#deathnotehyperness

:) Thanks for the ask, friend. Here’s the answers~

2. What would history remember your character for?

Well, for each member of the Hoshino Family, the history books would be mixed.

Judai will always be known as the “Unscathed Hero,” one of the many ninja that helped bring an end to the Second Shinobi War, but there would be a footnote of quiet admiration from the book’s author on how he was also one of the few ninja who advocated for healthy living beyond the advertised “dying for honor” thing that was prevalent in his generation. The fact that he still stays best friends with Sakumo in spite of the backlash would be huge.

Hikari would be the “Odd Violinist” and “Founder of Nagareboshi Cafe,” since she was one of the first civilians to really be more independent outside of the “civilian women marrying early” kind of mold. She did strike it off all on her own and told off men who tried to court her recklessly, not to mention her standing up to The Professor of Konoha himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and coming out alive when it came to her family.

Tomoko would be the “Civilian Pianist of Nagareboshi Cafe” and “that One Civilian Friend of Team Minato,” both for her status as a friend to many influential ninja in spite of her civilian position and the odd style of piano she always played. Not the piano itself, but the songs. Behind the scenes though, known only to a select few because no one connected the dots? The anonymous author [   ], who rightfully criticized the ninja world and in poetry, told the more political higher-ups to fuck themselves and get out of government. Her other world counterpart, Tomoya, would share these titles, plus being the First Openly Trans Woman out there.

An exception to all this is Hisako, since only a few knew of her existence to the end with her being a Nobody. But Tomoko always carried her around, and her memory, at least in my head, stays with Tomo and Kei (at least in S&S).

In the Dungeons and Dragons verse that Os has been making with the friend group? My character Hue is really going down for being a “Horse Lover” and a “Lawful Good Paladin who Keeps Sticking Her Nose Out Even When She’s Tired.” :p Because she absolutely adores her familiar and best friend Jaune (who takes the shape of a horse) and her wearing the one-of-a-kind Amulet of Earnest Good makes her stand out.

74. Are any of your characters associated with flowers?

Of course. Some of these flowers have been shown in previous art, but here we go. I mainly chose these flowers for the sake of flower language and esthetic (meanings taken from the Internet).

Tomoko: White Lily for “purity, modesty, and sweetness”

Tomoya: Japanese Blue Morning Glory for “affection and mortality”

Hikari: Pink Gladiolus for “moral strength”

Judai: Edelweiss for “courage and power”

Hisako: Chrysanthemum for “royalty, rejuvenation, and vitality”; also for “autumn”

Three bloops = 3 facts! 

Though, before that. To answer your question, Anime Expo was fun! The only cons were the heat that comes with being in Los Angeles during the summer and my sore legs. The high for the weekend was actually 102 degrees Fahrenheit, so waiting in line for panels was hard if not for me carrying a handfan. It went really well, though, and seeing a convention dedicated just to anime was awesome. More so when going with my boyfriend and two other friends. So many cosplayers, and everyone was nice! It was fun to make a friend out of a Deadpool because I fanned him when he was sweating too much. He gave me a free hug! My only regret is not getting a commission at Artist Alley, but maybe next year. Hehe.

Anywho…

Tomoko does have a fondness for chocolate. Vy never did get to eat a lot of it because of her brother having obesity and her parents not buying it much as a result. So, to compensate, she tries to buy chocolate chips and bake things with them – both to help the family business and to satisfy her craving for them. A lot of her creations, if not eaten by the family ninja (Judai, cough), end up in a display case sitting at the side of Nagareboshi Cafe’s front podium for visitors to see when coming in.

Hikari’s birthday is November 22nd, making her a Sagittarius.

:) Thank you, friend. I’ve been down lately because of my period starting and college kicking my ass, so your ask is much appreciated.

Put under the cut to make it easier on anyone’s dashboards.

:DD Friend, you are wonderful. Thank you for the ask!

Anyways….

3. What part was most difficult?

For Civilian Pianist, what always gets to me is writing any angst scenes, just because of how my heart really empathizes with all the tension and so on. The second half of Kannabi was especially hard for me to write at the time, because the fan in me really wanted Team Minato to come out all okay, no injuries aside from the faint grazes for the sake of everyone being happy. This is also why I was so sensitive during the Satoru Arc, because some of the feedback that came back, especially after writing such an emotionally difficult arc, was so negative and upsetting to the point I ended up nearly snapping with the Announcement. 

This is why Chapter 52 of CP is taking so long, because writing Tomoko’s long-awaited confession to her loved ones about her vow of silence is hard, more so with college weighing on me as always.

The same can be said for The Sea and Stars, since the differences between Tomoko and Kei really become more obvious in later chapters and how they react to things. 

5. What do you like best about this fic?

I always love writing fluff and teenage floundering when it comes to CP, because the hugs and eventual kisses between the main couple really warm my heart when I have bad days. It just kinda shows that the ninja world has its soft side too.

For S&S though, I just enjoy being able to work with Lang and Os when brainstorming for this fic. Catch Your Breath already has so much crammed into each chapter, whether it’s character development and worldbuilding, and trying to put my own twist to it with Tomoko’s civilian perspective really is a nice challenge. Not to mention, giving the CYB cast some well-deserved love and appreciation. 

Not that Lang and the other fans have been doing so already, but still. :) I’ll always see S&S as my letter of appreciation to Lang and Os, and to fans of CYB and CP. 

7. What’s a reference you made no one has picked up on yet?

What really gets to me in general is how barely anyone really comments on the humor, fluff and other emotional twists I put in The Sea and Stars, or comments in general, aside from some nice people, sob, because there’s just so many sides of kid!Tomoko I get to show off that wasn’t shown in CP originally. Example being her large duffle bag in Chapter 16, since that was an obscure reference to K-On! and how Ui, Yui’s younger sister, tried to carry tea to the main characters despite suffering from a fever. The girls at the time naturally panicked, and I drew from that scene when writing the duffle bag, because I know Tomoko would be more than willing to do the same thing.

9.) Favorite line(s) of dialogue?

For CP, taken from Chapter 49. It’s more mental feedback than dialogue, but I think it counts:

Aaaah!

What in all heck are you supposed to do when your best friend and apparent love interest asks to kiss you?!

Past memories don’t prepare you for the absolute real thing!

Tomoko-chan, just say it, or I’m taking control here.

Hisako, please don’t.

You’re seriously tempting me, though. Just letting you know.

Dear lord, someone save me now.

Hehe. 

For S&S though…Chapter 9:

The civilian in front of her blinked. “…Um, did I say something wrong?”

“…No,” Kei said flatly, leaning back on her cushion with a sigh. “I’m just… surprised? Shocked? All of that?”

“Uhhhh…” Tomoko responded, lowering her hand.

“Then again, if it worked in Macross…” Kei muttered, putting a hand on her chin. “It could work…”

“Ummmm…” the civilian started turning an embarrassed pink while inclining her head. “What’s Macross, Kei?”

The ninja blinked while glancing over at her. “Mecha anime where the universe is saved through singing, I think.”

A pause followed.

Tomoko turned a bit redder as she shook her head. “W-Well, I’m not trying to save the universe, and I don’t have a mech, Kei,” — and then a lightbulb seemed to go off in her head — “Though if mechs existed in the Narutoverse, how many missiles would it take to blow up the Ten Tails statue and Madara…?”

Tomo does have a morbidly curious side. :>

13. How many drafts did the work go through? 

Hm. I don’t really count off drafts because I try to write as much as I can for a chapter, then if I hit a block, I consult someone, and then keep writing. Usually once I finish a chapter, I read it over, put it into Microsoft Word to check grammar, call up either Leo or Josh on phone, or Lang on Tumblr, as well as Os and Abalisk occasionally, and then just post it up on FFN without thinking on it too much. Usually end up going to class or sleeping after that.

16. If you used a beta, what did you agree or disagree on?

It’s interesting that you say that because to be honest, almost every close friend I’ve talked to has been a beta in my mind. I don’t have an official beta, like how Lang can count on Os, but the people I interact with help a lot. Leo, Josh, another friend who I’ll call “Ash”, since I’m not sure if she’s okay with me mentioning another name and so on, Lang, Os, and Abalisk. Those 6 people really help me out when I’m floundering. Most of the time, they give suggestions, and I end up taking them into consideration. I’ve never had full arguments for this kind of stuff.

But in terms of agreeing or disagreeing, I don’t know what I can say to that. Leo is the closest person to me that disagrees with me on things, but it’s really on the brainstorming of the Danganronpa Crossover I’ve been planning for S&S, and he’s the self-proclaimed Danganronpa/Sci-Fi expert. Said disagreements don’t last that long though, since they’re more of things to consider and not force. 

17. Did anything surprise you during the writing?

Really, the fan reception and reviews. I was not expecting CP to nearly overshadow S&S, nor how reviewers overall were really nice to me with the longer time intervals between updates. I guess the past Announcement and reception to the Satoru Arc were really the only negative things, and even then, the CP and S&S fanbases have been kind overall. That’s the nice thing. I can’t help but feel touched every single time someone says they felt happy or some other emotion from my writing, because it shows my floundering is paying off and I’m helping someone!

18. Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Of CP? Look no further than The Sea and Stars! 

Aside from that… Well, there is the Danganronpa crossover I’m still brainstorming/working on. And what I mentioned in a previous ask. There was a time where I considered writing Tomoko as an actual ninja, paired with a nicer, more Leo-like version of Satoru and Josh’s own ninja going by the name of Sho, but since it required all three of us to work on it, and Leo’s own apathy to it, we never really did finish. But the ideas stayed. :)

20. What did you learn from writing this fic?

Thank you, friend. :) Just thank you. Anyways…

F: Care to share a favorite hurt/comfort fic?

Catch Your Breath by @langwrites. I can’t think of anybody else, and Lang and Beta are amazing. Simple as that. -^- (thumbs up) 

K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

Oh dear lord. The Sea and Stars has had me come up with so many in brainstorming future arcs alone, just because Kei is a disaster magnet and Tomoko is trying to hold everything together, only to have it worse than CP in a way! >^< 

But the angstiest? Tomoko somehow getting roped into a fight with Orochimaru out of the guy’s interest in her ninshu, only to be brutally killed and for Kei to find her dead body. I could never write that, despite how tempting it is, because I adore Tomoko and Kei does not deserve to see that kind of thing. Not to mention how The Sea and Stars has established one of Kei’s longtime nightmares being Tomoko’s death in Pain’s invasion. Having it at Snakebert’s hands would just make it worse! 

L: What’s the weirdest AU you’ve ever come up with?

Tomoko becoming a magical girl. Basically, the What If oneshots on my FFN profile that I’m tempted to hate now, because Nanoha and Naruto do not mix and how I unintentionally made the stories ableist with how it prevented Kei from losing use of her chakra in her left arm. Ugh. -A- I want to delete them, but honestly, I don’t know anymore.

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

This is just a stray thought and curiosity, but I honestly wanted to see a fic from that small KeiTomo fanbase that existed for S&S for a while, to see their take on if the pairing happened and how they would interpret the friendship-turned-relationship. I know Lang and I sank the ship a while back, but it would be interesting to hear what people thought about it and possibilities for that ship. 

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I’m honestly a mix of both, since I do try to plan things in advance, but only general details, where I have enough wiggle room to let the story unfold as I go. Hence the whole, “uncertainty on CP and S&S endings and sequels”. 

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

You Are Better Than You Think You Are as TV Tropes would say, because Tomoko’s specialty in piano therapy is letting her loved ones know how much faith she has in them. 

Also, You Are Not Alone, because loneliness can be a real problem and knowing that someone cares for you is one of the sweetest things that I can ever see and feel. 

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

Yanderes. Simple as that. I honestly do not understand why anime fans could like the characters at moments, especially considering how destructive a relationship could be, and if I ever encountered a Yandere myself, I’m running the other way. -A- Seeing a Yandere get their just-desserts though, now that is satisfying.

Y: A character you want to protect. 

:)) I did, thank you, friend.

Well, since you said any OCs…

Hey, I have a lot of S&S feels considering Lang looks out for me almost constantly with her Tumblr spam, so there.

Leave a “Nurse Me” in my ask, and I’ll write a drabble about one character healing another.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”

Kei gave me a single look, not even protesting to my applying rubbing alcohol against the most recent training wound of scratches on her arm. Because kunai were going to be a hazard, no matter whether she was out on a mission or in the village. “To what?”

I bit my lip and held back on hugging her, instead gently patting her uninjured arm. “To you getting injured. To you getting hurt.”

Kei’s stare turned sympathetic in my direction. “I’m sorry, Tomo,” she said simply.

Of course she could tell what I was thinking. I was an open book.

Even then, I shook my head. It wasn’t her fault. She chose to be a ninja in the end. I chose to be a civilian. I would have to get used to this, no matter what. “Don’t apologize for something you can’t help.” The urge to hug won out, and I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around her neck anyways, resting my cheek on top of her hair. It was a messy pillow, but it worked. “Just be safe, and come back to the cafe whenever you can, okay? I miss you.”

Kei opened her mouth before pausing. With a breath, she patted my arms in return, nodding. “I’ll do my best.”