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Merchant Of Blue Death

Member Since 16 Jul 2017
Offline Last Active Aug 08 2019 09:39 PM

Topics I've Started

Who is Older? Sakura or Naruto?

08 August 2019 - 01:56 AM

I'm asking this because I have decided to take up a story challenge by MercenaryGrax. It's one where just before Naruto leaves on his trip with Jiraiya Sakura not only gives Naruto a chance but ends up being happily pregnant by him. One of the conditions is that Naruto doesn't know about the baby until he returns. I talked to MG and he agreed to let me not follow all the conditions set because I raised some interesting plot changes. 

 

What I want to know, and this is for my rewrite of Tip Of The Spear, is who is older? Naruto was born in October and Sakura was born in March. My thinking is that Naruto would be the oldest of the Rookie Nine being that a lot of clans had lost their heirs or the entire clan head's household. If that's the case, most of them would be born nine to twelve months after Kurama ran amok as replacements for the heirs that were lost. Sakura was born six months before or after Naruto and I tend to think that Kushina and Mebuki were friends and Mebuki conceived Sakura in response to Kushina's pregnancy. I've seen that reasoning in a couple older stories and it makes sense that most of the R9 would be replacements or in Sasuke's case, as a spare. 

 

Having Naruto older also makes a betrothal between him and Sakura makes sense as there is time for Kushina and Mebuki to convince Minato and Kizashi that it was a good idea. Other than Tip of The Spear I won't say what story that's going to fit into as I'm also working on another challenge fic that's a Naruto/Harry Potter story that has Sakura related to the Boy Who's Manipulated. Anyway, I would like to hear other opinions and arguments on the six month age difference between the two.

NetFlix's reboot of Neon Genesis Evangelion

21 June 2019 - 11:29 AM

So, it just stared streaming but so far I like it. It's funny to read the uproar about not either using the the original English dubbing track or have the original ADV cast re-record their parts but I like the new dubbing. While most of the original voices were fine, I have to admit that the original voice for Gendo sounded wrong for a man of his stature and facial build. I envisioned it as deeper when I was reading the manga. The new voice is more inline with what I had imagined all those years ago. The voice for Misato as well sounds more mature with just a hint of a fun loving person when she;s in her 'official' mindset.

 

At some level I can understand why the original actors feel the way they do about not being allowed to reprise their roles but on the other hand, most are 50 years old or older. Even when the series was new the VA of Asuka was over 30 and Asuka's tones always sounded forced, as if she was asking the audience to believe that it was a younger person speaking. I can't  see, of hear, how people near my age can sound like my oldest grandchildren's ages. Then again, Johnny Yong Bosch make a better Tohji than the original, same for Kensuke. I never liked the would drift into a higher register when Kensuke got excited. The new VA sounds like he has a better grasp on how the guy would sound. I wish this sounded better but there is a point when actors need to realise that voiced that made them famous when they were young don't sound that great after a certain age. 

 

As for the rest of the show, the video quality is better than ever, it's as good as my Platinum DVD collection and the sound and music quality is better. So, as for as I'm concerned, for everyone that saw it the first time around it's worth watching again, especially since it's been nearly twenty years since it was last on TV. For those that have never seen it, this in one of those anime series that is a must see. It's also, along with Akira, one of the most important shows that got many of us interested in both manga and anime. To tell you the truth, this is a very innocent looking show at the start but gets darker and darker as it goes. It will really warp your mind if you let it but it's worth watching.

Tip Of The Spear-Rewrite

15 November 2018 - 09:18 PM

So, I've been thinking about doing this even before I got that one PM and after a review popped up pointing out an unfinished sentence that I can't remember how it was finished I have begun rewriting the story. 

 

For those that haven't read it let me give you a run down. It's an AU where Naruto and Sakura are mistreated and beaten by the villagers. Naruto, for being the jinchuriki and Sakura for being his friend and companion. As he nears death Kurama releases himself and starts healing the two children, kills the attackers and once the Third arrives uses a memory transfer jutsu and shows Hiruzen just what has been going on under his nose. After telling Hiruzen and Kakashi a thing or two Kurama then announces that he will raise and train Naruto to be the hero Minato wanted him to be while Naruto will train Sakura to be strong enough to be a worthy mate and wife. 

 

As he takes the kids away to live in our world so they can grow strong without the influence of the prejudices of the shinobi culture and world in general. Before he goes, however, Kurama informs the two shinobi that Naruto and Sakura will be told everything, his titles, heritage, position as the next Hokage as his father had ordered and, the marriage contract between him and Sakura. They are then shown being discovered as survivors of the Great Western Quake and Tsunami in Japan, Growing up in the US as wards of the Hagaromo clan which are all fox hanyo, human or human-hanyo hybrids. After they finish school both teens join the US Navy (I'm a retired Sailor so that's why  :cool:) with Naruto being a SEAL and Sakura training to be first a Corpsman (medic) and then a rescue swimmer. They're sent back to their world and are de-aged by jutsu (yeah, cheesy I know but it's the only way to have them accepted by their peers and village as a whole not to mention keep just how smart and powerful they actually are. 

 

As soon as they are deemed ready Kurama takes them back to Konoha where they notice changes in how they are treated and how the village seems to have changed. Once they are situated Hiruzen places them in the academy with limited Hokage duties as a means to train him for the job. 

 

After that, the main story begins as Sakura and Naruto make changes and friends. The rest will ruin the story but if you've read it you know what happens next. For those that don't the most obvious and significant change is that Naruto and Sakura will introduce firearms and other technology into the shinobi world. They will also be making logical changes in how the graduation exams are handled, the genin teams' makeup and begin their own lives as a married couple. 

 

Now, if you've read this far you know the story and how it starts. I want to change that part the most, it was pointed out to me that the beatings Naruto suffered from on a daily basis were a product of fandom and not canon. Point taken, in the rewrite, Naruto and Sakura won't be suffering overt mistreatment and neglect on a daily basis but, they will have at least one beating as a catalyst for Kurama's actions. That said, the lead up to that event is what I'm working on at the moment and that's where I need some help. 

 

Following Minato and Kushina's deaths, Hiruzen is trying to stack the deck in Naruto's favor and to do that he needs trusted people. Using the one picture of Minato's teammates under Jiraiya and speculation that the person on the end is Teuchi Ichiraku so that's one person. The other one in the middle is an unknown and there is some talk that it's Sasuke's father Fugaku but going on the normal team makeup I'm thinking it's a young lady. If so I need a name and a reason she's not active and is being recalled to duty to watch over Naruto. If nothing else I just need a name the rest I can work out. 

 

I hate to ask things like this but I'm at a blank and all that I could find on the web is that the teammates were just ninja fodder that was killed in the third war. I call BS on that as I doubt Jiraiya would neglect his students like Kakashi would in the future. While most of the story will stay the same I am pulling things that for one reason or another just didn't work out or made no impact one way or another. The biggest that I will reveal is that Sakura's parents won't throw her to the streets as I had originally written but she is on her own with Naruto after he's locked out of the orphanage. 

 

Other things changed are going to be inconsistencies that I developed as the story progressed. Most of those were because I basically forgot what I had done in earlier chapters such as Neji and Hinata being closer as the beginning and Neji reverting to his canon self near the middle. Things I am keeping are Danzo and Orochimaru as the main villains, I mean, they were both wasted in canon after the Akatsuki came into play. That's another thing, Akatsuki, they won't be a factor as a whole because they don't exist as a group but, individuals will make themselves known in one way or another. 

 

Anyway, that's what I have to say as to why Tip Of The Spear is going through a rewrite. I hope those that like the story will continue their support and read the new one when I start posting it after the first of the year. Now, I have to steel myself to make that announcement on FFN. I know it's not fair to my readers but it's also not fair to them to continue to deliver a subpar product. At least I'm doing this for the right reasons, I remember one story that was into 39 chapters and the author stopped and stated he was redoing it with Naruto and Hinata as the pairing and Sakura was hooked up with Gaara. His rewrite was not met with joy and only got into the 3rd chapter before it was abandoned. 

 

Naruto and Sakura will always be my main pairing in any story I write unless I want to do something dark but Sakura will always be in Naruto's life.  :narusaku:

One PM Is All It Took

16 October 2018 - 06:05 PM

As some know and others may not, I have a story on FanFiction called "Tip Of The Spear'. It's an AU Naruto and Sakura story where I basically said to my self 'to hell with canon' and told their story in the way I wanted to. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and that's okay, I have over 400 follows and almost as many favorites so I'm happy. 

 

What I'm writing about is this, my last update was at the end of July and I have maybe 7000 words in the can for the next chapter but all progress is stopped. At first, it was because of a writer's block, it happens, especially since the further from canon the more effort it takes to keep an AU story going. As I was trying to overcome the block I had a couple of incidents with my health. At 58 year of age with high blood pressure and a wrecked back one's body sometimes decides to do strange things. All of that is something I can deal with and usually I can start writing after a few weeks of thought. 

 

However, in the middle of all that I get a PM from a fellow author, I won't mention their name as that would serve no purpose but the PM was to inform me that they would not be reading my story anymore because she only reads NaruSaku and I was springing a second girl into the mix. That, right there, the springing the second girl accusation, is what has killed my drive to continue. First off, I'm not springing a second girl, I've been dropping hints and actually had Sakura discuss the girl with Naruto as well as mentioning her exchanging letters with the girl (Temari) as to why Naruto would make a good husband. Long story short, Temari has been offered as a political sacrifice to Konoha to bring the two villages closer through marriage. 

 

As I said, I've been dropping hints for nearly half a year in my chapters about Naruto taking a second wife as long as it was for the right reasons, mutual respect and love for a couple. My 'friend' also complained that they didn't want to read a story where Sakura is a lesbian as well and I was going to turn Naruto into a baby factory. Well, once again, I had mentioned or dropped hints early on that Sakura and Naruto had a female friend where they grew up and not only did Naruto date the other girl, just as Sakura dated other guys for a short time, Sakura and their friend had experimented with each other and shared the bed with Naruto. 

 

Now, it's not that this person was planning to stop reading my story because of their reasons, that's their right and as I said, this story isn't for everyone. What irritated and still irritates me is this, I have either mentioned or dropped huge hints as to what I was planning on doing in my story and I  have a target of 10K+/- words per chapter as I have many storylines going on, not just the one centering on Naruto and Sakura and their relationship and marriage. I put a lot of effort, sometimes it may not seem like it, but I try to work out each action or conversation before I'm happy but......it was obvious to me that this person only reads the parts that center on their idea of NaruSaku and had been either ignoring or not paying close attention to what I had written. 

 

That is what hurts me as a writer, look I'm not that good and I admit and understand that but there seems to be quite a few folks that do read what I post. However, after reading that PM I'm left to wonder just how many people are actually reading the whole chapter and how many are skipping to either the lemons or the fight scenes. This morning I tried to get further into the new chapter but the fire isn't there anymore and I find that I have one or two ideas that look like they'd be more fun to pursue. I've actually considered going back to the start and revamping all 30 chapters from the start and see if I can't do a better job but, we all know that no story ever survives that operation. 

 

Look, I'm not looking for hugs and sympathy, I just need an outlet to get this off of my chest and hopefully I can get back on track. It would be a disservice to those that do like what I write and I've already taken one story down because it was so awful and have another marked as incomplete. I just wish that people would think about what they message about and actually read all of the story before telling the author I won't read this anymore because blah blah bla. Anyway, thanks for letting me rant for a bit, I'm going to go back and sit in my corner for a while, maybe even do some writing. 

 

 

 

 

 

Naruto As A Father

16 October 2018 - 05:17 PM

I'm looking for stories where Naruto returns to the village after either his trip with Jiraiya or on an extended mission with a child or two in tow or when he returns to find that he and Sakura have a child together. There is one like that on FFN that was posted this year but I'm looking for older stories, preferably before the time we found out who his parents were. 

 

As a person that raised one daughter as a single father those stories strike a chord with me which is why I enjoy them so if anyone can hook me up with some old gems, I'd appreciate it.