Tag: rant

Sending this again because I’m not sure if you got my other pkmn ask? So, I’m thinking if the shinobis in the pkmn AU would be more like Pokemon rangers!! (Which is awesome, bc I love the rangers series<3) Everyone can even keep their six pkmn instead of having just one partner Pkmn, and each team member is trained for more specialized(-ish) tasks. Doing regular C-Ranks? Take an Arcanine. On a stealth mission? Maybe take a Purrloin. Defending territory? Take your Onix and pulverize them. xxx

jacksgreysonLeave a comment
image

Oh, perhaps not, anon… I respond to all the asks I get, even with a short answer, so if it’s not in the pokemon tag then probably tumblr ate it?

But yes! Shinobi are like Rangers (the trainer class) in that they’re a more wildlife capable version of police officers. I guess the equivalent would be the Royal Candian Mounted Police vs the more urban police department for specific cities. (I say this with the barest of knowledge that the Vancouver Police Department is different from Mounties).

Uh, I guess a more useful comparison is that the currently extinct Konoha Military Police is what Officer Jenny is, while the general shinobi forces are what Rangers are? KMP focuses on the towns and human-only crimes. The shinobi-rangers are the ones that deal with non-urban areas and anything involving Pokemon. Which is nearly everything in this fusion world…

Shinobi are also the only one who are allowed a full team of six Pokemon (normal citizens only get two–which is why even kids before they graduate from the Academy have Pokemon from their family, etc).

I do like the idea that each team member is specialized for different scenarios, but I also think that uh… Teams (as in with three genin and a jounin) are also specialized as per canon. Obviously Team Eight are trackers/hunters, and Team Gai are bodyguards. I think Team Ten is meant to be like… infiltration/siege/fortress-breakers? And then there’s Team Seven which are, historically, the heavy-hitter frontline fighters.

I mean, obviously, different Teams can do different missions–as in canon–but I think the types of Pokemon that the Teams have do reflect a specialization of their own.

yooo babe I just saw ur ask abt the batboys and their body types and id like to point out that somewhere in canon jason mentions that tim is actually the heavy hitter of the two while jason is faster (pretty sure I saw that somewhere)

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

syntactition:

redrobin-detective:

redrobin-detective:

Really???? I’d be curious where you found that given that Jay is so much bigger and Tim is tinier. He doesn’t give the impression that he’d be able to harder than Jay

Thank you everyone who replied! For some reason, tumblr isn’t letting me post replies anymore. But apparently it’s from New 52 Teen Titans #16, around the Death of the Family Tie In. I’m still calling Bullshit because they can write w/e they want but no WAY 6’ Jason who’s built like a tank is gonna hit weaker than 5’3 tiny Tim. Like sorry, Tim got punch but not like Jay do. Thank you to all who replied!!!!

For the sake of having it in one place:

image

Counterpoint to Titans from Robin #177, although I consider 52 to be a different continuity from Preboot so YMMV:

image
image

Although I don’t really like that description much, either,
because excuse the fuck out of you, Jason is smart. I’m 1000% on board with one
of the differences in styles being that Tim fights smarter, paying more attention to where and how he can hit to
maximize impact, vs Jason having a style that relies more on brute strength
because he has it and he didn’t have
to compensate for a small size like Tim did for anywhere near as long, but
ugggggh comics stop trying to convince me that Jason’s dumb. He was trained by Batman.

…anyway. tl;dr earlier canon supports Jason being the
heavy hitter.

Part of me wonders if the “I hit harder, he hits more often,” thing is meant to reflect a mentality/strategy of fighting than actual strength. Like maybe, as you said, Tim does fight “smarter” in that his way of fighting is very trained into him–by martial arts classes then Batman and Shiva–so it’s very much so “save all of my strength for one or two critical hits.” Not that he actually physically hits harder, but that as a ratio of their respective overall power, each of Tim’s punches are maybe a third or half of his energy while Jason’s are more like one twentieth of his.

Not that Jason’s pulling his punches, so much as Tim’s way of fighting is (as in the Preboot example) more about dodging and using the environment to his advantage. A lot of his career as Robin was surrounded by supers who all outclassed him when it came to sheer strength. Tim isn’t going to hit often, but when he does he needs to make each one count. And, also, assassin training so there’s that.

Contrast with Jason who learned fighting on the streets. Yes, he was trained by Batman as well, but that’s more honing the foundation which is a brawler style. In that you hit your opponent whenever you can, as a more in the present kind of fighting than planning out the fight as a whole. 

And also Jason on the streets/as Robin didn’t have the same build and brute strength as he does now. He was the scrappy kid who had to weave around Batman and full grown adult criminals. As Red Hood, no doubt, he’s modified his fighting to accommodate his full grown size and strength, but I wonder how much of that street style “wear them down” mentality is still in effect.

Basically, in video game form, if you could see the floating quantification of energy above either of them, one punch of Tim’s going to wipe out a good chunk of his energy but won’t do much more (possibly, might even be weaker) than one of Jason’s punches which he can do a dozen of no problem.

Tbh someone crushing on Shikako would probably be v scared/intimidated. I’ve experienced crushing on smart, witty, confident, sometimes reserved girls and they scare the bejeezus outta me.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

I totally get you, anon, all of my crushes were so vastly competent that I kind of just… O_O Even the ones I could manage to string a few words together in front of I was so keenly aware of how out of my league they were I basically shut down or ran meaninglesschatter.exe until they walked away confused. I’d say annoyed, but all of my crushes were ridiculously kind as well so I think they just looked at me oddly and then walked away rather than got annoyed at me.

Feelings are hard, anon. And this is without the understandably frightening ability to blow up people with a touch.

So, I’m looking back at your pkmn brainstorms (I find myself coming back n reading them cause the AU is super awesome), and I’m just imagining the Chunin Exams as a Pkmn battle tournament and it’s hilarious to me for whatever reason? like we just go from brutal death fights to pkmn battling. I mean, it’s still emotional as ever, but the ninjas kinda take a step back. (Maybe it incorporates trainer trials? Like, pokeathlon stuff? Haha)

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

Thanks! AU/fusions are so much fun, aren’t they?

I think trainers/shinobi in this world do still have to be highly capable physically. If they are still law enforcement/wildlife rangers/first responders etc. then the trainers themselves have to be strong/fast/smart enough to get to the location to unleash their Pokemon and direct them.

So in the anime, there’s a lot where Fighting-type trainers are often literally training alongside their Pokemon–they both do the same kata / training regiments (if with different sized weights or etc)–and the few human psychics do the same with their Psychic-types if I remember correctly. Even in competitions, coordinators have to be as dolled up as their Pokemon–no slackers in competitions!

I always had a… not a headcanon, but an idea of sorts… that there are probably different kinds of Pokemon battles. Obviously there’s the two-v-two and group battles etc, but I kind of thought–for the less AoE elemental Pokemon that it’d be interesting if there were battles where trainers did actually fight alongside their Pokemon. So it would be Pokemon+trainer versus Pokemon+trainer and not only are the trainers taking the same risk as their Pokemon, there’s a bit of strategy, too, because do you focus on the Pokemon or on the opposing trainer? Do you have your Pokemon protect you? What skills do they have to augment yours? Etc. etc.

So the shinobi-trainers would be a little more active than the anime or game counterparts, but not full out punching Pokemon in the face (then again I’m pretty sure Ash has done that at least once in the anime…) Going with the first responders idea, the people still need to be the one to drive the machinery there and operate the tools or guide the dogs on what to look for etc.

Anyway, so yes. Chuunin Exams would be kind of like Pokeathlon and normal battle tournaments and Naruto canon. Everyone knows that they’re using their Pokemon, but it’s how creative you are or how well trained your Pokemon are is what pushes you over the top.

Like, oh, I don’t know, everyone knows Arcanine are very fast and their flames are very powerful, but can you imagine training an Arcanine to jump and–at the precise moment–emit enough flames to extend their jump so it’s as if they’re flying. A flying Arcanine! Who would expect that? Giant fluffy fire monster just diving down from the sky.

Also, I’m not saying that the AU fusion would be “grittier” than the canon Pokemon world, but there are some instances of actual death in the games so it’s not like brutal death fights to Pokemon battling is necessarily such a huge steps. For the Chuunin Exams (especially the tournament which was open to the public) they would stop at the point of “fainting” but in some of the really bad battles, you know there are some Pokemon and human deaths going on.

… sorry, that’s a morbid point to end on…

Oh, yeah, definitely. It’s a sign of something TERRIBLY WRONG when a trainer’s Pokemon dies. Like… either they’re so inexperienced or incompetent that they cannot discern their Pokemon’s limits OR that trainer is terribly outclassed. Ratata vs Legendary kind of outclassed–one hit kills, kind of thing where no amount of revives/potions/PokeCenter treatments will save them.

It’s why only the shinobi-trainers are licensed to have more than two Pokemon because having a full team of six is so much responsibility and requires so much ability from the trainers themselves. They have to understand each of their team member’s limits, have to be able to make the quick decision to recall or keep them on the field. Know which ones to swap in, which ones to keep in reserve. They’re not allowed to run away, is the thing, so they have to be able to manage their team enough to get the job done without lethal consequences.

That being said, I don’t think the move “Self-Destruct” is actually a Pokemon blowing themselves up so much as it is them essentially releasing the majority of their energy in one huge burst and immediately fainting. They still have the bare minimum to still be alive, but if they aren’t immediately recalled (and healed within a few hours) they do have a very real chance of dying.

Why do I want polyamorous representation?

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

hobbitsaarebas:

thaxted:

bootsnblossoms:

wandering-seth:

too-rad-for-yo-cookies:

littleprincecasey:

my-polylife-ramblings:

nightmarekite:

  • Because when someone doesn’t want to date me because I’m poly it’s ‘understandable’ but when I don’t want to date someone because they are monogamous it’s ‘ridiculous.’
  • Because all relationship advice tells you that if you have feelings for someone else while you’re in a relationship you’re a bad person.
  • Because even feminists try to slut shame me.
  • Because when I tell people me and my partner have an open relationship they assume it’s because we’re going through a rough patch.
  • Because people equate ‘multiple partners’ with ‘predator’ and think everything I say is an attempt to get in their pants.
  • Because I am fed up of love triangles as easy plot devices in my media.
  • Because the LGBTQA+ movement are so desperate to show ‘allies’ they are ‘just like everyone else’ that they shit on everyone with a non-monogamous dynamic.
  • Because when a monogamous couple have sex with each other every night it’s having an active sex drive. When I have sex with a different partner every night I’m a nymphomaniac.
  • Because people think that monogamy = validity, always.
  • Because monogamous hetronormativity is so ingrained that I don’t even feel like I can dance with someone without telling them the complete logistics of my love life.
  • Because people genuinely believe that raising a child communally is damaging to development.
  • Because when I say ‘I could never be monogamous’ I get dirty looks.
  • Because too many people have tried to confide in me when they’re cheating because ‘I thought you, of all people, would understand.’
  • Because I can’t talk about my relationship troubles with my monogamous friends because ‘I always have something to fall back on.’ As if my relationships are meaningless.

(please reblog and add more if you like)

Let’s keep adding guys!

Because I frequently have people telling me to “save some for the rest of us” when I say someone is attractive.

Because I’m sick of people acting like polyamory and polygamy are the same exact thing. Hint: it’s fucking not.

Because I want to be able to openly talk about my multiple partners without people immediately assuming I’m monogamous and cheating on my partner.

Because I’m fucking sick of people assuming my relationship is falling apart because I have sex with one partner more than another.

Because I can’t fucking stand people thinking I don’t love my partners equally and assuming I have to love one more than the other(s).

Because my single friends complain when I mention I have a crush on someone new.

Because I’m comfortable with talking to all of my partners about each other and don’t feel like I’m cheating, because I’m not.

I’m seriously sick of the stigma behind being poly. There is a difference between cheating and being polyamorous. I talk to my partner(s) before I get involved in any way with another person or other people. If even one of them isn’t comfortable with it I back the fuck up and I let my partners know of the situation and remind them that I love them and care about them and respect their opinions. I don’t feel the need to force all of my partners into a “committed” relationship with me if they aren’t comfortable with it, especially if they don’t like long distance relationships.

Get rid of the negative stigma behind being polyamorous and make it fucking positive.

!!!!

@bootsnblossoms @zooeyscigar @prosthetical

Because folks assume I need lots of partners because I can’t stand to be alone. (Hint: successful poly folk tend to have much stronger senses of self than paired monogamous folk.)

Because folks assume I’m a terrible parent setting a terrible example because of my “rotating door of partners” (*cough* slut-shaming *cough*).

Because folks assume I have a sexual addiction. (I’m on the ace spectrum, idiots.)

Because “it takes a village!” but apparently we’re not allowed to cultivate our own goddamn villages without being persecuted for it.

Because being poly and being queer often intersects, and no one knows how to have that conversation with their families because there are no positive examples of it in media.

Because even poly folk, lacking in precedent and role models, struggle with the difference between “non-monogamous” and “polyamorous”. (Hint: They’re not actually the same thing.)

I want genuine polyamory representation so much.

I want to be able to talk about my relationships casually among friends and people I work with without worrying if they’re going to think I’m a pervert or a bad person. And I don’t mean I want to talk about sex–I want to be able to say “Oh yeah, I’m going to visit my partner and also their other partner who is my friend and I’m really excited about it!” when we’re discussing holiday plans.

I don’t want to feel like I’m always hiding and negotiating my identity. I don’t want to do that as a queer person and I don’t want to do it as a polyamorous person either. I don’t want to have to wonder if my loved ones really “get” my relationships or if they just assume it’s not really serious.

I don’t want to have to feel like I need to run a polyamory education course every time I talk about my relationship status with someone new. I want to feel safe that in the future my relationships are not going to be undermined or encumbered by laws and bureaucratic procedures that will not be able to cope with the reality that is polyamorous relationships (looking at you, immigration laws). I want to know that other people get that poly relationships are real, valid, non-threatening, and not much of their business if they’re not in one.

And I want that representation to acknowledge how racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and classism all play into how different people experience polyamory and the erasure and misrepresentation that goes along with it and that being polyamorous isn’t the *source* of oppression, it’s another place where the consequences of oppression manifest.

I want good representation of the diverse types of people who might choose polyamory, because asexual poly people exist, and I’m tried of immediately being told “Wow, you people must have a lot of sex” as soon as I tell a monogamous person I’m polyamorous. I’m tired of people reducing my partners to their potential sexual value to me. I want good representation of the diverse types of people who might choose polyamory because when I talk about being in an open relationship, most people think of “swingers” and “wife swapping” and have a very heterosexual mental image that doesn’t include queer, trans people like me.

I want more diverse representation of reasons for choosing polyamory, because being polyamorous doesn’t mean I’m incapable of monogamy or commitment, or even that I’d be unhappy in the right monogamous relationship, yet that’s what most people think I’m admitting when I say I’m poly. Some poly people would simply be miserable if they tried to be monogamous, and that’s okay. But for some of us, polyamory is a choice rather than a necessity, and I’d like to see that experience acknowledged. 

I want good representation of different types and experiences of polyamory because I want more people discussing our language and coming up with alternatives. “Primary” and “nonprimary” are inadequate and place value judgments upon different relationship structures, but I don’t have better options. So often there aren’t even proper words for the different ways I feel about different partners, or the different styles of relationships I’ve had. 

I want good representation of healthy polyamory because acceptance of occasional jealousy/insecurity, open communication, and being a person of integrity who keeps promises and acts in good faith is a necessary part of sustainable polyamory, but most people just think of it as “being slutty” or “fear of commitment.”

I want good representation of healthy polyamory because I’ve had “poly” people tell me “if I were monogamous I’d just cheat anyway so everybody’s better off this way” and think that I as a fellow poly person would automatically sympathize with this statement of moral failure. I want good representation of healthy polyamory because some poly people DO cheat with people in committed monogamous relationships, and monogamous people take this as representative of the lifestyle rather than an aberration. I want good representation of healthy polyamory because I’ve seen “poly” people break promises to partners, wreck relationships, and cause lasting emotional wounding to those around them, but then dismiss it as “There’s always more fish in the sea.”

I want good representation of healthy polyamory because most people who are nonmonogamous/poly have no idea how to conduct themselves respectfully, and thus normalize controlling, coercive, or abusive behavior solely because it happens in the context of nonmonogamy. I want good representation of healthy polyamory because then people being victimized by abusive partners in polyamorous/nonmonogamous settings would have a frame of reference for what’s unacceptable behavior, and would be more able to protect themselves.

This is a polyamory friendly blog. Also, this post is very helpful in general.

While I have been witness to all types and manners of romantic relationships, I myself have never been in one. But I’ve always known–even before I knew the terms–that what I want isn’t represented in heteronormative monogamous media. I especially hate how prevalent love triangles or adultery is in media–as if the show writers couldn’t even conceive of a different way to interpret multiple people with romantic feelings towards each other.

That witches!verse seems really cool! Maybe some background lore pls?

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Sorry this is late, anon, the past week has not been particularly conducive to rest much less writing so…

Background lore for witches!verse… you mean like worldbuilding?

The way I see it, magical communities are kind of like minorities/ethnic groups. Magicians gather together and there are cultural differences but it’s not two separate worlds/governments as it is in the HP series.

To that end, separate magical communities from separate countries would develop differently (but not too far astray) so Temari and Shikako have different styles of magic.

For the most part, though, consider learning magic like how language works. Mostly from parents, yes, but there’s probably some “clubs” or special classes. (So Sakura, as the muggleborn equivalent, does have access to magical education).

While the magical community isn’t separate, it is mostly a secret. Or… it is now. Modern magical communities believe in discretion and protecting themselves, but they don’t isolate themselves completely (as per having an annual deer petting zoo/sleigh rides that even non-magical people can appreciate).

Now for more interesting world building!

The summon realm is a separate plane but it is, simultaneously, overlapping with the real world. Magicians–generally witches, though occasionally a wizard will also have enough magic to do so–can form a bond with specific summon who will help them control/amplify their abilities.

The Nara, as an entrenched clan, have a partnership with the deer. Shikako can make Heijomaru tangible and, with a little more power, he can do the same to the rest of the herd. Conversely, there have been a few years where different members of the clan are assigned to different deer (multiple magicians to one deer if need be) but having someone powerful enough to make Heijomaru tangible is a fairly rare thing.

Temari’s family, on the other hand, are not tied to any one summon line. They’re a big believer in throwing their children in the deep end (even though the swimming analogy doesn’t really apply to desert scions). And Kamatari, being an former warrior summon, found Temari a worthy witch.

Unsurprisingly, Temari is a wind witch–she travels often and wherever the wind may blow–whereas Shikako is more grounded in this AU than canon DoS (being an earth witch). That’s definitely something I’d bank more on in this AU–their opposing elemental leanings and that not-quite conflict between their differing styles and philosophies of magic.

Shikako has so many friends and is so involved with the magical community, whereas Temari is polite but not friendly and while she picks up different kinds of magics often it’s a more self-serving gathering.

But I do think, at heart, Shikako would want to travel too–and I suppose that’s what this AU endgame would be. Shikako’s community acknowledging her desires and releasing her from any obligations, though with some misunderstandings in which Temari is possibly accused of trying to charm her away from home.

… unsure if this answers your question, anon.

Your Shino/Kako brainstorm made me melt, hoooly hecckk <3<33333

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

jacksgreysays:

Melt? I don’t know if I really contributed much to make someone melt, anon, but I suppose I’ll take your word on it.

I think a Shino/Shikako ship would be interesting to read because it would have… ah. Well, this is a benefit to me but I realize it might not be for others, but it basically has the aspects of what I like about DarcyxElizabeth Bennet without the cringing misunderstandings and biases.

Shino, like Darcy, is an eloquent man, intelligent and kind, but not exactly the suavest or most charming person (especially in comparison to his friends). Shikako, like Elizabeth Bennet, is a free-wheeling spirit, loyal to her family (and teammates) and absolutely cutthroat when the occasion calls for it; she’s not necessarily the most graceful in traditional social niceties, but she’s good with people when she wants to be.

So imagine the same meeting of two minds except, instead of in a weird back and forth pining/disgust melodrama it’s founded on mutual respect. 🙂

🙂 Sounds good, anon.

I think Shikako really needs a confidante, too, and part of me thinks that of the Konoha Twelve/Thirteen the most likely one would be Shino. It used to be Ino, but that was before the whole Sasuke Retrieval Arc leading to Orochimaru inside her head thing. (Before Shikako broke her).

You can still see remnants of that possibility–between Ino and Shikako, that is–in the post Land of Moon Arc especially, and the emotional depth of that scene is all the more poignant to me because of that. The almost could have been just T_T I mourn for it.

Shino, I think, would be a different kind of confidante. Not that he’s all robotic logic (as proven with the absolutely adorable relationship he has with his younger sister) but there’s a different foundation for the trust and truth that would be between them. Shikako might have, in a different time, told Ino the truth in a moment of emotional vulnerability. Shikako would tell Shino in a moment of vital strategy.

Most likely? If she ever did go against Danzo and needed a touchstone of sorts. With her family and her teammates and certain other allies, she would want to have some plausible deniability (like with the post Tsukuyomi–researching the names and faces and times of death of the Massacre just to see if she could find the incongruity and use that to bring up the suspicious circumstances). But if push comes to shove and she were to try to act on information that has no outside evidence (that she has access to, anyway) then I think she’d trust Shino with it.

Team Ten and Seven are both too close to home–she broke them or she changed them or she has far too much on them. Team Gai simply isn’t plugged in enough to be a touchstone–Lee’s family is very small, TenTen is an orphan, and Neji is a Branch member… if ever Danzo were to try to poach ROOT candidates it would be from their team. There’d hardly be any resistance. Team Eight’s a little… she and Kiba are essentially having a philosophical debate, and he would (at least initially) react poorly to the “I know a version of the future reveal” much less the “reincarnated from a different world where your lives are a manga.” Hinata is unsealed and against Danzo would be the only proof of why having the Caged Bird Seal has any benefit at all.

Shino’s family (at least his father) has experience with Danzo’s treacherous ways. And maybe Shino doesn’t know everything, but there’s no way that he hasn’t been at least obliquely warned against Danzo.

If it weren’t a strategic nightmare, I’d want to see Shikako, Shino, and Sai go on a mission together out of Fire country. After the per usual Lucky Seven twist, in which Shino notices maybe an exchange between the other two regarding their dancing around the matter of ROOT, or he notices something about Sai only, the three of them go back to Konoha. Shino requests to speak with Shikako about it, and she agrees and in the relative safety of the Aburame family home, she obliquely brings up the idea of ROOT and references Danzo.

A few more meetings and maybe one more strategically-a-nightmare Sensory Squad mission, this is the set up for a canon DoS Shino/Shikako ship.

Your Shino/Kako brainstorm made me melt, hoooly hecckk <3<33333

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Melt? I don’t know if I really contributed much to make someone melt, anon, but I suppose I’ll take your word on it.

I think a Shino/Shikako ship would be interesting to read because it would have… ah. Well, this is a benefit to me but I realize it might not be for others, but it basically has the aspects of what I like about DarcyxElizabeth Bennet without the cringing misunderstandings and biases.

Shino, like Darcy, is an eloquent man, intelligent and kind, but not exactly the suavest or most charming person (especially in comparison to his friends). Shikako, like Elizabeth Bennet, is a free-wheeling spirit, loyal to her family (and teammates) and absolutely cutthroat when the occasion calls for it; she’s not necessarily the most graceful in traditional social niceties, but she’s good with people when she wants to be.

So imagine the same meeting of two minds except, instead of in a weird back and forth pining/disgust melodrama it’s founded on mutual respect. 🙂

The Temari/Shikako stuff was really intriguing! Both the canon based one and the witchcraft AU. I wondered if you had opinions on other rare!pairs? (Unusual pairs? Crack pairs? I dunno what to call them) in DOS. Like… Sakura/Shikako or Shino/Shikako.

jacksgreysonLeave a comment

Thanks!

From what I understand there’s a difference between rare-pairs and crack pairs. Rare-pairs are arguably believable but less popular ships (so Sakura/Shikako and Shino/Shikako both of them being Shikako’s friends, but not being particularly common, would be rare-pairs) whereas crack pairs are quite random.

Even something where it’s highly unlikely or there’s a significant age difference or “enemies to lovers” could still be considered a rare-pair so long as there’s some kind of foundation for the ship. Toki/Shikako, Aoba/Shikako, Netsui/Shikako are examples of such that I’ve written or mentioned before that I can confidently say would count as rare-pairs.

Crack pairs would be like… I suppose technically Deidara/Shikako is a crack pair seeing as how they’ve not even met each other yet in canon and, on top of that, Shikako knows that he’s part of the Big Bad Organization. So it’s a crack pair in that there’s no believable canonical foundation for it, but it’s fairly popular so even if it weren’t cracky it may be popular enough to not count as rare-pair.

Another crack pair that isn’t villain/Shikako I suppose might be… Tsunade/Shikako? Or… well… no, I suppose technically that might be a rare-pair since they have met and don’t actively hate each other (and I have seen Naruto/Jiraiya fic so the age difference isn’t entirely out of the question for some people).

Ah. If I had pursued a more romantic take on SemiPhenomenal Nearly Cosmic, then Tobirama/Shikako would be a crack pair. Like, I had to create a specific AU for them to even meet much less possibly fall in love and get together.

I guess what makes a crack pair in my opinion is the number/breadth of changes needed to make a ship possible. Whereas rare pairs are the popularity of a ship within the fandom. Crack pairs may be rare pairs, but not all rare pairs are crack pairs.

All that being said, I guess it does depend on which rare-pairs you’d like me to talk about? I’ve already discussed briefly on my opinion of Sakura/Shikako here (although, I’ll admit, that was a long time ago and my fleet of ships is vast and ever-changing) and I think it’s mostly the same as before.

I think it would be interesting to see a Sakura/Shikako ship, especially given how much Shikako has changed Sakura’s life just by simply existing. And it’s a fairly guilt-free change (as opposed to the guilt she feels over Ino and her brother).

This DoS!Sakura is vastly different from canon Sakura because so much of her formative experiences are different. Being a part of Team Seven (and a fractured Team Seven at that) is so integral to canon Sakura’s character that DoS!Sakura MUST be different.

Softer, probably, less jaded and tired. She’s learned different lessons, in less heartbreaking ways, but she’s probably learned more of them from being at a distance. I wonder if, because she is not so focused on her teammates like canon Sakura, that she observes more in other people. Or if, unconfined by the role of Team Seven, she might grow beyond the narrow shape left behind for her and become more than the second coming of Tsunade (though that is certainly not a bad thing).

I think it depends on what happens to Sakura in DoS, on what Silver Queen may want to do with her character. Part of me is fairly sure she’ll be on Team Anko with Yakumo and Isaribi (at the very least for a future Chuunin Exam if not permanently) and given these teammates and teacher, Sakura would be the least… traumatized. No murderous split personality, no horrific childhood of being experimented on. And no doubt Sakura will learn how to support her teammates, how to traverse and converse such interactions–recognize the pitfalls and avoid them, or help her teammates recover when they have been triggered.

There are many ships that I don’t see beginning until after everything in canon has settled–not just because the plot points, but also the age thing–and that holds true for Sakura/Shikako. Which is good because, I think, the more DoS!Sakura grows apart from canon!Sakura, the better a Sakura/Shikako ship would work. Especially on Shikako’s part–further distancing Sakura the person from Sakura the character.

They’d be a very academic couple, that’s for sure, on the forefront of medicine and fuinjutsu (and, frequently, a combination of both). And this current as of yet unnamed arc about Kakashi’s Sharingan will probably be the first of many medical miracles they perform together. I like the idea that Sakura would keep Shikako a little more grounded in Konoha but at the same time, when Shikako does go on research trips, Sakura goes with her and continues Tsunade’s legacy of traveling miracle medic. Minus the wanton drinking/gambling/destruction, of course.

… So I guess it’s a bit like what a Jiraiya/Tsunade ship could have been, had the Sannin not splintered apart and picked up the world’s worst habits and attitude problems. All of their potential with far fewer of their problems. They have problems of their own.

Let’s see, as for a Shino/Shikako ship… that boy would have to make the first move. Shikako is oblivious when it comes to other people’s opinions of her, and given how difficult Shino is to read (almost literally given that most of his face is hidden constantly) there’s no way she’ll figure it out unless he makes it absolutely clear that he is romantically attracted to her and if she were amenable he would be interested in pursuing a relationship with her to see how they socialize together.

And even then it may take her a moment to parse his statement and a few days to consider his proposal (which he gives her because of course Shino is a big believer in taking one’s time to make big decisions).

I don’t really see them getting romantically involved with each other in DoS quite yet–but maybe, given an exciting mission or two, it depends. For example, with Kiba I might be able to see something happening within the fic only because she’s had way more “screen time” with him than with Shino. Otherwise, this would be another ship for a post canon timeline.

I do wonder about the matter of the kikaichu, though. Because… that’s a pretty big aspect of who Shino is and it’s not like Shikako can/will tell him to change, but at the same time it’s been repeatedly mentioned in DoS that Shikako (while she can put a brave face on for the sake of work and not being an asshole) does not like bugs. I don’t even know what a good analogy for this would be… It would be like someone with icthyophobia trying to have a relationship with a marine biologist? I dunno…

If that issue could be resolved, I can see how a Shino/Shikako ship might appeal. His logical way of thinking and innate kindness is something that Shikako would appreciate more than passion and charming words. Mutual respect and, along with that, faith in each other’s abilities and strength.

I think, if they were in a relationship, Shino is one of the few people that Shikako would consider telling at least some part of the truth. Whether she just does a “I know a version of the future” or a full “I’m reincarnated from a world where all of this is fiction” well…

There’s a sense of solidity and steadiness to Shino that Shikako can depend on, whereas Shino could probably benefit from having a bit more chaos in his life.

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

jacksgreysays:

jacksgreysays:

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 😀

Ooh, okay. See I always interpreted the title as Shikako’s POV of Naruto (the series) which is about Naruto the character, so “Sunshine” is Naruto and “Dreaming” is Shikako. So with Neji as the “Caged Bird” I’d probably do something like: 

“Caged Sunshine” is Neji/Naruto because what a relationship between them would be built on is, most likely, the whole “we both of seals and our lives suck but Naruto has remained optimistic/determined and Neji wants to do the same” so the Cage is in reference to their seals and the Sunshine is, yes, reference to Naruto but also the change Naruto’s Therapy-no-jutsu had in Neji’s life.

Shikako/Neji I’d flip it around and do “Dreams of Flight” or something like that since, as I interpret a Shikako/Neji relationship, it would be about the both of them ‘breaking free’ of expectations and oppression. I don’t think there would ever be a Shikako/Neji relationship where, unless Neji specifically asked her not to for some reason, Shikako wouldn’t eventually work on trying to remove the Caged Bird seal. It’s less about accepting the hand they’ve been dealt and more about saying, “no, fuck you, I’m not going to follow your rules.”

So Dreams is reference to Shikako, but also to the hope that Neji would have to change his fate, and Flight is both a freedom thing and about how a relationship between the two of them is more… I don’t know how to say this… verb-y? than some of my interpretations for other ships. Like there’s a sense of, they’re both going to achieve great heights together, or they’re going to plummet to the ground.

This is way more thought than I put into some of my other titles. If I could retroactively rename Dreaming of S(omething) without it being a total pain of tag hunting, I probably would. I mean I hadn’t consciously acknowledged this is what I do, but now that I think of it, I suppose this explains the more recent series like “Waking Up Starstruck” (Naruto/Shikako) and “Stars Also Dream” (Yoshino-centric but with the theme that Yoshino is more like her daughter, or vice versa, than anyone realizes).

I’m not really sure, actually. I just know that Dreaming of S(omething) was my first DoS recursive fic series and I had no idea I was going to be so prolific. I definitely had no idea that I would have actual series as opposed to a cluster of possible chapter responses, and that I should probably give more thought to my titles. It’s why I have Dreaming One Shots as a catch-all. I mean, much like my fics themselves, the titles I kind of don’t know what I’m doing up until the very last bit–and even then, as with Hiding and Seeking, I’ll post something and then title it later.

I would definitely rename Dreaming of S(omething) to reflect that it is a Shikako/Gaara series as opposed to any kind of DoS recursive fic… and while I do like Down Every Road–because it’s a reference to a song that I think fits Shikako/Sasuke perfectly, and it also gives a bit of a hint that each chapter is a different AU–it’s not Shikako/Sasuke specific from the name. Like, any series of AUs for a specific ship in any fandom could probably use the title Down Every Road.

Waking Up Starstruck I chose specifically to flip around Dreaming of Sunshine–because where DoS is Shikako’s POV of Naruto’s story, I thought it’d be nice if Waking Up Starstruck was Naruto’s POV of Shikako’s post-canon story. So Waking [Naruto] Up Starstruck [Shikako] was meant to be a contrast to Dreaming [Shikako] of Sunshine [Naruto]. And there’s a little bit about that particular title that just feels like… Naruto suddenly realizes he sees Shikako in a romantic way. As opposed to Sasuke who already knows he loves Shikako even if he can’t quite differentiate between romantic and platonic.

I mean, there’s a difference between fic titles and ship names, so it’s not a one-to-one thing. I wouldn’t change Down Every Road, but I don’t have that little thrill of pride as I do when I think about Waking Up Starstruck and Stars Also Dream. Then again, Hiding and Seeking works really well for the Hana!POV Shikako/Neji ficlets even though that doesn’t include any of the theoretic ship name, so I don’t really know what I’m trying to say here.