5 replies to this topic

[Broken Figurine]

So in lieu of this terrible ending emerges certain headcanons and stories about what Naruto is moving forward from the epilogue. I've seen stories with affairs, with alcohol abuse, with parental abandonment/neglect and over-all unhappiness. I don't think I feel any which way about these themes, because I think in some respects it reflects the unhappiness of the fans and how... out of character this version of Naruto feels that they attribute themes related to adult despair. I don't think any fix-it fic should involve any of these, since even if it's Sasuke and Hinata I don't really condone--or think the characters should cheat on their spouses, but as a topic to explore in fiction or an alternative interpretation of the epilogues characters it's viable?

 

There is certainly this... bittersweet element in the canon where not everything is idyllic. The world is changing and the ninja lifestyle is dying out for our heroes, the children have absent fathers who are too busy to be around, and our main character has lost some of his charm--heck, a lot of the characters have. One way of putting it is that this is the more 'realistic' ending where growing up means letting go of some of the things, and facing challenges of responsibility, a changing society and family. If we're considering that this was a sincere ending that Kishimoto intended (however bad it might be) then I don't think that the canon supports that Naruto is that unhappy with his life. Maybe he does love his wife, his children, and he's just struggling to balance it all. Maybe this element of Naruto is inspired by how Kishimoto himself might feel with his obligations as a mangaka and obligations as a father. 

 

For me, acknowledging that it's a terrible ending, and reconciling what the author might have wanted to say with it can be a bit tricky. I find greater enjoyment in creating my own endings, some of which completely disregard the last two chapters, and there is some feeling of vindication in the unhappily ever after scenarios of the epilogue that highlight some of its problematic...ness... So I suppose what I'm trying to say is I'm juggling multiple scenarios and trying to distinguish what is a rewrite, what is a twisting of canon, and what is true to canon. 

 

I'm interested to hear what your thoughts are on different takes of the ending? What elements of "ever after" fiction do you enjoy? Are you more in the camp where you just want nothing to do with the ending and go for NaruSaku from the get-go? Do you work within the realms of the epilogue but have your own character interpretations--and if so, what themes are you comfortable with and what would you prefer to avoid (if anything)? I hope I'm making sense as I pose my questions XD

 

For myself, I'm still not sure. Like I said earlier, I think as a 'fix it fic' where an author tries to offer a 'better' solution to the manga, I don't like the idea that it would include cheating. More of an inner-turmoil and dissatisfaction leads to characters making honest decisions moving forward kind of thing for me. It's still a bitter pill to swallow because as much as I hate those poorly designed children, I don't want to see a Naruto that would hurt them, and divorces are messy...though they do fit with reality. I think that's kind of what I DIDN'T want from this manga. I wanted to see the characters happy. Sure, it doesn't have to be perfect, but I wanted some togetherness and not just hey look--children! No, I don't care that a movie will be filling in that hole. 

[tricksie]

So I'm working on a fanfic ending, definitely because the gears started turning on what I was expecting to see vs. what actually happened. I never really thought of it, because I never once thought that the ending wouldn't be in favor of NS. In the final wind down, I did begin to suspect that it might be an open ending, just because of the lack of definitive pairing moments. But never NH/SS.

 

So my thoughts are that I would just forget the last two chapters. It's so far out in left field, so undeveloped, so unsupported by the storyline and the characters' behaviors, that I just can't even begin to think how a fix-it fic would ever truly fix it. So I would pick up after the fight between Naruto and Sasuke, after everyone had returned home.

 

I would think a final post-war arc would include a love-triangle of a different sort: Sasuke would finally open his heart to his friends and his home, and in the process apologize to Sakura and recognize was a fierce, kind and loyal person she is; Sakura would feel obligated to make Sasuke feel at home, pressured by her friends who remember her old crush on him, and sadness that now that she knows how she truly feels, she also knows that Naruto rejected her confession; and Naruto would feel both happy and wistful. He'd be happy for Sasuke and Sakura as friends and yet still have to cope with the fact that they would inevitably be together; he'd have to finally address Hinata's crush on him; he'd overcome his own guilt at feeling the least bit sad about the closeness he's lost with Sakura since Sasuke's return; and he'd have to adjust to life at home in a post-shinobi peacetime, when he couldn't count on missions to let him vent steam. 

 

Anyway, that's the kind of fic I'm working on. Not something that ties up every loose end, explains every little thing that was left out or assigns children to each character. But a story that deals with the ups and unexpected downs of Team 7's final reunion and return to Konoha. In the manga, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all have things that need to be addressed, apologies and acknowledgements that need to be made. Kishimoto left all of those things unsaid. 

 

So I my 'ever after' fic focuses on resolving the things that Kishimoto left out, for each character. How they cope, how they smooth things over with each other, and how they choose to live their lives going forward.

[Bryon_Konoha_Ninja]

So I'm working on a fanfic ending, definitely because the gears started turning on what I was expecting to see vs. what actually happened. I never really thought of it, because I never once thought that the ending wouldn't be in favor of NS. In the final wind down, I did begin to suspect that it might be an open ending, just because of the lack of definitive pairing moments. But never NH/SS.

 

So my thoughts are that I would just forget the last two chapters. It's so far out in left field, so undeveloped, so unsupported by the storyline and the characters' behaviors, that I just can't even begin to think how a fix-it fic would ever truly fix it. So I would pick up after the fight between Naruto and Sasuke, after everyone had returned home.

 

I would think a final post-war arc would include a love-triangle of a different sort: Sasuke would finally open his heart to his friends and his home, and in the process apologize to Sakura and recognize was a fierce, kind and loyal person she is; Sakura would feel obligated to make Sasuke feel at home, pressured by her friends who remember her old crush on him, and sadness that now that she knows how she truly feels, she also knows that Naruto rejected her confession; and Naruto would feel both happy and wistful. He'd be happy for Sasuke and Sakura as friends and yet still have to cope with the fact that they would inevitably be together; he'd have to finally address Hinata's crush on him; he'd overcome his own guilt at feeling the least bit sad about the closeness he's lost with Sakura since Sasuke's return; and he'd have to adjust to life at home in a post-shinobi peacetime, when he couldn't count on missions to let him vent steam. 

 

Anyway, that's the kind of fic I'm working on. Not something that ties up every loose end, explains every little thing that was left out or assigns children to each character. But a story that deals with the ups and unexpected downs of Team 7's final reunion and return to Konoha. In the manga, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all have things that need to be addressed, apologies and acknowledgements that need to be made. Kishimoto left all of those things unsaid. 

 

So I my 'ever after' fic focuses on resolving the things that Kishimoto left out, for each character. How they cope, how they smooth things over with each other, and how they choose to live their lives going forward.

 

This right here has got me excited! Especially since we didn't see important stuff, like Shikamaru FINALLY coping with his dad's death instead of trying to bury it deep to focus on the job.

[Broken Figurine]

That sounds great Trixie~ I think those make for the happiest, most satisfying endings imo. Anything that has a shred of the epilogue carries some bitterness for me. It's still fascinating to read the fics that try to work with it, especially if they do it well. Fanart too--one piece that resonates with me is LadyGT's image here  that speaks to just Naruto's suffering in living up to the man he is/was and that he might still be a good father, husband, and he may not have a drinking problem, but when he sits down by himself in quiet contemplation it's like, damn. Also kudos to her making his new hairstyle actually look good on him. XD Maybe from that angle. 

[Narufan85]

So I'm working on a fanfic ending, definitely because the gears started turning on what I was expecting to see vs. what actually happened. I never really thought of it, because I never once thought that the ending wouldn't be in favor of NS. In the final wind down, I did begin to suspect that it might be an open ending, just because of the lack of definitive pairing moments. But never NH/SS.

 

So my thoughts are that I would just forget the last two chapters. It's so far out in left field, so undeveloped, so unsupported by the storyline and the characters' behaviors, that I just can't even begin to think how a fix-it fic would ever truly fix it. So I would pick up after the fight between Naruto and Sasuke, after everyone had returned home.

 

I would think a final post-war arc would include a love-triangle of a different sort: Sasuke would finally open his heart to his friends and his home, and in the process apologize to Sakura and recognize was a fierce, kind and loyal person she is; Sakura would feel obligated to make Sasuke feel at home, pressured by her friends who remember her old crush on him, and sadness that now that she knows how she truly feels, she also knows that Naruto rejected her confession; and Naruto would feel both happy and wistful. He'd be happy for Sasuke and Sakura as friends and yet still have to cope with the fact that they would inevitably be together; he'd have to finally address Hinata's crush on him; he'd overcome his own guilt at feeling the least bit sad about the closeness he's lost with Sakura since Sasuke's return; and he'd have to adjust to life at home in a post-shinobi peacetime, when he couldn't count on missions to let him vent steam. 

 

Anyway, that's the kind of fic I'm working on. Not something that ties up every loose end, explains every little thing that was left out or assigns children to each character. But a story that deals with the ups and unexpected downs of Team 7's final reunion and return to Konoha. In the manga, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all have things that need to be addressed, apologies and acknowledgements that need to be made. Kishimoto left all of those things unsaid. 

 

So I my 'ever after' fic focuses on resolving the things that Kishimoto left out, for each character. How they cope, how they smooth things over with each other, and how they choose to live their lives going forward.

 

This sounds really interesting. Do you envision it as a "canon" ending with NH/SS, or would you write it as a NS fic in the way you expecting things to end prior to the mess that was 699 & 700?

[Liu bie]

So I'm working on a fanfic ending, definitely because the gears started turning on what I was expecting to see vs. what actually happened. I never really thought of it, because I never once thought that the ending wouldn't be in favor of NS. In the final wind down, I did begin to suspect that it might be an open ending, just because of the lack of definitive pairing moments. But never NH/SS.

 

So my thoughts are that I would just forget the last two chapters. It's so far out in left field, so undeveloped, so unsupported by the storyline and the characters' behaviors, that I just can't even begin to think how a fix-it fic would ever truly fix it. So I would pick up after the fight between Naruto and Sasuke, after everyone had returned home.

 

I would think a final post-war arc would include a love-triangle of a different sort: Sasuke would finally open his heart to his friends and his home, and in the process apologize to Sakura and recognize was a fierce, kind and loyal person she is; Sakura would feel obligated to make Sasuke feel at home, pressured by her friends who remember her old crush on him, and sadness that now that she knows how she truly feels, she also knows that Naruto rejected her confession; and Naruto would feel both happy and wistful. He'd be happy for Sasuke and Sakura as friends and yet still have to cope with the fact that they would inevitably be together; he'd have to finally address Hinata's crush on him; he'd overcome his own guilt at feeling the least bit sad about the closeness he's lost with Sakura since Sasuke's return; and he'd have to adjust to life at home in a post-shinobi peacetime, when he couldn't count on missions to let him vent steam. 

 

Anyway, that's the kind of fic I'm working on. Not something that ties up every loose end, explains every little thing that was left out or assigns children to each character. But a story that deals with the ups and unexpected downs of Team 7's final reunion and return to Konoha. In the manga, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all have things that need to be addressed, apologies and acknowledgements that need to be made. Kishimoto left all of those things unsaid. 

 

So I my 'ever after' fic focuses on resolving the things that Kishimoto left out, for each character. How they cope, how they smooth things over with each other, and how they choose to live their lives going forward.

Please make it one shot.