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hima-reads-and-writes · 2 years ago

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My Fic Lists: Other Naruto

All of my other Naruto (various pairing and gen) fanfics are listed and linked below the cut.

Kakashi x Female OC

Supplemental Training

Rated E | No archive warnings apply (check tags)

Summary: At Jiraiya's insistence, Kakashi learns the art of seduction, as well as how to keep his inner demons at bay.

A Konoha Brothel story.

Read on AO3

Respite

Rated E | No archive warnings apply (check tags)

Summary: When Kakashi wants to shed his shinobi skin, he turns to some specialized women. They expertly remind him of the man he is, offering a respite between agonizing ANBU missions.

A Konoha Brothel story.

Read on AO3

An Uncomplicated Evening

Rated E | No archive warnings apply (check tags | also GenmaxFemale OC)

Summary: Kakashi has recently been removed from the ranks of ANBU, and plagued with self-doubt at the prospect of teaching genin. Genma, as a member of the Hokage guard, has his own struggles when it comes to protecting the Sandaime. The two comrades join forces in an effort to escape their troubled thoughts, and embark on an evening free from the worries of their shinobi world.

Read on AO3

KakaZabu (KakashixZabuza)

A Test

Rated E | No archive warnings apply (check tags)

Summary: Loyalty is tested when Kakashi and Zabuza reconnect after they joined forces against Gato in the Land of Waves.

Read on AO3

Rogue Acres Farm

Rated T | No archive warnings apply (on hiatus but not orphaned)

Summary: "Kakashi closed his eyes in concentration and when he reopened them, his Sharingan eye spun wildly. He uttered, 'Kamui,' and in the next instant, Zabuza felt himself pulled and twisted, caught in an invisible, swirling force.

As suddenly as it had come, it stopped, leaving Zabuza sprawled on his back on the ground. 'What the hell was that,' he rasped.

Kakashi ignored him, panting from the exertion of casting such a complex jutsu as his eyes searched their new surroundings. They had landed on the porch of an unlit house, with acres of unkempt fields as far as he could see.

The night air smelled sweeter and Kakashi pulled his mask down to breathe it in unfiltered. 'It worked,' he whispered in astonishment, 'we’re here.

''Where, exactly?' Zabuza gingerly got to his feet.

'Stardew Valley,' Kakashi smiled."

Read on AO3

ShikaTema (Shikamaru x Temari)

The Troublesome Genius*

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Shikamaru Nara maneuvers his way through the troublesome aspects of being a husband, father, and assistant to the Rokudaime.

Read on AO3

Outmatched

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Shikamaru has a particular question for Temari on Christmas Eve; if only he can muster the courage to ask it.

Read on AO3

Kagumo (Kaguya x Sakumo) & MinaKushi (Minato x Kushina)

Demons! What Could go Wrong?

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Team Minato's first day of training in this Naruto-Inuyasha crack crossover.

Read on AO3

A Moonlit Halloween in Konoha

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Kushina agrees to take Minato's students trick-or-treating, and then to a Halloween party at the Hatake house. What could go wrong?

Read on AO3

Fics With Various Other Pairings

From the Heart

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Pairing: YamaGen (Yamato x Genma)

Summary: Yamato and Genma have a budding romance that blooms during a Shinobi Secret Santa gift exchange.

Read on AO3

The Man’s Man

Rated E | No archive warnings apply (check tags)

Pairing: KakaKaka (Kakashi x his shadow clone)

Summary: Kakashi is an elite genius in the shinobi world, that's true. However, his social skills could use some work. He summons a clone to help him analyze his failings. Self-awareness and shenanigans follow.

Read on AO3

Lucky Enough

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Pairing: KakaTobi (Kakashi x Tobirama)

Summary: A close call for two of Konoha's elite ANBU brings them closer.

Read on AO3

An Sealgair agus na Fia (The Hunter and the Deer)

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Pairing: ShikaSaku (Shikamaru x Sakura)

Summary: A hunt leads Sakura into a cursed forest where she finds much more than game.

Read on AO3

Hidden in the Leaves

Rated M | No archive warnings apply (on hiatus but not orphaned)

Pairing: Sakumo x Female OC

Summary: What if Sakumo survived?

This is his story, as imagined if he lived to watch his son's progress in the shinobi world. Follow along as he questions where his loyalty lies, his relationship with his son is tested, and as he unravels the mystery of what happened to his wife.

Read on AO3

Synergy

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Poly: KakaYamaIru (Kakashi x Yamato x Iruka)

Summary: Kakashi's mind wanders during a meeting with Iruka and Tenzō.

Read on AO3

No Signs of Stopping

Rated E | No archive warnings apply (check tags)

Pairing: KakaGen (Kakashi x Genma)

Summary: Kakashi and Genma are caught in a blizzard while on a mission together, and the fun begins when the games end.

Read on AO3

Comfort & Coffee

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Pairing: KakaIru (Kakashi x Iruka)

Summary: Kakashi has a habit of buying souvenirs for his boyfriend, Iruka, but this time he struck gold, and not even a blizzard could stop him from hurrying home.

Read on AO3

Kumade Toriichi Arc (series of 3 gen fics):

The Copy Ninja

Rated G | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Long before he acquired the Sharingan, Kakashi had his own fair share of troubles with another copy nin of the Leaf.

Read on AO3

The Genin Gaffe

Rated G | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned a mission to Kumade Toriichi erroneously, and he enlists Minato's help to cover his mistake before there are long-lasting consequences to Kakashi Hatake's reputation.

Read on AO3

Team Minato’s Mix-up

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Summary: The continuing saga of Kumade Toriichi. This time, Kakashi's teammates are drawn into his nightmare.

Read on AO3

Other Naruto Gen (no pairing) Fics

For My Son

Rated G | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Sakumo Single-Father-no-Jutsu's his way through his son's birthday party.

Read on AO3

Fathers and Sons

Rated G | No archive warnings apply

Summary: During a playdate between the Maito and Hatake families, Sakumo and Dai share tips and tricks on single-parenthood-no-jutsu, while their sons strengthen their bond.

Read on AO3

Keeping Busy

Rated T | No archive warnings apply (check tags)

Summary: A snippet of Shikamaru's transition into life after the Fourth Shinobi War.

Read on AO3

The Wonder of it All

Rated G | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Days passed until a week had gone by. Obito, perplexed by the mystery that troubled Kakashi, went in search of a solution and Kisame. He found both sitting at the edge of the sea.

“He’s done so much, for so many. I wish we could find a way to help him gain back even a little of what he’s lost,” Kisame spoke their thoughts aloud.

“I want to grant Kakashi’s wish, but I have no idea how to,” Obito shared his frustration.

“Are we in agreement then that we will try?” Kisame turned sharply to his friend.

“Yes, of course,” Obito assured, “but where do we even begin?”

Read on AO3

Shiranu hui

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Summary: A myth about unknown fire and an unnamed man.

Read on AO3

The Zen of Tenzō

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Summary: In the era of peace, Tenzō wishes to claim some of it for himself, and he retires from shinobi life in order to pursue it. Follow the journey of his first year in robes in this series of parables.

Read on AO3

Wheel of Fortune

Rated T | No archive warnings apply

Summary: Danzo's world is shadowed, secretive, and carefully crafted. However, mysterious Chiyo and her tarot cards threaten his planned existence with one word about his future.

Read on AO3

Rocket Man

Rated T | No archive warnings apply (implied Kaguya x Skaumo)

Summary: Obito volunteers to be a pollster, and surveys an eccentric Sakumo.

Read on AO3

#naruto #various naruto characters #various pairings #various ships #fanfics #fanfiction #hima writes

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tammyhybrid21 · 4 years ago

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Mummy's Gender

Sooo, we just discovered another bit of behind the scenes stuff.

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/RGz8e

Tadeo's apartment and for the most part it's all just really interesting. A better look at where he lives, his clutter and I will probably come back to all of that, since living space says a lot.

But-- there's actually something else here, that's actually brought me back to the topic of Mummy's gender. We've got the Word of God that explains he's nb/gender yes/ambiguously gendered. Mummy is the absolute queer representation in just that and his confirmed asexuality--

But!

I'm here because of some of the stuff in that link that just... sent me down into the rabbit warren if you will-- because of some of the questions it thus brings up about Mummy's gender again.

Which we already have the WoG for, but now there're additional questions

Questions brought up by this... because-- I don't really know what to even think of it tbh. For one thing, is this Mummy? And if not then who even is it?! But for the sake of this whole analysis we'll assume this mystery picture is Mummy(which then has other questions that I'll analyze in another rant, because Tad's closet?!)

Sooo time for me to talk all about how I feel about Mummy's whole gender presentation and identity and the whole ??? I felt initially seeing this. Starting with my analysis on his gender fluidity from before this was even there for me to factor in.

So straight out, my first impression, from Movie 2 was definitely that Mummy had some level of fluidity to his gender. I mean, between this flamenco dress and the whole playing as Sara bit-- And how at ease both times he is.

And yeah, in many ways, Mummy feels like he's beyond just a simple definition when it comes to gender. Fluid between his different "costumes" throughout the second movie. From his original outfit, to all the various outfits throughout the credits. Which, those aren't always the male version of recognizable cultural outfits. He's... incredibly fluid.

But--

It's not just the clothing.

Body. Language.

But also, I would LOVE to go much, much more in depth on how many of his Autism flags are-- what I like to mentally checkbox as the more feminine ones. Not all of them, but a good number. Which is actually in how he is in social situations, how most people think of, recognize Autism. Like yes, he's socially awkward, weird, doesn't get things. But he also masks, he watches people-- Just there's a big divide there.

A divide that is actually starker when you compare Mummy's autism to my established headcanon/assumption that Tad is also autistic. Which, this isn't just in how Tad suppresses those traits either, but in how each of them are a different variety of the socially awkward and you can see how Tad pulls away while Mummy-- not exactly pulling away so much as observing.

The body language is also a BIG one.

Body language, masking, and a lot of the more "open" I guess traits.

Which-- can either be socialization as a kid, or again, that's the stuff that little autistic girls do. We learn to put on a show and act, to be "normal" or at the least blend in to some degree. And with Mummy's position-- Not that he's doing that much blending in as of movie 2, but he definitely feels very "social chameleon".

At the same time-- there are some moments. Like this where I want to talk about something in regards to another slightly understated thing. But Tad does not deal well, at all with a situation being turned on him like this, also here-- just something I think about, and in following scenes is sort of the way it feels in regards to empathy and emotions.

Because here's the thing. In my experience. Autism isn't really about a lack of empathy, or understanding emotions, as much as it is-- "They're too big/too much, I don't know what to respond to".

Which, both of them have it. But deal in vastly different ways based mainly on one thing. Mummy actually lets himself stim. I mean, you do see a little with Tad here, in his body language, a bit with his hands-- but Tad kind of... shuts down later on. Which god that reminds me of a friend of mine-- Too much negative, can't focus, can't deal--

A very guy thing, when you don't want to face, or can't really deal with all the mess in your head. Just go sullen and forlorn.

WHICH THEN COUNTER...

We have Mummy, who sure we aren't seeing much but--

He comes into the movie explaining how he's been exiled. Which then reminds me of all my awkward coping strategies. If it's not running social simulations with toys, it's... to busy myself. Do anything, everything I can to not focus on what's bringing me down. Which yeah, yeah, procrastination.

But again, it's a difference between boys who tend to dwell or go all mopey, and girls who usually try to do at least something-- not to say that there aren't girls who go off and sulk as well but-- for the most part I've seen girls who busy themselves with something, anything. A book, writing, drawing, staying up all night to rant--

ANYWAY

Between his behaviour and fluidity in clothing, I was pretty sold, even before WoG that Mummy was definitely at the least genderfluid if not fully nb. Now we actually have the confirmation of those, so I don't think I need to dwell much more on all the checkboxes there.

https://elcultural.com/Enrique-Gato-y-David-Alonso-El-reto-ya-no-es-sorprender-sino-crear-empatia-con-los-personajes

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.20minutos.es/noticia/3099494/0/claves-tadeo-jones-segunda-pelicula/

I can just link to them and rather move on. To well... Let's round this off, by precluding this, since it'll mostly be the one scene, with it being another driving point to that difference of female/male dealing strategies. But also social simulations.

"You just need some Practice!"

Which now, let's actually talk more about this scene. I kind of glossed over it but... When he played Sara. FIRST, I think my rant about the voices being done dirty still stands. But secondly--

The thing that just flew over my head are well-- Berries don't make that shape, hats don't make that shape, BOTH wouldn't stay there with all the big movements he was doing(at the start and near the end), and suspenders DO NOT a good hold make. Soooo, what does that even mean for this scene?

I mean, I never dived into it before because honestly-- it's not like it was lingered or commented on, but with that picture, and the only information we have???

And more

Remains

Consistent.

Throughout the whole scene.

Which, there's no slippage, or pop out of the hat brim(if it's the hat?!). And if it's wrappings bundled up?? Again, slippage? And the shape as well... It's just really bewildering at a look of proper analysis, because what does this mean in addition to the already stated facts?

Which also, for this scene, that's his natural hair. At least we're pretty certain of that, since it's undisturbed by anything that's off. But just-- this sent me down a whole rabbit hole. But the thing is-- between movie one and movie two, the models did get upgraded, and honestly--

I could not for the life of me determine what's going on with regards to that. BUT-- We do know Mummy comes with sort of "natural binders" in terms of his wrappings and most likely wouldn't have to worry about all the health risks living people have in terms of presentation-- aside probably chafing after a while-- because that's a suffering you just can't avoid.

Soooo what does this all add up to?

Well, we know he's already confirmed nb, or at the least ambiguous according to the creators. Which I interpreted fluid even before I had that information. And now-- at the least, it looks like he might be Intersex.

Or else I'm missing something--

Which, this does reframe some of those WoG sentences a bit-- beyond just the nb angle.

So yeah!

Now the one question is just generally what does Mummy know about this, what's the terminology and just another layer of just needing more information in general for the context of all this. Aside the small things in the movies. I waaant actual history.

(I don't know, I spent all night screaming-- really hope people offer other words and analysis on this because I'm going to sleep now)

#Tadeo Jones #Mummy(Tadeo Jones)#THybrid Jones #Agender #LGBT #Genderqueer #I have a lot more to say but tbh I'm tired #Autism #Mummy's gender is honestly the biggest mystery #And that's okay #Gender #I'm tired and this isn't filtered #G'Night everyone I'm done

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domesticsns · 5 years ago

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Naruto was watching TV and hypothetically asked what Sasuke would do if he was stinking rich. Sasuke said he had no clue. He is fine as long as he had enough money to go around. Naruto speaking his mind out loud when he thought of all the things he could do if he was a super rich. Like how he would build orpgahanages, and make a charity to promote global education for everyone and build orphanages, campaign for adoption more and so much more.

Sasuke said that those were all things that he would be given back to society. What would he do himself with the money? Buy a ramen factory?

Naruto laughed and said maybe living in a castle with a zoo in the back yard and a amusement park and a whole wing dedicated to his art work and hobbies.

Sasuke asked if it as something he dreamt of and Naruto said no, but if he had the money he would. He then proceeded to ask Sasuke why.

Sasuke said that he could probably get that kind of money if he would be open to work with Zabuza Momochi, a hired killer for Gato a shady billionair that was linked to tons of underground activities and crimes.

Naruto said if that was so wouldn't they not thrust him for being a former detective.

Sasuke said they would but a fellow school mate going by the name Haku would probably vouche for him.

Naruto asked if he would ever take such a job.

Sasuke said it wouldn't be his first choice since it is less secure, but it had more vacation days and way better pay and Naruto wondered if Sasuke was pulling his leg or if he was considering switching jobs to work for some mafia boss.

So he quietly said,"I am good with not being filthy rich."

And sasuke said,"Okay".

#sasuke #naruto #narusasu

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kpoptimeout · 5 years ago

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Top 10 Most Underrated K-pop Songs of 2019 (Artist Edition)

2019 has come and gone before we knew it.

Continuing with the K-Pop Timeout Tradition (see 2018 Ver) of listing the Top 10 Most Underrated K-Pop Songs because all the other sites are just bothered with the Top 10 that pretty much everyone will have heard of/have fan wars over, below are our top 10 picks of songs that did not rank high (and with MVs just around or below 1 million views too) but deserves your attention!

This is the list for artists’ tracks, so the Top 10 underrated non-idol tracks. Click here for the Top 10 underrated idol tracks of 2019. Unlike usual years where there is a separate post made for Top 10 underrated K-Drama OSTs, this year there is instead posts for the Top 20 most underrated K-Pop songs of the decade.

Some of the non-idol artists have escaped the list in recent years to stardom (for example DPR LIVE, CRUSH and MAD CLOWN) so hopefully, it happens again!

This is in alphabetic order NOT in the order of awesomeness because all of them are awesome. Also, all MVs are linked in the song titles because Tumblr won’t let me share that many videos in one post.

ADOY “Lemon”

It is strange that this song somehow did not make ADOY more well-known in South Korea and among K-Pop fans. They have such a laid-back and fresh sound perfect for CFs and fan edits but somehow this indie electronic rock band still only has 9609 likes on Facebook and their song “LEMON”, has less than 200K views at the point of writing this. “LEMON” is a refreshing and soothing indie rock track with an 80s synth melody loop. It is basically if ice lemon tea was a song and it was a great song. If you like chill 80s-inspired music, you would love ADOY’s “Lemon”!

Colde “Control Me”

One half of RnB duo offonoff and a member of DEAN, Crush and Punchnello and more’s artist collective Club Eskimo, Colde provides an amazing solo song in the form of “Control Me”. The song is a smooth RnB track that hits all the right spots - the somewhat conversational like singing building up to the chorus, and the chorus itself which is extremely catchy. Colde’s rapping is also just as fire as his singing. The MV only just surpassed 1 million views but it really deserves so much more since it complements the song so well, with everything filmed like it was done in one shot as different versions of Colde appear to serenade you on the screen. If you are already a fan of DEAN and Crush, you should also check out this amazing song by their friend Colde!

Crispy Chae “A letter from Wendy” ft. Gato Ray

With how popular lofi study playlists are, it is surprising how little love Crispy Chae’s “A letter from Wendy” received because it would fit perfectly in such a playlist. Maybe it is because this song does not even have a proper MV besides the video made by Mellowbeat Seeker. However, this does not stop this song from being an extremely underrated quality indie track. Crispy Chae has a beautiful voice that is both husky and child-like at the same time, making the transitions between skilled harmonies and the conversational chorus all the more memorable. Additionally, this song was sung predominantly in English and should really be making more rounds in the increasingly global K-Pop fanbase. If you love Suran’s music, you would really enjoy this song by Crispy Chae!

dosii “lovememore.”

City pop is definitely making its comeback in 2019, with Takeuchi Mariya’s “Plastic Love” finally getting its much deserved MV, western city pop acts like PREP gaining more popularity and veteran K-pop stars like Sunmi and Yubin trying out this sound. dosii, an R&B duo comprised of Choi Jonghyuk and Jeon Jihye, also dives into city pop in “lovememore.”, which is definitely one of the best and most underrated indie K-pop tracks of the year. The song sounded both like an authentic 80s city pop jam but also includes distortion effects and producing techniques used more often in current music. Honestly, it is an absolute masterpiece and the less than 800K views the MV has received since February is ridiculous. If you loved Sunmi’s “Black Pearl”, you would fall in love with “lovememore.”!

ELO, PENOMECO “LOVE?” ft. GRAY

While this song did only come out in early November, I am still confused why such a great hip-hop collaboration has less than 500K views. Like all GRAY involved works, this is classy and catchy. What makes this song stand out from a lot of great K-Hip Hop collaborations is the way ELO, PENOMECO and GRAY’s voices work together. They have three very distinctive vocal colours - ELO has an extremely melodic voice, PENOMECO has a breathy and high-pitched way of singing and rapping while GRAY’s tone is deep and relaxed. This makes for a very colourful and fun song. If you like a strong K-Hip Hop collaboration, “LOVE?” by ELO, PENOMECO and GRAY is the song for you!

Jung Jinwoo “Nowhere”

Ever since K-Pop Star Season 5, Jung Jinwoo has proven to be a phenomenal RnB singer-songwriter and have continued to improve after his signing to Planetarium Records. It is shocking that he and the other PLT boys are still relatively unknown, even though they have only dropped bops. His newest song “Nowhere” is arguably one of the best Korean RnB tracks of 2019 and showcases his further honed production and singing skills - his voice is super light, clear and smooth with a mild tinge of huskiness. Just 71K views for such a superb song makes no sense. If you are a fan of DEAN and Crush, you would be obsessed with this song!

LEEBADA “ㅎㅇ (High)” ft. PENOMECO

This is another K-RnB masterpiece that seemed to have completely flew under the radar to K-Pop fans. Playing on the Korean internet abbreviation for Hi (ㅎㅇ) and High, this song has classy drinks lounge music vibes but is also playful at the same time, fully showcasing LEEBADA’s high-pitched and airy vocals. PENOMECO’s addition in the song is perfect, as his voice and LEEBADA’s work together so well, like the male and female counterparts of the same singing style. If you are a huge fan of HEIZE’s music, you would really enjoy LEEBADA’s “ㅎㅇ (High)”!

LIM KIM “YELLOW”

Back in 2015, every K-Pop fan knew Lim Kim for her quirky electro-pop sound as she dominated charts and was Mystic Entertainment’s it girl. However, her return after 4 years received little to no attention for unknown reasons. Not only is Lim Kim back but she returned stronger than ever, taking on a much more aggressive and edgy persona while singing and rapping about female empowerment and fighting against the objectification of Asian women. “YELLOW” combines traditional East Asian orchestral instrumentals with electronic beats and Lim Kim’s unique mixture of chanting, singing and rapping, creating a powerful anthem in the process. If you are a fan of Lim Kim from before or is a fan of artsy and experimental music in general with a strong message, you would love Lim Kim’s “YELLOW”!

PRIMARY “Bad High” ft. Jade

PRIMARY is definitely one of the best producers in K-Pop, with ground-breaking and beautiful collaborations with Zion.T, Hyukoh, Beenzino etc., oftentimes before the acts are even known in the mainstream. PRIMARY continues this in “Bad High”, working with Jade, the main vocalist of virtual girl band XGirls. This song is phenomenal not only because it sounds good, but also because it goes in directions you never expect it to go. Starting off, the song sounds like the emotional and slow-paced folk-pop/rock works of Lucid Fall and Hyukoh, then it switches up to a satisfying drop in the chorus, where the aggressive use of hi-hat loops changes the slow-paced song to an exciting ethereal art-pop sound of the likes of Grimes. The MV is also beautiful and unsettling simultaneously. Why this masterpiece has only 97K views at the time of writing this is beyond me when PRIMARY has so clearly outdone himself yet again. If you enjoy PRIMARY’s past works and also experimental art-pop, you would love “Bad High”!

RAD MUSEUM “Dancing In The Rain” ft. Jusén

After Hyukoh and Jannabi’s rise to the mainstream, one would expect more attention to be given to indie artists with unique vocals. However, RAD MUSEUM seemed to have flown under the radar even though the vocalist is all sorts of unique with his piercing and emotional vocals which seems to combine soul, alternative RnB, and indie rock all in one. Maybe it is the lack of an MV and big label promotions but this live performance video would show you the charms of this phenomenal artist who is also a part of Club Eskimo and his amazing song “Dancing In The Rain”. This song is simply art - it feels pop-rock like Sting’s “Shape of My Heart” but the way it is delivered also feels like soul and RnB. If you want to be blown away by talent, you should check out RAD MUSEUM’s “Dancing In The Rain”!

Which non-idol songs do you think were underrated this year? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and let the song sharing begin!!!

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hallucinosims · 5 years ago

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Hiya! For all the new people reading your story, and unable to go back to the beginning, could you possibly tell us what’s happened so far to where you are now?:) Thankyou in advance if you can!

yeah, totally! First things first, if it’s more of a time thing then I totally understand reading stories takes up a lot of time, but if you ever do get the chance to check out the beginning you can find it right here! Each post has links back to the beginning, the post before and the post after! Now, into the summary. Under Read more for your convenience.

In Short: Play the Game is a story about Love (come to), Loss (Never is an awfully long time), and Found Family told (Hide me safe away) throughout three intertwining stories.

The story “technically” begins shortly after Marion Galere (Rowan and Reid’s biological mother) and Damon Benj (Reagan’s biological father) get married. This is marion’s second marraige and Damon’s first technical marriage even though he was in two long term relationships before hand that he would consider being life partners with but whatever. These two getting married basically fulfills this on going fate/prophecy/curse that hundreds of years ago was made that established the two families. One with a long long history of being monstrous and like the first of the leviathans/ first monsters (Benj, the current iteration of the line goes by that last name even though the majority of the rest of the family has a different last name). The other side spun into something of a culty, no way in no way out sort of idealogy (Galeres. I know this is technically mispelled but I don’t have a steady enough internet connection to copy and paste accent a cute) The Galeres, ever paranoid throughout their human existence, ends up cursing the lines in such ways that when they join again (which they inevitably will) it’ll be a fight to take over the line that supposedly got the better half of the deal. The Benjs are pushing a solid Zero in the wins department so far but their own side started to grow in prominence and power as time continued on so they were pretty solid without the winning thing.

Anyway, their grandfather (a Galere) tells them all these things and they end up finding proof of that in the form of these chess piece totems. Life continues on poorly. Marion and Damon are married but unhappily. Reid has already lost his other mother (Annabeth, worked as a drug mule and tough guy basically but that’s more All that matters today stuff) to a huge fire incident. Reagan is put on a pedestal due to Damon’s fear of loosing her to the game/curse. Rowan is almost forgotten about by his mother and step father so he kinda gets identity crises and doesn’t have a strong sense of self (mood). There’s an incident with Reid in which he almost gets killed at school for kissing a boy and before he can get officially expelled (not because he’s gay but for other stuff he did) they move across the country and try to start over. Well, not start over more like run towards their past because act 1 and 2 ends with all the kids learning this story about their identies that were bestowed upon them. They learn about their totems and what they represent (Reid = Knight: leader, determined, stubborn, headstrong. Rowan = Rook: dedicated, loyal but to a fault, always has walls up. Reagan = Bishop: Spiritual, follower, personality depends on what they believe in) And uh... then the stories kinda split. Reagan and vampires is a big plot point. Rowan and finding his sense of self (ie Maren Goodall his best friend who disappeared one day) and Reid trying to find comfort in himself by the means of other people Wahoo.

Reid and Dorian start dating (i forgot to mention he has a girlfriend who’s basically his beard that his mom told him to get but they’re still dating even though Reid and Dorian are also kinda together) More and more of their past keeps brings itself forward in ways such as visions headaches and other things whenever they are in the old house that they moved to in Mass (that Marion grew up in) and the connections to their totems beginning to click more into place. Come To and the knight because knights and doomed romance. Reid falls for Dorian sort of even though he feels he isn’t good enough for him and is still dating Makenna. Never is an Awfully long time and the rook and Loss. Rowan starts almost spiraling from person to person as he attempts to find someone to fill the whole in the walls he had built up for himself and ends up finding Evie Del Gato who is almost the antithesis of Maren and they decide to become good friends and she even helps him look for Maren as well as a few other friends. The Bishop and Hide me safe away and the idea of spirituality and family. Reagan has a hard time finding where she stands in the middle of things because she begins having visions about Vladislaus Straud, who is revealed in this act to be apart of her family line. She is also connected to the Vatores who are basically in resistence to Straud and the leviathan order (the name hasn’t been revealed technically in story yet but it’s not a spoiler so) which is a power heirarchy of all the humaniod creatures that walk the earth. But vampires wrote it so they put themselves pretty high on the list.The siblings don’t really interact heavily in this act as they got their own arcs going on.

This act ends around a little after the winter holidays

Rowan starts dating someone a lot more like the best friend he lost (Kyle jackubus) Reid and Dorian are getting rockier as more people begin to find out their little secret. Reagan is...still trying her best. She learns about her bio mom (Harper Bridges) from Damon but then decides to leave and stay more often with the Vatores for her own safety as whenever she isn’t there she feels like Straud could just pop up and ruin her life whenever. Which begins to happen more and more as nightmares of him hurting people she love start to become more frequent. Reid has visions of his mom (Annabeth Holtz) more frequently as well in a sense of guilt and stuff about her death. Rowan starts seeing Maren in a paranoid frenzy after her dissapearance. So they’re all having a generally pretty bad time on the mental front but they keep trying to put that on the back burner to lead normal lives and disregard the stuff their siblings are going through because “I’m dealing with stuff too damnit” Even though in this chapter they are beginnig to find more trust in each other because they are the only other people who would genuinely get it. Marion and Damon are often in and out of Massachusetts right now because as the game continues on they want less and less involvement because they’ve done all they can do to save their kids and now nothing they do would make a difference anyway so they decide it best to stay away and not watch their family turn against each other. And this act isn’t done yet so that’s pretty much all I can say

Sorry this ended up being long and unintelligble at some moments, this is a WIP and will be in my ptg extras tab so it can be checked up on if you want to speed through the story.

#nonsims #saviorhide #hall posts #ptg extras #this is a lot so.. uh bear with me #Anonymous

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thirstygirlclub · 6 years ago

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Duchess - 10

Chapter 10 – He’s Not Dead

Happy/ 3rd Person POV

“We can’t just let her go!” Juice exclaimed at Jax and Chibs, “That guy’s gonna kill her! You didn’t see what he was doing to the kid and he’s like… at least 3 times her size!”

“We’re not her babysitters,” Jax said with a reluctant sigh.

Chibs huffed angrily. He knew that Jax was right but that didn’t stop any of them from getting over protective of her. It was because she was tiny, barely coming up to Happy’s shoulder, that they felt that way. Juice was right. Jerry had damn near killed Jack who was taller than all of them and built like a pro-football player so what he would do to little Catherine didn’t bare thinking about. She was a kind and innocent girl that probably had no chance of defending herself.

“If he doesn’t kill her, the cold’s gonna,” Juice argued, “she’s practically naked!”

“Stop! Her brother’s still here you idiot!”

No one said anything for a while. They just sat there thinking, wondering what she was planning to do. Her face had been so serious and dark that it was almost frightening. The angry atmosphere was unsettling but Happy had still found himself smiling when she had crossed her arms and threw her hair around because it reminded him so much of when he had first met her. Happy remembered when he didn’t know who she was at the motel all those months ago and he sat with his brothers watching her tottering around the dusty parking lot in stupidly high shoes and short shorts and a tiny crop top. He remembered how turned on he was watching her bend over the trunk of the car to put her suitcases in. When her brother went to talk to them and she was so funny and bratty and he loved it.

He remembered when she looked at him with big, innocent eyes and called him sir.

There was nothing that could stop him now, with those thoughts in his mind, and he stormed through the door after her and chased her through the rain; leaving his friends confused. He grunted when the rain hit him but didn’t let it stop him from going after his girl. She had gotten far, Jax had told him she walks fast, but he managed to catch up with her. She had stopped and waited for him.

He didn’t know what to do when he had caught up though. He wasn’t sure what he had planned on doing but he decided he would try and get her to go back to the garage where she would be safe and warm and where he knew he could look after her but one look at her face and he knew there would be no convincing her so he would just stay by her side while she did what she needed to do. Whatever that was.

When she told him that she loved him, his stomach fell down to his knees and he didn’t know what to do. Nothing made him feel quite so uncertain like Catherine did. He was glad that she wasn’t looking at him and that she was tucked into his kutte because he looked dumb as shit. His mouth was opening and closing and all he could do was nod and hug her and hope that she understood that he loved her too. There was something about the way she seemed to seek refuge in him that made his heart beat slightly quicker and he wanted to tell her that she could always come to him for comfort because he would always keep her safe but words were never his strong point and, even if he tried, he would always say something wrong and upset her so he said nothing. He just let her cry and wrapped her up in his kutte out of the rain; trying desperately to let her know that he was there for her, for whatever she needed him for.

“Sorry, Mr Lowman,” she mumbled, voice quiet in the rain and muffled under the leather, “I don’t mean to cry so much. I’m just sad and angry.”

“I know. It’s ok.”

Her arms squeezed him tighter once more before she slipped her hands around to rest on his stomach so that she could push herself away slightly and she peered up at him through a gap in his kutte.

She reminded him of a kitten Mama once rescued when he was a child, big scared eyes blinking up at him and all wet and bedraggled but still cute as hell. It had been by a river with its dead brothers and sisters just crying and shouting for help when she was on her morning walk. He remembered how she had come through the door, with it tucked into her shawl and showed it to him. Happy didn’t really know what to do with is when she had put it in his hands. The kitten was climbing over him and making him laugh when she played with his tattered t-shirt and chewed on his hair.

“Name her Mijo!” Mama had told him, “She is yours!”

“El Gato,” A young Happy had said with a giggle as she hung off his head and tried to chew his ear.

“You can’t just call her that! She needs a proper name!”

“I wanna call her El Gato!”

Happy spent a long time in juvie as a teenager, getting out when he was just about Catherine’s age and after that he never saw El Gato again. He didn’t ask Mama about it and she didn’t mention it either. It was just one of those things that he was bitter about but that he would have to live with. He had suspected that she had died or gone missing and Mama didn’t have the heart to tell him because, even though he was put in prison for numerous terrible things, she still saw him as an innocent little boy.

A kitten. It fit her so well and it made him smile.

Catherine was looking up at him curiously, blinking in the rain and then he realised that she was touching his face; wiping the rain away from his eyes and off his cheeks. She was gentler than anyone had ever been with him and sweeter than a man like him deserved but regardless, he shut his eyes and leaned in to her touch; finally happy that the knot of jealousy seemed to be loosening with every gentle swipe.

“I appreciate you coming after me, Mr Lowman,” Catherine whispered as she shyly looked over his features from beneath wet eyelashes, “but I’m not going back. I need to do this, for Jack.”

“I know. I’m with you.”

Catherine stayed looking up at him for a moment before she nodded and moved away; leaving him feeling empty and cold. The grey t-shirt she was wearing was now soaked and dark grey with the damp material clinging to her body. He tried not to look, to even think about it, but as she was walking away he couldn’t help it.

There was something about the house that set him on edge. It was too quiet and too dark. He wasn’t sure if Catherine realised that she had had reached out to take his hand and he didn’t flinch away this time. Instead, he linked his fingers with hers; holding onto her hand tightly and let her take him upstairs to find Jerry. There was a sense of dread radiating from Catherine, all of her earlier confidence and anger dissipating into fear. Her hand, like the rest of her, was small in comparison to him. This just made him desperate to keep her safe even though he knew she had to do this on her own; he was just there to make sure she was safe. There was no telling what Jerry was capable of. Like Juice said, she was 3 times smaller than her brother and he got beaten pretty badly.

In his mind, he had always wanted to know what kind of underwear she wore. He had listened to Tig discuss it with Juice often as to whether she wore lace or cotton or something else and it had made his imagination run wild but he didn’t want to see it like this. It littered the floor in delicate scraps of beige and pink and, surprisingly, black. He wasn’t going to report back to the others though. That knowledge was just for him.

With his back to the wall, just outside of her bedroom, he could only hear what was going on. His hand was on the gun at his hip because he knew he would kill for her if he needed too. He would kill Jerry for fun.

Her tentative footsteps and the sound of scissors cutting through material were the only things he could hear for a while. Happy was willing for her to be brave and confident and angry, like she was back at the clubhouse.

Catherine POV

I folded my arms over my wet clothes. Uncle Jerry looked at my t-shirt in confusion while he read the word across the front of it.

“Where have you been?” He asked with a frown.

“With friends.”

“With Clay Morrow?”

I shook my head. He wasn’t there the entire time, like, he brought Jack in then left so I wasn’t technically lying. I thought maybe I shouldn’t let him know that Mr Lowman was with me if he was angry about me maybe hanging out with Mr Morrow.

“Why did you do it? Uncle Jerry, Jack is a kid. You can’t just hurt him like that.”

Uncle Jerry scattered the pieces of my underwear on the floor in front of him and said literally nothing. I watched as it all fluttered to the floor and tried really hard not to want to go and beg for him to stop. I wanted to shout and scream at him but then I remembered that Mr Lowman was here and I didn’t want to look like a total wuss in front of him. I needed to be a grown up now.

“Where is your disgusting brother? Hm? With Clay?” Uncle Jerry said.

He was so weird and literally nothing like he was when I was a kid. Uncle Jerry used to be like, my best friend and I used to always go to his house for dinner and to sleepover when Daddy was working late. I used to trust him but there was something about him now that I hated. I didn’t want him in my bedroom, touching my clothes and all of my things. Uncle Jerry never hurt me before that day.

“Why did you hurt him?” I demanded to know, stamping my foot loudly to get his attention back on me instead of my clothes on the floor.

He stood up, smiling at me like he used too when I was a kid. I used to think it was a kind smile but now it was mean and scary and made me want to cry. My feet squeaked on the wooden floor as I stumbled backwards while he walked towards me with his arms out. As if I was gonna hug him now.

“Come on Catherine, don’t be scared. I’m sorry for hurting you but you can’t just scream and get what you want anymore. It was cute when you were a baby but you’re… all grown up now.”

His voice made me shudder. I was almost back at the door where I hoped Mr Lowman would still be waiting for me. I really hoped he would be there; Mr Lowman feels safe.

I literally had no idea what I was thinking coming back here. I should have listened to Mr Chibs and stayed at the garage with them. I wasn’t brave enough to argue with Uncle Jerry.

While I was thinking, I stopped paying attention to Uncle Jerry. I’m so stupid, why? Why did I stop watching him? Because he came forwards and slammed the door shut behind me before I could even try to run back out. I screamed in surprise until he grabbed my neck and pushed me back against the door. He was so close to me and I hated it. I hated it so much that I started crying.

“Don’t think I didn’t know your friend was with you,” Uncle Jerry hissed as I thumped weekly on the wooded door to try and get Mr Lowman’s attention, “I’m not stupid. They don’t walk very quietly.”

“Hey!” I heard Mr Lowman shout from the other side of the door, “Catherine!”

The door shook behind me as Mr Lowman banged on it but Uncle Jerry turned the key and reached up to shut the locks that Mr Chibs helped me put on there. I tried to claw at his hand and kick at his legs but he didn’t look like he was bothered by it. I was so weak though. I should have just stayed at the garage with Jack and Romeo.

“Stop crying!” Uncle Jerry shouted at me.

It was so loud and in my face and I just couldn’t stop crying because I was so scared. He smelled like alcohol. Mr Lowman was still banging on the door and rattling the handle.

“Please,” I begged Uncle Jerry, “please don’t hurt me.”

He just laughed again and pulled me back from the door to throw me onto my bed. I kind of got caught up on the canopy and landed heavily on the open scissors which were digging into my hip bone. It was so loud. Everything was so loud. I was screaming and crying, Mr Lowman was still banging on the door and he was now shouting in a kind of panicked voice but I couldn’t understand what he was saying and Uncle Jerry was shouting at me to be quiet.

“Catherine!” Mr Lowman shouted harshly.

I was too scared to answer him. The look in Uncle Jerry’s eyes was terrifying and his grin was so big that I could see all of his teeth as he bent over me with his arms on either side of my head. I kicked him in the stomach and started to move back towards my headboard, fighting off his hand where it was pulling at the t-shirt to stop me. It was big though, and stretchy so I could just about get there. If only I could get to my bedside table. I just needed to get in the drawer there.

I rolled onto my stomach as he pulled me by my leg back down the bed. I could hear his heavy breathing and feel his hands on the waistband of my shorts, then pushing my t-shirt and tank top over my back before he pushed down with one hand and fought with my shorts with the other. I knew what he was planning, I wasn’t that stupid and it just made me want to get to the drawer even more. I was still crying silently and breathless from fear and from struggling away from him. Suddenly, I hated that my sheets were made of silk; it hurt when my skin got dragged against them and made me slip when I wanted to fight him away. Somehow, I managed to kick him in the face which made him stop holding me down for just enough time to scramble up to my bedside table.

“Stop,” Uncle Jerry growled, “misbehaving Catherine! You’re supposed to be a good girl for me!”

Just as I grabbed hold of the handle of the drawer he pulled me back to him by my damp hair. It hurt so much but I didn’t let go of the handle so the contents scattered over my floor. I heard what I wanted thud down but I don’t think he noticed.

I need to fight back, I thought, I need to fight back. Mr Lowman wasn’t going to be able to get in on time.

My eyes were flicking over my floor and among the tattered pieces of underwear and clothes I saw the shiny silver of the handgun Daddy had given me for my last birthday. It wasn’t far away from the bed. I just needed to get away.

“You don’t belong to anyone but me, Catherine,” Uncle Jerry was saying to me as his hand was moving up my stomach towards my bra, “you’ve always been my little girl. Did Daddy never tell you where he got the money to build these houses from?”

My head was hurting from where he held my hair and from thinking. I never asked where he got the money from; I literally didn’t care. All I knew was that he was taking me away from my friends and my home to come here. As soon as he pulled my bra down to touch me I realised I still had the drawer in my hand and it was heavy. It was really heavy.

Without really thinking, I swung the wood blindly and managed to get him in the shoulder or the head. I don’t know but he let go of my hair to fight me off. I took the chance. I didn’t know if I was going to get another one. Lunging off the bed, not even caring if I hurt myself anymore, I escaped from him and landed on the floor. I couldn’t see my gun anywhere. I didn’t know where it had gone.

Frantically, I searched through the stuff that had fallen out of the drawer and through the clothes. I was running out of time before he stopped being confused. Mr Lowman had gone, I think. He had left me alone.

Happy/ 3rd Person POV

The sound of Catherine crying and struggling was unbearable. It didn’t matter how much he kicked at the door or shouted for her. He couldn’t get in and he didn’t want to shoot the door down just in case she was there. He didn’t want to hurt her.

“Get here!” he shouted down the phone at Jax, “Now! GET HERE NOW!”

He knew he sounded panicked and scared but he also knew the guys wouldn’t judge him for it. Catherine was going to be hurt and he was powerless to help her from the other side of the door.

It felt like hours before he heard the sound of motorcycles outside. He ran downstairs, not wanting to leave Catherine but needing to show them where to go. It looked like Jax had called all of the guys to come to her aid. He would thank him later. Without saying a word he beckoned them into the house and up the stairs. The sound of heavy boots on glass and screaming were the only things they could hear for a while.

“Stop!” Happy shouted at Tig when he went to shoot the door.

“Either she gets shot or she gets raped,” Tig said without looking at him before shooting the handle of the door and a few times in the middle of the wood to weaken it.

The thought of either outcome made Happy feel sick.

Tig and Chibs kicked through the door and it crashed open at the same time as more gun shots rang out; silencing everybody and making them look around at each other. Nobody had their gun out and it had come from inside the room.

“Oh Sweetheart,” Chibs breathed before he pushed passed everybody to go into the room, “it’s alright. We’re here now. We’re here.”

Happy looked in to see Jerry collapsed on the ground with blood from the wound on his shoulder staining the white shirt. Catherine looked up at Chibs, reaching up to him with both arms; like a child to their parent and he knelt beside her. He cradled her to him with his lips pressed to the top of her head and stroking her hair gently.

He hated that he couldn’t go to her, that he wasn’t the first person in the room to make sure she was ok but the truth was that he was scared. He was terrified of what she would look like; what state she would be in. Would Jerry have succeeded? Did he get what he wanted? He couldn’t do anything as his friends went in, looking everything over and checking to see if Jerry was alive. He was, just knocked out.

“It’s ok,” Chibs whispered kindly as Catherine wound her hands into his t-shirt and pulled herself closer to him, crying and burying her face into the material.

“Did- did I kill him?” She asked quietly.

“No Lass, no he’s not dead. You’re alright. No morals hurt there.”

Catherine nodded.

There was a clump of blonde hair in Jerry’s relaxed hand that made Happy hot with anger. Her beautiful hair had been ripped out roughly and it would have been painful but then again, probably not the worst thing that had happened to her that morning.

“She ok?” Jax asked Chibs once he had finished inspecting the broken piano.

“Yeah, she’s gonna be fine. Won’t you sweetheart? You’ll be ok. Come on now, let’s get up and I’ll take you home. Ok?”

He stood up slowly, bringing the girl up with him. She stood on trembling legs and looked over at Jerry who was starting to come around.

“Please don’t let me be arrested Mr Chibs,” Catherine whispered, “it was- I was protecting myself.”

“We know. He’s not gonna get the police involved.”

Bobby laughed as Jax, Opie and Tig dragged Jerry onto the balcony of her bedroom and locked the door; leaving him locked out in the rain with no way of getting back in unless he punched through the thick glass or jumping down to the garden below. Happy would have done more than that but not with Catherine there and not without Clay’s go ahead.

“Come on Hap,” Chibs said kindly, “look after your girl.”

Happy looked at him with shock. There was no reason for him to say that but the amused look on his face said everything. Even though it was a serious issue, Chibs was poking fun at Happy.

Happy looked down at Catherine and pulled his eyebrows together when he saw her expression. She was upset, obviously, but there was something else. She was worried or concerned about something. She shook her head slightly, mumbling something that sounded like his name, before crossing the small distance to clasp her arms around his waist. With a relieved sigh, Happy held her tightly with his hand on the back of her head. Her hair was still damp from the rain.

“I got you,” he murmured to her, “I’ve got you now.”

She sobbed lightly into his chest.

Catherine POV

Mr Morrow had told me that Jack and I could stay for one more night at their house but then I would have to find somewhere else for us to go. I accepted, wondering where we would be going after that but just happy I wouldn’t have to stay with Uncle Jerry. I wanted to know where Daddy and Mom had gone, I needed Greta to come back to look after us. I just wanted to go home.

Jack had gone crazy when he saw me. Shouting at Mr Lowman and yelling at me. I just turned into Mr Lowman again and hid from him. Mr Lowman put his arm up over my head and covered open ear with his hand. I didn’t want to be shouted at anymore.

“I shot him,” I mumbled to Jack, “I shot Jerry.”

That made him go quiet.

“He’s not dead.”

“Cat…”

I shook my head. I wanted it to stop. Everything hurt. My knees, my arms and my neck. My head was really painful too and I was scared. I was nearly- Uncle Jerry nearly- I didn’t even want to think about it. I never wanted to think about it again.

“Let her rest, ok?” Mr Lowman said firmly, “Come on.”

I nodded and let him take me back to that room that smelt like old beer and cigarettes but made me feel so safe and warm that I didn’t care at all. I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t want Mr Lowman to leave because I wanted to feel safe. He told me that Mr Chibs was gonna come in and have a look at me to make sure I was ok and not too badly injured. I knew I wasn’t but I thought maybe they wouldn’t let me argue with them. I just nodded at him and sat down with my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees. I didn’t feel like crying anymore.

I felt my wet laces brushing against my ankles and when I peeped through my fingers I saw Mr Lowman sat on the floor trying to undo them. It was funny watching him fiddle with my triple knotted laces. He was frowning in concentration and I could have helped him but it was way too funny watching him struggle.

“Why’d you tie them so much?” He asked, scratching his head.

I shrugged.

With a huff, he started to try again. I smiled behind my hands, I wondered why he was helping me to take my shoes off but then Mr Chibs walked in carrying the medical box that probably hadn’t been put away since I helped Jack this morning. He smiled at me and raised his eyebrow at Mr Lowman who had finally been able to get the first knot undone.

“Come on then,” Mr Chibs said, “let’s have a look at you.”

“I’m ok. I don’t need anything.”

“You’re bleeding,” Mr Lowman said, not looking up from my sneakers, “on your side.”

I looked around my body and saw blood on my clothes and my arm. I hadn’t even noticed.

“You mind lifting your shirt up?” Mr Chibs asked gently.

I shook my head and stiffly pulled the t-shirt over my head so that I was just in my tank top which was even more covered in blood. Gross. I let Mr Chibs tug it up slightly but whined when I finally felt what hurt. I couldn’t see anything because it was too far around but Mr Chibs swore so it must be bad. I also had two broken nails and that was literally the worst.

When I looked down at my hands I still couldn’t believe that I actually shot someone. Not just someone though, Uncle Jerry. I tried so hard like my entire life not to ever hurt anyone but I didn’t have a choice, right? I couldn’t just let him hurt me like that.

“Looks like it’s gonna heal fine,” Mr Chibs said, “you’re not gonna need any stitches. More blood than anything.”

“Do you guys hate me?” I asked.

“Why would we hate you?”

“Because I shot a guy? You’re like, really nice and stuff and I just… shot someone.”

Mr Lowman and Mr Chibs looked at each other for a second and I looked between them.

“We don’t hate you,” Mr Lowman assured me with a small nod at Mr Chibs, “we get it.”

“You promise?”

Mr Lowman looked up at me seriously and nodded. He shuffled forwards so that his crossed legs were against my feet on the floor and, kind of shyly, and rested his forehead on my knees and put his hands on the back of my legs; kind of wrapping them around my calves gently. I smiled. I kind of felt a bit brave and touched his head. I don’t know what I expected it to feel like but it literally felt so smooth. I had never noticed that he had a tattoo on his head as well. I was too short I guess and I never ever saw the top of his head. It was a snake, like the one on his chest I remembered, and curled around itself. It must have hurt to get but I think Mr Lowman is like a tough-guy so he was probably ok with it. I followed it around with my finger to try and distract myself from Mr Chibs wiping the blood off of my side and cleaning the wound with the alcohol wipes.

When he was done, Mr Chibs packed the stuff away and stood up. He put his hand on the back of my head and leaned down to kiss my forehead nicely.

“Rest well, ok? You’ve had a rough couple of days. Hap’s gonna stay with you, apparently.”

“Can you be my new dad?” I asked Mr Chibs.

He smiled. Mr Chibs had dimples and it was literally so adorable that it made me smile too. He patted my head gently. He wasn’t saying no.

“Sleep. We’re gonna look after your brother and pup. Just look after yourself for now.”

I nodded but then looked back down to Mr Lowman who was breathing deeply and I wondered if maybe he was asleep.

I heard the door to the room close and Mr Lowman jumped slightly before looking up at me with wide eyes. I laughed quietly and put my hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes with a sigh.

“Thanks Mr Lowman, for helping me and stuff. I- if you weren’t there-”

“Stop.”

He didn’t wanna think about it either. I think maybe I was gonna have to think about it at some point but right now, I decided I was just gonna sit here with Mr Lowman and we could try and not think about it together.

FUCKING BOOM BITCHES- look whom has uploaded again!! it’s me. I did and I’m very proud of myself. Kind of a Happy-centric chapter but I don’t think that’s too bad every now and again, right? next is gonna be more of Cat.

How do we feel about this chapter? Did we cry? How is Happy feeling that he couldn’t be there to comfort her as soon as he could and had to let Chibs do it?

I gave you angsty chapter with a cute as fuck ending. That kind of makes up for it.

See you in the next one lovelies!

Love, Doe xxxxx

#duchess #happy lowman #happy lowman fanfiction #happy lowman x oc #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy fanfiction #sons of anarchy imagine

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unseeleigh · 2 years ago

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sorry if this is pretty disjointed, ive never actually written any of this down before but here are my thoughts about the Lark is Normal’s dad theory (behind a read more because it got kinda long oops)

Okay so. This is mainly just a vibe I get, but there are indeed Some reasons why I do subscribe to the Normal is Lark’s son theory but tbh I don’t think the reasons are that deep or anything…. First off, in Normal’s introduction Lark is with Sparrow and Rebecca when they drop him off for school. This is a quick easy intro look into ‘where are they now’ kinda thing but Lark is the one who brings up Normal having a weapon to protect himself. Obviously Lark is the more pessimistic of the twins after summoning the Doodler and it would make sense that he wants his nephew to be protected but it makes even More sense if Normal was his kid. And in Dance Dance Revelations 2ndMix Link Version, when Normal gets to talk to Lark and Sparrow, its Lark who does most of the explaining and the bomb of information just offhandedly mentioned that Lark slept with Rebecca is what originally made me think of this. (I jokingly mentioned to a friend when this episode first came out like ‘oh what if Lark is Normal’s dad??? Not fully believing what i was saying but now I’m like OKAY BUT WHAT IF????) And the fact that Lark is more in control of himself even though he is starting to forget things while Sparrow is more loose-lipped about his thoughts about Normal and Lark even is the one to apologize for his brother. Then in Needlejuice Lark pretends to be Sparrow to try to cheer Normal up about the awful shit Sparrow said about not being proud of him and hugging him very tightly. It was only their tattoos that gave him away as Not Sparrow. He is also the one out of the two of them that does most of the explaining of how everything works, giving the order for code purple, stay away from the obsidian door, the info about the gun under his desk, he is even the one to explain the memory loss to the kids. Sparrow in Grand Theft Gato says ‘...I’m sure Lark would really like to be here to protect you, with all the violence and stuff. I mean, me too.’ adding himself almost as an afterthought.

And now in Finding Forest Her, Erin immediately assumes that Normal is Lark’s kid and had to basically be reminded that Sparrow was a possibility as well and let me tell you, I am Losing It. AND NORMAL ADMITS THAT HE ISN’T CLEAR ON WHOSE SON HE IS

This doesn’t even include all of his knowledge about the Church of the Doodler which I, for one, am very excited to learn more about soon. And after being told that Sparrow wasn’t proud of him, Normal is going through this huge existential crisis about himself and personality wise it just seems like hes becoming more like Lark, like short tempered and more willing to do questionable and dangerous things to get shit done. I don’t know, I just think it would be such a nice ‘like father like son’ thing. Thank you for coming to my ted talk, and feel free to talk to me about this more I feel like I’m going insane <3

Me ever since the Dance Dance Revelations episodes with the big brain idea that Normal is actually Lark's son and not Sparrow's but especially me after Finding Forest Her:

#leigh just noo #buysomecheese

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kounfetti · 7 years ago

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[Diabolik Lovers: Lost Eden] Kou Mukami Dark 06 Translation/Traducción

My first Lost Eden translation! I’ve actually never done one of Kou’s routes before, But I’m really liking his so far! Please no reposting onto other sites, just link back to this post-and ask me before translating this into other languages!—-Por favor no republiques y preguntame antés de traducir a otras idiomas. Espero que mi ortografía no les molesten tanto! - Todavia necesito acostumbrarme a usar este teclado y a escribir en español. Gracias a @0takudl por la ayuda!

Poco a poco, voy a agregar las traducciones al español para su ruta. Cada vez que completa Dark, Maniac, ó Ecstasy, lo anunciaré para que sepan. Es más fácil sí estan en la misma publicación!

English

Scene: Eden

Yui: Hahh...

Kou: The bath feels nice right..

Yui: Mmhmm

Yui: (Thanks to the care of the garden, my body feels refreshed.)

Yui: (But, I was a little surprised when we came to Eden, but I feel like I can live like this.)

Kou: Is something wrong?

Yui: Uh..Uhh I was thinking what reason you entered the bath, its a bit strange...

Yui: Eden is more sacred, its kind of like a pretty picture...

Kou: Oh.. thats what it is

Kou: Karlhienz prepared this just for us.

Yui: Prepared...?

Kou: Yep Yep. Obviously in the beginning there was nothing.

Kou: Because it was so rough for us, We mistrusted Karlhienz for a while.

Yui: Mistrust? Why...?

Kou: Yea.. But.. Because its not a problem for me, I'm talking to you.

Kou: Are you thinking of asking for our memories in Eden?

Selection: I want to listen or I want to hear Kou talk ♥I want to listen

Yui: I want to listen, What kind of memories do you have here?

Kou: Hahh..Lets see...

Kou: When we were human, we had rough lives, you know about that already dont you?

Yui: Mmmhmm

Kou: Because of that, When Karkhienz approached us, I didn't trust him at all.

Kou: Anyways, I guess they'll be asked to do something.

Kou: And so, I thought it was too good to be true, and I thought I should be wary and hate him still.

Kou: It would be troublesome to trust him right away, because he would inevitably throw me out like everyone else.

Kou: And so, thats what I thought then.

Yui: ....

Kou: But Karlhienz, he was different than them. He wouldnt get angry at us when we did something wrong.

Kou: And instead, he would look at us compassionately. And still, I thought that he didn't like me, yet I didn't care at all.

Kou: And so, one day, Ruki's birthday came.

Kou: To us, when we were human, Ruki was our only family.

Kou: Ever since I was young, I felt like trash. It was crazy that I didn't even know my birthday.

Kou: I was jealous of Ruki.

Yui: .....

Kou: And because of that, I told him something awful that I know would hurt him.

Kou: I told him that because Ruki, unlike me, didn't feel like trash.

Yui: ..!

Kou: That time, I felt like beating up Karlhienz.

Kou: However, I noticed that beating him up would make Karlhienz uninterested in me even more.

Kou: I was doing useless things.

Kou: I realized that if you do things of that sort, it only makes people less interested in you.

Yui: I see...

Yui: ( Thats surprising to me, that Kou would push away Karlhienz like that.)

Kou: Thinking about it now, It was an awful thing I did.

Kou: But at that time it seemed like I was a stray cat biting the hand that fed it. Yui: Oh..Kou

Yui gets closer to Kou

Kou: M-Neko Chan?

Yui: Its alright now. Because now you have all your brothers.

Kou: Yea.. Thank you.

Kou: In Eden, I have bad memories, but I also have so many more good memories.

Kou: And so, I dont want to lose this place.

Yui: Yea.

Kou: Hey, Yui.

Kou: I'm thinking to meet and talk with Subaru.

Yui: ...Uh..

Kou: I wont blame you for having any lingering feelings for him.

Kou: I dont want to admit this, but for us to keep Eden, we need Subaru's power and strength.

Kou: Thats why I want to meet and talk to him properly.

Yui: I also agree with the idea of you and Subaru making up.

Kou: Thank you.

Kou: I also think there are other creatures living in Eden that might think to attack us.

Kou: I think its bound to happen now or later... even from the underworld.

Yuma appears

Yuma: Hey you!

Yuma: Come here fast! We got information from Ruki of the demons!

Yui: Huh?!

Yuma: In the demon world, the Sakamaki family seems to have been attacked by the ghouls..!

Kou: Wha..?

End Dialogue Selection

Ghouls are vastly mistreated in the demon world, so I wonder why a vampire would ally himself with them. And the reason for discriminating against ghouls is unknown to me. Doubt constantly clouds my mind, but I have no time to listen to those doubts because the Sakamaki family is returning to the demon world after being attacked in the human world. Kou and I are seeing face to face, and time is beginning to run short. We headed towards Yuma, Ruki, and Azusa to tell them the situation.

------He’s going to meet with Subaru, to tell him of our intentions.

Correct Options: #2 時間/Time & #3 意思/Intention

Dark 5 ♥ Dark 7

Español

Escenario: Eden

Yui: Ahh…

Kou: Se sìente bien verdad.

Yui: Mhmm…

Yui: (Gracias al jardín, mi cuerpo se siente mas refrescado.)

Yui: (Pero, yo estaba sorprendída cuando víne a el Edén, pero siento que puedo vivír come así.)

Kou: Algo mal?

Yui: Ehh.. ehh.. Estaba pensando de cuando vinímos a Eden, era un poco raro.

Yui: Eden es mas sacrado, es como una ímagen boníta…

Kou: Ahh.. así es.

Kou: Karlhienz preparo todo esto para nosotros.

Yui: Lo preparo?

Kou: Sí, Por que en el princípio no habia nada.

Kou: Por que nosotros vivímos tan duro, yo estaba desconfiado con Karlhienz.

Yui: Desconfíado? Por que..?

Kou: Sí.. pero.. por que no es una problema, yo te voy a contar la historía.

Kou: Estas pensando de preguntar por nuestros recuerdos en el Edén?

Seleccion: Quiero oír tús recuerdos or Solo quiero oír a Kou hablar

♥Quiero oírte hablar sobre tus recuerdos

Yui: Quiero oír a tus recuerdos, que tipos de recuerdos tienes aquí?

Kou: Ahh.. Aver..

Kou: Cuando éramos humanos, teníamos vidas duras, tu sabes de eso verdad?

Yui: Sí…

Kou: Por eso, cuando Karlhienz nos encontro, yo estaba desconfiado en el.

Kou: Pensé que era demasiado bueno para ser cierto, y pensé que debía ser cauteloso y odiarlo.

Kou: Pensé que sería problemático pensar en el, por que podría echarme inevitablemente como todos los demas.

Kou: Y eso, es como pensé en esos dias.

Yui: …

Kou: Pero Karlhienz, él fue diferente. Él no se enojaba con nosotros cuando haciamos algo mal.

Kou: Y in ves de eso, el nos miraba con compasion. Pero todavía, pensé que no me quiera a mi, pero en esos días eso no me importaba.

Kou: Y entonces, un día, llego el cumpleaños de Ruki.

Kou: Para nosotros, cuando éramos humanos, Ruki era nuestra única familia.

Kou: Desde que era chico, siempre me sentí como basura. Era tan loco que ni siquiera sabia mi cumpleaños.

Kou: Tenia envidia.

Yui: …

Kou: Y por eso, yo le díje algo que yo sabia iba a dolerle.

Kou: Le dije que porque Ruki, a diferencia de mi, no se sentia como basura.

Yui: ..!

Kou: Esa ves, yo quería golpiar a Karlhienz.

Kou: Pero tambien, note que si yo golpiaba a Karlhienz, solo iba a ser mas desinteresado en mi.

Yui: Oh… yo entiendo.

Yui: (Yo no pensaba que Kou estaría desconfiado con Karlhienz.)

Kou: Cuando yo pienso en que hize, era una cosa terrible.

Kou: Yo era como un gato extraviado mordiendo a la mano que lo alimento.

Yui: Ah.. Kou..

Yui se acerca a Kou

Kou: M Neko Chan?

Yui: Todo esta bien ahora. Por que ahora, tu tienes a tus hermanos.

Kou: Si… gracias.

Kou: En Eden, tengo malos recuerdos, pero tambien tengo muchos recuerdos buenos.

Kou: Y por eso, no quiero perder á este lugar.

Yui: Si.

Kou: Ah, Yui.

Kou: Estoy pensando de hablar con Subaru.

Yui: Ah..

Kou: No te culpo por tener algunos ciertos sentimientos por él.

Kou: No quiero admitirlo, pero para que mantegamos el Edén, vamos a necesitar el poder y fuerza de Subaru.

Kou: Eso es por que, quiero hablar con Subaru.

Yui: Yo tambien estoy de acuerdo con la idea de tú y Subaru reconciliados.

Kou: Gracias.

Kou: También creo que hay otras criaturas en el Edén que nos pueden atacar. Kou: Está destinado a suceder ahora o más tarde.. hasta en el mundo de los demoños.

Yuma aparece

Yuma: Oi, tu!

Yuma: Ven rapído! Tengo información de Ruki de los demonios!

Yui: Eh?!

Yuma: En el mundo de los demonios, los ghouls atacaron a la familia Sakamaki..!

Kou: Que..?

Seleccíon de Dialogo Fínal

Los ghouls son maltratados en el Mundo de los Demonios, ¿que razón tendría un vampiro a alianzarse con ellos? No sé la razón porque los ghouls son discriminados. Dudas aparecen en mi mente, pero no hay tiempo para escucharlos porque ahora, los Sakamaki están regresando al Mundo de los Demonios después de ser atacados. Kou vos vemos cara a cara, y ya no queda tiempo. Fuimos a hablar con Yuma, Ruki, y Azusa para dirigirlos nuestra situación.

------Va a encontrar a Subaru, a declarar nuestras intenciones.

Opciones Correctas: #2 時間/Tiempo & #3 意思/Intencíon

Dark 5 ♥ Dark 7

#diabolik lovers #diabolik lovers lost eden #diabolik lovers lost eden kou mukami translation #kaetranslates #translation #kou mukami lost eden translation #kou mukami lost eden dark 6 translation #lost eden translation #diabolik lovers lost eden translation #lost eden kou mukami #diabolik lovers game translation #diabolik lovers kou mukami #lost eden #kou mukami translation #mukami kou #kou mukami #kaetraduce #diabolik lovers en español #diabolik lovers traduccion

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overwatchocgato · 7 years ago

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Character Profile: “Gato”

Concept Art: [Link]

Personal Information:

Real Name: Viola Nakasio

Sex: Male

Age: 26

Nationality: Brazilian

Base of Operations: Toronto, CA

Affiliation: Talon

Background:

“I hope they’ve very good security. I mean, it won’t help but...”

Viola Nakasio, otherwise known as Gato, is a self-taught magic-practitioner who uses his knowledge of the arcane to steal.

While also stealing for money, Gato’s main targets are artifacts rumored to have healing properties or rare materials that can be used as potion brewing materials. He commits these crimes in hopes of finding a cure for his adoptive-father’s disease, which modern technology is yet to find a permanent solution for.

One of the several artifacts Viola used to try and cure his father was a small yellow crystal stolen in China, named “Moon’s Fortune”, said to have granted an ancient emperor longevity and immunity to diseases and poisons. While it did have healing powers, it was not strong enough to rid his father of his affliction.

And so, “Gato” kept on stealing. After several successful robberies, the thief’s activity caught Talon’s attention. After the proper intel was gathered, Doomfist( Akande Ogundimu) approached Viola with a business proposition. In exchange for his’s services, Talon would have their scientists look into his father’s case, promising to produce a cure.

While Viola has no love for Talon and their goals, the possibility of a permanent solution to his problem drove him in becoming a Talon agent and, as Gato, he now travels the world stealing for the organization.

Appearance:

Viola is a short young man with soft traces and a slim build. His hair is pure white and his eyes are a bright orange, result of his contact with the Moon’s Fortune. He uses an illusory spell to regain his former appearance and keep his civilian front, but releases it during operations.

Gameplay:

Gato plays as a high-mobility healer specialized in stabilizing critical-health allies quickly, giving other healers more breathing room to top them off. His healing has short range, but his abilities and natural mobility allow him to keep himself safe in the middle of the fight, as well as confuse enemies, spawning decoys to keep their off allies as he heals them.

His ultimate’s main utility is negating line-of-sight-based attacks, but can also be used in the middle of a team-fight to put the enemy-team at a heavy disadvantage.

Abilities:

Passive: “Feline Agility”

“Using gravity-based magic, Gato moves at increased speed, makes no noise and can climb up walls.”

Movement Speed increase: +20% Noise Radius: 2m

Notes: Since Gato’s Healing is short-ranged, he needs to be able to reach allies in high areas and traverse through the map quickly to keep all of the team healthy during a match and himself alive.

Primary Fire: “Crystal Healing”

“Gato uses the crystal in his hand to heal an ally. Healing has 4 charges and is stronger the lower is the target’s current health is.”

1-30% Health: 90 Healing. 31-60% Health: 60 Healing. 61-100% Health: 30 Healing. Max Charges: 4 Recharge: 1.5s Range: 7m

Notes: Gato excels at getting allies out of the danger-zone by healing large amounts of health when the target is near-death, but can’t do much after that as his healing potency drops heavily when the target is above 60% heath.

The small “ammo” in his heals also restrict his effectiveness, as he will not be able to bring too many allies from the brink of death in a short spam of time, giving his enemies time to kill his teammates. Or him.

Secondary Fire: “Suppressed Handgun”

Single-Shot Hitscan. Damage: 20-55. Ammo: 10. Reload Time: 1.6s. Can Headshot.

Notes: Gato’s basic self-defense. To maximize efficiency, Gato should hold onto his heals until allies are in real danger, so in the meantime, he can deal some damage with his handgun. Its hitscan nature also allows him to help taking out specific long-range enemies like Phara and Widowmaker.

Shift-Ability: “9 Lives”

“Upon use, Gato becomes invisible for 3s and leaves behind an iIllusion of himself that lasts 8s.

The illusion has the same current health as Gato, stands still and Using the ability again makes Gato teleport back to his original position.”

Duration:8s Cooldown: 6s Special: Illusion looks identical to Gato for enemies. Allies see a shadowy copy of him with actual cat ears and a tail. Attacking the Illusion awards no Ultimate charge.

Notes: This ability doubles as an escape, leaving a decoy behind as Gato flees while invisible, or allowing him to set up a dangerous play by creating a way-out of the fight, diving into the middle of the enemy team(to heal or use his ultimate), then teleporting back to the safety of his backline.

The clone can be destroyed however, requiring positioning to be used effectively.

Ability E: “Copycat”

“Gato creates an illusion of himself that seeks allies to heal. Illusion always heals the ally with the lowest health in range.

The illusion has the same current health as Gato and disappears after 8s, or when killed.”

Healing: Standard Values. Clone’s Vision Range: 15m. Duration:8s Cooldown: 10s Special: Illusion looks identical to Gato for enemies. Allies see a shadowy copy of him with actual cat ears and a tail. Attacking the Illusion awards no Ultimate charge.

Notes: Used to increase Gato’s healing output for a short time or to allow him to be in two places at once(Healing the frontline while helping the backline that’s being dove).

Ultimate: “Nightmare”

“Gato creates a globe of dark magic in a large area that blinds enemies inside, limiting their vision to 5 meters for 6s or while inside.

Enemies outside the globe can’t see in but can shoot through the globe. Allies are unaffected”

Range: 40m Duration: 6s Status: “Blinded”, Hero sees complete darkness after 5m.

Note: This both an offensive and defensive ability, as it is perfect to counter vision-based cooldowns/ultimates as well ass setting up teammates, since enemies caught in the area won’t be able to see whats coming and will have trouble counter-attacking or finding a way out of the dark zone.

Quotes:

Silenced Handgun

On-kill - Generic: “That wasn’t in my contract, but…ok.”

On-kill - Doomfist: “Guess I need a new job now...”

On-kill - Moira: “Should have worked faster, hag.”

On-kill - Lúcio: “Talvez agora seus albums vendam.”

On-kill - Tracer: “Someone had to shut her up. And I’m glad it was me.”

Crystal Healing:

Healing – Over 60%: “Get back to me when you are actually hurt ok?”

Healing – Between 60 and 30%: “Pfft, you were fine.”

Healing – Below 30%: “Lucky you, hum?”

Healing – Below 30%: “And you thought you were in trouble.”

Copycat:

On-Use: “Hello nurse. Literally.”

On-Use: “Do I need to do everything around here? Apparetly.”

On-Use, Healing Self: “Some people call me egotistical. I agree.”

On-Use, Healing Self: “I’m only one person you know? Mostly.”

9 Lives:

On-Use: “This should throw them for a loop.”

On-Use: “I’m over here! And there. And there…”

Clone Destroyed: “And there goes plan B…”

Clone Destroyed: “Hum…Seeing yourself die does get old.”

Nightmare(Ultimate):

Enemy Gato: “Who’s afraid of the dark? *Chuckle*”

Ally Gato: “Enemy vision impaired, GO!”

Trivia:

Viola’s birth name is Viola de la Luna, but he had it changed after being adopted by Charles Nakasio.

His birthday is July 22.

Viola has a twin brother and they were both raised by a very uncaring grandmother. Once they turned 18 they left their home to search for their parents.

While his brother sought after their biologic father, Viola searched for their mother. His trail ran cold at Charles Nakasio, who was a friend of hers. With nowhere else to go, he stayed with Charles and was eventually adopted.

Viola and his brother don’t get along, and he has a personal grudge agains their father, explaining why he decided to stay with Charles.

Viola works as a tailor assistant in his adoptive father’s store between missions. He’s very good at it.

Viola’s natural hair and eye color were black and dark-brown, but they changed to white and orange after he started using the Moon’s Fortune.

Viola uses the stone to heal his father, but it can’t get rid of his disease permanently, and the more he uses, lesser is its effect.

In exchange for his work, Viola receives a serum from Doctor Moira to treat his father’s condition. It will take several doses to completely cure his father, meaning he will be working with Talon for quite a while…

#Viola Nakasio #Character Profile #Gato

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leportraitducadavre · 1 year ago

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Naruto and the "hero" concept

Volumes Covered: 1-27 (first part)

How Naruto as a character interacts with those in power, particularly those who represent the position he wants to achieve (Hokage) is an interesting discussion to have. However, since the manga is particularly long, such debate would inevitably become far too extensive, so I’ve decided to indulge in some investigation on the matter during the first part of the manga. The driven question: How does Naruto interact with the notion of Hero and how (or if) does evolve through his development?

Be warned, this is mostly an incredibly organized rambling of mine. Many things might not make enough sense to you and some specific moments could have been interpreted differently by some: This is a specific reading of the canonical material, not definitive facts.

Long post!

Wave Arc

“If something is precious to you, you need to protect it with all the strength you’ve got, even at the risk of your own life” (x)

Such words were spoken by Kaiza, Inari’s father and the first character to introduce in a deep manner the idea of what being a “hero” entails. These words, plus Kaiza’s sacrifice to save his son (and the town’s citizens), are both glorified by the narrative as something Naruto should aspire to want and become (even if later on the own narrative twists itself and destroys its own “heroic” concept when justifying the UCM and Tobirama’s Curse of Hatred).

I don’t think, and the manga in itself quite literally encourages to do so, that Naruto really understands the link between Inari and the concept of “hero” he possesses (I'm making no judgment since he uses his own conception to approach the subject). To the small civilian boy, the word hero was meant to categorize a person that protects what and whom they love even at the cost of their life. It’s pretty much highlighted here when Inari finally understands what Kaiza was trying to convey when they first met now that he formed an emotional connection with him (father-son). When Kaiza is killed -here-, Inari’s pain makes him turn his sadness into anger, and he gives sense to that feeling by accusing Kaiza of abandoning him and, therefore, taking away that “hero” status (he’s not there to protect him as a hero would).

Upon hearing this, Naruto’s response “I’m going to show Inari that there are still heroes in the world!” (here) not only twists the narrative to introduce himself into an issue he wasn’t asked to be part of (furthermore, Tazuna had no right to tell) but also, realistically: it fixes absolutely nothing. Here’s the thing: Heroes, to Inari, are people emotionally invested with what or those they’re saving -it doesn’t have to do exclusively with being physically capable of doing so, but about wanting to because of the deep connection between them. Kaiza didn’t fail as a hero because he couldn’t defeat Gato, but because he “disappeared” (died).

Naruto rescuing Inari should (from a narrative point of view, at least for now), not change Inari’s perspective because they have no relationship and because Naruto is pretty much paid to carry out a duty (even if canonically the mission Tazuna paid for doesn’t cover the costs of what Naruto is about to do, Inari knows nothing about it, there’s no panel that tells us otherwise).

So why is there a dichotomy between Naruto’s perception of a hero and Inari’s? In the very first chapter of the manga, there’s a direct link between the “Hero” concept and the “Hokage” title. Naruto’s wish to become a hero (or more specifically, The Hero), is a direct correlation to the mighty leader of Konohagakure, whom Naruto aspires to be.

[The importance of the “hero” concept is mentioned again in chapter 8, where Naruto learns that there are shinobi who are considered “heroes” because they died for the village (sacrificed their life for Konoha’s benefit) and, in exchange, were rewarded with their name upon a stone.]

However, as I presented before, Naruto’s way of approaching the subject has more to do with being physically able to save someone (for him, a hero is someone who is powerful enough to help, like how the Hokage is considered the strongest shinobi of the village), than understanding what the concept entails for Inari.

During Naruto and Haku’s conversation, the MC’s approach to the entire concept is finally addressed (x), Haku asks him if he has someone precious to fight for (x), and after hearing Naruto’s response, he tells him that people become stronger when fighting to protect someone they care for (x). It’s just then that Naruto relates that idea to Iruka (specifically Iruka sacrificing for him and his own decision to protect Iruka against Mizuki), to Kaiza’s story, and to Kakashi’s phrase: “I’ll never let my comrades die” (here).

He understands upon speaking with Haku the importance of a bond and, therefore, of having an emotional reason (person, place) to fight for (and become stronger), yet this understanding doesn’t necessarily contradict Naruto’s previous belief. He still wants to prove a point and earn the recognition of the village that ostracized him by becoming the strongest ninja; whilst the notion that both Kaiza, Inari, and Haku preach does not necessarily include any sort of acknowledgment for their actions (Kaiza was literally used as an example of what happens to those who defy Gato while Haku establishes himself as a tool at Zabuza’s disposal -both are okay with that for their wants rested elsewhere).

In the next chapter, 22, we have an important interaction: On this page, Inari, mad at Naruto, screams at him that not only he won’t be able to win against Gato’s tugs, but also he accuses him of speaking of a subject he has no idea of, being foreign, and (assuming) Naruto has experienced nothing of what he had to go through.

As readers, we know that Naruto has been mistreated by his own people, but Inari’s point is understandable: Naruto knows nothing about Wave other than what was told to him, in the same manner, he puts himself in the position of becoming the island (Inari’s) hero: He wants the help he provides -or he’s about to provide, to be recognized, for the Hokage is Konoha’s hero, and his existence, relevance, and power are acknowledged. [Perhaps calling it Naruto’s idea of a hero is misplaced, for it could easily be labeled as Konoha’s idea of a hero].

After an emotional manipulation at the hands of Kakashi (yes, Naruto’s words also influenced the little boy, but he lacked the experience to understand what he was doing), Inari starts to respect Naruto and acts “heroically”, to which Naruto responds by displaying a better attitude towards him. I’ve spoken a little bit about it before it but there’s no harm in repetition: Shinobi’s cultural, economic, political, and social spheres are different from civilians’ -in that sense when in a non-shinobi space, ninjas have no say in civilian customs or actions; yet none of them (I’m including Kakashi and somewhat forgiving Naruto, giving his young age and the fact that this is the first time he ever went outside Konoha) are able to detach their world-view from their specific ninja cultural and political rules. Inari would have never obtained Naruto’s respect hadn’t been because he performed the “heroic” thing (the shinobi thing, which endangered his life for he had no tools to perform in the same manner Naruto or Kakashi did). Furthermore, his relationship with Naruto hasn’t changed, they had no interaction after their fight, but because Inari is suddenly brave enough to stand up for his mom instead of escaping to ensure his safety, their relationship is suddenly fixed.

[Just an idea: perhaps Naruto did approach Inari with the idea of apologizing before he saw him defending his mother -perhaps Haku’s words did modify his perspective, but that doesn’t change the fact that Inari was coerced to perform the “shinobi” thing by Kakashi].

There’s nothing in the narrative that suggests Inari was actually a coward before, the only reason why he didn’t jump to save his dog was that he couldn’t swim. One instance of being afraid to move -because of genuine fear and the knowledge of a more than likely demise-, does not define his entire person, plus, he was even younger, if during Wave Arc he was eight, then it means he back in the flashback that Tazuna tells, he was five-years-old. It would have been slightly more understandable if Inari was born and raised in a ninja village, but for a civilian kid? Why such pressure? Again, the problem isn’t with Naruto exactly, he judges other people with the same bar with which he was/is judged (let’s remember, back in chapter 10, Kakashi shames Naruto when he froze during the attack of Kiri ninjas, despite that being the first time he was attacked in such degree), but we, the readers, are given the tools to question the exchange, not simply nod alongside everything the characters say.

In the end, Naruto apologizes to Inari for calling him a baby, again, after he displayed bravery (which, I admit, was kind of greatly staged), and Chapter 23 ends with Naruto stating “man, this ‘hero’ thing is a lot of work”. Inari recognizes Naruto’s strength first, not his heroic capacity, until their “bonding” moment.

Naruto still doesn’t exactly question the central issue presented before: the main objective of becoming a hero isn’t about getting recognition (his current belief), but about protecting those he loves. The narrative tries to make a foreshadowing of what might come: Naruto learning that him being a ninja on duty -a person that gets paid to either protect or kill, immediately clashes against what a hero should be (Kaiza’s definition); his current belief is put there only to be questioned, but that questioning ends up nowhere, after the first part (and I dare to say Wave Arc) it disappears (at least for Naruto, since Sasuke seems to be the one who carries this notion afterward).

Naruto’s speech to Zabuza (here and here) about the way shinobi apparently need to be emotionless in order to follow through with a mission or become strong is a direct contradiction to the rule introduced by Sakura herself. The way Kishimoto wrote those scenes means that the clash of ideals is on purpose, even Zabuza admits that shinobi are human beings and they aren’t able to completely erase their feelings (yes, that also contradicts the Curse of Hatred that is later on introduced).

The Hokage is a person that -as stated by Ebisu, “knows and understands the eight principles that are the cornerstones of all the knowledge of the shinobi”, furthermore, Hiruzen (a direct example of who Naruto wants to become), expects the future shinobi to know and follow a number of rules, it’s are a requirement to pass the initial course. This is the first time Naruto questions the basis of the shinobi’s belief system (being as heartless as Zabuza = being strong = becoming a hero = becoming Hokage).

In chapter 33, we are able to see Zabuza and Haku’s funeral, which introduces the idea of Naruto growing up to question the current system: Here and here. We are shown the mentality of “shinobis are tools” being disputed by the main trio -Kakashi, their sensei, admits that the value put on ninjas’ lives by the present mindset makes him uncomfortable, yet, he does nothing about it. We are to believe that this new generation of shinobi (with Naruto at the front) will finally question and take action against that belief; however, we are also shown how shinobi who go against the system are considered rogue (Zabuza), so Naruto will have to either reach power in order to change things (fight from within -with all the issues it brings) or fight against the system from the outside, meaning, becoming a missing-nin.

However, by the end of the Wave Arc, Naruto is starting to build up a reputation (the main goal he was introduced with, which makes all the debate presented before absolutely irrelevant for he changed nothing of his views and got the reward he expected), the bridge is named after him (because I guess he inspired Inari who was in charge to name the bridge, instead of naming it after Tazuna, who built it, or Kaiza, to give him a “post-mortem recognition”). The emotional connection between Naruto and Inari was made after Naruto saved him, yet it can’t be said that it isn’t significant. Kakashi convinced Inari to “like” Naruto (directly), and Haku convinced Naruto to “like” Inari (indirectly) -their relationship was made by other people.

Chünin Exams

When already inside the Chünin Exams’ arc, more specifically, chapter 39, we have an interesting occurrence: Naruto, having put on the over-confident mask he often displays to portray a confidence he doesn’t exactly feels, yells that no one will beat him. Now, that in itself isn’t truly remarkable, yet the Otogakure’s team takes it as an insult to their village. It’s intriguing to think why they take what seems to be an innocent statement with such a negative value because of the village Naruto represents (his Hitai Ate is on his forehead, where everyone can see).

This interpretation, however, is introducing something of a bigger scale: The resentment of smaller villages towards bigger ones like Konoha -we have yet to know their reasoning, but since we already know Konoha is one (if not the) strongest village, the wording in which the Otogakure’s team presents the conflict is to be noted. Naruto never mentioned the places of precedence of those in the room -he even included the shinobi from his own village (when facing the room, he’s also looking at Lee, Neji, and Tenten) yet the Oto team takes it personally because they can see his headband: they know things that the reader has yet to learn, therefore, Naruto seemingly innocent statement automatically translates onto Konoha shinobi insulting other villages’ capacities.

[It’s also to be noted that Otogakure is ruled by Orochimaru, who deserted Konoha and wasn’t really a fan of his former village, their distaste for Konoha as a village and Naruto as a shinobi might have to do with their commander’s personal feelings if they know about Orochimaru’s past].

By the end of the first exam (chapter 43) - Ibiki asks the tenth question, Naruto jumps before Sakura can raise her hand and forfeit (she did so because she didn’t want Naruto to fail and be stuck forever as a Gënin should he answer incorrectly) while yelling that he won’t quit and he’ll become Hokage even if they doom him to be Gënin forever (Kishimoto actually made this to be true: he stayed as a gënin until the very end of the manga). His character is particularly marked by his necessity to go against those who underestimate him, to the point where he sets all of his interactions under that premise until proven wrong; that is, he usually assumes people are belittling him even if they aren’t particularly doing so.

In Chapter 48, after being attacked by Orochimaru disguised as a Grass ninja, Sasuke decides that the best course of action in order to survive is giving him the Heaven Scroll they have so he would leave. Up until then, Orochimaru has overpowered both him and Sakura yet, Naruto intercepts the exchange and punches Sasuke, calling him a “fake”, because the real Sasuke isn’t a coward. Now, Naruto knows nothing of what both Sasuke and Sakura experienced, so perhaps he truly believes that it isn’t a fight harsh enough for them not to overcome (they have fought against Haku and Zabuza and they won); but what interests me is the weight and value that Naruto seems to put over the notion of “brave” and its counterpart “coward” since he’s done the exact same judgment when in Wave (to Inari), and it was an assessment made towards him by both Sasuke and Kakashi.

Kishimoto even acknowledges this parallelism through this panel: here. Even the next chapter (49), it’s titled “Coward” [After Orochimaru attacks Naruto, Sakura helps him and yells at Sasuke (who has been frozen since Naruto saved him) - at her intervention, he immediately remembers Itachi’s words which are a direct reflection of Naruto’s words to Sasuke].

Up to this point, for Naruto, a Hero is someone strong enough to help others (I assume since he spoke with Haku that Naruto understood the “fighting for what/who you love” phrase, even if that is incredibly manipulated and he subscribed to the Will of Fire, where the love he possesses for Iruka and his friends translates into him caring for Konoha as a symbol), someone who is acknowledged by others because of their sacrifices/capacities and, now,someone brave enough to jump into dangerous situations.

After the end of the Second Stage of the Chünin Exams, we have a thought-provoking interaction between Iruka and Naruto. There, Iruka advises the tree cell team not to overexert themselves during the next round, to which Naruto replies with -basically, “since I’ve got the Hitai-ate (that you gave me), I stopped being a kid and became a full-fledged shinobi” (x and x). I have pointed this out in some other posts but there’s no harm to reiterate: the pass from childhood to adult -unlike in the civilian society that follows different rules, is marked by the bestowal of the headband. That is, adulthood has little to do with age and more to do with rank. With that mentality, Naruto’s behavior towards Inari is slightly more understandable, since his age is not an excuse to behave like a “child”. Yet, again, where Naruto (and Kakashi) fails is in understanding that Inari is not governed by the same principles that he is.

In the introduction of the preliminary rounds, we have Hiruzen’s speech about the exams and their true goal, I won’t put here everything that they encompass but I will mention the so-called friendship Hiruzen preached about and what will ultimately become Naruto’s own conception of the term: The “friendship” that Hiruzen often speaks about (and many fans still take in the strict term of the word), is more about preserving the balance in between the villages at the risk of people’s lives. That’s the type of friendship that Naruto will end up defending -to keep the balance between the greater villages, massacres, discrimination, and even wars (and war-like scenarios, such as the Chünin Exams), are permitted, because balance equals friendship.

The Hero (The Hokage) keeps the balance. If they feel Konoha is losing power, they’ll start a war, if they sense a small village or a petit organization jeopardizes the position of the Big Five, they obliterate them -I wish more people would read that specific panel: the system isn’t supposed to be good nor fair to everyone, the parameters to be “good” or “evil” are completely different from our own, we are speaking of military, corrupt and powerful states that thrive on wars, they -by our own standards- could never be “good” even at its most basic level. Allow me to copy-paste a response a gave about Jiraiya’s character to illustrate this point:

“We can’t separate his characterization from the universe he was created for (which is not to say we can’t judge him based on our own standards, but calling him a hypocrite would only be factual if he counters his own definition of peace, which he doesn’t).

Who is he killing? People that aren’t from Konoha nor loyal to it, which instantly justifies his actions. Why is he killing? Because it will benefit his village in the short and/or long term (...) The problem in itself isn’t Jiraiya not aligning with our views -he doesn’t have to (furthermore, the narrative doesn’t have to either, which is the apparatus that validates him inside the story, specifically), is the fandom that puts him as a paragon of morality -using him to put other character views/behaviors down, (...) How come Jiraiya is singled out as ‘the’ hypocrite when the system he defends and on which he based his entire views is nothing but hypocritical? You can’t take any other Will of Fire believer/Shinobi system supporter and spare them from the same criticism. If the system he aligns with is nothing but paradoxical (state-sanctioned genocide to “maintain peace” -rather, keep specific people in power- is only one of the most notorious actions perceived narratively as necessary), he has no other choice but to become paradoxical as well -otherwise, he’ll become a traitor.” (x)

However, in chapter 94, we have this interesting piece of interaction, where Hiruzen tells the future generation of shinobi that they are free to live and die as they please (we readers are aware that this, given Konoha’s parameters of both freedom and death, is not necessarily true), but they need to protect those who “are precious to them” (Kaiza’s notion of a hero), alongside this Hiruzen, as the Hokage, claims that he’ll protect everyone in the village -because all of them are equally precious to him. This particular method of emotional manipulation is applied to the young minds of future soldiers, and the truth about the real implication of what is asked of them to do would not come to them until much later -either on their first mission or during their Chünin Exams.

I’ll repeat: There’s a reason why Hiruzen doesn’t allow the façade of Konoha’s practices to fall until the very last stage of the exams, because Konoha’s educational system (particularly), holds itself by ingraining the idea that Konoha as a symbol equalizes to everyone composing it. In trivial terms: If you ask a young child what they rather save, Konoha or their parents -they’ll probably save the person precious to them rather than a piece of land; however, if you convince the kid that Konoha is a symbol far greater than any person because it’s a place where their parents’ presence (or legacy) will still linger even after their deaths (“sacrifices”), then the decision isn’t as easy as it was before. Tsunade doubting about whether to help Orochimaru or not under the promise of seeing Dan and Nawaki again just reiterates the idea of tying Konoha (the symbol) to those dearest to her. Nawaki and Dan are, at this point, either at the same level or higher than the village itself -it’s after, with Naruto and Jiraiya’s intervention (offering of the Hokage’s title and, later on, threatening her), that the village becomes a symbol for both of them and she finally internalizes her master’s teachings. Even Dan states that he loves the village and all of his friends that live there, which is why he wants to defend it, further proving the idea previously mentioned. Furthermore, When Tsunade saves Naruto from Orochimaru’s attack -he asks her “why go to such lengths to save a Gënin,” to which she replies “I’m doing this to protect the village of Konohagakure”; there’re things to point out about this that intertwine this line with my previous point.

Naruto is the Jinchuriki of the nine tails, if he dies Konoha loses possession of Kurama.

Naruto’s dream is to become Hokage, and the remembrance of Dan and Nawaki allows Tsunade to make a connection between Naruto’s dream and theirs. She also might be referencing Naruto becoming Hokage as a way to save Konoha in the future.

Naruto is the representation of Konoha and its people.

For Naruto, the title of Hokage is so important that he deems it unfathomable that someone would reject it -as Tsunade did the first time it was offered to her. It’s not only about his lack of knowledge about what the title entails and the responsibilities that come with it (something that isn't propagandistically mentioned, as the only thing highlighted about the position is the physical power the wielder needs to have in order to earn it. Realistically speaking, we know the title isn’t just about power -as Tsunade isn’t the strongest of the three Sannin, yet she’s the most valuable as the last Senju descendant), but also about the acknowledgment position she’s declining. Naruto has glorified the idea of Hokage (hero) to such a degree that questioning the position (or whoever has obtained it) seems incomprehensible, and when Tsunade does question it -he reacts violently. She’s questioning the very thing he wants to be, that’s why he reacts so fiercely against her when she both declines the position and questions its relevance and this is exactly why he’s set to never dispute the notion that was ingrained into him -Naruto questioning the system that killed thousands through the years is being practically buried here.

Regarding Naruto’s characterization, antagonizing the "prodigy" notion is incredibly important to him, not because he (truly) denies the strength of those who are given the title, but because their existence denies him of the acknowledgment he seeks, as all his accomplishments are "overshadowed" by Neji and Sasuke's sole presence. Therefore being recognized (positively so) by their ninja skills (as such is the political and cultural importance of such aspects inside the Shinobi system) is, to him, the most important category when pointing out a person’s value.

To Naruto (and a big portion of the fandom) Neji is not considered a failure (unlike himself, Hinata, or Lee) therefore he somehow has an easier life despite being, in every other manner, oppressed by his family. This is a mindset Konoha in itself teaches to its citizens as this dogma’s value rests on the fact that it guarantees the success and preservation of the status quo established. Therefore, for Will of Fire supporters, Sasuke couldn’t be discriminated against because he was praised for his techniques/was popular, Neji might be a slave but he’s incredibly valuable to Konoha due to his strength, so there is some sort of “retribution”.

The problem with this mindset is that it diminishes valid criticisms as it downgrades minorities' arguments by pointing out the person's "worth" inside the overall structure: They're valuable for Konoha's militia as their power benefits them militarily, therefore this recognition discredits any other way they are politically, culturally or economically oppressed.

This nationalistic mindset, vastly sustained in the "greater good" rhetoric, also tries to diminish the relevance of ethnicity identification inside the Narutoverse. Let me explain it further: Being part of a clan isn't -or shouldn't be by Konoha's standards- as important as being a Konoha citizen. People inside the village should consider themselves Konoha citizens first and part of a clan second, so if the greater good (meaning, Konoha's survival or superiority) entails clans' oppression or the tolerance of slavery practices, not only these practices are narratively perceived as necessary but also are to be accepted by those affected by them because they have to see the bigger picture.

This rhetoric isn't as challenging for those in power: some fans claim that all shinobi are forced to forfeit/diminish their identity as clan members to be Konoha's shinobi first, yet it translates differently in practice. It's easier for those who benefited from the system to consider themselves part of their nation before their clan because their ethnicity isn't perceived or treated differently.

If we roughly translate it to real-life dogmas, it'll be as if a (mostly white populated) nation asked their citizens to "forfeit" their ethnic identity (and I'm comparing the Uchiha and Hyuga with real-life ethnic groups as biological differences inside the Narutoverse are marked by the presence or absence of Kekkei Genkai, as Haku introduces) in order to use their nation as an identifier. The white population of such space won't see nor understand the issue with such a request because their whiteness has never been used as a reason to diminish their relevance or capacities inside the spheres of power; furthermore, their nation's bureaucracy was built around their whiteness whilst POCs political value/capacities are constantly challenged. One (or few) instances of POC individuals being praised by those in power for meeting (or surpassing) the established standards isn't the same as them being treated as equals to their white counterparts.

In this “prodigy vs. hard worker” theme, we have two dogmas introduced in the manga: “A ninja is one who endures” (x) of Jiraiya, vs. “A ninja is one who wields Ninjutsu” of Orochimaru -this is an interesting dichotomy, as none of them contradicts the other, it’s also incredibly accurate to represent both Sasuke and Naruto as a ninja. Sasuke -up until the last chapter, is far superior to Naruto when it comes to Ninjutsu, but Naruto is incredibly tough and continuously increases his power/strength out of sheer stubbornness. Both of them have natural resources to move around the dogma they represent (Sasuke, the Sharingan; Naruto, Kurama), so they’re well-matched in that regard.

The Naruto fandom seems to think that Naruto lacking a vast repertoire of Jutsus is the way Kishimoto uses to undermine the main character, completely missing the point of his characterization. Naruto isn’t supposed to be flashy nor interesting, he’s supposed to stand against the norm (a.k.a the literal definition of a ninja, which is Orochimaru’s, hence, Sasuke’s), which is why he has mostly two Jutsus during the whole manga. This, again, doesn’t contradict Sasuke’s characterization, as being able to wield Ninjutsu isn’t opposed to being able to endure -and considering Sasuke’s arc and how he, until the very last moment, refused to give up on his journey, only shows how he grew up to fulfill both visions. The narrative tries to show us how Sasuke's path is wicked, which is why his decision to continue is painted in a negative light.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc

Once Sasuke leaves Konoha, he’s “followed” by Shikamaru and his newly formed squad (you can see an analysis about sexism here), and in chapter 202, we find this phrase uttered by the leader: “I should place more value on the lives of my teammates instead of the person abducted by the enemy (...) besides abandoning a teammate to protect yourself? There’s no one in my squad like that.” (x, x). However, Shikamaru is lying, both to himself and Tayuya. Sasuke wasn’t abducted, he left of his own volition (x). Shikamaru isn’t risking his life to save a kidnapped comrade, he’s risking his life so Orochimaru wouldn’t have the last Uchiha descendent by his side, which is proved by the way Tsunade references Sasuke’s deflection and Orochimaru’s “attempt to have the power of the Uchiha” (here); he’s protecting more Konoha’s possession of the last Sharingan user than Sasuke himself.

Sure, he does have a sense of duty since Sasuke is a comrade, and it wouldn’t be weird for them to think that Sasuke was forced into accepting Orochimaru’s help as Tsunade is incapable of replying to Shikamaru’s question (she isn’t even sure of the answer as nor Kakashi or Jiraiya spoke to her about their suspicions); yet what interests us here is the weight that surrounds the use of the word “save” as it’s likely more for the children’s benefit to put them under a “savior” mindset in order to build their sense of duty and the imperative necessity of bringing Sasuke back; as it’s also likely that they gave sense to Sasuke’s escape by attributing it to kidnapping since they cannot conceive one of them deflecting. Here, the savior complex shifts, as we learn that it isn’t an individualistic ethos that it’s solely linked to Naruto’s character due to his background (it’s simply far more visible in his case), but it’s a learned mindset (un)consciously taught to ensure loyalty and obedience (“I’m not the bad guy, I’m saving you”; “this if for your own good!”; etc); it’s not really different to how real-life soldiers are told to perceive themselves.

“Does Konoha mean nothing to you?!” (x) Peak perfection in the sense of the nationalistic mindset Naruto has been constructing during the whole first portion of the manga, here, Naruto’s sparkles of revolutionary interests are crushed –and I mean, they were never bright to begin with. He never questioned Konoha’s relevance but rather Konoha’s structure when it presented challenges or negative preconceptions of his nature as Jinchuuriki that he needed to overcome or modify, as they did in Wave where he refused to become “just” a tool like Haku was (x), since a tool doesn’t need nor deserves recognition, which he craves. Here, the nationalistic mindset of Kakashi gets reflected upon the student, as Naruto internalized the Will of Fire and exposes it (and rather clearly) here:

Naruto is contemplating Sasuke abandoning him and Team 7, which is the primary fuel in this quest and the reason behind his pain, he mentions the team that Shikamaru gathered (per Tsunade’s orders) to bring him back as these are individuals that put their life on the line to “rescue” Sasuke, yet Sasuke cares not. Naruto’s words are not a coincidence, he never states that the people searching for him are Sasuke’s friends (they aren’t, they never interacted in any significant way), the only thing they have in common is their village of origin and loyalty. For Naruto, that’s enough for a bond, for Sasuke it isn’t.

Sasuke himself put no one in danger, as he fought nor hurt anyone, it was Tsunade who sent inexperienced gënin to search Sasuke in order not to give Orochimaru the “Uchiha’s power”, Sasuke deflecting put no one in any immediate danger as he was, at most, to be killed and possessed by Orochimaru (which, alright, can be argued his body might have been used to destroy Konoha later on –despite Orochimaru being quite capable of doing so prior to having Sasuke’s body as well, so him having or not Sasuke isn’t detrimental for a possible retaliation from the Sannin) which, as he states, isn’t important (x)

I do believe that this specific claim: “You think I’m just gonna let you go?!” which is the culmination of Naruto’s speech about how Orochimaru will grant him power in exchange for his life (x) is understandable as Naruto is both hurt by Sasuke abandoning them and scared for his friend’s life (Sasuke is even leaving despite being aware that he’ll be likely killed, which is quite worse as not only Naruto feels pain as a result of his only friend escaping, but also him leaving to certain death). Naruto’s primary knowledge about Sasuke’s goal (killing Itachi) is that he’s willing to die for it (x) that, in regards to Naruto’s own goal, it’s unfathomable –as death is not one of the lengths Naruto is prepared for in order to get the acknowledgment he seeks. Furthermore, Sasuke’s death will automatically jeopardize his own objective, as Sasuke’s recognition is the one Naruto craves the most (here and here Naruto remembers Sasuke denying Naruto the equal status he wants, and Sasuke once again refuses: “who cares what you want?”).

“You were my Idol, and so… hearing that… I was never happier, with those words, for the first time… you acknowledged I was good.” (x) Can’t make it clearer here Sasuke’s relevance on Naruto’s life and the importance of him staying, of him acknowledging Naruto.

This is not specifically about Naruto, but it’s interesting for this post. Look at this interaction in between Shikaku and his son, Shikamaru: 1, 2, 3. Here, Shikaku was questioning Shikamaru’s claim that he was not fit to be a shinobi (x), as (he states) all he can do is use this experience in order to improve. This whole conversation happens while both Chöji and Neji are in surgery, by the way, so not only is Shikamaru upset about the mission in itself, but he’s also concerned about his best friend’s and comrade’s lives. He’s putting himself as the only one responsible for the failing of a mission that was way over their skill level to begin with (this is Tsunade’ responsibility, not Shikamaru’s) x, and such notion is not questioned by anyone in that hallway (not by his father, Temari, or the Hokage); furthermore, Shikaku makes a point to drag his child through the (metaphorical) mud in order to “tough him up” for the next mission. This rough treatment wouldn’t have happened if Shikamaru had not questioned his future as a ninja, Shikaku is making sure Shikamaru doesn’t quit as a shinobi, emotionally manipulating the boy to convince him that “missions will continue to happen with or without you, so why resign anyway?” Couldn’t the same be said in the opposite direction? If he’s not detrimental to the structure’s function why does he have to stay? Because it sets a bad precedent: one person resigning does desestabilizes the structure, as then that practice becomes normalized which puts the entire shinobi structure in jeopardy as no one is willing to sacrifice themselves for Konoha, so Shikakau needs to stop this mindset in order to guarantee a faithful soldier. The excuse is “if missions are happening anyway, why not make sure they all come back alive? Be their leader and guarantee their safety!” Yet not only was this said before Tsunade and Shizune communicated the health status of Shikamaru’s colleagues (so Shikaku wasn’t aware if they were even alive), but also, it changes nothing, as Shikamaru’s doubt not only is about his own insecurities as a leader, but also about his reluctance to be under this kind of mental and emotional pressure and responsibility, which will continue to happen until either he gains enough experience or resigns. Furthermore, having experience doesn’t even guarantee such doubts going away, as they might still be present but controlled enough because of Shikamaru’s constant exposure to them. This specific conversation is Konoha’s teachings in a nutshell, emotional manipulation and rough treatment while a child is on the verge of a mental breakdown and all.

There is no closure suitable for this analysis because it would imply an end to this theme that is not given by the simple fact that the manga continues on Naruto Shippuden. However, I don't remember any intrinsic changes in the main character's thinking for the rest of the story, but it would be far-fetched to affirm it without doing the pertinent analysis.

#naruto #naruto uzumaki #naruto analysis #naruto meta #naruto shippuden #anti konoha #anti shinobi system #long post #hero concept #hokage #hokage naruto

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thefaeriereview · 4 years ago

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Blitz: Hidden in the Shadows

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RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Hidden in the Shadows

Author: Gwen Martin

Publisher: Self-published

Cover Artist: StudioEnp

Release Date: July 31, 2020

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: second chance, new adult, workplace romance

Themes: public sex, friends with benefits, falling in love

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 76 000 words/198 pages

The story is standalone but involved in a series that is set in the same town

Goodreads

Buy Links

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Even the stars fall

Blurb Can passion in the shadows bring love to light? When Jordan, Ethan's co-worker and casual hook-up, vanishes into thin air, the last thing he expects is to see him again. But when Jordan returns, wanting to get reacquainted, Ethan is afraid of getting too close. Chemistry sizzles between them, driving them to seek new heights of pleasure—including in semi-public places—exposing not just their bodies, but their souls—as they grow closer. Ethan wants more than a friend with benefits and the more he has of Jordan, the more he feels certain they're a good fit. But destiny seems intent on pulling them apart just as they’ve reconnected. They’ll both have to find their courage and take a risk on lasting love. Excerpt The crack of the ball on the table made Ethan jump. It rolled to the pocket but missed by a sliver. Ethan grinned, grateful for a chance to play. He knew he wouldn’t win, not by a long shot since there were seven solid balls still on the table to Jordan’s three striped ones. If Ethan wanted a snowball’s chance in hell at winning, he’d have to change tactics. Well, Jordan said he wanted to play dirty. Ethan sauntered close to Jordan, until their chests were pressed together. Jordan was a little taller than Ethan’s six foot height, and he made a show of tilting his head up so that their lips lined up. Jordan’s tongue drifted out and sat at the corner of his mouth, his eyes boring into Ethan’s. Ethan grinned and turned around, knowing that his ass would push Jordan backwards as he bent over to eye his target. He heard the small gasp behind him as he moved the cue between the first two fingers of his left hand, and stopped, assessing the table again with a hum. “I think I need help,” Ethan said, turning over his shoulder, affecting a wide-eyed lost look. “Since you’re such an expert and all I figured—” “Sure,” Jordan said roughly. He drew closer, closing a hand over Ethan’s, his chest pressing hard into Ethan’s back. Ethan closed his eyes for a moment to gain some composure and inhaled a slow breath. “You want to make sure you line your eyes with the ball,” Jordan murmured against Ethan’s ear. “And make sure you hit the cue ball in the center so that it can travel straight out from the stick.” Jordan guided the cue back slowly and then jerked it forward just to give the ball enough momentum to put the solid ball into the corner pocket. Ethan canted his hips back so his ass brushed against the bulge in Jordan’s jeans. “You’re an excellent teacher,” Ethan murmured, tilting his head back. He only saw a bit of Jordan’s face, the position obscuring most of it, but what he saw was enough. Jordan’s lips were parted and when he swiped a tongue over his bottom lip, it took everything in Ethan’s control to not spin around and kiss him. There was a fluttering sensation inside of Ethan’s chest that grew stronger. He straightened up and assessed the table once more to distract himself. He didn’t want to play pool anymore, his mind a jumbled mess of things he wanted instead with Jordan. When he tried to make another shot, he scratched the cue over the top of the ball. Jordan tsked. “Such a terrible student,” he admonished playfully. He leaned over the table to line up his shot, and added, “To think I gave you valuable information—” The sentence cut off as Ethan bent over and gently blew on Jordan’s ear. Jordan’s arm skitted forward, knocking into a set of balls and scattering them everywhere. “Whoops,” Ethan said unrepentantly. “That is so wrong,” Jordan groused, pulling himself upright. “What the hell do you call that?” Ethan shrugged, leaning against the edge of the table next to Jordan and crossing his legs at the ankle. “You said you wanted to play dirty. I was just following the rules.” “Is that so?” Jordan asked quietly, edging closer to Ethan’s side. Ethan searched Jordan’s face for a moment, his stomach twisting in anticipation. Jordan was close enough that the warmth of his breath feathered over Ethan’s mouth. His hair was more grown out, and a small wave had fallen over his eye. Those dark brown eyes that sat heavy-lidded, and as he leaned closer Ethan felt his lips brush against his. The kiss was chaste, but Ethan’s body responded to it immediately. He concentrated on his breathing, hoping to calm the thundering in his chest. Jordan’s cologne, a mix of sandalwood and vanilla, overwhelmed Ethan's senses. He wanted to get lost in the wave of it all, savor the familiar taste of it against his tongue.

About the Author

Gwen Martin lives in Florida where the sun is always shining, the humidity is always high, and Disney is just a hop skip away. When she’s not trying to write one of her million story ideas, she’s usually hanging out with her husband and four cats.

Gwen first started writing at a young age, coming up with stories in class instead of paying attention to the math lesson. Since then she has been exploring her love of writing in various fan communities where she has learned how to cultivate character development and romantic interactions.

She has a strong love affair with cold brew coffee, black cats, and nerding out in various fandoms. When she’s not writing, she’s reading everything she can get her hands on, listening to a lot of lo-fi and making playlists, chilling with her four gatos and obsessing about Pusheen. Because it’s always about Pusheen.

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adriennescomingbacktolife · 5 years ago

Text

(I)

“So what do you do?”

The bartender kept trying. After all, Adrienne Levi had been nursing the same glass of Jameson’s he had poured her an hour ago. His question didn’t prompt a response immediately. She was lost in what led her to break the routine in the first place. Maybe this was celebratory. After all, she had just FedEx’d her signed contract to a small independent company in Maryland. It was a culmination of thirteen months of hard work and intense training. On the other hand, her cat died yesterday so maybe this was in remembrance to Jimmy - a former stray that had just showed up at her front door like a day after … well, she wasn’t really sure.

Her face was illuminated in the low lighting of the bar by her iPhone. She stared intently at a text conversation that hadn’t been replied to since last summer.

u want anything?

She looked up finally. He was attractive, sure. Blonde hair neatly combed over. Blue piercing eyes. Nice smile. He hadn’t shaved in a few days. His Rumba Island Bar & Grill polo complimented his broad shoulders …

Adrienne looked back down. It was checked Read.

“Kind of hard to explain, Charles.”

After all, it was on his shiny gold name tag.

“Charlie works.”

“Does it?”

Charlie laughed nervously as he served another customer a few stools down from her. Meanwhile, Adrienne considered the answer. What does she do? For the past decade, she’d been a mannequin modeling something picked out for her to wear. Usually a shiny vibrant number that rode up her thighs every time she climbed up into that ring to open the ropes. She had been a diversion. The reason why things went well or especially when they didn’t.

But that had dried up.

Adrienne brushed a lock of her dark hair from her face. She finally took a second sip, it went down smooth. And there Charlie was, still expecting an answer. So - she did.

“I call people who don’t pay their bills.”

Then Charlie got real brave.

“Those bruises on your arm from that?”

That would be a funny story. Easier to explain than it being the result of steel cords cutting in her flesh as she willingly ran into them for momentum. Her Led Zeppelin t-shirt, the one for a concert she was never at because she wasn’t even alive, covered up the matching ones on her upper back.

“What do you think?”

He shrugged his shoulders. There were plenty of other people he could dote on. She could settle up with the coins in her wallet and be on her way. She was morbidly curious however.

“You by yourself?”

There we go. She stifled a chuckle as the third sip wasn’t a sip at all. She emptied the glass and clinked it down on the bar. He was quick with the bottle but Adrienne’s hand over the glass was quicker.

“On me.”

“I’m good.”

“Fair enough. You waiting for someone?”

This close Levi could smell the contents of this very bottle on his breath.

“Nah, Danny’s overseas.”

She lifted up from the stool to retrieve her wallet from the back pocket of her jeans. The bartender, he really was easy on the eyes if one didn’t think about the type of person he seemed to be. Small sample size, sure. But that’s all it took for Daniel Levi. Danny was…

She bit her tongue.

Danny always has a way with words and Adrienne believed him. Always at the cusp of greatness. Just one more hurdle. Sometimes he got in his own way but she’d never say that outloud. It was always something else. It was the management here in Clearwater. Out west, it was the nagging injuries, she supposed. But in Japan? The sky’s the limit. Magnificent Danny Levi…

“Hey, that’s alright. My shift is over in twenty, how about we grab dinner?”

“Charlie.”

She palmed a fiver on the counter, her gold wedding band clear and present. Adrienne cast a glance over to the platinum blonde trying to balance a shot glass between her ginormous breasts.

“She’s more your speed.”

Adrienne left, popping in a pair of earbuds as she walked. His playlist came on immediately. After some of Pink Floyd’s usual ambience, Gilmour asked almost defiantly, “Where were you when I was burned and broken…”

She was a lightweight these days so after two ounces, she felt a little levity in this whole situation. A few more and Charlie and his whiskey dick could have made her forget about all of this for a little while. After all, fair's fair. However, the Levi apartment was only a few blocks away and the night air was cool against her skin. As Adrienne opened the front door, she nudged the bag of cat food just inside. She should probably cancel that subscription. She tossed the keys onto a table with an answering machine. One new message.

“Hey Ade, it’s your mother. Look, I don’t know how to say this but I’m gonna try again. Daniel. Danny, he’s--”

She deleted the message. Adrienne smiled flippantly. Everytime her mother talked like this, it was like being fifteen again. And Danny was seventeen but he was the only boy that got her. No, mommy, I love him, he’s perfect. But mommy and daddy didn’t like Danny.

The lights turned on automatically as she stepped into the living room. She flopped on the patch work couch and kicked her feet up on the coffee table, the sneakers sailing off her feet like a pair of awkward birds before landing on the carpet. She flipped through her social media feed. And while she tried to focus on her new employment status in Carnage Wrestling, a small part of her wished she listened.

For her entire adult life, Adrienne had stood in Danny’s shadow. But it was the twilight of his career - or maybe he’d come to the terms that he never reached the summit in the first place. And now Adrienne had a chance to show that she was more than what others assumed. What Danny assumed.

You don’t need that, he’d say. Why fix what isn’t broken?

Her fists clenched at that notion. The paydays had dried up. Six days a week, Adrienne was harassing folks about debts that had been purchased for pennies on the dollar with the intent to collect. In the bouts of being screamed at, some would like her supposedly sultry voice and … whatever. She had wiped away a joint savings account in the hopes of staking claim to just who she was. One of Danny’s friends said he’d train her but three grand didn’t amount to much more than the basics. Or how to work the stick. He emphasized those words as if she didn’t know what he meant.

And yet, CW reached out. Next month, she had her first opportunity to step out in front of a paying audience against an opponent that wasn’t sparring with her. Starburst, or Regina Del Gato, was intriguing to say the least. A multi-disciplined martial artist with uncanny aerial abilities. And yet, it hadn’t translated into much success.

Loser.

Adrienne scoffed. Danny had a terrible habit of deriding his competition. He never had anything positive to say about them so when he inevitably lost, he was absolutely enraged. She tried as much as she could with those soft suggestions. She sat back and closed her eyes.

And there they were. She’d get a private dressing room usually but Danny and Adrienne Levi were a package deal.

She knelt beside him, threading pink laces through the eyelets of his white boots.

“Who am I facing?”

“You aren’t facing anyone.”

He ignored that, snatching a match card from his bag.

“Look at the tits on this one, A. She must have terrible back problems.”

“Don’t take her lightly.”

“Gonna motorboat her.”

Danny’s skin was glistening with baby oil. It was for the lighting he claimed but he always thought it was clever to be slippery. Eventually, though, he was caught. She didn’t care. These moments of confidence were peaceful, though. And she’d be remiss if she didn’t find his toothy grin to be attractive as he ran people down to an audience of one. Not only that, when you thought of a professional wrestler, Danny Levi was typecast into the role. He looked the part. Strong frame, musculature fitting of a Greek god, and that damn mustache. She didn’t care that it belonged to a bygone era.

“No, really, it’s my turn.”

He laughed, causing her to miss the last hole.

“Not tonight. This could be it. This could be my big chance and I need you in my corner.”

That spotlight burned on him the brightest, glimmering off another relic of the past - a gaudy white and pink sequined robe. He’d spin around, reveling in whatever reaction he garnered and then … and only then, she would join him. With arms linked, they sauntered down to the ring. Up the steps, she stood on the apron as he reprised his braggadocious posing.

“Come on, open the ropes for me already.”

Her eyes shot open, she had dozed off.

“...no.”

That robe was hanging in the corner of the room, surrounded by other artifacts of his storied career. Some Orlando based championship he won in his rookie year. And lots of pictures of him. Some had her in them, too. She looked like a clown with smokey eyes and blood red lipstick. But anyway, that robe, he’d left it behind. Danny claimed that he could reinvent himself. That these Japanese crowds appreciate guys like him. Guys that put the work in.

That was a stretch, she admitted. Danny took shortcuts and sometimes they worked but most times, they amounted to little more than inspiring whoever he was fighting.

That’s a promise she made to herself. She wouldn’t overlook anyone. Who was Adrienne to do that anyway? There was no doubt that Regina was more than ready to get her first victory in CW. A brief glimpse into what she’s said and what she’s done would reveal the indiscretions of youth. There was a fine line between arrogance and confidence. Del Gato made bold proclamations. Her first of many great achievements was to not be the one pinned. Followed up by a middle of the pack elimination. Moral victories, Danny called them. Didn’t fail, but didn’t get it done either.

Adrienne suddenly felt overwhelmed. Up until now, Regina stood across long time veterans and this Starburst stood her ground. First ever professional match, that must feel like chum in the water for this young competitor.

Danny loved those matchups. It was always some rube that hadn’t seen through his tricks. He would grin and say that he was making a statement. The mark would have a long night and he’d celebrate by drinking a little too much and passing out in the hotel room. What always irked her is that he was always so complimentary to their faces. We’re going to put on a show, he’d claim. And that smile, she knew that smile. It never reached his eyes. There was one real smile he had and she saw it rarely. Maybe when she was reciting the wedding vows that he curated.

She was wandering around the point and that was what? It can’t be that. Just think of it as that boundless youthful exuberance. Or maybe it was insincerity.

Scrolling through Regina’s wall, she dismissed that. Adrienne Levi was not raised to think the worst of people. Twitter minimized and she started to record. The angle and lighting was unflattering and honestly, she didn’t know what to say. The camera framed her face as she looked down into the lens.

“So, hello, I guess.”

Her free hand waved at the camera.

“I’m Adrienne. First and foremost, I want to thank Carnage Wrestling for this monumental opportunity.”

Levi sighed, that same hand involuntarily twirling a lock of her thick dark hair. There was an extended silence as she carefully considered her words.

“So I’ve … been in this business since I was nineteen but never once as the performer. So thirteen years, right? Anyway, it’s a tremendous honor for me to be facing such a vibrant and dedicated talent as Starburst in my very first match.”

Another prolonged silence.

“What else?”

At first there was a positive lilt to her tone but her next words were solemn and deliberate.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time. And I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t know if I have many great achievements in store for me.”

She shook her head. Adrienne knew that sort of sentiment was self-defeating but she didn’t want to start building this on a lie.

“I’m ready. Yeah, I’m ready to defy that destiny preordained to me so long ago. So Regina, I can’t promise much more than my best. Just what that is?”

Shrugging her shoulders, the seemingly lonely woman pondered that.

“You know, I admire your outlook. You could have easily let a few mishaps define you. But you didn’t…”

Adrienne trailed off, but reaffirmed her stance.

“You didn’t. I wish … I could say the same. But think of it like this: this is sort of a fresh start for you. So if you don’t mind, a free bit of advice. Something I’ve had to level with myself. Heard it somewhere in the industry. Sometimes, you just need to step back and reevaluate your expectations.”

She clicked off the recording. For a moment, she considered deleting the video.

What the hell? Where’s the bravado? Where’s the big takedown?

Adrienne wanted to hear his voice, longed to even. She considered pressing that green button when she remembered that he never had his phone on him on show days anyway. The thirteen hour difference was havoc on their marriage and it felt like he was in a different realm altogether.

Summoned all of the courage she could muster, she uploaded the promo piece for the denizens of Carnage Wrestling.

Too late to stop now.

#firstmatch firstpromo carnagewrestling chaos93

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