askerian: Serious Karkat in a red long-sleeved shirt (OTVillage_By Frakalakalaka)
askerian ([personal profile] askerian) wrote2006-12-08 09:44 pm

fandom babble -- TL;DR on my preferences whee.

So I posted this a bazillion years ago, I know. Today I unearthed it again. I polished it a bit, added stuff in a few sections, and oh well. *repost-no-jutsu* Most of my pairing preferences haven't changed much, but, ehh. I feel spammy today, except brain wouldn't work on fics. Oh well.

I'm so picky with what I read in the Naruto fandom. People rec me some no doubt great fics -- but I see the pairings or the summary and backbuttony I go. ~___~;;; I wish I could be the kind of person who enjoys any kind of plot or pairing as long as it's IC and presented in a convincing way (it sure would mean I'd get to read more than the same plot rehashed for the hundredth time), but... well. I'm not. There are things that I just don't read, no matter how well it's presented.

I tend to be shallow and not give much of a damn about most minor characters, or adults. XD



-NaruSasuSaku.

And that's it.



Pairings I love but which also get on my nerves when their inherent issues aren't addressed or they're OOC:

-NaruSasu (Naruto: not a weepy uke, not a total moron. Sasuke: not that good at caring for people, not secretly a romantic, not about to decide that his brother matters less than some buttsex and flowers. Also see: rivalry and why it won't magically stop after a bout of "lovemaking", and, if post-timeskip, betrayal issues)

-ItaSasu: hello, incest = not normal, hello, obsession/hate/betrayal issues, not fluffycute. (but ohsohawt/dark/gutwrenching if done right...) (I can read before massacre!ItaSasu, but I have to be in the right frame of mind.)



Pairing I can read about and like, if they're written by authors I trust

-NaruIno (as a lasting thing, not so much, but heh! Blonds have more fun~)
-InoSaku (not enough of that, woe)
-LeeSaku (NOT a convenient throwaway ship, damn it)
-LeeGaara (they have a strange bond, but a bond nevertheless -- in series I read it as platonic, or even just innocent crush-y, but hey, maybe in a few years... XD)
-NejiHina (mmmprettyfuckedup)
-NejiShika (... pretty? Also I could totally buy the two of them as gay.)
-ShikaTema (Temari so tops)
-InoShikaChouji (hi Kitty~)
-Sandcesty pairings
-...NaruNeji and NaruGaara, I guess... but it has to be very IC, and treat Sasuke right. If there's even one whiff of bashing, or any kind of "...Sasuke who?", yay back button.
-KakaIru and KakaGai : only when highly recommended to me. Frankly, I don't really care about Kakashi's love life. (also, hatehatehate dickless!uke!iruka and OMGSECRETLYANBU!iruka)



Pairing I like in the background but which I won't bother looking for as main pairing:

-KibaHina (aw cute)
-ShikaIno (works well 'nough)
-ZabuHaku : It's so perfect in canon, I really don't need fanfic to *snrk* fill the holes.



Pairings I can tolerate in the background (mostly because I don't care either way about them):

-KibaShino (dunno where it came from, just because they were on the same team? also Kiba reads very straight to me, but of course that's my interpretation.)
-Any pairing with Shino (he's creepy. He likes insects too much. He's protective of Hinata. That's all we know about him. I really couldn't care less.)
-Any pairing with Tenten (She's cheerful, energetic and hardworking. She's got great aim. She likes her teammates, but isn't crazy about either of them. She's almost emptier than Shino. If we knew more about her, maybe I'd be more interested, but right now... NejiTen and LeeTen both seem to me a "let's give Lee/Neji a girlfriend... oh hey, who do we know who's hanging around, doesn't hate their guts, and unattached" and not a "oh hey, they have nice chemistry". Tenten needs more personality before she can develop chemistry.~__~)



Pairing that fill my "eee, pretty crack pairing" needs:

-NejiSasu : eee haughty rivaling genius jerks, eee pretty pretty ukesex. it will never happen in the history of ever. Because they will be too busy bitching at each other to have sex. But at least they will look hot while bitching each other out.
-NaruSasuNeji: so hard to imagine the dark-and-angsty duo without a Naruto on top. XD
-TemaIno: mrrr bitchy!lesbiansex. See, they would just need Shika to push them at each other, hoping to be left the hell alone -- and bingo. (though they'd probably team up on him XD haha, as if he would protest)
-ItaNeji : ... it's pretty? And wrong. and would never end well in a million years. Hell, it would never START; Neji would get killed trying to kill Itachi ten seconds after their first meeting. ... did I mention it's pretty?
-ItaNejiSasu: ahaha omg i am killed by the prettyangst and the evilangst and the lethality flying everywhere. Killed before I could ever make sense of it! ohnoez.
-SasuSai: yess, top that bitch, Sasuke, top him good! He's the only one in the world you will ever top deserves it for stealing your place!



pairings I DON'T read
(not begrudging your right to read them and like the dynamics -- but I don't like the dynamics, or I prefer them with someone else)

-SasuSaku.
-NaruSaku.

I don't read Sakura with only one of her boys (whereas I can read the boys together as long as she isn't dismissed or bashed) because :

0) I'm a rivalshipper at heart. :D

1) she loves Sasuke, I can't see her just suddenly not loving Sasuke, which means that I can't see her easily falling out of love with Sasuke and in love with Naruto -- even if, post-timeskip, Sakura and Naruto's relationship is a lot closer and kinda flirty. (But then, even if the fic manages to convincingly develop her changing feelings, I'm a Sasuke fan first and foremost. I hate hate hate fics where she "sees the light" and "dumps" him to shack up with Naruto -- in these fics, it's usually a "well he got what he deserved/he didn't deserve them anyway" thing and I can't stand that. Even when it's not, I hate seeing him left behind -- and fics where she moves on after his death are WORSE.)

Besides, Naruto and Sakura's interaction is incredibly cute, but their strongest link is their common desire to have Sasuke back home, safe, and healed. Seeing how emotionally insecure and closed up Sasuke is, I can't see them shacking up without even giving a thought for his emotional wellbeing -- which means that it would take Sasuke a) coming to terms with it and realizing that they won't abandon him for so little, therefore he doesn't have a reason to feel excluded or jealous, and b) emotionally healed enough that they don't need to spend all their attention on him instead of each other, before they would feel that they can get together.

Of course it's possible to write NaruSaku where Sasuke never came back, was killed, or whatever. But in this case it gains a layer of tragedy -- it's NOT going to become somehow all fluffycuteperfect the second the evil bastard is out of their lives for good no no no did you understand anything of the show -- ahem. The point, anyway, isn't Sasuke's evilness he's not evil damn iiiiiit he's (necessarily) selfish, misguided, lonely, grieving and deeply broken, it doesn't mean he's evil arghhh it's not like he ENJOYS becoming his brother in order to kill him, you assholes but the fact that I'm a Sasuke fan first and foremost, and I don't want to read fics that mistreat or mischaracterize him.

2) Sasuke doesn't allow himself to notice her in a romantic way. He just can't afford it. that and he might be gay. XD Her feelings utterly baffle him. He's glad that she loves him, but even when he's not being mindfucked, he has no clue what to do with her feelings; he's got his revenge to concentrate on -- Naruto just went and forced his way in without asking, but he's not allowing anyone else -- and emotionally he's still stuck on his family and still juggling with the concept of "friends" -- and what he does know is that she loves him and if she dies it will be his fault, and he refuses that.

Pre-timeskip, he protects her, and sometimes even try to cheer her up in underhanded ways, but he doesn't really understand her motives, and his relationship (rivalry/friendship of equals) with Naruto matters a lot more to him than his relationship with Sakura (adoration from someone weaker than him) She's important to him, but (romantically or not) Naruto's a lot more important -- almost as important as Itachi. Any romantic relationship he would have with her (or anyone) would take a backseat to these two dynamics.

I can see him with Naruto even when his issues with Itachi aren't resolved, because Naruto just shoved himself past Sasuke's barriers and he's already there under his skin; but Sakura never pushed as much and thus he kept her at arm's length. For him to accept her love, he would need a major paradigm shift, or that Itachi be dead already.

-Sakura lets Sasuke's emo drag her down. She wants to be with him, she empathizes so much that she hurts with him -- and as a result she is paralyzed. Sasuke doesn't need perfect understanding of the depths of his pain as much as he needs someone to pull him out of it, by the hair if need be -- so far all that Sakura has done is torturing herself with his pain and his refusal to accept her help. She loves him, and that's good, but it isn't enough. Besides I'm pretty sure he doesn't want her to get it, he doesn't want anyone to get it; it's too deep and too raw and it would only expose a weakness, which he hates, and also hurt someone he cares about. He would never want anyone to hurt themselves so much just for the sake of sharing. Sharing wouldn't heal him. Sakura following him into the depths might be touching and meaningful, but in the end, they'd both just sink together. She needs to figure out another way to help -- but Sasuke needs to start wanting to come back up, too, and he won't want to do that just for her sake.

In futurefics, I could see it happen; but Naruto would have to begin the saving so that Sakura can take up the healing. Right now Sasuke doesn't want any of it, and you can't save a person from themselves against their will.

... but I still don't really want to read about it, because while SasuSaku might be quiet, tragic and very emotional and romantic... I'm a rivalshipping fan first. XD

I suspect I will grow to like SasuSaku a lot more if Sakura manages to plant a fist in Sasuke's face at some point.


-NaruHina. (Cute. Like puppies. Ergo, booooring. ;D Also I'm pretty sure she'll be a part of Naruto's perfect "happy ending" in canon. Also, no Sasuke. Major turn off, that.)

-MaleGenin/Sakura: too often Sakura-Sue, also usually Naruto and Sasuke are background characters and if they're not in the fic, ehh.

-Kakashi/any of his students -- wait, any teacher / any student. (yes, Sera, that includes Yondy/Kakashi) I can read Teacher/Student in Harry Potter (snarry anyone?) but in Naruto, I just can't stand the thought. It's just -- no. Aside from the ethics, they first saw their brats when they were twelve. When you're an adult, even if they grow up pretty, you probably don't consider someone you met at twelve attractive unless you're a pedophile. And it bothers me here for other reasons I can't entirely explain. I don't like big age and power differences in relationships -- I think I only like snarry because the ANGRYSEX factor overwhelms it. XD (besides the only one amongst team seven I could really see is KakaSasu and it feels almost like father/son incest to me; and while I can almost see it happen, the dynamic is very much not for me.)

-Itachi/anyone but Kisame or Sasuke -- and even so, if it's anything but mindfucky and totally messed up and angsty as hell and definitely not a happy-ending kind of story, it's the back button. Itachi is emotionally crippled; I can see him being possessive, I can see him with hormones -- but in love? Unless that's a messed up love where he delights in the way the person responds to mindfucking and/or physical attacks, I can't see it. He's like the anti fluffycute. He would also not "settle down". Ever. And weakness disgusts him, so the "Itachi finds X lost/injured/traumatized and protects/heals her" thing has got to stoooop. DDD: He killed his whole clan because they were too weak and complacent for him, for god's sake. If he were in love, he'd probably show it with disturbing amounts of interest in how lethal the other person can be. He's not interested in weak people.

-ItaSaku, ItaHina : AHAHAHAHA what the fuck no.

-SasuHina : The dynamic between cold-snappy bastard who can zero in on a weakness in a second, and shy-gentle-unsure girl still working to unfold her potential if she has any and in love with someone else is not for me, also I'm deeply allergic to the lazy way most people tend to use the "arranged marriage" plot as a shortcut instead of dealing with all the pitfalls included in said plot -- which could be fascinating but everyone seems to spit on it.

-GaaSaku, GaaIno, GaaHina... Gaara/anyone not Naruto or Lee or his sibling: Hello, Gaara was a borderline sociopath, and definitely had homicidal tendencies.

The first time he met Sakura, he only noticed two things -- she loved someone enough to die to protect him -- which made her hate Gaara like everyone else had ever hated him -- and she reminded him of Yashamaru. Neither was positive. The rest of the time, she was just a hostage while he dealt with Naruto.

Pre-timeskip, Gaara only reacts positively to very few people (the rest of the world is in his "ignore until they make themselves enough of a nuisance to bother killing them" folder), and besides he needs to seriously work at his crazies before he can consider "liking" someone. Emotionally speaking, pre-timeskip he's about FIVE YEAR OLD -- a severely abused five-year-old -- and he doesn't understand caring.

Post-timeskip, he's accepted that he had to protect his village, and then they would depend on him and he would finally have a bond with people -- and it's not LOVE. It's a bond of acknowledgement. Right now he's still working on being acknowledged as an ally -- still doing his best to get it, without even noticing that he does have it, that he earned it at some point. "You exist. You have a right to exist. I do not mind your existence." That's all he wants at the moment. Next come POLITE ACQUAINTANCES, and FRIENDS, not "omg true love". Naruto and Lee are already his friends, and Temari and Kankurou stuck with him forever (and he's messed up enough not to know or care that incest is frowned upon. His whole existence is "wrong" anyway) so them getting to the next level soonish is a lot more believable. Anyone else is gonna have to start at rock bottom and work their way up, and it won't be easy.

Whenever I see a "kunoichi-sue whirls in, gets a crush, and heals Gaara's soul/teaches Gaara what Love is in under a month", I weep. We're looking at years of therapy and slow personal growth here, not at moonlit promises. Gaara+romance=nooooes.

-NaruSai, SakuSai: nooo he's just ersatz!Sasuke! Sasuke Lite! DIET SASUKE! He's like non-alcoholic beer and Sasuke is -- okay, okay. No, mostly what bothers me is his sudden loss of backbone and his transformation into a Naruto cheerleader. Urgh. The too-smiling snarky maladjusted-but-not-caring!Sai would have been kinda hot with them, but blargh.

-really, REALLY random pairings for the hell of it, like (haha sorry Kirin XD) Kisame/Hinata, or Kabuto/Ino or stuff like that : eh. If they don't even meet in canon, and the only point seems to be LOL IM SO ORIGINAL, I really can't be bothered. (exceptions: ItaNeji, but that's [livejournal.com profile] campfuckudie's fault, and that one NejiKankuro I recced a while back -- but then it was held up by the plot and the settings, not only by the character interaction. It was a "never would have happened if the situation were different" thing, not a OMG THEY'RE SO PERFECT TOGETHER EEE thing.)



Genres I don't read

-Naruto was raised by Kakashi/Jiraiya/Iruka/an OC and now he's TOTALY DIFRENT YEY. I understand the urge to make Naruto's past less awful, but without his past and his struggles to be acknowledged and his refusal to be swallowed by his OMGangst, he's... not Naruto anymore.
-Same goes for "Itachi didn't go on his rampage" and "it wasn't Itachi who killed the Uchihas" fics -- very few of them fully understand and properly use the changes it would mean for the structure and history of the village, and for Sasuke's growth. (except Uchiha fics are sexy, so I'll read those, but you better believe I'll be staring real hard at the characterization.)
-- NARUTO IZ SECRETLY SMARTER THN SHIKA N UBERSKILLED N ALL DEEP N STUFF N NOONE CAN UNDRESTAND HIS PAIN N HE SHOWS UP ALL THOSE ASSHOLES AND GETS THE GIRL, HAH! = ... wtf. Who's that pod person? Get your Gary Stu out of my face, I want canon!Naruto back!

-Time Travel. I don't know why, it just doesn't do it for me.

-Deathfics. I'm a wuss. ;_;

-Who Will He Choose? I'm a wuss. ;_; I want him to choose both. Except in many cases the threesome-to-solve-pairing-wars approach does not actually work. Besides, too often, it's clear right from the start who will "win", which means it's another uber-romantic cookie-cutter plot with characters shoehorned into their roles and bleah. Besides, love should not be a fucking competition.

-Next Generation stories, Self Inserts, Original characters as a focus. (two exceptions: The Way of the Apartment Manager, where a woman takes 6-year-old Naruto in, which details the way Konoha works, and a "Ripple Effect" spinoff by Rayemars, with two Sound Nins traipsing around the countryside after the fall of Sound -- great exploration of ronin-ninja mindset, living outside of ninja villages. now those are OCs done right -- and on top of that they offer fascinating insights and deeply imaginative extrapolations on the world of Naruto. read them. :p) If there is an OC pov, I want them to be interesting, of course, but also I want to be able to see how big and interesting and original the world is through their eyes. Else it's not Naruto fanfic, just a generic-ish battle!ninja!Ofic.

-School fics: one of the major interests of Naruto for me is the world in which it takes place -- chakra, enemy countries, village politics, seals, ANBU and everything. You take that away, it becomes very boring and generic. If I'm going to read an AU, the new world better be shiny, or else it usually isn't worth it.

-Crossovers that make no fucking sense. XP work at it to make the worlds fit, damn it.

-Fics that sound more like "Friends" than like life in a ninja village -- where the biggest problem is who dates who, where EVERYONE ends up happily paired off at the end, and where it seems like no one has ever spilled a drop of blood in their life -- unless there's angst to be had, in which case bring out the flashbacks.

-Fics where one of the guys bottoms, not because he likes it better than topping, but because it's "the natural order of things" or something.

-Sweet-romantic romance. XD Fics with candlelit dinners bore me unless they fling food at each other or are mightily uncomfortable. Movie-dates get a "hn" unless they're watching a car chase or a sword fight or being dorks or whatever. Flowers? Ehn. Passionate insults from usually coldly aggressive people are sexy. Unsaid declarations are much more touching than bellows of "I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER YOU ARE MY TRUE SOULMATE HOW COULD I EVER LIVE A DAY WITHOUT YOU." After all, 'You say it better when you say nothing at all.' :p


(not counting, of course, fics containing blatant OOC, character bashing and caricaturing characters, horrible grammar and spelling skills, ANs in the middle of the story, and the like, which are just bad writing no matter the genre. :p)

[identity profile] icedark-elf.livejournal.com 2006-12-08 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
*sits in her corner of the fandom, waving her little bitty orgy flag, cause likes her sixsome of pretty*

[identity profile] shadhahvar.livejournal.com 2006-12-08 08:57 pm (UTC)(link)
OMFG no you just gave me a NARUSASU MOMENT XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

...Because that is the most valid comment ever.

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[identity profile] des-butterfly.livejournal.com 2006-12-08 09:41 pm (UTC)(link)
All my NaruSaku's turn into this scenario anyway:

Naruto: I love you!
Sakura: I love you too!
Both: ...Where is Sasuke omg??! *cliiiiing*

Even when I don't mean them too. XD

[identity profile] teruame.livejournal.com 2006-12-08 09:44 pm (UTC)(link)
-mems the post to keep in mind of it in the future-

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[identity profile] shadhahvar.livejournal.com 2006-12-08 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes you evil woman! XD I don't understand how, but you have!

"Naruto understood the unspoken words of those around him, for once. Everyone was waiting, and he even suspected they were placing bets. He was close to tearing into someone for simply becuase of the incessant staring.

"Who do you think-"

"When-"

"It's only a matter of time-"

He twitched, and looked visibly pissed as he turned and glared at an impassive Kakashi. "You're not helping."

Kakashi peered over the top of his novel. "Oh? I wasn't planning to."

His once-teacher's attitude irritated Naruto even more. "You placed a bet, didn't you."

Kakashi drolly replied. "A bet? On what, Naruto? I wasn't aware there was a pool going. I guess that's a consequence of getting older..."

Naruto was relieved. Enough that at least this one of his friends hadn't participated in the childish behavior the entire of Konoha had surrendered to-

"-though I do think Pakkun laid his funds on Hinata-"

Naruto nearly howled with frustration. "You too, mutt?" Pakkun wasn't exactly present, but Kakashi understood the intent.

"People have to amuse themselves somehow," he pointed out, unhelpfully.

"This is getting ridiculous."

"I admit, the posters are a bit over the top-"

"Posters?" Naruto threw his hands into the air. "That's it. Where the hell are they?"

Kakashi let his book drop, intending to answer, but he found himself talking to no one. Oh well. Naruto was surely energetic enough to find who he was looking for before night really settled into Konoha. He would just saunter toward the teahouse where Sakura and Sasuke had been enjoying a little respite from the same mad whispers around town.

Kakashi was exceedingly interested in the outcome of recent events.

Naruto was as well, if only because the irritation of everyone else speculating on who would break down first was driving him insane. He'd avoided talking at length to either of his teammates about the same questions everyone else assumed were already answered, but he couldn't wait any longer. Huffing, not so much from exertion but adrenaline, Naruto dropped down the the ground as he caught sight of two familiar forms. Sakura, wearing the ridiculous stomach-revealing outfit she'd gotten when she turned twenty-five (what could ever had possessed her to buy something like that, let alone then?) and Sasuke, in what might have been his father's spitting image. (This, at least, Naruto gathered from Jiraiya, who wouldn't shut up on the subject, much like he wouldn't stop oogling Sakura's breasts, which also annoyed Naruto lately.)

Urgency betrayed Naruto's lack of composure and irritation as he called out to his two closest friends. "Oi! Sakura! Sasuke!"

Looking up as one from their table, tea still in Sakura's hands, they awknowledged Naruto with a smile (on Sakura's part) and a nod (from Sasuke). There was a small hesitation on Sakura's part, as if she knew why Naruto was here now. Like she was preparing herself.

Sasuke resumed sipping his tea.

Naruto stared down at the both of them, then cleared his throat. "Could you, ah, both stand, please? I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Fine," Sakura said, friendly enough, though she held her hand out for Naruto to pull her up. Sakura had developed a late sense of propriety, which involved seeing both her boys paid good attention to treating her whims as they would a real lady's. Naruto hadn't been surprised about the consequences of screwing up, though he had been surprised the time Sakura decked Sasuke for calling her fat. Apparently, nothing was sacred.

Which made this moment all the more important. After a moment, Sasuke set his cup down on the table. When he was standing and paying some degree of attention, detatched as that attention was, Naruto continued.

[identity profile] shadhahvar.livejournal.com 2006-12-08 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
He felt hot. "Well, it's just, I've, uh, been hearing a whole bunch of... Rumors. About, well, me, and us, and stuff..." Naruto had never felt less his age than while looking at his teammates faces, feelinghis own fill with color.

"Oh, screw it. Hey, Konoha!" Naruto looked over his shoulder, seeing a few vaugely interested expressions on the faces of people moving along the street, "You couldn't stop asking, so I guess I'd better come clean." He grinned, feeling more self-confident, shedding the pretense of knowing how to say what he wanted. His frustration had hit a high point, and now he was rolling.

"And if you're so damn interested in my life, then take a good long look! 'Cause you can't get any more honest than this!" And with a barely whispered, "Sorry, Sakura," Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders and trespassed where he once had, when he was twelve.

Only this time, it was no accident. And Sasuke tasted like tea and honey.

The thought stayed with Naruto even after he was running away, laughing, knowing full well Sasuke was coming after him with murder in his eyes. But not Sakura. And (maybe) that had been the difference all along."

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[identity profile] bakkhos.livejournal.com 2006-12-08 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
This was great. Your essays like this are always entertaining to read. And I completely agree with your reasoning with the SasuSasku pairing.

Itachi is emotionally crippled; I can see him being possessive, I can see him with hormones -- but in love?

I see a different dynamic between him and Kisame. I don't think it would be angsty or violent, but at the same time, I can't call it love either. It's just a weird sort of friendship. It's hard to explain, but I see KisaIta as calm and based on mutuality (they share the same goals--at least when it comes to the overreaching Akatsuki goals).

Itachi/anyone but Kisame or Sasuke

Thoughts on ItaNaru, ItaMikoto, ItaShisui?

SasuSai: yess, top that bitch, Sasuke, top him good!

Oh my God, the mutual jealousy of this pairing is made of win. As is this post. ^___^

[identity profile] bakkhos.livejournal.com 2006-12-08 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Dar, SasuSasku whut? :D

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edenfalling: stylized black-and-white line art of a sunset over water (Default)

[personal profile] edenfalling 2006-12-08 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
*hijacks topic slightly*

See, I have never figured out why being raised by an actual parental figure would change Naruto to the degree that some writers seem to think it would. The rest of the village would still be the same! And while you can moderate and slightly redirect kids' behavior, past a certain point they make their own choices. So Naruto as raised by [fill in blank] would still be mostly Naruto. Come to that, even Naruto as raised by [fill in blank] in [fill in non-Konoha location] would be Naruto... though perhaps less in-your-face about his resilience.

People seem to take a different upbringing as an excuse to replace Naruto with a convenient placeholder, instead of actually considering what that upbringing would do to Naruto. I think it's the same thing that makes people write Super!Harry over in HP fandom, or those really OOC Super!Xander stories in BtVS -- they want to see their favorite character do what they would do, not what the character would do.

We hates it, precious, oh yes. It burnses.

(Am trying so damn hard not to butcher any characters in "Guardian," despite the 'change key elements of the Uchiha massacre and aftermath' and 'give Naruto a parental figure' tropes on which the fic rests. Please, please, yell at me when I screw up!)

[identity profile] complexphoenix.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
What does TL;DR stand for?

[identity profile] kiwi-socks.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
I read a really interesting ItaSaku oneshot once, maybe a year ago. Itachi genjutsu'd her mind to switch his and Sasuke's appearances and tweak her perception of their personalities, so she was attacking Sasuke. In the end to further demonstrate his power over Sasuke's life, he mortally injured Sakura and Sasuke gave her a mercy blow. Or something like that. And then I found five dollars.

...But yeah, I'll go be looking through my library for recs.

.__.;;

[identity profile] ithilgwath.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
....you made me just start writing a Tenten fic. Why did you do that to me? now I'm trying to give her a reason no one really knows her/she never has a big part.

While staying in canon and keeping her that way. *head hits desk*

but your rant here amuses me. and scares me. i think I have been overall lucky to just.... not read a lot of scary bad!fic. Or I wind up hitting the back button 2 sentences in so don't know the full horror of it.

[identity profile] aerlyn.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 08:48 am (UTC)(link)
Random delurking! ^0^

"I suspect I will grow to like SasuSaku a lot more if Sakura manages to plant a fist in Sasuke's face at some point."

I would too! I bet Sasuke would, as well! *leers* No, honestly, ever since I read Teamwork, I can't find a fic about two members of team seven that feels balanced. They always seem to leave one character to the side.

"[Itachi's] like the anti fluffycute. He would also not "settle down". Ever. And weakness disgusts him, so the "Itachi finds X lost/injured/traumatized and protects/heals her" thing has got to stoooop."

I think everyone's projecting their inner Sesshoumaru fangirl at Itachi.
ext_9839: Yuko (Default)

[identity profile] lukita.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 09:35 am (UTC)(link)
School fics:

...

But school fics are awesome, they're 100% cliche ridden and guarantee you would want your fifteen minutes back. Or at least I used to be able to read them. You spoiled me asuka. ♥

Hmm... There is one time travel fic I've been reading, and it's only because I like the way the author handled Sasuke and Naruto. I've also just noticed I haven't been reading that many Naruto fics for the past few months.

[identity profile] bootoye.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 10:15 am (UTC)(link)
You know your points are all interesting but something you said left me with the need to comment ^_^

The teacher/student relationship thing....its a fact that there are a lot of couples in the real world which start off as teacher/student. We had a couple where I went to school and where I work.

I think the most famous though was Celine Dion and her manager, she met him at age 12 or 13 and he was 40something :P

I don't agree with it either.

Oh I agree about the school fics, the worst thing is that a summary can sound really interesting but they leave out the fact that it is a school fic and when I realsie its like wtf?!?

I also agree about the SAi thing...wah Naruto cheerleader?

Do you read Naruto DJ? I find them all to be OOC crap ^^

[identity profile] windandwater.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 12:28 pm (UTC)(link)
>_>;;

But what about that Shisui/Itachi fic I wrote? The sequel is coming rly lolz.

[identity profile] moriapolonius.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Um. Sorry to butt in without invitation, but...

On [livejournal.com profile] fanficrants you asked for a link to a Death Note parody fic and I've just found it: Unexpected Love by meggieluvsmpregdraco (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2752571/1/). If somebody has doubts that she's a troll,it's enought to take a look at the favourite pairings in her bio.

Now, about your pairings...

I think you're remarkably open to pairings anyway. The only pairing in Naruto I would read, other than Sasuke/Naruto (or Sasuke/Naruto/Sakura) and Itachi/Sasuke (which I have exactly the same requirements for as you) is Neji/Hinata. And, so far, I've only read one Neji/Hinata that I liked. Anything other would have to damn spectacular for me to take notice... (Although I think I'll crack and read Maldoror's Gaara/Lee epics, just because her Gundam Wing fanfics were absolutely amazing).

[identity profile] rurounitriv.livejournal.com 2006-12-10 06:38 am (UTC)(link)
[thread-hijack]
DEFINITELY read Mal's GaaLee! She's as good writing that as she is at GW.
[/thread-hijack]

[identity profile] hakkai-duo.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, awesome rant. ^.^ I agree on a lot of things. And I think you are opening to alot more than I am. Me? I am afraid to go look for a fic, the only Naruto fanfics I read are yours and Maldoror's Oh and one Kaka/Saku that you recced. I am afriad to go out there *shudders* but Anyway
From what I have read, I love Naru/Sasu/Saku because... well.. Teamwork is win! And I can't imagine two without the third now. Because What I have read in the manga (too lazy to download the show..) The three of them, if two of them pair off the third one will feel very left out, no matter what, and it just makes sense. It two pair off, I only think it is natural, considering their team dynamics that the third will come along too.
I love Lee/Gaara too because.. well Maldoror rocks and she can write freaking Sandaime/Rock and still make it look hot.
But um.. anyway I had a point.... I commend your bravey to actually go out there and read fanfiction, I'm afriad *remembers somebad Gundam Wing experiences* And um.. Yea. Sorry to ramble, had a long day.

[identity profile] viper-s.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
I hope you're happy. You've now given me plot bunnies to write a story where Naruto and Sasuke have to have a candle lit dinner for a mission, that all ends in a food fight, and them getting kicked out of the restrant. *happyglare*

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[identity profile] hakkai-duo.livejournal.com - 2006-12-10 00:38 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] aelinasongmaker.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree totally 100% with everything you said except about SasuSaku. The way you summarized her relationship with Sasuke, she sounds more pre-timeskip than post, and there is a much bigger difference than most people realize. Post-timeskip, her first reaction to Sasuke was trying to kick his ass--not getting all "OMGSASUKE I LOVE YOU COME BACK TO ME!!!1!" like everyone expected. Heck, Naruto, Sasuke and Sai all out-angsted her in that scene. She's become a much stronger personality than just a healer. I still think she'll need a lot of help if she's going to bring him back. Naruto-help. Man-help, because every woman who sees Sasuke goes weak at the knees. But not so much. She could definitely do a lot for him on her own.

Buuuuuut I still hate the ship. I just see slightly better possibility of it happening.
tephra: Photo portrait of a doll with shaggy, dark orange and copper hair, wearing a pink slouchy hat and sky blue glasses. (Default)

[personal profile] tephra 2006-12-10 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
You have Sandcest on your list, got any recs for that? :)

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[personal profile] tephra - 2006-12-12 22:18 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] creepstakes.livejournal.com 2006-12-10 03:57 am (UTC)(link)
SasNaru is god so long as there is a hate/anger complex in there somewhere. I suck at writing it but I love reading it, it's something that's not possible with ItaSasu because of Itachis aloofness I can't see him getting pissed off enough to rape and or fuck Sasuke into a mattress.

Insert interesting mental image.

OroJi works to before the discovery of Orochimarus experiments and is written right. Orochimarus mind is a perfect canvas for many fucked up situations and reactions (and resulting pr0n hopefully).

NejSasu... oh the bitchyness! >.< They look pretty together at least.

[identity profile] slamu.livejournal.com 2006-12-10 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
http://www.cinnamonstars.com/naruto/comic/hinamanga_vol_06.jpg
Just a bit with Shikamaru being a pimp. (Feel free to ignore the top half, this is just part of a doujinshi)
I gotta say, Lee with anyone other than Sakura (or Gaara) feels artificial to me. Donno why. At the same time, there is canon "proof" that SakuLee won't happen (cites the part in the manga right before Lee saves her from the Sound-nin, with the leaves) but it seems so natural.
Ah, one budding NaruIno is Bloodlines, by SOC Puppet, but I think that you'd want to stay away due to T7 bashing (and the fact that it hasn't been updated in some time). Not bad, but as you state here, not your cup of tea.
Err, there was a thread I read some time ago extolling the virtues of KabutoxHinata (Hey! They met in canon. Sorta.) He saved her life right before the attack during the Third Exam, and for the life of me I can't understand why. It's not like he was blowing his cover. Anyway, the thread was quite convincing. (I just don't remember where it was)
ShikaIno. Yay. ShikaTem. Double yay. InoTem. Drool. InoShikaTem= Teh smex. If anyone knows where any is, I would love them forever.
Sasuke lite. *snerk* Ah, well. Sai can be useful as a plot device.

[identity profile] slamu.livejournal.com 2006-12-10 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
Forgot one
http://www.cinnamonstars.com/naruto/comic/no275.jpg

0.0

[identity profile] slamu.livejournal.com - 2006-12-11 00:55 (UTC) - Expand

:|

[identity profile] slamu.livejournal.com - 2006-12-12 04:46 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] trishalynn.livejournal.com 2006-12-10 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
The Way of the Apartment Manager

Love that fic, wish I knew if she was writing more of the sequel past chapter 8. But doesn't liking this fic mess with your dislike for fics that change how Naruto was raised? Because if he's got a big sister in Yuriko and in the sequel fic, it looks like he and Sasuke are being forced to get a long and due to Yuriko teaching him about traps and stuff, he's becoming a more resourceful ninja, isn't that inherently changing many things about Naruto's character?

eh...

(Anonymous) 2006-12-11 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I only want to say about SaiNaru...
I only read one on aff.net that was actually pretty good (god forbid I ever find it again). It was a one shot, there was a festival, Naruto was a little angsty and Sai couldn't figure out why, and he cares about Naruto so he tries to cheer him up...he gives him a fox mask. Naruto starts crying, but he's laughing, too. Sai doesn't understand how you can be happy and sad at the same time. A bit of conversation, Sai gives Naruto a blow job and at the end of it it's not Sai's name he's screaming.
Thus, Sai figures out how one can be happy and sad at the same time.

[identity profile] questofdreams.livejournal.com 2006-12-11 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)
DUDE. No wonder I love you so much. I went HAHA YES HAHAHAHA OMG YES throughout that ENTIRE THING. XD *rivalshipper at heart as well* I pretty much am exactly the same in my fanfic choices and opinions.

With the one exception of Sai. HAHA. *cough* I like NaruSai, if done right!! Sasuke will ALWAYS be present. ALWAYS. lol. Which is why I adore Yen's NaruSasuSai fic so much. It addresses those complications.

In any case, we've hashed out the I-like-Sai-I-don't-like-Sai thing already, so...yeah. XD

My love for Sasuke eclipses my love for anyone else in the series except maybe Naruto. I get all up in arms whenever my sister hates on him XD She's still angry he hurt Naruto so badly, lol.
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