A Dangerous Affection [IV - Conclusion & V - Extra]

[kanae_88]

IV.
CONCLUSION
aka; final words: why I support SasuKarin, tying the knots together

To put it simply, I support SasuKarin because I believe the two fit each other better than anyone else (of the opposite sex) can. It’s the first time that a girl steps by Sasuke's side without taking a submissive role in regards to him; and that on this shared ground Sasuke is so receptive. Not only that, but they’re good for each other. Their usual dynamic was never detrimental to their respective character growths, behavior or objectives. If anything, their presence in each other’s lives had a positive effect on each of them; Sasuke acted on this back in 414 (with Karin included as part of his team), 415 (with Karin singled out) and even in 619 (first time he was humble enough to apologize to someone)—heck, one could say he acted on this even back when they met in the Forest of Death, as she got such a warm smile out of him. And Karin has been demonstrating as much all along, since we now know the desire to see him smile again was the fuel behind her drive all along.

Karin’s love for Sasuke has never been portrayed as negative, either; not even once. And as previously mentioned, Sasuke has displayed a noteworthy partiality to her—which Tobi himself later confirms by calling her Sasuke’s ‘favorite’—that guaranteed his usual (aka pre changed-dark-sasuke) treatment of her was never prejudicial to her or their dynamic. The lack of negative traits (in their usual dynamic. I will touch ‘changed Sasuke’ later) is only natural because, as previously stated, their bond is built on a healthy foundation; that of mutual acknowledgement, trust and respect. It also helps that both are quite authoritative; so neither takes a submissive role when it comes to the other.

It has a lot of potential for the future. It also has a lot of potential for canonization because it goes hand in hand with a lot of themes and patterns that Kishimoto has portrayed as positive in the past; not to mention that they’ve gotten a considerable amount of substance, both subtle and not-so-subtle. And most importantly, from both ends.

Like I mentioned before, it does not matter that said mutuality is not romantic in nature as of yet; the simple fact that there’s mutual respect, acknowledgement and care is great enough, especially considering just how complicated Sasuke is as a character when it comes to bonding with (and acknowledging) others and that he tends to have this sort of bond with males rather than women. Plus, they have gone through similar experiences of loss, so it’s safe to assume there’s understanding between them, too. As such, their bond does have all the right bases and foundations to take the next step once they’re both ready for it, if that's that they want.

I think Kishimoto has done a nice job with them, all things considered. While their bond had already reached a certain stage by the time Karin was introduced to us, Kishimoto progressively showed different sides of it to us. Plus, he gave Karin’s character some needed originality; he's doing his best to make her as unique as he can (the biting being a prime example) and to make her approach to Sasuke (and her feelings for him) be completely different from those of other female characters in the past (no, really. when has a girl ever been tsundere over him?) to the point Sasuke himself considers she isn't easy to handle.

The only negativity actually came during the arc Sasuke went Dark, which says a lot because it took him undergoing a radical change for the worse—forsaking his usual nature and becoming unlike the Sasuke Karin has always known—for there to be any in the pairing. Yet, Karin once again demonstrated that Sasuke does not negatively affect her character, as she was able to show her trademark self-respect once more and say that it was enough, despite her feelings for him and continued to give him a hard time even after his apology to her.

…And, well, for those who care about power-levels, the descendants of the Uzumaki/Uchiha union would have access to both, yin and yang chakra. So they would be very well-rounded shinobi, to say the least. And this is without getting into the symbolical meaning an Uchiha/Uzumaki union would encompass.

These two simply are a perfect match in my opinion, no matter from which side you look at it.

Kishimoto has made them as such. I'd like to think there must be a reason for that, and I’m hoping it will be the one this manifesto alludes to. It’s just a matter of seeing where he takes them from here on-out.

Conclusion? In their usual dynamic, SasuKarin is a healthy relationship where their interactions pose no negative influence on either of them, for both parties actually receive and give. Plus, they also make an excellent match, not only personality-wise but also as a team. And there are moments (and overall thematic patterns) supporting this.

Hopefully now you’re able to see those more clearly, too.

V.
EXTRA
aka; some helpful links you might want to check out

WEBSITES&FORUMS:
❣ Ice&Spice: The SasuKarin FC: your no.1 SasuKarin source, and the best place to discuss anything&everything SasuKarin.
❣ Fuck Yeah SasuKarin! Tumblr blog dedicated to the couple and everything related to it.
❣ SasuKarin FC @ Deviantart featuring the latest SasuKarin works uploaded to this website.
❣ SasuKarin Eternity @ Deviantart another SasuKarin fanclub at DA.
❣ SasuKarin Baidu Bar, where all Chinese SK shippers gather~!

PAIRING RESOURCES:
❣ Manga Scans Album, photobucket album containing all SasuKarin relevant manga scans (put together by me).
❣ 3rd Party Quotes about SasuKarin, post gather all comments other characters have made concerning this couple.
❣ SasuKarin Fanart Album, put together by the awesome baidu SK fans.
❣ Anime Moments List, comprehensive list of all the SasuKarin moments Pierrot has covered so far (including pointing out just which ones are filler, too.)
❣ SK in other media: a compilation of their appearances on games, articles and spin-offs.

ESSAYS&THEORIES:
❣ Theories & Essays, as shared in the Ice&Spice FC.
❣ SasuKarin Topics that have been discussed in the Ice&Spice FC, featuring a diverse amount of subjects pertaining to the couple and their development (past, present and future). I personally recommend checking out the is Sasuke aware of Karin's feelings for him? subject, which is something I literally held myself back from mentioning in the manifesto.
❣ SasuKarin & Mythology, interesting trivia pointed out by Japanese SasuKarin fans about Kishimoto's love for mythology and how it ties to the Uchiha, Karin and SasuKarin.
❣ General SasuKarin Discussion at the Ice&Spice FC, featuring why we like the couple, chapter-themed discussions, and more!
❣ Why do I still ship SasuKarin, despite what happened?, written by me and featuring a total of 6 reasons.
❣ A compilation of my most recent essays and LAPs regarding SK, touching a variety of subjects.
❣ Suigetsu and his role in SasuKarin, written by me.
❣ Theory: Why I think Sasuke is not quite aware of Karin's feelings for him - yet, also written by me.
❣ My take on how Kishi has shown Sasuke cares quite strongly about Karin - the summary -, something I wrote after Chapter 619 came out.
❣ On the relationship between the Uchiha and the Senju, written by kagura-shingan at tumblr (who also has more quality laps pertaining to the couple and Karin's character in her tumblr, so if you're looking for more sk material to read, go check it out!).
❣ Karin, Anime vs Manga, as compiled by fuckyeahsasukarin. Post showcasing all the instances where Pierrot completely altered Karin's character, and comparing their Karin to her canon counterpart.
❣ Tumblr-wise, you will also be able to find lots of insightful meta in the following blogs: enton, renaerys, haruefan, uchiha-red, ellicilinette and many more! I recommend keeping track of the sasukarin tag to not miss out. As for me, I'm Skania over there.

FANFICS:
These are the FC's top 5, as picked by its members~!
❣ Detour: Red, oneshot focusing on a possible scenario of the day where Orochimaru came across Karin, written by me.
❣ Maybe Next Time, multi-chaptered fic set in an alternative universe where Karin passed to the preliminaries of the Chuunin Exams; also written by me.
❣ Doors are Overrated, a sexy AU piece written by the talented Tox.
❣ Something of a Start, an oneshot I wrote featuring a dark take on SasuKarin during their Oto years.
❣ Spice&Ice and Everything Nice, great collection of 100 short drabbles featuring SasuKarin in all sorts of forms and times, written by the dear TwinEnigma.

You may also want to check out:
❣ Ice&Spice's Fic Rec List, gathering over 20 of SasuKarin's best fanfics~!
❣ Ice&Spice Community at fanfiction.net, aiming to gather all the english SasuKarin fics posted on the site.
❣ Ice&Spice's Writing Challenge, held every two weeks and prompt-centered.
❣ Ice&Spice's SasuKarin Birthday Activities, gathering all works submitted for Sasuke's and Karin's respective birthdays~!

And my personal favorite SasuKarin fic to date:
❣ The Art of Breaking Nails, by stones. It's M-Rated for a reason, though, so read at your own discretion.

VIDEOS:
❣ Ice&Spice's TOP 5 SasuKarin Videos.
❣ Ice&Spice's SasuKarin Videos Playlist, featuring some of what the members find to be the best SasuKarin AMVs~!


If I missed anything that should be added, let me know! You can either comment below or contact me through Naruto Forums or my personal Tumblr, which I linked above.

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If you read up to this point: thank you! I hope the manifesto was to your liking. If you would like to comment or return to the manifesto index, just click on the above link ♥ also, if you came across any odd sounding sentence / funky grammar or the likes, my apologies! English is not my native language orz