[fic] The Great Pantomime

[ronsard]

I was trying to figure out what Shisui could have been doing for Madara in The Burning of Paper Instead of Children. Anyway, this story isn’t it, but it was way more fun to write. It should either make you laugh or creep you out - if it does both, I'd be very chuffed.

Title: The Great Pantomime
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Madara/Shisui
Summary: A

Comments

[ronsard]

So all that stuff you said about being into Madara/Shisui, THOSE WERE ALL LIES? I should have known. And I have no idea what you're talking about. This is a romantic comedy feel-good fic. Romance for Shisui, comedy for Madara: everybody wins! Except Itachi. But who cares about him?

LOL, that line was, um, a reference to puppy-drowning. Bit of a funny aneurysm for me because, you know, PUPPIES! Drowning! Hey, it's not like Madara meant to steal Shisui from Itachi, things just happened to work out that way. By the way, did you notice that I sort of obliquely insinuated that Madara disguised himself as an older, crippled version of Itachi? No wonder Shisui fell like a stack of bricks. See? Hilarious.

Concurred. I have two go-to characterizations for Shisui: this one (same from TBoPIoC), and the one I use in everything else, the Shisui that will never ever ever be allowed to associate with Madara, except in crack AUs.

Yeah, that scene was the opposite of hot. The writing really isn't experimental this time around. I've been more pretentious than even this on many occasions. And I don't know why I always adopt this flowery, archaic style of writing for Madara, but it drives me crazy upon rereading. So fucking purple it's like Barney wrote it. Oh, and this line: Curled up in the new winter quilt afterward, sore and mortified but obviously ecstatic, Shisui looks about ten years old. Grossest thing I've ever written. I can barely look at it without cringing for some reason >:

Whatevs, man, there is clearly a sense of dark humor in this. The Madara narrative is just so gleeful, it makes you ~smile~ We can both agree that he needs to die, but he's fun to write. You know, when you don't take him 100% seriously (and I never do).

[soleil_et_pluie]

Madara/Shisui: Just 'cause it's hot doesn't mean it's not depraved, hun. That is like the fucking tagline for all Uchiha relationships: "smoking hot, but oh-so depraved!" And it was my "you are one sick bastard" ship anyway :P

...I have a friend who thought it was hilarious to push baby bunnies over, because their little legs flail all over adorably in their concern to right themselves as soon as possible. HORRIBLE. Did you say his hair was pulled back, or did I imagine that? Because that was a very Itachi-like vibe.

Yes please. Keep that Shisui away from Madara and we'll all be happy.

You know what I would like to read? Something where Madara is more affected by his creeper-relationship with Itachi or Shisui, in love with them as well, able to be wounded in return. Where he falls victim to Shisui's optimism or Itachi's subtle-but-powerful charisma. I can see him using Shisui, but I'd believe it even more if he was hurt by Itachi. You know, Mr. Rearrange-the-Universe Itachi, cause Madara needs to lose at some point.

I can sort of hear horrible dark chanting choir music crescendo when Shisui looks up and sees the Sharingan and goes, "Oh god, oh god." x_O

..You already know I'm unduly suckered in by poor Shisui getting the short end of the stick. Sad Shisui just gets to me every time. XD

[ronsard]

ItaShi isn't depraved. No, I didn't describe his hair, but I almost included something like, "He sweeps back the coil of hair," but then decided that was too obvious, and as if I needed more hamfisted descriptions anyway. But he did have the general air of the sickly, ethereal lover with a higher cause; how did he peg Shisui's type without meeting Itachi, I don't even know XD

You'll have to sell that to me through fic, because as it is I just can't see that happening. Madara, Redeemed By The Power Of Love? (My worst nightmare is that this will *actually* happen in canon, goddamn Naruto and his Jesus qualities.) Shivi's Eclipse is the only story so far that's come close to steering me in this direction, but ultimately my idea of Madara is someone who's extremely stern in virtue. Uh, not a virtuous person, but someone who truly believes in what he does - he's not ruining people's lives just for the lulz, is what I'm saying. He doesn't need redemption or to be returned to innocence, because he has become the goal that he's been striving toward.

Yah! Thunder clap and everything! The entire story is a bit theatrical in atmosphere, but that moment really teetered on the edge of overkill.

I see the Madara-Itachi dynamics as something like two opposing mountains. Neither can move the other, they can only chip away at each other until one crumbles. Madara would probably have been amused by but disdainful of Itachi's martyrdom. And what, Itachi has charisma now? XD I always thought his distressing lack of charisma was the most attractive thing about his character.

[soleil_et_pluie]

Oh god, gack. No, not in canon, no, I will be horrified if they attempt to give Madara some sort of sob-story. The entire reason I stopped reading Naruto for a gap of like 3 years was because of the Pain arc and his abysmal backstory.
But as long as we're in AU territory, how could you get tangled up with Shisui or Itachi and not fall in love a bit in return? Madara wouldn't be Redeemed By the Power of Love. He'd get his shriveled, blackened heart broken by one of the boys. I JUST WANT HIM TO GET SCHOOLED, THAT'S ALL. >/
But in canon...? He's either got the "become evil to defeat evil" thing going on, or he's doing evil for the sake of evil, or at least, goals so huge and abstract as to render them irrelevant and heartless to most people's eyes. He's quite the extremist, but he's also logical and patient and calculating, and that contradiction is the reason I like him in canon. I want the reason for his villain status to be because he wants to change the world, not because he's all waaaah-pity-me-i-got-hurt.

No one would like him if he had no charisma at all. XD I'll grant you it's not normal charisma by anybody's standards, but people are drawn to him and don't know why, imho. It's subtle, graceful, quiet, that sort of thing. A je-ne-sais-quoi quality, mysterious and introverted.
But yes, I agree with the mountains idea: it's hard not to be disdainful of naivety and optimism when you're old as the hills etc.

[nthcoincident]

I JUST WANT HIM TO GET SCHOOLED, THAT'S ALL

Didn't Hashirama take care of that? Not WELL, but still?

[soleil_et_pluie]

NOT WELL ENOUGH. C'mon, Hashirama, if he's not dead you didn't do a good enough job. Or break his bitter heart into a million pieces >D

[ronsard]

If anything, Hashi compounded the problem. His schooling turned Maddie into an individual even more in need of a schooling. Jesus, do it right or don't do it at all, Bananarama-sama.

[ronsard]

You know it could happen, you know it. Kishi loves this shit, and whereas I was fine (and even happy) with it on some occasions (Zabuza anyone?), this would just be unforgivable. Nipple-punching will be in order.

OMG THANK YOU. I thought I was the only one who hated Pain's character in light of his backstory. Honestly, I think he is the Naruto character with the most ridiculously asinine motivation EVER -- and worse, he's 110% serious about it. I don't like to humanize Madara too much either, even in fic. Obviously his past comes up from time to time, and the flashes of true emotion show through, but there is a reason I don't want to write about young!Madara: I don't like him as much :\ Which makes me a minority, I'm fairly sure. The bitter 1000-year-old ascetic is more interesting, gdi.

(And in AUs, he can just be stylish and fabulous and in the habit of making young relatives sexually uncomfortable!)

Are people drawn to Itachi, though? Or do they just... avoid him? I think his is a very discreet sort of charm, because other than Sasuke and maybe Shisui everybody else probably found him totally creepy XD

[soleil_et_pluie]

Madara is deceptive about what's really going on in his head at the best of times, too, which is even more enchanting. He flat-out lies to Sasuke about setting the demon fox on Konoha, and then offers to essentially sell him to Kabuto, ha ha ha. :D
...Or perhaps even junk-punching. Kishi, don't let us down :(

God, it was a shitshow. I was like, fuck this shit. I call bullshit and we haven't even seen the real Pain yet, and still he's spouting this crap. Also I told myself if they killed Kakashi, I was forever done with this manga, and for awhile, it looked like they had. >/

Madara does resist humanizing, and that's the way we like him....? The bitter old ascetic is definitely great :P

Maybe I'll have to write it. If, while getting ensnared by Madara's spider webs, Itachi & Shisui had had one logical normal-people who-is-this-creeper conversation, they would both have gotten out of it mindfuck-free. I would believe that Itachi might not think to do this, but Shisui?! C'mon.

People are kinda obsessed with him in canon. He at least inspires terror and awe at his skillz, and back in the day, he smiled! He carried baby Sasuke around and played tag and poked him in the forehead. So he can't have been a total socially-inept leper. (Incidentally, while playing the naruto videogame and yelling FOOLISH LITTLE BROTHER etc, my friend and i tried that poke on the forehead, and it really hurts! >_> And evidence points to the fact that Itachi did it kinda hard, since Sasuke actually stumbles back a bit. even doing it lightly causes you to get shoved back. It's very effective.)