I've seen a lot of this "silver medal" theme come up in the previous chapter and I've always hated it. It doesn't matter if we're talking about Naruto or Hinata or any character, if anyone is getting into a relationship simply because they've been denied the one they really want, then they're not honest. This idea of a rebound is so hollywood highschool movie. 

Even saying that Sasuke is her unobtainable dream shows the problem with SasuSaku; it's unrealistic and based off of Sakura's idealized visions of what they could be. If she can't be with Sasuke it's probably because they don't work together. I feel that when she decides to commit to Naruto, it will be because she realizes he's not some vague, far away concept but that what he has to offer is right there for her. A lot of people have fantasies of a love that never will be, but we commit and work hard for the person we want to share ourselves with and that is the true relationship. 

If Sakura's reason for loving Naruto is because she's rebounding from Sasuke then it's a disservice to the character, the pairing, and the whole romance subplot. I may have had my doubts about the direction Kishimoto goes in his writing, but I'm not THAT cynical. 

I think the OP doesn't so much agree with the tone and hate that is rather apparent every since the (justified) disappointment of the ending. They said 

Ever since I discovered this site late last year, I've been noticing... a lot of people have been knocking back the Haterade since the ending came out and things did not end with Naruto and Sakura getting together. Bakamoto this, "Hope SP burns" that, "Naruto is a scumbag," kittening Hinata, quitting Naruto FOREVER, and on and on and on.

 

Understood already, I get that. However, I want to hear more from the NaruSaku moderates, the folks that might have been disappointed things didn't end NaruSaku, but they're cool about it, or even happy it didn't end NaruSaku due to certain things that they wanted addressed first before that Ship came in. So, are there any folks on here that would self-identify as a Moderate Shipper? I want to know what they feel, are they keeping up with the spin-offs, tracking the interviews, etc.? Because I really want to have some discussions about some things, but obviously I'm a bit hestitant with the tone of the current postings here.

I'm interested in seeing what that discussion is--and I think it's fair of the OP to not be dismissed by a tone of "whatever, everything sucks--Kishimoto sucks, everything's ruined" which I think is the fear if they open up with a serious intent to talk about something. 

Very well edited! <3 I like it quite a lot. It's sad but I suppose some love is tragic that way.

I actually like guys around my height, so I don't think I prefer when the height difference is large between us because then one of us (most likely him) is bending over to hug and kiss and stuff. Though honestly, that's not going to sway my opinion. I have a tendency to like girls that are taller than me, but one girl I had a crush on was actually shorter and I'm not very tall myself (5"3) and she had a great personality. Most guys are taller than me, but I don't find that I feel protected when around them. Rather I find that I look up more haha~ That makes me feel sorry for guys especially when they're hit with growth problems--the expectations are greater on them than on women. 

I don't see how we could have a SasuSaku relationship after this chapter--not in a way that's believable. The dialogue surrounding Sakura, not what she said, was what bothered me--like they were trying to justify why anyone would love this guy. Every person in that chapter was rather off-putting one way or another--from Naruto's compliance, from Kakashi trying to reason out Sakura's love, from the Sage and his destiny blah, from Sasuke being the undeserving mad-man he has been for a long time... 

Sakura's desperation to try and talk Sasuke out of his mess may have just been a Part 1 tactic she used. If she 'still loves him' then it holds more weight as a persuasive stance? Maybe it's (overly) kind of Sakura if this is true, but I don't think anyone else should support it. He's just given her the feeling of having her chest ripped open by a chidori. He could have used anything but he chooses to knock her out with that. I want to say that she wouldn't want a relationship after that, but because Kishimoto has a funny way of having people love/forgive Sasuke without any sense this could be the set up of a really bad romance.

It's so upsetting that someone died; I wish people wouldn't resort to violence to send political messages. So many peaceful role models in the world... I hope more comes to light about this case. 

am I the only one who ships Annie x Eren?

I haven't read the manga but I really like the anime, and hope it continues to another season. I also like Eren and Armin's friendship more than Eren and Mikasa's simply because I don't find her to have a lot of depth. She seems to be the generic badass who otherwise doesn't really say much, and only really shows any character when its in regard to Eren. The one time I think I liked her character was after she thought Eren died and decided not to give in to despair, but to keep fighting. I had expected that she would have broken down with how obsessed she was with him, but she actually showed strength. Maybe it's different in the manga? IDK, I know she's popular so I'm not writing her off as a bad character she's just not the type that appeals to me.

and yes, I know Eren x Mikasa is probably going to happen 

I don't hate Mikasa, and I don't call her a creepy stalker or whatever. She just doesn't interest me. I don't see what's so amazing about her, but that's fine. I have my opinions and it doesn't make me right and everyone else wrong or vice versa. All the characters have some problematic aspects to them, and sometimes it just doesn't work for me whereas for others they're well liked. I dunno about the whole 'Japanese ideal' vs 'Western ideals' effecting my opinion though. It's not her devotion that bothers me, but the lack of anything else to her character. Armin is good friend with Eren, but he's got his own stuff going for him. Every scene Mikasa is in she's either just idle, passive,being exceptionally good without much effort, or getting crazy over Eren. Only twice did she branch out--when her backstory was shown, and her internal monologue about being strong and still fighting despite Eren  being gone. So I don't find her very compelling. Annie on the other hand, is also incredibly devoted to her cause. She's like the anti-thesis to Eren. Eren wants to destroy all Titans. Annie seems on a mission to destroy all humanity. She was the dull background character who didn't do much aside from one scene and then WHAM, we find out all these things and there is a mystery behind her. When she failed in retrieving Eren, she cried. When her father showed regret and gave her a way out, she still decided to follow the path she was set on. That's devotion too. Yet I feel in her limited scenes she offered more to the story than Mikasa, the main heroine, and they're not that different in personality types. So I dunno.

Anyways, I look forward to season two and seeing how all the characters develop. I would prefer to watch the anime for now, but I may give the manga a chance. I hope the OST is as bangin' for the second season as it was for the first. 

I like how we talk about genetics meanwhile the mother has PINK HAIR. XD It's as you like it, silly bunnies. I do have a preference for green eyes so I'm all for Shinachiku having them. Also my headcanon for a girl was that she'd be named Momo or 'Peach' because pink and orange make that colour. 

As I was reading the justification for all the flaws and personality traits, each had their merit. In the hands of a good writer, and the context of the good story they write, any number of these possibilities can exist and be valid. The difference between a fanbaby and a canon baby is that the fan has complete creative control with no guidelines. What is Shinachiku like? What makes him tick? We don't know, and it's hard for fans of something to collectively agree on a character interpretation even with canon material. Look at all the interpretations of Naruto and Sakura, and how their characters vary from fic to fic. 

There are some things I personally like in regards to Shinachiku:

• His sister is Momo, my personal headcanon for female baby. 
• He does not end up marrying into Uchiha or Hyuuga bloodline. I don't care for Sasuke in a romantic relationship and I certainly didn't care for his daughter even when it was with a character I loved--same with Hinata. 
• I would rather Ino's child if we have to go off a prominent character, and by being a true friend to the girl or guy and then realizing one day when he's older that he's in love with them. That, or someone from a non-prominent clan like Sakura was because in times of peace there should be more jobs beyond being a ninja. 
• The future has not advanced to laptops because I don't feel like one (young) generation later making a huge modern leap into technology was appealing.

Personality and Story:

• I like the idea that he has been taught the values of helping others and that sometimes answers are not always clear, but a path to peaceful resolution is always the ideal. 
• As a young boy, he does not understand that his privilege and peace came at great costs and treats his parents' legacy as something that is both admired and cool, sometimes lamenting that he won't have the chance to prove himself in the same way. He treats being a ninja and war like most children do; cool and something to play around with. In peacetime there aren't may practical applications that would show him the dangers of war.
• As a result of peacetime, children spend more time studying and learning beyond the academy, and new opportunities open up. Shinaku at first doesn't take this as seriously because he wants to follow the footsteps of his parents, especially his father, and misguidedly thinks that being the best ninja means being the best hokage. Part of growing up is realizing that is not the case, and maybe his talents lie elsewhere. 
• In his life, he comes to take on a more spiritual understanding of chakra, and is a more worldly scholar than either of his parents. He learns from many different life lessons, across the different nations, on many philosophical questions.
• He is frequently frustrated by the lack of a concrete answer, and does not share his father's stubborn resolve. He's more inclined to question, and isn't persuaded easily by rhetoric (talk-no-jutsu). Part of learning is that there is no ultimate answer to life's difficult questions, and each different person, monk, leader, nation answers them in various ways.
• His best qualities therefore are that he has an open, but critical mind. He has a sincere drive to help people and be a good person.
• His pitfalls are that he frequently loses motivation, and is conflicted by personal questions on who he is and his role in the world. He has the tendency to overthink topics and become frustrated, or even feel despair. 
• When he is in his youth he is naive and takes things for granted, such as having parents who take such interest in his welfare (he thinks his mother especially is a nag), his opportunity to learn, that he will never have to face the hardships that his parents and people across the world do. In this way, he's a more modern and relatable character without his technology having to reflect that.

It's site policy to be open to all shippers, so even if you don't like a certain pairing or think it doesn't 'belong' kindly refrain from posting in appreciation threads. I don't care for SasuKarin at all even though they're supposed to be an ally ship, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go in and ruin their fun. 

SasuNaru I was more supportive of earlier on, so a lot of my fan imagination exist in an alternate universe where many of the things that happened didn't. But I mean, if there's anyone Sasuke cares about we just know it's Naruto ;D 

I think it was mentioned that the admins/mods don't like it when only a pic or gif is posted. They really are obnoxious. This is a forum, not tumblr. You could use your words in conjuncture with your pictures.

I'm on board with those who think it's a bad idea, however, for the reason that Kaguya still exists... I mean, in Inuyasha we managed to have both reincarnation and incarnate present but that was because part of the soul was split. As far as we understand Kaguya was sealed in her entirety. Also, if Sakura is to gain any notability in her background, I would like for it to be something original and unique to her. Cliche as it might be I was always hoping that the manifest of Inner Sakura would be something supported in canon but I'm proud of her as is. Oddly, the fact that she has no backgroud bs is what distinguishes her from the rest of the manga. 

Okay, there are a lot of problems with Sakura's character but her fertility vs sterility aren't one of them. Her character does not get degraded by Sasuke's and Karin's actions. Why would a mother leave her child in someone else's care? Well, that depends on the circumstances, but I don't understand this argument that Sakura's role as a mother to a child that isn't hers is somehow 'degrading'. Her agreeing to take on and raise a child that isn't hers should be seen as a positive, unless there were some sinister motive to it. And so far, we really don't know the circumstances around this convoluted relationship. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that Sakura's 'fainting spells' from the beginning of the series are going to come back in. Either as Sakura's pregnant (and that Shizune's mention of it happening since her childhood is a red herring) or as the reason she can't have children. 

 

And as far as raising a child that isn't hers, there's no reason to masquerade as a Sasuke's wife even if she chose to raise his test tube baby. Sakura dusting a house full of Uchiha crap and wearing his clan symbol on his back — if Sarada is not hers and the marriage was never truly a marriage, just an arrangement of convenience for Sasuke — really paints Sakura in a stalkerish light. And she's simply not that way.

 

I don't see her as degrading herself so as to end her career to take care of Sasuke's illegitimate child, pretend she's his wife, and raise his child as hers while he leaves the village forever. Sakura's kind, but she's not crazy.

 

We'll see in the next two chapters what is real and what has been the red herring.

 

And if Kishimoto has Sakura turn out to be this way — stalkerish and giving everything up for Sasuke — then the whole Gaiden has been a red herring centered around Sakura's development, kindness and strength. When all along Kishimoto knew he was just going to leave her out in the cold again.

 

Those are my thoughts on this whole series: either the Gaiden is going to turn out to be Kishimoto's apology to Sakura fans, or the Gaiden is going to be one more chance for Kishimoto to make Sakura the scapegoat for everything that's wrong with this manga.

Goodness I hope that's not the way it goes. As I said, it's not so much that she's raising Sasuke's daughter it's the masquerade of being his wife--is she his wife? Why is she living a lie and telling one to Sasuke's daughter if this is the case? Also, if she is a 'stalker' she must be one that Sasuke agreed to because he refers to her as his wife as well. There is just so much that is ridiculous on both sides. Gaiden is just begging for an explanation and they better deliver in these next two chapers.

Maybe Sakura is Sasuke's wife, hence the Uchiha symbol and referring to him as such... and that maybe early into their marriage they receive a shock that Sarada is a product of Orochimaru's experimentation. They bring the daughter back and Sakura agrees not to punish the child and raises her as her own. Perhaps Karin didn't want to, or they didn't want Orochimaru having access to Sarada while Karin is still working under him so they didn't give her a choice. Sakura doesn't have to be sterile for this to happen, it just may be that she began raising a child that isn't her own--but Sasuke is 'absolved' of fault there because it wasn't his decision so it's not grounds to stop loving him or divorce in Sakura's perspective.

There are obvious problems like why Sakura seems to lie about not just the birth but the relationship that complicates matters, but again--if this is all some ruse it's not just Sakura being a loving fangirl, Sasuke has been keeping up the lie around Naruto and others. It may benefit himself, which paints them both in ugly, disturbing light (he doesn't love her and let's her 'pretend' to be his wife so he doesn't have to raise his daughter)... 

I think we do need to wait for Gaiden to explain itself. Is this a terrible pairing and reflecting badly on the characters as it stands? Yeah, Sakura destroying her house and being in a relationship where she needs to lie is already far from perfect. Her status as mother, fertility, and taking care of Sarada has nothing on that. Whether Sakura is Sarada's mother, whether she can be--this whole debate is sort of missing the point. Even if it's the worst possible thing where she's basically a submissive Uchiha fangirl who agrees to pretend to be wife just because she loves Sasuke beyond any shred of reasonability, her care and love toward Sarada stands as a positive. Is she a perfect mother? No, but I don't see her as a horrible one either. 

YESSSSSS. SAKUINO/INOSAKU WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT FTW.

I even cosplayed it back in the day! 

Myself as Sakura

I always love the additions in the anime where they're acting like genuine friends. You know what I wanted a fic to be written about (that I'm too lazy to write myself) RtN SakuIno. Ino was sooo adorable toward Sakura, I can easily imagine she's smitted with best friend and daughter-of-a-hero Sakura. 

https://www.fanficti...al-Strawberries <<<<That should be it





 

 

dear god plz link

...Kami-sama? =O

I want to write a one-shot InoSaku fic, and am interested in taking prompts from you lovelies n.n 

QUOTE (Jenskott @ Jul 11 2012, 01:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it is a remake.

I would prefer they kept the sailor senshi personalities how they were in the manga: Usagi being less of a crybaby and growing into a competent, serious leader... Ray never being boys-crazy... Usagi and Mamoru actually suspecting about each other early on...

I would not mind if they kept the Monster Of The Week format, but maybe they should consider making longer arcs instead of episodic stories. Nowadays people does not seem liking a lot Monster of the Week shows.

It is not my favorite anime but it is one of my favorite shojo. I have good memories of watching it in the middle nineties, even if my interest is not what it was either.

I guess however, that plays in Japan. I don't mind monster of the week, but I always felt I got more out of having arcs rather than episodic formats.

I had heard Minako and Rei was supposed be best friends in the manga and it never really came through in the anime. As my two favorite characters, it'd be kinda nice to see.

 

 Yeeeeesss for Minako and Rei <3 They're my two favourite as well. So far, I like the story. The CGI transformations bother me, but I'm getting used to the new animation. The only real problem with it is the porportions of the faces at times, with the bangs and top of the head seeming too large while the face is angular and pressed together, but altogether the new look isn't the worst. There are times it looks downright pretty, and I like how the colours pop. I'm enjoying that it follows the manga, and it does have some echoes of the old anime, such as the "In the name of the moon, I shall punish you!". 

I'm really hoping that it continues on and is successful. I still love these characters, and now that I'm older I can appreciate them more, in a new way. I've been wary of remakes since Teen Titans Go but this one hasn't been too bad at all. 

It's really sad, because this is also the anniversary of my grandfather's death and we heard about it just as we were returning back from the cemetery. When I was a kid I absolutely adored him, and I still see him with a kind smile. He really did give a lot of people joy... it's a shame he couldn't find that same joy in himself. Battling depression isn't easy; I personally know its struggle, but may he rest in peace and my condolences to his family for their loss.

I've disliked Hinata for a long time. Honestly, if it wasn't for her fans I would have written her off as just uninteresting and pairing fodder, but her popularity made me really question the content surrounding her and it's coloured my feelings toward her ever since. I realized early on that characteristics that are often attributed to her (kindness, compassion, sweetness, etc) have no evidence in the manga. Where even someone like Tenten has a panel expressing her concern over Ino, Hinata never shows anything to anyone outside of Naruto. Naruto-kun is her unyielding mantra and for the author, that was apparently enough for her to be the intended love interest. It's quite sickening really. Women must be 100% devoted to their lovers. Sakura may have had her ups and downs, but she had a network of relationships outside of Sasuke. Her motivations were centred around two guys, yes, but even the way that was framed showed sincere compassion for the well-being of people she cared about--whereas Hinata famously seems to be primarily concerned with how Naruto makes HER feel, rather than what he would need. In the span of 700 chapters she's done...two things for him? 

She has a really unhealthy mindset. She's a one-note character and even if I may dislike Karin, at least she had her moments--mostly centred around the time Sasuke stabbed her but still! Hinata has no depth of character and it's made me question the reading comprehension of the masses when people praise her. It's one thing to like somebody on superficial means; it's another to laud them as heroine-worthy when they're hardly worthy of being considered a 'character'. 

I'm DawnThestral14952, a Slytherin. I've done the full test, which asks all the questions, online and I seem to be a Huffl'in XD Every day I'm Huffl'in Huffl'in~ It just so happened by chance the questions I got asked on the site were more aligned with Slytherin than Hufflepuff. I actually really quite like those two houses so that suits me fine. 

It truly is some super crazy good writing~ I love this new season so far.

I am not a fan of pandering.

 

Korrasami = NaruHina

 

It happened because it was popular, not because it was supported by the story. kitten that pairing. And kitten Makorra too. Why did Korra have to end up with anyone to begin with? She hadn't had the time or energy to even considering thinking about it for the past two books. Now that she got her life in order, in times of rebuilding, instead of remaining and overseeing the reconstruction, she goes off on a vacation with her friend?

 

Korrasami is as tacked on as their friendship. Seriously, what did the Krew even offer Asami? Why did she stick around for so long? Let's not forget Korra stole her boyfriend, Mako, who cheated on her, more than once if you consider the whole amnesia debacle in book 2 as cheating, when they wanted to get back together but Korra forgot she and Mako had broken up.

 

The finale in general was pretty flat. Eventful, action packed even, and yet so utterly drab and boring. Kuvira cemented herself as the worst villain, bar none, and her pitiful excuse of a backstory is laughably bad. There was truly end goal in sight of her wanton destruction. It was so over the top cartoony that nothing managed to give me any sense of suspense whatsoever. I just knew they'd all make it - well, all of them except for Asami's father, who carried a death flag the size of Texas the moment he showed up, especially when Varrick and Zhu Li bugged out of the Hummingbirds.

 

Honestly, mechs and romance have ruined Legend of Korra. It was never particularly good, but these two things in particular made it far, far worse.

If you're comparing NaruHina, which had 700 chapters to potentially develop, with a NON CONFIRMED pairing that had four seasons spanning under 20 episodes, then your perspective is skewed. First of all, Asami and Korra did not jump 20 years into the future, with kids, after a 15 year run where everything was pointing to Makorra. They didn't even get an 'I love you' so if that's pandering to the fanbase, that's pretty weak. There is implication, yes, but people also fail to put into perspective what the characters had gone through and how this is not as left-field and illogical as it might seem.

Asami's father just died. Unlike the other characters of Korra's "Krew", she doesn't have anyone left to lean on. Bolin has his brother, his large new-found family, Opal, by extention the Beifongs, and has a great relationship with Verrick (as seen by being 'minister' at his wedding). Mako has his brother and family, and he had a moment with Korra where he firmly said he'd stand by her. They don't need a journey with Korra to get away from it all or whatever. Asami was at a wedding and her father's death is obviously hard on her. She teared up when she mentioned him, and when she admitted to Korra, "I don't know what I'd do if I'd lost you and my father," it confirms what has never really been disputed--Asami is lonely. Her father was everything to her, he betrayed her, and just when she forgives him he was suddenly taken away from her and because of everything going on she couldn't just stop to process.

Now think--where are they going? Are they going to some sexy resort, all eyebrow waggling and sly grins? They're going to the spirit world. I think it's quite symbolic of a spiritual journey after loss and suffering. Remember that in season 3 Asami had offered to go with Korra when she was recovering. Seeing someone vulnerable and being there for them isn't a bad way to develop a deep connection. Whatever their past together, the awkwardness of Mako being between them, it's rather insignificant compared to having a friend nearly die. That, and their inclination for friendship wasn't suddenly brought on in the last season. Asami had told Mako season 1, "I like Korra," meaning that even with that boyfriend baggage she liked Korra as a person. It's not a stretch to say Korra is likeable. 

Then in season 3 they continued to bond, obviously having moved on from Mako and finding his awkwardness silly as an in-joke between them. That's great development, and removes the idea that this would be a roadblock toward any greater relationship between them. Then of course, Korra's suffering and Asami's compassion probably helped forge that bond where Korra feels that she has an easier time communicating with Asami. I like this a development between them a lot more than what we got in Season 2 with love triangle nonsense, because if we're supposed to believe that the two are honestly friends we needed something deep like this and it delivered. It was relationship drama that I believe really stunted the show, but the handling of this relationship was a highlight for me. 

Now back to the theme of season 4, Korra had to take a journey to recovery which, by her words in the last episode helped her become a more compassionate person even toward someone like Kuvira. Now, the tables have turned and Asami, a friend who had supported her through tough times, is having one of her own and she suggests to go on vacation. When Asami says she wanted to see the spirit world, Korra says this is perfect. Why? Because a portal is conveniently there? Sure, but also maybe because spirituality and recovery are linked in this universe. If you look at it outside of the perspective of shipping, this ending can be interpreted as hurt/comfort and compassion. It fits with the theme of season 4 and Korra's growth. 

Now, supporting and forging a relationship by compassion is not bad ship material. Asami was part of Korra's group. It's not like Hinata where she was always on the outside looking in--Asami actively gave her support. Also, it's not the resolution of their potential pairing but the beginning. Unlike Makorra where the finale ended with a kiss and girlfriend/boyfriend status, Korrasami is left to develop with the seeds having been sown not in some outside source, but since season 3. It's not a picture perfect pairing but to say that it's the equivalent of NaruHina is ridiculous. The ending of Legend of Korra is eons better than what we got. Bryke ended it right by making it feel like the start of something more, rather than the definitive ending. 

Korra said she still feels like there is so much more room to grow, to change, to learn. She has hope again. Likewise, the group will grow with her. What the ending told us is that it is implied that Korra and Asami's development toward each other is heading toward a potential romance and why not? What is so horribly bad about Korra and Asami's relationship that it shouldn't be a possibility? Korra may never end up with Asami. It's not like we got a TWENTY YEAR FLASH FORWARD that has set anything in stone. What people are threatened by is the mere implication of it! It's ridiculous. I would think after the horror that is Naruto's ending we'd have set our bars low that this wouldn't be something we're up in arms. We've seen terrible handling of pairings. Don't lessen the terribleness that was NaruHina by comparing it to something so tame.

I don't hate the Makorra fandom and I understand why they shipped the pairing, but I thought given how rushed, how turmulent, how problematic it was, people could understand that the relationship could have gone any which way. They did tack on a lot of evidence for Makorra, but they also tacked on a lot of problems. If they truly wanted Makorra and then just jumped ship last moment, they really shouldn't have done the love-triangle in which cheating happened. It makes me question MAKO in the situation. He was the one who had the choice to break up with Asami in lieu of his budding feelings for Korra, or to stay with Asami. 

Asami wasn't mad at Korra, because she doesn't demonize the 'other woman' like a lot of us are taught to. Men aren't so fickle that women can have the power to seduce them away from their commitments. Korra didn't cast some Avatar spell on Mako; they had feelings for each other, but as he came to acknowledge them he didn't break up with Asami--Asami noticed what was up and broke up with him. Also we need to look at the character's feelings on the matter, not our own, in how Asami felt about the situation. "I like Korra," she said. She didn't blame Korra for Mako's feelings--she blamed him. She didn't want an uncertain relationship.

However, in season 2 when he had broken up with Korra, it's not impossible that she was yearning for any kind of relationship--and Mako was there helping her. Of course, when she saw that he wasn't honest with Korra about their break up (convenient amnesia) we could see she wasn't pleased with him again and so they broke off their 'thing' and Asami's attention turned more to Korra and being supportive of her. This role of friendship with the main character, rather than support, was an upgrade to her position in the show. As a non-bender she had been featured very little, and when she was there was great emphasis as being 'Mako's girlfriend'. 

As Korra's love interest, it was her reacting to what was happening with the titular character and she wasn't put in explicitly romantic situations. Some feel she should have been, but then that would support the argument that she became Korra's relationship satellite and not Mako's. Considering the whole fiasco of the love triangle maybe a slow build up was needed for their relationship, and they had been put in some difficult positions where Korra's well being should rightly trump that particular history, which they had addressed. In the show they had explicitly agreed to move on and forgive each other from the KorraxMakoxAsami deal. Then in bonding with each other, they shared a special connection and now that the show has ended, they feel they want to progress as a couple. 

 

In the end, crap is still crap

 

You can say one is better than the other but in the end, they are both crap. That is enough for me to put them on the same sh*tty level.

 

 

Exactly!

 

This is what I am seeing here with Korrasami. The romance was poor but people are pretending it was fine and foreshadowed even though the creators have already said that they make stuff up as they go.

I hate to break it to you, but most of media is 'make it up as they go'. To use that as an example of poor development means that you think long-term stories as a whole are poor in development. That doesn't mean they sat down and just said "hey, let's do this just because"; there was a process and great thought involved with their decisions, but just because something isn't a carbon copy of what they originally decided on doesn't mean that it's bad. 

People have a difference of opinion of how it was handled--that's fine. For me, even with all the support of Makorra in season one and two, I thought it was a pretty poor pairing that was rushed. I preferred how Korrasami was handled. Their address to their fans is reasonable. Your standards of writing are your own, but equivocating a 700+ chapter work with Legend of Korra as 'the same sh*tty level' tells me that according to my standards, you're full of it. 

Korrasami isn't nearly as shallow, as out of the blue, and while not perfect I am genuinely surprised how upset some people are that it happened. I shipped Zutara and I GOT that Kataang happened. I didn't ship Makorra season 1 and 2 but I got that it was a valid pairing. I never have and never will ship NaruHina because of its handling. I have once, but never will again, ship SasuSaku because how terrible its message is.

What is so horribly bad about Korrasami? That people didn't see them as a couple and wanted them to be 'just friends'? That they feel that there wasn't enough support for a romantic relationship? Okay, but they happened AFTER the first pairing had broken up. They happened WHILE Mako and Korra were discussing that THEY were 'just friends'. Yet, now I see stuff as bad as 'oh they pandered to fans!' but as Bryan said, WHAT fans? 

I get that in some preferences, people think that should have been alone. I get that because of the way season 1 and 2 were handled, some people don't feel it's realistic. Those are all valid points, but again, it's like... okay, so it didn't end perfectly. Does this mean it's something to rally and hate so much? I thought here, where we KNOW what standard of horrible endings are possible--what level a creator can turn his back on a fandom, this would be a lot easier to accept. Or are we truly as we're accused of being, just bitter that we didn't get the ending we want? There's problematic endings, and then there is disappointing ones, but Korrasami is not the worst thing to happen to Legend of Korra. You may not like the pairing, but it's there and it's not hurting anyone. It's empowering some underrepresented people and we shouldn't want to take that away unless it truly deserves to be under a magnifying glass. That is FAR more than we can say about NaruHina or SasuSaku. 

 

NH and KS are similar in that they lacked development but were popular and therefore happened. Kishimoto's screw up is on a whole other level but the scale of that is beside the point.

 

Is the rest even directed at my post? It seems to me like you're recounting events as a form of mental gymnastics to make sense of it and justify your believe that this endgame pairing somehow had any build up. It didn't. Korrasami was a fandom thing, and Bryke, being well aware of what is going on in the fandom, tapped into that. 

 

You can get as philosophical as you'd like about endings and new beginnings, that's fine, really, but this endgame pairing is and always will be dubious at best due to a sudden transition and interest from friends to lovers - which is left implied, but it's pretty obvious that's what happens in the end. I could possibly buy that Korra and Asami always happened to be bisexual, but even then, this attraction that was supposedly between them? Nah. There was never even a remote hint of sexual attraction or tension there. Not even a sliver. Not unless Mako was involved, but that's a different matter altogether.

 

Korrasami was nothing more than wish fulfilment in the end, and an attempt at progressive shock value.

You're making the assertion that the ending is only pandering and I was laying out how it developed. It did have build up. They didn't just throw it in at the end, but I think your only stance is because fans liked it, it was pandering. AND IT'S NOT EVEN A CONCRETE PAIRING. "This endgame pairing" as if Korra and Asami were at an alter instead of heading into the spirit world. Creators are allowed to pander to fans, heck most shipping that goes on in any series is pandering/teasing of some sort, but your claim that they had no build up and were and always will be 'dubious at best' seems to be your philosophical hatred of anything that may have been even slightly catering to fans.

They worked it into their story. People were seeing hints all throughout season 4, and in season 3 Asami's relationship with Korra had already shifted. If the people behind Naruto had decided to pander to the NaruHina fanbase and establish them as the endgame pairing, which they did, I'd have wished they had handled it in the same way that LoK creators did--by resolving one pairing debacle and focusing on the other until the end. 

Oh, and progressive shock value? Again, you're not even looking at the content and you're screaming wish-fulfillment lesbians. Did they say I love you? No. Did they kiss? No. Did they say their vows under a pretty arc? No, what they have is an ambiguous implication of romance. It's a pretty tame scene as far as pairing material goes. You're angered by an implication that they'll have a relationship in the future, potentially. Yet to breathe that this pairing is the same level of ass-pull pandering as NaruHina is, as you put it, some serious mental gymnastics. 

If you have problems with creators doing anything that a fandom might like than by all means, hate away. However, looking at the series you can't claim that they weren't setting it up. Also, it's hard to say how popular Korrasami is compared to other ships. I've heard better arguments against this pairing. I don't hate NaruHina because it's popular. I'm not hipster like that. I hate that it had no set up, no logic to it--that it was downright misleading. Korrasami was not misleading. It was a sweet gesture at the end and it made sense in context for reasons I explained. 

I think it's totally fair if someone would have preferred no romance. I understand for a lot of people, either who want more emphasis on the group and friendship especially for an ending scene, and for people who feel that Korrasami may have been ruined due to past relationship drama. 

 

When you talk like that, you sound like those SJW from tumblr. I don't care about sexuality here. Korra STOLE Mako from Asami. She wounded her. Just as Mako was an scumbag for two timing on Asami, Korra was an scumbag when it came to the fact she stole the boyfriend of someone else. None of them deserved Asami after what they did. Or is this forgive and forget thing easier when it comes for the sake of an ship? That is the same argument SS fans use against us.

That Mako cheated on Asami was problematic, but they managed to work it over. Korra was able to show compassion to a woman who had raised an army and created a weapon of mass destruction. Again, what is this false equivocation of a terrible pairing like SasuSaku where a guy tries to kill a girl multiple times and betrays her ever step of the way with someone who was involved in a love triangle mess that resolved itself by season 2's end? Yes, it's a valid argument to make--Asami and Korra's resolution after what they did may not sit well with people, and some question Asami's treatment in the Krew. Yet there is also the argument to make that Asami never disliked or blamed Korra for this "I like Korra" argument, but was upset with Mako. 

Asami also did sort of the same thing though shortly after Korra broke up with Mako. The whole love triangle was rather crappy and it was lampshaded and criticized in the clips episode. However, they moved past it and we see that without Mako, Korra and Asami have a great relationship. What would be more problematic is if the girls got with Mako again after both having the relationship with him fail twice.