone this ability, so I look forward to these sessions,” she says.

After a moment’s pause, Neji adds, “They’re not unappreciated,” which is high praise from a Hyuuga indeed.

—

It’s another few weeks–another three missions–before Hana begins to notice something going on between her two teammates. It’s nothing major, and Hana might not have caught it at all if it weren’t for that Thursday when, with Shikako out on a mission, it was just Neji, her, and the Haimaru brothers.

It’s when she’s breaking the news to Neji–she’s captain, after all, and should be the one to keep track of her team–that something just clicks. Hyuuga’s are near inscrutable, of course, but that just means their rare emoting is all the more noticeable.

Sanji, ever observant and the brother most well-versed in human interaction, walks over to Neji’s side and leans heavily against his leg comfortingly. Fifty kilograms of dog causes him to stumble for a moment, but he indulges the affectionate gesture stoically and doesn’t even brush away the dark gray fur clinging to his clothes.


 yeah, so still no actual Shikako/Neji, but it’s building slowly I may get back to this at another time. What should I call this ‘verse?

edit: This ‘verse is now called “Hiding and Seeking” courtesy of @the-grand-gemini

Can I have some Shikako/Neiji?? (I’ll try to be general) umm.. how about them just being intimidating together? With their genius, and long hair and (probably) great legs.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Ooh, okay, so let’s see
 there’s a specific direction I want to go for this, and it’s not necessarily Shikako/Neji as much as it is building a foundation for the ship.

So it’s canon!DoS ‘verse and playing up on the Sensor Squad thing–because I think this would be the most likely way Shikako and Neji end up on a team together. And for some reason, I kind of want it to be from Hana’s POV.

Like, Hana wants to make the jump from chuunin to jounin (and *fingers crossed* become the jounin sensei for Hanabi, Chiyako, and Ranmaru) and the best way to do that (outside of wartime, that is) is to prove you can handle leadership in really bizarre missions.

And, well. Tsume knows which set of people has the most bizarre missions.

It makes sense, I think, because Neji and Shikako are both part of the newest crop of the Sensory Squad and even though Shikako is higher ranked than Hana, the age difference and lack of experience means she wouldn’t chafe under Hana as team leader. (And, probably, not being in charge is a relief to her).

It’s also not as if Neji has a set team to run with (not like Team Eight) and for a complete sensor team you would want a Hyuuga, an Inuzuka, and a chakra sensor of some sort. So maybe not only is the Sensor Squad a roster for individuals, but there are also semi-permanent teams so that for those who weren’t on a genin team together they can develop rapport.

Anyway here’s a little of what I’ve got for that:

What a mess they must look like, the three of them standing around awkwardly, uncertain. Well, perhaps not Neji–Hyuuga’s don’t really do awkward so much as displeased, perhaps the heiress is closest but even that’s more shy than ungainly–but she and Shikako definitely carry his share.

Zou, bored, head butts her thigh, and Hana shakes herself out of it. She’s going to be a jounin, she can’t be deterred by such a minor thing.

As if sensing Hana’s resolve, Shikako’s posture straightens out as well, the three of them now standing less like a group of children told to play nice together and more like a proper team.

“We’re a little too familiar with each other to need introductions,” Hana starts, “but we don’t exactly know how each other works, and I know better than to suggest sparring.”

Against the Hyuuga prodigy, there’s exactly one way a taijutsu-only spar would work. But given the scale of Shikako’s other abilities and Hana’s own Haimaru-bolstered attacks, there’s no other option that wouldn’t end up someone hospitalized. Which isn’t exactly the best way to get the Jounin Commander’s attention–good attention, anyway.

“What are you suggesting then?” Neji asks, almost bracing himself. Well, his jounin-sensei was Gai, he’s probably had to deal with a lot of non-sparring exercises.

Hana smiles, all teeth, and brings out a bright red ball. She can feel the slight breeze of Mitaru’s tail wagging, can hear the way Sanji shifts onto all fours.

“Let’s play a game.”

—

For most people, the Haimaru Brothers are identical. And, well, that’s not exactly a surprise–they are from the same litter, after all, and most people don’t have the benefit of a Inuzuka’s keen sense of smell. Even then, sometimes Hana’s mum gets them mixed up, though usually she’ll cover that up by picking up two by the scruff of their necks and having Kuromaru pick up the third just to remind them that in comparison to the Alphas, they are still just puppies. Kiba and Akamaru don’t particularly care about differentiating them, they just start annoying whichever one is closest.

But the Haimaru Brothers have been Hana’s partners for years: she raised them since they were actually puppies, and named them all. (Granted, she was four at the time and not terribly prepared for the responsibility, so it’s no surprise that they ended up with the names they did.)

Mitaru is the excitable one, easily distracted, but the best sniffer because of it. Sanji is an old soul in a young body, calm and logical and, if she’s going to be honest, kind of lazy. Oh, he won’t shirk his duties, but he’s definitely the kind of dog who would rather lounge in a sunbeam than run around in the grass. Zou is the most aggressive, usually the one who joins a fight first, and the one who gets into the most trouble with Kuromaru and mum.

(Yes, they’re all named three.)

Some of their personalities are reflected in their bodies: Zou has a bulkier front to better support his attacks. Mitaru is leaner, faster than his brothers, constantly moving around. Sanji
 could probably stand to lose a few pounds, but his fur is always the neatest so at least there’s that. But those are all such minute differences that to even the Byakugan the Haimaru brothers look identical. She’s not sure how they fare chakra-wise, but most chakra sensors’ focus on differences in human chakra signatures, not animals.

So for her new team’s introductory exercise, they’re going to play a game called Three Dog Monte.


 and I would continue, except it is approaching midnight and I have to get up early in the morning :/ Clearly I’d follow through with a Hana POV of how Shikako and Neji kind of blossom into a terrifying set of shinobi with long hair and (literal) killer legs, while she remains oblivious to the fact that she, too, also falls under that categorization. And she kinda watches fondly and amused at how Shikako and Neji (maybe literally) dance around each other and their feelings.

Anyway, if you like it, anon, let me know? I might have time to write more of it tomorrow *fingers crossed* schedule permitting.

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

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

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

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

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

Oh, yeah! That definitely makes sense–how could I forget that :/

So I guess both twins are not particularly gifted with music?

In this softer world without shinobi and bijuu, I suppose there’s no reason for Karura to have been pressured into turning her youngest child into a jinchuuriki and thus there are no/reduced complications to the birthing process. So, probably, Karura is alive. And the musical one.

I like the idea that she and her brother probably run a music store or a school teaching music (most likely piano), and that the sand siblings all grew up around music. It’s kind of how they learned to express themselves/communicate which also explains why they still have a strained relationship with Rasa because their father is not all that good at music. He appreciates it but it’s kind of… does not compute (which I guess means that the sand siblings may very well continue the tradition of musicians falling in love with people who can’t music at all).

But Rasa is very successful in his chosen field of business (the gold dust thing might be mining? jewelry? hm…) so there’s an additional layer of, not only can he not connect that well with his children but none of them chose to join the family business so it’s just… mrgh. He’s proud of them, but he does not understand them.

Which I think means the Sand Trio’s parents would approve highly of Shikako? Rasa thinks she’s a practical and level-headed young woman (he has no idea of how bizarre engineers can really be) and that she’s definitely heading places and thank god his youngest child has found someone because the other two were loud enough but Gaara was the kind of child who would silently sit somewhere and be accidentally left behind (no, Rasa did not leave Gaara in a grocery store on accident. Twice.) Karura, on the other hand, is absolutely delighted by Shikako and the fantastic music she inspires in all of her children.

Yoshino and Shikaku aren’t easily starstruck or judgmental, so when Shikako brings Gaara home for the first time, Yoshino is mostly worried about dietary restrictions and whether or not she needs to lecture her son into behaving. Shikaku is just: my daughter’s relationship means my daughter’s rules, but most importantly does he play shogi?

I kind of like the idea that this is after the Sand Trio’s big debut, which means a few enterprising paparazzi try to trespass and take pictures of Gaara (and Shikako), and that’s mostly what Gaara is worried about except Yoshino just smiles calmly and says, “Don’t worry about it: it’s mating season and the deer are free range.” 

Getting caught for trespassing is the least of these paparazzi’s concerns.

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

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

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

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

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

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

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

jacksgreysays:

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


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

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

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

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

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

jacksgreysays:

image

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks! I love music despite my own lack of talent there, so there’s just this seething whirlwind of details that want to be unleashed. I’m tempted to make a fake album for them, but given the whole point is that they write music I’m just like… whelp. Nevermind.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

byebyebriar:

Okay, about that rockstar!au. Gaara and Shikako would be on the low key wouldn’t they? Of course they would. Those two are very private people and not big on PDA. Nobody but close friends would know that the two are dating. Even the Sand Trio’s backstage team wouldn’t know. Because Shikako doesn’t look like a girlfriend. She’s not holding onto Gaara or trying to but into recording sessions or calling all the time. In fact, everyone assumes that Shikako is a stage hand. 

This is mostly her fault. Shikako became friends with Gaara before he got famous. The Sand Siblings didn’t become overnight sensations so there was a lot of shows done in bars or night clubs. It wasn’t Shikako’s scene but she went to support her friends. Doing nothing while the band got ready wasn’t Shikako’s cup of tea so she helped out. At first it was getting the sound right and doing some minor lighting adjustments. Then when they moved to bigger venues it was running around and putting that theater elective to the test. 

(Shikako maintains that she wasn’t responsible for the near fire that happened on the night the talent scout was in the audience. She will take credit for making it look like some badass pyrotechnics instead of a near disaster.

There’s a whole verse in Always You dedicated to this incident. Nobody believes Kankuro when he says that it is literal.) 

Now, the Sand Trio are pretty friendly towards their crew. Gaara knows everyone’s name, Temari is nice when you aren’t being an idiot, and Kankuro has everyone’s phone number. The ones that work with them frequently are less bodies and more vague friends. Shikako fits right in. Everyone assumes that she is one of those traveling stage hands that is going to school in between work. (Shikako travels around too. Research conferences aren’t all in the same place and she likes keeping up with the latest news.)

Now, the big reveal happens when Gaara shows up to one of her events. 

It rolls out like this:

Moegi moves through the crowd of doctors, researchers, and the lucky students trying to rub elbows with those that will get them into graduate schools. It’s the night to do it. Shikako Nara has just accepted an aware for pioneering the latest in prothetic engineering. As soon as the right steps are through, Nara Inc. is going to be the god of the medical world. 

Moegi wouldn’t be hear but Konohamaru had begged for her to cover this story. Their little start up newspaper needed some buzz after a bland week. Konohamaru had scored a press pass but wasn’t able to go and Udon cold was likely to send people running away from him. So, here she was. Pretending that she understood the jargon that everyone kept spouting. It was a good thing she had her recorder on her-was that Gaara Sabaku?

She doubled back and confirmed. The lead man for the Sand Trio was leaning against the back wall. He looked unimpressed about the party. Then again, he always looked unimpressed. Even during interviews, Gaara had on a cool mask and let his siblings do the talking. Moegi knew this irritated interviewers because everyone knew that Gaara was the driving force behind Sand Trio. She should ask why he’s here. Definitely. It’s not like she’s going to have a chance to talk with Shikako Nara. The woman is surrounded by doctors at the moment. So, Moegi detours and puts on her friendliest face.

“Hello! I’m Moegi from Konoha Press!” Her cheeriness seems to surprise Gaara. Or at least he blinks. “What brings you here tonight?” 

Gaara stares at her but Moegi holds her ground. She really does want just a few words. And his autograph. But she’s a journalist, a real one! She can do with out the autograph. 

“I’m here to congratulate Shikako on her achievement.” Gaara answers. 

“Oh, do you have an interest in prosthetics Gaara-san?”  He didn’t seem the science type but honestly, that made him hotter in Moegi’s opinion. 

“Not overly. It is an important field but I prefer my profession.” Ah a charity celebrity then. Moegi goes to ask another question when she is cut off by a voice.

“I was wondering where you went to.” Shikako Nara drifts over to them. The medal still around her neck. 

“Congratulations.” Gaara tells her. 

“Yes! Congratulations Nara-san.” Moegi adds. Shikako blinks at her. “Oh, I’m Moegi from Konoha Press.”

“Ah, right. Konohamaru said that he’d be sending someone tonight.” So, that’s where he got the press pass. 

“Nara-san, do you mind giving me a few words?” The woman shook her head. “Um, can I record this? Just to make sure that I get everything right?” 

“I don’t see why not.” 

Moegi hits record on her device and launches into the usual questions about Shikako’s work and it’s results. Eventually she asks how she knows Gaara and that’s when things get interesting. 

“We met in a bar back when I was doing graduate work.” 

“That must have been exciting.” Moegi gushes. 

“I doubt that.” Gaara says. “We were not famous yet and Shikako was too sleep deprive to notice anything that was not a foot from her.” 

“Hey, that’s
.only a little bit true. I was stressed.” 

“Of course.” Moegi agrees. “Do you have any interest in music Nara-san?”

“Not outside of listening to it.” 

“Shikako’s singing leaves something to be desired.” Is
is Gaara teasing her? It look like Gaara is teasing Shikako. Considering the way Shikako scowled at him like Moegi scowls at her boyfriend. “She does help us out with our shows on occasion and with the music creation process.” 

Moegi dearly wants to jump on that but someone else comes over and she is forced to shut off her recorder and say goodbye. She goes back home and types up her article.

“I’m a professional journalist.” She tells herself. “A real professional journalist. I don’t do gossip columns. I’m a real journalist.” 

She keeps the article professional all the way until the last five lines where she can’t resist sneaking in “Muse for the Sand Trio.” to Shikako’s list of accomplishments. She hits send and it’s in the paper that morning. 

Moegi’s phone doesn’t stop ringing for the next two days. Every gossip column. Every tabloid wants to confirm that one line that has nothing to do with science. Moegi insists that it’s true but refuses to give out anything else. Not even for some startling amount of money.

Now, since the spot light has been shined on Shikako, people start noticing that she’s been with the Sand Trio’s on a lot of their gigs. A lot. Nobody really knows how she’s connected to the Sand Trio. Eventually, a reporter corners the three and asks what songs Shikako has inspired. 

“All of them.” Gaara answers. The reporter blinks. 

“Excuse?” 

“Shikako has inspired all of my songs. Good day.” The Sand Trio stride away before another question can be asked. 

Things EXPLODE. 

(ROCKSTAR!AU RECURSIVE FIC 😀 IT’S BEAUTIFUL!!!)

ooohhh your dragon rider!team 7 au sounds so fascinating?? what sorts of dragons would they ride? what would they even do as dragon riders??

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Ooh, okay, okay. So there’s some differences between the Temeraire style versus the How To Train Your Dragon style of dragon riding, and I feel like in order to best translate the Naruto world, I’d have to pull bits and pieces from each.

So in HTTYD, the dragons are more like pets–cats/dogs/birds–with roughly the same level of intelligence. Maybe the bigger ones (the Queen and the Alphas/Bewilderbeasts) are a little more intelligent but, over all, they’re animals. Amazing, magical animals yes, but animals all the same.

In Temeraire, the dragons are sentient (if not sapient–because they are a different species and would have different way of thinking/prioritizing) and they’re massive. The majority of the dragons in HTTYD would be in the courier or light combat classification, and Temeraire has an additional two larger classes of middleweight and heavyweight.

Maybe the Queen and Alphas/Bewilderbeasts are middleweights? But the heavyweights are like ships–they have captains and flight crews of up to forty people as well as a ground crew and they can straight up carry smaller dragons easily. The larger the dragon, the longer the lifespan and dragon’s captaincies tend to be passed down in a family for multiple generations.

And while Temeraire style dragons don’t quite have a telepathic bond with their captains there’s a little bit of a
 imprinting process? Like, if newly hatched dragons don’t imprint on a person, they go feral and won’t ever take a captain. And while captaincies can and will eventually be transferred it’s not as good as the original imprinted captain. (I think? It’s been a while since I read any Temeraire stuff)

Probably, the bijuu are the only heavyweights that exist in this dragon rider AU. The problem is, though, that I’m pretty sure the Uchiha clan would at least have had some light combat dragons that Sasuke would have inherited–if not middleweight–and those also require crews (but probably smaller, about ten people). Unless Itachi killed them all? But how would that even
 hrm


Okay so if we want Team Seven to have similar relationships in this AU as what they have in canon, then they either need to be part of the same dragon’s flight crew OR they are each captains of different dragons who are part of the same flight formation. On the one hand, Naruto really ought to be captain of Kyuubi and Sasuke ought to be captain of at least one if not multiple Uchiha clan dragons, but it would be weird for Shikako (from a “clan of ground walkers”) to be captain of her own dragon as well.

So maybe
 maybe the Uchiha only had the one middleweight–for the clan head’s line–and a bunch of light combat/couriers. So Itachi could have killed his father, inherited the family dragon, and killed all the light combat/couriers leaving Sasuke without a dragon to captain. Then the Kyuubi, who had not liked Kushina and won’t even give Naruto the time of day, is hibernating away. The threat of his existence is enough to deter the other countries from invading, but it’s true that they can’t utilize his full potential until Naruto can convince him to fight on Konoha’s behalf.

So Team Seven is the crew of Pakkun, the Hatake clan’s middleweight (and maybe the other dog summons are Pakkun’s ground crew?). The other members of Pakkun’s flight formation are Ningame carrying Team Gai, Enma (who Asuma has a strained relationship with) carryin Team Ten, and
 Akamaru carrying Team Eight?

Yeah, so, Enma is the oldest dragon and has loudly stated that he prefers Hiruzen–his first captain–to Asuma so there’s that drama. Pakkun and Ningame are about the same age and imprinted on their respective captains at about the same time. Akamaru is the youngest and only recently imprinted on Kiba–so while they have enough potential to be combat ready, and Kiba is technically Akamaru’s captain, Kurenai is captain of the crew. Hinata might or might not inherit her father’s dragon–or, like in canon, it might end up with Hanabi.

Erm, well, most likely because battle styles are different, flight formations aren’t used very frequently so the different Teams are independent of each other.

In Temeraire, this is during the Regency Era so Britain is at war–hence flight formations and flight crews. While I’m reluctant to say there’s full-blown war going on in the Elemental Nations, it’s very likely that the Air Force is meant to maintain the territories/borders. Akatsuki is probably trying to instigate full blown war in order to capture the bijuu (as per canon) although this time they’re actually doing it to take over the world not to do a giant genjutsu or summon an alien princess monster.

So they’re starting a world war as a distraction for some heists and murders to take over the world? 
 yeah. That sounds about right. And, hey, this actually makes Nagato’s Uzumaki heritage important rather than just some bullshit throwaway thing that wasn’t explored at all! 😀

So Shukaku is near feral. Technically Gaara is his captain, but only technically–Karura was his captain before and, as per canon, died in childbirth, and Shukaku is so pissed off and bitter and basically Shukaku and Gaara have a worse relationship than Enma and Asuma, not even bringing up how Shukaku is at least twice as big and powerful as Enma.

The Nibi and Hachibi are, again, as per canon, pretty well behaved and captained by Yugito and Killer B. Professional, if not intimate. Sanbi has already been stolen and is captained by Kisame. Akatsuki’s threat is due to that they probably have a way to rewrite dragon imprinting/brainwash them like Drago and the Bewilderbeast in HTTYD2. Etc. etc.

I like the idea that Waterfall has Nanabi–the sole heavyweight not owned by the Big Five–and no middleweights whatsoever. Only couriers and light combat class. So there’s just this massive sparkly dragon surrounded by tiny dragons.

I feel like the jinchuuriki who are missing nin wouldn’t translate all that well because how do you lose track of a 50 ton dragon? And their forty person crew. It’s not like being a single jinchuuriki where it’s just like I, an individual, will leave the village in the middle of the night and hide from hunter nin. A bijuu leaving would be like a battleship just sailing away and no one being able to find it–not only would the entire crew have to agree, the captain and bijuu would have to as well and continuously hide?


 Actually
 I guess that’s not too out there if they focus more on threats than subtlety. “I am leaving now, if you try to make me and my captain stay I will attack you and I am the most powerful dragon in your military” instead of “Lalala, I’m a massive dragon disappearing in the night, no one can find meeeeee.”

And a lot of the adventure is Team Seven flying around, stumbling across the Akatsuki conspiracy, and trying to convince the other countries to listen/trying to convince the missing captains to join the efforts to stop Akatsuki/trying to convince Kyuubi to accept Naruto as his captain.

Ultimate big bad in this AU would be Pein aka Nagato, I think, because I don’t know how an Obito-Madara storyline would work, much less the Zetsu-Kaguya and Indra-Ashura nonsense. LET THE UZUMAKI NAME BE RELEVANT!

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

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

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


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

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

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

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

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

jacksgreysays:

image

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

jacksgreysays:

image

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Something like that, I think.

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

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

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

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

(Thanks, anon!)