#Link to himself; what is a gato

[watermelonsloth]

Hello!

I'm very sorry for asking this question. I'm trying to be as respectful as possible because the question is of a very sensitive (and personal to many including me) topic.

I'm writing a Naruto fanfiction and I'm trying to depict the characters in the way that I captured them, but when it comes to Naruto himself, I realise there are some gray areas that made me really think.

My story is closely linked to SA, to which my character makes a choice to kill the assaulter. I then thought the interactions with the characters and realised that Naruto would never be onboard with killing the assaulter because he has a more optimistic-leaning personality and beliefs.

This left a bitter taste in my mouth for hours. He is one of my favourite characters but when it comes to theories such as this (and with material that was never really dived into) I want to think what Canon Naruto would do and I always reach a deep end.

You don't have to answer this :') please don't feel pressured to do so, it is a very heavy question and I mean to offence to anyone. I'm genuinely stuck and want to see some variety of opinions before proceeding.

Thank you! :')

(CW: discussions of canon-typical violence, discussions of sexual violence as depicted/alluded to in the Naruto series)

I couldn’t think of a good opening for this, so I’ll just get right into it. I don’t think Naruto would have a problem with someone killing their assaulter, and depending on his relationship with the person who was attacked, might even help them with the killing. I’m basing this off of three things: how SV is treated in the Naruto world, Naruto’s perspective on killing, and the (controversial) Orochimaru situation. I’m going to try to keep this concise.

SV is framed pretty inconsistently by the narrative, but is actually pretty consistently condemned by the characters in world. Not in the way that anyone gives a monologue about the horrors of SA or shames Jiraiya for being Like That or anything like that, but in the way that SV is pretty much always responded to with violence. Naruto and Konohamaru break into the girl’s bathhouse and Naruto gets beat up (Konohamaru is spared because he’s the hokage’s grandson), Naruto considers trying to peep at Sakura in the bathhouse and Yamato tells him to be prepared to get his ass kicked in retribution, Kushina is kidnapped to… for lack of a not gross term for this really gross situation, be bred for her Uzumaki genes and Minato attacks her kidnappers (it’s unclear if they were killed or just knocked out), cloud ninja try to kidnap Hinata for the same reasons as Kushina and her father kills them, and Jiraiya peeps at Tsunade in the bathhouse and she damn-well near kills him. SV is framed by the narrative as either a horrible crime that people need to be protected from or the set up to a joke where the punchline is almost exclusively violence. Either way, the characters almost always respond to SV by attacking the perpetrator and the other characters don’t bat an eye. 

Naruto’s perspective on killing changes a bit throughout the series (I blame the change in tone between Part 1 and Shippuden for that). In Part 1, he seems relatively disturbed by it: he initially refuses to kill Haku, he’s horrified when Sasuke stabs a guy in the Forest of Death, and he’s deeply upset when he sees Gaara trying to kill Rock Lee in his sleep and later frozen with fear after witnessing Gaara kill two more guys. Though it’s important to note that he still is convinced to kill Haku, doesn’t flinch at Zabuza brutalizing the mercenaries and Gato on the bridge, never gives any reaction to the fact that anyone he knows, besides Sasuke that one time, has killed, and has zero qualms about threatening grievous bodily harm. Meanwhile in Shippuden, he doesn’t have those reactions anymore and starts going into fights with lethal force (most notably when he fights Pain fully intending to get a revenge-kill). And that’s not even getting into all of the times he’s tried to kill under Kurama’s influence. The only times he really refrains from killing is when he’s personally invested in his opponent, usually because he empathizes with them, not because of a greater moral aversion to killing.

It’s important to note that usually when a character is averse to taking life, such as heroes with no-kill codes, it’s because they believe that murder is wrong and the circumstances around the murder don’t change that (why they believe murder is wrong and whether or not they think a person can come back from murdering changes a lot between characters). In the Naruto world, however, whether or not killing is wrong is very much treated as being circumstantial. Was it a fight or a one-sided massacre? Was it done with a purpose or just personal gratification? In the case of Naruto and revenge, he seems a-okay about it. Again, he tries to revenge-kill Pain, but he also supports Sasuke’s quest for revenge (just not the Orochimaru part), hates Itachi almost entirely because of what he did to Sasuke, and (if I’m remembering correctly) at one point even wanted to help Sasuke in his revenge against Itachi. 

But how do these two things combine? He’s okay with the revenge part of the equation, but he’s also partaken in sexual harassment and has a mentor who repeatedly does the same. Now, I could point to how he never gets upset by the response he gets for being a pervert which implies that the violence is an expected, if not deserved, response. But I think a better argument is to rip off the snake shaped bandage and talk about how Orochimaru is pedo-coded.

This is a somewhat controversial interpretation (from what I’ve seen, at least) and Kishimoto certainly pulled it back in Shippuden, but let me defend myself. 

Orochimaru is introduced as a substantially more powerful person breaking into an event explicitly meant for less powerful people (the chunin exams) with the intent to interact with minors (the rookie nine/Sasuke). Specifically, he has the intent to isolate minors from their teams and villages to make it easier for him to take advantage of their bodies (to experiment on them or one day use them as a vessel). He targets minors in vulnerable positions (Kabuto just accidentally killed his mom and Konoha was trying to kill him, according to databook 3 Karin was the lone survivor of her village being destroyed in war and Suigetsu was traveling with only his brother who we later find out is dead, Juugo was completely isolated from society, Zaku was homeless, Sasuke was still reeling from the Uchiha Massacre and didn’t have a support network outside of team 7) and lures them in with kindness they aren’t used to and offering them something they want (a safe haven for Kabuto and Zaku, to make Sasuke more powerful, Juugo a way not to hurt anyone). Simultaneously, he makes them even more vulnerable so they’re less resistant to his influence (telling Kabuto his village betrayed him, taunting Sasuke with his dead family and making him unable to use chakra without the curse mark). He also leaves marks on them by biting somewhere on their body that—although their influence/impact can be weakened with certain measures and change in thought processes—never go away and leaves the victim at least a little susceptible to him influencing/hurting them even after they’ve removed themselves from him (the curse mark). 

Also a bunch more stuff, so BONUS ROUND: He repeatedly takes advantage of his position of authority to target kids (I’m specifically talking about working with Danzo to artificially create wood release). He calls himself a predator while referring to children (specifically Sasuke, who he targeted) as prey. He licks his lips a lot, usually while leering at someone or when he’s getting excited. He, completely unnecessarily, brushes his hand against Anko’s face in a way he knows will make her uncomfortable while trying to hurt her and taunting her with how she’s not going to be able to stop him from taking another child—at least not without consequences. Anytime he gives praise it always comes back around to a character’s body or how he can take advantage of them. Characters repeatedly call him creepy, a weirdo, or gross regardless of moral alignment (Zetsu in particular comes to mind) or affiliation (Kabuto’s shown to be creeped out by him in Part 1 and Karin and Suigetsu called him the weirdest out of them all). He continues to refer to Kabuto as a child even after he’s an adult. (In a scene I really need to make a post deep diving into) Kabuto says over Sasuke’s sleeping body “We stood out too much. I wonder if catching Lord Orochimaru’s eye will mean ruin for both of us…” before thinking “He’s so young…”. 

So now that I’ve established that I think Orochimaru is meant to be read as at least pedo-adjacent, how does Naruto feel about Orochimaru? He loathes him. During the Tenchi Bridge arc, just seeing him is enough for Naruto to start losing control of the nine tails and he pretty much goes into four tails as soon as Orochimaru even mentions Sasuke specifically because he doesn’t want Orochimaru talking about his friend. He brings up Orochimaru so much during the first Valley of the End fight that it gives me the impression he cares less about Sasuke leaving the village and more about Sasuke leaving the village to go to Orochimaru. One of the first things Naruto does upon reuniting with Sasuke is tries to convince him that Orochimaru only cares about his body, not him, and should get the heck out of dodge. When he hears the news that Sasuke killed Orochimaru, he is giddy with excitement (admittedly, it’s mostly because he thinks that means Sasuke’s coming back, but I do think Orochimaru no longer being in the picture is at least part of it). He has so much ire towards Orochimaru (and kind of Kabuto) despite interacting with him so little that it feels weird to me how… neutral he seems towards them in Boruto. 

So, while I can kind of see where you’re coming from, I have to disagree. I think he’d be completely supportive of someone killing their assaulter, at least if he cares about or empathizes with the survivor in some way.

[mustystrade]

I think Gato deleted her page??? Because I can't enter anymorrrrree!!! And the logo it's goneeeee! 😭😭😭

There was the video where she plays btd 1 and talks about ykmet 😭

I'm grateful that I downloaded it and saved it in my computer.

But here's the thing..

My computer now's broken!!! The screen it's full white 😭😭😭😭

Pd: the video lasts 6 hours. (I was around 1:25:48 of the video)

some other lovely anon (named himself knicelick guy lol) send me the link to her youtube video because her account is likee hidden? anyway!!

hopefully this is what u ment

[0viraptoraskblog]

What do you think the btd/tpof characters would be in something like DnD?

I remember seeing a piece gato made of Sid as a barbarian and Farz as a ranger but I'm curious about the others

Ooh, I’ll have to look for that art.

Forgive me, I love fantasy, but I never had a group to play D&D with so I never got officially into it. I might not know enough for this to be accurate, but let’s do it for fun anyways! I’ll give it my best shot:

Ren- Ren is small and fast, with quick reflexes. He’s good at being silent and sneaking around. I think in this world he could be good at utilizing those skills to help the party. I have three options for him. Rogue: for stealthy things like stealing or spying. Ranger: because he can still utilize his reflexes/animal traits, while taking a more frontline position in the party. Or Druid: due to his beastkin nature (which stems from a connection with that species, generations before him) it just seems right. He could be any of those.

Strade- Fighter. I considered barbarian, but fighter tends to lean more towards weapons than magic, right? I think even in this world he’d love to find new “tools” to use as weapons. Except in the world of D&D, he can use violence more freely. What could go wrong?

Lawrence- Druid. He’d rather be in the woods than with a group of people. I feel like his connection with nature would slowly be overused somehow (maybe using too much darker magic?) and it would start to affect him like the river does in BTD.

Sano- He already has fire and shapeshifting magic. If not just his own species (a naga), I think he’d be a sorcerer.

Akira- Ranger. Has some fighting skills as well as magic, but mainly uses a signature long-range weapon like a bow. Stealthy and deadly. (Akira is a ‘world class’ sniper, with amazing aim. I felt like this fits.)

Rire- Rire is.. himself. As a demon king of such high standing, I feel like Rire would sooner be an entity that the party encounters and fights against rather than with.

Vincent- Barbarian. His anger issues (and the urge to fight that comes with his rage) play into that a lot. There’s also that little bit of respect for the other members (or pack mates, in his case) and the urge to protect them.

Farz (BTD version)- Honestly, I could see him as either a ranger or a fighter. BTD Farz focused more on his short temper and how he quickly resorts to throwing fists, so maybe fighter better suits that version of him.

Cain- My first thought would be the same as Rire. Maybe he could be something like a paladin? He is a fallen angel, but still an angel. I think that would still link his magic with the divine? Or maybe a Monk, but a rare and supernatural one. Maybe he’s just a fallen angel.

Derek- I’m kind of drawing a blank for Derek. He likes it when people are upset, and obviously likes to hurt others. Maybe a fighter or a rogue? If a rogue, he’d probably use his abilities mainly at the expense of others, just for him to laugh at.

Celia- Actually, I’m thinking rogue- but in a non traditional way. I think she’d use her skills and manipulation for underground scandals to make her some money, or to make her enemies suddenly go missing.

Mason- Barbarian. We know he has no problem killing hordes of people, but he does still respect nature and survival of the fittest.

Take that all with a grain of salt, I only know half of what I’m talking about XD

[quitealotofsodapop]

OOOHOOO!!! Cómo va a reaccionar Azure a que no solo el sucesor del amor de su vida no solo es su sucesor si no que es su hijo. Y como van a reaccionar el Camel Rigde que ahora el "eslabón débil" es capas de hacerlos tapetes con la mirada y que se quedó con su traidor líder, y no solo eso sí no que tienen tres adorable hijitos que es capaz de partir montañas, usuario del caos y una medio demonio gato que posiblemente puede hacer una era del hielo

Translated via google:

"OOOHOOO!!! How is Azure going to react to the fact that not only is the successor of the love of her life not only her successor but also her son. And how are Camel Rigde going to react that now the "weak link" is capable of making them look at each other and that he stayed with his traitor leader, and not only that but that they have three adorable little children who are capable of breaking mountains, chaos user and a cat half-demon who can possibly make an ice age"

I can imagine Azure is a little... shocked.

The release of the Scroll of Memory happens at the same time as Shadowpeach's wedding reception on Flower Fruit Mountain, meaning that most of the guests are dragged into it. Azure showed up "just at the right time" to stop the Curse from spreading.

His plans are a lot more calculated this time round, gaining support and endearing himself more to the gang before dropping the bombshell that he intends on keeping SWK and Mac in the scroll until the Brotherhood's plans are completed.

Azure: "It's surprising to me that Sun Wukong has appointed a successor after all this time. He wasn't exactly a mentor type in our Brotherhood days. Then again he was always parental towards his fellow monkey yao." MK: "Probably helps that I'm his kid too so..." Azure: "Kid??" Bai He (cat demon) & Chenxiang (human?): "Us too!" Azure: "Excuse me???" Mei (dragon) & Nezha (diguised demon): "He's kinda our dad too." Azure, finally noticing the destroyed wedding reception: "...Was there a wedding going on?"

It takes Azure Lion a while to ask about the kids' other parent, he just assumes SWK slept around during the last 1000 years. Eventually he pokes around Flower Fruit Mountain enough to find some baby photos of all the kids together (you know Wukong is the type to hoard his kids drawings and photos) with SWK + a monkey yao he isn't sure if he recognises.

Azure, astral projecting during the kids' mission through the scroll: "I would like to ask a personal question; has Sun Wukong ever... settled down before? With a life partner, I mean." MK: "Yeah! With our mom!" Azure, disappointed: "Oh. Are they a monkey yao like you? Or are they something else?" Bai He, proudly: "Our mom is The Six Eared Macaque! That wedding we were at was theres!" Azure, astral form glitching: "WHAT?" *so shocked he stops projecting* Chenxiang, the most paranoid of the situation: "...guys I think he had a crush on dad." MK, in denial: "Nah! He said they were just bros back in the day! He was probably just caught off guard by mom and dad being together after so long!" Mei: "MK, he def had the hots for Monkey King." Chenxiang: "And he did not seem happy about who mom is..." MK, desperately: "No... thats so gross..." Nezha: "I agree with Mei and Chen. Although the Azure Lion has been on good behavior for the bodhisattvas since the Camel Ridge incident, he has turned his back on the Celestial Realm before. His appearance at the wedding was no mere concidence. I would keep our wits about us until we find and release the others."

*Later, after Azure releases them and the reincarnation gang, but refuses to release SWK and Mac*

Chenxiang: "...Told you he had the hots for dad." MK: "Leave me alone, I'm still grossed out about it." Nezha: "That's what you're upset about?! There's a group of former rebels running around, trying to restart their cause, and forming a whole coup, Mr Tang is gravelly injured, and that's what you're upset about!?" MK: "Mom and dad just got married ok! I didn't want today to go wrong for them!" Bai He: "But now mom and dad are stuck in that magic scroll Uncle Lion has." :'( Mei: "Oh man... Momcaque is gonna kill that fake-uncle Lion when we get him out!" Chenxiang, shuffling nervously and muttering: "I mean... whats so wrong about getting back at the Celestial Realm? I've done it before."

The Brotherhood's coup certainly doesn't go as planned... but not failed per say...

Especially since the kids find out that someone important on the Celestial side has been holding a candle for Azure for all these years, in the same way Azure has been for Sun Wukong.

And love fixes everything right?

[leportraitducadavre]

How do you feel about Haku and Zabuza, and what was introduced in the Land of Waves that contained elements of genocide and the purging of the Hidden Mist? I'm just curious to know your thoughts on them and the structure the first arc provided

Haku introduced something that was later deepened with Sasuke's character and story. While Haku's experience is similar to Sasuke's, both contexts differ in that Haku knew from a young age the persecution of people like him (and his mother), while the discrimination of the Uchiha clan was much more specific as it was focused on one particular family.

The first arc introduces such matters, yet it does little to bring light to Konoha's particular case, which will become the plot's main focus later on. While it's established that Tobirama was the one that created the bureaucratic system that Konoha follows and which was used as a model for the rest,

Source

each village's relationship with kekkei genkai users varies, although every single one persecuted or discriminated against those with such techniques.

Kekkei Genkai are feared -therefore, those who possess them are persecuted/killed. While what he says is solely linked to Mist, the weariness towards those with such bloodlines is clearly universal as these individuals possessed the most "natural advantages" for combat out of most (likely, hidden techniques were created for a similar purpose).

Tobirama’s reason for discriminating against the Uchiha was because of how their doujutsu developed and evolved, and nothing of his weariness was overcome by those who came after him, as we see Haku, from another village and generation, suffering the consequences of a fear born on the Warring State Era. Kakashi is particularly accepted because he has the Sharingan but not the blood/chakra of a Uchiha as he’s not part of the bloodline.

Furthermore, Sasuke is directly mentioned in the exchange, Naruto even links Haku’s words to Sasuke’s goal: To kill someone (Itachi who killed his clan because of the fear they installed in the power-ups: they were accused and punished for controlling the Kyuubi without a shred of single evidence, Itachi even canonically states later on that there’s “no hope for this clan” meaning, those who carry the bloodline).

Haku's admission of feeling lonely and unwanted can be directly reflected in Sasuke's character and it's a comparison that Naruto makes for himself; all three children were shunned and abandoned for something they had no control over nor chose to have, and there's a system that not only turns a deaf ear to such issues but also encourages it.

There’s an interaction between Tazuna and Kakashi, where Kakashi mentions that a previous Hokage (we aren’t told whom) taught his people to “fight for what is right”, selling the idea to the civilian in front of him that his hidden village (specifically) is the “good” side against the “evil” side (Zabuza, Gato -even other hidden villages). However, this particular speech of Kakashi, which he gives solely to Tazuna and not to his subordinates (who, by Tazuna’s standards are children), clashes with the prior idea that “missions’ feuds are high and we do what we are paid to do” (assassinations or babysitting). Meaning: there’s a narrative to be told to civilians to shape their view of shinobi (particularly Konoha’s), and the actual reality that only Team 7 (as ninjas), gets to see.  In addition, during Kakashi’s second fight against Zabuza (CH 30), Kakashi states that Konoha (therefore, he), knows about the swordsman’s attempt to coup and kill the current Mizukage -alongside his wish to raise funds to attempt another coup after his failure. We learned previously thanks to Haku’s background that there’s a bloodline cleansing currently happening in Mist; a genocide on such a large scale can’t be kept secret that long -furthermore, there’s no indication that the murders are happening quietly either since those who possessed Kekkei Genkai were pushed to hide their bloodline; and if Konoha knows about Zabuza and his attempt to take over the government, then they surely know about the reasons behind it.  What I mean by this is what follows: Kakashi and Konoha claim that they fight for “the right thing” to those civilians they encounter, but do nothing -neither military nor diplomatically, to stop those massacres from occurring (nor do they take a stance against them either, as it reduces Mist numbers and weakens their military power). They’re still pretty much in touch with the Mizukage that carried out/ordered such killings, for his government was the one that told Konoha about Zabuza’s attempted coup when declaring him rogue. 

Source

The first arc is a great introductory arc; it establishes the notion of blood cleansing, discrimination, how shinobi fight for whoever pays their feeds, how uncomfortable many are with the idea of being tools, who the main characters in the dispute are (Naruto and Sasuke) and upon which ground they stand to carry out their respective actions against the system that aggravated them.

Naruto, even by the end of the arc, never disputed the idea of moving to reach his goal outside Konoha's system, as he never stated he wanted to stop being a ninja:

We are also shown how shinobi who go against the system are considered rogue (Zabuza), so Naruto stating that he'll create his own ninja path (fighting alongside the system) automatically puts Sasuke, who'll become the antagonist, outside that political bubble, turning him into a missing-nin.

I really like this arc and I'm glad it's the first one, I don't think it's the best one in the manga as many inside the fandom claim.

[shocked-collar]

Could we get Ashe headcanons pretty please?? 🙏🥺

RUBBING MY HANDS TOGETHER I'M STARTING STRONG WITH RECYCLING SOME DISCORD THOUGHTS INTO THIS (I'm literally so sorry for how I type on discord. I've tried to condense it to a comfortable point)

'its said he only guards the veil because he was too lazy and useless for any other job. who heres saying its his "prestigious families" fault 🙋 how many times was he beaten, abused, choked out, stomped, slashed, whipped, before they decided to just pretend he, the weak link of their family, didn't exist and just stowed him away. he doesn't do much of his job at the veil anyway, but how much fear does he live in imagining them coming back again? they're bigger than him, he can't fight back even if he wanted to- and he doesnt, cause it only makes it worse. no wonder he doesnt do more about Lawrence exploring the veil/river. i'd be scared to show how bad of a job im doing, too He was actively showing signs of unwellness. perhaps even verbally told them he cant do it, and they send him out anyway, and are surprised when hes fired or comes back a failure. hes communicating that this is out of his depth and he cant swim that far, but all they hear is "i dont wanna"- so yeah, maybe he is lazy. maybe he is if every time hes ever tried it was answered with a big red X and a bloody nose.'

Discord ramble ^^^^

AKA, Ashe may have been kind of lazy, but I'm willing to bet their laziness was only reinforced by his families lack of support. All of THEM caught onto it so fast, all of THEM were motivated and loud and natural-born-leaders, so when Ashe was the exception, no one wanted to believe that. He needed a little bit of help, he needed additional assistance, maybe extra training, and it was seen as some kind of stain on their family reputation- so if they're already a massive disappointment, why bother to change?

I take the brutality aspect from Gato's art. Ashe is commonly seen in some kind of pain or distress in her pics of him, so I decided to keep the spirit in my writing- I like them in pain :)

BESIDES THAT... I HC Ashe being somewhat Lawrence's counterpart. They're very similar, yet not quite exact. Ashe carries a lot of loneliness, but unlike Lawrence, they don't yearn for any kind of companionship or validation. They gave up on "becoming something" a really long time ago, so if all he can be is himself, that's good enough. He doesn't have to like himself, he just has to be. A reason he doesn't yearn for companionship, though, is the fact he never really had it before, not on a significant level. He's met people, but he's never known anyone outside his family. He's happy this way because he's unaware of what it's like to actually know people, unlike Lawrence, who despite not truly knowing, wants so desperately for company.

Ashe has little to no sex-drive. They don't care much for skin-on-skin. It just seems pointless? They don't have to procreate, they don't want to procreate, and lust is a silly idea to them. It takes a lot to get Ashe got and bothered. In fact, you're better off having sex via building an emotional attachment before trying to give them a natural boner.

His wings are sensitive as fuck.

Speaking of his wings, he can sharpen his feathers! All-natural weapons if ever need be, thousands of little blades on his back at his disposal- downside is, a fancy trick like that takes a lot of effort, energy, and power. Energy he doesn't have to begin with.

Ashe has other little-tricks to dish out had he the energy. Like very minor, casual manipulation. No one knows he's doing it because it feels so natural, it feels like a decision you're making. Like when you have a craving for a specific type of food- that's what it feels like.

Due to their loneliness, they often choke-down minor wants and desires. Seeing a pretty person in the veil on their way to death? Look away! Don't even think about them! It'll make him fantasize!

And on the topic of fantasizing, he does that a lot. Daydreaming about all the things he can't have- like a family who loves him.

THIS IS GETTING LONG SO IMMA LEAVE IT HERE, BUT THANK YOU HEEHEEHEEHEE

[emmabirb8]

Favorite Invader Zim video edits Part 2! (Part 1 here!)

"Discord" and "ALIENS!" both by @saintbrown (channel link!). Neither of these songs is from the show itself, but they both feel like they were made for it. VERY fitting and excellently edited.

"Touch Tone Telephone" by @cosmignon (channel link!). Self-explanatory as basically an anthem for Dib, lol.

"Shut Me Up" by kono sekai - Mindless Self Indulgence really does pair well with Invader Zim tone-wise. Couple that with the fact that Jhonen Vasquez himself has done album artwork for the band as well as directed their music video for "Shut Me Up," and you've got a great edit.

"Believer" by Flatteya

"INVADER ZIM INTRO THEME Double Remix Rock Metal" by Gato- Loquendero - This one is unique in that it uses a mixture of a couple of instrumental covers of the Invader Zim main theme: an instrumental rock cover by Lufca, and an electric guitar cover by Ryan Knecht .

"M E N A C E" by LifeIsRandom14

"LONG WAY DOWN" by amvlover666

"Ruin my life" by ToonyMeg - This one technically qualifies as being ZaDr-themed, but it's not too overly romantic in tone and could be interpreted as fitting into Zim and Dib's canon "enemies" dynamic a la "Mopiness of Doom" imo, so. Watch at your own discretion, I guess. It was just too well-made to leave off the list. :P

(Check out my full playlist on YouTube if you wanna see more than what I selected to share here! There are LOTS of videos to sift through there, but most of them are worth checking out if you're interested, especially other edits like these and the impressive fan-made animatics!)

[hima-reads-and-writes]

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.  

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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.  

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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?  

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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.  

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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.  

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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.  

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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.  

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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.

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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.  

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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.  

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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.  

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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.  

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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.  

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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.  

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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.  

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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.  

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Keeping Busy

Rated T | No archive warnings apply (check tags)

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

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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.  

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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

[tammyhybrid21]

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

It

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)

[domesticsns]

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".

[kpoptimeout]

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!!!

[hallucinosims]

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.

[thirstygirlclub]

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

[unseeleigh]

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:

[kounfetti]

[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

[leportraitducadavre]

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.