#this post is relevant? but also i wouldn't recommend reading plasticity JUST for icha icha headcanons

[mixelation]

This is the same icha icha anon, and the idea that Jiraiya's best female character is Orochimaru (who is, actually, wearing a woman's body underneath the disguise of himself at the time of the chuunin exam invasion) is absolutely hilarious to me. Does Orochimaru read Icha Icha? Does he KNOW? I bet Tsunade doesn't read icha icha unless she HAS to for her job, but Orochimaru is definitely curious enough to do so on his own initiative... but does he?

reference post (and also here's a related post)

I AM GLAD YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MY INTENSE AND USELESS HEADCANONS, ANON. I have debated this a bit, mostly because this headcanon is canon to Plasticity and potentially also pivotal to the plot of Plasticity? But right now I'm leaning towards:

Tsunade has read like, part of one Icha Icha book, after a combination of nagging from Jiraiya, boredom, and mild curiosity that's a result of both her interest in Jiraiya as someone she grew up with and Hatake Kakashi's weird obsession. She read enough to realize the sheer depth of how bad Jiraiya is projecting his personal issues into the book (and also the kinky parts aren't even that good in her opinion). It gave her secondhand embarrassment for Jiraiya and she had to stop reading and refuses to pick up another book by him again. Jiraiya is still alive so I'm going to say she hasn't actually read any sex scenes involving her own insert character, although she knows they must happen.

I'm sure Orochimaru physically cannot restrain himself from reading whatever shit Jiraiya is writing. Orochimaru probably sometimes even intercepts Jiraiya's written correspondences just to keep tabs on him (and, like, annoy him). Of course he's written Icha Icha. He's thrilled that he and Tsunade are main characters. He LOVES that Jiraiya has written all of his personal hang-ups and insecurities for the world to see. It's great entertainment. He is both smug and flattered that Jiraiya has a psychosexual obsession with him. The only thing holding him back from teasing Jiraiya about it to his face is that he's about 70% sure Jiraiya has no idea he's doing this and he doesn't want him to stop. Instead he sometimes writes Jiraiya anonymous letters requesting the Orochimaru character do certain things, or disappointment in the lack of weird kink in a certain scene. Jiraiya has recognized at least a few of these "anonymous" fan letters as being from Orochimaru and has no idea what to make of that.

What I go back and forth about the most is the degree to which Jiraiya realizes he's written his teammates into his books. Like I'm sure he at least realizes that the Tsunade-insert is similar to Tsunade in a lot of ways, possibly some of them intentional because the nature of Jiraiya's "research" makes me think he likes to base characters on real women. Like I can see him being like, "Well, Tsunade is SUPER hot and also an awesome kunoichi, I gotta use her sexiest features for my main female character!" and then also intentionally not giving that character Tsuande's tragic backstory because even though it would make good fiction, he doesn't to be cruel to her. HOWEVER, I'm leaning towards the Orochimaru character being completely unintentional/subconscious on Jiraiya's part. He made main girl #1 (who I call Junko in my brain) to be busty, blonde, loud and blunt.... so he had to make main girl #2 (who I call Satsuki in my brain) dark-haired and quiet and reserved and also maybe horribly manipulation and her silky hair is full of secrets and she's a backstabbing bitch, but the main male character is still in love with her anyway and--

--and Tsunade reads that and is like Y I K E S. Satsuki is humanized and three-dimensional enough that only people who know both Orochimaru and Jiriya really well would ever connect the dots (bc Orochimaru is a scary one-dimensional monster, duh). So Kakashi might not ever realize ON HIS OWN but if someone pointed it out..... well. He'd be upset. :(

Also Hiruzen definitely reads and enjoys Icha Icha and is in as much denial about Jiraiya's obsession with Orochimaru as he is about the Uchiha Massacre.