#because naruto was fundamentally sincere

[squicky-fannish-discourse]

thinking about the fact that horikoshi has weaved the kind of plot where the heroes are less sympathetic than the heroes, and I really don’t care if they win. 

The second he switches back to the villains, not only does it feel realistic, but it also strips away the idealism that the hero side tries to convince me about 

At the start of the manga, yes, i was like, “I want to see how this quirkless deku becomes number one hero” but now it’s shifted to I want to see if the system changes. I want to see if it ends up better. Because a good part of the population (apart from our heroes) doesn’t give a shit about whether society changes. They just want the heroes to win to bring back the status quo.

And some times, part of me believes, that Horikoshi through his writing puts effort with Endeavor’s redempttion/atonement, but he’s generally one of the few getting challenged by the villains to make a better system. But we’re creating more problems.

see, either shiggy is right about there being no villains and heroes, since this society can possibly benefit from anarchy, because it’s fucked up to brand people like villains, because they saw the appeal of comics to placate the audience with “the good guys always win,” 

or maybe overhaul is right, in that the world needs cleansing from quirks or whatever. 

But there is no guarantee that the system will not collapse in the near future without another all for one taking advantage of a vaccuum of power.

and on that note, should afo win, shiggy will rebel. Because this is not his endgame. It’s afo’s. And he wanted anarchy not a mafia state, and he will bring it down at all cost  

but in the narrative, deku and pals will win, because they are the good guys. they are the heroes. 

but consider the fact that that we can only root for heroes when we see their stories in entirety. Their rise. Their fall from grace. Their failings. Their wins. That’s a hero in the sincerest sense. Their journey. Their change in thought. Their growth. 

And Shigaraki fits all of those categories. So in that sense, i’m saying Shiggy is the tragic hero in a metanarrative sense. And where does deku stand in regards to that? 

#bnha critical #tldr the villains are so fucking complex i love them #but maybe i'm just gettng this sense that horikoshi wants a sense of sincerity and honesty #naruto never had this issue #because naruto was fundamentally sincere #deku supports a system that is not going to be sincere and doesn't promise anything #the ending of bnha is going to be rather dark

[al-hekima-madara-blog]

Madara Week Day 5 : found family

Originally analysis but there is a lot of my own interpretation so let's say Meta/Headcanon?

Madara sincerely tried to consider Konoha as his new home. He did it for the sake of his people but mostly because the warring state era, the death of every single member of his family left him emotionally exhausted.

Paradoxically what Madara feared the most in his youth was solitude. It is revealed during the monologue Obito did to Naruto just after the death of Neji and Madara noted that Obito sounds just like him back then.~

Hashirama's hand came like a relief from the horror of his situation. Everything had been destroyed anyway so yeah... maybe let's build something brand new from scratches. Yeah maybe he can trust the Senju clan after all and life would be easier. But the effect of this renewed friendship was unfortunately temporary, it was like applying a tiger balm in an open infected wound full of filths. The weight of guilt, the promise he made to Izuna on his death bed, the distrust from his clansmen he wanted so badly to save, it was still haunting him... And later the village revealed itself to be just an illusion of peace. People were living side by side but they still hated each other in silence and soon he could already prophetize his clan would be in great danger under the Senju's authority. But he never found a way to properly communicate his worries to the Uchihas that have now a warm roof over their head and a meal everyday. He couldn't neither communicate with Hashirama, and the main reason in my opinion was because they have changed too much during the last decade.

If you think about it seriously there is something unrealistic about Kishimoto's writing. Close you eyes for a minute, remember your best friend when you were 12 years old. and then you go your separate way and you see him again fifteen years later. What would you say to each other? Sure you still have dear memories together but...that's it.

The fundamental period of your life when you grow from being just a child to a grown adult many things happened that change you deeply:

1) puberty, often more spectacular in men. their physical appearance, their height, their voice, their hormones like testosterone that makes them more aggressive, open to sexual experience. Just from being 12 to 17 it's two different characters. Your parents who have to deal with your teenage angst can talk about it.

2) socially you change too. from 12 to 17 you're still cocooned by the educational system, for most of us we still depend economically from our parents. and from 18 to 26. Some goes to university, changes for a different cities, hang out with different friends, shape their values different from what their parents taught them. Others start to work straight away and the changes are even more brutal, now you confront the child that you were with the reality of building a career, earning a living, pay your own taxes, vote for your president ect... in a nutshell being a functional and independent member of your society.

3) emotionally you mature : it's obvious that from our 12 to 26, most of us went through different phase of first love, second love? maybe third? maybe just broken heart, maybe just a period of chaotic love affairs one after an other, maybe long abstinence. and probably after 26 some choose to finally settle down. other may already have children and being a parents which means you don't live just for yourself anymore. It's a complete shift of paradigm when someone else depend on you for survival. Your social circles change a lot too, slowly you befriend people based on your workplace, your hobbies, your political views rather than just sharing the same playground. Some of you can befriend people from lower or higher class that what you originally comes from, forcing you to understand new codes, new skills, new cultures, new languages. And when you almost reach your thirties you may experience for the first time the death of the elders from your community. A grandma, a grandpa who was there since you were born is now gone. The brevity of life suddenly slaps you in the face. Children thinks of themselves as eternal, not adult.

Birth, childhood, adulthood, love, deception, growth, rebirth, mourning, wisdom ect...Why do I say all of this? To describe the life of someone living in a relatively peaceful environment and born in a wealthy modern world which is all of us.

The fact that you are literate, you can read my words in english, you have an internet connection, a smartphone or a desktop, and the luxury to spend time on tumblr is a proof that you are relatively privileged comparing to the majority of people on Earth.

Now we are talking about Madara born into a traditional environment and during a war time when life was even shorter and fragile. Everything I've just described is basically done faster. At 15 you're already an adult, at 18 you have responsibilities as a breadwinner, at 26 you're a senior, head of clan, veteran of many war with all the trauma it drives, parents of many children, maybe widow, (not his case but for instance Tajima was). To put it into perceptive Madara at 26 lived the life of someone 40 years old in the modern world.

To pretend that Hashirama can cast out a a whole lifetime, and just hold to their childhood to build his dreamed village was indeed utterly naive. Between the moment he was elected hokage and the moment Madara shows him the Uchiha shrine, at least a whole year has passed, the relationship with Tobirama was still tense and the first hokage did nothing on purpose. Based on that, it's obvious that Hashirama never thought about discussing what Madara went throught the last 15 years of his life. He knew the child Madara but he completely brush off the adult Madara.

Yes they were close friend as children, but that were now two different persons with a separate background. Am I saying that their reconciliation was doomed from the start? No, they have healthy roots but it would have ask from both side to be more patient with each other and more attentive to what the other says rather than forcing a past childhood into the present.

@uchiha-event

#madaraweek2023 #madara week: day 5 #madara #madara uchiha #naruto #analysis-meta-headcanon #hashirama senju #uchiha madara #uchiha clan #naruto shippuden #founders era #uchiha

[kraniumet]

gintama is a parody manga but the way that doesn't hinder its narrative because the ones doing the parodying is primarily the characters, not the story itself, so the irony trap of important moments not mattering doesn't set in

#gintama #instead we just want the characters to be able to go back to talking about dragon ball #the most important way it *is* fundamentally different from something like iasip #because iasip does get dark frequently but the characters are 1. explicitly unchanging in nature thats part of what makes them how they are #zero self-insight #2. the narrative itself is informed by being a parody. nothing that happens can have true emotional sincerity even if the characters are #experiencing it. #iasip is a show about horrible people in a normal world. gintama is like... a comedy show taking place in the setting of another show #thats also kinda funny but mostly isn't #its mostly an action tragedy setting. like berserk #(edit:digging this post out of the drafts in solidarity) #(edit2: the setting *is* a ALSO parody adjacent but not actually too far from something like naruto etc

[oshiawaseni]

re: their relationship ‘through the ages’ panels & kacchan’s apology

There’s something so refreshing about these panels with kacchan laying his feelings bare, directly in front of deku “izuku” (BIG ik)... the last time i saw two friends baring their feelings in kid form was sasuke and naruto’s version and these heroaca panels give me life because this connection between deku and kacchan simply feels so right. 

Naruto and sasuke had the most unsatisfying relationship that played out. because they only truly understood one another at the very end of it all, after a /massive/ amount of heartache and some horrible mistakes were already made. i would cry every time naruto did. it didn’t matter how much naruto tried, no words, or acts of love could help. sasuke was hopelessly unreachable. 

But right here is the /realistic/ culmination of kacchan really thinking about not just how he viewed deku, but why he viewed deku that way to begin with. he looked deep inside himself, self-reflected on his hidden feelings and about why he couldn’t help but push deku’s kindness away for all those years. he listened to what others had to say, took their words to heart and eventually changed his whole attitude and concept of heroism, other people and finally, somebody he felt inexplicable anger/spite towards. 

This chapter, he bravely steps up for this one-heart to heart, with shocked classmates very pointedly shown in the panels to emphasize this brand new vulnerability and bravery. he isn’t hiding anything anymore, he doesn’t want anymore misunderstandings between them, he isn’t going to run from his feelings or make excuses because if nothing else, kacchan takes responsibility. he won’t let things go unsaid, or let tragedy strike first or allow the situation to become irreparable before he can even get the chance. 

he just apologises. because he wants to, and he finally can. 

izuku ... because i’m talking to you from my heart now... i fucked up... just coz deep down i fundamentally believed you were better than me. (for the pain i’ve caused you) until now, i’m sorry.

This right here makes the narusasu conflict feel like a sadistic prop for content. this right here is how you should have two struggling friends finally come together again. without all the heartbreak. without all the the unnecessary traumatising of your characters and your readers. just a sincere, pride thrown to hell, humble ass apology.

An apology so bare and moving that it brought down deku’s walls as well.

Kacchan, without missing a beat ‘keeps up’ to catch a physically and now mentally overwhelmed deku. and we FINALLY get the dere to his tsun that i’ve been anticipating since seeing those beautiful soft eyes on deku from the “Guys, I found him” panel. (side note: i swear those hands were made for holding deku) “We know.”

It’s such a simple response, but he is speaking the loudest with the things he doesn’t say “we know you don’t mean it. we know you’ve got this beautiful heart of gold that doesn’t want to hurt others. i know how hard you’re trying. i understand you.” kacchan has been longing to be in a position that can openly support deku for quite some time now and it’s the first time he’s been able to express that through this simple gesture.

In summary, i honestly love horikoshi more than anything for writing them this way and healing my soul a little bit from past trauma. and also for gifting that missing love and connection to kacchan’s character. damn.❤️

#bkdk #bakudeku #bnha 322 #mha 322 #mha spoilers #btw i also love the added touch of deku apologising for saying /the thing/ #<3 ^^ #because kacchans apology moved him... #he just stood there absolutely shocked that the words were coming from the kacchan in front of him #i hope we get to see him process this apology and grow closer to kacchan <3 #bnha meta #op #must read meta

[excitedlysuffering]

Neji Headcanons Collection

Requested from my wattpad account

For everyone who has requested, I’m slowly getting through them, but I’ve been busy and exhausted lately so it’s taking longer than I wanted it to, I’m sorry!

What He Looks For In An S/O~

• Neji is a pretty stoic, introverted guy, so he’d need someone who was more on the introverted side as well. However, he would love an S/O who could bring him out of his shell a little

• He definitely seems like someone who would prefer to date a fellow shinobi so he didn’t have to worry about them and since they most likely aren’t apart of the Hyuga clan, them being a ninja would help his clan be a little more approving

• He needs a PATIENT S/O

• Neji is new to relationships and someone who understands that and wouldn’t rush him would be ideal

• Although Naruto changed Neji for the best, he can still be a little insensitive sometimes, so a partner who has a thick skin is important

• Neji hates small talk with a passion, so he would look for someone who could hold intellectual conversations or who didn’t mind silence

• As an introvert, Neji is something of a homebody, but make no mistake; this boy is always training so you’d best be ready for rigorous training being a regular past time

• COMMUNICATION is key in a relationship with him

• As smart as Neji is, he does not have the aptitude or patience to deal with mixed signals, so just talk to him, please

Relationship With Neji Stuff~

• Neji isn’t clingy by any means, but you’re his girlfriend and he expects to see you often, and will easily become concerned or upset if his partner starts to seem distant

• Trust is the most important thing to him, if he’s dating you he clearly trusts you A LOT, and it will upset him if he notices you don’t trust him as much

• Your relationship will most likely be lowkey, in public at least, but that’s not because he’s ashamed, he’s just an incredibly private person

• Although Neji will enjoy sparring with you, he will also be up to other ideas for dates

• He loves taking walks with you, whether it’s after dark, before average people are awake, or in the middle of the day

• He’s the kind of person to have a certain amount of time set aside for you, whether you spend it out and about, or inside, he won’t interrupt that time unless it’s unavoidable

• He’s very good at picking up your moods and such things, but he doesn’t always know what to do about them, so he’ll help you in ways he knows how tea and training

• He has a great memory. Whether it’s certain dates, the timing of your week, or little things he’s noticed about you; you can trust he won’t easily forget it

• PDA embarrasses him, but he will allow hand-holding and the occasional cheek kiss

• He takes so much pride in his hair, he won’t allow you to touch it until way later in your relationship, but once he does… he’d rather die than admit, so sometimes he’ll wordless put his head in your lap and scowl until you take the hint

• Neji doesn’t just date around, he’s looking for something serious, so if he realizes that you’re not what he’s looking for in a wife he will immediately (and respectfully) end it

How To Lose/Annoy Him~

• Generally, Neji is a very forgiving person since he’s needed to be forgiven many times, but there are some things he won’t tolerate; cheating, slander, and genuine disrespect

• An S/O being rude to someone for no reason would turn him off

• He really can’t stand gossipers and busybodies so if you want to lose him, go off I guess

• Laziness is a major thing for him. He can understand being tired of at your limit, but he really can’t handle his S/O just lazing around for a long time

• Immaturity is a big no-no. Neji comes from a clan who only recognizes maturity and formalities so he would be uncomfortable with an overly childish S/O

• Selfishness or being chronically inconsiderate can and will make him angry

• He won’t even entertain someone with bad hygiene like he really doesn’t understand how someone could be okay with not being clean?

• Incessant complaining and whining will grate on his nerves like anything else

• Not respecting his boundaries, even if you don’t understand them, will have him running for the hills before you could even say ‘Byakugan’

Soft Neji Things~

• Neji isn’t one for constant affection, but once he realizes how much he enjoys the lotus position (you sit in his lap, facing him, legs around his waist) it’ll be a regular occurrence. Whether he’s reading or just savoring your presence you’d better get used to it

• He loves to read and sometimes if you ask beg he’ll read to you and he has the smoothest most ASMR voice ever??

• He actually enjoys shopping with you because he loves helping you choose (and he likes to spoil you)

• I strongly believe that Neji plays an instrument (piano, flute or violin) and sometimes he’ll play for you

• If he’s had a really bad nightmare or his family is stressing him out, don’t be surprised if he climbs in your bed at a random hour of the night

• Locked doors or windows have never stopped this boy, so you’d best expect him to just walk in like he owns the place

• Considerate to the max, he’s always thinking about you and doing small things for you

• You actually bring out a new side to him, he’s more playful and free around you

Random Neji Facts~

• Neji made it into a game without your knowledge to see how many times he can scare you by just waltzing into your house

• He’s incredibly competitive, so the second you mention being the best at something, even in jest, prepare to have to prove it in competition

• His love language is in between quality time and acts of service

• He doesn’t really expect gifts or anything, so if you really want to see him light up, get him a little ‘I’m thinking about you’ gift

• Neji likes to journal, he likes to write down little things about his day, or ideas or even quotes that he heard and liked

• He really enjoys domestic activities because he didn’t really think he’d be able to find anyone to do that with

• He loves receiving and writing letters, it’s intimate and it’s special and he’ll keep everyone you send him

• Neji has a love/hate relationship with his hair; he’s very proud of it, but he hates all the extra work that goes into taking care of it

• He always carries extra scrunchies/rubberbands on missions in case his hair gets loose

• He gets sunburns so easily, he’ll always have sunscreen during the hottest months

Little Things~

Favorite:

• Place to kiss- Your wrist pulse point; it’s intimate and it feels so natural for him, especially when he’s holding your hand

• Way to hug- He loves to place a hand on the back of your head and one on your back; he loves the feeling of being so close to you

• Things to do with you- He loves doing small things with you; reading, drinking tea, or cuddling

• Cuddle position- When he’s not busy, he loves to lay back on the couch with you on top

• Type of date- Lowkey ones, maybe a stroll through the park, or going to a nice little cafe/restaurant

This or That-

• He enjoys spring the most, he loves seeing all the new life after a long winter

• He’s a hardcore morning person, he lives to be productive and the day won’t wait for him to ‘get in the mood’

• He’s a good cook, but as I’ve mentioned, his love language is acts of service so you cooking for him means a lot to him every time

• Loves to read, either on his own or with you and his favorite genres are classics and nonfiction

Conflict Happenings~

• He has a very sharp tongue, but he really hates arguing with you and will try to avoid that for as long as possible

• However, if something needs to be addressed, he will not hesitate

• Would prefer to have a calm, rational, debate, so if either of you loses your cool, don’t be surprised if he just up and leaves

• However, if you say something that crosses the line… God/Pein/Jashin/Kami have mercy on you, this boy will go off

• After the fight is over, he’ll need space to calm down, but once he is, apologies and makeups are quick and sincere

• He refuses to fight over small insignificant things, he finds it beneath him

• He will listen, though, because if something is bothering you, that’s valid to him

• Don’t push him or test his limits, it’ll make him uneasy and feel like he can’t trust you, which can lead to your relationship self destructing

• After fights, whether big or small, he needs some good ol’ fashioned cuddles (you both do honestly)

• He’s a firm believer in not going to bed angry, so even if you’re still upset, he’ll do everything in his power to get rid of his own irritation

• It’s hard to hurt his feelings, but if you do he’s cut deeply, so watch what you say

Modern Neji~

• OMG this boy is one of those people that are always smartly dressed and no one can change my mind

• He’s not a teacher’s pet, per se, but he’s very polite and is always doing his best

• He’s one of those gym obsessed people, but very lowkey about it

• I could definitely see him into fencing and/or martial arts

• He’s the kind of person to only hang out with his closest friends because he feels most comfortable with them

• Most people would know he was from the esteemed Hyuga family, but no one would really process it because he’s not overly flashy and doesn’t really mention it

• He’s still pretty antisocial but after Naruto pretty much shoved his way into his life he started to open up

• Has so many fangirls and is always being asked on dates but is so confused, like why do these strangers always follow him? And who are these gifts from??

• I can really see a turf war between Neji’s fangirls and Sasuke’s fangirls over who’s better

• He most likely majors in business and finance to inherit the Hyuga company or at least have a fundamental role in it

• I think he’d like a roommate, especially if he lives off-campus

• I could see him living with someone like him so he’s not constantly overwhelmed by someone with Naruto’s personality

• Neji is always the model student and I could see him tutoring a few people (begrudgingly, of course)

• He’s always doing his best, but it might not seem like it? Neji is very good at retaining information, so the only time you’ll catch him really studying is if he knows he has trouble in that area

• His living space is meticulously clean and probably kinda bare

• He doesn’t really feel the need to decorate because it’s temporary, but if his roommate wants to he won’t care

• Neji is not a partier, but if his friends drag him to one he might stay for a while

• He’s such a lightweight and he might find himself drunk quicker than he thought possible

• Doesn’t have much of a hangover besides waking up disoriented and dizzy

• I love Neji honestly

Masterlist

#neji hyuga #neji #headcanon #naruto scenarios #naruto shippuden #collection #canon #modern #requested

[robininthelabyrinth]

Eyestealer 9 - ao3 link

Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Senju Hashirama & Senju Tobirama (mostly gen, hints of other relationships)

Summary: Hashirama really doesn’t approve of the thoughtful way his father looks at his younger brother’s bright red eyes. He’s sure it doesn’t mean anything good for anyone.

He’s right.

——————————————————————————————

“I can’t believe you only gave us two weeks to finish redrafting this peace treaty,” Tobirama says. “I enjoy sleep.”

“You don’t actually enjoy sleep,” Hashirama points out, quite practically. “You always have nightmares.”

“Fine. I require sleep.”

“Well –”

“You’ve already mentioned the sleep jutsu they’re throwing into the bargain three times, anija, and that’s just since this morning. I notice you didn’t actually learn it before you let Madara scamper off.”

“Tobiramaaaaa –”

Tobirama had taken the news of the (hopefully) impending peace about as well as Hashirama could have hoped, which is something of a miracle given how Hashirama'd botched telling him about it.

See, unfortunately, when Hashirama is excited, really truly excited, he tries to say everything that's in his head at once, his tongue tripping over words that flow out disconnected and piecemeal and confused. And he was very excited by his conversation with Madara, very excited indeed, and he simply had to tell Tobirama all about it at once.

"Anija," Tobirama had said quite calmly when Hashirama finished sobbing happy tears into his shoulder - sometimes Hashirama thinks that Tobirama started wearing that beloved fur ruff of his just to have something to sop up his older brother's emotions, which, if true, Hashirama sincerely appreciates because it does the job very well. "Let me be clear: I have no idea what you just said, unless you really did somehow poison Madara with my eyes after he was unfaithful to you and then convince his clan to make peace by offering to heal them from a terrible disease that somehow involves strangling imprudent scientists like me, and also possibly that you think everyone should kill their parents as a bonding exercise."

"Uh. Not - quite?"

"That's what I thought," Tobirama said dryly. "How about you stop trying to tell me about it and give me a mission report about it instead. Chronologically, please."

Hashirama complied.

Somewhere in the first few minutes, Tobirama put his head in his hands and didn't raise his head for the entire remainder of Hashirama's rendition of that day's events.

At the end, he'd said only, "I see why people like you turn into a tree at the end: it means we can finally keep an eye on you."

Then he went into the other room to scream into a pillow for about two minutes solid before coming back out, having composed himself again, and informed Hashirama that neither of them was going to be sleeping until they fixed up the last version of the treaty terms‎ to account for these newest changes.

Also that Tobirama would be taking responsibility for breaking the news of the treaty to the rest of the clan, that Hashirama was very much not invited to the meeting in which he planned to do it, and finally if Hashirama so much as thought about telling anyone anything important ever again, Tobirama was going to kick him somewhere painful.

So, really, not all that bad a reaction at all, if you think about it. And if Hashirama had ended up having to make an example of one of his father's most vicious and unforgiving allies to show how seriously he was taking this promise of potential peace, well, it's not like the rest hadn't had several years to prepare themselves for that inevitable result.

(Also, Hashirama has been spending a good chunk of time since his meeting with Madara daydreaming about the fiasco that would undoubtedly result from Madara telling his clan about the new plan. Given how tactfully Madara had handled bringing up Tobirama’s Sharingan, Hashirama likes to imagine that Madara started with something incredibly smooth like “Hey, guys, guess what, we’re not rapists but we are going to get fucked if we don’t make peace right now” or maybe “I’ve decided that we should embrace eyestealing with open arms if it means we don’t all go blind” or – the most likely option – just going with “Izuna, we’re making peace with the Senju now, please gather the clan, I’ll explain later, really, I swear” followed almost immediately by Izuna attempting to blow him up.  

Tobirama has informed Hashirama that staring in the direction of the Uchiha compound, giggling maniacally, and asking people if they think the wisps of cloud hanging in the sky were the signs of a very large explosion, were not conductive to setting up his supposedly much-desired peace talks, but actually people have started doing the “Whatever you say, Hashirama-sama” thing that they do when they want him to go away quickly and if anything that’s made more people fall into line with the idea faster than they probably would have otherwise. So what does Tobirama know?)

“Stop whining and let me focus,” Tobirama tells him, interrupting Hashirama's slow drift back into that very enjoyable daydream. “One of us has to.”

“But –”

“Go walk. Try the north-east corner of the grounds; I’ve heard it’s nice.”

Not wanting to get dragged into revising the treaty yet another time, Hashirama decides to take Tobirama’s advice and goes to mope at the north-east corner of the Nara summer compounds, where they stay during their beloved deer’s fawning season. It’s an ideal place for a meeting when it’s not being used – the Nara are on generally good terms with both Senju and Uchiha without actually committing to either, and by permitting them to use this place, they aren’t risking their home compound.

The whole place still stinks of deer, though.

He sighs.

Then he jumps a foot into the air when the trees shout a warning to him. He’s no sensor, certainly not like Tobirama is, but the trees help make sure he’s not totally taken by surprise.

Sometimes, it’s even a nice surprise.

Beaming, Hashirama dashes over in the relevant direction.

“You’re early,” he says to the Uchiha delegation: Madara, Izuna, another frontliner (Hikaru?) and three elders. “It’s only been ten days.”

“Yeah, it has. So what are you doing here?” Madara demands, crossing his arms.

“You’re joking, right?” Tobirama drawls from one of trees. Of course he’s there – a sensor of his caliber, he sent Hashirama that way on purpose. Without telling him the real reason, the brat. “He was at the Nara’s doorstep approximately ten seconds after you agreed to talks.”

All the Uchiha stiffen at the sound of Tobirama’s voice, eyes narrowing; they’ve clearly all been read in on his – particular situation.

Great.

Hashirama hopes the information about Tobirama’s Sharingan hasn’t gotten too widely spread out among the Uchiha: he’s told certain relevant people in his own clan, particularly the elders who have come along to help with negotiations, but it’s certainly not common knowledge.

(Hashirama’s hoping to quietly spread rumors about it until it’s just generally common knowledge without him ever having to actually explain it to anyone. Maybe they can make out like it was some sort of last-minute deathbed gift from an ally or a friend devoted to peace or something, given in adulthood? That would be far more palatable to everyone than the truth, as much as he'd love to rub it in some of his clan's elder's faces.)

“Why don’t we all take this back to the compound?” Hashirama suggests. “The Nara are making tea for all of us.”

The next few hours are…mildly agonizing, with lots of sneaky pointed comments despite a general request by the Nara that they wait before starting actual negotiations and also lots of staring at Tobirama while he pretends to ignore them all.

“Perhaps a small break,” the Nara elder tasked (probably against her will) with hosting this meeting suggests, looking a little desperate to get out of the room herself. “To review the initial proposed drafts of the treaty.”

Tobirama reaches for a copy of the Uchiha treaty. Hashirama, deciding death by boredom is a bad way to go and dignity is fundamentally overrated, uses the moment to escape out the window.

A few minutes later, Madara appears on the roof beside him. He’s looking grumpy and standoffish, but luckily Hashirama knows him well enough to understand that he’s just embarrassed about how rude his clan representatives are being.

“It’s fine,” Hashirama says before Madara says anything that might taste like chewing glass. “We knew it’d be a tough sell.”

Madara struggles for himself for a moment, then sighs and sits down next to Hashirama. “Yes, we did. Even with all the incentives in the world, they’re not happy. Not to mention that I’m still not sure they believe me about – well, anything. They may ask to, um, see it. Your brother’s…you know.”

“We figured as much,” Hashirama says with a shrug. “It’s not actually a problem – they are his eyes, whatever the original origin – but at this point Tobirama wants to see how long it’ll take them to come out and actually say they want to see it.”

He’d signed as much under the table about fifteen minutes into the negotiations.

Madara snorts. “Of course he does. Well, they deserve it.”

They sit in companionable silence for a long moment, then Madara sighs a second time.

“Izuna’s still not in favor,” he warns. “I managed to get him to come to the meeting, but if you can’t get him on board before negotiations break for good, we’re going to have problems.”

Hashirama knows enough of Uchiha clan politics to understand Madara’s meaning.

At that moment, Tobirama’s chakra flares a little – not a warning, not in panic, but certainly defensive – so Hashirama rolls over to the edge of the roof to see what’s going on.

Both Izuna and Tobirama seem to have retreated to the same courtyard – no, Tobirama retreated, and Izuna followed, if Hashirama has to guess. They’re standing several feet away from each other, each one in the characteristic ready-but-not-actively-aggressive pose of their respective clans: Tobirama with his hands limp by his sides, Izuna with his arms crossed over his chest.

“- not sure where you got that idea,” Tobirama is saying, rather scornfully. Apparently Madara was right about Izuna being pissed off at the idea that Tobirama wasn’t using his full arsenal against him. “Even if I did use the Sharingan against you, it would only be effective with the element of surprise, which is now gone. You’re the experts, after all.”

“Experts or not, the Mangekyo is a weapon like none other,” Izuna says, clearly not appeased. “Can you perform Amaterasu?”

Tobirama inclines his head.

“Then why haven’t you used that?” Izuna demands. “I used mine on you once, though you dodged.”

He sounds resentful about that.

“A technique that requires a significant amount of chakra and makes your eyes bleed isn’t an effective attack on the frontline anyway,” Tobirama says crisply. “You were all but useless after that point in the battle; if I hadn’t been forced to retreat, I could have killed you easily, followed by significant portion of your clan’s warriors. Not emulating your mistake seems like a point in my favor, if anything.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. A one-shot kill strike on me would have been well worth being forced to immediately retreat afterwards and you know it. What’s the real reason? Don’t say it was because of your brother’s peace, because I’ll know you’re lying; you’re as suspicious of that whole nonsense as I am.”

Tobirama arches his eyebrows but doesn’t deny it.

“Well?” Izuna says challengingly. “What’s the real reason?”

Tobirama shrugs. “I assumed you’d block it.”

Madara makes a slightly strangled noise from where he’s lying on the roof next to Hashirama. Hashirama elbows him pointedly; they’ll be caught for sure if he doesn’t shut up.

Luckily, Izuna seems to be taking the news about as well as Madara is, which is to say not well at all. He’s hissing like a tea pot on the boil.

“Are you stupid, or do you think I am?” he snarls. “The whole point of Amaterasu is that it can’t be blocked, only dodged, and even then only the fastest shinobi can manage it.”

Hashirama wonders if Izuna realizes he’s paid Tobirama a back-handed compliment. Probably not.

“Normally, yes,” Tobirama says with a slight frown. “But if I escalated the conflict to such a degree, you would presumably escalate similarly. And as we’ve learned from our conflict over the years, water and fire neutralize each other.”

Izuna frowns. “Water? Amaterasu is a katon jutsu.”

“For you, maybe. Mine manifests as water.”

“Are you serious? I’ve never seen that before.”

“Your clan is full of katon users,” Tobirama points out. “Have you ever had someone who wasn’t one achieve the Mangekyo?”

Hashirama looks questioningly at Madara, who thinks about it, then silently shakes his head. Then, because he knows as much about subtlety as Hashirama does, he whispers, “I don’t think it’d be called Amaterasu if it’s not fire. Maybe Ryūjin, or Ōyamatsumi…?”

Hashirama punches him in a vain attempt to keep him quiet.

“I’d have to check the clan records to be sure about it, but I don’t think we have, no,” Izuna says, frowning thoughtfully, luckily ignorant of the (mostly mute) scuffle currently happening on the rooftops above his head because apparently Uchiha honor can't handle a stupid little punch like that without some retaliation. “I’d never thought about that. Traditionally, eye-stealing only happens among adults, and in those cases the qualities of the original dojutsu wielder pass along without accounting for the affinity of the new bearer.”

“Really? Hn. I wonder at what point it stops being flexible.” Tobirama looks contemplative. “And why it does, for that matter. Maybe something about when the chakra coils stabilize?”

Izuna shrugs, casual, but he’s sneaking glimpses at Tobirama when Tobirama isn’t looking at him.

“...how old were you?” he asks in a way that might come off as casual if one didn’t see how tense his body was, which they can, because both Hashirama and Madara immediately freeze with their hands around each other’s throats and simultaneously turn to stare at the scene happening below them instead of continuing to fight. “Madara said young, but he didn’t specify.”

“Somewhere between my first birthday and my second,” Tobirama says with a shrug of his own. “I’ve never bothered to count the days, and my memories from that period are impaired by my contemporaneous lack of understanding of the concept of linear time.”

“That’s awful,” Madara murmurs.

Izuna’s face below indicates that he agrees with the sentiment.

“Sometimes he has nightmares about being three years old again,” Hashirama murmurs back, because finally, finally other people get to suffer-by-proxy the way he’s suffered. Everything about Tobirama's eyes is patently awful and everyone in the world should feel bad about it, in Hashirama's humble opinion. “Apparently it’s very frustrating and confusing, and also involves some rather interesting views on omniscience. Apparently children don’t develop a proper theory of the mind until fairly late in their development –”

“Stop talking. Please.”

“Though, on the subject of the original wielder of the dojutsu,” Tobirama says, and now it’s his turn to look awkward. “I doubt there will ever be a convenient time to bring it up, but I’d be interested in knowing his identity.”

Hashirama grimaces. It really should have occurred to Hashirama that he might need to run some interference to keep Tobirama from asking about who his donor was. Of all the things he doesn’t want the Uchiha to be thinking too hard about – or counting dead bodies on – that’s pretty high up there, especially if his suspicions regarding the timing of the death of Madara’s one older brother are correct…

Izuna luckily doesn’t know the answer, and in fact looks surprised to even be asked. “Why would it matter?” he asks. “I mean, I assume he’s dead now. And anyway, I’m not sure we know; it’s been a long time, if it happened when you say it did.”

“If?” Hashirama hisses indignantly, only to get one of Madara’s very pointy elbows in his side.

“Understood,” Tobirama says. “If it helps, I can provide some measure of identifying information.”

“…how, exactly? You were a baby.”

“Oh, you’re not going to like this,” Hashirama whispers, and judging by Madara’s incredulous glare he might have said that a little too gleefully. But it’s high past time that someone else should feel bad about the whole thing; he and Tobirama have had their fill of it.

“– appears that the Sharingan retains all the memories it records,” Tobirama is explaining, and Izuna’s eyes are going wide the way Hashirama’s sure his own had when he’d first heard the horrible truth. “I only have the activation and the moment of, um, removal, but –”

“You remember your eyes being ripped out.”

“Rather viscerally, yes,” Tobirama says dryly. “But given that I didn’t grow up with a phobia of it the way the Uchiha do, it was probably less traumatic for me than it would have been for you.”

“You’ve remembered having your eyes ripped out since before you were two.”

“…yes? Though I didn’t understand the content of the memory until I was older.”

“I hate so much about what you’ve just said,” Izuna says, and he’s got a similar expression to the one Madara developed when he heard some of the gory details.

Do all Uchiha start worrying about people they shouldn’t at a moment’s notice? Is this something Hashirama has just never known about them?

He should’ve written out and sent a copy of Tobirama’s sob story to them earlier; they could have had peace ages ago.

 “Hashirama.”

Hashirama looks over at Madara, who has his forehead pressed down against the roof.

“How do you feel about using that raise-the-dead jutsu your brother developed to raise and murder your father all over again?”

Hashirama grins. “Necromancy is a bad habit,” he reminds his friend solicitously. “Even when one’s motives are pure. As fun as that would be.”

Madara groans and inches back along the roof, which Hashirama supposes is fair given that they’ve determined their brothers aren’t about to kill each other. He follows suit.

“The elders still aren’t going to like having a Senju with the Mangekyo, even if we do form a village,” Madara says once they’re back at their original locations. “Much less teaching him clan jutsu on how to deal with it, since he’s not under our control and could teach them further. But…”

“But?”

“I’m going to teach him that sleep jutsu anyway,” Madara says, and he’s got that adorable righteous fury look on his face. “I don’t care what they say; no one innocent should bear the weight of our dojutsu without any support at all.”

Hashirama smiles.

And then, because he can, he says, “That’s very romantic of you. We’ll have a betrothal contract to seal the peace treaty any minute.”

Madara chokes. “Betroth- I – what?!”

“I really only objected to that solution because I couldn’t trust Tobirama would be safe living in your compound,” Hashirama muses. “But I suppose if we’re all in the same village you two could just live in the middle ground.”

Madara’s flailing so hard that he can’t even speak, and his face is color of a ripe tomato. It’s amazing.

“I’m sure your elders would agree, too,” Hashirama adds solemnly. “After all, that would mean bringing the Sharingan back under Uchiha clan control, which is what they want, isn’t it?”

“Hashirama!”

Hashirama starts laughing.

“You’re a terrible person,” Madara says, but his voice is almost admiring. “Truly terrible.”

“Don’t worry,” Hashirama assures him between giggles. “It would be clearly unequitable to marry a clan head to a mere heir. Maybe we should pair our brothers together instead.”

“First off, your white demon is far too pretty to be wasted on my playboy little brother,” Madara says, but he’s starting to snigger as well. “Perhaps more relevantly, they’d kill each other first.”

“Probably.”

Almost as if waiting for the right moment, from somewhere behind them, Izuna’s voice suddenly rings out, nearly as loud and screechy as his older brother’s, “What do you mean your Susanoo isn’t a tengu?! If it’s not, what is it?!”

Hashirama and Madara look at each other.

“What do you mean it’s a kitsune?!”

#senju hashirama #senju tobirama #uchiha madara #uchiha izuna #madatobi #a little #my fic #eyestealer

[eleanor-devil]

[Boruto Fanfic] Aihime

As promised here is the new, small, collab fanfic done between me and @mirage-05 !

This fanfic is mainly focused on Boruto’s and Mitsuki’s relationship, with the possibility of romance in the way but mainly regarding their bond as friends. Some other ships will be occasionally mentioned such as ShikaSara and Sumire x OC.

Feedback is appreciated!

Chapter 2: Boruto’s Decision

The blond's azure eyes widened in surprise and shock at the same time, he froze where he was and his mind went blank. The only thing wandering in his brain right now were Mitsuki's words.

Despite knowing he had shocked his best friend, Mitsuki had this soft and understanding smile as the wind blew past them, making their hairs and clothes move along with it.

And then Mitsuki closed his eyes but the smile was still there "I know it's something big to ask for you and I would never force you to accept it..but you are an important person in my life, I am here thanks to you and all I want is for my future child to be like you."

Boruto opened and closed his mouth several times, like a fish out of water... which probably wasn't that far off a metaphor. He was completely caught off guard, which was saying something, because all this time knowing Mitsuki he thought he would've gotten used to his... surprises already... But this was something far beyond his imagination capability.

Even when dating those girls (and failing each time), even when he thought that he could have taken things seriously with one or two of them... this step wasn't even the last thing he had on mind. Child meant responsibility... and really, even though Mitsuki claimed he wouldn't have to be bothered with the child... could he not, if it comes to that?

Which brought another thing to his mind. He... was taking this in an even stride so far, actually thinking beyond the obvious question he should think of first... This wasn't a discussion he was having with a girlfriend. Even though he came to accept Mitsuki as a clone... the whole thing was still kind of out-of-worldly for him…

And still, Mitsuki's smile didn't fade. "You... don't have to answer now. I didn't expect you to." he said calmly, just gazing at him with a level look.

Before Boruto could even think of a possible answer for Mitsuki, his friend had started to walk past him and all the blond could do was follow him with his confused gaze.

For a moment Mitsuki stopped in his tracks, then turned slightly to Boruto but still with his smile "Get some rest Boruto, we had a long mission." and just like that the blue haired man had disappeared with a single jump into a roof, leaving his best friend alone and still very confused with everything that had just happened.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

As the days continued passing, Mitsuki hadn't received an answer from Boruto and the more the days passed, the more Mitsuki had come to terms that he would have to settle for a stranger as the donor for the conception of his child.

Deep inside, you could say he was disappointed however it's not like he didn't think of the possibility that Boruto wouldn't accept his offer; it was indeed a big step and maybe too much to ask despite the two men being very close.

He couldn't blame Boruto.

And that's why...Mitsuki was caught by surprise when he saw Boruto walk in his office at the hospital.

"Boruto?" he gently put down the pen with which he was writing some documents and very slowly stood up from his chair, his eyes never leaving the blond.

The Uzumaki was a bit abrupt in his moves, almost made Mitsuki lean slight back when Boruto walked up to his table and slammed his hands on the wood. A very serious look shining in his blue eyes.

"I will give you an answer for your request. On a condition, I want you to answer me two questions."

Mitsuki's amber eyes blinked, very slowly but the apathetic expression remained in his features "Okay." was his simple answer

Boruto went back to his still position and crossed his arms over his chest "Okay. First question...how bad do you want this child? Second question, why me?"

Just as Mitsuki was about to answer, there was an announcement for him, calling him to the newborn ICU. "Come with me." the blue haired man told his friend before heading out, the footsteps behind him being the indicator that Boruto did follow his words.

And so Mitsuki fell in step with his work, checking on a preemie placed in an incubator for breathing problems. The baby was so tiny... fragile... but it didn't slip the blond's attention that she was reacting well to Mitsuki's movements and treatment, relaxing more and more as her breathing became easier.

To his surprise, the next thing his friend did was to allow him into the room, after he wore some protective outfit of course.

Mitsuki took the newborn's tiny hand in his hands... and to his astonishment, those tiny fingers curled on the man's pinky finger, almost as in searching a reassurance.

"Precisely because of this..." Mitsuki murmured softly, his eyes on the preemie. "I want... need... to leave behind someone I... watch over from the beginning... someone I can watch grow... and hold my hand, as I will hold hers - or his - throughout my life..." Maybe this wasn't the exact answer to his question, but there was no doubt... it was clear in his tone that Mitsuki really, really yearned for this child.

It almost made Boruto's heart ache.

"And as for why I chose you..." The blue haired man turned to him, and his smile was genuine, small but sincere. "I am what I am because of you, Boruto. Maybe I didn't get to choose to be friends with you at first but... through your friendship, I got to become something much more than an empty shell, a copy of the person who created me."

"Heh...well...back in there I thought I was the reason you didn't want to stay in the village" maybe back in those days it wasn't entirely false this statement, although Mitsuki had made it clear to him that it wasn't because he hated him. He just needed to find himself. "But...this child...Mitsuki, you know my genetics carry a lot more than just...well...simple DNA."

Mitsuki's eyes drifted again back to the baby in the incubator "I'm aware of that and if it comes to that then I will ready myself for that situation, I don't care about power and you know it. This child could even be born without chakra and I would still love him or her with my whole existence." he closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh "I just want to love someone...the same way your parents love you and your sister and this child having a piece of you in them? I know they would shine bright as you."

Boruto blinked and Mitsuki sighed again, that smile and look from days ago returning "But I've told you, I am not going to force you to do this."

Boruto heaved a deep breath, and Mitsuki felt like his best friend was trying to come to terms with something... with his decision. The young blue haired man was patient while he waited for Boruto, rearranging his belongings to return to the office in the meantime, trying not to let it show just how much he worried about the coming answer…

"I..." Boruto began, then paused for a second to gulp. "I do want to help you... You are my best friend and I can't hold back while it's something so important to you..." He raised his head to look squarely into his eyes, and there was nothing but pure sincerity in it.

Mitsuki, of course, couldn't hold back the smile that made its way to his face; usually it was known this man always managed to fake smiles even he was clearly not okay but after spending so many years next to him, Boruto had come to understand when said smiles were fake and when they weren't.

This one wasn't fake.

Although, the Uzumaki had to admit that he did not expect Mitsuki to pull him into a hug, a quite tight one that almost knocked the air out of his lungs. But soon he returned that gesture by patting slightly his friend's back.

"Thank you, Boruto." Mitsuki started "I will forever be grateful to you."

"Heh...like I said, this is something really important to you so how can I say no."

They parted from the hug but still stared at each other "Just so you know, I want you to be the godfather of this child" Boruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly while a grin made its way to his face.

"Deal then" he said "So um...what will I have to do?"

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

And so the months passed, much more slower than Boruto would have guessed... He always had something to preoccupy him, whether that be a mission, or help around the town, which had been very frequent lately... for some unknown reason Boruto was getting along pretty well with kids, and so his little friends always wanted to see more of him, leaving him pretty much with no free time at all.

He wasn't complaining, not at all, having fallen to the easy rhythm of life after peace had once again been established in the ninja world, and it had become a fundamental task to make it a safer place for the generations to come.

But all the while, quite often during his daily routine... he couldn't help but wonder how it was going on... with Mitsuki.

The donation had been successfully complete, and actually almost a month later Mitsuki had received news from Karin saying that the embryo was stable and growing. It was after receiving those news that his best friend had requested Sarada to leave Konohagakure for the next months so that he could accompany the process personally.

Sarada had accepted and the next day Mitsuki left back to Otogakure. He didn't receive news ever since.

Specifically today was a busy day in the village, well the Uzumaki could guess it was in every village but nevermind that, for it was the day many couples adored to celebrate. Valentines Day.

While walking around the town, Boruto would see many girls offering their beloveds the typical handmade chocolates; heck even his mother still made chocolates for his father and the blond still chuckled at the image of Naruto drowling when he saw Hinata had made that delicious sweet.

Boruto didn't care much for Valentines Day however girls in town didn't care and earlier this morning he had woke up with his doorstep full of bags with chocolates from many many girls. All he could think was that he was going to take forever to eat all that and could only hope his stomach didn't start hurting.

Breaking him from his thoughts, his cellphone rang loud; the blond man reached for it and almost jumped from his seat when he saw who the caller was.

Mitsuki.

It came as another surprise for him when he nearly jumped on the phone, too eager to get to hear his voice again. "Mitsuki??" he gasped out, almost breathless in his haste.

He could hear the smile in his best friend's answering tone. "Just as I thought... I knew the Boruto I know would be sitting by his phone, jumping up at every ring of it."

"Never mind that now." the blond continued in a rush. "What've you been doing all this time?" Of course he knew the answer, but still... he just couldn't keep the intrigue from his voice.

"Actually..." there was a small pause at the other end of the line. "I might be seeing you sooner than you think."

"Wait what?" did that mean what he thought it meant? He was coming back? "You're coming back?! Wait uh tell me when, I can go pick you at the train station!" he sounded quite excited, he didn't even know why.

Again he heard the smile "No need, I'm almost reaching the gates. Just called you because I thought you would like to meet this heavily sleeping bundle I have currently wrapped around my chest."

Boruto's jaw almost dropped "Y-you mean you're... right now you're... and by a bundle you mean...?"

This time, there was a full chuckle. "Really Boruto, some things never change, do they?"

"Don't come in from the gates!" The blond almost yelled in a rush, feeling his pulse quickening as the whole impact of the words dawned on him. "I'll meet you just out of them okay?" Damn if he wanted to see the... baby... himself first…

He didn't even hear the reply before he ended the call and began rushing to the gates, his mind in overdrive. The baby... the baby that has a part of him in his or her DNA... the closest he would possibly feel to a…

No... even that thought made him feel almost dizzy. He tried to keep his mind mostly blank as he completed the route.

He jumped from roof to roof, stair to stair trying to be faster than time itself. And finally the gates were there, just a few steps more.

His eyes weren't tricking him when he saw a figure leaning against a tree just a little outside the border of the gate. It was him, thank goodness he listened to him.

"Mitsuki!" He saw the blue haired man raise his head to face him with that welcoming smile. But then Mitsuki raised his free hand and put his index finger over his lips, indicating silence.

"She is asleep but I would like us to reach home first before she starts crying."

“Oh” Boruto instinctively put his hand over his mouth but realization hit him like a truck as he processed Mitsuki’s words, so he spoke again but lower “Wait…”she”?”

The blue haired man’s smile spread as he adjusted the baby in his arms before pulling apart a bit of the warm blanket, revealing the baby’s face.

“Boruto...this is Aihime.”

Note: Aihime (愛姫) literally means "love princess"

#boruto #mitsuki #borumitsu #mitsuboru #fanfic #aihime

[banavalope]

the only reason people resent octopimp's homestuck stuff is because they regret their own actions in the heyday of homestuck. his va work was top tier, and your art was and is and always will be just as spectacular and fundamental to the community

I saw someone say something exactly like that like a day ago or whatever and like, can certainly agree ((also wowie thank you that makes me blush, i like making jokes abt my fave stuff on the internet a lot and i mean that sincerely lmao))

Homestuck got fandom big in like, what, 2012? Half of us were teenagers or young adults, prime time to make a lot of really embarrassing decisions you can always tie back to THAT ONE THING you were really into.

Like, every time I think about Naruto I still cringe a little because of the long stretch of my childhood where I wore shitty village headbands to school and took edgy pictures of myself for my gaia online signature banner. I naruto ran durring gym class and I tried to get a guy to like me by buying him a kunai. We’ve all got somethin.

#Anonymous

[seventh-hokage-naruto-uzumaki]

Hi there :) I'm a different anon but this is a question for the mun! I just saw your reply about Shikamaru and this part you said: "I hate how his misogyny gets a pat on the back every so often, and that his laziness is equated to being smart??" it really interested me and if you would please tell me/explain more about it and why you got that interpretation? It's something I didn't notice it before so I would love to hear your views about it if that's okay :)

// HELL YEAH NARUTO META

A sexist character type…

So, as some of you have noticed, Naruto subverts, or at least explains some character tropes.

Sakura is the strong girl (who proves it by hitting boys), but started off at super weak.

Sasuke is the brooding heartthrob, with good reasons to brood and no wish to attract girls

Naruto is the goofy, pure-hearted, optimistic hero, who’s actually using smiles to cover up is own sadness, lack of morals and the fact no-one will support him aside from his own self

Shikamaru is the “adorkable” sexist. You know, the character whose sexism we’re supposed to laugh at (while still basking in it)? The character writers use to voice their own misogyny in a “but it’s just a joke” manner?

I have a fundamental problem with that type of character, obviously, but more so with Shikamaru (or Jiraiya for instance), as they’re not as much ridiculed as shown as cool.

…validated by the story

Because Shikamaru is also a “lazy genius”. As lazy, he’s meant to make the reader underestimate him in the same way we underestimate Naruto, but root for Naruto, who’s actually driven, a bit more. 

Shikamaru gets the adult’s seal of approval

But, Shika is also the only kid to pass the Chunin exam on his first try. The script awards his laziness and, by glorifying his smarts, it also tells us that “maybe he’s not that wrong to hate women”. Shikamaru is planted as “the smart kid whose attitude is validated by adults so much he’s the only one to succeed”, and therefore showed as a role model. Maybe “sexism is the mature way”?…

However, being smart doesn’t equate to being right

I’ve met my fair share of smart people. And by that, I mean MENSA smart, which is an IQ of 132+ minimum. Now, don’t get me wrong, IQ tests are flawed and only gauge one very narrow type of cleverness: problem-solving related smartness, in a given social and cultural context no less. Not emotional intelligence, for instance. You could have a 300+ IQ and be as socially proficient as a brick. It’s just to give you an idea of the kind of people I’ve met to help you understand where I come from.

Among these people, I’ve met some who come from the same social background, aka, LGBT+ people, and others who did not. The first were very self-reflective on discrimination and society. The other bunch where self-indulging misogynists.

I strongly believe being open minded is learned through experience or empathy, and these encounters reinforced my views. If you’re not from a discriminated minority, it might be very hard for you to understand any kind of discrimination, because experiencing unfairness is not the same as experiencing prejudice.

I think that’s where Kishimoto comes from. I sincerely believes he tried to be unbiased towards women, which only served to underline how little he thinks of them. Because he did not sexualise them and gave them “strength” and some active roles, but at the same time their abilities are downplayed every time to make male characters shine over them, whether they’re cut from that bit of the story or left wishing for a guy to do the work for them, or beaten to a pulp if they dare to actually go threw. He’s prejudiced against women, even though he’s sympathetic to them. 

But most people would trust a smart person’s sense of morals over another’s

I also think that Kishi gave Shikamaru “smarts” because, as most people, he seems to believe that “smart” people are most often right. He doesn’t seem to know, again, maybe because he didn’t experience it, that smart people can be damn stupid. Smart people can be very good at understanding complex concepts and faster than most at finding a solution to a problem, but morally? Morally they’re just people. Maybe their morals are more informed or more logically displayed, but morals are subjective, aka: nobody’s right. NOBODY. 

You can’t be right about made-up ideas. You can make more sense, sure, or make up a system that works better to achieve a goal than another (regardless of the “goodness” of that goal). But you CANNOT BE RIGHT about something that doesn’t objectively exist. Morals, like culture, are human made. They don’t exist without us, they exist because we invent them. They’re a guideline to appropriate social behavior.

Most people would logically deduce that the smartest character is the most likely to be right, and that’s why Shikamaru is pernicious. Because he’s showed as smart, aka, as right, but one cannot be right about morals. But readers, mostly youngsters too, will be very quick to make the leap between Shikamaru being the smartest and him being the rightest. Therefore, they would very logically deduce that Shikamaru is right in thinking women are lesser human beings, especially since the whole manga keeps proving him right.

Conclusion

I’m not saying Shikamaru is a bad character. His friendship with Choji is precious, and I believe he genuinely care for Naruto in the end. But the story validates and glorifies his misogyny, which I hate.

#naruto meta #shikamaru #shikamaru nara #sexism #misogyny

[fineillsignup]

I think of a lot of the shitty things in Boruto have to do with just... Shitty writing. Like Kishi was good at world building and making some nearing characters but he was horrific at weaving a tight story. There’s so many plot holes and retcons and just straight up idgaf inconsistencies and I think the writers at this point are just like. Fuck it. They gone watch it. Like the Temari and the rest of the girls being shoved into the typical Japanese Housewife stereotype, childcare isn’t as

available as it is in the West, it’s expected of a female to take the role of keeper of the house while it’s expected of the male to take the role of provider.

As long as he has a respectable profession, it’s all good. The actual characters and what motivates them and all that other good stuff just gets left in the dust because no one wants to take the time to write anything but dribble.

I have half-seriously suggested in the past that the reason for the increasingly horrifying plotlines of the Kishimoto-drawn one-shots post 699 are Kishimoto passive-aggressively trying to get them to stop asking him to write in this universe.

As Kishimoto himself has said, he was a very young mangaka (only 26) in a notoriously tough and high-pressure industry and he had to meet very fast deadlines while also changing the story on the fly to meet editorial requests/demands. (He was giving weekly chapters while Ikemoto is struggling to meet deadlines for monthly, just saying.) Kishimoto and his editors sat down and tried to plot out the rest of the story (including plugging all the holes that already existed) around the time of the break between part one and part two. And honestly, plugging holes started the problem. Early Naruto was rough, but it was honest and it was sincere. The later parts of shippuden know they’re writing a blockbuster franchise. And they decided that the easiest way to plug all the holes is to fall back on destiny and fate, jettisoning all the actual underdog parts of Naruto’s appeal, and turning Sasuke’s decisions into irrational results of a “curse” instead of reactions to a fundamentally toxic system. This allows for sequels which leave the shinobi system of children going on deadly missions for hire unchanged, so they can make an “easy” sequel.

I think you’re bang on about the series forcing the female characters into middle-aged Japanese expectations of how mothers are supposed to act. The males are equally forced into inexplicably long, long, long hours that leave them functionally absent from their families… also like middle-aged Japanese expectations. Even though times are peaceful, dad has gotta work 60+ hours a week and also have mandatory socializing times with his coworkers, because You Gotta.

Scarlet Spring basically goes like this:

Sarada: why is dad never here? doesn’t he care?Sakura: of course he cares, he is never here, never calls, and never writes BECAUSE he caresSarada: this makes no fucking sense I’m gonna ask him myselfSarada: hey papa why don’t you HOLY SHIT WHY DID YOU TRY TO STAB ME DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?Sasuke: have we met?Sarada: I’M YOUR KIDSasuke: oh.Sarada: why aren’t you ever home? why don’t you care?Sasuke: this has nothing to do with you. [lmao that’s LITERALLY WHAT HE SAID]Sarada: EVERYONE IS SHIT AND I’M LEAVING FUCK YOU ALLNaruto: listen Sarada, the world requires men to work until they collapse and die and for them to never express their feelings, but your mom loves you and hasn’t she suffered enoughSarada: crying in front of a computer while mouthing wow.gifPlot Bullshit: finishesSasuke: ok now I’m offSarada: you never really answered any of my questions and nothing is actually changing but I am inexplicably now fine with it now that my forehead has been Touched By An AngelSasuke: hey the poke made me forgive Itachi and he slaughtered my entire clan so you’re getting off lightly kidSarada: wait a minute what? who is Itachi?Sasuke: uh whoops never mind you heard nothing we’re never bringing up systemic corruption again now that we are the system

It’s like someone wanted to make the most ham-fisted, tone-deaf justification of why children have to unconditionally forgive their fathers for being absent ever.

#naruto analysis #remember when naruto was about fighting fate #remember when literally every volume was about the problems inherent in the shinobi system #remember when naruto was actually going to change shit? #remember when sasuke wasn't a total douche #pepperidge farm remembers #anti-sasusaku #sexism #anti-boruto #anti-gaiden #naruto #i should have a tag for asks

[mysticdragon3md3]

Reactions to Demon Slayer KNY ep15-26

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5:07 PM 10/8/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep15

I haven't quite decided to drop this series.  And if I watch Haikyuu instead, I'll want to write reactions and read subtitles instead of eat.  So KNY is best for my multitasking.  

5:33 PM 10/8/2020 A much better episode.  

I didn't write notes during because I was eating away from my keyboard.  

Really surprised there wasn't a scene of Zenitsu being told that Nezuko is Tanjiro's sister.  I would have liked to have seen Zenitsu come to the conclusion to be nice to Tanjiro in order to get close to Nezuko.  Such a drastic switch is funny.  And yeah, he *began* this episode with that drastic switch, but didn't it need an explaination?  I mean, I've watched enough anime tropes to know about "getting the older siblings' blessing to date the younger sibling" cliche.  But shouldn't they have explained it?  Or at least explained how Zenitsu is ok with Nezuko being a demon?  I know he's a hardcore girl-chaser, but he's also been mostly established as a coward, especially when it comes to demons.  So shouldn't there have at least been conflict between those 2 sies of himself?  At the least, seeing that play out would have been interesting.  

Felt kind of sorry for Zenitsu when he thought about wanting encouragement.  that's relatable.  But leaving him was the practical thing to do.  And anyway, even if he wanted encouragement, he should be honest with himself about not actually wanting to go into a forest of demons and be glad he got what he actually wanted.  

I'm going to say it.  Inuyasha's Yura of the Hair, Get Backers' Kazuki Fuuchouin, Claymore's Winged Anastasia.  So many of the ways the spider webs threads were used in this episode, other anime have done before.  Seeming like they're floating by standing on threads, puppeting corpses, controlling living people, etc.  I should research spider yokai and see if they originated these specific techniques.  

Oh, and Inosuke has an "animal spacial awareness" power too?  They say "technique", but c'mon, it's a power.  I don't know why I found it so much more acceptable in Naruto, but it just seems too much like a deus ex machina in KNY.  Maybe because Naruto had a lot of screentime to show training in techniques and normalizing that anyone can learn these "powers".  Whereas, KNY had a LOT of time lapse for the actual training montage episodes, and now these "powers" are coming out of seemingly nowhere.  

Ukogi is the sparrow, huh?  

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4:29 PM 10/10/2020 Demon Slayer Kimentsu no Yaiba ep16

WEll, tangling the threads is a good idea, but does that mean the spider demon has kept her threads untangled all the way from her fingertips, through the trees, bushes, and entire forest, WITHOUT getting them tangled?  I mean, is folding over a branch really considered "tangling"?  I thought thread technique characters could manipulate their threads more---at least in other series.  

I was wondering why they stopped attacking just because she snapped their necks, when half the people she was controlling were already corpses, but then I remembered she gave up on their usefulness.  

Really disturbing to see the mother spider so obviously terrified, about to be abused by her husband, while her own children are laughing at her.  

"If I die, I'll be released".  At least someone gets it.  

It's interesting how a lot of the demons have a quick flashback to their human memories right before they die.  I hope that pays off well in the overall story later.  

Tanjiro is sure taking his name misspoken by Inosuke during the previews, pretty well.  That's so refreshing, after so many series where a character completely freaks out then holds a grudge over their name being misremembered by someone that just met them.  I'm so tired of that trope.  It's so nice to see Tanjiro just patiently encouraging Inosuke to try again.  ;u;  Tanjiro continues to be so nice!  ;u;;  He and Nezuko really keep me sticking to this series.

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4:59 PM 10/12/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep17

But if Zenitsu passes out in 15min, then won't he just go unconsciously OP and kill the demon?

So his hair is yellow from lightning?  ok......?  

I have anxiety, depression, and suicidally low self esteem, so I can relate to Zenitsu, but WATCHING scene, after long scene, of a character who does nothing but scream and chase girls is not enjoyable.  I feel bad, constantly wondering why I keep hearing he's a fan-favorite character.  

Isn't saying that the time Gramps spends training Zenitsu is "wasted", the same as saying Gramps is a bad teacher?  Does this guy *really* respect Gramps as a former Hashira?  Sounds pretty disrespectful to me.

Well, it's nice to see the malicious child---enough to laugh at his own mom while she's getitng spousal abuse---get beaten by someone like Zenitsu.  

So is Zenitsu actually a little conscious?  Or is he dreaming?  

I'm sorry I forgot the bird's real name.  Chuntaro will have to do for now.  Chuntaro's crying face was super cute.  

It really hurts to see people picking on Zenitsu, when my anxiety/depression really forces me to identify with him.  And then the moral in the end is "everything is still worthwhile if you just don't give up"?  Sorry.  Not buying it.  If you're suicidal, you've already got the idea that death is an escape from suffering.  So the idea of working hard to survive, just to endure more suffering from your so-called "friends" and appreciating abuse from your "family" just because their abuse is proof of "not abandoning you", really irks me.  

Hang on a second...  This demon isn't overtly hostile.  What?  

Wait.  So this demon will abuse his wife but protect his daughter?  The hell?  And how he's spouting about protecting hsi family?  That's messed up.   . . .

2:44 PM 10/13/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep18

I don't understand.  Every other anime has translated "nisemono" as "fake".  Why is this series/episode translating it as "forged"?  Would it make sense to use "fake"?  There has to be something later in the story where "forged" makes more sense then using "fake".  I hope it comes soon, because it his really perplexing to me.  Right now, the emotional stakes of the fight don't mean anything without referring to a "fake bond".  

I guess the flashbacks aren't just for demosn right before they die.  

Wow.  These nichirin swords are breaking left and right in this episode.  

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10:34 PM 10/14/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep19

By god.  Someone figured out how to get Inosuke to take the time to heal his wounds in the midle of a battleground.  lol  Not bad.  lol  ^o^  

Wow.  All this time I had been hoping Nezuko would help out in this fight since it seemed so many odds were stacked against Tanjiro.  Then shen it actually happens, I had forgotten about it, then WHAM.  Genuine surprise.  ^_^  It's like how I never see Tokugawa protecting Ishida, no matter how many times i see that movie.  lol  

I'm sorry, but the talks between Tanjiro about fundamental philosophies is just too good!  ^o^  Nezuko has a will of her own...Fear is not a family bond...You need to fix that fundamental understanding...  It really helps to hear characters resolute in their belief that Nezuko has her own thoughts, to counteract all the ways this series keeps reducing her:  she can't speak, the hypnosis makes her protect humans vs she herself deciding to have a fervent wish/desire to protect humans, etc.  Need more of this.  Good job.  

Is the blade being held by threads?  It looks like it's not even touching Rui's neck. o.o?

That was good setup for these flashbacks when a character thinks they're going to die.  I liked that the Hashira saving Zenitsu explained that specifically, on top of the series repeatedly showing it with demons and other characters through now.  

This series really likes coming up with secret special techniques out of no where.  lol  I wonder why I put up with it so much with other Shonen anime?  Did they have better setup?  But even though it stands out a bit in KNY, I still roll with it because I love these protagonists and the animation is just SO DAMN GOOD.  

Ooh!  Nezuko doing a Demon Blood Art!  *o*!  Yes!  Agency for Nezuko!  ^o^

Wow.  Haven't seen anyone fight this much with a broken sword since Utena.  ^o^  

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8:09 PM 11/4/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep20

That was a good ep.  

Maybe as long as the characters are cool instead of really pushing for being the comedic characters, then I have absolutely no problems with this series.  

I love how creepy Kouchou is with her friendliness and how sincere her offers probably are.

I already forgot wisteria is poisonous to these demons.  lol  

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5:33 AM 11/6/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep21

Well, this is unusual.  They're showing the ghosts conversing with the oni after they die.  Usually it's jut the flashback, some last reaction to the memory, then the oni dies.  

Once again, I like how empathic Tanijro is.  I forgot that he can literally smell grief.  

Tomioka only *just now* recognized Tanjiro and Nezuko?  lol  

So Tomioka often acts contradictory to what he says?  He's a tsundere?  

Is this going to be the comedy duo for the episode?  Better than Inosuke and Zenitsu.  

I was wondering why Tomioka wasn't explaining earlier that Nezuko

"Kakushi".  Doesn't that mean "spirited away"?  Or maybe just "away"?  

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7:22 AM 11/9/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep22

In other words, they would have been IN SO MUCH TROUBLE if they went ahead and executed him.  lol  

"The fact is that Nezuko has refraine dform devouring humans for more than 2 years, and also that there are 3 people risking their lives for her.  To reject this notion, those who reject it must offer an even more convincing argument."  That's a really good argument.  

Other Hashira have never crossed paths with Kibutsuji before???

By those scares it loosk like Sanemi cuts himself a lot.  

I think she's more angry that he attacked her and Tanjiro though.  More than holding back hunger.  

Aaaaaaaaaand that's end of episode.  

This episode's direction has had SO MUCH "be awed" moments.  The music, the pauses, the slower pace of some reveals, etc.  They really want us to be awed by the Hashira and everything going on.  Sorry, but the ending theme animation sequence and the continuation of this series already proves that everything will end up ok.  But even if I didn't already know a few spoilers, I'm so tired of the whole "be awed" direction.  

All these Hashira are such exaggerated characters, I can feel how much this series is intended for younger audiences.  Suddenly, I'm more able to accept that article mentioning that kindergardeners watch KNY.  (https://soranews24.com/2020/09/07/japanese-schoolgirl-struggles-to-comprehend-the-shocking-truth-that-her-mom-is-kamen-rider/)

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12:30 PM 11/16/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep23

I' expect Nezuko to be more angry about the Hashira beating up Tanjiro, more than any temptation by the blood.  

omg Nezuko is speaking.  

I still think it's more dramatically impactful for Nezuko to solely make the decision herself to not eat humans, vs because of Urokodaki's hypnosis.  

Oh yeah, she's the medical person.  It makes sense for Tanjiro and Nezuko to stay at her house, at least for treatment.  

omg  He still wants to do that right now???  You can get back at the wind Hashira later.  lol  

Tamayo is teh oni doctor, right?  It seems like the Master has a physiological connection to demons, after all.  

Yes, please stop shouting.  I can tell the seiyuu is having a lot of fun, but omg...I don't think I want to see a return of their form of humor.

omg  He's awake.  I thought being asleep would be the only way Inosuke would be so still.  

I feel like the constantly crying Hashira is like a parody of all the Empathy I've been repeatedly praising Tanjiro for.  lol  

1:01 PM 11/16/2020

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6:29 PM 11/20/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep24.   Watched during dinner.  Didn't write reactions.

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9:36 PM 11/21/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep25

9:44 PM 11/21/2020 I can't watch this episode anymore.  After all those stupid commercials, realizing how spoiled I've been by YouTube's skip ad option, my whole body still being sore from day 2 of returning to my pushups/ballet exercises routine,...  Everything is just too annoying.  

This girl training Tanjiro during his rehabiliation is annoying.  Whether she's supposed to act as "teacher" for the training or "medical authority" in thier rehabilitation, it should be her responsibility to get Zenitsu and Inosuke back to rehab training.  Even if it wasn't, I hate this implication that this show is framing this situation as Tanjiro's responsibility!  It's not his responsibility!  His responsibility is to get himself healed!  This girl has no right to seemingly direct her anger at him for failing to get Zenitsu and Inosuke back to rehab training!  And even if she wasn't blaming him, the direction is certainly portraying that implication!!!  Adn Tanjiro is _reapeatedly_ trying to get them back to rehab training, so we have to watch this girl _repeatedly_ seem to blame him for their failures!  This whole thing is stupid.  

And then on top of that, the story is starting to move back towards Zenitsu and Inosuke's perspective, likely to finally reveal why they've been skipping out on rehab training.  But all I can remember is how much worse this series got when they showed up.  How much every scene with them went too long and too annoying.  How I don't want to watch them.  And how much better the series got again when they faded back into the background.  I'm sorry to their fans, but my brother was right (about Zenitsu):  Zenitsu and Inosuke are annoying.  I don't think I like them.  

Previous episode was good though.  All about Tanjiro and Kochou.  

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12:24 PM 11/22/2020 The other day, maybe 2 days ago, I was watching the Kimetsu no Yaiba ep where Tanjiro was struggling to do his full concentration breathing 24hrs a day, and I heard it again: The theme of diligent everyday work.  I'm listening to the One Punch Man opening theme, and that series was very much about that.  Did HeroAca also have that theme?  I doubt it, with all the superpowers.  Then again, it may not have stated it explicitly like KNY or OPM, but it probably *portrayed* it better than them.  

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1:52 PM 12/2/2020   Kimetsu no Yaiba ep25.   2nd try, after Crunchyroll crashed.  

1:56 PM 12/2/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep25

Unfortunately saw note from last time I tried to watch this ep and found it very annoying so I didn't finish it last time.  Maybe now's not a good time to watch an annoying show, while Nanay is giving off ominous vibes.  But I'm so close to finishing off this series/season.  

Ugh.  Oh yeah.  Tsundere.  That's part of why I gave up on this ep last time.  

Again, with the "work hard" theme.  If they're going to go with the "hard work solves everything" theme, that's been going around with series like One Punch Man, then at least be encouraging about it, sparrow.  I'm sorry, but I'm already from the generation/society that has lived with that "hard work ethic solves everything" being told all our lives, but by now has been proven a lie.  People work hard and work hard and the oppressions keeping them back aren't recognized.  Then "just work harder" gets used as a fuckin EXCUSE to ignore those oppressions and blame everyone's positions SOLELY on their individual motivations/ambitions.  I mean, *I'm* lazy and hopeless as all hell---I am Gen X, we're supposed to be nihilistic, after all---but I'm coasting!  Hard work does not deterine everything!  And there have been so many journalism pieces revealing the myth of the "hard work solution" just being used as an excuse to ignore problems and not help people, forgive me if seeing that theme being advocated just makes me cynacle as all hell.  

At least Kocho knows how to encourage people.  

If Shinobu is so angry that Kanao can't think for herself THEN JUST TEACH HER GODDAMNIT.  She's a little kid!  That's what you do with little kids!  omg Why does she bother staying angry after her big sister solved the problem right in front of her.  See?  This is what is so tiring about sticking to comedic cliches (in this case, the prolonged flustered angry ranting), instead of just allowing the writing to follow the logic of the characters.  Like PopCultureDetective advocated, you don't have to follow a genre's cliches, simply for homage, if those cliches just perpetuate negative things.  In this case, annoying nusance behavior for the purposes of obsolete ideas about comedy.  ..then again, this series has already proven that the manga-ka has warped ideas about prolonging annoying behavior as equating "comedy".  

Haganezuka is probably going to kick your ass for breaking your last swords.  Don't be so happy to see him---Yup.  There it is.  

He's probably going to chip the blades with that rock.  This is going to be bad.

At the rate Tanjiro is straining, he's going to need to recover from his rehabilitation.  lol  

LOL Tanjiro just tapped the teacup into place on her head! lol  I'm so glad he didn't just not splash her or completely forfeit the duel.  There's this old martial arts anime cliche about guys losing on purpose or forfeiting a match just because they "don't want to hit a girl".  It comes from old "gentlemanly" ideas, about respecting women because their "delicate" and frankly, before chivalry codes, knights were assholes and women were especially brutalized all the fucking time, so chivalry was needed to counter that.  But in martial arts anime, it repeatedly gets used on female characters who have actually been kicking everyone's asses, including the male protagonist's, for a big part of their screentime.  So it just ends up being really insulting to imply "hey, I'm this big strong dude, simply for being born male, and your sex/gender automatically makes you nothing but weak, so I'm not going to even try to actually win this duel, because anything I do without holding back is going to be too much for you to handle".  And maybe I'm old and have seen this cliche too many times with all my years on me, but I'm tired of it.  Maybe in real life, women still get brutalized much more than men, women still need efforts at consideration directed towards them to counter all the mysogyny, and the average man vs an exactl equal average woman tends to maybe have more muscle mass without trying, but when I watch an anime to see the fantasy of a woman unafraid to take a hit and able to dish it out just as well, you can't just break the immersion by bringing in those real world considerations of chivalry, without being simply demeaning towards that power fantasy female character.  

omg I thought someone would peak out and reveal they spoke for Nezuko.  But I think thee thing I've been griping about should happen, just happened!  Nezuko spoke for hereself.  ;u;  

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12:00 PM 12/3/2020 Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba ep26

Does this mean I have to watch the movie before season 2 is released?  I thought I could just skip the movie.  I hope it gets put on Crunchyroll.  Because AX won't be in-person again for a while.  

#md3watches #reactions #md3 watches demon slayer kimetsu no yaiba #please ignore my idiocy

[animeindoblog-blog]

Boruto -Naruto Next Generations- – 43

New Post has been published on https://animeindo.org/blog/2018/02/04/boruto-naruto-next-generations-43/

Boruto -Naruto Next Generations- – 43

“The Byakuya Gang Surfaces”

「白夜団、現る!!」 (Byakuya-dan, arawaru!!)

Unexpected Friendship

  Unlikely friendships always strike a warm chord in my heart. Also, the qualms of movie watchers may have been assuaged, where Boruto’s connection to Katasuke is finally clarified. From the perspective of someone who has seen the movie, it really makes sense that Katasuke has actually been close to the Uzumaki family for quite some time. This would explain why Boruto deeply trusts him as well, and I hope that others will be similarly satisfied as to how this might substantiate future events. Seeing Naruto being pestered repeatedly over the latest gadgets made me laugh, and as always, it was great to see how science and technology have come a long way in this world.   The other unlikely friendship formed between Shikadai and the bandit boy from the Byakuya Gang. Just like his father, Shikadai is shown to have old man smarts. However, it actually causes issues, where he feels frustrated at the lack of challenge from a peer that can intellectually match him. Consequently, we can see his disconnect from the current generation, where his maturity and intelligence somewhat alienates him from the crowd. In this episode, he meets his match. A boy who can keep toe to toe with him on the shogi board, despite having never played before. Does it seem fateful that later on in the arc, this unnamed boy will become a future antagonist?   It’s hard to say. He clearly has noble intentions, seeing how he described the Byakuya Gang to be a proverbial pawn that protects the villagers. This would suggest to me that he’s being manipulated by the mercenary with the mohawk. If we were to draw parallels to the situation between Kagura and Shizuma, then the probability of a turnaround is quite high. Speculation aside, I’m just looking forwards to seeing some sweet shinobi action, packed full of the ice kekkai genkai!  

The Consequences of Capitalism

  The stark wealth inequality we see in Konohagakure should be a familiar sight. It provides ample parallels with the effects of capitalism, that are also visible in most first world countries. However, the detriments run far deeper too compared to the norm. I don’t know what Naruto is doing as Hokage, but a lot of criticism should fall onto him. Perhaps in a post-war period, Konohagakure’s administration has been ill-equipped to deal with the unprecedented expansion experienced, following something of an industrial revolution. It’s understandable that not everyone can be as prosperous as the city folks. But things have gone too far. The fact that these fringe villages lack food supplies and clean water is quite disgraceful, especially the city centre easily possess all these basic necessities.   I understand why Boruto feels so crushed and disappointed, something that Konohamaru misunderstands. It’s not because our young protagonist failed his mission. Rather, he is the son of a man who people laud as great, yet holds a great responsibility in being unable to alleviate the intense suffering of these impoverished villagers. As the son of such a leader, I can see why Boruto feels so much guilt, especially considering how he had his prior convictions shattered. Stealing is stealing, but he seems to realise that he and his peers are allowed to live lives of luxury, while other people in Konohagakure are dying of starvation and thirst.  

Concluding Thoughts

  Something is fundamentally wrong with the economic system. Many people would argue that it is unfair to take away wealth, from the people who have earned it. Though I largely agree with the unfairness of the previous scenario, I have a single stance on this matter. There comes a point where people start struggling so badly, that increased taxes against corporations and wealthy individuals should be levied, to raise the necessary funds that can aid these fringe villages.   Boruto deserves recognition for its ongoing commitment to exploring socio-economic problems, despite being a kid’s show. It might lack depth, but more importantly, it conveys the topic through a simple message. Is it right to steal from the rich and give to the poor, a la Robin Hood? As a law student, I think that stealing is absolutely wrong and is difficult to justify on any ground. But if the government aren’t upholding their duty – that is to say their responsibility to run the country – then my emotions would make me very sympathetic towards these thieves. Funnily enough, I didn’t think a day would come, where I would suggest that Naruto’s leadership requires questioning. However, Konohagakure’s administration clearly suffers from deep flaws, and to that end, I sincerely hope that this intriguing matter will continue to be addressed throughout the run of this series.   Preview