#but then I'd lose everything I've accomplished so far. which really isn't much but it's better than nothing

[cerise-on-top]

Sorry for being annoying on main again, but does anyone have any tips on how to regain your writing spark? Writing feels like a chore more so than anything else these days, and it feels like those short breaks aren't cutting it anymore. But I'd feel guilty if I took another break, I just took one last week, after all. Has anyone been in the same boat? Does anyone have any idea regarding what I could do?

[brightgnosis]

I'm thinking that, once we're at the farm, and we have the garage converted (so a very long time from now; years, really) ... I may finally take the leap and actually get into making Stained Glass like I've kinda always wanted to.

My hands are too messed up now, with the Fibro, to do Embroidery anymore. Which is kind of depressing, actually, considering how many years I desperately wanted to get into Embroidery but was scared to because I thought it'd be too expensive to start- only to have it ripped away fairly quickly after finally starting (comparatively) ... And Knitting and Crochet have never worked out for me. My brain just cannot grasp either no matter how hard I've desperately tried to make myself take them up.

I really enjoy the traditional Folk Art that I've been getting into this year. Absolutely adore it, actually, and it makes me feel so accomplished- which is huge, because I'm an Artist by default, and it's truly been decades since I've genuinely felt accomplished with my traditional art. But I can also only do so much of that at a time either before I start running into the same issues with my Neuropathy as I do with embroidery. Though thankfully, because Colored Pencils, Paints, etc, are larger, I can go a lot longer with them, and it's not as bad on my hands.

I want something else, though, too, to kinda put my time and energy into craft-wise. Something nice that I can lose myself in, in a studio, the way I used to be able to with my other craft. Especially since I'm going to be well and truly and properly alone out there at the Farm.

I thought about Pottery for a while, because that's also something I've been interested in since I was a kid. But that one really does have such a high entry cost. And with my hand strength and everything ... I don't want to invest and then not do it- and where I am I'd have to invest first to find out. We don't have classes around here I could take to learn first.

Also thought about Glass Etching, which would be fun; I never had any interest in it before, but it looks easy enough. I'm concerned, however, that the vibrations from the tool necessary to do it would really screw with my neuropathy- which would ultimately make that one a useless investment. And that one, as far as I understand it, isn't quite as easy to put down and then pick back up as needed.

Stained Glass, though ... I was doing some research and the barrier of entry's really low for it cost wise. And it's a lot easier than I thought it was; it's a skill I already possess (mostly Soldering), so I'd only have to invest in materials and then brush up on the skill again since it's been a while. And the hand work that is involved isn't rally all that demanding (the Glass Cutting is probably the most demanding bit that'll fight with my Neuropathy). Plus you can put it down and pick it up as needed and able, without actually causing any problems with the projects. I've also always wanted to do it. So it seems perfect.

It's a very long ways out, though.

[a-tale-never-told]

One Ride in the Sunset.

September 3rd, 2012, 4:15pm, 14th Avenue Drive, Kyoto, South Japan.

(Okay, that checks another thing off the list of chores they gave me this morning. Never expected that I'd have this much work on my hands though, considering that the paper info was really short .)

(Still, I've got a long way to go before finishing everything, so I should probably get to the post office to drop off the check now. In the meantime though, let's see what on's the radio for today, just to keep myself entertained for now)

*"After putting the paper down, Hajime reaches for the radio and begins to switch channels for anything, be it music or news*"

Brzzt!- Coming in from Toyoko, where a raccoon started to eat, what I presume is a chili dog-Brzzt!- Today on Sunday night live, we have-Brzzt!

(Hey... This actually isn't that bad of a song. It's catchy, so there is that at least, right? And it's decent for a sundown.)

*"After changing the Radio, Hajime lays back and turns to the left lane, heading for the postal area, as the song begins to play whilst the sun sets*"

(Well Haji, you've made it through the first week, and still, we haven't known anything about Natsumi, or any of the Kuzuryus. We also don't even know the reason why Honami has issues with the Kuzuryus... it's like we almost accomplished nothing last week)

( But then again, I cannot say that with certainty, as we did manage to get some stuff done, like going to the library to get some books to help me investigate the situation. As well as the fact that I managed to spend some quality hangout time with the girls outside of work)

(Speaking of that, I think that conversation really did help me calm down a bit yesterday. I honestly am glad to have people who truly care about me and my well-being, aside from my parents of course.)

(Mikan... the nurse who seems so timid and shy, yet is always caring and thoughtful of others, always willing to help the sick, old or young. She may look meek at first glance, but she's really much a sweetheart to almost everyone she comes across and I'm blessed to work with her, especially since she's so dedicated to her position as a nurse.)

( Ibuki... the girl that likes to party on and is pretty much hyperactive almost 80% of the time, but she surprisingly has a wise, contemplative mind for someone of her age. Still, I did really enjoy the wisdom she tried to give. I honestly never knew she was actually capable of doing that, especially since she seems so hyper and upbeat every single day. Still, she's pretty nice, to be honest.)

(And Chiaki... *sighs* God, where would I be without her? She's pretty much the first friend I've ever made in life, and we'd only grown stronger ever since. She's kind, considerate of others, inspiring, and just an absolutely nice person to be around. Even during the times when either I'm not in the best mood or she isn't, we both try to improve our relationship as friends, one step at a time. She pretty much tried to comfort me about my lack of talent and I greatly appreciate that.)

(I honestly don't deserve those three. They're far too sweet and compassionate for this world, which has now become a place where you have to be judged by society based on your racial color and talent. And through all of the darkness in this world, they're pretty much shining beacons of hope, to overcome the despair of feeling hopeless in life.)

( So I'll try. I'll try to take their advice seriously from now on, as this is advice to give me a healthy mindset going forward. I think the point of what they wanted to say is to be yourself and not lose your sense of self and individuality, to work for that talent while also not losing sight of the ones you love and cherish the most in life. And just... have hope for yourself and for the future. Because isn't that what life's all abo-)

BEEP! BEEP!BEEEEP!!

Wh-

CRASH!!! SHATTER!!!

KRGH!!!

"*Upon hearing those beeps, Hajime turns his head to the front to see a car coming straight at him. Seeing the vehicle right in front of him, Hinata tried to swerve out of the way, but it was too late, as the front of the car collided with the other car's front, sending shards of glass flying across the interior as both cars came to an absolute stop. One of the shards nearly hit Hinata right in the head, though he managed to get out of the way in time. Still, the impact is enough to make him fall onto the floor of the car, making him lose consciousness...*"

[sylverstorms]

Cassandra x Maiden ----Anonymity Ch. 6

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5

It becomes a sort of evening ritual between the two of you, waking Cassandra up at sunset.

You're always cautious with your movements and how much light you allow in from the hallway as you enter her lavish bedroom, but the cold fear that used to grip at your chest is no longer there.

Measured steps take you to the edge of her bed.

Cassandra usually sleeps on her side, yet today she's on her front, firm back and creamy thigh tantalizingly on display against satin crimson sheets. Her pretty face is turned halfway into her pillow, a river of rich brown waves falling behind her ear and over one shoulder.

The sight makes you stop and stare for a moment. A strange feeling —accomplishment?— swells within your chest at the thought you know just how smooth and sensitive that skin is.

Then you shake your head at yourself. Pull it together. It's one thing to accept you're in a mutually beneficial arrangement with a killer —you remain intact, she scratches an itch, both of you share the pleasure as a means of escape or passing the time— but it is entirely another to be proud of it.

She's nothing of yours. Not your lover, certainly not your girl. That would imply you stand on equal ground which you most certainly do not. You're exactly what she calls you;

A plaything.

The question is, inside your head, what do you call her?

"My lady." you say, keeping your voice low. She doesn't stir but somehow you know she's awake.

"Either wake me up nicely or don't wake me at all." the words come semi-muffled against her pillow. "If I wanted to hear 'my lady' I'd have another maid come."

Well. She does seem to enjoy when you take some creative liberties. So you lean forward and press your lips just over her knee, then move a tad higher on her thigh, then kiss the veins visible on her hand.

Cassandra's mouth slowly pulls into a pleased smile as she turns onto her side. Her fingers then curl on the neckline of your shirt and tug you forward, into a quick little kiss that ends with a nibble on your tongue.

You always get anxious when she does that —it's probably why she does it in the first place— that you'll end up with a piece missing, but so far you haven't even been cut. And if you're honest with yourself, which you're not, but if you were... the thrill is a turn on.

Cassandra licks her lips and scoots back, patting the spot she just vacated on the queen-sized mattress. You look at her, confused. Surely she isn't suggesting...

"Come, now. I don't bite." A devilish smirk curls her mouth while she tells probably the biggest lie of the year. "Keep me company until dinner."

You climb onto her bed like it's a freaking minefield. As carefully as you lower yourself onto the crimson sheets, however, the bruises across your sides still protest. You subtly suck in air through your teeth.

Cassandra's fingers slide over to you, to the exposed part of your waist from where your shirt has risen up. There's a visible patch of purple there that she traces —the coolness of her skin is so soothing— until she presses into it. The brief flare of pain makes you gasp. She giggles.

"You make such nice expressions to pain." she says, as though tempted to draw more from you.

"I've been told my pleasured ones are better." you reply quickly.

Cassandra chuckles. "Is that so?" Her yellowish eyes are gleaming with amusement as she pushes you onto your back and straddles you.

The sight is enough to steal your breath away. The sinful black of her underwear peeks through the royal red of the sheets tangled around her waist, all a wonderful antithesis with her incredibly pale skin.

You want to touch. But then you may lose your hands, so you lock your muscles down and wait for her move.

Cassandra slowly trails a slender finger up your neck, all the way to the underside of your bottom lip. "...yeah, they're good too." she breathes, although you've almost forgotten what you were talking about.

"Can't hold a candle to yours." you whisper back. At this point, you're not really capable of rational thought.

You loathe the effect she has on you. How everything she's done can just be bypassed in your head whenever she gets like this with you.

Cassandra's mouth twists into a near coy little smile. "I'll take your word for it." she says. "There hasn't been anyone else to see them, so."

Wait. Your mind stutters to a halt. Wait. What?

According to rumor, the Dimitrescus have been around for over one hundred years. From what you've seen in the castle, probably longer. And you... you're her first?

"Cat got your tongue?" she giggles again, taking your chin between two long fingers. "I think I may like surprise on you best."

You want to ask if nobody's ever interested her before, but you're afraid to overstep. Cassandra seems to know, though and has no problems answering your unasked question;

"The first few dozen years after the mutations were... very bad. The hunger and thirst were enough to drive one mad. Didn't leave much room for anything else." she explains. "And humans in general are only attractive to me chained up and bled out."

Something inside you recoils at how casually she says it. Like she's simply commenting on the weather.

"But you... you have a little spark that I like." She smirks down at you.

"What about before?" you ask.

"Hm?"

"You said after the mutations. What about before?"

Cassandra's smile gets swallowed up by the abyss so quickly you wonder if you imagined it there. Tension builds at her temples and her eyes take on an icy quality that feels like it extinguishes all warmth in the room.

"There is no before."

You've never heard her voice like that. You hope you never will again, either.

The conversation drifts to lighter subjects, then. She asks you about the world beyond the village and you share what you remember from your childhood, until it is time to escort her to dinner.

But even as she eats and talks with her family, even when she leaves with her mother and sisters and you're left alone, to clean after bloody plates with the other maids, you can't shake off that look in her eyes when you dared ask about her life pre-mutations.

The more you linger on it... there's only one word that comes to mind as an accurate description.

Haunted.

-

-

Deep in your slumber, you hear the telltale buzzing of flies.

Something winged flutters against your cheek, but you merely stir. It prods at your jaw and you grunt. Leave me alone, you want to protest, brain muddled with sleep still.

Until.

A nip that cuts a thin line on your jaw has you springing upright in bed. "Agh!" Your hand flies to the wound, eyes wide.

A familiar form materializes out of an insect swarm, right in front of you. Cassandra grabs at your hand before you can start flailing and panicking any harder than you already are. Your lungs empty of hair in the milliseconds it takes you to realize she's not here to kill you.

Probably.

"Calm down." she says it like you're overreacting.

You try to take a deep, relaxing breath, but she leans forward in the meantime, running the tip of her tongue over the fresh cut on you. So much for oxygen. She even hums against your neck. Despite the sting, your stomach flutters.

Cassandra pulls back, licking her lip. "There. All better now?"

No. Your heart is trying to jump out of your chest. Has she never heard of knocking? For the love of everything Holy out there, it's the middle of the night.

"W-what are you doing here?" you ask.

A dramatic huff escapes her. "I'm bored."

Ah, yes, that makes a lot of sense. You spare a moment to wonder what your life has come to, then accept lack of proper rest and sit back against your pillows. Cassandra takes it as an invitation to push off her hood and plant herself next to you.

"Do you... want to go for a walk outside?" you suggest, uncertain.

Her eyes light up like a Christmas tree for a moment. Then she seems to remember something that dims the glow. "Ugh. Can't. It's way too cold tonight."

That... shouldn't be and issue for her, should it? It makes you wonder.

"Well, if I stay here I'm going to fall asleep." you sheepishly admit.

Cassandra's gaze darkens as she runs her fingertips down the taut skin of your bare middle, leaning over you like a lioness cornering her prey.

"I don't mind biting you awake if you do."

You want to say that you mind, yet her lips are on top if yours, smooth, tasting of strawberry lipbalm and that's the end of that conversation.

"But I am willing to cut you a deal." A manicured nail presses a bit at the middle of your chest. "Put that smart tongue of yours to good use and I'll let you get your sleep."

So spoiled and so demanding, you think. But then, looking at her face this close up... So beautiful.

You forget all about sleep for the next half hour or so as you focus solely on Cassandra, your bedroom filling with her quiet sighs and moans.

True to her word, she does ease back when she's satisfied and you're so tired your eyes start drooping before you've even lowered your head to your pillow.

She doesn't move to leave though... and you find that you don't mind.

When you drift off to sleep this time, your last thought is that the gentle chill of her body beside yours is almost...

Comforting.

[definitelynotobito]

Why I Love Sakura Haruno

This is not responding to any hate, it's just me sharing my opinion.

She Wasn't Born Into A Prestigious Clan

Sakura was born into a weak, unpopular clan and still became very powerful. She started off with no kekkei genkai or special abilities, and there wasn't really anything she could do. She was almost as hopeless as Rock Lee was as a child. This shows how hard she truly worked to get where she is now, even if she can't compare to her peers that were born with greater potential to become powerful. For example, Sasuke was destined to awaken a Sharingan and Naruto was both an Uzumaki and a Jinchuuriki. Sakura had nothing. Still, she became quite powerful. I think this is particularly stunning, and it's genuinely praiseworthy.

She worked for her power, and she worked hard. When Sakura was a child, she was completely weak. She had her smarts, but she lacked battle skill. We were shown her hard work with Tsunade later on. Although Sakura did start out with the upper hand having great chakra control, it doesn't mean that her journey to achieving a Yin Seal wasn't a long one. Even other Medical Ninja with exceptional chakra control weren't able to do this.

Sakura sometimes even passed out because of how hard she worked. It was shown once during her training with Tsunade, and another time after she healed an injured person. She truly pushed herself to the limit, and it's definitely a reason to at least respect her. I really enjoy characters who had to work harder for their power.

Intelligence

Sakura's definitely intelligent, even if she isn't on par with Shikamaru or Kakashi. In classic Naruto, she explained various things to her teammates and was able to answer all 9 questions in the Chunin Exams without cheating. In addition, these questions were said to be too complicated for a mere genin. This didn't stop Sakura.

In original Naruto, Sakura lacked battle skill since she usually focused on being book smart. She knew practically everything in her grade and even things above her grade. Kakashi even calls Sakura Team 7's sharpest mind. In classic Naruto, Sakura even reminds me of Hermione from Harry Potter. Her intelligence definitely shined through more than anything in her early years.

Sakura was also very intelligent throughout the rest of the series, her analytical skills said to be better than Sasuke's Sharingan's by Sasuke himself. It's notable to mention that she usually depended on outsmarting her opponents in order to trick them. It's also notable to mention that this tactic often worked.

Personality

I really love Sakura's personality. She's

intelligent, confident, and caring. She has a very quick temper, but she loves her friends and puts their needs above her own. I'd say that Sakura's weakness would be her feelings, and it's great to give a character a flaw that hinders them. For example, Hinata. Hinata's weakness is her gentle nature. In my opinion, It makes her more likeable. I like that Sakura has this weakness of letting her feelings get the best of her from time to time.

Sakura is very kind. We all know she is hotheaded and short-tempered, but her kindness does shine through. Although he might've been the enemy, Sakura didn't deny to help someone who was dying during the war. Even though her peers told her it could potentially be a bad idea, she took him in while being cautious at the same time. Sakura is shown being very kind to strangers in particular.

Sakura is also very caring. She cares about Naruto and his dreams to become Hokage, claiming she wouldn't let him die in the Great Ninja War and feeling dejected when he is hurt. In addition, She threatens Sai when he deems Naruto weak, as she has immense faith in the blonde. She cares about the man who became both a traitor and a criminal. What Sakura had for Sasuke was true love, even if it was one-sided. She didn't give up on him because she cared deeply about him and had hope he could still be saved even after he did so many unspeakable things. While it deterred more as Sasuke committed more horrible crimes, I still think Sakura always had a sliver of hope.

Sakura cares more about everyone than herself, and this is an upgrade from when she was young and selfish. She puts herself in harms way, even if it's just for the tiniest distraction. This was shown when she served as a distraction in the fight against Madara, running at him head-on so Sasuke and Naruto could attack. While this can be a liability since a Medical Ninja needs to survive, it shows just how much she cares. It's notable that this might not even kill her because of her quick regeneration. What can I say? Sakura's not perfect. But you know what? She has heart and that's something I admire tremendously.

Her confidence is certainly noteworthy. Sakura is very confident in herself. You can easily tell Sakura is confident just by watching her scenes in the Anime or reading them in the Manga. Sakura has trust in her abilities, and that's also something I tend to favor. I love how she is able to assert herself as well as be certain about her actions.

Her short temper is another one. This is a hit or miss, and is a big reason most people don't like her. Sakura is very hotheaded. She usually gets angry when Naruto voices something derogatory or is perverted and punches him. Most people consider this an act of violence or abuse, but I don't. I mean, you can't deny that he deserves it sometimes.. Her anger dies down pretty quickly, and she ends up brushing off Naruto's statements and smiles. I think this adds a little bit of spiciness, character, and imperfection. Short-tempered characters often bring forth comedy and are interesting and exciting to watch. This is another part of Sakura's personality which I love deeply. But, like I said before, this is pretty much a hit or miss and some people do not respect this.

Sakura is also determined. In The Forest Of Death, she takes on enemies much stronger than her so she can protect her teammates until they wake up. She needed a lot of help in this fight, but it's exemplary that she put herself in danger for Sasuke and Naruto. In addition, her determination is also apparent when she asks Tsunade to be her sensei. She works really hard until she finally becomes powerful. She even acquired a hate for losing after her training, making her intent on defeating her opponent.

Abilities

Medical Ninjutsu is a favorite of mine. I've always wanted to be involved in medicine, so I appreciate all of the techniques and helpfulness shown in Naruto. I also enjoy watching Sakura and Tsunade's brute force be put into play. It's always exciting, not to mention Taijutsu is another favorite of mine.

Sakura is one of the best medical ninja out there. She mastered a rare technique at a very young age. This is the Mystical Palm Technique. Sakura was able to master it in roughly three months, while other medics weren't able to master it at all. Amazingly, she is also able to form a Yin Seal, which is even more rare than the Mystical Palm Technique. As I said before, even Shizune (A very skilled Medic) could not form the Yin Seal.

Furthermore, She has various powerful healing jutsu such as the 100 Healings Jutsu. The 100 Healings Jutsu allows Sakura to continue fighting while her body heals itself. This means she does not even have to stop to think about it or weave handsigns. In my opinion, this is a very useful and interesting jutsu. Sakura can withstand deathblows using this technique.

Speaking of the 100 Healings Jutsu, Sakura saved up chakra for three years. At one point in time, Tsunade forbade Sakura to perform surgeries or battle. This is because building up chakra in order to form the Yin seal drains the user's normal reserves of chakra. However, Sakura is actually able to divert some of this chakra back into her normal reserves and she is able to perform surgeries and fight again. It's unknown how she accomplished this, but it had to take some hard work and focus. It also had to take some intelligence to even think of it.

Sakura was very supportive during the Pain Invasion arc and the War arc. She summoned Katsuyu, who traveled around to aid fallen citizens and shinobi in both arcs. She successfully did her duty and mended the wounds of many people. Countless citizens would have died without Sakura's expertise and dedication. Every Medical Ninja had to weigh in greatly for these two arcs, showing just how serious they were.

As for Taijutsu, I think it's amazing how both Sakura and Tsunade fight. The women obtain their monstrous strength from transferring chakra into their fists and sometimes their legs. Another Taijutsu user, Choji, was able to defeat Jirobo by transferring his chakra into his fist and punching him. This proves just how effective this technique is. This also requires a vast amount of skill in Chakra Control, something that Sakura was shown having from the very beginning. In addition, Sakura is pretty good at evading attacks. I guess she was just destined to gain monstrous strength.

Growth

This is commonly brought up. Sakura used to be weak, annoying, and selfish. All bad traits. As Sakura works and betters herself, she eventually becomes a powerful woman who thinks of others above herself.

In the early episodes of classic Naruto, Sakura badmouths Naruto. This is a line even Sasuke knew was going too far. After Sasuke calls her annoying, Sakura is able to sit down and sympathize with Naruto. She knows partly how he feels now, and vows to be nicer to him. In Shippuden when she is older, she always put her faith in Naruto. She would never badmouth Naruto again, and got angry when others such as Sai did. By this point, Sakura truly cares for Naruto and understands him more than she did before.

Another thing substandard about Sakura in classic Naruto would probably be her love towards Sasuke Uchiha. This was a typical 13-year-old crush and you can't deny it got annoying easily. She was obsessed with Sasuke as a young teen, but grew out of it once she got older. She has always loved Sasuke, but she was more calm and less boy crazy. There are scenes where Sasuke causes Sakura to blush, but that's nothing compared to how she acted as a young teen. Her feelings develop into true love, even if she only had a crush on him because of his calm attitude and good looks before. She truly cares about him and wants to save him in Shippuden, even if she doubts it sometimes.

Unlike when she was younger, Sakura often cares more about others than she does herself. This is shown a few times throughout the series. As I said before, she usually uses herself as a distraction so her teammates can attack. Moreover, she is not as selfish as she was regarding her feelings. She now takes other's personal feelings into account instead of her own. While she still does focus on her feelings sometimes, she's not entirely egocentric as she was before. Great Development.

Now on to her power. Most don't deny that Sakura was utterly weak during Classic Naruto, but in Shippuden we were able to see how strong she had gotten thanks to her hard work. She gained brute strength, evasion skills, and advanced Medical Ninjutsu. All of these are useful and supportive when in battle. Sakura doesn't need to be rescued as often as she did before, and it's amazing she finally became a bit more independent as well as more powerful.

Bonds

Sakura is close friends with the two main characters, so of course her relationships come off as likeable. She is very supportive of our protagonist, Naruto, and puts a great deal of credence in him. Even if she couldn't, Sakura has always tried to understand and sympathize with Naruto. She believes in him and is there for him if he might need her. She does lash out at him sometimes, and he can be unknowingly rude to her, but not every relationship can be perfect. Naruto is determined to keep Sakura safe and is in love with her for quite a while. I think her relationship with Naruto is more notable than her relationship with Sasuke. Seeing Naruto and Sakura together is never a bad thing.

Next, her relationship with Sasuke. This is probably the most obvious one, as she is married to him. A big part of Sakura's motivation to get stronger involved bringing Sasuke back to the village. Sadly, she was not strong enough to match up to him and instead trusted Naruto would save him. Even when she tried to kill Sasuke, she couldn't do it because she loved him too much. Sakura had very deep feelings for him, even if that love was only one-sided. She has always wanted to be acknowledged by him since her youth, much like Naruto wanted to be acknowledged by this village. Finally, Sasuke did acknowledge her. He conveys that she is now someone people can depend on. Additionally, Sasuke accepts that no matter what he did to her she was always going to love him.

I feel like this next one is unpopular, but I adore the relationship between Sakura and Sai. Sakura started off angry at Sai for calling her ugly, but later tried to be more open-minded. This failed after Sai insulted Sasuke, of course. Later, Sai wished to learn more about human bonds and Sakura showed compassion towards him and aided him in this quest. Sakura and Sai's relationship is pretty sincere in my opinion. She helps him to understand people and bonds more, and they even rescue one another and share intimate moments. Not to mention Sakura showed interest in Sai.

Next is her rival and best friend, Ino. From the very beginning, Ino and Sakura were shown to be very competitive towards each other. It wasn't really surprising that we later found out they were childhood friends. Sakura was ridiculed for her large forehead, but Ino encouraged her to embrace her forehead rather than cover it with her bangs. Sakura continues to be shy about her forehead, and Ino constantly had to tell her she was just making it a big deal. Sakura and Ino become close friends, Ino helping her to become more confident around others. Eventually, Sakura decides to tell Ino that she has a crush on Sasuke. They become rivals at this point, competing in everything. Despite this, there are times where they really show their care for eachother. One of these moments include Ino fixing Sakura's hair after she cut it in the Forest Of Death. Also, let's mention that Sakura wanted to be like Ino when she was younger. If that isn't cute, I don't know what is.

Finally, her relationship with her senseis. Kakashi and Sakura are very understanding of each other. Kakashi is very protective of his student, reassures her, holds her in high regard, and never judges her for her mistakes. Sakura in return worries for him, shows him respect, defends him, and isn't afraid to tell him about her feelings. This is exactly what a sensei and student relationship should look like. A teacher who never belittles the student and a student who respects the teacher. Furthermore, there are many characters who understand Sakura, but Kakashi really takes the cake with this one. He is the one who understood her feelings and the reasons behind her mistakes.

Now the next teacher: Tsunade. Tsunade is really the one to thank for Sakura's strength and skillful Medical Ninjutsu. Sakura and Tsunade respect one another, and Tsunade compliments her for her achievements. Sakura always listened to Tsunade, and took her battle advice. Moreover, she also inherited some of Tsunade's views and ideals. Although Sakura was weak when she first started training, Tsunade acknowledged her potential and took her under her wing.

Teamwork

Sakura is proficient in teamwork. Whether it be with her squad or one other person. Chiyo and Sakura made a great team, as Sakura made up for Chiyo's weaknesses and Chiyo made up for Sakura's. Chiyo did not have enough strength to destroy Hiruko, but Sakura did. Sakura had trouble evading Sasori's fast attacks, so Chiyo took control of her body. I really admired the way these two worked so well together. Another notable team involving Sakura would be her and Obito. Obito and Sakura worked hard to retrieve Sasuke from an alternate dimension. Obito was the one who could open gateways to the other dimension, but he did not have enough chakra to do so. Sakura helps out by activating her Yin Seal and pouring her chakra into Obito. With this, Sasuke is able to save himself.

She does stand in the shadow of others, but Sakura is a phenomenal character. I personally feel her flaws and mistakes make her relatable, which makes her a character that you can be comfortable watching. I feel bad when I see Sakura being hated on for her tiny flaws but never given the benefit of the doubt. I believe this is because she is the main heroine and is judged and looked at more than the other women. In all honesty, Sakura's strengths shine through more than her flaws. I feel so inspired when I watch Sakura or think about her character. She proves you can change yourself for the better. She proves everyone makes mistakes. She proves you can truly be confident in yourself. And last but not least, She proves it's okay to show emotion. She's amazing. Truly.

Thank you for your time. If you dislike or even hate Sakura, I don't mind if you share why in the comments or in a DM! I respect everyone's opinion, and all I'm asking is for you to respect mine.

[championfrita]

Pokémon Sword and Shield Review

So...I've taken some time to fully play Pokémon Shield. Now, I know this is pretty delayed, and I got the double pack so I wanted to play Sword first to see if how I felt was really accurate or if I was being too harsh. That said, let's talk about my experience with the Galar Region.

Initial Impressions

Overall, I was excited to play Shield at first. Everything was bright and exciting and the characters were easy to recognize and not overly generic.

The first few hours of this game, well it's a slow burn. And I do mean SLOW. Even with the text set to Fast and me taking things at my own pace it took me at least a good couple hours to reach the Wild Area. Furthermore, this game has an infernal amount of handholding, even when given the option to say "I know all this already" it still gives a brief explaination for almost anything and STILL makes you sit ALL THE WAY THROUGH the catch tutorial.

It's 2019 and older players still don't get the option to skip this. Come on GameFreak.

That said, the longer I played the more I began to notice...how should I put this? Blatant laziness?

The Wild Area

Now, the CONCEPT of the Wild Area in theory is amazing. It's still not too bad as is, but there are definitely flaws. For starters, the same tree has been copy pasted all over the place to make up 90% of the foliage.

More than that, though, despite the Wild Area having a good selection of Pokémon and a fairly varietied environment (desert, lakes, forest) it feels oddly...empty. There are no real secrets to speak of, no hidden areas, no easily missed items. Everything is all right out there to see and spread pretty far apart. I don't know if it's a lack of Trainers or the fact that I don't have an Online membership so I played alone, but the Wild Area feels like it just needs something MORE.

Dynamax Raid Battles, even when done alone, are fairly fun and sometimes challenging with the turn limit. Radiant AI Trainers spawn in to assist you if you're playing alone so there's no worries about having to take one on with just one Pokémon.

Camping, which can be done anywhere but is introduced to the player here, is an absolute treat. Have YOU played fetch with a unicorn? I have, and I love it. The wide variety of curries you can make with different ingredients is nice, and your Pokémon even get EXP boosts if you play with and feed them while camping.

The Pokémon

Honestly, I'm really not impressed. The Galar Dex of new Pokémon feels painfully small, so much so that playing Pokémon GO and catching a few Unova Pokémon made me yearn for the days when we used to get regions completely FULL of new Pokémon. Remember when you had to wait until AFTER the main game to start catching Pokémon from past gens? I...well, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I LIKED that.

That said, using a sparse selection of Galar Pokémon and Galar Regional Variants on my team definitely made the Gym Challenge more difficult. I picked Scorbunny, because Fire Types, and honestly didn't really care for it or its evolutions at first. Cinderace has really grown on me though and I like Pyro Ball as a move. It's flashy and powerful and that suits me just fine. Most of the new Pokémon's DESIGNS were good and I liked them, there just really weren't ENOUGH of them.

I'm fairly pleased with the regional variants as well. It was difficult to adjust to Ponyta and Rapidash being Psychic Type, but I really liked having them on my team. At the same time...Meowth not evolving into a Persian doesn't really sit right with me.

I'm all for branch evolutions, but Perrserker honestly just looks more like a giant Galar Meowth than anything. I played this with only the info given in the few scattered trailers I'd seen, so I was genuinely excited to see what a Galarian Persian would look like only to end up with Perrserker. The Typing is phenominal, and I think it's great to see a Steel Type Meowth for a change, but I just don't like where they went with it. Eh. Ces't la vie, moving on.

The Story

It's weak. Straight up, the story in this game is poor. There were so many directions they could have gone. I really liked the idea of Rose being this charismatic chairman hype man for the League and being the bad guy. I saw it coming, but it was a nice change to see just based on his personality. Still, it feels rushed. His motivations are really one dimensional and glossed over. Like, "Oh, here's the bad guy. Go get him." It worked in Gen 1 because Giovanni was a MOBSTER. He was MEANT to be a bad guy straight to the core in general, but Rose just doesn't have that vibe.

Not only that, but the "Bad League Members" are kinda meh. That feels REALLY lazy. They didn't even really get a decent uniform change when they started taking on the name Macro Cosmos in Rose Tower. They got black glasses. That's it. Just that. The fight with Eternatus feels painfully rushed and shoehorned in too, almost like they thought "Oh no, we need to give them a big nasty boss to fight! Let's just throw a random monster at them and say Rose summoned it. Seems like a solid plan."

I DID like the after story with Piers though. It really solidifies that older brother sort of nature with him, even if he tries to hide it most of the time.

The Characters

I liked Hop. As a character he's really fun and I like how they gave him this over excited very grand gestured sort of personality. He's really just happy to be ANYWHERE as long as it's with his Pokémon and you. His admiration for his big bro might come off strong and make him seem a little flat at first, but he's overall portrayed as a good kid and I like him.

Leon on the other hand...well I hated him for most of the game. His design is great and he looks fabulous, but he just has the most cocky, obnoxious, pandering personality 90% of the time. Still, I have to give credit where credit is due and recognize that he IS actually a multifaceted character. He showboats not just because he's too confident but also to give the crowd a show and put people at ease in times of danger. Not only that, but his recognition of his little brother's accomplishments and his graceful acceptance of defeat when you beat him reveals a really well written character.

I don't DISlike Sonia, and I have no problem with Prof. Magnolia sitting on the sidelines, but she can be a little...irritating at times with the way she speaks about and to people. The Gym Leaders, aside from Piers, feel a little...light.

I mean, most Gym Leaders don't have detailed backstories, but these ones feel paper thin personality wise as well. I had to look at the official GUIDE just to be sure what the relationship between Melony and Gordie even WAS because you only seem him in her Special League Card in Shield and that tells you nothing about him. The only real leaders that stood out to me were Piers and Raihan, and while I was iffy about his design at first I LOVE Raihan. He has so much more personality and ferocity than any of the other leaders. And the social commentary about him needing to constantly take and post a selfie, even after losing, is a nice touch.

The Galar Region

Is very linear. Like, VERY linear. Even when you take a branching path it either loops back around or gives you a free ride to wherever you have to backtrack to. I hope you like Hammerlocke, cuz you're gonna be visiting there several times.

I know that the region is based off the UK, and maybe my Americanized idea of cities is different (idk, I've never been to the UK), but a lot of the towns in this game feel really small. Like, almost smaller than some of the towns in Hoenn small. Maybe it's a lack of significant interactable buildings, but despite many of them having multiple floors you typically can only access one and that's kind of a disappointment. The hotel in Wyndon won't even let you get in the elevator, and while I get that Alola also did that, it's kind of jarring when the hotel in Motostoke WILL let you see other floors.

That said, I kind of expected more than ONE Wild Area. The one we DID get is fine, and I appreciate what it is and lets us do, but I honestly thought there would be multiple places to really explore outside the standard straight lines. Pokémon has never been a franchise to shy away from puzzles before so I expected this to not be any different. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Moreover, many of the environment pieces are just UGLY. A lot of the ground textures are reused 3DS assets, and those copy pasted trees I mentioned earlier? Also 3DS assets. How do I know? They're pentagonal instead of round. In other words, they have five sides. Why? Because the 3DS hardware couldn't handle complex environmental shapes that well so they could get away with it, but now that we have nice round berry trees the contrast becomes painful. The Wild Area is so ugly the first time you see it is at NIGHT. They were so aware of what they did they hoped making it darker would hide the lazy flop instead of showing off how bad it was.

It isn't like they COULDN'T fix it either. Look at Ballonlea and Glimwood Tangle. They're absolutely beautiful and very well done. The modeling with them is fantastic and I love the glowing effects. They absolutely could've made the poorly done areas look amazing, but for some reason they didn't and the game suffers some as a result.

Other Thoughts

The Gym Challenges...they were not fun. Like, honestly some were ok. Herding Wooloo was easy, but they really didn't feel like anything I would expect from a Gym. The water puzzle in Nessa's Gym was fine, and I personally liked the spinning cup ride, but the rest just felt like agonizingly long padding because they couldn't come up with anything. Look at Circhester's challenge. It's a dowsing rod gauntlet where you have to avoid falling in pits in an artificial blizzard. It. is. SO. SLOW. That said, Spikemuth having just a Trainer gauntlet instead was kind of awkward. I reached the end and asked myself "Was that it? Is this it? Is this all there is to Spikemuth? Just one giant alleyway and a Pokémon Center?"

Raihan's three trials of worthiness challenge? It was more difficult than the battle AGAINST RAIHAN. Speaking of, I beat Hop, Marnie, Bede, all the Gym Leaders, Rose, Oleana, and Leon on my first try every time. While it was more difficult with my specific Pokémon choices, it really wasn't much. And can I just say that the Gym Badges are kinda lame? I get what they were going for, but the designs of each piece could've been really unique and intricate and instead we got glorified stamps.

I liked a lot of the general features of the game. Camping, clothing shops, League Cards. I love designing League Cards, even if I'm the only one who's ever gonna see em. That said, the clothing choices were really narrow based on what we got in Sun and Moon. The variety of different items was pretty small, though I loved all the punk leather stuff but WOW IS IT EXPENSIVE. Like Lumiose Boutique expensive. AND WHY IS THERE NEVER A REDHEAD HAIR COLOR THAT ISN'T JUST AUBURN RED? There are actually A LOT of redheads with LIGHT RED hair (that's more a personal gripe than anything, I know).

A lot of the music felt almost like rehashes of older BGMs. Like, Postwick, Route 1, and Wedgehurst all sound like they have remixed Hoenn music. A lot of the other music tracks just don't feel fitting for the areas or for Pokémon games in general. I like parts of the Slumbering Weald music and I like the Gym Music, but the opening of Slumbering Weald feels awkward and like it doesn't fit a mysterious forest we're not allowed to be in.

I know I've complained a lot, but there were some things I genuinely liked. A lot of the Pokémon designs, place names, and other radiant decor and parts of the region are actually subtle and not so subtle references to cultural points of the UK. Skwovet and its evolution for example are a gray and red squirrel respectively and are a nod to invasive species, which is neat.

In Conclusion

Is Pokémon Sword and Shield amazing? No. Is it bad? No. Sword and Shield fall into that mediocre middle ground of being ok but nothing to write home about. Could I have done without them? Sure, they aren't some world ending imperitive must play. They're ok, and they make for a fine jumping on point and a fine little adventure if you have spare time. Have other mainline games done it better? Heck yeah, but that doesn't mean Sword and Shield haven't done a few good things too.

Overall, it sort of feels like GameFreak bit off more than they could chew, or were afraid to make changes because of unfamiliarity with the Switch's hardware and software limitations. Pokémon Let's Go had a lot more effort, but it also was much safer and had a much easier to work with art style to everything. Chibi proportions are a lot easier to fake than a more realistic counterpart. Things can be not perfect and it's less noticable than with more realistic proportions, and I think they were afraid to push back the deadline any further for the inevitable backlash despite that being what they likely needed. The DLC may change my mind, but as it stands, just the fact that they feel they can JUSTIFY their laziness with DLC packs really upsets me.

I give Pokémon Sword and Shield a 5/10.

It's just, OK.