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myaekingheart · 3 years

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20 [Fanfic Writer] Questions Game

Thank you so much for tagging me, @lemony-snickers! This is tons of fun, I love answering these kinds of big questionnaires 😂💕 Also putting mine under a cut because there’s a lot of questions and I like to ramble.

Also gonna go ahead and just tag whoever wants to do this! 😅💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

As of August 27, 2021, I have a total of 77 works on my AO3!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Funny enough, I was just looking at this, specifically, earlier today and kind of laughing about it. Right now, my total word count across all my works is 1,148,941 😬

3. How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

Apparently 12, but some of them I don’t really consider “big” in my fandom repertoire. Naruto is my greatest fandom with a total of 60 fics so far, followed by The Chronicles of Narnia and Rise of the Guardians. The rest are ones I either did crossover fics with or just did one-off little pieces with--The Incredibles, Tangled, Brave, How to Train Your Dragon, Arthurian Mythology, Disney Princesses, Fairy Tales and Related Fandoms, Back to the Future, and Frozen.

4. What are your Top Five fics by kudos?

The Scarecrow and The Bell (Naruto) - 470 kudos The Day Kakashi’s Mask Slipped (Naruto) - 139 kudos Sunflowers (Naruto) - 92 kudos Sakumo the House Husband (Naruto) - 81 kudos Someone to Lean On (Naruto) - 67 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to respond to comments, because I like to acknowledge when people respond to my work. I cherish comments like nobody’s business, especially when they’re kind and reactionary. I just really love seeing/hearing what people think of the way a story is progressing, or what they thought of a one-shot. Comments keep me going especially when it comes to longfic so I want to be able to let readers know that I do in fact see their comments, that I’m acknowledging what they’re saying, and that I appreciate them. Plus, it can be kind of fun to tease upcoming events in a fic through responses to people’s comments, too. Because I’m mean.

6. What fic have you written with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Hothouse (Rise of the Guardians/The Incredibles; Jack Frost x Violet Parr; American Horror Story AU). This was the first multi-chaptered fic I ever wrote to completion and I honestly cringe when I remember it exists both because it’s so poorly organized (and full of nasty plot holes) and because I just went ham on the gore factor. It definitely has a really bittersweet and heartbreaking ending to it, too.

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

I think I’ll definitely have to say Temptation. The story itself was kind of a ride, and it’s only the first installment in a series, but it follows the plot of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe but remixed due to the presence of an original character, but the ending is still roughly the same as the original: they defeat the evil, the Pevensies are all crowned kings and queens, happy days. Reading the last few paragraphs of the last chapter honestly still gets me all up in my feelings.

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

I used to be more of a crossover writer due to one of my main ships being a crossover ship. They weren’t super crazy, though, because they were both CGI-animated films. The craziest crossover I’ve ever written is an in-progress/unfinished multichapter piece, Kakashi, Enchanted, that sees our favorite Copy Ninja get kamui’d into the Disney princess dimension and has to help the likes of Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel on his journey to find a way back to his own world. It’s a super weird premise but definitely one of my more lighthearted works and fun to revisit when I need to decompress.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don’t think I’ve ever received hate so much as I’ve received criticism. The closest I ever got to hate on a fic, I think, was someone left an overly personal and mentally disturbed comment on a chapter of my main fic that made me convinced they needed to seek therapy and deal with their own personal issues rather than take it out on a fanfic about animated ninjas.

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

Maybe 👀 I’m super vanilla when it comes to smut, though. I think the wildest thing I’ve ever written in smut is breeding kink.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, and I hope I never will.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet! I had someone ask to translate a one-shot of mine in Russian but I never got a response back when I laid out my terms and conditions.

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

I have not! I used to do paragraph-style roleplay which was kind of like cowriting fanfiction but writing is so personal and sacred to me that I don’t know if I could ever actually cowrite a fic with someone. I like brainstorming with other people, but writing for me is more of a deeply personal and independent endeavour.

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

Oh god, this is a tricky question because it depends on fandom. I absolutely love New Dream (Rapunzel x Eugene, Tangled) and have for the past ten years, and my love for them as only grown since watching Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. I don’t write or even really read a ton of fanfiction for them, though. I’m also still highly dedicated to my favorite crossover crackship, Frostfield (Jack Frost x Violet Parr, Rise of the Guardians/The Incredibles) and to this day, if you search for that ship on AO3, I am the sole provider of every single fic about them so far. I’m not as active with them as I used to be, but they got me through some really rough times back in the day and still mean so much to me. A lot of my favorite ships across fandoms, though, are honestly canon x OC ships of mine because I am a self-indulgent bitch who needs to project. So Peter Pevensie x Eilonwy (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Kakashi Hatake x Rei Natsuki (Naruto) are really important to me and I’ve poured so much of myself specifically into their stories. I think it’s safe to say Kakashi and Rei is my all-time favorite ship across all fandoms, though, just because of how much their story means to me. The Scarecrow and The Bell is my magnum opus, my pride and joy, and I’m sure it will be my biggest fandom footprint of my entire life. I’ve dedicated the past three years to this story and these characters and I intend to continue doing it until it no longer brings me joy (which I hope it always will). There’s just so much I could say about this story and Kakashi and Rei’s relationship but I don’t think we have enough time or space in this post for that 😅 Just know that they mean the world to me and I will always hold them in the highest regard as a beautifully messy, flawed, passionate, soulmate-y ship that I love with all of my heart 🥺

EDIT: I also feel obligated to tack on some of my absolute favorite Naruto ships because I may not have written for all of them (yet) but they still make me unbelievably happy or I find them really compelling and enjoy the idea of exploring them:

Naruhina is precious happy sunshine and The Last honestly felt like a wonderful Disney princess movie to me, it was so cute and the romance was so on-point, Naruhina just makes me so incredibly happy and I love them with all my heart.

MinaKushi also gets me all up in my feels and I adore them with every fiber of my being. Their romance also gave me Disney princess movie vibes which I love, their story is just so damn sweet as is their character dynamic and I am still so heartbroken that they never got to be a happy family with Naruto because you know what? It’s what they deserved!

SasuSaku is so compelling to me and I really feel like we were cheated out of seeing their relationship develop and evolve postwar in the same way The Last did for Naruhina. They’re my favorite angst ship and while I don’t think they were written that well in canon, I love the possibility and potential of them together and am excited to explore them more in-depth in my own writing.

NejiTen is just too cute, I really love the way Neji and Tenten’s personalities compliment each other? I don’t have much else to say about them except that I really love them together and think they have so much untapped potential that I also can’t wait to explore in more depth in my own writing.

15. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Paper Hearts and Impromptu Bookmarks, probably. I love the premise of this story a lot and I have so many interesting ideas for it but at the same time, it also feels kind of cheap and cringey to me, in a way? It takes all of these ideas I probably would have had if I had been into Naruto when I was a kid and kind of compiles them all into one big story. Kakashi and Aiko’s relationship and story is still really important to me and I want to continue it someday but for right now, I just haven’t had the motivation or desire to write any more of it. I think I’m just so overwhelmingly preoccupied with writing Kakashi and Rei’s story that I can’t imagine writing any other Kakashi x OC fics right now.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I want to say that I’m really good at capturing complex emotion? I don’t know, I write a lot of angst and mental upheaval in my fics which can be really difficult to try and capture, but I think I do a decent enough job of it? And just writing difficult subjects in general. I think it’s really important to address difficult topics such as mental illness and relationship difficulties and everything but I also want to try and write those topics in a way that is both authentic to the experience while also still tasteful. I don’t want to drive readers away with heavy subject matter but rather present a situation that feels real and authentic while also still being digestible. I may not be doing a very good job of that during the current arc of my fic that I’m working on, but I’m trying haha

EDIT 2: I also want to add onto this to say that I’m really proud of my organizational techniques for writing longfic. It’s not necessarily a strength in terms of the prose itself but it’s something that’s taken me years to really get a grasp on and find a method that works perfectly for me and so far, it’s been extremely helpful and beneficial to me. I don’t know where I would be now as a writer without these essential tools in my pocket.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel like I do a really bad job of the “show, don’t tell” thing. It can be really hard to balance descriptive prose with straightforward writing that moves things along. I don’t want to dwell on mental dialogue to the point where you lose track of what’s going on, but I also don’t want my stuff to read like “Character A did xyz. Character B said abc. They went to 123″, whatever. Another thing I struggle with is sentence variation. I always fall into the same patterns when I’m writing prose and I get really self-conscious about it because I don’t want to sound repetitive or disrupt the flow of the writing. One of my favorite things about prose is focusing on the cadence of the words, I think it’s one of the most beautiful things about writing in general, but it can just be really difficult to get a good grip on that. I’ve been told in the past that I apparently have a really good grasp/control of the language or whatever but sometimes I just find that really hard to believe when I look at my work with such scrutiny. I think one of my biggest pet peeves with my own writing, too, is feeling like I start all of my sentences the same five different ways. I’ll read other people’s works and they’ll write sentences like “Glass-blue water lapped against the shores of a deserted beach as a lonely woman gazed off into the distance” and I can just never figure out how to realistically write sentences that start like that in the context of my prose and it drives me fucking crazy, like I’m definitely jealous 😅

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve never really thought much about it before, but I think there are pros and cons! For bilingual/multilingual readers, I think it can be a really enriching reading experience because they know what’s being said in both languages. For people who only know one language, however, unless a translation is provided, I feel like it can be really alienating. I think the best use of that for both worlds is using it as a means for miscommunication humor. Other than that, I think it can be a slippery slope that depends on what kind of reader you are and how it’s written.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Chronicles of Narnia! My very first fanfiction was a Narnia fanfic that I barely remember except that it laid the basis for Temptation and my Narnia fanfic series as a whole. I never posted this first iteration anyway, but I remember it was 2008/2009 and I wrote a solid 80 pages (which was wild for me at the time) and had gotten halfway through remixing the events of Prince Caspian when my computer crashed and I lost absolutely everything. I’m still heartbroken that it’s gone forever, not because I’d want to go back and read it necessarily (since I’m sure it was actually hot garbage) but at least for nostalgia’s sake. Either way, like I said, this long-lost fic laid the basis for the very first fanfiction I ever posted, the first published (and never finished) iteration of Temptation back in 2011 on deviantART and the since-defunct Figment. I fell out of the fandom around 2012/2013 and left the story alone for a while before ultimately deciding to completely redux and rewrite the story when the fixation swung back around again between 2016 and 2018.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Despite the fact that it’s still in-progress, definitely The Scarecrow and The Bell. This fic just genuinely means so damn much to me and I will cherish it for the rest of my life because of how much it’s given me, how much love and passion and time and even parts of myself that I have poured into this, and also just how expansive of a story this is. Not only does it touch on some very dark and heavy topics, but I’ve also created so much of my own characters and meta for this story that it’s almost an entire universe in and of itself. I’ve just contributed so much additional world-building and created so many new OCs to fill important roles in this story and in Rei’s life, and they’ve all become so deeply important to me as they’ve developed further over the years. I’ve come up with so many interesting ideas for everyone and their lives, which are all slowly becoming so rich and varied. Not to mention that it’s my most popular fic to date as well as my longest fic at 632k and counting. I’ve really just genuinely poured so much of my heart and soul into this story, it’s my absolute favorite thing I’ve ever done and I really mean it when I say that I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

#tag games #ramblings

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makeste · 4 years

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What are your favorite hero names?

oh man there are so many. I had to limit myself to a top twenty, and even that was rough. anyway so first off, a few runner ups because I couldn’t go without mentioning these:

Vlad King - to be clear, this isn’t actually one of my top hero names. but I’m mentioning it here because back when I was first reading the series, one of the fan scanlations -- either Fallen Angels or Mangastream, I forget which -- had originally translated his hero name as Brad King. which, to be frank, would have been one of the greatest hero names of ALL TIME. you can’t imagine my disappointment when I finally learned the truth. it still haunts me to this day.

Jack Mantis - this is Kamakiri (a.k.a. the guy from class 1-B who can grow knives out of his body)’s hero name. my question is, why the Jack. the mantis part, I get! that’s fairly obvious! but the “Jack” is forever a mystery to me. it just adds this little layer of intrigue.

Mr. Brave - this guy is one of the few good things to come from the Basement arc. don’t get me wrong, he is completely useless. but his name? absolutely legendary. this guy, with his power of ripping his own hair out and turning it into a sword (yes that’s his quirk), an ability that could be easily duplicated or bested by literally any jackass who just went out and bought their own damn sword, really thought to himself, “I am going to be the BEST MCFUCKING HERO THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. I AM GOING TO NAME MYSELF... MISTER BRAVE.” and they let him, you guys. they let him.

anyway so now for the top twenty!

20. Can’t Stop Twinkling - this isn’t a name so much as it is poetry in three words. I still cannot believe that Aoyama went up to Midnight with a hero name that sounds more like the world’s greatest Dear Abby letter, and she actually let him keep it. I’m not 100% clear on how this all works, but I like to think this means that Aoyama’s fellow heroes have an actual legal obligation to call him this in battle. I don’t think we as a fandom and as a people really take enough time out of our lives to stop and be grateful for Aoyama’s existence.

19. Uravity - it’s a pun!! it’s so cute and I love it!! and it’s such a perfect name in that it just instantly sums up and defines her whole brand, bringing to mind both Ochako the person and Zero Gravity the quirk. honestly she is one of only a few kids whose hero name I never space out on. with a lot of the others I usually have to pause for a sec and be like “wait, what was their name again?” but never Ochako.

18. Present Mic - this would make a really great band name honestly. I just like it. I’m pretty sure Horikoshi was going for “present” as in the verb meaning “to perform”, like in “presentation”, but to tell the truth I always pronounce it like “present” as in “gift” or “the present time”, which doesn’t make any sense at all, but IT’S JUST WHAT MY BRAIN DECIDED TO DO. anyway.

17. Tsukuyomi - I know this name has its origins in Japanese mythology, but to be completely honest I’ve always just associated it with Itachi’s infamous genjutsu attack from Naruto. I just think it’s the gothest thing ever and absolutely perfect for Tokoyami lol.

16. All Might - there’s just something about this name that kind of makes me just want to pump my fists and go “YEAH!!” I really like the use of “might” as a noun rather than “mighty” as an adjective like you see in so many classic superhero names. it’s just so much cooler somehow. this name really does conjure up the image of the strongest guy in the universe.

15. Midnight - honestly I’m almost mad that this wound up being a hero name, because it would have made a perfect villain name. it’s dark and mysterious and sexy. it’s no wonder why Midnight chose it lol. anyway so my girl is a bit kinky, nothing wrong with that, and it’s also a perfect name for someone whose quirk puts other people to sleep. it’s just such spot-on branding, I love it.

14. Ingenium - fun fact, I had no idea what this meant when I first came across it because I don’t speak Latin! apparently it means “genius” or “talent.” which is a very good meaning for a hero name! but honestly the real reason I love it so much is because it’s Iida’s tribute to his brother, and I am just such a sucker for that kind of shit. damn you Iida siblings. quit giving me all these feels.

13. Shouto – yes, seriously. I know a lot of people hate this name, and it’s always getting flak for being bland and uncreative. but I honestly think it’s a perfect name for Shouto. firstly because Shouto himself is very much the opposite of flashy in a lot of ways. he’s not particularly animated or attention-seeking; he is a very calm, sort of still-waters-run-deep person, and I think the lack of a snappy brand name fits that personality. I’m even more delighted that it hasn’t remotely curbed his popularity at all (at this point I think the only kid hero with more in-universe fans out there is Momo, and even then it’s probably a close thing), and I think a big part of that is that people are drawn to his unpretentious nature, especially in comparison to a lot of the other heroes out there. but most of all, I like the name because of the simple yet powerful way it serves as a declaration that he is his own person. he’s not his father, and he’s more than just a Todoroki. he is himself; he is Shouto. anyway so yeah, to me this is a fantastic name with so much depth and meaning.

12. Battle Fist - this is Kendou’s hero name AND IT’S PERFECT. like, holy shit. what should we call the girl who goes around punching bad guys around all day with her giant hands. how about BATTLE FIST. there really isn’t much more to say about this one, honestly. its greatness speaks for itself.

11. Vantablack - imagine being such an enormous douchebag that word of your douchey exploits made it all the way over to some guy in Japan who spends 95% of his waking hours writing a manga and has almost no free time. fun fact, although Anish Kapoor is the only one licensed to use the color Vantablack, the name Vantablack is still owned by Surrey NanoSystems (a.k.a. the guys who actually invented it), and so I’m pretty sure they’re the ones who decide whether or not someone else gets to use it. I wonder if Kapoor is pissed about his color being referenced in a popular shounen manga. anyways, all of that speculation aside, it really is the perfect name for someone with Kuroiro’s quirk.

10. Endeavor - look, say what you will about Endeavor the person (although I’m personally a big fan of the way his redemption arc is being done and think he’s a fascinating character, albeit a very flawed one), but there’s no denying that Endeavor is a badass name. but what’s really great about it is how it so perfectly captures the admirable part of Endeavor, the one thing about him that’s actually worth praising. he never gives up. he’s always pushing, striving, struggling forward no matter how hopeless it seems. and that’s a worthy trait, and it says something about him that this is what he chose for his hero name. a name that has nothing to do with fire, nothing to do with his quirk, nothing even to do with his goal of becoming #1. it’s simply a name that means to make an effort; to try and achieve something. and I like that.

9. Sugarman - this IMO is easily the most overlooked and severely underrated hero name in the series. it’s a hidden gem. everyone always forgets about Satou just because his power of being a Strong Punching Guy doesn’t particularly stand out in a manga chock full of strong punching guys. but he is a badass and a great character, and honestly “eating candy makes me super strong” is possibly the single greatest quirk in the history of time and I am jealous. anyway, so this is a really straightforward name, but it’s really smooth and catchy somehow and so it’s one of my favorites.

8. Gale Force - this is Inasa’s hero name! it’s another one which is criminally underrated, much like Inasa himself. airbender powers are just so badass you guys. wind is so badass. this name is all hurricaney and tempesty and super cool and powerful-sounding. this is one of those names that I’m honestly surprised wasn’t already a mainstream superhero name. Marvel was all “nah, we’ll just go with ‘Storm’”, like come on you guys where is the creativity.

7. Red Riot - this name is a fucking grand slam. it’s alliterative! it’s catchy! it’s got the word “riot” in it! it’s an absolutely perfect name for a passionate guy whose quirk lends itself towards good old fashioned brawlin’ and head bashing. the fact that it’s got additional meaning as a tribute towards Kiri’s own personal hero is just the icing on the cake. this is another name that Marvel probably legit wishes they had thought of first. it’s easily the best hero name out of everyone in class 1-A imo.

6. Sir Nighteye - hilariously for the longest time it was not confirmed whether or not Nighteye actually had a real name (he does! but I’ve forgotten it lol), and so there was this lingering question, absurd as it was, of whether or not Nighteye’s parents, whoever they are, were descendants of some proud Nighteye clan, and whether they had really, actually named their child “Sir.” anyways though, I love this name. it’s super cool and mysterious and perfect for someone with future-seeing powers, and the “Sir” just makes even awesomer because it implies that the Queen really liked him or something.

5. Mt. Lady - this name is a stroke of genius. supersize-me powers are a dime a dozen, but the characters always have names like Giant Man or Giganta or Goliath. as far as I know, no other superhero characters have ever thought to name themselves after mountains, let alone to name themselves as if they WERE a mountain. like, she isn’t “mountain lady”; she’s “MOUNT Lady”, as if she were an actual tectonic peak. it really bothers me that I can’t adequately describe in words why I love this so much. I just do!! I think she should get an award.

4. Suneater - Tamaki is out here proving to everyone that your hero name doesn’t need to have jack shit fuckall to do with your actual quirk in order to be completely badass and iconic. sometimes I wonder what Tamaki does when people ask him “out of curiosity, why did you pick that name?”, which someone surely must have done at some point. he probably turns beet red and tries to dissolve into the background. but anyway, the general public does not need to know the meaning of his hero name in order for it to have meaning; we know what the meaning is, and that it’s his way of saying “I believe in myself because my friend believes in me”, and honestly that’s all that matters. I am still of the opinion that certain other people whose childhood friends held a lot of unwavering belief in and admiration towards them could do worse than going down this same hero name route, but we will see! anyways Suneater deserves all your respect.

3. Best Jeanist - I had so much love for this name from the start, and then I found out it was a real, actual award. for people who make good jeans, or are good at wearing jeans, or something. it’s run by the Japan Jeans Council, which is also a real and actual thing. but anyway, despite it not being as wholly original of a name as I thought, it’s still iconic, and I love that he went with something that was recognizable while still fitting his quirk, and which has the added implication that he is the motherfucking best, because he is. also, given that he probably chose this name while he was still in school, and that only public figures generally seem to be eligible for the award, this implies that he chose the name Best Jeanist first, and then went on to win the actual award eight years running. presumably because the JJC got very flustered and were all, “IT’S LITERALLY HIS NAME... WE HAVE TO GIVE IT TO HIM... WE HAVE TO”, and so they did. anyway so that was a goddamn power move on his part.

2. Gang Orca - first of all, if you are an orca man, then naming yourself after orcas is a pretty apt thing to do and I have to respect that. but then along comes the “gang” part, out of absolutely NOWHERE, and it absolutely SMASHES. like, this name comes up to you and it slaps you in the face. GANG ORCA. HE’S A BIG AGGRESSIVE DOLPHIN MAN AND HE’S NOT HERE TO FUCK AROUND. IS HE ACTUALLY IN A GANG?? WE DON’T KNOW. BUT HERE HE IS, READY TO YEET YOUR DELINQUENTS AND HUNT YOUR MOTHERFUCKING SEALS. this name fucks so hard it came within inches of the number one spot. he is a ruffian and a champ.

1. Eraserhead - last but not least, the guy who DIDN’T EVEN PICK HIS OWN NAME. his best friend had to do it for him, and out of love, came up with the SINGLE BEST HERO ALIAS IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND. first of all, this name sounds like a very funky and electronicy Thom Yorke song. second, it conjures up the image of a man with a big no. 2 pencil head, which could not possibly be further from the truth. it’s just so whiplashy in the best way possible. third, the very existence of this name is seriously a goddamn miracle. he could have been “Power-Stopping Man.” or “Sleeping Bag Man.” or “Scruffy Hero: Tired Man.” or just “Shouta”, but unlike Shouto there wouldn’t have been any actual meaning to it; it would have simply been a case of him not giving the slightest of fucks about coming up with a real name. but rather than any of these, thanks to the power of friendship we were blessed with the greatest hero name in recorded memory. this is one of the few kindnesses fate has ever bestowed upon Aizawa Shouta in his tragic, exhausting life, and I for one am eternally grateful.

anyway so that’s my list! sorry if I left out anyone’s favorites! but I think all of these are deserving of love. also if you want to see the single best thing Japan has ever come up with, please go visit best-jeans.com. they even have an instagram lulz.

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vannahfanfics · 4 years

Text

Rainshowers

Category: Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Naruto

Characters: Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara

Good day, everyone! Here’s my story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami’s Day Six prompt, “Like Air in My Lungs (I Need You).” Enjoy!

“Ino. Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurts?”

Sakura’s eyes were lidded as she gazed forlornly out of the café window. Her hand was curled around a cup of black tea that was long since cold, over half full of the dark brew. The rain was pounding against the glass beside her; the glass looked as if it were frosted with the pumping streams that were cascading down the smooth, clear surface like a steady waterfall. For the thousandth time that morning, she sighed deeply and looked out the corners of her eyes at her friend, lips pursed in a self-pitiful pout.

“Sakura.” The click in her tongue indicated that she was in for a chiding. She closed her blue eyes as she set down her cup of green tea with a shake of her head. “Shikamaru has been broken up with Temari for three weeks now! Why are you here moping to me when you could be making your move?” Sakura groaned loudly and slammed her forehead down onto the table, making the cups rattle and silverware jump.

“It’s too soon! Shouldn’t I wait at least a month?”

“Girl! You waited six months before he even started dating her! It’s not like they were together for a super long time; they went on three dates,” the blonde scolded her critically. Sakura groaned into the finished wood of the small café table. “Hey. Look at me, will ya?” Obediently, Sakura lifted her head to peer at her with big green eyes; Ino was leaning her cheek in her hand and smiling sympathetically. “I know how hard it is for you to reconcile with your feelings after the whole Sasuke thing petered out, but if you never take any risks, Sakura, you’re gonna live your life full of regret.” Ugh. I hate it when she’s right, the kunoichi thought with a dour pout as she sat herself up and ran a hand over her wearied face.

“I know,” she grumbled in agreement. She turned to glance out of the window once more. The wind whisked up the rain to all but throw it against the glass in furious pitter-patters. The perfect parallel to her tumultuous mood. I just… Don’t want to ruin the status quo, she continued silently as her eyes drifted halfway shut. The rain continued to pour.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura had bid Ino a good evening and begun the wet, rainy trek home. The rain pounding continuously on the rubbery layer of the red umbrella she was holding over her head like a shower of bullets. The dirt street was flooded with numerous, deep puddles of dirty rainwater that splashed up the sides of her bare calves with every squelching step. Sakura tilted the edge of the umbrella up for a moment to peek up at the sky; it was choked with ashy gray clouds that rolled with quiet thunder and flashes of bright white lightning deep within their bellies. No doubt, it would be a long time before the rain let up. With a small sigh, she dropped her head back down, chin striking her chest. In such dismal weather, it was nearly impossible not to brood. Her hand curled up around her heart as it clenched tightly in her chest. She had asked Ino if she had ever loved someone so deeply that it hurt, because all Sakura felt these days was a dull aching beneath her sternum- the low, throbbing pulse of insurmountable longing. It was a painfully familiar feeling, one she had lived with for several years, and sometimes she wondered if her love for Sasuke had diminished at all, if maybe she were confusing her little crush on Shikamaru with these deep feelings of hers.

Then she would see him- just like right then, as he trotted out of the door of a small convenience store with one hand in his pants pocket and the other tossing a small plastic bag of canned coffees over his shoulder. Sakura stopped in her tracks, green eyes wide as they beheld him grimacing up at the stormy heavens.

“Man, what a drag… I should’ve checked the weather forecast today. This is getting old,” he muttered. His legs were splashed up the side with mud and Sakura could clearly see dark spots littering his clothes, evident of still-drying rain spatters. Had he walked there in the pouring rain? He apparently didn’t notice her, as he hopped down the store’s steps to land with a light splash in the muddied street below and start walking in the opposite direction. Sakura flushed and dipped her umbrella down to cover her face. She didn’t want him to notice her, and yet her heart was screaming in agony, wishing dearly to be greeted. She clenched her teeth as it constricted angrily within her chest; her ears rang with the rush of blood and Shikamaru’s soft, splashing footsteps. Her eyes flickered as the toes of his boots appeared just under the rim of the umbrella, passing her left side. She could go unnoticed. She could.

But did she want to?

“Sh-shikamaru!” she cried before her mind could stop her. Water jumped around her feet in a wide, curving arc as she whirled on her heel, and she accidentally threw the umbrella up too high, cause a sudden burst of raindrops to crash down into her face. Startled, she wiped at it quickly with her sleeve before blinking the water away to see Shikamaru staring at her with widened eyes. A mortified blush blazed across her cheeks, but she had already called out to him, so she had no choice but to stand her ground. “D-do you want me to walk you home? It’s pouring… You could catch cold.” She wished more than anything that her voice came out more confident. Hinata could run circles around her.

“You live in the opposite direction, though,” he frowned and rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. The coffee cans jingled with the movement. Sakura stared slack-jawed at him for a second. How stupid she must look! Of course it would be weird offering to walk him home when they lived on completely different sides of time.

“U-um, I’m just out for a walk. I’m not going anywhere in particular, so, it doesn’t matter to me,” she recovered lamely. His black eyes met hers for a moment, calculating. She wondered if he could see the nervousness blooming in her spring green depths.

“Well, you gonna bring the umbrella over here or you gonna just let me stand out in the rain?” With a squeak, she scampered over to him, hoisting the umbrella up to accommodate his tall frame. He slipped his hand back in his pocket as he turned to begin walking in step with her. Her legs were significantly shorter, so she had to set her pace almost twice as much as his to keep up. The umbrella bobbed up and down over their heads as she scuttled along beside him. “So what brings you out for a walk in this ugly weather?”

“O-oh, um, I met Ino for lunch at a café earlier, but I just wasn’t in the mood to go home yet.” At least it wasn’t a total lie.

“What, do you two get together once a week to exchange gossip or something?” he sniffed teasingly. Sakura’s face turned the color of her hair; yeah, basically, that was what they were doing. Shikamaru blinked at her stunned silence, then began chuckling. “Sounds about right. Lemme guess- Ino just had to spill that me ‘n Temari aren’t a thing anymore, right? Can’t tell her anything.” She couldn’t tell by the tone of his voice if he was actually angry that the blonde was spreading his business around or if he was just mildly amused; it was blank, void of much emotion at all, and when Sakura peeked up at him she saw that his face was pretty much the same. He stared straight onward with slightly lidded eyes. He looked deep in contemplation.

“… Did you really like her?” she asked quietly. If he was sad, she wanted to be there to comfort him, as his friend. However, part of her was terrified for him to answer that he had possessed strong feelings for the girl. That would just drive the nail into the coffin that contained her own feelings.

“No,” he answered, almost a little too easily. Sakura’s heart skipped with hope. She then flushed with shame. Why should she be happy that his relationship with Temari hadn’t worked out? That was a terrible thing! His eyes shifted to bore into hers again, making her wince slightly. Was she supposed to say something? What should she say? Sakura was just brutally honest; it was especially hard with Shikamaru to act all unperturbed.

“S-so… You’re the one who called it off?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” The question burned like fire on her tongue. Temari was smart and capable; honestly, Shikamaru would be lucky to have her. Of course, the answer could be as simple as he wasn’t feeling it. That was a perfectly reasonable answer, but doubt poked at the back of Sakura’s mind. The two had always had great chemistry, even to the point that people had assumed they were dating. It was almost certain that they would hit it off. So why…?

Shikamaru suddenly stopped, and she followed suit, looking at him in bewilderment. His hand slowly came up to wrap around hers that was holding the handle of the umbrella; blush shot up her arm to creep up her neck and face, and had Shikamaru not been gripping the handle tightly, the umbrella would be shaking from the quiver that had gripped her body. His dark eyes glittered with something that Sakura couldn’t place- amusement? Glee? Maybe a faint bit of derision? It was an intense stare that had a pleasurable shiver propagating from her head to her toes and back. She felt it, again, that suffocating constriction in her chest that made her lungs burn. The love that hurt. Electrified, she could only gawk up at him and wait for him to speak.

“Because I was just trying to kid myself out of the fact that I was already in love with somebody else.” His words were but ghosts, drifting over Sakura’s blush-stained face in feather-light wisps. She was so enraptured by them that she didn’t even react when the bag of coffee cans clattered loudly to the ground, nor when both his hands rose to gently cup her face. For some reason, only one thing and one thing only was on her mind.

“Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurt?”

“Every damn day.”

The seconds between his answer and what happened next were forever a blank period in her memory. Like a record skipping, she was suddenly just there, umbrella discarded and arms around his neck and lips furiously smashing against his in a desperate, heated kiss. The cool rain cascading down her skin foiled the burning sensation of lust flourishing through her insides like fire; everywhere his hands landed- her neck, her hips, her back- there bloomed fiery pleasure as her nerves short-circuited. Sakura hadn’t realized up until then how short of breath she was. As soon as his lips met hers, it felt like pure oxygen flooded her lungs, swelling them to maximum capacity. It was like he breathed life into her; she couldn’t breathe without him, she loved and needed him that much, and so she refused to part her mouth from his even as her head began to dizzy with lack of breath. When his tongue dipped into her mouth to eagerly tangle with her own, her knees buckled and she slumped against him, mind foggy as she began to slowly spin into suffocation. It felt so good. It felt like a part of her was made whole again.

She was panting hard when he forced himself away from her. Despite her gasping breaths, her face still chased his as it left, her mouth lamenting the loss of the taste of him, like bitter coffee and green tea and spices. He supported her limp frame with his sturdy arms as she slowly came down from the impossible high. She blinked as her mind came back to her. The rain had picked up considerably and they were both now dripping wet, beaded raindrops falling from their chins and elbows and seeping into their clothes to darken the fabric. Sakura laughed lightly as she swept a few of the pink strands that had plastered to her face.

“I let go of the umbrella,” she mused bashfully and looked down the street to see it rolling like a tumbleweed far down the street. She turned back to see that they had been standing in front of his house the entire time. Now I have to walk all the way home in the rain… Sakura didn’t mind it, really. With the gentle, bubbling heat pulsing through her body at the moment, she doubted the chill of the rain would be able to reach her at all. Shikamaru seemed to have other ideas, though.

“What a pity. Guess you’re not going anywhere until the rain lets up.” Her face turned beet-red at the sultry growl in his voice. She squealed in surprise as he suddenly hoisted her up, and her legs snapped closed around his hips on instinct.

“Shi-! Shika-!” she stammered uselessly. Her brain was far too fried to form coherent words. He gave her a twisted, mischievous smirk as he whirled on his heel to march up the path leading to his residence, while Sakura’s nails dug down into his shoulder in a white-knuckled grip. “Have you lost your mind?!”

“I’m quite lucid, thank you,” he purred as he kicked the garden gate latch up and opened it with a foot. He kicked it shut behind him, not seeming to care at all that it only bounced back open to begin flapping back and forth in the wind. “What, do you really wanna go on your ‘walk’ that bad?” Her face continued to flush at his teasing words. Of course she didn’t want to go on a damn walk! Mortified and shamefully excited, she leaned forward to bury her face into his shoulder as he carried her into the empty house.

It was certainly not how she expected to spend the rainy day, but boy, did she have some gossip for Ino for their next café meet-up…

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork @searchfortheonepiece @shikasaku-week

#shikasaku week #shikasaku week hanami #shikasaku #shikasaku week 2020 #shikamaruxsakura #shikamaru x sakura #sakuraxshikamaru #sakura x shikamaru #sakura haruno #haruno sakura #shikamaru nara #nara shikamaru #naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto fanfic #naruto fanfiction

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ryuukenden4 · 5 years

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Do What Makes You Happy

(Okay fair warning, this is a very long post with some seriously personal stuff in it.)

I know I don't usually open up on here, but I think it's time I finally do it to get it off my chest. This has been a topic I often find myself thinking about. It usually makes me feel really shitty when I do, but I don't ever talk about it with anyone. I think I need to let all of my thoughts air, even if no one listens.

This post is about "cringe culture." Basically, judging someone for something they love. Not criticizing or internally judging, but shaming. This is a topic that sits badly with me on both ends of the spectrum. I both have judged people and been judged, and both sides feel bad.

Let's start off with why I'm even making this post. I've thought for a long time about myself and the stuff I enjoy. I know it isn't normal, and I know a lot of people in my age group can't relate. I love anime, it's been an outlet for me and my weird fantasies (like dragons and swords, not the other kind) for almost 10 years now. Video games are some of my lifeblood even though I guess gamer girls don't exist?? I immensely love making characters, fan and original. Fictional characters are my cornerstones where real people (usually) tend to fall flat. Let me elaborate.

Anime has helped me cope with many difficult things over the years. It helps me connect with family and friends. It gives me a creative outlet for not just drawing and writing, but thinking. Even cliché anime always make me see the world in new ways, and I love it for that. It's helped me develop myself and my style for such a long time that I can't imagine being parted from it any time soon.

From anime especially comes my love of fictional characters. I have always loved them (my first favorite characters were Jim Hawkins and Bilbo Baggins, and I'll never forget that fact about myself), but that love became intensified as I grew older. I don't necessarily see myself in them, but I enjoy getting to know them. It's almost a personal connection with the characters. My favorites are almost always established from their introductions because something with them and me just...clicks. Even if I have no clue who or what they are, there is something there I feel. Like they're an old friend or something. They make me feel not alone, as strange as that sounds. Like for instance, take Mirio, my current muse on here. His sunshiney personality and goofy nature brighten my day. His selfless nature and general goodness make me strive to be a better person. As soon as he was introduced, I knew he was gonna be one of my favorites, I could just tell. He feels like a friend to me, and I really feel a connection with him.

Moving from characters, video games have allowed me to explore new worlds and escape the mundanenss of our own. I'm not trying to sound deep, but having a way to escape this life for a little while is nice. The interactiveness of video games is so wonderful, and it really feels like I'm shedding myself and becoming someone else for a spell. I especially love games that either have an awesome protags who is loveable and you root for them, or ones that you create your own character and save the world.

Which brings me to my last and most sensitive topic; my characters. I have made characters since I was able to. From my warrior cats to my anime side characters all the way up to my completely original ones, my characters have always had an influence on me. Rarely do I make self-inserts, but when I do they are versions of me I wish I was. (My first warrior cat was pretty much me as a cat, I'll admit. And my first anime OC was also loosely based off me.) But I have come so far with them from what I used to do. Now my characters all have their own lives and I'm just telling their stories. Yes this sounds cheesy, but I hear that this is what makes a good character. When you sit down and "chat" with them and they are separate from you. I don't want to say none of my recent characters are like me, because obviously new characters are still forming from MY brain, but I do my best to develop them like functional, separate people and not fictional versions of me. And yes, often I do end up shipping my characters with other characters (my own or canon), but I never make it about me. It's about two fictional characters that are fun to imagine going to see a horror movie or taking a walk or cuddling under the stars.

As much as I love all of this, I'm terrified to talk about my interests with others. This post has been extremely hard to write so far, but I'm forcing myself to do it so I can finally be at peace with my negative thoughts. I find it hard to talk with others for fear of being labeled "weird" or "cringey." And it's not even that I mind their comments, I mind and worry about what they DON'T say. I always get nervous talking about stuff with people because I worry they're silently judging me. And sure, I understand what I do isn't everyone's cup of tea (nor do I expect that literally at all, especially shipping OCs and canon characters). I just worry it actually affects how people view ME as a person from what I like. That's why I hide my interests in my pysche, I try to avoid making others uncomfortable with me, even if I feel uncomfortable hiding myself. It all stems from my lack of self-confidence and fear of being hated. Judging and being judged are very stressful things to undergo, especially for someone not happy with who they are 90% of the time.

I mentioned earlier I've experienced both ends of this. So let me discuss. I had a very judgmental mindset of people for a long time based upon what they liked. I judged people hardcore for liking things that were ridiculous to me. I never said it to them, but my thoughts were mean and malicious. Looking back on myself for that, I find it disgusting, and I'll be the first to say I was wrong. I honestly think my spitefulness stemmed from my own bad experiences I'll describe later. What people like doesn't usually harm me in anyway, and so what makes me the one who dissuades them from doing what they love? I am a devout Christian, and one of my life-changing takeaways from those experiences was to step back and let God be the judge. My judgment ultimately means nothing to someone's life, and so they should be allowed to do as they please and God can decide if it's wrong or right at the end. Again I say, if it makes you happy, DO IT.

On the other end, I have been ridiculed for what I like. It's been little things like disparaging comments from family members or even anon hate (old Tumblr accounts now deactivated). I still remember my worst experience was on a platform called Flipnote Hatena. Basically, you drew little animations, often to music, flipbook-style on your DSi and posted them for others to see. I made a Flipnote for my Spyro fan character (very much a self insert...I was like 10) and Spyro to the song "Listen to Your Heart." I was so proud of my work, and it was my best yet. I posted it, not expecting much, as my stuff wasn't very popular. Then I got a notification for a comment. I was so happy to see what someone said, praising my art. Turns out it was another user telling me I was wrong for shipping my dragon and Spyro because he only loved HER character. She peppered in death threats and told me to kill myself. She proceeded to make Flipnotes about wanting to fight and kill my main avatar (my warrior cat at this point) to prove she deserved Spyro. Obviously I was distraught. I just wanted to share my love for Spyro and what I thought was my best animation, and I got told to die and threatened to be killed all for what I enjoyed doing. I know nothing would have come of it in hindsight, but being a 10 year old, that really scarred me. I caved and deleted my Flipnotes with said characters and never posted them again. I let that person win, and erased a portion of myself from my heart.

This is the event that usually makes me question if what I'm doing is "okay." I get bouts of negative thoughts toward myself and my "weirdness." I find myself wanting to delete all my characters and writings and everything. I tell myself what I'm doing is wrong, and it would make so many people angry and mean if I posted it. And then I tell myself I don't NEED to post it to be happy. I don't need validation on my stuff. I don't need fans of my characters or for people to ship my couples. I just need someone to affirm I'm okay, that I'm not wrong. I need someone to tell me "if it makes you happy, do it." I need to be reminded I'm also a person with feelings that matter. I'm uncomfortable deleting all of my hard work. I'm angry for deleting that character I put hours of research and thought into. I'm mean when I think of someone being so bothered by what a stranger does that they have to verbally abuse them for it. That's why I'm extending that for anyone listening. If you need to hear this, you are valid. If it makes you happy, please do it. Know that someone out there is rooting for you. I am 100% behind you.

That old show you watched with your middle school best friend? Watch it and relive some great memories! That cute idea you have for a scenario between your Naruto OC and Kakashi? Draw it, it's probably super cute! That idea for a for a story based solely upon platonic love and not romantic? Hell yeah, we need more of that content!

Basically, do whatever makes you you. True happiness seems like it's becoming hard to find nowadays, so if you find it, hold onto it. Never change for what you expect people want from you, and that doesn't just extend to hobbies. Be your awesome self. One day, someone will come along who loves what you do too, or will love you for being you. :)

Do what makes you happy.

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whenthemarshmallowmettheslayer · 4 years

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salty ask #3 and also #19 (naruto)

Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

So far no. I do have opinions that would make me unfollow a person though.

Would you recommend XXX to a friend? Why or why not?

First off, I have not finished Naruto so please keep that in mind.

When a person thinks of anime Naruto is one of the series that first comes to mind because of its popularity. I never watched anime as a kid if you don’t count Avatar the Last Airbended and 1984 Voltron but even I knew of Naruto. Eventually I got into anime - just few years prior I had read Sailor Moon and watched a few episodes of Ouran High-school Host Club but neither were something that made me further interested in trying out other manga/anime, Death Note was what brought me into be ing interested in anime/manga - therefore late last year (hc this year has gone by) I decided to give that really popular ninja anime a try.

I would not highly recommend Naruto despite really loving some of the characters in the series. (Also it depends on the friend because of their preferences and drawbacks because I have several series I have recommended to one friend but won’t try to get another friend to watch because I know she wouldn’t be able to watch it.) If I was to recommend to a friend I would give them the pros and cons of the series without trying to spoil it too much because Naruto has interesting characters and concepts but I get frustrated by how they are handled. Which to be fair not all series have to be well written to be good. Sometimes a series being fun is and should be good enough on its own but after so much of the series has its main character promising to fix things and bring their friend back home I feel like a fan’s frustration on not having these things fulfilled is reasonable. Especially since the narrative of the ending of the Naruto series isn’t sometimes the heroes lose, sometimes you can’t get everything you want, but rather treats it as though it’s perfectly fine.

Naruto sweetie you are a hat wearing dog in a room on fire. It is not all right.

Why I wouldn’t recommended it:

1.) The series begins with Naruto being the underdog who wants to achieve the goal of becoming Hokage so he can be acknowledged in a positive light by the village that has neglected and hated him but as the series progresses he (and Sasuke) become more and more powerful until they’re apparently reincarnated of a son a moon goddess. Having an overpowered main character is not of itself a bad story. How you handle that idea is what makes or breaks it. (Also if the main female character has been working her butt off so she can be at their level and has finally reached her goal only for the author to gives her two teammates powers ups - don’t even get me started on Naruto healing Kakashi’s eyes - I’m going to be upset on principle even if I wasn’t a Sakura fan.) Look at One Punch Man.

Saitama can defeat any opponent with a single punch but the series is not boring. Saitama before the story began decided he wanted to be a superhero and does workout routine which somehow not only gains him the ability to defeat any opponent it also took Saitama’s hair. Okay, in all seriousness (though Saitama does lose his hair because of the workout - I wasn’t making that up) One Punch Man is the story of how a person obtained their dream and falls out of love with it because there’s no challenge in it for him anymore and, with no challenge, one cannot grow. Saitama is stagnant. The story of One Punch Man is relatable despite again the main character being able to defeat anyone with a single punch. Because of this we are rooting for Saitama when he finds another goal and we appreciate Genos who is helping Saitama with fighting his depression.

Now with Naruto the first series was a tale of an underdog only for Shippuden to take place and the writer pours that important part of the original series down the drain.

Not only is Naruto a tailed beast he is the vessel of the most powerful tailed beast, he is the son of the former Hokage, he is from clan that gives his an abundant amount chakra and the clan is almost completely gone besides a few other members, he’s the reincarnation of the first Hokage and the reincarnation of some son of a goddess who became the last boss fight in the series.

Again having an over powered character in and of itself is not a bad thing. How you handle it is what makes and breaks the idea. The attempt in Naruto was poor because it majorly contradicts the theme of the first part of the series.

2.) Reminder: I have not seen all of Naruto and I haven’t read a single issue of the manga so I may be wrong about this. I’m also probably going to piss off a lot of people with this point but this is a salt post.

First off let me say there is nothing wrong with Naruto wanting to be Hokage as a child. He was neglected and hated by his village that he was a child soldier for. But as he grew older I wished Naruto realized how he could never have the two things he wanted: to be (positively) acknowledged by the village and to change the system. In normal position of power a leader will not be able to please everyone so in a society that’s been set in its ways and has only known a system where children are soldiers. This was a system Naruto wanted to change and he needed to realize if he wanted to become Hokage he was going to have to give up one or another. The pretense of the village acknowledging him or fixing the problems.

Naruto as far as I know never has this debate nor to my knowledge does Naruto ever wonder if another person would be a better Hokage than he would.

3.) The treatment of female characters. Sakura deserved so much better and I’m leaving it at that, Konan shouldn’t have been forced to support Naruto because it contradicts her goals and my paper angel should have came back with the other Akatsuki members when Edo Tensai happened, Hinata deserved to punish her father and the other members of house who were pro Hyugga slavery and to not have her children anywhere near that asshole, and Ino deserved to be fighting with her teammates against Hidan & Kakuzu and she deserved to beat Sakura during their fight in the Chunin Exam especially since whatever Inner Sakura was was never acknowledged in the plot afterwards.

I’m not naming all of the female characters and the reasons they deserve better (because they all deserve better) because I’ll be here all night.

That said they all also deserve better than how the majority of the fandom treats them. :)

4.) Orochimaru is not dead despite all the horrible things he’s done to children and just in the series in general. The salt to that injury is Tenzo (a child Orochimaru experimented on) is having to watch Orochimaru who gets off scot free and it’s treated like this funny??? It’s not funny writers. All it makes me want to do is Charlie Bone myself into the series so I can hug Tenzo and murder Orochimaru myself.

5.) The Uchiha Massacre being once again covered up.

#anti orochimaru #naruto uzumaki #Naruto #asks #I’m probably going to anger a few people with this salt #meta #ish

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gaasaku-fanfests · 5 years

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Monster Maiden

Title: Monster Maiden Author: scarletpom [pinch hitter] Rating: T for adult themes Word Count: 7776 Summary: Sakura had recurrent nightmares that haunted her and now she would learn why. Who is this man and why does he remind me of the boy. Am I really his prey? Who is mother? Warnings: possessive behavior, mental illness, ptsd, trauma, gore, possible adult situations. Author's Note(s): My first public fiction so please be gentle. This is written mostly from Sakura's point of view. I chose the Chunin prompt, but I went a little on my own with it. My stories lead me where they want so I hope you will still enjoy! I worked really hard on this and I will probably write a sequel in the future! Also as reference I made the characters older in this story!

Prompt chosen: Chunnin exams [There’s more to it than that, but author-chan has taken some liberties, so it’s not 100% the same. Sorry.]

Partner: the-raging-demons

It was like most days, except today was the day of the chunin exams. I was really hoping for today to be that day I could take things a little easier. After all the sun was shining brightly and the birds were chirping away. It was a day where nothing in the world could go wrong, unless you’re me. Today would be the day I met my nightmare and remembered my past. I will start from the beginning. My name is Sakura Haruno here is my side of the story.

Kakashi Sensei only told us about the exams two days ago and expected an immediate answer. I couldn't help wondering what would be involved in these exams, I heard that ninja were coming from all over. Naruto and I were headed back from some last minute training, the written exams would start at 7pm tonight. They wanted to give any last minute travelers time to get into town. Of course Sasuke didn’t train with us, we were too behind in his eyes. I used to really like Sasuke, but he managed to wake up something in me long forgotten. I noticed Naruto was no longer following me as closely. Some kids were trying to get his attention.

“Naruto, you promised to play with us today!” Konohamaru fussed.

“I’m Sorry Konohamaru, but we have to take the exams now. I’ll hang with you later!”

“Naruto come on we need to go, I’m hungry.” I rolled my eyes.

The kids turned towards me.

“OH! You must be the boss’s girlfriend he was telling us about!”

Naruto twiddled his thumbs nervously. “Yea…..”

“Absolutely not his girlfriend!” I growled.

The kids glared at me now. “That’s ok she’s ugly anyway, boss!”

That’s when I snapped, I was so sick of stress today. We had been training for hours this morning and I didn’t need some kids reminding me of how awful I look after training all day. I chased both Naruto and the kids down the dirt road. My shoes kicked up the loose dirt behind me as I ran. The kids of course were laughing, I would show them. I wasn't really even sure what I was going to do when I finally caught up with them. I was mainly focused on telling off Naruto for giving children the wrong impression and possibly bad influence. Naruto was a troublemaker and Konohamaru was related to the Hokage, if he became trouble it would reflect on Naruto.

Suddenly I heard Konohamaru let out a yelp as I turned the corner to catch up. Some guy in all black with a cat like hood held him up by the collar. This guy was obviously from another village, he was accompanied by a girl in a purple two piece. They looked a few years older than our team.

“That hurt punk…” The hooded boy said.

“Kankuro… Don’t. Gaara will be here soon. You don't want to agitate him.” The girl looked nervous.

“I’ll finish with these kids before Gaara gets here, don’t worry so much Temari.”

“Hey I’m really sorry! This was my fault I was chasing them. We should have been more careful.” I was hoping to reason with this guy.

This Kankuro guy looked at me and smirked, “Sorry? Ok I will go easy on the kid I guess, but he still needs to respect his elders!”

He raised Konohamaru up and raised his other hand to smack him. Suddenly a voice came from nowhere.

“Kankuro… Don’t play with children… You are a disgrace to our village… I should really kill you…”

Kankuro looked like someone was holding a knife to his throat. I started to wonder if it was an overly strict Sensei, but I didn’t have long to wonder. A whirl of what appeared to be sand formed and then he was there. He was younger than the other two, wearing mostly all black with white and brown accents by sashes. On his back some sort of vase or gourd it looked very heavy but he didn’t seem affected. His presence carried something ominous and I noticed his black rimmed eyes. Does he not sleep I wondered. I must have been staring because he snapped towards me with a grin. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him, he was captivating. At the same time I didn't want him to come any closer to me. Like a memory… He reminded me of something I didn’t really understand at the time. Did he feel this way as well or is it just me. He caught my gaze for what seemed like forever. His eyes were teal blue and ice cold, was there even a soul behind those eyes?

Finally Gaara broke the gaze and stared at his company. “What are you two doing? We are supposed to be getting intel before the exams….”

“Gaara…. I had nothing to do with this foolishness” Temari was also just as nervous around this guy as Kankuro was.

“Just because you two are my siblings doesn't mean I won’t kill you without a second thought…. Don’t lose track of your instructions again”

“Siblings…” I didn't realize I actually spoke, it was only a thought.

The two older siblings looked even more panicked, someone was questioning Gaara’s logic. Gaara simply contorted his face in what he probably considered a smile. He took a step…. Wait… He’s walking towards me… I started to take a step back looking over to Naruto for support, but he was just as frozen as the others. Gaara was mere inches from me now and his aura was so cold and hateful. I was afraid he was going to reach out to touch me.

“Yes…. We are siblings…. From Suna village hidden in the Sand…. Here for the exams… A girl like you should count your blessings that I am too busy right now. For future reference when you show fear you represent prey. Unless you want to be prey to a man like me… or am I a predator?.... I will surely see you later I’m sure. Your adorable pink hair would be easy to spot in any crowd…. Heh heh..”

“I…. um sorry….”

“SO you do want to be my prey then…. I’ll give you time to rethink this again… For now…. KANKURO TEMARI we need to go….”

Just like that he seemed to disintegrate into sand, but it was obvious he was not far away. I could still feel his gaze. The other two accompanying him looked at me with concern and then peeled out of there. I suddenly felt like I had somehow entered into some unescapable hell. My heart was in my throat and I could barely breathe. It was reminding me of my nightmares I tried to forget. Trying to ground myself back to reality I began to take in my surroundings. The wind had picked up slightly bringing a cool breeze. I softly toed at the dirt under my feet.

Naruto reached out to steady me. “Sakura-Chan, Its ok. That guy was way out of line. As future Hokage…. I promise to beat the snot out of anyone that threatens my team. Especially someone as beautiful as you Sakura-Chan.”

I thanked Naruto and playfully pushed him away, but he still seemed concerned. That's when our raven haired teammate finally showed up. He looked agitated and slightly nervous.

“Really Sakura! I know you don’t like me anymore, but don’t go falling for the first brooding man you see! Is that your next love? I guess prey is a pet name? Some sort of behind closed doors thing?”

He’s still mad about our falling out, it was really hard on his ego. It was a year ago on my birthday when it happened. Sasuke had brought me a gift, but when I opened it I had a flashback. It was only a teddy bear, but all I could see was those beady eyes. I felt those cold lifeless doll eyes suck me in, When I looked up Sasuke was gone and there was a blurry boy figure maybe about six years old. His features I could not make out, but he was taller than me. The bear was now covered in blood, dripping crimson hate. I looked around desperately We were in a room filled with plush toys and the door was blocked off. I didn't want to play with him anymore. I wanted to go home, he thought his toys would console me. The boy was pushing this blood soaked bear towards me. This bear was so worn from being carried at all times, maybe he thought it would console me as it did him.

I suddenly pushed the bear and boy away, but it was only Sasuke. I was screaming for help, someone come save me. It was the first time the nightmares followed me in the day. I had run home crying that day and I never looked at Sasuke the same way again. Of course we were still teammates there was no changing that. I think it was a shock to him that day I snapped.

The boy in my hallucination was somewhat of my boogie man. I had nightmares of him ever since I can remember. The first night it happened was after I woke from surgery. I had to have reconstructive surgery on my wrist. The doctor and my parents told me I fell playing…. No it was something else they were hiding. The x-ray showed my wrist was completely shattered. I can’t imagine a five year old playing in a way that would cause that. I gave up asking about it through the years, as my parents always chalked my nightmare up to an imaginary friend or a night terror.

Looking at the anger in Sasuke’s eyes now I realized how it must have felt. He was used to having everyone fawn all over him, but I was not going to be embarrassed by him either.

“Sasuke…. I have never seen that guy before…”

“That’s funny because I was watching… and you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. Just like how you used to look at me… You know what. Forget it. I should have figured you would meet someone as messed up as you.”

“SASUKE QUIT, Sakura is scared! Do you even care? If you were watching why didn’t you step in!” Naruto was fuming now.

“Naruto, you wouldn’t understand. Sakura likes them like that. She prefers someone dark and brooding and now apparently from a strange land…. I’m out. I’ll see you guys at the written exams…”

……..

Gaara POV

Sasuke stomped off growling obscenities under his breath, but the danger wasn’t too far away. Gaara was collecting his intel and had watched the whole scene. Sitting up in a tree hidden from view Gaara has been watching from behind Sakura. He was trying to get information on Sasuke, that raven boy was a threat. However now something distracted him… That word love… Could it be true? She had a familiarity to her. Gaara had heard stories of people believing in past lives or fate but he never really considered it himself. Who was this girl. I really could have easily ended her and her friends just now, but something else is there. I think that’s the closest I have gotten to anyone physically without them trying to run. People in this village don’t know what I am and I could easily interact. Yes she seemed nervous, but it wasn’t like the others. Yes…. I think I will definitely see that girl again whether she's ready or not.

Gaara slinked off his perch watching Sakura and Naruto walk off.

“We could follow the prey….. We can play… You are a growing boy… you should get at least three victims a day…. Or Mama can show you a new game we can play with her…. But for now Mama needs blood….”

Gaara gripped his forehead nodding to the voice echoing in his head. “Yes mother…. I’ll kill for you now. I want to play later though, lets spare the girl for now…”

“Of course Baby whatever you need to keep mama happy. This is a mutual benefit we share…”

Gaara quickly jumped from shadow to shadow looking for a victim, mother would give him what he wants if he kills. She would help bring everything he wanted and reward him for his offerings. It wasn’t long before Gaara spotted a target, it was another foreigner. He clasped his hands together and sand poured out of his gourd. The ninja looked just in time to see a wall of sand slam into him. Gaara raised his hand and with a flick of his wrist it was done. The sand absorbed the blood quickly and the remains were grinded into the ground.

“Is that enough for now Mother?...”

“Thank you baby…. I’ll tell you everything you need to get what you want. But Mommy needs to know…. Do you want to keep this one or will I taste her blood as well?....”

“I’m not sure mother…. I would like company but I feel she will run like the others…. Can you help me….”

“Mommy will tell you all you need….”

“That Sasuke sounded like he wanted her…. He said she wanted me though… I don’t understand…. But that boy Sasuke he is a threat to me in more ways than one. His blood will be especially sweet for you mother I promise.”

“Such a good son I have…. Mommy loves you….”

Gaara listened to the voice as he dissipated into the shadows once again, It spoke of ways to catch interest. Girls like to be rescued, to be protected, to be wanted. This girl would maybe like flowers or someone to hold her always. It sounded like a lot of work to Gaara who only ever cared for himself up till this point. However this was a chance in a lifetime to have interaction with someone else. If mother was right, he could easily lure her in. If he could get her alone no one could stop him, not even that bastard father of his. Gaara wasn’t really sure what he would do when he snatched her, but mother would give him instructions. For now it was time to get back to the inn his team was staying at. The first part of the test would be in a few hours and they had much to discuss.

…….

Back to Sakura

It would be another few hours before the exams so I decided to go home to rest. I was still feeling uneasy with everything that happened earlier. After getting cleaned up I collapsed on my bed and snuggled into the plush bedding. My room was on the second floor with a large window in which I always loved to watch the night sky. The walls were currently a rose color with the sun trying to hide behind the clouds. It was darker in my room then usual as if it was a warning…. I watched shadows cast from the trees dance along my walls from the wind. Was it going to storm tonight? I closed my eyes telling myself it was just for a moment, but then I was out.

……

I awoke in my bed, but I was so much smaller now. It was another nightmare…. He would come. I pulled the covers over my head as most children do to hide from monsters. I scooted back further into the covers until I bumped into something…. Small arms enclosed around my chest longingly.

“Are you really too tired to play? Maybe I can stay here and keep you company….”

This is the first time I ever recall hearing the boy speak to me, and the sensation of his grasp felt so real. I shut my eyes tight hoping he would leave, but he only pulled me closer.

“Sakura…. I’m not a bad guy…. It was an accident. Please play with me…. I promise I won’t do it again.” His grip started to become unbearably tight, and his nails dug into my flesh. I looked down but his small arms were replace by large claws. The claws were gripping from my chest to my sides tightly. The claws could probably easily close around my whole body completely.

I started to struggle in its grasp, but he kept pulling me closer. This boy started to cry out that if I kept up I would be punished. He warned me I had to be good and be his friend or Mama would be angry. All this information was flooding my senses at once, it felt like my body would be crushed any minute. Suddenly he let go and looked at me.

“Sakura…. You have to wake up now…. I’m sorry our memories haunt you. But the monster is coming now… The real monster… I hope you can forgive us…. Please wake up now….”

His voice was fading quickly. I wanted to reach out for him as tears ran down my cheek.

He was still there, but he became blurry once again. No voice only gurlges of what could have been growls. Suddenly I felt so alone and vulnerable. He told me I had to wake up? Something is coming I could hear a pounding in the distance…

“SAKURRA SAKURA!” BANG BANG

“You’re going to be late!!”

I jolted up from the sudden banging on the door, I was drenched in sweat. I had to go now.

……..

It was 6:30 pm and Naruto and Sasuke were waiting at the front door. Naruto was rather eager to start the test while Sasuke was as cool headed as ever. I quickly brushed my long pink hair and wiped the sweat off my face. Grabbing my ninja pouch I quickly dashed out of my room and met them downstairs. The first exam was being held at the ninja academy which was a few blocks down the road. I hadn’t been there since graduation and meeting Kakashi Sensei. Honestly it wasn’t all that long ago, but it felt almost like a school reunion.

As the three of us walked down the street I felt the cool wind blow past us. It was blowing towards us bringing crinkled leaves and loose soil with it. The moon was almost full at this point, but I think a blood moon was coming soon. Some say blood moons bring new chapters in your life. Others say they bring love, but I honestly felt a discomfort under the blood moon. I always felt like someone was watching me with it. I let out a sigh as we continued our pace for the academy. Both Naruto and Sasuke were quiet.

Finally the building came into view and we quickened our pace. I wanted to get inside and into the light as soon as possible. I was still uneasy with those words. The real monster is coming…. What does that even mean? Who is that boy? He seemed to know me when he spoke. His voice had a soothing nature unlike the growls I usually heard when I saw him.

The inside of the building seemed to be just as unsettling, but it was night time. A lot of the corridors were unlit. We finally made our way to the exam room, and it was packed wall to wall. My eyes quickly scanned around looking for any sign of trouble. Naruto and Sasuke started talking with some older looking ninja, I wasn’t interested so I hung back still scanning the room. Then I saw them, the three sand ninja were standing in the back of the room. It didn’t take long before Gaara noticed me looking his way. I quickly turned away when I saw him shift as if ready to walk my way. He didn’t seem as threatening at the moment, but rather more curious. His eyes were softer and he tried to smile? All I saw was his lips curl into some kind of creepy grin. I pushed past a few ninja to better conceal myself in the crowd, but I knew he could still see me.

……

The test itself was really only a stress test it turned out, they didn’t even grade it. Which was fine for me, because Naruto would have never been able to pass. Naruto even managed to prevent others from giving up with one of his speeches, he was really something else. The next proctor told us the next test would take place in another two days. The forest of death in which we would be running a survival and retrieval test. This proctor was more tough then she looked and when she snapped her orders it demanded attention.

Everybody filed out of the room quickly after we got new instructions. It must have been midnight now the sky was pitch black. The air had chilled and the cold nipped at my bare elbows. Sasuke and Naruto had quickly parted ways with me, they were both tired I was sure. It was only a few blocks back home anyway and there were alot of people outside. I raised my head and stiffened my shoulders. My pace was quick to get home and out of this darkness. Then to my excitement I ran into Ino.

“INO!!!”

“Pinky?”

Ino lived a few houses down from me, we had grown up together. She was somewhat of my role model as a child, but we had drifted apart over a stupid crush. Recently we became best friends again. She swears we never did drift, but I knew it was because she liked Sasuke. I was no longer competition for him.

Ino walked with me the rest of the way and it seemed like all the anxiety I had lifted. She was constantly talking whether it was gossip or her snip its of advice. She had probed me about why I had been more anxious recently. Then she dropped a bombshell on me.

“You know Sakura, Your probably just nervous because of that new guy. I heard Sasuke talk about it with some other guys. I think it’s awesome and I approve! I managed to get a look at him and you guys would look great together. I mean you are total opposites in almost every way, but I’m happy for you. So are you guys going to go steady? Maybe we could double date.”

I simply gaped at Ino, of all people she would know not to press this. I tried to explain it was an misunderstanding, but her desperation for gossip and possible double dates to hook in Sasuke kept her going. She was already planning the first date and I had no idea how to stop her. I tried to fuss again describing my irritation for being the focus of her plans. I wasn’t going to be pushed into something so suddenly. After all the exams would end and I would never see that Gaara guy again, but she continued.

“Sakura dont worry!! I have a friend who has a long distance relationship! They are doing great!”

There was no getting through to her right now, She was just as stubborn as I was.

“Hey!!!! Isn’t that him there?!” Ino gasped and stopped dead in her tracks.

Of course it was him standing in the shadows watching us walk by. I wanted to run and never look back. This was too much. Ino ran up to Gaara, who flinched at the sudden woman tumbling towards him. His face showed pure shock and I assumed that his village was probably more conservative. I know some places you are expected to keep to yourself and have strict mannerisms. Ino stopped mere inches from him and waved me over winking.

“You are Gaara right?! Sakura told me about you! She’s constantly talking about you!”

“WHAT? No Ino, No. I… I have to go… I have a lot to do.”

“Sakura wait!” Ino shouted.

I couldn’t believe her! How could she do that? I was almost home now and as far as I cared everyone could go screw themselves.

I finally reached my house and quickly entered slamming the door shut. My parents were asleep, but I didn’t care I was angry. I threw my ninja pouch on the floor watching it slide and pop open. It was late and time for sleep I thought. I’ll clear up the confusion tomorrow right? I walked to my room quickly, but my door…. It was already open. I always kept my door shut, I didn’t like people seeing inside. I stepped in the door and looked around as if waiting for the boy. No he wasn’t real. I turned on the light and immediately noticed on my nightstand…. A bouquet of roses, but they look like they had been manhandled. The flowers were missing several petals, were covered in bruises and tears. There was also a note on my pillow, but I really didn’t want to know who invaded my space. I felt sick to my stomach as it started churning as I started towards the bed. Shuffling my feet I felt it…. There was sand on my floor…. He had been here in my room…. He knew where I lived…. I quickly fell to my knees, this is worse than I feared. I had to talk to an adult and get help. This wasn’t like when Lee followed me, no this was serious. This guy was obviously overpowered and I managed to catch his attention. Am I really like prey? I wondered hoping the answer was no.

That night it was impossible to fall asleep as I kept feeling watched. I finally stopped tossing and turning and instead listened out for any sounds. I laid for what seems like hours when suddenly there it was. Someone was at the window, I could see a large figure behind the closed curtains illuminated by the moonlight. The window started to squeal with protest, Their trying to come in! I quietly crept off the bed and slid myself underneath scooting all the way against the wall.

The window finally gave to whatever was coming as I heard the thump of heavy feet. I held my breath as I heard the intruder grunt and move towards the center of the room. His walking made such a weird sound…. What is that? Scraping against the floor…. I managed to peek from the bed skirt and I saw it. He was a monster with a large sand claw enveloping the right side of his body. A large tail dragging behind him as well. I couldn’t see his face from the angle, but I could tell it was probably just as bad. His breathing was labored and he was pacing around like he was looking for something. He would let out a few grunts before finally sitting on the edge of the bed. I covered my mouth praying he wouldn’t hear me. His claw gripped the edge of the bed ripping into the underside of the mattress as if it was butter.

“She did not like the flowers…. But the blonde said she liked me…. Why isn’t she here MOTHER? You promised me!”

Mother? I thought who is he talking too?

Gaara continued his one sided conversation as he shifted his weight on the bed. The sand covering him was so heavy that the bed threatened to give out. I couldn’t imagine him finding me like this. Tears started to spill down my cheek as I muffled my cries. Suddenly I heard him jump up. Did he hear me? I began to panic.

“I can smell her tears MOTHER! I need to protect her yes? That’s what you said!” He was now quickly pacing again and sniffing the air.

Gaara slammed his claw knocking the closet door off the wall. He’s going to find me! I thought. He began knocking things over desperately as he looked for where the smell was originating. He turned back towards the bed and his claw reached to flip to bed…. No I can’t… Please…

“Sakura! It’s late what are you doing!” Her father was quickly running down the hall.

Gaara froze and quickly retreated out of the window. “I’ll be back Sakura…..”

My parents flipped when they saw the state of my room not sure what to think. Until I mentioned His name. Both of my parents froze with faces full of fear.

“No…. He couldn’t have come here…. He should have forgotten! It was so long ago!” My mother started to sob.

That night my parents finally told me everything. We had traveled to meet some friends of my dad’s in suna. I was so little and trusting, I wanted to be friends with everyone. My parents thought my new friend in suna was innocent enough, until the night I disappeared.

…..

Gaara was not a patient child and now that he found a friend he didn’t want to be apart.

It was easy enough to get to her as his sand could break any lock. This wasn’t the first time he snuck another kid home, but usually they never left alive. Sakura was different though, she wouldn’t try to leave him. She would stay and play with him forever. It was never his intention to scare his new friend when he whisked her off.

In his room they were safe he promised. No one could separate them, but she continued to cry. Sakura had been unconsolable at this point screaming for help. Gaara did the only thing he could think of. Grabbing his most prized possession, and handing it to her. It was the bear Yashamaru said his mother picked for him, but She only screamed louder ripping away from him. Now he was angry! The sand whipped out grabbing her wrist and twisted it till it shattered.

“I’m sorry! If you won’t stay with me then I can’t let you live!” Gaara had growled.

Sakura looked up at him finally hushing her wails to only quiet sobs. Gaara knew if she was afraid she would stay and listen to him. That night Gaara coddled her and held her close as if she would disappear reminding her she belonged to him. When morning came Yashamaru found the two and seemed calmer then what Sakura thought normal. What she didn’t realize was Yashamaru had saved her life by remaining calm, reacting negatively would have made Gaara dangerous.

Yashamaru had made them both breakfast and then sent Sakura go home to freshen up. As soon as Sakura had gotten home the phone rang, Yashamaru alerted her parents. They had to leave immediately.

…...

My parents admitted to convincing a Doctor to make me forget, they said the nightmares wouldn’t stop before hand. It was for my own sanity. Hearing all this information I wasn’t really sure what to think. All these years I was lied to about everything and now he was back. This time though I wasn’t sure He would be so gentle. My parents offered to send me to another village for the rest of the exams, but I couldn’t think now. I told them I needed some space and went back to my trashed room.

The next day came quickly and I was surprised to hear the doorbell at the crack of dawn. It was Kakashi Sensei, He was now aware of the situation. The next part of the exam was tomorrow, but Kakashi said I was exempted for the time being. Then he said something I didn’t care for.

“Sakura.. You know our village and Suna is in a very strained relationship. I’m not saying you have to go along with anything, but you need to realize that if the Hokage finds out he may suggest an arrangement…”

“At her age! She’s only 17!” My father snarled.

“She’s also a ninja and a tool for the village, meaning if necessary…..”

I cut him off. “I understand Sensei…. But I…. still want to be in the exams.”

“You can be in the one on one battles, but I don’t want you in this particular test. Especially since you are probably in emotional distress. It’s the most dangerous part of the test and I have already found a replacement for you.”

“Ok”

……..

I stayed away from not only my home, but also the other ninja over the next week. My parents had me stay with a relative until the actual battle exam. I spent most of the week mulling over my thoughts and looking over my shoulder. Then my aunt told me something that finally snapped me out of this mouse I became.

“Sakura…. You know being scared is ok, but You can’t change the future doing nothing. I could easily die tomorrow yes, but I can’t constantly worry. You need to make yourself happy and if that means running away. Do it…. I won’t turn you in.”

“I won’t leave…. You are right though…. I can’t change what happens tomorrow. Only how I live today.”

After that I finally started feeling more relaxed and started to go out again. I even tried to keep up with the results of the exams, there were bets so it was easy to get stats.

After a few days of quiet, a messenger knocked on the door.

“Is there a Sakura here? I have a letter for you.”

My Aunt didn’t seem to care for the messenger boy. “You aren’t my usual messenger….”

“I am here…” I said nervously.

“Ah… ok…. Here we go:

Dear Sakura,

I overheard your parents tell you about what happened. I knew you seemed familiar to me. Mother did not mean to scare you, She was over excited about my happiness. She wanted to help me, get you. When I heard your parents coming up I realized I probably scared you. I can’t exactly protect you from Myself or Mother, so I took a step back to analyze the situation. I’m sorry if I frightened you, but I’ve made my decision now.

Also I’m planning on killing that Sasuke guy, he said things about you I can’t forgive. Anyone who dares insult what I care for is doomed to a slow painful death. I am protective girls like that right?....

Signed Gaara

Wow, interesting guy…. Um ok here’s the letter…. I gotta go….” The messenger looked visibly ill after reading.

Wait Sasuke! I thought he’s still a friend and I can’t let Gaara kill him! I raced out the door before my Aunt could even react. I had to be sure to warn my friends about the letter.

Before I could make it very far though I tripped and fell but someone caught me. I started to apologize when I realized the person pulling me up was Gaara. He tried to smile again, but it was still coming across as a creepy grin.

“Girls like getting letters right?....”

“Wait…. What’s wrong with you? That’s it I don’t understand, but I’m getting angry.”

Gaara recoiled as if I had stabbed him. “I’m trying very hard why are you making this harder?..... I am following all the rules…. You should love me now…..”

“Love?.... I thought you wanted to…. Uh kill me….? You told me I was your prey and you have been stalking me like some kind of killer….”

“I am a killer…. I’m the monster my village fears, but I’m trying very hard. I have never worked so hard….”

“Please don’t kill my teammate…. Please don’t hurt anyone I know….”

“I can’t promise that….. I don’t make those decisions…”

Gaara reached out his hand as if it was some kind of compromise we were agreeing too.

“No…. I won’t let you in…. Unless you promise not to hurt my friends…. This is non negotiable. If you promise me I will maybe spend time with you… As a friend.”

“Only a friend?....”

“A friend…”

“Alright…... “ Gaara looked defeated.

“Hey, just friends isn’t bad…. I mean who knows in the future…” What am I saying I felt guilty inside. If his village did fear him I would imagine him being very lonely. I couldn’t lead him on either though. Too late the wheels were already turning in his head as he reached for my hand. He laced his fingers with mine, they were rough textured like sand?...

“Ok… I would like to have the future sooner though….” He ran his thumb over my palm.

I’m so screwed….

As promised I spent some time with him, we ended up going to the training grounds. We didn’t really talk much all he seemed to want was to be able to be close. He finally reminded me that the battles were coming soon and there was something I needed to know. He couldn’t tell me now, but it had to do with the villages treaty. I froze remembering what Kakashi had said. Have the Kages started bargaining already, but when Gaara saw my panic he caved.

“An invasion….”

I looked at him in shock as he continued. It was going to be started during his fight as he was the weapon of mass destruction. We are going to destroy your whole village, He said. I started to stand but he snagged my hand.

“I can not let you alert anyone now…. Even as… just friends.. You have to come with me now…” Everything started spinning as he was teleporting us somewhere.

…...

The next few days I had spent locked in that small rented hotel room. Gaara’s siblings would occasionally come to see us out of curiosity. Temari had brought things back for me sometimes during my captivity, like sweets or newspapers. They were afraid of their own younger brother, I couldn’t imagine being so feared even by family. The time I spent with Gaara I learned a lot I didn’t care for, his whole village sounded wretched. He killed many people, but it sounded like it started as self defense. I felt sad for him, all he wanted was someone to be there and maybe he could change…. I am going to be a healer… Maybe… I can help him. Gaara seemed to want to know everything about me, but he didn’t share as much of his life. The only pieces I got were that he was considered a monster and everyone was afraid. His own father tried to murder him several times. There was one thing I really should never have asked though.

“Gaara?.... I was wondering…. I heard you talk to someone before… You called them mother?”

“Yes…. Mother…. What about her?”

“Well… Um…. Does she talk to you often? Where is She? You must be very close…”

Shukaku chuckled in the back of Gaara’s mind.

“She’s always with me… She’s part of me and what people are afraid of… Mother promises not to hurt you though! I’m a good son and she wants me to be happy too.” Gaara began to fidget in place looking at me for a reaction.

“What do you mean? If she’s your mother she can’t be part of you? Why are people scared of your mother?”

“Do you want to meet her?..... I can show you, but not now…. The full moon will be coming soon on the day of the fights, I may not be able to hold her back then…. If she comes out you can not run away or you will make yourself look like prey… When I was at your home looking for you…. The monster part…. If you happened to see it…. That is her…. She promises not to hurt you, but she is also sometimes unpredictable. Promise me you won’t run away….”

“The claw I saw you with…. You are saying that is her?...”

“Mommy can explain if you let me out now sweetie….”

“Not now Mom! It’s not safe to let you take control here…”

“Is… She talking now….” I asked nervously.

“She says Hello…. Sakura….” Gaara responded nervously.

“Um… Hi, Gaara’s mom….” I wasn’t sure how to respond to this, but apparently this thing wanted to meet me now.

I was able to change the subject easily enough by asking him more about life in suna. Honestly though I couldn’t stop thinking about what he said. What was this thing that made him a monster, there was no way it was his mother.

At night while staying with him I came to realize he really did never sleep. Gaara might close his eyes and meditate, but he was never truly asleep. That is very bad for mental stability I thought, but it was reassuring knowing someone was there. The nightmares seemed to stop for the most part while I was with him. On the first night with him I woke to him bringing me in his arms, he said I had started to cry in my sleep. So here I am Sakura Haruno, feeling myself falling for a man who is not only dangerous and unstable, but possibly possessed. I wanted to know more about him as time went on, but the exams had finally come up again. Gaara told me they were the next morning, which meant things were about to change drastically.

……

I arrived to the stadium with Gaara and his team. I was instructed not to talk to anyone else and to stay with one of them at all times. Gaara held my hand tightly as we weaved through the crowded halls. There were so many people here that I didn’t even see what was coming.

Suddenly a hand snatched my shoulder. “Sakura where the HELL have you been! Why are you hanging out with him again? What happened to the team?” It was Sasuke and he was furiously pulling at me arm.

This did not sit well with Gaara and He went ballistic…..

“LET US KILL HIM…. He’s trying to take what is ours!!”

“......Don’t you touch…..” Gaara pulled me back and I noticed his right eye had changed!

His left eye had turned black with a gold iris and star patterns. Sasuke didn’t notice and tried to push Gaara out of the way, but he dodged and grabbed me. Gaara was pulling me now at full speed away from the crowds. I could hear Sasuke yelling as he was trying to keep up and behind him Gaara’s siblings followed suit. I couldn’t even focus my vision to see where we were headed. All I know is suddenly we were in the forest and finally stopped on a huge branch.

Gaara gripped his head as if in agony. “Mom please… Be careful around Sakura when you come out!”

“Gaara are you ok?....” I reached for him, but he pushed me away quickly as if hurt.

“Sakura…. She’s coming… Don’t run”

“Who is coming! You stupid prick!” Sasuke had managed to catch up to us now.

“You…… You screwed with the wrong person today….. You are my prey now Sasuke…. Ughhhhh!!!!”

Suddenly Gaara’s gourd started to reform around his body. I watched as the sand covered the right half of his body and face. A tail also sprouted from the bottom of the gourd to give him better balance. Gaara’s face was half gone replaced by this beast as sharp long fangs jutted over his lip dripping saliva. I couldn’t look away… This was not a mother… This was a… a… demon. I heard the stories before since I knew someone in our village had one, but I had never seen anything like this before.

Gaara took a leap towards Sasuke and slammed his large claw into him knocking him against a tree. I saw Temari and Kankuro finally catch up, but when they saw Gaara they froze. They would not come to help I thought, They are afraid of what he is becoming. I could hear his growls as Gaara waited for Sasuke to retaliate.

“What’s the Matter SASUKE! Aren’t you going to fight!?”

Sasuke finally appeared behind Gaara and used his fire style jutsu, but Gaara used the sand to block it and barreled towards him. Gaara had Sasuke pinned now and he was transforming more and more. Nothing was left of his face now, but the love kanji above his right eye. His body was also bulked up by the sand with only his lower legs showing through. This was not Gaara anymore this was Mother….. It was going to kill Sasuke and I had to stop it. I watched as it held out it’s large claw and lept again…. I jumped in front of it. It was the most painful thing I ever felt in my life. I don’t really remember anything but the pain and his screaming. As soon as he realized he had hit me half of the sand fell away. He grabbed me in his one right claw and dashed away. I felt myself fade in and out of consciousness.

When I woke up he was there cradling me in his arm and claw. I had been bandaged with his white sashes. I looked up at him as he rocked us back and forth mumbling nonsense. I gripped at his chest tighter hoping he would relax, but he wasn’t ok now. I felt his tears drop on my head as well as what I could only imagine was saliva.

“Gaara….”

“No...no.. I’m sorry”

“I’m ok…. I’m not going anywhere… It hasn’t bled through the bandages, it’s not that severe.” I tried to sooth him.

“Why…. why did you get in the way….”

“You promised. Not to hurt my friends. I was making sure you could keep that promise.”

“Do you hate me….”

“No… Gaara you have been alone for so long. This isn’t your fault. Maybe I can help you.”

“The only thing that can fix my pain is Love Sakura….”

“I can try my best to love you Gaara….” I looked up at him nervously as he was still in this possessed mode.

Suddenly Gaara reached for my chin and brought his lips too mine, it was my first kiss ever. I thought I would be terrified as he kissed me, but he was so gentle. That was it, I was his now and there was no going back, but I’m not sure I would ever want to. The rest of the night Gaara held me protectively just like he had once held his prized teddy bear. After a few hours the sand finally fell away from his body and it was just us. We would be together forever now I thought as he kissed me again.

#GaaSaku #gaasaku-fanfests #GaaSaku Fan Fest 2018 #scarletpom

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lil-loucifer · 6 years

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a l l t h e o c q u e s t i o n s

S p a r k s w h y

Send me a number and I’ll tell you about:

1: The most recent OC I’ve made

Fuck uhh probably these two characters I made up based on one of those datapoint-only stories in Horizon: Zero Dawn (one of the few times I felt spurred to write a fanfic this year lmao)

2: An early OC I remember making

Would you believe me if I said I made a Naruto OC

His name was like “Rei” or something and he had a sword and specialized in illusion-type jutsu (I never really learned any of the technical terms)

3: An OC I’ve never used for anything

All of them?????

I never really “write” any of my projects lmao

But uhhh, one that I have literally done nothing for is Jasper Morris, he’s kinda… something??? Not really sure at the moment, but he hunts monster-thingies in San Francisco

4: An OC whose story I’ve got all planned (or even written)

Those two OCs from the first question, their story was already written in the game, I’d just have to take liberties with the details

5: An OC I love

Dante Seraphim (That’s not really his surname). He’s this guy who was brought up to join a secret society of soldiers dedicated to serving Heaven and fighting demons and shit, but due to some “ancient prophecy bullshit” and his boyfriend’s machinations, he winds up getting exiled from that faction and hunted down by his former friends (it’s very action movie-like)

6: An OC I love to hate

Arthur Morgenstern, the father of one of my favorite OCs. He’s generally a piece of shit.

7: An OC I love… reluctantly

Daniel, the guy Dante from Question #5 dated. He tried to spur a rebellion within the faction he and Dante served, but due to some lore bullshit regarding Dante, Daniel was left blameless and Dante was exiled in his stead.

8: Two or more OCs who are connected (and how)

Faith, Wolfgang and Enoch are the three Branwen Children, a kind of Moirae that are borne of the eldest God of Death. Together, they oversee the death of gods, ensuring that all immortal deities meet their end when they should.

Faith is in charge of overseeing the fates of all the gods in the world. She makes sure they all complete their stories; their reigns and their downfalls.

Wolfgang is, begrudgingly, Faith’s assistant. The immortal world is a vast place, one that one soul couldn’t ever watch over alone. So, he handles surveillance, making sure that every deity plays their part, and nothing more.

And when the gods try to rebel, when they grow too self-absorbed in their own “brilliance” they believe they should never die? They send in Enoch, the Reaper. Enoch is the most active of the Three Children, and the only one of them who has actually killed gods. Her role is to slay any deity that chooses not to die, which, admittedly, doesn’t happen often. Enoch is also the most rebellious of the Three Children, being the youngest. She actively lives in the mortal world, choosing to live amongst the puny mortals whose watchers she is sworn to slay. Enoch was actually the first sibling to give herself a name, for her convenience in the mortal world.

Given their elusive positions, the Branwens are more or less omnipresent in my fictional worlds, and are a prominent (albeit rarely-mentioned) part of a larger shared universe I’ve been writing.

9: An OC I made to fit into another universe

Wayland Smith

10: A universe I made to fit my OCs

For the guy I’m gonna talking about in question #13, I made a post-apocalyptic setting that is set maybe 50-100 years after a world-ending nuclear war.

11: An OC based off part of myself

I kinda-sorta have an OC that’s basically Sitcom!Me with exaggerated traits, like his catch phrase or whatever is just “I can give about three fucks about anything at any given time” and he’s hella apathetic but he actually cares a lot and he’s just too tired and has weird ways to show it

12: An OC based off part of someone I met

Aurelio Morgenstern’s appearance is lowkey based off an old friend of mine.

13: An OC inspired by something completely unexpected

Okay so get this:

I have an OC who’s part of a lost order dedicated to maintaining peace in an apocalyptic wasteland--through fear. To cultivate that kind of fear, this order would style themselves after Death; the Grim Reaper, specifically. They wore all black and wielded scythes, as well as commanding a fierce arsenal of magic and custom firearms.

But I didn’t think of that shit at the time. You know what I thought up? The aesthetic. Black clothes and a wide-brimmed hat for keeping out the sun.

Especially the hat.

You wanna know WHY THE HAT?

Because I was waiting in line outside the DMV on a bright, sunny-ass day, and I started daydreaming with the thought “Wow, I could really do with a cowboy hat.”

14: The roughest backstory I’ve given an OC

There was this character I made, and he’s a bi, trans man who grew up in a really homophobic/transphobic house with an abusive.... everyone, really. He didn’t do anything about it until about a year after graduating high school, when he moved in with a family friend who was actually a decent person.

15: The least painful backstory I’ve given an OC

My Hogwarts Mystery character was raised by a loving pair of parents who started to keep him on a tighter leash after his brother, Jacob, went missing.

16: The most difficult OC for me to write (and why!)

All of them?????

I can’t write????????

17: The easiest OC for me to write (and why!)

Lua the Crow, purely because everything they do is more or less whatever affectionate thing I have on mind.

18: The OC I’d most like to fight

Lua because they’d go easy on me

19: The OC I’d most like to befriend

Francis Pendleton, because he’s a really chill dude who’d probably be a great father figure or something

20: The OC I’d probably have a crush on

Uhh this superhero OC I made up, her hero name is “Morningstar.” She just kinda has that kind of personality, I guess??

21: The OC most likely to end up in a wacky [freeze frame][record scratch] “you’re probably wondering how I got here” scenario

A currently-unnamed demon hunter OC who lives in San Francisco, and that moment is how he wound up dating Possibly Satan.

22: An OC who acts as an antagonist

Samuel Eldest, a cult leader (or something) who clashes with Aurelio Morgenstern when he brings a new, demonic force into Aurelio’s territory.

23: An OC who acts as a hero

My mcfucking superhero OCs???

24: An OC who acts as a supporting character

Adelina, Enoch Branwen’s very mortal girlfriend.

25: An OC I’ve changed a LOT

Dante Seraphim

Lemme tell you he’s been through a lot of changes--started off as personified Death’s son, one who was hella 2000′s goth and was literally called “Lucifer Crescent,” THEN he became part of an angel/demon war and was renamed “Dante,” but he and several other kids took on the names of dead Angels to carry on an ancient tradition of passing on their power, and NOW he’s part of that second story, but heavily revised in that it’s no longer in a fantasy world and they now wage a shadow war across a low fantasy environment.

26: An OC that I’m still working on

That Reaper guy from question #13

27: Someone else’s OC that I really admire

A friend’s self-insert OC named “Belle the Reaper” and the audacity they have to ship this character with their goddess of time.

28: A common trait or pattern in my OCs

Sarcastic Angsty White Bois™

29: Something that I haven’t really explored with any of my OCs

Real social issues because I don’t know shit and will most likely get something fucked up

30: [make your own OC-related question and send it to me!]

??????????

#slightlyunofficial #asks and shit #OC tag

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kimmysfandomblog · 6 years

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1, 2, 3 and 9 for the meme :P

Thank you Serahne! You always send me asks for these memes, and I appreciate it :D

Also sorry for the delay again. This time I actually had computer trouble when I was near the end, so I lost my answer, lol. ANyways, I’m sorry it’s really long because I like to go on tangents and further explain things ^^;

From Here: https://kimmysfandomblog.tumblr.com/post/169753929827/ship-asks

what is your absolute favorite ship?

what ship do you hate most?

what was your first ship, and what fandom is it from?

what is the most underrated ship, in your opinion?

Just as a warning, I do quite a bit of ship negativity and have V3 spoilers for the last question! check the tags for the ships that I’m negative about.

what is your absolute favorite ship?

Well, I think it’s pretty obvious that KomaHina is my favorite pairing! I love the relationship Haji and Ko have with each other. It’s a very complicated one, no doubt, but these boys always seem to create more complications instead of fixing any misconceptions ^^;.

What I really love is the potential for the ship post-canon! I feel like now that there is no time pressure, they’ll both finally have a chance to heal. I think that these two had it the toughest. They both believed strongly in Hope’s Peak Academy’s poisonous mentality in Talent being equivalent to how worthy you are as a person, measured in “Hope” for how much you can help society later. They both never considered themselves anything special and were on the outside looking in, but their way to cope with being “average” was different. While Ko just accepts his place, not even taking any compliments because he feels like he doesn’t deserve them, Haji fights to prove his own worth, and if the system for worth is based on talent, he even sacrificed his own body, mind, and spirit to finally be of worth. They are at these two extremes of how to cope, so I think given their perspectives on the issue and having it be proven just how toxic the mentality is, they can in turn help each other find that balancing point of acceptance to the new world order, so to speak.

Also, even in-game, there was a dynamic showing their strengths and weaknesses playing off one another. Haji is a super caring guy, and he genuinely tries to understand Ko, no matter how wary he feels of him. However, he always runs away from problems or denies them, even if he does eventually come back to try to solve them. Ko, in the mean time, cares, but he cares more for the toxic ideology of Hope’s Peak Academy (which is understandable once you know his backstory). All of his decisions are not based on emotion, but on what he would deem the logically best outcome (or maybe ideologically?). He is always fully against running away from the problem, no matter how tough the solution would be. So, in how I view these two characters, they compliment each other so well. Haji would be the emotional support and hopefully help Ko open up more to him and to the others so that he can learn to care about himself, and Ko can be the logical one motivating Haji not to run from problems, or the solutions that would probably lead to some sort of loss.

Everyone points out the aborted confession means Ko has a crush on Haji, but Haji really did like Ko in the beginning. They both felt calm towards each other, and Haji’s rejection towards Ko in the first trial was a result of him feeling betrayed that he person he woke up to on the beach was not the person Haji thought he was. Still, he tris to understand Ko while the others accept him as an outcast and don’t give a chance, while Haji feels conflicted because he’d seen a nicer side of Ko, so while he’d like to do the same, his caring side is asking himself why things turned out this way. That’s why I’m sure he was close to forgiving Ko in the FTEs. If Ko had a good reason for his actions, than why not forgive him and help him? Haji tries the whole game to deny any association with Ko, but it’s there and he realizes how much Ko helps even if he doesn’t ever admit it.

Koma//Hina brings up so many good points of discussion, and it leads to thinking about all of these AUs and speculations about post canon. The relationship is very complex, and it’s easily put into many different situations and wonder just how they would handle it. I guess that is why I like it so much!!! I hope that Kodaka never touches the Hope’s Peak storyline again and mess it up though :/ We really don’t need to, like, ship Haji with an AI or some other female charcter just to keep him straight and keep Ko the tragic character. Just saying :P

what ship do you hate most?

I have very few ships that I hate, so it wasn’t that hard to pick Junko///miki. Mikan has been through abuse and sexual exploitation her whole life. She’s very easily manipulated for fear that she’d endure more abuse, even by those that would never cause her any harm. Junko, in the mean time, does everything Mikan tries to avoid, except she adds her poison of getting Mikan to actually like the abuse because of despair and having it translate as “love and attention” instead of physical and emotional pain. The only way I can ever see this working is with an OOC/much toned-down Junko in some AU. Even then, the source of the ship really irks me most of the time :/

what was your first ship, and what fandom is it from?

Well, I think my first fandom was the Naruto fandom. I was into Naru//Hina and I hate how they became canon. I was also into Sasu//Naru, though I didn’t like it quite as much as Naru//Hina because as developed as it was, I couldn’t see Sasuke seriously reciprocating? Like, he’s done a lot of things to annoy Naruto, but it was always in a rivalry and he always just saw himself as better, yet when Naruto gets close to his level, he freaks because he’s dependent on the idea he has to be better than anyone to kill his brother, and Naruto, the idiot/dead last ninja, getting close to his level is some kind of failure on his part not to advance as quickly. I understand the complications, but I can’t see it happening in anything but an AU.

As for why I liked Naru//Hina, I saw myself in Hinata a little? Especially since I was even more shy as a kid, and no self confidence (not that that has changed all that much lol). Also, seeing how Naruto helps her gain a bit of confidence in the Chuunin exams made me root for her, and his concern leading to him swearing on her blood to get Neji to pay (and then beating Neji in a tough-won battle and spinning Neji’s ideology on its head). She doesn’t get a lot of screen time, and the manga makes fun of how hard she crushes on him, how shy she is, and how oblivious he is despite obvious signs, but I just shipped them together for it. I’d believed that they would compliment each other well (loud-obnoxious with shy-reserved: he’d tone it down a bit around her and she’d gain confidence in herself and come out of the shell more for other people, and they both share the same ideology and goals to become better and stronger for those around them and to prove themselves to those who doubted them). My opinion on the ship itself hasn’t changed that much, but I understand the hatred towards it, especially with how it became canon :/ I really would have preferred nothing become canon than what we got...

what is the most underrated ship, in your opinion?

This one was the hardest to answer... Like, there’s a lot of “crack pairings” that I ship based on the way I see characters and their personalities, and then shipping them based on the potential (Oum//ami, Hin//aegi, AI Kamu//Nami, and Koma//Nami definitely fall into this category). There isn’t a whole lot of canon interaction, if any (lol at Kamu//Nami), and a lot of people just don’t see the characters the way I do, and that’s fine! I’ll just have fun in rare-pair hell, like usual.

So, to actually answer the question, I’d have to say Sai/Mota would be my pick for underrated ship. Shuichi and Kaito already have development in canon. Kaito is told that Shuichi struggles by continuously placing the blame on himself after convicting someone to their punishment, especially when the culprit had a “good reason” to commit their crime. He also saw something in Shuichi’s motive video that made him approach Shuichi in the first place. Because of that, he takes on the role of “hero” and takes all of the responsibility onto himself, so that if Shuichi thinks he makes a mistake, Kaito can brush it off of him.Yeah, a lot of people saw Kaito as interfering with the investigation, but I’m pretty sure he’s aware how important Shuichi is in the investigation. He’s only around so that he can he that emotional support. He sees what Shuichi has investigated, asks questions and points things out so that maybe he can help Shuichi figure things out. The first trial, when Shuichi is beginning to doubt himself, he reminds him not to think about the responsibility and just do his best. No one will fault Shuichi if he makes the wrong deduction. He also makes a mistake in assuming Shuichi knows everything, and he doesn’t really do that again in the trials after.

Kaito certainly has a hero complex, but I’m positive he’s aware of more than he lets on. He is actually pretty good at lying and has very strong sense of morals (he will never forgive killing someone, and since Kokichi was already on his way to death, taking the blame for his death was just a little easier). He was also somehow able to take the test to become an astronaut and pass and knows numerous languages fluently. Now, given what we can see of Kaito, he always seems like the idiot, the Hagakure or Souda of the V3 cast, but this time, he takes a more active role in the story. He is playing his part to keep morale as high as he can. He unfortunately lets that role get to him in Chapter 4, when he adamantly defends Gonta and realizes at the end of the trial just how close all of them got to death for his mistake. He can’t look Shuichi in the eye after that, maybe a bit mad for him siding with Kokichi during the trial, but more mad at himself for not seeing how much Shuichi grew to be able to not need Kaito’s support anymore during a trial, and for letting himself get in the way of that.

As for Shuichi, there is so much concern for Kaito once Kaito helped him relieve his stress about making wrong decisions and reaches out to him in Chapter 2. Shuichi may be a little exasperated at times, especially at being a sidekick when Kaito doesn’t really do anything, and Shuichi is a little snarky about that internally, but he truly appreciates Kaito. Kaito’s FTEs really don’t make a lot of sense since he rambles on a fictional story supposedly about how he became an astronaut, but the important part is how supportive Kaito is of Shuichi and how much Shuichi appreciates having Kaito so close and knowing he can rely on Kaito to help him feel at ease about the situation. It really does seem like Shuichi has a crush on Kaito built from his admiration of him, even if he doesn’t really realize that is what it was.

Sorry, I rambled a lot about Sai/Mota already, but I never really said why I think it’s underrated? It’s pretty clearly overshadowed by Oum//asai, Sai//Aka, and Kai//Maki, but to me I just don’t like these pairings as much. Sai//Aka I do kinda like, but the other two I kind of don’t. It’s not like they are NOTPs, I just don’t like them for different reasons. I didn’t like Oum//asai because, well, it’s very boring to me and I don’t get it and the popularity. I tried to understand it and the love for Kokichi, really, but they didn’t hit anything I liked and both the realtionship between the two and Kokichi’s characterization are quite straightforward in canon, while the fandom made me convinced that they’d be super complex (and honestly if people didn’t keep spoiling me, maybe things would have been much more different. Actually I’m positive fandom ruined it for me.) I don’t like Kai//Maki because, well, it makes me sad for Maki falling for a guy that apparently unintentionally lead her on :/ And Sai//Aka has it’s major problem of reducing Kaede to some 2D character with little backstory there to be killed for a man’s character development... when in Chapter 1 and prologue she was a character with many conflicted feelings trying to do her best.

Thankfully, Sai//mota isn’t that much of a rare pair, especially once the English Release hit, but it’s definitely not that popular, or people don’t get it because to them, they are just bros (perfectly understandable either way). I just wish there was more Sai//mota content because there’s a lot of evidence for it and it’s a ship that’s pretty mutually beneficial to me.

Sorry again for rambling a lot! I tried to cut it shorter... tried is the key word here hahaha ^^;;;;

#ship hate #negativity of hin;;am/junm;;iki/oum;;sai/kai;;mak/sai;;aka/ and some n@rut0 ones #mehere #ask meme #thanks for the ask Serahne!!!#serahne

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