Oh, AND -

[cynchick]

Related to the previous post, but more bitchy.

This will probably piss some people off, but oh well. I need to say it. I don't express my strong, unpopular opinions very often. This is not a debate post either. Agree with me, argue with me, defend your OTP if you want, but I don't intend to have long discussions about it. I'm stating my opinion, and it's long enough already. :3

So.

I'm getting really sick of seeing all the backlash fanart/fic/whatever from certain pairings in the fandom. And I'm gonna call them out by name. SasuSaku and SasuNaru. It seems like every day I see some new piece of fanart on Deviant Art for these parings, defiantly supporting their ships despite reality and all sense of logic. Most of these deviations have about 9000 comments alternately whining, bemoaning, or squealing while deliberately ignoring the fact that Sasuke and Sakura cuddling in a field of flowers (or whatever) is about as far from canon as it's EVER going to get.

I mean I guess I can still see a little teensy smidge of something vaguely alluding to subtext with Naruto and Sasuke. But Sasuke and Sakura? Seriously? Can anyone honestly say they still believe he ever gave a shit about her? Let alone still does, in a romantic way? Are there really people out there who believe he harbors some sekrit flame for her, or even, that she could still hold one for him after what's recently gone down? There are. And there are words for those people.

Blind. Irrational. Willfully ignorant.

And those who still even want to see SasuSaku together...I pity and lose respect for those people. Because if they still want Sakura to be with Sasuke after everything he's done to her it means they consider his behavior forgivable, or worse, attractive.

I can understand not wanting to give up on a favorite pairing, going down with the ship as it were. But this is not a sinking ship. This is a fucking nuclear bomb destroying the very foundation of what the pairing was based on in the first place. Particularly with SasuSaku. Even in some future, miraculous scenario where Sasuke is redeemed (thats a whole other rant), the damage between Sasuke and Sakura is so severe that there will never be a point where they can overcome it enough to fall in love. A very guarded, tenuous almost-friendship is about the best they can hope for, and that's IF he atones for what he's done to her. Which he wont, because he will never see his behavior as unnecessary or wrong.

As for NaruSasu, well. Sasuke never gave a shit about Naruto either. Not in any real sense. Sure, he saved him from imminent death a couple times, but no one can say he went out of his way to do so. It was expected of him as a teammate. Yes, he admitted to Naruto being his best friend for about 2 minutes, but even that is a relative thing with Sasuke, considering how he relates to the world at large. I'm not a fan of slash even a little bit, and NaruSasu isnt something I ever think about. But I do know this.  Sasuke has only truly ever cared about one thing, one person. And it isn't one of his teammates. There is no basis for a real friendship here, only a twisted sort of bond shared by two survivors of childhood trauma. Even then, the severity of their respective traumas is a source of conflict between them.

Reality check: Sasuke does not have feelings for anyone. Friendly. Romantic. Mild Affection. He has none of it. Sasuke is severely psychologically damaged, and he is incapable of forming deeper attachments because of his trauma. He is a 16/17 year old boy with absolutely no interest in anything hormonal. He is asexual. And he will continue to be until he resolves his crazy.

Basically, delusional fans: your pairing is fucked. Stop pretending is isn't. Wake up and get over it.

Comments

[wxs.livejournal.com]

My thoughts exactly?

[cynchick.livejournal.com]

Lol. I must seem silly to you at times. It's like talking about WoW with people who don't play it, or don't even game. Anime/manga really isn't all I talk about. It's just all this journal is for. XD

I have your AIM info, so at some point I need to actually IM you.

[wxs.livejournal.com]

Not silly at all. I know there is more to you than just anime/manga. I just like to poke at people for no good reason. ;)

[omizu.livejournal.com]

I full believe he would do her just for the babies and ignore her otherwise.

<3

[cynchick.livejournal.com]

Oh I'm sure he would. Good thing it isn't a josei manga or that's exactly what would happen. >:/

[thatreevesgirl.livejournal.com]

You know what's sad? I still don't put it past Kishimoto to make Sasuke and Sakura end up with each other in the end of the fucking manga.

That said, as much as I am not a NaruSasu shipper, I think Naruto is about the only person that can actually elicit any kind of emotion from Sasuke (albeit that emotion is usually pure hatred, but still, it's an emotion). If I had to pick someone to ship Sasuke with, then I'd probably go with Naruto (that is if I wanted to tie Naruto down in a failing, nonsensical relationship). But still.

Is it sad that I've kind of given up all hope of almost all my Naruto ships?

And Sakura's character...oh jesus fucking christ. Seriously? Can Kishi destroy it more? Oh wait, I'm sure he can.

I still believe that people can change, and though it is completely crazy to think that the Sauce will ever be normal, I do hope Kishi pulls one of his crazy bad-guy-gone-good things with Sasuke.

So in the end: You are at least a little bit self-abusive and misogynistic if you ship SasuSaku willfully at this point. And you are just being cruel to Naruto if you ship NaruSasu. Thank you fanbase, that is all.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's my opinion on it. Cyn's post is made of word, but even with the most recent chapters I'm not convinced Kishimoto isn't writing the Bromance of SasuNaru and the 'romance' of Sakura/Sasuke. So I think most of the fanbrats, while drawing in complete obliviousness to what is going on it canon, are picking up on authorial feeling about the characters in question.

[kashiichan.livejournal.com]

So in the end: You are at least a little bit self-abusive and misogynistic if you ship SasuSaku willfully at this point. And you are just being cruel to Naruto if you ship NaruSasu.

This.

[cynchick.livejournal.com]

The only blessing here is that its a shounen manga, and there wont be any real romantic resolution. At least I hope not. Of course, it would just figure if Kishimoto decided to step outside of the shounen formula box for something like that instead of, maybe, female progression. >:|

[me-ninjakitty.livejournal.com]

It really does get harder and harder to read this series as time goes on.

At this point I don't know what pairing to hope for at the end of the series, I pray now there are none just for the dignity of the characters.

I used to love the thought of canon Sakura and Sasuke but now its a love that only lives in AU and barely because they have to change both characters dramatically to make it work now.

I wish he'd just kill Sasuke off, give Sakura a chance at being a great ninja, and give Naruto back his goal of ONLY being Hokage.

[xdespondence.livejournal.com]

very agreeable. sasuke is fucked up and there is absolutely no hope for him and sakura to ever get together. eh, but i don't know if he can be considered to not have feelings for anyone at all? after all, he's human. he might suppress it and deny it even in his grave, but i still believe that a tiny, itsy bitsy smidgen is there somewhere, even if it never comes out. of course, that's just what i think.

but this is what fanwork is for, of course. just because it won't happen in canon doesn't mean we can't throw ourselves into silly, whimsical dreams.

oh and i hate the way kishi is portraying sakura. i don't even care about sasuke anymore. just... sakura, gah. SHE DESERVES SO MUCH MORE THAN THIS. SHE IS STRONGER THAN THIS. >:O