Thursday, May 25, 2006

Harassed Sasuke


I'm in a good mood so I made this random Naruto slideshow in celebration. Enjoy! It has a few shounen-ai kind of pictures in it. I couldn't resist adding two of my favourite ItaNaru pics.
The Following Paragraph Contains Manga Spoilers For Chapter 308!
Awesome! So Sai saved Naruto. Well, at least it wasn't Yamato. That would've been a bit of a boring rescue in my opinion. And another of those rare conversations with the Kyuubi was the last thing I'd expected from this chapter! And my God! Sasuke is inside Naruto's mind?! o_O So he knows about the Kyuubi, but what's he going to do about it? And why the hell did he poke it in the nose?! At first I figured that it looked like he was trying to keep Kyuubi away from Naruto... It's certainly a turn-around from when the Kyuubi was using Sasuke as bait for Naruto to unleash the demon. Aww, I feel sorry for Sakura. She didn't get to do jack shit, even though she tried. It would be so awesome if she surprised everyone and could fight Sasuke one on one, even for a little while. And so much for Yamato, huh? Heh heh! So no snake action from Sasuke yet. Maybe in the next chapter? Gosh, I can't wait now!

This week I've been very lucky indeed when it comes to finding good fanfiction. I found a SasuNaru fanfic recommendations site - C.O.L.L.I.D.E.! It has links to some very good stories. Currently I'm reading Underneath the Underneath by Shivvlan. It is sequel to Skinless, which has some of the best fight scenes I've ever read. Seriously, this story strongly reminded me of Sasuke's fight against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, it's that good. And Naruto and Sasuke's relationship in these two fanfics is a very believable one. Both are kept in perfect character.
Sakura playing mother to Sasuke and Naruto. D'aww!
My desktop at the moment.
And now for a rant. It's about those (very insensitive) Sasuke fans, who say that Naruto and Sakura are being "stupid and selfish" in their pursuit of their lost comrade. Some unbelievably moronic people say that since Sasuke has stated several times that he doesn't want to be followed, his team-mates should respect his wishes and leave him be. Hellooo! You people do know what the hell Sasuke has gotten himself into, don't you? Not only has he betrayed Konoha, and his friends, he's willing to give up his body to Orochimaru! That guy is going to take over your beloved Sasuke-kun's body, and turn him into a pasty-faced child-molester! Of course Naruto and Sakura want to save him from this fate! They're his friends and team-mates, for crying out loud! Seriously, anyone who would let a friend throw away his/her life, and not even attempt to stop them is the worst kind of person imaginable! Like Naruto said; "Someone who doesn't even save a friend can hardly become Hokage."
Having said that, harassed Sasuke does make for good crack.
Harassed Sasuke-kuuuun!
Poor Sasuke! He just wants to be left alone! XD

Friday, May 19, 2006

Conflict!

I wanted to post this last night, but I got carried away with something else, I'm afraid. There are a lot of manga spoilers in this post. I've decided that I have theories I need to get off my chest, and where better to do so than here? So if you haven't caught up with the manga, I'll kindly ask you to do so before reading this post. Thanks!
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I'm feeling colourful.
Today I want to discuss the Team 7 love triangle. Yes, that's right, love triangle. It's been there since the beginning; Sakura obsesses on Sasuke, Naruto loves Sakura, Sasuke's interested in Naruto. Even Masashi Kishimoto has admitted to it. When asked why he added the accidental SasuNaru kiss scene, he replied; "By having this encounter, it was easier to set up the love triangle: Sakura, who had intended to be the first one to kiss Sasuke, has it stolen by her rival Naruto, Sasuke and Naruto are rivals, so there’s added tension there. And so on and so forth."

So there are SasuSaku shippers, and SasuNaru shippers. However, those of us who looked just a little deeper into the canon storyline could see from the very beginning that Naruto was eventually going to get together with Sakura. And post time-skip, predictably, had clear hints of this. Now we come to the conflict of fangroups:
  • The SasuSaku fans want nothing more than for Sakura to throw herself into Sasuke's welcoming arms *snerk* and profess her undying love for him.
  • Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of SasuNaru fans are quite content (heck, they're delighted) with just hints of SasuNaru love. Like the awkward hug in 307, and the fact that Sasuke is fixated on Naruto. They know it's not canon, but they can still enjoy it in fanon.
  • Finally, there are the NaruSaku fans, and while many (myself included) are very happy to see Sasuke again, they are firm in the belief that Naruto and Sakura were destined from the beginning, and that Sakura's feelings have taken a turn. NaruSaku fans don't want Sasuke to do anything in particular...
So it's come to this, Sakura is probably going to be the pivotal character in the next few chapters. Will she protect Naruto, even if it means killing Sasuke? Or will she ditch Naruto and run off with Sasuke, even if it means she'll have to deal with him giving up his body to Orochimaru? You figure it out!

In my opinion, there's very little chance of Sasuke returning to Konoha this time. Let's face it, there's going to be big, dramatic scenes with Orochimaru trying to take his body, Sasuke fighting Itachi, and Sasuke and Naruto fighting again. This time, Naruto can't fight. His body is weakened due his earlier Kyuubi transformation. And we all know that Orochimaru is going to show up soon, Kabuto is going to escape, and they're probaby going to run off together, leaving the broken, dispirited Team Kakashi behind.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke are obviously similar to their sensei's, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru. And the cover of chapter 4:-
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To quote Kishimoto: "The triad of snake, slug and frog is from Japanese mythology. The snake is more powerful than the frog, the slug is more powerful than the snake, and the frog is more powerful than the slug, Making a 'rock, paper, scissors' kind of situation. These three are collectively called the 'Sansukumi'."
Could this actually reflect in the story? Sasuke defeated Naruto last time. Maybe this time, Sakura can defeat Sasuke? It's a long shot, I know. But you've got to admit, it would be interesting.

Whew, well that's it for my crazed theories. It's time to move on to other matters. Like how I've added two more AMVs to the AMV Archive. Check them out, if you want.

Oh yeah, I've made a new blog, Nettie's Nook. Basically, I realised that this blog has become entirely Naruto-based. So I made Nettie's Nook for me to share what happens in the rest of my life. Yes, I do have a life. I'm going to keep Naruto out of it, for the most part.

Yesterday I did some research on Kyuubi (Nine-Tailed Demon Foxes) in old Japanese legends. And it turns out the the Shodai's necklace which was given to Naruto by Tsunade is also based an old legend. Apparently, a Fox Youkai's main weakness is the crystal they wear around their necks in human form, it carries a small portion of their powers. If it is taken from them, they will beg for it back, and often grant a favour in return. I think that it is pretty cool that how Kishimoto has incorporated these old myths into his story.

I'm making some minor modifications to this blog. I've gotten into the habit of removing images from older posts, as it just takes longer for the page to load, and the old posts are ignored for the most part. So if you're interested in any images I post, save them quickly, as they may be be gone in a few weeks. I might take down some of the very oldest links too. Now that I have another blog, I should keep this one purely Naruto-related.

For fanart; be sure to check out Weasel Suit by wredwrat. Very random and amusing. Heh heh!

Then there's Behind the Shadows by pokefreak. A very awesome picture of post time-skip Sasuke.

And the fic of this week is an ItaNaru; Winter Release by StarsOfYaoi. I'm really enjoying this story, it actually has a plot! If you read this, for God's sake, leave a review! If you want quick updates to any fanfic, then review nicely. It isn't hard.
Just a simple; "I'm loving this story. I think it's brilliant how you described the emotions in the last scene. Please update as soon as you can, because I am hooked!"
Or even a; "omg i luv ur fanfic! plz update soon!"

Well, now I'm off to watch random videos on YouTube. My next update should be on Tuesday, or Thursday. Geez, I really should work out a schedule for this, I guess.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Le Slideshow

Yeah, it even feels too early for an update... But I'm really bored right now. I just felt like composing a big-ass update.

I made this small slideshow on ImageShack. Enjoy!

I did figure out what was wrong with Windows Movie Maker, but I can't be bothered to sort it out. I'd have to change settings for when I wanted to make a movie, and then switch them back afterwards, it's just far too troublesome! So I said; "Fuck it! I'll do it the easy way." And I did. ^_^ I've credited where I could. If you know the artist of a picture that I haven't credited, then please tell me so I can edit their name in! XD

Since the last blog entry, I've just been reading Doujinshi. Oh, I found some good stuff, alright. Seriously, if you like SasuNaru, then you should check out SasuxNaru.is.Love Scanlations. I sifted through everything, and my Doujinshi folder is twice as big now. Heh heh!

Today I requested, and was granted, a Naruto library on Paper Demon. So far, my One-Shot, The New Sakura, is the only fanfic in there! ^^;; I guess this gives me an obligation to beef it up a bit more. So I'm going to try my best to write some more One-Shots. The new one I'm working on, Kyuubi Rage (temporary title?), is going well, and I hope to complete it soon.

I've been hanging around RADIO.BLOG.CLUB a lot recently. It's good because my computer sometimes buggers up when I'm listening to music on Media Player at the same time as doing other things. But by listening to my fave tunes in an extra Firefox window, I don't need to worry about that. Here's a link to my favourite songs at the mo - My Playlist. I have all of these tracks in my music folder, but like I said, it's less troublesome to listen to them on RADIO.BLOG.CLUB. It's also a pretty cool place, because you can search for any track you want and listen to it right there.

Well, I can't resist sharing this short Doujinshi. It's a SasuNaru, but it mostly features Itachi and Kisame in their Naruto-stalking. It is very funny! XD Remember, it's a Doujinshi translated from Japanese, so read from right to left. Click each thumbnail to view full-size.
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This was downloaded from SasuxNaru.is.Love Scanlations! ^_^

Actually, over the last few days, I feel that I've had my fill of shounen-ai! o.O Well, for now at least. The boys love craving will probably return with a vengence to this fangirl in no time! XD But in the mean time, I find myself browsing the NaruSaku fandom, the only het couple that I actively ship. For an absolute ton of NaruSaku fanart check out the NarutoXSakura ImageShack PhotoBlog. And of course, visit the site that made the image gallery - Heaven & Earth, a fansite dedicated to NaruSaku. Now, I've got to admit, it's not a grand website. It could do with a lot of work. But for now at least, it's all NaruSaku shippers have got really... Which is kind of depressing. Hopefully, as the NaruSaku relationship develops in the manga and anime, there'll be more supporters of it. I know that it's canon! It is going to happen, you SasuSaku shippers just watch! >=D

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Doujinshi!

Oh ... My ... God! Chapter 306 of the Naruto manga! SQUEE!! Wow, that's the first time I've squeed! ^^;; If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? Get your ass over to Naruto Fan and give it a download, already! XD I'm not going to post any spoilers, because that's not fair to those who haven't got this far in the series. But yes, you know that guy we've all been waiting to see? We see him! I knew we would in this chapter. Kishi has been keeping us (or rather him) in the dark for too long, dattebayo!

I have another idea for another Naruto One-Shot. I have the fic all planned out, I just need to write it. This one will be all about Naruto, from Naruto's POV. So hopefully, I'll find the energy to write this soon.

I found a shit-load of SasuNaru doujinshi at SasuxNaru.is.Love Scanlations. I haven't had the time to read any yet. T_T After I complete all of my duties, I'll settle down with a cup of coffee and enjoy the rest of my night with sweet SasuNaru lovin'! ^_~ Nah, just kidding. I'm not really all that into visual smut, I prefer fanfiction, that way it's all up to my imagination and I can keep it as vague and clean as I want. XD But there are some absolutely adorable scenes in certain doujinshi. Just a note: some of the doujinshi on the site that I've linked to isn't intended for minors, by that, I mean people under the age of 16, who don't have anywhere very private to read it!

And now for the list of doom! Muahahahaha! Please note that the contents of the following list aren't necesarily the things that I want to happen. Heck, I want Sasuke to return to Konoha and have hot man-sex with Naruto, but I'm realistic enough to admit that it isn't going to happen, un. That's why doujinshi was invented. XD
My Predictions For Who The Naruto Characters Will Court:
NaruSaku - people who deny it are just plain stupid.
SasuDeath - c'mon, he'll probably die dramatically. It's his style!
KakaNobody - how things look so far, he's gonna stay a bachelor.
ShikaTem - yup, so obvious.
AsumKuren - this is also so obvious.
KibaHina - ditto the above.
ChouIno - a more recent development. It also makes sense.
~*~
So that's it for now. They're the only couples that I'm fairly sure of. I was going to add JiraTsu, but I'm not all that convinced about this couple yet. So far, they just seem like old comrades to me. Besides, I think have a feeling that Tsunade is going to die heroically. There have been some hints of it. As for Team Gai, I honestly don't know about them. I think it's equally possible that TenTen could go for Neji or Lee. And I don't mind either way!

*eats rhubarb crumble* Mmm! Slimy, but nice! ^_^

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Haruka Kanata

Yay! Chapter 305 of the Naruto manga has been released. It is an awesome chapter, un. Now I am happy! XD I'm not going to reveal any spoilers though... But I sure hope everything goes okay. It would be terrible if anyone died! o.O And I wonder if, since this is last week's chapter, there will be another chapter released tomorrow? I sure hope so! ^^

Episode 5 of Fun With Akatsuki is out on YouTube. This is a very funny episode, featuring Vegeta, Sephiroth, Lord Voldemort, and Darth Vader along with their very own theme tunes!

This week I downloaded Windows Movie Maker and made what is quite possibly the crappiest AMV ever. I was doing really well ... honest! Then Movie Maker started acting up, and this dumb error message kept appearing every time I dragged a clip onto the timeline, or tried to add title screens. I can't even import new videos or pictures now! So it ended up being a one-minute AMV, with totally random clips playing out to the DragonBall Z theme. ¬_¬ Seriously, the DBZ theme was the only track in my entire music folder that was exactly a minute long! Anyway, it sucks ass, so I'm not sharing it. XP

I'm afraid I don't have much to share this time. I've spent most of the past few days on YouTube, exploring for awesome videos. So here's a link to my YouTube profile - link - check out my faves, and you're sure to find some entertainment.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
You know a couple of posts back I was thinking of making a Photobucket gallery? Well, I've decided to make a slideshow instead. I might try out Picasa, and make the slideshow in that. It's just an idea though, I still don't know if I'll go through with it yet.

And as for the title of this post ... I dunno, I just felt like calling it Haruka Kanata. For those of you who don't know, it's an opening theme for Naruto, performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation. You can download it from NarutoFan or watch it here. Later!