#gen naruto fics

[twnj]

Headcanon nonsense inspired by Spice Unites on ao3 by @clumsydragon28

Letter:

Yo, Shinki

Thank you for your letter that you *had* to write to me. It was such a lively surprise. Shikadai told me that you aren't really one for social media so I thought I would send this by mail. Seriously though - get a phone!

The *special* cocoa bar was delicious! You were right, it reminds me of my mothers ginger snap Shiriken! Just enough heat to accompany the sweetness.

Well excuse me, but I wouldn't talk so much if someone said more than two words at a time! But it was actually really sweet of you to see me aroind the market...

To answer your questions: we only eat pumpkin when it's in season usually. I'm not sure about the mango, I would have to ask my mom when she gets back from her mission.

Please accept these ginger snaps as a thank you for escorting me around the village. I used some or the beautiful ingredients that I discovered at the market place.

I hope they remind you of home...

your ally in spice

Chocho

p.s. tell shikadai he can take that look off his face, or I'll tell Aunt Tem what he was up to in suna!

[lostchildofthenewworld]

how it feels reading different fics in different fandoms and no longer getting involved in the intracommunity bullshit of relationships and fandom headcanon opinions

[riverjester]

In the aftermath of battle, of the village’s uprising against Gato, of Haku’s sacrifice and Zabuza’s mad last stand, of the first snowfall he had ever seen, Naruto’s mind was buzzing incessantly.

They spent another week in the Land of the Waves. While the bridge was built. While Kakashi and Sasuke recovered from their injuries enough to be able to travel. Sasuke had remained completely bedridden for two days following the battle. During the next six his ability to talk and walk increased in steady increments, but the rural doctor that had patched him up ordered him not to move too much, or else risk straining himself and setting back his healing. Naruto knew this mostly because Sakura told him.

Despite his efforts to bury them, they kept resurfacing: the sensation of Sasuke’s breath petering out on his lap, the sight of him standing up to wave at them and show that he was still alive, only to crumble like a badly constructed toothpick tower right afterward. He avoided searing into his retinas the image of this Sasuke too — weak, nearly voiceless, careful with his movements so as not to set his puncture wounds bleeding through the bandages — by barely seeing him. He spent all day running around, his small army of clones doubling the village’s workforce: carrying materials, running errands, doing small menial tasks. He left Tazuna’s house in the morning before Sasuke got up and returned after he had gone to sleep for the night, slipping in and out of his futon, next to Sasuke’s, with as little of a fuss as he was able, ignoring how he noticed that Sasuke wasn’t actually asleep every time. The construction of the bridge carried on far more swiftly than it could ever have before.

Sakura would come out at noon to whack him upside-down on the head and remind him to eat his lunch before he wore himself out. It would be a hassle if they ended up having to drag his sorry chakra-exhausted body back to Konoha, she said. She would stay for a few hours to help out if it was needed, or to seat by Naruto’s side as he took a break, breathing in the salty ocean air that was so different from Konoha’s. Afterwards, she would return to Sasuke’s bedside, an anxiousness to her eye, like she had to make sure that nobody had died while she wasn’t looking.

Naruto had wondered, after their first fight with Zabuza, when Kakashi needed crutches to get by day after day, but it didn’t fully sink how long it took — normal — people to heal until he felt Sasuke’s striking absence while Naruto saw this cursed C-rank to its conclusion. The thought flitted back and forth like an annoying fly: his unmarred skin, the heat that he had started feeling eating him from the inside at times, the itch of a wound closing itself up in minutes. He felt nauseous if his mind lingered too long on the reason behind it. Like he had been carved out of the embrace of normalcy and was being dangled helplessly in the air while he kept trying to walk among, alongside people.

So he strained his muscles and his chakra to the degree that Kakashi would allow instead of following that train of thought.

He didn’t think about how he had broken out of Haku’s ice-mirror prison. He didn’t think about what had happened before that. He didn’t talk to Sasuke because he didn’t know what to say, how to look at him. It worked well, it wasn’t difficult to keep the distance, since Sasuke always turned to look at the window or the wall if Naruto happened to enter any room that he was in.

Once, towards the end of the week, when Sasuke was well enough to move about, to walk without his knees trembling after a few minutes, he came out with Sakura and Kakashi for lunch. The four of them had eaten it sitting by the docks, away from the dust of the construction site. If it had been any other day, Naruto would have been talking everyone’s ears off, Sakura would either laugh or groan in annoyance and shove him whenever he said something particularly stupid, Sasuke’s eyebrow would twitch, and he would act uninterested, but he would occasionally make a comment with his dry-pan humour, or he would genuinely engage in the conversation if the topic interested him enough.

It wasn’t any other day, however. Sakura talked, a nervous undercurrent to her voice that betrayed how rattled she felt within the weird atmosphere, and Naruto answered in between shoveling rice into his mouth as fast as possible. Sasuke, surprisingly, hadn’t sat too far away from them, but he averted his gaze, uncharacteristically picking at his food. Kakashi observed them over his book.

Before Naruto could finish his bento box in record time, a clone skidded to a halt before them. “Boss, a couple of us fell and popped and we need more hands, everybody else is busy.”

“Ah, alright, hold on.”

As he put down his chopsticks and made the handsign to create two more clones, Sakura interceded, “You didn’t notice your clones disappearing?”

The three clones ran off. Naruto scratched his cheek. “There’s, like, twenty of them, I don’t really keep track.”

“Twenty?” Sakura squawked, like she hadn’t seen them running around every day. Maybe she hadn’t counted them, it wasn’t like anyone but Naruto could tell them apart. “All morning?”

He would have answered with a confident fox-grin that twenty clones were nothing, he could do a much more awesome number, but suddenly, Naruto noticed that Sasuke was staring at him for the first time in six days — frowning, baffled. Their eyes met for a second, and then they looked elsewhere.

“Yeah, just about,” he answered Sakura, weirdly subdued for himself — he knew, he noticed himself out of balance.

Snapping his book closed, Kakashi was suddenly by his side. “Are you pacing yourself?”

“I’m fine, I don’t feel tired at all.”

Kakashi hummed. “Even so. Cut it back to ten.”

Naruto groaned a protest. “Sensei. But this way it goes so much faster and we can go back to Konoha sooner! Doesn’t this count as training, also?”

“Don’t overexert yourself, idiot,” came Sasuke’s raspy voice from across their group.

He startled and his eyes fixed upon Sasuke’s face, who had gone back to eating his food, although his shoulders were tense, his movements mechanical. It was the first time Naruto had heard him talk since he had passed out from Haku’s senbon. His throat was mostly healed, but his voice still had a croaky, breathy quality to it very unlike his smooth baritone. Naruto disliked it. He disliked even more not knowing how to respond, when interacting with Sasuke usually wasn’t a thing he ever gave a second thought to before doing. His eyes skittered away and he rubbed the back of his neck, to assuage the need to do something with his hands.

The discomfort was palpable. Kakashi tried to cut through it, “Sasuke’s right, Naruto. If you want to practice while doing this, concentrate on a more precise use of chakra with your clones, not on creating more.”

Naruto finished his food, and with a hurried, “Alright, sensei,” he was off towards the bridge.

Sakura was weirded-out by their walking on eggshells around each other like this, Kakashi’s eye crinkled with something that Naruto could only describe as faraway constipation. Naruto simply couldn’t help the awkwardness. Sasuke would have preferred breaking his knee than be the one to break the tension.

So Naruto kept busy for the entire week, until the bridge was finished and everyone was healthy enough to walk all the way to Konoha. He spent his entire time running, and the night before they were to set out on the trek back home, perhaps because the end to the hecticness lulled him into his first deep sleep in eight days, the events of the battle against Haku and Zabuza finally caught up to him in his dreams.

When he woke up, he didn’t remember much of it. A maelstrom of movement, blood, ice, flesh, needles. A pain so sudden yet so profound that it could only burst forth as undiluted rage, chakra that felt like acid dissolving him from the inside out, a cocoon of unfathomable power spurring him to kill kill kill. He clawed his way through the violence, after-images of Haku’s angelic face after ripping his throat out with his teeth blurring into an undefined landscape of flames, debris, and corpses strewn about — vague memories that weren’t his own. And in the middle of it, a fallen teammate that would never rise again despite the monster that lived in Naruto’s veins going on a rampage for him.

He sprung up from his futon with a scream trapped in his throat and his eyes wet. He looked down at his hands, uncomprehending when he didn’t see his nails elongated into bloodied claws. And then his heart lurched with urgency and he turned to look at Sasuke, to check that his chest still rose and fell and the bandages around his neck remained white.

He found Sasuke already looking at him, propped up on his elbow, a hand reaching out, and his eye-brows furrowed. Naruto blinked his tears away and Sasuke’s hand went back to his futon, his expression neutral again, like a mirage dissipating.

They stared at each other in the darkness, and as Naruto’s heart calmed down and his brain processed that Sasuke was alive in the waking world, embarrassment overcame him. He was not completely certain of what his face was doing, but he guessed that he must have looked really stupid: cheeks wet, panting slack-jawed while he looked at Sasuke like he was drinking in the face of god.

He turned away and rubbed his tear-tracks away with his sleeves, muttering, “Sorry.” Saliva lingered in his throat as he struggled to swallow. “I, uhm…” he trailed off.

The quiet between them that he had previously been thankful for felt suffocating then. He considered murmuring a good-night and laying down again, but it didn’t feel right.

Finally, Sasuke spoke, whisper-soft like neither of them ever were, “Nightmare, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm.”

Naruto threw a look at the other two futons on the other side of the room. Sakura seemed to be soundly asleep. Kakashi might not have been, the bastard, but he hadn’t risen either. “Did I wake you?”

“You were gasping and moving,” Sasuke answered. His voice was mostly back to normal, although it was hard to tell when he whispered. “But you do that every night. Would it kill you to be quiet for once?”

Naruto acknowledged the jab for what it was — a lame, clumsy attempt at returning to normalcy — but he was feeling too raw to fall into their old routines. He just cringed.

At the lack of a whiny rebuttal from him, he sensed a growing air of discomfort from Sasuke, even without looking at him. There was a quiet rustle as Sasuke lied on his back fully again.

In the manga that he had read and the movies that he had watched, this would be the part where he was asked if he wanted to talk about his bad dream. He couldn’t picture Sasuke doing it, and Sasuke didn’t do it, so he guessed that his impression of his character was fairly accurate.

Well.

Except for the part when Sasuke almost died for Naruto the previous week. That was not something that he would have ever seen coming. Teammates were supposed to watch each other’s backs, but Naruto struggled to understand that Sasuke would go to such an extreme for him. He had asked then, why me? why someone like me? someone who hadn’t been worth anything to anyone before a month ago?, and Sasuke had answered then too, but it hadn’t been a very good answer.

The blankets were rough in his tight fists. Naruto shrunk into his shoulders as he asked, “Why did you do it?”

Sasuke replied after a beat, “I told you already.” He didn’t pretend not to know what Naruto was talking about. He probably suspected what the nightmare had been about, too. “I…” he began. Paused. Naruto looked at him; Sasuke was frowning up at the ceiling. “I just saw the senbon coming for you, and I… had to move.”

He spoke slowly, even haltingly. An echo of Sasuke’s last words before he lost consciousness came to him. That he had sworn not to die before he killed his brother — and yet he had forsaken that oath with a last plea for Naruto not to die too. Even if he had done it on impulse, it had to mean something. Maybe Sasuke was realizing that too.

Naruto thought of Iruka taking a giant shuriken to the back to protect him. He wondered if that was what having people truly meant. A choice that one makes before one realises its truth burrowing deep into one's reflexes. Blood and pain and sacrifice for those that he would call his own. Haku had said something like that.

Perhaps it was the night, the undefined lines of Sasuke’s figure in the blue-dark of this borrowed room kilometres away from Konoha, their third teammate and their sensei oblivious to them, that made it feel like he could voice the next question.

“Would you take it back?”

His fists trembled slightly in his lap, but his gaze didn’t stray from Sasuke’s face. He hadn’t realized how much he anticipated the answer until he had sought it. Sasuke looked at him, his eyes so black when they had been so red while he laid his head on Naruto’s hands and knees, and then he turned his face away.

Perhaps it was the night for him too, the unreality of this dream of a moment away from the daylight, that allowed him to say, “No.”

Something heavy grew in Naruto’s chest. He didn’t know how to name that emotion. He only knew that — if there was a world in which Sasuke died from an attack that he could have taken in his stead, that wasn’t a world where Naruto would want to keep living. Even if that was the only world where he became Hokage.

He moved to kneel facing Sasuke.

“Then,” he started, a forceful whisper that was too loud for the hour, but Naruto was too loud always, “I won’t die if you don’t.”

Sasuke turned his head back towards him with a jerk, eyes widened ever so slightly. “You…”

“And you won’t die if I don’t,” Naruto finished.

Sasuke blinked at him, at his posture in an uncommonly good seiza, shoulders straight, hands on his knees. Gazed into his eyes, that Naruto made sure didn’t waver.

“And if one of us does die?”

“We won’t.”

“You can’t know that.”

“We won’t, I won’t allow it.”

Sasuke huffed and looked away. One corner of his mouth twitched up nevertheless. “Usuratonkachi. That’s not the way of the shinobi.”

“I’m Uzumaki Naruto,” he announced, and Sasuke rolled his eyes and shushed him. “And I’ll forge my own way.”

The way Sasuke looked at him then was annoyed, but he was also smiling slightly. Almost — and Naruto couldn’t believe that the thought crossed his mind — fond. “You’re such a moron,” he muttered, even though Naruto was being completely serious.

For the first time in a week, Naruto began to feel the hot prickle of frustration that Sasuke always arose in him. But before he could complain, his teammate continued, “There may be forces that neither of us can beat, though.”

No traces of humour left. Sasuke’s eyes somehow gleamed in the dark. His mouth was a soft blurry line, set firmly. Naruto suddenly felt very unequal looking down at him. Sasuke must have felt the same, because he sat up, the blankets pooling on his lap, the white of the bandages on his arms stark with the moonlight coming in from the window.

“You really can’t control who lives or dies,” he said, somber, a knowing weight. “But,” he added, “if I die, you live.”

Part of Naruto wanted to argue back that he would beat any impossible odds. A larger, wiser part knew that it wasn’t an argument that he wanted to start with a Sasuke who looked at him like he did then.

“Then if I die, you live,” he promised as well.

That night, they made a pledge to each other. The next morning, Sasuke ditched the dressings on his wounds, no longer necessary. He and Sakura made fun of the name that Tazuna had given the bridge, much to Naruto’s chagrin, who had barely even been able to gloat about it. Team 7 made offerings to Haku and Zabuza’s nameless burial and then started the journey back to Konoha. Naruto and Sakura bickering, Sasuke ignoring them, Kakashi reading his cheap erotica. The sun shined. Naruto looked at Sasuke, and sometimes Sasuke would look at him back. They didn’t talk about it ever again, but the memory of that night stayed.

[lentendays]

AO3 Masterlist

A masterlist of my ongoing fics on AO3 (One-shots and abandoned fics not included.)

My Hero Academia

breaking through the storm clouds

Kurogiri time-travel AU. "My name is Tenko." Tom - Tenko, all of five years old, looks up at Oboro with large, clear eyes. "Not Shigaraki Tomura. And you're not Kurogiri either." In which Kurogiri wakes up in the past and promptly decides to raise a young Tenko on his own, and maybe round up the rest of the League while he's at it, because they're really just a group of broken people who need hugs and guidance. Too bad he's still technically a high school student, and All For One isn't going to take kindly to his plans being interrupted.

Rekindling Fire

Dabi & Hawks time-travel AU "What about you, Todoroki? Are you going to follow Endeavor's footsteps when you grow up?" It isn't until he hears Endeavor that Dabi realizes he's being addressed. "Oh, me? No, I'm going to grow up to be a serial killer." His classmates stare. The teacher coughs awkwardly and changes the subject.

Other Fandoms

burns like the cold. [Fandom: Adventure Time / Fionna & Cake]

Fionna’s kiss doesn’t immediately kill the Winter King, the gang spends more time in the winter wonderland, and Simon uncovers one sinister secret after another in the seemingly perfect kingdom. Fionna slams her mug on the table, grinning, and Simon regrets all his life choices. "I have icicles where no icicles should be. Simon, magic is awesome." It's a horrible idea. Simon leans in anyway, meeting the Winter King halfway.

my father didn't tell me how to live. [Fandom: The Boys / Gen V]

Soldier Boy does raise Homelander, for a time. It changes everything and nothing. "You're alive," Homelander says. He doesn't know what he's feeling. What he should be feeling. "You're a fucking disappointment, John," his father says.

And straight on till morning. [Fandom: Once Upon A Time]

Cursed Pan AU. From time to time, Peter Pan visits the Enchanted Forest. It is unfortunate that he does so when the curse hits.

Aetatis. [Fandom: Naruto]

Hashirama & Madara time-travel AU, except Madara is still Kaguya's vessel. When Hashirama wakes up as a child again, he vows to protect his family and form a truce with the Uchiha sooner. When Madara wakes up in the same situation as a girl with a face suspiciously similar to the rabbit goddess who killed him, he wonders why the gods hate him.

Time and time again. [Fandom: Naruto]

Snippets of Aetatis

In the pale moonlight. [Fandom: Detective Conan / Magic Kaito]

Black Org! Kaito AU When Kuroba Toichi's stage explodes, it takes the magician and his wife with it. A young Kuroba Kaito is taken in by his father's remaining student... Sharon Vineyard. Years later, a phantom thief hits the streets of Japan, with an arsenal of black weapons. This changes the game for a certain shrunken detective.

[rose-lalondde]

whoever started the sakura lives in the Uzushio District headcanon i luv u forever and hope you receive your favorite food soon

[hirazuki]

Haruno Sakura & Team 7, Yamanaka Ino, Sai, Shizune, Tsunade, Hatake Kakashi, Yamato, Uzumaki Naruto

post-Tenchi Bridge mission | canon divergent | one-shot

A Straight Way series: part 1

The problem with being well-liked, dependable, and in a pretty public position, is that people will notice you're missing sooner rather than later.

[heartbreak-human]

Chapters: 35/35 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Hatake Kakashi, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, Konan/Nagato | Pain/Yahiko Characters: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto, Haruno Sakura, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Umino Iruka, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama, Jiraiya (Naruto), Tsunade (Naruto), Hatake Kakashi, Orochimaru (Naruto), Uchiha Obito, Konan (Naruto), Nagato | Pain, Yahiko (Naruto), ANBU Root Additional Tags: Time Travel, Fix-It, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, No Uchiha Massacre, Mokuton Naruto, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, slight Sarutobi Hiruzen bashing, BAMF Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto) Series: Part 1 of Naruto - time-travel/fix-it Summary:

Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes, but closed them just as quickly. This couldn’t be, he couldn’t possibly be where he thought he was. An ending in one place, was the beginning in the next.

Opening his eyes again, at 9 years old, after knowing he died at 17, Naruto descided for himself to make sure he could keep all his precious people close and to spare them of the grief of losing their own precious people.

Only gay in like the last chapter, suuuuper minimal. Main purpose was a fix-it.

[noyzinerd]

I feel like Stiles and I share the unique trait of shamelessly enjoying our hobbies without embarrassment (which I highly recommend trying, by the way, it's very freeing).

I'd love to see a Sterek fic of Stiles emitting the same vibe as all these times I startled a laugh out of people (and/or became instantly endearing by just refusing to feel ashamed):

Stranger: What are you looking at?

Me: Teen Wolf fanfiction.

Stranger: *startled laugh* W-what?!

Me: What? Am I supposed to be embarrassed? I'm married in my 30s. Who do I have to impress?

-----

Me, after finding where I placed my phone: Oop, wouldn't want anyone finding that.

Acquaintance: Ooooooo~ why? 😏 Are you hiding something?

Me: No. I just have a lot of porn on there.

Acquaintance: *shocked laughter*

-----

[After 6 hours of silently listening to our permitted music at work]

New Gen Z coworker: Hey, what do you think about when you listen to music?

Me: Naruto fight scenes.

Coworker: *horrified wheeze* How can you just say that? I mean, yeah, we all think it, but you're not allowed to just say it out loud! That's how you get S.W.A.T-ted.

Me: Don't be jealous.

Coworker: I am, actually.

-----

Stiles being sarcastic and witty is great and all, but Stiles answering honestly in complete deadpan I feel like is so much funnier.

Plus, the thought of Stiles startling a laugh out of Derek by just unapologetically living fearlessly gives my brain the happy chemicals.

[fancyfrogg]

*takes a deep breath*

combat catastrophe by silentwalrus. Batshit crazy Sakura <3 One-shot

oh, but the revelation of stardust by PandaFlower. An MCU crossover. What slice of life shenanigans ensue when Tobirama accidentally dimension-travels. One-shot.

All That Binds Us by CADEL. Naruto wakes up in a parallel world without ninja. One-shot

Paper Moon by Anjelle. Sakumo wakes up in the future and encounters Kakashi. My go-to comfort fic. 17k words.

It Happened Once in a Dream by SunshineAndRainbows. Child Kakashi gets vague knowledge of the future. Hilarious interactions between Team Minato ensue. 35k words.

Scarecrow At Dawn by dreamweaver11, Shyaway95, and teslatempest. What I like to call, “Naruto if it was good.” Team 7 bands together in the face of their shitty hand in life. 40k words.

Road to Nowhere by Aerugonian. A My Hero Academia crossover. Kakashi navigates a second chance at life and family. 70k words.

Five (or a lot can change in a year) by Ahkaraii. Comic that delves into the character drama leading up to Sakumo’s death and the Third Shinobi War. Great worldbuilding and also Hiruzen/Danzo pspspsp.

Unbreakable Company by Shyaway95 and teslatempest. After the boys leave, Kakashi takes Sakura on as his apprentice. 100k words.

history has its eyes on you by Tasalmalin. Kakashi is voluntold for the time-travel fixit, but he keeps fucking it up. Long series.

To Save The Things We Love by Shyaway95 and teslatempest. ABO M-preg. Kakashi having a child throws a wrench in Obito’s “Everything is bad forever” belief. You might especially be interested in “Heart of Darkness” bc it gets into Danzo’s head. Long Series.

Shadows, Blinding by Pesto. Dredging up Kakashi’s trauma by throwing him into family drama. Watch him suffer and be badass simultaneously! 200k words.

turn in such inhumanity by simkjrs. Izuna makes a chakra bond with Tobirama. Rivals with secret identities. “what are feelings” Tobirama is hilarious. 240k words.

do you guys have any nart fic recs? they dont have to be rin-centric im branching out

[stu-dyingstudent]

Sakura Haruno fic recs: ANBU

AHHHH!!!! I love ANBU fics, especially when they involve Sakura. It was such a cool concept, which was unfortunately never fully expanded upon. However, our lack of knowledge regarding the shadow corps allows for some really cool fic ideas since authors can take creative liberty on the structure and workings of the division.

In my opinion, Sakura had the most potential out of team 7 to join ANBU (at least more than Naruto). It's all about being discreet and efficient and although she wasn't strong during og, she possessed abilities that would be valuable for this. Her clever mind, chakra control, and genjutsu potential would've made her a good fit. Naruto was too flamboyant and Sasuke was too reckless and cocky, but this is just my take. However, with her new skill set from her training with Tsunade, I don't think she would be able to go down that path anymore.

Started: 2024.08.06

Last Updated: 2024.08.29

note: feel free to check out my master list which has a bunch of Sakura Haruno fic recs (all organized)!

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Masks by mads999 || ao3 || kakasaku || E || canon divergent || complete

1. Sakura's Inner is far more diabolical than anyone ever expected 2. Crows prove to be cruel mentors 3. Sakura comes to learn exactly how much she hates Kakashi (as well as how alike they are, in the most terrible of ways)

Kakashi is a hateful turd and Sakura is spiteful! I hate this ship and I'm not a big fan of Kakashi here, but boy is this fic good. One of the best character developments I've read for Sakura and she certainly becomes of force to be reconned with. The ANBU lore in Masks is absolutely phenomenal and I love the whole system that is put into place as it adds for some drama (lol). Also, can we talk about how awesome crow summons are????

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Five Kingdoms for the Dead - Evil Is A Relative Term || ffn || M || canon divergence || complete

After the Forest of Death, Sakura comes to realize that being weak is no longer an option. However, she finds that change is sometimes painful and that truth doesn't always come easy. Luckily, she'll have some help along the way.

It's been a while since I've read Five Kingdoms for the Dead, but I just remember it being absolutely great! I'll be honest, I found a lot of the mind stuff pretty confusing at times, but it was still enjoyable. Also, some great characters are utilized in this fic such as Neji, Sai, and Itachi. Makes me really wish that we saw more of Sakura and Neji working together in Naruto since I think they compliment each other quite well.

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Trials of Change - Espoiretreves || ao3 || gen || time travel AU || complete

Haruno Sakura made a promise. Looking in the eyes of her Shisou and the reanimated Hokage, she took on the most important mission of her life. Go back in time and try to prevent the 4th Shinobi War. Now, Sakura is back to her 5-year-old body, with all the knowledge and haunting memories of the future. She vows to keep her precious people safe and stop certain events from happening, without altering the timeline too much. The trials her emotions and logic put her through have her questioning her very existence, but for the sake of peace, she has to push forward. No matter what.

Trials of Change is actually apart of a time travel series and I have to say that it is probably one of the best of the genre! Now, Sakura is not in ANBU here, but she works very closely with team Ro (Kakashi's ANBU team) and it's a huge part of the story, so I'm choosing to count it anyway. I really adore all of the worldbuilding and backstories going on here in addition to the fact that there are breaks. Yes, the story keeps moving, but there are other things going on, like playdates, and not just Sakura trying to save the world. Also, if you love Shisui then definitely check this out since he has a huge role and his and Sakura's friendship is just so precious.

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bite me and see, said the fly to the spider - MirrorImage003 || ao3 || itasaku || T || non-massacre AU || ongoing

In which Sakura is not initially a part of Team 7. In which she wears her failures like armor and brandishes her fears like her most trusted weapons. In which I do what hundreds of other authors have done before me, and rewrite Sakura's story. Non-massacre AU. Canon Divergent. Slow-burn.

After Sakura's first team, consisting of the graduating class's "expendables," dies, she joins team 7 and faces backlash along her shinobi journey. Sakura doesn't join ANBU until the later chapters so fair warning that there isn't too much content in that regards (unless it updates). Nonetheless, Sakura views ANBU as vital to her career as it offers her the highest clearance she can get. Gaining her opportunities for information her civilian-born status didn't allow her privy to.

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The Sixth Shadow - thinknicht || ao3 || kakasaku || M || canon divergent - eventual time travel AU || ongoing

No one seemed to find it odd when little Haruno Sakura threw herself smack dab in front of a Chidori and Rasengan. Not even Kakashi stopped to wonder.(He really should have.)

The story of how Sakura came to be the sixth hogake despite all of the challenges thrown her way. I especially love Sakura's drive in addition to the political aspects. However, be warned that Kakashi is an absolute HATER (in the beginning), but he gets better! The Sixth Shadow is extremely long and I only just recently got to Sakura's introduction to ANBU, so I can't say too much in that regard.

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Daughter of Fire - justjstuff || ao3 || kakasaku || E || canon divergence || incomplete (maybe ongoing)

Sakura got up and didn’t bother brushing the dirt from her dress. She had a feeling she was about to get even dirtier.She looked at the memorial stone one last time, memorizing the characters without even realizing she was doing it. It would serve from that moment on as a reminder of her determination. She wouldn’t let Naruto and Sasuke join the names carved on that stone.That was her nindo.

Sakura's growth throughout Daughter of Fire is great and realistic all while pointing out aspects from the original series which were flawed and dare I say misogynistic. I struggled a bit in the beginning to justify her abilities, but overall the story is really well done and the ANBU aspects are quite intriguing.

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cut the head off the snake - itsthechocopuff || ao3 || T || time travel AU || complete

when eighteen-year-old, post-war Sakura is thrown back into her tiny, pre-Academy body, she makes a decision. she'd had a childhood once already, and this time, she's more interested in Not Dying when the inevitable shit hits the proverbial fan. so she will work harder, care less, kill more, and smile when she's done.and hey, if she ends up reviving an extinct nature transformation to attract the most corrupt, power-hungry man from her timeline, all the better for her, right?

Such a unique take on a time travel AU and Cut the Head Off the Snake executes it perfectly. Sakura decides that her first order of business is to infiltrate ROOT and that's exactly what she does. Sai, Shin, and Shisui are all great characters and team Ro is present as well. Very good!

.

Flowers - Idunmy || ao3 || E || kakasaku || canon divergence || ongoing

Flowers only bloom just before they wilt When Sakura loses her fight against Ino in her Chuunin exams, she questions her ability to ever become a kunoichi, too weak to protect herself, let alone her village One wrongful promotion later and Sakura gets a second chance in the shape of a mysterious new teacher who against all odds is willing to put her faith in a young girl with potential and a willingness to fight. Or- a fix-it inspired fic where Sakura grows to be the powerhouse she was destined to become.

Flowers is a newer series (which has recent updates) and I love it! Critiques are made towards the medical ninja training, which I believe needed to be discussed and it's refreshing to see. In most ANBU fics I've read, Sakura is immediately put onto the strongest team, but here it's a bit different. She begins on a demolition squad, which not only suits her skill set quite well, but is a realistic approach to how she would be introduced to the corps. Anyway, it's one of my favorite reads at the moment and I really like where the story is going.

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names. - waterpllar || ao3 || T || gen || canon divergence || complete

There are no names or faces in ANBU. Everything is designed to be strictly formal, efficient and professional. A recently orphaned Sakura, however, learns that some regulations aren't meant to be followed, and finds a place in Team Ro after being shunned from her former teammates. (fic prompt from anon on tumblr: orphaned sakura in anbu with yamato, genma, and team ro.)

AHHHH poor Sakura. After her parents' death Sakura seeks Tsunade's help out of desperation to become useful. Under recommendation, Sakura's new goal is to make it into ANBU.

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Equinox - FM_White || ao3 || itasaku || M || anbu AU || complete

ItaSaku (Post Uchiha Massacre) AU: Climbing through the ranks of Konoha, Sakura finds herself with the invitation to join ANBU and a chance to learn from one of the most renowned and legendary ninja in the world. Despite her efforts to grow stronger however, she finds the world isn't as black and white as it looks and that some truths are easier to hide than others.

I don't remember Equinox very well, but I love most works by this author sooo. Anyway, Itachi stays in Konoha and instead it's Sasuke that goes rougue. Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru are newly joined ANBU members and all placed on a team with Itachi and things go from there.

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stars in our eyes as we dream of the heavens (the gods walk among us, sweet child, do not forget) - snickiebear || ao3 || kakasaku || T || age-swap AU || oneshot complete

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto whispered, staring at his teacher, horror plain on his face. “You’re married?” Lazily, Kakashi looked down at his gloveless hand where his ring rested, “It would appear so.”

Sakura is born in the same generation as Kakashi and turns out as a badass ANBU married to him. This is super wholesome as it's a lot of the two of them bonding with Kakashi's genin team (Sai makes three) in an effort to help them out. It's a series so you can read more of the events taking place prior to the fic.

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Anachronistic Drift  - Elesrea  || ffn || gen || T || time travel AU || incomplete

Her plan was flawless. Save Shisui. Save the world. Time-travel, Sakura-centric AU

Sakura spends years training to be sent back in time and save the world from Sasuke. She isn't in ANBU, but rather poses as one in order to keep an anonymous status on her doings both in and out of the village.

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Sakura - lilac haze || ffn/ao3 || M || minasaku || time travel AU || complete

AU. Non-Canon. Time Travel. Please see inside for full warnings. Cross posted on Ao3. On his deathbed he was granted eternal peace and place to rest for all of time. Of course that was not appealing to him. Ever unpredictable to the end he had a counter offer. One that the Sage had to consider. In which Sakura's going to have a rough time. A really rough time.

Sakura is probably one of my all time favorite fics because the emotions are just spectacular. The story is pretty heavy on ANBU and ROOT aspects, which I always enjoy, but I wouldn't say it's a major focus. However, there is an emphasis on the unfair treatment towards kunoichi. Anyway, the characterizations and storytelling are beautifully done. Please share this author some love.

Check TWs before hand!!

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Hope y'all enjoy these recs, and please feel free to send me some if you have any!!!! I really appreciate when you do :)

[fics-lovebot]

fic recs masterlist

Hello!, here I´ll be constantly adding recs to each m.list so make sure to check it out often for new stuff ;) btw, eeeeverything in here I recommend with my eyes closed and would 100% re-read so,, enjoy!

pls remember to reblog if you like any of my recs, luv you and thank you ♡ ྀི

3rd gen

♡ BTS - LAST UPDATED: 14/11/2024

♡ SEVENTEEN

♡ MONSTA X

♡ NCT 127 / DREAM / WAY V

4th gen

♡ ATEEZ - LAST UPDATED: 18/11/2024

♡ TXT

♡ STRAY KIDS

♡ THE BOYZ

♡ ENHYPEN - LAST UPDATED: 19/11/2024

5th gen

♡ BOYNEXTDOOR

♡ RIIZE

♡JUJUTSU KAISEN - LAST UPDATED: 19/11/2024

♡ONE PIECE

♡NARUTO

♡KIMETSU NO YAIBA

♡BUNGYO STRAY DOGS

♡HAIKYUU

♡NOT FANDOM RELATED

[cactusspatz]

May recs

So May turned into my biennial swing through Naruto fandom (have I ever seen a single episode? nope), during which I managed to fall down the Madara/Tobirama rabbit hole - which is a very fun time if you enjoy extreme competency and enemies-to-lovers! Also I've got some Kakashi/Iruka fic, and a couple of Guardian fics for Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan. More recs at Pinboard as well!

NARUTO - FOUNDERS ERA

As Is the Sea Marvelous by blackkat

Tobirama is willing to give absolutely anything for Hashirama and his dream.

AKA the fic that started me down this rabbit hole. Blackkat is so dangerous with the gateway drug fics like that - this is a great canon AU aimed directly at my id where Tobirama surrenders to the Uchiha in hopes of stopping an escalation of the war after he wounds Izuna.

and all the fire's at your fingertips by pandaflower

Tobirama is elbow deep in a stealth mission in Wind Country when he runs into a shinobi squad toting a stolen Uchiha child. Tobirama disapproves.

Charming gen competence porn/kidfic adventure.

With Enemies Like These by sarkasticfics

After a serious and devastating attack, the Uchiha are in desperate need of a sealmaster. Unfortunately for them, the best candidate happens to be from the Senju clan. Fortunately for them, he doesn't seem all that inclined to act like an enemy. Which is lucky because, as it turns out, there are plenty of other adversaries making moves in Fire Country - both the clans will need to make new friends to survive. Madara would have been content if his new husband tolerated him and helped his clan stay safe. He doesn't quite know what to do with the fact that his husband doesn't stop there.

Jam-packed with competence and tropes, just the way I like it - and there's some incredibly lovely moments as they reconcile with their clans' bloody pasts.

Count Your Blessings by madmothmadame

The war is over. Tobirama ended it when he put his sword through Izuna's center mass. But where war had united the Senju behind their leader, peace threatened to tear them apart. And who better for the warmongers to look to as a leader than the greatest killer of Uchiha they had ever seen? There were only two problems with that plan. One, Tobirama would never, ever, betray his elder brother. Two, he may or may not have a surprisingly not dead Uchiha Izuna in a coma in his guest room, hiding the secret of resurrection that Tobirama needs with everything he is. Now if only he would wake.

Deliciously epic. The inciting incident is very hand-wavey (having been inspired by another fic), but the follow-through in worldbuilding around Konoha's founding, the metric truckload of feels, and the twisty political intrigue makes for a great read. Be warned, there's like 250K of hurt before it gets to any sort of comfort, so maybe save it for a long rainy day if you don't want to suffer (like me). Also, the ship is pretty background, so don't expect much romance - but the gen relationships are fantastic and crunchy.

NARUTO - CANON ERA

for the record by ohwickedsoul

Asuma looks from Anko, who is laser-focused in a way rarely seen outside missions, and Iruka’s bewildered face. “Holy shit,” he says. “You’ve seen Kakashi’s face.”

The ending is TRUE ROMANCE, OKAY. And hilarious!

It's Amazing Who You Stumble Into (along the road of life) by vulcanhighblood

Hatake Kakashi and Umino Iruka have been part of each other's lives for a long time. A lot longer than Iruka realizes, anyway. Kakashi recognizes this is something of a problem, but only once it's too late to do anything about it. OR How To Make Your Secret Identity Friend Your Real-Life Boyfriend: A Shinobi's Guide To How Not To Romance

In which they keep running into each other over the years, complicated by Kakashi being ANBU for the first half of it. I loved the varied assortment of meetings, and the way they kept trading off on helping each other (physically, medically, emotionally).

GUARDIAN

Breaking Point by musicalluna & nightwalker

Zhao Yunlan is having a really terrible week, and it just gets worse when he starts to think Shen Wei has gotten tired of his bullshit.

Fantastic post-canon piece where the boys really need to communicate, and the universe/work is not helping. Excellent characterization and some brutally good relationship fights - but they figure it out in the end.

However deep the Lake by elenothar

Zhao Yunlan finds out a lot earlier that the Envoy isn't as invulnerable as he seems.

Classic h/c story where they're taken captive together in Episode 4.

[occasionalsnippets]

Do you have any new fic recs?

Uhh no notes for this time because i'm busy but fic rec part 2 :)

again mix of stuff, gen, romance, x reader, etc etc. some of the crossovers are in random sections b/c i can't be bothered to have a whole separate thing for each crossover

check back in like 2 years maybe for another list

Mashle

Mashig! [Quotev]

Easton’s Prefect Trio and a Round of Old Maid [AO3]

KNY

Determination [Quotev]

Candid [Quotev]

beware the dust devil. [AO3]

The life and times of Kibutsuji Muzan, Bored Immortal Guy [AO3]

the awakening of the demon king [AO3]

BNHA

An Unexpected Training Trip [AO3] [Naruto crossover]

The Future's Keeper [Quotev]

Record of Ragnorak

Ganymede [Quotev]

Obey Me

The Idiot [Quotev]

One Piece

World-Seeing Eyes [Quotev]

Black Butler

my soul, you know it aches for you [Quotev]

DC

Hush, little baby, don't say a word [AO3]

The Art of Mortal Quests [AO3] [Percy Jackson Crossover]

what goes around [AO3]

Ain't No Compass, Ain't No Map [AO3]

DP x DC

Unable to Forward [AO3]

The Peacock Chronicles [AO3]

Putting the Joy in Joyride [AO3]

Dead Man Walking [AO3]

If You Give a Bat a Burger [AO3]

Danny the Intern [AO3]

Wait, I'm a what? [AO3

Ghost in the Morgue [AO3]

Bus to Nowhere [AO3]

DC x Marvel

Untangling the Web [AO3]

Help Me, I Don't Feel Like Myself Anymore [AO3]

Spider and Bat Friends [AO3]

Dark Matter [AO3]

Undertale

Ghost Hunting With Skeletons [AO3]

Help, I've Fallen Into a Surveillance State and I Can't Get Up! [AO3]

Turn The Page [AO3]

with you here between [AO3]

bon courage [AO3]

JJBA

passione speedrun any percent (world record) [AO3]

Naruto

Healthy Coping Mechanisms [AO3]

Last Resort [AO3] [DC crossover]

complete disarray [AO3]

Morpheme [AO3]

JJK

limited vision [AO3]

obito and jjk is occupying my brain and in this essay i will [AO3] [Naruto crossover]

TWST

Team Building Exercises [AO3]

You Will Understand Now That Yours Is Unique in All the World [AO3]

Isekai as the Side Character Destined for Intoxication [AO3]

the seven habits of highly unfortunate souls: a transmigrator’s guide to the coral sea [AO3]

Debut or Die

I must debut (or die) [AO3]

RESET [AO3]

Vacation [AO3]

Date or Die! [AO3]

Shokugeki no Soma

and only the bitterness remains. [AO3]

SVSSS

The Cultivating Force [AO3] [Star Wars crossover]

Misinformation [AO3]

Master of Dual Cultivation [AO3]

Scum Villain's White Lotus Halo [AO3]

how to avoid love for dummies [AO3]

ORV

bet i made you look [AO3]

The Reborn Villainess Can't Possibly Be This Cute! [AO3]

One Kim Dokja to Rule them All [AO3]

you got me starstruck [AO3]

“You are loved,” said Yoo Jonghyuk. “This is a threat,” said Yoo Jonghyuk. [AO3]

TCF

black dragons and white crowns [AO3]

THE GOD'S SYSTEM [AO3]

What Lies ahead [AO3]

Amaranthine [AO3]

Treasure of the (Vampire) Duke's Family?! [AO3]

The Distress of the Middleman [AO3]

everybody talks [AO3]

0% Love [AO3]

Genshin Impact

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑑 [AO3]

Bleach

living, not breathing [AO3]

The Fourth Seat [AO3]

Indelible Stains [AO3]

半个花瓣 || Petal Fragment [AO3]

Nothing but the Truth [AO3]

Chilled Peaches [AO3]

Not exactly pushing daisies [AO3]

Bait and Switch [AO3]

The Unfought [AO3]

Sight [AO3]

Swinging Pendulum [AO3]

KnB

Ball Is Life, But You Still Need To Pay Rent [AO3]

Tokyo Revengers

all for one [AO3]

if trouble must come (let it come) [AO3]

Marbled Elbows [AO3]

Original

Chain Me Up, Darling [Quotev]

Anomalous [Quotev]

[imgeekgirlfan]

Down The Road (F1 x Reader) SMAU Season 1

>> Down The Road 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

➡  Previous Part : Next Part

Taglist: @raizelchrysanderoctavius , @laura-naruto-fan1998 , @jpg3 , @tsukishimawhore , @minkyungseokie , @roseseraj , @bbhyuneee , @omgsuperstarg (If you want to be added in this fic, just tell me in reply )

A/N : I'm trying to write in time for the #QatarGP because I want the storyline in Part 2 to continue in real-time (spoiler alert: from Episode 3 onwards, there will be a one-year time skip). I hope you enjoy the racing and the fic too. If you do, don't forget to like and reblog. It's great encouragement for me, who has been sitting with a sore back at the computer for hours to write this SMAU fic

note ; age-gap, a bit of mentor/student relationship

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Season 1 : ── 𝐃𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐬 ── (Lewis Hamilton x Reader) S1 : E02 𝐾-𝑝𝑜𝑝 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟

Beyond the thrilling competition on the F1 track, the off-track relationships of F1 drivers have also become an exciting topic for fans. That's precisely what's happening with Y/N, a rising star in motorsport, whose relationship with Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion, is being closely watched. Is it real, or is it just a theory from fans? It's a tough question to answer definitively, as only they can shed light on the situation.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Source : GQ Sports (On YouTube)

On this episode of "Actually Me" Formula 1 driver Y/N goes undercover on the internet and responds to real comments from fans on Twitter, Instagram, Wikipedia, Reddit, YouTube, and TikTok. How does it feel to be the only woman racing in Formula 1 today? How does she handle the pressure of competing in a male-dominated sport? Which driver is she closest to? And the most pressing question everyone wants to know : What is the true nature of her relationship with Lewis Hamilton? Are they friends, colleagues, competitors, or something more?

For this final question, she simply laughs and replies cryptically, “You guys should ask him (rather than asking me), because I’m curious too.”

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Source : Formula 1: Drive to Survive (On Netflix)

In the show “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” Lewis Hamilton finally opens up about his relationship with Y/N for the first time after it became a hot topic on Twitter world recently. Hamilton said “It’s hard to explain, but we have a very special bond because we’ve known each other for a long time,” He further defined her as the ‘special one’ in his life, yet he still remained enigmatic regarding whether their relationship contains romantic aspect or not.

Additionally, he delves into their personal closeness, mentioning that Y/N is very much a Gen Z personified, enjoying Twitter and often sending funny memes to everyone. He humorously reveals that she sometimes replies to him "OK Boomer," when he doesn't quite grasp the memes she sends.

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Source : Lewis Hamilton's Instagram Story (update)

Lewis Hamilton posted a picture of himself wearing friendship bracelets and tagging @Y/N on Instagram Story before deleting it 11 minutes after

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Source : Twitter (update)

Rumors about a romantic relationship between Y/N and Lewis Hamilton started circulating after a Twitter exchange between the two, leading fans to speculate and gather evidence suggesting they might be dating.

This wave of speculation has received both positive and negative reactions from fans. Some fans disagree with the dating rumors, while others support them. drawing parallels to the F1 version of Tom Holland and Zendaya

While the rumors have been hot topics among F1 fans on Twitter, there has been no confirmation from either Y/N or Hamilton.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Source : Y/N’s instagram (update)

"Get in, loser We're going to do hotlap"

Y/N posted on Instagram that she will be doing a hot lap for the team's VIP guest in #QatarGP There's speculation that the guest might be a fellow racing driver like Alex, Albon, or George Russell, especially after she previously did a hot lap with Russell without any sign of Lewis Hamilton

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Source : Lewis Hamilton's instagram (update)

"Ready to go with the winner @Y/N"

Lewis Hamilton posted on Instagram, confirming that he is the VIP guest who will get a hot lap with Y/N. Followed by a massive response from fellow F1 drivers and fans who are closely watching their relationship.

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Source : Y/N and Lewis Hamilton's instagram (update)

Y/N and Lewis Hamilton have arrived at the Lusail International Circuit to prepare for the #QatarGP race tonight. The media has been informed by their respective teams that there will be no interviews or comments regarding the rumors about them. They will solely focus on their performance in this race.

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Source : @PopBase

Reportedly the famous spanish singer Úrsula attended the Formula 1 race at #QatarGP amidst fresh rumors among fans that she might be rekindling her relationship with Y/N. This comes after her recent divorce from the Hollywood actor last month.

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𝙏𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙙 (in the next chapter)

If you like it, don't forget to like and reblog for me.

Cr.https://x.com/PopBase/status/1708629114025116047?s=20https://twitter.com/GridRivalhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b025AznQiGk&ab_channel=GQSportshttps://www.instagram.com/p/CyBimW-Ocyr/

[eularin]

I never thought finding anti konoha fics would be this hard (really good ones, with Sasuke-centric without having any idolization of It*chi, or try to convince us and convince Sasuke that the Massacre was necessary (or not that important), or diminish it completely; or that aren't Sak*ra harem with all the Uchihas; or SasuH*na; or that doesn't portray Sasuke as being a terrible jerk who mistreats poor little Team 7; etc.) - 😩

It's really hard to find any fic that focuses specifically on Sasuke saying "fuck Konoha! bye". It's sad that his trauma is always downplayed so he can return to the village as if all those years of chasing to get justice for his clan ended with him regretting pursuing his justice. (and killing It*chi, but in my opinion It*chi deserved it bc he chose the path of gen*cide). I know there are some lost gems on ao3, but it's so few.

edit1: I'm actually going through a phase where I just want to read a fic or several fics where everyone criticizes and hates Konoha and DOES something about it. (like destroying or setting it on fire). You know Konoha deserves it.

I'm currently looking for Sasuke centric bc he deserves his moment to properly vent his anger on that village and also bc I've read countless fics where Naruto turns against the village.

I'll keep looking, who knows maybe I'll make a keepsake list later to share my precious (and scarce) gems with you

[olderthannetfic]

why do some popular things have such small fandoms, in your opinion? like, John Wick is incredibly popular but has less than 2k fics on ao3 and there doesn't seem to be a big fandom presence on tumblr. there's shows with 10+ seasons that have incredibly small fandoms as well.

i know not every fandom is going to be, say, Harry Potter or Supernatural levels (especially if it's an older show and fics have been lost to time- i've heard ER lost quite a lot) but it's just... odd to me, i guess.

--

The majority of things don't get fanfic fandoms.

There are some trends though. Certain genres are more likely to generate them than others. SFF is pretty likely. Crime dramas are reasonably likely, whether that's people slashing buddy cops on AO3 or lead canon het on FFN.

Incomplete-feeling canons are a bit more likely, usually due to plot holes or a crappy ending that people want to fix—but not so crappy that everyone just gives up in disgust.

Relatedly, things where the art part isn't too intimidating are more likely than ones where the big draw is that author's exact way of writing or the fantastically subtle and moving acting in some arty movie about social issues.

Serial media are way, way more likely to generate a fic fandom than one-offs, and having a certain number of hiatuses but not ones that are too long helps. You want some gaps where people have time to make stuff before it's instantly jossed, but you do need new canon to reinvigorate a fandom periodically.

Things just being well known by lots of people does help relative to a similar canon that few people saw, but exact audience size isn't the main factor.

Some tasty character dynamics help a lot. Maybe shippy, maybe more found family. A world that people want to play more with also helps. Even the gen-focused fandoms tend to care a lot about the latter two. They don't just write about any old canon. There have to be certain hooks.

--

John Wick does seem like it fits some of the standard criteria. There's more than one movie. It's fun, dumb genre stuff, not super high art.

TBH, having more than like 5 fics already means it's a success as a fic fandom, so part of it is just your frame of reference. I know you say you don't expect HP, but you should be expecting the norm to be way under 100 fics, not nearly 2k. That's part of it.

But I suspect the big reason is that a lot of people find the films relatively complete as-is.

They're set in the real world (-ish), so the setting isn't that interesting to explore with a bunch of OCs in the way that people write their own HP or Naruto casts. People like the lead, but I don't think they fixate on his relationships to other characters. (Checking AO3, it looks like some people are writing basically John/self, which makes sense.)

For much of the audience, it's all about watching him use a lot of guns. So many guns. All of the guns.

Once the big screen spectacle is done, I don't know that people really want more unless it's more action movies with more visual awesomeness.

IDK, I don't think I've seen any of these beyond some clips, so maybe I'm missing something.