#sakura shows how determined she is to protect her loved ones while remaining as gentle as ever

[fayesdiary]

Me, whose favorite family is Hoshido but favorite route is Conquest: "I love this family deeply, which is why I want them all to suffer"

[af1899]

FEH - "The outside world...! So vast!" (+10 WIP Sophia mini-showcase and appreciation)

So, with the [Feh Pass] subscription, I've been auto battling as much as I could while doing whatever else and gather [Hero Feathers] to get all the [HM] I had yet to get, and it was absolutely worth it, although I've already spent like 300 out of my 900+ something [Stamina Bottles] in the [Forging Bonds] lmao, I have around 660 now.

But with the obtained [Hero Feathers] I merged up Tailtiu to +6 and...

Poggers

I'm happy to have finished merging Sophia at long last which makes of her my eleventh fully merged project soon after New Year Eir, her build is pretty much done but I'd be delighted to give her more premium stuff she can use in the future and make more builds, as well as giving her the remaining [Dragonflowers (I)] but I'm so close to fully boost Sonya and then I have to boost OG and Legendary Julia because of the post-[CYL 2021] update. 🥴

But her current build does wonders already, true, she's not impervious to nearly everything as it is, but I can give her some team support and the like, she's still great on her own.

Now, onto appreciation talk which includes describing her a little and explaining why I like her. I did this in one of my previous posts but it's time to review the info we have about her and expand on it. As always, feel free to read on (long read ahead)...

About Sophia

She's a half-dragon, half-human girl with the power of foresight, she's a priestess residing in Arcadia, a village that houses manaketes that survived one of the most vicious wars from past lore (The Scouring) located in the southwestern desertic region (Nabata) in Elibe, the continent on which the sixth and seventh Fire Emblem games take place in, she's a playable [Shaman] in the former and makes a minor appearance as a NPC near the end of the latter. Her class makes of her one of the two playable dark magic users in Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals (the other is the guy you're most likely to get while pulling on red stones in FEH, a.k.a. Raigh), and she gains access to basic staves after promoting to [Druid].

In her support convo with Niime, it's revealed that Sophia's father was human, meaning that her mother was a dragon, but neither's identity is ever known to the player. But despite this, she never transforms into a dragon, most likely because she never had her own stone to contain those powers. Being half-dragon also allows her to live much longer, but not as purebred manaketes/dragons.

She's fully self-aware of her heritage and doesn't let that bother her, she accepts both halves of herself which make of her a whole person.

She's somewhat important around the half of the game's duration as she helps a gravely injured Cecilia to at least tend to her wounds while waiting for Roy's army to rescue them as they were both thrown into a prison under Bern's control (the kingdom invading the other countries during the events of the game).

Sophia displays a shy and gentle personality, showing clear astonishmnet yet in a calm way when witnessing what the outside world is like and what it has to offer (beyond the village she's been living for around a century), this is most evidenced in her support dialogues with Igrene. She even feels similarly when wearing a new set of clothes, such as those of Embla in the World of Zenith, anytime after she joins the Order of Heroes.

«As long as I am with you... I can go anywhere...even a new country...»

― Sophia

She also mentions she was raised to avoid outsiders, and in the same aforementioned support convo, it's mentioned why.

«I understand what he's saying... The Dragons' powers could easily destroy entire countries. If the outsiders found out, they would surely fight over it. I've seen many conflicts like that in my life...»

― Igrene

And it's understandable why she feels that way after being raised by the elder of the village to do as told for decades. But in the end, she wants to work towards a world of peace where both dragons and humans live together without a war ever spreading out, and befriend other people, she's appreciative of other's kindness.

So... why do I like her?

Because she's purple-haired and most of her design has purple and I love purple soooooo much, that's all you need to know. :)

...Kidding kidding, that's not actually it, but it's in part true that I find her aesthetic pleasing, partially due to my passion for this color:

(Official artwork from FE6)

Her design is rather simple but so charming, clearly evidencing her shyness (see the way she holds her book and her facial expression), and feeling clean without going overboard on details.

Also, I find long, purple hair a rather rare yet dazzling sight, I always look at it in her artwork and remins me why I love her design.

True, her neck in Zaza's take on Sophia in Fire Emblem Heroes bothered me a little, mostly because her neck is a little long as seen above, but not as slim as long as Zaza has drawn her (it's still a decent artwork and the artist has made some really nice pieces later, look at Emmeryn), the style also felt a little off to me. But her Resplendent upgrade made Sophia look more cute and still being the one we know, doning a brand new attire.

(❶ Original by Zaza. | ❷ Resplendent by Miwabe Sakura)

But for me, it's pointless to be pretty if there's not a likeable personality behind the character in question, and Sophia has been proven to be really interesting, often a mysterious but shy girl, she's capable of kindness and finding comfort with outsiders like Kiran or Roy, when I see her, I always feel that she's so nice, never feeling bitterness towards any of her allies, just being shy due to how she's grown, but with a desire for friendship and peace pushing her forward, even slowly but surely, she's so lovely. 🥰

What's more, some of her quotes show she has a protective side, determined to stand up to help her allies but specially those she's close with, this eventually includes Kiran themselves.

Her voice in Fire Emblem Heroes is also really soothing, Wendee Lee has made such a delightful work giving new life to Sophia through her voice acting, there sure are differences between her work back in 2017 (Sophia is a launch unit, meaning she's been around ever since the game was live) and the work on the Resplendent in 2020, yet both are pretty consistent and equally pleasant to hear. But if I have to vouch for one or another, I give a point to the Resplendent voice acting, her voice can be heard with a little more depth and calmness to it than the original, which feels more natural.

And she's a dark magic practitioner but that doesn't make her evil at all, she's really pure actually. But I actually find dark magic most appealing out of any kind of weapon I have ever seen, the whole concept is cool, being always creepy and nefarious in nature, often portrayed in hues of black and dark purple.

And like, c'mon, this thing is amazing:

I wish that [Apocalypse] was her PRF weapon in Fire Emblem Heroes but neither Raigh nor Bramimond who's its OG owner got it and just got random PRFs instead.

Anyway, in short, I adore Sophia and it always makes me happy to turn a seemingly weak unit into a tough to crack cookie, love for favorites sure can take them far.

"And... as a unit?"

I've been trying her mainly against the foes she has advantage with, but I've been also trying her against red/blue units and sometimes she does a nice job holding them at bay, she has low speed even after all this investment but with buffing it's somewhat usable.

Yet I prefer to focus on her strengths, not weaknesses, and she stands as a fairly good magic tank, with the few extras she enjoys as a launch unit and full demote plus Resplendent skin since around the first weeks of the [Feh Pass].

I actually tried her here some time after posting this because I didn't notice the [Limited Hero Battle] for today requires you use FE6 units, so I went with my faves in the game and it was rather easy. 🙂 But it still took a little thinking.

"Who's the next +10 you have in mind?"

Hmm... actually gonna (at least try to) work on Lilina, another one of my Elibian favorites. I also have her Resplendent upgrade and could revamp her kit. 🤔

But she's currently +3 so her turn might take longer or someone's else may come before, Idk.

And then, hopefully someone I like out of the next potential Resplendent Heroes...!

[heartsofthewisps]

Characters:

Carson Von Somethin

Yes, that IS his last name. Residing in the busy city of Auriga, Carson is a music connoisseur while his views and takes on the world are rather cynical, ever since the tragic death of his parents whom he lost in a brutal car accident when he was only four years old. The leader of the wisps, unfortunately for him. The main man!!

Margie Spellwinder

Margie is from a long, esteemed line of proud witches. She is to inherit the great Spellwinder name!..... That is, if she can even be a proper witch to begin with. Although very gifted with magic, she doesn’t know exactly how to wield it. Margie hails from southern Astraeya, her abode not far from the Witch’s Hamlet. She often fizzles simple ember spells or ends up blowing up her household with potion brews. Either way, she’s determined, and isn’t about to give up! But she could take a break from the constant malfunctions. Constantly anxious, and has a deeper past than first anticipated.

Hitoshi Spirit

Ironic as it is, Hitoshi Spirit is a samurai who has traded in his soul for incredible strength and stamina during a tolling war that took place in Hiragashi, a coastal town in Eastern Astraeya. Now he remains a husk of a man. Still, he is able to feel and experience emotions despite having traded away his spirit. But he is often cold and heartless, not feeling pity for cowards who beg for pity. And somehow, he ended up in a group with a pessimistic music maker, a failing witch, and a bossy, immature guardian spirit. Enjoys the simple things in life, like fishing and painting.

Willow Wispy

Willow is a guardian spirit that, as her name suggests, can control fire and ashes. However being such a small, insignificant spirit, she believes she’s a long-forgotten goddess who has magnificent power (which is proved time and time again to be false by her team). She showed up beside Carson one day, promising to protect him through his compelling journey. Though he pushed her away a lot, being the independent person he is. Has a lot more to her than meets the eye.

Akio Hinode

Appearing to be an ordinary man at first, it is later revealed that he is actually the last remaining kitsune to live. He hails from the small Kitsune Village hidden deep within the Woods of the Lynx. Due to his species being doomed, he has grown bitter and cold from the world, especially towards humans since they are the very things that killed his people. To make their lives as miserable as possible, he pulls pranks and tricks, lies and steals, anything to inconvenience them as much as possible. Be wary - his bright and cheery persona is only a mask for a darker and cold man.

Ichika Gakusha

An avid historian that hyper-studies any subject that catches her eye, to ignore the depression of her family neglecting her for her entire life. Her current obsession is the kitsune people and their past culture, trying to recover and learn about them ever since they went extinct. Little does she know that there IS one living kitsune, who happens to be afraid of her possibly exposing his existence to hunters. Incredibly intelligent, but oblivious to what’s in front of her.

Julian Lores Draconia

Kindhearted prince and sole heir to the throne of Draconia, the kingdom ruled by dragonblood. Despite loving his father for treating him kind all his life, he knows that he’s been slipping away bit by bit, and that one day, he will become a threat to the people of Astraeya. With this knowledge, he defects from the kingdom for a time and joins the main group to restore peace to the world. Due to the draconic blood flowing through his veins, he slowly transforms into a dragon, and cannot revert back to his human self unless using a scale tonic or a magic spell. Has a bit of a crush on Margie.

Faenar Mysticus

For thousands of years, elves, fairies, and fae alike have been known to reject any species that were not their own, having strict rules on what can and cannot be done, and overall are unfriendly, unkind beings. Not Faenar. Absolutely not Faenar. He is the nicest, kindest, most gentle elf in the entire world, and comes from the Treetop Sanctuary, a large settlement of elves in the Woods of the Lynx. Taking Margie in when she was small and frail, he deemed himself her older brother and pretty much everyone else as his little siblings. His mother, an elvish council member, desperately wants him to stop dragging her through this trouble, but has honestly given up at this point.

Dreezna Elfenstof

Dreezna is one of the fairies that reside in the mystical Verdwaald forest, home to the fairies of Astraeya. The queen of fairies, Titania, knew what must be done, and had sent Dreezna away to find the Wisps (the main group), knowing she is among the souls. Despite her pessimistic personality at first glance, she is a person of pure heart, as a healer in Astraeya cannot be one unless their heart is kind and pure. Pines over Viviane hard.

Viviane Samaka

A mermaid from the underwater kingdom of Lu’Lu’, who advocates for the truce between land dwellers and sea creatures, she has a bright outlook for the future, and is unknowingly one of the Wisps. Like other mermaids, she has the sacred ability to entrance a person with her singing voice, though she must be careful not to hypnotize one of her one friends. Pines over Dreezna hard.

Mo

Mo (short for Mother Life) is the long-since-forgotten goddess of Astraeya, the creator of the entire world. Don’t be fooled by her young, childlike appearance - she is wise when it counts. Though she provided everything for the people, they still disliked her, angry that she didn’t accommodate their every need (though they weren’t exactly aware their caring goddess is a literal child). She one day mysteriously disappeared after the Gigas Disaster, which crumbled Astraeya’s old society. Whether she’s dead or ran off, nobody in the world knows.

Nightmare

A literal blob of evil black goo, Nightmare is the cause of the Gigas Disaster and the main antagonist of the story. He was born of the hatred and malice of the eight lesser elemental gods’s war. Though I may draw him with a form, the truth is he has no real form, and can only can have one by inhabiting a vessel, a person chosen among his followers. Hasn’t been seen physically for thousands of years, as he disappeared when Mo did, but threatens to return to end Astraeya once and for all.

Slug Prophet

Yes. You heard that right. Slug. Prophet. Born around the the same time Mo created Astraeya, they are a sea slug gained sentience, and gifted with the power of foresight. Mo often came to them in the past for advice and help, but has long since lost relevance and now hangs out in a damp, musty cove by the ocean, eating plankton-algae soup and doing....whatever they do in their free time. Primordial being, on the same level as Mo herself.

Sakura

A totally uninteresting and non-relevant elf lady from the forest, a total nerd and dweeb. She uses magic I guess, but honestly what’s the point, because she is just there. Mostly for background. Created To The Wisps as a fun little comic project on the side but it accidentally became real and she’s powerless to stop it. If you see her, ignore her, she will eventually go away.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Sixty-Three: It Surrounds You ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui ] [ SasuHina, NaruSaku ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]

Out of every ability he’s gained over the years, Sasuke will admit that Susanoo is probably his most preferred. Sure, his Rinnegan acquired during the fourth shinobi war is impressive, but..something about the chakra avatar is special to him. He’s not the only wielder of it - both his brother and his cousin can summon their own unique Susanoo: Itachi’s of red, and Shisui’s of green. The weapons they bear are all their own, as well. Sasuke’s prefers a bow, Itachi’s a sword and shield, and Shisui’s twin lances.

It can both attack, and defend. By far, it’s one of the most powerful techniques Sasuke has ever seen, let alone used. Even if it has its drawbacks in massive chakra consumption, let alone being so painful to use if done for too long...to him, it’s essential in combat.

However, with the war done, and the countries at peace, part of him had hoped that maybe - just maybe - it would mean never having to use such a jutsu again.

But his enemies had other plans.

He expected opposition to his return to Konoha. And upon Itachi’s revival, he knew it would only get worse. Shisui’s revelation to having avoided death and gone into hiding was painful to comprehend. What could have changed, had the brothers known their cousin lived? While Sasuke knew that Shisui had avoided such a reputation as his cousins’...he also realized that the very name their bore had changed. It was now a name of tragedy, of loss, and of wrongdoing...at least, in some eyes.

So in reality, he could not say he was shocked when people slowly escalated their negative reactions to seeing any of the surviving Uchiha trio. To them, it didn’t matter Itachi had only been following village orders when he helped to murder dozens. To them, it didn’t matter Sasuke had only sought justice for that same massacred clan. All they could see was the blood on their hands, caring little for the reasons behind it. To people like that, all they would ever be was murderers.

To Sasuke, his own reputation didn’t matter much. He’d come to understand the faults in his logic, and therefore his actions. And he was doing his best to amend them to those who mattered. A stranger’s opinion was, to him, inherently worthless. All that did matter to him after the war was one thing: his family. What little of it remained. And through their gentle coaxing, he branched back out into his old classmates. Teammates.

Things were difficult. Many of them were just as wary of him as those who knew nothing about him.

But through the first several years, one person stood out. Understood. Worked with him.

Hyūga Hinata.

And eventually, after their own trials and tribulations...they fell in love.

To him...it was a risk. A huge one, and in more than one respect. From his side, it gave him another weakness. Not that Hinata was weak - she could hold her own against most. But someone as powerful as Sasuke had enemies that were simply above her abilities. It was never meant as a slight, simply a fact.

And from Hinata’s side, it meant taking on that same hatred. If she aligned herself with the Uchiha, she was just as guilty in many eyes. It would put her in danger, and perhaps sully her reputation forever. As much as she insisted that mattered less to her than their relationship, Sasuke couldn’t help but worry.

...it wasn’t long after they were wed that the dissent against them began to grow.

They’d always dealt with whispers, dirty looks, shoved shoulders. Sasuke never concerned himself with it...unless Hinata was the target. He was hardly scared of any fool stupid enough to try to go toe to toe with one of the two strongest shinobi in their world. If it came down to it, he’d just flare up an arm of Susanoo and frighten them off.

But then there was the morning they woke to a threat carved into the new manor door, calling for all Uchiha guilty of treachery against Konoha to forfeit their lives. Itachi had sent his wife and two children with Shisui to the Hokage’s office as his ANBU began to investigate. Sasuke did the same with Hinata, ignoring her demands to help.

“Things just escalated to a whole new degree. I won’t risk your life.”

“And I’m supposed to let you risk yours?”

“I’m not afraid for myself, Hinata. But I am afraid for you. Please...let me waylay that fear. Just for now. This isn’t about you...it’s about me.”

She’d given him a vehement stare...but in the end, backed down.

But for all their searching, they’d found practically nothing. Hardly any clues, and what little they did find led them nowhere. They only had theories, each one more damning than the last.

The next incident was even more direct. Children with her and pregnant with another, Itachi’s wife had been attacked. In broad daylight. By some grace she fended them off, Hyūga officers and ANBU quick to step in.

Sasuke had never seen his brother so silently furious.

But before they could determine anything from the perpetrator...they took their own life with a rigged explosive tag. And with it went any chance of learning who had sent them. Several Hyūga had been injured, and it was quickly becoming a full-blown terror operation.

Their targets? Anyone and everyone connected to the Uchiha. Wives, children, allies...all were considered tainted. And they were no closer to knowing who was orchestrating it all.

Itachi was both furious and frightened. Like Sasuke, he was most concerned with those among them more vulnerable than the trio of full-blood Uchiha. Especially his children.

And by then, Hinata too was with child.

It felt like they were three lonely shepherds protecting their flock of sheep from wolves both unknown and unnumbered, unable to see into the shadows where the beasts were lurking.

But Sasuke’s last straw would come two years later...and yet, even then, they were far from over.

Walking home from an introductory playdate between their son, and the daughter of Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke and his little family leisurely head home as dusk falls. As always, the mostly-empty compound greets them silently, the unused land ripe with grass that sways in a gentle Summer breeze. In the distance, the three homes glow softly in greeting. The manor in the middle, Sasuke’s to the left, and Shisui’s to the right.

In all honesty, Sasuke’s more than glad to be home. Akane, the nanadaime’s daughter, is already a handful at two years old. Not a bad kid, just...draining. Nothing like their cool-tempered Tenkai. For now, all he wants is to get home, have a little supper, and then call it a night.

But someone else has other plans.

As tired as he is, Sasuke’s senses are still piqued - he never dares relax them for a moment. So when a whisper of chakra is picked up by his sixth sense, he wastes no time in reacting. With a flare, Susanoo erupts into being, earning a small gasp from his wife, and a shrill cry from his son. The avatar surrounds them all, glowering at the growing shadows.

Both kekkei genkai wide, Sasuke turns to face whatever threat dares show itself. He’s going to make them regret even thinking of coming to his family with harm in their intentions.

It’s a squadron of them: all bearing blank masks and unremarkable black clothing. Similar builds. Only their chakra truly stand apart, colored and unique to his gaze.

Clinging to Tenkai, Hinata lets her Byakugan awaken to watch just as carefully.

“...I’m going to give you five seconds,” Sasuke murmurs, tone low but hard with a deadly edge. “Five seconds to reconsider throwing your lives at my feet. You won’t be touching my family. Before the sun finishes setting...you will be dead.”

As he expects, none of them heed his warning. Instead, they all launch together.

Eyes narrowing, Sasuke directs the avatar to begin firing its chakra bolts. Their targets are fast and lithe...but he’s one hell of a shot. With the first, he takes down one, chest fully caving as the arrow pierces straight through them. Explosions rock the front of the compound as they attempt to blow a hole in his defenses.

Pathetic.

Whimpering as his mother soothes him, their son hides against Hinata’s chest. “Sasuke,” she offers curtly.

“I know.” With a sweep of its blade, Susanoo cuts cleanly through two more of the masked intruders.

The remaining pair then leap back, seeming to seek to evaluate the situation. Sasuke, however, doesn’t give them a chance. Over and over Susanoo fires, bolts digging into the grass with each miss. He can keep this up for quite some time...but his opponents will begin tire. No matter how painful the avatar is to maintain, he’ll do so as long as necessary.

“Sasuke!”

From behind them comes Itachi’s voice. A glance over his shoulder shows both his brother and his cousin sprinting out to aid them, their own avatars beginning to manifest.

Realizing they’re far outmatched, the intruders deploy smoke bombs...and even as Sasuke clears it with fūton, they’ve gone.

“You okay?” Shisui calls as Sasuke lets his Susanoo fade.

“...fine.”

“Did you eliminate any?”

“Three. They detonated just like the last one we caught. Seems it’s a death clause, too. Whoever these bastards are, they’re just as dedicated as ANBU to keeping their secrets.”

The Uchiha trio exchange a look as they all circle back to a theory they still can’t prove.

“...I don’t see them,” Hinata reports, letting her kekkei genkai fade. “They must have sensor training...their chakra completely vanished.”

“...come, we’ll reconvene in the manor. You two should take some time to settle down after all of that,” Itachi advises.

“We’re fine. I just want to get some rest, aniki.”

The brothers exchange a silent conversation through glances before the older relents. “...very well. I must report this to Kakashi. Shisui, if you would remain and keep an eye on things…?”

“You got it. Tell him I might be late coming in tomorrow.”

“...very well.”

Watching the clan head leave, the cousins exchange a glance. “...let’s get you three inside,” Shisui then murmurs. “I’ll keep watch until some of Itachi’s ANBU come take over.”

“Thank you,” Hinata replies, tone weary but grateful.

“Don’t mention it.”

Once inside, the little family all convene in the master quarters, Tenkai tucked between the pair of them as paranoia makes them overly cautious.

“Well...I know what it’s like within your Susanoo now,” Hinata murmurs as they settle in to try and rest.

“You might have to get used to it,” Sasuke can’t help but mutter.

“...at least most of us have strong defenses. That in itself is a blessing.”

Before he can spit a reply, Sasuke bites his tongue. It’s useless to bemoan the fact they shouldn’t need them at all. It won’t change the fact they’re being hunted. Instead, he sighs...then murmurs, “...try to get some sleep.”

“You too.”

“...yeah.”

                                                          .oOo.

     I almost took this prompt in another direction, buuut went with this instead! I looove Susanoo - one of my favorite aspects of Naruto, tbh. Way OP, but...then again I'm a big fan of the Uchiha, so I'm biased either way x3      Poor Sasuke...all he wants is a little peace. But that shadowy group looking to rid the world completely of his clan just won't let up! Who could it be...? Maybe you'll get to find out someday, lol - but for now...the mystery continues!      Anywho, it's late and I've gotta head to the doctor tomorrow, so...best call it a night! Thanks for reading~

[minimalexertion]

Chapter 3

Lives Worth Saving

Chapter 3: Identifying the most Valuable People

Step 5 - Finding Valuable Lives

Every single character that displays the characteristics of a main character or important side character (e.g. strangely coloured/styled hair, overly-determined about a single goal, somehow inspires others because of that goal, makes everyone like them through actions etc.) will often have a tragic back story. However, you cannot save all of these lives. Some deaths are pivotal in the story to motivate other characters and drive them to accomplish things they would have never dreamed of.

The lives worth saving must tick off the following 5 requirements, known as 'The 5 Principles of Hasamelis':

Must have an important part in the story for the future;

Saving their lives will not, in anyway, impact the progress of the characters around them;

Their existence must contribute to the better good of the collective;

If a villain, they have shown remorse and/or guilt for their previous actions; and

The dimension traveller must not have, in anyway, have saved their lives because they were important to the traveller on a personal level.

Once the person has ticked off all 5 requirements, they are deemed as a 'salvum hominem' and their lives are now under your protection.

Handy Tip #7: Although we love redemption arcs, some villains will not be able to experience this despite your best efforts to push them in that direction. It is better to finish them where they are instead of wasting time listening to their tragic backstory.

Handy Tip #8: Try not get too attached to characters, which will hinder your abilities to perform this step. Instead, try to become friends with the characters that have a 90% ~ 100% chance of surviving until the end of the story {see the character profiles given by your assigned protector eorum for more information}.

Handy Tip #9: If you know the name of the "show" in which the new dimension exists, then the chances are that the show is named after the main character.

Note: Even though the main character is important, it is very rare that they will die, so you do not need to worry about their lives as much as you need to.

Opening the door to the Hokage's office with a quiet, "Pardon my intrusion," You slipped through the door, only to come face to face with 5 'strangers'. Well, you could recognise everyone there, but how creepy would it be for someone (who you don't know) to approach you and suddenly say, "Hey, kid. You don't know me but I know you, and you're going to be a raging psychopath hell-bent on revenge which will get your ass whooped more times than you would like."

Yeah, definitely not creepy at all.

The Hokage seemed to brighten up at your appearance, whilst the other 5 (2 adults and 3 children) looked baffled at your arrival. "Ah, [f.name]! Nice of you to join us at last." The Hokage said, his smile kind and his voice gentle.

Your eyebrow twitched, "No offence, Gramps. But, you literally made me wait outside for 1 hour just so we could have a a dramatic entrance where they'll think that I'm cool, so we'll all get along." You shot back snidely, the smirk dancing on your lips the only indication that it was a jest. Walking right up to the Hokage, punching his shoulder gently as a greeting (which would hopefully defuse the sudden appearance of strange tension in the room). The Hokage only shook his head, chuckling, as the adult with a scar across the bridge of his noise completely lost his mind.

'That man, I feel like I should know him. I knew I should've read those character profiles that 'stink-bag' [your 'guardian angel' was now currently demoted to insulting nicknames] gave me.' You thought, your eyes narrowed and finger scratching your chin as you stood there thinking about his face for a bit too long.

The familiar feeling of the Hokage's hand ruffling your [length] [colour] hair drew you back into the present, as he mockingly asked, "So, are you going to introduce yourself, [f.name]?"

"Oh yeah. Forgot about that." You replied, snapping back to reality. Turning your attention to the 3 kids and single adult in front of you, you quickly bowed, "I apologise for my rude behaviour. I am [f.name] [l.name], feel free to call me [f.name]. I hope we can all get along, like back in middle-school - not like any of you know what middle-school is. I just moved here a couple of weeks ago and I'm here for a good time, not a long time." You stood straight, a large smile on your face.

A small silence followed after your introduction, before the masked man with silver hair (which was, honestly, a little frightening at its apparent disregard for physics) waved, his one visible eye closed, and introduced himself, "I am Kakashi Hatake, your new teacher," He then gestured to the 3 kids, "And this is Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. We're glad to have you on our team."

Your [colour] eyes scanned over a blond boy, a pinkette, and a gloomy dark-haired boy. I mean seriously, the third kid could probably suck out all the light in a room. Before dismissing them as some random 'side-characters', you jolted, a nervous sweat breaking out on the palms of your hands. When you heard the name Naruto, you could feel the remains of your soul attempting to escape. You were on the team. The team with the main character, which will also mean the team with the hardest work. You had a suspicion that the blond child was Naruto, but now you were sure.

Great, chances of surviving past the age of 15 is probably now dwindling in the single digits.

I narrowed my only visible eye at this [colour] haired girl. She didn't look like she was strong, but she wasn't weak either. I let out a resigned sigh as Naruto immediately thought that it would be a good idea to start rambling about his 'skills' and ambitions, even going as far as to shove his entire body into the poor girl's personal space. Feeling the beginning of what would be the 15th headache of the day, I quickly stepped in as I saw Naruto start to roll up his sleeves.

        "I'm going to be the Hokage one day, believe it!"

                "Sure, buddy. Don't know why you have to scream it into my face, but you do you, boo."

        "You don't believe me, do ya?!"

                "Uh, you asked me if I believed you and I said sure, so I have no idea what you are screaming about."

        "I'll show you!"

                 "Uh... okay?"

Swiftly grabbing Naruto by the collar of his orange jumpsuit, I sigh quietly, shooting the new girl an apology over Naruto's constant yelling, "Sorry about Naruto, [f.name]."

She just shrugged carelessly, finger gunning as she replied with a, "It's cool. Kid must have not had a good support system if he says stuff like that. I get it," Before casually strolling out the doors.

        'She knows something.'

The moment I had exited the room, I felt the tension in my shoulders disappear. About to walk outside to bask in the sunlight before it became dark, I felt a hand grasp my shoulder. Hearing the Hokage's eerie voice, I shuddered, "Ah. [f.name]. Leaving so soon? We're just about to discuss mission details."

Snapping to attention, I quickly replied with a frightened screech and a salute before making my way back into the office, palms sweaty, knees weak, and arms heavy, as I gulped at the forced smile on the Hokage's face. Closing the door quietly behind me, I let out a nervous laugh as I met Sakura's quizzical gaze.

Turning my attention back to the Hokage, I quickly caught the next sentence out of his mouth, which made my jaw drop to the floor, "You will all be bodyguards on this C-rank mission."

Now, I know I haven't seen any episodes of Naruto, but I did read the episode synopsis of the first 20 episodes, so I sure as hell know that this is going to be a hard time for me.

Sweating slightly, I heard Sakura ask, worry evident in her tone, "[f.name], are you okay? You look a little pale."

Gulping slightly, I decided this would be the best time to pretend I was a fortune teller and thus put my excellent acting skills to use. Swooning slightly, I let out a groan as my eyelids fluttered quickly. Sakura quickly grabbed me in an attempt to hold me upright while I grasped onto her, looking her right in her bright green eyes with my own wide [colour] eyes, before muttering urgently, "Mirrors are dangerous. There's no way out!" Before collapsing onto the floor and into Sakura's arms.

"Sensei!!"

Sakura's piercing shriek made me aware of the credibility of my acting skills, which was only further strengthened by Naruto also screaming, Kakashi looking into my blank eyes, and the sound of the chair screeching as the Hokage rushed to my side.

"[f.name], what's wrong?! Are you okay?" The Hokage asked, his voice panicked and urgent. "What do you mean mirrors are dangerous and there's no way out?"

I let my body slump weakly onto the floor, before looking at Sasuke. Weakly raising a finger, I pointed to him, much to his displeasure (which I didn't necessarily care for since I was reveling in the look of disgust on his face) and quietly croaked out, "You will die in the mirror maze, Sasuke Uchiha."

With Sasuke's black eyes widened in shock, I remained a steady eye contact with him as I slowly lowered my arm, before closing my eyes for a quick snooze. If I wanted this to be realistic and say I have an overpowered ability, then there has to be major drawbacks, and the only thing I can think of right now is falling asleep right after a 'prediction.'

Ignoring the exclamations of the people around me, I let myself take a 10 minute nap, and to be completely honest, after all the shit I have been through and the stuff I have yet to experience, I think I deserved it.

Step 6 - How to Gain Trust

Just be "honest" and hardworking. Have the type of personality that everyone likes to be around. But you must have a few believable flaws, such as never being on time, always forgetting to wear socks, never eating breakfast, bringing dishonour onto your family name, etc. 

When this part is done, start to build a meaningful relationship with the people, remembering their likes and dislikes, important dates and people in their lives, and overall just being a really good friend.

Handy Tip #10: The quietest people are often the most interesting and easiest to get along with.

First impressions: 8 out of 10

Acting skills: 15 out of 10

Fortune telling abilities: 9 out of 10

Probability of survival: 43.49%

[sagemoderocklee]

hi, here are a few characters... u don't have to do all of them if there's too many lol :) general opinion (Kiba, Shino, Choji) best quality (Ino, Hinata, Sakura) misc-thoughts (Neji, Shikamaru, Gaara)

i will gladly do all of them, anon! I’m literally vegging out today because I’m sick so I have plenty of time :D I assumed you only wanted me to respond to the things you were specifically asking, but if you want me to do the entire thing I will absolutely do the entire thing for all of these characters

Kiba: general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

Funny thing is I used to kind of hate Kiba. Maybe hate is too strong. But he just came across as such a douchebag. Writing Alliance changed that though. Since I spent so much time writing from so many different characters’ pov, it just kind of became hard to actually dislike any of the characters I was writing because I had to take the time to get to know them. Kiba was one of those characters who I went from disliking to actually liking a whole lot. I don’t know if I quite love him, but I do like him. 

Shino: general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life

Honestly, I wish there was a step above love that was right before ‘actual love of my life’ because I honestly adore Shino and wish we got to see more of him in canon. He’s actually one of the few characters I didn’t write a POV for in Alliance. His perspective never became necessary for the plot to carry forward, I guess. But I’ve always really enjoyed Shino. I also relate because as a kid I was very much a bug kid. 

Chouji: general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life Chouji is very precious tbh. 

Ino: best quality: I think with Ino she has this capacity to change and adapt that is really amazing. Like, realistically, Ino’s skills as a shinobi are not meant for battle. I’m not saying she can’t fight or anything, but her techniques are simply not meant for battle--these techniques literally put her in danger and force her to rely on someone else to watch over her. But she works with it. She works well with her teammates, she works well with Sakura. When Sakura and her have a falling out over Sasuke, she adapted. As she grows she changes and adapts to the world around her. She comes across as superficial, but I don’t think she is. I dunno. I didn’t get to write a whole lot of Ino’s POV while working on Alliance, so I don’t pretend that I’ve got this great understanding of her, but this is how I see her from what I did write of her. 

Sakura: best quality: her strength and perseverance. like let’s be real, all the ladies in Naruto get the short end of the stick in someway. Whether it’s how they are characterized, their treatment by the other characters, or how little we actually get of them. with Sakura, she’s this character who we saw grow and change so much, she got stronger, she was determined to be an amazing shinobi but her greatest strength at the beginning wasn’t physical it was mental. She was so smart. And she remains so smart and intelligent, but she went one step further. She persevered. She became physically stronger and emotionally stronger. I hate what was repeatedly done to her time and again by the series, the way it continued to give her this great growth and then backtrack to show that she was still somehow in love with Sasuke or selfish or whatever. To me her greatest quality, one of the things that makes her strong is her ability to persevere. She’s strong in so many ways because she was determined. Naruto went away to train, Sakura stayed behind and trained and the shit she can do is amazing. She can save lives and take lives. She’s a healer and a fighter. She’s smart and strong and wonderful and she was done so dirty.  

Hinata: best quality: A long time ago I really didn’t like Hinata. Or maybe I jut didn’t care about her. But those days are long gone. I got to get more familiar with her while writing Alliance--plus I just grew up and got over all that internalized misogyny and shit. I think Hinata’s best quality is her belief in others and her kindness. I think Hinata, as strong a fighter as she is, is really not actually the type meant for fighting and the only reason she is one is by necessity. Her personality isn’t suited to it. I think she’s much more suited to politics and eventually running the clan and dismantling the caste system. I think Hinata has such a huge heart (which is honestly wasted on Naruto, who has never paid her the time of day and she deserves so much better but whatever!) Like of all the ladies in Naruto, I think Hinata is the kindest. She is so soft and pure and loving, and I think that is what makes her so strong. I think her capacity to believe in others is what ultimately led her to believing in herself, which is something that is sooo hard to do, but she did it. She did what she felt she had to do and she came out on top. 

Neji: misc. thoughts: smh where do i begin?! like i love neji. i love him so much and he was done SO DIRTY I am so salty about the fact that he died in the series? like fuck that that makes no goddamn sense. how do you set up this whole idea that we are not tied to our destinies, that we can break free from it only to have the character who was trying to break free from his destiny die because of it? like tbh i don’t even care if he was “happy to die protecting” Hinata or whatever. I think it’s bs. i think Neji got to grow and heal and come to terms with all these things in the hopes that he would have his own life, and it made him a better, stronger person; i think he grew to love Hinata instead of resenting her, i think he understood Lee more and saw Lee as an equal. I think he as a person was so much better off because he saw that he didn’t have to live his life to die--and then he fucking died even though he’s the only one of the main Naruto kids who’s actually a Jounin????? like wtf???? that’s such bs. he should have had a happy life and gotten married to Tenten and helped Hinata dismantle the caste system of the Hyuuga clan. Fuck him dying. Fuck it. Neji deserved better and I do not accept his death. 

Shikamaru: misc thoughts: can we just talk about Shikamaru being ace? like I rlly think he would be asexual. Like apathetic towards sex, not repulsed or against it necessarily. Just...apathetic. Doesn’t experience sexual attraction, doesn’t care about sex. Like I dunno, it just makes sense to me???

Gaara: misc thoughts: oh boy. you had to pick Gaara lol (I’m not mad tho). I could fill books with my thoughts on him--tbh that’s kind of what Alliance is tho lmao. but like for real my love for Gaara is unending. he is one of my top faves of all time, not just in the series and I have spent the last 6 1/2 years writing a fanfic with him as one of the central characters so like I have a LOT of thoughts about him and I’m not even sure where to start or what to focus on??? like can we talk about how this man, who started out as an abused, neglected, hated child targeted for murder by his own father, grew up to become this kind, gentle, caring, soft leader of his village? Like Naruto had a shitty as life, he was neglected and hated to, but the abuse that Gaara went through was just--like his own father wanted him dead??? his own father who took away Gaara’s childhood and then tried to take his life, too. like i’m honestly so salty about the bit in Naruto when Raasa comes back as a zombie and talks with Gaara. Like I’m glad that Gaara was given that closure, ya know? But I hate the way his dad was in that scene? Like his dad was an awful person???? his dad abused his children--even Kankurou and Temari, though to a much lesser degree. Like he was a terrible Kazekage, a terrible dad, and I just really hated that we had this scene that presented him as not being quite as bad as he actually is? I dunno. it just feels gross to be like “oh he was horrible and abusive, but not THAT bad lol” and like I haven’t read that scene in a long time so my memory is hazy but it still just...left such a bad taste in my mouth. Like Gaara deserves so much better. 

and like even his own village owes him an apology. like this poor child. no one ever fucking loved him as a child. no one gave him a fucking chance. his whole village was horrible to him and honestly they don’t deserve him. Suna is so lucky to have him but they really do not deserve him.