#For ever grateful for sasunaru

[sasunarualways]

happy thanksgiving sweeties 😘

[werepuppy-steve]

20 questions for writers

tagged by @devondespresso !!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

38! i've been trying to upload more tumblr ficlets, so hopefully it'll be double that by the end of the year!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

69,777

3. What fandoms do you write for?

stranger things, currently! but i've also written for naruto, bnha, and a few others

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

starry eyed love

the magic that we'll feel is worth the lifetime

capital p

constant, pleasure

misty taste of moonshine

(not that im not grateful but these have been my top 5 for the past two years, can we give some love to my other fics please 😭)

5. Do you respond to comments?

yes! it takes me a little bit, but i will respond!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i dont think i have one? happy endings only in this house <3 but if i have to choose, strawberry wine probably has the most bittersweet ending

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably all of them lmao. like i said, happy endings only here.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

thankfully no!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i've only seriously started writing it last year, but yes! mainly pwp ft transmasc steve, but i hope i can get the courage/motivation to write longer stories that contain smut but aren't smut focused.

10. Do you write crossovers?

not currently

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don't think so? i hope people would let me know if someone did

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! i think it was on my previous ao3, but i can't remember which language it was translated in. portuguese, i think?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no but i think it'd be fun!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

currently it's steddie, but if you ask me to go back to my roots, it's sasunaru

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

all of them 😭 but i don't want to say that i'll never finish them. i might rework them into something different if the inspiration strikes me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

uuuuuhhhhhhhh. warm fuzzies? is that a correct answer?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

the part where you actually write the story

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

english is my only language, so it'd be a little difficult

19. First fandom you wrote for?

naruto

20. Favorite fic you've written?

when i think of favorite, i automatically think of magic, but my second favorite is probably she put her love down soft and sweet, just bc it's my first big proper smut fic and i worked really hard on it. but really all my fics are my favorite bc i put so much love and time into them <3

idk how many people you're supposed to tag for this ajfhajfjjs

@flowercrowngods @corrodedbisexual @steves-strapcollection @steddie-island @steviewashere

@thefreakandthehair @steddieas-shegoes @hotluncheddie @sidekick-hero @cuoredimuschio

[faeriecourts]

sasunaru university modern au | naruto pov tw: attempted assault, implied drugging

Sasuke swears drinking has never felt like this.

The first time he had a drink was a week after his 18th birthday. Itachi made sure of it, always commenting about how alcohol stunts growth and the legal age exists for a reason. So it was Itachi, too, who brought him to a private wine tasting. The car brought them weaving past grapevines to a stunning country house, with houses laid brick by brick and huge wood barrels that lined the walls of the interior.

Itachi was always more of a parent than his own father, in this way. He let Sasuke learn every kind of wine, how many glasses it took and how it felt after each one, made him note at what point he started to feel good and bad. He let him have way too many, and then some, so that he would know. And then he had him crash in one of the country houses he booked for their trip.

It’s only because of that, that Sasuke knows, it’s not supposed to feel like this. That two beers shouldn’t have him tripping over himself, like his own brain is pounding against his head. He can barely hear what the girls are saying to him, crowding around him at the bar. One of them is undressing him, he thinks, only processing it because the way her smooth, cold hands feel against his clammy skin.

He’s shoving them out of the way, stumbling through the corridor that he’s praying leads to a bathroom. He can faintly hear people laughing, he feels like it’s at him, he’s so, so grateful when the first door he grabs opens and locks it so fast behind him before his vision starts to swim again.

There’s a single minute of sparkling clarity as starts to register the sound around him again, he blinks his eyes back open to find sun-bathed hair and ocean-blue eyes.

“Are you okay?” The man asks, and he sounds genuine, not like he’s about to follow it up with something else. But Sasuke knows better than to believe something like that at face value. Everyone around him is a startling good actor, after all.

“What, you want a piece too?” Because it’s the only thing anyone has ever wanted from him. If they wanted connections, money, they’d call his brother.

“Huh?” The man stares back at him, dumbfounded. Sasuke laughs, mostly to himself, because some playing dumb trick isn’t going to work on him.

“I can practically feel your eyes on me.” Sasuke tests it, then, since this man won’t admit it. He approaches him until the proximity is damning, one hand around his waist. The man responds instinctively, his hand pressed against Sasuke’s chest.

And then it shocks Sasuke entirely, like a bucket of cold water over his head, that he wants this. He lets his eyes flit down to his lips, and he doesn’t know who leans in first-

But it’s soft, and it’s easy, and in this moment it feels so endearingly simple. He is kissing a man in a bathroom and he wants to, he can feel the man’s fingertips against his skin and it doesn’t make his skin crawl, instead he’s bringing him in closer, like if he presses them together close enough he’ll finally understand something, some secret that everyone else has always known.

There’s a moment afterwards where they’re making eye contact and Sasuke wants to laugh with pure joy, maybe even ask for his number, but then bile curls up in his throat and it’s all he can do to chuck the guy aside before he hurls into the bowl.

It’s staring at the mess he created that he realizes what he’s just done.

“You need to leave.” He tells him, because one of them needs to leave first. If they leave together, there are at least 3 women at the bar who will probably take a picture, and as much as Sasuke does not want to give his father another reason to disown him, he also doesn’t want his father to ruin the life of some stranger just because he didn’t knock on a bathroom door. And if he doesn’t leave soon, the girls will come to find him, and then they’ll both be fucked.

“Leave,” he wants to yell it, because it’s Sasuke’s own fault and he needs to get them out of this, and when the man finally does, Sasuke locks the door and collapses against it again.

He keys in Shisui’s number in his phone. It’s a futile attempt at keeping aniki from knowing, Shisui will most definitely tell him before he comes to get him, but at least Sasuke won’t have to hear his brother’s panicked voice.

on ao3 here -- part one three four

[kinomiakai]

Helloo theree!!! I hope you're having a good dayy~(ﾉ*>∀<)ﾉ♡

I'm just recently discovered you, and I can't help but LOVE the sns fics that you writee!! I've been binge reading every fic in Ao3 and I just really want you to know how grateful and happy I am,,,, I LOVE YOUUU(σ≧▽≦)σ Please don't ever stopp!! I'm especially excited for bite me to finish too!!!

Also, as I was reading some fics, i noticed that you know some discord servers that centers on narusasu or sasunaru?? Can I please ask if I could get them?? (or any sites really if possible) I'm really an avid fan of SNS and i just can't help but be curious(╥╯﹏╰╥)ง I hope you can share somee~~♡♡♡

Anddd that's itt!! I wanted you to know that you're my favorite writer now and I'm always looking forward to new fics in Ao3!! Thank you soo muchhh!!! Take caree~(っ´▽`)っ

Aww hey!! Friend!! You are so sweet, I love that you like my writing this much!! Hsdfhjksfh it's so cool that you're going through my work like that, I remember dreaming of the day where I could be someone with a big catalogue of stories like all those great authors!!! Aw, I will keep writing for as long as I possibly can, don't worry!! And I'm so happy you are!!

I did!! Yes, I found out about it from this post, so you can check out the details there :> That's the only ongoing one I know of though - if any of my followers know of others, let us know!! Hmmm I mainly am just on here and twitter, but I will say if you don't follow @ninjaduelist and @snow124-art for their sns content, you definitely should!! And @dark-naruto is an amazing blog for that too!

Hhsfdksjf friend, that is so kind!! Thank you so much! I'm so happy you are, I'll keep doing my best and I hope you keep liking them - thank you so much for sending this, it was so sweet 😭💕

[offansandflames]

I was just thinking about how rarely I’m on Tumblr compared to before the nsfw algorithm. I used to talk to a fair amount of people over this platform. Many of us have drifted apart, which is part of life but also a bummer. I’m now on Twitter almost exclusively: https://twitter.com/OfFansAndFlames/ if you want to add me. Discord too.

Also figured I’d give interested parties an update on my life five months after lockdown.

Moving in with my mom when I got laid off in March was terrifying. In 2008, I lived there when I was young and sick, brain tumor and all, and my mom kicked me out on the streets. I was scared to go back. At the beginning, I’d get this tight feeling in my chest when I was in parts of the house where I was physically abused as a child. Flashes kept coming back.

I’ve been here for five months, and that trauma-damaged part of me keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. Shockingly, it hasn’t. I’m grateful. This time around, I’m able to contribute financially (that unemployment boost is nice), which helps. I did what she wanted me to. Got a graduate degree and a well-paying job. I guess I’m the grey sheep of the family now.

Thi situation allowed me to provide my grandpa with end-of-life care to the best of my (non-clinical) ability. Trying to accomplish this during the heat of pandemic was no small feat. He passed in May, and we still haven’t had a memorial for him. I’m not sure we ever will.

I’ve been kept busy with my grandma. My aunt and mom are too self-absorbed, and I’m the only one left. Of course, there are the emotional components, but my grandpa also managed all of the household finances and technology. I’m managing it now and teaching her how to do it when I move away.

My mom’s fiance, who’s a narcissist, finally broke up with her yesterday...via text. She’d been thinking of breaking up with him but wanted to try counseling first. They would have been married in May if not for covid. Count your blessings. I’m doing what I can to distract her.

I’ve been...not as productive as I’d hoped. I’ve been unemployed (and looking) for five months as of today. I’ve been able to catch up on sleep, which has done wonders for my mental and physical health. I have a shitton of mental/physical conditions. I’ve worked full-time over the past six years with no break, and I was almost constantly on the brink of having to go back on long-term disability. It has been a huge struggle. I expected to fall apart without having a job for such a long period of time, but no, my health is just improving.

I’m playing the piano again and am almost done with the SasuNaru fic I’ve been writing over the past three years. I’ve probably been smoking a bit too much weed. I protested a lot but have been giving it a rest due to the covid spikes in Los Angeles. I’m hooked on Mao Do Zu Shi and am actually considering writing Wangxian. I do yoga almost every day and am now on my second 30-day challenge, which has done wonders for my lower back and knee pain. I’m hunting for my acoustic guitar, which is in storage with my electric (who knew I’d be here so long?). Also planning my new tatttoo once I can actually go to parlors again.

Anyhow, if you’re still here, congrats and thank you. Take care of yourselves. I know I haven’t been on Tumblr much, but if you need someone to talk to or miss me, let me know. I probably miss you too.

[singingrainbows]

Naruto Fanfiction Recs

So, I love fanfiction. I also love sharing my favorites (and ones I quite liked even they weren’t favs), and making rec lists. So here goes. :D

I'll make a list later with some of what I consider the best of the best, but the following are still good and well worth checking out. :3

Note: AS=Author's Summary MS= My Summary MT= My Thoughts

Naruto Sensei: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5621668/1/Naruto-Sensei

AS: ”Sasuke was not really happy with his team. The shy Hyuuga, and the laziest person he'd ever known where not people he'd have picked. But he never expected how a blue-eyed, blond-haired, and newly minted jonin would transform them all into a true team. A journey in a dangerous world, and a fight to get out from the shadow of his brother, the Godaime Hokage Itachi Uchiha.” AU

MS: Naruto was born five years earlier, changing everything. Much of the past is shrouded in mystery, but it is clear that Minato never became Hokage, Danzo seized power, and Naruto grew up very differently. Naruto really is Naruto, the same soul just born earlier and shaped differently. The story takes place in the canon timeline, but of course, nothing is the same. Naruto becomes a sensei to his old genin teammate's little brother, a lazy Nara and a shy Hyuuga who somehow compliment eachother perfectly. Meanwwhile, trouble is brewing both outside and inside Konoha, and Kakashi is sent to investigate the former. Nothing is as it seems, danger lurks, and the Chunin exams are just around the corner. MT: The writing style doesn't flow as easily as some; it seems like English might not be the author's first language, and so while most of the grammar is technically correct and the story is tecnically well written, it just doesn't always quite fit; and takes some getting used to, but the story is excellent and intrigeing, and the characterization is spot on. Well worth checking out, though reading it can be a bit tiring to some, and so it's not a qucik read. Still the best I've come across in that particalar au genre.  The only caveat is that it may well be a dead fic. I don't know if it ends on a cliffhanger (as I havn't finished it yet), but if you can live with possibly never getting the complete story, then it’s absoloutely worth the read.

Broken Tool: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4998676/1/Broken-Tool

AS: ”At the age of 10, Naruto is an honorary ANBU member, and soon to be Fifth Hokage, but when his last mission goes wrong, he quits the life of a shinobi. When Konoha is on the edge of destruction, will he rise up once more? Or will he watch as Konoha falls?” MT: The best ANBU!Naruto AU I've come across. Despite some occasional typos and grammar/spelling issues, which can initially make things a bit confusing (like the author initially writing the wrong ages), stick with it 'cause the story is truly quite intrigueing. Great characterization overall and engaging and memorable OC's. Excellent and definately worth checking out for anyone who likes au's and badass Naruto. HOWEVER this may also be a dead fic, and the latest chapter leaves plenty unresolved. But who knows, maybe fresh readers and reviews will inspire the author take it up again. * shrug *

Hush: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3867325/chapters/8641519

AS: ”He really hated hospitals. The novelty of being in one again disappeared as quickly as it came when Tsunade forced a cup full of pills down his throat. Being stranded in another world really wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Especially when people start dying and Naruto is at a complete loss of what to do.”

MS: The war dragged on for years, and the weary survivors tried a last desperate gamble. They meant to send him back in time, to stop the war before it happened. Of course, things didn't exactly work out that way. Now Naruto's stuck in an alternate universe, haunted by the ghosts of his past, and forming an unexpected friendship with Uchiha Itachi. Eventual ItaNaru.

MT: The writing has a few grammar, tense and flow issues, but overall is fairly well done. An interresting exploration of how Itachi and Sasuke could have turned out if their lives had been happier. (Though I don't really agree with the interpretation of Sasuke; but then, the Uchiha here are a lot less strict; quite the opposite; they spoil him rotten and let him get away with everything.) Unique and intrigueing AU world. Not just au in that the timeline diverged somewhere/somewhen, but in the sense that some people's personalities are quite different. This isn't necessarily the just world as it could have been if Minato survived, and the Uchiha never died. No things seem to have diverged before that. However the AU world's mysterious history, conspiracies and stories are quite interresting. Not a perfect fic, its comedy scenes can be very hit and miss, and young Sasuke can be incredibly grating, but when the fic remembers to focus, it's really very good at times. Some excellent angst, and the prospect of unraveling the mysteries keept me reading through the less interresting parts. I don't love this interpretation of Naruto, since it plays up the ”dense, lovable idiot” trope that I personally always saw as being largely a mask; but I could live with it. The pairing is not one I generally go for, but it's fluffy, cute and unless you despize slash or just the very idea of the pairing, it's perfectly readable.Falwas aside it’s worth checking out, especially if you have a weakness for dimension travel fic like me. :D  Itachi fans should adore it. Good mix of character development, angst, fluff, worldbuilding and humor.

A Different Genealogy: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5496016/1/A-Different-Genealogy

AS: ”When Kakashi woke up that morning he hadn't really expected Sasuke to awaken his Sharingan, let alone Naruto! It was simply illogical! There was no way Naruto could be related to the Uchiha Clan… SasuNaru, FemNaru, Incest, ItaIno, Slight ShikaNaru.”

MS: In very different world, with a very different history, Uzumaki Naruto is smartmouthed tomboy with more than one secret in her past. Just who were her parents anyway?

MT: Now you may have noticed the ”incest” tag, and while that would drive me away nine times out of ten, there is the odd exception. In this case, the characters don't find out they're related until they're already in a relationship, one that is brilliantly developed. Anyway this fic is well written, fun, engaging, sweet, and very interresting in its changes. Ino has a twin. Sasuke and Itachi have a loving father and clan, but their mother died when Sasuke was baby, and that's just the beginning. The author is quite talented and her stories always have charm and life to them. She has a knack for exploring the character's interpersonal relationships. The friendships are great fun to read. Also the mystery of Naruto's past is intrigueing. I have yet to finish this fic, let alone make it to the sequel, but I've read enough to definately reccomend it. Lots of slice of life and fluff, but it does have more going for it than that. :)  

The Price of Living: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5492959/1/The-Price-of-Living

AS: ”Knowledge of the future is not the safest thing to possess, she learned... [realistic SI/OC]”  

MS: In the wake of a natural disaster, a girl finds herself stranded in a world that should have been fictional, with only her little sister's friend for company. She just wanted to keep them safe, but it doesn't take long before their unique chakra systems catch the attention of a monster. Angst/Suspense.

MT: An overused cliche that's done right for once. While the grammar isn't perfect (another case of English likely not being the author's first language), the story is still competently told and fairly well written all things considered. It's quite compelling, but it's also full of angst and suspense, and there's no guarrantee the two girls will make it out with their lives or that their relationship won't be irrevocably shattered by Orochimaru's manipulations. This is not a happy story. But it's not nessicarily going to be a full tragedy either. I've only read the first few chapters, so things might take a turn for the better later. But this fic is all about exploring the darker aspect of the Naruto world and just how dangerous it would be for a civillian. It's not for everyone, but for those who do like the genre, it's worth checking out. :)

[woman-child91]

What are some disturbing anime scenes you can never unsee?

The entire Fate/Zero piece of runny ѕнιт тυя∂. Because, one of my cousins decided to pull a prank on me. So I had just finished watching Bleach and Naruto. I asked him to recommend me an anime that didn’t have any of my pet peeves. He did the exact opposite. Here are what scenes disturbed me and made me abhor this anime.

When Kiritsugu is sleeping around with Maya at the hotel room. (I have a pet peeve of infidelity/harem.)

When that blond guy killed the old priest (Umm, this one even scared my late Pomeranian baby boy. His name was Hairball and he loved watching action animes, movies, series, etc. As long as it had some fighting or violence in it. But, this scene made him crawl underneath his blanket out of fear!)

When Kiritsugo cuts off that redhead woman’s arm. (I have an amputee phobia.)

Uryu! Okay, everything he did was messed up! Specially the jars with mutilated kiddy parts. (I only hate Kiritsugo more because, I love Johnny Yong Bosch and he voices Uryu. That and I can’t stand infidelity and harems. Plus, Kiritsugo was just such an unbelievable αѕѕнσℓє to Irisviel. My freaking God! He’s just like Darien from SM!)

When Kiritsugo put Irisviel’s life in danger only to test out someone’s strength and when he didn’t give a rat’s αѕѕ whether she lived or died. (Although, I guess I’ll always be eternally grateful for this scene. Because, it made me stop hating Sasuke Uchiha and made me appreciate him so much more. Because, I just compared his so called "hatred" towards Naruto to Kiritsugo indifference towards Irisviel and yeahhh… no matter how hard Sasuke tried to make it seem like he hated Naruto and didn’t care about him. He could never quite follow through. I even have like sooo many examples of where his "brotherly" love for Naruto showed. So yeah, thank you Kiritsugo for making me love Sasuke and SasuNaru all over again.)

The ending! Kiritsugo’s wish after he got the holy grail. God! I hate this mf sooo much! I don’t think I’ve ever hated an anime male character as much as him. (I abhor this anime because of him. If Johnny Yong Bosch, Liam O’Brien and Crispin Freeman hadn’t voiced their characters in here. I would’ve stopped watching this stupid dog ѕнιт the second after I found out Kiritsugo had his harem.

Oh! And Kariya’s ending! He did NOT deserve going down the way he did! He was the only person who was actually a genuine good guy! Him and Irisviel were the only ones who had pure hearts and they got the short ends of the string.

[icegoddessrukia]

How do you think a sasuke/Naruto relationship wouldn't work? Would they bring out the worst in each other or something?

I think first of all both get on each other’s nerves even as friends and the friendship itself is tenuous. Their personalities fundamentally clash with the other and they are both too strong-willed and set in their ways to change. Their personalities are too opposite to work together. Sometimes opposites attract doesn’t extend that far. Oh and yes I believe at the very least Sasuke brings out the worst in Naruto, just as he does to Sakura.

Naruto can deal with Sasuke’s bluntness and lack of empathy but that doesn’t mean it is something which is compatible with his personality or something he enjoys. Sasuke likewise can deal with it and ignore it but is genuinely annoyed by Naruto’s obnoxiousness and pushiness - and not in a playful, tsundere way it is something that would grate on him. 

The very basis of their relationship is toxic- Sasuke has since Day 1 continually been smugly demeaning towards Naruto, there’ve been murder attempts on both sides, Sasuke has been very disloyal as a friend. Sasuke only truly grew to respect Naruto when he realized Naruto would become a threat to him on the battlefield. Naruto has made Sasuke into an obsession, literally ignoring all of his opinions and viewpoints and is determined to force him to do what he wants. Neither has ever properly apologized to the other or even held themselves accountable for all the shit they did to the other.

A relationship where one person is literally open to breaking someone’s bones to force them back to the village as Naruto claims he would, is not positive or healthy. Nor is a relationship where Naruto essentially excuses Sasuke for continually treating him and his other friends abhorrently, like a doormat - and also acts like a moron by blindly defending Sasuke from his critics. I believe Naruto began to act almost as stupidly towards Sasuke as Sakura has - that same sycophantic, obsessed attitude and placing Sasuke on a pedestal. 

I hate how Kishimoto and the fandom continually romanticize this relationship. 

I talk about it more here: http://grimaulkins.tumblr.com/post/163118697806 and this person explains it extremely well: http://badnarutofanfiction.tumblr.com/post/31684859010/anon-asks-whats-your-opinion-on-sasunaru

[slashers-hell]

Hi, I joined the sasunaru fandom not so long ago and you were one of the first blogs I encountered! I want to start off by saying how much I love every little analysis that you do. It's obvious how much effort you put into each piece of work you do, which I ma very grateful for (as it's hard to find blogs which are not biased just because of their ship). That is also the reason I came to you specifically to ask you about something. I read a few other analysis of the canon ships to see why 1/?

people ship them. I was never too keen on them. But some analysis did make sense (I guess) and it kind of upset me because maybe the canon pairings did make sense and us sasunaru shippers are just looking for anything to invalidate those ships. I’m not saying that Sasuke and Naruto had not potential because I’m 100% sure that what they had was something special. I just get sad thinking that they did not actually love each other and are happily married to other people (sorry if I sound childish) 2/?

I mean… How can they say that Naruto was ‘slow’ (he clearly knew about his feelings for Sakura) or that Sasuke was in the darkness and couldn’t return Sakura’s love (he was able to return Naruto’s feelings of friendship/love)? I was wondering if you’d be okay with giving a more in-depth analysis of NH and SS development (if they have any, in your opinion) and if either of them is happy. Thank you very much in advance if you are able to do this :)

First of all, thank you and pardon my rather late response. You are free to view NH and SS as logical pairings. Liking or acknowledging NH and SS does not mean you can’t appreciate SNS. However, your assumption that follows is flawed. You think because we see flaws in NH and SS, it means therefore that we SNS shippers must be biased since the majority of us disagrees with the endgame couples and is not sheepish with their critique. Needless to say, you confuse me a bit. Your message is contradicting, but I will just assume it’s due to the fact that you are unsure. I will put my thoughts under the cut for more convenient reading as my reply is fairly long.

Warning: The following content is heavily anti-NH and anti-SS. Hence, I’d kindly advise anyone who cannot accept differing views to keep scrolling.

Starting off with NaruHina’s development (or lack thereof), Naruto is a character that throughout the entirety of the series uses self-insertion to relate to comrades and villains alike. He feels empathy once he manages to establish a sense of similarity between himself and the other character, and while not all his bonds are based on this concept (Sakura, Kakashi, and Jiraiya being some notable exceptions), it holds truth for a majority of his bonds. This leads to a vast number of characters being eligible to be his foil—and by definition, they are. 

If you would like to justify Hinata being the only logical partner for Naruto because she is his foil, then no, the argument doesn’t work. Nagato, Obito, Neji, or Itachi are all foils to Naruto (in different ways) that have given him admiration and acknowledgment, whereas Sasuke, Rock Lee, or Gaara are all foils that have extended the admiration to friendship, support, and love. NH shippers aren’t wrong in saying that Hinata could fit as a counterpart to Naruto, but it doesn’t mean that Naruto and Sasuke do not have any potential to become a far better couple. Naruto has many more literary counterparts, so their conclusion is not sufficiently supported by that argument alone.

In my opinion, NH has no romantic development. Hinata’s friendship to Naruto is no different from any other ordinary friendship Naruto has made throughout the series. Yes, Naruto and Hinata have had moments. That’s it, though. All in all, his bond to Hinata is not any more special than his bond to most people. The difference is, Hinata suddenly became his romantic interest despite them not interacting in a romantic context before.

Now I shall attempt to describe what is fundamentally wrong with SasuSaku and the reason why it lacks development and undermines the individual characters. I am aware that with good development, it could’ve more than reasonably flown off, but Kishimoto’s subpar writing in the last arcs created the SS we currently have. I do not hate any character individually, however together, they bring the worst out in each other. 

Sakura begins the story as a scared and helpless ninja who learns to toughen up and is eventually trained by Tsunade in medical ninjutsu and combat. She has one of the best chakra controls in the ninja world with the physical and mental strength to match. Unfortunately, she returns to the same meek stuttering fangirl at the beginning of the series every single time Sasuke is involved. Sasuke, on the other hand, is introduced as an incredibly capable ninja who is a quiet and mysterious person with a traumatic past, making him reclusive and angry.

He had much more opportunity to open up to Sakura in the first part of the series since they went on missions together, fought together, and functioned as teammates; yet, he refused to talk in-depth about himself. And the problem is, none of the issues between them were ever addressed or resolved. One curt and unexplained apology and a time skip don’t cut it. As if that single sentence makes up for the complete disregard of Sasuke’s emotions and wishes on Sakura’s part and the hurtful remarks Sasuke uttered. Before anyone wants to argue that Sasuke’s words weren’t meant in a hurtful manner—it doesn’t matter because Sakura was still sad, and it’s important what the person who receives feels, not what the giver expects the receiver to feel.

Overall, his lack of interest in her was obvious enough to make Sakura question whether he cares about her at all while fighting Madara. I mean he dismissed her and Kakashi when Kaguya arrived, he allowed them both to fall into lava (a certain death) without batting an eye, and after Naruto yelled at him, he didn’t show any remorse. I’m not saying he should’ve shown remorse, I’m simply explaining how his actions represent the honest-to-goodness, as clear as day, down-to-earth climax of indifference he feels towards Sakura. Any sort of social relationship that involves a person who experiences indifference, whether the other person falls into lava or dies a painful death, is genuinely disturbing. And if that wasn’t enough, he throws Sakura’s feelings back in her face with a traumatising genjutsu and states that he doesn’t understand what she sees in him (Kakashi seems equally puzzled). 

Sakura pretty much is the main reason SS represents an unhealthy relationship (notice how I used the term “unhealthy” instead of “abusive”). She becomes selfish and emotionally manipulative whenever she interacts with Sasuke, from start to finish. Whilst Sasuke eventually apologises for his behaviour, Sakura never does. The worst part, though, is that she actually had the audacity to compare him leaving Konoha to the Uchiha massacre. 

This was a poor attempt to guilt-trip Sasuke and the readers into making Sasuke the bad guy and into humouring her selfish desires that take absolutely no one else into account. Their dynamic for almost all of the series is summarised as Sakura switching to her submissive personality and Sasuke getting annoyed. It’s a huge understatement in an even huger understatement to believe they merely have unresolved issues. Is there any evidence Sasuke ever saw Sakura as more than a friend or a pseudo-family member? 

Having said that, I hope this answers your question sufficiently, Anon!

[jennshaiel]

Thanks for making 2016 better

Just a few shoutouts to some friends who made 2016 so much easier to handle for me. (long post so will put a cut)

I’m pretty sure there are so many I didn’t mention. That’s because I have a lousy memory and, honestly, all of you are so absolutely wonderful that it would take me the entire year to finish this if I put all the reasons I was grateful for you all. 

So thank you to every single one of you for sharing the year with me. Keep following your dreams and stay strong.

@doaaradwan - You’ve been like a guardian angel always watching over me and quick to comfort and encourage during my down times.

@chiyamabunny - You make fangirling more fun and you’re translation of Mamo’s blogs make me feel like I’m getting closer to him because I understand him more.

@tsukinokakera - My voice of reason. You manage to keep my fangirling from going excessively overboard. Also, thank you so much for the song translations. So precious.

@fallinlovewithmiyanomamoru - Possibly the biggest contributor to my ever-growing collection of Mamo pics and a terrific source for validating Mamo news. Keep up your fanfics!

@natsustarrevolution and @anitafishikela - I tend to think of you as twins because you seem to often come in pairs. If tsuki-chan helps me maintain sanity, you two are the ones that throw all reason out the window - in a good way. It’s always fun checking out your posts, especially when they turn into conversations.

@takomoshimochi - My only tumblr friend who I’ve met in real life. You aren’t onlie that often, but whenever you are you always make sure to send a smile my way.

@atutsie - How can I forget you? The number one fan of Mamo’s dorky side! Your printscreen abilities are legendary.

@chitose-kairi - We may not chat, but you’re always sharing my posts and it makes me feel very appreciated. Thank you.

@sasunaru-relationship - Thank you for encouraging me in learning Japanese. That site you gave is a blessing. I’ve been too busy again recently, but I can now recognize 25 Hiragana characters! Yey!

[offansandflames]

I may lose some followers for this, but I want to say my piece.

First thing’s first: the SNS fandom is AMAZING, and has been amazing to me. I’m so grateful to all those people who help keep SasuNaru alive, despite the path canon took. I’m one of the lucky ones to have always been treated with kindness.

But let’s all be nice to each other! To their faces and behind their backs.

This applies to the whole Naruto fandom, which yes, includes the SNS fandom.

For instance, I see people get absolutely thrashed for having an opposing viewpoint or a theory that may have some holes. Disagreeing with someone is one thing, but all the ad hominem attacks need to stop. Please don’t attack them personally. I don’t care if they’re pro-end or not (I’ll go on record saying I believe the ending is a piece of shit). Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

It’s not just over disagreements about Naruto. In general, I wish I could cool off some of the drama and the hate, because we’re here for the same reason: our love for Naruto. And it’s making the SNS fandom lose some steam.

And absolutely let’s support everyone in the SNS fandom too! If I ever say something hurtful or do something problematic, please let me know. I have good intentions and don’t want to be an ass.

A lot of really cool people on here have left the SNS fandom because of this, and even more people are considering leaving. I miss them and would hate to see even more people leave. Let’s keep this boat afloat.