#lmao if i were gonna make a doujinshi this is what the cover would be

[freakurodani]

saturated daydreams

[mrm64]

hello! i know it's a bad idea to engage in any shipping discourse but for the sake of constructive criticism, i asked an sns shipper if she thinks there's atleast potential in ss if ever sakura had that capacity to stand up to sasuke and if she wasn't as much fixated on him during shipuuden and the war arc. i even brought up the wasted opportunity of sasuke vs sakura that was shown in the game. the sns shipper gave a very structured and well-versed answer and i do agree with some of her points. i'm not even anti-sns and i understand the support this ship gets. but this person really hates sakura. so her answer to my question if ss has potential is straight up NO. hate is an understatement. she explicitly said she DETESTS sakura and ss xD. granted, her hatred is valid since sakura's writing is very flawed and inconsistent. what i didn't like was when she said why am i trying to change sakura's personality (her standing up to sasuke whether physically or verbally) when "she's constantly on heat when he's around". gosh, i really wanted to retaliate here and say it's called freakin character development. i mean, that's what she's mainly hated for right? the fact that she's obsessed and a pushover when it comes to sasuke. having that change especially during the war arc doesn't mean she's out of character, it means development. but gah, sakura haters are really hard to argue with so i just stayed silent.

to briefly summarize, her main point of argumentation is that sakura was toxic to both naruto and sasuke. sasuke's relationship with naruto is more defined than whatever he had with sakura. she brought up ss's pt.1 moments and said that sasuke would do the same to naruto, if not even better. as for naruto's case, sakura was a mean bitch and was so unfair to him throughout the series. simply put, even if sns has questionable elements, they are more organic and healthy than sasusaku.

this got me thinking. between sasunarusasu and sasusaku, despite both having toxic elements, i think the reason why there are relatively more sns shippers is because there's balance. compared to sakura, sasuke has shown more consideration towards naruto and we all know naruto cares for sasuke just as much and he isn't afraid to stand up to this guy.

idk what i'm even trying to ask here. i guess i'm just ranting lol. i've always seen your comments in youtube vids defending sakura and ss and i know you have an extensive knowledge of the naruto manga in general. you could only imagine how shocked i am when i found out you're a male. it's really rare to find someone like you. :)

anyways, i just feel so disappointed and pressed lmao. ss shippers couldn't catch a break from haters. like yea, some of us know it has shit writing in the canon and explanations regarding their relationship in the series is very limited. i already accepted the fact that they are underdeveloped and was borderline toxic. but then, between kishimoto's pitiful inability to write female characters properly and SP's biased treatment towards sasusaku plus the manga's main narrative focusing on naruto and sasuke, i just feel like it's kinda unfair for antis to shit on ss shippers when in reality, most of us just hold onto it because of nostalgia. most sasusaku shippers came to be when they were very young. i even found comments saying they started shipping them when they were 6 or 7. in my case, i was 12 lol.

it's kinda unfair since sns has the upperhand bcoz the series is mainly about them. naruhina has retcons and SP and what does ss have? small pt.1 moments, headcanons, fanons and to top it off SP's biased ass shitting on it. the ss fandom isn't perfect and has its fair share of immature stans as well, but i'm still glad that didn't stop authors and artists from making content. ss has got some of the best fanfictions, fanarts and doujinshis. i just wished antis won't attack them as much.

anyways, i'm not even asking a specific question. i just ranted. i just needed to get this out of my system. sorry for that 😅

Hey! It's been a long while since I got asks like this lol! Once tumblr went all anti-nsfw a few years ago, we all kinda migrated to Twitter for our SS/Anime cravings tbh but I'm glad and flattered you decided to ask me on my thoughts! :)

I won't write long as again, tbh, I'm kinda retired from debating/arguing with antis on things of SS/Naruto/Etc (unless I'm simply too triggered to let it go lol. You've already probably seen my long Sakura video so I won't go too much into details of what I already covered with Sakura's character. But to answer you, I'll keep it to the point.

It's ok of course to say Kishi's writing is flawed, I mean he is human and we know Naruto has holes. Every manga/story does of course. When it comes to SS, I personally bring it to this: Sasuke and Naruto's relationship is NOT Sasuke and Sakura's relationship. And that's (imo) ok. Sasuke and Naruto obviously have a bond only they have. Both lonely and orphaned, rivals with each other, haters to brother, you know it all. But Sakura is different. She's simply a normal, head-strong and caring girl. Kishi wanted to write a normal girl, and he did a darn well good job, because just like normal girls (or people in general), they're imperfect. That's why she first appealed to me.

Anyway, to the point, SS is pretty easy to follow. Sakura likes Sasuke....what's the problem? Where's the toxicity, lol. Sure she fangirls over him as a 12 year old girl, but again, Sakura is normal. Most girls I knew that age did the same thing. Most BOYS I knew were super...*cough* ready to be with girls (*cough cough*, puberty, everyone, *cough*). Sasuke is cool and confident. Sakura lacked confidence, so naturally she was drawn to Sasuke. Sasuke at first found her annoying (as he did with Naruto too) but as the became a team, she bonded. SS' bond is NOT NSN's bond. SS's bond is built upon a simply caring basis. Sakura always cared for Sasuke, and Sasuke always was protective of Sakura. Forest of Death, Sand Invasion, etc...add in the angst of Shippuden (nobody can tell me one was better than the other during Shippuden, Sasuke was 'bout to axe everyone while in darkness lol), blank period bonding, and then Boruto. There it is in SIMPLE terms.

As far as "standing up" to Sasuke...not sure where this person is coming from....again, NSN is NOT SS....Sakura has stood up to Sasuke at times. In the FOD where she indirectly called him a coward, when she pleaded with him to not fight in the Prelims and threatened to tell the proctors of the curse mark, trying to stop him from leaving Konoha., etc. If she was a "doormat", she would have said "Ok Sauske, you do whatever you want, it's all ok my love!" That was chapter 3 Sakura. A LOT of haters can't move beyond that chapter tbh...moving on. The main thing is, she wasn't STRONG enough to stop him by FORCE. She wasn't written to. Sure I woulda liked some angsty moments of them fighting, TRUST ME, you already know. But Kishi wanted the fighting to mostly be between Naruto and Sasuke, as most battle Shonen go. It's Goku and Vegeta, Deku and Bakugou, you name it. She was written to LOVE him unconditionally. And despite Kishi's misses here and here, it's clear as day to many people that they do indeed, love each other. Sarada is a product of years of redemption, forgiveness, and understanding between SS (which is....literally some of the themes of Naruto....Zabuza...Haku...Gaara...Pein...Obito....list goes on...).

And of course Naruto and Sasuke's relationship got more spotlight. They're essentially the Shonen "duo" like I explained before with Goku and Vegeta. It's a common tope which can be a bit annoying imo since other characters get shafted, but they're gonna be seen more by the public. At the end of the day, Kishi modeled NSN after his relationship with his BROTHER....that was one of Naruto's main story plots. AGAIN, OF COURSE it's gonna be pushed and seem like it's more "balanced"...it's a battle Shonen, not a love story lol. The love stuff is sprinkled in. This isn't a Shojo. If it was, SS would be the main focus (or...I guess NSN if Kishi WANTED to go that route).

So to finish off, you're right with the SP thing. But it can't be helped. If people wanna say NSN has more "development", let them. At the end of the day, they're shown more to the viewers because they're the Goku and Vegeta of Naruto. They push the narrative, not a romance. They're Kishi's go-to boys. They're the essential main character and rival. It's nothing new. But you know what else? They're. NOT. A. COUPLE. SasuSaku is, and again, romance is SPRINKLED in. It's N O T a Shojo and not the main focus. Honestly...the arguments that NSN shipper used are a bit weak knowing full well that SNS represent Kishi's brother and himself.

I mean...tldr, I could just say "Kishi and his bro are Naruto and Sasuke. SO nah bro, NSN has no romantic development. I wasn't meant to lol."

Typed longer than I thought, but I hope this helped! At the end of the day, ship SS in peace. We have an amazing fandom for the most part with wonderful content and we ain't stopping anytime soon :)

[awwishfulthinking]

Houshin Engi 100 Questions!

There are SPOILERS!

I did this seven years ago (my god...) but I’m re-doing this because I can.

1. What is your name? My online nickname is Ariana. 2. When did you get into Houshin Engi? Around when I started university. So around 8 or 9 years ago.

3. Did you read it in Weekly Jump magazine? Or the tankoubons? Or both? I read the scanlations by SnoopyCool. 4. Do you own all 23 volumes? Sadly, no. But I hope I have the space/money to obtain them someday. (They’re actually on sale for a good price at Book Off, I just don’t have the space atm) 5. Do you own Houshin Taizen? No. 6. Do you have the special Houshin Taizen that came with Akamaru Jump? I wish. But no, I do not. 7.Do you want a Houshin Taizen 2 to come out? Yes! 8. Did you watch the anime? I’ve watched the 1990s anime all the way through at least once; I’m currently watching the remake it’s not great 9. Did you tape record it? I burned all the subbed episodes of the 1990s anime on five dvds... Felt bad about it and recently bought a complete series, official DVD set. I’ll likely buy the complete series DVD set for the remake as well because I love HE that much even though the anime remake is kind of. Eh. 10. Give your honest opinion on the last episode. To be honest the second half of the old 1990s anime has been nearly completely wiped from my memory. I don’t know how I feel about the remake’s last ep as it hasn’t aired yet, but I’m praying it provides some decent closure. 11. Do you own mp3s of the opening and ending songs? Yes.

12. Do you buy the soundtrack albums? No. I really should, shouldn’t I... 13. If you answered ‘yes’ to #12, what is your favourIte track? N/A 14. What Houshin Engi merchandise do you own? Unofficial merch: Like 12 doujins. Official Merch: A bunch of acrylic keychains, and hopefully that Taikoubou prize figure, the nendoroid, and the mini plush doll.

15. Have you ever bought any of the Senkaiden games? I have the Senkaiden ni II game for wonderswan (downloaded). 16. If you answered ‘yes’ to #15, which ones have you bought? refer to answer above 18. Could you name all the characters in Houshin Engi? I don’t think I’d ever be able to remember everyone’s names. 19. Favourite male character(s)? Taikoubou, Taiitsu, Gyokutei, Tenka. And far too many others but those are my usual top faves. 20. Favourite female character(s)? Yuukyou, Sengyoku, Ryuukitsu Koshuu, and Ko Kibi! (This answer hasn’t changed at all in the past 7 years lol) 21. Which is your favourite Taikoubou outfit? I used to like his post-Chou Koumei arc outfit, but now I think I prefer his original outfit slightly more. The post-Chou Koumei outfit seems a little... too much to me now. The gloves on that outfit really annoy me for some reason. 22. Your opinion on Youzen’s outfit during the fight against Jyoka? It’s fitting. 23. Your opinion on Fugen’s shoulder-revealing shirt? how does it stay on??? 24. Have you ever imitated Dakki’s speech pattern? Nah, I don’t really like faux-cutesy speech patterns. 25. If you could transform like Youzen, who would you turn into and what would you do? I honestly don’t know... lol 26. Which act/chapter is your favourite? The Chou Koumei battleship arc still remains one of my favorite arcs to this day. 27. Which anime episode is your favourite? For the 1990s anime: The one where Taikoubou fights Raishinshi using the drunken fist technique. For the remake: Episode 10... it’s painful but it’s probably the best episode of the remake so far. 28. Which volume cover is your favourite? Of the fancy tankoubons, the last two volumes. 29. Which title — be it volume title, chapter title, or episode title — is your favourite? I don’t pay attention to them enough lol... 30. Have you ever cried while reading Houshin Engi? No, but some parts of the manga did make me feel emotionally drained. 31. Do you still buy the calendars? I kind of want one but eh, I can live without them. 32. If you answered ‘yes’ to #31, do you keep the old ones up? refer to answer above 33. What is your favourite quote, and who said it? “Let’s go flying to the land of rainbows on my ferrari!” —Doukouson. (my answer still hasn’t changed lol) 34. Do you have a favourite romantic pairing? Ko Hiko x Kashi. (He loved her so much...) 35. Say anything you want about that favourite pairing? Out of the (very few) confirmed romantic pairings in HE, I just love that Ko Hiko is portrayed as a man who loves his wife that deeply (and that she loved him that deeply as well). 36. Why are you into that pairing? refer to answer above 37. Have you thought of a perfect song for that pairing? What song, and by whom? I’m not really the type to think up pairing songs... 38. Which houshined character do you want resurrected? *slams fists on table* All the Juunisen members and also Tenka.

39. Which character made you think “I’m glad s/he wasn’t houshined!”? Taiitsu. And Bukichi. 40. Which of the Konron 12 would you like to be scouted by? Taiitsu would definitely be the most “fun” to have as a teacher. Fugen or Kuryuson (Dokouson’s master) would also be good because they both seem pretty nice and laid-back. Also Gyokutei because he’d be a good teacher (I can’t believe I initially forgot about him orz) 41. What are your reasons? refer to answer above 42. Suupuushan, Kokutenko, Kokukirin. Who would you want to ride? Suupuu! He would be the best conversational partner.

43. Do you have any friends who like Houshin Engi? Thank god for the HE discord group. 44. Who’s your favourite Jyuttenkun? Kinkouseiba! Her design is A+ 45. Did you like “Ennui Academy”? It was good as a gag; but honestly, if this was an actual manga series and not just a three-page gag it’d probably be kind of insufferable. 46. What’s your favourite non-romantic pairing? Bukichi and Suupu’s friendship in the latter part of the series is adorable. 47. Which do you like better; the Dakki Sisters or the Beautiful Sisters (Venus and Co.)? The Beautiful Sisters! 48. Do you want Roushi’s suit? Sure. It seems useful. 49. Name one paopei you want. I’d love to have a mini-version of the Zansanken (Gyokutei’s sword) if only to chop up ingredients quickly. Also, Youzen’s Koutenken because... how could you turn down a fluffy, giant white dog that you can pet and also use to attack people with if necessary? 50. What would you use it for? refer to answer above 

  51. Who is the strongest character, in your opinion? Fukki. 52. What is your reason? He freaking beat up Jyoka, who was the strongest being in the HE universe. Do I need to state any other reason? 53. Which character makes you go, “I’ll never forgive him/her!!”? Outenkun 54. What colour do you like on Taikoubou’s hair? Black. 55. Name a master-disciple combo you like. Gyokutei and Youzen. 58. Which is your favourite splash page? The one of Fukki under the waterfall. 59. Taikoubou + Outenkun = Fukki. Did you easily accept this fact? I was spoiled but yeah. Sure. 60. Did the entrance of Fukki affect your opinion on Houshin Engi? No, although tbh I’m still ambivalent about Fukki’s entire existence. 61. Do you think of Taikoubou, Fukki, and Outenkun as three seperate people? Yes. 62. Where on Taikoubou’s body do you think Outenkun’s paopei’s mark appeared? I know this question was asked for all the perverted minds out there. I’m just gonna say it was probably on his hand. 63. Who would you want to be houshined by? I would rather not die if I could, thanks. 64. Who would do you want to houshin? Ryogaku; he’s the one that deserved it the most. 65. Which of Dakki’s many outfits is your favourite? It’s been 7 years and I still like her retro-space outfit (reference to Space Channel 5) outfit the most. 66. Is Venus scary? Only if you get on her bad side. 67. Which paopei made you go, “That’s terrible!!”? Rikukonhan. I think it’s pretty much unanimous. 68. What is the colour of Chibi Youzen’s horns? Gray. (I think that’s what they are in the anime?) 69. What cup size is Dakki? C. Any bigger would be kind of ridiculous. 70. Who’s your favourite Colourful Trio sennin? Taiitsu! 71. Your opinion on the brand new sennin world? It’s fitting for Taikoubou’s ideal of what a senin world would be (no interference in the human world) 72. What is Fukki’s hair colour in act 201? White. 73. Ask yourself a question concerning Houshin Engi. What does this question even mean 74. Your response to that question? ???? 75. In your opinion, is Nentou in love with his half sister? Probably 76. Did the Sennin World War leave a deep mark on your heart? The page where Taikoubou cries has still got to be the most hard-hitting two page spread I have ever seen in my life. 77. Do you own any Houshin Engi doujinshis? Yeah, I have about a dozen because I have a serious problem 78. Kichiku, hentai, yaoi, shounen-ai, general. Which doujinshi genre do you have the most of? I have the most shounen ai doujins, but I really prefer gag doujins. 79. Do you make Houshin Engi doujins? I wish I could, but sadly I can’t draw. 80. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, do you make doujins about couples? refer to answer above 81. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, the amount of Houshin Engi doujinshi circles is decreasing, but do you intend to continue yours? refer to answer above 82. Who’s the easiest character to draw? Taikoubou’s alien form (lol) 83. Who’s the hardest character to draw? As much as I like Taikoubou, he looks like an absolute pain to draw. I like his outfit design, but it is kind of a mess. 84. Have you ever done Houshin Engi cosplay? No, because everyone’s outfits are so complicated it looks like it’d be hard.

85. If you answered ‘yes’ to #84, who have you cosplayed? refer to answer above 86. Does your website mainly have Houshin Engi in it? I don’t have a personal website lmao 87. Is there a Houshin Engi fan you can’t forgive? Who and why? ...no comment. 88. What is Hanyoutai Youzen’s colour scheme? whatever it was in the remake 89. If Nataku were to give you a ride, where would you want to go? let’s be real he’d probably kill me before I even had the chance to do that.

90. Which of Choukei’s outfits is the best? His Jyoka arc outfit is nice.

91. Say anything about the most memorable scene in Houshin Engi. ouch my feelings 92. What do you think of the ending to Houshin Engi? Probably one of the more satisfying endings out there for a series. 93. Have you imagined what happens after the series’ end? It’s pretty much like what happens in the Senkaiden Ni II game I guess. 94. If you answered ‘yes’ to #93, give more detail. http://s2he-game.livejournal.com/ (angry that my walkthrough pictures no longer work thanks photobucket) 95. Have you read Parallel World Houshin Engi? Yes 96. Do you own “Dramatic Irony”? No. 97. The series has ended, but is your love for the series still going strong? My obsession with the series definitely comes and goes... but I think this is a series I will always be a fan of no matter how old I get. 98. Do you really think Fukki has nothing left to do in the end? let the lazy bum be lazy. He deserves the retirement. 99. Say anything you want about Fujiryuu. I don’t always understand your character design choices but I love your story-telling. 100. Any last words? please let there be new HE content forever thanks