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kyogre-blue · 2 months

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Hey so, I wanted to let your know that I really love your Naruto: Dashing Rescue fic. It's one of my all times fave time travelling fic. I still have the tumblr tag followed lol it's a lil reminder to self to reread whenever I come across it in the 'followed tag' section

I don't ever if you ever confirmed that it's abandoned work or not, I was wondering if you had anything to share about naruto rescue? Maybe your thoughts while writing it or scraps. Maybe not, it's been years also

Anyways, the main purpose was that I wanted to let you know that I really love your writing and a lot of your old works (oh khr too! but esp Dashing Rescue). You were an author that made me smile whenever I see your name as a teen learning about fandoms and searching out fics. I really enjoyed reading a lot of your works!

(Dumb me refresh the page before sending so I had to retype that twice and ahh I realised this got long. My bad)

Wow, that's really nice to hear. I'm glad that you enjoyed those fics! Looking at the dates, it's been almost 10 years since I posted that particular one... hard to believe.

Time travel has always been one of my most favorite fic tropes, and Naruto was really great for those because we had so many time periods, each with their own cast. The possibilities were endless.

For Dashing Rescue, I can see I posted three parts. I dug up my old doc, but there isn't much in it past those. I think I considered part 3 a good stopping point, though it looks like I wrote about a page of part 4 and outlined a few general ideas after that. I'll add that under the cut, in case you're curious.

Aside from that, the only thing I recall is that was using the movies for material and visual inspiration, but that part was probably obvious.

Anyway, thank you again for this really sweet ask. I really appreciate it ^o^

Title: Dashing Rescue

Part IV: Sand and Black Iron

Summary: AU, time travel. Finding himself in the past, Naruto has so far managed to hold back the tide of the Third Shinobi World War. That proves increasingly difficult as the Sandaime Kazekage goes missing.

~.~.~

“Thanks for agreeing to see us, Jiji,” Kushina said, bowing deeply in complete contradiction to her impolite way of addressing the Hokage — she had picked it up from Naruto. Next to her, Minato did the same. Both of them spared a glance at Sakumo, who was also waiting in the Hokage’s office and greeted them with a friendly nod.

“This is about Naruto, isn’t it?” Sarutobi guessed, setting aside his brush to give them both his full attention.

It had been two years since Naruto became an official member of the Uzumaki clan, and thus Konoha. That time had been plenty for the Sandaime to start feeling like he was going grey under his hat.

Especially after Naruto took off for Suna a few months ago and refused to come back, despite the many diplomatically worded but rather displeased messages Sarutobi received from Suna. He just hoped that whatever this was didn’t turn out to be an international incident.

“Yeah,” Kushina said bluntly. “He, uh, sent me a message.”

Or rather, he and Kushina had set about abusing the fact that they held two halves of a single bijuu, which could communicate with each other regardless of distance or circumstances. Kurama had been nothing resembling pleased at being used as an elaborate communication system, but agreed to relay urgent messages in exchange for Kushina changing the form of confinement she used on her half. She still had no idea how Naruto managed to sweet-talk the bijuu into it from his side.

“The Kazekage’s disappeared,” Kushina relayed, “but Naruto thinks he has a lead, and he wants help tracking the person responsible.” He had been increasingly evasive about what exactly he knew or at least suspected, and why, but Kushina didn’t mention that. Naruto got like that sometimes.

Still not used to these sorts of things, especially stated so baldly out of nowhere — the Kazekage, really? — Sakumo choked a little, but quickly swallowed his surprise. The Sandaime simply closed his eyes and sighed. International incident didn’t begin to cover it.

“With the Kazekage has gone missing, it’s naturally a very urgent request,” Minato added. “I might be able to expedite the journey there, if I can be assigned to the team.”

Kushina nodded sharply. “And I can file the mission request for him,” she offered.

“There is no need for that,” Sarutobi said, forcing down the urge to massage the bridge of his nose. “I will offer our services to Suna as a peace gesture.”

“Who will you send?” Sakumo asked, as he finally processed what he had heard.

“Sakumo-sempai, perhaps you could…?” Minato suggested. After all, there was no doubt about who possessed the best tracking skills in the village.

Sakumo shook his head. “That would be a terrible idea. They hate me there,” he summed up. “I was on the Suna front during the Second War, and…”

There was no need to continue. That was where Sakumo gained his fame — and notoriety, upon a path of corpses. He didn’t regret what he had done for Konoha’s sake, but war bred hatred in a vicious cycle. Back then, he had been the same, hating his enemies for what had been done to his comrades and paying back with the same in turn.

“Sending me would be more like a declaration of war than a peace gesture,” Sakumo concluded.

“It would not send the correct message, and would be a complication in itself,” Sarutobi agreed. “Unfortunately, most of the others who would be my second choice are out of the village and won’t be able to return quickly enough. Do you have a recommendation, Sakumo?”

Frowning, the man looked out the window across the village. There was more at stake than first appeared — a situation like this, involving a Kage, no less, could easily deteriorate quickly and violently. So far, they had just barely managed to avoid the outbreak of another war, but the balance was delicate at best. If Suna faltered, it wouldn’t take Iwa long to strike. And then...

On the other hand, this was Konoha’s chance to build a strong alliance with Suna. It would put the Suna council, and possibly even their Kage, in Konoha’s debt. They would be able to present a united front against Iwa, and further strengthen their position with Kumo as well.

A chance to bury the ills of the previous war…

“Kakashi,” Sakumo said, startling the others. “I recommend Kakashi.”

“Sakumo, are you sure?” Sarutobi asked, his brow furrowing as he sat forward and studied his old comrade.

“I’m sure. Kakashi has been a chuunin for four years now. He lacks experience, but his skills are top notch. His nose rivals mine, he’s observant and analytical, and he can call on one of our summons to assist him,” Sakumo explained.

The pride was clear in his voice. Minato, as Kakashi’s jounin teacher, nodded in agreement, though he also still appeared surprised by the choice.

“And… This is our chance to bury the grudges of the past. We have to take the first step. What better way to prove that we trust Suna and are serious about this alliance?” Sakumo smiled. “And I trust Minato and Naruto to keep him safe, should something go wrong.”

“...I won’t let anything happen to him,” Minato promised, recovering first.

Sarutobi took several moments longer to consider the suggestion. Finally, he nodded. “Very well,” he said. “Then I will dispatch Minato and Kakashi to Suna in all haste.”

“What? I want to go too! We’ll be a four-man team then!” Kushina protested.

While Sarutobi tried to think of some subtle way to tell her that the Kyuubi jinchuuriki wasn’t going to be allowed off into a foreign village, which could very well turn unstable at any moment, all without letting Sakumo know the situation, Minato quickly spoke up, “I don’t think I could take you that far,” he said apologetically. “Kakashi and myself will already be difficult…”

Kushina eyed him dubiously. Even though she was one of the few who understood the theoretical underpinnings of Hiraishin, she didn’t have the experience to judge how much and how far Minato could teleport.

Theoretically, Hiraishin’s chakra cost depended on the size and weight of what he was teleporting, though there were some specific caveats regarding distance and the placement of the seals — it all depended on how you went about it.

Kushina was right to distrust him. Minato might have still been able to manage another person, but at least this way there was a legitimate reason for her to stay in Konoha.

But she didn’t call him out on it. “He better come home after this,” she said instead. “It’s been months.”

Minato nodded sharply. “I’ll bring him back once we’re done.” Even if it meant a quick ambush.

“I’ll let Naruto know you’re coming,” Kushina said, and both the young jounin took their leave.

Left alone with Sakumo, Sarutobi shot the other man a considering look. “Are you sure about this?” he asked. “I have no doubt Minato and Naruto will protect him to the best of their ability,” and that ability was really quite impressive, “but you don’t have to risk Kakashi on this. We can send someone else.”

aaaaaa

///////The Third World War was put off, but relations are rough, especially when the Kazekage suddenly goes missing. (Minato is eighteen, Kakashi is ten, and Naruto is twenty one.)

Naruto knows that the true cause is Sasori. He talks to Chiyo and takes off, with Minato and Kakashi following. Chiyo suggested that Sasori would have gone to the old Rouran ruins.

Naruto asks Sakumo to make Konoha into a village that never abandons even one of its people.

—————

Timeline

Naruto arrives 21 yrs pre-series, 25 yrs pre-Shippuden, 10 yrs before he was born.

Part I, Kumo's kidnapping attempt Minato, Kushina — 13 Kakashi — 5 Naruto — 16

(Part II — 3 years in between)

Part III, Sakumo's mission Minato, Kushina — 16 Kakashi — 8 Naruto — 19

Part IV, Kazekage abducted Minato, Kushina — 18 Kakashi — 10 Naruto — 21 Sasori — 15

Kannabi Bridge, old timeline Minato, Kushina — 20 Kakashi — 12

Kyuubi attack, old timeline Minato, Kushina — 22 Kakashi — 14

—————

Title: Dashing Rescue

Part IV: Bare Your White Fangs

Summary: AU, time travel.

The Third War almost breaks out when people with bloodlines start to go missing,

Pakura from Suna, Gari from Iwa, Toroi from Kumo, and Mei from Kiri.

Obito gets kidnapped by Hiruko, Orochimaru's childhood friend and assistant.

Orochimaru is disgraced for his support and participation in the research.

—————

Title: Dashing Rescue

Part V: Rose-tinted Dawn

Summary: AU, time travel.

Jiraiya gets word of his old students being in trouble and asks Naruto to look into it. It's Madara confrontation time.

Minato and Kushina get trapped in a genjutsu world where Naruto is their son, and blond. It's really weird for them.

—————

Because the third war never happens, Minato is not nearly as famous. Orochimaru is not a Yondaime candidate either. Instead, Sakumo takes it.

—————

#asks #Naruto Rescue AU

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lemony-snickers · 1 year

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It's technically Friday night stlll soooo I'm sending something ehhe, how about (and I'm writing this from memory so forgive me if I mix up the wording) "I'm so in love with you I don't know what to do with it" ANY pairing you wish for writing. ♥️

lol, thanks for playing, nisi. sorry this is late, but i hope you enjoy. <3 i'm literally running out my door rn so this is not proofread at all; sorry for any mistakes.

prompt: “i have so much love for you i almost don’t know what to do with it.” pairing: kakashi hatake/obito uchiha (obito lives au) .

Sometimes Obito wishes he had not changed sides. That he had maintained his resolve, stayed the course.

Because if he hadn't been swayed, the Infinite Tsukuyomi would have succeeded. And maybe he'd be living in a dream instead of a dank, dark cell beneath Konoha.

Obito has had enough of imprisonment, enough of bending to the whims of a captor. When he hears someone approaching, the smell of food warring with the musty scent which permeates the place, his teeth grind together loud enough the other man can hear it.

"You'll damage your molars, you know, and then I'll have to bring you nothing but porridge," he says, sliding the tray under the bars.

"Shut up, Bakashi," Obito spits from his seat on the cold ground, "You know I don't have to eat." It's strange to say the nickname again, so frequently.

Kakashi chuckles. The sound feels very out of place. "Every prisoner of Konoha receives three meals a day." He says, as if it should be obvious, "Even if they don't eat."

Obito has been in this cell so long he's lost track of how many times Kakashi has dragged himself down to deliver a meal only to watch it grow cold. He knows the Rokudaime Hokage has better things to do than lean against the damp wall across from Obito's cell while he refuses food. To keep him company three times a day, every day.

Just as Kakashi must know Obito could leave this place with almost no effort if he wanted. But he remains rooted to the spot, waiting for permission to resume a life in Konoha he is no longer sure is possible.

"How much longer do I have to stay down here?" he asks.

Kakashi pretends to think, pinching his chin between gloved fingers and scrunching his brows. The long hum which emanates from his chest seems to warm the air around him.

Obito looks away, equal parts enamored and irritated.

He's grateful when Kakashi gives up the ruse, sighing as he steps forward to lean against the bars.

"You know it's not my decision," he says, "but the Council--"

"Fuck the Council," Obito growls, "Those old fossils are even less deserving of power than Madara."

When Kakashi doesn't respond, Obito flicks his eyes up. He meets molten steel, and nearly flinches at the intensity of Kakashi's gaze.

He hopes the shadows of his cell disguise his blush, that the flush finds a way to hide itself within the folded ridges of his scar so he can maintain a little dignity.

"What?" he asks, turning his attention back to his rice and grilled fish, pushing it around with his chopsticks. More than once he has considered asking Kakashi if he makes the food himself; it reminds him so much of that meal he and Rin shared at Kakashi's home after Sakumo died.

"Why do you stay?"

The question catches him off guard and he scoffs defensively. "What do you mean, why? What other choice do I have?"

Kakashi crouches down so they are eye level. "We both know I can't actually hold you here. You're too powerful. So why don't you go? Live on the run as you have for most of your life?"

Obito will never admit aloud how much Kakashi's praise--his admission that Obito is powerful and capable--means to him.

He takes a moment to gather this thoughts, to find the right words amidst the chaos of his mind.

There are so many things he could say. He has found it difficult to separate Obito's thoughts from Tobi's. From Madara's.

The one good thing about sitting in a dark box all day is that Obito has had time to consider who he is. Who he truly wants to be.

"Because I want to be worthy," he says, "of staying in Konoha. And I can't do that if I run away."

He doesn't say that he also wants to be worthy of Kakashi. That for all the things he's said to his old teammate, the cutting words and accusaions, he believes Kakashi has grown into a good leader, a worthy man.

Someone Rin would be proud of.

Kakashi chuckles, startling Obito from his thoughts. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Kakashi says as she stands, shoving his hands back into his pockets. "I'm just lucky, I guess."

Obito's face wrinkles as he frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He does not like the affection so clearly written in Kakashi's gaze when he looks down to meet Obito's eyes again. It's too raw, too unexpected.

Too real.

"I'm lucky you don't want to leave because I don't know what I'd do without you."

There's no way to hide his blush this time; he's sure half of Konoha can feel the heat radiating from his face.

"I have so much love for you I almost don’t know what to do with it."

Kakashi's admission is spoken so plainly Obito is certain he's misheard, but before he has a chance to ask, to tease him about it until it feels more like a joke, Kakashi turns to leave, throwing a casual wave over one shoulder as he says, "I'll send someone for the tray. See you later."

Obito sits in the dark for a long time trying to calm his nervous system. Part of him wants to rip off his arm just so he can focus on the pain of regenerating it instead of Kakashi's flippant confession.

He grinds his teeth again, cursing under his breath. He grasps the chopsticks between his fingers and finally taking a bite of his superfluous meal just to distract himself.

He rolls his eyes. Of course it's fucking phenomenal.

"That idiot," he says, but he doesn't fight the accompanying smile.

#kakaobi #kakaobi fanfiction #lemony scribbles #obito lives au #this is your fault nisi because you once said you'd like to see my take on kakaobi so here we are #friday flash fic fest #lol i love that i made a tag for that even though i definitely did not need to sd;lfjdsf

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poppyseedspshelpmesleep · 8 months

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There's gotta be something poetic I could write about finding it in myself to post on Kakashi's birthday but like, nah. In some of my previous posts here about TCO I mentioned a lil something else I've been working on. So, here's the first chapter of a lil prologue of sorts!

Also, happy late birthday to Sakumo!!

Check out TCO chapter one here.

The Four Stooges [5+1]

Chapter One | At First Glance

A month into the academy, and Sakumo still wasn’t used to all the noise. One would think he’d have a harder time out in the village proper, but while that was certainly true on occasion, something about the closed building filled with other genin-hopefuls just made everything louder.

He still wasn’t sure how he felt about having to attend, either, but it was easier knowing his closest friend had to go through this with him.

Speaking of, Sakumo turned just as Tsunade sat down with a huff next to him. She kept her eyes closed and crossed her arms, and Sakumo just knew someone had stopped her before classes to ask about her family.

Knowing she wouldn’t want to talk about it, Sakumo nudged her arm and pointed at the ceiling.

“Sensei still hasn’t brought down the pencil Tadashi threw last week,”

Tsunade looked up and huffed again, letting her arms fall as she leaned forward to peer around the kids in front of them.

“If he hasn’t taken it down, I bet he’ll leave it until we graduate.” She turned to grin at him, “500 ryo that pencil’s still there when Nawaki starts attending?”

Sakumo looked back to the pencil.

“I don’t know, maybe it’ll fall out on its own before then?”

“No way! Tadashi’s good at throwing, I’m sure that pencil’s buried enough it won’t fall.”

“Still, maybe-”

“Settle down for attendance everyone, class is starting.”

Sakumo sat up in his seat while Tsunade rolled her eyes and put her arms on the table.

“Think he’ll be on time today?” She murmured without turning.

Sakumo gave her a side glance. “Probably, Sasuke-sensei said he’d give us a group project today, remember?”

“Ugh.”

Sure enough, when their sensei called out for Jiraiya, a white haired boy close to the middle of the class raised his hand even as he continued whispering not to his friend.

Roll call finished, the teacher went on to explain the group project he was assigning. In groups of four, they’d have to decide on an older shinobi from the given list to interview. Afterwards, they’d have to find any records on them to verify that they’d been told the truth. The next day they were to return with a concise report of their findings. All shinobi listed were volunteers and would be easily found in the village, and students were welcome to try different espionage techniques they’d gone over last week to follow them around before talking with them.

Tsunade and Sakumo were paired with Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

////

“Of course you’d get us stuck with Saburo of all people!”

“I’m not the one who kept fooling around and made us the last group that got to pick!”

Sakumo winced as Tsunade poked at Jiraiya’s chest, understandably miffed he was trying to divert the blame.

“Saburo-san is a respected jounin and esteemed member of the Yamada clan, why are you upset that he is our assignment?”

Jiraiya groaned and ran his hand over his face as turned to look at Orochimaru. “That’s exactly the problem!”

Tsunade grimaced in agreement. “Saburo-san is known for being harsh in his expectations, and Ojisan’s gotten complaints that he gives those under his command ‘tests’ even during missions.”

Sakumo sighed. “So odds are he’ll make our assignment more difficult?”

“More than likely.”

Jiraiya groaned again. Orochimaru blinked at them before shrugging. “Then we just have to find a way to get around his plan.”

Sakumo grimaced as Tsunade got her thinking face on. The last time she did that, he found himself stuck to the ceiling of the hokage office and it was not a fun experience.

“Orochimaru, you’ve managed a perfect transformation technique already, right?”

They boy nodded, eyes curious. Jiraiya huffed but notably didn’t say anything.

Tsunade cracked her knuckles and grinned, “then I think we’ll be making good use of our resources.”

*////*

The plan was this: while the boys read over scrolls from the library, using special passes given by the academy for this purpose, Tsunade would be raiding the hokage’s storage room back home in order to find a simple area-locking seal.

Armed with more information, they would locate their target and confirm his position before finding a nearby clearing. Once rendezvousing, the seal would be placed and the group would head back to their target, ready to act as if they had just begun their assignment. As they conversed with and interrogated Saburo, Tsunade would lay a subtle genjutsu she’d been taught over their immediate surroundings, gradually changing it to make it look like they were moving.

While it was likely the jounin would notice, they were banking on not being called out on it. Afterall, Saburo, though known to be a hardass, was still required to let them try whatever they wanted. Presumably he would call them out after their technique was over, but that’s when their plan would really kick into action.

With the genjutsu was in effect, Sakumo would be terraforming their surroundings as they started walking, giving everything more of a genuine edge until it seemed as if the genjutsu had worn off and they were truly in a different area. Which would be true, for at that point they’d really be in the clearing and the genjutsu would be focusing on disguising the seal.

Once Saburo was in the seal, Tsunade would activate it and dive behind a barrier Sakumo along with him. A separate barrier was made close to Orochimaru where Jiraiya would hide, and as their target was distracted by the seal and a change in the genjutsu, Orochimaru would transform into an accurate rendition of one of the hokage’s direct anbu, courtesy of Tsunade. Jiraiya would act as a voiceover, as they’d found out he could drastically change the way he sounded, and together the two boys would lead Saburo into thinking he was actually being interrogated by the hokage’s anbu.

Which brought them to where they were now, with a freaking out jounin confessing to having contacts in Iwa and smuggling confidential information.

“Oh. That is- that is bad.”

“No kidding, Jiraiya! Now shut up!”

“Don’t go telling them my name, princess!”

“Like that’s not telling!”

“...”

“Orochimaru can you watch over them while I go get an actual anbu?”

The boy poofed back into himself and nodded at Sakumo, who promptly took off.

Tsunade may have had a way to immediately get the anbu’s attention, and as he struggled to catch sight of one, Sakumo zoned in on a police officer.

“Uchiha-san! Over here, please! We have a traitor!”

Catching his breath, it was only as the gasps around him sounded that Sakumo realized shouting about a traitor in the middle of the village wasn’t the best idea.

“Uh- we already caught him, you just have to come get him.”

The police officer was already communicating with others, and as Sakumo led the way back, a few anbu joined them.

Seeing the Nidame himself show up to release Saburo from the seal and into custody was just icing on the cake. The man stared down at Tsunade with a grave look in his eyes, before giving her a small smile and rustling her hair.

“Well done.”

Tsunade preened and turned to look at them. “My friends helped too, Ojisan!”

The hokage turned to them as well. “So they did. I’ll be sure to tell Sarutobi Sasuke what a great deed his students just accomplished for the village.”

They boys thanked him and Tobirama left to deal with what had happened.

“So,” Tsunade started. “Seems like we make a pretty good team, eh boys?”

Jiraiya grinned and threw his arms behind his head, “Of course, cause we have me!”

Orochimaru huffed but gave a small smile. “Seems so.”

“Do you think this will count our assignment as completed?” Sakumo furrowed his brow, not paying attention to what the others had been saying.

They stared at him.

“What?”

#poppyseedshelpmesleep #Hatake Sakumo #Tsunade #Orochimaru #Jiraiya #The Four Stooges fanfic #Silly Shenanigans au

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theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin · 3 years

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Which are your favorites fanfics (that you have wrote) and why you like them?

Thank you! But shockingly tough question, anon, I have so many stories.

Regardless, here we go.

Lily and the Art of Being Sisyphus

Obviously this goes on the top of my list. Not only have I been writing it for ages, but to me it's one of my best written works with the most engaging story and the best characters.

Lily goes through so much development, along with characters like Rabbit, Wizard Lenin, and Wizard Trotsky and there's just so much in there.

It also addresses some of the big themes and questions I really like to ponder while writing.

October

This one's a very strange story but I'm very fond of it. It covers a lot of character development for Tom, again asks some very big questions, lets me get to play in the sci-fi realm that I love, and addresses some of the issues I felt were never really addressed in HP.

Of course, the story's very controversial, but I think if I didn't like it as much as I did I would have stopped years ago.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I know, I know, I stopped updating. And to me it does rank beneath Lily and October, hence the stopping of updates, but dammit it was a great story.

Mostly I'm very proud of my prose for this one, this was a hard story to write and while I haven't read it in ages I think it stands up well.

The Wasteland

This one started out very strange for me, I didn't really know where to go with it, but to me has morphed into one of the most memorable side fics with characters that stand very well on their own.

I ended up being quite the fan of Indil as a character as well as the One Ring.

Finishing the Hat

I think it says a lot that I've continued this fic despite most of the readers abandoning it when, well, dark shit happens. But again, to me, this is one of the more gripping stories and in terms of the actual plot and the story easily outranks its original story "Minato Namikaze and the Destroyer of Worlds"

My Immortal Lily and the Art of Bringing Me to Life

I had such fun with this one. With both the humor as well as the growing cosmic horror throughout the story. It is hands down one of my favorites.

A Thousand Years of Light Between Us

One of my better one-off one-shots that I still really do like to this day. I'm particularly fond of Sakumo in this and just the dealing of his suicide and think MoD Harry somehow fit into all of that very well.

The Unwinding Golden Thread

One of my shorter stories that I felt said everything it needed to in a very short amount of time and gave for me what I felt was missing from the genre.

Morilden

Describing things from the mermaid's point of view, who has no human references for metaphors, was both very difficult and very rewarding. I am proud that I was able to describe chairs without anything looking like a chair underwater.

The Wonderful World of Fanfiction

I include this mostly as a joke, it's a ridiculous fic, don't read it. But you know what, I took the Q&A format fics and went to 11 with that. At the very least, it's a memorable fic.

Palindrome

Outside of my usual fandoms, but I just really like this one and felt it was a very solid short story.

And since we have to stop somewhere, I'm stopping there, though if readers feel I've forgotten one of my greatest hits (and I really should make a post for that so people can skip to the good stuff) let me know.

#ask #anon #fanfiction #writing

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myaekingheart · 3 years

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20 [Fanfic Writer] Questions Game

Thank you so much for tagging me, @lemony-snickers! This is tons of fun, I love answering these kinds of big questionnaires 😂💕 Also putting mine under a cut because there’s a lot of questions and I like to ramble.

Also gonna go ahead and just tag whoever wants to do this! 😅💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

As of August 27, 2021, I have a total of 77 works on my AO3!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Funny enough, I was just looking at this, specifically, earlier today and kind of laughing about it. Right now, my total word count across all my works is 1,148,941 😬

3. How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

Apparently 12, but some of them I don’t really consider “big” in my fandom repertoire. Naruto is my greatest fandom with a total of 60 fics so far, followed by The Chronicles of Narnia and Rise of the Guardians. The rest are ones I either did crossover fics with or just did one-off little pieces with--The Incredibles, Tangled, Brave, How to Train Your Dragon, Arthurian Mythology, Disney Princesses, Fairy Tales and Related Fandoms, Back to the Future, and Frozen.

4. What are your Top Five fics by kudos?

The Scarecrow and The Bell (Naruto) - 470 kudos The Day Kakashi’s Mask Slipped (Naruto) - 139 kudos Sunflowers (Naruto) - 92 kudos Sakumo the House Husband (Naruto) - 81 kudos Someone to Lean On (Naruto) - 67 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to respond to comments, because I like to acknowledge when people respond to my work. I cherish comments like nobody’s business, especially when they’re kind and reactionary. I just really love seeing/hearing what people think of the way a story is progressing, or what they thought of a one-shot. Comments keep me going especially when it comes to longfic so I want to be able to let readers know that I do in fact see their comments, that I’m acknowledging what they’re saying, and that I appreciate them. Plus, it can be kind of fun to tease upcoming events in a fic through responses to people’s comments, too. Because I’m mean.

6. What fic have you written with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Hothouse (Rise of the Guardians/The Incredibles; Jack Frost x Violet Parr; American Horror Story AU). This was the first multi-chaptered fic I ever wrote to completion and I honestly cringe when I remember it exists both because it’s so poorly organized (and full of nasty plot holes) and because I just went ham on the gore factor. It definitely has a really bittersweet and heartbreaking ending to it, too.

7. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

I think I’ll definitely have to say Temptation. The story itself was kind of a ride, and it’s only the first installment in a series, but it follows the plot of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe but remixed due to the presence of an original character, but the ending is still roughly the same as the original: they defeat the evil, the Pevensies are all crowned kings and queens, happy days. Reading the last few paragraphs of the last chapter honestly still gets me all up in my feelings.

8. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I used to be more of a crossover writer due to one of my main ships being a crossover ship. They weren’t super crazy, though, because they were both CGI-animated films. The craziest crossover I’ve ever written is an in-progress/unfinished multichapter piece, Kakashi, Enchanted, that sees our favorite Copy Ninja get kamui’d into the Disney princess dimension and has to help the likes of Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel on his journey to find a way back to his own world. It’s a super weird premise but definitely one of my more lighthearted works and fun to revisit when I need to decompress.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don’t think I’ve ever received hate so much as I’ve received criticism. The closest I ever got to hate on a fic, I think, was someone left an overly personal and mentally disturbed comment on a chapter of my main fic that made me convinced they needed to seek therapy and deal with their own personal issues rather than take it out on a fanfic about animated ninjas.

10. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Maybe 👀 I’m super vanilla when it comes to smut, though. I think the wildest thing I’ve ever written in smut is breeding kink.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, and I hope I never will.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet! I had someone ask to translate a one-shot of mine in Russian but I never got a response back when I laid out my terms and conditions.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not! I used to do paragraph-style roleplay which was kind of like cowriting fanfiction but writing is so personal and sacred to me that I don’t know if I could ever actually cowrite a fic with someone. I like brainstorming with other people, but writing for me is more of a deeply personal and independent endeavour.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh god, this is a tricky question because it depends on fandom. I absolutely love New Dream (Rapunzel x Eugene, Tangled) and have for the past ten years, and my love for them as only grown since watching Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. I don’t write or even really read a ton of fanfiction for them, though. I’m also still highly dedicated to my favorite crossover crackship, Frostfield (Jack Frost x Violet Parr, Rise of the Guardians/The Incredibles) and to this day, if you search for that ship on AO3, I am the sole provider of every single fic about them so far. I’m not as active with them as I used to be, but they got me through some really rough times back in the day and still mean so much to me. A lot of my favorite ships across fandoms, though, are honestly canon x OC ships of mine because I am a self-indulgent bitch who needs to project. So Peter Pevensie x Eilonwy (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Kakashi Hatake x Rei Natsuki (Naruto) are really important to me and I’ve poured so much of myself specifically into their stories. I think it’s safe to say Kakashi and Rei is my all-time favorite ship across all fandoms, though, just because of how much their story means to me. The Scarecrow and The Bell is my magnum opus, my pride and joy, and I’m sure it will be my biggest fandom footprint of my entire life. I’ve dedicated the past three years to this story and these characters and I intend to continue doing it until it no longer brings me joy (which I hope it always will). There’s just so much I could say about this story and Kakashi and Rei’s relationship but I don’t think we have enough time or space in this post for that 😅 Just know that they mean the world to me and I will always hold them in the highest regard as a beautifully messy, flawed, passionate, soulmate-y ship that I love with all of my heart 🥺

EDIT: I also feel obligated to tack on some of my absolute favorite Naruto ships because I may not have written for all of them (yet) but they still make me unbelievably happy or I find them really compelling and enjoy the idea of exploring them:

Naruhina is precious happy sunshine and The Last honestly felt like a wonderful Disney princess movie to me, it was so cute and the romance was so on-point, Naruhina just makes me so incredibly happy and I love them with all my heart.

MinaKushi also gets me all up in my feels and I adore them with every fiber of my being. Their romance also gave me Disney princess movie vibes which I love, their story is just so damn sweet as is their character dynamic and I am still so heartbroken that they never got to be a happy family with Naruto because you know what? It’s what they deserved!

SasuSaku is so compelling to me and I really feel like we were cheated out of seeing their relationship develop and evolve postwar in the same way The Last did for Naruhina. They’re my favorite angst ship and while I don’t think they were written that well in canon, I love the possibility and potential of them together and am excited to explore them more in-depth in my own writing.

NejiTen is just too cute, I really love the way Neji and Tenten’s personalities compliment each other? I don’t have much else to say about them except that I really love them together and think they have so much untapped potential that I also can’t wait to explore in more depth in my own writing.

15. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Paper Hearts and Impromptu Bookmarks, probably. I love the premise of this story a lot and I have so many interesting ideas for it but at the same time, it also feels kind of cheap and cringey to me, in a way? It takes all of these ideas I probably would have had if I had been into Naruto when I was a kid and kind of compiles them all into one big story. Kakashi and Aiko’s relationship and story is still really important to me and I want to continue it someday but for right now, I just haven’t had the motivation or desire to write any more of it. I think I’m just so overwhelmingly preoccupied with writing Kakashi and Rei’s story that I can’t imagine writing any other Kakashi x OC fics right now.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I want to say that I’m really good at capturing complex emotion? I don’t know, I write a lot of angst and mental upheaval in my fics which can be really difficult to try and capture, but I think I do a decent enough job of it? And just writing difficult subjects in general. I think it’s really important to address difficult topics such as mental illness and relationship difficulties and everything but I also want to try and write those topics in a way that is both authentic to the experience while also still tasteful. I don’t want to drive readers away with heavy subject matter but rather present a situation that feels real and authentic while also still being digestible. I may not be doing a very good job of that during the current arc of my fic that I’m working on, but I’m trying haha

EDIT 2: I also want to add onto this to say that I’m really proud of my organizational techniques for writing longfic. It’s not necessarily a strength in terms of the prose itself but it’s something that’s taken me years to really get a grasp on and find a method that works perfectly for me and so far, it’s been extremely helpful and beneficial to me. I don’t know where I would be now as a writer without these essential tools in my pocket.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel like I do a really bad job of the “show, don’t tell” thing. It can be really hard to balance descriptive prose with straightforward writing that moves things along. I don’t want to dwell on mental dialogue to the point where you lose track of what’s going on, but I also don’t want my stuff to read like “Character A did xyz. Character B said abc. They went to 123″, whatever. Another thing I struggle with is sentence variation. I always fall into the same patterns when I’m writing prose and I get really self-conscious about it because I don’t want to sound repetitive or disrupt the flow of the writing. One of my favorite things about prose is focusing on the cadence of the words, I think it’s one of the most beautiful things about writing in general, but it can just be really difficult to get a good grip on that. I’ve been told in the past that I apparently have a really good grasp/control of the language or whatever but sometimes I just find that really hard to believe when I look at my work with such scrutiny. I think one of my biggest pet peeves with my own writing, too, is feeling like I start all of my sentences the same five different ways. I’ll read other people’s works and they’ll write sentences like “Glass-blue water lapped against the shores of a deserted beach as a lonely woman gazed off into the distance” and I can just never figure out how to realistically write sentences that start like that in the context of my prose and it drives me fucking crazy, like I’m definitely jealous 😅

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve never really thought much about it before, but I think there are pros and cons! For bilingual/multilingual readers, I think it can be a really enriching reading experience because they know what’s being said in both languages. For people who only know one language, however, unless a translation is provided, I feel like it can be really alienating. I think the best use of that for both worlds is using it as a means for miscommunication humor. Other than that, I think it can be a slippery slope that depends on what kind of reader you are and how it’s written.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Chronicles of Narnia! My very first fanfiction was a Narnia fanfic that I barely remember except that it laid the basis for Temptation and my Narnia fanfic series as a whole. I never posted this first iteration anyway, but I remember it was 2008/2009 and I wrote a solid 80 pages (which was wild for me at the time) and had gotten halfway through remixing the events of Prince Caspian when my computer crashed and I lost absolutely everything. I’m still heartbroken that it’s gone forever, not because I’d want to go back and read it necessarily (since I’m sure it was actually hot garbage) but at least for nostalgia’s sake. Either way, like I said, this long-lost fic laid the basis for the very first fanfiction I ever posted, the first published (and never finished) iteration of Temptation back in 2011 on deviantART and the since-defunct Figment. I fell out of the fandom around 2012/2013 and left the story alone for a while before ultimately deciding to completely redux and rewrite the story when the fixation swung back around again between 2016 and 2018.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Despite the fact that it’s still in-progress, definitely The Scarecrow and The Bell. This fic just genuinely means so damn much to me and I will cherish it for the rest of my life because of how much it’s given me, how much love and passion and time and even parts of myself that I have poured into this, and also just how expansive of a story this is. Not only does it touch on some very dark and heavy topics, but I’ve also created so much of my own characters and meta for this story that it’s almost an entire universe in and of itself. I’ve just contributed so much additional world-building and created so many new OCs to fill important roles in this story and in Rei’s life, and they’ve all become so deeply important to me as they’ve developed further over the years. I’ve come up with so many interesting ideas for everyone and their lives, which are all slowly becoming so rich and varied. Not to mention that it’s my most popular fic to date as well as my longest fic at 632k and counting. I’ve really just genuinely poured so much of my heart and soul into this story, it’s my absolute favorite thing I’ve ever done and I really mean it when I say that I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

#tag games #ramblings

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sakumodoesstuff · 5 years

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It's that time again, folks. Time for another edition of SakuMo's Controversial Opinion Corner.

People turning, “if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all,” into a battle cry for, “you can't say anything negative about my thing,” is bullshit, and it’s crippling you as a person and as a content creator.

Preface: I'm not saying people are free to go at a creator/person and attack them with their negative opinion, nor that you should accept it. That's flaming, and it's never cool. However, the prevalence of flaming has created this culture (especially in fanwork) where people cannot accept even polite criticism, and it’s hot garbage.

Some backstory: I was raised to debate. I have 6 siblings. When we were growing up, we had to defend our side of a dispute in a non-attacking way if we wanted whichever parent to see our point. Persuasive essays were my jam in school. I love deep discussions, particularly with people I disagree, because it helps me see more viewpoints, see an issue from all sides, and possibly change my opinion with more perspective. I'm open to having my viewpoint changed. I'm open to apologizing. I'm open to agreeing to disagree. I'm open to criticism, provided it is polite and clear that we share mutual respect for one another. That's what critique is. Truly good critique, in my opinion, blends the strengths with the weaknesses.

I see this statement passed around on social media, quoted in headers, in the starting notes of fics, etc. all the time. “Do not critique my work.” “Not interested in critique.” “Not accepting critique at this time.” It's intended, I think, to say, “Do not hate on my work,” but what it actually says is, “Don't disagree with me,” and it's not a productive stance to have, particularly with creative work. In my early days of writing fanfiction, I made a lot of mistakes. Know how I know? People told me, and they weren't kind about it. Know what I did? I was young, so I got mad, but at the same time, I thought back to that criticism every time I wrote. It haunted me like a narrative ghost. Want to guess what happened? It improved my writing, far more than the praise did. It put my flaws in boldface typing, size 48, a shadow over my work until eventually, I conquered it. It helped me see a problem I had and make appropriate changes.

When you refuse criticism, it's much more difficult for that to happen. I'm not saying you can't spot and fix a flaw on your own, but when all you accept is a yes-man echo chamber, it's harder to drown out the noise and hear that discordant note in the background of your symphony. Also, it makes you incredibly thin-skinned to any kind of critique, even the respectful ones. It makes you see any negative opinions about your work as a personal attack. It leaves you vulnerable in situations where you have to accept criticism (like a job). It makes you less introspective, which means you’re even more likely to never spot and fix your flaws.

Stop doing this. Stop deleting your negative comments. Stop blocking people who have a difference of opinion. Stop symbolically plugging your ears to all voices of dissent. Look at them. Look at your criticism and discern if this person means to criticize you or your work.

For, “you,” feel free to ignore it if you aren't confrontational; someone attacking you personally for a work is most likely flaming. That said, don’t disregard a flame outright. Analyze their words for any pertinent insight to flaws in the piece. Sometimes people are too blunt, or sometimes they really are just mean, but if there’s a kernel of truth in their flame, don’t ignore it. Some of my best improvements as a writer came from flames. However, defend yourself in a respectful way if you think they misunderstood. Block them only if it becomes a habit, because some people truly are cruel. But also, don't attribute to malice what can be explained as ignorance. Some people truly do mean well but perhaps worded themselves poorly and came off very harsh. Seek clarification. Do not enter a debate angry. That is not the point of a debate. If anyone is angry to the point of personal attack, be it you or the other person, you are no longer having a discussion; you are having an argument, and you need to disengage.

For, “your work,” look at what they said. Did they offer an opinion on a choice you made? Did they state they still love the overall work? Is their critique based on a misunderstanding of your intent, or is it them stating their opinion on the subject matter? Are they respectful? Do they have any valid points? Then, open a dialogue. Indicate (in a polite way, please) where they misunderstood your piece (if at all), and use examples. “I understand your point, but I actually did address that here...” “I apologize if it’s not clear, but in this section...” Be courteous. Do not use sarcasm (“Well if you actually paid attention, I didn’t do that because...” “Clearly you don’t understand my piece because...”). Do not personally attack their opinion ( “Well you’re wrong because...” “How could you possibly think that about my piece...”). Do not condescend with your defense ( “You misunderstood me entirely, here’s why...” “In this essay, I will point out all the reasons you are wrong...”). Agree to disagree. Be willing to acknowledge they might have a point in the mix. Take to heart any valid criticism, because it’s going to help you grow.

Sorry to rant so long; this has been on my mind for quite some time and is not aimed at any one specific situation. I've seen and encountered this attitude a lot with fan creators, and it is hurting you more than it helps. Not every critique is an attack, and the sooner you learn this, the better off you'll be as a person and as a content creator. I don’t mean this rudely; this is just me speaking from personal experience and trying to convey how changing my views on critique made me a better person and a better writer. In a way, this whole post has been me attempting to give constructive criticism.

Thanks for reading my essay on this, lol. As always, I'm open to discussion and counterpoints.

#sakumo says stuff #personal #critique #criticism #fanwork discourse #accepting criticism #accepting critique #self improvement #opinion

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raendown · 7 years

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Naruto Tag

It took me a couple days to get around to this, sorry! I was tagged by @moonfox22 and @dimancheetoile. Thanks guys!

Top 5 characters

1. Kakashi 2. Tobirama 3. Minato 4. Sakura 5. Obito

A character you’ve been disappointed in their development and why

This might be unpopular but Iruka. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my sweet little sensei. But I really don’t like the way he was portrayed in Road to Ninja or the wedding arc at the end of the anime. At the beginning of the show he is built up to be this kind man who learns to understand Naruto and care for him despite the demon fox inside the boy. I took from those things that he was the kind of person who was willing to listen to your problems.

But in Road to Ninja he just flat out yells at Naruto for being sad that his father is dead? He doesn’t even listen to Naruto or try to talk to him about these feelings? Like, yeah at the end of the movie they have that cute scene where Iruka shows up with a cake and that’s nice and all. But I don’t agree with the way they portrayed that conversation at the ramen stand.

Same thing with the very last episode of the anime. Naruto comes over to visit him before his wedding and Iruka screams at him for neglecting her? And he says something like “there are things I failed to teach you about being a human” as if Naruto is doing something wrong just by visiting someone that is supposed to be precious to him? They’re supposed to view each other as brothers, what is supposed to be wrong with Naruto visiting him?

I dunno, it just bothered me that they seem to jump Iruka’s personality around from caring to careless whenever they need a convenient plot disturbance.

A character you wish had more panel/screen time

I wish we could have seen Ino actually doing something. We saw her flitting about Konoha and she appeared in some battles but usually did very little. I would have loved to see some of her actually being the bad ass I know she can be. I wanted to see her working in the Intelligence division like her father before her or destroying minds with her jutsu.

Favourite arc

Kakashi Gaiden. The whole thing. Hands down. Not only was the story line centered entirely around my ultimate fav, but it was a good story line. It showed Kakashi growing and changing, learning new things and letting that new knowledge change him as a person. We got to see the cold cruel beginning but also the moments of mercy and the proof that his humanity was still there. Knowing what he went through when he was younger changed everything about how I watched his older self interact with the people and events around him.

Favourite antagonist and why

I think a toss-up between Pein and Kisame. Neither of them were inherently evil but they were pushed towards evil acts by their disillusionment with the world around them. Pein as Nagato was such a little cinnamon roll who just wanted to make the world a better place and protect his friends. Then when he lost the most important person in his world he thought “fuck you I will force the world to be better”. Kisame was similar; he was just trying to do what he was told and be an obedient shinobi. When he questioned how actually fucked up the things he was asked to do were, he was punished for it. He joined the Akatsuki because they were trying to build a perfect world and, being really disillusioned with reality, he was happy to help with that plan. Not to mention - and yes I am this petty - Kisame is kinda hot!

Thoughts on Akatsuki and its evolution in the plot

The characters were very different from each other and very interesting. I liked the strange thing they had going on where they were fighting for world peace by murdering everyone. xD It was just kind of unique to me that their end goal was the perfect world that would make everyone happy, but of course they’re ruthless and willing to make sacrifices to achieve that goal.

By the end though I was more in to the individual characters than the Akatsuki as a whole because the organization got weird and messy and not written very well plot-wise. I wish we had more arcs on those characters, where they came from and what they had gone through while in this organization.

Choose a fixed point in the manga, alter it and give me your canon divergence

Instead of just leaving Obito’s body behind, Minato and his two surviving students wait for the earthquake to settle then go about retrieving their fallen friend. Oh, hey, surprise! Obito isn’t dead! They bring him back to the Leaf and he receives mass amounts of healing. They are able to save his organs but his arm and leg are fitted for prosthetics. Kakashi keeps the eye. They train together and become the single most terrifying duo you will ever face on any battlefield ever. Maybe fall in love along the way *winkwink*. Madara might find someone else to try and help with his plans but they fail as soon as they try and all of my precious babies live happily ever after. U.U

A canon ship that didn’t disappoint (hard, I know)

Can I use a FRIENDship instead of a relationship? Does that count? Because Kakashi and Gai are BroTP forever. These two idiots have literally never let each other down. They will fight for each other and believe in each other until they have both dragged in their dying breath.

Favourite rare pair/crack ship

Fav crack pairing will always be MadaKaka xD

A piece of fanart you love and wish to promote the artist

Uhhhh everything that anyone has ever drawn for me?

@syndellwins has done so many pieces for me and they are all wonderful. Hard to choose between them but I think this one of one of my KakaHana sequels might still be my fav.

@mrsvasiliev has gifted me the world’s best Kaka-butt more than once, starting with this glorious piece, also of one of my KakaHana soulmate au’s.

@thetoxicstrawberry knows exactly what she’s done. Of the ones on tumblr I would have to say my fav from her art is Madara in gotdamn footie pajamas! Drawn for a small MadaKaka piece written by me.

And most recently but certainly not least @redhothollyberries has created some beautiful art for the MadaTobi sequel I am almost half done. I might still be drooling on this. *shhhh*

You are all incredible and amazing people! I bow to your talents!