#ch: karin

[ruinoussigil]

[everysuigetsu]

[lavampira]

moments threatening to make me cry (again!)

[braveryhearted]

"My apologies for using that attack over and over again. I'm not as charming as I thought I was. I know I didn't seem like myself when doing that but I really thought the strategy of charm was going to help in Tartarus that day".

@ochazos liked for a starter. ( requested Mitsuru )

[m3kuroshirt]

How the Grimmjow Stole Christmas

 Words: 2164

Warnings: language, suggestive themes, slight angst

Notes: This is a Christmas gift-fic for the wonderful @m34gs and @suknas!

“Come on Ichi-nii, you need to come with us to Mr. Urahara’s,” Yuzu’s plea rang out from the other side of the door. All Ichigo could do was sigh, disappointed in the situation, but mostly himself.

“Sorry Yuzu, but I need to take a pass. Need to get ahead on next semester—”

“Bullshit, Ichigo!” That was Karin, in all her fiery glory, yelling from the other side, probably squished right next to Yuzu and up on her toes. Quietly, in tones hushed and words unintelligible from the other side of the door, Ichigo heard Yuzu say something to her twin.

“Fine. Whatever,” Karin said, this time tone curt and sharp. “Have fun spending Christmas Eve by yourself then.”

Ichigo could say with certainty, he definitely would not, but that was on a need-to-know basis, and his sisters, who he loved dearly and with all of his current Grinch-sized heart, didn’t. He would mope tonight, feelings awash and weird for no discernible reason—or at least, not one he cared to put a name (or face) to—and be back to mostly normal tomorrow.

Kon screeched something about going in his place, sweeping out the door, slamming it shut behind, and that was that. Footsteps walked—or stomped, in Karin’s case—away. Good enough for now, though he’d feel bad for making them mad later. He had to get over getting mad at himself first.

Sure, Urahara’s would be lively and probably fun, but, knowing him, it would also be a big schmoozing event, and Ichigo wasn’t in the mood for that. And the war. If Ichigo had to hear one more thing about the war that they’d won, he’d lose his goddamned mind.

The past two years had been brutal, and he was still…recovering. That’s what he called it, anyway. Giving distance to some places—Kiskue Urahara’s on the very top of the ‘places to avoid’ list, circled, starred, and highlighted. Some wounds still too fresh in his mind.

Sure, Urahara was a certified genius, but Ichigo got tried of being the pawn in everyone’s game. Was it so bad to want something low-stakes for once? Maybe a fight could just be a fight. Just like he wanted.

But whatever.

Besides, it wasn’t like he’d be there anyway. He and a certain blue-haired arrancar hadn’t spoken often after the end of the war—Ichigo made sure to go by the shop twice a week while he was unconscious, body healing from the poison that Quincy had given him.

And then one day Grimmjow just…wasn’t there.

Urahara said he’d woke up, opened a garganta, and fucked right off to Hueco Mundo. Well, not those exact words. But that’s what the ache in his chest told him.

Bastard.

Now Ichigo was lucky he saw him once or twice a month.

Nel was around far more than Grimmjow ever was, and while Ichigo viewed her more and more as a little sister, he couldn’t say that when the sounding boom of a garganta opening happened, he was always a little disappointed it was just Nel.

She’d for sure be at whatever party Urahara threw. And as much as he loved her, she could be a lot.

Same with his friends, both human and soul reapers.

If Renji decided to knock on his door and drag him to the shit show of a party it would turn out to be, he’d fake…Ichigo wasn’t sure…explosive diarrhea or something and run to the bathroom. Between him knowing how to do surprisingly realistic armpit fart noises, and Renji’s relative cluelessness regarding…many things, as far as the human world went, Ichigo could get him to leave.

Rukia would be another story.

He’d probably actually need to shit and do something he’d regret almost immediately to get her to leave, and honestly, that was still iffy.

Grabbing his laptop, he plopped back down on his bed and searched for a movie. He guessed a Christmas one would do, he shouldn’t be a total trash bag about things. So he typed in the world “Grinch”, searching through the options, and settled on the original, since it was about as short as his patience at the moment.

Hitting the play button, soft music started in the background as Ichigo tried to get himself comfortable, wrapping his duvet around him like he was a cold snowman in need of a nice spring thaw. Sighing as the opening was narrated, Ichigo closed his eyes, lids heavy.

 ............

When he opened them again, his laptop was dark—I must’ve fallen asleep—and there was a warmth spread across his chest.

And legs.

Everywhere, really. And it was heavy.

And vaguely body shaped, Ichigo thought, blood turning to ice. Did someone break into his house? Did he have an intruder cuddling him? What in the absolute fuck? Was this one of his friends sick ways of harassing him because he missed the party?

Glancing around the room trying to stay as calm as possible, Ichigo attempted to get a feel for their spiritual pressure. It took him all of five seconds to give up. It felt familiar, but without any kind of menacing or fighting aura surround them, he was honestly at a loss. The only reason he knew it wasn’t Captain Zaraki is because he wasn’t suffocated into the bed. That, and his two-person boy band wasn’t criticizing him from unseen corners of his room.

Trying to focus on the shape sprawled across him, Ichigo could tell they were taller than him, though probably not by much. Trying to move his arms was met with resistance—hands gripped each bicep like a lifeline, gently clawing and relaxing long fingertips into the meat of each arm.

The head shifted, and Ichigo felt something hard and smooth scrape across the exposed skin of his neck. It felt like a—

“What the fuck,” Ichigo hissed out, eyes going wide in realization, debating whether or not he was going to leave the guy be, or push him off him (and his bed) and smother him with Ichigo’s favorite pillow.

“Took ya long enough,” rang out a familiar, gruff voice, though laced with drowsiness. Ichigo felt his heartbeat stutter. His voice sounded almost soft. No. Nonononono don’t gay panic now. “S’warm in here. Quiet too.”

“What are you talking about?” Okay, panic a little. “What are you—”

“Be quiet,” the arrancar whined, rubbing his stupid face into Ichigo’s softest shirt, hands flexing and relaxing on Ichigo’s arms again, unsheathed claws prickling against his human skin. Quiet? Warm? Was Grimmjow drunk? What in the hell and a half was going on? Was he drunk? Ichigo didn’t remember getting into Isshin’s good whiskey, but hey, he’d slept-walk before.

Once.

When he was five.

“Sorry,” Ichigo said in a frantic whisper, nerves buzzing like angry hornets. The nasty stinging kind that only wanted to kill people. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be in my room on Christmas Eve nuzzling into my chest like it was a normal thing that happened.”

“Fuckin’ shut up already, Kurosaki,” Grimmjow growled, shifting around a little bit, head propping up, is damn pointy chin digging into Ichigo’s chest not unlike the dullest dagger in the world, blue eyes narrowed at him. Ichigo felt his hands twitch.

“Urahara’s was fucking loud. Smelly too. Damn booze-hound,” he muttered, laying his head back down.

“You shut up, you bastard,” Ichigo whisper yelled. “You’ve barely been here! You don’t get to just…do this!”

“I’m here now, ain’t I,” Grimmjow yelled in a hush right back, as if there were other people in the house to be concerned about. Wait, were there? What time even was it? He didn’t remember actually looking at the clock. It was only like…seven when he put the little animated movie on—and it was only like forty five minutes long at most. Damn, he was turning into an old man. He’d be eighty in two days.

Sucking in a breath, Ichigo marched on, ready to get this shit show delt with so he could go back to sleep and wake up mad about it tomorrow.

“Yeah, but why?”

Grimmjow growled for real this time, a low reverberation resonating in his chest before the man sat up, and Ichigo saw his glare glow through the darkness.

“The fuck, you don’t want me here now? Shitty Kiskue said you’d been moping around ‘cuz of it, and now you decided to change yer mind?”

Trying not to snort at the completely accurate nickname for the damn shopkeeper, Ichigo propped himself up on his elbows, since Grimmjow was still sitting on half of him like a damn house-cat, and glared right back.

“I don’t mope,” he said, voice now at a normal volume, growling right back, though not quite as animalistic.

Ichigo ran a now free hand across his sweaty face. Grimmjow ran a hell of a lot warmer than he’d anticipated. Of course, it could always be the stress of the situation at hand.

“You fuckin’ do.” Grimmjow leaned in closer, laying more of himself over Ichigo again, arms now caging both of his sides, gaze predatory. What in the hell was going on? Sure, Ichigo wasn’t opposed to the action whatsoever, but it was weird coming from Grimmjow of all people.

“If you don’t want me here then just say so.” Hot breath fanned Ichigo’s face, and if the light were on, Grimmjow could probably see him blush.

Eyebrow ticking, patience thinning regardless of how attractive the bastard on top of him was, Ichigo spat out his next sentence.

“Of course, I want you here, you complete asshat! What the fuck took you—”

Lips—well, teeth, more like—cut off Ichigo’s lecture. Warm and moist and so fucking soft, Ichigo felt his head drop back onto his pillow, arms wrapping around the torso pressing into him. Whatever Grimmjow was wearing, it was scratchy as hell. Yoruichi had been into some kind of string craft thing—knitting or crocheting, he didn’t remember—so it was probably that. She’d all but forced Ichigo to accept a handmade sweater with holes in the armpits. She insisted it was to let his stank out, whatever the fuck that meant.

Grimmjow pulled away first, but stayed close. His mask shone in the dim moonlight filtering through the window, teeth sharp. Stupidly, Ichigo wondered if he ever flossed them.

“Poison took a long time to wear off, had to go back to Hueco Mundo to heal some of it.”

Ichigo knitted his brows, confused. What did Hueco Mundo have that the world of the living—namely Urahara—didn’t?  

“What?”

Grimmjow scraped his mask over the bareness of Ichigo’s exposed neck, and butterflies fluttered all the way into his throat and back down. Fingers clutched at the hem of the poor-quality yarn sweater, waiting for Grimmjow to explain.

“Something about the reishi compounds,” Grimmjow started with an irritated sigh, the tip of his tongue flicking at Ichigo’s clavicle. “How an arrancar body breaks them down differently and shit. Kiskue explained it, but I wasn’t listening.”

“Figures,” Ichigo said, smiles beginning to spread across his face. “How’d you even get in my house?” Ichigo ran a hand through messy blue locks, and scratched his scalp lightly, earning a pleased grunt. And maybe a purr, if his ears weren’t deceiving him.

“Yer old man. Told me he left the door unlocked an’ that you were bein’ a brat.”

Ichigo’s face went red at Grimmjow calling him such things, but decided not to think of that—or how his father just left the house open for anyone to rob, thanks a lot. What if there was a hollow and a robber nearby? Did the old fart ever think of that?

Probably not, because he’s a moron.

Then another question wormed its way out of Ichigo’s mouth, even with Grimmjow’s greedy mouth currently nipping at whatever exposed skin he could find.  

“Why didn’t Urahara say anything to me? About you needing to go back, I mean.”

Grimmjow stopped marking Ichigo for a second, dragging an arm over Ichigo’s chest and laying his head on it. He was frowning, but didn’t look all that surprised by Ichigo’s line of questioning.  

“Because he’s a piece of shit,” he said matter-of-factly. Ichigo couldn’t help but nod in agreement, irritated sigh pushing past his lips.

“Good to know. How about we try and kill’em tomorrow?”

Ichigo heard and felt Grimmjow chuckle, shifting his arm again, lower this time, playing with the hem of his sweats. Swallowing, Ichigo’s breath hitched.  

Grimmjow growled like the feral best he was, and ground down into Ichigo’s weight, causing a groan to escape him.

“Works for me. Merry Crisis, Kurosaki. Lemme open my present.”

Ichigo just laughed and pulled Grimmjow’s stupid mouth back to his own. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad way to spend the night after all, and if things went the way he hoped, his heart wouldn’t be the only thing growing a couple sizes tonight.

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

If you are in love with someone, you seem to enjoy these unexpected touches and want them to last longer and not going to push them away.

• Sakura

The hospital hug doesn't count because he just woke up from coma. I've talked about Sakura's back hug in FOD here.

• Karin

You can clearly see Sasuke's confused face in ch. 348 as Karin flirts with him. But when she gets close, he tells her to back off. This suggests that he doesn't like or doesn't let her come too close.

Although Sasuke was really uncomfortable about Ino hugging him but he didn't push her, it was due to the fact that he had a lot of people around him and he didn't want to push a girl and insult her.

The same thing happens here too:

The expressions he gives when karin comes cling to him is priceless. His expression looks like he is actively disgusted and about to throw up.

Sasuke has moments where Sakura or Karin cling to him even in front of others or when they are alone. If he has any attraction or romantic feelings for one of them, he will not reject them or show his discomfort when they touch him. When he is alone with Karin or Sakura, he keeps his distance.

Meanwhile with Naruto:

After not seeing Naruto for 3 years, Sasuke initiate an intimate act. Instead of hugging him and whispering in his ear, Sasuke could have clearly avoided it and killed Naruto.

Sasuke didn't mind if it was from Naruto, even if he was alone with him or standing in a crowd.

Even if he acts like he's going to kill him after the kiss. But it became his fondest memory. And he will not hesitate to show that.

To be honest, all these scenes are not that impactful for him to remember. Except for that kunai scene. If you have crush on someone, you will remember and never forget every silly, random and useless moment you shared with them.

[wisebeth]

“Sakura is toxic because she made fun of Naruto for being an orphan–”

She regretted it the second after Sasuke rightfully called her out and even opened a therapy center for war orphans.

Ino fatshamed Choji, Shikamaru was a misogynist, Neji misplaced his anger at Hinata, but no one ever calls them out. They were all kids, they all made mistakes.

“Sakura is abusive because she constantly punches Naruto–”

She only hit him in the manga when he did something perverted or disrespectful, it was heavily exaggerated in the anime.

It's called slap stick comedy. If you think it's aBuSiVe, I hope you have the same energy for Jiraiya who peeked at the women's bathroom without consent and gets brushed off as ‘comedic purpose’, double standards much?

“She has Stockholm Syndrome because she loved Sasuke after he tried to kill her–”

They're shinobis. Unlike our real world, it's the norm there to fight each other to death and then make up. Don't get it mixed up.

Naruto forgave every single villain in the series, including Pain who killed his master and destroyed his village. Obito, who killed his parents, started a war, was the reason for the deaths of countless people such as Neji, and Shikamaru & Ino's fathers, formed a terrorist organisation (which was responsible for multiple war crimes) yet no one bats an eye. Lee forgave Gaara who attempted to kill him, Hinata forgave Neji who tried to kill her for something which wasn't her fault. It's the norm there, deal with it.

Sasuke also tried to kill Naruto, Kakashi & Karin and they all forgave him but for some reason only Sakura gets shit for it? Double standards again.

“Sakura is a bitch who loves Sasuke and ignores Naruto who loves her–”

Sakura cares for Naruto, as a friend and her teammate. She's not obligated to return her feelings if she doesn't want to. Naruto doesn't ‘love’ her. He had a childhood crush on her, and it used to be mentioned less frequently than in the anime. SP exaggerated his feelings.

Kakashi didn't return Rin's feelings. Sasuke didn't return Ino, Karin and Sakura's feelings (until ch. 699 in Sakura's case). Naruto didn't return Hinata's feelings until The Last. Tsunade didn't like Jiraiya back. Then why is Sakura hated for something so ridiculous? She's allowed to make her own choices.

“She is shallow, she only liked Sasuke for his looks–”

If her feelings for Sasuke truly were shallow, she'd have moved on after he left the village, she'd have moved on after he became a criminal, like Ino did. She saw Sasuke at his worst and still chose him with all his flaws.

A ‘shallow crush’ wouldn't last for so many years. If her feelings weren't strong or deep, Sasuke wouldn't choose her in the end. If her feelings were superficial she wouldn't risk her life to save him against Gaara. If she didn't love him, she'd not be able to stop his curse mark. If they were superficial, she'd have moved on to date some other handsome man instead of crying over Sasuke.

“Sakura is useless as a main character–”

That's not her fault. That's a criticism for the author. None of the female characters in the series have as much complexity, fight scenes or power as the male characters. It's a shonen centric more to the male characters.

Sakura IS a main character because she contributes more in the manga than other female characters but she's not going to contribute as much as Sasuke or Naruto because the series revolved around men more than women.

Take Attack on Titan for example, it's a shonen where the contribution of male and female characters were distributed equally. In Naruto, it simply wasn't distributed equally.

“Sakura is selfish because she tried to lead on Naruto–”

I can agree here that she was entirely in the wrong and made a very stupid decision. But that's exactly what makes Sakura a realistic character. She's flawed. She makes mistakes. She can be irrational. And that makes her human. She didn't lie to him because she thought it would be fun, she did it to protect. She had good intentions even if she took the wrong approach.

Sasuke, as another of the main characters, did more harm to Naruto than Sakura's confession did but everyone understands and forgives him. Obito started a war and killed people and was forgiven. Itachi killed his entire clan and traumatised Sasuke but the fandom forgives because of his reasoning. Nagato killed people, and was still forgiven.

Then why can't you all be more understanding of Sakura? She did not even half of the terrible things which other characters did but gets more hate for it.

“Sakura is a bad friend to Ino–”

Sakura was SEVEN when she announced Ino as her rival. I'm sorry y'all are morally uptight who's never made a single stupid decision as a kid that you feel the need to accuse a child of being a villain for acting like a child. And it has been implied very clearly Sakura wanted to get out of Ino's shadow and only used Sasuke as an excuse to do so.

And if Sakura was this horrible bitchy friend you guys think she was then I don't think Ino would immediately jump to protect her during chunin exams. Sasuke did more terrible things to his best friend than Sakura did but once only Sakura gets shit for it.

And they never stopped being friends, only their dynamic changed, it included friendly bickering and rivalry. Ino never was mad or bitter with Sakura and even proudly told her she bloomed into a beautiful flower, this doesn't sound like a person who's been unfairly betrayed by a best friend over a crush?

In short, Sakura Haruno is fucking amazing and maybe if y'all didn't hold female characters to such a ridiculous high standard and bothered to understand the manga instead of watching filler episodes, you'd know.

[littlemonstert-blog]

Underrated the Uzumaki clan

Till this day, I still don’t know how the Uzumaki clan got pushed back SO MUCH

like seriously how it’s the MAIN CHARACTER’S CLAN put on the back burnner.

Anyway...

 Uzumaki Clan memebers are known for having bright, red hair, possessing incredibly strong life-forces and chakra, and their sealing Jutsu.

The Uzumaki were fear so bad nations allied together and destoryed Uzushiogakure.

  Some Uzumaki possessed a unique form of chakra with special properties which made them especially well-suited to become jinchūriki

jutsu (Mostly Seals)

Four Symbols Seal  ch 500

jutsu requires a great deal of talent to perform. The user applies the seal's formula to an object or a human's body, sealing a large enemy or an evil spirit within them. according to Bee the seal is stronger than his Iron armour seal

Reaper death seal

Only the summoner is able to see the Shinigami at this point. It then drives its arm into the summoner's soul, thus allowing the summoner to call upon the Shinigami to seal a target: the Shinigami's arm emerges from the summoner's body and grasps the target's soul

Heal Bite chap 412

ability has been shown to heal even life-threatening injuries, and is also capable of quickly restoring the stamina of those healed. This jutsu, however, rapidly depletes the user's own chakra reserves

 Adamantine Chains ( Sealing)

produce chains made out of their own chakra, which  emerge from their torso. Users control the chains as they extend outwards from their body, most commonly to wrap around targets and restrain them (Nine tails)

They also can make a barrier.

Adamantine Chains (Attacking) ch 663

 Adamantine Attacking Chains being an incomplete version of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Karin was able to use this jutsu to destroy most of giant wooden statue and its hands.

Thoughts:

It’s the fact that we litteraly know next to nothing of this clan history just the basics. The lost jutsu we could have seen. Maybe,even before the fall of Uzu. We do know that in Naruto Orochimaru was poking around the ruins learning history

Extra:

Even the only reason why Naruto(Lost Kurama) was still breathing was bc he’s half Uzumaki (chap 662-663)

Mito lived around the time of third hokage still even had her red hair.

Kushina was the best in fūinjutsu and taught Minato.

[vicioux]

ICHIHIME FIC RECS

i can't believe i've been reading ichihime fanfics for literally 10 years ✌️ my favorite flavor is definitely pining with a touch of angst, but i am also a sucker for just them giggly all over each other! thank you bleach TYBW anime revival for bringing me back to these two cutie patooties and an even bigger thank you to all the writers that have been keeping the fandom alive all these years (especially in the earlier days back in the wild wild west of ff.net and LJ lol) y'all are amazing 💖 happy reading everyone p.s you can find the rest of my fic rec lists here

�� alternate universe 🍞

THE BRIDE OF THE DEATH GOD by caledon A plague descended upon the village, and to appease the God of Death they offered him a bride as a sacrifice.

THE DEVIL'S PLAYTHING by marshmallowbirb High-schooler Kurosaki Ichigo discovers that he isn't as human as he once thought - and neither is his classmate, Inoue Orihime.

THE RELUCTANT BRIDEGROOM, DEATH by marshmallowbirb On a sunny summer morning, the young goddess Orihime gathers flowers on a hillside.

STARCROSS'D by child of the ashes In the vampire palace of Los Noches, there is no greater curse than beauty, and no greater crime than love.

NEXT VISIT by aurona x She can see him only with autumn comes, that man of the deep blue tree. And over the years, her love for him grows.

MOTHERHOOD by ashe flyght Orihime's family is financially unstable. So when Japan's most in demand actor, Kurosaki Ichigo offers her an unusual job will she accept it?

FINE LINES by lastlynotleast Ichigo is a tattoo artist and Orihime has skin he could draw on forever.

🍓 multichapter 🍞

THE BOND BETWEEN US by ritsu-san Post Ch. 352: Ichigo and Orihime are left to figure out this strange bond they share.

TIL DEATH DO US PART by marshmallowbirb Deemed too powerful, Ichigo is sequestered in Soul Society after defeating Aizen. Ten years later, one of his human friends dies.

THE CLOCKWORK SWITCH by sesamerolls (1 // 2 // 3) “Kurosaki-kun?” She wanted to bite back her words. This person couldn’t be him. He was a few inches taller, broader, and manlier than the youth who gave her daifuku just minutes before.

🍓 oneshots that will make you feeeeel 🍞

DEMAGNETIZE by ghosty If opposites attract, then what does that mean for us?

TACTILE by mrhooty Orihime has accepted that her boundaries will never be respected, but Ichigo is too good of a friend to allow that.

AFFIRMATION by sesamerolls Ichihime from the beginning to the end.

HOME IS WHERE THE SUN SETS by awkwardspaceturtle Using the word ‘beautiful’ didn’t seem like enough; nothing he could ever say out loud would tell her how she really looked in his eyes.

BUILD A HOUSE IN PARADISE by zabiume Ichigo and Orihime move in together.

PAPER HOUSES by zabiume Mostly, he just wanted to know if she was okay, if she was eating well and passing her courses and if, when she went to bed at night, she had someone to smile about.

PROMPTFILL by zabiume Truth serum induced angst.

PROMPTFILL by captainrukias-husband Ichigo writes a poem for Orihime.

TEMPTARE BEAST by mayelisa As Orihime watched in horror as Ichigo took on that form again, she had a sinking feeling that this day wouldn't turn out at all like she had planned.

MEMORIES IN THE RAIN by garden of magnolias If I were the rain, could I connect with someone's heart, as the rain can unite the eternally separated earth and sky?

ALWAYS SUMMER by folle Orihime is calling, calling, and Ichigo doesn't know how to not answer, except in the most important way.

BECOMING WHOLE by lovelycollision He loves her in various ways, during different stages of his life. It's after the war when he realizes that he's in the third stage, otherwise known as the beginning.

🍓 outside POV looking in 🍞

ELEVATING by sesamerolls “Okay, let’s theoretically agree Ichi-nii has a girlfriend,” said Karin, resting her palm underneath her chin.

SIMPLY BY MEASUREMENT by sesamerolls When it first began, he pretended not to notice.

PROMPTFILL by scribblles Ichigo screwed up his befuddlement into a distinctly grumpy expression. “For your information, I wasn’t daydreaming, I was thinking. Worrying, actually. And it’s about a friend. Who… happens to be a girl.”

🍓 funny fluffy oneshots 🍞

OF MICE AND MEN by garden of magnolias Ichigo realizes that getting rid of a mouse in his and Orihime's apartment is a lot more complicated when it involves his girlfriend.

I REJECT! by scribblles Keigo has a rare moment of inadvertent correctness.

RUMOUR HAS IT by fictionaryplace Ichigo and Orihime have important news, but decide to have a little fun with their friends and family before coming clean.

DELAYED REACTION by crystal dawn Orihime is feeling under the weather. Against his better judgment, Ichigo suggests she visit his father's clinic.

ICED FRAPPUCCINO by hedonysms Ichigo and Orihime get a coffee. Ichigo is simultaneously an emotional sap and a horny, utterly repressed man.

STARTING FRESH by kay sincere Ichigo doesn't have a resolution for the new year himself. But it does come to his attention that his friends could use his help.

NOSEBLEED by deathberryhime Where that little smile would have done more damage than intended to.

OUR BREATHS IN PERFECT HARMONY by iwillhaveamoonbase When Ichigo's friend talks about a cute girl at a bakery, Ichigo agrees to introduce them with no idea that the girl in question is his girlfriend.

WELL WISHERS by adverb_slut It turns out that shinigami are not so great at gift-buying, especially for a four-week-old baby.

THE ART OF SHIPPING by alice hattercandy In which, everyone ships. Even Ichigo.

🍓 anything and everything by these authors 🍞

SESAMEROLLS CAPTAINRUKIAS-HUSBAND ZABIUME (tumblr // ao3) SCRIBBLLES CRYSTALDAWN / MARSHMALLOWBIRB (ffnet // ao3) ORIHIMES RITSU-SAN (more on their LJ sunburnt-wings) TRAGICOMEDY (more on their LJ explicates)

[madara-fate]

You know I have to realise that one of the reasons why SasuSaku's dynamic is interpreted wrong is not only because of the unnecessary Sakura hate but also the lack of understanding for Sasuke's character, more specifically, his love language. It's easier to understand that Sakura cared for Sasuke, she's extremely expressive of her emotions. But with Sasuke, it's a different story. He's not good at expressing his emotions or verbalising them (which is understandable bc of his trauma), his love language is primarily ‘acts of service’. For example, what Sasuke SAID was Naruto is a ‘loser’ and ‘scaredy cat’ but what he DID was immediately risking his life when Haku was about to attack Naruto. think this is something which fans tend to forget about him often. He's a VERY show-dont-tell person. Sakura, in contrast, is good at expressing her feelings. Her love language also includes physical touch and words of affirmation. She can easily tell Sasuke she's in love with him or hug her when he wakes up from a coma. Which is probs majorly why so many fans feel their relationship is ‘one sided’ because of the clear difference between their love language.

I think THIS is exactly one of the main reasons why I saw SS becoming endgame. While Sasuke isn't fond of physical touch, he felt comfortable enough with Sakura to calm down at her touch, let her hug him, carve for her hand in the FOD, hold her, poke her forehead etc. Similarly, he's not the best at verbalising his feelings in words but he tried, again, the thank yous, the apology, cheering her up before the exam. This is something he doesn't do with anyone else. While I am sure Sasuke fell in love with her only after ch. 699, it's pretty clear he had a soft spot for her before leaving the village, which was evident from the way he had been with her, (which eventually turned into love after his redemption journey).

Yeah I agree, Sasuke's definitely the most misunderstood character in the story, and even in the few instances when he does actually verbalise his affection, they're always just glossed over by the fans. The amount of times that I've heard people say...

That he hates Sakura (despite never saying or implying that).

That he doesn't give a damn about her (despite indicating that she is one of his most precious people on multiple occasions).

That he constantly insulted her (despite never insulting her once).

That he was forced and guilt tripped into being in a relationship with her (as if anyone could ever force him to do something that he doesn't want to do).

That he allows himself to be in a loveless marriage (despite how canonically important love is to the Uchiha).

I honestly just don't think he was that difficult to read, especially when you give the Curse of Hatred the significance that it deserves.

While I am sure Sasuke fell in love with her only after ch. 699, it's pretty clear he had a soft spot for her before leaving the village

💯

Yep, Sasuke wasn't in love with Sakura during the main story, nor did he need to be, but the fact that he nonetheless held her (and Naruto) very close to his heart is undeniable.

He described her as a dear comrade.

He was ready to risk his life fending off Gaara so that Naruto could get her to safety.

He thought of her and Naruto when Kakashi referenced his precious companions.

He was reminded of her and the rest of Team 7 when Taka were sacrificing themselves for his sake.

He revealed how he saw the shadow of his family within her and the rest of Team 7. And when considering just how precious Sasuke's family was to him, those are big words indeed.

Your point about how he only tends to show direct verbal affection towards Sakura is also a significant one. One could say how he also apologised to Karin, but the difference between them is very clear.

[ruinoussigil]

cat nap

[everysuigetsu]

[abby-the-druid]

Fatherhood Ch. 2

read on ao3 or ff.net

____

“Sakura.”

There were so many tears, and so much blood. 

Sasuke’s teeth ground as his wife ignored him.

“Sakura!” He repeated, and in her stubbornness, she refused to listen. The seal on her forehead was activated, crisp black lines cutting along her eyes, crisscrossing over her, highlighting the pallid white of her skin and the stark, blisteringly bright red of the blood. There was sweat running down her face, dripping along her slender neck, and dropped into the blood and viscera that had spilt angrily from between her legs.

“Sakura, you have to stop.” Karin said, hesitantly from the other side of the bed. Sakura snarled at her and would have thrown a punch if her hands were not busy.

He thought he had understood every facet of his wife. Her happiness when he surprised her for lunch with Sarada at the hospital. Her anger at him for leaving her for something as stupid and pointless as revenge. Her sadness when he shared the depths of his losses. Her acceptance of his apology. Her love when she carried Sarada in her womb. That continued love as it bore their son. He saw her desperation once, when she had channeled every spec of her chakra into Obito to sustain the portal that saved his life. She spent her precious future to save his worthless life. And yet, here she was, years later, desperately trying to save his worthless life again.

Onyx eyes dropped down to the tiny person in her arms. His body was bloodied, black marks snaking across his pinkened skin from his mother’s hands, tiny tufts of wet black hair stuck to his head.

Sasuke whimpered.

He was as beautiful and perfect as Sarada had been.

Perfect, except for the fact that he had never struggled. Never cried. Never attempted to open his small eyes. Perfect except for the fact that his small lungs never drew breath.

“You-” Sakura choked and coughed before shaking her head angrily and focused harder on the task at hand. Karin flinched towards Sakura but dropped her hands at the green-eyed glare she got. “You can’t lose him again.”

Taking a full powered blow to his stomach from his wife would have been easier than handling those words.

Any air in his body escaped as his lungs constricted painfully and he wondered, briefly, that if he struggled alongside him, maybe his son could take the breath out of Sasuke’s own chest. Maybe they could have an equivalent exchange. A life for a life.

Because this time, if it was possible, Sasuke would sacrifice himself to save Itachi.

“Sakura I-” his voice cut off with a strangled wet noise. His jaw ground, and he ignored the torrents of tears running down his own face. He had promised himself that this time he would be stronger for Sakura – that he wouldn’t be pathetic and nervous this time. That he wouldn’t hurt her unintentionally like he did when Sarada was born. He had promised himself to be the husband she deserved this time.

“Sakura I can’t lose someone that was never here.”

“He’s right here.” Sakura nearly snarled, green eyes narrowed, pink brows angled low on her forehead, nose wrinkled, frowning as whines escaped her lips. She was staring so intently at the small body of their son, willing his life into existence. If she just tried harder, kept pumping chakra into him, he would be okay. He would open those tiny eyes, and his small lungs would expand, and Sasuke could be whole again.

She couldn’t stop now. She wouldn’t. She was stronger now so that she could protect him.

She had to protect him from losing Itachi again. 

“Sakura,” it was pleading, small and indescribably desperate, heavy and bereft. “Sakura please.” 

He wanted to tell her she was shortening her own life, that every second she used her seal, that every breath that passed, would be one she couldn’t use in the future. She needed to stop for her own well-being. For his well-being. For Sarada. 

But he watched her through blurry eyes, beautiful and feral, and he couldn’t force the words from his lungs.

Because if he could, he too, would gladly end his worthless life in exchange for that of his son.

It was what parents were supposed to do.

“Please,” he tried again, climbing pathetically onto the mattress behind her, wrapping his lone arm around her waist to pull her to his chest while hiding his face in between her shoulder blades. “Please stop.” 

He didn’t think she would, she didn’t listen to him when she was upset, needing time to calm down. Karin quietly stepped out of the room.

His arm anchored her, a trembling breath pulled through her shredded lungs, and the black markings of a hundred healings receded slowly back up her arms and nestled into the diamond on her forehead.

She shuddered against him, shoulders shaking, as she gently pried his arm from the painful grip he had on her waist and placed the body of their son in between their arms. Sasuke shifted, lifting his head from her shoulder blades and rested his chin on her shoulder, looking down at the baby.

Sakura’s slender fingers pushed through the dark curls, streaks of pink littered the black strands, and a pained chuckle fell from her that morphed into a sob. Her face screwed up, pulling their son tight to her chest as feral moans convulsed from her. Tears ran from her nose into the pink streaked hair and Sasuke pulled her tight against him again, determined to absorb whatever pain she would let him carry.

. . .

She had fallen asleep against Auntie Hinata’s warm side before her Papa had come to pick her up. Uncle Naruto was standing with her Papa, had clearly gotten up to let him into the home. Papa was quieter than normal, and paler than normal, and Sarada frowned.

Papa murmured something quietly to Uncle Naruto and Auntie Hinata that she didn’t quite catch, but she saw how their faces twisted into saddened frowns and Sarada’s frown deepened. She rubbed at the sleep in her eyes as Papa lifted her up into his strong arm and held her tightly. He smelled like sweat, and metal, but the sweetness that she associated with Mama was there too.

“Papa, where are Mama and ‘tachi?”

Tears were spilling from her Auntie and Uncle’s eyes, and her Papa’s face was wet too.

Her small heart kicked up in panic and her arms wrapped around his neck. He nuzzled into her, which made her freeze. Papa did not nuzzle in front of others, especially not Uncle Naruto who liked gently teasing him.

“Papa, where are they?”

“Mama is in the hospital.”

“I thought Auntie Karin was taking care of her again? Like she did when I came.”

Her Papa nodded, though it seemed to hurt him. “Karin did what she could. Mama needed her shisou’s help.”

“Did ‘tachi need her help too?”

A look Sarada didn't fully understand passed across his mismatched eyes, and she felt her small heart break.

“Itachi… Itachi isn’t…” her father’s voice broke, and it scared her. Papa was the strongest person she knew; this wasn’t like him at all.

“Itachi is with your Papa’s parents.” Auntie Hinata said softly, walking closer and carefully tucking a piece of Sarada’s dark hair behind her ear. “Do you understand?”

She nodded her head with wide eyes, looking from her Auntie to her Papa. “We will visit with him at the shrine?”

Her Papa nodded, a thread of a whine escaping him, and then crushed her into a hug so tight it almost hurt.

“Why don’t you guys stay here tonight.” Uncle Naruto offered, whiskered face missing its characteristic smile.

And to Sarada’s surprise, her Papa agreed.

. . .

Sasuke didn’t sleep.

His brain was playing tricks on him. Spinning from images of his parents’ brutal murder to the bloody smile his brother Itachi had given him after their battle, remembered how easily he almost plunged his Chidori through Sakura’s sternum, the explosion that left both he and Naruto with only one arm. He thought of the broken way Sakura had offered him an escape after Sarada entered the world, assuming he didn’t have the space in his heart for them. Then the fresh memory of his son’s lifeless body jumped to the front of his mind.

He stared blankly at the walls of Naruto’s home as the images replayed in his mind. Then the tears came again.

. . .

Sakura was exhausted. A pitiful shadow of the woman he knew and loved. Pale, quiet, reserved. She barely offered Sarada a smile when their daughter greeted her. Her green eyes were dull, and Sasuke bit at his mouth.

“Is Mama okay?” Sarada asked as glanced up at him, and for the briefest of moment’s he saw his mother’s bloodied face.

“She will be,” he said softly, sitting beside his wife’s bed and setting Sarada down on the scratchy hospital blanket. “I think she needs you, Sarada.”

His daughter nodded before climbing across the blankets and worming her way into Sakura’s arms. Tears were dripping down Sakura’s nose, but she wrapped her arms around Sarada and sighed.

. . .

“Naruto,” Sasuke said quietly, the second night he and Sarada stayed at their house. “When Sakura is better, I have to go.”

“What are you talking about? You can’t leave Sakura and Sarada!”

“I’m not… I’m not leaving them like that. I just…” he scratched at his eyes in frustration. “I can’t do anything here. I’m useless, I can’t help.” 

“So, you’re running away.”

Sasuke frowned. He didn’t know how to explain that every time he closed his eyes he saw every person he ever considered precious dead. Taken away from him by fate. Ripped from his life before he had the chance to really grow comfortable in their presence. His son was only the latest victim. But he didn’t know when Sakura or Sarada would be in the crosshairs.

“I have to protect them.” He said simply.

Naruto shook his head, but didn’t argue.

. . .

She was soft and warm against his skin, months later, when both her body and heart had begun to heal. Her mouth infused his stomach with butterflies even after spending years together.

But that night, he sighed into her, opening his mouth to try and explain himself, but she stopped him.

“I know,” she said softly. “I know you’re leaving.”

He frowned at her and she rolled her eyes.

“You always thought you were so much harder to read than you are.”

“Are you mad?”

She shook her head and nestled it into the crook of his neck, her breath fanned over the bare skin of his chest. “No,” she murmured. “Why would I be mad?”

“Because I’m leaving you again?”

She snorted softly. “It’s not a new thing for you to do, Sasuke.”

He sighed and she tilted her head to look up into his mismatched eyes.

“I don’t like it, but I understand it.” His fingers pressed through her hair. She settled back into him. “Just be sure to come back to us. We’ll be here waiting.”

“Thank you,” he murmured, “for everything.”

[ino-supremacy]

Ino Supremacy Birthday Weekend

Thank you to everyone who participated in our event! Below is a list of all the amazing fics that our server members made for Ino's Birthday Bash!

And be sure to check out @mayskalih for the amazing Ino art she contributed!

Baby Boy by cherryberry12 Rating: E Summary: “Call me Miss Ino,” she orders, withdrawing her hand. “I’m not your mother.” Boil the Frog by Renaerys Rating: E Summary: Kakashi and Ino try to act normal in public. It lasts about as long as the Fourth Hokage’s reign. Prompts: Age Gap, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Ino sends horny thoughts to the Hokage. Drabble Dump, Ch 22 by VulgarAssassin Rating: E Prompts: Ino keeps sending horny thoughts to the Hokage during the meeting. Hold Me Down (and Breathe Me In) by twofortea Rating: E Summary: Sakura wants to be there for Ino after the war. This isn't what she had in mind. Prompts: Post-War if all else fails, persist by carnyvale Rating: T+ Summary: Kiba fell in love with a girl in a coffee shop. In Ino Veritas by Green_Riot Rating: G Summary: Ino confesses her feelings after drinking too much. Prompts: In Vino Veritas Ino's Therapy Practice: Now Accepting Clients by lightweaver Rating: E Summary: Ino's got a pretty interesting modality to cure a shinobi of their fears. Shisui's just helping her out. Prompts: Femme Fatale Only Ino Knows the (Paterni)Tea by Maiika Rating: T+ Summary: When Ino discovers her pregnancy, she goes through stages of emotions while coping with the upcoming change in her life. During that time, her baby’s paternity is a mystery until the very end. Prompts: Knocked Up, Secret Relationship Practical Lessons by lightweaver Rating: E Summary: It was just supposed to be another boring company party. And then, Ino realized that Itachi was drunk. Was this finally her chance to fuck her boss? Prompts: In Vino Veritas Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch Me by twofortea Rating: T+ Summary: Four drinks in, and Ino can’t stop staring at Hinata’s boobs. Prompts: In Vino Veritas When She Finally Died by lightweaver Rating: E Summary: Karin hated tourists. Especially the rich and famous ones. So when she was forced to lead a famous model on the trail - and give her a private tour - she decided that she wasn't going to let this Ino Yamanaka leave without breaking her heels. Karin may well have met her match. Prompts: Enemies to Lovers Win some, Lose some by PrincessxGarbage Rating: T+ Summary: Post-war bar flirting drabble for Ino's B-Day 2023 Prompts: Post-War

[livelaughwhump]

"Worthless" Series Masterlist

Ongoing

(Hurt/comfort, pet whump, whump recovery)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 6.5 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 - Bonus | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23

Character Backstories

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Picrews:

Meet Elliot and Lyra | Meet Christian | Meet the Team | A Very Whumpy Picrew | Before / During / After | My Girls | Dumpling | Worthless Cast | Whumpy Picrews | Meet Colleen | Character Heights (not a picrew)

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Drabbles:

Hallucinations | Drunk | First Meeting | Hallucinations Part 2 | Birthday Gift | Accidents | Bed | In the Beginning | Strays | Nightmares | Recovery Day 1 | Lights Out | Safe | Drunk Part 2 | Panic | The Truth | A Real Dog | Nails | Feeding Tube | In Public | Alone with Landon | Basement | Baby's First Mission | Restrained | Valentine's Day Collab (Elliot's POV) (Cedar’s POV) | Restrained Part 2 | Happy Birthday

Shorter Snippets:

"I'm glad you're here" | "Will you read to me?" | Everything is okay

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Art:

Landon and Elliot (ch.9) | Elliot and Lyra (drunk drabble) | Karine Fanart (The Truth drabble) | Elliot Fanart | Elliot Fanart 2

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My Other Writing Masterlist

[sneezemonster15]

Sorry to ask this but there's no one out here as good at analysing as you. So, I need your help. Why SK stans thinks Sasuke gives a stranger (karin) the most gentle smile he has ever given anyone in the manga so far?? And he was not disappointed in (not found the scroll he was looking for) because he gives a smile?? They says that kishi made it obvious and meaningful by adding a white leaf background in the panel?? If that was the case then the first thing that pop out of my mind is Gaara and Sasuke staring at each other in that white leaf background panel 😂. And there are more such panels. But the first thing irks me the most was they comparing this smile to ch 641 smiling. Why couldn't they clearly read the situation he was in before pointing out his facial expressions??

Lol. So they compare the smile Sasuke gave to Karin with the one in chapter 641? Lol, shoot the context anon. It's obviously useless to these silly shippers.

Because of course Karin is more important to Sasuke than Naruto. Because he was planning to die at the end but he lived for Naruto. As opposed to when Danzo tried to use Karin as bait, Sasuke without hesitation attacked him skewering Karin in the process, obviously ready to kill her. Or when he said Naruto was his precious, one and only, his closest friend, the one who reminded him of his family. As opposed to Karin whom he ordered Sakura to kill just so she could prove her loyalty to him. And I would like to go on but his interaction with Karin is so limited as compared to his interaction with Naruto. Lol.

Yep, those two people are totally equal for Sasuke. What comprehension! What underanstanding! Just lovely. :)

Anon, SK are as deluded as SS, NrSk and SS. If not as toxic. Thankfully.

First of all, that whole memory where Karin thinks of Sasuke saving her from the bear is retconned. I am sure Kishi might have earlier thought of establishing why Karin feels this way for Sasuke. (And it's quite funny because he didn't give Sakura any reason, said it would have looked contrived but he did give Karin a reason to like Sasuke, lol). But he obviously wasn't decided on how he would show it when he first wrote Karin. So how did he fix it? By showing her getting rescued by Sasuke during the forest of death arc. Now we know, because we have already read that arc, there was no mention of Karin. None at all. No indication he met someone. And where else could Kishi have written their first meeting if not forest of death arc which would make narrative sense? Where else could he have met a fellow shinobi in grave danger not from his village? Certainly not during Sasuke retrieval arc. Or land of waves arc. Or one on one chuunin battle arc. I doubt Kishi had even conceived her character around this time. There would have been no reason to. Now it's totally believable that Sasuke might have chosen not to say anything about it even if he had met her, it would be in his character, but the point is we only get this extra information about Karin meeting Sasuke at a very crucial moment, when she is about to die (or at least thinks so), at the hands of Sasuke when the reason she liked him in the first place was because he rescued her from a potentially lethal situation.

Kishi chose this moment to underline the irony of the situation that she was ultimately going to get killed by the same person who rescued her once. He rescued her because of his kind heart. But after killing Danzo, Sasuke is filled with such bitterness, his chakra has become dark and Karin can feel that he, from what she perceives, is almost not the same person. Even Sakura notices it. He is definitely seething, vengeful and deeply hurt. Which is why she wants to see him smile, like before. One last time. Before dying. This is why Kishi placed those panels side by side, one with Sasuke smiling and another with Sasuke darkly bent on killing her. To underline the difference of attitude in Sasuke towards her.

All these Naruto het shippers of the ships mentioned above are the same. The moment a boy is just nice or civil is taken out of context and considered a romantic moment. Tell me anon, would it have been in character for Sasuke to see a young and helpless shinobi about to get painfully slashed open by a wild animal and do absolutely nothing? Would it have been in character for him to be scared or intimidated by the said animal? Or would it have been in character for him to save her, given that he always protects his team mates in battles? All of them? This boy who wouldn't even kill the practice shinobis/fodder ninjas that Oro brings him to train with, who Oro brings him for exactly that purpose? This is why I find het shippers in this fandom very embarrassing. Like they are so thirsty for this 'supposed' romance, they would jump at the most neutral of action but simply forget or dismiss the rest. Who cares about context and characterisation or narrative? Sasuke is in love with Karin because he smiled at her once. But everything blatantly flirtatious, devotional, romantic, intimate thing he does for Naruto or with Naruto is just what? Plot holes? Must be if they think Sasuke loves Karin. Lol. And smiling? Really? Bah. Can him smiling at Karin compare with this?

And these are not even all the panels where he smiles for or with or because of Naruto. I just got tired. Lol.

Okay but seriously, can they compare with THIS?

And honestly, I am a little embarrassed even comparing the two because it's just so silly. It's like comparing apples and the oceanic system. Where Karin was never anything more than a team mate for Sasuke, Naruto was his reason to live. This is what he felt for Karin, when he was about to kill her.

A hostage. As opposed to Naruto, whom he needed to kill because he is his one and only. Someone he needs to kill so that he could carry out his goals because seeing Naruto makes him weak. Because bonds of love renders one weak. Because Naruto was the only one who made him feel not alone. And he needed to be alone for his objectives.

And another thing, which SK stans conveniently dismiss, are the two panels where Sasuke says later, one of which includes him smiling to Karin, both these panels are Karin's point of view shots. So the leaves flying in the white background is how SHE sees Sasuke, and we already know she likes him by this point.

Another thing, like you already mentioned, leaves flying in white background. The one with Gaara and Sasuke portrays that they are sizing each other up. It means different things in different contexts. In Karin's pov, it means a beautiful, divine intervention. Her damsel in distress was one second away from being violently killed and Sasuke was her saviour. Her knight in shining armor.

Abstract backgrounds like this one are used to highlight an emotion that the mangaka wants to convey, to add to the atmospheric weight of the scene.

This background is used in many contexts, and the following are certainly not romantic.

Romantic or no? Heh. This background here represents Sakura's shock after being rejected by Sasuke. The shot of Sasuke is her pov. Look at her face, the expression is clearly emphasized as shock.

How about this one? Would SK say Sasuke and Dosu have romantic feelings for each other? Lol. The context here means there is barely suppressed anticipation, which is emphasized by the following ten thousand panels of the audience watching the match, all waiting with baited breath to see what will happen next.

How about this? The context is that Chiyo had sacrificed her life for Gaara and died. So the meaning of the background is sadness and grief. For both Sakura and Chiyo's brother.

And well, let me add one last panel which is actually supposed to be romantic.

Hehehe. Sasuke is flirting with Naruto. He is finally acknowledging Naruto's strength after their adventures together in the forest of death. Where they fought with each other. Fought for each other. Where Sasuke and Naruto both saved each other. Where it became clear that they know each other deeply, their mannerisms, motivations, strengths and weaknesses. And Naruto is taken aback. He finally has what he had always wanted. Sasuke's stamp of approval, his friendship, his respect. As we would see, how much he cherished this moment later in the manga. This is one of the defining moments in their relationship.

Anon, just go by this adage. Feel free to dismiss whatever these shippers claim in order to validate the rOManCe of their ship. They will always be wrong about it. Always.