#btb verse

[okamirayne]

Hello,I had a question about Btb, I'm sorry if this was asked before or if it sounds dumb, but was Hanegakure a made up place? Does it exist in Naruto? I couldn't find information about it so I'm guessing it's non-canon..? I remember reading those parts with bird noises and forest sounds on the background for atmosphere and it left me with such a great memory, I always remember that place, I just love everything about there so much. I would love if you could maybe give a few more facts about the place, if it's not too troubling..? I think it will always be my favorite segment in the series. Thank you for your great work ❤️❤️

Hi there, Anon! 💜

Thank you for your super interesting question. Hope my response finds you well, luv.

I had a question about Btb, I'm sorry if this was asked before or if it sounds dumb, but was Hanegakure a made up place? Does it exist in Naruto? I couldn't find information about it so I'm guessing it's non-canon..?

First off, not a dumb question at all! Secondly, yes, it was an original idea made up for purposes of the fic. So yes, non-canon, existing solely in the BtB-verse.

I remember reading those parts with bird noises and forest sounds on the background for atmosphere and it left me with such a great memory, I always remember that place, I just love everything about there so much.

Oh I love that idea, Anon! Full immersion with the ambient sounds. I've often written that way, but not often read that way - I might try this! I'm so happy to know you enjoyed being in the Hanegakure world for a time.💕

I would love if you could maybe give a few more facts about the place, if it's not too troubling..? I think it will always be my favorite segment in the series.

Aw! Not troubling at all, sweetheart, just bear with me for being sparse with details as my brain attempts to dust off the memory. You see, Hanegakure was inspired by a place based in my original works and I've spent more time in the latter world, so it takes me a bit to recalibrate back to the BtB-verse. *grabs tea*

Right! Some facts about BtB-verse Hanegakure that I can recall during the timeline of the mission are:

Originally founded by the First Hokage and shaped/formed by his unique kekkai genkai (Wood Release)

Once stood for Justice based on the founding words by Hashirama Senju "Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader cowardice cannot survive."

The Tsubasa twisted the meaning of this quote to emphasise 'strong leadership' which bred the authoritarian and militant Flock Mentality culture of obedience without question

Birds are sacred to the various clans of Hanegakure

The Tsubasa clan are the dominant ruling clan

They don't eat bird meat

The Tsubasa clan had a specific and spiritual connection to the birds, which expanded into the use of animal-contracts and mind-transference jutsus with their winged companions

Hanegakure predominantly relied upon espionage and covert warfare during Ninja Wars, though their shinobi are very skilled in aerial combat

The Temple of Kin-Washi (The Golden Eagle), originally a holy site, was later bastardised into a place of experimentation for Mind Transference Jutsus - this was restored to its spiritual centre after Ozuku was defeated

The Aviary was another sacred space that became a cage for the birds that were negatively impacted by the mind transference; it has since been repurposed as a training arena for shinobi and their animal counter-parts

Hanegakure is full of birds that have the minds of young children trapped within them as a result of the mind-transference jutsu gone wrong, hence the odd behaviour of some of the animals and the psychotic and declining state of the more severe cases

The village is built into the trees at different levels from the gound up, constructed with intricate networks of aerial bridges, walkways, and overpasses (courtesey of excellent engineering and also the First Hokage's kekkai genkai)

"Fly Free" is an old traditional blessing in Hanegakure, with the palm pressed to the chest then elevated/swept skyward in an arc to indicate the heart being free from the 'cage' of the ribs

The village has an underground network of caves and tunnels carved out by the rebels who were forced underground during the civil war (started by Hibari against his family)

This underground network also homed orphaned children who were rescued after being branded for use in the Mind Transference experimentations

Festivals (though not featured in the fic) involve paying homage to the birds and sky; such events include coloured mandalas made from seeds, egg painting, bird-racing, feathered costumes, kite-flying, falconing, and various other practices and celebrations dating back to the founding of the village and the convenant between the 'sky spirits' (the birds) and the shinobi

The animist beliefs have deep roots in Hanegakure, and prayer is important to the people, though ideological control and subversion was exerted to force conformity and obedience onto the people - this has changed since Fukuro and Ozuku's fall, with many returning to the less dogmatic and more spiritual animist practices of Hanegakure's past

Hanegakure boasts a large repository of covert information on other villages gathered through the huge surveillance jutsu operated via the birds and casters

Singing and music is a huge part of the village's culture, both socially and spiritually

Hanegakure took a big hit during the Fourth Shinobi War and is recovering slowly from the damage

Hope this offers some little tidbits about the village, Anon! 🙏🏼 Thank you for you interest in this part of the BtB-verse. I did so enjoy writing that arc of the story. I'm so chuffed to know it was a place you enjoyed visiting.

Thank you for your great work ❤️❤️

Aw, Thank You for being invested enough in that work to reach out and drop me this cool ASK, and for the kind words about my BtB madness. It means so much. Such a delight to hear from you, luv! 💕

[okamirayne]

hello, i really liked the complexity you gave ino's mom (and the fact you gave her a mom) in the BTB series! can you tell us anything more about her?

Hello there, Anon!

Firstly, super sorry for the late reply. *facepalm* It’s taking me some time to get around to my responses. No kidding, right?  Anyway! I hope this message finds you well during these messed up times.

Ino’s mother! Thankfully I did my research at the time to discover she did indeed have a mother ( Naruto Shippūden Episode #281 ). Though I don’t recall her name ever being dropped, hence taking the creative leeway to name her Sayuri. Here’s her pic pulled from Narutopedia.

I thank you for your interest in the BtB-verse character development with Sayuri. Not much is given about her in canon and for BtB purposes, especially with Ino’s behaviours and issues, I felt it was important to give her some kind of dysfunctional backstory even if it didn’t make it fully into the series.

can you tell us anything more about her?

Sure thing. BtB Sayuri...where to start?

Inoichi met her undercover at a geisha tea-house and Okiya where Sayuri worked during her youth.

From a wealthy family originally, she was indentured into service as a teen (her father gambled away their family’s wealth) and spent those formative years in a highly superficial, cattish, competitive and somewhat vindictive environment in the Okiya (the lodging house/drinking establishment to which a maiko or geisha is affiliated with during her career)

The mother of the house (the "okā-san") who mentored and groomed Sayuri was highly critical and insisted upon stringent rules for all the girls; upon which Sayuri developed several dysfunctional relationships with women, food, men etc that later were inevitably projected onto Ino.

Sayuri loves flowers and among her peers she excelled in ikebana; her love of flowers was one of the many things that Inoichi used to woo her upon visiting the tea-house she worked at (and entertained clients)

Inoichi eventually bought her freedom; something she was both grateful and ashamed of.

She changed shortly into their marriage, seizing back some power by pulling an ice queen aura around herself -- a defense mechanism, as well as a means to forget about her past and carry on as if she’d never been ‘sold’ into service by her family.

She does not speak of her family (mother or father) and has no family outside of the Yamanaka clan -- one of the reasons she became so attached to Naoki

She has an ingrained and unshakeable fear that Inoichi will abandon her (as many ‘patrons’ did back when they promised her the moon and stars -- and more importantly, her freedom as a young woman)

In the past she competed for Inoichi’s attention with her daughter -- a tragic projection of her days in the Okiya...she fortunately changed her ways after the events in UtS

Inoichi’s death has been devastating for her and, like Ino, she isn’t handling it in the most healthiest of ways

Sayuri loves to dance and is a very talented musician. It was one of the many things Inoichi loved about her.

Inoichi taught her some basic ninja training, which she took to quite well -- even using it to defend herself against handsy clients before Inoichi took her away from that life and brought her to Konoha

She shuns the company of other women, due to her painful experiences as a teen, using her Ice Queen persona to keep people at arm’s length -- which is tragic, because beneath all that, she has the capacity for great tenderness inside her...which she exhibited especially when Ino was a baby.

Early in their marriage she used to sing to Inoichi often, as well as dance and play the shamisen for him...this changed shortly after, as she tried to distance herself from what she considered a shameful and painful past.

Her attempts to “mould” Ino into a lady and secure her daughter a match were her misguided attempts to ensure Ino never had to worry about her security later in life.

Sayuri loves honey but her disordered eating often had her shunning anything sweet -- which is what led to Inoichi often sneaking out to chow down on desserts....inadvertently leading to Sayuri to accuse him of having affairs....(little did she know these secret loves were forbidden confectionery!)

She does not particularly like the colour pink, though she took great pleasure in dressing Ino up as a child

She disapproves of immodest dressing (hence her clashing with Ino on many occasions)

She regrets many things about how her marriage went and it pains her she won’t have the chance to do things over again

Hope this gives some insight into her characterization in the BtB-verse, luv! Thank you for the interesting question. Always makes me smile to return to these characters. <3 Stay safe and well!

[okamirayne]

- Divided We Fall - by Okami-Rayne on DeviantArt

- Divided We Fall - by Okami-Rayne 

[okamirayne]

Heyy I recently discovered BtB on AO3 and I just love it and I saw that there were follow-ups but sadly the last one on AO3 isn't complete and I was wondering whether you were going to upload the end on AO3 or if it is on another platform? I just started the second fic of the BtB series and I'm low-key scared I'll never know the ending of the series XD

Hey my dear,

Firstly, thank you so much for following the BtB series and for dropping by to share the love and support. I appreciate it immensely.

but sadly the last one on AO3 isn’t complete and I was wondering whether you were going to upload the end on AO3 or if it is on another platform?

Absolutely, my luv. I couldn’t leave you hanging!!! Voila!

You can find the fourth and final BtB installment HERE and…this link HERE will take you to the main profile page where you can find all the BtB-related stories and future instalments listed. Massive thanks again for your time and investment in this story! ^_^ One day I aim to comb through UtS for typos and what not and hopefully post it up on AO3 along with HHU. In the meantime, I thank you for enjoying it over on ff.net <3

[soullessbobbysinger]

A new Deal

mxkeadeal

Bobby had woken up far too many times on the wrong side of a salt line, and there he was again with someone using a cold banishment against him, the type of banishment you use for shipwrecks and such where the bodies cannot be disturbed. 

But it wasn't the banishment that made him blink out of existance.  It was an odd-fishhook through the insides feeling.  As if something had grabbed hold and wrenched him out of where he was. 

He blinked as the world reformed around him.  And he knew in seconds where he was.  It wasn't the heat or the decor that gave it away.  It was the smell, sulfur and blood.  Hell.  He was back in hell. 

He tried to step forward, looking down when it felt like he ran into a wall, and there he could see it.  Around the summoning sigil used for ghosts, was a thick ring of salt.  He was trapped.  and on the other side of the circle was the devil himself.. or the current one anyway.

[okamirayne]

In your works you never put labels on the characters about their sexuality, which is cool. But I'm curious about how do you think people in Konoha see homo/bisexuality. It doesn't seem to be that unusual, but the couples you've shown keep it secret (although I know that they have different reasons). Is it a don't-ask-don't-tell kinda thing? Or are people accepting? [PS, I love your fics so much, can't wait to read more <3]

Hi there, luv! Wow. Very interesting question. One that I gave quite a lot of thought to when I began BtB.

 Throughout the Naruto series there have only ever been a few fleeting instances where homosexuality has been alluded to or hinted at and mostly it’s been presented in comical situations.

Mostly with Naruto reacting like he’s in proximity to something toxic…

(lol - ironic, considering how much Kishimoto likes to tease with the whole SasuNaru dynamic).Other characters have exhibited discomfort/embarrassment (Hinata), bemusement (Sai)…

….lazy indifference (Shikamaru)

Embarrassment (Kakashi - though that may have more to do with the fact that Naruto is his student lol)…and seeming acceptance (Gai/Lee)…

This leads me to conclude that it’s not a widely socially accepted dynamic - and might cause friction in the more traditional clans - or those that subsist off the concept of inheritance and heirs (Hyuga, Uchiha etc.)

For me personally, I drew on the Japanese concept of honne and tatemae when tackling the concept of same-sex relationships in the BtB world. These terms describe how I see and write about the dynamic:

Honne and tatemae are Japanese words that describe the contrast between a person’s true feelings and desires (本音honne?) and the behavior and opinions one displays in public (建前 tatemae?, lit. “façade”). (see more)

Relationships of any kind (heterosexual/homosexual/etc) between ninja are often deeply private affairs unless the couple are married. I mean, just look at how private Kurenai and Asuma tried to keep their relationship…even from their friends and students…

I see the characters as presenting a public face (tatame) and a private face (honne). This is the best way to explain how the concept is broadly dealt with in the BtB world at the level of society. There is of course the other level whereby every individual will have his or her own private feelings/thoughts/judgements (or lack thereof) about the matter. e.g. Inoichi was shocked and displeased/offended to learn about Naoki/Genma. Asuma on the other hand, while initially shocked, was not displeased or offended to learn that there had been a significant ‘he’ in Shikamaru’s life.

Each character will have his/her own take, but as a society, I write as if Konoha operates with the honne-tatemae concept.

Hope this helps! Thank you for your support! So glad you’re enjoying the fics. ^_^