#this is for folks who love nart as much as me tbh

[container-of-apple-juice]

Finally posting my take on Naruto’s First Time Outside at the tender age of Five years old. Before he knows that the world has already cast him aside.

“This key opens and closes the door to this room. Do not lose it.”

These are the only words spoken to Naruto as the third Hokage roughly presses a small metal object into his hands.

[[MORE]]

Naruto is five years old, and clutches the small piece of metal tightly in his fist as the tall man leaves his apartment once again. Naruto vividly notices a lack of the familiar click directly following the older mans departure.

He looks down at the oddly cut metal piece in his hands- the key as the third had said- and then looks back up at the colorless, wooden door in front of him. He’d never before seen what was beyond that door other than bright bright light from all around. That and the nameless shinobi that shuffled in and out of it with wordless grimaces thrown in his direction.

He scuffled toward the entryway to his apartment, key still firmly in his grip, and he reached for the door knob with notable hesitation. He felt scared. He was familiar with his small apartment and nothing else but...this object given to him felt significant. More so than any object he’d been given up to that point. He thought it would be silly not to act on this change in the status quo. After all, there hadn’t been a click when the hokage had left him this time.

That click had grown to torment him in the few years of his existence that he was capable of remembering. That click always meant he was alone once again. The click always meant he wouldn’t know how long it would be before he saw another person, let alone before another person would talk to him- even look him in the eye.

Most of the guards that were sent to check on him would act as though he didn’t exist, simply dropping off bags of groceries or performing their wellness check before clicking the door behind them as they left without a word.

Naruto was so used to being alone. But now...he could go out into the space where everyone always went off to. He could leave these walls which held only himself and a painful, deafening silence.

He reached for the doorknob, his little fingers splaying awkwardly over its surface, barely curving around its edges as he twisted it.

It creaked open noisily and Naruto felt himself tense, heat rushing to his face as though he would be caught and punished for daring to open the barrier between him and every other person he’d ever seen.

But no one came. Only silence followed the deafening creak. After a moment he pushed the door forward and released the knob from his grip. He didn’t dare step out from his apartment right away, even as the door swung open before him, revealing a dull wall opposite him and bright sunlight on every side.

Once his eyes adjusted to the change in lighting he felt them grow to the size of dinner plates as his gaze settled on the openness before him. He felt half tempted to shut the door once more and wait for someone to go with him, wait for one of the taller people to show him this new world themselves, surely someone else knew better- one of the guards or the third himself- they could show him. After all, they’d left him behind in favor of this bright, new, mystery world countless times.

But even then Naruto knew that would never happen. The third had neglected to click the door behind him intentionally, but he had no intention of showing Naruto the ways of this outter world.

Naruto would have to discover it on his own.

He itched with nerves.

The third always visited Naruto just as the sun began to rise, so Naruto knew he had several hours of sunlight left in the day for this adventure. That was plenty of time to explore this new world, figure out what it held in store for him, and find his way back to his safe and familiar closed walls.

He squeezed the key in his hand- “do not lose it-“ and stepped out of his home, no shoes to be seen on his feet, only wearing his favorite, oversized, orange tshirt and a pair of baggy blue shorts.

The hallway had much similar floor paneling to his home, a slightly scratchy wooden board. But on either end of the hallway there were bright openings beyond which he couldn’t make out much detail.

He numbly chose to walk to the right of his doorway, not bothering to close the door behind him. Not knowing any better.

He was met with a steep drop, with cascading steps leading downward- stairs, as he would come to know them later on. He gulped loudly at the sight of the ground so far below him and leaned against the wall for a sense of stability. Sweat prickled on his forearms and he considered turning around and going right back inside but he felt somehow...compelled to continue.

Naruto plopped down onto his butt at the top of the stairs.

It was clearly the safest option. He slid his butt toward the first step and lowered himself onto it with a gentle thump. He repeated the process delicately until he was about halfway toward the ground below him.

“Oh! Excuse me dear-“ a voice startled Naruto as he was about to slip down another step, causing his heart to nearly jump out of his chest as he whipped around to see the source of the voice.

An elderly woman was frozen on the step just above him and she had a strange look on her face unlike one Naruto had ever seen before. It was similar to the unhappy look he received from most guards who came to check on him but this expression was new to Naruto in such that it seemed...afraid? Which he supposed made sense. This was a scary situation! Naruto was scared too- he didn’t even know if he’d make it down these stairs, let alone how he would get back up them, or- god forbid- what he would do when he reached the bottom!

But before he could muster up the courage to speak to the elderly woman, she had abruptly turned and gone back up the stairs and away from Naruto.

He stared after her for a few moments but eventually huffed out a breath and continued his path down toward the lower ground. He’d never seen someone so old before, he was already seeing so many new things. He wished he could have spoken to her, but she seemed in a rush to get away. He hoped he could see her again some time.

Once his bare feet had finally met with the grassy floor at the bottom of the steps, Naruto sighed, but quickly followed it up with a startled gasp at the sensation of the dewy earth between his toes.

His mouth gaped at the scene before him. He didn’t yet have the words to describe what he saw, but grass and trees would quickly become some of his favorite things. He hunched forward and pushed his hands roughly into the grass, dragging his feet back and forth through it from his spot on the bottom step. He laughed openly as he enjoyed the new sensations before silencing himself in worry of who else might be around beyond his sight. But...maybe it wouldn’t be too bad if someone noticed him!

Naruto had seen countless guards enter and leave his apartment in the four years he’d been alive, and they had all gone out into this new outside place. He had no idea how many guards, and now elderly ladies, might be out here, but he was suddenly determined to speak to one of them before the day was over. The idea, while exciting, made him nervous and he brought his hands back out of the grass to clutch against his chest. He also realized with a gasp that he’d almost forgotten his key in the grass amidst his excitement.

Naruto immediately shoved the key deep into one of his short’s pockets for safe keeping. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how scary it would be to not be able to get back into his safe place back up the stairs. Not to mention how angry the third would be, and he was never in a good mood to begin with.

With a deep breath of encouragement Naruto lifted himself from the bottom step, feet placed more firmly in the grass as he stood up. He glanced around, pushing his long hair out of his eyes to get a better grip on his surroundings.

To his left was a trail that lead to more tall buildings like the one he came from, and to his right was more grass and bushes and trees.

It was an easy decision to make, if you asked him.

He began walking toward the forest’s edge before realizing with a rush that he could run there. His tiny legs took off in a sprint and he laughed aloud to himself at the feeling of freedom and openness. Even as his foot caught in an unexpected dip in the ground, sending him tumbling forward, he was only taken aback for a moment before he was laughing again, rubbing his dirty hands in the grass once more before rising back up onto his feet.

Once at the edge of the forest Naruto felt hesitant, it was pretty dark in there. He decided he would just walk along the edge until...well he wasn’t sure. But his feet carried him forward anyway.

When Naruto saw his first butterfly he froze in his tracks as he watched it fly about, only looking away when a bird chirped to his left from within the forest. He couldn’t see the source of the noise but he stared after it until he heard it again, to which he replied with his own (admittedly weak) attempt at an imitation.

When Naruto saw his first squirrel he tried to chase it down, but quickly lost track of it as it ran up a nearby tree. The branches weren’t low enough for him to grab onto but oh how he wanted to climb. He looked for a tree with low enough branches and eventually found one.

The bark was rough and he felt the wood scrape uncomfortably against his exposed calves on occasion but he couldn’t fight the smile threatening to consume his face when he reached the top.

He thought maybe he should be scared because there was a bit of unease in his belly as he looked down at the ground which was once again far below him, but instead he just felt completely satisfied. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree and thought that maybe he would never leave this spot. The air was crisp around him and birds sang as the sun settled well into the sky.

He didn’t want to go back to his room where the air never moved like it did outside and the sun never warmed his skin because, within those walls, the sun was nonexistent.

But...he had a key now, he reassured himself as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. He didn’t want to waste his time outside crying about eventually going back inside.

He began to make his way back down the tree, eager to take in more of the world around him when he lost his footing and felt the world fall out from beneath him.

He screamed as he fell the rest of the way to the ground below which, luckily, wasn’t too far, but felt the tears spring to his eyes once more when a passing branch snagged his hair and ripped out a small amount of it.

“Wow you fell so far are you okay?!” The shrill voice immediately brought Naruto out of his gloomy state as he sprang up to face its owner.

His jaw should’ve hit the floor with how dramatically it dropped open, but he couldn’t hide his shock at the sight that met him.

This person was his size. He’d never seen anyone his own size before. He supposed it made sense that he wasn’t the only one, but it was shocking nonetheless. They had hair that fell down their back, almost as long as his own, and they wore a purple shirt and purple and white striped pants. They looked shocked to see him as well, brown eyes wide and shining.

“You’re like me!” He yelled, forgetting what the other person had initially said.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Jeez you musta really hurt your head just now. Is your mom around?”

“Mom?” Naruto quirked his head to the side in confusion, still running the sore spot where his hair had been pulled.

The kid looked at him strangely, but before Naruto got an answer he saw a taller person jogging up to the both of them.

“There you are! I told you not to go off on your own- oh!” The taller person, who looked just like a bigger version of the kid in front of him (only wearing a dress instead) stepped in between them and gave Naruto a look similar to the one he’d been given on the stairs.

“Don’t come near my daughter again.” The words were spit at him before the pair walked away hurriedly.

“But mommy-“ Naruto heard the ‘daughter’ begin, but the look that the...’mommy’ gave her stopped her from finishing her thought.

Naruto was left rubbing the back of his head in utter confusion. So...the person who was his size was called...daughter? Was he a daughter? And the taller person was called mommy. Were all the tall people with long hair called mommy? Some of the guards who stopped by his room had long hair and seemed somehow different from the other guards he would see more often. Were they all mommies? Then what were the people with short hair called?

He shook his head and resolved himself to ask the third these questions the next time he saw him. Even though the third rarely answered his questions.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur of sunshine and solitary laughter, with one hour being entirely devoted to following a cat around a nearby park and down a side sreet.

The few people he came across all seemed to not like him for some reason so he decided he’d try talking to them again another day and avoided going into crowded areas for the meantime. He mostly stayed along the forest’s edge and the surrounding park areas. Instead of meeting new people he focused on trying new things by himself, like drinking water from a fountain that had coins at the bottom of it and tasting various flowers and leaves. Naruto decided flowers do not taste as good as they ought to with how pretty they always were. And how good they smelled!

He shoved rocks and bugs into his pockets and made cakes out of mud (which also didn’t taste as good as he thought they should).

Naruto had long since decided to ignore the growling of his stomach, not yet ready to go back to his room for the day. He still wasn’t completely convinced that he would be allowed to leave again, despite feeling the key still firmly placed in his pocket.

But his bare feet felt sore and his hands were caked with dry mud, leaving him more than a little uncomfortable.

He was debating going back to his room just to take a bath and eat something when he stumbled upon a river flowing from a grassy clearing and into the forest.

He grinned at the sight, not knowing exactly what it was but incredibly excited that water seemed to just appear randomly outside sometimes. It was like a bath in the dirt. Perfect.

He walked over to it, a bit tired of running at this point, and stuck his feet in without hesitation.

Shivers ran down his spine at the chill of the water, but his smile didn’t waver. He felt smooth rocks against his toes and marveled at the sparkle that the sun created in the gently rippling current. The splash of his initial entry got his shorts a bit wet and he walked further into the river, planning on fully submerging himself in the cold water.

“You’re gonna soak your clothes, you know.” A voice once again stopped Naruto in his tracks. He turned to see yet another person that was the same size as him, only this time he had shorter hair, but it was sorta long in the front? And the back looked like he’d just gotten out of bed. It was a funny look, Naruto decided, laughing a little at the sight.

The kid had his hands shoved in the pockets of his shorts as he looked down at Naruto from his place in the grass only a few feet away. One eyebrow was raised high on his forehead and Naruto noticed that he didn’t look at him the way most other people did, although judgmental, his dark eyes held a glint of amusement within them instead of fear or disgust.

“Then what’ll you do?” The boy continued when Naruto didn’t respond.

It was then that Naruto remembered the key in his pocket. He gasped loudly, causing the boy across from him to raise his other eyebrow to match the first.

“Hey you’re right! Gosh, thanks. Wow, that could’ve been real bad, huh?” Naruto sloshed over to the boy as he spoke and dug a dirty hand into his pocket, extracting the key from the mess of treasures he’d shoved in there alongside it throughout the day.

“Hey, ykno, y’think you could hold this for me? Just for a second, like, I need it back, ykno, but I don’t wanna lose it in the water.” Naruto didn’t wait for a reply as he pushed the key against the boys chest, getting dirt on the navy blue material as he did so.

The boy made a noise of disgust but instinctively grabbed the key anyway, eyeing Naruto’s appearance now that they were so close together.

“Actually...maybe soaking your clothes would be an improvement.”

And even with these mocking words Naruto still didn’t see any genuine disgust in the kids teasing stare. He beamed at the black haired boy before turning around and running back to the river, suddenly feeling revitalized at having exchanged more than a few words with another person.

Without so much as a second thought Naruto jumped into the deepest part of the river, allowing himself to dip under the water’s surface with a loud splash. When he came back up he shook his head wildly and brushed all his hair back out of his face, smiling at the boy who was still at the edge of the river.

“You should come in too, ykno!” Naruto shouted to him.

“Dummy, I have your key, remember?” The boy held up the key in question, but began walking to the very edge of the river.

Naruto watched as the boy knelt down to the water’s edge and dipped the key in briefly before wiping it with his fingers and repeating the process.

“Do you cover all of your stuff in mud?” He asked after a moment, smirking up at Naruto as he sat back into the grass and away from the water, seemingly satisfied with the cleanliness of the key.

Naruto found himself at a loss for words as he simply stood in the water for a few moments. No one had ever really done...well, anything for him. The guards didn’t even help him put his groceries away anymore. This boy didn’t have to clean his key for him, heck, Naruto had half expected him to drop it in the grass and walk away the moment Naruto crashed into the water.

But the way the kid was teasing him felt...friendly? Naruto felt his face heat up, and frowned at the boy in the grass.

“And so what if I do, huh?” He asked the question as he made his way out of the water. For some reason Naruto did not want this boy knowing that this was his first time actually seeing mud. Or a river. Or another person who was the same size as him.

Naruto plopped down in the grass next to the boy, but not close enough that he would drip on his new companion. Still glaring at the boy in question, Naruto held his hand out for his key.

The kid held the key back and away from Naruto, giving the blonde’s hands an incredibly skeptical look.

Naruto looked down at them and felt his face heat up even further at his blunder. His hands were still fairly muddy, and he felt horrible that he was about to ruin all the hard work his new friend had put into cleaning his key for him.

It was as though he had been burned with how quickly he withdrew his outstretched hand and plummeted them back into the water, scrubbing furiously.

“Won’t your parents be mad if you come home all muddy and wet?” The boy asked after a snicker at Naruto’s obvious embarrassment.

Shaking his wet hands and holding them out once more, Naruto quirked his head to the side as he spoke.

“What’s a ‘parents’?”

But Naruto thought maybe that had been the wrong thing to say because suddenly the face in front of him was twisted in all sorts of confusion.

“...you’re really weird.” Was what the boy finally said, finally pressing Naruto’s key back into his wet palm.

Naruto had never heard the word before (something he was becoming incredibly frustrated with today) but he thought it must be something bad by the tone of the boy’s voice. He clutched the key tighter in his fist and got up onto his knees, leaning slightly into the other boy’s personal space.

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean, huh? Maybe you’re weird, y’kno!” Naruto had half the mind to push the kid over, but he still didn’t want to scare him off. He just...didn’t want to be called weird. Whatever that meant.

But the other boy only laughed at him again.

“And your easy to mess with.” The smirk that was directed at Naruto with that statement left him once again speechless.

He’d never spoken to another person this much before, and this felt....weirdly easy. Sure this boy was annoying and dumb but it made Naruto feel...included. Like he was part of something. Like he meant something to this kid, even if they were only getting on each other’s nerves.

The boy had done nothing but tease him so far and yet nobody else had ever taken the time to even notice him. People barely looked in his direction and here this boy was staring him down like it was some sort of competition between the two of them.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the kid, a knowing smile slowly spreading across his face.

“Hey, I like you. I’m Naruto, ykno.” This seemed to catch the other boy somewhat off guard, but the same smirk was back in place only a moment later as the boy stretched his hand out toward Naruto, causing the blonde to lean back slightly.

“Sasuke.” Was all the boy said in reply.

Naruto committed the name to memory as he stared at the hand in front of him, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as his head quirked to the side once more.

Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn’t withdraw his hand.

“You’re supposed to shake, dummy. Like this-“ with his other arm Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hand and placed it into his own, fingers curling around Naruto’s nearly-dry skin before lifting their joined hands up and down a few times.

“It’s called a hand shake, it’s what you do when you meet someone new. Jeez don’t you know anything?” But there was no real bite behind the words as Sasuke finally withdrew his hand.

It was then that Naruto realized he’d been holding his breath, and he released it with a huff.

“Yeah ‘course I knew that! I just thought you wouldn’t wanna touch my dirty hands after all the fuss you made ‘bout it n stuff.” Naruto mumbled the last part, finally sitting back on his heels, cradling his own hand and brushing a thumb over where Sasuke had grabbed him.

Hand shakes were warm.

“Sasuke, it’s time to go.”

Both boys whipped their heads toward the new voice, Naruto feeling his heart begin to race once more. He immediately looked toward his new friend, seeing a strange look on the boy’s face as he seemingly acknowledged the taller boy now standing before them.

This new person looked remarkably similar to Sasuke, but despite his longer hair Naruto knew this couldn’t possibly be Sasuke’s...mom. No, this person had a deeper voice and didn’t seem as old as other grown ups he’d seen.

Sasuke nodded in the taller boy’s direction before returning his gaze to Naruto.

“Keep that key out of the mud if it’s so important to you, usuratonkachi.”

Naruto spluttered after Sasuke’s now retreating form.

“I will! Dummy!” Naruto added on the now familiar insult as a second thought, not wanting to let his new friend get the last jab in their conversation.

But as he watched the pair of boys walk away from the river he felt panic bubble up inside of him once again.

“H-hey!”

Sasuke stopped, causing the taller boy to stop and turn as well, inquisitive looks on both of their faces.

Naruto felt heat rush to his face as he struggled to come up with something to say now that he had their attention.

“Uh, I mean- do you live here?”

“....at the River?” Sasuke looked unimpressed.

Naruto huffed out a breath once again. This kid was seriously annoying. He didn’t want to lose him.

“Of course you don’t live at the..River. I just mean...will I see you again?” Naruto held the boy’s gaze with wild determination.

Sasuke only smirked and let a breathy, unbelieving laugh escape him.

“Sure. I’ll see you...Naruto.”

[welplookslikethisblogisdeadtoo]

Nart Challenge

I was tagged by @samby-chan forever ago, thank ya for thinking of me!

Name your Favourite:

Female Character(s): Most of them holy shit. (Tho more so Temari, Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, Ino, Karui, Fū and Matsuri bc they’re all Queens Of My Heart  <3)

Male Character(s): Again a lot of them?? Naruto, Gaara, Lee, Kiba, Kankuro and Choji (best relatable Taurian cinnamon rolls), Kakashi, and surprisingly or non-surprisingly (idk depends on how well you know me) Zetsu!

Team: The Sand Siblings honestly, though Team 8 and Team 10 are close ties in second place.

Sensei: Kakashi bc honestly as ive grown up i relate to him s o much im so tired and bitter all the time

Hokage: Nart bc hes living out his dream and making the world a better place u go boy

Kage: Gaara w/o doubt tbh his character development is off the rails holy shit, best kage hands down

Village: Suna (always has been always will be)

Akatsuki: Zetsu bc he combines 2 of the things i talk abt a lot w/ my friends: plants and cannibalism (the more u know)

Jutsu: idfk bro most are p cool i cant choose???

Episode/Chapters: idk bro

Fight Scene: Lee vs Gaara. Best fight and it was near the beginning of the series??? made me see Lee in a cOMPLETELY different light and can be summed up p well as: Holy Shit

Fanfiction: fcukn. Too Many. ALL of @artlessictoan‘s works, and a whole lot more but its 1AM and i am too tired to think rn

Story Arc: Chunin Exams, Sause Rescue Mission and Kazekage rescue ark were all Good tbh a lot of the others we’re just meh for me  

Filler: no idea

OTP (explain why): NaruGaa bc gaara is gay af for nart and it gives me l i f e. also KankuKiba bc theyre terrible and theyre even more terrible together and its wonderful

NOTP (be nice): SakuSasu bc theres nothing between them At All and it hurts my brain 2 think that theyre still shipped after all the shit between them. that was me being v nice

Crackship(s): nah

BROTP: LeeGaa, KakaGai, and Kankukiba (i ship them a lOT romantically but oh my god they’re just the Definition of ‘just bros doing bro things’ and its hilarious. i also ship the other sips listed here but like...not as much as NaruGaa tho)

OT3: NaruHinaGaa oh my god i love them so so much (also InoShikaCho and Team 8 bc theyre cute af)

Crossover Ship: nah

Do you have any headcanons: Everyone is Gay in some way shape or form but gaara is the GayestTM and i think thats beautiful

Are you happy with the ending? What would you have done differently? More or less: Lol no it was shit. As for what i’d change? Lemme write u a list of just a smidge of what ive decided is canon in my own mind at least:

Neji didn’t die bc Fuck That 

Neji and Hinata worked together to do something abt the Hyuga slavery

Nart and Sause lost their arms (nart has a prosthetic but it isnt that bandage bullshit we got)

Shit was worked out in konoha to actually sort everything that Kishi couldnt be botherd 2 sort out

Gaa and Nart got married (Nart also married Hina after some MAJOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT bc i can dream)

Iruka is Nart’s dad now ok

Gaa adopted Team Shinki and doesnt know how 2 dad but is The Best at it 

Sause and Sak DID NOT get together jfc (sorry salad u were sacrificed for a worthy cause even tho ur p cool i guess)

Who the actual fuck thought Boruto would be a good idea hes such an annoying doushebag

Himawari is wonderful

The sand sibs are all super close and keep in touch w/ tema bc shes in konoha

Everyone is queer 

Kid soldiers arent A Thing unless they rEALLY wanna be bc fuck that honestly

How do you feel about the new generation? I’m only in it for Team Shinki, ChouChou, Metal Lee, Shikadai and Himawari i might watch it but im gonna skedaddle out of there if Kishi fucks up just once more

Say something about your favourite character. Good and bad: Gaara is a Complete Mess but hes Trying and i love him for that 

What would a child between your OTP look like? How would they behave as parents? lol nope 

Say something genuinely nice about your NoTP. ok but y tho i was already nice trust me

Say something negative about your OTP. Theyre socially inept dorks obviously

Is there any way you could be convinced to ship your NoTP? What would make you change your mind about the pairing? lol fuck no im happy not liking them 

What makes you mad about the series? Kishi is terrible and I am Bitter.

If you could see anything happen in the series, what would it be? The Kakespouses’ wedding and more sand sib interactions ofc

What would you say to Kishimoto if given the chance? “Stop sexualising kids, making every m/f pairing that u can possibly think of canon and treating your women like shit k thanks”

i tag @artlessictoan @lesbiangaara and literally any one else bc i dont rly have any other close nart mutuals so go have fun folks u have my blessing

[snickiebear]

OHMYGOD SNICKIE I—

so i just finished going through your index and OH MY GOD??? i wish i’d done that earlier *facepalms*

thanks for the tip, i kinda see now who the shadows were referring to… 😉😉😉 (but not all because im slightly stupid)

BUT ALSO akdjbshdj im so glad ur open to the prequel idea and if it does happen i’ll be in the front row seat with hearts in my eyes 😍 what’s even crazier was that i was reading the war chapter in the index and i had to take maybe seven pauses because my imagination was considering the many possibilities!!! and i know i said prequel but oh my god this whole world you’ve built can be like whole series on its own — and im not yet even thinking about what’s going to happen post-OL&W!!! it’s just me thinking about the characters’ stories during the violent era, the first guild war, and the second guild war!!! i-

i seriously can’t even—

i’m gonna try to articulate my thoughts but if you can imagine smoke bombs exploding into vague plot lines, that’s what’s happening in my head right now so apologies in advance for the mess (also im going backwards lol):

Second guild war — hypothetically,,,, if there were an itasakushi era sometime in the history of men falling on their feet for sakura, i believe the itasakushi would have developed in the course of this war, although they may have been acquainted with each other earlier. common enemy: danzo, and what better way to wreak havoc and violence than to have him die by the hands of this (im calling it) legendary trio (but that’s also because im quite invested in them). the five-year captivity is also a huge plus because i imagine shisui and itachi running around like headless chickens looking for the apple of their cursed uchiha eyes

quick question (if it’s not a spoiler) - which naruto characters would fall under thundersins? ibiki is the guildmaster, so does that mean his guild is composed of t&i people? im not quite sure who (in the naruto-verse) can get fooled by danzo into waging this war…

First guild war — can u tell us who was the mage who killed a witch? who was the witch? what were they fighting about??? was it a serious badass battle? were they secretly friends?? lovers??? did danzo have anything to do with this??? or maybe hanzo??? HOLY SHIT WOULD THE AME CHARACTERS BE INVOLVED HERE??? AKATSUKI??? but it’s ok if it’s still a secret… we can go detective on this one

speaking of ame and the other nations in the canonverse — will they also be part of this au? i mean we’ve already seen suna folks in OL&W but maybe like chojuro from kiri and other notable characters from the other hidden villages?

And to the violent era — using canonverse as basis, this would most likely be the counterpart of the hashirama-madara founding a village arc and/or the period before that, since they were also just fighting to death and using child soldiers. but actually im more curious about the guild wars than this era unless something dramatic happened lol other than the self-indulging satisfaction of blood thirst 🤣🤣🤣 im just really more invested when sakura is around. i would say tho, the lore is still interesting because im quite curious as to why the beginning is violent? was it because the gods had a fallout and all they really knew was to be violent about it? if it’s something similar, i’m getting a little bit of mythology-percy jackson vibes (which i LOVE) so Y A Y

ok so that’s basically me vomitting my smoke bomb thoughts *deep breaths* P H E W thank you AGAIN for the brain workout 🥰 it feels nice to lose myself in this world hahaha! you don’t really have to answer my questions; i literally just typed what’s on my mind 😂 INDEX WAS AWESOME! it’s like super clues to the mystery that lead to MORE mystery so yeahp you have just seen the effects on my mind

so sorry to hear about how your day was faring! i’m grateful my ask came to you at the right time. 🥰 i was actually worried about not sliding in your inbox earlier because i already saw that there was a new chapter but it was only then that i had time to check it out. i’m glad i was able to uplift your spirits even just for a little while 💕💕💕

i hope you have a better rest of the week ahead! ❤️❤️❤️

P.S. i cant believe u think my joke was top tier, im seriously bad at cracking jokes irl so thank you for believing in my limited-to-no-successful-experience in joke making

🐱

🐱🐱🐱🐱!!!!!!

LMFAOOOO don’t worry if you don’t figure it out now :) it’ll all be revealed in due time!! Honestly?? Since you brought up the prequel thing i have been thinking not-fucking-stop about how else the world coud be explored. Like?? There is SO MUCH GOING ON!!!

we have the whole Inuzuka tribe, the different temples, so many different characters... there is so many rocks to turn over!!!

OKAY SECOND GUILD WAR ITASAKUSHI YES. we are on the same wavelength 🐱, bc i was thinking the same thing. They would probably meet during GW2 and hit it off pretty well. 1) because Shisui is one charming motherfucker, and 2) Itachi would def draw Sakura in with his smooth humor. Plus, as reclusive as Sakura is in this, she does enjoy being friends with them.

“shisui and itachi running around like headless chickens looking for the apple of their cursed uchiha eyes” this imagery fucking killed me. Oh my god. THATS SO FUNNY WTF

(okay so in the OG draft of OM&G it starts with saku not knowing any of the boys and meeting them for the first time. she knew sakumo [who was dead in this one] and itachi + shisui [they were close friends].

and sasuke was being a total asshole [as usual] and sakura shuts him up with telling him that she's slept with both itachi and shisui. and then all three of them together. to which sasuke has an ANEURYSM LMFAO

but in this one, ItaSakuShi DEF goes on missions together after GW2 and totally fuck and get drunk and hang out. its verified, it has happened, i am comfirming this.)

Ok so!!!! Thundersins would consist mainly of non clan people in Nart. So, Lee, Tenten, Gai, Anko, Genma, ect. Though, we won’t be seeing Gai, Genma, or Anko until much, much later :) Though, Shisui is a part of the Thundersins guild, because he’s just more suited for assassinations rather than wizarding.

so basically, i'm just kind of putting people wherever i think they'd be suited best!

Danzo himself is a tricky bastard and at the time of GW2, Thundersins is still a relatively “new” guild, and they’re mainly human at this point, meaning that they were the weakest guild. It mostly comes down to the fact that Danzo, the manipulative asshole, was able to get their aid. He kept the entire kidnapping a secret for years (i’m estimating at least fifty or so) because the war and then it came to light by some spies or sum

As for the first guild war LMFAO i have absolutely no idea at all which mage killed what witch, i didn’t really think about it tbh! Maybe it was one of sakura’s bullies,,, LMAO honestly? I’ll leave all of that lore to you!!! I like keeping some details vague just so readers can take it and RUN AHAHAHHA. So yeah! Maybe they were lovers! And the entire killing was an accident! Who knows!

OKAY SO! This is going to make sound TERRIBLE. But i hadn’t even thought of Mist or Ame or any of the other villages until you said something LMAOOO

Well… the akatsuki plays a HUGE role in the next two fics,, so i can’t really say much about them hehe…

I do love chojuro and mei and haku and just LKSMDANFKSLD yeah. Going to be honest: they totally slipped my mind which is awful. Head in hands frfr. But i can tell you this:

Mei would be a mage, Chojuro would be either an assassin or a mage… one of the two… haku and zabuza are assassins. Ao would probably be a wizard too.

As for the other Jinchūrikis,,,, you’ll have to wait for the next two (if i have...write them… haha..)!

THE VIOLENT ERA! And yes! So, this is basically the time where the Living are the most… animalistic? Especially since the gods’ “fallout” as you call it! Thepheria served as a balance to both Peace and War, she is Balance in the very sense of the word so… if something happens to her, the entire world goes into cause and it can take a long time for it to find equilibrium!

Nothing huge happened here, this was like the “stone age” of this world and very self indulgent with the whole savagery of it, but also highlighting that deep, deep down these Living (and humans) are angry and violent at their cores. Its their roots and no matter how they progress, it will always come back to war and bloodshed.

AND OMG!! A FELLOW CAMP HALF BLOOD CAMPER HELLO!!!! I love pjo so much!!!! My first series that got me loving fiction and the worlds we can build!!!

I’m so glad you liked the index!!! Its both for you and me because half the time i can’t keep track of what information i want to use/verified so… it keeps me consistent (because i am horrible at it LMAO)

Please don’t ever worry about sliding in here “late”!!! Life is busy and the chapters are a little long, plus time will always keep marching on (omg that rhymed)! And! Please don’t feel obligated to come scream with me! Just knowing that you’re enjoying my work is enough to fuel me!!! :))))))

I feel you on the jokes 🐱, i am not funny irl at all HAHAAHA but your joke was hilarious, im crackin up just thinking about it LMFAOOO

Have a great week 🐱!!!!!! <33333333

[welplookslikethisblogisdeadtoo]

(for the fic writer meme) 1, 4, 8, 13, 20, 29, any or all that you feel like!

Thank you so much! I’m putting it under a cut bc its Long but please read as it includes fic recs, possible upcoming fics from myself and a whole lot of other author appreciation!

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

Hm…Fantasy AUs, Mundane AUs with a REALLY GOOD twist (either mentioned or as a surprise), Canon-Divergent fics that either delve deeper into a character development and ‘what-ifs’, and stories with more to them than ‘character A + B (+ C, etc) get together - I like stories with relatable or interesting plots.

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Hm…I have MANY ideas tbh, but if I were to write them I’d need to fill out the plots a LOT more! 

I think that my fav idea that I would have the most to work with rn is my Nart Pitch Perfect AU (Which sounds a little strange but me and @artlessictoan have worked out the entire plot and its Good Shit) but I don’t know whether I just wanna make redraw scenes and write up a few snippets or draw a few comics of the plot and stuff? Idk, I’m still debating on that one, lemme know what you think!

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

‘ November 5th was certainly going to be remembered by every one of their classmates, but for all the wrong reasons. It was no one’s fault, the firework had simply been a faulty one. Accidents caused by them happen by the thousands every year.

But the memory of Sakura, still only in her second year of Uni studying to be a doctor, saving Naruto’s life with a blanket and plenty of pressure, the ambulance rushing him off to A&E for emergancy surgery, huddled as a group of eleven in a crowded waiting room with nothing but hope and fear until the early hours of the morning… It was a memory that would haunt them their entire lives.

And as for their failure of a relationship, that was the last straw. It wasn’t as though Hinata wasn’t supportive of Naruto, of course she was - all of their friends were, but the stress tore the two apart. But what was even scarier, was the fact that, apparently, if you break up with someone, it’s impossible to stay friends with them. But how could they not stay friends? They were simply too important to each other to loose.

As Hinata staired at Naruto, the golden light bouncing off the frost dusted windows catching in his hair and highlighting his olive skin in an orange glow, real arm reaching down to change his car’s gear, face alight with new hope and happiness… The content warming her heart like a fire in a harth told her that she wouldn’t have life any other way.” ‘ - Exeunt, Chapter 2.

I think this is my favourite piece of writing that I’ve done recently because it starts of very jarring, really the first angsty/darker part of this fic - and there will be more of that to come, just some warning - but it ends in a really peaceful, warm way that I think really ties that section of the story up nicely. I’m also really happy of the way it flows and builds back up from the trauma into something lighter.

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Make characters flawed, conflict one of your best plot-bunny devices, find yourself a Writing Alpha bc Artless is The Best tbh and my writing is improving tenfold after just a few sessions with them talking abt my stories.

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions.

I’d say when I’m REALLY in the Mood to write something/the scene I’ve been stuck on, or if something has just Clicked in trying to work out how to progress with a fic. In my bed with comfy clothes and fairylights on in the evening after dinner. Listening to a playlist that immerses me into the story and scene I’m writing and no distractions.

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

If I could then I would re-write, or continue (because the sequel hasn’t updated in 3 years) the Coming To Terms series. It was actually one of the first fics I completely fell in love with and its super mundane and there are lots of different plots for various characters while still keeping the pace and keeping track of various storylines. It had a REALLY GOOD ending to the 1st part but there was SO MUCH more potential for the sequel and there was a lot of unresolved things and it was all leading up to one big bang which it didn’t get around to. Honestly I highly recommend it though, its super nostalgic for me and still one of my fav works of all time!!!

(my choice!)

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Exeunt, without doubt. It’s the Magnum Opus of all my Naruto AUs and something that I want my writing to develop with as it is created. I think it has the most potential too seeing as it is completely different to the original Naruto series so it has the potential to be a stand-alone thing.

27. How do you feel about collaborations?

Oh boy, oh man I LOVE collabs. Have you even read A Time For Change, holy shit that AU is just like my Happy Place and its SO NICE to talk about the plot with someone else without spoiling anything bc you’re both in on it?? Its just a really special experience!

28. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

Hooo boy here we go.

@artlessictoan, holy shit, their works are just. Goals. Absolutely, this isn’t even coming from a ‘i work with them a lot so i have to be nice 2 them’ this is a legit thing like their fics are some of my favourites of all time and their characterization is SO SPOT ON. They’re REALLY GOOD at writing dialogue and they really delve into the root of the story when it comes to writing them, their research shows through so well and they cover things that you wouldn’t even think of. They’re one of those writers where you have to just step back after reading one of their works and think ‘Oh my god. Oh my god what a wild ride why didn’t I think of that oh my gOD.’ Check out their work, seriously guys!

@linddzz Oh my god, their writing, where do I even begin. They NAIL the characters completely and utterly when they write them, they really bring to light Credence’s personality and the problems and issues he had to face and faces still, especially in my favorite of their fics A Study on the Habits of the Adult Obscurial. I really like the way they represent Newt also, he doesn’t know how to People very well and he’s just so very in-character that once you read their fic you just accept it as canon honestly.

@jinglebellfic Listen up folks if you haven’t read Riptide Lover then you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD, its one of my favorite works and it’s been updating for YEARS and its still being updated bc they talk abt it all the time and this AU just gives me LIFE. Just a warning for those who aren’t keen that it is Very NSFW but the story just has SUCH A GOOD PLOT and it starts BANG in the middle of the action, no messing around, it’s so well-written that I was sucked into the story (and the fandom, this fic is what got me into it in the first place!) so quickly and I enjoyed it so much that I spent abt a week reading it whenever I had the spare time to. It’s very nostalgic to me now and it makes my entire month when it updates.