#periodically-changing-names

In a scenario where the massacre didn’t occur, then I can imagine SS happening a lot sooner than it did in canon. Sasuke wouldn’t have had a hatred infused barrier surrounding his heart, and he therefore would have been a lot more receptive to Sakura’s advances. They still would have been placed in the same team since Sasuke was always getting the best marks in the class since even before the massacre took place, so the difference in marks between himself, Naruto and Sakura would have been the same. Thus, Sakura would have still been given the opportunity to get to know him on a more personal level, meaning her initial crush would have still evolved into a sincere love, and Sasuke would have been able to see things clearly, and see her for who she was from the very beginning, rather than from after he was saved.

As for what his family may think, I believe the vast majority would be fine with it. Fugaku may demonstrate some initial scepticism, but canon dictates not only that he would never force either of his sons to do anything that their hearts were against, but also that Uchihas value love above all else. Therefore, if Fugaku could see the love that was between them, he would definitely support his son.

I really can’t see Sasuke getting bullied by anyone because, well why would they bully him? What’s there to bully him about? He found a girl who loves him unconditionally and who he loves back equally, so why would they bully him over that? If no one bothered him in canon over his relationship with Sakura (because again, why would they?), then I can’t see it happening in this scenario either.

5: What part was hardest to write? 

For Second Son:

This is such an incredibly boring answer, but none of it was difficult to write lol. I had an easier time writing Second Son than the vast majority of my fics. The story just flowed from beginning to end, and I think I wrote the whole thing in maybe three sittings.

For The Valley of the End:

The action sequences at the end of Chapter 2. That was frankly a bitch to write. 😂 I used to really struggle with action scenes. I’m better now, since I’ve had a lot more practice, but it’s still not my fave.

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

I don’t set out to teach through my writing, but there are always parts of my stories and themes that I hope will be most impactful.

For Second Son:

I really wanted to focus on the horror and unfairness of using child soldiers. It’s something that’s very glossed over in canon, and I find it fascinating. Sasuke and Sakura are much too young to be fighting in a war, but they’ve both seen a great deal of bloodshed between their clans. It’s at the heart of why Sasuke can’t feel at home among the Senju for so long. He can’t forgive the terrible things he’s witnessed, or make peace with the things he’s done. But ultimately, it’s also what helps him accept his place as Sakura’s husband. Acknowledging that his marriage ended the war, and appreciating the protection that gives to his own children, finally allows him to feel like he belongs with Sakura, and with the Senju.

For The Valley of the End:

TVOTE is a lot of things. It’s a dystopian story full of political intrigue, love, and family drama. It’s part action/adventure, part romance, part angst. But at it’s heart, I think it’s a story about truth and lies.

Sakura lies to Sasuke for the good of the rebellion. Sasuke lies to himself about the state of Konoha and the Fire Country out of loyalty to his clan. He lies to Masami and cheats on her because he can’t make himself stop loving Sakura. Sakura lies to Masami, one of her closest friends, because she loves Sasuke. Naruto’s family lies to him about the rebellion, and about Kushina being a jinchuriki. Then, after that’s exposed, Naruto lies to everyone about his involvement in the resistance.

And all of them are telling themselves that they’re in the right, that their lies are justifiable. I’ve only just reached the point in the story where all those lies are exposed, and they have to start reframing their actions around the truths they believe in instead.

So, the point is that everyone is the hero of their own story. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all think they’re doing the right thing, and all of them are operating under exceptional circumstances. Sometimes lies are necessary for great change, like what the resistance is trying to accomplish. Or to exercise freedom in an impossible situation, like Sasuke trying to escape his arranged marriage. The question, really, is whether or not the ends justify the means.

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Yeah I’d still ship SS if it didn’t become canon. My shipping isn’t based on what’s canon. I think my biggest example is Zuko and Katara from Avatar: TLA - I shipped those two and they didn’t happen, but I didn’t jump ship to Katara and Aang because they didn’t interest me then, and they don’t interest me now.

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but people are linking the series too much to reality. If this were real life then yeah, I have no doubt that both Sakura and Sasuke would want to relieve themselves every now and again since they wouldn’t be getting any action for so long, but this isn’t real life and they can’t be expected to behave as such. Case in point - No couple in reality would be expected to be able to fully mend their relationship to the point of marriage after murder attempts on both sides; No couple in reality would be expected to stay completely devoted to one another while not being able to see each other for 7-8 years, but Sasuke and Sakura did so, because it’s not reality, and the standards in the Naruto universe are very different. The characters themselves (Sasuke in particular) have given me no indication that they would masturbate under such circumstances, so I’m not gonna assume that they would just because it’s probably what normal people would do, because we’re not speaking about normal people. I predict how the characters would behave based on what the series has shown me, not on what reality dictates.

I’m not sure if this is the actual cringiest thing I’ve heard from rabid SS shippers, but the first thing that came to my head was when I saw a few people saying how Sakura would apparently be more likely to get over Sasuke than vice versa, and I was just left wondering to myself why that was even a topic of discussion in the first place.