#genuinely one of my favorite moments in naruto

[everyizuna]

[straycalamities]

Hello, how are you

Why do you Like Entre and Swag?

i’ve been sick almost the entire past week but i think im getting better

do you mean as a relationship? ho boy. well, first of all, seeing as a lot of ships ive gotten into after it end up sharing a lot of similarities, i think its safe to say it became one of my favorite ship dynamics period

this got long fast

enemies/rivals-to-lovers isn’t anything new for me seeing as i dedicated, on-and-off, 8+ years to naruto and sasuke as one of my first hardcore ships that i still enjoy

and in general i just really like ships between characters who bicker and banter a lot (vash and wolfwood from trigun being a perfect example of this) but still being something more significant to each other than either of them truly realize until it sinks in either slowly or forcefully

and especially as i’ve grown older, i’ve gotten more and more and more interested in the intricacies and complications of having two very…hmmm damaged? i guess? personalities trying to find something that works because they need it to

which the other two ships have as well, but in a more “toxic yaoi” way, ya feel? LMAO like! hannibal and will graham from the hit show :) which that came after swagtre but it still stands as it got me to appreciate that aspect of their relationship even more than i did

swagtre is in no way synonymous to hannigram. hannigram is on a different level of delicious toxic yaoi, BUT it goes to show what ive opened up my ship palate to voraciously

even so, that’s moreso the early stage of their relationship, which is fun! but also not the whole story

i guess the main thing that initially drew me in was that i’ve always had a weakness for characters like swag. he’s so full of bravado, performative self-interest, defusing every little thing with a joke, and all the while coming off as a destructive idiotic selfish little brat. meanwhile the truth that resides is much deeper than that. that he does care, he just doesn’t know how, so he does his best which…is easily overlooked because he’s uncomfortable with being seen for being genuine in any way because it makes him feel vulnerable and blah blah this ain’t a swag study

but anyways truffula flu made me like him a normal amount! :)

then there’s entre who wears his heart on his sleeve moreso. he’s always been more honestly reactive, that’s why his mainverse it’s so fun to pick on him, and it didn’t get numbed by the apocalypse all that much. entres also a guy who takes things for face value at first. then there’s also the fact he used to have such a hero/senpai-crush on swag before the whole thing even happened and they’d even became pretty friendly acquaintances

and now he’s having to wrestle with the fact everyone who used to like him, hates him, except dave and bitter. and anyone else that might? probably dead. and of course! why wouldn’t they? his big mistake that cost the world

and swag is the loudest reminder of them all. forcibly inching and digging and clawing his way into entres psyche and mind until he finds himself using all of swags same words at himself during moments of self-hatred. self-hatred that’s been there all his life but now it has a burning world to reference. and swags voice mingling with his mother’s.

and entre may get defensive and bite back and try to turn things around on swag, but he can never truly say swags wrong. because he’s not! entre fucked up everyone else’s lives over a deeply selfish and shallowly thought-through decision. and even if swag is also a capitalist self-serving asshole, well he only destroyed his own environment, he didn’t end civilization as they know it

and that just makes it worse than the preachy “hippie” types that used to nag at him before. someone who’s in his same ilk is now berating him

and while entres never Not risen to rage-bait. he absolutely never took the phrase “don’t feed the trolls” to heart, he also has deeper reasons why with swag he always throws himself at the opportunity to try and defend or twist things, because it’s hitting him so much harder than everyone else (besides 72)

so yes, when swag keeps saying entres obsessed with him, he’s actually right! entre IS and has been since swag forced the jester hat on him and paraded him around camp as a spectacle. one that he can never truly deny that he deserves

i also think we should go back to entres pre-apocalypse feelings about swag because it’s important to note that entre wanted to Be swag. he looked at swag and saw the man he wanted to grow into. maybe less childish and gross, but the charisma behind it all, the way that even despite that, he had so many wrapped around his finger and every word

and the thing with early entre, is he always directly compared himself with other oncelers. sizing himself up against them and like…really it just makes sense right? to him, they were all iterations of himself, achieving and accomplishing or even failing different things. and even if at first the multiverse unnerved him, he started to use it to his advantage. i mean he got 72 to mentor him, he was lifting tips n tricks off others like swag, and he was directly taking notes on how Not to be off others (One, Bitter, Strangecase, Stone (sorry man ilu) and more bc this list is longer than the idol list LMAO)

so thats just more to really hammer in how intrinsic to entres identity swag became and it became more palpable in the worst way in truffula flu

this is all as an aside to the crushing guilt of his giant mistake itself but we all know how he feels abt that

and for swag, i mean don’t take my word here as word of god because i don’t THINK my theory here is confirmed to be canon, but im pretty sure he saw himself in entre as well. like it went both ways. and swag felt fear AND i guess relief? if that makes sense that it was entre instead of him. like this guy is very much Like him and any of them coulda done this, but it was entre, not swag. and that’s why swag is very insistent on not letting entre forget it, because deep down he’s terrified that it could’ve been him if entre hadn’t done it first

and so he looks down on him and beats him even further down as a way to kinda uhhh make himself feel better? except it doesnt. it never makes him feel better but it DOES make him feel not as worse as he could, or thinks he could if he just let the guy go after daring to make such a fool of himself in front of everyone

i think, as much as entre sees himself and how he wants himself to be in swag, swag sees himself in entre and what he doesn't want to be. and entre changes it to him seeing all the stuff he doesn't like about swag, the pieces of him he doesn't want to mimic because he refuses to continue to admit to himself that he still envies and looks up to the man swag is, because even at the end of the world, he's one of the few who seems to have something figured out that works for him. he actually seems to enjoy himself in this hell. he seems to feel free to find happiness and entre couldnt be more envious of that

but then as more and more people crowd into their camp, and they get to a baseline and learn the uhhh capabilities of their survival companions, they also learn to realize that they operate on the same wavelength the most even if neither of them admit it. obviously everyone wants out of this hell, but i dont think any of them tenaciously chase after that ambition as much as swag and entre do, for their own reasons

most of the rest of the camp has taken a sort of acceptance to the situation either in a pragmatic or pessimistic way. and of course nobody wants this to stay the way it is, but they don't have that sort of...all-encompassing fire to find a way to reverse their situations as much as swag and entre. i mean we did have bitter's optimism for a bit there, but he was doomed so like...what other option did he have other than believing in entre, but it was absolutely rooted in nothing. even entre knew that.entre especially knew that. bitter was deteriorating the fastest he'd ever seen it and if he hadn't been able to find a way to slow it down in the other ppl who took weeks to turn, then what was he going to do for the guy taking days?

so all bitter's optimism did was make entre feel sicker with guilt for everything and completely drove the little grip he had on hope into the ground. especially by making him take his first un-turned life. especially because, i think we have to address this here to fully understand why entre goes the way he does afterwards: bitter was never truly bitter to entre. bitter was himself. bitter was the likely future entre saw himself walking towards. out of every other onceler further ahead along from him, successful or aftermath or otherwise, bitter felt the most real for him

bitter was always his own failure even before it happened literally and live right before his eyes. that's always what he meant to entre even in mainverse/pre-truffula flu. that's why he made such a dedication to trying to butt his way into bitter's life. that's why he spoiled him and wormed his way into his heart, because he was trying to put that energy out there that one day, if this were to become literally his fate, someone would do this for him as well. or maybe he'd put enough good karma out there with doing this for bitter, that this wouldn't even become him at all!

that is exactly why entre was so stricken after his death. that's why it hurt and broke him so hard. he didn't know bitter long enough for his cries of "he's my best friend!" to fully be true. if anyone was entre's best friend at the time, it was 72, or dave, or his own mother. it was not bitter, bitter was his pet project. bitter was the poisoned dart that seared in striking him, and slowly ate at him after he was gone. bitter was him fully being unable to run from the consequences and culpability of his own actions. because now this was something that was clearly, unignorably, happening right in front of his eyes and now the blood was directly on his hands

bitter was his future self and his sealed demise that came with it. bitter was his destroyed future. bitter was his own mortality.

entre does come to realize something akin to this later on, but i guess i didn't make it understandable enough because i think a lot of people missed that this was the true narrative going on underneath the surface. which is my bad and on me, i could've done a better job, but ya. this was always my intention and it's a very key part in understanding why entre is the way he becomes and does what he does afterwards

which, back to swag, is his doing to entre. because swag does strong-arm him into and making him believe there was no alternative to entre killing bitter who swag DID, as anyone else did at the time, believe entre's statement that entre saw him as his best friend, but that also meant that was even more entre's problem to solve to him. and it's something entre finds hard to forgive swag for for a while after, even as his own guilt berates him for his own involvement in creating this fate for bitter, there's always that part of him that blames swag for forcing him to actually face the consequences of his actions. because, as most oncelers, entre doesnt like that very much LMAO

and yet despite it all, it still, in its own twisted way, makes him feel the most seen by swag. if that makes sense?? especially as 72 made it abundantly clear he was disappointed in him and didn't even seem to know who entre really was anymore. the survival needs and guilt had warped entre towards a vitriolic survivalist away from that bright eyed young man that he had taken in.

and then of course, nobody else really seemed to want to push a deeper connection with him at the time for this or that reason. so he had dave, who he personally saw as still just an employee so of course dave was with him and on his side, he had that employee loyalty. dave became his right hand, but that also meant that entre felt that he couldnt confide as much in dave because it's hard to explain but it's like...since dave was working FOR him, he didn't want to muddle it up with personal feelings to keep dave sharp. that's what entre thought at the time anyways

and so, for better or worse (mainly worse) who stuck around and kept nosing endlessly into entre's business and his life and burying himself in his side like a thorn he couldnt remove and absolutely couldnt forget. well that was swag.

in this sort of fucked up whirlwind...swag became the most emotionally significant person in entre's life. especially as swag started to show that he DID gave at least half a shit. and after their shouting matches that got swag to admit this little tip of the iceberg or that. entre did get to wondering what else there was going on underneath that. it became something he wanted to dig at to find out.

despite how they bickered and butted heads, entre always felt more comfy telling swag things he wouldnt or would no longer tell anyone else. swag's little bits of sympathy or lightheartedness became little crumbs of something that entre subsisted off of to keep going, because, despite everything, he still looked up to him. he still admired him and what he was capable of and what he could do. and how he didnt seem to let anything that was going on bring him down. he kept his shine.

and for swag (again not word of god here) i think he liked that entre DID butt against him. obviously he had fun with rocky and one. but (and this IS word of god/confirmed canon) they weren't as much his friends as he touted they were. swag struggles creating (and especially maintaining) close relationships. they make him vulnerable and they come with stakes and things to lose. so swag always kept his relationships fair-weathered and shallow. (aside from just not knowing how to be genuinely real and vulnerable with people in a way that COULD cultivate a close relationship) he sure did say and shallowly BELIEVED they were deeper than what they were, but deep down...he had an idea that were push come to shove...he wouldnt mourn anyone as much as your normal guy would mourn his true friends and he felt that it was mutual.

so as much as he ran away from it, swag felt very alone. swag always has issues with loneliness and that's why he throws himself from person to person and has to be the loudest and brightest and funniest in the room. and hey even if you hate what youre hearing and seeing, he's still got your attention. and that can be good enough when it comes down to it. (end of word of god/confirmed canon swag stuff)

but yeah i think that...not that rocky or one were yes-men or anything, but i mean they kinda just worked with his antics and like okay yeah here we go, swag stuff again yay(or nay) but entre always was fighting it. he didnt just accept swag entirely for this way or that, he was always critiquing, always challenging, always prodding back as strongly as swag prodded him. and i think that change of pace is what kept swag coming back over and over beyond the other stuff i said earlier

and like...as the guy at the center of it all, i think even swag said it himself at some point, if anyone knew how to get them back out of this mess it was him. and as swag said: he saw entre as a way better leader than him. even if it personally irked and annoyed him, himself when it happened to him. entre clearly had figured out his stuff and what he'd say had merit (just not with swag who always knew better for himself)

so if entre saw swag as the better leader for his charisma and weird optimism, then swag saw entre as the better one for his pragmatism and his knack for staying rational most of the time. i think that's also why entre's slip in lucidity bothered swag a whole lot because...if entre couldn't be the rational one, they were screwed. he'd gotten used to entre being a kinda...logical pillar to bounce off of, so if he was losing his touch with reality, that was going to doom the lot of them (even him). it's also with (word of god) swag's deep deep fear of abandonment so...if entre abandons his own senses, he's abandoning Swag and that Cannot Happen

this is a whole lot but its really hard for me to explain the why FULLY without dragging out all the nuances and complexities to their relationship because THAT'S WHY!!! it's SOOO complex and there's so many layers and nuances to everything that had to keep working in a certain way to go in a positive direction or else it all fell apart, as we saw, over and over

they both have so many issues that hold them back in ways and then theyre both so damn stubborn that it ended up making them even getting along as FRIENDS a damn slow-burn (and i am, always, a sucker for a slow-burn. one of my main weaknesses in a ship)

you can see they both end up wanting that, even if neither of them would admit it. but they both, as businessmen, saw their cooperation as fruitful for the success of themselves and the camp. it was just all this other baggage going on making it hard

so then we get the hospital. where rocky gets his harsh taste of the reality of their situation and he gets HIS humble pie of his own mortality, pushing him away from swag who remains reckless. and then entre, feeling ostracized from literally everyone and even having a hard conversation with 72 in the elevator, when it all comes down to it, and they seem doomed. he lets himself be weak and falls a bit into swag. and this is where it changes a lot of things for entre. this moment of weakness he was pushed into by fearing it was this or never.

because obviously they get saved and then it's swag losing his foot or getting left behind for zombie-chow and OBVIOUSLY the latter isnt an option so...entre makes that call and then cant go through with it because swag's fear is shaking him to his core in a way he never thought would happen. like he let himself get weak and it's immediately striking him in a soft spot that changes him for the rest of the story

i think it's here where he gets that kinda "oh..." deep deep down. that wow. yeah. swag is much more significant to him than previously believed. that leads into the hardware store where slowly and surely, swag becomes his precious possession. swag's the only one that believes in him. swag's the only one that understands him. swag's the only one he wants to be around. nobody can touch or harm swag but him. swag is his responsibility. swag is his, his, his.

and this is very very poisoned by entre's deteriorating state of mind and emotional health. the man is a long-coming disaster finally starting to collapse on himself. and the centerpin of it all is keeping swag safe and to himself because swag's the only good he sees right now in this hell of a world. swag's words become law in his mind. if swag says he has to be more of a leader, more assertive, he'll take that and run marathons with it. anything to make swag proud of him

because that's another thing is entre has just...always chased someone being proud of him or happy with him. or that he was doing good or whatever. a common onceler problem with the way that Once-ler Mama just Is but yes...it's always been a big deal for entre. he's terrified of failure. and he's terrified of disappointing people who mean something to him. so he'll do whatever it takes to make swag proud and it's not like the rest of thee camp know better than Him what's the Greater Good for them, of course. he's the leader. he's the one who created all this. this is his world and he knows everything about it better than anyone.

meanwhile swag's too fucked up on having his wings finally clipped after leaving off the high of true and total freedom for so long. that he has to stew with no escapism and let the reality of his life as it is now sink in. old ghosts start to catch up to him and new horrors start to sink in. that and the pain meds of course, but through it all, he's still operating on that trust he's placed in entre. entre's a weirdo, but he always takes care of him and spoils him as much as he can. and it makes swag not wanna question, not that he has a leg to stand on (ha) currently anyways when it comes to that. he doesnt know anything going on outside his door. and to be honest, i think that's the part of this shitty situation that he likes. he's clearly tired and been tired of feeling responsible for other people, but he also cant help himself because of his deep need to try and keep as many people in his life as possible because that means the ones that leave have a lot more replacements

but yeah obviously when he gets out and suddenly everyone is his responsibility again and it's up to him to be the hero (in his perspective) he puts entre in his place in the only way he knows how, but at this point...he's reached an understanding of entre and entre HAS become more significant to him than just a business partner. and he's starting to act on the parts of entre he can see in himself and so despite entre fucking up (yet again) he sees it as entre just trying to do what he was guided to in the best way he could manage and swag has little issue just being like ok you fucked up but who cares about that anymore

he has a better understanding on how entre thinks and what he wants (not a great one but a better one) and i think he knows that to endlessly punish entre and leave him alone would just make him way worse and so he decides to stick with him himself (i also think this is also swag's abandonment issues)

i don't think has very recognizable romantic feelings for entre at this point, but entre very much does for swag. so this keeps entre on his feet as much as it can despite the whole spectacle of it being something that'd drive him, any other time, to a long walk off a short pier. but it had to be a spectacle for swag because he had to show to everyone that hey hes here and hes the one fixing things! youre welcome!

but it's still a harrowing experience that strip entre down to the bone and he might be at his lowest he's been since bitter. maybe even lower, but then the prisma event happens and, if entre's event stripped entre to the bone, swag's stripped swag to the marrow

and if there's one thing about entre, it's fixing problems that aren't his own is one of the best ways to keep him moving. even if to anyone else, what swag's been doing this entire time for entre is the Absolute Bare Minimum, in entre's persective, with what he knows and observes from swag, it's worlds and worlds. so when the tables turn, entre feels like it's his turn to give back. and maybe the tables didnt entirely turn on their own, but entre pushed them to. he spun it.

swag was already knocked down a peg by losing his foot, but losing his emotional stability, his comfort, his optimism in this hopeless world. being abandoned by someone that was more dear to him than the others. that slammed him rockbottom. he stopped caring about if people liked him or not because why bother? they're all going to die or leave anyways. i think he knew sooner than we think that rocky was infected, and one was always him being purposefully obtuse. he knew what his fate was. everyone was going to leave him now. and he refused to care about it anymore

shoving everyone away and hermitting in himself. the same careful practices he berated and mocked entre for are things he'd come up with on his own. he was there to be useful now in a direct way. with practical ideas, survivalism, and physical labor. if there was no more joy or optimism, whatever. they were alive. and his joy didn't get to smile anymore so no one deserved to

i think it was the one-two combo of prisma and rocky that really did swag in because, even if i said he doesnt get Actually close to people, he still considered them his. like those are his people and he's going to lose them all. they're all going to leave him behind on this earth that he's been knew for a while fucking sucked shit, but as long as he got to have fun it hadn't mattered, but now he can't

and entre kinda...accidentally did the best thing he could've for swag at this time. he also felt alone, discarded, from the queen piece on the board to a pawn. and so he clung to the only thing he'd found reliability in over and over for better or worse: swag

in general, in this arc, i was working on him taking this giant blow to his ego as a humbling moment to have him kinda try to make amends and create meaningful relationships (or repair the existing ones) with the others in the camp, but being that he thought none of them wanted anything to do with him, his main focus was always swag. swag was the only one besides dave that he thought without a doubt, wanted him around in some capacity beyond being useful

and it's not that entre is a stranger to only being seen for his usefulness, so he bared down into that otherwise, but having tasted the high life...that's why he stuck to swag. he was back to eating those crumbs like addictive delicacies and they tasted even sweeter this time. they end up becoming very, very codependent on each other. they were before a bit too but here, especially so,

but with entre's tanked self-esteem (and it was already pretty bad before) and his sense of duty and taking responsibility, he takes to his role like a duck to water. but it's kinda...funny bc they both become both roles in a codependent relationship??? so it's like...codependency in its most truest realized form lmao

it's starts especially one way but then entre gets sick and it flips the other way, but entre's still trying to maintain the original set-up. this is also where their relationship becomes physical. from affections kept away from others' eyes, to deeper kinds of intimacy. i think with all that they've lost and are doomed to lose, they find their old coping mechanisms (which were never healthy or actually worked either tbqh lmao) just weren't cutting it anymore so then they turned to other things

with like...needing a more direct and physical and raw way to show each other they're still alive, still here, still significant to each other. swag initiates it more, i think, because while they're both on the asexual spectrum. swag's is demi. so this goes to show just how emotionally important entre's become to him, but also i think it's because of yknow...how he was raised. and for him it's more comfortable to do bedroom stuff with entre than kiss him or rub his shoulders. that stuff's "for girls" (too emotionally vulnerable)

and swag starts to show his care as more of...like a direct invasive thing. where he's not going to let entre abandon him too. he's going to somehow make him better and keep him here as long as he can. and entre's taken to rolling over for nearly everyone because he doesnt feel like he's allowed to stand up for himself and this includes swag because it's clear he's doing it because he cares so it's fine right?

and that's kinda where everyone's idea of them leaves off because we never got to go past that. so i get where people, especially those who aren't a fan of toxicity in their ships, would be confused why people like swagtre so much and even for me, as much as i love a good conflict in my ships, i think if this is all it was, i wouldn't be quite as obsessed as i am. because i'll be honest!! it made me sad quite a lot LMAO but i always did it for the bit (story) above all else. because while i wanted entre to say the magic words or do the magic thing or have the magic realization that would fix it all, that's not a good story

but it really is for the later story that i've gotten so caught up. even before we confirmed the Continued story i was always caught up and daydreaming of where this could go

and i just really really love the growth they've had with each other and how many like...jumps in their characters and stuff they've made with and because of each other. entre would not be who he is today in any iteration without some of the realizations i've made through swagtre and same with swag i know with good authority

and it's just like...it takes so long to get even where we ended it. and they have all these weird labyrinthine bullshit things to work through and against and with to get anywhere. and it goes back and forth. forward and two steps backwards so much. but it's just very interesting to study and even reread or reminisce on. and even think about ways it coulda gone differently idk...i just like ships that give me multiple multiple things to chew on and think about. i like to have a full course meal. no shade to people who like other stuff but yea..that's what i personally enjoy. the more complicated, the more difficulty and personal baggage and issues they have to work through to make it work, the better

and i can't say too much on where it's confirmed to go, because that's yet to be seen (smile emoji) but yes...it gets better and idfk i just eat up to people becoming super significant to each other in an apocalypse especially if they started off hating each other?? damn

and it's addictive seeing swag start to come more and more out of his shell. i say his moments of being genuine, vulnerable, real, and raw and caring were addictive crumbs for entre BUT BITCH ME TOO TF!!!

it drives me NUTS (SLASH HUGE POSITIVE!!!!) i love being a driving force to get to see aspects of a character we wouldnt see otherwise. knowing i had a hand in swag learning things about himself and revealing things about himself he would never in other situations...yum...that's the good shit

but yes so concludes my novel on why i like swagtre including i guess an impromptu summary of their relationship

if you made it all the way to the end god damn man...love ya

[kaethefangirl]

And I'm back, women in anime are depicted so terribly its wild. I just wanted to come and say, fuck elizabeth (nnt/7ds), fuck orihime (bleach), and fuck hinata (naruto, but fuck her a little less cs i kind of like her)

It makes me angry that in almost every shonen, the main character has a personality and a life and things that they go through and have to overcome... and then theres the love interest. Always airheaded, always soft spoken, always kind, with no willpower at all. In bleach, I would ship rukia with ichigo so hard if she wasn't perfect with renji.

Bleach was actually insane because literally every female character had a personaltity except Orihime. I do like that Fairy tail is set apart from the rest because Lucy is kind of sort of the main character so she gets to have a personality too. Fanservice is like an obvious thing that I hate about anime and it takes away so much. If an anime was a 10 before factoring the fan service, it would be brought down to a 7 or 6 afterward. Orihime sucks over all, 2/10 love interest.

I'm pretty sure most of my hate of Winry (Fullmetal Alchemist) is stemmed from the countless anti-winry fanfiction I've read but she's a great standalone character. The only flaws I see in her is that she does the crying for the male mc thing, which is really out of character for her when I think about it. She has willpower, she's strong and independent, if anything she'd be travelling with them and staying strong for them because she understands that she's a liability if she breaks down crying at every bruise they get. That's more in character to me, but I suppose she is also a teenager so... I can't be too mad at her. All in all, Winry is an amazing female love interest. 9/10 love interst/mc.

Haruhi from Ouran Highschool really breaks the stereotype and gives us a refreshing view on women in anime. She wasn't obsessed with love, she didn't really care too much about anything. She wasn't the typical "yells at you for literally anything" female mc, or the "nice shy and airheaded" female mc. She wasn't even unique and I love that, she's genuinely a regular ass girl, and she was so hilarious. She's probably my favorite girl in anime if I'm being honest. 10/10 female love interest/mc.

Let's talk about Elizabeth. Elizabeth from 7ds is such a disgrace.. She sat and let Meliodas molest her and didn't care at all. You can tell when an anime is written by a man, and not to knock ALL anime written by men because there's some amazing ones out there, but things like that just make it so obvious. Diane and her obsession with Meliodas was weird too, it seemed a bit too much like a harem anime in season 1 and bits of season 2. Elizabeth was the typical soft spoken and overly kind love interest that I hate. Not a drop of personality there and then she has to blush with everything she says.. All in all, 0/10 love interest.

Last but not least, my dear Tohru Honda... Words cannot describe how much I love her. On the outside it looked like she was the typical soft spoken and overly kind female mc but she actually blew my mind. Her willpower is incredible, the fact that she stayed after finding out what Kyo really was and refused to leave. It wasn't a weird kind of moment where she was just blushing and refusing to leave because that's what the writers decided she was gonna do, but it was actually a great scene that showed who she was at her core. I loved how at the end of the series she disagreed with Kyo. "I might be nice but I do stand my ground." God, I love Tohru. It's like her kindness was genuine and real and so was her worry and concern for the Sohmas. All in all, 10/10 female love interest/mc.

[ghoste-catte]

I'm on my hands and knees asking you about your favorite gaalee moments (spin offs count bc why wouldn't they)

Anon ... I'm sorry I took a while to answer this for you, but it's because you activated my trap card. But without further ado ... here are my top 10 GaaLee moments.

(My 10th pick and rationale beneath the cut)

The Drop Kick So, I feel like we don't talk about this kick often enough. Because this is actually the first time anyone draws blood on Gaara (we see the scratch on his face once his head pops back up). As much time as was given in canon to Gaara's reaction to Sasuke drawing his blood, I don't really understand why Lee being the first to cut him wasn't as big a deal.

The Primary Lotus This is ... probably the first time Gaara's been touched hand-to-body in years. I've written a few times (and shout out to @egregiousderp for their hand in this headcanon) about how this was probably the first approximation of a hug that Gaara had since Yashamaru. He replaces himself with a sand clone halfway down, but for the initial drop, that's just Lee holding him.

The Rescue I wasn't able to find my favorite screenshot from this moment, which is the one where Gaara's sand is rushing to save Lee and it kind of looks like a heart, but anyway, I just love this pivot. The fact that Gaara uses the very weapon he used to crush Lee's dreams to save him. The way Lee still tries to be an equal partner in this fight despite his injuries. The "I don't hold a grudge!"

The Talk This moment means a lot to me. It's a deep conversation to have, and it's one that happens on two levels that I think aren't fully addressed by the narrative. Of course, on the surface, they're talking about Kimimaro and Orochimaru, but the subtext goes something like: Gaara: Even if people love me, I'm still a monster. All they would need to do is be desperate and lonely enough, and I might seem like a good choice. Lee: The fact that people love you proves you're not a monster! Obviously Gaara gets the final word in this conversation, but I do like to think it sinks in later on and influences their relationship in the future.

The Walk Home I hate that we only get to see this in flashbacks in filler episodes (although we do get to see it twice from two different perspectives!)

But I love this moment because of the way that Gaara chooses to carry Lee: he slings him over his shoulder with one arm. If you go back and watch Gaara and his siblings returning to Suna after his fight with Naruto, that's exactly the way first Kankuro, and then Temari, carry him when he's wounded.

This moment is during that time where Gaara's still learning how to be a person and not a weapon, and the fact that he chooses to carry Lee with such care … it feels relationship-defining.

6. The Eighth Gate That flashback that Gaara has to Gai and Lee's relationship shows that he's really internalized the defining impact Lee had on his life. The genuine care and concern that he looks at Lee with in that moment despite Lee's stubborn insistence that he won't be sad makes my heart ache for the both of them.

7. The Retreat If you've ever read one of my fics that's set during the war and notice that I mention Gaara carrying Lee around on his sand, this is what I'm talking about. I love that Lee sees the sand as an unequivocal source of safety instead of threat at this point (to the point of entrusting it to carry Gai-sensei in his frail state). And I love that this seems to be Gaara's default way of pulling Lee out of danger ... it's at least the second time he's done it, after all:

8. Gaara-kun! This was one of The Moments for me. We as a ship had been speculating so long about the degree of intimacy of Lee and Gaara's relationship. We'd spent, I think, a decade at this point writing fics where Lee called Gaara "Kazekage-sama". Then the Perfect Day for a Wedding arc dropped, and here's Lee calling Gaara "Gaara-kun" just like he does the rest of his friends ... wind was blown into the ship's sails on this day.

9. The Double Date Gaara and Lee go on a double date with Tenten and Kankuro to Ichiraku Ramen. This is canon. 'Nuff said.

And now, for number 10 ... drumroll please ...

10. The ILY I know, I know - those handsigns don't mean the same in JSL as they do in ASL. But my little hard-of-hearing heart can't help but see Lee shooting double "I love you"s at Gaara in this moment. And even if he's not, the starry eyes and blushy cheeks say it all. This is flirting, y'all.

[tamelee]

i just saw a posts about novels that went like

sarada told sasuke he has lipstick stain, sasuke tries to wipes it off and she says he doesn't have one and sakura doesn't wear lipstick.

how do they defend this novels with their lives? it confirms sasuke never kisses sakura and doesn't know if she wears lipstick or not and kisses someone else who wears lipstick. it also confirms naruto likes to wear lipstick XD.

Please. These novels are ridiculous. Kishimoto already confirmed they’ve never kissed in Gaiden. Twice. 

(* something nicer = meant the forehead poke)

Though I wouldn't believe anyone if they said they actually like these novels, because the story (or lack thereof) is complete shit, but it’s fine if they do. A good story isn't the intention unfortunately. I genuinely wish that people understood what exactly it is they are defending. I’m writing a post for someone who asked something regarding canon, but I need to take brakes from it because it pisses me off that this happens constantly to franchises— not just Naruto. 

And in this case it’s even worse, or perhaps it’s just a prime example, because Jun Esaka (writer for some of these novels) made such a fool of herself on twt by making it all too obvious what her intentions were by writing them. (If it wasn’t already obvious.) First, when people pointed out the many flaws, she admitted that it’s “just her story” and “just her interpretation” (she had only read 'Naruto' for the first time a few months before that), but when other ss-shippers started to defend her and said she was a better writer than Kishimoto (as there’s 0 love between SS when he writes), she basked in that glory and went along with it. Even to the point that she completely disrespected Kishimoto, the story, the craft, openly made fun of other characters (mostly Hinata) and ships like NH and demanded her other novels to be animated as well. It’s unprofessional af. And then when fans asked her for a nsfw novel for SS she agreed and told them to harass the company about it. (She didn’t say ‘harass’ exactly, but come on you can’t be that dense given their reputation with staff.)

What are they defending? 

How can you defend anything when the motive is so obviously just personal bias/gain and/or financial profit to a company where both in this case don’t give a shit about the original story. It's not about shipping though, it happens all the damn time to all my favorite franchises and I'm genuinely sick of it. And it's not even about a writer writing about what they want either because I already expected that, but Esaka did her absolute best to try and disprove the bond between Naruto and Sasuke and change narratives completely even for individual cases for the sake of telling her "story". SNS-moments weren’t romantic to her and she quite literally made fun of it by copying them in her story to point out its "irrelevance", but give them to her het-ship and now all of a sudden it is romantic???? She basically calls Kishimoto a liar because ‘Sasuke Retsuden’ in particular is a direct response to ‘Gaiden’ (made by Kishimoto). She blatantly tried to disprove anything he said and indicated about her ship. She wrote about characters that, yes, have the same name as those in ‘Naruto’, but are so out of character it hurts. It took me months to recover my lost braincells. 

I don't think my post about it is still up, but to name a few things in that novel if you're interested: Sasuke resents Naruto and his test-tube daughter because he’d rather travel with Sakura, his wife whom he loves so much. But he has to do stuff just because Hokage Naruto said so and his daughter wants to stay in Konoha so he has no choice but to comply. Being apart from his wife-(did we mention he loves her so much? because he does. so much.)- makes him feel so very lonely and he misses her body so much because he knows it so well. He fails to do anything other than being jealous about the women-deprived prisoners going after the new hot doctor, Sakura, who is his wife btw. that he loves a lot in case you missed it. and he rather stares at trees that remind him of her than helping his friend Naruto who’s apparently dying from his own chakra or whatever kind of bs. Sasuke lets himself be bullied by prison-guards that aren’t even Shinobi, for having long hair and looking like a girl, though Esaka makes sure to mention how so very handsome he is and he looks like a cat. Sasuke loses a battle against an overgrown lizard and tries the same damn jutsu 4 times(!!!!) before realizing it may actually not work, I think because he forgot how to fight, but he can however create anything from ice like Elsa (Frozen), or from dirt like some Gaara-hybrid to make Sakura a ring because he loves her so much ofc… oh and he’s now a healer too. Sasuke sacrifices people’s lives even when it’s not necessary at all bc ig Esaka thinks he's a killer, and also he wouldn’t mind being brought back with Edo Tensei if it means he can stay with Sakura, because fuck everything they’ve been through in the original story, yeah? They also immediately forgive the bad guy cuz he's so relatable even though he just murdered I dunno how many people. SS kiss while an injured Naruto is squished in between them because SS-shippers have some sort of “Naruto has to watch our ship being in love to really make it legit because that’ll learn him for getting in between!”-kink (that's real actually) and according to Esaka, Sasuke is so worried about his daughter and in fact did meet up with them during those 10+ years because he loves them oh-so-much and fuck you Kishimoto that’s why. 

Be so fr right now. It’s such a joke. And these are just the few things on the top of my head that I remembered ;-; ...

Again, what are they defending exactly? It would be nice to just have a genuine fan of the story write an actual story. No other motive other than "I really like the story and would love to explore some options while respecting Kishimoto's work because it'd be fun!" Except, that's unfortunately not very marketable and ffs it's just sad. (I know there's a Kakashi version and I personally really want to know more about his role as Hokage and what he's done etc, but alas.)

[viridian-house]

Do you have any favorite naruto fics you’d recommend? Any pairing, complete or not, on-hiatus, gen, oneshots, anything is fine lol

I was legitimately just pruning my bookmarks the other day!! thank you so much for asking.

I don't read too much fanfic these days, and I'm picky when I do--only about grammar/punctuation and immersion though. I ship a LOT of stuff (I guess The Youth would call me a proshipper) and although I never read darkfic, I don't shy away from weirder kinks and unhealthy relationship stuff.

categorizing by pairing, if applicable. some of them are smutty, and please note that the first 3 come from FFN which doesn't have a tagging system, but there is some SA CW I'll give in advance.

KAKASAKU | my first OTP! formative fics that totally reshaped my understanding of what fanfiction could be, and how well-written chemistry can make it or break it

HOUSE OF CROWS is the quintessential kakasaku fanfic. it was written during shippuden and so is canon divergent because of that, but also tells a comprehensive story of its own right that is intriguing and well planned. excellent characterization and world building. leaves me gutted in the best way on my yearly reread.

DUTY BEFORE HONOR is another silvershine classic. I don't reread is as often as House of Crows but they are just about equal in quality. again, the chemistry between them is off the charts, and the world feels so alive.

WILL OF FIRE for me is up there with House of Crows in being essential kakasaku reading. cynchick is a multisaku champion and a wonderful storyteller. the stakes in this one are stressful, the romance tense and believable, and we once again get lovely world building and great chemistry.

ITAKISA | a pairing near and dear to me, because men who do everything wrong are so deeply relatable. they both know they don't deserve anything good ever again but they found each other!!!! ARE YOU GUYS SEEING THIS--

A SHARK HIDDEN INN THE LEAVES doesn't have my favorite version of Kisame, but he's plenty close enough. it's a lengthy oneshot that got me into certain *ahem* kinks. it is a very fun and wild fic that is entirely self-aware of how absurd it's being, and manages to have nothing but sincerity at the same time (and I highly recommend the author's other stories as well)

AN ORCHESTRA PLAYING ON, INSANE is a modern AU (extremely rare in my bookmarks) that absolutely tore my heart out. god is it SO much to ask for these losers to be happy?! yes, it is, and I love every moment of it

MADAMITO | a rarepair I am SUCH a sucker for that has some of the most talented authors writing for it. lots of them have ot3 elements between them and hashirama, often angsty, but stuff like that is part of the appeal for me, lol

A HANDFUL OF SKY is an unfinished fic that I genuinely think about like once a week. if it ever updates then I will be over the moon. technically hashimadamito but it hadn't quite gotten there yet

LIKE ALTARS is just such a beautiful piece of writing, mostly on madara. it is everything, that is all

BLOOD AND RIVER WATER is more mito-centric but has one of my favorite madaras of all time

YOURS ARE RATTLED BONES is another short, mito-centric but gut-wrenching piece featuring the opposite type of madara from the last one

OTHER | character-centric stuff that isn't necessarily shippy but also doesn't have a very "gen" vibe either?

A SERPENT IN THE RICE is a little series about orochimaru that makes me feel so so so many things. highly recommended

HERETIC is such a love letter to kushina, and kurama too. cannot stress enough how much I adore this one

there's a few others that I probably won't link on tumblr, mostly unhealthy and/or "problematic" smut hhfhdj but maybe I'll make a public rec list on ao3 for these different categories and stuff like that.

but yeah that's pretty much it!!! I know it's not a huge list with a lot of variety but it's what I've enjoyed over the last 15+ years in the naruto fandom.

[kankuroplease]

I saw the art of Madara with baby Tsunade, and it's so cute!! You are cool! I'm now interested in reading about the possible almost familial interactions between Tsunade and Madara (and possibly the other Uchiha as well, but that's entirely up to you) in this au, if you have time to write it. Would Tsuna wish Madara a happy Father's Day just to poke fun at the old man?

Also, I wish you a good day as one of my most favorite naruto artists. :)

Thank you!

Madara and Tsunade have the oddest relationship in the TSAU, I love it. He’s like a guidance counselor, Disneyland dad, over protective big brother all rolled in one 😆

let’s review her Uchiha relationships

Madara

From the moment he found out Hashirama would be a father, he was supportive in only the way Madara can be; told him to get the fuck over the shock.

It’s not like he’d leave his dumbass to struggle alone with a baby. The kid would be doomed with just Hashirama and his stick in the mud brother.

Madara wasn’t at all shocked that the girl Hashirama knocked up skipped town after the baby’s birth, but he was shocked that she literally left the baby on Hashi’s doorstep. So he played fairy godfather and sold a few questionable things to help pay for some basic necessities for little Tsunade.

He did not want to hold her. Holding babies is scary and he didn’t feel suited for something so delicate. But he didn’t really have a choice when Hashirama plopped a pillow in his lap and Mito forced placed the ash blonde baby in his arms

Turns out he was a natural and Tsunade didn’t seem to mind him.. but she did have a massive blowout on him and he demanded Hashirama take his disgusting brat back

Once she wasn’t so new, Madara didn’t have a problem holding her for a minute or two and would sometimes just take her from Hashirama whenever he was looking too stressed

He’s the one that laughed about her toddler self fighting the other kids because he was the one that told her she could

While Mito and Hashirama were in college, he babysat her after daycare. often plopped her in his sidecar to go for a ride so she didn’t have to be bored indoors

He also is the one that freaked out when some little boy tried to kiss her on the playground and got into a shouting match with that kids father

Introduced his first born to her as her little cousin

Taught her how to haggle

Was absolutely disgusted when he found out she had a little boyfriend. She’s a kid, she doesn’t need a boyfriend she was 14 and if she’s dating, it should at least be an Uchiha so he can make sure the kid stays in line

Definitely chaperoned her dates or had one of his men do it and scared off at least 2 boys that way

Didn’t really care if she wanted to try his alcohol and laughed when she inevitably made a disgusted face over the taste of it. Stict with the sodas and fruity cocktails, kid.

Also never told on her when she did get in trouble. He’d just picked her up from the police station and told her she needs to either knock it off or get better at hiding it because she’s going to break Mito’s heart.

Tsunade calls him her ‘old man’, but she does give him a genuine call on Father’s Day

He’s got her graduation pictures with the rest of his children’s pictures on display in his living room

They catch up over drinks every third Thursday of the month at the lounge

He doesn’t want to here her bs about being tired of being single because they both know that is by choice. He stopped interfering with her dating life when she went off to college

He has however threatened every Uchiha within 20 years of her age that they better not fuck with her feelings

Obito

Tsunade rescued Obito from a girls beat down and teased him ruthlessly about getting stomped on by a bunch of pigtails

They get a long great and Tsunade was the cool big sister he was glad to have

She helped pop his dislocated shoulder back in and let him and let him hang out with her friends

She also threatened to knock some sense into him when it came to his fighting with Kakashi

He called her about every concern involving Ryu the first 3 months of her life even though he can afford private medical care for their baby

They have gambling nights with Hashirama and both still owe him money he’s not going to collect from them, but it’s funny seeing them still pout like they did when they were kids and losing

Any family get togethers and these two are drinking and burning food in the kitchen while swearing they’ve got it under control

Has leaned to dodge her laughing fits that usually include swatting at him

Shisui

She isn’t the most comfortable alone with him as he told her he doesn’t see her as his family and that paired with his flirtatious ways just has her on guard

Doesn’t help that he’s broken into her apartment to be stitched up at 3am

But she knows if she ever has a problem with someone, he’ll fix it. She just chooses not to owe him any favors ever.

Shisui sees her a invaluable asset to the uchiha. It’s not every day you find a doc you can pay off to look the other way and knows what loyalty means

So he chooses to keep a friendly relationship

Izuna

He didn’t like her at first

She’s some other guy’s problem, so why Madara would be carrying her around like she was his was beyond him

He eventually warmed up to the idea of her being around because she just wouldn’t leave him alone

He taught her how to do rude gestures from around the world for fun

He looks out for Tsunade and even donates anonymously to the clinic so she’ll have one less thing to worry about

He also paid her biological mother off to stay away years ago. When his informants told him she was inquiring about the child she abandoned

If she didn’t care enough to reach out until Tsunade’s father made something of himself, then she didn’t deserve to have access to her. At least that was his opinion

Only him and Tsunade know about that as he ask her if she wanted to meet this woman or if he should just sign the check

She’s the only other person his Palm cockatoo likes beside himself. So whenever Izuna out of town, she watches him

Itachi

She’s only had to treat Itachi a few times and each time he’s been a quiet guy

She knows he’s not the most trusting guy, but at least he’s respectful

She wouldn’t mind if he took over the Uchiha when Madara stepped down

Sasuke

He’s the biggest headache. He stresses her out so much

Order him to take bed rest? He’s back working BOTH jobs

She’s had to lug her medical kit to his apartment to stitch him back up

Sasuke semi avoids her because she treats him roughly (partially because he doesn’t like sitting for it)

When he’s not losing blood, they get along fine

He’ll even bring her a bottle of her favorite wine as an apology of sorts when he’s been particularly stubborn

She does try to give him life advice to solve his relationship problems, but she respects that it’s not easy to deviate from the path he was born into.

Bonus!! Madara’s daughters

Michi

Her little sister. They may not share any blood, but they share parents and that’s what matters

She’s amazed that Michi got a backbone and pulled a power move marrying the next Hyuga head

She finds her energy levels when she’s excited to be a bit exhausting, but still endearing

They often talk to each other about random things and have shopping/lunch dates

She almost choked when she figured out Michi was in some weird love square

Madara’s eldest

They’re best friends

They have no real boundaries, so they know ALL of each other’s business

The have a king standing horror movie night that they both bring food and alcohol to

They promised to be each others maid of honors when they eventually find someone

They often team up to beg for things from Madara

Middle daughter

She doesn’t really know her as she lives overseas with her father and keeps to herself

From the few holidays she’s been around her, she’s been kind to Tsunade and invited her to gamble with her and Shisui

[faeriekit]

Questions for Fic Writers ✏📝💻

@chromatographic tagged me! ...And then I was at work and forgot about it by the time I got to my laptop! Sorry 😅

How many works do you have on Ao3?

My works tab claims the number to be twenty two, but at least one is a screen-reader-friendly duplicate of a Percy Jackson themed Reskin of Kids on Brooms, so it's more like...twenty one. I'd also take off of Blister Pack one-shots because they're tiny but they are one shots and those are technically valid, so...

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

355,110. Thank you, Blister Pack and Trade of Trickery!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Naruto.

...So I what I usually write and what I actually publish to ao3 are pretty different 😅 I've been doing a bunch of dp x dc fics as of late, and one dc x marvel fic, but if left to my own devices, I go back to Star Wars and Naruto and a lot of Naruto, and I have a surprising word count on a Supernatural fic which is odd considering I've never actually finished an episode of the show before.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

No idea! Lemme look:

#5: Dig Three Graves in Apartment 31C. A spooky and classic contender!

#4: The Firstborn Son. My excuse for writing a almost-canon dp x dc fairy story!

#3: The Haunting of Drake Manor. Nice 😎 You may have noticed, but I'm a sucker for baby fic.

#2: You know 'em, you love 'em, it's The Health and Wellbeing of Hybrid Entities! Who doesn't love a dissection recovery fic?

#1: Which leaves, of course, Blister Pack to reign supreme o'er the ao3 account. Who's shocked? Not me.

5. Do you respond to comments?

...there's 1,900 in my inbox right at this moment.

I want to. I love responding to comments. but it's just not feasible in the way I want it to be, and that blows.

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

Patchwork Memories! I don't think this counts because it was just a snippet, but, you know. Angst for the sake of angst n' all that.

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

Blister Pack!! Find joy in packing up and getting the fuck out of there! Who needs 'em?? Hit the bricks!!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've received stuff I honestly consider worse than hate, which is people who believe that I should think exactly what they think and write the fic as they believe canon should be interpreted, but here is the funniest exchange I've ever had on any fic ever:

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

Once. I will occasionally write stuff for myself, but the reviews on the one posted smut chapter were generally that it was very, very funny. This does not give me much feedback to work off of lmao

10. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

The answer to both questions are dp x dc and also dp x dc. And that's generally tame as far as crossovers go.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. 👀

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of! 👀 But I'd be way more amenable to that than thievery lmao.

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

I would never bog someone down with my symptoms disorder. I don't trust me enough to be helpful in any creative endeavor ever

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

I don't believe in genuine OTPs, but whatever Desiree!Janet and Bruce have going on in Drake Manor is hysterical to me. I hope they get divorced and then break up and then get back together and then break up again.

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

I want to finish Trade of Trickery. I think it will take time. But I am determined to do it. We're halfway through the Sea of Monsters and I am delusional enough to think I can make it if I just power through in some distant future

16. What are your writing strengths?

I am the recipient of divine visions which keep me going. The hard part is staying consistent when I lose steam.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I am the recipient of divine visions which keep me going. The hard part is staying consistent when I lose steam.

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

Google translate is my friend, and I don't necessarily believe in providing translations. There's no irl subtitles. If the characters are meant to understand, I'll leave stuff around to make the context and content clear, but like, no creo que es necesario en todos situaciónes.

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

...Naruto...maybe...? No I'm wrong. It was Fairy Cube. My first divine visions/early fic thoughts were from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series and my first fandom I actually wrote/published fic for was Fairy Cube. Don't ask what account it was on. I borrowed my friend's ffn account. I don't remember the username anymore.

20. Favorite Fic you’ve written?

....hoo boy. Tie for Quiet Respite and Trade of Trickery. I love Comets and Drake Manor has a special place in my heart, but QR feels uniquely mine in ways that my dp x dc fics sometimes don't, and Trickery really is a love story about Sally Jackson and forgotten Demigod kids. Nothing else hits. Nothing else is the same. It's about collecting what you can in your hands and taking it with you.

@newgraywolf @cyrwrites @mysterycyclone @songue85 Anyone else want to play?

Thanks for asking, Chroma! It only took...what, a week, two weeks, to finally get to it?

[sueske]

Nostalgia is one heck of a drug because it will mess with your memories and make everything seem great.

For example, I first read through Naruto when I was 11 and the manga was still actively coming out. Albeit near the latter half but still. I was a super big team 7 fan, loved Naruto, loved Sasuke, loved Sakura, loved Kakashi, sai, Yamato etc etc. I was like this is THE perfect team and they compliment each other so well. Thought Sakura was genuinely an amazing character who was misunderstood.

Imagine my reaction when seeing some Naruto artwork pop up in my feed, making me feel nostalgic and wanting to read all the great moments with my favorite characters, because hey, what could go wrong? And when reading through of Naruto I realize oh….. Sakura kinda sorta really heckin sucks big time and so does Kakashi. And oh wait, Sasuke and Naruto’s bond is a lot stronger and more prevalent than I remember it being…? There’s also a bit of romantic undertones?

Long story short, my reading of Naruto from the ages of 11 vs 23 has changed vastly and I am able to understand more complexities within the story than I was as a preteen. Kinda sucks to realize how horrible the dynamic of my favorite team was, it REALLY sucked to read through and see how terrible Kakashi’s and Sakura’s characters are but like… at the end of day I was able to see and understand more of Sasuke and Naruto’s dynamic and now I’m kind of a shipper? Never been super into shipping but I think Sasuke and Naruto’s story is just so…. Present that you can’t help but really appreciate their whole dynamic.

Sorry for the long ask. Ever since my reread of Naruto and now really understanding Naruto and Sasuke’s dynamic and really liking it, I’ve been looking through a bunch of sns accounts. I think all of you peeps who are really great and analyzing stories that seem so straightforward and yet have so many nuances and hidden meanings that people like me at first reading didn’t even notice!

Hope you have a good day :) love reading your stuff. (Also I tried my best not to curse. I’m sorry if you see h*ck as a bad word.)

I actually had a similar experience, I watched naruto in like three chunks over ~10 years. when I was a kid I loved sakura and shipped ss… even wrote fanfics for them lol. when I picked it up again some years later I forgot some stuff, and had a lingering fondness for her from childhood. then I finally finished it as an adult and was like oh 😄 I’ve seen others as well who shipped ss/nh as kids but then dropped them once they got older too. and thank you for your kind words.

[draculagerard]

sakura for that character ask thing!!

Hihi!!! <3

How I feel about this character:

LOVE her!!!! She's my favorite Naruto character along with Naruto himself. She's so overhated genuinely.... I will defend her for the rest of my life

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Ino!!!!! i have eyes lol :p also random minor female characters as a side quest lol

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Naruto!!! I think they have a very interesting relationship and I am very fascinated by it

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Hmmm... i guess one unpopular opinion would be that she wasnt actually that terribly written. was she badly written? duh, I know my bad writing when I see it. but honest to god, she had a genuinely compelling character arc and she DID shine at moments. like yes part of her appeal for me comes from being able to explore her character in my head, but she wasnt written as badly as people make her out to be. she DOES have character in canon, even if it isn't comparable with her male counterparts

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

ohhhh man so many things. number one would be exploring her medical powers and chakra control more!!! I really wanna see more of that, especially since so much of that happened off screen, ykwim?

[spellcasterlight]

What’s one of your favorite tropes that you haven’t written for (or haven’t written for in a while)? If you want, write a little snippet about how you’d do it now.

Hi @full-frontal-lotus! Hi, friendddddd! 😁

Ooooooh! That's a good one! Not so much a trope but I have been thinking recently about trying to branch out and try a slightly darker-toned series because I've recently been on a Fallout binge.

I mean, I write Naruto stuff. If I got a bit better at writing things like violence (fight scenes specifically) or slow-creeping dread, I could do a lot more mission-type stories, which would be cool to explore!

Once I get through my current story request queue (I'm so close! Kinda🫠), I plan on releasing the next two bingo cards. The segment below will be the prologue to a FalloutAU one.

A not-completed, only-mildly-edited snippet is below!

Thank you for such a cool and sweet ask! 🎆

Ao3 ✨ |Story Request Bingo Cards 📖 | WIP Game Always Open ✒️| Ko-Fi ☕| Reblog Blog 🟢

Fallout AU Series: Chapter 1 - Prologue: War Never Changes

Warnings: Fallout Alternative Universe. Bombs. War. Minor Character Death.

Iruka wrote the number of current dead on the board, far higher than the two others combined. He forced his grip to tighten around the chalk in his hand to finish writing the last of too many digits.

“So,” he forced a pause to collect himself, feeling everyone's gaze in his direction but focused solely on the writing on the board, “the number of years each war is decreasing, but the death count is rising. What does that tell you?”

No one gave him a reply, not that he genuinely expected one. The room is so quiet the slight thud of him replacing his stick of chalk, sounding like one of the bombs they all feared, erupting decimation through their street, had already started to rain down.

Shikaku gave Iruka a subtle nod when he discreetly met the man's eyes. He agreed with how he made his point.

“Iruka Sensei.”

It took him a head shake and a few rapid blinks to realise that Sakura had spoken up. She was such a well-behaved student. Never cursing, handing in her homework on time and constantly raising her hand when she asked a question, but Iruka could see both her hands were occupied, one in both of her fathers and the other being grabbed onto by her mother so tightly all six of their hands looked ghost white. Hanging on to each other like a lifeline

“Yes, Sakura?”

“You never answered Ino before. Do you think the bombs will drop? Do you-do you think the world will-?”

Her sentence abruptly stopped when she what looked like painfully bit into her lip and bowed her head, both her dotting parents wrapping her in a hug; Mrs Haruno’s soft motherly reassurances floated on the otherwise silent air of it being okay, of everything being fine, that there was no need to cry. All lies.

Several of his more skittish and empathetic students looked at him with that same pleading in their eyes that Sakura had in her voice before it shattered.

In his classroom with him at that moment were some of the village's most amazing individuals, as well as some of the most broken children.

Gai Maito adopted two children with whom he had no possible connection and raised them to be healthy and loved when they were both too young to remember their parents, who would never return from the front lines. Tenten and Lee gripped one of his hands.

Shikamaru looked at his army battle hardened father with a wisdom beyond his years. Iruka, knowing that while he didn’t study for his Math or English tests, he skipped class to read thick tombs of battle strategies and inner army working, knowing his lineage was a path laid out for him and an important one he planned on continuing willingly.

All around the room, parents and children shared heartbroken, frightened looks. The three siblings from the Sand exchanged worried looks that the war would never end, that they would never be able to return home.

The prominent shining glaze of Fu’s eyes and shaking of her shoulders as she hugged herself and silence from the three from Kumogakure scared that the new home they had found would follow the ones they had already lost under a wave of never-relenting gunshots and explosions that created mountains of bodies of their former family, friends and fellow.

If the Land of Fire were flattened in bomb fire, there would be nowhere to start home number three and no one to start it with.

Iruka was a humble history teacher. He wasn’t a warrior or a great intellectual, and on some days, he didn’t even have the everlasting optimism that Gai Maito had. At that moment, he only had the ability to be honest with the children, nearly young adults, in front of him.

“I can’t see the future, Sakura,” he admitted, his voice barely holding together, only making the girl's green eyes cloud with more tears, “I can only tell you what history tells me. And it tells me war is violent-”

He turned back to the board, snatched the chalk back up, leaning into the spike of anger the conversation created to push on, and underlined the death toll for the First World War.

“devastating-”

He underlined the death toll for the Second World War.

“And-”

Finally, he underlined the death count for the Sound War before turning around.

“Continuous.”

[edai-crplpnk]

didn’t the self-rec ask say five favorites? are there not four more?

So it appears I know how to write but I do not know how to read haha. Thank you for letting me know.

I'm gonna copy paste my first answer so we get all five in one post!

1. Silhouettes: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38185219

It's a fic centred around Shikaku, Ionichi and Chouza's first Chuunin exam as kids. It's been over a year and I still really really wanna write more fics in this universe with them.

There are fic that I am maybe more emotional about, but it's one where I've never been like "okay this isn't optimal, but I'm gonna go with that" while writing. I'm really happy with how I could explore intergenerational relationships in Konoha, both on an interpersonal level, and on a political level with how quick the world has changed and how each generation has lived through extremely different times.

Also I don't often write fights and I had several here and I think they're good? I'm happy about them at least.

2. In You: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36072856

I think it's a fic from the moment where I was really starting to fall in love with bittersweet ambiences and mundane daily life (I have not changed since then). It's a KakaGai fic about Kakashi's routine after Gai's death and his state of mourning. I promise it's not that sad. I love it a lot.

3. Take Your Heart Above the Water: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38403286/

It's a Blank Period NaruHina and SasuNaru fic that explores their respective relationships to family, love and home, as they try to figure out if and how they want to be/stay with one another.

I am very soft for Naruto wanting to be a dad.

4. The Smell of the Rain: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46041961/

This one hasn't always been easy to write but it's my biggest worldbuilding baby. Full of headcanons about Konohan legal structure and history, clan politics in Konoha and Suna, Kankurou's relationship to puppetry, Sand Family dynamics, Aburame clan history and traditions... Plus some sweet sweet uncle Kankurou and uncle Shino content and cute babies.

This series has done a lot for how my writing process and style and interests have evolved this past year and I'm very glad it did.

5. Before a Doll: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43038387/

Honnestly it's hard to chose a fic from this series because I love all of them to pieces, and the current WIP might over take this one when it's done, I don't know, but yeah.

KankuShika modern AU, I got to write several scene about their respective relationshipd to gender and sexuality and queerness and coming out and I was very happy to get the space to do so much on that front.

I'm really loving writing the Sand Siblings dynamic in this series too, I think they have a great balance between struggling to make it work between them because they are very different and it's hard, but also genuinely wanting to put in the effort because they care deeply. Love them.

That's 5 this time! Most of my fics belong to series. They can usually be read independently (if not it'll be in the notes), but that means if you like anything you can usually find more to keep going afterwards haha

Edit: now I did five more here!

[whimsicorner]

there's a charm to tragedy hanahaki but every day I want to make comedy hanahaki and the only thing that stops me is my brain going on a little journey instead of researching to write. My favorite type of hanahaki-adjacent concept is for hanahaki to be, in essence, seasonal allergies except the thing you're allergic to is feelings and the main treatment is catharsis, usually coming from talking it out with someone, and the dense motherfuckers treatment, for people who don't know what triggered it, is to spend quality time with friends and do other things that would serve to make someone feel better. (So theoretically, a person with a very solid understanding of themselves, who is always honestly expressing their feelings and who has a good support system in place, would never get such allergies)

So for some it's a one and done kind of ailment and for others it comes and goes...something that isn't necessarily deadly but can be quite irritating depending on what you end up with

The comedy potential...the angst potential...the combination comedy-grief of having fits of funerary flowers on an anniversary...the gap moe of a very serious icy person having their stone-faced facade crack because they sneeze and a teeny little flower pops into existence...

Years ago I made notes for a genshin fic but currently I am in Naruto hell so I'm like u know what. I think the funniest possible thing is for the Uchiha to be either really good at not catching feelings-allergies out of sheer self-presevation or really uniquely blursed in that not only are they prone to being super deep in their feelings (it's a whole thing!), they also tend to keep to themselves, so the odds are good that at any given moment an Uchiha somewhere is just. Going thru it. Having to experience the mortifying ordeal of being known. Do you think that kind of thing would stop the momentum that lead to the Uchiha massacre (because they're very scary competent but they also have massive amounts of gap moe because you can't watch someone stubbornly refusing to acknowledge a steadily growing pile of flowers without like. feeling like you've come to relate to them a little bit.)

Team 7 watching Sasuke with morbid fascination because he's trying to stubborn it out...nods very seriously... (Madara would be a funny one as well) (You'd think Obito would catch it but actually it's Kakashi, and he hates it) (the most alarming patient would be Naruto because he looks like he should have his heart on his sleeve, and he does, but there's also some stuff that he keeps close to his chest...)

The world accidentally saved for the time being because Madara cannot stop hiccuping small blossoms and it's. What do you even do with this. And whenever they treat him it keeps coming back and it keeps getting a little more dramatic every time, and then eventually they drag a confession out of him in front of whatever witnesses are good for plot and it's like, he's very clearly being genuine because otherwise the flowers would continue. So. What do u do when the scariest guy you know is having to be vulnerable

(The other funny one would be Tobirama for the gap moe but u know. Scary Ghost Man attempts to hide his emotional allergies and fails in an accidentally comedic and possibly heartbreaking fashion)

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Results for the Kakashi Birthday Polls

Who would accuse Kakashi of being annoying?

Feels like the most appropriate answers he absolutely would do this and we support him in his claims

Best Kakashi outfit

Not a personal favorite for me but i can see the appeal. Everyone likes a sexy traumatized man

Best Official art outfit

A delightful choice. He looks particularly good in the drummer picture (and that’s not the Kakagai fan in my screaming i swear XD)

Best Storyline

An obvious choice i think (even if it wasn’t my choice XD). It’s where we really learn about Kakashi. The life he had, the troubles he faced, and everything he had to fight against the become the protective, sweet, dorky character we know today (gaiden delves into it more obviously but Shippuden is where we first get a hint that there’s more to this man)

Best protective Kakashi moment

A top tier moment in OG Naruto. Kakashi heard his student’s were in danger and risked insubornation to go after them.

And he would do it again, which is just part of what people love about him.

Where to take him for a birthday date

Seems like the most obvious choice but also the best way to get this hard shell of a man to cry. He’s such a dork for those books and we love that about him

Item that is the most ‘Kakashiish’

What is Hatake Kakashi without his mask?

Sukea, but that’s not the point XD

What you like best about him

I included the three results because even though ‘his dorkyness’ is the ultimate winner i just love that his protectiveness and Kindness also got some major love in this poll 🥰🥰🥰 all great answers

Best version of Kakashi

The first one we meet and come to love. It’s clear to see why people love this version of Kakashi. He’s broken, fighting, makes mistakes but is genuinely just trying to protect his student’s and do something right in his life for once (even though nothing that has happened in his life has actually been his fault)

This is the Kakashi people fell in love with and continue to love to this day.

I’m not sure i want to post the results of the ship poll because that was just for fun but also it’s going to be very heavily biased on this blog unfortunately. Just know that all the ships listed (and some not listed) are amazing and deserving of all the love 🥰🥰🥰

[sasukeless]

top 5 sasuke moment s. plwase

mmmmm you actually made this a difficult one 😭

my favorite ever got to be him announcing his revolution plans after defeating kaguya. its literally the funniest but also his most cunty moment EVER. imagine fighting a war for 3 days and then when the final boss is down you and ur friends look around like Ah we did it 😄 but one of them is like Well actually…. sasuke is genuinely the best character ever in my eyes

him walking slowly with a smile while danzo runs for his life. GOD HE’S SO COOL. honestly him through the whole 5 kage summit arc is just amazing

sasuke waking up one day randomly and being like Hmm i will kill orochimaru today. he didnt even build his way through it he just woke up and truly was like i dont need this weirdo anymore and I love that for him!!!

every single second of the reunion scene during shippuden. seriously nothing better than sasuke showing up after timeskip with a whole new outfit looking cuntier, acting aloof while his naruto (and the others) are shaking and going through so many emotions, also mocking naruto for chasing him????!?:? and entering his mind without trouble. then easily leaving while naruto is still on his knees crying… sasuke femme fatale is so real

and finally sasuke at post vote 2 FINALLY accepting naruto’s love and crying out of joy for the first time ever ☹️

[atoriv-art]

little asks compilation as to not spam ♥

thank you!! ♥

crying this is vaguely related but did you guys know neji appears in a time travel episode(/arc?) in the boruto anime. does it surprise you to hear that it makes me extremely mad

but also so true LMFAO i'm usually the type to give things a chance (or so i'd like to believe) but not much of boruto interests me 😔 some of the kids look cute and i like.... like..... a few of the timeskip designs (...like three of them? i like suigetsu karin and tenten's.) but it's not worth it and in fact i think having to see neji and hiashi alive in the same UwU Family space would have had me banging my head against a wall.

also what if they made him ugly. that's my perfect angel boy they can't do that.

HEHE ofc!!! part of the reason i love posting fanart is that i get to spread propaganda for the things i like LMFAO

and i'm glad people enjoy the funny sharky ears they're my favorite <3

ASDMKASD eu acho que esse é o maior contato com outros brasileiros que já tive quando posto arte e afins, é bem interessante

eu consigo imaginar o tipo de coisa da qual vc reclama, eu acho bem chato tbm GFKMGFM

fave i respect the movement though i'm more of a short king gaara truther myself bc i think it's cute. sasuke still the tallest of the boys tho

thank you!! and hehee this ended up being more me ranting about their general writing but :)

i'm veeeery fond of their og naruto dynamic, i think it often goes misunderstood/understated but to me it's one of the highlights to the original series! from stuff like kakashi shielding him from orochimaru and sealing his curse mark (which. btw. crazy. LOVE that scene) to the ENTIRE deal with chidori and the pride kakashi felt watching sasuke fight gaara with it... i think it's SURPRISINGLY well done! while i due to personal preference like to read it as specifically familial, i think you can read it anyway you want (not all mentor-type dynamics need to be familial in nature and not being so won't make it any less meaningful)

i don't think kakashi was a particularly great teacher (in fact i think tenzo is shown to be a MUCH better captain/mentor the moment he's introduced to team 7 lol) but you can certainly tell that he cares about all of the kids and wants to do right by them, it's just that with sasuke specifically to me it feels like it's of highly personal significance to him?

and it's not hard to see why, obviously kakashi and sasuke do not have the same trauma but i find it reductive to say that it means kakashi can't see himself in him at all, or that he can't be of any use to sasuke? one of my favorite scenes is the (... i think mildly controversial, from what i've seen?) one where he talks to sasuke on that tree and tells him to drop his revenge quest, because while yeah it was not a perfect effort, to me it's clear that 1. kakashi was being very genuine in his words and 2. that it like... almost worked? sasuke was very sincerely pondering his words before the sound 4 came along.

btw so funny that both kakashi and obito tie him up when talking to him. anyway

so you add that with the weird relationship kakashi has with the entire uchiha clan, starting with obito (the very reason kakashi is able to teach sasuke in any meaningful way at all), going through itachi if you treat team ro as canon WHICH I DO, I LOVE TEAM RO, and ending with sasuke, who is someone kakashi can still try to give a normal life to? yeah i can see why he might feel personally responsible for him!

sasuke's side is less in your face but like... sasuke sought kakashi out to help train him and very much echoes kakashi's words about not abandoning your comrades. he is also often the first one to understand where kakashi is going with something, him and kakashi have similar ways of going through life even if kakashi has majorly mellowed out with age.

there's also little things like how sasuke just had no qualms about walking into kakashi's house unannounced (after itachi beat his ass ty itachi looove u itachi), even before that, how when kakashi calls sasuke over while itachi+kisame are having tea, sasuke just kind of announces that he HATES sweets (so cute), as if he made the assumption kakashi either bought it for him or was thinking about it? like.

look at his baby face.

despite whatever route it ended up taking To Me it's very clear that they did have a special bond and that it was a VERY important part of sasuke's everything pre-shippuden, he was clearly comfortable around kakashi despite his standoffish attitude. it was not perfect and kakashi does hold blame for a lot of things (in general he has a very hands-off teaching style that doesn't work great with these kids), but that's like. part of why i like it you know! it's a little complicated but not through any ill will. it's just that they are both full of Issues lmao

it makes me ssoooooo saaaaad that they BARELY speak to each other at all in shippuden because like. that was one of THE dynamics in the original team 7 you know? and idk if it comes as a surprise but i'm not even OPPOSED to sasuke wanting to kill kakashi by the time they meet again? in fact i think it could be kind of awesome. because like he could have a lot of reasons to be angry with him, up to and including the mere fact that kakashi took SO LONG to even meet him again?

(remember when team 7 finally meets sasuke again w/ tenzo and sai, and he himself mentions kakashi? it's one of those things you can choose to dismiss as meaningless dialogue but i often do think about it lol)

but instead we have sasuke in the peak of his borderline-demonization by the writing, which just leads to there not being much of an interesting dialogue at all. i'm not opposed to kakashi's sharingan being something that sasuke comes to resent either — it could be very fun character writing as that is the very thing that encouraged them to bond in the first place —, but i don't like the way it was done and i ESPECIALLY hate how it was immediately dropped like BROTHER MY PLOT THREADS... THEY'RE FALLING APART...

i could go on about a thousand different other things, such as.

sorry to mention jiraiya but. the rasengan vs chidori thing is VERY telling; jiraiya is naruto's mentor, and kakashi is sasuke's, this is reflected best when the kids each use their respective Overkill Jutsu at each other and the adults each take responsibility for their own kid

again, i'm unsure if it's fully intentional but there is this opposition of orochimaru vs kakashi other than the obvious confrontational scene they have. the very fact that kakashi is the one to put a limit to orochimaru's literal influence on sasuke through the curse mark is a very interesting narrative choice! kakashi is also extremely afraid of orochimaru and highly protective of sasuke; again it reads as a Personal fear/protectiveness rather than purely Professional to me. it builds this idea of kakashi being one of sasuke's choices, and orochimaru being the other (and we know which one he chooses unfortunately lol)

chidori in general is like. crazy btw. it becomes sasuke's signature move. and it's kakashi's creation. hi

this is also something that was dropped but there was also the occasional pointing out of similarities between, fucking, lee and gai of all people vs kakashi and sasuke? and like i don't need to explain this one that much right. gai is lee's dad in like everything but name LOL (and much like kakashi he also has questionable habits when it comes to how he teaches his kid)

but this is way too long LMFAO my tldr is that I Like Them And I Wish They Had More Screentime </3

their dynamic concretely to me is about caring very much about someone who shares a lot of pain with you, but being a little intimidated by that shared aspect. nothing hurts more than failing / being failed By someone who you know DOES understand you, in the end!

it's all my personal preference of course there's no right or wrong way to read naruto (well the wrong way is thinking it's good.) (joke) but i WAS surprised to not see sasuke and kakashi's relationship being discussed more (esp. with empathy for both characters) because well. obviously it's one of my favorite naruto things GFKDMGKFDM