(no subject)
Alright, I figured I should follow another trend and slap together a "Why I Play [______] Like I Do!".. Especially since I suck. D:
So, Here you go~
(1) First of all, when this RP originally started I had yet to pick a specific Sakura era. I also sucked. D: I finally chose to use post-jump Sakura, who I adore to no end. AND IF SHE DIES SO HELP ME GOD RARJFDSL.
(2) Personality
When looking at the way I play Sakura, you have to take into consideration one thing: She's constantly growing, always changing who she is. Physically and mentally. I play off that in a sense where I can continue her growth through CFUD.
The way I personally view Sakura also influences my actions/interactions, so if you completely disagree with my opinion of her.. You might really dislike what I do with her. D:
[INSERT OPINIONS HERE]
Sakura is an extremely strong woman. No, I'm not just referring to her physical strength, and yes, WOMAN. She's progressed past childhood, she's no longer a girl. Of course, that happens with age, but her way of life and the situations she's dealt with have indeed caused her to mature faster.
People constantly knock on her (though not as much now) for being weak. Which is completely untrue. She's tough as nails, she simply wears her heart on her sleeve. Which, I believe, is another sign of strength. You could counter that leaving herself open in such a way is a weakness in itself, but I feel it's completely opposite. It takes a lot of guts to be that open with her feelings, and it's much better than hiding them away. Sakura is smart, she may not receive the kindest words in return for her feelings, but that hurts less in the long run then locking herself away.
Though, she still hid certain things away (thus Inner Sakura was born). More recently though she's learned to voice her opinions, another sign of her growth and maturity.
Sakura takes a lot of hits, emotionally. To perservere, to not breakdown, is extraordinary.
(example) Sasuke. Originally, her feelings for him were simply a crush. When you're young those feelings can consume you, as they did her. But Sakura has come to love Sasuke, really love him. She said it herself, she would kill for him. She would give up everything to be with him, or have him stay with her. I, for one, believe that she would follow through with that. The amount of dedication she has to Sasuke is amazing, no matter how you feel about his actions towards her, you have to respect that. Now, take that, and compare it to how he treats her. It's obvious he cares for her, but he relentlessly talks down to her, ignores her.. Most everything painful you can say or do to someone in love with you, he's done. This doesn't stop Sakura though. (Yes, some of you will say that makes her "stupid" or "blind".) I personally believe, while Sakura might never say so, that if being with someone else would make Sasuke happy then that's exactly what she would want. Everything she does in relation to him is for his own good, to try and show him happiness. She's completely selfless. She goes through hell because of him, but never gives up or places any blame. (For fuck's sake, she cuts the boy apples and he knocks them out of her hand. YET SHE STILL LOVES HIM.)
(example) Team 7. Sakura started out the weakest of the team, physically. (I debate whether or not she was the weakest emotionally in contrast to the others.) She was constantly pushed aside to safety and rescued by others. You never really see how deeply this fact affected her until pre-Chuunin exams. Sasuke and Naruto unconscious, Lee knocked down after coming to her aid, Sakura is left alone. When Kin grabs her by the hair, Sakura realizes she can no longer take the backseat to her teammates. She had always been watching their backs from the sidelines and it's her turn to defend them, to prove her worth. She then cuts her own hair, freeing herself. (If you have never seen that scene you absolutely have to, not to mention that not long after there's a glorious Sasuke/Sakura scene.) One never realized how painful it was for her to always be left behind, to be worthless. That feeling must have been horribly destructive and detrimental. She takes a step forward though, going against everything she believes about herself.
[/OPINION]
I could have gone on much longer, but I'll spare everyone. The point is.. Sakura NEVER stops changing. Whether she changes for better or worse is not the point (though I believe she's only changed for the better thus far). She has so much to experience, to mold herself around. I play that up in CFUD. I took Sakura from the point she was in the manga and decided I could play around with her evolution. I play up her determination, her newly found "YOU'RE MINE!" attitude. I play up her growing levels of confidence, which I use to pull her away from Sasuke ever so slightly (I'll get to that in the relationships section below). I amp up her playful nature that one really only saw through Inner Sakura originally (which is why I let Yuusuke talk her into stealing Kabuto's pants). Everything I do is simply an extension of how she is in canon, atleast, I like to think so.
(3) Relationships
The point of this section is mostly to explain why I believe Sakura would pull away from Sasuke ever so slightly and allow "romantic" relations with other campers.
Sakura's main relationships in canon are with Sasuke, Naruto, Ino and Kakashi. You don't much get to see how she interacts with others, so I believe I have some freedom to play around. I believe (<-- opinion alert) Sakura's view on people upon meeting is positive. She'll try to be friendly with others, but she has a very strong will. If one's opinions were to clash with her own, she'd let them know it. In this sense, she's a very "hate" or "love" person, but there is that gray area. Sakura has never been one to let herself be pushed around, but that's more so true now than ever. She welcomes kindness and prefers to be on good terms with others, just as long they don't rub her the wrong way, even slightly.
(example) Sasuke. Now, let me just state, Sakura is as madly in love with him as she ever was.. Basically. Sasuke is Sasuke, her "important person". No matter how much time goes by, she'll never manage to get past him. Now, about CFUD Sasuke and Sakura. She came to the camp to be with him, to see him again, to romance him, and so on. Her plan (and reason for being at camp) was: WIN SASUKE. She was determined, and had this been a normal camp, that would still be her goal. Things get in the way though. Zombies, Campers, Plagues, Naruto's Cake. She has put things into perspective, now is not the time to focus on Sasuke. When she realized that, her feelings did not change. It was once she had gone on awhile, taking the time to interact with others, that her feelings changed. He's her teammate, her love, but he's also a DICK. (MY) Sakura would never admit it, but she can now pick out things about him she doesn't find so charming. Basically, she realized the world does not revolve around one angsty emo kid. There is more to life than "Sasuke-kun", and she shall LIIIIIVE.
(example) Yuusuke Being her relationship with Yuusuke is one of the strongest bonds she has, I believe I need to take the time to explain it. Unlike with the gaggle of ninja, she has no prior relationship with him (obviously, shut up). To take a character like Sakura ("OMFG<3SASUKE-KUN") and play up such strong feelings for Yuusuke might seem odd. So, I shall enlighten. First let me note, although her feelings for him are rather intense, he doesn't block out the mighty Sasuke. When she had the choice of staying with him (& making sure he didn't leave the house during the plague- before they found out it was stripping vamps) and going out after Sasuke, she chose Sasuke. Sakura's already existing feelings have not been pushed aside.
Now, about Yuusuke. Making a good first impression with Sakura is a must, otherwise one would probably end up on the wrong side of an awful grudge. Sakura had been insulted by Sasuke, she went out and massacred quite a few zombies. There was blood, lots of it. Yuusuke complemented her ass beating skills, score one for him. Not only that, he basically came to her defense against Sasuke. Atleast, he defended what she had done and how TOTALLY BAD ASS IT WAS. Which, it was. Shut up. Immediately, Sakura took a liking to him. They interacted every so often, but then they ended up coming to help eachother during quite a few fights. This forged a bond (for Sakura), she knew she could depend on him. Not to mention that Yuusuke is oh so bad ass, just like Sasuke, so maybe she (<3_<3)'d at that just a bit. He gained her trust, respect, and friendship quite easily.. Not to mention a lot of admiration. From that point on she considered him a friend. Their relationship was laid back, if not somewhat flirty (in that hot sarcasm flirty sort of way). In time, that relationship evolved into something else for Sakura. It's not something she can easily explain, it's just the way it is. Feelings are feelings after all, not thoughts or opinions. Though quite similiar. Of course, she has Sasuke though, so she was swimming in De' Nile (har har..). The way she feels not only confuses Sakura, but shocks her as well. She preferred to do nothing about it. "Yes, she really cares for Yuusuke, but it's nothing more.." sort of thing. Feelings aren't something you hide easily though, especially when you're Haruno I-Wear-My-Heart-On-My-Fucking-Sleeve Sakura. And that's why I play up her relationship with Yuusuke. That's why things happen between them, and will continue to happen. It's realistic (and so damn cute).
(example) Lee While unlike with Yuusuke there's a canon relationship between the two to build from, one could go either way with the pair. The "possible romance" route, or the "Lee will angst forever" route. Basically, I chose the first option, though it waivers around when dealing with her other relationships. Like I've said far too many times, Sakura has changed. What she thought of Lee upon their first meeting and what she thinks about him now (in canon, even) is drastically contrasting. Lee's dedication to Sakura has won her over (atleast gained her respect, friendship, etc) and there's what I go from. Sakura has so much respect for Lee, she would never intentionally want to hurt him. Sakura can never blow him off, in my eyes. Her kindness is met with SUPER LEE BRAND kindness, which just pulls her in even more. I think Sakura could someday think of Lee in a romantic sense, even if her heart wasn't completely in it. Personally, I think she loves Lee right now, just in a platonic sense. I get to take that and run with it, letting their feelings bloom like a spring flower~
(example) Lots o' Ninja A small explanation on why she interacts with the others from Konoha in the ways that she does. In canon, we don't see Sakura with Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru, Chouji or Itachi much. She had more interaction with Kabuto, but I'll talk a bit about him too. Sakura respects ALL of the other ninja (minus Itachi), simply for the fact that she's seen them in action. She knows how dedicated they are, she knows they're each skilled. With Naruto and Sasuke both gone, I think it's obvious she formed friendships with the others. Notice how she greets Shikamaru and Temari right after Naruto has returned. She's open, friendly, and obviously atleast somewhat close to them. Keeping that in mind, I feel Sakura would treat the others as friends. She cares about their well being and feels comfortable with them.
Concerning Kabuto and Itachi.. Kabuto, she feels betrayed by him. Sakura has every right to hold a grudge and most definately does so. She blames him (somewhat unfairly) for Sasuke leaving. When she takes time out to look at that objectively though, she relaxes up on him somewhat. Sakura has matured even past how she treated him upon his arrival at camp (constantly changing, blah blah, I know). Not to say that maturity puts her past rude pranks though, pssh. Now, with Itachi.. She's only dealt with "him" once. Her reaction to him was less than happy, to say the least. Having Kakashi around to tell her to back down kept her from losing her cool, but he's not at camp. Keeping in mind that I play up Sakura's new "I Kick Ass" belief, I think she would mouth off to Itachi. She detests him, he's one of the few people she doesn't take the time out to think before speaking to. Sakura knows her limits though, she would never (physically) challenge him, or push him completely past his limits. While her view on him is rather set in stone, she'll be civil with him for the sake of others, or when it's nescessary. Sakura still has a good head on her shoulders.
Oh, and if you're wondering why there's nothing on Ino.. Their relationship is exacty the same, just with a little underlined flirting (atleast that's how I imagine it). There's not a lot to explain there.
(3) Summary
I believe Sakura is becoming more of her own person every second. Growing, changing, bettering herself. This gives me some slack in how I play her, but I try not to drastically morph her into a whole new person. I try my best to pull off Sakura, while also getting to play around with her. Hopefully I'm doing an alright job. <3
And now, a nice little treat for reading all of that (if you didn't just skip straight here, that is).
Some of these are related to CFUD Sakura & her relationships, some are just.. Sakura. Straight up. YES.
1. "Hate Your Way" Nina Gordon *
2. "Swallow" Skindive
3. "Snow On The Sahara" Anggun Shut up, it's a good song.
4. "3 Libras" A Perfect Circle
5. "As Is" Ani DiFranco
6. "Every Time We Live Together We Die A Bit More" Hooverphonic
7. "I Like" Katy Rose
8. "You Look So Fine" Garbage *
9. "Walk The Rain" Sneaker Pimps
10. "Hanging Around" The Cardigans
* I have to go get the CD, burn, and upload. D: I'm lazy. Wait for it.. Wait for it..
Okay. So.. It's like a huge list of "love" songs. Shut up. Those are just the ones I picked out from my MP3 collection too (minus 2), fear the songs I would take from my albums!
So, Here you go~
(1) First of all, when this RP originally started I had yet to pick a specific Sakura era. I also sucked. D: I finally chose to use post-jump Sakura, who I adore to no end. AND IF SHE DIES SO HELP ME GOD RARJFDSL.
(2) Personality
When looking at the way I play Sakura, you have to take into consideration one thing: She's constantly growing, always changing who she is. Physically and mentally. I play off that in a sense where I can continue her growth through CFUD.
The way I personally view Sakura also influences my actions/interactions, so if you completely disagree with my opinion of her.. You might really dislike what I do with her. D:
[INSERT OPINIONS HERE]
Sakura is an extremely strong woman. No, I'm not just referring to her physical strength, and yes, WOMAN. She's progressed past childhood, she's no longer a girl. Of course, that happens with age, but her way of life and the situations she's dealt with have indeed caused her to mature faster.
People constantly knock on her (though not as much now) for being weak. Which is completely untrue. She's tough as nails, she simply wears her heart on her sleeve. Which, I believe, is another sign of strength. You could counter that leaving herself open in such a way is a weakness in itself, but I feel it's completely opposite. It takes a lot of guts to be that open with her feelings, and it's much better than hiding them away. Sakura is smart, she may not receive the kindest words in return for her feelings, but that hurts less in the long run then locking herself away.
Though, she still hid certain things away (thus Inner Sakura was born). More recently though she's learned to voice her opinions, another sign of her growth and maturity.
Sakura takes a lot of hits, emotionally. To perservere, to not breakdown, is extraordinary.
(example) Sasuke. Originally, her feelings for him were simply a crush. When you're young those feelings can consume you, as they did her. But Sakura has come to love Sasuke, really love him. She said it herself, she would kill for him. She would give up everything to be with him, or have him stay with her. I, for one, believe that she would follow through with that. The amount of dedication she has to Sasuke is amazing, no matter how you feel about his actions towards her, you have to respect that. Now, take that, and compare it to how he treats her. It's obvious he cares for her, but he relentlessly talks down to her, ignores her.. Most everything painful you can say or do to someone in love with you, he's done. This doesn't stop Sakura though. (Yes, some of you will say that makes her "stupid" or "blind".) I personally believe, while Sakura might never say so, that if being with someone else would make Sasuke happy then that's exactly what she would want. Everything she does in relation to him is for his own good, to try and show him happiness. She's completely selfless. She goes through hell because of him, but never gives up or places any blame. (For fuck's sake, she cuts the boy apples and he knocks them out of her hand. YET SHE STILL LOVES HIM.)
(example) Team 7. Sakura started out the weakest of the team, physically. (I debate whether or not she was the weakest emotionally in contrast to the others.) She was constantly pushed aside to safety and rescued by others. You never really see how deeply this fact affected her until pre-Chuunin exams. Sasuke and Naruto unconscious, Lee knocked down after coming to her aid, Sakura is left alone. When Kin grabs her by the hair, Sakura realizes she can no longer take the backseat to her teammates. She had always been watching their backs from the sidelines and it's her turn to defend them, to prove her worth. She then cuts her own hair, freeing herself. (If you have never seen that scene you absolutely have to, not to mention that not long after there's a glorious Sasuke/Sakura scene.) One never realized how painful it was for her to always be left behind, to be worthless. That feeling must have been horribly destructive and detrimental. She takes a step forward though, going against everything she believes about herself.
[/OPINION]
I could have gone on much longer, but I'll spare everyone. The point is.. Sakura NEVER stops changing. Whether she changes for better or worse is not the point (though I believe she's only changed for the better thus far). She has so much to experience, to mold herself around. I play that up in CFUD. I took Sakura from the point she was in the manga and decided I could play around with her evolution. I play up her determination, her newly found "YOU'RE MINE!" attitude. I play up her growing levels of confidence, which I use to pull her away from Sasuke ever so slightly (I'll get to that in the relationships section below). I amp up her playful nature that one really only saw through Inner Sakura originally (which is why I let Yuusuke talk her into stealing Kabuto's pants). Everything I do is simply an extension of how she is in canon, atleast, I like to think so.
(3) Relationships
The point of this section is mostly to explain why I believe Sakura would pull away from Sasuke ever so slightly and allow "romantic" relations with other campers.
Sakura's main relationships in canon are with Sasuke, Naruto, Ino and Kakashi. You don't much get to see how she interacts with others, so I believe I have some freedom to play around. I believe (<-- opinion alert) Sakura's view on people upon meeting is positive. She'll try to be friendly with others, but she has a very strong will. If one's opinions were to clash with her own, she'd let them know it. In this sense, she's a very "hate" or "love" person, but there is that gray area. Sakura has never been one to let herself be pushed around, but that's more so true now than ever. She welcomes kindness and prefers to be on good terms with others, just as long they don't rub her the wrong way, even slightly.
(example) Sasuke. Now, let me just state, Sakura is as madly in love with him as she ever was.. Basically. Sasuke is Sasuke, her "important person". No matter how much time goes by, she'll never manage to get past him. Now, about CFUD Sasuke and Sakura. She came to the camp to be with him, to see him again, to romance him, and so on. Her plan (and reason for being at camp) was: WIN SASUKE. She was determined, and had this been a normal camp, that would still be her goal. Things get in the way though. Zombies, Campers, Plagues, Naruto's Cake. She has put things into perspective, now is not the time to focus on Sasuke. When she realized that, her feelings did not change. It was once she had gone on awhile, taking the time to interact with others, that her feelings changed. He's her teammate, her love, but he's also a DICK. (MY) Sakura would never admit it, but she can now pick out things about him she doesn't find so charming. Basically, she realized the world does not revolve around one angsty emo kid. There is more to life than "Sasuke-kun", and she shall LIIIIIVE.
(example) Yuusuke Being her relationship with Yuusuke is one of the strongest bonds she has, I believe I need to take the time to explain it. Unlike with the gaggle of ninja, she has no prior relationship with him (obviously, shut up). To take a character like Sakura ("OMFG<3SASUKE-KUN") and play up such strong feelings for Yuusuke might seem odd. So, I shall enlighten. First let me note, although her feelings for him are rather intense, he doesn't block out the mighty Sasuke. When she had the choice of staying with him (& making sure he didn't leave the house during the plague- before they found out it was stripping vamps) and going out after Sasuke, she chose Sasuke. Sakura's already existing feelings have not been pushed aside.
Now, about Yuusuke. Making a good first impression with Sakura is a must, otherwise one would probably end up on the wrong side of an awful grudge. Sakura had been insulted by Sasuke, she went out and massacred quite a few zombies. There was blood, lots of it. Yuusuke complemented her ass beating skills, score one for him. Not only that, he basically came to her defense against Sasuke. Atleast, he defended what she had done and how TOTALLY BAD ASS IT WAS. Which, it was. Shut up. Immediately, Sakura took a liking to him. They interacted every so often, but then they ended up coming to help eachother during quite a few fights. This forged a bond (for Sakura), she knew she could depend on him. Not to mention that Yuusuke is oh so bad ass, just like Sasuke, so maybe she (<3_<3)'d at that just a bit. He gained her trust, respect, and friendship quite easily.. Not to mention a lot of admiration. From that point on she considered him a friend. Their relationship was laid back, if not somewhat flirty (in that hot sarcasm flirty sort of way). In time, that relationship evolved into something else for Sakura. It's not something she can easily explain, it's just the way it is. Feelings are feelings after all, not thoughts or opinions. Though quite similiar. Of course, she has Sasuke though, so she was swimming in De' Nile (har har..). The way she feels not only confuses Sakura, but shocks her as well. She preferred to do nothing about it. "Yes, she really cares for Yuusuke, but it's nothing more.." sort of thing. Feelings aren't something you hide easily though, especially when you're Haruno I-Wear-My-Heart-On-My-Fucking-Sleeve Sakura. And that's why I play up her relationship with Yuusuke. That's why things happen between them, and will continue to happen. It's realistic (and so damn cute).
(example) Lee While unlike with Yuusuke there's a canon relationship between the two to build from, one could go either way with the pair. The "possible romance" route, or the "Lee will angst forever" route. Basically, I chose the first option, though it waivers around when dealing with her other relationships. Like I've said far too many times, Sakura has changed. What she thought of Lee upon their first meeting and what she thinks about him now (in canon, even) is drastically contrasting. Lee's dedication to Sakura has won her over (atleast gained her respect, friendship, etc) and there's what I go from. Sakura has so much respect for Lee, she would never intentionally want to hurt him. Sakura can never blow him off, in my eyes. Her kindness is met with SUPER LEE BRAND kindness, which just pulls her in even more. I think Sakura could someday think of Lee in a romantic sense, even if her heart wasn't completely in it. Personally, I think she loves Lee right now, just in a platonic sense. I get to take that and run with it, letting their feelings bloom like a spring flower~
(example) Lots o' Ninja A small explanation on why she interacts with the others from Konoha in the ways that she does. In canon, we don't see Sakura with Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru, Chouji or Itachi much. She had more interaction with Kabuto, but I'll talk a bit about him too. Sakura respects ALL of the other ninja (minus Itachi), simply for the fact that she's seen them in action. She knows how dedicated they are, she knows they're each skilled. With Naruto and Sasuke both gone, I think it's obvious she formed friendships with the others. Notice how she greets Shikamaru and Temari right after Naruto has returned. She's open, friendly, and obviously atleast somewhat close to them. Keeping that in mind, I feel Sakura would treat the others as friends. She cares about their well being and feels comfortable with them.
Concerning Kabuto and Itachi.. Kabuto, she feels betrayed by him. Sakura has every right to hold a grudge and most definately does so. She blames him (somewhat unfairly) for Sasuke leaving. When she takes time out to look at that objectively though, she relaxes up on him somewhat. Sakura has matured even past how she treated him upon his arrival at camp (constantly changing, blah blah, I know). Not to say that maturity puts her past rude pranks though, pssh. Now, with Itachi.. She's only dealt with "him" once. Her reaction to him was less than happy, to say the least. Having Kakashi around to tell her to back down kept her from losing her cool, but he's not at camp. Keeping in mind that I play up Sakura's new "I Kick Ass" belief, I think she would mouth off to Itachi. She detests him, he's one of the few people she doesn't take the time out to think before speaking to. Sakura knows her limits though, she would never (physically) challenge him, or push him completely past his limits. While her view on him is rather set in stone, she'll be civil with him for the sake of others, or when it's nescessary. Sakura still has a good head on her shoulders.
Oh, and if you're wondering why there's nothing on Ino.. Their relationship is exacty the same, just with a little underlined flirting (atleast that's how I imagine it). There's not a lot to explain there.
(3) Summary
I believe Sakura is becoming more of her own person every second. Growing, changing, bettering herself. This gives me some slack in how I play her, but I try not to drastically morph her into a whole new person. I try my best to pull off Sakura, while also getting to play around with her. Hopefully I'm doing an alright job. <3
And now, a nice little treat for reading all of that (if you didn't just skip straight here, that is).
Some of these are related to CFUD Sakura & her relationships, some are just.. Sakura. Straight up. YES.
1. "Hate Your Way" Nina Gordon *
2. "Swallow" Skindive
3. "Snow On The Sahara" Anggun Shut up, it's a good song.
4. "3 Libras" A Perfect Circle
5. "As Is" Ani DiFranco
6. "Every Time We Live Together We Die A Bit More" Hooverphonic
7. "I Like" Katy Rose
8. "You Look So Fine" Garbage *
9. "Walk The Rain" Sneaker Pimps
10. "Hanging Around" The Cardigans
* I have to go get the CD, burn, and upload. D: I'm lazy. Wait for it.. Wait for it..
Okay. So.. It's like a huge list of "love" songs. Shut up. Those are just the ones I picked out from my MP3 collection too (minus 2), fear the songs I would take from my albums!