- Location
- Currently in the local dimension.
Well, you honestly were wrong here, the chapters are good and feel organic.
A New Dawn (Ex-Papergeist) - A Worm/Naruto Crossover
Doctor_Hayden
Plant-Katto
- Location
- Morioh, 1999
- Pronouns
- He/Him
What you have here is actually really great! Very, very glad you decided to post it
TheDanishLord
Viking Warlord
- Location
- Denmark
I really like this story. When I originally read it it got me really interested in Konan and her abilities and their use
- Location
- Maldives
So how did Taylor end up with Konan's powers, memories and experience? While I'll buy that QA could replicate those powers it doesnt explain the memories. Is it one of those transmigration/reincarnation things?
Will Konan's interactions with Naruto mean anything to Taylor?
Will Konan's interactions with Naruto mean anything to Taylor?
- Location
- Currently in the local dimension.
Well, to me the two most likely scenarios are that the entities ate the Narutoverse, or that reincarnation you mentioned.
BiasedMendicant
Rogue AI
- Location
- The Moon
This is really good! I like how you've had Taylor actually interact with her father and try and mend the divide between them, I really don't see that enough in worm fics. I also really like how you have Taylor taking a proactive approach to getting herself out of Winslow and that whole abusive situation. Overall, I think you should be proud of your work, it turned out really well!
- Location
- Currently in the local dimension.
Another good point was the lack of over the top personalities we see in fics. Sophia realized and acknowledged Taylor as dangerous without going on an entire internal dialogue about predators and prey. Danny didn't explode into a rage and go beat Emma's father's face, but you can clearly see the disappointment, anger, and betrayal in his portray here. Armsmaster and the Director rationally discussed the situation and made an informed decision on what to do.
There wasn't much action or excitement in this update, but it was good nonetheless.
Don't feel down about it. Seems good so far. I may not know much (read: anything) about the authorial pursuit, but I was at least interested in the original version. That said, the escalation was a bit mad from what I remember.
This has been great so far, including the last couple chapters.
I have read so many fics where i put up with bad grammar and even found myself editing lines as I read them and still kept reading, just to see where they were going.
There is nothing to worry about with these chapters. Taylor feels like a person. You're getting across the whole 'thirty years of another life's memories' thing well with how she's acting more mature than she probably should. She is still a teenager, so is likely to make mistakes, and act without forethought at times. We're only a couple chapters in at this point. Hardly enough time to see very facet of a character.
I know that I'm being more generous than others might be, but I simply can't criticize works like this without degenerating into spelling and grammar nitpicking due to a lack of more than gut feeling when it comes to story.
You can't make everyone happy, and for every person saying one thing, you'll have another saying the opposite and 10 more that aren't bothering to say anything at all.
All you can really do is make something you are happy with. From your note, you seem to have a problem with that last bit... but all I can offer is that I liked it, and am patiently excited for more.
This has been great so far, including the last couple chapters.
I have read so many fics where i put up with bad grammar and even found myself editing lines as I read them and still kept reading, just to see where they were going.
There is nothing to worry about with these chapters. Taylor feels like a person. You're getting across the whole 'thirty years of another life's memories' thing well with how she's acting more mature than she probably should. She is still a teenager, so is likely to make mistakes, and act without forethought at times. We're only a couple chapters in at this point. Hardly enough time to see very facet of a character.
I know that I'm being more generous than others might be, but I simply can't criticize works like this without degenerating into spelling and grammar nitpicking due to a lack of more than gut feeling when it comes to story.
You can't make everyone happy, and for every person saying one thing, you'll have another saying the opposite and 10 more that aren't bothering to say anything at all.
All you can really do is make something you are happy with. From your note, you seem to have a problem with that last bit... but all I can offer is that I liked it, and am patiently excited for more.
Mystearica
Quoth the Raven
- Location
- meditating over Titan's Tower
This is actually better than the original, I think. Of all the stories on my watch list that I most want to see update, this one has been near the top since I saw it the first time on FFnet. There's incredible potential with this crossover, and I can already see it won't be squandered. Here's hoping you can continue.
- Location
- Zurich
I agree with BoG.
I honestly can't see which parts made you unsure to publish. It looks good to me.
Looking forward to see how your new version goes forward, especially in comparison to the old one. Glad you're keeping the old one available by the way. My brain hasn't enough hard-disk capacity to store all the stories i'm reading, so that's a huge help.
- Location
- Currently in the local dimension.
Do you mean in the Jiraiya persona she's going to put on? She'll probably downplay or straight up edit it out. Having her "benefactor" be an extremely lecherous old man that openly spies on naked women and calls himself a super pervert would basically defeat the entire purpose of using him as a decoy to hide her cape activities from her father.
Remember, this is Konan, not Naruto. Her memories are from the war when he trained her, Nagato, and Yahiko. So we'll probably be seeing a bit more of the wise, mentoring, caring, and generally less loopy version of him we see in flashbacks and when he gets serious.
thePUNisher
Unbothered. Moisturized. Happy. In My Lane
- Location
- Brazil
You know, I used to dislike this fanfic. But this new draft is nice, downright good even. It feels more organic and the characters more IC.
GamingPizza1998
(Verified Pizza) (Verified Cape) (Verified Case53)
- Location
- Earth
This is great and a major improvement to the original and I'm eagerly awaiting more
rustyirongolem
Verified Automaton
- Location
- North Carolina
Both new chapters were really good, no need to worry. I'm very happy to see the story move away from Winslow.
These chapters are a definite improvement from what I remember of the original. There is pretty much nothing I can point to as being wrong, so i'd say you did a great job on the rewrite.
- Location
- The Lair
Shop actually exists, and Taylor will always have a paper clone in place in the event that if there is a surprise, she is prepared. Of course, she will be there from time to time herself for that.
I have three different idea drafts on the how of gaining her powers. I haven't legitimately decided in concrete which route to take, I'm waiting to see which one fits as I write, and then implement it. The reason for this is I want to prevent myself from locking myself in like I did in the previous story with killing Danny. I've become a bit neurotic about that.
Yes, and no. The thing is, Taylor will take from it a more pragmatic stance on this. And it largely revolves around that Naruto has the luxury of what he preaches because he has the power to back it up. If Naruto was weak, no one would care for his worldview, but because he has the threat of power to back up his viewpoint, people, by necessity, have to at least pay attention.
Right now, Taylor is in the stage of accruing the necessary power for people to listen.
That, honestly, is influenced heavily by Konan. After all, Konan was an orphan and would have likely valued a father figure. And even if we ignore that, it's a matter of cold strategic calculation, it's a lot easier to keep under the radar, if Taylor keeps her father engaged to an extent that he won't really become too interested in her actions. That and Danny is the type of person who would cause problems if she were to suddenly disappear.
But it is largely revolving around the memories of Konan causing Taylor to value her father, to understand that she could have it so much worse. Yes, Annette's death really fucked up the dynamic between them, but there is still that connection there, and frankly, Taylor needs it, to an extent.
The thing is, thanks to my experiences with Code Geass, I can firmly ascribe that in a way, Sophia is a social darwinist. She believes in survival of the fittest, and she would prefer to be at the top of the chain, instead of being at the bottom of that. It's a matter of power, it's why she flexed it on Taylor and Emma, because it empowered her and reminded her that there were others beneath her.
Now, what happens when Sophia encounters a so-called "bigger fish", well, it's like any prey animal would do in recognition of a threat, they start calculating what they can do in the face of it. In this case, Sophia had been on edge around Taylor for months now, not exactly sure what it was that would cause her to be on edge, but that her finely honed survival instincts were screaming she was amidst someone higher on the food chain, and that she should tread extremely carefully.
Now, how long that will take hold, is a good question, because just because you are in the presence of a bigger fish, doesn't mean you don't start considering ways in order to topple it, because it may not be an active threat against you, but it was a threat nonetheless. I hope I can encapsulate that later as I keep writing.
Taylor, on the other hand, just doesn't care, her experience with Konan recognizes exactly what Sophia is, and dismisses her a high-tier threat, but still acknowledges that Sophia could become a threat at a much later time, but that is not yet.
Having 'Jiraiya' act like a lecherous old man, especially around Taylor, would be suicide for Taylor's ambitions. There is no way in hell Danny would ever allow Taylor near a lecherous old man, who just oh-so-happens to be helping Taylor. There are too many bad stories, especially for impressionable fifteen year olds like Taylor, that Danny would ignore. He's already seen how bad Taylor had it at Winslow, there is no way in hell he's going to allow Taylor to fall into another bad spot.
So, it will be like Jiraiya, yet not like him. Taylor will deliberately tailor his behavior to fit in the circumstances in order to keep Danny from taking her and running to the hills.
Glad to see this isn't perma-dead. The new chapters are better than the old ones, but even that was worth reading, so this is great.
- Location
- Actually pretty lost
Fair enough. The main alternative is planning out exactly where you want to go in advance so you can see problems and tweak earlier parts accordingly, but it might not e worth the bother if you're writing for fun.
there is no former or latter here as neither is stated as a possibility but both are questions
if he had said something like 'did she not know? or just not care?' or something like that then the second line would make sense
the weak
Glad to see this story updated!
Awakening 1.03
- Location
- The Lair
This is it for everything I have completed. Enjoy.
Awakening 1.03
In a perfect world, I would be resting right now, getting myself ready for my first day at Arcadia. However, I found to my annoyance that I was unable to sleep due to the anticipation. This was something I thought I had curtailed in recent times , but it seemed that I was mistaken.
So, instead of laying in bed staring at the ceiling, searching for the unattainable, I found myself doing one of the few things I enjoyed anymore: flying.
It was strange, the feeling of weightlessness as I rode the thermals like a bird, soaring over Brockton Bay.
I could readily see why this was relaxing for Konan, letting the currents carry you wherever they may lead. It was therapeutic for someone with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
It was a pity in Konan's world, she could never do this outside of Amegakure, and never without getting soaked in the process. There was just too much of a chance for detection and attack.
Here, however, there were no chakra sensors, nor was the world in a constant state of warfare like hers. It was also the measures I had taken, after remembering something I had read in a tech magazine at the doctor's office. By applying camouflage to myself, I was able to blend into the sky to the point of nearly being invisible to anyone that would look up from the ground, be it during night or day.
So, like Konan, flying had become my escape. And as I flew over the Bay, I allowed myself to marvel once again at the sights that only those with access to a helicopter or the ability to fly could enjoy.
Dad still had misgivings about me going to Arcadia, but after the scene at Winslow, he had kept them to himself. To be fair to him, the choice between Arcadia, with its good standing, and returning to Winslow made for an extraordinarily short debate, it seemed.
So, instead, he had taken me to Arcadia, finalizing my registration, and joining me on a tour of the campus. It was refreshing, if I were honest with myself, to just have something done together with my dad despite the seriousness of the situation. There had been too few times we had ever done it, even with mom. It only became nearly insurmountable after her death, as we both felt her loss in our own way.
I knew it would take time for him to accept at least this part of the new reality. God forbid if he ever found out that I was not only a cape, but had the life and experiences of someone who could be quantified as a terrorist rattling around in my cranium. I shudder to think on how he would take that. But for now, I'd tread carefully.
Banking away from the bay, exhaustion escaping me, I decided to make a detour to the workshop I had put up in the Docks. It was one of the advantages of having a father who worked for the Dockworker's Union, I knew which buildings were suitable for what I wanted. While I would have preferred it to be someplace else, that required more money than I was currently wanting to spend. Not to mention, that fixed fortifications were a monument to human stupidity, both in this world, and in Konan's.
Odds were, in the future, I would follow in the example of Orochimaru: a series of non-centralized bunkers, safehouses and holdouts where I could operate from at any time. It was a fixed situation, but by doing that, I would avoid the vulnerability of having only one base of operations.
But for now, I would be satisfied with this hideout here on the docks, perfectly scouted out, with no one within almost half a kilometer, and with some delicately applied seals, the probability of anyone discovering my hideout diminished to single digit percentages.
So, it was with one more onceover of the surrounding area, that I landed upon the roof of the warehouse that I had set up as my base. While I was satisfied that there was no one around, I was not going to relax my paranoia, as I created a few paper falcons and positioned them to keep watch around the building. That done, I descended into the building.
To be honest, it wasn't much to look at. I made sure that nothing was there that would give away that this was my lair. The main floor served for training for myself, where I would spar with various clones that used the memories of Konan in order to provide me a myriad of threats. While I may not be able to do the jutsu, the combat style was something else, as my endurance and reflexes had increased in leaps and bounds since I pushed my body.
Yet, the main floor was only an appetizer for the crown jewel of all of this. In the storage levels located in the basement, was my workshop.
Konan may not have had any love for fuinjutsu, but I had found that I took to it like a duck to water. There was something about the intense focus and allure of creating new seals that I could use in the field.
My workshop served as that testing ground, providing me with more flexibility beyond Konan's skillset, while not being overly consuming upon my chakra pool like an elemental jutsu. And I could easily put them on my person and deploy them in an instant.
Konan, while she could do what I do, using her paper to write fuinjutsu while within me, just never viewed it as useful. Personally, I blamed this disinterest on Nagato and his bullshit Rinnegan. What was the point of increasing your versatility when you have someone who can level enemies and cities alike with the wave of a hand.
I'm just thankful I didn't manifest any of that, and that there was no one with it either. They may be the eyes of samsara, but that much power, and the arrogance that seems to come with it, would be too much for this already fucked up world.
Discarding those pointless thoughts, I instead focused upon the table that I came before. While around me there were several paper clones working diligently in not only the sealing arts, but seeing what it could do with some of the medicinal knowledge of her world. I doubted I'd ever be able to recreate any of it, but it was better to be sure than sorry.
But the seal before me, not even a hundredth of the way finished, was something that I felt was needed more than anything else, even it was ethically and morally abhorrent. It was incredibly complex, and would likely take me years at the current rate to work on, but it would be my final trump card if anything drastic were to happen.
Right now, it was all theory, and it may never be finished. But it wasn't going to stop me. I was invested in this path, both this seal, and being a hero.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Papiergeist-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I blinked as my cell phone alarm went off. I had set an alarm on my phone so I didn't get completely enraptured in my project. It would not do well to be late to Arcadia on my first day.
But still, was it already that time?
Putting down my brush, I glanced over to my phone, discovering that it was indeed four in the morning. I had been working for almost five hours now. Taking the moment to stretch, feeling my muscles and bones creaking, I looked back to my work table.
There was just so much to fuinjutsu that one could spend their entire life trying to master it and would only glance the tip of the iceberg. You could achieve so much with the right application of ink, blood, and symbology. One symbol could mean a thousand different things in the greater context. Jiraiya, Konan's teacher, had once said that while handsigns were the physical expression of chakra, seals were the language, and he wasn't wrong.
I could only hope that I could surpass him.
Tossing those thoughts aside, I considered my next course of action. There was a Merchant drug den a kilometer away that I had been eyeing to raid, but that could lead to complications I'd rather not deal with considering the my current window of time. I could send some clones to break it up, but that was dependent upon it being an easy sweep. I would like the money from there…
It could wait, I decided, the Merchants were rather lazy on their cash security, so waiting until this evening should be fine.
It would just be best for me to head back home, I finally decided. Monotony was the best defense against my father right now. To change my schedule could invite suspicion.
Forming four more paper clones, I then dispelled the four that were in the room, absorbing the paper in me and sorting through the reports written upon their essence.
Hn, that was interesting. I'd have to check it over later to ensure that there were no drawbacks, but that could be quite useful if it worked.
Humming to myself as I reviewed over every detail of it, I reached the roof and took off back into the air, circling around one more time, before setting back for home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Papiergeist-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"She's gone," that one announcement alleviated more of her headache than Lisa Wilborn had believed possible. Ever since she had caught out of the corner of her eye the arrival of what PHO was calling Angel, she had found herself bombarded with information, some of which she understood, some which she didn't.
What she did know, however, was that it would be unwise to confront the cape, even with Brian with her. Then again, assaulting a capes's lair was generally an unwise decision to begin with, especially with what she was able to glean so far.
"So what do we do," Brian asked, glancing at her.
"Leave her alone, for now," she said, "she might be gone, but the place is a fortress. I don't even understand half of the crap I'm seeing right now. Only that it's dangerous, and it's meant to deter anyone from entering, let alone getting close without being detected."
She closed her eyes, reining in the Thinker headache just a tad bit more. Every data point was telling her to avoid this place like the plague
Still, it would be wise to remember this place, in the event it could be beneficial to use in the future.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Papiergeist-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Breakfast had been a simple affair, stemming from the fact that I had wanted to eat light in the first place. A pair of rolled eggs for myself was enough to fuel me until lunch, and was quick enough for me to catch the bus in early to Arcadia.
It was a calculated move, if I were to be honest. I wanted both the time to take a lay of the land, but also finalize whatever else I needed to have done before I could join classes. Of course, I still had the course work to catch up on, but it would not take that long if I were to be honest.
After all, I had the unfair advantage of being able to clone myself and gather the knowledge necessary to do the work. I'd just have to be careful not to tip my hand in any way that would merit suspicion. It wouldn't do good to be careless and get unmasked doing something as simple as homework.
Still, as Konan's experiences had illuminated, if you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin. And I was going to cheat as much as humanly possible. After all, what I was planning was already a challenge enough to pull off. Cheating was a requirement in and of itself.
That aside, my early arrival was fortuitous, as it allowed me to both get my schedule early, but also gained me one last refresher tour of the school without all of the attention that a busy school would have drawn.
That wasn't to say I wasn't going to stick out like a sore thumb as the 'new girl'. But I was doing my best in order to avoid too much to stand out. Even my clothing was meant to be as non-descript as possible: black jeans, a navy turtleneck, a light jacket, and my hair done back neatly. I knew that I would come off as austere simply based upon my bearing, but I was loathe to have it be anything less. I would have a social life, but it would be one of my choosing.
Closing my locker, I went through a mental exercise, discarding my errant thoughts, as I would need to be absolutely focused from here on out. First impressions were everything for a new kid, and I wanted to have the right balance so Arcadia could be a world apart from what Winslow was.
Then again, my first day had already started out so much better than Winslow had ever been, and I wasn't even to class yet. I had been able to arrange my things in my locker without anyone bothering me. Don't get me wrong, I knew they recognized me as the new girl, but they were giving me space. Something that I could never have had at Winslow. That wasn't to say that they weren't casting a judging eye upon me already, but it was certainly better than being all over me instead.
Gently closing the door, I shouldered my bag, filled with only the essentials for the next two classes, instead of all of my books, and walked. It wasn't that far of a walk, but it allowed one final review of everything.
I was here for an education first and foremost. I wouldn't gain the necessary respect unless I had the background needed for it. For that, I needed an education, and I needed it with honors. There was no way I would have ever achieved that at Winslow, and I would have to cheat in order to attain it here at Arcadia, but it was certainly attainable.
That didn't preclude that I couldn't make friends, but both Konan and myself had rather...unique perspectives on what friends were. In a way, we were not dissimilar, but where my beliefs were forged through betrayal and abandonment, hers was through tragedy.
I would be cautious and leave it at that.
Passing through the open door into the classroom, I strode towards Mr. Fitzgerald. I had only met my AP US History teacher in passing the other day. Though it was only a moment's time, it was safe to say that the man actually seemed to care about his teaching.
"Mr. Fitzgerald," I greeted.
"Miss Hebert," he responded, offering a disarming smile to me, "It's nice to have you join us today."
"I'm glad to be here. Hopefully you won't call me out to answer any questions today."
This time the smile was honest in its amusement, "We'll see about that, Miss Hebert. I like to keep the class on their toes, wouldn't be fair if I exclude you from all the fun."
"Then I'll do my best to impress."
"Why don't you go sit beside Miss Dallon."
Dallon. While I didn't show anything other than turning my head in the direction he motions towards, my mind was running a mile a minute, just before it screeched to a halt as I took in the figure sitting at the desk beside the one that Fitzgerald had indicated.
There was no mistaking the figure sitting at the desk, auburn hair, her eyes half-lidded with bags underneath. You would have to live underneath a rock to not recognize who it was.
Amy Dallon. Panacea.
Fuck.
Awakening 1.03
In a perfect world, I would be resting right now, getting myself ready for my first day at Arcadia. However, I found to my annoyance that I was unable to sleep due to the anticipation. This was something I thought I had curtailed in recent times , but it seemed that I was mistaken.
So, instead of laying in bed staring at the ceiling, searching for the unattainable, I found myself doing one of the few things I enjoyed anymore: flying.
It was strange, the feeling of weightlessness as I rode the thermals like a bird, soaring over Brockton Bay.
I could readily see why this was relaxing for Konan, letting the currents carry you wherever they may lead. It was therapeutic for someone with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
It was a pity in Konan's world, she could never do this outside of Amegakure, and never without getting soaked in the process. There was just too much of a chance for detection and attack.
Here, however, there were no chakra sensors, nor was the world in a constant state of warfare like hers. It was also the measures I had taken, after remembering something I had read in a tech magazine at the doctor's office. By applying camouflage to myself, I was able to blend into the sky to the point of nearly being invisible to anyone that would look up from the ground, be it during night or day.
So, like Konan, flying had become my escape. And as I flew over the Bay, I allowed myself to marvel once again at the sights that only those with access to a helicopter or the ability to fly could enjoy.
Dad still had misgivings about me going to Arcadia, but after the scene at Winslow, he had kept them to himself. To be fair to him, the choice between Arcadia, with its good standing, and returning to Winslow made for an extraordinarily short debate, it seemed.
So, instead, he had taken me to Arcadia, finalizing my registration, and joining me on a tour of the campus. It was refreshing, if I were honest with myself, to just have something done together with my dad despite the seriousness of the situation. There had been too few times we had ever done it, even with mom. It only became nearly insurmountable after her death, as we both felt her loss in our own way.
I knew it would take time for him to accept at least this part of the new reality. God forbid if he ever found out that I was not only a cape, but had the life and experiences of someone who could be quantified as a terrorist rattling around in my cranium. I shudder to think on how he would take that. But for now, I'd tread carefully.
Banking away from the bay, exhaustion escaping me, I decided to make a detour to the workshop I had put up in the Docks. It was one of the advantages of having a father who worked for the Dockworker's Union, I knew which buildings were suitable for what I wanted. While I would have preferred it to be someplace else, that required more money than I was currently wanting to spend. Not to mention, that fixed fortifications were a monument to human stupidity, both in this world, and in Konan's.
Odds were, in the future, I would follow in the example of Orochimaru: a series of non-centralized bunkers, safehouses and holdouts where I could operate from at any time. It was a fixed situation, but by doing that, I would avoid the vulnerability of having only one base of operations.
But for now, I would be satisfied with this hideout here on the docks, perfectly scouted out, with no one within almost half a kilometer, and with some delicately applied seals, the probability of anyone discovering my hideout diminished to single digit percentages.
So, it was with one more onceover of the surrounding area, that I landed upon the roof of the warehouse that I had set up as my base. While I was satisfied that there was no one around, I was not going to relax my paranoia, as I created a few paper falcons and positioned them to keep watch around the building. That done, I descended into the building.
To be honest, it wasn't much to look at. I made sure that nothing was there that would give away that this was my lair. The main floor served for training for myself, where I would spar with various clones that used the memories of Konan in order to provide me a myriad of threats. While I may not be able to do the jutsu, the combat style was something else, as my endurance and reflexes had increased in leaps and bounds since I pushed my body.
Yet, the main floor was only an appetizer for the crown jewel of all of this. In the storage levels located in the basement, was my workshop.
Konan may not have had any love for fuinjutsu, but I had found that I took to it like a duck to water. There was something about the intense focus and allure of creating new seals that I could use in the field.
My workshop served as that testing ground, providing me with more flexibility beyond Konan's skillset, while not being overly consuming upon my chakra pool like an elemental jutsu. And I could easily put them on my person and deploy them in an instant.
Konan, while she could do what I do, using her paper to write fuinjutsu while within me, just never viewed it as useful. Personally, I blamed this disinterest on Nagato and his bullshit Rinnegan. What was the point of increasing your versatility when you have someone who can level enemies and cities alike with the wave of a hand.
I'm just thankful I didn't manifest any of that, and that there was no one with it either. They may be the eyes of samsara, but that much power, and the arrogance that seems to come with it, would be too much for this already fucked up world.
Discarding those pointless thoughts, I instead focused upon the table that I came before. While around me there were several paper clones working diligently in not only the sealing arts, but seeing what it could do with some of the medicinal knowledge of her world. I doubted I'd ever be able to recreate any of it, but it was better to be sure than sorry.
But the seal before me, not even a hundredth of the way finished, was something that I felt was needed more than anything else, even it was ethically and morally abhorrent. It was incredibly complex, and would likely take me years at the current rate to work on, but it would be my final trump card if anything drastic were to happen.
Right now, it was all theory, and it may never be finished. But it wasn't going to stop me. I was invested in this path, both this seal, and being a hero.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Papiergeist-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I blinked as my cell phone alarm went off. I had set an alarm on my phone so I didn't get completely enraptured in my project. It would not do well to be late to Arcadia on my first day.
But still, was it already that time?
Putting down my brush, I glanced over to my phone, discovering that it was indeed four in the morning. I had been working for almost five hours now. Taking the moment to stretch, feeling my muscles and bones creaking, I looked back to my work table.
There was just so much to fuinjutsu that one could spend their entire life trying to master it and would only glance the tip of the iceberg. You could achieve so much with the right application of ink, blood, and symbology. One symbol could mean a thousand different things in the greater context. Jiraiya, Konan's teacher, had once said that while handsigns were the physical expression of chakra, seals were the language, and he wasn't wrong.
I could only hope that I could surpass him.
Tossing those thoughts aside, I considered my next course of action. There was a Merchant drug den a kilometer away that I had been eyeing to raid, but that could lead to complications I'd rather not deal with considering the my current window of time. I could send some clones to break it up, but that was dependent upon it being an easy sweep. I would like the money from there…
It could wait, I decided, the Merchants were rather lazy on their cash security, so waiting until this evening should be fine.
It would just be best for me to head back home, I finally decided. Monotony was the best defense against my father right now. To change my schedule could invite suspicion.
Forming four more paper clones, I then dispelled the four that were in the room, absorbing the paper in me and sorting through the reports written upon their essence.
Hn, that was interesting. I'd have to check it over later to ensure that there were no drawbacks, but that could be quite useful if it worked.
Humming to myself as I reviewed over every detail of it, I reached the roof and took off back into the air, circling around one more time, before setting back for home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Papiergeist-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"She's gone," that one announcement alleviated more of her headache than Lisa Wilborn had believed possible. Ever since she had caught out of the corner of her eye the arrival of what PHO was calling Angel, she had found herself bombarded with information, some of which she understood, some which she didn't.
What she did know, however, was that it would be unwise to confront the cape, even with Brian with her. Then again, assaulting a capes's lair was generally an unwise decision to begin with, especially with what she was able to glean so far.
"So what do we do," Brian asked, glancing at her.
"Leave her alone, for now," she said, "she might be gone, but the place is a fortress. I don't even understand half of the crap I'm seeing right now. Only that it's dangerous, and it's meant to deter anyone from entering, let alone getting close without being detected."
She closed her eyes, reining in the Thinker headache just a tad bit more. Every data point was telling her to avoid this place like the plague
Still, it would be wise to remember this place, in the event it could be beneficial to use in the future.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Papiergeist-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Breakfast had been a simple affair, stemming from the fact that I had wanted to eat light in the first place. A pair of rolled eggs for myself was enough to fuel me until lunch, and was quick enough for me to catch the bus in early to Arcadia.
It was a calculated move, if I were to be honest. I wanted both the time to take a lay of the land, but also finalize whatever else I needed to have done before I could join classes. Of course, I still had the course work to catch up on, but it would not take that long if I were to be honest.
After all, I had the unfair advantage of being able to clone myself and gather the knowledge necessary to do the work. I'd just have to be careful not to tip my hand in any way that would merit suspicion. It wouldn't do good to be careless and get unmasked doing something as simple as homework.
Still, as Konan's experiences had illuminated, if you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin. And I was going to cheat as much as humanly possible. After all, what I was planning was already a challenge enough to pull off. Cheating was a requirement in and of itself.
That aside, my early arrival was fortuitous, as it allowed me to both get my schedule early, but also gained me one last refresher tour of the school without all of the attention that a busy school would have drawn.
That wasn't to say I wasn't going to stick out like a sore thumb as the 'new girl'. But I was doing my best in order to avoid too much to stand out. Even my clothing was meant to be as non-descript as possible: black jeans, a navy turtleneck, a light jacket, and my hair done back neatly. I knew that I would come off as austere simply based upon my bearing, but I was loathe to have it be anything less. I would have a social life, but it would be one of my choosing.
Closing my locker, I went through a mental exercise, discarding my errant thoughts, as I would need to be absolutely focused from here on out. First impressions were everything for a new kid, and I wanted to have the right balance so Arcadia could be a world apart from what Winslow was.
Then again, my first day had already started out so much better than Winslow had ever been, and I wasn't even to class yet. I had been able to arrange my things in my locker without anyone bothering me. Don't get me wrong, I knew they recognized me as the new girl, but they were giving me space. Something that I could never have had at Winslow. That wasn't to say that they weren't casting a judging eye upon me already, but it was certainly better than being all over me instead.
Gently closing the door, I shouldered my bag, filled with only the essentials for the next two classes, instead of all of my books, and walked. It wasn't that far of a walk, but it allowed one final review of everything.
I was here for an education first and foremost. I wouldn't gain the necessary respect unless I had the background needed for it. For that, I needed an education, and I needed it with honors. There was no way I would have ever achieved that at Winslow, and I would have to cheat in order to attain it here at Arcadia, but it was certainly attainable.
That didn't preclude that I couldn't make friends, but both Konan and myself had rather...unique perspectives on what friends were. In a way, we were not dissimilar, but where my beliefs were forged through betrayal and abandonment, hers was through tragedy.
I would be cautious and leave it at that.
Passing through the open door into the classroom, I strode towards Mr. Fitzgerald. I had only met my AP US History teacher in passing the other day. Though it was only a moment's time, it was safe to say that the man actually seemed to care about his teaching.
"Mr. Fitzgerald," I greeted.
"Miss Hebert," he responded, offering a disarming smile to me, "It's nice to have you join us today."
"I'm glad to be here. Hopefully you won't call me out to answer any questions today."
This time the smile was honest in its amusement, "We'll see about that, Miss Hebert. I like to keep the class on their toes, wouldn't be fair if I exclude you from all the fun."
"Then I'll do my best to impress."
"Why don't you go sit beside Miss Dallon."
Dallon. While I didn't show anything other than turning my head in the direction he motions towards, my mind was running a mile a minute, just before it screeched to a halt as I took in the figure sitting at the desk beside the one that Fitzgerald had indicated.
There was no mistaking the figure sitting at the desk, auburn hair, her eyes half-lidded with bags underneath. You would have to live underneath a rock to not recognize who it was.
Amy Dallon. Panacea.
Fuck.
Last edited:
Unseelie
(Verified True Fae)
- Location
- Tír fo Thuinn
I can't help but imagine that as a subtitled anime scene.
"Kami forbid"
(Translator's note: kami means god)
Last edited:
I think you focus to much on the Naruto way of being a Shinobi instead of how it probably actually was in the Naruto World. Konan was a S rank Shinobi before she died and your writing doesn't really show that. The thing with Tattletale shouldn't be possible because the awareness of a Shinobi especially a S rank Shinobi should be better than this and while Taylor isn't actually Konan she has her ability to manipulate paper. And you show us that she uses her power to create paper birds that should have seen Grue and Tatteltale and noticed their suspicions behavior.
Your story is actually quite good so please carry on with writing it and have a good day.
Your story is actually quite good so please carry on with writing it and have a good day.