#tenjikubotan fumeiyo

[myaekingheart]

You've been visited by the random OC question fairy! :D ~☆

Deep down, what does your character need? (A sense of accomplishment, a family, etc.?) Why do they need what they do? What do they not feel whole without?

Hello, random OC question fairy! ^_^

Okay so for Rei, deep down what she needs is acceptance. Her family never supported her (save for her grandmother), her childhood best friend betrayed her heart, her lifelong best friend Sekkachi is snarky and blunt about what she thinks is right for Rei and what she think isn’t right for her. Even Rei needs to work on acceptance for herself. She never thinks she’s good enough, her self esteem is absolute shit. She needs others to support her and believe in her but she also needs to support and believe in herself, no matter what she’s pursuing.  For Sekkachi, she needs security and vulnerability. She needs to allow herself to be vulnerable among other people and let them get close to her. She pushes everyone away and puts up a lot of walls to keep them out. She doesn’t trust people, she doesn’t have any faith in people, and she’s terrified of losing the ones she does care about.  Mikazuki needs confidence. She’s very shy and unsure of herself, she second-guesses everything she does and says. She has a huge heart and amazing capabilities but she just doesn’t believe in herself like she should.  Arai needs support. She pushes herself really hard and tries to be this over-confident, unaffected, independent person but sometimes she can’t be the strong one constantly. She’s spent so much of her time protecting and supporting the people she cares about, sacrificing her own sense of personal sanity in order to put other people first. But that can be really hard on a person after they’ve been at this for so long. Sometimes, she deserves to lean on someone else rather than being the one that others lean on constantly.  Sefure needs validation. She, too, has worked hard for the sake of providing for and protecting those she cares about. After all, that’s the oldest sister’s job, isn’t it? But sometimes selling herself in order to try and make a living is unsatisfying. Sometimes it makes her feel like nothing more than a tool at other people’s disposal. She needs the validation that she is worthy as a human being and not just as someone’s stress relief or one-night stand. She needs someone who will love her for who she is and never expect anything from her that she is not voluntarily willing to provide, out of love rather than obligation.  Tenjikubotan needs humbling. She probably will never get it, but it would do her some good to actually come back down to earth for a hot minute.  Hitsuji needs confidence, as well. He’s brilliant and has the capabilities of an incredible tactician, but he’s very anxious and shy.  Kikkake needs to calm the fuck down. His tolerance for other people is so low, one of these days he’s going to roll his eyes so far back into his head that they’re going to get stuck there.  Sukui needs love. He needs someone that he can both show off and take pride in but also someone that he can care for. He’s larger than life and has a lot of love to give, so he needs someone who can match that energy and accept that he is going to look at them like they put the stars in the sky and never shut up about them. And also probably serenade them. Constantly. 

[myaekingheart]

naruto oc masterpost

i went on an artbreeder binge tonight and made a shit ton of my ocs so i figured now was as good as ever to make a proper masterpost. so without further ado, buckle the fuck up and here we go.

(stuck this under a read more because it got kind of long whoops)

the hatake family

rei natsuki and kakashi hatake were childhood best friends and neighbors. they drifted over the years after kakashi began losing everything and everyone he cared about. he refused to support rei’s dreams of becoming a ninja because he couldn’t stand to watch her put herself in harm’s way–he couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. they are eventually reunited when rei is appointed to the anbu black ops. they quickly reconcile and start a romantic relationship together. eventually, they marry and have two children: nariko, who was born on a battlefield, and rokurou, who they are blessed with after kakashi takes office as sixth hokage.

two years after rokurou’s birth, rei and kakashi take in an orphaned girl who they name sutego. not long after, rei falls pregnant again with twins katsuro and keiko. a high-risk pregnancy, a long labor puts rei in distress and keiko, small and weak, is delivered after her brother by emergency c-section. it is after this experience that kakashi decides to retire as hokage to devote himself fully to his family. he and rei have one more child, a son, named kazuhiko.

dorimuchimu: the dream team rei’s childhood team. she was trained alongside her best friends naru fuzuki and sekkachi fumeiyo. naru was of a prominent family in konoha heavily involved with local politics and as such was rather well-off, financially. naru ends up following rei into the anbu black ops. sekkachi can only use taijutsu and therefore spent a lot of time with might guy, with whom she spars with every wednesday afternoon to this day. she is chronically ill and therefore has faced many setbacks in her shinobi journey, thus making her rather cynical and harsh. they four of them were led by their sensei, chikara, a former dancer.

tenshi taketori was one of the new recruits trained in the anbu alongside rei. she is cunning, seductive, and determined. mikazuki zazen was also one of the anbu trained alongside rei, known for her rare and powerful dojutsu–the shinkantazagan, which grants users a powerful sense of awareness. sefure kawakubo was a former flame of kakashi’s while he was in the anbu, met with mainly for stress relief purposes. her younger sister, arai kawakubo, is a coarse new anbu recruit assigned to the team that rei captains.

nozomu is a cynical artist who rei meets in an inpatient program in the konoha hospital. she is dark and brooding, placed in treatment after a suicide attempt, but her beautiful art gives others hope. suisen unohana is another patient, seeking treatment for an eating disorder. the inpatient program is led by sosei chouwa who preaches recovery based on holistic treatment methods. she has a twin sister, seiiku chouwa, who is the head of the maternity ward and a licensed midwife.

seiiku’s star pupil is a young immigrant, tanjo, who decided to become a midwife after the unexpected birth of her son, kyugeki, who she was unaware she was pregnant with. tanjo is responsible for delivering rei and kakashi’s second child in a home birth during a blizzard.

sefure and arai’s grandmother, edna kawakubo, owns a local high-end kimono shop that naru frequents. she is a former anbu and the head of the uniform sewing division in the konoha grandmother’s coalition, a group of elderly former shinobi who give back to the community by sewing new ninja uniforms among other things.

komori unohana, suisen’s grandmother, owns a local antiques shop alongside her twin brother, rojin unohana. komori was also a former anbu, childhood comrade of edna, and member of the konoha grandmother’s coalition. she is obsessed with collecting souvenirs and knick-knacks from various villages. rojin has a specialty in old mechanical pieces. he took chikara in when she first emigrated to konoha and she therefore repays his kindness by bringing him appliances of hers to fix.

arai’s daughter, ichika kawakubo, is nariko’s main rival. conceited and self-centered, she often cares more about a broken nail than training to become a strong shinobi. suisen’s daughter, kanami unohana, becomes best friends with rokurou hatake. she is blind, and never knew her father, but when suisen and kiba begin dating, he becomes as close to a father as she gets. he also provides her with her own ninken to act as a guide dog.

the kankitsurui girls rei’s grandmother, teiko natsuki, was originally of the kankitsurui clan—a small clan of citrus farmers on the outskirts of what would become konoha. teiko and her family were recruited to move to the newly established konoha by hashirama senju himself thanks to teiko’s extraordinary chakra tethering ability. as a child, she trained under mito uzumaki alongside edna kawakubo and komori unohana. she was extremely close with her younger sister, fuun kankitsurui, whose exile as a teenager after falling unexpectedly pregnant tore an irreparable rift between teiko and her strict parents. in an act of rebellion, teiko joined the anbu black ops. she went on to marry oku natsuki, the owner of a local bookshop, and have one son. as an elderly woman, she founded the konoha grandmother’s coalition and has an extremely close bond with her granddaughter.

the parents rei’s parents, hana and yuruganai natsuki, run the local bookstore, kaminoki shop. originally a yamanaka, hana turned down the civilian pathway thanks to suffering chronic migraines from using the mind transfer technique. she met her husband during her brief time in the academy. yuruganai was on the same genin team as sakumo and aijo hatake but quickly gave up on becoming a ninja after a serious arm injury during the chunin exams. sakumo and aijo, in contrast, becmae a legendary duo known for their ninja hounds, the companionship of which was rooted in aijo having grown up in the inuzuka clan. the two couples lived next door and raised their children, rei and kakashi, alongside one another until aijo and then sakumo both passed away.

amai is a waitress at the local dango shop who has a passion for sweets. she is often met by sekkachi and hiretsuna akado, the ditsy hospital receptionist who sekkachi treats to taiyaki as thanks for always keeping her company during her many doctor’s appointments. sukui yukio is another new recruit from rei’s anbu team, a charming and princely young man who never lets anyone forget about his resemblance to actor keihaku goman from the “icha icha” film adaptation. another comrade from rei’s anbu team is hitsuji akado, hiretsuna’s twin brother. he is a prodigy in math and science and has social anxiety and a dog allergy. he got the brains whereas his sister got the beauty. their father is an accountant and their mother is a friend of hana’s.

sekkachi’s cousin, tenjikubotan fumeiyo, is as glamorous and charming as sekkachi is blunt and sarcastic. where sekkachi works against her chronic illness–a family curse bestowed upon her grandmother when she fled to konoha for refuge–to achieve her dreams of being an elite ninja, tenjikubotan takes advantage of her sickness to be waited on hand and foot and treated like a princess. she has a tiger summons named byakko who acts as her companion. tenjikubotan’s bright and bubbly younger sister is roru fumeiyo, a chunin of konohagakure with her own tiger companion. she idolizes sekkachi and ends up in a relationship with rock lee. tenjikubotan goes on to marry sukui and together they have a daughter, oniyuri.

brother and sister duo ketsui and hoseki kenshin make the best ninja tools in the entire village. ketsui forges not only kunai and swords but also jewelry. kakashi trusted no one else to create the engagement ring he gave to rei. ketsui’s younger sister hoseki is his apprentice and teammates with suisen unohana and roru fumeiyo. when she is not forging her own weapons and jewlery, she is responsible for sourcing all of their material. one of her favorite things is going down into the mines and finding rare gems. she is especaily fascinated with guren’s crystal release.

ketsui and hoseki’s cousin, kagami kenshin, is another character that rei meets during her time in inpatient. kagami is in treatment to help manage his bipolar disorder. he, rei, suisen, and nozumu end up becoming fairly close with one another after attending group therapy sessions every day.

yuzu is a quirky preteen girl who hana and yuruganai hire to lend a helping hand at kaminoki. she devours books like nobody’s business and has a particular interest in sociopolitical matters.

[myaekingheart]

127. About a Girl

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3 index | from the beginning | < previous | next >

               “So: how does it feel?” Chikara asked. She poured Sekkachi some tea from across the table, smiling politely. Sekkachi lounged in one of the nearby chairs, careful not to dirty the crocheted tablecloth with her muddy sandals.

               “How does what feel?” Sekkachi asked, poking at the cakes that she had not given Chikara permission to put on her plate.

               “Thirty!” Chikara replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “You know, some might say you’re a full-fledged adult now.”

               “I feel just as much existential dread as I always have” Sekkachi replied flippantly. Her mind warped back to the voicemail and she mumbled under her breath, “Or maybe even more.”

               Chikara hummed under her breath as she took a sip of her own tea. “I’m sure your family was delighted to see you partake in traditions” she commented. “How are they? I haven’t seen them in so long.” She regretted not attending the party herself, but she had other matters to attend to. Deep down, Sekkachi would’ve preferred her absence anyway. The fewer friends for her family to embarrass her in front of, the better.

               “Just as fine as ever” Sekkachi said, shaking her head. “Tenjikubotan is still a whiny, lazy bitch, Roru has become clingier than usual, and if the scowl on my old man’s face gets any deeper, he’s going to look like one of those shrunken apple heads.”

               “I’ve heard Roru is planning to take part in the chunin exams next month” Chikara mentioned. “Her sensei Tekuno told me. That’s very exciting. I’m sure she’s interested in hearing all about your own experiences taking the exams.”

               “As if she’s going to learn much from me” Sekkachi scoffed. “I’m not a role model she should be looking up to anyway.”

               Chikara chuckled under her breath. “I think you’re more admirable than you give yourself credit for” she insisted. “After all, your resilience is unrivaled and you’re perhaps the most honest person I’ve ever met. Those are rare aspects that I think you ought to be proud of.”

               A shiver ran down Sekkachi’s spine at that word: proud. There was nothing worth being proud about. “Either way, she should look elsewhere” Sekkachi said sourly. “I don’t want to deal with her.”

               As accustomed as Chikara had become to Sekkachi’s trademark abrasiveness, there was a certain edge to her now that piqued the woman’s suspicion. Something must have happened and based on what she saw of their night at the bar, Chikara had a mild inkling as to what, exactly, it was.  

               “So did you call me here for a reason, or did you just want to waste time with small talk?” Sekkachi snapped, downing the last of her tea. Chikara smiled as she automatically poured Sekkachi another.

               “Well, seeing as it was your birthday a few days ago” Chikara started, “I thought it was only right to give you your present.”

               “Oh, come on!” Sekkachi whined, throwing her head back and groaning. “You didn’t have to get me anything. I don’t want anything.”

               “Too late!” Chikara grinned. She twisted around in her chair and reached toward the hutch behind her kitchen table, pulling out a large, wrapped box. “Now, Sekkachi, this was very difficult to find so I won’t take no for an answer.” She handed the box to Sekkachi, who skeptically took it to set on the floor in front of her.

               Sekkachi couldn’t even begin to guess what could be in a box that big nor did she think she really wanted it. She didn’t have much of a choice, however—Chikara was staring her down as she slowly ripped through the wrapping paper and punched open the cardboard box. She pulled out the blanket first, plush and plaid. Sekkachi made a face as she unfolded it, surveying it’s size, then peeked around it to look at her sensei. “A blanket? Really?”

               “That’s not the only thing in there!” Chikara replied, waving a hand to urge Sekkachi to continue. She watched closely as her student set the blanket aside and then reached back into the box to pull out a rather large reading pillow, the kind with plush armrests and even a little pocket in the side. “I know you already have one, but it’s been so long and I’m sure it’s gotten rather deflated by now” Chikara explained. “And if you press that little button on the side, it vibrates, as well! I’m sure that should feel nice on your back when you’re having a flare-up.”

               Sekkachi chuckled under her breath and shook her head. “If there was ever an old lady gift to give someone” she jested, shoving the presents back in the box.

               Chikara frowned at her response, though it was exaggerated and clearly fake. “Do you not like them?” she pouted dramatically.

               “They’re the absolute worst” Sekkachi replied, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She refused to outwardly admit that she actually loved them. Comfort items were important when she spent so much time in pain. If word broke out that she had a weakness for the soft and snuggly, however, she would never live it down. She had a reputation to uphold, after all. Badass bitches did not do cuddly.

               Fortunately, Chikara knew Sekkachi well enough to know that she would not only truly appreciate the gift but that her pride would also prohibit her from truly expressing her gratitude. “So” the woman then said, tenting her fingers as she gazed at her student across the table, “What does thirty look like for Sekkachi Fumeiyo? What do you hope to accomplish? What are your goals for the year?”

               Sekkachi snorted and muttered, “Not die.” Unamused, Chikara arched a brow and glared at her as if challenging her to pick a new resolution. There had to be something better to aim for, something more ambitious—even for her. Sekkachi tightened her ponytail as she added, “Listen, I don’t want to set any expectations for myself, alright? It’s only been a week and I’ve already fucked shit up enough.”

               “Oh?” Chikara asked, her curiosity piqued. “How do you figure?”

               “I just got drunk and did something dumb and now I have to suffer the consequences, I don’t know” Sekkachi complained. She really didn’t want to talk about it, truthfully, but she knew that if she had to talk about it with anyone—and really talk about it— it was bound to be with Chikara.

               “Might this have something to do with a girl?” Chikara asked and all the color paled from Sekkachi’s face before she grimaced in an effort to save face.

               “Yeah, because it’s always about a fucking girl, isn’t it?” she snapped back.

               “Don’t get so defensive, it was a valid assumption” Chikara replied, raising her hands in surrender. She hated to admit that it did, in fact, always seem to be about a girl. Not that there was anything wrong with that—Chikara was more than happy to help Sekkachi with her relationship issues. She enjoyed the intricacies of her student’s social life and her vastly complicated approach to love. It was like a strange little puzzle that she could pick apart and attempt to help clarify. Lifting her teacup to her lips then, Chikara added, “Besides, I may or may not have had the pleasure of being at the bar the same night you were, so I can say I saw some things.” A sly smile touched her lips as she took another sip of her tea. Sekkachi’s heart leapt into her throat.

               “Oh, fuck no” she groaned, slamming her forehead against the table. “Whatever happened, I don’t want to know.”

               “I rather enjoyed you and Rei’s little karaoke performance, though” Chikara hummed. “It’s always nice to see you two getting along so well.”

               “Yeah, I’d be lucky if that was the only embarrassing thing I did that night” Sekkachi whined. She had to admit, she did vaguely remember the karaoke performance. It was perhaps the only bright spot of her night from what she could recall. Performing alongside Rei brought back fond memories of their youth, when they would perform with Naru in espionage missions dressed in ridiculous little kimonos and flashy makeup. She hated the glamour of it all in the moment, of course, but in retrospect there was something bittersweetly nostalgic about it. At least in terms of the karaoke, she could perform what she wanted and on her own terms. She wasn’t there to be perfect or desirable, either. No one ever expected an award-winning performance from a bar karaoke machine. It was nothing but fun and games and the low-pressure environment (along with the booze) made it all the more enjoyable.

               Chikara smirked as she plucked another petit fours from the tray of cakes on the table. “And I thought you said you couldn’t remember anything” she mused.

               “It’s not about what I can and cannot remember” Sekkachi snarked, “It’s about the aftermath and what I did to cause it.”

               “Go on” Chikara urged with a wave of her hand.

               Sekkachi raked her fingers through her bangs and exhaled, exasperated. “I guess at some point I ran into someone I didn’t actually want to see and we must have flirted or something and exchanged numbers, I don’t know. I woke up to a voicemail.”

               A small smile touched Chikara’s lips as she popped another tiny cake into her mouth. “The girl with the third eye?” she asked.

               Sekkachi’s gaze snapped up, panicked and feral. “How did you know? Who told you? Was it Guy? I bet he spilled the beans, didn’t he? With his big, dumb mouth, fuck.”

               “No, none of this is Guy’s fault” Chikara replied. “You forget that I was at the bar that night, and so was she.”

               “Oh no” Sekkachi groaned, burying her face in her hands. It made sense: after all, how else would they have run into each other? Sekkachi knew for a fact that her and Guy did not go anywhere else that night. “What did you see? Was it bad? Do I need to go rogue now?”

               “Not at all” Chikara assured. The expression on her face proved that she was far too delighted with the situation at hand. “If anything, you both seemed to get along swimmingly.”

               “I think that might be worse” Sekkachi complained.

               “Oh, she was anxious at first” Chikara nodded, cleaning the icing residue off her fingertips with a napkin, “but after a while, she really seemed to warm up to you. Nothing could wipe the smile off her face, and she seemed very at home in your presence, and you to her.”

               “Yep” Sekkachi groaned. “Definitely worse.”

               “I don’t see what’s so terrible about it” Chikara shook her head. “If you enjoy one another’s company, then where’s the harm in that?”

               “Because I don’t enjoy her company, Chikara-sensei!” Sekkachi exclaimed. “I hate her fucking guts, I want nothing to do with her. And now here I am with a giant fucking mess I’ve gotta clean up that never should’ve been made in the first place. How am I supposed to tell her to fuck off?”

               “It’s never stopped you before” Chikara commented. “So what’s stopping you now? I almost get the feeling that you’re afraid of hurting her.”

               Suddenly feeling very transparent and vulnerable, Sekkachi pouted and dropped her eyes. “I’m not afraid of hurting her” she muttered sourly. “She can go jump off a bridge for all I care. Her happiness means nothing to me.”

               “Then I don’t see what the issue is” Chikara smiled softly. She knew exactly what was going on, and she was willing to milk the situation for all it was worth. After all, the only way to make Sekkachi admit her feelings to herself was to force them out of her. Long ago, Chikara had learned that the hard way. “You can go tell her to bugger off and then that’s the end of it. However she takes that is her responsibility.”

               “Because maybe I don’t even want to do that!” Sekkachi shouted. “Why do I have to tell her anything in the first place? Why can’t she just leave me the fuck alone? Maybe I should get Rei to do it. She sees the little creep all the time.”

               “And avoid the responsibility of your actions yet again?” Chikara cocked a brow. “Yes, that would be the easiest route but this is not Rei’s mess to clean up. It’s up to you to take responsibility for your actions, Sekkachi. No one else.”

               Rolling her eyes, Sekkachi leaned back in her chair and pressed the heels of her hands into her eye sockets. “I hate you for saying that” she complained.

               “I don’t even truly understand why you have to tell her to leave you alone in the first place” Chikara continued. “You two seemed to be having a perfectly lovely evening together. There aren’t many people whose company you actually enjoy, you know.”

               “Yeah, and you’re quickly losing your status as one of them” Sekkachi grumbled.

               “All I’m saying is that you’re thirty years old now” Chikara replied. “I just want you to start thinking more deeply on what you really want in life rather than just trudging from one day to the next avoiding all sense of responsibility and progression.”

               Excuse you, Sekkachi thought to herself and a sour taste filled her mouth. Chikara was proving to be far more brutally honest than usual today. It wasn’t a look on her that Sekkachi was very fond of. She supposed she had grown rather comfortable in her sensei’s otherwise soft, enabling advice.  

               “Or” Sekkachi started, and there was a certain edge to her tone now that proved Chikara had perhaps taken things too far, “You can accept the fact that I’m a fucking adult and can make my own decisions and live my life however I damn well please.” She slammed the cardboard box of her gifts shut and rose to her feet, hoisting it awkwardly into her arms. “I have the right to spend my life however I see fit, Chikara, and if that means living selfishly then so fucking be it. And I could care less about how other people feel about it, including you.”

               Chikara watched as she kicked the front door open and angrily departed, her heart aching. She never intended to hurt her feelings, but sometimes Sekkachi needed to hear the harsh truth. Frankly, she worried about Sekkachi—perhaps more than anyone else. While Rei was not perfect, either, she at least had someone to lean on. She had Kakashi’s unwavering support and Chikara felt safe with their union. Sekkachi, however, had a nasty habit of shoving away everyone who ever cared about her and this was no exception. Even now, Sekkachi was shoving away her.

               “Well” Chikara said to herself, tidying up the table and putting away the cakes. “She won’t be able to get rid of me that easily.” She carefully placed the petit fours in a small box and tucked them neatly into her refrigerator, then dumped the rest of the tea down the sink. “She’s bound to realize the hole she’s dug herself into sooner or later” she continued, but then paused as a sickening feeling filled her chest. Sighing, she added somberly, “I only hope it’s sooner rather than later.”

[myaekingheart]

So I made a shit ton of cute Picrews for a bunch of my OCs (and some canon characters thrown into the mix for reference) and then decided to just make one huge-ass collage for all of them categorized by age group jfc why am I like this oh my god

Also just let it be known that this is nowhere near all of my OCs, just a good number of them that I felt like actually making Picrews for in the first place. 

Names and descriptions under the cut so this doesn’t get freakishly long. 

Columns left to right, names top to bottom. 

1. Founders Era - Teiko Natsuki (nee Kankitsurui)  - Fuun Kankitsurui - Komori Unohana - Edna Kawakubo - Kohai Fumeiyo

2. Sakumo’s Era - Hana Natsuki (nee Yamanaka) 

3. Minato’s Era - Chikara

4. Older Jonin Group [Late 20′s/Early 30′s] -Sekkachi Fumeiyo -Kakashi Hatake

5. Mid Jonin Group [Mid 20′s] - Rei Hatake (nee Natsuki)  - Naru Fuzuki - Mikazuki Zazen - Sefure Kawakubo - Tenshi Taketori - Amai - Yugao Uzuki - Nozomu - Tenjikubotan Fumeiyo

6. Young Adult Group [Early 20′s] - Arai Kawakubo - Tanjo - Hiretsuna Akado - Hitsuji Akado - Sukui Yukio

7. Naruto’s Era - Suisen Unohana - Naruto Uzumaki - Hinata Hyuga - Sasuke Uchiha - Sakura Haruno

8. Konohamaru’s Era (...kind of; they’re, like, three years older than him) - Yuzu - Roru Fumeiyo - Hoseki Kenshin

9. Next Gen First Phase/Pre-War Babies - Kyugeki - Ran - Wakizashi

10. Next Gen Second Phase/Post-War Babies - Nariko Hatake - Sutego Hatake - Ichika Kawakubo - Oniyuri Yukio - Minoru - Mirai Sarutobi

11. Boruto’s Era - Rokurou Hatake - Kanami Unohana - Ise Hyuga - Sarada Uchiha - Boruto Uzumaki

12. Himawari’s Era -Katsuro Hatake - Keiko Hatake - Sensu Uchiha - Himawari Uzumaki

13. Fledglings/Boruto-Era Born Babies - Kazuhiko Hatake - Anzu Uchiha

[myaekingheart]

You've been visited by the random OC question fairy! :D ~☆

Happy International Women's Day! What is your OC's relationship with being a woman? How has being female affected their upbringing and/or their past? How does being female affect their actions, thoughts, and relationships with others, if at all?

Hi OC Questions Fairy! 

I’m gonna answer this for all of my female OCs so they each get a little attention so this might take a minute hahaha With Rei, it was never so much of an issue of being a woman than it was an issue of what was expected of her as a woman. Her parents had a very specific vision in mind for the type of life they wanted for her that involved the usual “get married, have babies, be a housewife” route. And while Rei has always yearned to be a wife and a mother, she also has always yearned to be a ninja. The opposition of her family about her becoming a ninja, however, led her to believe that she could not do both and for a long time she suppressed her desire for domesticity in order to focus entirely on her career.  Which is also telling of Rei’s mother, Hana. She had sort of an opposite experience in that her family wanted her to become a ninja and take advantage of the Yamanaka’s kekkei genkai, the mind transfer technique, but Hana was not fit for becoming a ninja. Every time she tried to use the family jutsu, she would get splitting migraines. She never even wanted to become a ninja in the first place, however, and feels right at home fulfilling her expected gender roles.  Kakashi’s mother, Aijo, never really played by the rules when it came to femininity. She was always kind of feral and wild, she didn’t have any reservations about getting down and dirty in her work.  Rei’s grandmother, Teiko, had very much the same path as Rei. Her family had no interest in shinobi whatsoever, but Teiko had a gift and she was drawn to ninja work. She also kind of defied what was expected of her for a really long time and tried to balance both a ninja career and being a mother but she ultimately had to make a sacrifice and choose her family over everything else.  Teiko’s old teammates, Komori and Edna, have interesting relationships with their womanhood. Komori is kind of eccentric and materialistic in a way. She has a twin brother, Rojin, and together they run the local antiques shop. She never really felt like she was not on equal footing compared to her brother, but she also worked very hard to become a solid ninja. She was ready to give it up in a heartbeat in order to be the best mother she could to her children, though. Edna is the type who loves being a woman and engaging in things that are deemed “womanly.” Though she, too, was a fearsome ninja, she is also an expert in fashion and even runs the local high-end kimono shop. She’s the type who just absolutely revels in everything that she’s allowed to do and expected to do as a woman and she does those things with utmost confidence.  Komori’s granddaughter, Suisen, struggles with not just womanhood but existing in a body in general. She deals with an eating disorder and therefore has struggled a lot with body image, peer pressure, and a sense of control, all of which are not exclusively feminine issues but are definitely influenced by those issues.  Edna has two granddaughters, Sefure and Arai, who could not be more different. Sefure is far more feminine than her younger sister, but at a price. She has adopted that maternal instinct of wanting to provide for her sister, while Arai has the instinct to protect. In turn, Sefure has learned to use her womanhood and sex appeal for a source of income in order to support her sister, who instead turns to shinobi work and yearns to prove herself as strong and capable so that she can create a better life for the two of them.  Rei’s teammate and best friend, Sekkachi, has a similar issue to Rei in that she has certain expectations pinned on her by her family. Sekkachi wants nothing to do with them, though. She refuses to become the doting wife and mother--it’s just not in her blood. She is, instead, the strong, independent woman type but with a fault. She wants to have companionship but she struggles with accepting others into her life and allowing herself to be vulnerable. She’s built up an impenetrable wall and keeps up this facade of being unaffected and aloof. And while we’re on the subject of her and womanhood, it’s also important to note how significant woman are to her as a lesbian, so despite her bluntness and her independence, she of course tries her best to support women (even if sometimes her support seems like the opposite, in terms of her and Rei’s relationship where they butt heads constantly and she tends to criticize Rei’s life choices once and a while. All in all, she’s not perfect.)  Rei’s other teammate and childhood best friend, Naru, definitely also revelled in her femininity much like Edna and Sefure do. Naru has charm, she’s popular, and she always knows everyone’s business because she feels like she has a responsibility to be a nexus of information. She’s bubbly and bright but also knows how to use her feminine charm to her own benefit, i.e. manipulation and genjutsu.  Rei, Sekkachi, and Naru’s sensei is Chikara, a former dancer turned shinobi. Chikara has a very vast knowledge of what it means to be a woman in this profession but rather than fight against that inequality, she teaches her students how to use that to their advantage. She taught her students choreographed dance routines and as a team, they created an entire ensemble alter ego of rave dancers to perform at a local club where many enemy ninja are often attracted so that in this way, the girls essentially weaponize their femininity in order to lure criminals to their deaths.  And on the subject of weaponizing femininity, none do this better than Tenshi. While she also exemplifies some of the negative social aspects of being a woman such as sexualization and competition, she uses her sex appeal to lure men so that she can get what she wants. And often times what she wants are eyeballs. Specifically Sharingan. Because she works for Danzo. This is why she is currently in jail.  Mikazuki doesn’t really feel very tied to her identity as a woman, I don’t think? She’s very spiritual and while she’s also very feminine in the way she presents herself, as well as demure and shy, I don’t think she really focuses much on the fact that she’s a woman. I know in terms of sexuality, none of it matters to her one bit. She’s more concerned with what type of person you are than what gender you are, though she definitely is aware of the inherent inequality of being a woman. After all, she’s in this shinobi business, too, which doesn’t really let you forget about that.  In terms of Sekkachi’s family, her grandmother Kohai’s entire backstory hinges on her womanhood. She migrated to the Konoha because she dared to practice a sense of agency over her female existence in terminating an unwanted pregnancy, which her family disowned her for. She knew that she made the right decision for herself, however, and went on to carry that with a sense of self-acceptance--as well as a reclamation of the term fumeiyo, which means dishonor, and was the surname she chose for herself when she branched out on her own.  Sekkachi’s cousin, Tenjikubotan, is another woman who soaks up all the advantages of her womanhood. She behaves like a socialite and enjoys the company of attractive men, as well as making herself attractive for them.  Tenjikubotan’s younger sister, Roru, is far less concerned with appearances. She just wants to follow in her cousin Sekkachi’s footsteps and become a badass ninja. She isn’t entirely concerned with what effect her womanhood might have on her, which perhaps is merely a positive sign that her much younger generation is making strides toward gender equality in the shinobi world.  While these two are more minor characters, I really want to include Amai and Hiretsuna, as well. Amai is very much invested in her womanhood and she enjoys engaging in the cute and the feminine. She is a waitress at the local dango shop and loves pink and sweet things and cute animals. She just wants to exist as something bright and positive and to make people smile. Hiretsuna is far more subtle in her femininity, but is feminine nonetheless. She works reception at the hospital and definitely engages in the local gossip and fantasizing about attractive men, even if it’s far more fairytale-esque and fluffy than sexual.  Sosei and Seiiku are middle-aged twins who work in the hospital and represent the significance of mental and physical/reproductive health for everyone but especially women. Sosei works in the mental health ward as a leader for group therapy and inpatient treatment, a role that she takes very seriously. She is passionate about mental health and the inherent sense of healing that comes from community and communication. Her sister, Seiiku, is the head of the maternity ward and is very passionate about reproduction, pregnancy, childbirth. She has a very holistic, female empowerment approach with an emphasis on expecting mothers taking charge of their own birthing experience. 

Seiiku’s star pupil is Tanjo, who had a really interesting struggle with accepting her womanhood. She was initially an enemy ninja sent to Konoha to gain intel but her mission was quickly sidetracked when she began experiencing severe abdominal pains and had to be rushed to the hospital where she discovered she was in labor and she didn’t even know she was pregnant.* This startling and life-changing incident at first left her reeling and with very little sense of direction but she decided to take charge of her own life after this and train to become a midwife herself as a way to regain control over a situation in which she had none. She is very much supportive but also a tough-love type of woman who went through a very traumatic experience but came out the other side better for it and having found a true passion in helping other women and empowering them the way that she wished she had felt when she gave birth.  *This whole chapter originally began as a gag based on the fact that Kakashi Hatake’s English voice actor, Dave Wittenberg, also narrated I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant. The characters and plot points from this chapter, however, expanded to something far more developed so now here we are.  I have more characters that I could speak on on this because about ninety percent of my OCs are women but this is already getting really long and I feel like there’s a pattern in the way I write female characters so many of them will probably sound the same in terms of the way they approach womanhood and the influence that being a woman has on them. I think this is a pretty well-rounded group to have answered this for, though. Thank you for asking!