I Really Really Want Clem And James To Be A Thing.

My Top 15 Narusaku Moments

by mysterylover123

I never expected to like NaruSaku. When I first started reading the series, I was aware of the fandom’s big pairings (NaruSasu, Sasusaku, Naruhina) and I assumed they were the ones I’d enjoy. But reading the series, slowly, bit by bit, scene by scene, NaruSaku won me over, to become one of my favorite anime pairings. I’m sad they didn’t get together, but I still love the scenes they share, and reading fanfics and doujinshis about what could have been. Hope you enjoy this top 15 moments list!

#15. Ramen Stand Feeding Scene

What Happens: Naruto is injured and Sakura offers to feed him. He gets excited about this prospect, but they’re interrupted by Sai.

Why I like it: It’s this moment of intimacy between the two - kind of simple, but I like how Sakura initiates it and he blushes and accepts. Sakura is someone who likes taking care of other people, and Naruto is someone  who has never been cared for like this. They seem like a pretty perfect match.

#14. The Promise of a Lifetime

What Happens: Sakura asks Naruto to please bring Sasuke home. Naruto promises to do it, and this motivates him throughout the Retrieval Arc. Possibly much of the rest of the series.

Why I like it: It is not Sakura’s best move for sure, but it’s a sign of Naruto willingly putting her needs above his own, with no hope of her ever returning his feelings. It’s such a sweet moment of his promising her to bring Sasuke back, and seems to identify retrieving Sasuke as the barrier to them being together. I think he refuses to try and be with her until the end (or would have) because he wants her to choose him for him, not because Sasuke wasn’t available. 

#13. The 10th Question

What Happens: When answering the 10th question, Sakura isn’t sure if Naruto can pass, and is willing to throw away their chance this year to protect his dream of becoming Hokage. His resolve, however, inspires her to keep moving forward.

Why I like it: Sakura was willing to throw away her shot to protect Naruto’s dream. Naruto’s willpower inspires her to move forward, and later in this arc to cut off her hair and beat up the villains to protect him. They have such a mutually reciprocal bond. (Also, he liked her short hair, while Sasuke was said to like long hair. Symbolism much?)

#12. The Bench Scene

What Happens: Naruto, disguised as Sasuke, flirts with Sakura. She confesses her feelings and he realizes why he likes her so much.

Why I like it: Just as Sakura is feeling insecure about her ‘large forehead’, Naruto comes along and tells her he finds it charming and wants to kiss it. He’s attracted to the very feature she’s ashamed of. He likes even the parts of her she doesn’t like. And he empathizes with her need for belonging. 

#11. Naruto vs Gaara 

What Happens: Naruto finds the strength to defeat Gaara while fighting to protect Sakura.

Why I Like it: Got a real soft spot for characters finding their strength protecting their love interest. Here, Naruto is able to call upon strength he hadn’t known before and fight Gaara to keep Sakura safe.

#10. Love Confession

What Happens: To stop Naruto from dying for his promise, after hearing from Sai that he loves her, Sakura takes him aside and tells him she loves him. He believes she’s lying and shuts her down. 

Why I like it: Honestly, even though the story tells me her confession was fake, her blush and sheepish body language, along with all her attraction to and behavior towards him before this, convinces me this was real. But since it’s officially not, I’m ranking it a little lower. Still, it’s a full blown ‘I love you’, hard not to enjoy that. And I think she does love him, platonically or not. 

#9. Chunin Exams

What Happens: During the Chunin Exams, Naruto and Sakura both yell out their support to each other during their matches.

Why I Like it: Sakura’s able to beat Ino because Naruto supports her. Nobody at the time believes in Naruto to win, except for Sakura, who cheers him on. They’ve got each other’s backs.

#8. Minato Scene

What Happens: Minato sees Sakura healing Naruto and asks if she’s his GF. He says kinda and she doesn’t deny it. He says she reminds him of Kushina.

Why I like it: Naruto and Sakura don’t deny that they’re dating when asked. Minato notices that she’s similar to Kushina (since Naru wasn’t raised by Kushina, this doesn’t even have the potentially creepy ‘wants mom’ aspect). Instead it’s just ‘this girl could make my son a good wife’. It’s really cute. 

#7. Shippuden Reunion

What Happens: Naruto and Sakura reunite after a few years apart. They’re all grown up now. She blushes at him and he tells her she doesn’t look different.

Why I like it: Sakura finds him attractive now that they’re all grown up. He’s always found her pretty, so he says she looks the same. I wouldn’t be into the pairing if it didn’t seem like she was attracted to him too, but she clearly is right here. It’s great. 

#6. Yamato Line

What happens: As Sakura is healing Naruto, Iruka says the above rather ambiguous line, hinting that he was about to ‘you love him’ or something similar.

Why I like it: There’s some very well-placed ambiguity here, gently implying that Sakura’s feelings for Naruto are not platonic any more, or at the very least extremely powerful. 

#5. Someone Precious

What Happens: After training for a while to impress Sakura, Naruto happens on Haku, who asks him if he has ‘someone precious’ that he’s training for. He realizes he does.

Why I like it: This entire arc is so focused on how having someone in your life you care about is key to success in life (also the whole series). For Naruto, this is Team 7, predominantly Sakura at this point. She’s “someone precious” to him. (I also enjoy her helping him complete the task, and him complementing her strength. It’s sweet).

#4. Heaven and earth scrolls

What Happens: Iruka explains how Naruto has the ‘earth’ scroll and Sakura the ‘heaven’ scroll. They basically complete each other.

Why I Like it: I love pairings that are able to complete each other and encourage the other to do their best. This seems to be saying that Naruto and Sakura are two halves of the same whole and will make each other better together than they would be apart.

#3. CPR Scene

What happens: As Naruto is dying, Sakura in a desperate mood and determined to save him gives him CPR and pumps his heart back to life.

Why I like it: She proclaims that she wants him to achieve his dreams and pumps his heart until he revives. She literally holds his heart in her hand and presses her lips to his. She makes his dreams come true.

#2. Heaven and earth Bridge

What happens: Naruto goes out of control with worry over Sasuke. Sakura, feeling like this is her fault, runs over to him and is accidentally injured by Kyuubi. Later on, she lies to Naruto to make him feel better, but when he learns that he hurt her he resolves to try harder to control himself.

Why I like it: It’s a great scene of concern on her part for him, and it showcases his concern for her. I also enjoy the bit where he compliments her for her medical prowess and strength, but flubs it up by calling it ‘monstrous’.

#1. Invasion of Pain

What Happens: During the Pain Invasion, Sakura is desperate and calls out for Naruto. Once he saves the village, she goes up to him and hugs him (post tsundere moment) and thanks him.

Why I love it: It’s just sweet and simple. It feels like in this moment she really chooses to be with him, and shows her appreciation for him. He looks so happy and surprised at finally being hugged by the girl he likes, and it’s very pure. Even Hinata smiled at it, she seemed happy. I enjoyed it so much and it makes me smile.

I finished my animation of Jenny!! Its staying as a rough animation for class, but I really like how it came out!! * v *

dany: lives her whole life in exile, living on the streets starving with her sexually abusive brother who was driven into insanity with the thought of re-gaining their family’s fallen legacy

dany: sold as a sex slave

dany: loses her husband just as things are starting to become loving

dany: loses her child as well as any chance to have another child

dany: is constantly insulted and harassed for being a female ruler

dany: loses 1/3 of her dragons while saving jon 

dany: goes to protect winterfell with everything she has, leaving her kingdoms vulnerable to the max, only to be bombarded with xenophobes and sexism and the mad king’s daughter insults

dany: loses her claim to the iron throne and all she had ever built towards and been told to live for, all to the love of her life who does not even want it, but he has a dick so hes got it

dany: loses 99% of the Dothraki and Unsullied and the one man who had stuck with her through all her hardships who only cared about her safety and belief in her reign, all to protect the xenophobes against her previously murdered, zombified child and new slave master; something of which she had been banning for,,, the whole series

dany: sees that her claim to the iron throne is even more weakened by the way her opponent, someone whom she still loves and does not want the throne, is around his followers

dany: is constantly questioned with her state of mind 

dany: is constantly being questioned about her idea of rule, despite it being needed at this point

dany: needs to beg jon to not destroy the claim for something he doesnt even want…only for him to not listen to her anyway

dany: is constantly snarked by s/nsa for literally existing

dany: is forced to go onto a ship with her advisors that are for some reason, fearing her rule

dany: watches yet another, 2/3 dragon fall a brutal death into the sea right in front of her, plus most of her fleet coming to follow her to the red keep

dany: is not able to avenge either dragons’ deaths - both being by the names of her brothers, aka her only family shed known

dany: takes the remaining 40 men to attempt to save her innocent friend

dany: loses her innocent friend violently just for cersei to prove a point

dany: starts to lose sanity

everyone:

Writer Problems #1405

Me: I’ll be posting the second chapter tonight, guys! Watch this space!

Me, two days later: The second chapter is almost ready, guys! Thank you for your patience!

Me, two weeks later: The second chapter just has a few kinks that need ironing out and then it’ll be up and ready!

Me, two months later: Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have decided the second chapter is unworthy of your eyes. But don’t worry! The first chapter of my next fic will be posted tonight! Remember to watch this space!

"Call me a slave one more time"

I hope this will never happen, but low-key wanna them engage in a hand-to-hand combat

Well that is people in our world, mostly

I honestly find it very difficult to hate characters. It’s weird to watch people get angry about a character because they are easily scared, irritable, or make mistakes. They have their reasons to be like that, it’s human, but so many people jump to hoping they die or just being aggressive about them in general. It borders elitism and is usually targeted towards kids, like Duck for instance. People were glad a kid died. I just don’t get how people can survive acting like this, it’s vile.

Nathaaaaaannn aaaaaarrggg! 

Mr. Jefferson…is coming for me now

when you try all the sounds and beats on your synth while only playing coldplay - viva la vida

I CAN’T WITH THESE DAMN COWBOY HAT MEMES 

Reflection on Attack on Titan: how the narrative failed its premise

I apologize for dwelling so much on something I no longer like with Attack on Titan, it’s just such a fascinating trainwreck, even though I hopped off the train just in time I have to look back at it periodically and be horrified yet morbidly reflective. I do find it disturbing people are denying the imperialist subtext here because it barely qualifies as subtext anymore at this point, so I do think noting it is valuable as long as fandom continues to be denial.

I just keep wondering at myself why I was drawn to AOT in the first place and HOW I didn’t see this coming- I think reflecting on that is valuable so I’ll see the warning signs earlier with other media.

It also helps me consider what makes a good narrative and what elements can appear compelling only to be squandered.

Because honestly, there WAS so much potential there, and though it’s a struggle, I CAN remember what excited me about it. There was a good horror concept here. It really did make me feel what the terror would be, to have this unknowable, ravenous threat that could so easily wipe out everything, to have to trap yourself to avoid it. The huge walls, the striking visuals, the displays of human weakness and terror, the visceral aspect of it all- it was compelling stuff. And also importantly, it kind of rode that line where it was very easy to laugh at as well- the memes involving the titans were a TON of fun in the heyday of AOT, the bizarre way the various ones were drawn were so funny, the peak melodrama of the situation was so absurd it almost made fun of itself, especially with all the exaggerated expressions- the fandom had a lot of fun with it.

And the concept COULD have gone somewhere that was compelling, rather than boring fascist nonsense. While the components of fascist narrative were present from the beginning- a grotesque invading threat the military, the protags, as heroes, must fight- there was potential in the premise for all that to be subverted, for it to ultimately go somewhere not fascist. The Titans turning out to be fellow humans, even your former loved ones, could have been more than a footnote. 

The titans actually being people only ended up mattering in the sense of “this shows us the REAL threat is this other race that trapped us here and in fact we must use the titans to defeat them”. It didn’t ultimately change the characters or their ideals, it just made them change enemies (to a much, much more boring threat and narrative). But it COULD have been a game changer that shook the characters to their core. A very natural place for this revelation to lead would have been “it turns out there is no clear enemy. We’ve been fighting ourselves this whole time. We thought we were killing something monstrous, but it wasn’t, it was the people we love. We were used. Now what do we do?”  It could have been a story of the characters struggling to answer that question. How can they seek freedom now? 

And if you really want a “dismantle the corrupt government” plotline, it would be a much simpler and stronger narrative if it was simply about the government pushing for Titan extermination despite the revelation, because they prioritized their own safety above all else and also wanted to erase past mistakes.

What if the Titans had simply been the result of horrific human experimentation done in the past and the government just wanted to cover it up? That’s it. no other countries, no emphasis on royal bloodlines or magic amnesia or any other convoluted bullshit. The reason people responded to Attack on Titan was NOT because they love convoluted royal drama or covoluted wars between opposing countries, that was not even a factor in the beginning…it was because it touched on this very simple, visceral thrill, so the story needed to keep being simple and visceral.

 The final struggle of the narrative, the key to freedom, could have been the characters having the re-evaluate their worldviews and the character having to struggle to find an alternate method to deal with the titans while society goes against them for doing so. 

The survey corps is disbanded. Eren, who could only deal with his grief by focusing on obliterating a clear enemy, now doesn’t have that and is forced to actually grow as a character. He has to actually confront his guilt and the fact his desire to construct an inhuman opponent he could fight was all so he didn’t have to deal with survivors guilt, because he wanted something that was black and white with no messy emotions attached. but it turns out nothing ever is that simple.

Or hey, maybe there’s something more compelling and less predictable you could do to subvert the fascist elements. I’m only doing this off the top of my head, there are probably a million ways the story could go in a more interesting direction than the shitstorm we got if someone actually focused and creative puts their mind to it.

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