Well Well. After A Long Hiatus, New Pages Of Instinct Are Here. I Know I Shouldn't Have To Apologize

Sometimes a hug is all that’s needed

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HAJJAAHJ IM SORRY

my shikanaru fics: a masterlist

listen, shikanaru was, is and will probably always be my otp so i’m just gonna start the long and tedious task of documenting my fic links for this ship. (fml but i NEED to wrangle everything into some form of organised chaos so bear with me). i’ve apparently written seventeen stories with them, which is both a smaller number than i’d thought and yet genuinely a baffling amount. note that while this ship features abundantly in my work, the primary focus of the story is not always on the development of their relationship.

i will mark my personal favourites with a “🖤” because yes, i do not love all my babies equally. i discriminate. some are just more dear to me, okay?

note: shikanaru is the default main/primary ship in these stories. the other ships mentioned are automatically the side-ships or the shared-spotlight pairings.

from oldest to newest ↓

1. twist in time: surprise surprise, it is a time travel fic. hokage naruto goes back into his younger body. changes everything. my first fic ever. if you tell me to sell this to you, i will probably lovingly insult the writing instead. still, it’s got pre-relationship shikanaru and they just mostly banter (naruto banters alot in general) | 91k words | complete | 40/40 | sequel is on hiatus | bamf!naruto, canon divergence, sasusaku | rated T |

🖤 2. swiggles: a quintessential sealmaster naruto fic where i’ve quite frankly gone a bit wild with the lore and the plentiful doodles. naruto makes friends, makes seals, makes some more friends. shikamaru is basically his best friend, along with sakura. obito returns to the village in this au but only after naruto’s already in the academy. speaking of, this fic, as of the last chapter, has only just reached graduation so it’s heavy on the pre-canon storyline. personally, developing the friend group in this, as well as the sweet, almost childish yet meaningful bond between shikanaru was very enjoyable for me | 83k words | incomplete, on hiatus | 19/? | eventual fuuinjutsu master!naruto, slow burn, fluff + humor, sakuino | rated T |

3. feelings? what are those?: just a short, silly oneshot about my favourite throuple, shikasasunaru. wrote this as a giftfic while twist in time was still a wip. it’s about naruto forcing shikamaru and sasuke to not be emotionally opaque peanuts | 4.7k words | non-oblivious!naruto, idiots in love | rated M |

4. the words tattooed on my soul: this is a fanpoetry fic. one poem from shikamaru’s pov who apparently writes plenty of these and stores them in a shoebox which he, ofcourse, hides under his bed | 172 words | poet!shikamaru | rated T |

5. the dance of destiny: platonic soulmates sasunaru and best friends shikasaku. sakura and shika leave the village to train with tsunade and years later, return so that sakura can become the hokage—she’s a champion of the civilians, basically. meanwhile, naruto has thoughts and feelings about this, given his own dream of taking the kage mantle. these four meet and their destinies (hah!) intermingle, much like an off-tempo waltz on the dancefloor (hah! again). shikamaru apparently has an asshole dad—shikaku—in this because that was what the muse wanted | 7.4k words | 2/? | incomplete | bamf!everyone | sasusaku | rated M |

🖤 6. colors of you: a lighthearted oneshot about shikamaru discovering that the village vandal painting konoha in all sorts of ridiculous murals is, infact, naruto and joining him on one of his escapades. this was written for a prompt challenge hosted on r/fanfiction actually. had a fun time writing this story. i really like how their dynamic turned out | ~4k words | pov shikamaru | rated M |

7. all in good time: another time travel fic about a burnt-out twenty-year old naruto finding himself back as an academy student after becoming estranged with konoha 12 in the og timeline following a failed jounin exam in which he ended up being the cause for shikamaru getting injured and scarred. this one’s more angsty, with a gentler naruto who’s a little sick of his life as a chunin. i really want to write and complete this story one day, because the storyboarding for the plot is a bit different than my usual fare | 13k words | 3/? | incomplete | alternate universe + time travel, slow burn | rated M |

🖤 8. the stories we never shared: a fic wherein naruto leaves konoha the night before graduation and years later, tsunade assembles a mission squad of seven to go after him, to protect him and offer him refuge, as a response to their knowledge about akatsuki and their plans to target jinchiruukis. this is also a shikasasunaru poly fic. it’s much slower and extremely interpersonal. i’m trying to develop and juggle different relationships and friendships with due regard. this fic also possibly has one of my favourite versions of naruto i’ve ever written. shikamaru is the mission leader and he shares a mutually contentious relationship with sasuke | 27k words | 4/? | incomplete | bamf!naruto, threeway povs, slowburn | rated M |

🖤 9. being known: a 5+1 fic about naruto and shikamaru sharing various conversations as they grow up and how their friendships ends up becoming something much much more. i’ve probably re-read this work the most because this is how i imagine shikanaru at their most grounded. they’re alike in so many ways beyond the superficial differences and it’s always a fun task to coax those commonalties out. it’s also non-linear | 18k words | 6/6 | complete | getting together, pov!shikamaru, pov!naruto.

10. blood of the covenant; water of the womb: my take on the arranged marriage trope. shikamaru is heir of the nara clan that resides in suna. shikaku is kazekage. naruto is heir of the uzumaki clan which is the closest thing to royalty in the shinobi world. to stop the prolonged conflict between konoha and suna, their marriage is proposed as a means for amicable ceasefire | 4k words | 1/? | incomplete | bamf!shikanaru, enemies to friends to lovers, politics | rated M |

🖤 11. naruto’s very eminent, very influential babysitters: naruto is raised communally amongst all the clans of konoha, on shikaku’s suggestion. mostly a humorous and fluffy fic and has the least amount of shikanaru, tbh. since they are, you know, babies. as of the last chapter, though, shikamaru has begun to have certain sorts of awakening. naruto is an absolute gremlin child here, chaos-maker extraordinaire. features interpersonal clan lore and many many side characters | 25k words | 5/7 | incomplete | fluff + humor, pre-canon, crack treated seriously | rated T |

12. the triad hypothesis: yet another poly shikasasunaru fic. they’re rogue ninjas together, trying to bind together resources and manpower to oppose danzo who has taken over konoha as hokage | 3k words | 1/? | incomplete | bamf!shikasasunaru, pov multiple, rebellion, politics | rated M |

🖤 13. twelfth guardian: naruto is sent to the daimyo’s mansion for his “safety”. shikamaru arrives there after becoming jounin, as one of the twelve ninja guardians. plot ensues in the background (conspiracy against the hokage, betrayals, etc.) while they fall in love after getting to know each other. this is my recent darling fic. i’ve drawn some art for it which is not just shitty doodling, i swear. i just have to sit and complete the third part so i can mark it as finished. it’s one fic where i’ve dug deep into shikamaru’s psyche and really enjoyed it | 20k words | 2/3 | incomplete | bamf!naruto, bamf!shika, multiple ocs, pov shikamaru | rated M |

🖤 14. if you shall permit it, i’d like to smooch your brain: another 5+1 crack treated seriously fic in which a raging sapiosexual shikamaru finds naruto irresistible because he’s sort of an unconventional genius. it’s majorly a fic about boys of konoha 12 hanging out together, gallivanting. also non-linear and imo, quite funny | 21k words | 6/6 | complete | pov!shikamaru, smart!naruto, crack treated seriously | rated T |

15. मैं और तुम (me and you): my first ever hindi fanfic about shikamaru and naruto spending some time together. that’s it, lol. my capacity to write longform hindi stuff is extremely limited | 557 words | complete | shayar!naruto | rated G |

16. anbu’s infamous throuple: as the name suggests, this is, obviously, another shikasasunaru poly fic in which they’re all anbu members. it is an epistolary fic and also sort of crackish. sasuke and shikamaru are friends but naruto has a hate-your-guts mutually antagonistic dynamic with sasuke while he gets along quite well with shikamaru. naruto is a squad captain, sasuke is his liaison officer which is totally a real position and not something i created for plot purposes. shikamaru is a communications specialist | 1.8k words | 1/5 | incomplete | bamf!everyone, anbu!shikasasunaru, epistolary fic | rated M |

that concludes the list. the seventeeth fic is actually the sequel to twist in time. i will regularly update this masterlist, as and when new updates/fics are put up!

if any of this sounds like your cup of tea, read on and enjoy! <3

made on: 16/03/25

last updated: 18/03/25

I swear, one’s family/whether or not one has siblings can be the cornerstone of their personality/srs

More notes on these headcannons under the cut

Hype = Oldest of 3 (he has sisters), older cousin of Boom, Hype is used to being left in charge and has become quite good at mediating in a group. However being put in charge of 2-3 people growing up is rarely a walk in the park. Thankfully he’s got enough optimism to keep him going until the adults can take charge again. By the time he himself has reached adulthood, he’s still got some mom friend energy when he’s interacting with his bandmates.

Trickee = child #5 in a family of 10 kids. He has never known peace or quiet, and thus has become a very loud and chaotic young adult. He both has no concept of privacy and values personal space deeply. Sometimes his trouble-making tendencies make him look attention-seeking. If you ask him though, sometimes, when you gotta compete with 9 other kids, you just need to yell to be heard.

Branch = you know his deal. Family baby, his estranged sibs baby him, and low-key he hates it (poor sap 😅) “The Rules Don’t Apply to Him” BUT HE’LL FOLLOW THEM ANYWAY because SAFETY FIRST

Ablaze = no family to speak of let alone siblings. He has never known the struggle of fighting over leftovers or keeping people tf out of your room. He and Trickee are roomies though (Trickee moved out as soon as he could lmao), so he gets a front row seat to Trickee’s sibling culture every now and then. (Low-key, they look pretty fun to him)

Boom = only child to a single dad. Was born asexually and his dad never felt the desire to have another kid after him. Boom doesn’t mind too much though since he’s pretty involved with his cousins. That’s kinda like having siblings… except he doesn’t have to share his stuff with them :) So he’s winning :))

Branch: Hey want to see an impression of my brothers?

Kismet: Sure.

*Branch leaves.*

This is Dom/Sub AU ⚔️🕒

Zoro saw Sanji’s medical records on Chopper’s office and immediately he had to test if the information was accurate.

See more for 18+ ⚠️🫣

Things my brother has said to me since I’ve come out

Bro: You can’t say you’re pan if you’ve only dated cis-boys Jess..

Me: Then you can’t say you’re straight since you’ve never had a girlfriend

Bro: touche…

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Bro: so you like girls?

Me: yep

Bro: so youre gonna get a girlfriend?

Me: maybe

Bro: NOW I GOTTA COMPETE AGAINST YOU TOO?? 

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Bro: wanna bet on who kisses a girl first?

Me: sure… $10?

Bro: okay

Me: sweet…cough up the money because i already kissed three

Bro: WHAT?? WHO?? you whore…No but seriously who because we only have like 2 lesbians in our school….

____________________________________________________________

Bro: I SWEAR TO GOD IF I HEAR ONE MORE PUN ABOUT YOU AND KITCHENWEAR IM KILLING YOU

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Brothers friend: so your sister is pan?

Bro: yeah?

Friend: what’s that?

Bro: basically she’ll date anyone

Friend: think she’ll date me?

Bro: ew no, dude she has standered still..

____________________________________________________________

Bro: so…how was narnia?

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Mother: i dont want you going to (insert friend)’s house because you’re pan and they are too

Bro: shes 18 mom AND you had no problem with it before jess was out

Mother: yeah but-

Bro: and they’re both girls so its not like even if something DID happen she wouldn’t get pregnant or anything

Mother: yeah but-

Bro: just let her hang out with the one friend she still has

____________________________________________________________

Bro: *is complaning about something* Thats so ga- OH MY GOD IM SO SORRY IT SLIPPED

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Bro: *shows me a picture of a girl* do you think shes hot?

Me: ew no

Bro: I AM TRYING TO GET YOU A GIRLFRIEND STOP BEING PICKY WOMAN WE LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE THERE ARENT THAT MANY OPTIONS 

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Me: *is complaining to my brother about this dude on campus* -anyways hes so not my type

Mother: but youre pan and ‘youre attracted to everyone regardless of gender’ so you dont have a type

Bro: thats like saying because i’m straight i like every girl mom…she can be pan and have types you limp lettuce

____________________________________________________________

Bro: do you think grandma will freak out when she finds out you’re queer?

Me: hopefully

Bro: sweet…..can i tell her??

Me: no?

Bro: dammit…

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Bro: *is playing COD online in his room* Guys seriously stop saying the F slur

Bro: Seriously i dont care about your kill streak, i will shoot you

Bro: NO SCOPE! I warned you!

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Bro: you know what my favorite part of you being pan is?

Me: what?

Bro: you’re no longer grandmas favorite…now i get all the money/food

____________________________________________________________

Bro: aw fuck

Me: what?

Bro: what if you get a girlfriend one day and she breaks your heart? i can’t punch a girl! 

Me: no thats okay-

Bro: HOW WILL I DEFEND YOUR HONOR???

Ford has been left with a clue where Stan might have been taken to and Ford is very determined to find his brother and his kidnappers. 2nd arc of the story is done. Next page, we go back to Stan’s POV and see what events unfold (whenever that will be)

pg.1/pg.2/pg.3/pg.4/pg.5/pg.6/pg.7/pg.8/pg.9/pg.10/pg.11/pg.12/pg.13/pg.14/pg.15/pg.16/pg.17/pg.18/pg.19/pg.20/pg.21/pg.22,pg.23/pg.24/pg.25,pg.26/pg.27,pg.28/pg.29

I have headcanons for Kismet and Branch djsjsjsjsj but my favorite being that Ablaze was the first to get socked by Branch when he tried to wake him up from sleeping walking and is the one who took up cooking in the group sbsbsb

Ho, boy…if you guys weren’t confused before, then you probably are now.

(x   x   ) Part 6 everybody! Finally! …I’m sad since a lot of the pain-staking line work got covered up by the shading….

Other comic parts can be found here: http://chibiceramir.tumblr.com/replacEDcomic

(…so my computer decided to play a trick on me and say the files for Part 6 were corrupted for a period of 10 minutes…thankfully it was just a joke…*glares at the computer tower*)