321 replies to this topic

[sharingank]

I put Asinine Rationalizations on my faves list XD I LOVED it. Absolutely LOVED IT. It made me all warm and fuzzy, even though it WAS a bit on the dark side...(LUKE...I AM YOUR FATHER....HOO-HAA...er...yeah...^^;;)

[Smiter]

Yeah, I like how it has little rays of sunlight in its cloudiness. That's the perfect kind of "dark" fic, it doesn't keep shovelling the angst on in comical proportions - instead, it keeps it nice and restrained - realistic. And it puts in those sweet little moments to keep you going!

I have a suspicion that Geno plans to write a third (and maybe final) piece to this arc. I mean, it feels a little unfinished, and we have Naruto and company still out on their mission. The ending feels like it's hinting at more to come.

You know... I wonder if he is doing it this way...

Something or Other - Pretty cloudy, feels gloomy/sad at times.
Asinine Realizations - Still cloudy, but with rays of sunlight.
??? (possible third story) - Clouds start to break up and more sunlight?

This is probably the perfect kind of angst to me - I'm not into all that suicide, blood and gore stuff since it very often feels so hammed up and overdone.

[sharingank]

Actually, he said himself in his author's notes that he is in fact making one last fic to complete the 'arc.' ^^

[Smiter]

Actually, he said himself in his author's notes that he is in fact making one last fic to complete the 'arc.' ^^

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I saw that later! I guess it would also shed light on:

Click For Spoiler

Why Kakashi is dead!

I also wonder how Naruto and Sasuke will get on in the mission as well. Will they get talking again, or will they come to blows? I had a feeling Neji would very likely spot something was going on between Naruto and Sakura as well (while they were secret lovers), he's that kind of guy.

Funny... Naruto kills Itachi, robbing Sasuke of his "dream", and Sasuke takes Sakura , almost robbing Naruto of his dream. It almost feels like that Sasuke did that on purpose as a way of getting back at Naruto - not just for the Uchiha restoration.

[Shadow]

Sorita updated her fic! Very well done if you ask me.

Naruto Unlimited- http://www.fanfictio...t/s/2052004/20/

[Shadow]

Any new ones yet?

[Geno Calamari]

My apologies for replying to a topic already gone by (a few posts back), but I felt it necessary to... elaborate and this is my first time on your forums. I came late to the game, again.

The third piece, which I plan to post as a second chapter to Asinine Rationalizations, is actually darker than either of its predecessors, if you can believe that. Then, of course, there will be a fourth piece. and probably a fifth. I don't know. I came up with approximately 24 pages of text after three days of concentrated effort, three months of disenchantment, and three weeks of careful revision.

I agree with you completely Smiter, because you are dead on right. AR wasn't as good as SoO, and I knew this when I posted it. Mostly because AR didn't go anywhere. Those aforementioned 24 pages encompass about twelve hours of character time in which Sakura has lunch, does laundry, and makes dinner. Tsunade gives out missions. Neji clams up again. Naruto gets some and gets something entirely different as well. Sasuke doesn't even show up, although, I can't bring myself to feel sorry about that. It's the middle-section where plot begins to form and things happen in real-time instead of memories. The next chapter will have very, very few memories and mostly dialogue.

Don't quote me on that one. I'm notoriously good at lying, even to the point of deceiving myself sometimes.

It is funny, but not what I was going for in the least. Merely a fringe benefit to Sasuke.

And Kakashi is dead because I can't stand teachers that don't teach. Itachi killed him because he was 'in the way.' If you don't think that's fair, well, I never claimed to be objective. Sorry.

Anyway. Thanks for your approval. It's well-appreciated.

[Tsunade]

hey! i finally finished ch 13!!! come read it! Warning: First year is cRaZy! - Ch 13

[Smiter]

Well, I enjoyed the updates to "Naruto Unlimited" and "First Year". Nothing like waking up to new NaruSaku stories.

My World by Kitsune no Youkai

New story - this is a very short chapter though, I hope that she will be able to add more in future chapters!

My apologies for replying to a topic already gone by (a few posts back), but I felt it necessary to... elaborate and this is my first time on your forums. I came late to the game, again.

The third piece, which I plan to post as a second chapter to Asinine Rationalizations, is actually darker than either of its predecessors, if you can believe that. Then, of course, there will be a fourth piece. and probably a fifth. I don't know. I came up with approximately 24 pages of text after three days of concentrated effort, three months of disenchantment, and three weeks of careful revision.

I agree with you completely Smiter, because you are dead on right. AR wasn't as good as SoO, and I knew this when I posted it. Mostly because AR didn't go anywhere. Those aforementioned 24 pages encompass about twelve hours of character time in which Sakura has lunch, does laundry, and makes dinner. Tsunade gives out missions. Neji clams up again. Naruto gets some and gets something entirely different as well. Sasuke doesn't even show up, although, I can't bring myself to feel sorry about that. It's the middle-section where plot begins to form and things happen in real-time instead of memories. The next chapter will have very, very few memories and mostly dialogue.

Don't quote me on that one. I'm notoriously good at lying, even to the point of deceiving myself sometimes.

It is funny, but not what I was going for in the least. Merely a fringe benefit to Sasuke.

And Kakashi is dead because I can't stand teachers that don't teach. Itachi killed him because he was 'in the way.' If you don't think that's fair, well, I never claimed to be objective. Sorry. 

Anyway. Thanks for your approval. It's well-appreciated.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Geno, I was very shocked when I got my admin e-mail and it told me you had registered! Welcome to the boards.

Thank you for shedding more light on the arc! I'm quite happy to hear that there will be 4/5 pieces in total, though I do wonder how it can get darker. Of course, I'm not worried about it being overdone since you do restrain yourself on the angst. I'm guessing that the third one will have quite a lot on Naruto and Sasuke's falling out. I can see Neji being driven mad if the two guys keep skirting the issues, since he can see what is going on perfectly well, and snapping at them to sort it out.

I really like your quote; "There is nothing more dangerous than a woman who doesn't know what she wants, but will do anything to get it." It does perfectly sum up the Sakura in your fic, and the canon one to a lesser extent. Her crush on Sasuke is based on illusions and misconceptions (I think Naruto's Henge is also to blame), and she was even willing to brush Sasuke's faults aside because she thought she saw the perfect guy in him for a moment.

Thankfully, Sakura is slowly learning and the latest manga developments hint at some changes in favour of Naruto. I really like how she is the human element in the manga, flawed but has her really good side.

Well, on the subject of Kakashi, I must warn you that we have at least two rabid Kakashi fangirls here on these boards, led by SharinganK. I do see your point on that subject, though. He was quite biased towards Sasuke, perhaps as a result of the combination of trying to keep him on the right path, and Obito's memory.

It IS strange, since I would have thought that he would be more attached to Naruto, since he is very similar to Obito. Perhaps he just didn't see properly? However, I have a feeling that after his past is cleared up in the gaiden, we may return to the main story and see Kakashi resolving to put his mistakes right and train hard.

Well, enough of my thoughts. I'm really looking forward to your next story!

[sharingank]

XD XD XD I don't know, Geno...I seriously LOVED Asinine Rationalizations...just because it goes where not many fics do nowadays...my only gripe is that you killed my favorite character....*sobs* But I do understand why ^^ And welcome to the boards!!! XD XD XD

[Geno Calamari]

I like that quote as well, if for no other reason than I made it up myself.

'Falling out,' you might say, is a gentle euphamism for what I envision. Whether it'll be pulled off properly or not, I don't know. I haven't quite figured it out yet. I know where it goes and how it ends but I haven't put the little bits in between yet. I have that problem with great frequency.

People get hurt. Bad things happen. Words are said, many of them profane. Ino shows up, and she gets her own segment (probably a monologue as well.) Hinata makes an appearance (as loath as I am to include her) and propagates the awkwardness of the situation. Sasuke goes quietly mad... again.

To tell the truth, I'm not sure why I'm even hinting at anything. You aren't going to thank me when I tell you I won't put anything new out until after Christmas, and AR is three projects down on the list.

That's it. I'm done talking about it. If you have any questions that I can answer without divulging anything new, I'll answer them.

I don't theorize about why Kakashi acts the way he does. I suspect it's probably because Obito may have been awful in the beginning, but he got better. When he awakened the Sharingan, he most likely catapulted himself out of Kakashi-range and set the stage for the eternal chase that is rivalry. Then he died, but that's neither here nor there, really.

Or Sasuke reminds Kakashi of himself. Neither of them have anything anymore.

Whenever I see Kakashi and he speaks (or doesn't) I just want to break something. It has been my experience that those with the most intelligence are not necessarily the most qualified to pass on their knowledge. I used to think he was cool and suave, much in the same manner as Sasuke, but now... I can't stand either of them. Tolerance was never my gift.

And I killed off Chouji, doesn't anyone care about him?

Aethos. As for Sasuke and Sakura's relationship prior to their... terminal seperation, I've done nothing new or radical. It's the same one-sided relationship that's gone on in the show so far. Sasuke takes and Sakura gives. It's exactly the same relationship that every other author has ever used, except for one critical difference. I don't believe that Sakura will sit back and accept the cards dealt to her. Sasuke is very, very prickly and living with him was hard on her. But in my story, she doesn't just roll over and give him kids.

She wants something different, she wants something inherently fulfilling, and Sasuke just isn't giving her the affection she always dreamed of. Sakura is growing up and learning what life is really like, you know? She's finding that what she thought she wanted doesn't make her happy at all.

Read 'The Purest' by Mikami, that's another good example. Just the first chapter to understand what I'm talking about, because the rest is set up and corroborating details and it was never finish. Sad that, now that I think about it.

And c'mon, it's been a whole week. Sakura hasn't fallen head-over-feet for her bed-buddy in that short a time. That's just unrealistic (ignoring the fire-breathing and wind swords and all that.) It's an implausible turn-around time most commonly associated with YAOI fics.

Also, it's dangerous to assume that Hinata and Naruto dated. They never did. She made the eyes and he didn't meet them. Pleasing him is something she never got to do. Read 'It's a Thankless Job' (also by Yours Truly) and you'll understand why she's... having difficulties. The two story arcs are related. As for the rest, I'd rather let you paint in the details yourself, so good luck!

:neji: = awesome. :rocklee: = :rocklee: . There isn't anything else to say really.

'Hah, quote all this in your replies!'
- Geno Calamari

[Geno Calamari]

Fair point. I forget that not everyone is privy to my perceptions. It went fast in certain portions because the whole concept is a extrapolation of a conversation I had with Girl-chama and I tend to gloss over the parts that are less interesting in my mind. This is the bridge. It's supposed to transition. That's all it was, even with all the hints and snide comments and machinations I threw it for kicks.

I also have a tendency to take things as absolute truths, even if I don't write them. Rasengan defeats Chidori, every single time. Itachi will always be more powerful than Sasuke, and thus he will never defeat his brother. Sharingan defeats genjutsu, every single time. Future Naruto defeats Itachi, much in the same way Tidal Wave defeats Coastal Village or Gun defeats Perfect Samurai. Stuff like that. I believe that Sasuke cannot maintain a serious romantic relationship. He doesn't know how, never had role-models, his teacher's a bachelor, and all the women he knows wouldn't exactly require romancin', if you know what I mean. So there's no need for him to learn how to do it properly, right? He also doesn't seem to be the sort that would reach emotional maturity until well into his twenties.

Naruto, well, he's too stubborn to ever give up hope on Sakura, right? Really, all the hopes and dreams of the NaruSaku community are pinned on him refusing to give up on her. He could easily turn to Hinata and say something along the lines of 'Nice shoes, wanna get married and have a bunch of kids?' and then everything would shoot down the tubes. Hinata, man, and we can't have that.

Let's triangulate for a second. Point A is the current time of the manga, for me. Point C is where SoO and AR pick up. Point B is everything in between. If these points of reference line up for you, then yes, there is only a little bit of Point B. That's purposeful. I didn't want to write in ten years worth of material, or even two years. It took me how many pages to do twelve hours, and I omitted a lot of things. I'm just hitting the salient points, the things I believe really need to be covered. If you want elaboration, I'm not sure how I can help. It's not really in the plan.

And Smiter, I don't see any reason why the 'human element' should lack strength or tactical effectiveness. I've always thought 'Love Interests' were far more... oh, I don't know, enticing I guess... if they were powerful and confident and self-assured. I think Temari and Tenten are great characters because they are both confident of their abilites (perhaps a little less so for the latter, but still) and their abilites are clearly and quantifiably useful. To a lesser degree, the same applies for Ino.

The problem with Sakura is, as it has always been, that she knows nothing. No special jutsu, no advanced techniques, nothing. This healing thing she's doing now isn't even really special because her techniques don't even get labeled. Just some glowing off-colored chakra about the hands and the healing magic begins! She's content. And when I advance her in age, power, and wisdom, I attempt to keep that spirit that she's happy just as long as the status quo is maintained.

She could be so much more, but she's not. She could be brilliant and powerful, but she's not. She could be charismatic and confident, but she's not. She's not a leader, but she can't keep up enough to follow. She's just intelligent.

For being so integral to the plot, Sakura is nothing more than a damsel in distress. Perhaps this will change, but I doubt it. Medical ninja do not seem to be as fast or strong as other ninja and lack both flexibility and improvisation in their techniques. I've got green chakra about my hands now, you better watch out! Wonderful. Inspired. Grand. Go sit over there while the real ninja get down to business.

This change, if it happens, will be more on the order of spontaneous evolution into a higher life-form. Sigh.

Anyway, I think I've given enough of a sermon for now.

[godsprotector]

welcome geno. and alot of your points are good the one on sakura being a damsel in distress is the best one. hopefully her training will change that.

[Arashi]

Just thought I should post the link to this fic. It's a pretty funny drabble.

Pointless

Summary: Some things are best learned through experience.

[hokuten]

LIKE OMG!!! The author finally updated!!!

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2030622/4/

Click For Spoiler

lol ... i feel so silly advertising myself all the time. :devil: but after reading Geno Calimari's Something or Other & Asinine Realizations, I've been put back on schedule to writing for EOTE.

But I will try do Alpha's Tales From the Depths as I go along. But now I must return to my NaruSaku writing! Oh crap, and I still have to do that Lemon Challenge from Smiter!

[sharingank]

Hee-hee!! I updated Words on a Page, too...but...I didn't want to be all, GO READ IT NOW!!! *shrugs* Ah well. ^^ I'll have to read your update, Hoku!!! XD

[HinataFanBoy]

http://www.fanfictio...t/s/2052004/21/ Naruto Unlimited updated YAY!

[godsprotector]

am i the only one that thinks that in a narusakuhina or sasusakunaru triangle fic the authors always go with hinata or sasuke. i hate reading 5 months worth of chapters just to hear hinata i love you. and what about sakura she is there then like 2 chapters in she doesnt show up and you get 3 hinata chapters worth with a 6th chapter showing a sad sakura.