#this is why kage has family issues

[tianasficrecs168]

Sasunaru fic recs

Fair warning, right off the bat: some of these are really fuckin old. Like fanfiction.net old. But I can't not include them, bc the me from way back then really liked them.

The quality gets better and better the further down you go, so. Take it or leave it I guess lol

Anyway, the drill (you know it):

A black dot • means it’s a one-shot, if it doesn't have one, it's got more than one chapter

WolfieNLazuli: - "Avoidance" (Naruto/Sasuke) • In which Sasuke dances around the issue of his feelings as Sakura and Naruto watch on in perplexity.

Attanih88: - “Pyretos” (Naruto/Sasuke) • Sasuke came to stand closer. Naruto watched him, taking in the easy strides and the way Sasuke’s face remained devoid of expression as he took in Naruto’s wounds.

Dawnstruck: - “Cultivate your hunger” (Naruto/Sasuke) • After six days, Sasuke wakes up. Naruto doesn't.

Michelerene: - “The Divine Glitch” (Naruto/Sasuke) There are reasons why two people can't be together. Separated by oceans, by wars, by family feuds. Try being the Angel of Death. Romeo and Juliet were lucky. 

Blackkat: - “Stormborn” (Naruto/Sasuke) Flashes of an unknown past haunt Naruto, entwining his steps with those of a former life no longer content to stay forgotten. There's a voice on the wind and another lifetime in his head, and it’s time for Uzushio’s Storm God to rise once more. (The soul of a city is a hard thing to kill. Uzushio is still aware, still waiting. And now, with the rebirth of her greatest Kage, it’s time to call her people home.)

Applecrumbledore: “Prairie Town” (Naruto/Sasuke) • The auto shop mechanic knocked the kickstand of his motorcycle down with the heel of his sneaker. He had pale blond eyelashes and a full mouth, wrinkled white t-shirt tight around his arms, jeans over big thighs. No edges. Loud in both volume and presence. Sasuke fidgeted with his hands inside his pockets.

Winterdesu: - “40m2” (Naruto/Sasuke) • Naruto and Sasuke cohabitate. "What happens now?" Sasuke wondered aloud. Naruto laughed - the sound clear and warm like sun-drenched crystals. He gestured widely at the unfurnished flat with a flourish. “We move in,” and pointed at the pile of furniture and boxes still unmoved from their place at the door. "Let's fill this place up, Sasuke."

Sieges: - “Beyond Grating Bones” (Sasuke/Naruto) Sasuke doesn't emerge from his fight with Itachi unscathed, or even alive. Revived as an Edo Tensei, he finds the second chance he never wanted, the answers he never got, and the peace he didn't know he needed.

Frogsterz: - “Coming home” (Naruto/Sasuke) • “Do you not have a fridge?” Sasuke asks, bewildered. And it didn’t have a fridge. Or a bedframe. Or a mirror in the bathroom. Or— “Naruto, how do you live like this?” (Sasuke makes it his mission to find Naruto a proper home. Naruto already has one; it just tends to come and go.)

[joltai-showa]

No because Obito is so stupid like that if you want to be several raccoons in a trench coat maybe don't have a theme between all of them, it's only a matter of time before someone connects the dots.

Speaking in DnD terms: the average intelligence in Naruto world is like 8 at best, and anyone above that value is considered a bloody genius and believed to have the sexiest brain in the land. Not that it means they are objectively smart lol.

But I think that's just due to the simple rule "a story can not be smarter than the people writing it". I am not saying this to be mean to Kishimoto and his team, but the man admitted in the interviews that setting up plot twists is not his strongest suit.

But yeah, the fact that Obito at no point in his 17 or so year long run got caught is ridiculous. Some things are outright "must have been the wind" levels of absurd. The massacre after Rin's death? Oh yeah, certainly Kakashi, don't mind the fact the guy has no recollection of it and there's a giant fucking christmas tree with Kirigakure's shinobi's corpses now sprouting from the ground, that stuff's always been there. Meeting Ame gang in his Gurugurugelion? That Obito is still 14 at the time, meaning a 154 cm twerp. Real Madara is about 180 cm btw, and Obito as an adult is 182 cm🤗 Konan and Nagato didn't think it weird how their shadow leader had a sudden growth spurt a few years after their meeting?

Everything about Blood Mist. Just. Just everything about it. Also Mei should have been held back by the rest of the Kages during the summit, cuz she has about a billion reasons to whoop Obito's ass back into the red puddle under the rocks stage there and now.

Also the duality of the Uchiha massacre with "oh nooooo I was seen by Itachi! The horror! I guess now to get him to cooperate with me and not reveal my presence in these events I must murder all of my relatives! This is certainly a reasonable course of action correlating to my greater goals!" -> gets caught meddling with Uchiha corpses like 3 days later by fucking Danzo of all people. And Danzo not raising this shit to Hiruzen for... reasons. Apparently Uchiha Madara or his copycat are not a gigantic fucking issue for all branches of power in Konoha.

Tobi's absurdity is legendary, but honestly the manga would have been so much worse off without him. Bless Tobi, the best iteration of adult Obito🙏the bisexuality is not enough to heal his writing problems, but goddamn does it make him funnier. The best scientists in Konoha and the best strategists in Ame can not wrap their minds as to why the hell the leader of Akatsuki just doesn't fucking yoink all the Beasts solo, but rather be in a strange borderline BDSM relationship with a random femboy twink from Iwagakure. Like, that was not a thing with Madara in the annals of history.

Also before I forget, but I remember seeing a very heated discussion on Youtube regarding one scene that SOMEHOW also created a plot hole: the Tobi trolling the Sasuke retrieval squad scene. Hinata with her Byakugan is just THERE. Byakugan CAN SEE through the mask, Hinata SHOULD BE seeing Obito's smug mug. It's generally baffling that Mr. "I will not take off the mask for 17 years" is so chill about Hyuga generally existing when they are one of the biggest problems for his identity's secrecy (and he already got caught once with the Byakugan, albeit it was because of his genjutsu on Yagura and Ao being the secret Byakugan snatcher) and after he helped with the mass murder of his own family - I guess Obito not being able to pinpoint what exactly is wrong with enslaving your relatives during the War Arc was a commentary on how much he likes the Hyuga clan, I guess? Lmao

And if you ask me "Well, what does it matter if Hinata can see Obito's face, she doesn't know how Madara looked, so she can't say that anything is wrong☝️🤓" - THERE IS A GIGANTIC FUCKING STATUE OF MADARA IN THE VALLEY OF THE END. HUMONGOUS. LARGE. COLOSSAL. ENOURMOUS. MADARA'S FACE THERE IS THE SIZE OF PLUTO. BRING ANY HYUGA THERE AND PUT THEM IN FRONT OF OBITO, AND THE DOUBLE TROUBLE CAVE DWELLING DUO'S PLAN IS BUSTED. EVERYONE WILL IMMEDIATELLY KNOW THAT UNDER THE MASK IS NOT MADARA, BUT SOME DUDE WHO IS ABOUT A 100 YEARS YOUNGER AND LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE CHEWED ON HIS FACE.

Anyway, back to the DnD terms: I guess Hinata's intelligence stat dropped to 0 in that scene and Obito had something to do with that, otherwise there's no sensible explanation to how this scene even exists.

But yeah, it's absurd how Obito managed to stay undiscovered for so long. Borderline looney tunes shit. And that's not covering his attire (that's pretty much always something black and covering most of his body because Kishimoto didn't plan shit and there are moments where Obito reveals his obviously artificial parts and no one bats an eye, which is less of an issue in the shinobi world) and his masks which for one a) always reveal he's missing one eye - why the fuck are you showing your enemies a pattern that can make you easily recognizable and why are you showing them that you have a wound there b) always fucking ORANGE in some capacity. I remember reading that in the night orange is actually one of the hardest colors ro see, but no one is supposed to see you in the first place! Why are you wearing masks with the same unusual color?? Your enemies will realize you are the same asshole from before! omgggggggg

If Obito wasn't an Uchiha carried by the plot, his ass would have been busted like every six months. I love the iconic orange Tobi mask, but goddammit Obito get your shit together and wear a standard ANBU mask. At least you won't be standing out like a sore thumb like that

[under-my-pillow]

“Morality dictates collectivity? - You might want to reconsider that. Morality is simple yet also quite complicated.”

Morality is collective, and ethics is personal.

“In an election would you choose to vote for a candidate who just prioritizes personal interests or would you vote for someone who is out there working to change the actual shitty situation?”

I don't know why you insist on comparing reality (political issues) with a work set in past times. I am a liberal, so I will sympathize with people who put individuals before a nation or religion. I would vote for someone who is prepared and takes care of his family (if he has one).

“The chapter 221 where we see a flashback of Yu-hon's teachings is actually a very beautiful chapter. Yu-hon's idea itself is not wrong. In war, people have to be clear headed. The core message is do not lose yourself to emotion.”

This is a misinterpretation on your part. Kusanagi when writing to Yuhon, you see that many of his actions and teachings are wrong. Even she does not give it a gray tone (this is not Game of Thrones). Yuhon, Il and Suwon follow the cycle of hatred, and it is Yona who breaks it. Even the most novice reader can deduce it.

“As for the King's illness. It is a national issue. If the information where to leak into the wrong hands it would spell the greatest disaster. He is not wrong to take precautions. It is simply common sense. And let me tell you if Soo-won really wanted Hak dead. Hak would be dead. Hak himself admits Hyoori was someone even he could not beat.”

National interest is above the value of life. Thank you for your reply(common sense that can cause a civil war, killing allies is not very intelligent). Hyoori's existence is one of the many inconsistencies in the castle arc. If you don't take dragons seriously, I'm even less likely to take the Suwon gang seriously.

“Sasuke and Naruto had different goals. They were up each other's throats in the beginning. Did that make Sasuke the antagonist?”

Sasuke is the co-protagonist of Naruto. He was both a friend and rival of the protagonist. When Sasuke joins Akatsuki to attack Konoha and the Kages, he becomes an antagonist.

Morality is collective, and ethics is personal.

I gave you a whole example of the deadbeat father to make my point which you selectively ignored.

@freewilllife borrowing your words here since I couldn't have said it better and I am lazy to type it all again:

"Morality dictactes collectivity...that is such a sentence that means everything and nothing, it is so broad in the meaning and does prove literally nothing.

Yes, morals are literally a product of people having to live together...but that actually has little relevance in that discussion. Because morality is a product of subjects, therefore not objective.

A long time ago, it was literally morally right to own slaves, but today this is - rightfully - considered morally wrong. Morals are fluent and a product of the people living at a certain place during a certain period in time

That means you forcing your morality on a different place, is possible of course, but you look a lil bit like a fool, if you do not take the subjective aspect of morality into consideration.

Murder is often considered morally wrong among people for obvious reasons. If murder was not considered evil, the survival of the fittest would rule without exception.

However, there are situations, where we absolve people from this: So there are "murders" that are considered justified/ a necessary evil."

I don't know why you insist on comparing reality (political issues) with a work set in past times. I am a liberal, so I will sympathize with people who put individuals before a nation or religion. I would vote for someone who is prepared and takes care of his family (if he has one).

Reality/Fiction some basic qualities of a leader are not going to change. I don't know how one may be liberal in choosing a leader, but I would expect a lot of thought to go into whoever one may support to the throne. Even in past times, ministers would be part factions, carefully considering which prince or princess to support to throne. If the person supported assumed the greatest authority or power and if that power was misused can you imagine the consequences?

I don't understand how one can be liberal in such decisions.

Are individuals and nation separate in your view? A nation consists of individuals. Without individuals a nation does not exist. So it is common for people either in fiction or reality to expect a leader to make decisions that would benefit most of them.

If I were a subject of the Kouka kingdom I would wish not to starve to death. I would wish not to get separated from my family and hauled off to some foreign country to get raped to death or addicted to drugs. I would wish to remain within my own borders, own family and not cast away like a used tissue.This is common sense. Soo-won stabilized the broken country. This is a fact.

This is a misinterpretation on your part. Kusanagi when writing to Yuhon, you see that many of his actions and teachings are wrong. Even she does not give it a gray tone (this is not Game of Thrones).

I am sorry. Which of his actions and teachings are wrong?

Is it him teaching his son to be level-headed in war?

I believe you are the one who has misinterpreted the chapter wrongly. Anon, I don't think you understand what war means. It is an unimaginably for the lack of a better word, stressful and horrifying situation.

I was in an incredibly stressful situation a year ago and I was immediately bawling my eyes out because my mind was blank, and I couldn't decide what to do. Its just a day to day situation affecting one person.

Then can you imagine the incredible self-control needed to be calm and think carefully in a situation where one wrong decision could affect multiple lives at once?

Yu-hon who has been to many wars knows that it is impossible not to be close with the soldiers and generals in war. He tells Soo-won to view them as pieces in the sense - separate your emotions and don't let it cloud your thinking in war. A highly stressful situation where it is easy for emotions to influence or cloud right thinking.

Yu-hon never imagined his son would rigidly follow his teachings to the point of suppressing all his emotions and feelings. Yu-hon himself never did that. Otherwise he wouldn't have fallen for Yon-hi on first sight and decisively married her.

Yuhon, Il and Suwon follow the cycle of hatred, and it is Yona who breaks it. Even the most novice reader can deduce it.

The person who first initiated the breaking of the cycle of hatred was Soo-won. He was the one who prevented Yu-hon's faction from straight away killing Il - He was just nine years old. A nine year old stopped a six year old Yona from becoming an orphan.

Did he hate Il for killing his father? He sure did. What, you expect him to be jolly with it then? Not only did he kill Yu-hon but also sat on that throne and ruined the country and its people, his father held so dear, and you expect him not to be pissed off?

If Il had ruled properly, Soo-won would have let go of his hatred too.

Yona is doing what Soo-won couldn't do because Soo-won is ruling properly. She hates him, but also recognizes that he reasons for why he did what he did. It doesn't make the pain better, but facts are facts.

National interest is above the value of life. Thank you for your reply(common sense that can cause a civil war, killing allies is not very intelligent). Hyoori's existence is one of the many inconsistencies in the castle arc. If you don't take dragons seriously, I'm even less likely to take the Suwon gang seriously.

The King's health is a national interest because it can affect a large number of lives. It is precisely to protect the value of a large number of lives that the king's health is kept secret.

Its funny how you mentioned I was confusing present day politics with a work rooted in past times, but some of your thoughts betray the fact that you view this work with present day sense.

Imagine if somehow the news leaked to the neighbouring kingdoms that the king of Kouka was gravely ill. The one who'll first come bearing arms is Sei, and then definitely Kai. It would also result in huge destabilization of morale which is directly related to winning or losing in war. How many lives would be lost then?

Sure, Yona might have stabilized morale with her little dragon troupe, won the war and saved the day, but seriously, would you step on a pile of shit just because you can wash the shit away later?

It is common sense not to step on the shit in the first place!

Sasuke is the co-protagonist of Naruto. He was both a friend and rival of the protagonist. When Sasuke joins Akatsuki to attack Konoha and the Kages, he becomes an antagonist.

I have long forgotten the plot of Naruto but my point here was you don't blindly go with the narrative. Yona of the dawn is not a work that has clear black and white. I dont know what Game of Thrones is about nor do I really care, but you should know there is a difference between making someone appear as an antagonist and a character really being an antagonist.

Perhaps using the most generic shounen manga to make a point was my mistake. But I had also given other examples. The greatest one being Pandora Hearts, or Ginga eiyuu Densetsu.

[sacredfire44]

I think it’s hilarious to watch people get mad about Boruto being character assassination because it IS until you consider the possibility of a poly situationship. Sakura is Sasuke’s wife, and Sasuke is Naruto’s husband, and Naruto is Hinata’s husband.

And also consider that Naruto has probably put in some actual damn work since he become Hokage.

Can’t do anything about Sasuke avoiding Konoha but I’m honestly not surprised about that, he’s a bit traumatized. Is he protective of it now? Yes! And that’s NOT WEIRD. Maybe the Konoha before was corrupt, but Naruto can LITERALLY SENSE NEGATIVE INTENTIONS(WHICH EVERYONE SEEMS TO HAVE FORGOTTEN?!)

Root has been disbanded and Naruto’s pretty clearly weeded out the corruption around him! Hell, they might never have brought UP the Hyuga branch-main family argument, but it’s clearly been dealt with considering neither Hanabi or Hinata have branch family seals, nor does Boruto or Himawari, when it’s explicitly mentioned that the heir remains in the main family while their siblings get seals.

(I wouldn’t be surprised if Naruto having kids with Hinata was what caused that issue to come up, honestly. What, do YOU want to be the Hyuga elder that explains to the Fifth and Sixth Hokage, as well as all the other Kage, and the entirety of Konoha, why their Hero’s kids should have a torture-seal placed on them?)

Like come on man, this is a village that finally DOES represent Naruto and Sasuke’s goals! It makes SENSE that he’d want to protect it now!!!

Also not surprised that Sasuke is awkward about Sakura and Sarada, my boy has No Idea how to interact outside of Naruto, and frankly if he does have feelings about her, as an autistic person who can’t handle emotions, I too run away from the people I care about when I get overwhelmed about caring for them. The people that I DON’T run from are the ones who chase after me often enough that I get used to caring about them.

Furthermore, Naruto doesn’t avoid his family! If you watched Naruto The Last, or hell, the day Naruto become Hokage, you know Naruto didn’t even BECOME Hokage until his kids are older, which he MENTIONED was a choice on his part so he could spend more time with them before they entered the Academy. The movie takes place during the Chunnin Exams, which are canonically more work to maintain, especially when it’s all five villages attending. In the series, we’ve seen Naruto come home much earlier outside of big, international events, take days off to spend with his family, and use clones for work while he stays home! Like he DOES spend time with his family, kishimoto himself said Boruto’s outbursts were more about getting used to his dad having any job at all(as he was a very powerful Shinobi who honestly didn’t have a lot of missions at his skill level) after being pretty much a stay-at-home dad. Hell, in the after-credits scene in Naruto the Last, it’s implied that Hinata was still an active Shinobi, and considering the age of the kids, I would not be surprised with Naruto staying at home with the kids up until Naruto’s ascension as hokage. And I NEED more fics if this time period, I’m DYING.

Anyway, Hinata and Naruto love each other, and Naruto and Sasuke love each other. Honestly I’m a bit iffy on Sasuke and Sakura but I kinda like the idea that she’s his beard which is why she’s never shown to mind when he’s not home lol. I CAN actually see them loving each other too, though I don’t think Sakura has a lot of skill with Uchihas that run from their feelings haha. Himawari is Naruhina’s kid, while Sarada and Boruto 100% have a mom and 2 dads. And I think with this interpretation, the whole show suddenly makes sense.

[ask-sibverse]

Can we know more about the consorts in harem? Do they have roles? Can we get from the favorite to the least?

Very few of the harem has actual official "roles," although that's more to the nature of why they're in the harem.

On Reve (Dream)'s side his two most "favored" consorts would probably be Ink and Blue. Blue was a royal guard who had to quit due to an injury, and Ink was a child who had grown up in the castle alongside Reve. In all honesty Reve would marry either or both, but an archaic rule is that the royal family can only marry non-nobility with approval from the majority of the kingdom's noble families aaaaand they've been fighting over that for the last decade. Blue's main "job" would probably be keeping Ink out of trouble.

Tied to second would probably be Killer, Dust, Axe, and Error (whom I keep forgetting to mention because bitch get out of your tower and talk to people). Killer and Dust were friends with the current Emperors since their teenage years, and when issues handling their LV forced them to quit, Dream officially made them a part of the harem so they would have access to the best medical care in the kingdom (and because they were all quietly pining for each other.) Axe is a refugee from the famine and general disaster of the Horror Kingdom, having arrived around 8-9 years ago with his two brothers, Hōra and Vega (sibverse Horrortale variants). He helps Kumo manage the castle staff and kitchens. Error is from a tribe of similar skeletons overseas. A few years ago, foreign traders raided his area to capture monsters to sell as slaves. Error had been "gifted" to Dream to gain favor, but slavery was already made illegal by that point. With no way to return home Dream made him a consort and keeps an eye out for news of any of his missing family. He doesn't have an official duty, but he does make clothes for the Emperors and harem, when Ink isn't bothering him.

On Nox's (Nightmare) side Mari is the favorite hands down. She was gifted to the royal family as a child (when slavery was legal) and the twins' mother took a shine to her, working to free the girl and raising her as though she was being trained to be the future Empress. She assists Nox and Reve with all of the duties an Empress would fulfill, staff and event organization, dealings with nobility of the Apple kingdom, and raising the Emperors' siblings and wards (there are currently no heirs from either Emperor.) Second to her would be Swad and Killer. Swad was...well without spoilers he was a slave owned by the previous emperor that Night found after his death and fell in love with. (Harem AU Swad is closer in personality to how he behaves in the far future of sibverse due to Plot Reasons rather than the common portrayal of Swad). He is still recovering from things both magical and physical the previous Emperor did to him, and as such does not have any duties.

"Lower ranked" would be Yuki, although that's because he's a prickly bastard no matter what timeline (affectionate). Yuki fled the war in Ukiyo with his brother, Kumo, because he refused to lead a war he could clearly see Ukiyo would not win. He bartered for safety for himself and his brother with the strict requirement that neither of them be required to serve in a military. The next best thing was adding Yuki as a consort and allowing Kumo to serve as matron/head of staff (which he's very good at).

And now we have Kage and Yume on Reve's side, lol

[pyroanime2k16]

Gundam Wing Sequel: Angel's Reckoning

Premise

This is set around the same time as Frozen Teardrop, with a few differences.

Since the end of the OZ and Mariemaia conflicts, there has been years of peace. Mobile Suits as weapons of war, while still a little fresh in people's minds, are largely a thing of the past as MS are now strictly made for civilian-use only. Strict laws are made in order to make this possible.

Our heroes from the conflicts are living normal lives as best they can. Duo and Hilda are raising their son, who's much like his father. Zechs and Noin live happily with their twin children. Wufei and Sally have some sort of kinship as they raise Kathy together. Trowa (Triton) lives peacefully with his sister at the circus.

For Quatre, things are not so simple. Much to his surprise, he has a clone named Katherine. He's been trying to take her under his wing, but it's been a challenge. The Preventers, led by Une and Relena, have had their hands full with 1: training Phobos and 2: keeping watch on an organization potentially breaking the MS law and 3: gearing for an inevitable armed conflict.

Heero, meanwhile, has a clone that he's been raising as his own daughter. However, that also has challenges as he's forced to be cryogenically frozen, only able to be woken up for 48 hours a month at most. He has yet to specify why, though most speculate that his health's declining.

Like it or not, this peace is short-lived as the organization is dead-set on wiping out those involved with Operation Meteor and the OZ conflict.

New Characters

Tenshi Yuy

Repurposed from my Gundam Build OCs, Tenshi is the sole clone of Heero, raised by him and the other Gundam pilots as his daughter. Physically, she's very much like her father, but with longer hair.

She's cheerful, kind, and often relaxed. She's also quite charming and has a brave and heroic side to her, not to mention selfless. She also cares about her family and friends deeply. As such, she's quite affectionate.

Much like Heero, she can be cold and stoic and much like her father, she believes that the best way to live life is by one's emotions. This is shown when she encourages her friends to show and vent out their sadness and angry openly.

As for what's unique about her, Tenshi is 19 years old, 5 feet and 6 inches, and is VERY protective over her loved ones. She can be quite violent and quick to act if there's danger. She also quite nerdy, especially about the gundams and weapons.

She is also a woman of respect, learning, and change. She respects her family, friends, teachers, and others as people, rather than idols. She's also willing to learn and change if necessary. Even though she struggles with it.

She carries around two pistols for emergencies and has no issue with using them. She will also often call Heero's Gundams as "Dad's shadow/wing" ("Kage/Tsubasa no Otousan" in japanese), showing her belief that the Wing Zero can be viewed as Heero watching over her and showing her deep care and love for her family.

For those of you who are curious about her sexuality, she’s aromantic and sex-repulsed.

Antagonists

The antagonists are comprised of certain FT antagonists (like Katherine) and original ones, like our main antagonist. The organization members are mostly motivated by getting revenge on those who were involved in Operation Meteor and the OZ conflicts, due to massive losses of life.

Our main antagonist, while also motivated by this desire, wants to punish the world rather than uproot the discourse and make things better. She is largely calm and collected, strategically thinking of how to best ensure the destruction of the enemy, but is can be mentally unstable towards her enemies.

In terms of appearance, she is very similar to the late Treize (including his height), though her outfit is more similar to Une's.

Mobile Suits

As said, most MS in the current MC era are meant for civilian usage. As such, they do not contain any form of weaponry. They are primarily based on the outdated Leo, as it was cheap and easy to mass produce.

Of course, Duo II uses the Warlock as he does in FT, but Phobos uses the Prometheus (which was original stolen by Katherine in FT). Quatre uses an MS meant to mimic the capabilities of the Sandrock.

The Wing Gundams

Both Wing Gundams from the show and EW are featured in two different ways. Here, the show's designs for the units are canon, but were upgraded to their EW/Katoki designs later.

The Wing was salvaged after the Mariemaia conflict as a secret last resort method by the Preventers. Wing Zero was upgraded during the last days of the Eve Wars. Later, Wing Zero would be salvaged after the Mariamaia conflict and be reborn as a new unit, again by the Preventers.

BOTH were done at Heero's request.

The Wing was renamed Wing Gundam Second Coming. Statistics-wise, it is essentially identical to its EW counterpart, but comes equipped with the WING system (a lesser copy of the superior ZERO system. Both have the same job, but WING gives less information and is far less taxing on the pilot). It also serves as an AI/auto-pilot.

The Wing Zero was upgraded into the Wing Gundam Archangel. Virtually, it is similar to the Wing Gundam Snow Wing Prelude from FT, but it has a few new differences and features.

The torso and legs shape are based on the Wing Gundam Rinascita/Rinascita Alba. The wing unit, meanwhile, has a backup unit that is virtually identical to HG Build Divers’s Sky High Wing set. Due to the fact that it’s a backup, there are no known means of storing the weapons.

It has been refitted with a co-pilot cockpit specifically for Neo-Bird Mode, the Wing Zero's ZERO system (now upgraded to be less mentally taxing), active camouflage, two heat swords stored in the Seraph Binder, and two beam pistols hidden in the Twin Buster Rifle.

Antagonists

Aside from using MS from FT, the main antagonist uses an MS based on the Tallgeese with a complementary Mobile Armor.

It is named the Tallgeese Meteor, which was based on the Flugel and Tallgeese II, but significantly upgraded. The Armor is named the Armageddon Unit, specifically made to destroy the Gundams.

Elites commanders are allows to use MS that are designs to LOOK like the Operation Meteor Gundams, as a means to mock their opponents.

Story Overview

The first season would start off more light-hearted, as Tenshi (despite knowing she's a clone of the greatest Gundam pilot in the AC/MC timeline) is trying to live a normal life.

17 episodes are used to showcase the characters' bond with each other and demonstrate their capabilities, while 5 are used to set up the main conflict of this story, which is the antagonists' goal to kill the Gundam pilots in an act of vengeance.

3 others are used as recap episodes, summarizing the original show, the EW movie, and what happened in between these three stories. This also includes the development of the FT and unique MS.

The second season would primarily go through the conflict, showing that while Tenshi and Duo II, as well as Zechs and Noin's kids, are most CERTAINLY not ready for war, they will protect their families by ANY means.

This will reveal who the antagonists are (some are still the same from FT, though it'll be hinted at much better here), Wufei's involvement (because he's always the person doing his own thing), and WHY Heero was continuously going through cryo.

I'm ultimately considering Heero either giving his life to protect the children or die in peace while bonding with his friends and family. That's his endgame. The Wing's last mission is to bring Heero back safely for a proper funeral.

Tenshi would go after the main antagonist herself, believing that no one else she loves should die because of this nonsense. Ultimately, she succeeds in reaching her target, but loses in a one-on-one fight.

Phobos, Duo II, and Zechs and Noin's kids rescue her, thus convincing her that they need to work together in order to return home. The younger cast resolve to stay while the OG cast leave to ensure the Wing's safety.

During the final battle, Tenshi with the Wing Archangel lays waste to EVERYTHING daring to challenge her. Duo II, Zechs and Noin's kids, and Trowa Phobos are with her in the Wing Archangel's cockpit after the Warlock, Prometheus, and other allied units are destroyed.

Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Zechs, Noin, and Wufei will join the final battle in the OG Wing, Tallgeese Heaven, and Epyon Bai respectively. Duo, Trowa, and Quatre piloting the regular Wing is them paying tribute to Heero, much like Tenshi is by piloting the Wing Archangel.

The OP would be Across The End by Two-Mix, because yes. Nightwish's Wish I Had an Angel would be used as an insert song during the final battle.

[evilkitten3]

#both sound very good topics mutual!#it’s hard to choose tbh 😂#but Izuna having a susan’oo! I need to read this

izuna it is!

so tbh i've gone back and forth on this in my head bc i really don't think everyone needs to have a susanoo (case in point, shisui. why would you give him that. it adds nothing and only makes him look like an idiot for not using it when danzou was trying to yoink his eyeballs), but ultimately i came to this conclusion for two reasons:

first, it's canon that a susanoo changes once you move from the regular mangekyou to the ems. to illustrate this, here's sasuke's susanoo in chapter 484 (i'm pretty sure it's 484, it's definitely volume 52, but unfortunately i don't own that one yet):

compared to his susanoo in 574, after implanting itachi's eyes:

iirc we first see sasuke's incomplete susanoo at the five kage summit in chapter 463 (according to the wiki; unfortunately i don't own volume 49 either), well after he awakens his mangekyou in chapter 402. the third databook states that one must be able to use both amaterasu and tsukuyomi before unlocking susanoo, although if that's true then it's only the case for itachi, as no one else has ever used tsukuyomi ever, while just about everyone has susanoo. however, the implication is that there's a learning process, which neatly slots into sasuke learning to both activate and extinguish amaterasu at different points in time (and with different levels of intent. stop putting your jutsu in people without asking, itachi, it's really weird).

my second piece of evidence is what madara says the first time we see his susanoo (chronologically, during hashirama's flashback): 「この前の傷が元で弟は死んだ・・・うちはを守るためにオレに力を残して！」 "my little brother died due to the wound from last time... he left me the power to protect the uchiha!"

now, we never see madara use susanoo pre-ems, so we have no idea what it looked like before izuna's power was added to it. my theory is that it looked similar to this:

but we really don't see much of the other face at all. the best image i could find was this one:

the back face is hardly ever seen by the viewer, and it's not visible at all in hashirama's flashback. i actually went back and checked just to be completely sure, and yeah, in every single susanoo panel in the flashback, the second face is completely obscured. when he first summons it after izuna's death, the angle is such that the second part is almost impossible to see at all

i think this serves two purposes - first and most obviously, as a physical manifestation of madara's deep-seated trust issues. he can't fully put his faith in anyone else. however, in spite of hating having people behind him, when izuna's life is threatened in their childhood, madara flings himself in front of him without hesitation.

(sorry for the poor quality, that's what i could find. believe me, it's better than it would've been if i'd just tried to take a picture myself lol)

as much as madara dislikes having people stand behind him (and thus dislikes being in a position that would require such a thing, like being a leader), he puts his love for his family - especially his little brother - over his personal discomfort.

so to me, the double-sided susanoo is a representation of both madara's inability to trust others and his desire to keep what he loves shielded with even his own body.

side note: the seals the susanoo face i view as madara's original is making when he summons it in the fourth image appear to be the mirrored ram seal, which madara also uses to become the juubi jinchuuriki (so does obito) and after that to throw lightning out of his hands like he's emperor palpatine or something. the seal the rear face is making appears to be a version of the ox seal, although with the palms pressed together rather than being perpendicular and all of the fingers folded. possibly this is due to madara's susanoo's hands having six fingers rather than five, not sure.

so i've been thinking about the susanoo and i can't decide if i'd rather discuss why the anime changed itachi and sasuke's respective susanoo's colors or why the second susanoo on the back of madara's is definitely izuna's and was not there pre-ems

[agoddamn]

Bad brother/horrible Hashirama made sense back then because of the fan translation that made Hashirama more aggressive with Tobirama and worse than he actually was. I remember how Hashirama's line to Sasuke was mistranslated when we got spoilers and turned into "Madara cared more about his brother than I did with mine". After the official translation and the extra scenes we got from the adaptation, it makes zero sense why the trope still a thing when we had Hashirama declaring to Madara that he is going to protect his brother no matter what and also made it clear that he too won't forgive anyone who harm his brother. I also don't remember any line from the official translation where Hashirama has been callous with his brother, but I remember how he made a mean spirited comment about Tobirama when he tried to break free (while in the official, it was more a good-natured banter that was actually funny) and the "stop with the bigotry, Tobirama!!" line from the fan translation which is...yeah (point is, don't make judgment based on mistranslation). As for their beef, my brother and I strongly disagree on politics, but that doesn't mean that our relationship is bad because of it and I think it's safe to say it's the same for the Senju brothers. After all, it's clear that Hashirama let Tobirama mostly do whatever he wanted and didn't make any big decision without talking about it with him first like with the hokage issue and how he let him take control during the first kage summit and Tobirama seem to think highly and fondly of his brother. (Sorry for the long rant, I haven't been in the fandom for almost a decade and I have been feeling a bit nostalgic for the series and it is good to have a conversation with someone here who isn't immature brat with vendetta)

The "callous" lines I was thinking of were actually his response to Madara's murder/suicide ultimatum and his "not even family will stop me from protecting Konoha" line from VotE, which Tobirama admittedly did not witness (and in the full context it's presented I don't even think it's unethical, but I do think that hearing it would make Tobirama stumble because being discarded by Hashirama is his biggest fear).

It's less that I think having political beef indicates a bad relationship--it doesn't--and more that Hashirama not understanding why Tobirama has those fears about Madara (what I said before about the murder/suicide ultimatum really fucking Tobirama up in ways neither brother fully understood) shows that Hashirama is missing something critical about Tobirama's state of mind. Which also doesn't indicate a bad relationship! But I do understand how that gap in understanding could cause a critical rift.

Like, Hashirama clearly considered the whole ultimatum thing/Uchiha situation in general "no harm no foul"--he keeps casually scolding Tobirama about his aggression in an impersonal way, the way you'd say "I can't believe you forgot to turn on the dishwasher again!" while the depths of Tobirama's fixation suggest something more serious.

tl;dr I think Tobirama considered Madara's murder/suicide ultimatum unforgivable and Hashirama just never registers that. To be fair, I don't think Tobirama registers it either lmao it's not a crime for Hashirama to not have solved all of Tobirama's Traumas. It doesn't stop either from thinking highly and fondly of the other. It is a potential complication, though.

[sasukerevolution]

What’s your response to people who criticize Sasuke’s choice to destroy Konoha? That he should be more thoughtful of how complicated the situation was?

This question's interesting, thanks!!

So - I'm assuming we're talking about the period between Itachi's death up until Itachi's death 2.0, where Sasuke decided he doesn't know what he's going to do going forward and then talks to the Kages and changes his decision from destruction of the Village to revolution.

Personally, I don't think destroying Konoha was like, the best idea Sasuke's ever had, haha. But I guess to me it's like... taking that individual goal he had and using it to judge whether his character is morally good or bad seems irrelevant? Sasuke's an obvious victim of the Leaf, who did not have a nuanced approach to his family's situation when they decided to wipe them all out. The Uchiha Massacre was a very extreme response to the tensions between the village and Sasuke's family. Sasuke's decision to destroy the Leaf isn't any more lacking in nuance than Danzou's decision to wipe out Sasuke's clan was. His initial declaration to destroy the Leaf was a knee-jerk trauma response, and he cemented it later once he had the chance to think about it, explaining that the peace the Leaf enjoys now is a direct result of the subjugation of Sasuke and his clan, and the trauma Sasuke and Itachi had to endure - and thus is a false peace that deserves to be destroyed. He's in a destructive and unhealthy place but you can see his thought process behind it and the amount of trauma and pain that led him to that conclusion.

Once confronted with the truth, Kakashi and Naruto did not cease to represent "The Leaf Village" - Naruto declares he'll die for the Leaf's values, and Kakashi says "Oh em geeee stawwwwpppp you're so crazyyyy..." so Sasuke's lack of interest in trying to fix the Village or anything isn't entirely unjustified, considering Naruto himself is the most sympathetic to Sasuke's issue of any other character and even he won't budge. At this point he's lost everything he cares about. Is it so difficult to understand why his mind is taken over by revenge and trying to give his pain at least some meaning?

So - I don't agree with Sasuke's decision to destroy the Leaf. Genocide is bad no matter what. But I think framing this as evidence that Sasuke himself is immoral or bad is just missing the point. He's pushed to this extreme by the trauma and oppression inflicted on him by the Village, and by the Village's pride and insistence on standing by that oppression. It's a nuanced situation, but I don't blame Sasuke for not being in the mood for those kinds of complexities at that point in the story. Once he's had some closure with Itachi, despite the fact that the Leaf itself has not done anything to inspire any faith in him, he does move on from his destructive goals in a more constructive direction.

[al-hekima-madara-blog]

Ōnoki, the dysfonctional scale

I'm re-watching some Boruto ep recently, the Oonoki's arc. I had forgotten how the level of political hypocrisy among the 5 Kages is at its finest !

So Tsuchikage Ōnoki gave us during the 4th war, one of the most melodramatic talk no jutsu ever heard about "yeah this time we fight together for real reasons. And my stone of will is so strong this time, We are moral while you, Madara is such a obnoxious guy and such and such..." And honestly it was painful to my ear to listen, considering the amount of time Ōnoki in the past betray alliances and hang out with Akatsuki.

Anyway...15 years later in Boruto, he lost just one grandson not even during war, still having other member of his family alive like Kurotsuchi herself in position of power, still having your whole village simping for him, and he turns Madara-esque real quick. "Yeah I kill some innocent konoha shinobi but I have a plan for Peace, sorry not sorry, I gotta put me first !"

So everyone is pure evil for defending his cause until Ōnoki experiences himself pain? Now he has excuses for doing some collateral damages? No curse of hate involved, no genetical issue detected, no bitter karmic ancestors...

And his punishment was ... to be celebrate as a national hero after his death.

Now I understand better why Edo Madara was not listening to a single soul during this war. The man was over 100 years old, he already heard all their bullshit a thousand time. He was just here to try kicking Hashirama's ass and delete this world. He was on mission and doesn't have time for children.

I'm at this... to wish for Otsutsuki's to erase the shinobi system for good.

[madara-fate]

Hi! I haven't been around Tumblr for long, but I have a question in mind and thought you would be the ideal person to answer it. BTW, how's your life going? Hope you're okay!

I've seen some people (perhaps jokingly, who knows) saying that they want the Uchiha (Sakura, Sarada and Sasuke) to leave Konoha. What are your thoughts about this? Isn't this contradicting the characters desires? Because I feel the three of them have many reasons to stay there (I mean, even Sasuke sacrifices time with family in order to protect the village and his family's future - words from chuunin exam arc). There has to be a reason why he and Sakura decided to come back to Konoha and raise Sarada there. Sakura is a leader and has an important job, and their friends live there. Sarada's own dream is about being the Hokage, and she wishes to protect and take of the village as well.

I understand Uchiha clan needs some better recognition, and that the village isn't a city of angels, yet it conflicts me how often I see this opinion? I wanted to know what are your thoughts regarding this topic, knowing what Sasuke (and Itachi, Shisui, etc) have been through.

I am well, thank you. But as for your question...

I don't see any practical or personal reasons why the Uchiha family should leave Konoha. They aren't being mistreated, that's where all their friends are, Sasuke is respected as a hero, the Shadow Kage and a member of the hierarchy, Sakura has a responsibility as the head of the hospital and is also a member of the hierarchy, and Sarada has aspirations to be the village's future Hokage. Why would they leave? That's their home, and they're experiencing no glaring issues there.

[ask-sibverse]

So! Yesterday was another bad migraine and my brain turns to cotton when those happen. I'm still kiiiiinda recovering so for now, because reading other people talking about their headcanons and thoughts on fandom shit just makes me wanna yell about my own shit! So here we go, going into every single Dreamtale in Sibverse, why they fought, and how they reconcile (short summaries, only going into anything not a spoiler)

Nox and Reve (main pair)

Why they fought: p typical Apple incident, Nox was still just angry at everything and everyone by the time Reve came out of stone. It took a long time before Nox calmed down, and by then was too proud to admit he was wrong. Reve really didn't know how to handle things, so things continued in much of the same for thousands of years

How they reconciled: Mari, who was originally a close friend of Reve, is "accidentally kidnapped" by the Bad Sanses and ends up befriending them as well. Through some more dumbass bullshit the twins are finally in a calmer situation to talk things out (and actually admit to their own stupidity)

Star and Nova (outer/celestialverse)

Why they fought: they only fought during the Apple Incident

How they reconciled: Nova and Star talked things out immediately after Star came out of being a statue

Belladonna and Daisy (floralverse)

Why they fought: the torment of the villagers continued even into teenage years. Daisy, likely as a coping mechanism, was unable to fully admit to how bad the villagers were, leading Bella to believe his twin just couldn't admit that "good people" could be bad. This led to an almost compulsive "need" to "prove" to Daisy that everyone has darkness and can be bad.

How they reconciled: tbh Bella and Daisy never truly "talked things out." It's more that over time while Bella was sealed he started to calm down and they were less at each other's throats (this is sibverse only. The floralverse fic is a "what if" Star never came and Bella was never sealed)

Kage and Yume (I still need to fucking name this verse)

Why they fought: similar to Bella and Daisy, but Kage honestly wanted everyone to hurt like he was hurting, including his twin. Kage honestly did some fucked up shit that will require trigger warnings when appropriate.

How they reconciled: they really don't. Their bond is never able to recover, even with Kage eventually apologizing

Morpheus and Pyrite (witchverse, we're getting into verses I haven't introduced yet)

Why they fought: post apple incident Morph calmed down relatively fast, all things considered. He was unable to free his twin at the time, and ended up meeting and becoming close to a mortal that became like a mother/family to him. When she was murdered, he fucking lost it, and decided to just wreck everything in his grief

How they reconciled: Morph started handling his grief better and calmed the fuck down (there is a lot more to this)

Comfy and Anxy (Comfort and Anxiety, they don't quite have a name for the verse oops)

Why they fought: Acrylic(Ink) ended up repeatedly alienating Comfy from his twin, meanwhile Anxy had some of his own issues that made everything worse.

How they reconciled: they actually got a chance to talk properly with help from some outside forces.

Important note: Acrylic is not an "evil" Ink. He had some shit ways of handling some trauma and mental issues, but is not evil.

Solar and Lunar (mythverse, a semi FTFO inspired verse with influences from Norse and other pagan mythology)

Why they fought: being stubborn

How they reconciled: they ended up raising Cura (their Ink) together

Nighty and Shard

Why they fought: apple incident

How they reconciled: Nighty grew up and calmed down, and talked things out with Shard post statue, then raised his twin

Dagger and Knuckles (Fellverse)

Why they fought: honestly it was the two dumbasses just petty bickering - because they're Swapfell based not Swap based - post Apple Incident

How they reconciled: work between Lighter (their Ink, an absolutely sassy gremlin in platform heels) and Star to basically literally knock some sense into both of them

Swad and Swan (Swapdream babyyyy)

Why they fought: excessive amounts of positive magic in Swad's system led to the blinding positivity and manic behavior

How they reconciled: Star basically fought Swad enough to burn the magic out of the system enough for him to finally calm down and the two had a very long talk

Other Dreamtale twins that did not need to reconcile are Silver and Gold (merverse/leviathan verse, if they ever fought and reconciled it was waaaaay outside the fic timeline), and Summer and Winter (rescued basically moments before the Apple Incident, their tree of feelings is under a magic barrier now and neither twin consumed an apple), and then Yami and Hikari (coreverse, the multiverse Observer was born in) reconcile due to heavy amounts of plot intervention

[ladykissingfish]

*cue sad Naruto music*

ya’ll ever think that Sasuke left the leaf village after the war not to go on an “atonement journey” but to ensure Naruto achieved his goal of being Hokage? like, it’s weird to think modern day issues like sexuality or politics would play a role in Naruto times but I think it did. I think Naruto would have gotten together with Sasuke. maybe not married, but openly dated/lived with him. and this image of a male Hokage dating another male wouldn’t have flown with the village elders, or anyone else save maybe some rare progressive thinkers ((see: Kakashi)) (((off-topic but I think Hashirama came close to this as well; he almost gave up everything to be with Madara. fuck Tobirama didn’t necessarily hate Uchihas; he hated Madara. specifically, Madara, because that guy would have messed up his big brother’s chance at the future he had been working so hard to create))) no. a male Hokage should be with a woman, and should have a traditional family. or else stay single ((again, see Kakashi)). but Sasuke being around in any capacity would not have allowed Naruto to hide his feelings or even pretend that they weren’t there. hence why he had to physically go as far away as possible, to remove that temptation. look at America; even in 2021 who would people be more likely to vote for as President? a guy and his boyfriend or a guy with a wife and two children? which is where Hinata comes in. Hinata who doesn’t want to be a ninja. Hinata who can cook, clean, raise kids and keep Naruto’s household in order. Hinata who doesn’t argue or contradict Naruto’s wishes in any way. Hinata who I don’t really think Naruto has romantic feelings for. strong friendship, maybe, and gratitude, but not romance. It’s always been my opinion that NO MATTER WHAT if you’re truly in love with somebody you make time for them above any and everything else. this includes the supposed mountain of work that Naruto faces each day as the Hokage. this would mean him coming home more often, eating with his family, sleeping under the same roof as them instead of at his desk like five nights a week — like Sasuke not calling or so much as sending a message to Sakura in, what was it, 12 years? despite having created a literal human being together? kinda feel like he “married” her and gave her a child because, like Naruto with Hinata, he felt both a sense of guilt and a strong obligation to repay Sakura’s kindness to him . I think maybe he even figured that a child was something that she could lavish that love on that would actually be returned, something to keep her occupied while sasuke had no real intention of ever coming back, or even trying to be a real, stable family with her. look not at the anime but in the manga itself. how sasuke looks to be in physical pain when he’s around his wife and daughter. then look at his facial expressions when he’s around Naruto and tell me, TELL ME the difference isn’t noticeable. and you know. people throw a lot of hatred at Sakura. but in my opinion she doesn’t really deserve that. her irrational love for sasuke aside, she’s a good mother, and she starts a freakin’ hospital to care for injured children. but she needed to grow up a little and realize that the person you love isn’t always the person that is best for you. honestly feel she would have been better off with Rock Lee ((but that’s another rant)) also in manga and anime there’s always this concept of “taking responsibility” in a romantic sense. Naruto took responsibility for Hinata’s feelings for him, the way Sasuke ((kinda, half-assedly)) “took responsibility “ for Sakura’s. but I literally think with my entire damn soul that the two of them only LOVED each other. loved each other enough to be selfless enough to stand back and let each other do what would be in each other’s best interests. honestly sasuke wasn’t coming back to Konaha after the war. why the fuck would he? after being public enemy number 1 on top of that lonely life living in a compound echoing with the memories of his slaughtered clan? Konaha with its idealism and darkness and cover-

ups? he would always have gone.

but Naruto should have gone with him.

the two should have travelled the entire ninja world, the world the both of them saved, together.

sasuke had stepped away from konaha and therefore understood the freedom of choice that comes from not being tied to the village and its (often questionable) practices ((like ordering a young boy to slaughter his entire clan, parents included, making him a criminal and outcast and casting him into an eternal pit of depression and emptiness SEE ITACHI)). but Naruto never had that benefit and therefore got snared up in it like a fly in a spider’s web.

everyone looked at sasuke like he was crazy when he said he was going to kill the five kage and start a damn revolution but fuck HE MADE DAMN GOOD SENSE. he saw how fucked up the system was and he knew it needed to be destroyed.

sasuke may not agree with it but he loves Naruto to the extent that he puts his personal feelings aside and takes these dangerous missions in order to help Naruto keep the Leaf protected, aka help him do his job.

it’s like 2:30 in the morning and I’ve tapped this entire thing out with one finger on my phone’s notepad and in the morning I’m going to look back at this and be like wtf were you talking about like this makes no sense bc I’ve never been good with successfully articulating my feelings about something all I know is I ship Sasuke and Naruto for multiple reasons ok not just for a yaoi reason but because I see two humans who have had awful and love-starved pasts that clearly love each other and would probably heal each other’s souls by being together.

also they have matching palm tattoos.

[sagemoderocklee]

Reiteration ❤️ A (but not GaaLee :p) P T

A - Your current OTP(s)/OT3(s)/OTX(s)

oof. okay so aside from GaaLee:

1) ShikaTema 2) NejiTen 3) Kakagai

i think these are the only like three ships i could say i feel strongly enough about that i’d classify them as OTPs. GaaLee honestly gets its own category anyways. im not really active in any other fandoms, and the only other ship I’ve ever felt as strongly about as i have gaalee was really Harry/Draco and well... ya know. Although if i were still super active in CLAMP fandom KuroFai and DouWata would 100000% be up there. And of course the forever and unbeatable Sakura/Shaoran but specifically CCS SakuShao because I think TRC isn’t quite as good with their romance

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

oh. that’s. okay we’re answering hard questions tonight i see.

something niche for you and me: new member of your MLM/communist/leftist reading group is Very Cute but very new to MLM/etc and needs extra help to understand the complicated history, theories, etc.

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything).

oh god. this is really opening a can of worms lmao and also.... i may have to put this under a cut because god i have so fucking many and some of them may need elaboration.

1. Gaara doesn’t ever take up sleeping/napping post Shukaku

this is something that I know a lot of ppl don’t like/want because everyone wants Gaara to be happy and like big same! but i do think that Gaara’s physiology is entirely altered from Shukaku and the lack of sleep. I feel like having it ingrained in him that he couldn’t sleep, knowing the devastation it would cause, plus all the trauma he has--he’d be plagued by nightmares first of all, and no shinobi is gonna wanna take a sleep aid or something to help them sleep more easily because that would just be a huge opening for someone to attack you. but the other thing is i think it would genuinely make him feel sick. like i know that when i get too little sleep i feel sick because my body needs a certain amount. BUT i also know that those days where im too depressed and don’t get out of bed and sleep too much i ALSO feel like shit. Gaara has lived his entire life without sleep--barring specific instances of forced sleep to release Shukaku--and his body has to have adapted to that. fifteen years of not sleeping there’s no way his body would know what to do with that. his body is so used to subsisting (and this is my own like explanation for how Gaara survived pre and post Shukaku) off of massive quantities of food and by funneling his own chakra into his brain to act as rest, healing, etc.  like i think at this point it’s so unconscious that he isn’t even aware he’s doing it anymore--like breathing. His chakra--which is already another physiological system in their bodies--is just taking up the job of the rest portion of his brain.

that all being said, i do still think this will have an overall affect on his lifespan, but not necessarily his physical or mental health in the immediate sense.

2. Kankuro is straight.

this goes for like all the characters i see as straight, and like i hate like putting this in the like “die defending” category, but there’s this sort of.... sense that when you’re LGBT in fandom you’re gonna see every character as gay and you’re sus/someone’s gonna side eye you if you don’t. like i get the whole ‘well obviously everything is straight and cis IRL, and im sick of it’ reasoning behind “everyone is gay/trans” but the thing is.... I wanna see cis and straight people who support their gay/trans friends and family. I don’t need to live in a world where no one is straight and cis. I need to live in a world where people who are straight and cis actually support and love LGBT people. i personally don’t get anything out of the fantasy of no straight cis people because what does that solve? and what does that say about the homophobia and transphobia within the series? It doesn’t solve or say anything. And quite frankly a series like Naruto is inherently homophobic and transphobic (especially trans misogynistic), and i think brushing that aside with an “everyone’s gay/trans” is more insulting than helpful because it’s not addressing the issue. I’m more invested in seeing the characters who aren’t LGBT supporting and loving and working to make the world better for their LGBT friends, family, and community.

like i know not everyone is writing/reading fanfiction or art or what have you in fandom for like realism or whatever, i get the whole escapism of it all, but i approach it this way because for me I just don’t get anything out of pretending that the -isms and -phobias within the series don’t exist.

also straight trans people exist?????

i could go on about this--like some characters are just... not good and i don’t wanna claim that as LGBT because of that--but like i think this is the biggest thing for me at the end of the day: seeing ppl who aren’t LGBT supporting LGBT ppl.

3. Gaara is a polyglot. Also, he’s self-taught in just about everything. He spent most of his youth in the Suna library for obvious reasons, so reading, writing, language, poetry, history, politics, arts, etc he learned there on his own.

4. Shikamaru and Temari live in Suna 6 months out of the year, and Konoha the other 6. Temari does NOT give up her job to be a nagging wife, and Shikamaru is 100% a wife man.

5. Lee is not originally from Konoha or Fire. He doesn’t remember his parents or how he wound up at a Konoha orphanage because trauma. Also his first language isn’t Japanese.

I have more specific HCs about who Lee’s parents are, where he came from, and what happened to his parents, but that’s like spoilers for a fic.

6. Tenten is not an outright orphan. She actually comes from a clan of weapons masters and smiths.

I think it’s fairly common for ppl to assume Tenten is an orphan because we obviously never see her family--granted we just don’t see much of her to begin with--but I personally fell in love with the idea of her having a clan with the focus being weapons. Her parents are still dead, but she lives with her grandmother, who’s renowned for her weapons.

7. Lee has a HUGE amount of chakra. Like obnoxiously huge stores of it that he just doesn’t know how to manipulate--not quite Kisame levels, but definitely a LOT. He gets as far as walking on water and walls, but he absolutely has to be focused to accomplish those feats and prefers just going really fast so he doesn’t fall in/off.

8. Sage mode!Rock Lee.

I have talked about this before(x, x), but you can absolutely pry this from my cold dead hands--actually, you couldn’t. I’d still hold on to this even in death.

9. Lee has like a photographic memory which is why he always writes things down that people tell him.

10. Gaara will be the last Kazekage--whoever comes after him (and i do have a HC for that) will be Kazekage only in the sense that they’re like the figurehead maybe, but ultimately Gaara is working to completely change the shinobi way of life and the Kage system will be dismantled starting with Suna/Gaara.

11. In a modern AU context, Lee is a HUGE fan of Queen and Bruce Lee.

12. Lee definitely grows his hair out later on in life and changes up his attire and becomes his own person.

13. The Kazekage Estate is a generation home--most households in Suna are, and in fact, it’s really fucking weird for someone not to live in a generational home--so Gaara lives there with his siblings. When Temari gets married, she and Shikamaru live there, and continue to do so when they have kids. If Kankuro has a kid (and a spouse), they’ll live there too. Lee eventually moves in. The house is always filled with love. When Gai visits with Kakashi, or when Tenten and Neji visit, they stay there too.

[sylversmith]

Uninhibited

I am so excited to share the fic that I prepared for the ShikaTema fanzine “Shadows of the Wind”! Working on this project with all of the contributors was such an amazing experience, and I thank everyone who helped, as well as anyone here who bought a copy!

Along those lines, I would like to officially announce that I was selected as a contributor for the second volume “Everything I Never Knew I Wanted”! Progress is ongoing, but if you are interested in learning more, you can follow the zine’s Tumblr account or the Twitter account!

AO3 Link to fic

Rating: G

Words: 2,294

Relationship: Shikamaru/Temari

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, Drunk!Shikamaru

Summary: The boys take Chouji out on a bar crawl to celebrate Karui's move to Konoha, while Ino and the girls schedule their own night out on the town. The bad news: the boys are bad at planning. The good news: Temari is here to help. Alternatively, Ino is great at makeovers and Shikamaru can't handle his alcohol.

Temari inhaled deeply, savoring what was certain to be her last breath of fresh air before pushing open the dingy, beat up door in front of her. She stopped for a moment, taking note of the dull wood paneling that lined the walls, the gaudy neon lights advertising all varieties of swill that Konohans liked to call beer, assorted patrons spread around the room, and, lastly, the tall brunette making puppy eyes at her from the end of the bar. She scowled at her target and made her way across the room to stand before him.

“Hey Temari, have I told you recently how amazing, smart, funny-”

“Can it, Kiba” she snapped. “How does anyone, much less a jonin level shinobi, run out of money when planning a bar crawl? It’s pretty much the only actual requirement.”

He winced under her accusations, but wisely didn’t try to argue. “I guess I just didn’t expect everyone to drink so much?”

She rolled her eyes before taking the necessary money out of her purse, handing it to the bartender who had been patiently waiting to the side, and ordering a water. “You owe me one, Inuzuka.”

Recognizing that her anger had abated, he waved down the bartender to order a drink of his own and subtly appraised her appearance from the corner of his eye. “So… looks Ino’s plan to take Karui out for a ‘night on the town’ was successful- you’re not heading back out to meet up with the girls?”

She snorted. “Not a chance. As much fun as it was to go through Ino’s ‘mandatory makeover’ process and prance around Konoha’s dance clubs in a kimono that is one stiff breeze away from breaking just about all of Konoha’s public indecency laws, I think that I’ll pass.”

Kiba took a fresh sip of beer just in time to choke through his laughter, but she noticed the slight tension that remained in his shoulders that indicated there was something that he was hiding from her. “Are you sure that it’s safe to leave Karui with Ino and Sakura? I mean, they’re great girls, but-”

“Leave her with them? Before I left, Karui had them competing against one another to tell her the most embarrassing stories they could about Chouji’s childhood. I don’t think Karui is the one we should be worried-”

All of a sudden, she was cut off by a very loud and very emphatic individual at the back of the room. Temari tried to lean back to peer around the corner, only for Kiba to mirror her, deliberately blocking her view with a sheepish grin. “Umm… Temari, since you’re here, I also figured you should know-”

Temari scowled, grabbed his shoulder, and wrenched him out of the way.

“Kiba.”

He let out a deep sigh. “Yes?”

“Is there a reason why my husband is jamming a picture of Mirai into the face of a man who happens to be both her godfather and school teacher?”

Kiba turned around just in time to see Shikamaru grab Shino by the shoulders and loudly continue his story about 'the best goddaughter ever.'

“Umm… so remember when I mentioned that we ran out of money because I didn’t expect everyone to drink so much?”

Temari grabbed her water and stalked towards their group of friends. “Correction, you owe me way more than one, Kiba.”

○ ○ ○

Shikamaru was halfway through a story that was absolutely hilarious, regardless of what his audience may indicate, when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with a vaguely familiar woman who seemed to come straight from one of the magazines he used to... read as a teenager.

“Hey stranger, mind if I get you a drink?” Her ruby lips turned up in a wicked smirk that was probably intended to ignite a heat in his blood, but-

Shikamaru stared at her flatly before plucking her hand from his shoulder and turning back to his friends. “I’m not intereshted,” the slow delivery and heavy slurring revealing the true extent of his inebriation. He took a heavy pull from his drink, and seemed to miss the sudden silence from all of his companions.

The woman stepped to the side to join their group, her smile suddenly sharp. “Excuse me?”

He snorted in response, giving her a tired look over the rim of his glass. “I said ‘no thanksh’- you should really get your hearing checked.”

She made a small sound of disbelief, and one of his friends muttered, “Oh my God, this is it. She’s actually going to kill him,” under their breath.

He rolled his eyes at everyone’s reaction and faced the woman once again. “I’m just saying, you clearly put a lot of effort into trying to look like-” he paused a moment, struggling to find the right words, and finally gave up, just gesturing in her direction“-that in order to get some attention, but you should really find someone else because I am very much married.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I am very much aware.”

He squinted at her, once again trying to place her familiarity before shrugging absently. “Well, if you know that I’m married, then you also probably know whom I’m married to. Even if you are a capable kunoichi, the fact remains that my wife could eat you alive.” The heavy threat in his voice was undermined when he let out a shrill hiccup at the end.

“Unbelievable. Shikamaru, I am your wife, you absolute-” Temari lowered her voice when she noticed Chouji trying his best to ignore their tiff, “-ly ridiculous person.”

His eyes flashed in an uncharacteristic anger that seemed to burn through some of his drunken stupor. “You keep acting like I’m the unreasonable one here, but you’re the one who is crashing our party and has an apparent death wish. My wife is Temari Nara, the most terrifying kunoichi in the five great nations. She went toe to toe with Madara Uchiha and lived so unless you have some sort of God-like jutsu up your sleeve, you should really just jog on.” He punctuated the last by draining the last of his drink through another hiccup and once again turned away.

Temari closed her eyes and attempted to calm her rapidly fraying temper. On the one hand, his apparent devotion to her was admittedly charming and more than a little amusing. On the other hand, she was more than ready to go home and her patience was wearing thin. She was sorely tempted to leave him behind, but she could tell by the dirty looks they were getting from the bartender that Shikamaru wasn’t going to be allowed to stay for much longer, which would result in Choji and the rest of their overly-loyal friends leaving to take care of him. However, it was also obvious that her current approach to the situation wasn’t working, and it was time for a new strategy. No matter how absurd.

“Oh! You mean the Temari Nara? Formerly Temari of the Desert and princess of Sunagakure?”

Shikamaru turned around to face her, his face skeptical. “The one and only.”

“Oh wow, I’m actually a huge fan. I had heard that she moved to Konoha, but I couldn’t believe the news myself, what with her ties to the Sunan royal family.”

Shikamaru waited a beat before turning fully to face her, his eyes sparking with obvious interest. If it was one thing that could capture Shikamaru’s attention, it was the chance to complain. “Oh, it’s definitely true, but you would not believe all of the hassle we had to go through. The council meetings, the negotiations, the traditions-”

“It sounds fascinating, please tell me more.” Temari barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but felt a small thrill of success when she turned to walk to the front of the bar and he followed after her to continue their conversation.

“Fascinating?” he grumbled, “It wasn’t fascinating, it was a pain. Even after getting her brothers’ approval, I had to actually ask her, which felt like it should have been an S ranked mission, by the way. Then, once we were engaged, we had to petition the village governing councils, the kages, my clan, and just about everyone else in both Suna and Konoha just to have the damn ceremony. And now, when it’s finally over and done with, Ino’s trying to mess it all up again.”

She had been slowly moving them closer and closer to the door, issuing furtive waves at their various friends, and an appropriately rude gesture at Kiba, but stopped to shake her head in exasperation. “Now you’re just being dramatic.” She bit her tongue at the sudden outburst and opened the door, letting out the breath she had been holding when Shikamaru finally followed her out into the cool autumn air.

“Maybe a little, but I mean, come on, we only just got married a month ago, Karui just moved to the village, and Ino is already trying to push us about the whole Ino-Shika-Cho baby-making thing.” he grew silent trying to grapple with his thoughts- until he suddenly tripped over air and ran his shoulder into a wall, missing the way that Temari’s own steps had stuttered to a stop. “Ow.”

“Oh, for the love of- hold on. Let me help.” Temari carefully grabbed his wrist, looping it over her shoulder and continuing down the street towards their home, trying to pick out the right words. “What, do you… not want kids?”

Shikamaru frowned, the haze of alcohol slowly starting to lift as his mind began picking through the problem that had been plaguing him since Ino first broached the topic a week before. “No, it’s definitely not that. I’ve always wanted to be a father, and, at this point, I couldn’t really imagine having a child with anyone besides Temari . I guess the real issue is that I’m just afraid about talking to her... about...” he suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at her square in the eyes, his own opening wide in realization. “Oh, shi-”

Temari released his wrist, letting his body crumple to the ground without her support. “Good God, it took you long enough. ‘Genius of Konoha’ my ass. When we do have a kid, I hope it takes after me, because I have a hard enough time keeping track of one idiot.”

Shikamaru remained seated on the ground for a moment, blinking up at her with his jaw hanging open, looking like a fish out of water. “Wha- Tem- when?!”

She reached into the air in a stretch, letting his still-inebriated mind frantically piece itself together then released a heavy sigh and crouched down to close his still gaping mouth. “Listen, Shikamaru, I’m not mad at you, but I’m only going to say this once. We may have only gotten married a little over a month ago, but I’ve known you long enough to know that you’ve always wanted kids and a family; that it was always going to be a part of the life that you offered when you proposed to me. I’ll admit, it wasn’t something that I had originally wanted for myself, and a part of me is still absolutely terrified of the thought of being a mother, but when Ino mentioned it to me tonight, another, even bigger part of me loved the idea of having and raising a child with you.” She paused a moment and her soft expression darkened. “However, it’s something that you should have discussed with me directly, rather than letting your best friend blindside me at a bar crawl.”

The blood drained from his face, and he nodded enthusiastically at her. “Yes, absolutely. Noted. Next time, talk to you first about babies.”

She stood up and crossed her arms expectantly.

“And other important things! Not just babies!” She let out a small huff of air, and Shikamaru’s expression shifted back to one of awe and admiration as he considered the rest of her confession. “So- you knew about Ino and the whole… baby-making thing? And you’re ok with it?”

Temari stiffened for a moment, but then she slowly nodded, her expression once again softening and her lips slowly curving into a small, loving smile that seemed to light up her entire face and washed a wave of joy and contentment over Shikamaru’s heart.

“I have a shit-eating grin on my face right now, don’t I?”

She let out a slight chuckle. “Yup.”

“But it’s ok, because you love me anyway.”

Temari looked away for a moment, and Shikamaru felt his heart pound heavily against his ribs when he noticed a faint color on her cheeks. “Despite all of the odds, and despite the fact that you become an idiot when you get drunk, I do.”

God, he loved her. “Which is why you’re going to help me get home.”

Temari threw back her head in a full laugh before turning away from him and confidently continuing down the street. “Sorry, dear, but that doesn’t sound like something that’s befitting the most terrifying kunoichi in the five great nations. Plus, if I don’t get this makeup off of my face and get out of this ridiculous outfit in the next ten minutes, I may actually lose my mind.”

Shikamaru continued staring after her, still grinning like a fool, but finally taking the opportunity to appreciate the ways that the kimono molded to her curves, her hair fluttered in the wind, her heels accentuated every glorious muscle in her legs-

“You better get going if you want a chance to get started on all of that ‘babymaking’, Nara.”

Shikamaru never moved faster in his life.

[kiliinstinct]

Flame’s Desire: Ch 11

Rating: T Pairing: Nalu FF.Net || AO3

[Ch: 1] ||| [Prev] | [Next] 

-Tag List-

@cobblepottantrum @pbfanart @lovelyluce @yuldragneel @bearpluscat @millennial-star-gazer @caandleworks @kaycha1989 @just-another-dream-girl @whatdidyasayiamdaydreaming @hanahathefluffydragon @dlshieldss @gingerthesnap @acidrain1698 @clockworkassassino @caranikki-blog @doginshoe @squeep123 @unwei @moeruhoshi @mykingdomforachocolatecookie @melissa827 @littlejinxed @softscream @moonlitstargazerforever

---

Lucy saw the cove through the cracked stone window of her room. Grey skies, Roma and Romni she recognized bustling about one direction to the other and many others she had never seen before. Some didn’t hold the mark of the clan. Not in places she could see. The cove looked to reach around a wide stretch of a closed off bay, with salty ocean water moving along the tides and it’s scent struck her with every gust of wind.  It was a beautiful sight, something new that she had never seen before. She wanted to see more, but the doors to her room had been locked tight, much like a prison. Scorch marks and ash residue stained the door served as a reminder of Natsu’s poor opinion to this change. She gave a tired grin at the sight of it. It helped to reassure her that, despite everything they learned over the last two days, he still believed in her, no matter what was said otherwise. Lucy remembered what lead to this point and the decision she made that sealed itl:

“Ya’ can’t just lock her up!” The day her fever broke had been a day full of shouting and bitter words. Lucy remembered waking to the sound of snarling as Natsu blocked the path to her cot. “So what if that Kagu - whatever his name is- said she’s dangerous! She hasn’t done a damn thing to us!”

“Natsu, there’s more to it than that,” Erza snapped from the doorway, her voice calm in comparison. It was steely and brook no grounds for argument. “We have to take into account what Laxus heard from Jose-”

Natsu’s interruption felt like an explosion of force as a burst of hot air filled the room, “I couldn’t give a damn what THAT bastard says! Since when did we ever trust that snake?!”

“That’s enough, Natsu!” Makarov shouted, silencing them both. He stood between them with arms crossed and mustache bristling. “You know as well as anyone that I wouldn’t trust that man with the life of a slug, but we can’t take any risks until we have more information.” Lucy’s eyes had opened by then, viewing Natsu before her as he attempted to block the Chief's view. Makarov’s expression did not fit one of a leader protecting his clan from danger, but of a tired man, riddled in guilt. His narrowed brows made his expression harsher than the downcast of his eyes, but they met hers with shame,  “Considering her condition, Lucy won't be leaving this room for a few days, this is just a precaution.”  He didn’t bring attention towards her waking up.. Instead, the elder forced his gaze to meet Natsu’s, whose entire frame had grown stiff.  

“How is locking her up like some kinda criminal a precaution? Are ya losing your mind, gramps?!” 

“Natsu!” Erza interjected, stepping from her position she grasped the pommel of her sword, “You will show the Master the respect he deserves or be punished by my ha-”

A flare of fire and heat surged from Natsu’s feet, drowning out the sound of Lucy’s surprise. “Just try it Erza, I don’t care that you can pummel my face into the dirt- you draw that sword and I won't hesitate to melt it!”

“Quiet! Both of you!” Makarov barked, causing them to jump as a heavy pressure emanated from the smaller man’s body. The weight pressed against Lucy like weights and her weak body struggled to breathe at the onslaught. It rippled away as fast as it struck and Makarov cleared his throat, eyes meeting hers again in apology. Makarov straightened his back, motioning his fingers for the female warrior to retreat back to the doorway.. “I’ll not have you threatening Natsu for doing what he thinks is right. He’s attached to the girl and for good reason. Even I would rather protect her in some way that didn’t involve locking her up.”

“Protect her?” The two warriors, perplexed, questioned in unison. 

“ - but you said she was gonna get locked up,” Natsu wavered, his earlier tenacity simmering. He took a step back to Lucy’s bed, “what are you talkin’ about?”

Makarov rubbed his temples, lips thinned in consternation as he grumbled, “Listen here, you knucklehead. For some reason, Jose and his men are looking for the girl. We don’t know why, but it’s enough for them to risk entering our woods and feeding information to Laxus. We know he would never allow something to threaten our home. Corroborating that information is the young man in our cells, Kage. Rather than give that information up himself, he implied what Laxus knew to already be fact. Something is amiss here, and I don’t want to leave anything to chance!”

“Yes, exactly.” Erza nodded, her expression as fierce as ever.

Natsu snarled, his fury rekindled, “and how does treating Lucy like some kinda criminal, protect her?”

“Natsu, use your head for a moment, would you?” Makarov groaned. “They are trying to make us give her up without attempting to break through our defenses. Whether they’re speaking the truth or not is not the issue. They want her and have already made it clear they will attack us to get her. In her state, if they somehow managed to break in, do you think she could fight them off as she is? Until we get answers, she’s safer where we can keep an eye on her.”

The words sunk in, filling the room with a permeable silence that was suffocating. Natsu’ back was still  facing Lucy, but she could imagine the expression on his face, mouth open as he struggled for words- his dark eyes glittering fiercely. Erza’s features had softened, no longer attempting to intimidate the Draconis into submission One that spoke of a quiet remorse that matched their Chief.

“I just,” Natsu swallowed, tongue swiping along his lips as he put his thoughts to vocalization, “I don’t get how that’s fair to her, that’s... That’s all.” 

The tension broke, all shoulders relaxed and Makarov’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Perhaps it’s not, but she needs rest and a way to stay safe for now. I don’t intend for her to stay in these stone walls forever, you know. That’s not a life for anyone.”

“... but-” 

His eyes twinkled knowingly, “Perhaps Lucy can tell us what she thinks?” 

His gaze met hers once again while two heads twisted to look back, Natsu’s cheeks were flushed from emotion, eyes wide. “You’re awake? Is the fever broke? Are you better?!” Lucy blinked owlishly and wondered if Natsu realized just how loud they were being to expect her to still be sleeping. Carefully, she sat up, fingers twisting the thin blankets that covered her. “Yes and I heard everything, Natsu.”

The discussion that followed lead to a tantrum from Natsu. He never expected Lucy to agree to the terms and his agitated shouts still echoed through her mind. When the Draconis left, his heated hand slammed against the wall at his exit. Lucy could still smell the charred door frame upon examination even after the few days that passed.

 Her leg throbbed where she stood, but Lucy ignored it. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but she couldn’t deny the logic. If they felt this was the best course of action, then her best option was to listen and hope for the best.  How else could she prove her innocence? Truthfully, being distrusted due to some rumors being spread, struck her heart like knives, but she couldn’t blame them for being careful. They didn’t know her. Not really. Blinking back a sting of emotion, her pale fingers clenched tightly together. 

“It’s not as if they are my family,” She sighed, “they can’t be expected to trust me that easy.” 

Except, they did trust her. So many assured her as they passed by to deliver food, water or to provide other needs. Natsu more than most. He visited for hours at a time. As did Cana, Wendy and Mirajane. Even Gray shuffled by her window at times to check in on her. All those she had spent the end of Summer and Fall with, attempted to give her company at any moment they could spare. It was heartwarming, but not enough for the rest. Not yet. 

Lucy hadn’t realized the clan would be so large, or so full of people who didn’t travel all year round. The cove was like their own village, working together just as any other, and not everyone carried a source of magic within them. Mirajane had tried to answer a few other questions during her visits, but while the knowledge had been interesting, it wasn’t the same as experience.

Watching a few waves crash against the beach, Lucy’s lip trembled and she struggled to hold back a wave of tears. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come with them, after all.” 

“And what makes you think that?”  A voice came from below and Lucy yelped. She jumped away and narrowly grazing her hair against the upper window frame.  “Goodness, your observation skills need some work, don’t they?”

“M-Makarov-?” She asked, breathless, blood pounded in her ears and she struggled to calm her heart rate. Resisting the urge to step away further, she tilted her gaze downward for the interloper, surprised to find the Clan Chief seated calmly beneath her.

Makarov sat comfortably on the cool, dead grass, arms crossed under his fur cloak, the top of his balding head the only thing she could see from her angle. Sputtering, the Romni cleared her throat and wondered how long he’d been there. Did he do this often? 

“I didn’t think anyone would sit there,” She admitted, “then again, most people don’t think to look under their windows.”

He chuckled and tilted his gaze up to grin at her, “Of course they don’t. Now then, are you going to answer my question or aren’t you?”

“Question?” She deadpanned, only just processing the words that had startled her. “Isn’t that answer a little obvious? You welcomed me to stay as long as I wanted, but look where it got me. Stuck in a small room. The view is lovely, but that doesn’t really make up for it.”

“Ah yes,” He said, pushing himself up to face her, “I knew you were putting on a brave face for the others. I wish it hadn’t come to this.” “I know.” Lucy said, eyes moving away from his. The look on his face was full of pity. She couldn’t bare to see it. “I know why you did it, I just…” She couldn’t help how she felt, the words dropping before she could finish, hanging in the air and dispersing, but the elder understood. He gripped his staff and inhaled slowly, as if mentally counting the seconds before he spoke. 

“You’re a strong, girl.” He said, “Though I don’t think you realize it yet. I’ve noticed many of the others visiting you. They seem to accept you just fine, haven’t you noticed?” Lucy made no effort to respond, unwilling to state her fear of the opposite. She didn’t have a family, and this new clan couldn’t trust her. What right did she have to hope for more?  Licking her lips, she looked over Makarov’s head, searching for a new subject.  “Where’s Natsu?”

She missed him, strangely enough He often poked his head through the window as if he could fit right through it. (His shoulders were too too broad, but that didn’t stop him any.) The day they had locked her in, he had complained and dug his heels in, refusing to give an inch- even more so when she agreed to it. His anger at her decision was clear, but that never stopped him from visiting. However, she hadn’t seen him since the night before, and it left her anxious. Was he still upset?

“He’s on patrol today.” Makarov  broke through her thoughts, full of amusement, “I’m sure the minute he returns he’ll be trying to dive through your window again, don’t worry about that.”

“Patrol?” Somehow, Lucy had never thought the need for patrolling would be necessary. 

“Hmm, yes- while Erza and a few others are tracking down the men who attacked, he’s part of another group that’s keeping watch over all entrances. He’ll be back once off rotation.”

It was then that Lucy remembered Natsu was one of the many warriors and hunters in the clan. She’d become so used to having him near, watching out for her, that the day they had met was almost a distant memory. The revelation left an empty feeling inside. Not a day went by that she didn’t recall the days and nights with the slavers, but the singular night that lead to her escape had somehow become a blurred vision. Had she grown so used to the clan? Had her guard been lowered?

“Now, I did have a reason for my visit,” Makarov pulled her from her reverie once again and she flushed at being caught distracted twice. His mustache twitched in amusement, but his eyes were narrowed: serious. “Do you recall what I told you when you first awoke from your fever?”

Her eyes lit up, “Yes?” After accepting his order to be shut in, Lucy had asked about the man they’d captured. In her state, she missed far too many things.  Who was Jose? And what were they told to make them distrust her so? When she asked, Natsu and Erza had stiffened, their expressions cloudy. Makarov was undeterred and shook his head. “I’d rather not reopen old wounds by repeating them to you. Just know it has raised many concerns that need looking into if we’re to keep you here.”

It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but at his order, no one would tell her otherwise and she knew it. Looking upon the Chief now, she hoped he was ready to give her the answers she requested. No, the answers she needed and deserved to know. “I’m still not telling you what was said.”  She deflated instantly, but he raised a hand to interrupt an outburst.  “Lucy, I need you to trust me.  I know it’s hard to feel as if we’re on the same side, but I assure you that all my decisions have been made in your interest, not just my own. What was mentioned spoke of the deaths of your family, and I won’t force you to relive that telling again.”

She bit her lip enough to draw blood and winced, her own brows knit together as she shook in silent fury. “I’m sorry, Makarov, but I have WANTED to trust you since I was saved. I’ve wanted to heal and to feel safe and, and- “ to find a new home! She couldn’t finish the words as a strangled sob burst through her. Lucy’s knuckles hurt from her as she slammed the flat of her fists against the stone, “h-how do you expect me to do that when you wont even tell me what I’m being locked up for?”

He let her talk, calmly watching as she shook and poured forth her frustration and feelings of helplessness, but when she fell silent- his gaze no longer held the pity it once had. “You were accused of something dreadful, and I won’t lay that burden on you.”  She opened her mouth to speak, but his voice turned harsh, “Lucy! I need you to be quiet and listen!”

Her mouth ran dry, eyes wide while emotions boiled over into more tears that clouded her vision. “What is it?”

“I don’t believe what that man told Laxus is true. I refuse to believe it!” The passion in his words surprised her, belied everything said before, it filled her with jarring confusion. “That being said, I still have to make absolute certain that my own intuition is correct. I have to ask this of you, Lucy. One more time, please tell me that you gave me and Natsu the full truth about the attack on your Clan.. Tell me you gave every. last. detail.”

Lucy froze.  So that was it. Whatever this Jose had said, whatever this Kage intended when he attacked, it all had made her sound as if she had something to hide. Air left her as her lungs constricted, refusing to breathe and her eyes stung with tears she couldn’t contain. Swallowing thickly, her mind ran through her previous account: the route they had traveled, the sudden attack, the wagon that covered her… surviving, listless and alone, traveling like a wilting corpse until … 

The men that caught her, outside of a town, as if they had known exactly where to find her. Had she lied? Emotions and memory flurried together in her heart and mind; they whispered and circled, giving visions of memories she had forgotten or dreamt of nightly. Had she hidden some terrible truth? Did Makarov know something she didn't about her own family?

Lucy met his gaze, her voice cold and gaze blazing. Lucy answered with every emotion she could feel boiling beneath her skin, throbbing in her knee, “I told you everything I know.”

That was the truth and she prayed he would feel her earnest emotions and know them for what they were. He grew silent as the wind grew in force, rustling empty branches and dying leaves across the turf as sand from the beach scattered against the stone wall.  His gaze searched hers, as if burrowing into her eyes to pick apart her brain, but the Romni refused to turn her eyes away. 

The tension faded, melting into a sigh of relief and a small smile crinkled the corners of his eyes, “That’s all I needed, Lucy. Thank you.” 

She didn’t know what string had pulled taut inside her, but it snapped- releasing the tension in her body as the last ounce of energy inside her faded. Limbs felt boneless and her knee panged like an electric shock. Lucy mustered what strength she had in her to hold herself up and looked towards the village beyond. She felt as if she’d been put through her paces and took a deep breath to fill her shuddering lungs. 

“I don’t know what I did to ease your mind,” She said, “but you’re welcome, I suppose.”

“Never you mind that,” he replied, reclasping his cloak as he turned from her, “Your eyes told me all I needed. I’m sorry I had to put you through that. Now rest up, please. “

She didn’t move as he left, a lightness to his steps she hadn’t noticed until then. Lucy pursed her lips, her heart still raw from their discussion. She refused to rest, not until he had left her sight, but Makarov didn’t remain alone for long. Joining him at a nearby corner was a tall blond man she had yet to meet. He spoke with the chief before narrowed eyes looked her way. Lucy felt rather than heard the threat that came from his stare. 

He didn’t trust her and wouldn’t hesitate to strike her down if he had to; that she knew. Though the expression on his face was difficult to distinguish from a distance, she knew the intense feel of it. It was the same look she had given the slaver’s when captured. A look she never expected to have aimed at herself. 

“That… must be Laxus,” She surmised, exhaustion forced her to finally drift from the window to fall against the ragged cot that was her bed, “It almost felt like an angry bear was staring me down.”

Lucy laughed, her voice empty, and closed her eyes. She wouldn’t sleep, not now. Lucy felt she had slept long enough in recent days and the Romni refused to succumb to further daytime napping. She would rest her body and wait to rise again. Maybe her next visitor would give her a reason to smile and hope, rather than jump through emotional hoops. 

Her breathing began to even out, but the wind and sounds of others  rushing by her window, echoed in and out of her ears, keeping her aware. With each intake of oxygen, her limbs grew heavier- the release of all tension in her body relieved Lucy and allowed the last vestiges of tears to fall, stain her cheeks and dampen her pillow. Only a few, and her crying stopped after a few stricken gasps. 

She didn’t want to think anymore, only listen.

… forgive us…. 

What?

We didn’t mean to hurt you.

She couldn’t open her eyes, but the voices whispered in her mind as if beside her, it caused goosebumps to travel up her arm.  ‘Who are you?’ Lucy froze, realizing that while her mouth moved- she couldn’t hear herself. Muted, quiet, no voice to echo along the walls of her room. 

‘What’s going on?’

Don’t you remember us, yet?

We wanted to help. 

It’s our fault… please… please…

‘Wait, I can’t-’ Lucy struggled for the words to come, but the barrage of voices continued echoing through her skull. Memories of Natsu rushing off to fight without her flooded her senses, the sudden ability to see his every move, the aches in her head the… 

The voices…

Forgive us! 

The sudden paralysis broke and Lucy shot up from her bed to shout furiously. “Tell me who you are already!” 

Lucy’s words echoed off the stone walls with brilliant vibrations and her chest heaved from the exertion. The voices scattered, dispersing as quickly as they came and a strange pressure in her skull released. Lucy blinked the vestiges of sleep from her eyes and gasped. Why was this happening so much?

“Last I checked I was the same as I always was. Do I sound different to you or something?”  As if the world was set to continue throwing surprise visitors at her, Natsu’s familiar voice struck Lucy like cannon fire and in her sudden fright, she slipped from the cot with a loud thud. 

“Ow! - W-when did you get here?!” She whined as her fingers searched for the nearby cane to pull herself up. 

“Just now.” He said, beaming from the window as he watched, but the smile was forced. “You doing all right? That didn’t hurt you did it?” 

“I’m fine!” She shouted, teeth ground together as she managed to stand, “Just perfect!” Rubbing her stiff knee, Lucy gripped her cane tighty. Makarov sounded as if he would be gone for most of the day, what brought Natsu back so soon? She was about to ask, but froze mid-sentence when she realized the sun was well-beyond the horizon behind Natsu’s head.

“-But, I wasn’t sleeping, how did-” She stammered, looking back from her cot and towards the window again. Was all that just a dream? The Draconis at her window watched her with a deep interest, nose scrunched as she looked between them. His lips pulled back under his teeth as he examined her from the distance.

“And you’re sure you didn’t hit your head?” He asked quizzically, one pink brow lifting into his fringe. “Cause you’re sounding a little strange right now, Lucy.”

“I said I was fine, Natsu,” She snapped as she trudged back towards the window. His hair was a mess, much like the time she’d picked leaves from it. His outfit had changed as well. No longer clothed in just a vest and pants- a loose shirt was worn beneath. She ignored the appreciative voice in her head that enjoyed the view of its open neck. Clearing her throat, she tore her eyes away and sighed, “Sorry, you didn’t deserve that.”

Natsu used his forearms to hold himself up pushing  partially through the window with feet splayed out behind him. Not for the first time, it looked as if he would attempt to crawl through. Instead, he hung in the air, head closer to hers while his frown deepened. “Nah, I probably do.”

“Natsu?” 

His eyes were solemn, a dark brooding simmered in the depths of them. The past few days were full of the Draconis bouncing between anger and energized movement; Each time he came, he either threatened to break down her doors and pull her free or bring her new items from the village to look at. She saw nothing on his person today, but the dirt and scuff marks on his clothing told a clear story. He’d run straight to her from his patrol. Lucy felt a lightness in her chest at the realization, but ignored it too. He was too close, even if he was barely through the opening. 

“I couldn’t convince them to let ya’ out,” His rumbling complaint turned to a low growl, full of frustration, “And instead of bustin’ the doors down like I should be doin’, I’m just letting them keep ya here.”

“It makes me sick!”  Lucy flinched at his fervor, it dripped in bitter toxicity and spewed from his mouth like hissing fire. His gaze darkened as he shifted back to his feet and he ground his teeth together, sucking in air to calm himself. 

Lucy hated seeing him like this, closing in the distance to reach out. He froze at her touch, her hand cupping his cheek and lightly rubbing his skin and unseen stubble.His focus turned back to her with wide and blinking eyes. She knew he’d been against Makarov’s decision from the start, but she never realized just how much he placed the blame on himself for it. “No, you’re not. I agreed to it, remember?”

His dark gaze melded with her own, the simple effect of her hand against him made his shoulders relax and the Roma relaxed further, tilting his head to nudge into her palm before moving away. He reached out and flicked her on the nose. “Ya shouldn’t have, that’s my whole point!”

“H-hey!” She recoiled instantly, but avenged herself seconds after by pinching his nose with enough force to make his eyes cross. “Don’t be rude! I only agreed to it because I know it’s not going to be forever! You’d know that too if you had any faith in me!”

“Oi! I do have faith, why else would I think you shouldn’t be stuck in here?!”

“I don’t know, maybe because you don’t think everything through?”

“Now you’re just being mean, Lucy!”

“No, I’m being practical! You should try it sometime!”

Breathing mingled together as they continued their back and forth. It was a tug-o-war match over who could make the other retreat from the window first, but neither did. A few more well-placed barbs and the two fell silent, glowering at each other in mock offense. A cricket chirped, interrupting the moment and their downturned expressions lifted to a fit of giggles instead.  They leaned against the sil, laughing and gasping for air as they wiped their watery eyes. 

“I needed that.” Lucy admitted, her quiet chortles became muffled behind her hand and Natsu’s fanged grin grew wide as he agreed. But he fell silent faster than her, his expression pensieve. The silent consideration sobered her and she stared in confusion. What was it now? 

“You know what?” He asked, leaning further into her personal space, eyes gleamed with a sudden, mischievous light, “I think you need a better view. What do you say?”

Lucy blinked, casting her eyes to the frame of the window and around the landscape between them. All things considered, her view was fairly decent, if not limited, “And how am I supposed to get that?” She asked, her arms crossed. “Are you going to make me a new window?”

“Nope!” He exclaimed, pointing pass her towards a stool in the corner, “Bring that over and stand on it.”

Not understanding his intentions, but seeing no reason to disagree, Lucy hobbled to do as requested. The stool was lighter than it looked, and wobbled when she placed her foot upon it. After a few adjustments, she managed to stand, balancing on the seat while it boosted her an extra foot: the view was extraordinary.

“I never thought I’d see a wall this close up.” She said dryly. 

Natsu snickered, “Don’t be weird and bend down through the window. It’s too narrow for me, but your shoulders should fit through just fine!”

His plan finally dawned on her, “Wait, are you wanting me to sneak out?” What other reason could he have? Curiosity urged her to follow his instructions, feeling just a graze of the stone frame brush across her shoulders. Natsu was right, she could fit through, but the stool wobbled and her balance faltered. “N-Natsu this is- I shouldn’t be doing this!”

He used a steady hand to hold her by the shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get back in again,. Just trust me, will you?” With guided movements, he pulled her through, clicking his tongue as she wriggled through the opening. The pain of her knee was a dull throb in response to the movement, but to Lucy’s surprise, Natsu’s grip did not falter and he swung her gently down to place her on solid ground without fuss. 

She smelled the woods on him as her fingers searched for purchase in the hem of his vest to hold herself. “If I can’t get back in later, I’m blaming you. What are you planning?”

“Keh, I’ll take the blame no problem!” Natsu’s chest puffed and he turned to look towards the starlit beach. “Not everyone sleeps early, but you still haven’t got much of a tour yet have you? Let’s change that.”

A part of her knew that it was better to have him help her crawl right back into her locked room. To be patient and wait for Makarov to release her, but soft whispers, familiar and unheard, spoke into her mind and urged her to listen. Grasping his hand - her cane forgotten in the confines of her room- Lucy smiled. 

The stars were bright. It felt like their own brilliant glitter agreed with the voice inside her. 

“I’d like that.”

Natsu’s only response was to smile so brightly, it was like the sun was still shining.