#all these traits apply to any version of Tomo

[writer-and-artist27]

How to Write Tomoko (Kinda)

Inspired by this one ask that Lang got a while back. I can’t remember how long ago it was, but @owlsofstarlight commented one time to me how they wrote Tomo based on how I reacted to a lot of things. So, this really is for their reference when writing any Silent Feathers stuff as well as for me to look back on how much Tomo is not just a “Mary Sue,” contrary to what some haters would like to throw at her.

Some important core traits and the like.

Tomoko is selfless. Once she gets to know you as a friend and/or a precious person of her circle, then she’s pulling out all the stops to make sure you’re happy. Even if you are a stranger, if it looks like you’re struggling, she’s offering her hand to bring you to your feet. It’s no question about it — she wants to see you be better, even if it means she gets the short end of the stick, and she’d be happy with the short end of the stick. 

The consequences of her selflessness hit only after she does something in the form of exhaustion and at times barely being able to talk depending on the person (example being that one oneshot where she cleaned all of Obito’s apartment [aside from his room because that’s personal space] and made dinner once he came home, therefore rendering her rambly and barely coherent for a bit once she finally sat down). So she can’t pull out all stops, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try unless you stop her. 

Tomo is also compassionate. Without fail, if someone asks her for a listening ear, she’s already raising her hand to volunteer to do it, all because being Emotional Support is ingrained into her very soul. She is also the first one to ask, “Are you okay?” whenever there’s something wrong, which is why her parents latched onto her so much because she never truly asks for anything for herself. Which leads into the next thing.

As helpful as she is, Tomo can be cruel to herself. From the machinations of Ty, her past death, previous trauma relating to sexual assault as Vy, and her foreknowledge of the Narutoverse, she easily goes to herself, albeit unconsciously, “if the ninja can go out and train to the death, then I can work to the death without complaints.” Similar thoughts such as “sitting around gets nothing done,” “I can’t say no, I’ll feel bad when they have it worse than me,” “I don’t deserve to sit down when people die everyday outside Konoha’s walls,” and “I can’t rest, someone’s crying right now,” roll around constantly in her head. Hence why she rarely gives herself any breathing room. It takes outside stimuli and/or people nagging her for her to properly do self-care.

Someone could easily take advantage of this if they wanted to because it is just hard for her to say “no” to helping someone. The only reason why it hasn’t gotten her into more trouble is because her family and friends help with support and protection from the real big baddies of the Narutoverse. Not to mention the one thought that crossed over from Vy’s reincarnation: “If I messed up/died here, Josh and Leo would be sad. I have to keep going to let them know I’m okay.” 

This also makes it hard for her to go to friends and family for help on her own problems, because in her head, “they’re going through enough shit in their lives, I don’t want to add to it.” She tries to work through it herself and/or bottle it up. This doesn’t always work.

It’s because of this trait that she can’t be the Naruto-figure of her generation, in spite of being so close, because she still needs to learn how to stop for her own sake.

Tomo can also be easily invested in the lives of other people. When she’s dedicated to helping someone, she does whatever she can, putting herself as far out there as she can, even if she doesn’t have much to offer, and that can lead into pitfalls that could sink her mood for weeks or more depending on how much she grows to care.

If someone ever knew the full knowledge of her reincarnation and thus asked her why she decided to help the ninja the way she does, she would reply, “They made a lonely school girl feel loved and cared for again when no one else noticed. The least she could do is return the favor and give them better lives.” So she’s pretty driven for her ninja friends already.

Tomo can be stubborn. Not as much as, say Naruto-levels of recklessness, but when she’s on a task of her own making, she’s driven and focused on it to the point of tunnel vision. Until the thing is done, she’s sticking there, barely moving unless it’s for sleep or food — basically the bare minimum of keeping things up.

Her reflections/self-analysis is borderline self-harm when it comes down to it. By focusing far too much on her flaws and not that of her positives, she forces herself to keep trying to improve/work, even if her body is not up for keeping the reckless standard. I’d like to think it took both Obito and Kei in S&S to convince her not to go all Gai-route in self-defense training, because as much as Gai is productive, his methods would only contribute to Tomo’s fallings in the future with her civilian physique. 

It’s because of this constant self-deprecation that Tomoko is oblivious to any love that’s outside her usual familial and platonic realms of territory. She could suspect that someone is into her, but immediately brushes it off with thoughts of, “There’s no way someone would like me, there’s better girls out there.” So anyone trying to win her heart would be having a hard time just trying to flirt if they’re not saying it directly.

Tomo is also indecisive, lacking any initiative to do something unless it’s to help someone. Once she has a break in her hands, she would stare at it and be like, “What am I supposed to do with this?” She’s just so used to working all the time that when she rests, she either sleeps exhaustion away or goes along with other people’s paces. It’s kinda why she helps out in the hospital with Rin and/or does moral support for Team Minato outside of the café because otherwise, she has no clue what to do.

Tomo struggles with talking to people outside of her precious friend circle. From social anxiety and just plain embarrassment at the possibility of messing up and making a bad impression, Tomo isolates herself a lot if she’s not searching out for specific people. If she’s at work, she can pull out scripted words to get along with the day, but that’s not going to stop her internal monologues of “Holy shit, what do I do, this person wants this” — therefore causing the occasional trip in her voice. It’s easy to fake being outgoing, but otherwise, if she could get time to sleep, she’d take it. Even if she blanks at the idea of “free time.” 

Tomo is also far too easy to read. From her mannerisms to her piano playing (ninshu, people) to how she reacts to nearly everything honestly, it leaves her open to, at best, lots of teasing and, at worst, emotional manipulation at the hands of others not so kind. It makes it hard for her to even try lying, so when it comes to her foreknowledge, she takes after Kei’s example in not saying much when it’s not needed. That doesn’t make her face any less easy to search for when it comes to key signs of turmoil. It can be cute in her everyday life, but if she were ever a ninja, it would be the first thing to get her killed. 

It’s just funny to look back on all this considering in any other setting, Tomoko would be the ideal Shojo protagonist. But, unfortunately, this is the Narutoverse. All of these things leave her solely as Moral Support and nothing more because everyone can tell she wouldn’t be able to handle anything else. 

At this point? Anything can happen and at best, she’s done well to survive so far. If she didn’t make friends with the right people, I wouldn’t be surprised if those behind Sakumo’s original Canon suicide did off with her too. But then we wouldn’t have a story. So there’s that.

Tomo has a long way to go in maturing.