Fleeting Fancies - Fanworks Recommendations

Bleach: Carousel by Kay Willow - Awww, this was adorably sweet and fluffy, yet well-written enough that the author pulls it off. It's a simple fic, Orihime wanders off at a carnival and Ichigo goes to find her, but it's full of cute little details, like how much cotton candy she eats or the way she stares off into the distance sometimes. But I also liked it for the sense of how it... moves Ichigo forward a little, he's not precisely there yet with his feelings, but you can see him slowly starting to get there, to return those feelings she obviously has. I like that you can believe he doesn't really quite notice how she feels here, too. Plus, they just make me happy. <3 (Ichigo/Orihime.)

Bleach: Fear (For Him) by shinebunny - Well, I can hardly let a post with Bleach recs go by without seeking out an Ichigo/Orihime fic, now can I? I was all prepared for this fic to be just pure fluff, which I like sometimes. Even if they have a lot more going on underneath the fluffy moments, Ichigo/Orihime is a pairing that can do fluff really well and not be boring or OOC about it. But then the author contrasted the two different points in her life, what "fear" used to mean to Orihime and what it means now and it grew into this really lovely little bittersweet fic. I really quite liked this. <3 (Ichigo/Orihime.)

Bleach: Reverie by p_sky - I was just looking for one more Bleach fic to finish off my recs for the day, grabbing the first link that caught my attention, I had no idea what I was going to click onto, but luck was with me today because this was... well, I'm not quite sure how to describe it. It's an AU, which I don't normally read, but it also feels connected to canon and Ichigo/Orihime is one of the few Bleach pairings I'll read AUs for because of Orihime's "Five lives, one love" line, which is the attitude I started with when I began to read this piece. But rather quickly into the fic, I got sucked into it, finishing the fic before I hardly even knew I'd begun, because the author has a lovely, smooth, clean writing style and she does a fantastic job with the characterization. It's actually sort of an intriguing piece, I think it could stand on its own if it needs to, but I'd also love to see more of it, whichever the author chooses to do. (I'm... sort of torn about it, actually. I really like the ending of this piece. But I'm intrigued at the possible connection to canon, too.) It was a really lovely read and I'm so glad to have clicked on it today. ♥ (Ichigo/Orihime.)

Bleach: Of Myths and Princesses by p_sky - You know who I really love? (Not that it's any surprise, but. XD) I love Orihime a lot and this short little fic that gets into her head while she's in Hueco Mundo is really lovely. I adore the way the author weaves the idea of fairy tales and her own issues of self-doubt/self-worth and how this maybe isn't a fairy tale and what Orihime can/cannot do for her friends all together in the way her thoughts go round here. I loved the whole thing, as much for an Orihime piece as an IchiHime piece. <3 (Ichigo/Orihime.)

Bleach: Small Talk (1/3) by bitter-tea - I think what really charmed me about this fic, aside from that the story and the setting were pretty solid, was the use of Tatsuki. Remembering and showing Tatsuki's friendship with Ichigo--at the same time she's also dear friends with Orihime and protective of her--was a nice treat, since I feel like I get to read so little of it. But I also liked that the story was almost simple in setting, that it's Ichigo happening upon Orihime doing school chores after they return from Hueco Mundo, watching her and how cheerful and sweet she is. I could picture that so easily and I was just... charmed by all of it. <3 (Ichigo/Orihime.)

Bleach: heads up! and fall in love by alice hattercandy - It took me a bit to figure out that this is set way pre-series (because I'm a genius who totally pays attention, yes) but once I did, I kind of fell in love with it. Well. Once Orihime dropped into Ichigo's life rather literally, I completely fell in love with it. I love the structure of it, the author's writing style here, it's almost sort of sparse, yet brings to mind a sort of fairy tale between the tone of it and the bits of description. I adore the take on Ichigo's character--such a cantankerous little snot and then this girl just sort of drops down on him and he can't help the way he sees her. I adored this so hard, it's one of my more recent favorites for these two. ♥ (Ichigo/Orihime.)

Bleach: Clear Skies by imadra_blue - This is a simple fic, just a moment of Ichigo staring up at the cloudless sky after they all return from Hueco Mundo, and Orihime offers to share her lunch, but it's that simple quality that's like the sun breaking through the clouds after the storm that makes it so warm-hearted and sweet. It's adorable and I love that it reflects how much nicer Ichigo is to Orihime and it brings back her batshit crazy foods! After finishing this fic, I just felt all warm and fluffy and happy inside, especially because I like to think that this is the place they'll get to after all the hardships in the HM arc. (Ichigo/Orihime.)

Bleach: when you were very small by peekaydee - This was just too cute for me to pass up. Well, not cute in that it's about Ichigo and Orihime as kids, as her brother dies and that moment when Ichigo has to tell her, but the way they kind of looked at each other as kids, the way Orihime was always beaming and Ichigo was a nice person underneath the scowls, it was just so cute. And I like that, even when he's at a loss for what to say, Ichigo has always been a little kinder to Orihime. ♥ (Sort of Ichigo/Orihime.)

Bleach: The Arrow That Pierces The Heart by die kaiserin - ....oh, my god, my heart. Like, I don't even know what to do with myself because this fic hit me so squarely dead-on with what I want for these characters and this pairing! Orihime fic! On Valentine's Day! With Tsubaki! I was seriously cackling out loud by the scene scene and I fell further and further in love with Tsubaki as this fic progressed (and this is exactly how I see him, too!) and then the final scene just. Made my heart entirely too big for my chest. I honestly don't know what I loved more, the IchiHime implications or TSBUAKI BEING AWESOME. Probably the latter. ♥ (Implied Ichigo/Orihime, but it's only half the point.)

Bleach: Asano Keigo is Cooler Than You by die kaiserin - So, this is another one of those fics. Where I started reading for the pairing, which was all kinds of fabulous, but then ended up staying for the POV of a character that I don't often read about. Keigo's POV on this fic was beautiful. It was hilarious and fit so incredibly well with his character that I had zero trouble seeing it unfold in KT's style and I was kind of, you know, laughing my ass off the entire time. Seriously, my face kind of hurts. I love the characterization of everyone around him, too, especially Ichigo, who was kind of pitch perfect. Orihime was a delight and Tatsuki is my love all over again and I just loved all the little attention to detail, right down to how Orihime didn't think she'd get any White Day gifts and how the forms of address were all on and Keigo's speech patterns. This was exactly what I needed today. (Implied background Ichigo/Orihime, but it's not really the point.)

Bleach: Is a Snowmobile Racing Across a Tundra by die kaiserin - And one more by this author 'cause I had to. This fic just... Orihime is my favorite, so of course I'm going to be more invested in her, but this fic just makes my fannish heart break for her. It's a series of scenes from her childhood to closer to the beginning of the manga, little scenes where she runs into Ichigo and watches him. The wrenching loss of her brother, the harsh times in her life, it's beautifully written and makes me love her character all over again, even more than I love this ship. The writing of this is lovely and, oh, I want to see more from this author already. *__* (Ichigo/Orihime implied.)

Bleach: this love by alice_candy - A series of three shorter ficlets that aren't necessarily in a series together, but can be put together for the same feeling they evoke--which is to make me feel all warm and happy and fluffy inside. I especially kind of liked the first one, where Ichigo finally has to say something to Orihime, more than a couple of word strung together at a time, and even when he manages it, the momentum is lost so easily. Plus, Orihime is darling and, even in her nervousness, her crazy thoughts start coming slowly back and just a;sdklfjals;kj omg they are so freaking cute. Each of these is lovely. <3 (Ichigo/Oirhime.)

Bleach: Only with me by sr625sw - A lot of the IchiHime fic I read is very sweet and gentle, which I really enjoy with them. I love the focus on emotions and the subtle touches a lot. But then there are times when I just want porn because of all the UST built up between them... and along comes this fic, which is purely about the porn and certainly not shy about it, but even then you can pick up on all the emotional connections between them. What I really like, what gets me with this, is how they both really want each other, how they're both very much into this, how it can be hard and fast while still being safe and good. Plus, it's just nicely written porn. :Db (Ichigo/Orihime, NC-17.)

Bleach: Meet me Halfway by sr625sw - I read this fic pretty much at the same time as the previous one by the author, which aren't necessarily meant to go together, but I like how that one was an Orihime pov while this one is an Ichigo pov. Once again, it's the combination of not being shy about the porn along with how much these two really want each other that makes me a little over the moon for the writing. I love how wildly attracted they are to each other and how easy it is to pick up on the underlying feelings even in a pwp fic. It was a really fun read! (Ichigo/Orihime, NC-17.)

Bleach: bright by alice hattercandy - Lately, I've been wanting to read more Bleach fic, so I finally just sat myself down and did it, starting with this semi-short piece about Ichigo and Orihime not really quite getting there with each other for years, each of them not quite saying anything and not realizing the other feels the same way. It works for me because they're both a little stupid and, yet, when things finally start moving again, they're older and still recognizbale, but a little more tempered, and I like the author's writing style. It might not be for everyone, but I was absolutely smiling by the end of this fic and really just quite delighted at it. (Ichigo/Orihime.)