Shikamaru Nara

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CW: Gender dysphoria, surgery mention

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Canon

### Fashion

His style leans heavily into boho chic. He tends to wear baggy harem pants and slightly oversize shirts. He always wears little studs or hoops in his ears.

### Other

Multiple piercings in both ears. Double-incision scars on his chest. Shoulder length dark brown hair that he usually has pulled back into a messy bun or a high ponytail.

## Biographical

### Resident of

Cedargrove, WA (Downtown Cedargrove/Cedargrove University dorm

### Occupation

Sales Associate at Pac Sun Cedargrove Outlet Mall

## Personality

### Traits

Intelligent, compassionate, private, stubborn, analytical, relaxed, loyal, sarcastic, empathetic, cunning

### Likes

Playing strategy games ( especially shogi ), watching the clouds, raising his plants, cats, reading, hiking, martial arts, rock climbing, meditation

### Dislikes

Expending needless energy, arrogance, sour candies, gender stereotypes, being told what to do, sudden loud noises, not being taken seriously, failure

### Strengths

Strategically minded, courageous, loyal, protective, adaptable, calm under pressure, patient

### Weaknesses

Unmotivated when uninterested, comes across as aloof, blunt, overly analytical, often second guesses himself, very hard on himself

### Astrology

Virgo

> *"It's stupid to talk about things you're not. Be yourself and you'll be fine."* ― *Shikamaru Nara*
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## Canon Status

### Trivia

* From Naruto/Naruto Shippuden series.
* Shikamaru's memories of his past life are more or less completely repressed. Sometimes he has nightmares about losing his father, or holding Asuma in his arms as he dies. Other times, he dreams of standing beside his friends, defending the village they called home.
* Shikamaru should eventually unlock the ability to manipulate his shadow independently off of flat surfaces, as well as to channel his chakra into blades, kunai and other objects to allow him to bind people from a distance. He should also eventually unlock the mastery of his shadow abilities to the point that he no longer needs to use hand signs.
* It is hoped that he'll come across Asuma's trench knives ( chakra blades ) that he once kept in his memory.

### How is Shikamaru different than canon?

Personality wise, Shikamaru is more or less the same. He's incredibly intelligent but mostly unmotivated unless there is something he's actually interested in. He's one of those infuriatingly athletic people, the ones who are good at absolutely everything without putting in much effort. However, he's incredibly passionate about martial arts, rock climbing and running.

Without the shinobi world however, Shikamaru's analytical and strategically oriented mind was often idle, which is why his father pushed him to go to university. At first, he did it to appease his family, but eventually he found a love of philosophy and behavioral psychology. He found that studying why humans think and act the way they do helped him better read people and situations, and helped him almost predict people's moves in chess or the punch or kick someone was going to throw in a sparring match. He found his mind engaged in a way it hadn't been in a very long time.

His general aloof personality seems to draw people to him in a way he doesn't quite get. He's content with the core group of friends that he has, though he doesn't make the effort to push people away that he doesn't have an interest in being friends with.

He is also transgender because I Can.

### Player Desired Canons

Asuma Sarutobi: Asuma is a mentor and second father figure for Shikamaru. He's incredibly important to Shikamaru, and is someone he tends to go to for advice rather than going to his father.

Shikaku Nara: Shikamaru's father. He wants his son to go to university and study political science, and while he's very supportive of his son, he wishes Shikamaru would push himself and reach the potential he believes is in Shikamaru.

## Supernatural Status

* Shikamaru is an Enhanced Human capable of jutsu.
* Born as an Enhanced Human in this life rather than turned.
* Shikamaru is a resident of Cedargrove, the non-supernatural city. Shikamaru shares a dorm at Cedargrove University with his childhood friends, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. Though he likes having his own space, Shikamaru will reluctantly admit that he does enjoy having his friends around.
* He is not known to be connected to any Legends or Subplots.

### Abilities

**Shadow Possession / Imitation Jutsu:** Shikamaru has the ability to control someone's shadow by possessing it with his own.This ability forces the target to copy Shikamaru's movements.

**Shadow Neck Binding:** Similar to his Shadow Imitation, Shikamaru can use his shadow to restrain and attempt to strangle an opponent.

**Earth Style Jutsu ( Geokenisis ):** Earth Release encompasses any earthen material, from dirt to stone to clay, and in fact often entails changing one to another.

**Shadow Clone Jutsu:** Shikamaru has the ability to create nearly perfect shadow replicas of himself. They are physically real and are identical to Shikamaru in almost every way.

### Weaknesses

**Burnout:** Using his abilities for too long may cause Shikamaru to run out of chakra. This can lead to extreme burnout and exhaustion both of which can be dangerous, bordering on deadly.

**Human Mortality:** Shikamaru is still human and does not possess a healing factor of any kind. As a result, he can be injured badly enough that he may die.

**Flat Surfaces:** For the moment, Shikamaru's shadows can only be used off of flat surfaces. As a result, a strong enough opponent can resist his attempts to stitch their shadows.

### Weapons

Shikamaru can use kunai, shuriken and throwing knives.

## Background

### History

For as long as he can remember, Shikamaru has known exactly what he wanted: to live a carefree, relaxing life. It was his mentor Asuma who first noticed just how smart and capable Shikamaru was. He saw through the aloof and uninterested attitude Shikamaru showed the world and saw a brilliant strategist and potential leader. Instead of pushing Shikamaru to be something he wasn't, Asuma taught Shikamaru how to play shogi and go, nurturing his analytical mind through games. Shikamaru took to them life a fish to water, exhibiting a natural inclination to strategy and planning.

In school, Shikamaru made friends pretty easily, much to his chagrin. It wasn't that he didn't like people, he just didn't like the pressures and expectations that came along with long term friendships. He would do anything for his friends, but he much preferred spending his time laying in the grass watching the clouds float by, or playing shogi with Asuma. Despite how little he seemed to care about school, Shikamaru excelled, passing all of his classes with little effort.

It was around this time that Shikamaru began expressing a feeling of dissonance with his gender. Assigned female at birth, he hadn't begun to discover the words to express how he was feeling until he was around 14 years old. Thankfully, Shikaku and Asuma were both incredibly supportive, telling him that they would support him and love him no matter what. Shikamaru began socially transitioning not long after coming out, and had top surgery right before he began college.

Now, Shikamaru is enrolled at Cedargrove University studying Philosophy and Behavioral Psychology. At first, he enrolled in college to appease his father and stay close with his friends Naruto and Sasuke. However, Shikamaru actually began to enjoy his studies, spending long hours in the library or even on the roof having philosophical debates with Sasuke. He even grows some of his own plants on the roof of his dorm building.

### Motivations and Goals

To figure out what he wants to do and who he is on his own terms and at his own pace.

### Relationships with other Characters

**Naruto Uzumaki** - Childhood friend, roommate

**Sasuke Uchiha** - Childhood friend, roommate

**Itachi Uchiha** - Casual friend

## Living Situation

### Home

Shikamaru lives in a dorm on Cedargrove University's campus. It's a small room with a single bed, nightstand, desk and mini fridge. He has a shared common area, bathroom and kitchen with his roommates.

His room is almost like his personal oasis. There are a few plants that he knows wouldn't survive the wild weather of his Rooftop Garden, and some of them have grown to hang over the top of his bedframe and over windowsills.

It's what can only be described as organized chaos. There are clothes and things scattered around the room, but they seem to all be in organized piles. Clean clothes in one, dirty in another. Finished assignments in one pile on his desk, unread books on another.

On his desk is laptop, a few notebooks and a Nintendo Switch. Even though he knows he shouldn't have it in the dorm, he keeps an incense burner and a small box of incense. He also has a bong he keeps hidden in his desk drawer.

### Never Leaves Home Without

A paperback book tucked in his pants pocket. He changes the book every so often but he's never without one.

### Travel

Shikamaru either travels by foot or by skateboard.

### Roommates

Shikamaru's dorm apartment allows up to four residents. Naruto and Sasuke are two of his roommates, but one remaining spot is open and up for claiming.

## Plotting

### Desired Ships/Plots

Friends, enemies, rivals, roomies! Romance is open as well but there will need to be chemistry.

### Where to Encounter Shikamaru

It's easiest to find Shikamaru either on campus at Cedargrove University or at Pac Sun in the Cedargrove Outlet Mall, where he works. If you've got keen enough eyesight, it's also possible to see him tending to the plants he secretly grows on the roof of his dorm building.

Otherwise, you can find him exploring around Old Cedargrove, and occasionally around Cedargrove Forest as he enjoys being out in nature.