Naturally, Fantasical Writing

From what I remember, there wasn't much that went into inspiration. Orochimaru, and to a lesser extent Kabuto, were some of my favorite Naruto characters, and I just kind of wanted to make an OC that would interact with both and have a brief crush on Kabuto.

This would also lead into an idea of making a "gender swapped" version of the Sanin (Jiraya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade) that never fully got implemented. They would have been from different villages, were adopted by their respected Sanin, and resembled them. Perhaps not the most original, but I do give myself some credit for the effort. I did start something for Jirarya's equivalent, Solidad, but outside of a rough sketch I no longer have, I didn't really have a backstory for her. While Tsunade's never made it onto paper. He didn't even have a name, though it probably would have started with an S since, for whatever reason I decided they'd all have S names.

Backstory

Shakira was certainly the most developed and, unsurprisingly, was my favorite. She grew up in the Mist Village and her parents were Sand and Mist ninja. As such, she could use water, wind, and ice jutsus. If I am remembering correctly, she was 15/16 before the time skip and 18/19 after.

The reason she ended up being adopted by Orochimaru was because she used an unknown/unexplained forbidden jutsu and her parents ended up kicking her out for dishonoring them. He would take her in, seeing the potential in her, becoming both a mentor and father figure for her. Over the years she would have a onesided crush on Kabuto and harbored some disdain for Sasuke due to feeling like he was "stealing" her adopted father figure from her.

After the time skip and Orochimaru's demise, she would go on a self reflecting journey. Here, she would come to terms with Orochimaru's passing and realizing that it wasn't inherently Sasuke's fault that Orochimaru took so much interest in him (i.e. now that she was away from Orochimaru, she realizes how obsessive Orochimaru was with his goals). And while she does harbor some resentment for Sasuke "killing" the only family she had, she doesn't want to get revenge against him. She also loses her feelings for Kabuto. Mainly due to her growing up and realizing that it was nothing more than a "childhood" crush. I don't think I planned her story out far enough to reach Kabuto's whole "using Orochimaru's cells" thing and everything that follows. Either way, I know that this would have been another reason for her to disengage from him since he'd be "going down a path she couldn't follow". She would also cut her hair after the time skip as a sort of visual representation of her becoming her own person (i.e. shedding the metaphorical skin of her old life).

Due to me not continuing with the manga for years (forgetting my place for a bit and later attempting to continue but not having an invested interest in finishing it), I never really had a plan for where her story would end. Maybe she would have reconciled with Orochimaru. Maybe she would have kept him at arms length, not being opposed to him being in her life, but knowing that their relationship won't be the same.

Outside of the crush, I'm not sure if I would have had her get with anyone. I know for sure that she wouldn't get with Kabuto. Though, if I had to pair her with anyone, I might have with Rock Lee, since as far as I know he was never married so it could be a fun little thing. Or maybe Gaara since he is another favorite of mine (and again unmarried as far as I know).

Abilities and Skills

What I had in mind were some basic things. She could create water clones and ice darts/kunai (I can't remember what, if any, wind jutsus I gave her. She could also summon snakes (actual and ice/water snakes). She'd also be proficient in stealth and poison.

While I never really did any fics with her, I feel like the reason I was so basic yet vague with what she could do was so that she wouldn't be seen as a Mary Sue.

Why Revive Her for Another Character?

When brainstorming for Aster, I didn't initially plan to take her out of the metaphorical/proverbial grave. I was trying to figure out what kind of job she would have had, her family history, and what she'd be up to by the time of her and Andromeda's main story.

Around this time, I found myself reflecting on a few of my old OCs and I ended up realizing that I could integrate some of Shakira's character into Aster's. Namely the association with snakes and not living with her biological parents in her teen years. Both felt like the easiest things to move over and rework. They're also what I'm using for Maria, who, up until this point, had no origin/character. Just a design concept.

Would I Do Anything with Shakira Now?

At this point, I don't think so. Part of me feels like she was a novelty and product of the time. I'm also not sure how exactly I would implement her into something original/not tied to Naruto.

It's not impossible by any means, but at this point, I don't want to, nor do I feel like it's necessary at this time. I am okay with just leaving her as a nostalgic creation.

In some ways, I feel like Aster was a good place holder and evolution for her. Plus, I felt like they shares a similar vibe, specifically how they would care themselves (independent, insightful, no nonsense, and a love for snakes).

However, if an idea were to come up that she would fit into, I wouldn't be opposed to it. I also wouldn't be entirely opposed to actually go forth with the fic I wanted to do with her but never did.

Aster's Creation

This character initially started off as one of a couple names I used for the player character in several Pokémon games. However, at that point, I had named her Asteraceae after the scientific name for the family of flowers that sunflowers and dahlias fall under. Flowers was one of my nickname themes, and while I didn't use the name every time I went with a flower nicknaming theme, it was one that stuck with me.

Over time, the character ended up becoming her own character away from Pokémon, though I did not initially have a plan for her.

What ended up helping was some of the other character for this story. I wanted to have both of these characters interact in some way, and from there, I plotted what that story would be. The engineer, Andromeda, would take a job helping to renovate a reptile sanctuary in Arizona, something she's hesitant about due to having ophidiophobia after a traumatic incident from her past. But she ends up taking it. There, she would meet Aster, a herpetologist who specializes in snakes, who would oversee her work. And the two would form a friendship/relationship along the way.

Aster's Backstory and Character

While I had a general idea for her character, I still had to build who she is. At the time, I had kept Asteraceae as her name, but ended up going with Aster since it would have been her nickname. It sounded better, plus, Asters are another flower in the Asteraceae family. So it wasn't like she completely abandoned this name.

As for her past, I ended up pulling some elements from a Naruto OC I created back in high school. Her name was Shikara. She was adopted by Orochimaru after her parents kicked her out/abandoned her. She was also going to be part of a trio that were all adopted by the Sanin and were essentially a younger gender swapped version of them. One I started planning, the other, meanwhile, never came to fruition.

All I really took from Shakira was that she was adopted, though in Aster's case, she was taken in by a family friend when her parents couldn't take care of her anymore. Orochimaru and snakes would be reworked into Aster having an interest in snakes from a young age and having a ball python named Orochi (which is also the name of the eight headed snake from Japanese folklore).

As for the more "newer/original" traits and story, as I mentioned previously, I did decide to make her be Irish/Brazillian. Her father was Irish, while her mother was Brazillian. I haven't quite worked out the kinks behind how they met, which can be worked out depending on whatever alternative plan I make for Aster. I do know that they and Aster live in Florida. The reason being that Florida felt like the perfect state for Aster to develop an interest in reptiles, snakes especially.

Why Did I Decide to Go a Different Route and Replace Her?

Essentially, I did a test run of the character on a life/social simulation game. I throw in a few characters I created using as many necessary traits as I could.

Seeing how things would play out, I did enjoy seeing how these characters would interact. However, I found myself losing interest in Aster. Articulating it was a bit difficult since I did like the character, but if I had to narrow it down to something or some things that I felt contributed to this, it would be:

Seeing how the character could run and not liking the results once I got to a point.

Finding myself more interested in Maria and wanting to use her. Especially since I never really gave her a story.

Not quite feeling the character (i.e. feeling like I should take her back to the drawing board).

Not knowing what to do with the character after a certain point.

The game did have a limited, albeit useful, set of customizations when it came to traits. So it may not have been able to implement everything I wanted/planned. However, I do feel like it gave me something to work with, and that something making me realize that I'm not sure if this is the character I want or need for the story I'm working on.

That said, I don't think I'll be completely pitching the character. Even if she doesn't work for the story I'm working on I could find use for her in another. Maybe I could have her be a friend or colleague of Maria, similar to a character I introduced in my Andromeda prequel material. Or maybe I'll have a new story/plot that will suit her.

Concept Art

This was a general idea for what I had in mind for her. The hair style was inspired by one of my favorite styles in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (the Undercut Bob) that was introduced in the Teal mask DLC. The hair and eye color is a combination that I just really enjoyed. The reddish-brown hue was more of a stylistic choice to give the black a pop of color, i.e. to make it look "less flat". I also decided to go with a more hazel green than an emerald/forest green.

I ended up going a more warmer complexion here, instead of a more pale ivory/porcelain tone that the character in Scarlet/Violet option I used had. This was also why I considered having her be Irish/Brazillian. Albeit, lighter than what may be the more common complexions/skin tones in the region (which could be explained by her Irish genes).

Her style is inspired by two different things. The first was an outfit I liked from Pokemon Sword and Shield. That being the black motorcycle jacket and the red simple shirt dress. The second, which the previous reason also fits into, is a "punk" aesthetic, which is one of my favorites.

While I haven't done a full body piece. I do picture this look. She would still wear the biker/motorcycle jacket. I would keep the red shirt dress style as well, but have it be short sleeve. The choker, meanwhile, is more of an aesthetic choice. While it looks kind of like a flame, I initially planned for it to be something like a dahlia since I planned for that to be her favorite flower.

As for the glasses, it is my go to when it comes to adding details. Sometimes a character's face will need something when I'm sketching out a concept. And for whatever reason, glasses ended up being that feature.

Closing Thoughts

While she may not work out for the story I'm working on, I would love to do something with the character some day. Taking her drawing board may help. And who knows, if I don't have a new story in mind for her, maybe she'll make her way back into this story or maybe I'll find a way to implement her in a different story that I have an idea for.