THE ACADEMY AGE MEME

[sunshinenpcs]

The Academy Age Meme



"No, you can't eat yourself if you henge into a bowl of ramen, go sit back down"


Ah yes, another long-awaited Sunshineverse meme!

As the name suggests, this meme is fairly straightforward: bring out the cute academy aged icons, because we'll be playing everyone as their young, academy aged selves! This time it's pretty straightforward, but here's a step by step anyway.

Step one: Post a top level comment with your character's name and affiliation at the time of their academy training. You should probably include their age--again, at the time they'd be in the academy--along with it. If, for whatever reason, your character didn't go to a ninja academy, probably just post them as a child around the time other kids would have been in the academy

Step two: Given the nature of this meme, you may want to include a scenario or two for people to tag into, but otherwise, it's a good idea to include relevant information people will need if they tag your character. If during their childhood they refused to leave trees, preferred to henge into a puddle to make people slip on them, or killed people indiscriminately, these are good things for people to know.

Step three: Tag to others, and relive your high school Academy days!

NOTE: Ages in this meme are synched up. That means school-kid Karin won't be able to kick it with school-kid Kushina. But! A school-kid Karin could end up interacting with a somewhat younger than current canon Kushina!

BONUS NOTES!

1: Although it isn't required to, all tags and threads in this meme can absolutely count toward actual in-game history for the characters involved!

2: Threads that count for history also count for activity! Just like the test drive meme, if the threads count for history, they also count for activity

3: Don't forget the NPC journal! This is a great opportunity to interact with dead/distanced/etc characters that would still be around or would be prominently involved with the history of your characters, and that's what this NPC journal is there for! Use it!

4: Most important - Have fun, you cute little ninja terrors

Comments

[abileunaspada]

"M'not even close to him now! How m'I supposed to catch up?" She sniffled, raising both hands to wipe at her eyes. It didn't hurt as much anymore, not really, but that she was so far behind still got to her, "M'not close to how strong he was when he was little... Maybe those guys're right..."

But he'd say she was foolish for thinking they were right. She stubbornly shook it off, quite literally as her red hair went everywhere, "No, they're wrong! I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna be just like him! I-I can't just stop 'cause it's hard or someone's mean..."

... Not that it helped her stop crying.

[pinnedbangs]

What the heck was he supposed to do?! His twin crying all over the place was one thing but some random little boy was another story. Only one thing crossed his mind. It was something he had done plenty of times before with his brother, so it really seemed like no big deal to him.

He patted the little boy on the head. "They're still wrong, no matter what!" Like his dad said, crying was good but if you didn't do anything about it, then there was no point at all. He's about to tell her such when a much better idea comes to mind.

"You gotta be the strong kinda guy that all the girls go crazy for! So just do that and you'll do anything!" He honestly has no idea what exactly it means to be that sort of guy, but dad said it so it must be awesome and amazing.

[abileunaspada]

"The strong... Wha?" She blinked hard, sniffling as she was startled both by the new touch and the words. Wait, kinda... guy?

It took her a few more seconds, but the good news about it all was that she stopped crying. Unfortunately, it wasn't solely because his words were encouraging.

"M'a girl."

[pinnedbangs]

He froze. "No way, really?!! But you look like a boy!"

Weren't girls supposed to look like those pretty princesses or like their teacher? -- Oh that's why his - her hair was so long... But it was still a hard thing for him to comprehend. It shouldn't have been but - but he hadn't met many little girls. This sort of recent development wasn't something for the faint of heart! It could only be solved by a simple question.

"How long have you been a girl?"

[abileunaspada]

"O-OIY! I've always been a girl!" She flushed darkly then, embarrassed. Yeah, she might not have looked too girly when the dried blood around her nose and the black eye, but... But...

"What's the difference anyway!? It doesn't matter, I'm still gonna be the best! You'll see!"

[pinnedbangs]

As far as he could tell, there was no reason for her to be angry with him. He didn't do anything wrong! Why was he getting yelled at?! If there was anything else that could be added to his short list of Thing He Hated, 'yelling at him for no reason' was definitely on it. Rin squared his little shoulders and took one menacing step towards her, his hands balled into tight fists. He wasn't going to lash out but he was definitely confused.

"Then just be the best and get cute girls and boys to like you!!"

[abileunaspada]

"I don't care if they like me or not! If... If... If they're too dumb to not like me now then why should I be friends with them anyway!?" She was huffing then, clearly unafraid of him even as they continued getting into a shouting match.

[pinnedbangs]

He would raise his voice higher than hers, if she was determined to keep it up. Red's argument sounded familiar (had he told his dad the very same thing not too long ago?). Why should she be their friend, when she absolutely right about them?! He didn't want to be their friend either!! -- The perfect solution came to him in a flash.

"Then be my friend!!"

[abileunaspada]

"Be your fr--" She stopped, staring and stunned at the words. That was definitely one way to get her to stop, and she started to flush red as the implication set in. Even so, she still had no control and the next word was spoken quietly in stark contrast to her shouting only seconds ago.

"Okay."

[pinnedbangs]

"You mean it? You really mean it, cross your heart- poke a need in your eye- really really mean it?!"

Even if he doubted her, there was still a silly smile on his face. He clearly wasn't going to wait for a confirmation to those questions. It didn't matter at all because she said okay and she was going to be his friend and that was that.

"Good! -- Now you just gotta worry 'bout bein' the best!"

[abileunaspada]

"I'm not lying, I said okay!" She huffed again, not quite smiling but a bit more soft than she was earlier... If not redder than a tomato. She'd never had a real friend before, not one who wasn't Seph...

"And I'm gonna be the best!"

[pinnedbangs]

"Good, because liars are bad and they get beat up for doing stuff like that."

It might have been a thinly veiled threat, but with that bright smile how could it be? Rin sighed and nodded his head once more. This was turning out to be a good day.

"I'm your friend now- " even as he said the words he had a hard time believing them. To think he had a friend! Not only that, but to think it had been so easy! He was totally going to try this again!!

"I'm your friend~. So, so, so that means I'm gonna help you with being the best!"

[abileunaspada]

"... Yeah. We're friends."

She couldn't help it -- Rin's smiling was infectious. At last she smiled, laughing a little even as she scrubbed away the last of her tears and still looked both red and beat up to hell. She'd never had a friend before.

That this guy believed in her, didn't think she was stupid or annoying and wanted to be friends -- she couldn't wait to tell Seph or her parents!

"Ne, my name's Adela. What's yours?"

[pinnedbangs]

Never mind, today was officially the third best day ever. She said, "we're friends". That sounded just as good - if not better - than the previous statement. And now his brand new friend was laughing and, oh, that was even better. His dad would be so proud of him, he just knew it!

"And I'm Rin! Rin Okumura! And I live over there - " he pointed towards some vague direction away from the school, " - and you gotta see something cool because only my brother has ever seen it and you're my friend so you have to see it too!"

In an instant he had her hand and he immediately started for the village, school completely forgotten. He held on a lot more tightly than he meant to. "C'mon, I wanna show you my favorite place and then we can go - uhm - we can go eat food a-and then we can - we can practice! And I can show you my mom and you can meet my dad an-and then we can play with my brother! And then we can so everything else!"

It barely crossed his mind that classes might have still been in session, that maybe it wasn't the best idea. There were just so many thing to do now and stuff to see and things to know!

[abileunaspada]

"Yeah! Let's go!" The fact that they were probably going to end up playing hooky was the furthest from her mind as she trotted to keep up with him, gripping his hand tightly as they dashed along. Who cared if grown-ups saw them? She wanted to see what Rin had to show her, especially if it was his favourite place. She couldn't wait!

"What're your mom 'n dad like? Are they nice?" The red head couldn't help asking as they went, clearly more relaxed than she had been when she was fresh from the fight.

[pinnedbangs]

"Yeah! Dad is the coolest dad in the whole world!" He was more than happy to continue praising his father, illustrating for her a picture of a valiant man who could do anything and be anyone. This man was a superhero, as far as Rin was concerned. His upbeat attitude hardly changed as he spoke about his mother. About how she cooked great food and always smiled even on rainy days and how -

"- she even fed a hundred people in one night! And all the food came from one huge pot and she kept cookin' and cookin' and I helped out a lot too - and it was awesome because no one started a fight because it's her place and that's how she likes it! How about your mom and dad?"

He slowed down to a stop by a small clearing. It hadn't seemed remarkable in the slightest but Rin looked upon it with an almost reverent expression. If he was going to tell her about how spectacular this place was, he was definitely holding it off.

[abileunaspada]

"Mom 'n dad're nice, but they yell sometimes. They don't want me in academy or anything like that, they keep sayin' it's too dangerous," Her smile lost some of its warmth then, and she shook her head while they kept going. She hadn't even noticed that they slowed down when the continued, "Uncle thinks so too, but it's 'cause they don't want me gettin' beat up or anything I think. Uncle's lost a few people 'cause they were ninja, and he's said he doesn't wanna lose me too."

When they stopped she blinked at the clearing, cloaked just a little in mist as she stepped forward to look around. This was a cool secret place, but why was it Rin's favourite? She didn't get it.

[pinnedbangs]

"How's it dangerous? 'nd you're already gettin' beat up - but you have me now so that's not gonna happen anymore." He grew pensive at those last few words. His friend didn't look too happy, even though she was talking about her family. Was her uncle a person who just lost things a lot? But maybe she meant the other kind of loss. He didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't too sure.

"...You're not going anywhere 'cept to school to learn how to do ninja stuff." Tentatively - very tentatively - he asked his last question. "Is he afraid that you're not gonna come back?"

His voice dropped down to a whisper. "The Other Dad used to come here a lot. Mom said he trained here every day to become a better ninja. But that's not why it's my favorite."

[abileunaspada]

"My clan goes through lots'a training too, and they'll get mad if I say too much," She frowned at that, not really liking to think about it. That was before she glanced at him, frowning, "I dunno if he is're not. Maybe not now, but some day. 'cause what ninja do is pretty dangerous. But if I'm gonna be like cousin Sephiroth then I'll be too good not to come back!"

Wait, he was whispering. She hushed herself as well, looking at Rin intently as she asked, "Why's it your favourite? It's already really cool sounding."

[pinnedbangs]

Clan training? Too much talking? It all sounded like a big puzzle to him.

"You gotta keep it a secret? Is that what it's like to be in a clan?" He couldn't honestly say that it sounded fun. Well, her clan didn't sound like fun. If he was in a clan, it would be the fun clan that would let kids join Academies. Was ninja work really that dangerous? Sure, there were stories, but they were things that happened to everyone else. ...Like his friend. Oh. ...That was a sad thought.

Oh, that was simple! Rin puffed his chest out in pride as he easily proclaimed, "Because it's the mistiest place in the whole village so that makes it the best place to play hide and seek! And I'm a master of that game! No one can beat me!"

[abileunaspada]

Having been about to explain that the elders were mean and didn't like her talking about much, she stopped and perked at the sound of hide and seek. The mistiest place in the whole village, and the best place to play...

And he was the master.

It took her a few seconds to smirk, turning to him fully in the middle of the clearing before she piped up, "Oh yeah? You haven't played with me before!"

... Granted, she hadn't actually PLAYED hide and seek before, but it was simple right? Just looking for someone who was hiding.

[pinnedbangs]

"I'll win with you too!" Never mind that she would be the first person outside his family that he'd actually play this game with. His title was still relevant!

An impish smile crossed his face as a sudden thought sprung to mind. She was his friend, but this was a game. Games were totally different. "Then since it's your first time playing against a master, I'll hide first. Ready?"

[abileunaspada]

"Fine! I'll count to thirty, so you'd better hide real good!" She nodded, giving him a thumbs up before she ran to one of the trees and using her arms to cover her eyes. It wouldn't be fair if she watched him hide! And she had to play fair!

"One... Two... Three..."

[pinnedbangs]

He quickly ran to one of his favorite hiding spots. It was possibly the worst hiding spot one could look for, right behind one of the biggest trees in the area. But the mist seemed mistier there and as far as Rin could tell he couldn't see her as clearly.

All in all, that made it the perfect spot.

[abileunaspada]

"And... Thirty! Ready or not, here I come!" Thirty was enough, right? If not, then he'd tell her after. It was already kind of fun, and she started looking for him almost immediately. He had to be close, but it was really hard to see through the mist! She strained her ears to try and hear him, frowning with her concentration with her efforts to pinpoint him. Where was he...?