"Sometimes you have to reach the lowest of the lows before you realize what you're missing. True potential can only be reached when you've climbed from the very bottom to the very top of who you can be as a person."
-Yugao from my story Reunion

Hey guys! I'm just an ordinary college student who enjoys writing in my free time. I'm very opinionated, and you will definitely see my opinions expressed here. If you disagree, that's fine, but I just need a good space to rant about the annoying aspects of fandoms.

HERE WE GO!
Disclaimer: (I really don't understand why I felt compelled to put this in here) Obviously these are my own opinions and you are free to agree or disagree with them. However, I'd like you to at least read them with an open mind and consider them, as I would do for you.

First thing is first. Lately, I've been into Naruto, and as I've been browsing the forums, I have been tempted to facepalm on several occasions at the asinine, ignorant, sexist and completely troll-worthy things I have seen there (forums are a bad idea, unless you love to troll or just enjoy playing devil's advocate with everyone).

Misconception #1: Kunoichis in general are weak.
Okay, this is after I read two threads, back to back, "discussing" how Tsunade and Sakura are both useless, weak characters. I thought, 'Wow, Sakura, no surprise there...' But Tsunade!? Really? Before this, I had never seen ANYONE question Tsunade's abilities as a ninja, much less call her useless! What the eff are people smoking over there!? I seriously think they're just butthurt over the fact that Jiraiya didn't get to be hokage or whatever so they feel the need to take it out on her because she is a female. Yes, I went there. Like, seriously, I am getting the impression that if you're not a male character, no matter what abilities you have, you will always be weak and inferior. Tsunade is not as powerful as most of the main male characters (and she is obviously the weakest Sannin), yes, but to call her weak and to call her abilities into question just proves you have some vendetta against her or you're trolling like a boss. Tsunade is the most powerful kunoichi in the world. Her databook has her at a 35, which is stronger than a lot of other people. She is a Sannin for a reason, not 'cause Kishi had to make her one to put it at three, not because she happened to be on the same team as Jiraiya and Orochimaru. No. Tsunade is the best medical ninja in the world (she developed the whole system for cripes' sake!), can beat the shit out of people, has amazing chakra reserves/life force due to her background as Senju/Uzumaki. I could debate with a person all day on this, but if you're just too dense or refuse to see the truth, then fine. The fact of the matter is, Tsunade is a Legendary Sannin and she is the Fifth Hokage and everyone who doesn't like it just has to get over it and wait until she dies so there can be a new one. Now, that doesn't mean you have to like her or that she has to be your favorite character, that's your opinion. But calling her weak and useless does not equate to having an opinion, it equates to ignorance.

Misconception #2: Sakura is weak/pathetic/useless/annoying, etc.
OH GOD. I know this is practically exactly like number one, but I had to dedicate an entire paragraph to this specific issue because I am so damn tired of seeing it everywhere I go. All of this hate for Sakura is not warranted, damnit! Actually, hate for any character is not warranted because they're fictional characters and all have their own faults, namely that they were created by other people and so that makes you look even more dimwitted for hating someone who A) isn't real and B) was created by someone else (meaning they can't control their actions, thoughts, etc.) Now, thinking about it that way, doesn't it look stupid to just go around bashing characters when they're not even real and pose no real threat to you AT ALL? That's why I get so irked when I see things like, "Kishimoto even said Sakura's relationship with Sasuke was selfish" or "Kishimoto said Sakura isn't a good heroine" or BLAHBLAHBLAH. Well, Kishimoto is the one who created Sakura so it's his fault that's the way things are with her, not hers and half of those things people claim he said could either be misinterpreted,mistranslated, or taken out of context.
Moving on...the fact that some people use every opportunity to take a swipe at Sakura as a character has to be so damn annoying for people, even people who don't necessarily love her or are neutral towards her. Seriously, it just makes you look like you have a vendetta against her which is just...weird? I dunno, I don't know why you would be holding a grudge against a fictional character. Sakura is the main female heroine of the series, that is an indisputable FACT. Not Hinata, not Tenten, not Ino...SAKURA.
Yes, I will admit she was really hard to like in the beginning because of her annoying tendencies, but I've come to realize that's the beauty of her. Even Kishimoto has said this before, Sakura is supposed to embody humanity moreso than the others, being "normal" in a world where everyone else has special power-ups, clan-related jutsus, etc. and becoming an amazing kunoichi in her own right though simple hard work. This is exactly like Lee, and even Minato if you really want to get technical. So why the hell does everyone hate on the one character that they can empathize the most with? This is super ironic if you think about it, how everyone hates the one person they are just like. So does this mean that we hate ourselves, and our lack of perfection (our uselessness) since we are what she represents? Maybe the reason why everyone loves people like Naruto and Sasuke is because they are powerful and that is equated to perfection in our eyes. We as humans innately strive to be perfect, though we always fall short and can never attain that higher level of "power/perfection" that we seek because this is how we were born and this is how we were meant to be. Do we take that out on Sakura because she is just like us? That's the only logical reasoning my brain could come up with here.
Sorry for the super long text wall but I have to get all of my thoughts out so hopefully someone can read this and maybe rethink their opinions. I just wish Kishi would've done something differently with her because it's so hard to see the main heroine get treated like crap and have like no special powers while all of the other kunoichis do. (of course, her character is still developing as we speak). Nevertheless, I am open to debate over pm, as long as we keep it civil. I will not resort to name-calling/bashing and I ask that you do the same. Once again, no I am not asking you to like Sakura, I just want you to look at her in a different light and realize that maybe your judgments of her are too harsh, and if you think you can enlighten me to your view and why you feel a certain way about her, feel free to do so. She is, after all, only human. Doesn't that suffice in the real world?

Misconception #3: BlahBlah and BlahBlah are going to be together because -insert reason here-
Ah yes, the classic pairing debates. Who do you think will be paired up with who? To be honest, it's tough to make that call. First of all, Kishi is a master of twists and deception, as he has shown already. He could throw in a plot twist (i.e. kill off someone) and BAM everything is all screwed up (sound familiar, NejiTen)? Now, I'm not saying pairings won't happen at all, but I just don't think you can say that Naruto is definitely going to be with Sakura or Hinata or Sakura is going to definitely be with Sasuke or whatever. I think it's hilarious how even the most ridiculous, obscure pairing shippers can somehow find "evidence" in the manga to substantiate their claim of said pairing winding up together (ItaSasu and NaruSasu, um...what?). As you know, only one of these pairings will happen, if any do at all. I'm just not sure if Kishi is going to take the route of having everyone live happily ever after together or if he is going to kill off one or more of the main characters and have the ending be about overcoming great tragedy and finding strength through that, I cannot predict what will happen as I am not Kishimoto.
One pattern I have noticed is how a lot of the underlying romances/love stories have themes of tragedy and loss associated with them (Minato and Kushina, Tsunade and Dan, Asuma and Kurenai, Obito and Rin, etc.) which could mean that we might see certain pairings but one or both of them will end up dying. Who knows...me, personally, I'm hoping for the classically cliche NaruHina, SasuSaku simply because I feel that's what was "intended" from the start (I know I sound hypocritical right now lol but let me explain) I feel like if there ARE going to be pairings it will involve a combination of these people: Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, possibly Karin because they have all had the most interaction with each other regarding what could naturally and realistically develop into a relationship (I highly doubt Kishimoto would just throw Sasuke and Hinata together when they have never interacted before). I could also see no pairings happening which, although highly disappointing to the majority of us, won't be too surprising since the romance is supposed to take a back seat to the action anyway. I guess we shall see what happens, but let's stop pretending like we're wizards and we know for certain what Kishimoto is going to do regarding certain pairings. Until that pairing becomes a couple, then it can officially be canonized :) once again, I welcome debate regarding pairings (I could reasonably argue NaruSaku, NaruHina, SasuSaku or SasuKarin).

Misconception #4: Itachi is a God.
I swear, I literally saw a thread on the same forums I was perusing that compared Itachi to Superman. No lie. As if they were even in the same realm of comparison (Superman isn't even human, Itachi is. lol) It could possible be a trollthread but who knows...anyway, this brings me to my next point. Yes, Itachi Uchiha is super awesome and a difficult match-up for anyone and it could be argued that he purposely allowed himself to lose to Sasuke, i dunno and I don't feel like getting into that subject. What I do know is that Itachi is human and therefore has flaws. He is not the son of a God and he is not a demi-God, the Uchihas are not gods, just a ridiculously overpowered clan (No offense to Uchiha lovers, I don't mean that in a bad way, I love me some Uchiha). Also, I am not hating on Itachi. As a matter of fact, Neji Hyuga and him are tied for my top overall favorite characters.
All I want to say is that I hate when people act like Itachi could just destroy everyone in the entire series, no one could lay a scratch on him, blahblah, he is perfect. No. Okay, first off, that would make him a gary sue and Kishimoto would know better than to include that in his manga. Second, Itachi himself stated that every jutsu has a weakness. So while Amaterasu and Susano'o and Tsukuyomi are fucking awesome, they have weaknesses that can be exploited under the right circumstances. So can we please give it a rest? ITACHI IS NOT SUPERMAN, OR A GOD. PERIOD. This isn't even up for debate, either :p

Misconception #5: Naruto and Sasuke are going to have a huge showdown at the end.
(Warning: this contains spoilers of the recent chapters if you're not caught up with the manga up to Chapter 628). Okay, I'm probably going to take a lot of heat for this, and understandably so. After all, everyone has been dreaming, waiting anxiously on the edge of their seats for the big moment where Naruto has his inevitable showdown with Sasuke: the hero vs. the anti-hero, light vs. darkness, it all sounds appealing, doesn't it? And I cannot deny it has been hinted at several times in the manga (specifically by Tobi/Obito because of their conflicting ideals: Will of Fire vs. Curse of Hatred). However, in light of recent events (i.e. Chapter 628 of the manga), I am now a little unsure about this. Don't get me wrong, I think it will be awesome and I want it as much as the next person and there's still a chance it will happen, but my initial sureness of it has faltered somewhat with this "bombshell" that Kishi has dropped on us (what did I say about him being a trickster, ne? :p)
In Chapter 628 of the manga, after Hashirama has FINALLY finished explaining his story of the past/the events with him and Madara/how everything came to be, Sasuke finally made his decision regarding whether or not he was going to fight for the village or against it. Now, I'm sure you know what the answer is since I am now writing about this issue. Obviously, Sasuke chose to fight to protect the village and protect his brother's will. Now, does this mean Sasuke is suddenly a good guy? I am not sure...it seems odd that Kishi would make him flip flop like this all of a sudden after he was so hell bent on destroying the village and everyone in it, but everything happens for a reason, right? Maybe he felt Sasuke was slipping too far or he decided having everyone fight two Uchihas was bad enough lol, or possibly it has something to do with the fact that if Obito/Madara are defeated and Obito is killed, Sasuke will be the last living Uchiha and if Sasuke fought for their side, he would die as well and the Uchiha clan would be extinct (how depressing O.o).
Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that I don't see as much motivation driving Naruto's need to fight Sasuke now. I mean, he's fighting for the good guys now, I highly doubt he is going to waste his energy to fight to save the village only to turn around and be like "Hah jk I'm gonna go destroy it now." Not after he said he wanted to protect it for his brother's sake. So to me it seems that Naruto doesn't have a reason to fight him anymore since he is now on the allies' side. However, there are still possible scenarios that could lead to a fight. Maybe after the war Sasuke will still refuse to come back to the village (which I could see happening since he is still an S-Class criminal and nearly declared war on the village, so I can't exactly see them welcoming him back with open arms) and in order to try and make him come by force, Naruto will fight him? I dont know, a lot of things could still happen so it's not completely out of the question. Plus Orochimaru is still a factor, and I think he's up to something. But, I digress, I just don't think this whole "final showdown" is a guarantee, and I don't want everyone's hopes to be completely destroyed if it doesn't happen (we have to expect the unexpected with Kishi).

Wow, I think that's everything so far, geez I can be really bitchy haha. I'll add to the list obviously as I get around to it. Once again, pm me if you'd like to discuss any of these things (except for #4, ha). I will be more than happy to discuss whatever with you (I have a lot of theories :3 and I love theory sharing!) but keep it civil, please, that's all I ask. We're all mature here.

WIP.

Right now, I'm working on a SasuSaku trilogy that is loosely based on the manga. The first story is titled Reunion, the second will be titled Redemption and the third is TBD. I think I have a good idea where I want to go with this, I just want to have it done or mostly done before I post it here so that I don't flake out on it or lose interest and let whatever potential readers I may have down. As of right now, I'm still working on the first one.

Also, I'd like to undertake another project that focuses on other pairings (for some reason, I have a tendency to always write stories where Sakura is the heroine and I really feel that is unfair to the other kunoichi). Possibly NaruHina, maybe KibaHina (I have a soft spot for this not-so-canon pairing). We'll see (:

Also, I'm looking for a beta reader because I feel my grammar/spelling could always use some polishing up and improving (though I do try my best) so if you're interested, pm me or leave a review on my story whenever I get it posted up here.

Regarding reviews, my stance on them is pretty straightforward. Flames are stupid, and will be ignored. If you have nothing constructive to say, you probably shouldn't say it. Besides, if the story bothers you that bad, why are you reading it? Constructive criticism, however, is more than welcome! I always look to improve my writing, especially since it is quite rusty. I'm a little sensitive, though, so please try to keep it gentle at first. If not, I understand, some reviewers like to be more harsh and straightforward than others. Also, reviews in general are welcome! I'm not gonna sit back and beg for reviews, obviously, because I find that annoying, just if you feel the need to review my story, then feel free, or if you just enjoy reading it, that's fine as well!

misc. character shit

I don't know why I feel the need to put this here, I guess to take up more space :3 anyway, I feel this is almost obligatory for an FF.net profile, so without further ado, I will introduce my favorite characters/pairings, along with an explanation as to why I feel that way (because explanations are super fun!)

Favorite characters (in no particular order):
Naruto: Neji, Itachi, Naruto, Minato, Sakura, Tsunade, Konan, Hinata, Sasori, Kushina, Killer Bee, Sasuke, Gaara, Shikamaru.
Golden Sun: Isaac, Ivan, Garet, Mia, Jenna, Sheba, Felix, Piers, Susa, Kushinada, Briggs, Karst, Alex, Hama.
Tekken: Jin, Xiaoyu, Yoshimitsu, Julia, Asuka, Hwoarang, Christie, Jun.
DBZ: Vegeta, Bulma, Goku, Chichi, Trunks, Gohan, Videl, Piccolo, Raditz, Yamcha.

Favorite pairings:
Naruto:
-NaruHina: to me, it is the closest to canon. Hinata obviously loves Naruto, she told him as much, and I think Naruto is beginning to really care for her as well. They are very cute together and I think it's sweet that Hinata draws her inspiration to become a better person from him.
-NaruSaku: I have a soft spot for this as well. They already have a very deep friendship, almost like brother-sister, but they would be so amazingly cute together because Naruto seems to truly love her/care for her (Sakura reminds me so much of Kushina and I could see Naruto marrying someone like his mother, haha).
-SasuSaku: This was my OTP at the very beginning. I've always imagined them being together, because she cared for him and was there for him when no one else was and still loves him despite everything (classic love story, eh?). Of course, her feelings thus far have not been reciprocated. We'll just have to wait and see what happens regarding that. Although, if Sasu needs someone to help him restore his clan, she is always a viable option *wink, wink*
-SasuKarin: Actually, this is not a favorite pairing to me at all, and I only include this on the list because I think it is a viable pairing. I just find Karin weirdly obsessive (ala Sakura Part 1) though she is like this now, and I'm pretty sure she's part crazy. However, there has been some interaction between them, so it can't be completely ruled out. If this pairing is well-written, I can occasionally read it :)
-ShikaTema: Shikamaru and Temari have had some interaction too. The Chuunin exam (strategist vs. strategist), Temari saving his ass against Tayuya, and the escort scene in the beginning of shippuden. She has a soft spot for him, I think, and I think Shika could be one to tame her :)
-ShikaIno: Though they fight a lot, I think they would make a good couple. Ino keeps him in line and although Shika wouldn't admit it, he likes her company. This pairing has potential.
-ShikaSaku: What can I say, I have to pair everyone with Sakura ;p In all seriousness, though, even though it's not canon, can you imagine how smart their babies would be? They would have like little mini Einsteins running around everywhere! So cute!
-KibaHina: Like I said before, I have a soft spot for this pairing as well. And Kiba cares for Hinata, he's always joking around with her about Naruto. Plus, who wouldn't love Kiba? (once you get past the dog breath, I'm sure he would be great in the sack! hehe)
-ShinoHina: Another underrated Team 9 pairing. Shino also obviously cares about Hinata, and he's so quiet just like she is. They'd probably never talk, but they'd be super adorable.
-NejiSaku: Oh dear lord, I absolutely adore this pairing. I wish so badly that Neji wasn't dead and it could be canon. In all seriousness, I'd rather her be with Neji than Sasuke, because I think Neji has Sasuke's prodigal charms, he's badass, handsome, but I think he would treat Sakura better (I can see him being such a gentlemen, like the way he treats Hinata). Unfortunately, this will never happen now, but it's nice to have as a sort of dream pairing :)
-NejiTen: I apologize to all of the NejiTen fans I referred to in my above rant. This would have been such a great pairing because Tenten was probably the only female (besides his cousin) that Neji ever really interacted with and was close to. I'm sure they were at least friends, but now obviously they can never be anything more than that. So heartbreaking, RIP Neji :(
-ItaSaku: Mmm, I love me some good SakuUchiha lemons. I can't help it, Itachi and Sasuke are such irresistably charming characters that it's hard for me not to want to write steamy lemon scenes everytime they're in a romance story with Saku. This will never happen either, obviously, but it would have been funny to see Sasu's reaction if she was with his older brother, haha.

I'll finish this later. it's late and I have class in the morning.