#xkaileo

[xkaileo]

"...My eye slipped," he replied nonchalantly, glancing away and closing the door. "Sorry."

Sasuke Uchiha, Midnight Blossoms

[theredconversegirl]

Hey there! Just wanted to say your rec lists are awesome. I was hesitant about sending a self-promo, but I'd love it if you added a couple of my SS stories to your rec lists! All my stuff is on FFN/AO3/Wattpad under the same name, so link whichever platform you prefer (or all!)

- The first one I have is Midnight Blossoms, which is a blank period/postwar fic. It's also a multi-chapter fic, and while it's not completed, it's still very regularly updated.

- The second one I have is actually a larger AU, but starts with SS and has a lot of SS content: Happy Accidents and its sequel Bonded Souls. It's a Modern AU / Crime AU fic (think Naruto characters meets crime drama) with a couple of other spinoffs (right now SaiIno and NaruHina, with a potential NejiTen one in the future) that's all a set of interconnected stories. You can read the SS ones as standalones, but I always recommend the other interconnected ones since they affect the plot on some level.

Again, thank you so much for your rec lists! I think it's great you look through so much SS content and make it really easy for readers to find good, quality content and let some maybe lesser-known authors be seen!

Hi @xkaileo ,

Thank you so much! 🥺💕

I'm grateful for your message and your kind words! 🥰 Please don't worry about reaching out (you or anyone), I'm pretty chill. Recommendations are welcomed and I love helping the community. 🍅🌸

Be aware that I'm usually slow to get to asks 😅 and that's because I come here during my free time only (when I'm not working or with my family). Thanks for the patience! 🙏

I haven't had the chance to read your work yet, but I've seen your 📍Master Post on tumblr, and holy Hagoromo, what an amazing job! 🤩 I feel like I walked into a personalized SasuSaku bookstore. You have customized covers and details for all your stories! 🙌

I'm adding these recs to my to-read list. Thanks again for sharing your work, I'm looking forward to read them! ❤

Here are the links for the fics mentioned in the ask:

The first fic: Midnight Blossoms

The second fic: Happy Accidents and its sequel Bonded Souls.

For more, check the author's profiles: FanFiction | ao3 | Wattpad

I hope you have an amazing weekend, thanks for the support! 🤗💜

Stay Safe,

xoxo

[xkaileoedits]

Three different versions of an Ino Yamanaka wallpaper I put together, all wonderfully high-resolution. The Ino edit is mine as well.

Do not repost without permission!

[xkaileo]

They never told you, did they, Menma? They never told you that Kizashi and Mebuki, along with my parents, died protecting their sorry asses, did they? That they thought it was more important for your parents to come home than it was for mine, or hers."

Iruka Umino, Foundations

[xkaileo]

Uchiha’s Dignity

Sakura hummed a gentle tune as she was cleaning up a storm through their house. Sasuke was still asleep since he'd come home late the night before. Whatever had happened when he travelled to the past had exhausted him, and she'd opted to let him sleep in. He wasn't due to leave for a few days, which meant he deserved a little extra rest.

As she picked up his clothes from the day before and hauled them off to the wash, she found something. It'd been stuffed in one of the inside pockets of his cloak. Curiosity took over as she picked it up and examined it. It was… an eye patch designed for the left side of one's face. That would make sense if he were trying to mask his identity in the past; the Rinnegan was not something to be taken lightly, especially since he'd been chasing an Otsutsuki. Sasuke's Rinnegan was his greatest weapon against them.

Of course… Now she was imagining what her husband might look if he were wearing it. Her face grew hot the more she thought about it, awkwardly shoving the clothes into the laundry and starting it as she clutched the eyepatch. Something was familiar about it, something she couldn't place. Nevertheless, she couldn't shake the image of him wearing the eyepatch out of her mind, moaning like an embarrassing fangirl under her breath as her hands covered her face in an attempt to preserve her dignity.

Sasuke could hear her up and moving around when she came to grab the laundry, grumbling as he got out of bed. He couldn't hear Sarada around the house, which likely meant she was out training. Pulling on a t-shirt over his head, the Uchiha made his way out of the bedroom, peering down the hallway. Sakura was standing there, and… something was up.

"Sakura?" He approached her with an air of curiosity, head tilted to the side. His wife was flustered and clutching something in her hands. What could have her so high-strung right now?

Hearing his voice, Sakura startled and scrambled, her face growing redder and redder. Ah! He wasn't supposed to be awake yet! She tried to toss the eyepatch somewhere out of the way but realized he'd quickly notice that; as a result, she fumbled with it instead, not-so-subtly putting her hands behind her back in an attempt to hide it. Having him in front of her only added to her flustered daydream; the prospect of the real Sasuke and not her daydream Sasuke wearing it had crept closer to reality.

"Oh! Dear! Um… I was just getting the, um, laundry going, and, um…"

"...What are you hiding?" To anyone else, he would have come off as demanding; to Sakura, he was deeply inquisitive. What would his wife be trying to hide from him, anyway? He trusted her implicitly, so there would be no reason to keep secrets.

"Oh! Nothing!" Stupid Sakura. He already knows you're hiding something! You made it painfully obvious! She couldn't help scolding herself. She was growing so embarrassed she could feel her ears burning.

"...Sakura." His tone became firm, stepping closer as he towered over her. If it had his wife this flustered, it had to do with him, he suspected. Wait… Had he left something in his cloak? Oh, no. Oh, no. Not something he'd brought back from the past by accident, was it? No, if she… No, she couldn't find out about that. No. Absolutely not. He'd made sure he wiped her memories!

Realizing she wasn't about to fool him, Sakura slowly brought her hands out from behind her back, revealing the eye patch. "I found it in your cloak, and… well, um, I just… thought about you wearing it, and…" Her whole body was warm at this point, heart racing as he took the eyepatch from her hands. It wouldn't hurt to wear it, would it? Sakura seemed more flustered by the patch than anything, and besides, he thought his wife was adorable when she was flustered. Why not take it one step further.

He reached up, pulling it down over his head, then pulled his bangs out from underneath the patch, settling it into place. It felt strange not seeing her out of his left eye, but it was worth it for the way she reacted. He watched as the redness in her cheeks spread outward, soon becoming her entire face and her ears before she reached up with her hands in an attempt to hide from her own embarrassment.

"Chaaaa, you're so…!" Sakura let out a soft squeak, hiding behind her hands. Twelve years they'd been married, and he could still make her this flustered! He reached an arm around and pulled her in close, a low chuckle rumbling through his chest. Even he couldn't understand how, after twelve years, his wife always got so flustered… not that he minded, of course. He liked that side of her, and he liked that it was reserved only for him.

"You like it?" He teased with a smile. At least on some level, he could consider this 'payback' for her younger self destroying his dignity with Jiraiya's assistance. His hand reached up to stroke the back of her head affectionately, fingers tangling in her hair.

"Sasuke!" Her voice had shot up almost an octave in response to his teasing, burying her face against his chest. No, she couldn't do it--she couldn't look at him with that thing on anymore.

More chuckles escaped him as she continued to try and mask her embarrassment. "Well, if I knew my wife liked this so much, I would have put the full ensemble on." He had sealed it into one of his scrolls, though he'd forgotten the eye patch and had been forced to put it in his pocket at the time. He'd left Boruto to keep his own, not wanting to hear another word about his student questioning his fashion sense. He had a great fashion sense, thank you very much!

"Eh?!" Sakura drew back, staring at him. "Full… ensemble?!" Oh, no, why did she ask?! Now that she'd shown the slightest hint of curiosity, he'd probably go through with it!

"Yeah." He glanced to the side before stepping back, making a single hand sign, and activated a transformation technique in a puff of smoke. Suddenly before Sakura stood Sasuke dressed in the outfit he'd worn in the past, complete with the trench coat and fedora. She'd never seen Sasuke in a hat, but she had to admit the hat looked a little ridiculous. The trench coat was… an interesting choice.

"Oh?" Sakura frowned, looking at the hat. "...I don't think hats suit you, dear." Of course, it was her husband, which meant he was attractive no matter what he wore. Shrugging, Sasuke made another hand sign, and this time the trench coat and hat were gone, and he wore a black long-sleeved shirt worn loosely like most of his other outfits, coupled with loose black pants and his usual black sandals. She also noted the black glove on his right hand; that was a new and exciting addition, along with the eye patch.

Wait… Why did this ensemble look so… familiar?

Sakura's gaze went from appreciative to inquisitive, eyes narrowing as she stared, and stared, and stared. Something sparked in her memory, and she recalled a rooftop… Jiraiya, and one of his usual schemes…

Why do you have a piece of paper with Sasuke's name written on it? Why did you say my name? What is your connection to Sasuke? Come on, answer me!

Sasuke saw the change in his wife's face, the way she went from appreciative to… inquisitive. Oh, no. He knew that look all too well. He stiffened, feeling that sense of complete and total embarrassment coming over him again the longer she stared. Never was he embarrassed by his wife staring at him, except for this exact moment. Oh, no. She wasn't going to remember because he'd shown her, was she? And… wait, no. All of the things Jiraiya had said…

They checked your name and weight…

Sasuke did know every measurement of his wife's body perfectly… He could never mistake it, but she was his wife! Of course he would know those things!

Sakura continued to stare, memories slowly resurfacing. Jiraiya. A note with Sasuke's name. Wait, a note? Sakura thought back to when Sasuke had gone to the past, visiting the Hidden Leaf Village not long after he'd left. A note… Sarada had left him a note the night before when he hadn't made it home for dinner. Her memories were fuzzy, but parts of it were starting to come back to her by piecing other memories together with it.

And then there was Jiraiya, and a rooftop, with the note, and… Someone that she'd asked about that note, although she couldn't put a name to a face. Yet somehow… She did remember her words.

So creepy. I want nothing to do with you anymore.

It clicked.

The two 'travelling performers' that day… That had been Sasuke and Boruto? And the tall one that she'd called creepy and asked him to cross her off his list… Sakura pursed her lips, doing her damnedest to hold back her laughter. Her whole body tensed, and she held her breath, but it was no use. The first giggle slipped out, and it was absolute torture for Sasuke. He stood there, feeling like his dignity had just been crushed all over again. He hadn't been able to entirely wipe their memories lest they be left uncertain about a whole two-day period, but as long as Boruto and Sasuke had kept their identities secret, that was what mattered! Just two travelling performers who weren't memorable in the slightest…

Then, Sakura bent over, laughing harder than he'd ever seen. Her laugh echoed around him, in his ears, in his head, and on any other day, he would have been elated to hear his wife laugh. Instead, his wife was laughing at his expense, and he felt like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"Sakura..!" His voice was almost a whine like he was begging her to stop. His tone only spurred her on further, leading her to wheeze with laughter as she leaned against the wall for support.

"You… and Jiraiya, and… and those disgusting books, and…" She couldn't help herself. The wall wasn't even enough for support; she slid down it, curled up in a seated position on the floor, laughing so hard tears were streaming down her cheeks. She knew she'd called him creepy and said she wanted nothing to do with him, but that just made it all the more hilarious. Never in her life would she have expected that to happen. Oh, her poor husband's dignity… to be verbally decimated by her younger self.

Sasuke hung his head in defeat. He just had to hope that his memory wiping hadn't screwed something else up between them if she was beginning to remember. He stood there, deflated, as his wife laughed his dignity into the ground.

As her laughter subsided, Sakura slowly brought herself to a standing position, fighting to keep giggles at bay. She could see how defeated Sasuke looked, though he didn't seem upset by it, which was good. She wiped at the tears on her face, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, just…"

"No," he reassured. "Were the situation reversed… I think I would also find it amusing." He wrinkled his nose. "You were…"

"Mean?" Sakura barked a laugh. "Yeah… Back then, I would have been. I don't remember all of the details, but I remember a paper with your name on it, and…" Sakura let out a stream of air from between her lips, grimacing. "I probably grilled you about it, didn't I?"

"Yeah. You did." He shuddered. "You were her apprentice then, too."

Sakura barked another laugh. "Yeah, though I wasn't quite as skilled." Silence fell between them, and Sakura watched as Sasuke's posture seemed to change. He was… uncertain, though about what, she couldn't quite tell. She stepped forward, reaching up to gently touch his face, turning him to look in her direction. She had an idea; changing things in the past could have the unfortunate side effect of changing things in the future, and she could see why he'd be worried about it.

"Hey… don't make that face," she coaxed, lifting the eyepatch off so he could see her with both eyes. Her gaze was soft and loving as always. "Nothing's changed, except maybe now you and I can harbour a mutual hatred for those filthy novels together." Sakura's arms reached out, wrapping around Sasuke's waist as she nestled her cheek against his chest.

"I love you even if Jiraiya made you look like a creep." She couldn't help teasing him, hearing the irritated grunt from him as he wrapped his arm around her, nuzzling the top of her head.

"I love you too, Sakura… even if you annoy me sometimes," he tossed back.

"Ouch," she remarked. "Okay, I earned that one."

[xkaileo]

For your ask game you created, 26 and 30, please!

Link for the Ask Game!

26. What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to written works?

Biggest peeve when it comes to written works, hmm... This is a tough one, because I have a lot. There's the usual culprits like spelling and grammar, of course, but those are sort of common among peeves.

I want to say my biggest peeve is the significant, pointless overuse of adjectives, descriptors, or "poetic" language to tell your story. I'll be frank about it. It's poor storytelling. Whenever I see this kind of content, it immediately gives me the vibe of an author who's trying to sound like they're intelligent and high-falutin' and fucking look at me and my high vocabulary, when in reality, you're losing a lot of your ability to tell a story.

In many cases, you lose parts of characterization that are very key to your story: things like body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, habits, quirks, little things that tell us about the character, about what they're feeling, why they're feeling certain things, and characterization is really important in a story. Characterization is what draws your readers in, makes them invested with the characters, makes them feel and understand things. If I'm sitting there looking up every second word because I don't know what you're saying, and I am a fluent English speaker, I have spoken it and only it for my entire life, then you are breaking me out of that immersion. Now, does this mean you should never use it? Not at all! You can use it once in a while to create emphasis, to build a scene, to make something stand out as really, really important. But not over your whole story. It has to be carefully selected for its use.

tl;dr Don't sound like a scholar when writing fiction. Sound like a storyteller.

30. What types of ships will you never write, and why?

So I'm pretty open when it comes to what ships I write, generally it's just... if I enjoy it, or I want to maybe explore the idea, or that sort of thing, I'll write it. I tend to lean more to writing either f/m or f/f ships because I'm more comfortable writing women, so I don't know if I'd write anything focused on a m/m relationship just because it's not my jive (I'm very, very new to writing male characters in general, but that's not to say I won't write it.)

But going on that point, things I won't write:

01: Pedophilia (& Incest). I'm sorry, I just can't do it. I can't bring myself to write content that glorifies the sexualization of children or between closely-related family members. Please note, sexual content between two minors doesn't count under this, although I don't/won't write that explicitly either. I'm already uncomfortable with large age gaps. If there's age gaps, they have to both be consenting adults. Period. I do not think it's okay to depict this content or glorify it (most incest ships I see are things like Naruto/Kushina, Sakura/Sarada, etc, and it makes me want to vomit).

02: POLYAMOROUS SHIPS. I know these are really popular. I know they jive with some people. Let me clarify I have nothing against polyamory. However, in the past I had a very creepy, very uncomfortable personal experience with my former friend's husband, who was polyamorous, tried to groom me into a relationship, and when I backed out because I was far from okay with it, I was gaslit, kicked out, and almost left homeless. I dealt with being gaslit by this guy because he was jealous I was in a committed monogamous relationship, he did things such as assume that I must be attracted to him because I was attracted to his brother and they "look very alike" (they do, but attraction is not all looks, personality is a very key role). As a result, I can't bring myself to write this content. In fact, it makes me very personally uncomfortable when people even ask for it. Please, if you're following me, don't ask me for polyship content. Please. Just please.

[xkaileo]

Bonded Souls Chapter 2

Chapter 2: On The Run has been released! Sasuke and Sakura are trekking up the mountains outside Oto City, where he knows there's a place they can stay. Sakura wasn't expecting the outdoor weather to be so cold...

READ NOW!

WATTPAD || AO3 || FFN

[xkaileo]

So! I saw that one of your posts said that you were okay with people asking you random questions.

SO I HAVE ARRIVED. ahem So, I see that you have some big fanfics in the works. I have not read them yet, but they are on my 'to read' list!

So my questions to you are... When did you start writing fanfiction? Did you have any inspiration for your stories? Have you ever written a purely self-indulgent fic? (those are fun) {noticed you have art as well} Do you enjoy making fanart or writing more?

You don't have to answer all of these, lol. Just some honest questions for ya!

Hmm, let's see here. I do have quite a few big fanfics, yes!

- I started writing fanfiction... honestly, I want to say that I was effectively writing fanfiction when I was like, 13. Maybe earlier, honestly. It wasn't stuff I published necessarily (I did publish some early stuff, but it's since been deleted; the oldest fic I have published is from 2011) but it was definitely fanfiction. It's been well over 10 years since I started writing fanfiction. I stopped writing specifically fanfiction for a while and was into more detailed role play, which is essentially the same thing.

- Inspiration for me usually comes from other media. The #NarutoCrimeAU comes from my love of procedural crime dramas like Criminal Minds, NCIS, How To Get Away With Murder (more recently), The Mentalist, Bones, etc. I would say Bones was the biggest inspiration for the crime AU though, since it started with Sasuke and Sakura.

- For self-indulgent fics... maybe? I don't really know. I write what I like in general, and my story goes... how I want it to, I guess. Maybe the closest is any of my NejiTen fics because I never wanted him to die, so... yeah. There's that, lol.

- I don't really consider my stuff fanart so much as I consider them fan edits. I'd say I greatly prefer fanfiction, but I sort of go in phases where I'll do a bunch of graphical/artsy things, then I'll go hard on fanfiction. Just depends what I'm feeling in all honesty.

I hope this answered all of your questions! Feel free to send more if you want to know more!